<h4>Chapter 513: Summoned By Alpha Grey (IV)</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    I couldn’t drag River into this. Not even as a lie, not even as an excuse. Bringing him into Alpha Grey’s very determined little negotiation would onlyplicate things further.


    So I took a slow breath, forced my spine straight, and sifted through my options until one finally felt...usable.


    When I lifted my eyes to his, I made my expression calm... steady, almost serene. A kind of truth, even if not the whole truth.


    "You may or may not know this," I began gently, "but I’m dating Draven Thorne."


    If I was expecting even a flicker of surprise, a twitch of an eysh, the slightest shift of tension across his shoulders...well, I was disappointed. Elion Grey didn’t react at all. Not even a blink. He was harder to read than River on his best brooding day. For a moment, I almost admired him.


    I continued, "And because of that, my loyalty currently lies with him. With him and the Rogue Community. So if you are offering me your assistant’s position... aren’t you worried I might reveal important information about your pack to him or his brothers?"


    Of course I wouldn’t do that. Ever. Even thinking about it felt wrong.


    But that wasn’t the point. The point was giving him a reason strong enough for him to finally let this go.


    However, he didn’t even hesitate. His lips softened into the faintest smile before he said, with annoying confidence, "You wouldn’t do anything of the sort."


    I froze.


    I actually forgot to breathe for a second.


    He reached beside him, picked up a folder, opened it, and slid it across the table toward me.


    I stared down.


    There were eleven profiles inside - names, photos, evaluations, notes - and beside each name were little boxes, some checked green, most crossed red.


    Eleven candidates.


    And only one had every single box checked green.


    Mine.


    "You are not the only one I have considered," he said, his voice warm but matter-of-fact. "I have been looking for a reliable assistant since the day I became Alpha. Months of searching, background checks, observation, vetting..."


    My heart hammered at the word observation. How much had he seen? What exactly had he read in my file? How deeply had he followed my work?


    He rested an elbow on the arm of the couch, leaning slightly forward.


    "And after all this time," he continued, "you are the only candidate who meets every requirement. Including loyalty."


    Heat crept into my cheeks - confusion, shock, some mix of pride and defensiveness all tangled together.


    He trusted me?


    More than those ten others?


    His expression gentled further. "I’m not asking you to dive into pack politics or secrets. Not immediately. Not even soon. You’d handle the work here, at the Council Headquarters. Mostly shifter-world governance, welfare, security - nothing that involves my pack’s internal issues. I’m not putting that weight on you."


    His words were careful, deliberate. He sounded almost... reassuring me.


    It made things worse.


    Because I really didn’t have another reason to give him.


    I exhaled, my shoulders drooping a little as I surrendered. "I just... I don’t think Draven would like it if I took the job."


    I silently apologized to Draven for dragging his name into this.


    For the first time, Alpha Grey’s expression actually changed. His right eyebrow arched... not dramatically, just a subtle rise filled with meaning.


    "Does it matter," he asked quietly, "if your boyfriend likes your job?"


    "Yes," I replied instantly.


    No pause. No thinking. Nothing but truth.


    And then he stunned me again.


    "Should it matter to you what your boyfriend wants... more than what <i>you</i> want?"


    The air left my lungs.


    I felt it. Like someone had reached into my chest and pressed right where the bruise was.


    And he wasn’t done.


    "You haven’t declined this offer even once for a reason that belongs to you." His voice wasn’t unkind. Just firm. "Not one reason that shows you don’t want the job. Every reason you have given is tied to someone else. Your studies, your boyfriend, his brothers, what someone might think, what someone else might want."


    My throat tightened.


    He kept going.


    "I can already tell you are interested. You would have considered it seriously... maybe even epted it already... if it were offered by someone else. That’s why this is unfair. To me..." His eyes met mine, steady, intense. "...and to yourself."


    The worst part was that he wasn’t wrong.


    I <i>was</i> interested.


    The challenge. The trust. The responsibility. The opportunity.


    And yes... the money. The independence.


    I wanted all of it.


    But wanting something didn’t erase the tangled knots of my life.


    Could I really add <i>’working under another Alpha’</i> to the chaos?


    Alpha Grey suddenly leaned back, easing the tension in his posture as if sensing he had pushed enough for now.


    "Miss Evaline," he said softly, "I won’t pressure you. I won’t ask again right now."


    Relief washed through me... but only for a second.


    "However..." he added, and damn him, I felt my body tense all over again, "...I have onest offer for you."


    I stared at him warily.


    He didn’t smile, didn’t soften, didn’t look away. He just spoke, very calmly, as if he were stating something inevitable.


    "Secrets of our heritage."


    I blinked. "What?"


    He folded his hands loosely together. "Like how you have healing abilities even though you weren’t born a healer. Why that is possible. What it means."


    My breath lodged halfway in my chest.


    What...?


    He watched the shock spread across my face. He must have known exactly what kind of reaction his words would cause because there was something nearly sympathetic in his gaze.


    I opened my mouth. "Alpha Grey-what do you mean by-"


    He stood.


    Just stood, simple and smooth, cutting off everything I was about to demand.


    "We’ll talk," he said, "once you have an answer for my offer."


    I rose halfway from my seat, heart thudding. "Alpha, wait-exin what you-"


    "That’s all for today, Miss Evaline." He moved toward the office door and opened it for me, polite but unmoving. "Go. Think. Decide."


    I wanted to grab his cor and shake the exnation out of him.


    I wanted to understand what the hell he knew.


    But his expression... unreadable, calm, resolute... told me the conversation was over.


    "At least tell me how you-"


    "Once you have the answer I need." His voice was soft. Certain. "Only then."


    I clenched my fists, furious and shaken and overwhelmingly curious all at once.


    He gestured again, silently, waiting for me to step out.


    I did.


    Because I had no choice.


    And as the door closed behind me, all I could hear was the soft, maddening echo of hisst words:


    <i>Secrets of our heritage.</i>


    <i>How you have healing powers despite not being born a healer.</i>


    And now... he expected me to choose.