Chapter 36: Chapter 36

NOAH

Evie had managed to rope in an alpha, a beta, a gamma, and the alpha’s brother into a furniture assembly project that was proving to be a real headache.

Jack, in frustration, tossed the instruction manual onto the floor, exclaiming, “Why?”

Greyson was on a hunt for a missing piece. “Where on earth is piece F?” He was staring at the scattered parts of what was supposed to be a desk.

Sawyer, on the other hand, was beaming with pride over his finished bookshelf.

I approached the bookshelf, gave it a tap, and watched as it wobbled and collapsed.

“Doesn’t seem quite level,” I commented.

Sawyer shot me a glare, muttered a curse, and got back to work.

Across the room, Evie was in fits of laughter as she organized her supplies into bins for what seemed like the tenth time.

“You guys are the best,” Evie said, her smile lighting up the room.

Greyson shot back with a smirk. “We live to serve you, Luna.” This earned him a stern look from my mate.

Once Evie was content with her organizing, she joined Jack and Greyson in assembling the cubical storage unit.

Meanwhile, I was busy fixing the bookshelf that Sawyer had tried to build.

After another hour, we finally finished assembling the furniture and securing it to the wall.

Evie then started filling the desk, bookshelf, and cubical unit with her bins and supplies.

Jack and I took care of hanging the curtains while Greyson rolled out the rug in front of the desk.

Wrapping my arm around Evie’s waist, I admired our newly converted art studio. “It looks amazing, baby.”

I planted a kiss on her cheek, which earned me a radiant smile from my mate.

“Thank you so much,” she said, leaning back into my embrace.

Before I could respond, her phone rang. She wriggled out of my arms to answer it.

“Hello?”

I heard her twin brother, Elijah, on the other end.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Why?” Evie knitted her brows in concern.

“You’re not at home,” Elijah stated, causing me to worry.

Why does he know she’s not home? And why does he care?

My protective instincts were kicking in.

“And how would you know that?” Evie challenged him.

“Because I’m at your house.”

Evie’s eyes widened as she mouthed, “Oh shit,” to me.

“What?”

“I thought something was off when we talked last weekend and Mom said you’ve been avoiding her calls. So, I thought I’d surprise you,” her brother explained.

“Elijah…,” Evie sighed.

I could tell she was thrilled to see her brother but anxious about everything else.

“What’s going on, Evie?” Elijah asked.

Evie pressed the phone to her shoulder and turned to me, whispering, “What do I do?”

“Tell him the truth?” I suggested.

Her eyes widened even more. “Are you crazy?”

“Okay, maybe not the entire truth. Just tell him about me and that you’re living here,” I proposed.

“If I tell him I’m living with a guy I met a few weeks ago, he’ll think I’ve lost it. Plus, this place is like a fortress,” Evie rambled.

“So, what’s your plan?” Clearly, my suggestions weren’t helping.

“Fake my death?” She shrugged, looking helpless.

I chuckled and pointed to her phone. “He’s yelling.” My wolf hearing picked up what she couldn’t.

She sighed and brought the phone back to her ear. “Listen, Elijah, there’s some stuff going on, and I’m not exactly sure how to explain it. I’m going to give you an address to drive to, okay?”

“What address?” Elijah’s voice was filled with worry.

“It’s where I’m staying.” Evie then gave Elijah the address to the pack house.

I quickly mind-linked Greyson, informing him of our unexpected guest. I instructed him to wait at the entrance gate for Elijah and then escort him to the pack house.

“What are you going to tell him?” I asked Evie once she ended the call.

“The truth, I guess.” She shrugged.

“The whole truth?” I asked.

I was ready to support Evie with whatever she decided, even if that meant revealing the existence of werewolves to her brother. This was her life now, and she deserved to be as honest with her family as she wanted.

“I guess I’ll keep the wolf bit to myself for now,” she said, stepping out of her art studio.

I trailed behind her as we descended to the lobby.

“Maybe we should take him to my office,” I suggested, and Evie nodded, lost in thought.

I gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“My entire family will know after this. Elijah can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it,” she confessed.

“Is that going to be an issue?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted softly.

I guided her into a secluded hallway off the lobby, away from curious eyes. I cradled her face in my hand, my thumb gently caressing her cheek.

“I’m not worried about them meeting you, Noah,” Evie reassured me. “I’m just worried about them understanding all of this.” She gestured vaguely around the pack house, and I knew she was referring to more than just our physical surroundings.

Our relationship was intense, something humans might find hard to comprehend. Even Evie, who was experiencing all the emotions firsthand, struggled to understand.

“I’ll just have to charm your parents,” I said, grinning.

She returned a weak smile.

“We’ll have to tone it down around them. The fact that I’m practically living with you is going to be a lot for them to process,” she murmured.

