Chapter 375: Sneaky Alpha
Evaline:
I slammed my bedroom door shut, letting the echo of it roll through the quiet hallway.
My chest was rising and falling rapidly, anger and disbelief tangled together in a tight knot that refused to loosen.
How dare they?
Training. That was their solution.
Not listening, not discussing... just dictating. Like I was some rebellious child who needed to be reined in.
I pressed a hand against the wall, closing my eyes as I tried to steady my breathing. But the more I thought about River’s expression, the colder my blood ran. That detached calm. That authority. That warning.
I had come too far to be treated like this again.
Not after everything.
I turned toward my desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, scrawling notes furiously. I wasn’t about to wait for anyone’s permission. There had to be something... some loophole, some record, some trace of how these soul deaths began. I just needed to get into that building.
But Kieran’s words from earlier came back to haunt me. His refusal had been absolute, his tone final.
And now, after River’s announcement... it was clear. None of them would let me anywhere near it.
I dropped the pen, pushing away from the desk, pacing across the room. My reflection in the window caught my attention - eyes blazing, cheeks flushed, hair falling loose around my face.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.
They were supposed to trust me.
By the time the house grew quiet and the corridors dimmed, I had made my decision.
Tomorrow, I would find another way in.
I turned off the lamp and slid under the sheets, determined to force sleep to come, even if my mind was far from ready.
But it didn’t last long.
A faint click echoed through the silence - soft, careful, deliberate. My heartbeat quickened instantly. The sound came again and then I heard my doorknob turning.
I sat up, my eyes narrowing. "Who’s there?"
The door opened just enough for a familiar figure to slip through.
Draven.
Moonlight fell on his face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw and the glint of guilt in his emerald eyes. His hair was tousled, his nightshirt unbuttoned halfway as if he had come straight from a shower... or maybe straight from pacing his own room.
I groaned under my breath. "Are you incapable of listening, or do you just enjoy ignoring me?"
He closed the door quietly behind him. "You really think I could sleep after what happened downstairs?"
I folded my arms, glaring. "I told you not to come near my room."
He shrugged, stepping closer, his voice lowering into that maddening calm tone. "And I told you I’m coming with you."
My lips parted in disbelief. "Coming with me? I wasn’t going anywhere, Draven."
His mouth curved slightly. "Don’t lie. You were planning something the second you walked out of that study."
My pulse skipped. He was right - of course he was right. He had always been the one who could read me best.
Still, I refused to admit it. "You are imagining things."
He took another step, and the distance between us shrank to barely an arm’s length. "Am I?" he asked softly, his gaze searching mine. "Because I can feel that storm in your chest, dear mate. You might hide it from the others, but not from me."
I hated that.
That raw honesty in his tone. That way he could make me feel seen even when I didn’t want to be.
"You shouldn’t be here," I said, my voice weaker than I intended.
"Too late," he murmured, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my face. His fingers hovered for a heartbeat, not quite touching. "You really thought I would let you face River’s wrath tomorrow on your own?"
That made me pause. "You think I can’t handle him?"
"I think," he said, stepping closer until his breath ghosted against my skin, "that you shouldn’t have to handle him alone."
For a moment, the air changed between us - electric, heavy. I could feel his emotions through the bond - regret, protectiveness, something else that made my chest ache.
"Draven..." I whispered, unsure if it was a plea or a warning.
But then his expression softened, and he let out a sigh that sounded almost defeated. "You can hate me for showing up," he said, "but I needed to make sure you are okay. You looked ready to burn the entire house earlier."
I turned my face away, gripping the edge of my blanket. "Maybe I should."
His low chuckle rumbled in the quiet. "Careful, love. River might actually throw you into training tomorrow just to cool you off."
That earned him a glare, but the corner of my lips twitched despite myself. "That’s not funny."
"It’s a little funny."
"Draven."
He raised his hands in mock surrender, but the teasing faded quickly from his eyes. "You are really not going to drop this, are you?"
I shook my head. "No. I have more than enough reasons to get involved. Whether it’s for Rowan, for every person I care about, or for myself, I need to at least try."
He stepped closer again, slower this time, his voice softer than before. "Eva... if you are set on this, promise me you won’t go alone. Please."
I bit my lip. "You would go with me?"
He hesitated. "If I said yes, River would kill me."
"Then don’t tell him."
That made him laugh under his breath. "You are dangerous when you are this stubborn."
"Then you should stay out of my way," I said, trying to sound firm even as his nearness was starting to undo me.
But Draven only tilted his head, his gaze tracing my face as if memorizing it. "I’m starting to think that’s impossible."
Before I could respond, he leaned down, brushing his lips against my forehead - soft, fleeting, warm enough to still my racing heart for just a moment.
"I’ll leave before the others sense I’m here," he murmured. "But, Eva... please, don’t do anything reckless until I talk to River."
I wanted to argue, to tell him River was the last person who would listen. But something in his tone stopped me. It wasn’t authority... it was fear.
"Fine," I said finally. "Tomorrow."
He gave a faint smile, stepped back, and quietly slipped out the same way he came.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I sat there for a long time, staring at the closed door, his words echoing in my mind. Don’t do anything reckless.
But how could I not, when every instinct inside me screamed that something far worse was coming?
I lay back down, pulling the blanket up to my chin. The moonlight spilled across the bed, and I stared at it until my eyes began to blur.
My heart wouldn’t stop racing - not from anger this time, but from the weight of what I knew I was about to do.
Because no matter what Draven said, I couldn’t just sit and wait.
Tomorrow, I would find a way into that old headquarters.
With or without anyone’s help.