Evander's POV
The drive back to the pack's main house was longer than usual, though maybe it only felt that way because I didn't want to be there. The gravel crunched under the tires, the night pressing in heavy against the windows, and every instinct in me screamed to turn around. But there was only one reason I didn't.
My mother had called.
If it had been anyone else, I would've ignored the message, let it rot unread. I don't answer to anyone. Not the council, not the elders, not even my father. Especially not him. But my mother—she's the one person who can pull me back from the edge without saying a damn word.
She doesn't even have to ask twice.
So I came.
And apparently, for nothing.
Because the moment I stepped into her sitting room, I realized I'd been tricked. Again.
