RUNNING WITH WOLVES

Evie had always been something of a wild child. Her parents had done their best to tame her, but the reckless spirit had always managed to take hold and whisk her off to do and try new things. While not completely rebellious, she just had an adventurous nature and didn't want to be held down by the conventions of what a good girl should do or say .. or rather, what one shouldn't do or say to be considered a good girl. She didn't have the time or patience for that; she was who she was, and that was just fine by her.

Growing up on the fringe of the pack and MC lifestyle, her father had worked for Gerald Hardy and eventually become a trusted human affiliate and by association, her mother and she had as well. As such, her family was often included in social gatherings the pack hosted, and it opened up a whole new world to the woman-child of fourteen. Stuck somewhere between being a child and adult, she found the wolves fascinating and every chance she got, she was sneaking off to their gatherings and parties just to hang out and observe everything about them.

That was where she'd met Easton Nash, a kid just a year older than herself. Even before they'd really become anymore than friends, Evie knew. She knew that her life would always be unquestionably tangled with Easton's in some way or fashion. It was probably the one thing she could actually nail down with certainty. Friendship blossomed into a first love romance as they went through high school together, forming a two-person force to be reckoned with.

When Easton's father was murdered, and he'd been desperate to get away, Evie had been the one to encourage him to do whatever he needed to in order to find relief from the crushing weight of responsibility and grief despite that he was only seventeen. Unable to think about putting space and distance between them, the sixteen year old Evie had left her parents a note on her pillow and sneaked out of her bedroom window to meet Easton to go on the run.

It hadn't been the easiest life, especially not right away. He had a hard time adjusting to this new life, mainly because of his past one, and Evie did everything she could to reassure him and support him. His pay wasn't great starting out and she had trouble finding work as a high school drop out, but just before his first deployment they made the decision to go to a Justice of the Peace for a quickie wedding to give her on-base housing and income to rely upon. Beyond that, she convinced Easton to bite her so they could be true mates as well.

During his first deployment, Evie worked waitressing tables during the day and spent the evenings going to school to get her GED. During his second deployment, she put herself through night school again, this time at a local community college for cosmetology. After that, where ever they were stationed, she found work at a local salon, renting out a booth and building clientele. Mostly it was to keep herself busy while he was away, trying to fill up the void of his absence by keeping herself distracted.

When finally Easton parted ways from the Army, Evie wasn't in the dark about what he planned to do. Getting revenge on his father's murderer had been something he'd committed to himself long ago, and though she worried for him, she encouraged him to do what he needed to in order to bring himself some peace finally. When all was said and done, he had been allowed to walk away .. and Evie walked right along with him as she always did, right on home to Denver to a mountain of uncertainties and doubts. This wouldn't be an easy road either, but then again .. what had been in her life?