Rise of the Banished She-Wolf (Evelyn) novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Evelyn

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the hospital window, casting long shadows across my bed. Everyone had gone to grab dinner, leaving me alone with my thoughts for the first time all day. I’d been in this hospital for what felt like an eternity, though it had only been a few days since the warehouse explosion and silver poisoning incident.

My shoulder throbbed where the silver bullet had torn through muscle and tissue. The wound was healing, but slowly–far slower than a normal werewolf would heal. Another reminder of my broken wolf.

I was flipping through a medical journal when the door opened. The scent hit me before I could even look up–unfamiliar, with notes of pine and something artificial, like cheap cologne trying to mask a natural odor.

Samuel White stood in the doorway, holding a bouquet of white lilies, his lips curved into what I supposed was meant to be a charming smile.

“Evelyn,” he said, stepping into the room uninvited. “I heard about your… unfortunate accident. I thought I’d come check on you.”

I straightened, immediately on guard. “What are you doing here, Samuel?”

“Can’t a classmate visit another in the hospital?” He placed the flowers on the side table, but something about them made my skin crawl. The scent was off- beneath the sweet floral smell was something chemical, almost metallic.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the bouquet and tossed it into the trash bin across the room.

Samuel’s eyebrows shot up, his smile faltering for just a second before returning, now tinged with something darker. “That wasn’t very polite.”

“Neither is bringing flowers laced with silver sedative to a werewolf’s hospital room,” I replied coldly. “Cut the crap. Why are you really here?*

He laughed then, a sound that held no warmth. “Evelyn, don’t be so tense. I just wanted to thank you personally.”

“Thank me for what?”

0

e

“For eliminating a major obstacle for me. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “My brother Austin was becoming… problematic. His obsession with the Moonlight protocols was drawing too much attention. Now that he’s gone, things will be much easier.”

My blood ran cold. Samuel was thanking me for his brother’s presumed death? I kept my expression neutral, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing

my shock.

“You’re welcome,” I said flatly. “Now get out.”

Instead of leaving, Samuel pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Actually, I have a business proposition for you,

Aurora.”

I stiffened at the use of my hacker name. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.

“Please,” he scoffed. “We both know who you are. I’m willing to pay you–let’s say, one million dollars—to help me decode my family’s protocols. The ones Austin was so desperately after.”

A deanning dangerously low. “I’m not interested. Get out.

Chapter 129

Samuel’s expression hardened. “You’re the only one who can break that program. The Eastern European packs have tried multiple times and failed. You’re our last option.

“That sounds like a you problem,” I replied. “You should leave before you end up like your brother,”

His eyes flashed with anger. “My brother was a fool who didn’t know how to handle you properly. 1, on the other hand-”

“You should listen to her,” came a deep voice from the doorway. Devon stood there, his tall frame nearly filling the entrance, eyes blazing with barely

contained fury. Jason was right behind him, his hand subtly moving toward what I assumed was a concealed weapon.

Samuel rose to his feet, but not before leaning close to whisper, “Think about my offer, Evelyn. And my brother’s fate was in my hands. Don’t let yours be

too.”

Devon crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed Samuel by the collar, slammed his fist into the wolf’s face with all his might, staggering slightly from

the forceful action himself, his breath coming a little short.

“Who the hell let him in here?” Devon growled as Jason quickly moved to restrain a struggling Samuel. “Why wasn’t anyone with you?”

“Everyone went to get dinner,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the tremor of fear running through me at Samuel’s threat. “Devon, the flowers- they have silver sedative in them. Be careful when disposing of them.”

Devon’s eyes darkened to a stormy blue as he turned back to Samuel, who was now being held firmly by Jason. “You brought silver into my mate’s hospital room?” His voice was dangerously quiet, the kind of calm that preceded violence.

“It was just a precaution,” Samuel said, blood trickling from his split lip. “You can’t blame me for being careful around the infamous Aurora.”

Devon dragged Samuel out into the hallway, and I could hear his voice, low and threatening. “You dare to poison her? You’re challenging the entire Hall

family!”

There was a thud–I imagined Devon kicking Samuel–followed by more harsh words about contacting the Northwestern Werewolf Council about Eastern European wolves invading their territory.

When Devon returned, his face was tight with controlled rage. He came to my bedside and gently took my hand, a stark contrast to the violence he’d just

displayed.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand.

‘I’m fine, I assured him, though my mind was racing with Samuel’s words.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify