Chapter 27

#Chapter 27 – Restless Nights It’s two o’clock in the morning, and I can’t sleep. I sigh and sit up. I’ve tried everything I can think of –

lavender oil, a glass of wine, counting sheep – but I just can’t do it. The house is too…quiet. Not that the boys have made much of a disturbance in their sleep since they were babies, but somehow I just know that they’re not here. And it’s killing me.

Sighing, I swing my legs out of bed and stand up, peering out the window at the back of my room. I can barely see Victor’s house through the trees. Tonight, though, in the darkness I can clearly see that Victor’s house still has its lights on. What the heck is going on? It’s two o’clock in the morning, it should be pitch black over there.

I frown. Did Victor ignore me when I told him that the boys have a strict bedtime of 9 pm? 10, at the latest, as a special treat? God, they’re going to bed dead tomorrow, and we have so much to do.

I storm down the stairs, grabbing a blanket off the couch to wrap around me, and head out the back door. Deep inside, I know that I’m not really worried about the twins being kept up late. But this doesn’t stop me from making my way across my yard, through the trees, and onto Victor’s property.

When I step into Victor’s yard, a figure steps out of the brush to my left. “Halt!”

I jump, suppressing a scream, as I realize that it’s just one of his Betas.

“I’m sorry,” I say, “It’s just me, it’s Evelyn. I’m just coming to check on my boys.”

The Beta has a quick, muffled conversation with someone through the speaker on his shoulder and then nods to me. “That’s all right.” He fades back into the darkness.

Shaking my head at this level of security, and how many jump scares they’ve put me through in the past two days, I make my way past the pool and up to the house.

Inside the house is quiet, and I’m ashamed, a little, at my consideration that Victor may have kept the boys up. Clearly, the house is asleep.

“Hey,” says a voice across the kitchen. I turn and notice Beta Edgar sitting at the kitchen’s wide island, a cup of coffee in his hands.

“Oh, hi,” I say, awkwardly. “Um, I came because…”

He smiles at me warmly. “Do you need a reason?”

I laugh a little and step closer to him, leaning on the far side of the island. “Well, knowing Victor, I probably do.” I lower my voice, imitating him, “What are you doing here, Evelyn? Did you make an appointment? Don’t know you my schedule is booked solid for the next five weeks?”

Edgar laughs a little and I grimace, “Sorry. I shouldn’t make fun of your boss,” I say. “That’s unfair.”

“No, it’s okay,” Edgar says, “he’s actually…a lot easier than some of the other Alphas. He’s strict, don’t get me wrong. But he’s fair, and he treats us like people.”

“Good,” I say softly. I look up the stairs, wondering about my kids. “So, how did tonight go? Are they okay?”

“They’re fine,” Edgar says. “There’s nothing to worry about. They pigged out, had a lot of laughs, and then Victor put on a movie for them in their room. Asleep by ten.”

“Their room?” I say, raising my eyebrows.

“You should see it,” says Edgar, matching my expression. “It’s really something. They’re lucky kids.”

I smile, warming to him, and step closer, taking a seat on the stool next to him. “If everyone’s asleep, then why is this place lit up like LAX? Why are you up?”

“Someone’s always up,” Edgar says, taking a sip of his coffee, “I just drew short straw tonight. And also,” he says, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb towards a wide mahogany door, “the boss is up.”

“He is?” I say, looking to the door with surprise. “Why didn’t he go to sleep?”

“Work to do,” Edgar says, admiringly. “He put off some work so that he could spend the evening with the boys, but he won’t go to sleep until it’s taken care of.”

“Wow,” I say, likewise impressed. “Does he do this a lot?”

“He’s our Alpha,” Edgar says, shrugging. “He doesn’t go to bed until the job is done. He takes it seriously.”

I nod, staring at the door, thinking about this new aspect of Victor’s personality. He continues to surprise me. I think part of me always thought he was just another rich boy, inheriting power. But more and more I’m coming to realize that Victor is earning his place as the next top Alpha.

“What about you,” Edgar says, interrupting my thoughts. “Why are you up?”

“Oh, you know,” I say, smiling at him and shrugging. “Mom stuff. It’s my…first night away from the boys…”

“In a long time?” Edgar asks.

“Ever.” I say, grimacing. “I guess I’m not handling it as well as I’d like.”

“Well, then let’s get you a coffee,” he says, standing up and walking over to the machine. “If you’re going to be up, may as well be caffeinated.”

