Logan’s POV
Erinne watched me, her expression full of smugness and satisfaction. “Take a look at yourself.” She scoffed. “Look at what you have become, because of a mere breeder. Is she so important to you? There are hundreds of women in your pack who can give you children. Why her?”
I opened my mouth to shoot back a reply. But before I could do so, Erinne raised her hand to shut me up.
The guts.
“You’re a powerful man, Alpha,” she said softly. “But even powerful men have weaknesses. Don’t let her be yours.”
I met her gaze, trying to rein in my anger. “She is not my weakness, and she won’t be.”
Erinne nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “Good. Because now, you have something more important to focus on.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, my voice flat.
She raised her brows higher, giving me what she thought was a seductive smile. “Me, of course.”
I stared at her, the weight of her words sinking in. A loud laugh burst from my lips before I could control it.
“Woman, I already have you. I had you yesternight, did I not?” I snapped back. “What else could you offer me besides your body? What else do I need from you?”
She didn’t flinch at my words, but her smile widened. “We’ll see about that, Alpha. We’ll see.”
I sat in silence, trying to ignore the growing frustration gnawing at me. I couldn’t afford to lose my temper with her again, not if I wanted to get the truth.
“Where is Aria?” I asked again.
Erinne’s eyes gleamed with amusement. She knew she had some power over me, and she was enjoying every second of it.
“I’ve already told you, Alpha,” she said with a casual shrug. “I’ll only tell you where she is if you make me your Luna. Officially.”
I felt my patience snap. I couldn’t forget how far Erinne had come from being a mere slave. Now, she was trying to twist my arm, to push me into a corner. I couldn’t let that happen. She was becoming too ambitious, and it was clear she was hiding something from me.
I rose from my seat abruptly, my chair scraping against the stone floor as I did so. In two quick strides, I was in front of her, my hand shooting out to grab her throat.
“Do you think you can play games with me?” I hissed. “Tell me where she is!”
Erinne’s eyes widened in shock, but the defiance still burned in her gaze. “I’m not… playing… any games,” she gasped, struggling to speak as my hand constricted her airway.
But I wasn’t convinced. I could feel the lie in her words, see it in the way her eyes flickered with fear and the need to maintain control.
“You think you can manipulate me? You think you can hide the truth and get away with it?” I growled, my other hand gripping her arm, shaking her as though I could rattle the truth out of her.
Erinne’s lips parted, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps, but she still refused to speak. That only enraged me further. She wanted to play hardball? Fine. I’d show her just how dangerous I could be when crossed.
I slammed her back against the table, the force causing the dishes to rattle and clatter. She winced, a choked cry escaping her lips, but I didn’t relent. My hands were around her throat again, squeezing tighter, watching as her defiance slowly gave way to genuine fear.
“Tell me!” I demanded, my voice low and menacing. “Tell me where she is!”
Erinne’s hands clawed at my arms, her eyes wide with terror now. Her strength was waning; she was breaking, and I knew it. “I… I…” she tried to speak.
“Now!” I barked, tightening my grip further.
Her eyes rolled back, and for a moment, I thought she might pass out. But then, she finally broke. “Alpha Denderick! She’s with Alpha Denderick!” she gasped, her voice hoarse and ragged.
I loosened my grip slightly, just enough to let her speak. “Tell me everything,” I ordered.
Erinne coughed, her voice shaky as she began to spill the details. “It was… the night she disappeared… She didn’t just run away on her own. Alpha Denderick… he came for her. They planned it… planned everything…”
I narrowed my eyes in anger. I’d suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed only fueled my rage.
“Go on,” I urged, my grip still firm around her throat.
“She… she was with him all along. They were… they were close, Alpha. They have been exchanging letters for weeks.” she stammered, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke. “She was never going to stay with you. She used you… used your protection… and then, when the time was right, she left.”
I let out a low, dangerous growl. “And how do you know all of this?” I asked.
Erinne’s voice shook as she answered. “I… I… She told me everything before she left, Alpha.”
The words stung, even more than I’d expected them to. I’d been so blind, so utterly fooled by Aria’s innocent act. But now, the truth was staring me in the face, and it only made my rage burn hotter.
“She’s with him now… in his pack,” Erinne continued, her voice trembling with each word. “She’s safe there… and she’s never coming back.”
For a moment, I didn’t move, my mind reeling with the weight of her confession. Then, slowly, I released her throat, watching as she gasped for air, clutching at her neck as she struggled to breathe.
Erinne choked and spluttered, her voice raw and strained. She tried to pull herself together, but I could see the terror in her eyes now. The realization that she’d pushed me too far, that she’d overplayed her hand.
As it should be.
I stepped back, letting her fall against the table, her body shaking with each breath. “Let that be a warning,” I said coldly. “You will never defy me again. Do you understand?”
She nodded weakly. The arrogance in her eyes had been stripped away. She was back to being the slave she’d always been.
I turned on my heel and strode toward the door, the sound of Erinne’s gasping breaths echoing behind me. But just as my hand touched the cold metal handle, her voice cut through the silence like a knife.
“You think this changes anything?” she rasped, a twisted smile pulling at her lips despite the pain. “You can threaten me all you want, Alpha. But she’s gone. And when you find her… she won’t be the same.”
I paused, her words sinking in, filling me with a sense of unease I hadn’t expected. But I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t show her that she had gotten to me, that her words had pierced through my anger and settled into something darker, something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
Erinne let out a weak, bitter laugh. “Soon enough. Very soon enough. You’ll realize you’re not the one in control anymore.”
I tightened my grip on the handle, the metal biting into my palm. I couldn’t let her get under my skin, couldn’t let her shake me. But as I pushed open the door and walked away, her words followed me like a shadow, growing darker with every step I took.
And for the first time, I wondered if she might be right.