Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Chapter 65

The morning of the Alpha Summit arrived faster than Evelyn expected.

By evening, the entire Valemont estate was already in motion.

Servants moved through the halls carrying garment bags, jewelry boxes, and sealed documents. Varek had left early to meet with the other Alphas, while Celine had spent most of the morning making sure Evelyn had everything she needed.

Tristan, as promised, was waiting downstairs. He had been standing near the entrance for nearly twenty minutes when the sound of approaching horses made him turn.

A black carriage rolled through the gates and came to a stop in front of the house.

Tristan’s brows immediately furrowed at the sight. He very clearly remembered Evelyn saying she wanted to arrive at the summit by herself.

The carriage doors opened, and Alpha Adrian stepped down, dressed in a black suit, his blonde hair slicked back, revealing his almond eyes. His gaze wandered around the estate before he stepped forward.

He hadn’t even taken a step in when Tristan blocked him, the Beta dressed in a suit for the event too.

"Beta Tristan." Adrian inclined his head.

"I believe Lady Evelyn told you very specifically she wants to arrive at the summit by herself. I’m sure it hasn’t changed, so might I ask why you’ve come here, Alpha?"

"You speak for Evelyn now, do you?" Adrian asked, adjusting the cuff of his sleeves.

Tristan’s jaw ticked. "I speak on her behalf when it concerns her wishes, Alpha. And her wish was clear."

"Then let her tell me herself." Adrian’s tone was unbothered, almost lazy, though his eyes had sharpened. "I don’t recall taking orders from a Beta."

"This isn’t about orders." Tristan stepped slightly to block the path more firmly. "It’s about respecting what she asked for."

"And what I’m asking," Adrian said, voice dropping, "is why it should matter to you so much whether I’m here or not."

Tristan’s eyes narrowed. "Because unlike you, Alpha, I actually listen when she speaks."

Something flickered across Adrian’s face. "Careful, Beta. I came to offer her a choice, and I—"

The air between them thickened—the kind of tension that made the nearby servants slow their steps, unwilling to walk through it.

Then the front doors opened, and both men turned. Evelyn stepped out onto the top of the stairs, and whatever Adrian had been about to say died somewhere in his throat.

She walked slowly, one hand resting lightly against the railing.

Her gown was a deep, elegant wine red. It hugged her figure before falling gracefully to the floor, the fabric catching the light with every step. Her white-brown hair had been swept back, leaving a few loose strands framing her face, while earrings shimmered against her skin.

For a few seconds, Adrian simply stared, unable to look away, his breath caught at the sight of her.

He had seen Evelyn before.

He had seen her furious, amused, exhausted, negotiating, threatening men twice her size without blinking.

But he had never seen her like this. Never like this.

"Gods... she’s—she’s stunning," he whispered to himself, but Tristan heard. Tristan, who at the same time, couldn’t look away.

He’d worked for Evelyn for years—in Silver Creek and here—but in all his years of knowing her, he’d never seen her this way.

Evelyn’s beauty wasn’t something hidden. She was called beauty and brains for a reason, but now, staring at her as she walked down the stairs, she looked like an angel that had descended to earth.

Like the Goddess herself had come to bless them.

Adrian was the first to recover. He cleared his throat and stepped forward toward her as Evelyn reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Lady Evelyn." He inclined his head, hand stretched out.

Evelyn slipped her hand into his, watching as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Alpha Adrian." Evelyn called. "I was under the impression I made myself clear yesterday."

"You did," Adrian said evenly.

"Then why are you here?"

"I don’t mean to cross your boundary, Evelyn, but what we agreed upon was a date to the summit. It’s not a date if I don’t pick you up or go in there together."

Evelyn stared at him for a moment. "So you decided to interpret my words differently?"

Adrian smiled faintly. "No. I interpreted them exactly as you said them. You said you wanted to make your own way there. You never said you didn’t want to arrive with me."

Tristan scoffed. "That sounds like a convenient interpretation."

Adrian’s eyes shifted toward him. "And yet it is an accurate one."

"So why have you come all the way here?" Evelyn asked, glancing at the carriage outside.

Adrian’s lips curved. "Because you’re my date." He said it simply, as though that alone explained everything. "And I thought it would be rather strange to arrive at the summit without the woman I’m supposed to be accompanying."

Evelyn stared at him for some seconds. Adrian was a smart man. He knew what he was doing, but she supposed an agreement was an agreement—especially one she made with his father.

"Fine. Just this once, I’ll go with you in your carriage."

Adrian’s smile widened. "Then I’ll consider myself fortunate."

He turned toward the carriage and offered his hand again. Evelyn placed hers in his, allowing him to help her inside.

Before she could step in, she glanced back.

"Tristan." She called, and the Beta immediately straightened.

"Take the second carriage. We’ll meet you there."

Tristan’s eyes moved to Adrian before returning to Evelyn. "Of course." He replied stiffly.

There was something about the way he said it that made Adrian’s mouth twitch.

Evelyn caught the look but said nothing as she stepped into the carriage.

Adrian chuckled. "You know," he said, following her inside, "I’m beginning to think Beta Tristan doesn’t like me."

"He doesn’t."

Adrian paused, clearly taken aback by her bluntness. Evelyn settled into her seat and looked at him calmly.

"I appreciate your honesty."

"You’re welcome." She replied, while he smiled, barely concealing it. He found her cute—different. He was curious. Way more than curious now.

Adrian’s gaze drifted toward the window, though every now and then his eyes returned to Evelyn.

Eventually, she noticed. "You can stop staring."

He didn’t look away. "I wasn’t aware I was staring."

"You’ve done it three times."

"Four. I’ve done it four times."

Evelyn arched a brow. "You’re keeping count?"

"You asked." Adrian leaned back against the seat, the corner of his mouth still tugged upward. "You’re rather difficult not to look at, Evelyn. I’d think you’d be used to that by now."

"I am." She turned toward the window, watching the scenery pass.

Adrian smiled to himself. There was something about her that made every conversation feel like a challenge. Most women he knew were either eager to please him or eager to impress him.

Evelyn seemed interested in neither. And somehow, that made him want to know her even more.

They rode in silence for a while after that, the countryside slowly giving way to wider roads, more carriages, more banners marking the approach to the summit grounds. Adrian watched her more openly now, not looking away.

"This is different," Adrian said, quieter now, more serious than before. "Today isn’t about whispers behind closed doors. Today, the entire realm will see you standing where you stand—beside Alphas, beside Lunas, as someone they can no longer pretend to overlook."

Evelyn finally turned to look at him, something unreadable passing over her face at the shift in his tone.

"And you think I can’t handle that?"

"I think," Adrian said carefully, "you’ve handled far worse with far less power behind you. I have no doubt you’ll manage today just fine."

Whatever she’d expected him to say, it clearly wasn’t that. She studied him a moment longer, as if recalculating something, before looking away again. "You’re full of surprises, Alpha Adrian."

"I could say the same about you, Lady Evelyn."

The carriage began to slow. Outside, the summit hall rose ahead of them, banners of every pack snapping in the wind, rows of carriages already emptying at the entrance, Alphas and Lunas moving up the steps.

Adrian glanced out the window, then back at her. "Ready?"

Evelyn straightened, smoothing her gown, her expression settling into the composed mask the realm knew her by.

"I was born ready."