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Chapter 31

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Evy could not believe what she was doing.

She had not done anything like this before, she had always been the goody two shoes, the one to follow the rules the one to comply...till now.

But, she was sneaking out of the palace like a thief...she could not believe Alex talked her in to this. She could not deny the shiver of excitement in her belly.

She had messaged Max that she was spending time with Alex and would see him in the evening and now Alex was talking her through the underbelly of the palace through a maze of hallways avoiding any staff that could recognize them. Luckily for them Alex was carrying his access card and any and all doors would open for them. They eventually reached the door they wanted to reach and with a swipe of card from Alex it opened without any resistance.

They steeped out in to the sunlight.

"See...easy as a pie." Alex grinned pulling at her hand.

They had stepped out of an inconspicuous fire exit door in a small ally between two buildings and as they walked out they mingled with the throng of tourists in the palace courtyard. Within moments they were out of the Palace main gate and Alex quickly hailed a taxi.

All vehicles going in and out of the palace were thoroughly checked and Alex's car in the secure parking was very well guarded for him to sneak out un-noticed. So they could only hope to sneak out unnoticed and get a taxi.

"Commercial street please" Alex instructed the cab driver as they piled in.

Evelyn watched everything wide eyed, the palace in the daylight looked daunting, massive and at the same time extremely beautiful and as the cab raced towards the city she took in all the sights.

"We made it!" Alex grinned conspiringly.

"Yes" she nodded but bit her lip "I am feeling bad about it...maybe I inform Max...?" She hesitated. A part of her was feeling guilty.

Alex sighed "Let's do this, we have come out anyway so let's enjoy some freedom and once you are back you can confess your sins to your one true lord" he reasoned.

"All right" she nodded. She would hate to keep a secret from Max and Alex was right, she might as well enjoy it.

"So where are we going?" She asked him.

"Commercial Street is your one stop shopping and food destination, so we can shop and have a bite, how does that sound?" He asked.

"Sounds good" She agreed and looked out of the window. They moved past the newer, flashier part of the city in to the heart of the city as the streets got narrower and buildings got older and you could see the architecture slowly change reflecting the times they were built in.

The taxi stopped near the entrance of a street which was barricaded to prevent any vehicles to enter and people on foot were streaming in and out of the busy street.

"Here we are, let's go" Alex said getting out of the taxi and paying the driver. Evy followed him out and looked around taking the sights and sounds of the busy market in.

As the taxi drove off, Alex pulled her in to the thriving market and pointed to the stores he wanted her to check out.

***

"You seen Alex?" Max asked Adrian.

Adrian raised an eyebrow looking at Max "Isn't he with Evelyn?" where else would he be?

"Can't find her either" Max said bummered. He had check Evy's usual haunts and found no life of her there, he even check Alex's haunts and he could not find him either. He was not sure where on earth they were. His hands twitched to call her and check up on her but he was resisting the urge so that he does not look overbearing.

After all she was with Alex, what could happen to her? He gulped and worry intensified...Alex...he better be careful with her. His twitching intensified to call her but he suppressed the urge, he would give them some time.

"What are you up to?" Max asked trying to divert his mind.

"Planning your wedding" Adrian deadpanned.

"Really?!" Max asked with disbelief.

"Yep!" Adrian said lacking any enthusiasm "Do you think weddings plan themselves?" he grumbled and added "Mama Wolf put me up for this task, not sure what I did to piss her off" he said referring to Roma.

"Let me have a look at it" Max said stepping over to Adrian's laptop, peering in to it.

"I thought Sebastian would have been roped in to this" Max added.

"Sebastian!? Really Max?" Adrian asked incredulous "He can't even plan a funeral forget a wedding... and your mate has been stealing silverware to stab him in the back when she get the opportunity" Adrian said, referring to the fact that Sebastian has been beating up Evelyn in their daily training sessions.

"Yeah well, she would be the first to succeed if she does succeed" Max said. Adrian, Alex and Max had been trained by Sebastian and it was not the best period of their life and they did try to stick it to Sebastian...unsuccessfully...that bastard was a ghost.

"Well, I wouldn't write her off...she is devious when she wants to be" Adrian complimented her.

Max grinned "She does, doesn't she?" his grin turned to frown think of her again. Where the hell was she?

***

When he took Evelyn for shopping there was one thing he did not factor in...carrying shopping bags. But he smiled at her jubilance of visiting every store and exploring every item and he buying everything her eye's lingered on even slightly even after her protests.

She did buy some trinkets, a few earrings, a necklace a small bracelet with small howling wolves dangling and some clothes. The commercial street was equivalent to a flea market but on a much larger scale and some authentic antiques and jewelry stores sprinkled in between.

