“You want me in your room?” Evan asks curiously.
“I don’t want you anywhere else.”
“What if people see?”
“I’ve sectioned it off so no one but Felix, Zara, and my head guards are allowed up here.”
He clasps his hands together. “Okay.”
I put down his bags and walk over to my wardrobe to show him the half-empty side, along with a few drawers. “Will this be okay?”
“I don’t own that many clothes,” he laughs hesitantly.
“I want you to feel at home.”
His cheeks bloom pink. “Thank you,” he whispers. “I already kind of do.”
A soft noise falls from my lips. That’s all I’ll ever want to hear. What’s mine is his. It’s as simple as that.
“I’m not giving up on you, andyou’renot giving up on you.”
Evan inhales a deep breath.
“Say it.”
“I’m not giving up.”
“No,” I say softly. “You’re not. You’re gonna live the life you deserve.”
44
EVAN
The last few weeks have been somewhat of a blur.
Adjusting to living at Caleb’s pack house wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I’m welcomed with warm arms, given how close I’ve grown to his pack over the last few months of helping out and showing my face, yet it still feels strange.
I have a new therapist now, and when Nathan asked about medication, I decided to do some research before agreeing to try them out.
I’ve been keeping up my training sessions with Caleb, and taking part in other fitness activities to keep my body active and my mind distracted. But when he's busy, I keep productive by journaling, reading, or helping Zara out around the house.
I stare down at my seven letters and chew on my lip, as I look where to put my word on the Scrabble board.
“Any time today, Evan,” Zara huffs playfully.
I glance up and capture her dark eyes. “You can’t rush perfection.”
“I’m slowly deteriorating over here.”
“Okay, okay,” I say hastily before picking up my tiles and placing them on the board. “There.”
Zara blinks. “That’s not how you spell hijack.”
The corner of my lip twitches. “You can spell it hijack or highjack,” I say with a smile. “Google it.”
The second she reaches for her phone and taps on the screen, she lowers it and stares at me. “Smarty pants.”
“There you guys are.” I hear Caleb’s voice from behind us. “Hiding away in the library, huh?”
