I stood on the deserted road, my shoulders hunched against the chilly breeze while Clara stood quietly behind me, my luggage resting at her feet.
"Luna... where do we go now?"
The question caught me off guard. I swallowed hard.
Kael’s cruel words echoed through my mind.
"Where will you go, Evelyn? Your father is dead. You invested everything into Silver Creek. Outside this pack... you have nothing."
I hated how much those words hurt because there was truth buried beneath them.
My father had died during the war, and my mother had died the day I was born.
For the first time since leaving Silver Creek, I realized I truly had nowhere to go.
No. No matter how bad it had gotten, I would always remember I was Alpha Roman Valemont’s daughter. Not the nobody Kael thought he made me. I would always have a choice.
"The Valemont estate."
Clara’s eyes widened.
"Luna..."
"I’ll go to Varek’s." Varek was my cousin and the Alpha of the Valemont pack/estate. He inherited the pack after I married Kael and my father died.
Relief crossed Clara’s face before she hurried to signal for a carriage.
As I climbed inside, I leaned my head against the window, watching Silver Creek disappear behind us.
The carriage rolled to a stop before the gates of Valemont Estate. I stared through the window in silence.
It had been five years since I had crossed these gates as Alpha Kael’s bride.
Five years since I had promised my late father that I would build a home worthy of the Valemont name.
Instead... I was returning with nothing.
"Luna." Clara’s hesitant voice broke through my thoughts. "We’re here."
I nodded and stepped out of the carriage.
The familiar scent of lavender drifted through the afternoon air, carrying with it memories I had spent years trying to bury. The towering white manor stood exactly as I remembered, while rows of blooming moon lilies lined the pathway leading to the entrance.
Before I could steady myself, the front doors flew open.
"Evelyn!"
A woman hurried down the steps, lifting the hem of her pale blue gown without a care for appearances. Her auburn hair had come loose from its braid, and her eyes were already glistening with tears.
"Celine..."
She hurried down the remaining steps and threw her arms around me before I could say another word.
"You foolish girl," she whispered, her voice already breaking. "Why didn’t you come home sooner?"
For a long moment, I simply stood there. My body felt stiff, as though I had forgotten what it was like to be embraced.
Slowly, I wrapped my arms around her.
"I’m home."
Celine pulled back just enough to cup my face between her hands. Her brows knitted together as she studied me, and whatever she saw made her eyes redden even more.
"You’ve lost so much weight."
A weak smile tugged at my lips.
"I’ve been told I still look beautiful."
"I’m serious, Evelyn. Look at you."
Her fingers brushed a loose strand of my white hair behind my ear.
"You have barely any color left."
"I’m alright," I replied quietly, but she shook her head.
"No, you’re not."
I didn’t argue with her. She reached for my hand and frowned when she felt how cold it was.
"Come inside. You’ve been standing out here long enough."
Before either of us could move, another figure emerged from the manor.
He walked toward us, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. Though dressed simply, there was no mistaking the commanding aura that surrounded him.
He was my cousin and the current Alpha of the Valemont Estate.
Varek.
He stopped a few paces away, his gaze fixed on me. His eyes swept over my face, the many bruises that littered my skin, the single suitcase beside Clara, and his expression hardened.
"So... Silver Creek finally remembered how to throw away its greatest treasure."
"I’m sorry for coming like this..." I whispered, and he shook his head.
"Never apologize for coming home, Evelyn. We already heard what happened."
He shared a look with his mate.
"No matter what happens, once a Valemont, always a Valemont."
Varek pulled me into a firm embrace.
"I failed Uncle Roman," he murmured. "He entrusted you to that pack, and this is how they sent you back to us."
"You didn’t fail anyone," I said quickly, shaking my head. "This was my decision."
Celine slipped her arm through mine.
"Come inside," she said gently. "You’ve been traveling all day."
The moment I stepped into the house, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over me.
A tear finally escaped the corner of my eye.
I quickly wiped it away before anyone could pretend not to notice.
"I must look terrible."
"You do," Celine replied without hesitation.
"But that can be fixed."
She clapped her hands together before turning toward the servants.
"Prepare the east wing. And tell the kitchen to make every dish Evelyn used to steal as a child. Evelyn Valemont has returned."
_______
Meanwhile, back in Silver Creek...
Kael paced across his study, the phone pressed tightly against his ear. The conversation had ended minutes ago, yet it still felt as though the device were burning against his skin.
With a curse, he hurled it across the room.
The phone struck the wall before crashing onto the floor.
His chest rose and fell with restrained fury as he raked a hand through his dark hair.
"What happened?" Sophia asked from where she sat on the velvet sofa.
"I have one more chance."
His voice was dangerously low.
"One."
He let out a bitter laugh.
"I had to beg."
His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
"I begged like a damn dog for a second chance."
Sophia frowned.
"Second chance for what?"
Kael stopped pacing and looked at her.
"The meeting. He was going to strike Silver Creek from the First Houses List."
Sophia’s expression stiffened, her eyes widening.
"What?"
She had no idea Silver Creek had grown to the point of being added to the First Houses List of the realm.
"He said today’s incident reflected my ability to govern."
Kael’s jaw flexed.
"One more mistake... and Silver Creek loses every privilege we’ve spent years building."
Sophia slowly rose to her feet before crossing the room.
"This isn’t your fault. It was a misunderstanding, and it became one because of Evelyn."
Kael didn’t answer while Sophia slipped her arms around him from behind.
"She wanted to embarrass you. She knew how important this meeting was. I’m certain she did it on purpose."
Her words were soft and gentle.
"Don’t let her win."
Kael exhaled heavily, his eyes shut.
"She destroyed five years of trust in a single afternoon."
Sophia rested her cheek against his shoulder.
"Let her go."
He frowned, opening his eyes.
"What?"
She stepped in front of him.
"She only wants you to chase after her. Don’t give her the benefit. She believes Silver Creek can’t survive without her. Like you aren’t Alpha enough to lead your own pack. Like you haven’t been the one doing it."
She paused.
"She thinks too highly of herself all because of her healing abilities."
A faint smile curved Sophia’s lips.
"But she’s wrong. You remember the years we trained under the healers together?"
Kael’s eyebrows furrowed.
"I simply never had the opportunity to put my knowledge into practice because Evelyn was always handed everything because of her father and her pack’s wealth."
She took his hand.
"But I can do what she did and even better."
"It may take a little time... but I won’t let Silver Creek fall."
For the first time since Evelyn walked away... the tension in Kael’s shoulders eased.
He wanted to believe her.
Perhaps because believing Sophia was easier... than admitting Evelyn had truly been irreplaceable.
A sharp knock interrupted the silence, and before either of them could respond, the study doors burst open.
The chief healer came rushing in with wild eyes.
"Alpha, I’ve been searching for you."
"What is wrong?" Kael asked.
"Please tell me Luna Evelyn hasn’t left. She can’t have gone yet. She has to—"
"Speak clearly, woman! What has happened?"
Kael growled, and she flinched.
"A-Alpha, Luna Evelyn has destroyed it all."
"What? What has Evelyn destroyed?"
The healer’s lips trembled.
"Every vial of Lady Evelyn’s blood. Every antidote... every emergency healing potion... every divine tonic prepared for winter... she’s destroyed them all."