Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Lucien had expected many things when he arrived at Valemont.

He expected Evelyn to be annoying. He expected her to be difficult. He expected her to demand something unreasonable, perhaps even refuse to speak to him altogether.

What he had not expected was to find his mother sitting comfortably in the Valemont estate, sipping tea as though she had been coming here her entire life.

And what he certainly had not expected was the sight before him. Veronica was smiling. It was not her polite Luna smile, nor was it the composed expression she wore when standing before other Alphas.

She was genuinely smiling at Evelyn. It was almost as though she was fond of her.

Lucien stood frozen in the doorway, watching them for a moment longer than he meant to, something uncomfortable settling in his chest that he refused to examine too closely.

"Mother."

Veronica looked up, entirely unbothered by the shock plainly written across his face. She stood up as Evelyn did too.

"It’s good you’ve finally swallowed that pride of yours and come here. Evelyn is a delight." She grinned as Evelyn’s smile deepened.

"A truly beautiful and intelligent woman. She reminds me of myself back in the day." Veronica continued to praise Evelyn. "In all of this, none of you bothered to tell me just who she is. You made her sound like the devil incarnate, and instead I find myself sitting across from an angel."

"What are you doing here, Mother? With the e—" He paused in his words, his jaw tightening. Behind him, Marcus tensed up at his words. They’d come for a reason, and if Lucien messed it up before they even got a chance to settle this, then what?

"And you, Ashira," he said instead.

"Don’t take it out on the General. She only did as ordered. After all, she still answers to me, doesn’t she?" Veronica interjected.

Shaking her head, she turned to Evelyn. "It’s good to see you again, dear. Once all of this is done and over with, come over to the pack house and I’ll treat you, alright."

Evelyn nodded, smiling warmly. "Thank you, Luna."

Veronica shook her head. "Veronica. Call me Veronica."

Lucien’s face hardened the more he stood, watching their supposed relationship. Veronica? She only allowed a few people to call her that, and somehow after spending a few hours with Evelyn, she could now call her Veronica?

Veronica walked toward the door with Ashira behind her. She paused for some seconds by Lucien’s side. "Sort this out, Alpha." She said, then walked away.

Lucien watched her disappear down the hall before turning back to Evelyn, jaw still tight from everything he refused to examine too closely.

"Did you lure my mother here?" he asked.

Evelyn’s brows rose. "Excuse me?" ℯℯ𝑙.

"That doesn’t—" He caught himself, exhaling sharply. "Never mind. She does precisely as she pleases regardless of anyone’s involvement. I should have expected nothing less."

"If you’re quite finished accusing me of kidnapping your mother," Evelyn said evenly, "I believe you came here for a reason."

"I did." His jaw tightened. "I need to speak with you." He looked around the room, then added, "Privately."

Evelyn considered him a moment, then glanced toward where Celine, Tristan, Clara, and Marcus stood at various points around the room, none of them making any pretense of not listening.

"No," she stated.

Lucien blinked, taken aback. "What?"

Evelyn wrapped her arms over her chest. "I said no. I’m not seeing you privately—not until I get an apology."

Lucien stared at her for a moment. He genuinely thought he had misheard her. "An apology?"

"An apology," Evelyn repeated. "You’ve heard the word before, surely. Even the Supreme Alpha must know how to say it."

Lucien’s jaw tightened, his eyes flicking once around the room. Tristan’s arms crossed. Marcus carefully studied the floor. Celine watched with wide, unblinking eyes. Clara froze mid-step near the doorway with a tea tray she’d clearly forgotten she was holding.

"You want me to apologize," he said slowly, "in front of your entire household."

"I want you to apologize because you owe it to me. Whether an audience is present has never once stopped you from saying whatever you pleased to me. I don’t see why it should stop you now."

"This is absurd."

"Then leave." She said calmly. "I have no further use for a conversation that requires me to make it easier for you."

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Lucien’s hands curled slowly at his sides, every instinct in him rebelling against the request—a lifetime of never once bending, never once admitting fault where anyone could witness it, screaming at him to turn and walk out exactly as he had at the tavern.

But he thought of the border. The withdrawals. Cedric’s face across that table, asking a question Lucien hadn’t been able to answer. His mother’s voice, warm and delighted, laughing with the very woman he’d spent weeks calling a catastrophe.

He thought of the eighteen billion silver free-falling due to this mess and swallowed hard.

"Fine," he said finally, the word dragged out of him like it cost something physical.

Marcus’s head snapped up sharply in disbelief. Even Ashira, had she still been in the room, would have been startled at that.

Lucien exhaled slowly and made himself hold Evelyn’s gaze rather than look away.

"I spoke carelessly about your son," he began. "It was cruel. Unnecessary. I’ve thought of it more than I care to admit since the day I said it." His jaw tightened further, though he didn’t stop. "And I have humiliated you publicly, more than once, because I couldn’t tolerate being refused by a woman I’d decided didn’t deserve the power to refuse me."

