Killing the Wolf

5. Back down

There were no alphas in Evelyn's bed that night. Instead, Shawn had stayed in the study the whole night and several footsteps going back and forth made Evelyn understand there was something going on. She had put on a bathrobe and tiptoed to the study's door. Ear against the door, she had heard several male voices. And then the door had abruptly been open and she had reeled in. 

None of the men looked surprised to see her there. Shawn sat behind the desk and 4 other male wolves stood around him. They all turned their eyes back towards the laptop, so Evelyn didn't feel the need to come up with an excuse for her eavesdropping.  Evelyn didn't know their names, but she knew they had been close friends of Seth Cage and had been there to support and help him with the pack. Maybe they now were there for the new Alpha. One male wolf, who had opened the door, stood in guard by the door. 

"Shawn?"Evelyn said after noticing her presence was ignored.  

The males kept their eyes on the screen. Just as Evelyn was about to call for Shawn again, she heard a rich velvety voice from the laptop.

"Good evening. My name is Henry Trinh-"

Evelyn frowned. Trinh? Had this man something to do with Harriet Trinh? 

She moved closer to see what the males were looking at. A raven, Evelyn acknowledged as she saw the man on the screen. He had dark eyes with an intense out of this world look in them. He was Asian, so he could be related to Harriet. As the camera angle changed, and a hospital bed appeared they all leaned over. Evelyn gasped. 

"Seth!" she breathed out. How could it be? 

Low had described Seth's injury to the She-Wolf Pack. They had all understood it had been lethal. Qiana had even said, that he probably had died right after they had left him. Silver bullets, especially in the torso, would lead to death within minutes. They poisoned the blood and blocked the natural werewolf healing process. 

But he looked like Seth! And his moving chest told them, he was breathing. 

"Can we trust this? Could it be faked?" Shawn asked. His facial expression didn't give anything away, but Evelyn could sense his confusion mixed with hope and fear. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he quickly covered it with his own hand.

"I'll get it checked," one of the men said and exited the room. 

"We need to tell Fay," Evelyn whispered, but before she could go and do that, Shawn tightened his grip on her hand. 

"No," he said.

"No?" Evelyn laughed. "Are you serious?"

Shawn looked at the men. "Leave us," he said and they all obeyed. When the last one had shut the door Shawn turned his chair so he was facing Evelyn. He remained seated, and though he was physically lower than she, his dominance radiated and made Evelyn uneasy.

"Do not question me in front of others," he spoke into her mind. Evelyn had to look away. His demeanor scared her.  

"Are we really back to this?" she asked out loud. She didn't want to speak into his mind. It felt too intimate and right now she did not want intimacy with this stranger. This was the stranger she had met in Northfalls. 

"No, Evelyn. We can't be back to something that hasn't existed before. I am Alpha now. I love you, but your wolf-side needs to respect its Alpha."

"You promised me," Evelyn said and pointed her index finger at Shawn. 

"Do not point at your Alpha," Shawn's authoritative glare made Evelyn drop her hand. But it didn't make her submissive. She was annoyed and disappointed.

"Well, great and all-mighty Alpha," Evelyn said and her words made Shawn flinch. "with all due respect, how can my human or wolf-side respect you, when you don't keep your word?" 

Her words made him stand up and tower over her. They stared into each others' eyes challenging the other. 

"Alpha doesn't tolerate disrespect. Not even from his mate." Shawn's eyes never yielded, but he touched her cheek. "Back down," he said.

"Whatever," Evelyn spat out. She wanted to get out of the room away from his dominant energy. She started to walk back to the door and thought about flipping a finger at him. Shawn sensed it.

"Do not say anything to Fay," he said and used his Alpha power. 

Evelyn kept her back at him, but he could see the effect on her. Her shoulders dropped down and her body relaxed. 

"I'm sorry, Evelyn," he spoke into her mind but didn't get any replies back. Evelyn walked out and slammed the door. 

Shawn slumped into his chair. He could still sense her. Her mind was in turmoil, annoyed, shocked and hurt. Disappointed at himself he covered his head with his hands. He didn't know how to control the Alpha in him. It was so new to him and the instinct was even stronger than the mate bond. Especially after seeing the video message, his head was not in the right place. He didn't know how to be calm and assertive. Possessiveness ad domination came naturally because of his fear. He feared his incompetence. His brother might be alive, but would Shawn know how to save him. 

"Darling, forgive me," he said wishing Evelyn would not block him out. She didn't, because the door opened and she ran into his arms burying her face into his neck. 

"We can't tell Fay yet. She might do something stupid. We can't risk it."