Chapter 87 It is strength

Chapter 87 It is strength

“I promise,” Adler said again.

As Evyts moved away from the door, the glow on her hand started to fade.
Adler skeptically walked in, placing the tray on the table.

The room was different, with clothes and broken furniture scattered across the room; the smell of faint smoke and sweat seethed in the atmosphere. Turning to her, he noticed her lips; they were dried, and the flakiness on her skin was too visible, even paler than when she had arrived, with dark circles under her eyes.

Evyths was the opposite of how she had arrived. It wasn't royalty. It was suffering.

Adler scoffed unbelievably, taking a cautious step closer to her while she sat on the floor, the strap of her sheer dress falling.

Adler instantly grabbed a light blanket from the couch, wrapping her with it.

“Why are you doing this to yourself, Evyths?” He asked, picking the scattered items.
He could have called in the maids, but given Evyths' state and unending gossip, she may frighten them with her gaze. He was no exemption.
When he had at least cleared the room, he sat next to her, placing the tray closer to her now.

He broke the fresh, warm bread and handed it over to her, but Evyths didn't decline or look in his way.
His hand hung for at least five seconds, yet she didn't move a skin.
He put the piece back down, heaving a deep sigh.

“You are tormenting yourself—”

“How is Beta Oakley?” She cut in; her voice came out flat, so flat that he could have mistaken her for a statue if he weren't sitting next to her.

He hesitated, looking away from her. “He is receiving treatment.”

“Not what I asked, Alpha." Finally, she looked at him, her gaze narrowing with a frown.

Adler adjusted, steadying his gaze. He, too, couldn't tell if he would leave her room half-dead, given how furious she looked at him.

“Oakley is… is in a terrible condition. He suffered a ruptured rib and a concussion.” Adler said quietly, observing her.

And for the first time, Evyths' expression changed. Not vacant, not cold, just regret.

“I did not mean to hurt the King's Beta,” she confessed, her voice breaking.

Adler didn't speak immediately, contemplating if he needed to or not.

“Yes, I know. He started it…”

“And I hurt him.” She indignantly admitted. “I hurt him. I do not hurt people; the goddess does not allow that, but I did. I let my rage consume me. I became something I have constantly run from.” She stared at Adler fully. “Evil.”

He shook his head. “It is strength.” He declared. “You stood up for yourself; Oakley deserved what you served him. He is suffering the repercussions for disrespecting the goddess's avatar. That is what happened. So, do not batter yourself, Evyths.”

“Admit it, Adler; I was wrong. I-I should represent purity, healing, direction—”

“And order.” He added firmly, interrupting her.

Evyths paused, his words sinking deeply into her mind. Order. Was it truly ordered? Hurting someone to death? Was it really?


Some time later, Adler left Evyths to eat and freshen up and asked if he could let the maids clean her room, assuring him that she wouldn't hurt them.

However, they had also agreed that she would meet Adler at Castle's library, promising to tell her more about the prophecy.

While Evyths ambled down the hallways, whispers from all corners reached her ears. They didn't consider that her senses would sharpen either.
They moved away from her, rubbing as far as they could, staring at her like she was something they couldn't decipher.

Some called her evil. Some? Ruthless. Bad. Cruel. Heartless. Some even assumed that she had learned sorcery from Raven Blackwin in Ravencroft.

Evyths ignored them, making a turn to the hallway that led to the library.
The chill breeze from the corridors blew in, caressing her skin, the smell of greenery reaching her nose. The only thing she had missed; otherwise, nothing.
Feeling the heat on the ring slowly dissipating, she looked at it, her finger rustling over it.

“Strange.” She told herself.

Just as she turned to the library's doors, someone clapped their hands. Slow and mocking.
Evyths steadied herself, turning gently in their direction.

Her gaze met Selene Osborne, someone she had not seen since the day she arrived. Selene approached slowly; a dark smirk sat on her lips.

“I should have officially welcomed you after your grand entry.” Selene sized her up with her gaze, raising a brow. “Your fashion, very exquisite taste.”

“What do you want, Selene?” Evyths asked, her tone calm yet flat.

Selene chuckled. "What do I want? Are you now… unapproachable because you've learned a few words?”

