Chapter 50

Evelyn

The council room was colder than I expected. Despite my years growing up just down the hall, I had never been inside. There had been no need to. Until now.

Maybe the chill I felt was just my nerves. But throughout the space, the air was heavy with polished formality, the kind of weight that came from centuries of power simmering in the stone walls. Oil lamps flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the ornate table where the council sat with parchment and maps spread sporadically across the surface.

Most people were already there when I arrived. Including Logan.

He turned at the sound of the doors opening, his eyes landing on me before widening. I hadn’t told him I would be there, and I imagined that my presence was a special kind of shock for him. His wife arriving unannounced.

He stood instinctively. I gave him a faint, neutral nod before walking further into the room. His eyes followed, gaping at me.

Everyone was staring.

I didn’t blame them. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Not at this table. Not in this room. They didn’t know the truth of it all, how I had been raised in the surrounding halls and had been born to the authority that now layered the room.

And yet here I was.

The Alpha King rose from his seat at the head of the council, calm and commanding as ever. His expression was unreadable.

“This,” he said, gesturing to me, “is Evelyn, one of the camp’s most respected medics and Alpha Logan’s wife.”

A murmur rippled across the room. Wife. He’d emphasized it like a true title. If only these people knew who I truly was—the princess.

“She has offered a perspective that, frankly, some of you have lacked the courage to consider,” he continued. “And today, she will speak it before this council.”

He looked at me, giving the smallest nod. It held all of the subtle encouragement of a proud father. I resisted a smirk.

I stepped forward. My heart pounded despite my assurance that I was right and that the Alpha King would agree with me. But facing all of these people who didn’t believe in me was nerve-wracking.

“With all due respect,” I began, “what we’ve been doing isn’t working.”

A silence settled over the room like frost. Logan leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on me.

“We've been fighting Jesse and his rogues with brute strength, assuming that war and violence alone will bring peace. But all the while, the death toll rises, and the rogues grow bolder. And what has changed since the start of this? Instead of inciting progress, we merely react. They retaliate. And still, nothing changes. It all becomes a bloody, vicious cycle.”

Someone scoffed from the far end of the table. A woman with high cheekbones and sharp eyes narrowed her gaze at me. I met her disapproval without flinching, refusing to give way to her narrow-mindedness.

I hardly recognized her, but aspects of her features were familiar. The slope of her nose and the shade of her eyes ran in the family on my father’s side. I suspected that she was some distant cousin or aunt. Regardless, it didn’t seem like she recognized me at all, as she looked down that recognizable nose at me with contempt.

“I hope you are not suggesting talking to the man who poisoned our scouts,” she said.

I held her gaze, unwavering. “I am merely suggesting that we not continue a strategy that leads to more graves than solutions.”

A few members murmured in agreement. Others scowled.

A gray-haired man to my right—one of the older council members, whom I recognized as an older uncle—leaned in.

“And who are you, exactly, to suggest strategy to seasoned commanders?”

I smiled tightly. “Someone who has had to bandage up every so-called victory. I am someone who has looked into the eyes of dying soldiers and tried to explain why their sacrifice mattered. But sometimes, it feels like I am lying to their faces. Especially since we have made no progress.”

Across the table, my cousin Jason snorted and crossed his thick arms over his chest. “Why do you care? It’s not like you have to bloody yourself with our current efforts.”

“Maybe because I’m tired of healing wounds that shouldn’t exist,” I said.

All the while, Logan said nothing. He watched me like I was something he didn’t recognize. I’m sure these exchanges were quite the surprise to him. He likely couldn’t have pictured me pushing back against such high-ranking nobles until that moment.

If only he knew the extent of the truth.

More council members began asking questions. Some were biting, while others expressed genuine curiosity. A few, I noticed, had the same telltale bone structure as the Alpha King. These people shared my blood, and whether or not they were aware of this, they continued to observe me, watching with critical eyes.

A few times, I worried that they would let slip who I was. The few I was certain recognized me made me hold my breath every time they opened their mouths. I worried that they would give up the game carelessly, but somehow, they skirted the topic.

And throughout the discussion, he watched me. I could feel his gaze every time the discussion edged too close to the truth. My father was stoic and silent throughout, the picture of a thoughtful leader as he allowed the conversation to unspool, interjecting only occasionally.

And twice, the Alpha King looked at me with something in his eyes that didn’t match his voice. Like he was about to say it. Announce me not just as his guest, not just as Logan’s wife, but as his daughter.

I held my breath both times.

He didn’t. And for that, I was grateful. He couldn’t afford to give up the game, and I certainly was not eager to have the full truth laid bare. I couldn’t even imagine how Logan would react to the truth if he was already gaping at me with such shock over my little speech.

Then, as the final round of debate simmered down, my father stood. Immediately, everyone fell silent, dutifully waiting for him to establish his conclusion.

“This council was built to adapt,” he said, his voice filling the entire room easily. “To lead, not just with strength, but with foresight. Evelyn has spoken wisely. And I believe her proposal warrants action. It is at least worth the attempt to try this alternative method.”

He turned, slow and deliberate, and looked at me.

“You will lead this diplomatic effort, Evelyn.”

Silence.

I felt the weight of every stare in the room.

“You will speak to the rogue leader, Jesse, and visit his camp. We will open a channel of negotiation under the terms you outline. You will report directly to me throughout this process.”

There was an audible intake of breath across the chamber. Even Logan looked stunned. It was a bold assignment for someone regarded by most as a mere healer and wife. But I would rise to the challenge and prove to them all that my bloodless tactic was right.

I bowed slightly, every muscle taut.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As I rose, I caught Logan’s eye by accident. There was a flicker of something in his expression. It wasn’t just surprise or confusion.

It was surprise... And pride.

It bloomed in his eyes like sunlight through a fog.

And even though he didn’t know who I truly was, I’d never felt more seen.