It was hard to deal with the fact that not only was my baby girl not a baby, she was standing up to me, challenging me. “Stories?”
“Yes, they told me how much you loved me, and I’ll be honest, I don’t feel that at all. Papa shows up and all he cares about is my relationship with Fen. Dad…well, Dad has much he must do. I understand that, and at the very least he’s pulled me aside, given me a hug, and asked if we can spend time together after he’s done his duties. The only one of you I don’t share biology with and he’s the one who seems to care.”
I was screwing this up. “Evangeline, of course I care. You’re my daughter.”
“But I’m not. While you’ve slept I’ve given this some consideration. You need time. I had this vision that you would walk in and we would be a family again, but it’s going to take longer. I’m not the baby you left behind, and honestly you’re not the parent I made up in my head. So perhaps we should begin as queen and…advisor.” She moved for the door. “Are you hungry? There’s stew and Albert’s brown bread. I heard he was talking about making potatoes for you. He claims you eat a lot of potatoes when you’re pregnant.”
I felt oddly vulnerable against my daughter’s steady confidence. She said I’d hurt her, but her expression was unfazed. When she’d been a child she’d cried readily. It hadn’t been an annoying thing. It had been because she was open and unafraid to show her emotions. She’d obviously changed because the look on her face reminded me of Devinshea when he had to deal with a particularly tricky political situation. He dropped all emotion and navigated the person or situation as carefully as he could.
As carefully as Evan was navigating me now.
“Albert’s here?”
Evan nodded. “Of course. He would never leave us.”
I didn’t want to do this. I wanted to lie back down and sleep and pretend this wasn’t happening, but it was obvious I was already having a negative impact on my children. It wasn’t fair. I was a ball of emotions, but I was their mother, and we have to shove down our own needs in times of crisis. Or times of their need. I forced myself to sit on the edge of the bed and hold a hand out to this beautiful creature I didn’t know at all. She was my daughter. It was time to start getting to know her and giving her the same courtesies she was giving me. “I’m not hungry right now. I would rather talk to you. Please, Evan.”
She hesitated for a moment and then moved back into the room. “All right. You should know that I’m going to Atlanta with Kelsey in the morning. Trent has to finish up his visit with the primals, and Kelsey doesn’t want to wait for him to come home. Fen wants to go with her, so I’m joining them.”
“You’re leaving?” But I had just gotten here.
“It’s best if I stay close to Fen. He can be reckless. We’ve been told he’ll settle once we’re properly mated, but until then, my presence can help to calm him. It helps so he doesn’t wipe out whole packs when they come for him.”
“What?”
Evan sighed. “Some of the packs don’t like the thought of a wolf king being in existence. Fen can bend them to his will. He doesn’t, but he can if he likes. So they try to assassinate him. It’s been explained to us on many occasions that if Fen would take his place at the head of the great pack, he could quell these sorts of rebellions, but then he would have to leave us, and he won’t do it.”
My heart ached because I thought I understood what she was really saying. I had been around wolves long enough to know what is expected of the alpha. “They would want him to take a she-wolf mate.”
“A proper mate is the term they use,” she explained shortly. “According to the Alpha Council, I’m only good for vampires. I believe they called me a nice meal they couldn’t enjoy properly. Well, one of them called me that. I had to stop Fenrir from killing him. Needless to say, we don’t go to pack meetings anymore, and it’s best I stay close to him. I have to ask. Is Marcus Vorenus dead? Is that why he’s not back with you?”
Marcus. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that everyone on the Earth plane believed Evan was Marcus’s fated companion. Marcus had been promised that a daughter of my line would be the companion to match his soul. It could be hard to be “claimed” by a powerful supernatural. I knew all about that. In the beginning, though I loved Daniel, I’d worried what it meant to be his wife. Was Evan having the same questions about Fenrir? Did she think Marcus could come in and save her? I didn’t understand the situation, so I had to ask. “Sweetie, are you okay with Fen? Has he hurt you?”