Chapter 17: Spare Him, Please
(Evelyn Reed's POV)
The persistent buzz of a mind-link jolted me awake.
"Eve, are you on your way yet?" Elder Blackwood's voice resonated in my head, warm but insistent.
I blinked sleep from my eyes, glancing at the clock. "Yes, Grandfather. I'm leaving now."
This was the third time he'd checked on me this morning. His eagerness to have me back at the Blackwood Estate was both touching and overwhelming.
I loaded the last of my belongings into my car and took one final look at Emerald Heights. For three years, this place had been my sanctuary—lonely, but mine. Now I was returning to the heart of the pack that had never truly accepted me.
Unlike yesterday, when I'd been forced to park outside the gates, today my car rolled smoothly through the guar