“Maybe.” Evyths straightened. “It depends on my mood and who is standing before me.” Her gaze sized her up, Selene too, a small smile on her lips.

“I see. You bite," Selene stated. “After your little show with the king's beta, that is impressive. You have suddenly grown a tooth." Selene began circling Evyths.

“Did you notice something similar, Selene?” Evyths asked sharply. Selena stopped in her tracks with a slight scowl, meeting Evyth's narrowed one. “Oakley is a beta. And you are…” Evyths stopped.

Selene said nothing.

“Exactly.” Evyths sighed, turning to the library's doors.

“Are you threatening me?” Selene asked, looking suspiciously at Evyths.

Evyths looked slightly over her shoulder. “It depends on your intentions, Selene. Farewell.”

Evyths knocked twice as the door spread open as she walked in while Selene remained speechless.

This couldn't be Evyths, she told herself.


Evyths sighted Adler looking through the shelves, standing on a ladder.
Evyths looked around; up to a hundred thousand books were neatly arranged from floor to ceiling.

It smelled like old books and cold moisture. When she reached for the shelf, the dust stuck to the tips of her fingers.

“You like?”

Adler's calm, sleek voice interrupted as Evyths gently pulled away from the shelves.

Her lips formed a coy smile. “It smells like history. Lots of it.”

Adler’s chuckle echoed softly as he finally pulled out a book, stepping down from the ladder.

He gestured for her to sit by the table while he sat across from her. "Definitely. Even forgotten identities still live on through these documentaries.” He said, placing the book on the table, a loud thud that echoed through the library.

“When I was little, my father used to tell me about the castle's library. He said it was huge, that it carried knowledge…” she stopped, looking around again.

“And you, how do you see it now?” He leaned on his hand, staring at her.

“Well,” she blinked. “It is indeed huge. Old. Knowledge lies here, evidently…”

Adler chuckled again, watching her green eyes match the color of her cloak, also noticing the golden details on the edges.

“Nice cloak.” He commented.

“Thank you.” He smiled. “Valerio wouldn't stop talking about how much green suits me.” She offhandedly said, her thoughts drifting back to Valerio all over again.
It was almost as if she couldn't live through a moment without him.

“He is right.” Adler agreed, adjusting in his spot.

Valerio. He could see how much love they shared, and a small part of him tried to block the sound of his name in his memory.

“Adler, are you… okay?” Evyths asked again, and then she noticed how distant he suddenly became.

Adler nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Yes, yes. I am.” He snapped a little too fast. “Um, should we start already?”

“The same thing I asked.” Her gaze studied him. “Did I say something wrong? My apologies, I got a little too carried away with—”

“Valerio.” He cut in sharply, his jaw clenching. “I understand.”

Evyths could have asked another question but decided to let the ship sail.

Adler opened the book she gave to him in her room, flipping through the pages as he stopped exactly where she had seen the prophecy.

“Yes, there.” She nodded when he raised a brow questionably. “Just below.” She added.

“The Goddess's Avatar will uphold the hand of her kind, disseminate the new intricate laws that bind purity and order…”

Order? It rang a bell. Adler had also told her that earlier.

“Order?” She voiced out as Adler stopped reading, staring at her.

“Yes, why?”

“I do not understand. Does it justify what I had done to the king's beta?” Her brows crumpled questionably.

Adler shifted the book to the side, offering a hand. Her gaze split between him and his hand before she placed hers in his.

“I do not have the right answers because I am in no place to give them. Only the goddess can.” He began softly. “But you represent purity and order. And yes, it includes discipling anyone who disrespects the hand of the goddess.” He clarified, giving her hand a gentle rub as Evyths almost immediately pulled her hand back.

Adler stared apologetically.

“I do not represent fear…” she blurted like she had to remind herself.

“You do not,”

“But everyone now stares at me differently. They run when I walk. The whisper vile things to themselves. How can I talk to them when they do not think I can help them?” Evyths looked away, her thoughts swirling around the gossip and the look in the maids’ eyes.

“Before a pup becomes a wolf, he is assumed to be weak and innocent, but when he experiences his first hunt, it determines his strength. It changed everything. Weak or strong…” Adler paused, allowing Evyths to think carefully. “You are the pup with a more unfortunate fate, assumed to be weak. You changed and weighed your strengths and weaknesses. What happened to Oak was not any different from what any of us do, but given that it was you—one with a weak backstory—it changed everything. You are still Evyths, just an advanced type of Evyths.”

