The Lightning Wolf Chronicles (Evelyn and Nadia) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22: I’m Used to It

Evelyn’s POV

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Hot water poured down, washing away dirt and the mess of last night. I closed my eyes, letting the steam fill the bathroom like a warm

barrier between me and everything waiting outside.

You should give them a chance, my wolf said quietly.

Why now? I shot back. After all this time?

Because they finally see you. Really see you.

I opened my eyes, watching water drip from my fingertips. Maybe she was right, but accepting help felt scarier than enduring pain. At

least pain was familiar.

Damage can heal, she added. Like the scars on your back.

I sighed and turned off the water. Maybe she was right, but accepting change felt harder than enduring pain. At least pain was familiar. Being cared for? That was foreign territory.

After drying off and changing into clean clothes, I stared at myself in the mirror. Still pale, but at least my eyes weren’t red and swollen anymore. Time to face whatever was waiting downstairs.

Elliot was probably gone by now, right? I’d been in the bathroom forever. Maybe he’d given up and left to do his own thing.

But when I reached the kitchen, there he was sitting at the dining table with a book spread out in front of him, obviously waiting. The second he heard my footsteps, he looked up with this complex expression – hope, nervousness, and barely hidden guilt.

I wanted to turn around and bolt, but my feet wouldn’t move.

“Don’t go,” Elliot stood up, moving carefully like I might spook. “Please, Evie. Just talk to me, okay?”

He walked over and gently took my hand. His was warm, carrying that familiar sense of safety I remembered from when we were kids. How long had it been since we’d touched like this?

After a few seconds of hesitation, I nodded and let him lead me to the table.

My eyes automatically scanned the room. Elliot caught my movement and smiled. “Relax. Dad’s at the pack house- emergency meeting.”

He headed to the kitchen. “You must be starving. I made breakfast.”

I watched him move around like he actually knew what he was doing. Soon he set down a simple but perfect breakfast – fried eggs, bacon,

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Chapter 22: I’m Used to It

toast, and hot cocoa. All my favorites.

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“Thanks,” I said quietly, picking up my fork.

Elliot sat across from me with a coffee cup, but I noticed he wasn’t drinking. Just watching me with this intense focus that made my skin

crawl.

“This morning…” he finally spoke, voice soft. “How come you overslept?”

My hand paused for a split second before I kept eating. I knew what he was fishing for.

“I was wiped out last night,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “And I cried myself sick, so I didn’t hear my alarm.”

Not exactly a lie. I had cried hard and I was exhausted. I just left out some details.

Elliot stared at me for what felt like forever. I could feel the weight of his gaze, but I refused to look up. Finally, he sighed and dropped it.

“Evie,” his voice got gentler, heavy with regret. “I’m so sorry. Really, truly sorry.”

I kept eating and waited for him to continue.

“I’ve been a shit brother all these years,” he said, gripping his coffee cup so tight his knuckles went white. “I watched you suffer, watched you handle everything alone, and I just… I looked the other way. Told myself it was better that way, that it would keep Dad from getting worse with you. But really? I was just being a coward.”

–

His voice shook. “I should’ve protected you. Should’ve had your back. But I didn’t. I took the easy way out pretending I didn’t see

anything, pretending you didn’t need me.”

“Things are gonna be different now,” he looked up, eyes full of determination. “I’ll protect you. I’ll stand with you. I don’t care what Dad says or what it costs me. You’re my sister, my only real family.”

I finally put down my fork and looked at him. His expression was so sincere, so pained, it almost made me believe him. Almost.

“You don’t need to,” I said calmly.

Elliot blinked, “What?”

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