Lucy nods. “Yeah, when we lived in the North. I remember seeing him around, as all the kids in the district practically went to the same school. But we weren’t close or anything; no one wanted to be friends with him because of his father’s reputation.Our parents told us to stay away, but Jaxon, being Jaxon, didn’t like being told what to do.”
“Is he as dangerous as his father?” Grace asks curiously.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think I’d wanna mess with him. We haven’t seen him in years, and I’ve never really known his true intentions. Jaxon’s keeping him close because he’s better to have as an ally, right?”
“But can Jaxon trust him?”
Lucy shrugs again. “I pray he knows what he’s doing.”
I switch off when they change the conversation.
“Hey, Evan.” Ava pops up beside me. “You know how you said you wanted to be more involved with the pack?”
“Uh, yeah.”
She flashes me a bright grin. “Well, Jax has a great proposition for you and some of the others.”
I blink. “What’s that?”
“He’s determined to bring the district closer together, protect ourselves and our land. And since you helped out Cole and Penelope when they joined the district, Jax is asking if we can do the same with Caleb.”
My mouth falls open. “Wha–” I cut myself off. “Why?”
“Because it shows we’re willing to help and do everything we can to support each other. It’s really important to stay connected, you know? And Jax is working hard to hold the respect of the district.”
“What does he want me to do?”
My heart pounds abnormally loud in my ears because I don’t want to spend more time around Caleb if I don’t have to.
“Show a friendly face, I guess,” Ava says with a shrug. “He’s going to need all the trust he can get. And because some of the old pack know you well, it’ll be good to see you helping out so they can settle quicker.”
My face twists at her words. “For how long?”
“Mm.” She presses her lips together. “Not long. Just enough for them to ease into life with their new Alpha. We appreciate it’s probably distressing for them to have such a big change, but we want them to know there’s nothing to be afraid of and we will be there to help. It’ll create a bond, and we really need that between our packs.”
“I know I said I’d help out,” I laugh nervously. “But it seems like a lot.”
“We know you can do it, Evan, and it’ll definitely help bring you out of your shell. Nina and Leon are going to do it with you, and I know you’ve grown closer to them since training privately with Kayden.”
My lungs seem not to work anymore because I cannot do this for my own sanity. Ava takes my hand, as if sensing my sudden distress, but not for the reasons she probably thinks.
“And not that you have anything to prove. But it’ll look good to Jax, and he’ll appreciate it massively.”
I resist the urge to close my eyes in defeat. I can’t say no; it’ll look suspicious.
“Okay,” I rasp.
“Amazing.” Ava beams. “Jax will run the brief by you. It’s gonna be fun and good for you, Evan. I promise.”
After dinner, I head up to bed, feeling the weight of today drowning me. I lock my door and race to my bedside table. I reach for my metal case and empty the grains of rice onto the wooden floors.
I kneel on them, my eyes watering at the piercing of my skin. I clamp them shut and push further down onto my knees, entwining my hands together in front of me.
“Goddess, I am sorry for everything I’ve done. I pray for your guidance on how to be better in this world. Give me a chance to prove myself. I’ll do anything.”
Caleb has to be some sort of punishment.
A ruthless Alpha mated to me to put me through hell—not a cute local guy who spends his weekends with his grandparents. He’s a man who looks like he wants to murder me.
