Chapter 37: Chapter 37

EVIE

Things were going better than I had anticipated. My brother was initially wary, especially about me staying with a guy I’d just met, but he didn’t argue or question me. He trusted my judgment, knowing I wouldn’t do anything without thinking it through.

Elijah’s apprehension was about to be put to the test when he locked eyes with Noah. The moment Noah uttered my full name, I knew Elijah would be put at ease. I never, ~ever~ allowed anyone to call me by my full name.

Even my parents were restricted from using it unless I was in trouble. I had a thing against its formality. But when Noah said it, it sounded like the sweetest word in the world.

My entire plan went up in smoke the moment Molly entered the room. Somehow, I knew from her expression that my brother was her mate, even before she said it. Noah held Molly back, preventing her from lunging at Elijah, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.

She struggled in Noah’s arms, desperately trying to reach my brother.

“Evie, what’s happening?” he shouted, rising from his chair.

I quickly moved to stand beside him.

“Elijah, it’s okay. Just give us a moment,” I said, moving to Noah’s side and trying to get Molly’s attention.

“Molly! Look at me,” I commanded, my voice echoing the tone I had used with Noah’s father.

Noah looked at me, surprised.

“He’s human,” I hissed at her, and her eyes finally focused.

“Human?” she whispered.

“He’s my brother,” I informed her.

She glanced at Elijah over my shoulder, then back at me.

“Oh,” she mumbled.

I shot Noah a sideways glance, and he looked back at me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“This is ~not~ funny,” I told him.

“It’s a little funny.” He shrugged. “I’m having a sense of déjà vu.”

“What are we going to do?” I sighed.

“Why don’t you take Elijah upstairs and explain things to him? I’ll stay here with Molly and try to calm her down. Remember how we felt at the beginning?” Noah suggested.

I nodded in response.

“Keep that in mind when you’re talking to him. It’s going to be okay, Evie, I promise,” he said, his voice softening as he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

I squeezed his hand before pulling Elijah out of the room. As we left, I could hear Molly whimpering.

“What was that about, Evie?” Elijah asked.

“Let’s go upstairs to Noah and my place. I’ll explain everything,” I told him.

Elijah followed me to the elevator.

“There’s an elevator?” he asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

I chuckled, remembering my own reaction to the elevator just a week ago.

“Come on,” I urged, pulling him into the elevator. “Noah lives on the top floor,” I informed him, pressing the button.

“You both live up here?” Elijah asked as we stepped out of the elevator.

I led him to my room.

“I stay in this room, and Noah has a room at the end of the hall,” I explained.

“So, you live together, but in separate bedrooms?” Elijah asked.

I sighed.

This was only going to get more confusing.

“Just sit down, Elijah,” I instructed, guiding him toward the sitting area. “Listen, things are about to get really crazy,” I admitted.

“It’s already pretty crazy, Ev. You’re living with a guy you just met,” Elijah pointed out.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned.

“Yeah, that’s not the weird part,” I muttered.

“You’re being weird,” Elijah retorted.

I didn’t even know where to start. Noah had it easy with me; I’m open to the unusual. Elijah, however, is not. Neither are any of my brothers. They’re all about facts and logic.

“You remember when I told you that Noah and I were just right for each other?” I started.

“Yeah…,” Elijah responded, sounding unsure.

“I meant that literally. Noah and I…we have a special kind of connection,” I said.

Elijah rolled his eyes.

“Evie, I get it. He’s your soulmate.” Elijah’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, but he didn’t realize how spot-on he was.

“Exactly, Elijah. We’re soulmates.”

Elijah stared at me as if I’d grown an extra head. I shook my head at him, standing up. This wasn’t going to work. I swung my door open.

“Sawyer!” I called out, confident that my gamma bodyguard was always within earshot.

“What’s up, Evie?” Sawyer appeared from the sitting room.

“I need help,” I said, turning back to Elijah. “Come on, Elijah, let’s go outside.”

Elijah sighed and trailed behind me to the elevator.

“But we just got up here,” he complained.

“I know, but this isn’t something I can just explain. I need to show you,” I said.

“What are we doing?” Sawyer asked.

“Noah filled you in?” I asked.

Sawyer nodded.

“Elijah needs to see to understand. I can’t explain it in a way that he’ll believe me,” I said.

Sawyer’s eyes widened, and he nodded again. “I see.”

“I don’t,” Elijah grumbled.

We silently exited the back door of the pack house, stepping onto a large patio set up for outdoor activities. It was dark out, but the backyard was illuminated by string lights and lanterns hanging from the trees. Elijah and I stood on the patio while Sawyer walked out to the yard, standing under the lights.

“What is happening? Why is that guy getting naked?” Elijah exclaimed, covering his face as Sawyer began to undress.

“That’s Sawyer, Noah’s best friend and my protector,” I said.

Elijah looked down at me. “Why do you need a protector?”

“Because I’m Noah’s partner, a leader of this pack, and human.” I knew my words were confusing Elijah, but I decided to answer him straightforwardly.

“Elijah, look.” I gestured toward the yard where a giant black wolf now stood.

Elijah yelped, jumping backward and pulling me with him.

“What the hell?!” He started dragging me back toward the house, but I resisted.

“Elijah, stop,” I commanded, planting my feet and refusing to budge.

“Evie, what are you doing!? It’s a wolf! You need to run,” Elijah shouted.

“Yes, it’s a wolf. His name is Maze,” I said calmly.

“I don’t care what its name is!” Elijah was panicking.

“Elijah, look around.”

Elijah’s eyes darted around the yard and the forest. “Where’s the guy… Sawyer?”

