Chapter 108
Emily
Two days later, I was at the summit lodge to represent Titanfang’s proposed trade reforms, but I knew the real reason they sent
- me.
I was Logan’s shadow–polished up, smiling, and Catening Enough of a novelty to draw attention, not enough of a
threat to start a war.
The panels had finished for the afternoon, and the crowd thinned as delegates scattered into side rooms and hallways to negotiate, charm, and scheme in quieter corners. I slipped out a side door into the courtyard, needing air more than I needed kiss some delegate’s ass.
It was quieter here–stone pathways winding through frost–kissed gardens, a small fountain trickling in the center. I let my shoulders drop as I leaned against the railing, letting the wind cool my overheated skin.
“Still hate crowds, I see.”
I turned at the voice, and my stomach tightened.
Michael stood behind me, hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored coat. Same posture. Same easy confidence. Same expression I used to find comforting.
Now it just felt like unfinished business wrapped in expensive fabric.
“Michael,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Didn’t realize your Pack sent a delegation.”
“They didn’t,” he said, stepping closer. “I came on my own.”
I arched a brow. “Bold.”
“I’m not here to cause problems,” he said quickly. “Just… wanted a conversation.”
I could’ve walked away. Should’ve. But some foolish part of me still wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Fine,” I said, crossing my arms. “Talk.”
He offered a hesitant smile. “You were good in there. Precise. Confident. Not surprised- … tired.”
“I’m handling it.”
“Handling him, you mean?”
My expression didn’t shift, but I felt the tension settle deeper into my shoulders.
-you always were smart. But you looked
“I’m not here to insult Logan,” Michael said, raising his hands. “I know he’s powerful. And posessive. Emily… is this really the life you want?”
“I’m doing what I need to.”
His gaze softened. “You always did. Even back then. But you don’t have to anymore.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
He took a step closer. “You don’t owe your father anything. You don’t owe Logan anything. You could come with me. I have the backing of two minor Packs and a seat open for Luna. No contracts. No pretending. No scrutiny about being dormant. I’d protect you. Give you real power–your power.”
My throat tightened, but I let him continue.
“I know I messed things up,” he said quietly. “But we were good once. And I think we could be again.”
Chapter 108
I looked away, jaw clenched.
For a moment, just a moment, his words landed in the space I kept ridden, even from myself.
I did want to belong. I did want freedom. And Michael was offering version of it that I had wanted once.
+25 BONUS
But the part of me that still remembered what his betrayal with Chloe felt like wouldn’t let me believe in it fully. Not anymore.
“I don’t need a savior,” I said finally.
Michael’s smile faltered. “I didn’t mean-
“I know what you meant.” I turned to face him fully. “But I’m not looking for a man to rescue me. I’m not looking for someone to rewrite my story so it ends better for someone else.”
“Then what are you looking for?” he asked, voice low.
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
I didn’t know.
After a long silence, I said, “I have a meeting in ten minutes.”
He stepped aside without protest. “The offer stands. When you’re ready.”
As I walked away, the wind picked up, biting against my coat, but it wasn’t the cold that left me unsteady.
It was the quiet truth curling inside my chest: Michael offered me a way out. But part of me wanted a reason to stay.
***
The fire crackled softly in the corner of the guest room, its flickering light dancing along the edges of the summit briefing folders scattered across the low table.
I’d been staring at the same paragraph for nearly twenty minutes, the words blurring into shapes I couldn’t absorb.
Michael’s voice kept replaying in my mind. You could belong.
He said it like he knew me. Like he still had the right to offer something soft and safe and whole. And worse, he made it sound
easy.
No contracts. No public scrutiny. No walking the razor’s edge between my father’s expectations and Logan’s conflicting emotions. Just freedom. Choice.
Except it wasn’t easy. The version of freedom Michael offered was still rooted in something that look wrapped in a prettier cage.
And Logan… Logan wasn’t a cage at all. But he wasn’t a promise either.
tership–just
I stood and walked to the open window, bracing my hands on the sill. Cold night air spilled in, heady with the scent of pine and woodsmoke. Somewhere beyond the trees, another Pack leader’s guards were probably patrolling the grounds.
I wasn’t afraid of threats. I was afraid of choices.
Logan supported me–quietly, unwaveringly. He gave me space and asked for nothing.
And somehow, that left me more unsteady than Michael’s offer. Michael wanted me for what I used to be–his answer. His compensation.
But Logan…
Logan saw who I was now. And hadn’t backed out of the contract.
Chapter 108
+25 BONUS
I pressed a hand to my chest, above my heartbeat. Nothing stirred. No bond. No pull. Just the frustrating ache of not knowing
If I were a shifted wolf, I would feel it. I would know if he were mine. I’d sense his presence before he entered a room. I’d feel it in my bones when he touched me. I’d stop questioning.
But dormancy was a heartbreak no one had taught me how to live inside. No matter how loud my thoughts got, I couldn’t reach the part of myself that was supposed to know.
I leaned my head against the window frame, eyes falling shut.
If I could feel him, maybe I wouldn’t hesitate.
Maybe I’d know if the way he looked at me—like I’d caught him off guard every time
was real.
Maybe I’d know if the way I reached for him in my sleep meant something deeper than longing.
But I didn’t. I couldn’t.
And I was so, so tired of not knowing.
I imagined him, just for a moment, standing in the doorway behind me. Saying nothing. Just walking to where I stood, setting a hand over mine, steady and quiet.
Not demanding a future. Not offering an escape. Just choosing to stand with me.
And even in fantasy, I couldn’t decide whether I would turn to him or ask him to leave.
My fingers curled slightly against the window ledge. I could still smell the faintest trace of him on the collar of my coat; Logan had draped it over my shoulders when the wind picked up this afternoon.
He hadn’t said a word. Just noticed I was cold. He always seemed to notice.
I opened my eyes, blinking at the moonlit tree line.
Michael offered answers. Logan offered space.
And I was the only one who didn’t know what I wanted.
I stepped back from the window then and softly pressed my palm over my heart and whispered, “I wish I knew.”
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