My wolf’s pain burned hot behind my ribs. Pregnant? Of course. Of course Sophia had found another way to bind herself to him.
But I wouldn’t give Richard the satisfaction of seeing me break.
I stumbled, steadied myself, and kept walking but not toward the Crawford Group anymore, toward the exit.
I was walking away without looking back.
Rain lashed my face as I tried to flag down a taxi. I didn’t have any luck until one finally stopped.
Lana whimpered softly in my arms, and I climbed in without checking the plate. The interior was warm, smelling faintly of leather and soap.
The driver wore a mask and a gray hoodie, the brim of his cap shadowing his face. He passed me a note:
> I’m mute. Just tell me where to go.
My throat tightened. “So you are disabled too, huh?” I whispered. “I guess we’re kindred spirits.”
He handed me two towels. They were clean and soft, carrying the scent of cotton and rain. I smiled faintly. “Thank you. We need these. I’ll pay for them.”
Then I remembered he couldn’t answer. I slipped a hundred-dollar bill under the seat even though he didn’t notice.
Lana’s tiny body shivered in my arms. I stripped away her wet clothes and wrapped her snugly in the towel, rubbing her back until her breathing steadied.
I didn’t bother drying myself. My eyelids grew heavy, my body trembling with exhaustion. The fever was coming, I could feel it in the way my skin burned.
I couldn’t close my eyes. Not with Lana here. Not with danger lurking behind every shadow.
I pinched my thigh hard, trying to stay awake.
Through the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of the driver’s eyes. For a brief second, something flickered there.
He stared at me as if he knew me.
My wolf bristled within me. Why does he look at me like that?
Evelyn’s POV
I tried to sniff the driver’s scent. He probably wasn’t like me who never went out without smearing myself with scent masking potion or drinking it, to avoid being recognized my anyone.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t sniff any familiar scent from him.
I turned away, clutching Lana tighter. My pulse pounded like war drums.
The car soon slowed to a stop, and a short tap of the horn jolted me out of my haze. My vision swam for a moment before I realized where we were – the narrow path leading to the staff dorms.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my voice rough and weak. It barely sounded like me.
My arm shook as I reached for the door, the other instinctively wrapping around Lana, shielding her small, warm body from the rain and the chill. Something as simple as opening a door felt like trying to lift a mountain.
When I got down, I thanked the driver and he replied with a nod. I made my way to the dorm and climbed the dorm steps, clutching Lana tighter.
By the time I made it to my small, dim dorm room, the world was spinning. My fever was spreading fast.
But instinct guided me. Even half-conscious, my first thought wasn’t of myself, it was Lana. It has always been Lana.
I stripped her wet clothes, wrapped her in something warm, and mixed her formula with trembling hands. The moment she drank, a wave of relief rippled through me.
“Lana, sweetheart,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her downy hair. “Mommy’s so tired. I just need a little rest…”
The darkness came for me fast, heavy and deep – like sinking into a swamp.
Richard’s POV
I peeled off my mask and cap, the cool night air brushing against my skin. My gaze locked on Evelyn’s retreating figure as she disappeared into the dorm.
It had been a herculean task suppressing my scent through aura control so she wouldn’t find out it was me.
My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, a low rumble echoing in my chest. Something about the way she walked in a weak and unsteady manner made my heart twist painfully.
I clenched my jaw. What the hell had happened to her?
A car door clicked open behind me, breaking through the pounding in my head.
Jude stepped out. He’d been trailing two cars behind us as I had instructed him. I had told him to be discreet. I didn’t want Evelyn suspicious about anything, I didn’t want her to know that I was the one who had disguised as her taxi driver.
Jude came up beside my window, bowing his head slightly. “Alpha Richard”
I lowered the window, my tone sharper than I intended. “Get someone to deliver fever medicine to her.”
Jude nodded without question, already reaching for his phone.
