Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 77

Evelyn

I was running through darkness, desperate to reach Devon. Silver bullets whistled past my ears as I sprinted across the beach. Then I saw him—trapped in that mangled car, blood soaking his shirt. His eyes found mine, fading with each labored breath.

"Devon!" I screamed, trying to reach him, but my feet wouldn't move. I could only watch as his eyes closed, his chest stilling.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding against my ribs. Disoriented, I blinked at the stark white ceiling above me. Hospital. I was in a hospital. My hand flew to my chest, feeling the scratchy fabric of a hospital gown.

The memories came flooding back—the beach, the SUV, Devon's blood.

I ripped the IV from my arm and stumbled out of bed, my legs wobbling beneath me. The door swung open easily, revealing a sterile corridor. Where was he? I had to find him.

I moved down the hallway, peering through each small window, searching desperately for Devon.

After checking several rooms, I spotted Jason sitting on a bench in the corridor, his head in his hands. My breath caught in my throat.

"Jason," I called, my voice cracking.

He looked up, exhaustion etched into his face. "Evelyn, you're awake."

"Where is he?" I demanded, though I already knew. Jason nodded toward the door behind him.

I pushed past him and slipped into the room. Devon lay motionless on the bed, connected to monitors and IV lines. His normally commanding presence was diminished, his skin pale against the white sheets. I approached slowly, afraid that if I moved too quickly, I might break something fragile in the air between us.

Pulling a chair to his bedside, I sat and took his hand in mine. It was warm—thank God, it was warm. I closed my eyes, relief washing over me.

"Devon," I whispered, squeezing his hand. "Please wake up."

As if he'd heard me, his fingers twitched in mine. His eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus before settling on my face.

"Evelyn," he rasped, his voice barely audible.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I leaned closer. "Devon, you almost died! What were you thinking?"

The faintest smile touched his lips. He lifted his uninjured hand to my face, brushing away tears with his thumb. "I'm an Alpha, remember? And with my little white wolf looking after me, what do I have to fear?"

"You shouldn't have risked yourself for me," I said, trying to sound stern despite my trembling voice.

"You're the woman I love," he said simply. "I'll protect you until my last breath."

The words hung in the air between us. Love. He'd said it so easily, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Before I could respond, his eyes began to droop, his body still demanding rest to heal.

"Don't leave," he murmured as he drifted off.

"I won't," I promised, watching as he fell back into sleep. I could sense his wolf energy, faint but slowly rebuilding. He would recover. He had to.

I sat with him for nearly an hour before Jason knocked softly and entered.

"How is he?" Jason asked, his voice unusually gentle.

"Stable," I replied, not taking my eyes off Devon. "He woke up briefly. His wolf is healing him, but slowly."

Jason nodded, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Hall Enterprises has been... experiencing some issues since Mr. Hall's absence."

I turned to him. "What kind of issues?"

"Coordinated cyber attacks," Jason said. "They're targeting our banking information and the research department's confidential files."

"The DNA modification research," I realized aloud.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You know about that?"

I sighed. "I know more than you think." I glanced at Devon's sleeping form. "I want to help. Bring me my laptop."

Jason hesitated, clearly torn between following Devon's orders about keeping company matters private and the urgent need for assistance.

"Jason," I said firmly, "Devon needs to rest and heal. Let me take some of the burden off him."

Thirty minutes later, I was set up in Devon's hospital room with my laptop, securing into Hall Enterprises' systems with embarrassing ease. I identified multiple access points where hackers had infiltrated the network.

"Your firewall has three major vulnerabilities," I told Jason, my fingers flying across the keyboard. "And whoever designed your encryption protocols should be fired."

I quickly blocked the intrusion attempts, fortified the system's defenses, and planted one of my specialty tracking viruses to follow the trail back to its source.

"There," I said after ten minutes of intense work. "I've sealed the breach and strengthened your security. The attackers were trying to access research data on the silver prevention project."

Jason stared at me, his mouth slightly open. "How did you... Who are you?"

I smiled tightly. "Just someone who knows her way around networks." I unplugged my flash drive. "You'll need to update these security protocols weekly. And move your most sensitive research to an air-gapped system—one that's never connected to the internet."

Jason nodded slowly, studying me with new interest. "You're Aurora from the Moonlight Organization, aren't you? That's why Devon pretended to be Dylan with Dr. Anderson."

I froze. "What did you say?"

Jason's face fell as he realized his slip. "I... um... nothing."

"Dylan is Devon?" The pieces clicked together in my mind—Dylan's expertise, his expensive equipment, the way he'd helped me with the protein binding. "That's why he was at the research facility."

Rather than feeling betrayed by his deception, I felt a strange warmth spread through my chest. Devon had been watching over me all along, just as I'd been watching over him today. We'd been protecting each other without even realizing it.

I looked at Devon's sleeping form with new understanding. How much had he risked to keep me safe?

---

The next morning, I returned to Devon's room with a container of special food prepared by Edward's team—food designed to help werewolves recover from silver exposure.

Devon was awake, sitting up slightly in bed. He looked stronger today, color returning to his face.

"I've arranged for a private jet to take you back to Seattle tomorrow," I said, settling into the chair beside him. "The doctors say you're stable enough to travel if we have medical personnel on board."

Devon nodded, his eyes never leaving my face. "Thank you."

I spooned some of the broth and held it to his lips. "How did you find me?" I asked casually, curious if he would tell me about Dylan now.

Devon took a sip before answering. "I sensed your wolf energy changing. I knew you were in danger."

"You seem to have a knack for finding me when I'm in trouble," I commented, feeding him another spoonful. "By the way, I helped Jason secure Hall Enterprises' systems yesterday. Someone was trying to access your research data."

Devon's eyes widened slightly. "You... know about the research?"

I smiled. "Yes, *Dylan*."

The recognition in his eyes was immediate. He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "So you know."

"I know," I confirmed. "You could have told me."

"Says the woman who didn't tell me she was Aurora," he murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips

I laughed softly. "Fair point."

Devon reached for my hand. "Would you consider working with Hall Enterprises officially? We could use someone with your skills."

"For the right salary," I teased. "I don't come cheap."

"I'd expect nothing less," he said, his eyes holding mine.

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, something unspoken passing between us. Devon broke it first.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "For saving my life. For helping with the company. You're my saving grace, in every sense."

My phone rang, interrupting the moment. It was Aileen.

"Evelyn? The competition finals have been moved to Seattle," she said breathlessly. "We're supposed to be there next week."

I frowned, looking at Devon. "That's... convenient. Seattle is Hall territory."

After ending the call, I raised an eyebrow at Devon. "Did you have something to do with the competition venue change?"

Devon didn't even try to deny it. "Jason acquired a controlling interest in the gaming league. I wasn't about to let you put yourself in danger again for a competition. On my territory, I can keep you safe."

I should have been annoyed at his high-handedness, but instead, I felt a flutter of warmth. Devon Hall, the powerful Alpha, was using his considerable resources to protect me.