Chapter 174: The Woman Who Came Back
Sierra's POV
I blinked and looked again. The figure was gone like they'd never been there at all. My heart pounded in my chest. I grabbed my phone to call Adrian but stopped.
He was finally sleeping. Alexander was sleeping. The whole pack was sleeping. Maybe I was just tired and my mind was playing tricks after everything we'd been through.
But then I heard it. A knock at the front door. Soft and gentle. I walked downstairs. My hand touched the new security panel. Cameras showed who was standing outside.
I froze.
It couldn't be. But it was.
Evelyn stood on our porch. Her face looked different. Softer somehow like she'd practiced this look in the mirror a thousand times.
I opened the door, kept it chained. "What are you doing here?" My voice was cold. She deserved nothing from me.
Evelyn looked at her feet. "I came back. Like the elders said I could after you gave birth. I need to talk to you. To Adrian. To apologize properly." I wanted to slam the door and lock her out forever. But she'd followed the rules. She'd stayed away until now.
"It's three in the morning," I said. "Normal people don't show up in the middle of the night." Evelyn nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I've been standing out here for hours trying to find courage. I saw you at the window. Thought maybe you'd understand."
I didn't understand but I also couldn't leave her standing there. Not when she looked so humble.
I called Adrian. He came downstairs fast. Saw Evelyn through the door. His face went hard.
"No," he said. "She doesn't come inside." Evelyn didn't argue or cry. Just nodded. "I understand. I deserve that but please let me say what I came to say. Then I'll leave. I promise."
Adrian looked at me. His eyes asked what I thought. I shrugged. We were building a new world. One where people could change or so we wanted to believe.
We stepped outside. The night air was cold. Evelyn wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn't wearing a jacket, just a thin dress that looked expensive but worn like she'd been traveling.
"I want to apologize," she started. Her voice was steady. "For the fake pregnancy, for lying, trying to manipulate the pack and everybody. I was wrong. So wrong."
My chest tightened. My gift whispered in my ear. Something felt off but I couldn't tell what.
"Why now?" Adrian asked. His voice was ice. "Why come back at all?" Evelyn's eyes filled with tears. Perfect tears that didn't mess up her makeup.
"Because I've been living with guilt every day, every night. I can't sleep, can't eat. I needed to face what I did. Face you both and try to make it right."
She looked at me. Her eyes were pleading. "I know I don't deserve forgiveness but I'm asking anyway."
I wanted to believe her. Part of me did. She seemed genuine, remorseful but another part remembered the lies, manipulation, threats. The way she'd faked carrying Adrian's child.
"What do you want from us?" I asked. "Forgiveness? A place in the pack? What?" Evelyn shook her head. "I just want peace for all of us. I want to move forward. Maybe help rebuild. Show you I've changed."
Adrian's jaw clenched. "You faked a pregnancy, Evelyn, you lied to my face. You tried to trap me to destroy Sierra." His voice was sharp.
"Sorry doesn't fix that." Evelyn nodded. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "I know. I'm not asking you to forget. I'm just asking for a chance to prove I'm different now. To show you I can be better."
She pulled something from her pocket. A folded piece of paper. Handed it to me. "My nursing license. I kept it current. I heard Dr. Mara needs help at the medical center. I could volunteer. Be useful. Earn my place back slowly."
I unfolded the paper. It was real. Current and valid. Evelyn had been a nurse before she became obsessed with Adrian. Before her family's status and Marcus made her think she deserved to be Luna.
"Why would you want to work here?" I asked. "Where everyone knows what you did? Where they all hate you?"
Evelyn's voice was quiet. "Because running didn't help. I tried that. I went to three different packs. Even my own pack rejected me, they asked me to come back here and earn their trust. The only way forward is to face it here where it started." Her words sounded right and perfect. My gift stirred. Uneasy.
Adrian and I looked at each other. This was impossible. How could we trust her? How could we let her near our pack after everything? But then I thought about our new laws. Our new world.
We'd just fought for second chances, for redemption. Could we deny Evelyn the same thing? "We'll discuss it," Adrian said. "Tomorrow at the pack meeting. Everyone will vote. If they accept you, you can try. If they don't, you leave forever."
Evelyn nodded. "That's fair. More than fair. Thank you." She turned to go. Stopped and looked back.
"Your son. Alexander. I heard he's walking now. That's wonderful. You're so lucky." Her voice had an edge. So small I almost missed it. She didn't wait for a response. Just walked away into the darkness. My skin crawled. Something about the way she said "lucky" felt wrong.