“I promise to be on my best behavior,” I assured her, straightening my back to show her I could be as cool as a cucumber.

She rolled her eyes at me, but a genuine smile finally lit up her face.

“You’re such a goof,” she muttered, feigning disgust as I leaned in to kiss her.

She finally relented, rewarding me with a quick peck.

“He’s here. Just pulled into the parking garage,” Sawyer mind-linked me.

“Your brother’s here,” I informed her, taking her hand again and guiding her toward the front door.

While we waited, I mind-linked the entire pack, warning them about our human guest and reminding them not to act like wild animals.

Sawyer swung the door open, and a male version of Evie followed him in. He had the same sandy blond hair and striking blue eyes, but he was taller and more muscular than Evie.

Evie squealed with delight when she saw Elijah and flung herself at him.

He returned her embrace with a bear hug. I couldn’t help but grin at their reunion, happy to see my mate so joyful.

“Elijah! I’ve missed you so much,” Evie practically shrieked.

Elijah gently pushed her away.

“What’s going on?” He was all business, his gaze shifting to me over Evie’s shoulder.

I stepped forward.

“I’m Noah,” I introduced myself, extending my hand.

Elijah shook it cautiously.

“Noah’s my…he’s my…uh…boyfriend?” Evie stuttered, looking at me helplessly.

I chuckled quietly. It felt strange to label our relationship. We’d never used terms like “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” before, and those aren’t terms wolves typically use.

But I guess you can’t introduce a guy as your “mate” to your human brother.

“Uh-huh,” Elijah said, his eyes darting between us.

“And where are we?” he asked, looking around.

“This is where I live,” I explained.

“And I’ve been staying here, too,” Evie added shyly.

Elijah turned to her in surprise.

“Why don’t we continue this conversation in my office?” I suggested, pointing down the hall.

“Your ‘office’?” Elijah echoed as Evie led the way.

We all settled into my office, the silence hanging heavy in the air.

“This is your house,” Elijah finally said, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Technically, yes. This whole area is a small village founded by my great-grandfather,” I began, grateful that we had a cover story ready for the humans.

“Our people live in individual houses throughout the reservation. My family is considered the leaders, and we live here, in the main house. But everyone is welcome here to use the community amenities.”

“Reservation? Like, Native Americans?” Elijah asked.

“Yes, we’re a sect of the Chitimacha Tribe.” Not entirely untrue. The Chitimacha Tribe were the first inhabitants of New Orleans. They were well acquainted with werewolves and provided them shelter.

My great-great-grandmother was a tribal member, the chief’s daughter. She fell head over heels for an outsider—a werewolf, my great-great-grandfather—and they had a child. That child was also a werewolf. As the werewolf population expanded, they decided to form their own tribe.

Elijah shifted his focus to Everleigh.

“And you’ve been living here?”

She gave a slow nod.

“About a week,” she confirmed.

“I had no idea you even had a boyfriend, let alone one you’re serious enough to live with,” Elijah muttered.

“We met my first weekend here and we just clicked.”

~That was a fib.~ Evie’s gaze flickered to me briefly before returning to Elijah.

“Elijah, I can’t explain it, we just mesh. I’m just staying here; I haven’t officially moved in or anything.” Evie shrugged, attempting to downplay our relationship.

I wasn’t thrilled with her approach, but I understood her reasoning.

“If you two are so ~perfect~, why all the lies?” Elijah’s tone turned bitter. I squirmed in my seat, striving to keep my cool.

Evie shot me a cautionary look.

“Cool it, Elijah,” she retorted. “I haven’t been ~lying~. I just wasn’t ready for the family invasion yet.”

I held back a smile at her handling of her brother and felt relieved to know I wasn’t the only one who succumbed to her.

Elijah ~huffed~ in defeat.

“All right,” he grumbled. “How do I know you’re a good guy?” He directed his glare at me.

“Because I vouch for him,” Evie interjected.

“No, it’s a valid question, Everleigh. What do you want to know?” I asked.

Elijah glanced between Evie and me before breaking into a grin for the first time since his arrival.

“Nah, I’m good.” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair nonchalantly.

I stared at him in disbelief and noticed that Evie was now smiling, too.

“What did I do?” I asked, puzzled.

“You stood up to my sister and called her Everleigh. She ~really~ must be into you, which means you must be a decent guy.” Elijah smirked.

There was a knock at my door, and before I could answer, Molly barged in, oblivious to my company. She halted abruptly, looking startled at the unfamiliar face in the room.

Suddenly, her smile faded, and a low growl rumbled from her throat. I instantly knew what was happening and rushed to Molly’s side.

I seized her wrists and immobilized her arms, forcing her to stay put.

“Molly, get a hold of yourself,” I commanded in my alpha voice.

~“Mate!”~ she growled.