Chapter 42: Evelyn: He Doesn’t Give A Fuck About Purity
Evelyn~
Rael didn’t even blink after asking that question. His sharp gaze locked onto mine, filled with what looked like barely restrained fury. But strangely enough, I could tell that anger wasn’t aimed at me.
So then, what was I supposed to say?
Should I lie and say it was a mosquito bite?
"No, that’s a terrible idea," my wolf said flatly. "Forget it. His wolf probably already knows you have more than one fated mate. That’s probably why he asked. Honestly? Maybe it’s better if you just tell him the truth."
I let out a soft hiss of frustration. For once, she wasn’t being all that helpful. But then again, what could she really do? She was just living rent-free in my head.
Still ... she had a point. As much as I hated to admit it, she wasn’t wrong. The thing was, I didn’t know how Rael would react if I told him that Theron had already marked me.
Sure, I figured most of his anger would be aimed at Theron. But a small part of me worried, what if he ended up being disappointed and mad at me too?
Let’s be real. Alphas have always wanted mates who were untouched. They liked the idea of purity, a she-wolf who had never been with anyone else.
Meanwhile, I had lost that so-called "purity" a long time ago, even before I ever met Theron.
There were words for women like me. Too many, honestly and none were kind. Things like "public dump," or "cursed woman." There were worse ones too, but I don’t even have the heart to say them out loud.
The point is, I was worried that Rael would look at me with disgust, throw me out of his home or worse, burn me at the stake. Alright, the throw me away part sounded better than being burned.
So instead of answering his question, I asked one of my own. "Before I answer you," I said quietly, "there’s something I want to know. What kind of punishment do you give to an impure woman?"
Rael’s lips parted, as if he were about to say something. But then he paused and closed his mouth again. The fire in his eyes faded, replaced by something else, confusion, maybe?
Why did he look confused?
It was a simple question. Almost everywhere I’d been, there was some kind of punishment for women who’d had sex before marriage.
Some were stoned in the streets—yes, literally—just for sleeping with someone before marriage, even when it was usually the men who forced themselves on the women.
Other places were more humiliating. They’d strip the woman in public, throw rotten fruit at her, call her names, make a spectacle of her pain like it was some kind of show.
None of it was justice.
It was just an excuse for cruel men to stare, to laugh, to shame women for something they were never blamed for equally.
Why was it always the women?
What about the men?
They were part of it, too. But no one threw rocks at them or made them strip in the streets.
The more barbaric the region, the more cruel the punishment.
The Nocthra Pack seemed more like a big, chaotic family than a strict or lawless place. I thought maybe their punishments weren’t that extreme. However, I was still a stranger here, and punishments for outsiders were usually worse.
"We only punish three crimes here," Rael finally said.
He held up three fingers and looked me dead in the eyes.
"One: betraying your pack."
"Two: abusing your own family."
"And three: killing someone without reason."
That was it? Just those three.
There was nothing about virginity. There was nothing about how many men a woman had slept with, and not a word about purity.
I just stared at him, completely speechless.
"Don’t you have any written rules or something?" I finally asked. "Most packs have their own laws, right?"
Rael chuckled softly, like I’d just said something ridiculous. "Oh, my love," he said with a teasing smile, "this isn’t some fancy kingdom. Why would I waste time writing a bunch of complicated rules?"
He leaned slightly closer, voice dropping into something softer, more personal. "I’m afraid if I start doing that, I’ll turn into a boring man with a boring life, just like that Alpha King you know so well."
I blinked again. Did he just casually roast Theron?
Rael tilted his head slightly, that smug little smirk tugging at his lips like he was proud of it.
"No offense," he added, though the glint in his eyes said otherwise. "But I like chaos a little too much to rule with a stack of papers and laws. My pack doesn’t need me to become some uptight Alpha who tells them what to wear, who to love, and when to eat. We’re not sheep."
"So yeah," Rael continued, "to answer your question—no, we don’t have punishments for ’impure women.’ Because honestly, what’s the point of that? It sounds ridiculous."
He shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I’m not even innocent myself. I’ve done things, many terrible things. So why would I ever expect to be mated with someone pure? That’s not love. That’s just hypocrisy wrapped in pretty words."
The playful smirk slowly faded from Rael’s face. Now, he looked at me with a calm seriousness, like he needed me to truly understand what he was about to say.
"I will never punish you just because you’ve been with someone before," he said firmly. "Your past doesn’t scare me. It doesn’t make you any less worthy, and it sure as hell doesn’t change how I see you."
He paused for a second, then added, "You’re mine, Evelyn. Not because you’re untouched, or perfect, or any of those things people like to throw around. You’re mine because fate said so, and because I want you just the way you are."
I stared at him, unsure of what to say. My throat tightened, and my chest felt warm and heavy at the same time, like something inside me had been holding its breath for far too long, and was finally allowed to exhale.
"I ..." I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat.
Rael didn’t rush me. He didn’t push for answers or explanations. He just stood there, quietly watching me with those unwavering emerald eyes.
After a long moment, I finally managed to say, "I have more than one mate ... and Theron marked me first."
The moment those words slipped out, I saw something in his eyes. It was like a light that had been glowing suddenly faded.
He didn’t say anything right away. He just ... kept smiling. But this time, it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Maybe he truly didn’t care if I’d been having sex with other men in the past, but knowing that another man had marked me as his mate ... that was different.
That, I feared, might be a real problem.