Adler stopped, leaning back on the chair, his arms crossed.

For a heartbeat, Evyths saw the light in his words. She hit a realization that she should have considered rather than punish herself. He was right; she was the same but an advanced version of her that didn't swallow humiliation like before.

Evyths finally turned to him fully; a quiet laugh escaped her mouth. “You sound wise.”

Adler smiled wryly. “Maybe I am…”

But his gaze lingered on her a little longer than it should. Was it her green eyes? Her red hair? Her gentle smile? Or her strength and determination? He couldn't tell which fascinated him the most.

Somehow, Evyths did. In all areas.

“Thank you, Alpha.” She said calmly, briefly rubbing his hand. “I was meaning to ask this a while ago. I wonder." She sat straight, flipping through the book casually, without paying attention to it. “What is the feud with Meadow Hill Pack? I do not believe that they are only after the waterfall, no?”

Adler leaned forward, his arms crossed on the table’s surface. A faint smile on his lips.
“Why?”

Her eyes moved from corner to corner and back to him. “Because I am now the goddess’s avatar who should understand the plague on her kind.” She stated, finally shutting the book.

Adler hesitated briefly and exhaled; his warm breath grazed her skin. “Davendale has always backed victory since ninety years ago. Suddenly, the day you left, things did not go as planned. Chaos, rivalry, unexpected attacks, and the most dreadful of all—wolfsbane spread on our farms.” He sighed again. “It took sometime before things started to stabilize…”

Evyths looked at him skeptically. “How do you mean after I left? Nothing special could have—”

“You rejected Ryker, do you recall?” His tone came out firmer now.

Her breath ruffled. “He was cruel."

“Yet your mate!”

That statement settled between them for a while. Evyths rose, moving away from Adler. Ryker was cruel, she told herself again.
Adler said nothing further, while Evyths’ thoughts reeled.

Why was Adler suddenly infuriated? Was it her fault that Davendale suffered?

“You think it's all my fault?” Her voice pierced the silence quietly.

Adler barely looked over his shoulder. “No.”

“But you just mentioned it. I should have remained with the one who broke me. Ryker hated me; he was responsible for my father's death and then killed my mother after I rejected him. Does that sound normal to you, or are you going to justify his actions because Alphas are cruel?”

Evyths' question lingered, earning Adler's unmistakable silence. She laughed humorlessly, returning to the chair.

“Valerio would always tell me that Davendale did not deserve me,” she let out behind gritted teeth.

Adler snapped out, narrowing his gaze at her. “Which was why you delayed coming? Almost defying the moon authority’s call?”

“Yes, Adler.” She admitted sharply. “And I will do it again if I have to.” She scoffed bitterly. “I know my place in Davendale, Adler; no matter how nice you are to me, I know the price."

Adler shook his head slowly, his gaze fixated on her. “You are wrong. I do not have a price on your head, Evyths…” Evyths didn't argue; she let him proceed. “I realized what you were touched by, the goddess, because… because the Luna told me before my last visit to Ravencroft.” He finally confessed.

Evyth's gaze softened, her eyes widening gently.

“I did not believe it until I saw it.” He added.

“Oh.” She whispered to herself.

“But it is not your fault that Davendale suffers. Actually, Ryker could have done better because he had known your purpose from the day he turned 18. His father told him before his death.”

Evyths didn't speak immediately; she took a moment. “Why are you telling me these things now? It does not make any difference…”

“You asked about Meadow Hill Pack. So, that is the beginning of our enmity.” He said. “It was not war; it was the void you left after your departure.”

With that, Evyths recoiled in her spot. The new revelation weighed more than she expected. Who exactly was to be blamed? Ryker? The goddess? Or… Her? Evyths couldn't stop thinking. Either way, Davendale was in danger, and it was already too late.

Before Adler could speak again, noticing the shift in her expression, a loud knock interjected.

Adler and Evyths shared a knowing look and stare
d back at the door.
Adler gave her an assuring look before walking to the door.

After a few seconds speaking to the enforcers, Adler turned to Evyths, who was already standing, prepared.

“It's my father,”

“He summons me, right?”