Rise of the Banished She-Wolf (Evelyn) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Evelyn

My heart leaped at the sound. I spun around, my hands still positioned over the ancient text Shawn had been helping me decipher. “Devon!”

Without thinking, I rushed across the room and threw myself into his arms. The familiar scent of pine and wilderness enveloped me, instantly caining the restlessness I’d felt all day. Devon’s arms wrapped around me, strong and secure, as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“Missed me?” he murmured against my skin.

“Of course I did,” I replied, looking up into those intense blue eyes. “Weren’t you supposed to be in New York today? How did you get back so early?”

Devon’s gaze shifted over my shoulder to where Shawn stood watching us, his expression unreadable.

“I wanted to see you,” he said, voice deliberately even.

The tension in the room was palpable. I turned slightly, gesturing toward Shawn. “This is Shawn, Aileen’s brother. He’s been like a big brother to me too, always looking out for me.”

Shawn nodded politely, though his posture remained stiff. “Hall.”

Devon’s arm tightened around my waist. “Green.”

The territorial energy radiating from Devon was impossible to miss. I cleared my throat, desperate to break the tension. “Have you eaten dinner yet?” I asked

Devon.

“Not yet.”

“Let’s go find you something,” I suggested quickly, squeezing his hand. “Lydia made her famous stew earlier.”

I turned to Shawn with an apologetic smile. “We’ll continue tomorrow?”

Shawn’s eyes flickered between Devon and me before he nodded. “Of course. Get some rest, Evie.”

Devon’s jaw clenched at the nickname, but he remained silent as we said our goodbyes.

After leaving Shawn, I led Devon to the kitchen of Memory’s Diner, which was connected to the mansion. The restaurant had closed hours ago, but I knew exactly where Lydia kept everything.

“Sit, I insisted, pushing Devon into a chair. “I’ll heat up something for you.”

Devon caught my hand. “Stay with me for a minute.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. “I brought you something.”

Devon, you didn’t have to-

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08:43 Mon, Dec 29

Chapter 180

‘Open it,‘ he said softly.

Inside was a delicate silver–blue bracelet with moonstone beads that seemed to glow with an inner light. I gasped as I lifted it from the box.

“It’s beautiful.”

‘I had it custom made, Devon explained, taking the bracelet and fastening it around my wrist. “The moonstones are specially sourced to help with your shifting control during the full moon.”

I traced my fingers over the cool stones. “I should make you something in return.”

“Like what?” he asked, amusement replacing some of the tension in his eyes.

‘I could design some clothes for you, I offered. “Transformation–friendly formal wear for Alpha meetings.”

Devon raised an eyebrow. “You design clothes?”

S

“You can’t imagine all the jobs I’ve done in the past three years,” I said with a wry smile, the weight of those lonely years briefly shadowing my voice.

After a simple meal, we went back to my room.

I closed the door behind us, suddenly aware of how intimate this space felt with Devon in it. I moved to my bedside drawer and pulled out a sketchbook.

“I’ve actually been working on designs for you for a while,” I admitted, feeling oddly shy as I handed him the book.

Devon flipped through pages of meticulously detailed sketches–suits with special seams designed to withstand partial shifts, formal wear with elastic panels

nsformation. hidden in strategic places, casual clothes made from materials that would move with a werewolf’s body d

“These are incredible,” he said, genuine surprise and admiration in his voice. “You’ve thought of everything

I shrugged, pleased by his reaction. “I’ve always wanted to make these for you, but I never had the chance to take your measurements. So these designs just stayed on paper.”

Devon’s eyes darkened as he looked up from the sketches. “We could fix that right now, couldn’t we?”

My breath caught as he set the book aside and began unbuttoning his suit jacket, then his shirt. Each movement was deliberate, his eyes never leaving mine as he revealed the sculpted perfection of his chest and abs.

I–I’ll get my measuring tape,” I stammered, fumbling through my sewing kit.