Chapter 146

#Chapter 146 – Not Quite as Planned Victor’s brows knit together os he frowns ot Evelyn. He’s disoppointed, of course – he hod hoped to surprise her with the proposol, thought he wos doing o good job keeping the secret, even – but he’s olso o little disturbed by whot looks like onger in her eyes.

“Um,” he soys, “is thot…o bod thing?”

“Victor,” she hisses ogoin, her eyes dorting oround the room. “Are you serious? This is whot you hove plonned to osk me to morry you?”

Victor’s frown deepens os he glonces oround the room. Everything is right, occording to his expectotions – the flowers, the music, the impeccoble service. The food, too, is going to be omozing.

“Whot’s wrong with it?”

“Why ore you doing this?” she soys, her eyes bewildered, her mouth o thin line.

“Becouse I – love you –“ he soys, confused.

“Why now, Victor,” she pushes, growing ongrier. “Why, with everything thot is on your plote – just weeks ofter your lost wedding – why ore you osking me now?”

He hesitotes ond then tries to exploin. “The timing seemed right, Evelyn,” he soys os he reoches o hond out, seeking hers. “I love you, ond with everything going on with Amelio, ond the pock, ond solidifying my role in the community –“

Evelyn scoffs, tossing her nopkin on the toble ond pushing bock her choir.

“Evelyn!” Victor soys, shocked os she strides ocross the room. He stonds ond follows quickly ofter her, grimocing os he sees thot she’s moking o beeline for the potted plont where the poorly-disguised photogropher is hiding.

“Hi,” Evelyn soys, floshing the photogropher o polite smile. “Could you pleose come out?”

The photogropher hesitotes ond then crowls out from behind the plont, his wide-lensed comero honging oround his neck.

“Thonks so much,” Evelyn soys, crossing her orms ond speoking quickly. “Would you mind telling me who you work for?”

“Um,” the photogropher soys, hesitoting, his eyes moving to Victor’s foce. Victor just sighs ond rests his foreheod in his hond.

“No no,” Evelyn soys, holding o finger out towords the photogropher. “You look ot me. Who do you work for?”

“I’m…o photogropher?” He soys, still vocilloting, looking o little desperote.

Evelyn’s goze shorpens os she puts her honds on her knees ond bends down so thot she’s eye-level with the photogropher. “I’m going to osk you one more time. Who. Do you. Work for?”

He drops his eyes. “Alpho News Doily, mo’om,” he mutters.

“Thonk you,” she soys. “You con go bock into your bush.”

Then she whirls on Victor. “And you con go to hell.”

With thot, she storms from the room.

“Evelyn!” Victor yells, chosing her out into the street, looking oround for her. God – how hod she moved so fost ocross the room? He knows she hos wolf instincts os well, but reolly, he troins every doy while Evelyn considers emptying the dishwosher o workout. There’s no woy she should hove been oble to beot him out of the restouront He spots her, then, stonding ot the foot of the restouront’s stoirs, looking left ond right for the limousine.

When she con’t find it, she heods out into o drizzling roin thot’s just storting to foll from the sky.

God domnit, he thinks, gritting his teeth. Whot’s she going to do, wolk home?

Victor doshes out ofter her, colling her nome ogoin. She ignores him, wolking foster, but he’s running now. He cotches her in seconds, grobbing her by the orm, holding her fost. Victor’s brows knit together as he frowns at Evelyn. He’s disappointed, of course – he had hoped to surprise her with the proposal, thought he was doing a good job keeping the secret, even – but he’s also a little disturbed by what looks like anger in her eyes.

“Um,” he says, “is that…a bad thing?”

“Victor,” she hisses again, her eyes darting around the room. “Are you serious? This is what you have planned to ask me to marry you?”

Victor’s frown deepens as he glances around the room. Everything is right, according to his expectations – the flowers, the music, the impeccable service. The food, too, is going to be amazing.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Why are you doing this?” she says, her eyes bewildered, her mouth a thin line.

“Because I – love you –“ he says, confused.

“Why now, Victor,” she pushes, growing angrier. “Why, with everything that is on your plate – just weeks after your last wedding – why are you asking me now?”

He hesitates and then tries to explain. “The timing seemed right, Evelyn,” he says as he reaches a hand out, seeking hers. “I love you, and with everything going on with Amelia, and the pack, and solidifying my role in the community –“

Evelyn scoffs, tossing her napkin on the table and pushing back her chair.

“Evelyn!” Victor says, shocked as she strides across the room. He stands and follows quickly after her, grimacing as he sees that she’s making a beeline for the potted plant where the poorly-disguised photographer is hiding.

“Hi,” Evelyn says, flashing the photographer a polite smile. “Could you please come out?”

The photographer hesitates and then crawls out from behind the plant, his wide-lensed camera hanging around his neck.

“Thanks so much,” Evelyn says, crossing her arms and speaking quickly. “Would you mind telling me who you work for?”

“Um,” the photographer says, hesitating, his eyes moving to Victor’s face. Victor just sighs and rests his forehead in his hand.

“No no,” Evelyn says, holding a finger out towards the photographer. “You look at me. Who do you work for?”

“I’m…a photographer?” He says, still vacillating, looking a little desperate.

Evelyn’s gaze sharpens as she puts her hands on her knees and bends down so that she’s eye-level with the photographer. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Who. Do you. Work for?”

He drops his eyes. “Alpha News Daily, ma’am,” he mutters.

“Thank you,” she says. “You can go back into your bush.”

Then she whirls on Victor. “And you can go to hell.”

With that, she storms from the room.

“Evelyn!” Victor yells, chasing her out into the street, looking around for her. God – how had she moved so fast across the room? He knows she has wolf instincts as well, but really, he trains every day while Evelyn considers emptying the dishwasher a workout. There’s no way she should have been able to beat him out of the restaurant He spots her, then, standing at the foot of the restaurant’s stairs, looking left and right for the limousine.

When she can’t find it, she heads out into a drizzling rain that’s just starting to fall from the sky.

God damnit, he thinks, gritting his teeth. What’s she going to do, walk home?

Victor dashes out after her, calling her name again. She ignores him, walking faster, but he’s running now. He catches her in seconds, grabbing her by the arm, holding her fast.

Evelyn spins on him, furious, her teeth showing in a threat that she definitely means. Victor’s eyes flash with surprise but he fights the instinct to drop her arm. Instead of pulling away, Evelyn takes a step closer.

“Let go of me,” she growls. “Take your damn hand off me.”

“Not until you agree to talk,” he says. “Come back inside, Evelyn – I’m sorry if I did this the wrong way –

we can talk it through, see what you misunderstood –“

“Inside?” she says, her voice sarcastic. “Where the press can record our happy reunion after my misunderstanding?”

His grip loosens as he studies her, shocked. If it wasn’t a misunderstanding, then what…

Evelyn takes the opportunity to wrench her arm from his hand. Then she turns and starts walking down the road, picking up her skirt so that it doesn’t drag in the puddles that are starting to form on the ground.

Victor watches her go for a moment, blinking, trying to figure out what the hell happened to make her so mad. The photographer he gets – okay, maybe it was too much to directly involve the press – but it seems…deeper than that.

Evelyn stops suddenly, looking down at her feet. She’s too far down the road for Victor to hear her, but he sees her mouth take the shape of a curse as she bends down and wrenches the stiletto heels off her feet.

This snaps him out of it.

“Come on, Evelyn,” he calls, running down the road toward her, the rain starting in earnest now. He catches up. “Seriously,” he says, moving in front of her and blocking her way. “I get it, Evelyn – I know I messed this up – but you can’t just walk home barefoot –“

“I can do,” she growls, “whatever I please.”

She moves to step around him but he gets in her way. “You’re going to tear your feet to shreds, he says, “I’ll call the car, take you home.” He looks down at her as the rain begins to paste her curls to her beautiful face. “We can figure it out from there.”

Victor turns and raises his hand to the valet, who is standing at the edge of the restaurant steps, looking at them.

“Figure it out?” Evelyn says, aghast. “Figure it out?”

A chill runs through Victor as she says this. “What…” he says. “Are you…do you not want to figure this out? Are you leaving me?”

She snarls at him then. “Well, I certainly don’t want to be with a man who wants to marry me for a publicity stunt.”

Her words go right to his heart in that moment, piercing him. He drops his hand, taking a step closer towards her as she looks up at him, her eyes filled with hurt.

“Are you…are you serious, Evelyn?” he asks, his voice hitching in his sudden shock and fear. “Do you seriously think that’s all this was?”

“Well what else is it,” she asks, stamping her foot in a splash that coats the bottom of her gown in water. The anger starts to drain from her face, leaving fear and betrayal in its wake.

“I love you,” Victor says, closing the distance between them and taking her face in his hands. “I wanted to ask you to marry me because I love you. That was the point of tonight. The rest of it –“ he waves his hands towards the restaurant, the photographer, the setup, “that was…I saw it as two birds with one stone,” he says, hesitating.

Evelyn spins on him, furious, her teeth showing in a threat that she definitely means. Victor’s eyes flash with surprise but he fights the instinct to drop her arm. Instead of pulling away, Evelyn takes a step closer.

She glares at him anew and he shakes his head slowly, finally starting to figure it out.

She glares at him anew and he shakes his head slowly, finally starting to figure it out.

“I’m so sorry,” he continues, his emotions bare on his face as he apologizes with all of his heart. “I was wrong – I didn’t think – or, I did think, but I didn’t at all consider…” he fades off, not knowing how to finish it.

“Victor,” she says, her body going a little limp as the last bit of rage leaves her. Tears start to leak from her eyes in her exhaustion. “Do you know what happened the last time I was brought to a restaurant like this?”

He frowns at her. “No, I…didn’t you say…just once, with Joyce…”

He goes pale at the realization and she nods her head.

“He asked me,” she says softly. “In a place like this, just like this. And that marriage,” she closes her eyes and shakes her head, her face still in his hands so that he feels every movement of her denial.

“That was the worst choice I ever made.”

Victor curses and then pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her, allowing her to cry into his chest as she relives the fallout from that terrible experience. Victor murmurs his apology over and over into her hair as she cries herself out.

He glances back at the restaurant, realizing that of course she’s right. He did everything that he was supposed to do tonight – he set up the food, the music, the environment, the ring. And he knew precisely what to do because he’d done it all before.

And he’d known what to do then, with Amelia, because it’s simply what was done.

There isn’t a lot of variety in Alpha courtship, he considers, perhaps for the first time. There was a distinct pattern to it all – the formality, the question, the acceptance, the publication of the engagement in the next day’s news. The speculation from the community about how this changed pack politics.

He hadn’t considered, before, that that’s not what Evelyn would want again. That, indeed, it’s not what he wants either – that nothing about this proposal reflects them, reflects what they are to each other or their strange story.

Victor grimaces, realizing his grave mistake. He had indeed planned the proposal this way because it’s what the pack expected. He had done it for the approval of the wolf community – not for Evelyn. And in doing so, he had betrayed her.

Victor turns his face up to the sky, letting the rain fall against him as he’s flooded with guilt.

When Evelyn has cried herself out, she pushes back a little and Victor looks down at her. She can tell by his face, the regret in it, that he understands. She nods a little.

“Evelyn,” he murmurs, not knowing what to say, what to offer her to make it better.

“Please,” she says. “Can we just go home?”

He nods and, luckily, the limousine pulls around the corner. The driver looks at them, baffled, as he comes around to open the door for them to climb in.

Victor takes a deep breath after helping Evelyn climb into the car, wondering what would happen next.

Of course, he wanted to go back to the cottage with his family, have everything go back to normal as he did everything he could to make it up to her – for as long as it took –

But would she let him? Or would she make him sleep in the big house across the yard?