Chapter 41: Evelyn: He Acts Like A Stalker
Evelyn~
I didn’t really know why, but last night, I slept better than I had in a long time. There were no bad dreams, no tossing and turning around the bed.
It reminded me of the nights I spent in the Valedorn Kingdom. Back then, I thought it was because the bed was big and soft, the kind that swallows you whole. But this bed wasn’t even half as fancy as the one in the palace and still, I slept like a baby.
When I finally opened my eyes, I didn’t move right away. I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling while my mind slowly caught up to the morning.
The curtains were still drawn, so the room was dim. But I could see a soft line of sunlight peeking through the vents, cutting across the wall.
Honestly, I had no clue what to do next.
If I got up and stepped outside, I’d have to face Rael and probably everyone else too.
What was I supposed to say if they asked why I ran away yesterday?
I’d already told Rael it was because of trauma, but if I gave that same reason to the others, they’d definitely start asking things like "What kind of trauma?"
, "What happened to you?", "Why won’t you talk about it?"Just thinking about sharing something that personal with so many people felt like a nightmare in itself.
"You’re awake?"
I froze when a deep voice echoed from inside the room.
My eyes widened, and I quickly sat up in bed, glancing toward the sound.
That’s when I saw Rael sitting in the corner of the room.
At first, I couldn’t fully see his face because of the dim light. But when the sunlight caught his features just right, I saw the glint in his emerald eyes, and that was enough to recognize him immediately.
"What are you doing here?!" I blurted, a little louder than I meant to.
I didn’t even know why I was panicking so much—well, no, scratch that. Of course I had to panic!
What woman wouldn’t freak out waking up to find a man silently watching her sleep from the corner of the room?
My wolf casually interrupted my thoughts. "It’s not like he did anything to you," she said lazily. "He literally just sat there all night."
All night?!
Why the hell would he sit there watching me sleep all night?
Didn’t he say yesterday that he didn’t want to cross any boundaries by bringing me into his room?
"Technically, he didn’t bring you to his room," my wolf muttered. "You’re still in your room."
I rolled my eyes and mentally shoved her aside. She’d always defend my mates, even if they burned the world down.
"You were having a nightmare," Rael said softly, finally breaking the silence. "You kept moving around and talking in your sleep. You looked like you were in pain."
I stared at him, confused. "I ... did?"
I couldn’t even remember dreaming at all. In fact, I thought I slept like a rock.
"You did," he confirmed.
He stood from his chair, but didn’t take a step closer, probably because I had instinctively leaned back when he moved.
"You looked like you were struggling. I was going to wake you up, but when I got closer ...," He paused, as if still surprised by it. "You calmed down, you stopped mumbling, and your breathing evened out. It was like ... just being near you helped."
He scratched the back of his neck, clearly feeling awkward. "So I decided to stay here. I just wanted to make sure you could sleep better. I really didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."
There was something so sincere in the way he said it that I couldn’t help but believe him.
Still, I had my suspicions.
I glanced at his feet and yep, he was tapping the floor like crazy, as if holding back the excitement in his heart.
"He’s a man, and he’s your mate," my wolf said knowingly. "That combination alone is dangerous, especially if he spent the whole night watching you sleep. Honestly? I think his self-control is stronger than Theron’s."
’What are you talking about?’ I argued. ’Theron was kind to me too. If you hadn’t triggered my heat that day, he probably wouldn’t have lost control like that.’
My wolf let out a snort. "Oh please. If I remember correctly, he was already acting like a wild beast before your heat even started."
Well ... she wasn’t wrong.
Theron did react pretty badly. So badly, in fact, that he locked himself in his room for an entire week.
What surprised me, though, was how Rael didn’t react the same way. In fact, if I’m being honest, he seemed almost too calm, especially for an Alpha known for leading a rowdy, rebellious pack.
But wait, why was I even comparing them like this?
’Hey!’ I snapped at my wolf. ’Stop making me choose sides! How am I supposed to keep things peaceful if you turn this into some kind of competition?’
I didn’t even understand why she was suddenly comparing them like that. Maybe it would’ve been better if she just stuck to defending them, even when they were clearly being ridiculous.
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside as I focused on Rael again. "Thank you," I said quietly. "For staying with me last night ... for helping me sleep."
Rael took a few slow steps toward me, and since I didn’t back away, he kept walking until he stood right beside the bed.
"But Evelyn," he said gently, "there’s something I need to ask you."
His voice suddenly turned serious, so serious, in fact, it made me think he was about to ask something difficult.
"The mark on your neck." He raised his hand slightly and pointed toward it.
Without thinking, my hand flew to the spot on my neck, covering it. He hadn’t even asked the question yet, but I was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Does it belong to Theron?" he asked softly.