Chapter 20 An Unexpected Encounter

Evelyn's POV

Judy lay on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. When I reached out to help her, she turned her head away, refusing my assistance. Her golden hair fell across her face like a veil of silk, enhancing her pitiful appearance.


To any onlooker, I was the villain, though she had fallen on her own.


But then I heard Wyatt’s voice! How did he get here? The Moon Goddess, this was a disaster!


Instinctively, I withdrew my hand and stepped back, putting distance between myself and Judy.


She blinked back tears, her expression one of utter despair.

"Alpha..." she whimpered, raising her head to look behind me, her voice breaking with emotion.


I knew what was coming next.


Like a scene from a movie, Wyatt would rush to Judy's side, help her up, and publicly chastise me. Worse, he might even push me to the ground to give me a taste of her humiliation.


With no cameras to capture the truth, this misunderstanding could easily turn Wyatt against my Pack…


The thought was too painful to bear.


I turned toward Wyatt, bracing myself to face the fury of an Alpha.


"Alpha? Aren't you coming to check on me?" Judy's voice carried a note of confusion.


"Just now Evelyn pushed me, and you..." she trailed off, her eyes flicking between the two Alphas.


My heart was pounding, and I braced for Wyatt's accusation. But as I gazed at the men before me, my surprise was unmistakable.


Wyatt stood next to Bennett, both of them observing the scene without moving to intervene.


I thought, 'Why was Bennett here as well?'


A rush of thoughts clouded my mind. What had seemed a mere inter-pack dispute might now draw Bennett's Pack against me, potentially worsening my pack’s already precarious situation?


I swallowed hard, striving to regain my composure and strategize my next move.


"Hello, Evelyn," Bennett stepped forward, his focus solely on me, bypassing Judy completely.


His demeanor was unexpectedly gentle, stirring a glimmer of hope that he might be here to aid me. But why would I think that? Shouldn't he align with Wyatt?

"I came here to investigate the lode," he said, glancing briefly at Judy behind me. "Surprising, Evelyn."


The implication hung in the air—he hadn't expected to witness such a spectacle.


He was here on business as well, which was definitely not promising. If he took control over the lode, it would leave me with no leverage.


Wyatt's POV

What's happening? When did Ben and Evelyn become so familiar?

I had timed my arrival to ensure Evelyn would need my assistance, but now I was bewildered by the rapport between Ben and her.


As far as I knew, they should have had minimal contact since our meeting at the pack. And given that Ben was my friend, he ought to harbor some animosity towards her. Yet here they stood, seemingly at ease with one another.


I couldn’t stand by any longer; I needed to sort this out.


Judy slowly rose from the ground and approached again, clutching my arm. "Evelyn came over and pushed me down, Alpha. Can you help me...?" Tears streaked her face, her voice quivering.


A wave of irritation surged within me. I had warned her against overstepping, yet here she was, blatantly ignoring my directive. Such incompetence from a subordinate was unacceptable.


"She should pay for this," Judy insisted loudly, leaning into me so heavily that the mud from her clothes stained mine. The mess on my clothing only fueled my disgust.

"Shut up!" I snapped, unable to contain my frustration.


"What?" Judy's face stiffened in shock, disbelief etching her features.


"I said, shut up and get away from me." With a firm push, I sent her stumbling back into the mud.


"Alpha, you can't treat me like this..." Her cries continued, softer this time, but I dismissed them with a wave of my hand.

Turning to Evelyn, I managed a smile. "Now, let’s address your situation. You shouldn’t be here, so there must be a reason… Did you follow me here? Admit it, Evelyn."

"What?" Evelyn's eyes widened in astonishment. She pointed to herself, her expression bordering on comical.


I realized she was too flustered to grasp the situation. Maybe I needed to clarify.


But before I could gather my thoughts, Ben's commanding voice cut through the tension. "Wyatt, listen carefully to what she's saying!”


Though his voice was soft, it struck me like a thunderclap—Ben was truly angry and, unmistakably, siding with Evelyn.


This puzzled me deeply.


Previously, I had assumed Ben's support of Evelyn was a favor to me, but the unfolding scenario suggested otherwise.

By the Moon Goddess, it seemed I had overlooked some crucial details…