“He’s right there.” I pointed toward Sawyer’s wolf, Maze. “He’s not going to hurt us, I promise.”

I smiled at my brother before walking across the yard. Elijah came running after me.

“Are you crazy?”

“Yeah, probably.” I shrugged, approaching the wolf.

Maze plopped down, lowering his ears and wagging his tail. I knelt down in front of him and started scratching his head.

“What is going on?” Elijah asked.

“It’s okay, you can touch him,” I said. I grabbed Elijah’s hand and pulled him down next to me. I placed his hand on top of Maze’s head. Elijah was frozen, unmoving.

“Evie, you’re terrified of wolves,” Elijah’s voice was flat.

“I was, but not anymore. Now, I love them; wolves are my family,” I explained, pulling Elijah back up.

We backed away from Maze, and I nodded toward him, signaling Sawyer to come forward with a single glance.

“Just watch,” I told Elijah as Maze began to shake his giant head.

I watched Elijah carefully as Maze shifted back into Sawyer. My brother’s mouth was hanging open, his eyes bulging out of his head.

“He…wolf…man…what?” Elijah stuttered.

Sawyer quickly got dressed and joined us.

“You all right, man?” Sawyer asked, slowly approaching my brother.

Elijah opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“Eli, it’s okay. It’s a lot to take in, I know.” I grabbed my brother’s hand and tugged at it. “I live with werewolves,” I stated.

Elijah’s eyes finally met mine.

“I don’t know what to say…,” Elijah mumbled.

“Noah’s the alpha; he’s the leader of the pack. Everyone who lives in the village is a wolf,” I explained further.

“Are you…safe?” Elijah questioned me.

“I’m safer than I’ve ever been,” I assured him.

“Evie is the heart of our pack,” Sawyer started, catching Elijah’s wary glance. “When she became Noah’s mate, she also became our luna, one of our pack leaders. The luna is even more revered than the alpha because she keeps our alpha grounded. We honor her. As the alpha’s third-in-command, her safety is my responsibility.”

I could see Elijah’s mind reeling from Sawyer’s revelation.

“So, my twin sister, Evie, is like your leader?” Elijah queried.

Sawyer and I shared a laugh.

“She’s more akin to our queen, to be precise,” Sawyer clarified with a shrug.

“Got it,” Elijah muttered.

“Eli, I’m still wrapping my head around all this too. It took me some time to adjust to this new reality, but I can’t deny my feelings. The best way for me to understand this new world was to immerse myself in it. At some point, I had to let go of my idea of normal and just dive in.” I tried to convey my recent experiences.

“You’ve been navigating all this alone?” Elijah’s eyes softened as he turned to face me.

“No, I’ve had Noah, Sawyer, and his sister, Molly. I have a whole family here; I’m never alone,” I said with a smile.

“You seem really at ease here,” he noted.

I nodded. “I’m more at ease than I’ve been in a while, and happy,” I admitted.

Elijah draped his arm over my shoulders. “This is wild, sis.” He chuckled, starting to relax.

“It sure is,” I agreed, resting my head on his shoulder. “And there’s more,” I added.

Elijah pulled back, looking at me with skepticism.

“Did you catch when Sawyer referred to me as Noah’s mate?” I asked.

“I did,” Elijah confirmed.

“Mate is essentially a synonym for soulmate, but in a very literal sense. Werewolves believe they are given a mate, someone who was created just for them—like their other half,” I tried to explain.

“So, Noah believes you’re his other half?” Elijah asked.

I shook my head. “It’s more than belief, Elijah. I *am* his other half and he’s mine. We know this as a fact. We share a connection that’s not…human. We can feel each other’s emotions. Noah’s connection is even stronger than mine since he’s a wolf; it’s much more intense for him. That’s why I moved in. Being apart from me was physically painful for him,” I explained.

Elijah rubbed his head, trying to comprehend.

“This is like something out of a fairytale, Ev,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” I agreed.

“How did you know you two were mates? You didn’t know about any of this before him, so how did you know?” Elijah asked, pacing the patio.

Sawyer was observing us from a distance, seated on the patio furniture.

“As a wolf, Noah could sense I was his mate, just like every wolf can. Their senses go haywire and, apparently, their mate has a unique scent to them that’s irresistible,” I relayed what Noah had told me.

“So, what, Noah just claimed you? I’m not sure I like that idea,” Elijah said.

“It’s not like that. If anything, we’ve claimed each other. I feel just as connected to and possessive of him as he does of me. Almost from the start, I knew I was meant to be with Noah, even when I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself. It’s an equal partnership, Elijah, not ownership,” I reassured him.

“I trust you, Evie. You’ve always been sure of yourself. I know you wouldn’t do something unless you were one hundred fifty percent sure, and that doesn’t happen until you’ve made a pros and cons list and written a five-paragraph essay with annotated notes,” Elijah teased, nudging me with his shoulder.

I laughed, surprised at how well he was taking all this. This must have been how Noah felt when I didn’t completely freak out.

“Should Noah bring Molly out?” Sawyer asked from behind us.

I studied Elijah, trying to gauge how much more he could handle.

“All right,” I said, turning to Sawyer. I figured it was best to lay it all out there. “There’s something else you should know,” I told Elijah.

He let out a weary sigh. “What now?”

“Molly is Sawyer’s sister. She was the first person I met when I got here, and she’s my best friend. She’s also the girl who barged into Noah’s office earlier,” I explained.

“I remember her. She was the one having a meltdown,” Elijah recalled, nodding.

“Right, and she was having that meltdown because of you.” I kept my tone neutral.

“What did I do?” Elijah’s voice wavered.

“You didn’t do anything, Elijah. But you are Molly’s mate,” I said, bracing myself for his reaction.