"I don't know about you but I am famished and I can certainly use a drink" Alex moaned, he had done enough walking to last for a month.

"Me too!" Evelyn exclaimed, still bubbling with enthusiasm, she had never been to a market this scale before and every single store fascinated her and she took her time to check a few things out and Alex indulged her in buying whatever her gaze lingered on to the point of ridiculousness. But she was done too.

"Are you sure you are done?" Alex asked sweetly "If you want we can explore some more" Her enthusiasm did not allow him to stop her but he had enough excitement for a day. Say no! Please say no! He prayed.

She gave him a full blown smile, a reward for all his efforts "No! Where shall we eat? What shall we eat?" She asked him, she was famished!

"I know a great microbrewery that makes their own flavored beers and serves some amazing greasy food" he smacked his lips in impending delight.

"Lead the way my lord" She giggled at his eager expression, looping her hand in his arm.

***

They were seated in the cozy little restaurant ordered some drinks and finger food, all this shopping made them hungry.

"So, getting married" Alex started as their drinks arrived.

Evy bit her lower lip in contemplation.

"Are you not happy?" Alex asked.

She flashed her eyes at him in panic, the last thing she wanted to do was send out wrong message.

"No...I mean Yes...I am happy" She said with lackluster enthusiasm

"Why do I have a feeling there is a 'but' there somewhere in that statement" Alex added gently.

She sighed and her shoulders sagged "It's not that I am not happy" she clarified "It's just..." she trailed off on how to put her feelings in to words.

Alex patiently waited.

"It's just that...I feel it's moving too fast you know..." She said "and there is the question of what's next"

"okaaaay.." Alex drawled.

"May be I'm just being silly" She confessed "I mean...who looks in to the gift horse's mouth...right? Here I am, where most girls would die to be and I am being....me."

Alex smiled "And maybe that is why you are different...Evy" he said gently and added "and maybe you should never stop being you" he said reassuringly.

She just gave an unconvincing nod taking a sip of her beer. Damn it was good!

"What is this?" she asked appreciatively, smacking her lips.

"It's a fruit beer, good isn't it?" He said knowingly

"It's great!" she said taking a gulp again.

He popped a French fry in to his mouth and began "So back to the topic at hand" he said.

"Do you think it's moving too fast?" He asked.

"I think so...I don't know" She said confused.

"Does Max know how you feel?" he prodded.

She looked at him like he was crazy and said "Have you looked at him? Do you know how happy he is?"

"What about your happiness? Doesn't it count" he asked her.

She sighed "I don't know what I want Alex" she confessed.

"Ok, let me ask you some questions and answer without thinking, can you do that?"

She looked at him apprehensively but gave him a nod.

"Do you love Max?" He asked.

"Yes" She responded instantly.

"Do you think there is a possibility of anyone else in your life?" He asked.

"No" she said looking at him like he was crazy.

"Do you think you will be happy with Max?" He asked.

"Definitely, yes" she said with one hundred percent certainty.

"Do you see yourself being married to Max?"

"Yes" She responded without hesitation.

"Do you want to marry Max?"

"Yes...I do" She responded.

"So let me get this right" Alex said drawing conclusions from his questions "You love Max, you don't see yourself with anyone except him and you DO want to marry him."

"I am silly aren't I" Evy said. Realizing Alex's point.

"No...may be just cold feet" Alex said sagely.

"I know" She said nodding readily "I do want to spend my life with him, I don't know why I am this way..."

"Because you are a girl?" He teased.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"You are not off the hook yet" Alex said "What did you mean by what's next?"

"God! Can't you let it go?" She pleaded.

"Nope" Alex added.

"It's nothing" she insisted.

"It's not..." He persisted.

"Alex..."She pleaded.

"Evy..." He prodded.

"I am just being....me" She told him.

"Even then, indulge me!" He added.

"It's just that...." She hesitated.

He just nodded in encouragement to continue.

"I mean...I am grateful and all...I don't want to sound like an ungrateful bitch...but I don't see myself sitting in the palace and doing nothing" She confessed. Right now living in the palace was like a dream come true but what would happen once all the excitement wore off, what was she expected to do? Just be an arm candy to Max? She could not comprehend her future and it unsettled her.

"Again, did you talk about it with Max?" Alex asked.

"No" She answered.

"Why?" He asked curious.

Why did she not? She wondered but deep down she knew. She was bringing nothing to the table to this mating or marriage, nothing of value and whereas everything was being handed over to her in silver platter and she did not feel comfortable in asking for anything.

