Logan’s POV
I stormed into my study, the last place in the world I could call mine, and slammed the door shut behind me. I leaned against it, breathing heavily, trying to steady my racing heart. But the calm wouldn’t come. That bloody beta knew-he knew what I’d done, and that was enough to put everything at risk.
“Damn it,” I muttered, raking a hand through my hair.
My mind scrambled around, trying to find a solution, a way to turn this around. But the walls felt like they were closing in on me, the air too thick to breathe. I paced back and forth, my mind churning.
The beta was a problem I hadn’t anticipated, a loose end that needed tying up. But how? How could I deal with him without making things worse?
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the door creak open behind me. It wasn’t until I turned on my heel that I saw her. Erinne was standing in the doorway, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes were tired but sharp, watching me with curiosity.
“Alpha,” she called, stepping into the room. “Where have you been? It’s late. What’s going on?”
Her voice was a reminder of how much I hated being questioned, especially now. I couldn’t deal with this, not with everything else hanging over me.
“Erinne, go back to bed,” I snapped. “This is none of your business.”
But she didn’t leave. Instead, she closed the door behind her. “It is my business if it concerns you,” she insisted, moving closer. “You’re acting strange, Alpha. I’ve never seen you like this.”
I could feel my temper rising. “I said, drop it!” I snarled, turning away from her. “Don’t push me, Erinne.”
She hesitated, but then she did something that caught me off guard. She stepped forward and bent down, reaching out to touch the hem of my cloak.
I stiffened, watching her, wondering what she was doing. When she straightened up, her expression had changed-her eyes were cold, her lips pressed into a thin line. On her thumb was a smear of blood.
“Alpha,” she growled. “What have you done?”
For a moment, I couldn’t think of a response. The sight of that blood, the realization that I hadn’t cleaned it off, sent a fresh wave of panic through me. I couldn’t let her put the pieces together. I had to stop her, to shut her up before she asked too many questions.
I moved faster than she could react, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the desk. Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t struggle, didn’t try to fight me off.
“I told you to stop asking questions,” I hissed, tightening my grip. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with, woman. So keep your mouth shut, or you’ll regret it.”
But Erinne didn’t cower in fear. Instead, she grinned-an eerie, unsettling grin that slightly terrified me. “You think you can scare me into silence?” she rasped, her voice hoarse from the pressure on her throat. “You think this is enough to make me stop?”
For a moment, I was tempted to squeeze harder, to silence her once and for all. But something held me back, a nagging voice in the back of my mind that warned me against it. I couldn’t afford to make another mistake. Not now.
With a growl of frustration, I released her, stepping back as she coughed and rubbed her throat. I turned away, pacing the room as I tried to regain control. But the anger wouldn’t subside, and neither would the fear.
Liam knew. And now Erinne knew something was wrong, too.
“What have you done, Alpha?” Erinne repeated, her voice more insistent this time. She took a step toward me. “Whose blood is that?”
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t let her find out. I couldn’t let anyone find out. But she was relentless, and I knew she wouldn’t stop until she got answers.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, trying to deflect, but it was no use.
“The blood, Alpha,” she murmured. “It’s not yours- I can smell the scent on it. It’s fresh. And judging by the state you’re in, I’d say you did something tonight. Something bad.”
I met her gaze, my mind scrambling for an explanation, a lie that could cover the truth. But Erinne was sharp. She was already piecing it together, her eyes narrowing as she studied me.
“Alpha,” she said slowly, almost as if she were testing the waters. “Are you behind the killings? The pregnant women… is it you?”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. The air left my lungs in a rush. For a moment, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. All I could do was stare at her, the realization that she was onto me sinking in like a stone.
I was trapped.
I couldn’t believe the words were coming out of my mouth. “Yes,” I growled, hating myself for the admission. “It was me. I killed them. But I had a reason. This is about Denderick. It’s all about him.”
Erinne didn’t flinch. Her expression didn’t change. If anything, she looked even more focused, as if she had expected my answer all along.
“Why?” she asked, her voice icy. “Why target the pregnant women?”
“I need to discredit him,” I snapped. “If the Council of Alphas believes Denderick is behind the killings, his alliances will crumble. They’ll turn on him, and I’ll finally have the upper hand. They’ll dethrone him, and I’ll finally have Aria back. Tonight was supposed to be another step in that plan.”
“And someone caught you, didn’t they.” She stated, more than asked, her eyes narrowing. “Someone caught you in the act.”
“Liam. Denderick’s beta.” I nodded reluctantly, the memory of Liam’s voice in the dark forest making my blood run cold.
Erinne’s expression remained stony as she processed what I had said. Her silence made me uneasy, but before I could say anything, she looked up again.
“Alpha,” she called out. “Come here.”
Her tone set my teeth on edge. I was an Alpha, not some subordinate to be ordered around. But despite my anger, despite the humiliation of being commanded like a lowly pack member, I found myself moving forward.
I stopped just inches away from her, close enough to feel the heat radiating from her body. My hands itched to reach out and grab her, to make her understand who was in control here, but something in her gaze stopped me. There was a coldness in those pale gray eyes that I hadn’t seen before. There was a dangerous edge that made me hesitate.
“Listen to me carefully,” she whispered, her voice soft but deadly. “You’ve made a mess, Alpha. A mess that could ruin everything if it gets out of control.”
I scoffed. “You think I don’t know that?”
She ignored my outburst, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at me. “You may be the Alpha, but you’ve let your emotions cloud your judgment. Denderick or Aria isn’t the one you should be worried about right now. It’s Liam.”
My wolf snarled in my mind, but I kept silent, biting back the urge to snap at her. She wasn’t wrong. Liam was a threat now, one that needed to be dealt with quickly. But how? I couldn’t kill him myself, not without raising suspicion. And he was too well-known, too respected, for a simple disappearance to go unnoticed.
Erinne seemed to sense my worry because she smirked slightly, the coldness in her eyes replaced with something more calculating.
“I’ll take care of Liam,” she promised, her voice smooth as silk. “He won’t be a problem for you anymore. Just leave it to me.”