#Chapter 165 – The Cabin in the Woods
The plan comes together swiftly in the night, snapping into place almost as if it had already been there
in each of their hearts. The simplicity of it astounds Evelyn, even as they spend the rest of the evening
working out the details and figuring out how, precisely, they would put it into action.
Ian falls asleep that night from sheer exhaustion. Evelyn hadn’t bothered to exclude him from the
conversation. She had asked him not to tell Alvin and Ian where they were or what they were up to, and
her only choice now was to trust that he would. She wasn’t going to live her life keeping things from his
son once he’d promised her his secrecy.
Alvin had contacted him once in the night, but Ian didn’t tell Evelyn. She hadn’t made him promise that
he would tell her – the boys were entitled to their own lives, their own secrets.
Ian had felt the question come into his mind, tinged with Alvin’s thoughts and emotions – sorrow,
apology, and curiosity, as well as longing. The boys missed each other. It was hard to be apart.
Ian had responded as cheerfully as he could, working hard to show Alvin happy pictures of their mom
and aunties talking to each other excitedly. He wanted to show his brother that they were all okay, that
they were working on something.
Hesitant, Alvin did ask to know where they were, but Ian told him that he couldn’t say. Their mom had
asked him not to, and he promised he would, and he was determined to keep his word. Alvin let him
know that he understood and trusted him.
They parted with love and, feeling better, Ian quickly fell into a happy sleep.
Evelyn looks at him now, brushing his hair away from his face, wondering what he really makes of it all.
Her little boys would be seven soon – she couldn’t believe it. And then the rest of their lives would
unfold so quickly. Perhaps, though, by including them in their little war room, Evelyn was doing her own
part to show him what life might be like in his future as an Alpha.
After all, they were making plans to overthrow a pack and take the control for themselves. It was
precisely the kind of thing that he’d be facing in his future, either as the aggressor or the defender.
They all fall asleep exhausted but happy. In the morning, they wake with new enthusiasm, ready to put
their plans into action.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe four pack the cars quickly, leaving at dawn, heading north. Evelyn laughs a little as she thinks
about their direction, realizing that she’s going right back into the lion’s den by heading back to their
city, back to their home, and that she was giving Victor every chance to find her.
But still, for their plan to be work, they had to be within 45 minutes of the Walsh estate.
Delia had found them a good spot. A cabin in the woods, found on a vacation rental website. It was
nothing like the rustic cabins that they had been to when they were camping with Victor, but was
instead a modern a-frame house with floor-to-ceiling windows, wifi, and every amenity known to man.
They had called the owner from the office phone the night before, slipping the manager $20 to make
himself scarce for a few minutes. Once they got him on the phone, Delia had asked the cabin’s owner if
he’d rent the place to them discreetly and with cash. He’d asked for 20% more than the quoted price
online for the inconvenience and Evelyn had readily agreed.
After all, one thing they had in abundance was cash.
The other thing they had was their intimate knowledge of how, precisely, the Walsh packed worked and
what its weaknesses were. Their whole lives, Emma and Evelyn had been studying the pack quietly,
not really knowing the wealth of information that they were being entrusted with by men who
consistently underestimated them.
Well, their father and Joyce would learn their mistake soon enough.
That afternoon, Evelyn smiles as she pulls into the driveway of the cabin, nodding approvingly at the
beautiful spot.
“Wow!” Ian says, climbing out of the car. “This is so great!” He takes off into the surrounding woods,
exploring the wealth of rocks, trees, and wildlife waiting for him there. Evelyn opens her mouth to call
after him, but then considers and closes it.
They were out in the middle of nowhere and he was a strong kid. No one was around to trouble him
and she had to trust him to take care of himself.
Instead, Evelyn takes her and Ian’s bag and then moves to Delia’s car, helping Emma to carry the
loads of groceries they had picked up in the closest town.
As they walk into the house, opening the door with a code provided by the landlord, Evelyn smiles at
the spark of hope curling in her chest. This was going to work, she just knew it. And she couldn’t wait to
see it all come to fruition.
Part of the joy was the knowledge that it was a distraction from her problems at home – from missing
her other son, from wondering about Victor and what he wanted from his life, about what the hell she
was going to do with her future.
