Chapter 143

Evelyn’s POV
I remembered the live stream where I’d exposed her misdeeds. Jackson had even asked if I wanted him to eliminate her permanently, but my kind nature had prevented me from taking such drastic action. I couldn’t bring myself to casually dispose of someone, no matter how much they deserved it.
Looking back now, I realized I should have been more decisive then. If I had made that hard choice, none of this would have happened to my children.
I made a silent promise to myself: from now on, I would be ruthless when necessary. I would eliminate threats completely, cutting them off at the root before they could come back to hurt the people I loved.
Suddenly, another thought struck me. On the surface, this attack appeared to be Liri working with rogues to kill me.
But Clara had to have played a role in this. The remnants of the Calypso Pack were more powerful than I’d anticipated.
Most importantly… Liri’s information came from Clara. But how did Clara know that the children and I would be at the Bloodbane Pack house at that exact time?
A name flashed through my mind.
Diana.
I hadn’t discussed this possibility with Leon. When I’d visited him, his assistant had stepped out, leaving just the two of us alone in the room.
Looking at Leon’s leg in its cast, I made a promise that came from the deepest part of me. “Your leg was injured while saving Rowan and Rhys. I will do my best to heal you.”
The intensity in my eyes must have been visible, because Leon couldn’t seem to look away.
He nodded once. “I believe you.”
After leaving Leon, I headed to check on Eryx, who had also been injured protecting my children. He had been fighting the rogues single-handedly until Leon arrived with backup.
When I reached Eryx’s room, I was surprised to find Jackson there too. My tech specialist rarely left his command center at Evelink Biosciences.
“Did someone drag you kicking and screaming away from your computer?” I teased as I entered.
Jackson looked up, dark circles under his eyes testifying to a sleepless night. “You guys alerted me about the attack yesterday. It scared me half to death. I was contacting people everywhere.” He ran a hand through his already messy hair. “You know Gary was really worried in the lab. He would have come over if he hadn’t been tied up with his experiments.”
A pang of guilt hit me as I thought about my friends and colleagues worrying about me. “Tell them I’m fine,” I said. “Well, I will be.”
Eryx sat up straighter in his bed, his muscular frame making the hospital bed look small. “Jackson’s been trying to trace how Liri knew where you would be last night.”
I nodded, my suspicions crystallizing. “I think it was Diana.”
“Calvin’s mother?” Jackson’s eyebrows shot up.
“She’s never accepted me,” I explained. “And last time she came begging me to help save one of her clients, I refused. I suspect she’s been holding a grudge ever since.”
Eryx looked confused. “Didn’t she know the twins were with you? Clara and Liri, those two crazy women nearly killed the boys yesterday.”
The thought still terrified me.
Jackson snorted. “That witch is seriously petty. Doesn’t she realize that conspiring with rogues to harm Alpha heirs is a capital offense?” His fingers flew over his laptop keyboard. “I’ll dig deeper, trace any communications between them.”
“Be careful,” I warned. “If Diana is involved, she won’t leave an obvious trail.”
After instructing Jackson to investigate further, I headed back to my hospital room. My back was throbbing, and I needed to rest before seeing the twins again.
The moment I entered my room, I knew something was wrong. An expensive perfume hung in the air—not the hospital’s antiseptic smell, but something rich and cloying. My eyes fell on a figure seated on the sofa.
Diana Wolfe sat there, dressed impeccably in designer clothes, not a hair out of place. Her makeup was flawless, highlighting her aristocratic features.
Upon seeing me, she immediately stood, her red-soled heels clicking against the floor as she approached.
“Eve,” she said, her voice sweet but eyes cold. “How fortunate you survived last night’s… unfortunate incident.”
I stared at her, wondering if she had any idea that I suspected her of being the one who leaked our whereabouts. That I knew she was responsible for nearly getting her own grandsons killed.
“Oh Eve, dear, I was so worried when I heard what happened to you. I got up at the crack of dawn to make you some homemade chicken soup.”
“Don’t just stand there in the doorway, come sit down. This soup needs to be eaten while it’s hot—it’s very nourishing.”
This whole thing screamed red flags. Like a snake showing up with a gift basket.
Just days ago Diana pitched a fit and stormed out of my place, and now she’s here all smiles with homemade soup? Give me a break.
Probably spiked it with something nasty.
“What do you want?” I asked flatly, ignoring the soup. Instead, I rolled my wheelchair over to the windows.
The view outside was stunning, almost resort-like with lush greenery stretching across well-manicured gardens. The Bloodbane Pack spared no expense for their medical facilities.
I could feel Diana getting pissy behind me, but in the window’s reflection, she kept that fake smile going. She set down the container and strolled over like we were old friends.
“Eve, dear, I was too emotional the other day and said some regrettable things. Please don’t hold it against me.”
I raised an eyebrow, offering neither forgiveness nor acknowledgment. The nerve of this woman—coming here after what she’d done.
Diana leaned closer, her expensive perfume nearly suffocating me. “No matter what, we were family once. I’ve always had a soft spot for you, especially knowing you lost your parents so young.”
Bringing up my parents? The balls on this woman.
“If you ask me,” she continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “you shouldn’t have rejected Calvin in the first place. It’s perfectly normal for an Alpha in his position to have female companions outside his mateship, especially someone with Calvin’s status and appearance.”