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Chapter 33

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Evelyn

T he house was too still. I paced the length of our living room, my feet sinking into the plush carpet, the silence punctuated by the rhythmic tap of my nails against my jeans. Each tick of the clock heightened my nerves.

"Come on, Lana." I raked a hand through my auburn hair. Rowan had said she'd be back by dusk, and the sun was already dipping behind the trees.

Nothing could've gone wrong, right? She was only clearing out my things, and it wasn't like I had much. I both hated and loved that Rowan wouldn't let me go with her. I understood him wanting to keep me safe, but to make Lana do my apartment cleaning and check out? That didn't seem fair.

I paused by the window and pressed my forehead against the cool glass. Finally, a gravelly rumble broke the silence as an SUV pulling a U-Haul trailer rolled up the drive, dust swirling in its wake. My pulse quickened, and I swung the door open before the engine cut out, the crisp evening air a slap against my flushed skin.

"Hey!" Lana dropped from the vehicle, her dark hair cascading around her shoulders, looking every bit the badass third-in-command she was. My anxiety melted away as she wrapped her strong arms around me.

"Did you miss me that much?" Lana teased, pulling back to look at me with a smirk. Her gaze was assessing, but the edge of concern there told me she understood the gravity of what today meant for both of us.

"Don't flatter yourself." I grinned, and it felt good to smile, to let Lana's easy confidence buffer the storm of emotions inside me.

"Good answer, Beta." Lana nudged me with her shoulder, her eyes sparkling. "You ready for the pack meeting tomorrow?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Which was…not ready at all. The weight of the upcoming gathering settled over me. It wasn't just any meeting—it was my first step into this new life. The moment I took my place in Black Lake as Rowan's other half.

"Let's get your stuff inside." Lana gestured to the bags and boxes in the back of the SUV. "The boys will be over in a sec to unload the trailer. Then we can plot how to survive the pack's curiosity about their alpha's new mate."

Interest was a mild way to put it. Rowan Steele had staked his claim, and while his friends were quick to accept me, I wasn't so sure about the elders. Or the members of what used to be Kitimat.

"Don't think about it too hard." Lana pulled the door open. "You haven't talked to your parents in years, right? So no difference if they don't accept you now."

How had she known what I was thinking? "I feel like there is a difference."

Lana nudged my elbow as she walked by with a box. "We're your family now, Evelyn. You're not getting rid of us."

Twenty minutes later, boxes and bags littered the living room floor, a tangible mosaic of my fractured life. My fingers traced over a leather-bound album peeking out from a box, its corners worn.

Callie walked through the door, and I leaped up from the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard it was moving day."

I ran to her and wrapped her in a hug. "You look good."

"Slightly better than last week?"

I laughed, though it was hardly a funny statement. We still had so much to talk about. I hoped she'd open up to me, but there were things I needed to tell her first. Though I'd let her keep my number when I left, I'd never opened up about what had happened behind Nathan's closed door. My stomach ached at the thought that now when I told her, she'd understand fully.

I pulled back, and the soft buzz of my phone against the table cut through our greeting. I walked back and picked it up.

Bruce:

Training newbies is a nightmare. Where'd you stash the bandage scissors?

I couldn't suppress the smirk that danced on my lips.

Probably the same place you left your manscaper

Bruce:

So…your sister's room?

I snorted, then turned the screen to Callista.

"Aww. He misses you."

I'd told Callista about my coworkers months ago. I never imagined I'd be standing next to her in person texting one of them back in Seattle.

Bruce:

Probably good you went back to Canada. This election's going to be a shit show

Take care, Jack

I turned off the screen and set it back on the table.

Callista sighed. "You'll miss this chaos?"

"Maybe just a little," I admitted to myself, a pang of fondness for the controlled pandemonium of the ER piercing through me. It was where I thrived, where every day was a high-stakes. Though being here wasn't much different.

"When do you start with the EMTs here in Black Lake?" Lana asked, directing Liam to the kitchen with a box of my pots and pans.

"Next week."

"Good. They could use someone like you." Her approval warmed me more than I expected.

"Thanks, Lana." I smiled, genuinely touched by her endorsement. But then, my attention snagged on someone else entirely.

Rowan.

He strode through the threshold, his arms laden with the last of my belongings, muscles flexing under the strain. There was a primal satisfaction in watching him, an alpha claiming space for his mate within his territory. My heart raced at the sight, my wolf stirring at the scent of him.

Lana smirked. "Looks like the alpha has everything under control."

"Always does," I murmured, unable to tear my eyes away.

The rest of the pack cleared out, inviting Callista along to the pub. For a split second, I considered going with them. Grabbing on to Rowan and pulling him out for a drink, possibly another game of pool with lower stakes.

But I knew we had things to discuss for the meeting.

Lana grabbed her leather jacket off the back of a chair and made for the door. "See you at the gathering."

"See you there," I called, watching as the door closed behind her.

No sooner had Lana left than Rowan emerged from the bedroom, a misplaced box of my belongings in his arms. He set it in the living room by the others, his back muscles shifting beneath his shirt as he straightened up.

"Satisfied?" I grinned as he strode toward me.

"Very." He circled his arms around me and pulled me close. "Are you upset you didn't get to go back? Get closure?"

I shook my head. "Lana's the one who had to clean my stove."

He kissed the bridge of my nose. "I hope it was a disaster."

I laughed, pushing away to start unpacking.

"Leave it," he murmured against my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine.

"But—" I started to protest, though the heat of his body was quickly melting any resolve I had.

"Later." His hands were gentle yet insistent as they guided me away from the mess. "Right now, you're where you need to be."

Before I could respond, he scooped me up effortlessly, my world narrowing to the blue of his eyes and the strength of his embrace. There was no space for words as he carried me into the bedroom, the door closing behind us.

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