Logan’s POV
I sat on the wooden floor of the treehouse, my back pressed against the rough wall. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp wood. From the balcony, I could see the expanse of the forest stretching out below, trees swaying gently in the breeze. But the view didn’t calm me. It only reminded me of everything I’d lost, everything they had taken from me.
Denderick.
The name made my blood boil, my fists clenching instinctively. He had stormed into my pack house like he owned the place, tearing through my guards like they were nothing. All for that slave girl Aria.
I had been so close to making her mine again, to crushing Denderick finally. But no, that fool had come charging in like a hero in some stupid fairytale, rescuing the damsel.
I should have seen it coming. I should have prepared better. But the second I’d heard them breaking down my doors, I knew. The gig was up. I had to flee like a coward in the night, abandoning everything. It was infuriating, and every time I replayed it in my mind, the anger burned inside me like a fire I couldn’t put out.
“Denderick!” I growled under my breath.
My hand absentmindedly traced the scar on my forearm-one Denderick had given me not too long ago in one of our fights. I should have killed him then. I should have ripped his throat out and ended him before he ever had the chance to rise against me. But now he had the upper hand, and I was reduced to hiding in a damn treehouse in the middle of nowhere. The humiliation was unbearable.
I heard a rustle in the trees below, and immediately, my senses went on high alert. I shot to my feet, my eyes darting around the area.
Could it be Denderick? Had he tracked me down already? Was this how it ended?
The thought filled me with equal parts fear and fury. If it was Denderick, he wouldn’t catch me by surprise. I’d make sure to take him down with me, even if it was the last thing I did.
The footsteps grew closer, snapping twigs and crunching leaves beneath them. My pulse raced, and I pressed myself against the side of the treehouse, ready to strike. My muscles tensed, my claws itching to tear into flesh.
But then, out from the cover of the trees, emerged not Denderick, but Erinne.
She strolled through the clearing like she owned the place. My initial fear subsided, but my anger didn’t. I slumped back onto the ground, glaring at her as she made her way toward the treehouse with what looked like a bundle in her arms.
“What the hell are you doing here, Erinne?” I spat angrily. “I thought I told you to stop following me.”
She climbed up to the treehouse with ease, her steps graceful, unaffected by the tension in the air. She didn’t answer right away, her eyes scanning the small space before settling on me. There was something infuriatingly smug in the way she looked at me, like I was beneath her.
When she finally reached me, she smirked. “Have you forgotten, Logan? Wherever you go, I go. Besides, there is nowhere else for me to run to.”
I groaned and tore my eyes away from hers. “You can go anywhere. Anywhere but here.”
Erinne shook her head. “No. Do you know your warriors are waiting for you by the river bank some metres away from here? Some of them have left you in frustration, but a good number still remains.”
“Let them all leave!” I growled savagely.
Her eyes roamed over my body. “Look at you. Hiding in a treehouse like some scared little pup. Not much of an Alpha, are you, Logan?”
I bristled at her words, my anger flaring up again. “Watch your mouth, Erinne. I’m still your Alpha. You’d do well to remember that.”
She rolled her eyes, completely unfazed. “Alpha? Please. Denderick and Aria walked all over you. You let them take everything. And now look at you, running away and hiding like a coward.”
Her words cut deep, and I felt my anger burn again. “You think this is over, Erinne? I’ll make them pay. I’ll burn Denderick’s entire pack to the ground if I have to.”
Erinne laughed, a cold, cruel sound that grated on my nerves. “Oh, Logan, you’re so predictable. Always so quick to talk about revenge, but when it comes down to it, you never deliver. Face it-You lost!”
“I haven’t lost anything!” I roared, getting to my feet again, towering over her. “This is just the beginning. I’ll find them, and when I do, I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” Erinne cut me off. “You’ll kill Denderick? You’ll take Aria back by force? You think that’ll make her love you? She’s with him now. You’re nothing to her.”
Her words hit harder than any physical blow. I wanted to lash out, to tear her apart, but something held me back. Maybe it was the truth in what she was saying. Maybe it was the fact that deep down, I knew I had lost control of the situation.
But I couldn’t let her see that. I couldn’t let anyone see how close I was to the edge. “You’re lucky I don’t throw you off this balcony right now,” I snarled.
She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that supposed to scare me? You can’t even hold onto your own pack. What makes you think you can do anything to me?”
I growled again, feeling my skin burn with rage. Erinne had always been good at getting under my skin, pushing just the right buttons to make me lose control.
She walked past me, her gaze sweeping over the treehouse again before she turned back to face me. “You know what your problem is, Logan? You’ve always been too soft. You talk big, but when it really matters, you hesitate. You second-guess yourself. That’s why Denderick beat you. That’s why you’ll never be the Alpha you think you are.”
My fists tightened until my knuckles turned white. I was seconds away from snapping, from tearing her apart just to shut her up. But then my eyes drifted to the bundle in her arms.
It had been easy to miss at first, but now that I was calmer, I could see it more clearly-a small, fragile form wrapped in a blanket.
I frowned, my anger momentarily replaced by confusion. “What… what’s that?” I asked.
Erinne’s smirk returned, and she cradled the bundle closer to her chest. “Oh, this?” she murmured. “This is Edward.”