“Do you see him?” Ian whispers to Alvin, narrowing his eyes at the man talking to their mother downstairs.

“I thought Beta Edgar was our friend,” Alvin replies. “But I don’t like the way he is talking to our mama.”

The pair spy through the railings of the second floor. They knew the minute their mother came into the house, as they always do – though they hadn’t yet told her how well they could sense her. There was so much they could do that mama didn’t know about yet.

“She came to see us” Ian whispers.

“And now he captured her, and won’t let her come see our new room, and our fort.” Both glare at Edgar, jealous.

“Papa won’t like it, Beta Edgar talking to mama.” Alvin murmurs.

“Trying to steal her away,” Ian agrees. They both nod and, as one, slink silently down the stairs towards their father’s office. There, they pry open the door on silent hinges and slip inside.

“That’s amazing,” Edgar says, laughing. “I can see you there, as a teenager, dancing on the Champs-

Elysees for tourists’ pennies.”

Evelyn laughs too, surprised that she’s opening up so much. “The pennies didn’t buy much,” she says, shrugging, “just a couple of croissants, but it was an amazing summer. Until my dad came and found me, dragged me home.”

Edgar takes a moment, smiling at Evelyn, before saying, “well, I’m sorry you didn’t get to stay, but, selfishly…I’m glad you came back. Or else I never would have met you.”

Evelyn smiles back. “Thank you, Edgar, I’m glad to have met you too.”

“Do you think,” he says, hesitantly, “That some night I could…take you out? To hear more stories about Paris? About your life?” Edgar holds his breath, waiting. Evelyn’s mouth drops open in surprise.

Suddenly, they hear someone behind Edgar clear his throat. Both turn at once to see Victor standing there, his arms crossed, glaring at them. Edgar leaps to his feet, saluting. “Sir!,” he says, turning red.

“Beta,” Victor says, and Edgar snaps his arms to his side. “Don’t you have duties to which you should attend?”

“Sir,” says Edgar, turning on his heel and heading out the back door to patrol.

Victor turns his gaze to Evelyn, who still sits at his counter, grasping her cup of coffee.

“What are you doing here, Evelyn?”

She shrugs. “I saw the lights on. I came to make sure the boys were in bed, that you weren’t keeping them up all night.”

“Well as you can see,” Victor says, spreading his hands to indicate the empty kitchen. “They’re asleep.

It’s just me up, finishing up some work.”

Evelyn holds his gaze for a moment, and then pointedly shifts her own to look directly at the two pairs of shining eyes peeking from between the railing at the top of the stairs. There is a small shriek – like a mouse – and then the sound of scurrying feet.

“Asleep my ass,” Evelyn says softly, smirking at her victory.

“Well, they were asleep, until you came over.”

“No worries,” Evelyn says, standing up and wrapping her blanket around herself, preparing for the walk home. “You’re right, Victor. You’re doing a great job, really. I’m sorry to have interrupted.” She gives him a smile and yawns, heading for the back door, grateful to know that the boys were safe…if not quite asleep.

“Evelyn,” Victor calls after her, how brows low over his eyes. “Did that Beta…did he…”

She raises her eyebrows at him, daring him to ask.

“Did he ask you out?”

Evelyn shrugs. “Yeah, he did. So?”

Victor scoffs, disgust in his throat. “How dare he –“

“Victor,” Evelyn says, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “Don’t make such a big deal out of this, and don’t you dare fire him. He works for you, not for me. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Victor crosses his arms and looks her up and down, sneering. “Evelyn, you aren’t considering…”

“So what if I am?” Evelyn says, shaking her hair back and meeting him eye for eye. Honestly, she hadn’t really thought about it enough to make a decision yet, but now that Victor was acting like such a jerk about it…

“Evelyn,” Victor growls, quickly closing the space between them. “You can’t date a Beta, he’s far below you in station -”

“I’m a Rogue, Victor,” she returns, matching his contempt. “Edgar is several stations above me.”

Victor pauses, seeing her point, but then continues. “You are the mother of my children, Evelyn. With that comes certain responsibilities –“

Evelyn laughs in his face, heading out the door. “Don’t try to pin me down, Victor,” she calls over her shoulder. “I’m not your Luna, you have no say in what I do, or who I see.”

Victor watches her go, anger pulsing through his veins, but he knows, ultimately, that she’s right. Even when he acknowledges Evelyn’s sons as his own, he will have no control over Evelyn, a Rogue wolf.

Well, he thinks, watching her slips beyond the tree line. We’ll just have to do something about that.