Instead of sending her mind to these very important questions, Evelyn concentrates instead on the plan
and helping Emma to prepare a simple dinner of salad and pasta.
“Are you ready for this?” Evelyn says quietly to her sister, watching her out of the corner of her eye.
Emma smiles slowly and then looks at Evelyn. “You really think you’re the only brave one, don’t you?”
Evelyn laughs at this and turns to face her sister. She’s been called out because – well, yes. She had
been thinking that she was the brave sister, wondering what she could do for Emma to chuff her up.
“I’m sorry,” Evelyn says, still laughing. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t admire you, or respect all
that you’ve endured.”
Emma nods, a smirk growing on her face. “Yes. But….?” She raises an eyebrow, waiting for Evelyn to
finish her sentence.
Evelyn rolls her eyes. Her sister knows her too well. “Yes, but…Emma, why didn’t you do this years
ago? Why didn’t you run, or ruin him? You’ve always had the power to do it. Why now?”
Emma’s eyes slowly move to Delia, who is sitting on the floor before the fridge unpacking the groceries.
“I guess before now, I never really had a reason to do it.”
“So,” Evelyn says, busying her hands by stirring the pot of pasta. “You two…this is new?”
Emma nods briskly. “It’s new, but it’s also…old. I think I may have loved her…well, always.” She peeks
up at Evelyn, who grins and gives her sister a big hug.
“I’m happy for you,” Evelyn whispers softly into her sister’s hair. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s weird,”
she says, and Emma pulls back to frown at her, a protest on her lips.
Evelyn laughs and interrupts. “But only because I didn’t even know you guys knew each other before
two days ago, and now you’re in love.”
Emma realizes her mistake and laughs with her sister, returning her hug.
“I hate to interrupt the happy scene,” Delia says, rising from her place on the floor and putting her
hands on her hips. “But do we want to make…the phone call? Before he comes back?” She nods
towards the back door, indicating Ian.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
“No,” Evelyn says, frowning. Then she goes to the door and calls to her son, who she sees come
running towards them. When Delia raises an eyebrow at her, Evelyn just shrugs. “I want him to see
how it’s done.”
Emma shrugs as well, having no real reason to protest. Then Delia nods, pulling out the burner phone
which they had bought at the town’s local pharmacy and handing it to Evelyn.
“Ready?” Delia asks.
“No,” Evelyn says, shaking her head. “Do it first. It will give me…inspiration.”
“Evelyn,” Delia says, frustrated, her eyes darting towards Ian.
Evelyn sighs and turns to her son. “Turn around for this part, baby. You don’t need to see this.”
Frowning, Ian does as he’s told. Then, Evelyn turns back to Delia and nods.
Without a blink or a change of expression, Delia winds up her arm, makes a fist, and punches Evelyn
right in the face.
“Oh god damnit,” Evelyn yells, gasping, her hand flying right to her right cheekbone and eye socket
where Delia’s punch had landed.
“Mama!” Ian shouts, spinning and trying to process – his little teeth instantly bared in a snarl –
“It’s okay, Ian,” Evelyn says, putting out a hand towards him. “I asked her to do that.”
He hesitates and then slowly allows his hackles to fall, looking between them all with a wary curiosity.
“Jesus christ, Delia,” Evelyn murmurs, tapping at the newly tender skin around her eye. “What’d you
do, take a bunch of boxing lessons lately?”
“Yes,” Delia says, her face serious. Then she nods at the phone still in Evelyn’s hand. “Go ahead, while
it’s fresh.”
Evelyn nods and then dials the number. She knows it by heart, of course – has known it her whole life.
Then she lifts the phone to her left ear.
It rings a few times and then a voice answers. “The Alpha,” she says. “I need to speak to him.”
The voice on the other line begins to protest, bored, but then Evelyn says the word she knows will stop
him. A word she’s also known her entire life, a secret in her family. The voice on the other end goes
silent, and then puts her through.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end is frustrated at being bothered.
“Daddy?” Evelyn asks, sniffing, the action coming both as a forced thing and as a very real result of the
new pain in her face. “Daddy, can I come home?”