I leaned back against the seat, pressing my thumb to my temple. The image of Evelyn’s pale, trembling face wouldn’t leave me. My chest tightened, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin.
How had my radiant, defiant Evelyn turned into this fragile creature? The one who once met my every challenge with a fire in her eyes now barely had the strength to stand.
I took a long breath, steadying the storm in my veins. Jude’s voice murmured outside, making arrangements. But my mind drifted back to the conversation earlier, when I’d told Evelyn that Sophia was pregnant with Declan’s child.
I could still see Jude’s stunned expression when Evelyn left. “Alpha Richard,” he’d asked cautiously, “since when is Ms. Sophia Darwin pregnant? How did I not know?”
He had reason to be puzzled-Jude was my best at gathering intel. Nothing slipped past him.
Truth is, I had lied. I needed to say something that would stop Evelyn from going to meet Declan. I was being selfish.
I remembered the cold mask that had slipped over my own face when I turned to him. “Leak to the media that Sophia is pregnant,” I’d ordered flatly.
“Tell Sophia not to deny it. I don’t care how she deals with Declan, but I want Evelyn’s hopes of returning to him crushed completely. Also, arrange a car and bring me the keys now.”
When I picked Evelyn up and disguised myself as a mute driver, I couldn’t help but watch her through the rearview mirror, I noticed how she fought to stay awake right there in the back seat. She looked like a ghost of the girl I used to know.
She swayed with every bump in the road, biting her lip to stay conscious. I saw her pinch her thigh hard-again and again-just to keep herself from collapsing. My wolf whimpered softly in my chest. Why is she doing this to herself?
Under the brim of my cap, I stared, unable to look away. The girl who once whined over a tiny cold was now entirely soaked and forcing her broken body to endure. A faint scar traced her cheek. I knew that mark hadn’t been there before she went to prison.
My claws itched to tear into whoever had hurt her.
I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “Evelyn… I never meant to hurt you.”
One look at the baby, and my gut twisted. She was unmistakably Declan’s. They looked very much alike.
I remembered what Sophia had once said-how Declan and Evelyn’s marriage had been crumbling long before Evelyn went to prison. If that was true, then why the hell had he let her carry his child? And why… why did he let her end up like this?
Evelyn’s POV
A sharp, piercing, desperate cry ripped through my fog.
It was Lana.
My body moved before my mind caught up, my wolf snapping me awake. I gasped, my heart pounding, my lungs burning.
“Ms. Evelyn, your delivery,” came a muffled voice from the door, followed by a knock that made Lana wail again.
My temples throbbed. I forced myself to stand, legs shaking, and shuffled to the door. A delivery man stood there, rain dripping from his jacket.
“You’ve got the wrong address,” I said, my voice flat.
He shook his head. “No mistake. A taxi driver ordered this for you. Oh, and here’s a hundred dollars. He said you left it in the car.”
He handed me the bag and the cash before disappearing into the night.
I stood there, stunned. The driver… that mute man. He’d noticed and maybe even cared.
A strange warmth stirred in my chest. It was a mix of gratitude, confusion, maybe even guilt. I wanted to believe kindness still existed, that not everyone wanted to use or break me.
But then I wondered, how did the driver know my name was Evelyn?
Did i unknowingly mumble my name when i was in a daze?. I pushed the thought aside
Then I mixed the medicine, drank it, and forced myself to stay alert.
When the fever finally reduced two hours later, relief flooded through me. My head cleared and my vision sharpened.
I let out a sigh and reached for Lana, only to freeze.
Lana’s body was too hot, her forehead was burning, like fire. Her face was flushed red, her tiny body trembling, her nose wrinkled in pain.
“Lana!” I panicked, terror flooding me.
My body moved on instinct, all exhaustion forgotten. My wolf howled inside me, wild and terrified.
I grabbed my phone, barely remembering how, and ran into the storm. The cold air bit into me, but I didn’t feel it. My only thought was her.
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