Verum

twenty.

twenty.

evelyn

I was standing on the balcony outside our bedroom when I heard a familiar voice clear his throat. Not Alexander, but Anthony. I gave him a polite smile before leaning on the railing, folding my arms on top of it.

"Are you warm enough, sweet pea?" He asked me.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes playfully. "You and your brother are too protective of me."

Anthony snickered, coming to stand beside me. "There's no such thing as being too protective of you. You're going to be the next queen, you know."

I shuddered at the thought. As much as I wanted to be with Alexander, being considered Queen was a lot of responsibility. Most days I wanted nothing more than to just lay in bed and snuggle. Maybe eat a ton of junk food. Can Queens even do that?

Anthony cleared his throat again. "I came to say goodbye, Evelyn."

My lips turned into a frown. "Goodbye?"

"I need to crawl back into the hole I came out of to surprise you and Alexander," he explained. "Trolls like me cannot be in the outside world for so long."

I punched his arm, glaring at him. "Stop that, be serious. You're leaving? Just as you and Alexander get along?"

"I live away from here to protect our family's blood. That is why our parents aren't here as well. As Verum, we have a target on our back. By living in separate, undisclosed locations, we keep each other safe. It is time for me to go back to my home," Anthony explained.

Anthony was one of my only friends here. My heart broke a little to be saying goodbye to him. "When will you be back? Can I come visit you?"

"I will return for the wedding. I promise." But he left my second question unanswered, looking out towards the starry sky thoughtfully. "Would you believe me if I told you that I was quite the playboy?"

"Absolutely."

He gave me a surprised look, not expecting me to have answered so hurriedly. "I'm not anymore."

"You were a playboy like a week ago," I challenged.

Now it was his turn to give me a playful swat on the arm. "Let me finish. There is a girl back home. Nova. She's actually one of our childhood friends, a few years younger than me. Nova would follow at my heels at all times. God, she drove me wild. Then her family moved away when she was in her early teens. When I was asked to step down as King, and I left to find my own space, I stubbled upon her family again. She's not obsessed with me anymore, unfortunately. And I have been an absolute prick to her. I never even realized that I was the one who had become obsessed until a few night's ago. Observing the way you and Alexander are with each other... I think she's the one. And I was afraid of commitment and vulnerability so I pushed her away."

"Aw, Anthony," I hummed, throwing my arms around him. "I am so happy for you! And Nova! Why do you guys always take so long to come to these things? What if she already has a boyfriend? What if she's moved on?!"

"That's what I am concerned for. I have to head back."

I nodded hurriedly. "Can you write me? Keep me updated on what's going on?" I figured maybe cell phones were too risky with those psycho priests. But the frown on his face made me think that even letters were off-limits. My face fell before I could stop it. "I understand. I don't want you or anyone to get hurt."

He sighed, ruffling my hair before breaking out of the hug. "I'm sorry, kiddo. You know I would if I could."

"I know."

The doors to the balcony opened and Alexander peeked his head out. "Evelyn needs to get to bed. Can you wrap this up in the morning?"

"I won't be here in the morning. I'll wrap it up now." Anthony put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, making me look up at him. "Evelyn, being in your position won't be easy. But I believe in you. Don't let my brother know, but I even believe in him. Use your voice. You're smarter and more knowledgeable than you know. We need you in this kingdom. Do you understand?" I nodded, my eyes getting misty. "I am so sorry for the way I acted when I arrived. I was more concerned about hurting Alexander than I was about your well-being."

"You don't have to apologize. That seems like it was so long ago now. I forget you were like that most of the time."

"You are so much better than the rest of us. Remember that, little sister."

Anthony suddenly hugged me again, pressing a chaste, platonic kiss to the crown of my head before pulling away. "If you need me, I'll be back."

I furrowed my brows. How the heck was I supposed to contact him if I needed to when he couldn't call, text, or even receive a freaking letter?! "How?"

"You'll know."

The oldest brother gently pushed me back, giving me one last nod and pat on the head before turning and strolling through the glass doors. The brothers clasped forearms briefly before wordlessly separating. Feeling stormy emotions build up in my throat, I turned and faced the expanse of the forest once again, hugging myself tightly to keep the pieces together. It seemed like lately I was saying a lot of goodbyes.

My lashes brushed my cheeks as I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling the fresh scent of nature to stabilize my thundering thoughts. Footsteps sounded behind me and soon Alexander's warm, comforting body was pressing into me, one arm around my body while the other lifted so his fingers could comb through my hair soothingly.

"I'm sorry, little wolf," he cooed to me. "I know this is unpleasant."

I nodded, turning around to bury my face in his chest. His hand massaged my scalp while I melted into his scent. "It's alright. I understand why he has to go. And he'll be back. I'll see him again."

Alexander nodded along with me. "Of course. For the wedding. Which will come sooner than you think." His fingers gently tugged at the hair on the back of my head, beckoning for me to meet his gaze. "Come, puppy. Time for bed. I don't want you to be fussy tomorrow when I scent you."

A/N: I know what you guys are thinking... "why is this chapter so fricking short???" That's because I'm having *sings* mEnTaL hEaLtH iSsUeSsSsSs! And also because next chapter is going to be the chappie where the scenting happens. Have any of y'all read wattpad stories where werewolves scent each other? I see it on AO3 but never here. I'm excited to write it and see what you guys think. It will be two-fold; part of the scenting occurs in human form and part in wolf form. That's the only crumb I'm giving ya.