Chapter 81

Evelyn

Everything was truly wrapping up before my eyes.

After so many long, grueling hours in the medical wing, it was strange to see it mostly cleared out. Only a few of the worst-injured rogues remained, getting the treatment they needed before they were sent along, too.

For weeks, the camp’s medical wing had reeked of blood and burn tinctures and herbal salves. But now, things were different. It smelled like cleaning product from all those hours sanitizing what was salvageable.

The cots were clean. Supplies that remained were organized into tidy rows of labeled drawers. There was a new rhythm to the place that was less chaotic and more organized.

All the while, the healers asked for my help, looking at me with respect. After all the chaos, all the pain, it felt good to be useful in a way that didn’t involve violence or vengeance.

Almost a week after we had caught Jesse and burned down most of the rogue camp, I stood near the open window, letting the breeze sweep through the room.

A vase of wildflowers sat on the windowsill, the beautiful blooms stirring in the breeze. The bouquet was composed of bright reds and soft pinks, tied together with twine. My favorite colors.

Logan had sent them this morning. It was the second time he had sent me flowers, but this time, I knew there was no apology attached. It was purely because he was thinking about me and the kiss we had shared.

That kiss. Even just standing there, I was overwhelmed by the memory of it. My toes curled in my shoes unbidden. I could still taste him if I thought about it, conjuring the memory of our passion so easily.

I could still feel the way his hands had tangled in my hair, the way he had pulled me in like he’d been waiting forever. It felt so incredibly right. It was as though we’d finally found the rhythm we were supposed to live in.

So now, I was getting thank-you flowers. Flowers of admiration instead of apology. As the wind traveled by, it brought with it the fragrance of the bouquet, and I breathed deeply.

Every time I looked at them, something in my chest ached and fluttered at the same time.

I was smiling like a fool at the flowers when the door creaked open.

“Busy?” came my father’s voice.

I turned, startled. “No. Just taking a break.”

“A much-needed one, I’m sure,” he said.

He stepped inside, dressed in finery. On his head was the crown he wore on special occasions, composed of an impressive twisting of gold and jewels. But despite his regal attire, today, his expression was softer than usual.

“I’ve seen the reports,” he said, nodding toward the tidy shelves. “You’ve done well here. More than well. I knew you would excel, and still, even I am impressed.”

“Thank you,” I said, brushing invisible dust from my skirt to give my hands something to do. “I’ve liked working here. It’s been nice, having something to rebuild instead of destroy.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

I straightened, instantly wary. “What is it?”

“Now that the war has all but ended, we will need to make plans to rebuild. We have to formalize strategies to move forward. And the time to discuss it all is coming,” he said.

I felt my stomach sink. I had an idea of what he meant.

“Soon, I’ll make your identity public. Your true identity needs to be known as we rebuild what has been lost. You’ll take your place at my side as my daughter. The wolves deserve to know the truth, and you deserve to be let free of this secret.”

My breath caught. It wasn’t unexpected, but the words still hit like a punch to the ribs. We had always anticipated that the time would come, but somehow, I had never managed to prepare. I was just as ready to expose my identity to the world as I had been at the start of everything, which was to say not at all.

“And Logan?” I asked quietly.

My father tilted his head. “What about him?”

“He will want to leave me, won’t he?” The thought made something inside of me want to flee. We were just developing something serious, something real. The timing was perfectly imperfect.

How would he react when he learned? Would he think I was a liar, or would he be thrilled to learn of my elevated status? It left so much up for question, and yet it was inevitable. To move forward, we could not avoid this.

“Do you not trust him?” my father said.

I wondered if he meant if I trusted him to take the secret in stride or whether I trusted him in general. I answered optimistically either way.

“Yes,” I said, without hesitation. Then, softer, I added, “I just don’t know if he’ll trust me after it comes out. That is my greatest fear now.”

My father regarded me for a long moment. “You’ve been through enough together to build something real. If it’s worth it, Evelyn, it will survive the truth.”

I wanted to believe him. A part of me already did. But the truth felt like a blade I had been hiding behind my back, one I feared might cut Logan when it finally came out. I needed to trust in this and to trust in us. But it was so much easier said than done, especially now that our mutual desires were so freshly in the open.

“I’m holding a Summit,” my father added, changing the subject. “For the packs to reconvene after the war. Here is where I will reveal the truth in just a few days. It will be the first step in peacetalks, and afterward, we will work collectively to do the rest. It’s time to discuss what kind of future we want to build.”

I nodded, grounding myself in the true purpose of it all again. “That’s a good idea.”

So I only had days to prepare for discussions about a new beginning. A whole new world. I had mere days to get my thoughts in line and decide how best to navigate it all with Logan.

My father stepped forward then, placing a folder in my hands. “I want you to draft a proposal. We need a bill that outlines equal treatment for all wolves, including the females, omegas, and rogues. No more backroom politics. No more fear. We’ll build something new. And it must be sustainable.”

A smile bloomed on my face, slow but sure. “You want me to write it?”

“Who better?” he said. “You’ve lived among rogues. You are a female, and you have healed omegas in the past. You are the most entrenched wolf I can turn to for this. And you know what needs to change.”

I clutched the folder like it was a lifeline and hugged it to my chest. My heart swelled. I could not believe that he had come to me instead of Alex for this. It was almost unfathomable that he trusted me with something so serious.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded once, then turned to leave. “And Evelyn?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t hide from him. The right wolves won’t run from the truth. I know that Logan is a good man. He risked a lot to save you from his half-brother. He will understand, or he will be unworthy of you.”

As the door shut behind him, I looked back at the flowers. They rustled in another bout of breeze, beautiful and fragrant as their vivid petals bobbed. They were a reminder of this blooming thing between Logan and me, so delicate and precious.

I had to hope that this newfound respect, desire, and perhaps even the beginnings of love would not wilt and fall away.