Page 57 of Season of the Wolf

I lowered my eyes to my plate, suddenly less hungry than a moment ago.

“She’s as fearless as ever,” Liam cut in, placing his hand discreetly on my thigh. His touch always comforted me.

“Fearless,” Ivan echoed, wearing a smile when he addressed Liam again. “Still against your will, I assume?”

Liam didn’t hesitate to nod. “As if you even have to ask.”

Clearly, my brothers remembered me as being defiant. Perhaps much hadn’t changed in that respect.

Ivan’s brow quirked when he remembered something and looked to me. “And your training is tonight, correct?”

I camethisclose to lying, for fear of where this conversation might lead.

“… Yeah,” I answered reluctantly.

“A few of us will likely be attending as well,” he shared, having no idea how much Ididn’twant that.

I had nothing against them being present. It’s just that training was my place to learn, to mess up without fear of being judged. But it was one thing messing up in front of others who didn’t quite have their footing either, others who only knew me as the inexperienced girl who shifted at the same time as everyone else.

It was another to look like a buffoon in front of those who vividly recalled me at the height of power.

I hadn’t realized how awkward I was behaving until Ivan stopped eating, lowering his fork a bit.

“Unless … that’s not what you want,” he amended, his tone coming across as sympathetic and, right away, I felt like a douchebag for making him feel bad.

Liam must’ve seen me floundering and interjected. “That’d be perfect. I was thinking about hanging back to discuss something with Hilda and Elise later anyway.”

I glanced toward Liam. This was the first I heard of him needing to speak with them in private, but then I focused again, responding to Ivan.

“No, it’s fine if you come,” I rambled. “It’s not that I don’t want you all there. It’s just that …”

I couldn’t get the truth to come out—that I was afraid they might laugh or think I was about as graceful as a fawn on ice. However, I didn’thaveto say it, because Ivan took the words right out my mouth.

“Is it because you’re different?” he asked.

I stared at the glass of orange juice Hilda set down in front of me before making her way back to the stove where she now helped Elise.

“I um—”

My eyes shifted toward Liam when I couldn’t put into words how I felt. He passed a gentle smile my way, similar to the one he used to flash when I was just getting to know Elise. It was a smile that let me know it was okay to open up, okay to trust.

A warm hand to my shoulder turned my attention toward Ivan at the feel of it. Facing him, I found it so strange how similar his features were to my own. His, perhaps, more than the others. Staring at him was like staring into the eyes of a male replica of myself—from his dark, coiled hair, to the mellow brown of his skin and eyes. I relaxed a bit, aware of our being related even if I didn’t remember him.

“Mother explained everything last night. Your dilemma,” he clarified, reminding me. “We’d actually like to help if we can.”

The offer was sweet, and I appreciated it, but I had this image in my head of getting knocked onto the mat over and over again while shifters like Beth made combat look easy.

But I said nothing.

He set his fork down completely and I had his full attention. “Evangeline, from what we were told about your journey to face Sebastian, everyone here has one feeling and one feeling only toward you,” he said, holding my gaze. “We respect you.”

That word resonated within me, causing me to breathe in as it echoed in my thoughts.

Respect.

They respected me.

“You went up against an entire army, knowing you aren’t as capable as you used to be,” he went on. “But you did it to save Liam.”

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