Filed to story: Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna’s Death (Evelyn & Declan)
Jennifer glanced between us, her eyes sharp, reading every subtle motion.
James’s face went red, then blotchy. “You’re lying! The cameras have been broken for months! You’re trying to fool me!”
His voice cracked halfway through.
I met Jennifer’s gaze, and in that silent moment, understanding flickered between us.
Then the maid spoke, realization dawning. “Now I understand why Mrs. Jennifer asked me last night to rush to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get the surveillance footage replaced overnight.”
The crowd gasped.
The truth had surfaced, and everyone smelled it.
Anita immediately took a step back, her perfume curdling with anxiety. “He has nothing to do with me. I didn’t know anything about this.”
Laughter rippled through the workers – bitter, vindicated laughter.
One woman gasped, “Isn’t he your nephew? How could you not know?”
Another echoed, “Yeah! Just a minute ago, you were screaming for her to hand over her wages to your nephew. Where’s your ‘not involved’ now?”
Their voices emboldened the air, and my wolf stretched within me, satisfied.
The maid turned to the officers who had come with them, her voice crisp. “Officer, those two are definitely working together.”
The police stepped forward. “Come with us.”
The clink of metal filled the air as the cuffs snapped around their wrists.
As Anita turned to leave, she kept throwing suspicious glances over her shoulder that slid over me like claws. I could practically smell her confusion. She couldn’t wrap her tiny mind around it, how a poor single mother, sweeping streets with a baby strapped to her chest, could outsmart her and her thug of a nephew.
She didn’t know when it happened, when she’d stepped straight into the trap I’d set, simple and patient as breathing. Neither of them did.
The officers lifted the sapphire ring from the grass, its blue light flashing in the afternoon sun. Such a beautiful thing. They placed it carefully into a small evidence bag.
Watching it, I felt a slow smile stretch across my lips. Not of joy but of Satisfaction and justice.
“Wait,” I called, my voice steady even as I let my eyes glisten. Lana stirred in my arms, sensing my shift. I held her close, letting her tiny warmth keep my fury in check. “I want to report a case too.”
The officers turned. I could feel their skepticism.
I kept going, calm but fierce. “A few days ago, I was accused of stealing a gold necklace. But I’ve never seen such a necklace in my life. Since you’re investigating this street… could you help clear my name too?”
My voice cracked just enough to sound fragile.
They exchanged a look, then nodded. “Write it down,” one said.
Five minutes later, my statement was done.
The officer read it over and looked at me, serious now. “We’ve received your report and will investigate thoroughly. If what you say checks out, we’ll make sure your record is cleared. Any punishment from your workplace will be overturned.”
His tone softened, almost respectful.
Anita’s face drained of color.
“You-!” she sputtered, her voice rising like a cornered rat’s. “What nonsense are you spouting? This was all your doing! I only docked three thousand dollars from your salary, and now you hold a grudge? I could’ve told you directly, the one trying to get you fired isn’t me, it’s-“
She stopped.
That one word, ‘it’s’ – hung in the air like a snare pulled too tight. Then she clamped her mouth shut, her eyes wide, her breath quick.
You almost said it, I thought. Who protects you, Anita? Who’s really pulling the strings?
But she wouldn’t speak.
I took a slow breath and met her gaze. “Ms. Clark,” I said softly, “you just said you ‘only’ docked three thousand dollars. Do you realize that’s not just money? That’s food, formula, rent – the lifeline for me and my daughter.”
My voice rose, low and steady, like the growl before a bite. “It’s money I earned inch by inch, sweat and blood from cleaning these streets. If you’re greedy enough to covet a worker’s wages, what wouldn’t you do? The mess you’re in today isn’t because of me. It’s because your greed caught up with you.”
For a moment, she just stood there, pale, trembling and speechless.
The officers led her and her nephew to the car.
The sirens wailed, then faded into the distance.
Lana shifted against me, letting out a soft sigh. I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her sweetness, her calm.
“It’s over,” I whispered.
But deep inside, my wolf stirred.
No, it murmured. Not yet. Not until we know who she almost named.
Evelyn’s POV
Mrs. Jennifer’s voice was gentle but firm, like silk over steel. “Ms. Evelyn, just forget her. She’s done. She made a mistake and has no right to hold that position anymore.”
She stepped closer, her hand brushing my shoulder.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my throat tight. Around us, the other cleaning ladies were beaming, giving me thumbs-up and words of praise.
“Well done, Evelyn!”
“You showed them!”
Their voices buzzed like bees. I didn’t feel proud. Pride was a luxury I’d long stopped indulging in. Instead, I felt a bit fearful.
If Mrs. Jennifer hadn’t stepped in… if fate hadn’t turned its head toward me just once… I might’ve been the one cuffed, humiliated and cast aside.
All I’d wanted was to survive here – to carve out a quiet corner of safety in Asterfell for me and Lana, nothing more.
Jennifer’s warm smile drew me back. “Good girl,” she said, her voice carrying a matriarch’s pride. “You’ve helped me a great deal. Is there anything you want as thanks?”
For a heartbeat, my wolf stirred – ask for protection, for safety, for freedom – but I only shook my head.
“What I wanted, I’ve already got,” I said softly.
Seeing justice done… reclaiming my three thousand dollars… it was enough. Maybe even too much good fortune for someone like me.
Jennifer studied me for a moment, her sharp eyes full of thought. “But are you really planning to sweep the streets here for the rest of your life?” she asked, her tone kind, not condescending. “My grandson has some connections in Asterfell. Maybe he can help you find a better job.”
The maid chimed in eagerly, “Yes, you should accept. Mrs. Jennifer’s promise isn’t something just anyone can get.”
I smiled faintly, shaking my head. “No, thank you. I actually like my current job.”
It was the truth.
There was something healing about it.
When the broom moved in my hands, steady and sure, I could forget the past for a while. Forget the night my pack fell apart. Forget the blood, the loss, the ache that never stopped.
For those few hours each morning, I wasn’t a hunted wolf. I was just Evelyn Thorne, a woman keeping her little world clean.
Mrs. Jennifer sighed softly, a note of regret in her voice. “Then I suppose this is goodbye, Ms. Thorne.”
Her gaze drifted down to Lana nestled against me. My little one was half-asleep, her tiny hand curled against my chest, her breath warm.
Jennifer’s eyes softened, and I saw something flicker there.
Her voice was almost a whisper when she asked, “Ms. Thorne… where is your child’s father?”
My pulse quickened.
I looked down at Lana, her tiny fingers curling in her sleep, and replied softly my voice barely above a whisper.
“He passed away.”
And in my heart, that was the truth – or close enough to it.
Jennifer’s eyes softened. She hesitated for a moment before murmuring, “My condolences.”
Then she turned and walked away.
When she was gone, I picked up my broom again and went to work.
—
The next afternoon, I went to the Community Board office that oversaw the sanitation workers, Lana cradled in my arms.
The moment I pushed open the door to the finance office, Frances Lawson looked up from her desk. “Evelyn, you’re just in time,” she said, motioning for me to come closer.
