<h4>Chapter 585: She’s Easy To Read</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    I clicked on the shut down option on my monitor and watched the screen go dark, the soft hum of the system fading into silence. The moment it fully powered off, I slumped back into my chair and stretched my arms over my head, muscles protesting as a tired groan escaped my lips.


    The day had been anything but easy.


    From the second I stepped into Elion’s office at nine in the morning, it had been one task after another without so much as a proper pause to breathe. I still remembered the way he barely let me sit down before assigning me the responsibility of preparing the final report for the postguard towers development project - a project that had been discussed in the council meetingst month and was scheduled to be presented again tomorrow.


    It wasn’t just any report.


    It was the final version.


    The one that would be ced before the council, scrutinized by Alphas, elders, strategists, and political minds who would find ws even where none existed.


    And while I had all the data - maps, budget breakdowns, manpower allocation charts, reinforcement blueprints, and threat analysis reportspiled by Elion’s entire team over thest month... it still wasn’t an easy job.


    Not even close.


    I had spent hours cross-checking figures, rewriting sections to sound concise yet impactful, removing unnecessary jargon while keeping the technical uracy intact. Every sentence had to matter. Every word had to earn its ce.


    I revised the report once.


    Then again.


    Then a third time... just to be sure.


    By the time I finally handed it to Elion earlier in the afternoon, my eyes were aching and my fingers felt stiff from typing.


    I had braced myself for criticism.


    For notes.


    For a quiet, thoughtful frown followed by, <i>"Revise sections this and that. Tighten the conclusion. We’ll discuss it again."</i>


    Instead, he had read through the document in silence, flipped back a few pages, read it again, and then looked up at me with something dangerously close to satisfaction in his expression.


    "This is excellent," he had said.


    No qualifiers.


    No conditions.


    Just that.


    I still wasn’t used to that kind of praise from him even though he had been fair and transparent about his praises and helpful criticisms in my work.


    With the report finalized, I spent thest half hour of my workday organizing Elion’s schedule for theing week - meetings, patrol briefings, and one elite gathering that had already been postponed once.


    By the time the clock on his desk ticked over to four in the afternoon, my responsibilities for the day were finallyplete.


    I turned my head slightly, ncing toward Elion.


    He was still seated behind his desk. His suit coat was draped over the back of his chair, his sleeves rolled up, and his attention fully absorbed in the stack of documents his beta had delivered a few minutes ago. His pen moved steadily, signature after signature neat and precise.


    Normally, by this time of day, we would have already gone through our... routine.


    The questions.


    The ones I asked him every Saturday.


    The ones he answered with calcted honesty or strategic vagueness, depending on his mood.


    But today had been different.


    Today had been all work.


    And only now, with my tasks done, did I realize what I had missed.


    My chest tightened slightly as I considered my options.


    Should I remind him?


    Or should I just leave?


    He clearly still had work to do, and a lot of it. Tomorrow’s council meeting wasn’t something to take lightly. Walking up to him now with personal questions - no matter how important - felt... selfish.


    But at the same time, these questions weren’t trivial.


    They mattered.


    I didn’t want to be too soft. But I also didn’t want to be inconsiderate.


    I was still stuck in that internal tug-of-war when Elion spoke.


    "You can ask the questions."


    The sudden sound of his voice startled me enough that I straightened in my chair instantly, turning to face him fully.


    "What?" I asked, blinking.


    He didn’t look up immediately, but there was a knowing edge to his tone. "You have been debating it for thest two minutes."


    I opened my mouth. Then closed it.


    "I can wait," I said finally. "You still have a lot of work-"


    He looked up then. Really looked at me. And in that single nce, I knew he saw right through me.


    That familiar, perceptive gaze softened just enough to let me know he wasn’t annoyed. If anything, he looked... expectant.


    "If you truly wanted to wait," he said calmly, "you wouldn’t still be sitting there."


    I exhaled slowly.


    Right.


    Even I wasn’t convinced by my own argument.


    "Am I that easy to read?" I asked, not too happy that he had seen through me so clearly.


    The corners of his lips curved ever so slightly but he didn’t let his smile became too obvious. "Kind of," he replied.


    "Once someone learns what kind of person you are, you be easy to understand even when you are trying to hide your thoughts." He added, "Besides, you weren’t really trying to keep your thoughts hidden right now."


    I stood from my chair and walked toward his desk, the sound of my footsteps echoing softly in the otherwise quiet office. I took the seat opposite him, folding my hands together in myp as he returned his attention to the papers in front of him.


    For a moment, neither of us spoke.


    The silence wasn’t awkward... just heavy. Thoughtful.


    I watched the way his pen moved across the paper, the way his brow furrowed ever so slightly as he read through each line with careful attention. It reminded me, not for the first time, why he was Alpha.


    Why people followed him.


    Why his word carried weight.


    A minute passed.


    Then another.


    And finally, I broke the silence.


    "Alpha Grey," I said quietly.


    His pen paused, but he didn’t look up.


    "Yes?"


    I took a breath.


    "Had anyone from the Silver Wolf Bloodline ever possessed a power... other than healing?"