Chapter 109
Logan
It was the third day of summit and I was ready to rip Michael’s throat out with my teeth.
+25 BONUS
I was speaking with two minor Alphas near the hearth, half–listening to their complaints about cross–border regulations, when Theard someone say his name.
Michael.
The word dropped like a stone in my stomach. I turned, casual at first, then quicker, as I caught a glimpse through the long arched–window beside the grand staircase.
There he was. And there she was.
Emily stood near the courtyard’s low stone railing, coat tucked around her, arms crossed. Michael was angled too close, his expression far too soft. He leaned in to say something, and she didn’t flinch.
I felt my body react before my mind could catch up. Heat surged under my skin, my jaw tightened, and my fingers curled against my palm until I felt my nails press into skin.
Don’t. I reminded myself for the tenth time.
I forced my attention back to the room. Someone said something about the wine. I nodded, said something meaningless, and scanned for her again.
Michael had no right to be here. He wasn’t part of any summit delegation, hadn’t registered with the guest office, and yet, there he was, dressed like the perfect political heir, charming the woman who used to be his.
My woman now.
No, I corrected. Not mine.
But it didn’t matter. Because watching him speak to her–watching her listen–made something primal and vicious rise in my chest.
I turned away from the window, jaw locked. Then I heard it.
“Did you see her with Michael?” someone murmured behind me, just out of sight. “Maybe that’s why she’s keeping things with Titanfang drawn out.”
A laugh followed. “Wouldn’t that be something? If she went back to him now, after all the press coverage…”
The sound of blood rushing in my ears drowned out the rest.
I didn’t excuse myself. I just walked away from whatever whoever was saying to me. Not too fast. No! But with purpose.
draw attention.
I passed one room, then another, searching until I found her again—near the east staircase, head bowed over something in her hands. A folded paper? A speech draft?
No Michael in sight. Just Emily.
Relief punched through me so fast it almost hurt.
And then the panic followed. Not because she was gone–but because I hadn’t gotten to her in time to hear what he said. What she answered.
What if she-
I moved before I could stop myself.
Chapter 109
+25 BONUS
“Emily.”
31
She looked up, startled. “Logan?”
I pounced. I reached for her wrist -not hard, but firm and pulled her gently but undeniably toward the nearest empty room. She glanced behind her once, then stepped inside.
The room was unused, dimly lit, smelling of old parchment and the remnants of ash in the fireplace.
“What are you doing?” she asked, eyes sharp now.
I didn’t answer. Because I hadn’t her here to make a scene I hadn’t even planned what to say.
All I knew was that watching her with him made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. And the fall wasn’t political. It wasn’t about the Pack or the contract or the optics.
It was her. And the unbearable thought that she might still be his.
I let go of her wrist the moment the door closed, but the space between us didn’t feel any less taut.
Emily stood there in the half–lit room, arms crossed now, gaze sharp and irritated. The tension in her shoulders wasn’t fear. It was steel. She wasn’t a girl pulled into a room by her Alpha. She was a woman waiting for me to explain myself.
“What are you doing, Logan?” she asked again, quieter now.
I should’ve had an answer. Should’ve said something clever. But the words stuck somewhere behind my teeth, clawing at the back of my throat.
I didn’t know how to say it.
That I’d watched her with him.
That the idea of her returning to Michael made my vision blur with something that felt too visceral, too emotional, too raw.
“Were you going to say yes?” I asked instead.
Her brow furrowed. “To what?”
“To whatever the hell he offered you.”
I could hear the edge in my voice. Not anger. Desperation. I hated it Hated that I sounded like a man losing something he never truly owned.
Emily blinked slowly, like she was trying to decide whether the question was worth answering. That hesitation–the sheer possibility of a yes–punched the air from my lungs.
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.
“I won’t let him have you,” I said, quieter now. “I don’t care what promises he made. I don’teare what your father wants. You’re not going back to him.”
She stiffened slightly. “You don’t get to-”
But I was already moving. My hands came up before I could think, framing her jaw, tilting her face toward mine.
The kiss landed hard.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t careful. It was punishment, a demand, a raw and aching need to remind her–to remind myself—who she’d come here with. Who she belonged to, even if no bond had named it yet.
She gasped, and I felt her start to lean against my chest–just for a moment.
But she didn’t stop me. And I didn’t pull away.
Chapter 109
+25 BONUS
Her fingers tangled in the front of my coat, gripping, anchoring, fting back in the only way she could. Her mouth opened to mine and the kiss changed–shifted from punishment into something wilder. Needy.
She kissed me like she wanted to forget. Like she was angry at herself for wanting this. Wanting me.
And I kissed her like I was afraid this would be the last time she letne.
We broke apart only when breath became necessary. My forehead pressed to hers, both of us breathing hard, the air between us thick with heat and confusion.
I hadn’t meant for it to go this far. I hadn’t meant to cross a line.
But I also didn’t regret it.
“Say it,” I whispered. “Tell me you’re not going back to him.”
She was quiet for a beat too long, Her hands still fisted in the lapels of my jacket, but her eyes were searching mine, like she was trying to find something in them I hadn’t said out loud.
And then, finally: “I’m not his.”
Those three words did more damage to me than anything Michael could’ve said to her.
Because she hadn’t said she was mine. But gods, she hadn’t said no, either.
I closed my eyes for a breath. Then I kissed her again.
Not to claim her. Not to control her. Just to hold onto the one thing I could be sure of–that she was here for now.
That she was choosing this moment, even if she didn’t know for how long.
Her lips softened beneath mine, no longer angry, no longer fighting.
We stayed like that for a long time. No one else in the world. Just her heartbeat against mine.
Just in case she forgot that someone was willing to fight for her.
+25 BONUS
Ch