He drew a breath. "I’m sorry, Evelyn."

Evelyn didn’t say a word. She simply stared at him for what seemed like minutes. Then she nodded. "Accepted."

"You wanted to see me privately—then come with me."

---

They sat down opposite each other, Lucien burning with humiliation at the apology he’d been forced to give, yet he tried not to dwell on it. After all, he had a greater thing in mind.

"What do you want from me, Alpha Lucien?" Evelyn asked, looking him in the eye.

"I want this ended," Lucien said. "The border. The withdrawals. Whatever else you’ve set in motion. I want it undone, and I want it undone soon."

"Then let’s discuss what that requires."

Lucien’s brow raised. "What that requires?"

Evelyn smirked. "Surely you don’t think your apology was going to be it, did you?" She asked, almost as if she knew his apology was insincere.

"You—" He stopped himself before he could ruin things further, his hands tightening into fists. This woman was really the spawn of the devil. How had he managed to get involved in this?

"What do you mean, requires? There are requirements to undo what you’ve done?" He asked, his voice raised by an octave.

Evelyn didn’t mind it. She couldn’t see how hard he was struggling. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t the one in control.

"Exactly. Surely you didn’t think undoing it all would be that easy? A few words here and there, snapping of fingers, and then it’s done?" She shook her head. "It’s going to take more than that, Supreme Alpha."

Lucien’s jaw tightened. He literally bit down on his tongue to stop himself from speaking harsh words. "What are your requirements?"

Evelyn smirked. This was it. Lucien had been cornered into a place he couldn’t ever get out of. She really should send Alpha Cassian some healing potions and fruit baskets for his help.

"First. Lift the ban on Valemont, entirely and permanently. Not a temporary pause while you decide whether I’ve behaved myself. Gone."

His jaw tightened, though he nodded. "Done."

"Bloodmoon as well."

"Bloodmoon isn’t your pack now, Evelyn. Why don’t you go within your means for now?" he said.

"Within my means is Bloodmoon as well. You only banned them because of me. Lifting the ban is a part of my requirements."

He stared at her for some seconds, every part of him boiling. Yet he nodded stiffly. "Done."

"You’ll stamp formal recognition for the healing house," Evelyn continued. "Full legitimacy. No restrictions on trade, guild access, or territory. I won’t spend the next decade fighting your decrees every time I try to expand it."

"You have it."

"And you’ll stop interfering in whatever remains between me and Kael." Her voice sharpened. "Whatever happens between us going forward isn’t the First Houses’ concern. It certainly isn’t yours."

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Evelyn—"

"That isn’t a negotiation," she said, holding his gaze without flinching. "You’ve already made the mistake of inserting yourself into that fight once. Would you make the mistake a second time?"

He said nothing for a moment, jaw working, before giving a short, clipped nod. "Fine."

"One more thing." She said, and something in her tone made him go still.

"Remove Kael from the sovereign list. Strip him of any standing consideration for the First Houses, permanently. He no longer lobbies for a seat among the realm’s respected rulers."

Lucien’s brows drew together. "That’s a significant demand. Removing a name from that list isn’t done lightly, regardless of personal grievance."

"He buried my son and let me believe another woman’s child was mine for five years. I’d be damned if I let him live happily. He isn’t a man who deserves to sit among rulers you’d call respected. If you truly believe in what the First Houses are meant to represent, you already know I’m right."

Lucien stared at her for minutes, wondering if perhaps he was getting the better deal. He couldn’t imagine what she still had planned for Kael.

"Done."

"Finally—" she began, and his brows furrowed. He thought she’d listed it all out, but she wasn’t done yet.

"Fifty million silvers in reparation to Valemont. Your ban made Valemont lose fifteen million in a day."

Lucien’s jaw tightened at the number. "Fifty million."

"Fifteen million lost in a single day, Lucien. The blockade held for far longer than that." Evelyn’s voice stayed level. "I’m being generous, considering the actual figures."

"You’re bleeding me dry."

"I’m making you pay for what you broke." She held his gaze. "You didn’t hesitate to threaten to erase Valemont entirely. Fifty million is a mercy compared to what you promised them."

For a long moment, he said nothing, jaw working through some internal calculation. While fifty million silvers was preposterous, he had lost eighteen billion silvers. He couldn’t drag this out anymore.

"Fine," he said finally. "Fifty million will be sent today. Is that all, now?"

Evelyn leaned back, smiling. "Once the money has been paid, everything will be lifted."

"You’ve won. I hope it was worth whatever it’s cost you to become the kind of woman capable of this."

Something flickered across Evelyn’s face. "Everything costs something, Alpha Lucien. I learned that lesson from men like you and Kael."

He stood up, about to leave, when Evelyn stretched out her hand to shake his. "It was lovely doing business with you, Supreme Alpha."

He stared at her outstretched hand and stepped closer to her. "I hope, for your sake, Evelyn Valemont, that we never cross paths again."