<h4>Chapter 515: Late Night Visit To Alpha’s Room</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    I stood outside River’s bedroom door for a long moment, my fist hovering inches away from the wood. The corridor was quiet, bathed in the dim glow of the nightmps, the rest of the house wrapped in deep sleep. Midnight had long passed, yet my heart refused to slow, my thoughts racing in circles no matter how many times I told myself to rest.


    I had tried.


    I really had.


    I hadin in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the distant hum of the wards around the house, counting sheeps, reying Elion Grey’s words again and again until they blurred together into something heavy and suffocating.


    <i>Secrets of our heritage.</i>


    It felt like a hand curled around my chest, squeezing just enough to keep me awake.


    So here I was.


    Needing River.


    I knocked softly, instantly regretting it the moment my knuckles touched the door. What if I woke him? What if he was finally sleeping peacefully after everything with Nightshade Pack? I should have turned around. I could talk to him in the morning. I <i>would</i> talk to him in the morning.


    I shifted my weight, already preparing to leave...


    The door opened.


    River stood there, hair slightly tousled, bare chest exposed, sleep still clinging to him in a way that made my heart twist. One look at his face and I knew I had woken him up.


    "I-" guilt rushed in instantly. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. It’s not urgent, really. I can go back-"


    I didn’t finish the sentence.


    He stepped forward and pulled me straight into his arms.


    My face pressed against his chest before I could react, the warmth of his skin seeping into me instantly. His scent wrapped around me like a shield. Onerge hand came up to cradle the back of my head as his fingers ruffled my hair gently.


    "Why aren’t you wearing slippers?" he murmured sleepily, his voice low and rough from being woken up.


    I blinked.


    "I-what?"


    Only then did I realize my feet were bare against the cool stone floor. I hadn’t even noticed when I left my room.


    Before I could respond, River’s arms tightened.


    And then the ground vanished.


    I gasped softly as he lifted me up effortlessly, my instinctive reaction making my legs close around his waist. His hold was secure, familiar, like he had done this a hundred times before and would do it a hundred times more.


    He nudged the door closed with his foot, locked it, and carried me inside as if this were the most natural thing in the world.


    My heart thudded painfully - not from surprise, but from the way he made me feel so safe without even trying.


    Heid me gently on the bed, his mattress warm beneath me, and joined me immediately, pulling me back into his arms before tugging the nket over both of us. His body curved around mine protectively, one arm wrapped around my waist, the other cradling my head against his chest.


    Just like that, the chaos inside me softened.


    I stayed there for a while, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear, letting his fingers run through my hair in slow, soothing strokes. Each pass of his hand smoothed another jagged edge inside me. My breathing slowed, my muscles rxed, and for a moment... I thought I might actually fall asleep.


    Then his voice broke the quiet.


    "What’s keeping you awake, Angel?"


    I sighed softly and shifted, pulling back just enough to look at him. His eyes were heavy-lidded but attentive,pletely focused on me despite having been dragged out of sleep.


    "Are you... really okay with it?" I asked quietly.


    "With what?" he murmured, though I knew he already understood.


    "With me taking Alpha Grey’s offer."


    Before he could answer, the words rushed out of me, tumbling over one another as if I’d been holding them back for hours.


    "I know I’m your mate," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "And I know that means I should make sure I’m not doing something that makes you worry or upsets you. I know that. I have thought about it over and over. But I haven’t been able to forget what Alpha Grey said - that I shouldn’t decline the offer because <i>I</i> don’t like it."


    I swallowed.


    "Because the truth is... I <i>do</i> like it. I was tempted almost the moment heid it all out. If it had been anyone else offering it to me, I would have said yes without thinking twice."


    I ced my hand over his chest, feeling the steady strength of his heart beneath my palm.


    "I need you to trust me," I said softly. "I have never felt anything romantic from him. Not once. And if I ever do... if that ever changes... I promise you, River, I’ll walk away on my own. I won’t hesitate. I won’t care what secrets he knows about my bloodline or my healing powers. I just... need you to trust me."


    Silence followed.


    But it wasn’t heavy.


    River had listened to every word without interrupting, his gaze softening with each sentence. When I finished, there was the faintest smile ying on his lips... the kind that wasn’t amused, but deeply affectionate.


    He covered my hand with his own, pressing it gently against his chest.


    "I have always trusted you," he said simply.


    Emotion tightened my throat.


    "I never once felt that Elion was attracted to you in that way," River continued.


    I blinked.


    He sighed quietly. "What he feels toward you... it isn’t desire. It’s admiration. Respect. For your performance at the Academy. For your work here. And for what you are."


    "What I am?" I echoed.


    "One of thest three living members of the Silver Wolf bloodline."


    His thumb brushed gently over my knuckles. "I knew from the first day you noticed his hair that your curiosity wasn’t personal. It was instinct. Blood recognizing blood. It’s been about answers."


    He fell silent for a moment, his jaw tightening ever so slightly before he spoke again.


    "Even without romantic feelings involved... what you and Elion share has the potential to be something deep. Something important." His eyes met mine, honest and vulnerable. "That’s what makes me jealous."


    I stared at him, surprised.


    "I don’t like the idea that there’s another man out there - someone who isn’t me or my brothers - who might know more about you than we do. About your past. Your blood. Your power." He huffed softly. "It’s irrational, I know."


    "No," I said quickly. "It’s not."


    His gaze softened even more.


    "I trust you more than I trust myself," he said quietly. "And I respect your decision. You deserve to know the answers you seek."


    Warmth flooded my chest, overwhelming and fierce.


    I shifted closer, pressing my forehead to his. "Thank you."


    His arm tightened around me. "I’m always here for you, Angel. Always."


    And for the first time since stepping out of Alpha Grey’s office, my heart finally began to calm.


    Wrapped in River’s arms, surrounded by trust instead of fear, I let myself breathe.


    And eventually... I fell asleep in his warmth, love, and trust.