Chapter 28
ELENA
The night air was crisp as Logan guided Aiden and me to his car. The tension still crackled
in the air, a lingering reminder of the chaos back at the boutique. My fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted Aiden’s seatbelt, my mind replaying Derek’s accusations over and
over.
“You were already cheating on me. Faked your death because you were afraid someone would find out you were pregnant?”
The venom in his voice still echoed in my ears, and my stomach twisted at the memory. I should have known better than to expect anything else from him. It was foolish–naïve—to
have ever loved him.
“You’re quiet.” Logan’s voice cut through the haze of my thoughts as the car rolled forward. His sharp blue eyes flicked over to me briefly. “Still stuck in your head?”
I forced a small smile. “Just thinking.”
“That’s a dangerous habit,” he quipped. “Want me to fix it?”
I sighed. “If you say another bad joke, I might actually throw myself out of this car.”
Aiden giggled beside me. “Logan’s jokes aren’t that bad!”
“Thank you, Aiden,” Logan said, smirking.
“How’s your hand?” I asked, glancing at the hand that rested on the steering wheel. It looked a little swollen and one of his knuckles had split open.
“Nothing wrong with it that can’t be fixed with some ice and a kiss from a princess.”
He held his hand out to me. I grabbed his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles.
His eyes sharpened with something I couldn’t name, but I still didn’t feel anything. Not like
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I had with Derek–that pull, that heat.
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Logan pulled his hand back to the steering wheel and his gaze darkened slightly. “You know, we could end all of this tonight.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Logan leaned back in his seat, his tone deceptively light. “Announce an engagement. Say
Aiden is our child.”
I blinked, taken aback. “Logan—”
He held up a hand. “Hear me out. It would kill two birds with one store. One, it keeps Derek and Cassandra from digging into your past. Two, it secures your place in our world.”
I hesitated. “And what about you? Do you really want to tie yourself to me like that?”
He shrugged, trying to be jokey. “Could be worse.”
I shook my head, my decision already made. “No, Logan. I won’t drag you into my mess.
His smirk faltered slightly, but he nodded. “Fair enough. But you know I’d do it in a heartbeat, right?”
I smiled, gratitude swelling in my chest. “I know.”
I didn’t deserve him.
***
Mason insisted I dress up for the Alpha Ball. It wasn’t a request; it was an order.
“Make a statement,” he said, tossing a garment bag onto my bed. “You’re not a rogue, Elena. It’s time you remind people who you are.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. When I pulled the dress from the bag, my breath caught.
The dress hadn’t gotten any less beautiful. The dark silk flowed like water over midnight rocks, and I remembered how it clung to the soft animal of my body, the way it showed off
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the deep copper of my hair.
It was regal. Powerful. A reminder of my bloodline.
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And at the last minute, Mason delivered another bombshell. “You’re going with Logan.”
“What?” I turned, barely keeping my voice even. “I thought I was going alone.”
My plan had been to go in a dark suit. Look like the staff. Make sure everything went off
without a hitch.
“You’re better off at his side.” He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “People will talk either way, but at least this way, you have an ally. And maybe a fiancée?” he finished
hopefully.
I let out a frustrated breath but didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it.
***
The Alpha Ball was a spectacle of wealth and power. The haute monde of the werewolf world gathered in their finery, and I looked around me as we pulled up to the amphitheater, pleased with how well my planning had come together.
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