Jasmine stepped forward. "I..I don't know how to explain it, but when I look at you, I feel like… I feel like something is pulling me towards you, Evans."
Her voice was softer than earlier.
Evans nodded. "I feel it too. Isn't that weird?"
Ophelia tightened her jaw as they exchanged words, but she said nothing.
"The bond..always recognises what the mind does not," the female elder said, her smile more knowing.
"The bond?" Evans asked as he shifted his gaze to her.
Dante stepped forward again, this time annoyance and impatience were written all over his face.
"I won't bow my head to this small boy," he said. "If he is truly the Alpha we were meant to follow, he would have to prove it."
A ripple of tension spread immediately while Ophelia stepped forward, her hands forming into fists.
"Why don't you face it off with me instead? You know I'd love to prove it to you," she replied, her voice menacing. Then she looked back at Evans. "Let me handle this."
Evans shook his head slightly. "He is speaking to me, let me handle it."
Ophelia hesitated, then stepped aside while Evans stepped forward. Every eye locked on him.
A wicked smile crossed Dante's lips. "It is clear that you can barely stand your ground, boy. Why don't you fight me? After all, strength decides leadership."
Jasmine turned to him sharply. "What? No. Just ignore him, Evans."
A slow rising heat grew in Evans' chest as his heartbeat steadied. He stepped forward again, and gasps echoed softly, but Ophelia leaned in close to him.
"Don't take any steps forward. This is not the right time," she whispered.
Dante smirked. "What? Why are you stopping the clueless Alpha? Let him come forward and get a taste of what leadership and strength should look like."
Evans' jaw clenched. "I have been talked down to. Ophelia was not the only one who looked for me, hunters are also on the lookout for me. They are hell-bent on killing me, and I don't even know the reason why." He paused, then added, "I am not doing this because of you."
"Better."
Jasmine's heart raced in her chest as she turned her gaze to Evans. "You don't have to do this. He's just trying to provoke you."
"No, I am not," Dante said.
Evans did not look at Jasmine. "I know, Jasmine."
A brief silence settled in the room, and a male elder declared,
"Enough." Then he continued, his voice carrying weight. "You and the boy won't engage in bloodshed. Now, he's still feeling like a stranger in his own people's midst."
Dante frowned. "So when is the right time?"
"When the Alpha is ready," the female elder replied with finality in her voice.
Dante scoffed, then hesitated. He stepped back, his eyes fixed intensely on Evans. Tension lingered in the air, thick.
"Remember, this is not over," Dante let out, his tone stern.
"I know," Evans answered back calmly.
The female elder turned back to Evans. "You will be back, Evans. You will be back prepared and trained, and we will await your return."
Evans nodded. "I will."
Jasmine's gaze remained on him; she couldn't explain what she was feeling inside. She was filled with questions, but she knew this wasn't the right time.
Ophelia, on the other hand, watched both of them in silence, her eyes flickering with something dangerous and unreadable.
"Since the pack enforcer found you, it would only be good if she were the one who trained you and put you on the right track," one of the male elders declared.
Jasmine furrowed her brows. "I am so sorry, but isn't it too risky to leave him with Ophelia? I can also teach him things he does not know, or what do you think?"
Ophelia smirked slightly. "You shouldn't be involved in messy things like this, Jasmine. You have never been involved in one; instead, you engage in not getting your little fingers dirty."
"I will learn," Jasmine replied immediately, her tone firmer than before. "I know I'm not like you, but I'm involved in this now whether I like it or not."
Ophelia tilted her head slightly, her eyes scanning Jasmine's adamant expression. "You think this is a school practical you can learn overnight or a class group? Open your eyes and read the room, Miss Porter."
A faint murmur echoed in the room, and Jasmine's mother attempted to step forward, but Jasmine stopped her.
She shifted her gaze to Ophelia. "You want to throw everything without balance, is that how you want it?"
Evans stared at both of them. The tension emanating from both of them was subtle, but it was there, and it was growing gradually.
Ophelia scoffed as she stepped forward. "You think this is about balance?"
Jasmine gave a faint nod. "He is just finding out who he is. This is probably too much for him; you cannot expect him to just adapt overnight."
"Well, I've been training him in the past few days," Ophelia retorted dryly. "He did not come here because I forced him to or I told him to adapt overnight. He came willingly, and you think that is not enough?"
"What I know is that Evans is not ready to be pushed into something so…
"He doesn't have a choice, sweetheart," Ophelia cut in.
"Okay, that's enough," Evans proclaimed, and they flickered their eyes to him. "I appreciate your efforts, but I'm not a baby or a toddler. This is not something to argue about, especially not here."
The tension in Ophelia's posture eased a bit, while Jasmine pressed her lips into a thin line.
The female elder stepped forward again, her presence drawing attention. "He is right. There should be no cause for conflict. You both have roles, and they must be understood."
Silence followed.
"Ophelia," she continued, "you found him and you know the dangers surrounding him. You have saved his life, and you will be the one to train him."
Ophelia nodded. "Understood."
