Denderick’s POV
Logan strutted into the room like he owned the place, his presence suffocating the air that had just cleared after Marcus’s removal.
He didn’t even bother to acknowledge the other Alphas in the room. His eyes were on me, and there was something dark in them, something twisted and cruel that made me grip the handle of my seat tighter.
But I held my ground as he approached, trying to ignore the smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. He looked like he had a secret he was dying to spill.
“Well!” Logan began, “Sorry for my lateness.”
The other Alphas shifted uncomfortably in their seats, but no one spoke. They all knew Logan was in trouble. Everyone did. But what made him dangerous was his unpredictability. He thrived on chaos.
He stopped just a few feet from where I sat, his eyes digging into mine. He wasn’t here to make peace. That much was clear.
“You have something to say, Logan?” I asked.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Oh, nothing important. I just… wanted to see how you were holding up, Denderick. I know you’ve been having a rough time lately. Aria, the Council, all these… problems.”
Instinctively, I gripped the chair seat even harder, but I kept my expression neutral. “Get to the point.”
Logan’s grin widened. “You seem tense. Missing something, perhaps? Or someone?” His voice was low, teasing as if he was dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving animal.
I stared at him, feeling my throat go dry with anger. He knew something. I could feel it in the way he looked at me, like a predator toying with its prey.
“Aria,” I growled. “What do you know?”
Logan raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Aria? Oh, right. Your breeder. Or is she your mate? It’s hard to tell. Such a fragile thing, isn’t she? I can’t imagine what you must be going through, not knowing where she is, if she’s safe, if she’s…” He trailed off, letting the words hang in the air.
I sprang from my seat and took a step toward him, my blood burning under my skin. “What did you do, Logan?”
I could feel the other Alphas staring at us, but no one interrupted. They knew better than to get between Logan and me. This was personal.
Logan tilted his head. “Do? Oh, I haven’t done anything, Denderick. But…” He paused, smirking even wider. “If I were you, I’d be careful where I looked. You never know who might be keeping your precious mate… company.”
My vision blurred with rage. He didn’t have to say it directly. I knew what he was implying. Aria was with him. The bastard had her, and he was enjoying every second of my torment.
“You son of a-”
I lunged at him before I could stop myself, shoving him hard against the wall. That was when the other Alphas shot up from their seats, shouting, but I didn’t hear them anymore. My hand wrapped around Logan’s throat, and I pressed him against the wall.
“Where is she?!” I snarled, my face inches from his. “Where is Aria?!”
Logan’s eyes widened for a brief second, but then, to my disgust, he started laughing. It wasn’t a nervous laugh or one born of fear. It was deep, maniacal, and full of sick amusement.
“You think you can force me, Dendrick?” he rasped, still laughing even as I gripped him harder. “You think you can make me give her back?”
“Tell me where she is!” I shouted. “Or I swear on the Moon, I’ll choke you to death!”
Logan’s laughter only grew louder. “She’s exactly where she needs to be,” he hissed. “Maybe if you hadn’t been so weak, you could have kept her. But now… she’s mine.”
Something inside me snapped.
I slammed him harder into the wall, the sound reverberating through the room. “You’re going to regret this, Logan,” I growled. “You will regret ever touching her.”
Logan’s grin dropped a notch. “I doubt that.”
Before I could do anything more, hands were pulling me back. Alpha Harris and Alpha Rowan had grabbed my arms, dragging me away from Logan. Alpha Kieran stepped between us, trying to defuse the situation.
“Denderick, stop!” Harris shouted. “You’ll make this worse!”
“Worse?!” I barked, fighting against their grip. “He has Aria! He’s taken her!”
“Calm down,” Rowan ordered. “We need to handle this as a united Council, not a divided one!”
Logan straightened up, rubbing his neck where my claws had left marks, but his smirk was still there. “That’s right, Denderick. Calm down. You wouldn’t want to do anything… reckless.”
The fury surged through me again, but Harris tightened his grip on my arm. “Don’t,” he warned. “You’ll only give him what he wants.”
I struggled for a moment, but I knew he was right. Logan lived on chaos and fighting, and if I lost control, I would be playing right into his hands.
“Enough!” Alpha Rowan’s voice boomed through the hall. “This ends now.”
The room fell silent as Rowan stepped forward, his eyes hard as he looked at both Logan and me. “We’re Alphas. We settle our disputes through the Council, not through violence.”
Logan shrugged, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Whatever you say, Rowan. I’m just here to deliver a message.”
Rowan’s gaze shifted to me. “Denderick, we will handle this properly. The Council will decide the next course of action.”
Logan chuckled softly, still rubbing his neck. “Good luck with that. I’m sure the Council will be fair… to everyone.”
My blood boiled at his words, but I stayed silent, letting Rowan handle it. I couldn’t lose control again.
Alpha Callum spoke up. “We need to settle this once and for all. If Aria is truly in his pack, then we must allow Denderick the right to search for her.”
Rowan nodded. “Agreed.”
The other Alphas murmured in agreement, and Logan’s smirk faltered slightly.
“You can’t really be serious,” Logan said, his voice cold now. “You are going to let him invade my territory? My pack? No!”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Denderick has the right to search for his mate. If you have nothing to hide, Logan, then this shouldn’t be an issue.”
Logan was already shaking his head in disapproval, black curls tumbling around his face. “This is absurd. You’re overstepping your bounds, Rowan.”
“No,” Rowan said firmly. “We are making a fair decision. You will allow Alpha Denderick to search your pack for Aria, and you will not interfere.”
Logan’s eyes flickered with rage, but I knew he was outnumbered. He couldn’t fight the entire Council, not when they were so united.
“This isn’t over,” Logan turned to me and snarled. “You haven’t even begun to see what I’m capable of.”
He gave one last look at the Council of Alphas, then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.