Chapter 48: Evelyn: I Do Something Bad
Evelyn~
After hearing Rael’s words, I stared at them in utter confusion and disbelief. I still had no idea who this "brother" he had just mentioned was.
Could it be that Theron had killed Rael’s brother? Was that the reason he always called Theron a "bastard" every chance he got?
But honestly, even though Rael always used that insult on Theron, I had never really felt like he truly hated him.
Yeah, I know it sounds weird because Rael always looked like he wanted to kill Theron, but deep down, I had a feeling he didn’t actually want to.
If Rael had truly wanted to kill Theron, he probably would’ve swapped the paralyzing arrow for one tipped with deadly poison when he and his pack attacked Theron and his soldiers in the palace.
And now, watching them fight hand-to-hand right in front of me, I noticed something strange about the way they fought. Well, mostly it was Rael, since Theron was clearly being controlled by his wolf.
Rael’s punches were brutal, each one landing with enough force to make the ground tremble, but every time his fist was about to hit a vital spot, he redirected it at the last second, striking somewhere less lethal instead.
It was like he was afraid his punch might actually kill Theron.
"But isn’t that logical?" my wolf pointed out. "Earlier, you told him your fates were connected that if he kills Theron, then it’s the same as killing himself and hurting you."
She had a point.
But still, there was another reason why I wasn’t convinced Rael’s restraint was only because of that.
There had been moments—brief, almost hidden—where Rael’s actions toward Theron didn’t feel like something you’d do to a sworn enemy.
Like the time when Theron had stumbled and nearly smashed his head against the jagged edge of a broken stone. Rael had caught him by the collar at the very last moment, yanking him back before shoving him away with a growl, as if to hide what he’d just done.
Or earlier in this very fight, when Rael’s claw had been a breath away from slicing across Theron’s throat, only for him to twist his wrist at the last second, letting the blow land harmlessly on his shoulder instead.
It wasn’t exactly mercy ... but it also wasn’t the kind of cruelty you’d expect from someone who supposedly hated the other enough to kill them.
I didn’t understand it either, but honestly, if Rael truly hated Theron, there would’ve been at least one moment where he ignored my words completely.
Yet not once had he lost his composure, whether it was because he had incredible self-control or because he didn’t actually hate Theron as much as he claimed, I couldn’t tell.
Either way, I knew I really needed to stop their fight.
But yelling at them to stop? Yeah, that wasn’t exactly a genius plan. Who the hell thinks shouting at two Alphas in the middle of a fight will ever work?
If I wanted them to stop, I needed to do something that would break their focus, something that would make them freeze, even just for a moment.
I already had something in mind, to be honest.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing anyone should ever try to copy, but since it was me, nothing bad would happen.
I bent down and picked up the rifle that had been tossed from Marek’s hands earlier. Without giving myself a chance to second-guess the idea, I aimed it straight at my own head.
BANG!
The shot rang out like thunder, echoing across the battlefield.
"LUNA EVELYN!" someone screamed, maybe it was Isa’s voice, filled with horror.
The moment Isa shouted my name, both Rael and Theron froze mid-motion, claws still raised but no longer moving. Their eyes—one pair emerald, the other gold—snapped toward me, both wearing the exact same expression of absolute shock.
A small puff of smoke curled from the rifle’s barrel as my body collapsed to the ground.
I’ve never liked pain, but honestly, a gunshot didn’t feel that bad compared to being burned alive or drowned at the bottom of a lake.
Besides, I’d pulled this little fake act plenty of times before to trick people who wanted to burn me alive.
So yeah, for me, a gunshot was something I could handle, something as unimpressive as pricking my own finger with a needle.
As my head rested against the ground, I noticed Theron’s eyes gradually begin to brighten, as if he had just regained his spark of life. It looked like he was finally able to take control of his body again.
"EVELYN!" Rael’s voice was the first to shout, followed almost immediately by Theron’s furious roar. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
Their voices rang out together, but their tones couldn’t have been more different. Rael’s was filled with panic, while Theron’s was laced with fury and something dangerously close to desperation.
As they rushed toward me, I calmly sat up and reached for my head. With deliberate slowness, I pulled the bullet out of my skull like it was nothing more than a splinter.
Gasps erupted from everyone watching, eyes widening in pure shock. Even Rael froze mid-step, his expression shifting to disbelief, while Theron’s jaw tightened, his golden eyes flicking between my face and the bloody bullet in my hand.
I casually flicked the bullet to the ground. The tiny clink it made sounded absurdly small compared to the chaos that had just unfolded.
"What the hell ...?" Rael muttered under his breath, still staring at me like I’d just grown a second head.
"Oh, you finally stop fighting," I said, wiping the blood from my face with the back of my hand.
Rael’s jaw tightened as his eyes scanned me from head to toe, checking whether I was actually still in one piece. "Are you ... alright?"
Theron immediately dropped to his knees beside me, his golden eyes burning with a strange mix of concern and rage. "Evelyn, what ... what exactly are you doing?" he demanded. "Why would you shoot yourself in the head?!"
Both of them had seen me at the brink of death before, some situations far worse than a simple gunshot, so it was almost funny that they actually thought I might be dead this time.
I tilted my head, locking eyes with Theron. "I want you to stop fighting. That’s all."
Theron was taken aback by my answer. He even looked like he didn’t know how to respond to my words.
On the other hand, Rael finally snapped out of his shock. He shoved Theron aside and dropped to his knees directly in front of me. He cupped my face roughly and stared at me as if trying to wake me from a dream.
"Evelyn, what exactly are you thinking?!" Rael shouted so loudly my eardrums nearly burst. "You could’ve just asked us to stop without doing something this extreme!"
"Really?" I replied calmly. "I don’t think either of you would’ve stopped if I had only told you to."
Rael’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he stayed quiet, his lips pressing into a thin line. It was the look of someone who wanted to argue yet knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Theron, on the other hand, let out a sharp huff, clearly irritated but not denying it either. His golden gaze darted to Rael, then back to me, as if silently daring me to repeat my words.
"See? Not a single protest. Which means I’m right." I paused for a moment before adding, "Besides ... you both already know I can’t die, so let’s not drag this out any further."
"Oh, no, no, not that easy, My Lady." Theron’s voice was low and dangerous, the kind that sent a faint chill crawling down my spine. "Even though you can’t die, that doesn’t mean you can just do whatever the hell you want with your body."
Rael clicked his tongue and said, "For once, I agree with him." After a brief pause, his gaze softened. "I don’t like this. I really don’t like it when you do something like this, so please, don’t do it again."
Theron crawled closer to me. He tried to push Rael away, but when I held his gaze, he finally relented and said, "I don’t approve of this kind of behavior. Besides, it would hurt you badly and you don’t like pain, so ... no, don’t do this again."
They had been furious with me just a moment ago, yet now they spoke so gently, as if afraid that if they raised their voices, I might shoot myself in the head again.
"I won’t," I finally said. "But only if you two stop fighting for a moment so we can actually have a nice conversation together. How about we eat instead? It’s almost lunchtime."
Rael blinked at me like I’d just suggested we all sit down for tea in the middle of a battlefield.
Theron’s brows furrowed. "You ... were willing to shoot yourself in the head just so you could convince us to eat lunch?"
I shrugged. "Well, it worked, didn’t it?"
Besides, why was he only focusing on the word "lunch"?
Yes, I was a glutton, but I had also said we needed to have a proper conversation. But ... yeah, eating was honestly more important.