Chapter 30 #2
Kaldrek whirled on her. “That’s not how you speak to an alpha,” he growled, baring his teeth. “I’d watch your tongue.”
Evelyne stepped closer, tilting her chin up defiantly. “You are not my alpha. You are an animal, and I am a southern lady. You will not touch him, or so help me, I will slit your throat while you sleep.”
His lips curled into a dangerous smirk. “Watch yourself,” he warned, leaning in just enough for his breath to graze her skin. “You keep testing me, and you’ll be on my radar, just like your lover.”
“He’s not my—” She stopped, refusing to take the bait. “You are a wretched excuse for a man.”
He laughed low, but Evelyne didn’t wait for his reply. She turned on her heel and stalked back to Alaric’s tent, fists still clenched at her sides. She didn’t care if he shifted and tore her apart right now. He deserved to be spoken to like that. What an entitled brute.
***
“Here.” Someone nudged Evelyne’s shoulder.
Morning light streamed into the tent as she blinked awake, still heavy with exhaustion.
She had fallen asleep beside Alaric’s cot, keeping watch over him through the night.
Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at Heidara, who stood over her, holding her carpet bag along with a larger leather travel pack.
“Get up,” Heidara urged, nudging her again. “We’re leaving in a few minutes.”
Evelyne’s mind jolted back to reality, and the night’s events slammed into her like a tidal wave. She shot up, eyes darting to the cot beside her.
It was empty.
Panic flared in her chest. “Where is he?”
“He’s fine,” Heidara said quickly, her voice gentler this time. “We moved him onto a travois.”
Evelyne narrowed her eyes in confusion.
“It’s a wooden sled we use to carry the injured or extra supplies,” Heidara explained. “Anyway, he’s awake, and…” She paused briefly. “He seems like himself.”
Evelyne released a shaky breath, relief washing over her like a cool breeze. Thank heavens Kaldrek hadn’t killed him in the night—not that she would have put it past him. She was still furious.
Heidara lifted the leather bag in her hands. “I packed your pistol and dagger inside. The rest of your things are in here. You can throw it over your back when we leave.”
Evelyne frowned, still piecing it together. “We? As in, all of us?”
“Yes,” Heidara sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Kaldrek didn’t take kindly to being challenged in front of the entire Ironwolf pack.
He nearly lost it—but Holden got him to simmer down just long enough for me to convince him not to leave you both behind.
We’re heading north as well, so leaving you would be pointless. ”
“And Kaldrek is fine with this now? Even after I—”
“Oh, he’s definitely not fine with it.” Heidara smiled slightly. “I’d suggest keeping your distance for a while, unless you have a death wish. I also managed to talk him out of killing Alaric, which seemed to piss him off even more. Especially after I told him you were right.”
Evelyne offered a small, sincere smile. “Thank you, Heidara. Truly. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you’d go to such lengths for people you barely know.
” Though she was grateful, the words felt strange to say.
Could she trust Heidara? Could she trust any of them when their alpha was still deciding whether to kill her friend in his sleep?
Heidara must have read the doubt shadowing her face, because she quickly reassured her, “Lorena says his wounds aren’t showing any signs of infection. And we have strict orders to check on him every few hours, just in case… Well, you know.”
Evelyne nodded. “Remind me to thank her later. And Holden? How is he?”
Heidara huffed, shaking her head. “Back to being an overprotective ass. He hit his head, but he’ll live. Unfortunately.”
A small laugh slipped from Evelyne’s lips, and the tension eased slightly. Heidara rummaged in her pack and pulled out a cropped leather vest and a slit skirt, tossing them to Evelyne.
“Change into these. The sun will be brutal today, and we won’t be making many stops.”
Evelyne held up the clothing. “You don’t shift to travel?”
“Normally, we do,” Heidara admitted, “but given the circumstances, we’re walking until we can find horses for you and Alaric. He says there’s a trading outpost east of here with stables.”
Naturally, Alaric was familiar with these lands as well. Evelyne whispered a silent prayer of gratitude to Charise Hallowell for guiding him to join her.
“Why is the pack heading north?” she asked.
“Kaldrek has his reasons, but I don’t think it’s my place to share them. That said, after last night’s attack, getting the hell out of the forest seems like a smart move.”
Evelyne nodded, choosing not to push further. “Thank you. Again.”
This time, she stepped forward and pulled Heidara into a hug. The shifter stiffened, caught off guard, but after a moment, she returned the embrace. And Evelyne realized, perhaps for the first time, that this was what the start of a real friendship felt like.