Alex sighed at her lack of response and added "Do you think you are being fair to Max?"

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"If you don't share your worries with him what chance does he have in fixing them?" He asked her and added "Maybe he would understand where you are coming from...maybe he would want you to be happy and will find a solution that works for both of you. If you keep all these feelings bottled inside you they will only add up to resentment later on and one day you will lash out to a clueless mate who had no idea you were unhappy in the first place" Alex gently explained.

"I am not unhappy Alex" Evy insisted.

"Maybe not today...but can you promise me that you would be happy with what you feel a year down the line" He challenged.

She kept quiet. Alex was right.

"Evy, you are his mate, he will always take your feelings in to consideration but he needs to know them...he cannot fix something he does not know...that's not fair to him" he explained his point of view.

She didn't look at it that way, she was wallowing in her own uncertainty she did not think of the impact it would have on people around her.

"I know" she whispered. Acknowledging his point.

"What do you want to do?" He asked her curious. She did not want to be a trophy wife but what was it that she wanted.

"What I always wanted to do...Alex, go to school" She revealed her innermost desire, a desire that did not change despite the major events surrounding her life.

"Medical School?" He asked remembering her desire of attending medical school.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"What makes you think that you can't attend medical school?" Alex asked her curious.

"How can I?" She asked him.

"Look around you Evy, we are in the middle of a city...did it not occur to you that we have universities in Roma? As a matter of fact one of the best medical school is right in the city and if you wanted to study we could have made arrangements for you to do so" He explained.

She looked absolutely shameful that she did not even think, but at the same time she was hopeful.

"Would Max...I mean...do you think..." she trailed off, hope seeping in to her voice.

"If that is what is important to you, I don't see why not" Alex said in all seriousness and added

"However, you will never know if you don't talk to him" he admonished.

She looked at him with determination in her eyed and vowed "I will"

"Good!" he said "I don't know about you but all this talk made me want a few more rounds of drinks" he said waving down the staff.

Soon they were pretty drunk and discussed everything under the sun.

Evy felt relieved, she had been so wound up that she herself never realized but the talk with Alex had been good! She knew the mistake she was making by keeping everything bottled up and she knew what she had to do next. Max was going to be pissed! Maybe even a hurt by not being open with him. But that would not deter her from making this right. They both deserved it.

"I will be back" She told Alex and got up and held the table tight...The beers have gone to her head. She headed to the restroom leaving Alex behind.

She stepped out of the restroom and crashed in to someone.

"Sorry" she pulled back. Her head was spinning all the drinks she had were getting to her head. That was some potent beer.

"It's ok baby...you can do that again" A voice responded.

She looked at the rugged, cocky wolf giving her a lascivious smile and checking her out shamelessly.

"I think I will pass" She responded tersely, trying to step around him but he blocked her.

"I think, I insist" He responded, blocking her path.

"Look buddy! I am sure you don't want trouble so back off before my friend out there rips you a new one" She threatened, trying to intimidate him.

"Ohhh!!! I quiver with fear" he said with a fake shudder.

She quickly side stepped him and was about to make her escape when he grabbed her hand arresting her escape.

"I never said you could leave" He said.

"Leave my hand" She gave him a pointed look and her voice icy.

"Make me!" he demanded.

"Hey! Bozo!" A new voice called out and as he turned the last thing he saw was a fist flying in to his face as he crashed in to the wall and collapsed unmoving.

Evy covered her mouth in shock as she saw Alex punch the daylight of the asshole and giggled uncharacteristically

"Let's go" he said giving her a lopsided grin and pulling at her hand and as they stepped out.

They hurried out and Alex dumped some money on the table and were just about to make their escape.

"You!" the guy from the bathroom burst in with a bloody nose and yelled at Alex pointing at him "You are dead!" he roared. At the commotion a group of guys from a table got up and stepped towards Alex. They looked like his friends.

Alex pulled Evelyn behind him "Folks, I don't want any trouble, I am going to walk out and let's forget about this" He said sagely.

They stood in front of him and his only way out and he sighed. And soon four guys pounced on him.

Evy stood there stunned as fists went flying, people groaning and crashing against furniture. Alex turned to her in victory as four bodies lay unconscious on the floor, his eye black, cheek swollen he gave a bloody smile of victory.

"My hero!" Evelyn cooed, the drink going to her head.

His smile broadened.

"No kiss for your knight my lady?" He asked. She pranced over to him and planted a chaste one on his cheek.

"Shall we?" He putting his arm out for her to take.

"Certainly my lord" She said looping her hand around his arm and they took one step towards the door and stopped at the new entrants.

"Police, Freeze!"

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