Jasmine stepped forward. "I..I don't know how to explain it, but when I look at you, I feel like… I feel like something is pulling me towards you, Evans."
Her voice was softer than earlier.
Evans nodded. "I feel it too. Isn't that weird?"
Ophelia tightened her jaw as they exchanged words, but she said nothing.
"The bond..always recognises what the mind does not," the female elder said, her smile more knowing.
"The bond?" Evans asked as he shifted his gaze to her.
Dante stepped forward again, this time annoyance and impatience were written all over his face.
"I won't bow my head to this small boy," he said. "If he is truly the Alpha we were meant to follow, he would have to prove it."
A ripple of tension spread immediately while Ophelia stepped forward, her hands forming into fists.
"Why don't you face it off with me instead? You know I'd love to prove it to you," she replied, her voice menacing. Then she looked back at Evans. "Let me handle this."
Evans shook his head slightly. "He is speaking to me, let me handle it."
Ophelia hesitated, then stepped aside while Evans stepped forward. Every eye locked on him.
A wicked smile crossed Dante's lips. "It is clear that you can barely stand your ground, boy. Why don't you fight me? After all, strength decides leadership."
Jasmine turned to him sharply. "What? No. Just ignore him, Evans."
A slow rising heat grew in Evans' chest as his heartbeat steadied. He stepped forward again, and gasps echoed softly, but Ophelia leaned in close to him.
"Don't take any steps forward. This is not the right time," she whispered.
Dante smirked. "What? Why are you stopping the clueless Alpha? Let him come forward and get a taste of what leadership and strength should look like."
Evans' jaw clenched. "I have been talked down to. Ophelia was not the only one who looked for me, hunters are also on the lookout for me. They are hell-bent on killing me, and I don't even know the reason why." He paused, then added, "I am not doing this because of you."
"Better."
Jasmine's heart raced in her chest as she turned her gaze to Evans. "You don't have to do this. He's just trying to provoke you."
"No, I am not," Dante said.
Evans did not look at Jasmine. "I know, Jasmine."
A brief silence settled in the room, and a male elder declared,
"Enough." Then he continued, his voice carrying weight. "You and the boy won't engage in bloodshed. Now, he's still feeling like a stranger in his own people's midst."
Dante frowned. "So when is the right time?"
"When the Alpha is ready," the female elder replied with finality in her voice.
Dante scoffed, then hesitated. He stepped back, his eyes fixed intensely on Evans. Tension lingered in the air, thick.
"Remember, this is not over," Dante let out, his tone stern.
"I know," Evans answered back calmly.
The female elder turned back to Evans. "You will be back, Evans. You will be back prepared and trained, and we will await your return."
Evans nodded. "I will."
Jasmine's gaze remained on him; she couldn't explain what she was feeling inside. She was filled with questions, but she knew this wasn't the right time.
Ophelia, on the other hand, watched both of them in silence, her eyes flickering with something dangerous and unreadable.
"Since the pack enforcer found you, it would only be good if she were the one who trained you and put you on the right track," one of the male elders declared.
Jasmine furrowed her brows. "I am so sorry, but isn't it too risky to leave him with Ophelia? I can also teach him things he does not know, or what do you think?"
Ophelia smirked slightly. "You shouldn't be involved in messy things like this, Jasmine. You have never been involved in one; instead, you engage in not getting your little fingers dirty."
"I will learn," Jasmine replied immediately, her tone firmer than before. "I know I'm not like you, but I'm involved in this now whether I like it or not."
Ophelia tilted her head slightly, her eyes scanning Jasmine's adamant expression. "You think this is a school practical you can learn overnight or a class group? Open your eyes and read the room, Miss Porter."
A faint murmur echoed in the room, and Jasmine's mother attempted to step forward, but Jasmine stopped her.
She shifted her gaze to Ophelia. "You want to throw everything without balance, is that how you want it?"
Evans stared at both of them. The tension emanating from both of them was subtle, but it was there, and it was growing gradually.
Ophelia scoffed as she stepped forward. "You think this is about balance?"
Jasmine gave a faint nod. "He is just finding out who he is. This is probably too much for him; you cannot expect him to just adapt overnight."
"Well, I've been training him in the past few days," Ophelia retorted dryly. "He did not come here because I forced him to or I told him to adapt overnight. He came willingly, and you think that is not enough?"
"What I know is that Evans is not ready to be pushed into something so…
"He doesn't have a choice, sweetheart," Ophelia cut in.
"Okay, that's enough," Evans proclaimed, and they flickered their eyes to him. "I appreciate your efforts, but I'm not a baby or a toddler. This is not something to argue about, especially not here."
The tension in Ophelia's posture eased a bit, while Jasmine pressed her lips into a thin line.
The female elder stepped forward again, her presence drawing attention. "He is right. There should be no cause for conflict. You both have roles, and they must be understood."
Silence followed.
"Ophelia," she continued, "you found him and you know the dangers surrounding him. You have saved his life, and you will be the one to train him."
Ophelia nodded. "Understood."