Evaline:
I couldn't drag River into this. Not even as a lie, not even as an excuse. Bringing him into Alpha Grey's very determined little negotiation would only complicate things further.
So I took a slow breath, forced my spine straight, and sifted through my options until one finally felt…usable.
When I lifted my eyes to his, I made my expression calm... steady, almost serene. A kind of truth, even if not the whole truth.
"You may or may not know this," I began gently, "but I'm dating Draven Thorne."
If I was expecting even a flicker of surprise, a twitch of an eyelash, the slightest shift of tension across his shoulders…well, I was disappointed. Elion Grey didn't react at all. Not even a blink. He was harder to read than River on his best brooding day. For a moment, I almost admired him.
