CHAPTER ELEVEN
o find
The next morning. I sat cross–legged on my bed with my laptop open, scrolling through apartment listings in the territory. I needed to someplace affordable yet decent, somewhere I could stay while figuring out my next move.
“Too expensive… too small… too far from the main pack area, I muttered, rejecting one listing after another
My phone buzzed beside me for the fifth time in the last hour. Mia’s name flashed on the screen again. I ignored it, just as I had the previous four calls. I was still angry with her for yesterday’s ambush
As if on cue, it started ringing again. With a sigh, I finally answered.
“What do you want, traitor?” I snapped.
“Oh, come on! Don’t be like that Mia whined from the other end. “We were just trying to help.
“Help? By tricking me into meeting Dominic Blackwood? That’s not help, that’s manipulation.
“So… how was he?” she asked, completely ignoring my anger. “As gorgeous in person as in the photos?”
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. Im not discussing this with you.”
“That hot, huh? Did you feel any connection?”
My fingers froze over the keyboard. I hadn’t told anyone about feeling the mate bond. No one should know yet.
“There was no connection, I lied. And even if there was, I don’t care. Im not getting marned just to become Alpha.”
“You’re being stubbom,” Mia sighed. “Dominic Blackwood is every she wolf’s dream. Rich, powerful, insanely handsome–and he’s been chosen for you! Do you know how many women would kill to be in your position?”
“Then one of them can marry him,” I replied flatly.
“You know it doesn’t work that way. Listen, I’m sorry about yesterday. Can I at least come over? Help you figure things out?”
I glanced at the half–packed suitcase on my floor. “I’m busy
“Busy doing what? Evelyn, please don’t tell me you’re-
“Im looking for an apartment,” I interrupted. Tim moving out
Silence filled the line for several seconds before Mia exploded. “ARE YOU INSANE? You just got back! Where are you even-
I hung up and returned to my apartment search. Finally, after another hour of scrolling, I found a decent one–bedroom apartment in a safe area of the territory. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it would serve my purpose.&
I quickly filled out the online application and paid the deposit with my credit card. According to the website, I could move in immediately.
Perfect
My grandparents had left for their weekly council meeting half an hour ago. They wouldn’t be back for at least three more hours. Enough time for me to slip away without another confrontation.
I grabbed my suitcase and tiptoed downstairs, half expecting to find Mia waiting to ambush me, but the house was empty. I left a note on the kitchen counter–short and to the point il call you when I’m settled. Please respect my decision.”
The cab I’d called was already waiting outside. I loaded my luggage into the trunk and gave the driver the address to my new apartment.
Twenty minutes later, I stood in front of a wom–down building that looked nothing like the bright, renovated pictures I’d seen online. Classic bait and switch. But I was too stubbom to go back to my grandparents, so I paid the driver and headed inside.
The landlord, a heavyset man with a permanent scowl, met me in the lobby. “You must be Evelyn,” he grunted, handing me a set of keys. “Apartment 38. Elevator’s broken, so take the stairs.”
I nodded and followed him up to the third floor, dragging my suitcase behind me.!!
“Here we are,” the landlord said, unlocking the door to 38. Rent’s due on the first of every month. No exceptions.”
I stepped inside, trying to hide my disappointment. The apartment was smaller than it had appeared in the photos, with faded wallpaper and a stain on the carpet
“The utilities bill will come tomorrow the landlord added as he headed toward the door.
1 frowned. “Wait, I thought utilities were included in the rent? That’s what the listing said.“8
He laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. Water is included, but electricity, internet, and gas are separate. Should be around three hundred a month, give or take“%
“Three hundred?” I gasped. That would seriously cut into my savings. “But the ad specifically said-”
“Read the fine print, sweetheart,” he interrupted with a dismissive wave. “It’s all in the contract you signed. Let me know by tomorrow if you’re staying.
Before I could argue further, he slipped out the door, leaving me alone with my boxes and growing frustration.
“Great” I muttered to myself. “Just great.
This was not how I’d imagined my triumphant return home would go. I was supposed to reclaim my position as Alpha, not hide away in a dusty apartment with noisy neighbors and separate utility bills.
I spent the next few hours unpacking and arranging my things. At the bottom of one suitcase, I found some clothes that Lucas had bought me over the years–expensive dresses and lingerie he’d insisted I wear for him.
I pulled them out one by one, memories flooding back with each item. I remembered the day we met–I was forest, grieving my parents death.
wandering alone in the
IAR Uie miln had canad on aning then his thick en
Lucas found me there, offered me his jacket when he saw I was cold. His smile had seemed so genuine then, his touch so comforting
“You don’t have to be alone anymore,” he’d said, taking my hand.
I’d believed him. I’d followed him home, gave up everything for him. And for what? To be his punching bag? His replacement for Maya?
With angry tears streaming down my face, I stuffed all his gifts into a box. I would burn it all later, watch the flames consume every last reminder of him.!!
My phone pinged with a notification, cutting through my thoughts. I reached for it, expecting another message from Mia or my grandparents.
Instead, it was an alert from Wolf Net–the social media platform for werewolves across the country. Curious, I opened the app.
My blood ran cold as I stared at the screen. There was a post from an anonymous account, featuring several photos of me at the airport. The caption read:
*BREAKING NEWS: The future Luna of Silverstone Pack has abandoned her responsibilities and mate! Sources confirm Evelyn Bennett has fled way from the territory. What secrets is she hiding? Why would the Luna–to–be leave her loving fiancé and pack behind? Comment your theories below!
ELEVEN
