Chapter <i>57 </i>
“Getting some air,” Emery said.
Logan watched her, his hand still on her arm. Her expression gave nothing away.
“You’re upset.”
“Upset?” She tugged at her arm, but he didn’t let go. “Why would I be?”
“Because ofst night?”
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“What about it?” Emery asked. “Your charming sister said you were with her. Am I supposed to be upset about that?”
“I–I wasn’t alone with Alina. There’s an emergency-”
“Mr. Hayes… I don’t need an exnation, and I don’t remember myself asking for one.” Emery smiled. “Your business is your business, and my business is mine. Let’s… stay out of each other’s way. This is for the sake of our child.”
Without waiting for another word, she removed his hand from her arm and marched out of the room.
Once the door closed behind Emery, Logan ran a hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. He didn’t hesitate. He turned and walked straight to his study, his steps heavy.
As expected, Alina was there–and Caius, too, standing nearby with his arms crossed.
Caius looked up. “What’s going on? Why is Alina crying?”
Logan didn’t answer. His eyes locked on Alina, who sat on the couch, wiping her tears with the edge of her sleeve. For a moment, the room was still.
Then, without a word, Logan turned and mmed his fist into the wall behind him.
The sound echoed.
“Logan!” Caius snapped, stepping forward.
Logan didn’t look at him. His eyes stayed on Alina. “Why the hell are you crying?” he said.
Alina flinched, caught off guard.
“I should be the one pissed off. Not you.” He stepped closer. “What did you think you were doing, going to her
like that?”
Logan stepped closer, his jaw clenched.
“What did you think that conversation was going to aplish?” he asked. “Walking into our room the morning after our wedding–what exactly did you want her to think?”
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Alina shook her head quickly, wiping her cheeks again. “You’re misunderstanding. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just… I overheard the omegasst night. They were already talking, and I didn’t want Emery to think something happened between us. I was trying to clear the air.”
“Clear the air?” Logan repeated. “By telling her you were the reason I left? Do you hear yourself? You knew why I left, and that has nothing to do with you!”
“She’s angry,” Alina said. “She misunderstood. That’s not my fault.”
Caius stepped between them. “Alright, that’s enough. This isn’t the time for fighting. We have bigger problems. You both know that.”
Logan didn’t even nce at him. His eyes were still locked on Alina. “From now on, stay out of my personal life. You don’t talk to Emery. You don’t exin anything to her. Do you understand me?”
Alina stood up. “Or what?” she snapped. “You’ll send me back like you did to Milo?”
That stopped him.
His expression shifted. “Say that again,” he said quietly.
Alina didn’t flinch this time. “You heard me. You sent Milo away for stepping too close. Now you’re threatening me? Over her?” She pointed toward the hallway. “Someone who is- who is a mistake? Someone whose dying?”
Logan’s body tensed.
“She won’t survive it, and you know it,” Alina continued. “There’s no human woman strong enough to carry a royal Alpha’s child. You’ve read the records. You’ve seen the numbers. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
Logan moved so fast, Caius had to grab his arm before it could go further.
“Enough,” Caius barked. “Both of you. We don’t have time for this.”
But how could Caius calm the rage inside Alina’s heart?
“You are protecting a human over me?” Alina pointed at her chest. “You are choosing a human over us? The ones who stood by you-
“You expected me to choose you?” Logan asked. “You expected me to choose you over my mate? The woman carrying my child?” ident or not. Emery is his! The werewolf inside him started to growl. He fought so hard to suppress <ol><li>it. </li></ol>
Alina’s lips parted, but she said nothing. Her eyes shimmered again, her chest rising and falling unevenly,
Seeing this, Logan didn’t flinch. “Don’t speak to her again,” he said. “Don’t walk into her room. Don’t pretend to exin anything to her. If it happens again, I won’t be this calm about it.”
Alina’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t respond. She turned and walked out of the room without another
word.
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Logan stood there, his fists still clenched.
Caius let out a long breath and stepped away from the wall. “Logan, you need to calm down. This isn’t the time to get caught up in this. We have real issues to deal with.”
Logan’s head snapped in his direction. “Nothing is more important than keeping my child safe,” he said.
Caius stared at him, silent.
Logan didn’t move. “You think this is emotional? That this is about her words? It’s not. This is about her stepping into something she had no right to touch.”
He turned away and walked toward the far cab, pulling it open and grabbing one of the files stacked inside. “If someone like Alina is already this out of control, what do you think the others will do once they start questioning this alliance? My marriage is tied to that now. So is my pup.”
Caius shifted ufortably. Talking about the unborn child still felt like stepping on a wire. Everyone knew the odds–grim for both the pup and the human mother carrying it. But even he didn’t want to say it out loud again.
“I’m not saying forget about it. I’m saying you need to stay focused.”
“I am clear,” Logan said. “And that’s exactly why I won’t let anyone touch what’s mine.”
Caius exhaled and leaned against the edge of the desk. “We found something near the southern border of France. About three miles off the main route.” He immediately mentioned the reason why he was here and not out there with the rest of their people.
Logan’s eyes narrowed. He closed the file in his hand and looked over.
“We picked up faint traces,” Caius said. “Not much–just residual scent. But it was fresh. Blood. Fear. The kid was young. Newly turned. Rogue for sure.”
Logan folded his arms, his eyes narrowing. “You think it’s connected to him?”
“There’s more going on,” Caius replied. “He wasn’t the only one. Someone’s either collecting rogues or moving them. Every sign points to trafficking.”
“Trafficking?”
“Yeah. Young wolves. Unimed. No family. Probably orphans, runaways… or forced. Whoever’s behind it is organized. They’re moving fast and quiet. And the trail doesn’t stop here.”
Logan didn’t say anything.
Caius continued, “The route runs through France, into the east–Russia, Estonia, maybe parts of Romania, We’ve seen operations like this before. But not this deep into our side of the continent. Not without someone covering for them.”
Logan’s jaw tightened.
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“That boy,” Caius said. “Was a message. The timing, the location—he was dumped near the estate, right after your wedding. In France, not the U.S., where we hold stronger ground. Whoever did this wanted it <i>to </i>be public. Intentional.”
Logan shifted his gaze to the map behind them.
Caius added, “You’ve made enemies in the rogue circuits. You know that. And some of them have deep ties in Eastern Europe. Russia especially. This may not just be about rogue trafficking. It could be retaliation. Or a warning.”
Logan turned from the map, silent.
“They used the boy as bait,” Caius said. “And it worked. Now you’re looking. They’re testing your response.”
Logan walked over and tapped a marked point near the Rh?ne Valley. “Start here. I want all unimed crossings tracked. Use anyone you need. I want a name.”
Caius gave a short nod. “Already moving. Don’t worry, we’ll find out exactly who sent that
message.”
AD