Chapter 210

Agnes

I was buried in sketches for the next season’s line when a knock at my office door pulled me from my concentration. I glanced up, surprised to see Elijah standing in the doorway. He hadn’t mentioned stopping by my office today.

“This is unexpected,” I said, setting my pencil down. “I thought you were going to be stuck in meetings all day.”

Elijah sighed and closed the door behind him. “I was, but then I got news that one of the southern packs is threatening to pull out of a recent trade agreement.”

I frowned.

“Anyway,” Elijah said, “I need to handle this personally. So I had my schedule cleared and I’m going to make a trip down there to speak with the Alpha in person. Just for a few days,” he added quickly. “Three, maybe four at most. Their territory is about half a day’s drive from here.”

I nodded, trying to mask my disappointment. Elijah had responsibilities as Alpha that extended beyond our family. I knew that. But after everything that had happened recently, the thought of him leaving, even briefly, made me a little more anxious than it should.

“I’ll be leaving right away,” he said, “but I wanted to make sure you were okay with me going.”

I almost laughed at that. As if I had the authority to tell the Alpha he couldn’t perform his duties. But that was Elijah—always considering me and my needs before he did anything.

“Of course,” I said with an encouraging smile. “I can handle things at home.”

Elijah crossed the room, perching on the edge of my desk. “Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes searching my face. “I know it’s not ideal timing, what with everything going on.”

“It’s just a few days. What’s the worst that could happen? I accidentally burn down another house?”

“That’s not funny,” Elijah said, but I could make out the faint smile that was tugging at his beautiful lips.

Finally, he stood. We exchanged kisses and… well, more than just that. I was glad my office had a lock on the door and automatic blinds to block out even our silhouettes as we hastily made love on my desk, scattering papers everywhere.

After Elijah left, I found myself starting to fray at the edges. The thought of spending several nights alone in our new house wasn’t appealing, if I was being honest. Thea and the staff would be there, of course, but that almost made it worse—what if something happened with my powers while Elijah was gone? What if I couldn’t control them or make it to the panic room on time?

By mid-afternoon, I’d decided I needed a distraction. Something fun and normal and completely unrelated to elementals or kidnappers or covert organizations. I needed my friends.

I quickly texted Gertrude and Evelyn, inviting them over for an impromptu girls’ night. Within minutes, they’d both replied enthusiastically.

On my way home, I stopped by the grocery store, picking up ingredients for cookies, a couple bottles of wine, and some snacks for Thea. A girls’ night was exactly what I needed.

Gertrude arrived first, bringing more alcohol and a stack of boardgames.

“I figured we might want options,” she said with a grin as I relieved her of the margarita mix that was threatening to fall out of her arms.

“Always thinking ahead,” I laughed.

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she followed me to the kitchen. “I didn’t tell you yet! I got the head librarian position! Technically I’m now the Chief Archivist and Head Librarian of the Pack Historical Collections.”

“Gertrude!” I spun to face her, nearly knocking the board games from her arms in the process. “That’s amazing! Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

She shrugged. A slight flush crept up her neck. “It just happened yesterday. I was going to tell you at lunch today, but then you texted about girls’ night, and I thought I’d save it.”

“Well, this calls for an immediate wine celebration,” I declared, leading her the rest of the way to the new kitchen. She gasped as she stepped into the space, which was larger and more sleek than before, with all new state-of-the-art appliances and equipment. “We’ll toast to your success as soon as Evelyn gets here.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Thea bounded down the stairs, racing me to the door.

“I got it!” she cried, yanking it open before I could reach her. “Miss Evelyn!”

Evelyn swept in like a hurricane, bringing with her the scent of expensive perfume and a veritable horde of what looked like gifts in her arms. She handed a gift bag to Thea, who ripped into it right away to reveal a brand new needle felting kit. “Hello, darlings! Who’s ready for some fun?”

I hadn’t seen Evelyn this lively in ages. Her divorce proceedings had been dragging on forever, with her ex doing everything in his power to drain her financially and emotionally. But tonight, she practically glowed.

“You look happy,” I observed as she handed me a bakery box as well as a potted plant that I assumed was a housewarming gift.

“Cupcakes,” she said, nodding to the box. “And yes, I am extremely happy. The divorce was finalized yesterday. I am officially a free woman.”

“Congratulations!” Gertrude called from the kitchen. “We’re already celebrating my promotion. Now we have two reasons to get drunk!”

Thea tugged at my sleeve. “Can I get drunk?”

Evelyn threw her head back and cackled while my mouth opened and closed, struggling to come up with a response. “I think you’re a little too young for that, Miss Thea. Ask me again in… How old are you again?”

“Eight,” Thea declared proudly.

“Right. Ask me again in eleven years.”

Thea looked a little disappointed, but quickly forgot about it once the subject of cookies was brought up.

We devoured Evelyn’s cupcakes as we ate the cookies, as if there wasn’t enough sugar to go around. The cookies were gooey and delicious, even more so with passion fruit margaritas and too much wine.

By nine o’clock, Thea was yawning despite her protests that she wasn’t tired. I excused myself to tuck her in, leaving Gertrude and Evelyn debating a recent romance novel they’d been reading that was definitely not for kids.

By the time I returned downstairs, Gertrude and Evelyn had migrated to the living room with fresh glasses of wine. They’d turned the music down and were speaking in hushed voices that immediately stopped when I entered.

“Is she asleep?” Evelyn asked, a bit too brightly.

“Nearly,” I said, picking up my own wine glass from the coffee table. “What were you two whispering about? I didn’t know the book was that spicy.”

They exchanged a glance, and I felt my stomach drop slightly. I knew them well enough to know that they were both up to something.

“We were talking about you, actually,” Gertrude admitted, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

I raised an eyebrow. “Me? What about me?”

Evelyn sighed and set her wine glass down on the coffee table. “We’ve noticed changes in you lately, Agnes. Good ones, mostly—you seem happier, more settled now that Olivia is out of the way and you’re officially married to Elijah. But there’s something else too.”

Before I could answer, Gertrude said, “You seem… Tense. Is everything okay? Really okay? Because you know you can talk to us about anything.”

I sank onto the couch, feeling suddenly caught. I knew what they were referring to, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out the truth about me, Thea, and my elemental abilities.

Technically, I shouldn’t tell them. It was safer to just keep it between me and Elijah for now. But Gertrude and Evelyn deserved the truth, and I knew I could trust them to keep my secret.

“You’re right,” I said slowly. “There have been changes. Big ones. And it’s time I told you about them.”

My friends exchanged glances, but sat on the couch beside me as I gathered my thoughts. I took a deep breath.

“Promise you won’t be mad at me,” I said, “but I’ve been keeping some news from you two. Big news.”