Chapter 109

#Chapter 109 – Help me, please “Come on,” Victor growls, grabbing my hand.

“What?!” I say, surprised and a little unwilling. “Where are we going?”

“To your house,” he continues, pulling me along. We leave our small pack of luggage behind, the boys running after us as Victor takes long strides around his house towards mine.

“Victor, can you let go of me!?” I say, smacking at his hand which has a firm grip around my wrist. “I’m coming with you! You don’t have to drag me!”

He pauses and looks down, seeing what he’s doing. Dropping my wrist, he shoots me a look of apology. I raise my eyebrows, letting him know it’s all right.

The four of us hurry across the lawn towards my house, which is apparently now Victor’s headquarters, since his father and brother have claimed his own. The boys are unusually quiet, and I glance back to look at them. They’re staring at each other as they jog after us, clearly talking in that special way of theirs.

I sigh, deciding that they’re probably okay – as okay as they can be, in this crazy family – and turn my attention back to following Victor.

We climb the stairs onto my back porch and head through the unlocked door. A Beta peeks in the front window and gives Victor a thumbs-up, letting him know that all is well. Victor nods his thanks, and then turns to the three of us.

“I need you all to be on your best behavior for the next few weeks,” he says to us, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Um, are you talking to me with that tone?” I say, a little appalled. “Or did you mean to just say that to your two children,” I say, gesturing to them.

“Evelyn,” he growls. “Don’t be difficult now.”

“I will not be difficult,” I say, looking at him with my fighting face on. “If you speak to me with the respect I deserve.”

He takes a deep breath and turns around, running his hand over his face. I cross my arms and give him the moment that he clearly needs to gather himself. When he’s ready, he turns around and tries again.

“What I mean to say,” he revises, “is that the next few weeks are going to be very difficult for me, and I’d really appreciate it if you three would help me.”

“Of course, papa!” Ian says, beaming up at him, speaking for all of us. “We would love to help you!”

Alvin nods his agreement enthusiastically, and I give one sharp nod.

“Good.” He says, sighing, his mind clearly elsewhere. “Thank you, that is good. Boys,” he says, leaning down to address them. “I need to speak to your mother now. Would you please go upstairs and play in your room?”

They nod their agreement and head up the stairs.

“And no eavesdropping for once,” he calls up after them, his voice letting them know that he knew what they had planned.

“Okay papa!” Ian calls back.

“Just this once!” Alvin adds.

When we hear their footsteps go into their room, and the door shut, Victor turns to me. He is calmer now than he was five minutes before, so I relax. He opens his mouth to talk, but I interrupt him.

“Do you want a drink?” I ask, very serious. “I could really use a drink.”

“God, yes,” he slumps against my kitchen counter, the fight going out of him a little. Swiftly, I move to the fridge and pull out a half-drunk bottle of wine, pouring us each a glass. I bring them over to him.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t have whiskey in the house. Because it’s gross.”

“I’ll bring down a bottle,” he murmurs, sipping the wine and grimacing a little. “For emergencies in which my dad tries to overthrow my position as Alpha.” He smacks a hand against his forehead, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. “God, how did it get to be so bad.”

“It’s not,” I say, taking a sip of my drink and putting a hand on his arm. “You’re right, Rafe is ridiculous.

And that girl? Come on. You’ve got him beat hands down.”

He meets my eyes. “I don’t have a Luna, Evelyn. And it’s totally fair to test that capacity of an Alpha’s abilities – he’s right, that the Alpha functions best as a pair. Without a Luna,” he sighs. “He’s right. It’s incomplete.”

I bite my lip, knowing what he’s going to ask, not wanting to…well, not wanting to put it out there myself. “Can your mom…?” I say, hesitating.

He meets my eyes, knowing what the obvious answer is, knowing that I’m avoiding it. “No, Evelyn. She has to take his side. You know that.”

“Well, she doesn’t have to,” I say, giving a little laugh. “She’s a free woman –“

“She will.” He says, his voice iron. I nod, knowing it. I always knew it.

“Evelyn,” his voice is soft, pleading. I meet his eyes. He takes two steps closer to me, putting down his wine glass and taking my face in his hands. “Please, Evelyn,” he whispers, staring down at me.

“Please, do this for me.”

“Victor,” I say, putting my own glass aside and raising my hands to wrap around his wrists. But I don’t pull him away. I’m reminded, suddenly, of the fact that because he was holding my face yesterday, so like this own moment, my relationship with Edgar might be over. “Victor, I can’t do something that will hurt Edgar. He’s going to see this, too, and…it will break his heart.”

“Please, Evelyn,” he continues, his eyes bearing down on me. “Edgar will understand – it’s strictly a formal arrangement –“

“This doesn’t feel like a formal arrangement,” I murmur, staring up at him, allowing my hands to slip down away from his wrists, to wrap around the back of his arms.

“Please,” he says, almost begging now. “You have all the training of an Alpha wife, you cut your teeth on this stuff. Nobody can do this better than you can.”

“Amelia,” I say, a little cruel, “can do this better than I can.”

I say it partially because I mean it – I haven’t been an Alpha’s wife for almost seven years, this is no longer my milieu. But I also say it because I know it will hurt him, make him move away, stop staring at me with that intensity.

But he surprises me, taking the opposite action than I expected. He slips one hand around the back of my head, cradling my neck. The other slides down my spine to rest at the small of my back, pulling me against him. “Nothing,” he hisses, a little vicious. “She can do nothing as well as you can, Evelyn.”

I close my eyes, knowing where this is going, wanting to pull away. But I can’t do it – can’t make myself –

I’m about five seconds, now. Five seconds from closing the gap between us, claiming his mouth with my own, pulling him back down on this floor, ripping off his belt –

“Fine,” I whisper, my voice hitching. “Fine.”

Assent. It’s the only thing I can do that makes Victor let me go, that stops me from throwing myself at him. Again.

He pauses a moment, and then relaxes his grip on me, taking a step back, his fingers lingering on my waist, trailing along the curls of my hair.

“Thank you, Evelyn,” he says, his voice rough.

I step away from him and reach hastily for my glass. “You’re welcome,” I say, awkwardly. “What…what is it you want me to do?”

“Well, from what he said,” Victor says, draining his own glass and reaching for the bottle to pour another. “I think he wants you both to throw a New Year’s Eve Party. In two days’ time.”

“Are you kidding me,” I say, my eyes going wide. “A party?”

He smirks at me. “What, can’t do it?”

I narrow my eyes at him, rising to the challenge. “I’m going to throw the best damn party you’ve ever seen.”