Page 76 of Season of the Wolf

I was alone.

Which meant, at some point after I dozed, he left.

It was a sobering realization that honestly brought with it an air of insecurity. It crossed my mind that I may have jumped the gun thinking I’d been forgiven. Maybe he opted to return to hisownroom instead of spending the night in mine.

I sat up and breathed deep, unable to find the strength to leave the bed. Yawning, my eyes wandered toward the door, and that’s when I saw it, a sheet of paper that had been pushed beneath it.

I rolled from beneath the covers and ambled across the room, pulling down my t-shirt—the only thing I bothered putting on before a heavy sleep fell on me the night before. I bent to grab the paper, noting that the handwriting was familiar. I’d seen it for years, even before meeting Liam face-to-face. It was one of the few things that gave a hint toward his real age. It bore a classic aestheticism that always reminded me of letters I’d seen in movies, written by men in fancy, ruffled clothes, dipping feathered pens in ink.

My name was printed neatly at the top and I breathed deep before beginning.

‘Evangeline,

Every move I’ve ever made has been carried out with you in mind. Before I begin, I urge you not to forget this small fact that changes everything. You may never understand the motives behind what I’ve done, but I couldn’t go forward without at least trying to explain.

Because my love for you never has, and never will die.

To begin, an apology is owed … for my shortcomings, my failures. I’ve been charged with many missions in life. Many that put me on the front line of heated battles, few in favor of impassioned causes I felt proud to defend.

But even with all the praise and titles they earned me, none were as important to me as the mission given to me by your father—to protect his only daughter, the future queen of her people.

My anger last night was never in response to your actions. I couldn’t have expected anything less from a woman with a heart as pure as yours. Your parents needed you and I feel nothing but pride for what you did. What you saw when you came down to that chamber was me breaking, only feeling anger with myself for those shackles being enough to keep me from coming to your aid.

Metal and cement.

That was it.

This is not me, Evangeline. I’m half the man I was born to be, half the man you deserve. Without my dragon, I’ve been forced to abandon my post, forced to watch my mate put her life in danger to protect mine.

I promise to accept whatever consequences lie ahead, and I’ll do so with grace, dignity. But above all, I trust your love will move you to forgive sooner rather than later.

This is all for you.

My mate. My love.

My queen.

My heart raced with each word, right to the very end. I skimmed again, thinking I missed something, but only felt more confused the second time.

What was he saying?

The message was so cryptic, so dark. I didn’t understand, but knew it was bad.

Really, really bad.

Voices carried in from the hallway and the undertone of panic made my thoughts respond in kind. Whatever was off, they felt it, too.

Nearly snatching the door from its hinges, I exited to see what all the commotion was. Elise wrestled her arm into the sleeve of her long coat, still clothed in her nightgown as she rambled numbers to herself on repeat. Her face had gone pale and expressionless as she barreled toward the stairs on autopilot. Hilda followed close behind and I caught random bits and pieces of quickly spoken phrases, saying things that didn’t make sense.

One of which beingresurrection.

“What happened?” I asked, doubling back for a pair of jeans from my drawer before chasing Elise down the stairs, meeting she and Hilda in the foyer as I struggled with the zipper.

“Can one of you please tell me what’s going on?” This time, I was pleading, my stare volleying back and forth between Elise and Hilda.

They barely seemed to notice my presence, my desperate questions. Being ignored, my wolf responded to the frustration, pushing forward so forcefully I had to suppress the urge to issue a warning growl. However, if they continued to over talk me, I had no problem letting it out.

Rubbing his chest with a groggy, one-eyed greeting, Ethan joined us where we stood in limbo near the door, wondering the same thing I was.

---