Chapter 42 #3
“That,” Lady Celeste declared, setting her teacup upon its saucer with more force than elegance required, “is where I must object, Evelyne. Mr. Stonebridge is a most respectable man and you yourself just spoke at length of his loyalty throughout the search for Cillian. He has defended you more than once, fought for your survival, and remained steadfast in the most dreadful of circumstances.”
Her mother paused to release a long exhale.
“He is handsome, well-positioned, and exceedingly wealthy. How, precisely, do you justify casting aside such a match over what amounts to a trifling secret regarding an arrangement he failed to disclose? Was this truly about that unfortunate kiss with Callista? Because if it eases your mind, I have already persuaded Lady Bavrick to see that Miss Evermere is properly courted by Wesley. The matter has been settled. She will trouble you no longer.”
“Mother, no,” Evelyne said. “Callista has nothing to do with it. Alaric and I have simply agreed that we are better suited as friends. And we are both content with that.”
“Oh, Evelyne,” Lady Celeste sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple as though the explanation alone exhausted her.
“Have you learned nothing? Women do not simply choose whom they will love. Nor whom they will build a life with. You and Alaric possessed every advantage required to form a strong and stable marriage. He is, by all accounts, a very good man.”
“He is,” Evelyne agreed and swallowed. “But he is not the man for me. And I am no longer merely a woman bound by the expectations you once set for me.”
Her mother’s expression hardened. “And who, pray tell, could possibly replace him?” she demanded. “Do not even consider pointing to the man waiting outside this room. I have observed the manner in which you look at him, and I assure you it will end immediately. Such nonsense will not be permitted.”
Evelyne laughed despite herself. “That is not a matter you possess any control over,” she replied. “In truth, I scarcely had control over it myself. I fell for that male whether I wished to or not.”
“He is undeniably handsome,” Lady Celeste conceded stiffly, “but he is not nobility and does not belong in these southern lands.”
“Neither do I,” Evelyne said, the truth of it bare between them.
“This is your home.”
“He is my home,” Evelyne answered. “He is the one I love. And he is the male I have chosen as my mate.”
Lady Celeste’s blinked, her composure faltering.
“Your… mate?”
Without hesitation, Evelyne tugged at the collar of her dress and revealed the mark at the base of her throat.
Aurelia gasped, covering her mouth. “Heavens—what is that?”
“He marked me,” Evelyne replied. “And I marked him. It is a mating bond. It cannot be undone. It is not merely love or marriage—it is something far deeper. A bond of body and soul.”
Lady Celeste recoiled.
“You have ruined yourself for a wolf,” she said coldly. “How could you possibly do such a thing?”
“I am not ruined,” Evelyne answered. “I am alive. I am a wolf now, and I am his mate. I would bleed and die for him, just as he would for me. That is a choice I made for myself. Alaric understands it. The other shifters understand it. You must learn to understand it as well.”
Lady Celeste let out a strained breath. “First your sister, and now you,” she murmured in disbelief. “What am I meant to do with you both?”
“Why must you do anything at all?” Evelyne replied. “You have just learned that Father was murdered by creatures not far beyond Velenshire, and yet this is what occupies your thoughts?”
“Do not mistake my concern for your future as indifference toward your father’s death,” Lady Celeste said, the words clipped.
“I may not have been his mate, my dear, but I was his wife. I built a family with him. I loved him dearly—something you will never fully understand now that you have tied your life to that wolf outside.”
“His name is Kaldrek,” Evelyne said evenly.
“And I have already known more love with him than I believed possible in an entire lifetime. If you choose not to believe that, it changes nothing. There is nothing here to fix.” She pushed back her chair and rose from the table.
Turning toward the door, she added, “If you will excuse me, I intend to spend my time with the man I love. I believe it may be wise for you to gather yourself, Mother.”
Evelyne did not bother to push her chair back beneath the table. She stepped from the dining room, finding Kaldrek waiting just beyond the doorway. She slipped her hand into his and began leading him toward the staircase that rose to the upper floor.
“Shall I prepare a bath for you, my lady?” Seraphine asked kindly.
Before Evelyne could reply, her mother’s voice carried down the corridor behind them.
“No, Seraphine. That will not be necessary,” Lady Celeste replied. “After all, this is no longer Evelyne’s home.”
Evelyne paused only long enough to offer her faithful handmaid a gentle smile.
“She is quite right,” she breathed. “But thank you, Seraphine.”
With that, she turned away.
Hand in hand with Kaldrek, she walked from the house that had once been her home—and did not look back.