Chapter 37

Evelyn

The tension in the infirmary buzzed like electricity in the air, sharp and suffocating. Chris and I stood near the shelves of tinctures and gauze, still caught off guard by the way Logan and Emma had barged in like we were about to be caught doing something illicit.

But it wasn’t Logan’s presence that unsettled me.

It was Emma.

Her eyes sparkled with triumph as if she’d finally cornered her prey. The glow of the lanterns made the smear of makeup across her teeth look feral, and the smell of whiskey stung my nose as she stepped closer. She swayed slightly, but that smirk on her face was as sharp as a dagger.

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” she purred, gesturing lazily toward me and Chris. “After hours, hushed voices, dim lights. Must be nice, having access to the medical wing for your little rendezvous.”

Chris stiffened beside me. “What the hell are you implying?”

“Oh, don’t act surprised,” Emma said, tilting her head in mock sympathy. “People have noticed. Evelyn’s always in here late. And you, well, you’ve always had a soft spot for stray dogs, haven’t you, Chris?”

I stared at her, stunned for a moment. Then I laughed. A short, sharp sound that barely masked my disbelief. “You think I’m sleeping with Chris?”

Emma’s smile didn’t waver. “Am I wrong?”

Chris let out a scoff. “That’s absurd. We’re healers. We work together.”

Emma clicked her tongue. “At midnight? Under lantern light? Sounds more like something out of a cheap romance novel. But sure, let’s call it healing. I’ve heard the rumors.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And you? Out in the halls with Logan in the middle of the night, smelling like a distillery… What exactly were you doing?”

The smirk faltered just a fraction.

“That’s different,” she muttered.

“Is it?” I took a step closer. “Because from where I’m standing, you dragged him here to stage a scene, hoping to catch me with someone else, and what? Hurt me? Humiliate me? Convince Logan I’m some sort of traitor?”

Logan shifted uncomfortably beside her, jaw tight. “Emma, you said—”

“She said whatever she had to,” I cut in, my voice gaining heat. “Because that’s what she does, isn’t it? Spins lies to protect her story. Her image.”

Emma crossed her arms, her smile hardening again. “You think you know me?”

“No,” I said. “But I’m starting to.”

I reached into the satchel I’d left on the side table, pulling out a crumpled set of pages—photocopies of old reports, border records, and one heavily redacted transcript I’d found buried in the library’s archives. I held them out, letting the pages rustle in the quiet.

“I spent the entire day chasing your shadow,” I said. “And guess what I found? Records from the northern border pack. Several dead. No witnesses… except one. And you? You were there. Quietly transferred out. Your file’s clean now, scrubbed so thoroughly it squeaks. But they missed one reference.”

Emma’s face paled.

I pressed on. “You were there. And not as a victim. Not as some innocent bystander. Someone thought you were part of it. Someone tried to say it before the pack shut them up.”

Chris moved to stand beside me, her arms folded across her chest. “Why would your name be mostly erased, Emma? Why would there be no official record of your involvement?”

Emma’s jaw twitched. “That’s ancient history. If it even happened.”

“Oh, it happened,” I said. “And if you really had nothing to hide, you wouldn’t have tried so hard to cover it up. And you wouldn’t still be desperately trying to paint me as the threat.”

She scoffed. “You’re reaching. This is pathetic.”

“Is it?” I tilted my head. “Because I think you know exactly how close I am to pulling off your mask. This persona you’ve spent so long building, the loyal soldier, the obedient friend, the perfect mate-in-waiting. It’s starting to crack.”

Emma took a step forward, but Chris raised a hand. “Don’t. She’s right.”

Emma turned, blinking. “Excuse me?”

Chris met her gaze unflinchingly. “You’ve been playing games with people’s lives, Emma. Whispering behind their backs. Starting rumors. Using your position to twist the truth. I didn’t want to believe it before, but now? Now I see it clearly. And if there’s even a chance you were tied to that rogue raid, the truth needs to come out. Things are too dangerous now to take chances.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emma hissed.

Chris’s voice stayed calm. “Then clear your name. Stand up and tell the pack what happened. All of it.”

Emma’s expression twisted, something ugly surfacing beneath her polished veneer. “You’d believe her over me? Some wandering healer with no blood ties, no history, no status?”

“Yes,” Chris said simply.

Emma turned to Logan, eyes wild. “And you? What do you think about all of this? Tell me honestly. You wanted to know the truth.”

Logan didn’t answer right away. His eyes were on me, not her. Then he said, slowly, “I came here because I was tired of being caught between rumors and reality. And right now, you’re not giving me much reason to trust your version.”

Emma’s hand curled into a fist at her side. “You’re all fools.”

I stepped forward one last time, right into the cloying scent of her alcoholic breath. “No. We’re just done pretending you’re the only one who matters.”

Her eyes snapped to mine, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something behind her anger. Fear. A sliver of vulnerability trying to hide behind fury. But it was too late for masks now.

“Get out of my infirmary,” Chris said sharply. “You’ve done enough damage for one night.”

Emma hesitated, then turned on her heel and stormed out, her boots echoing down the hallway like a warning.

Logan lingered behind.

Chris moved back to his station wordlessly, giving us space. The silence between Logan and me was heavy, but not hostile.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I should’ve trusted you.”

I nodded once, not ready to let my guard down. “But you didn’t.”

“I know.” His voice was low. “She was convincing. She’s been a part of this pack longer than anyone else I trust. And… you know, we have history. I was blinded. I didn’t see what she was doing.”

“You do now?”

He nodded. “I think I do.”

There was a long pause before he added, “Are you going to show the pack those documents?”

“I’m considering it,” I said. “But I need more. Something solid enough that even her protectors can’t ignore it.”

He nodded again, slowly. “If you need help... I’ll stand with you.”

I looked at him then—really looked—and saw not the Alpha, not the wolf who had once made my heart ache, but a man standing at a crossroads.

Maybe we all were.

Chris came back with the sleep syrup in hand. “You’ll still need this,” he said gently, placing it in mine.

I offered him a small smile. “Thanks.”

“You might not be willing to say something yet, but I’m involved now, too, and I have no intentions of keeping quiet on this,” Chris added.

“That’s up to you,” I said. “If she has nothing to hide, she shouldn’t be worried about this getting out anyway.”

Chris smiled. “My thoughts exactly.”

I told him goodnight and walked out into the hallway, documents pressed tightly to my chest like armor.

Emma’s mask had started to slip.

And soon, I would make sure it shattered.