LoganFrom my desk in my office, I watched Emily work.Emily sat at her oak desk outside my door, her fingers dancing across her keyboard. A calm intensity was written in every line of her body. Her hair fell over one shoulder as she tilted toward the screen, her jaw set as she focused.She was beau
EmilyThe night started with a dress.It was a beautiful, pale-blue thing that hugged my waist and floated around my knees.I wasn’t used to soft fabrics or silver zippers. I was used to sensible shoes, high ponytails, and reliable, muted colors. But when I saw myself in the mirror, I didn’t see the
The second half of the show passed in a blur. The crowd rose in applause, the performers bowed, and the audience began to file out into the night.I followed, arm lightly looped through Logan’s, as if I was a well-placed accessory in the Alpha’s public tableau.Inside, I felt like a wilting flower.
LoganI swirled the last of the wine in my glass, watching the deep red liquid catch the light like spilled blood.Across from me, Emily had gone quiet again.Something about her had closed tonight. As soon as she saw the flash of a camera, she shut down. And she shut me out.I knew it was my fault.
“I know. I didn’t want to make a scene, and it didn’t seem like it was worth it.”The fire in her eyes flared. “You didn’t think it was worth it?”“It benefits us in the end, doesn’t it? We need people to see us together.”“I thought you meant our fellow packmates, not publicists!” She started to ge
LoganI stood at my office window, coffee in hand, watching as morning sunlight crept across the pack compound. I still felt uncomfortable about the date last night. I had expected so much from it, but it had fallen even more than flat.Not to mention that Emily and I were as tense as ever when we w
I lowered my voice. “What would you do for a chance to be with me, Chloe?”She didn’t have a chance to answer. A crash came from behind her, and the both of us turned to see where the sound came from.It was Emily.The tablet she had been holding was now lying on the floor, the screen cracked. She s
EmilyThere were a thousand logical explanations for what I saw.Maybe Chloe had wandered into Logan’s office on her own. Maybe she’d asked a question. Maybe she was trying to manipulate him. But it didn’t matter.Logic was no match for the cold, sinking twist in my gut when I saw the two of them to
Emily’s hand squeezed mine under the table. Before I had the chance to interject, she answered Eric calmly.“I don’t think that’s the proper way to behave around the dinner table.”Eric scowled. “It was just a joke.”“Regardless, it was in poor taste.” Emily took a bite of her food. “Unlike this ama
LoganI couldn’t stop thinking about our almost-kiss.It replayed in my mind like a looped song I couldn’t turn off. I vividly remembered the way the candlelight had caught in her hair, how her breath had hitched as I leaned in, and the quiet moment before I stepped away. The look in her eyes had be
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Thank you.”True to his word, he made an effort. They were clumsy efforts, but efforts nonetheless. He loaded the dishwasher incorrectly, and I corrected it when he wasn’t looking. He wiped down counters with too much force.He tried, and I tried to soften. I did my best not
EmilyMoving into Logan’s house felt like stepping into forbidden territory. It was his personal space, designed exactly how he liked it, and it didn’t seem like anyone else had been welcomed before.The place was stunning and immaculate. It had high ceilings, polished wood floors, and a kitchen tha
EmilyBy morning, the sting had dulled.It had taken hours to coax myself out of the spiral. I wasn’t the jealous type. I wasn’t the girl who stormed away from whispered rumors and veiled stares.Seeing Chloe kiss Logan, seeing him stand there, impassive and infuriatingly unreadable chipped at somet
Third PersonWhispers swirled like leaves caught in a current. Chloe had cracked something open, and now everything felt unstable. At the pack house, in the meeting halls, even at the training fields, the air held a strange static and an anticipatory hush.A storm was coming.Chloe knew exactly what
EmilyThe next morning, I didn’t knock when I entered his office. I opened the door and walked in, reminding myself to be confident as I clutched the folder of evidence against my chest.He looked up from his desk, startled. “Emily?”I stayed by the doorway, tension wound tight around my spine. “We
LoganI had always believed I was capable of handling anything that came my way.It was in my nature. I was more than an Alpha, I was a man in control. Only now I was faced with a fire I wasn’t sure I understood. The worst part was, it wasn’t my enemies setting the blaze.It was Emily.I hadn’t been
I didn’t have to strain to hear them.The hush of conversations when I passed didn’t stop even when I was right in front of them.“… never thought she’d last this long…”“… Logan hasn’t really fallen for her, has he?”“… it has to be a fake relationship, especially with a wolf like hers…”Each word l