“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Carson,” I state. “Don’t fuck anything up because I won’t be so forgiving next time.”
“Thank you,” Esther says with shaky hands and tear-stained cheeks. “Thank you, Alpha.”
I release him from the cell and turn away before they embrace.
When I head back to the party, Felix flashes me a funny look as if to ask where I’ve been. “I released Carson, stripped him of head guard, and I’m keeping him under watch.”
Felix tilts his head upwards. “It was the right decision, Caleb. He didn’t do it because he wanted to, he did it because he had to. And as hard as it is to be stabbed in the back as an Alpha, sometimes we can’t always make the choices we’re meant to.”
And that’s what I understand the most.
“I think Evan might be making you soft,” he teases.
I roll my eyes. “No, I just don’t want any more violence. We’ve had enough.”
“Come on.” He nudges me. “Let’s try to enjoy this, yeah?”
My gaze locks on my Beta. I can try, but my heart is missing a puzzle piece.
68
EVAN
“How are you feeling today, Evan?”
“Okay, I guess.”
My therapist raises his brows. “You guess? Would you like to elaborate?”
I exhale a silent sigh. “I’m taking longer to adjust than I thought.”
“Which is completely normal.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. You’re in a new environment, with new surroundings, and new faces. It’s okay if you haven’t fully adjusted yet.”
I chew on the inside of my lip.
“Did you have any activities planned for this afternoon?”
Fridays are our arts-and-crafts day, and even though it felt silly at first, it only made me think of Caleb when I came face-to-face with a canvas.
“I’m going to try rage art today.”
“Oh, sounds interesting.”
My lips curl. “It’s something my boyfriend showed me. I enjoyed it.”
“Well, that sounds promising. I can’t wait to see what you make. Have you been making notes in your journal?”
I brush my fingers against the book in my hand. “Yeah.”
“Do you want to tell me how you felt about writing in it this week?”
My lips part, and I take a breath. “Yeah, I do.”
I’ve splatteredmy canvas with as many different colours as I possibly can. It’s a mess, but a perfect mess.
