Chapter 38

Logan

I didn’t sleep the night after the confrontation.

Even after Emma stormed out of the infirmary, even after leaving Evelyn with her spine straight and her expression carved from steel, the weight of it all clung to me like damp fog. I sat in my room, staring at the dying embers of the fire, haunted by everything I hadn’t wanted to see.

By morning, the whispers had already begun.

They spread through the halls like smoke. First, they were quiet before they became blistering. Emma’s name slipped between hushed voices in the kitchens, trailed through training grounds, and tangled itself in pack chambers. People didn’t say much outright, but their eyes spoke volumes.

There was doubt now. And in a place like this, doubt was poison.

Chris hadn’t needed to say much. His word carried weight. And when he spoke up, amplifying Evelyn’s accusation about Emma’s past, it was as if the dam finally cracked.

By midafternoon, Emma found me.

I’d been walking the eastern ridge, needing air and space and maybe even punishment through my solitude. The wind had a bite to it, and the sky hung heavy with clouds that threatened rain. It was a gloomy scene to match my mood.

I heard her before I saw her, as her steps were fast and frantic.

“Logan!” she called, breathless. “Please, just wait.”

I turned to see her jogging toward me, hair wind-tossed and wild. She looked tired. Not the curated kind of tired she wore when trying to elicit sympathy, but raw, unraveling. And given how she had been last night, I suspected she was hungover too.

I said nothing as she reached me.

“I didn’t know she was going to dig up that,” Emma started, voice trembling. “I thought they buried it. That’s what they promised. I— Logan, I never meant for things to get this far.”

I stared at her. “You lied.”

“I didn’t lie about—”

“You lied about Evelyn. You made up rumors to ruin her reputation. You dragged me into it like it was some twisted game.”

“I thought—” Her voice cracked. “I thought she was dangerous. She’s not from here. She had no ties, no past, and people started listening to her. Even you.”

I folded my arms. “So you tried to discredit her? With gossip? You nearly turned this pack against the one person who’s been healing our wounded since the day she arrived.”

“I was protecting you.”

I laughed bitterly. “No, Emma. You were just protecting yourself. You didn’t want her here. She’s my wife. You didn’t want anyone else to have influence. You’ve always wanted control.”

“I wanted us to work,” she shot back, eyes wet now. “I thought if I could just make her go away, maybe you’d see what we could be. I’ve stood beside you for years, Logan. I gave up so much to protect you. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

I looked away, jaw clenched. “It did.”

She flinched like I’d struck her.

I forced myself to meet her eyes. “But I can’t trust you. Not after this. I don’t know what’s real when it comes to you anymore.”

“I’ve made mistakes,” she whispered. “But I’m still loyal to the pack. I never betrayed us.”

I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know if I believed her.

She stepped forward, reaching for my arm, but I stepped back.

“I need time,” I said. “Don’t come to me with half-truths and tears and expect it to fix everything.”

Emma opened her mouth to say something else, but then closed it. She nodded once, swallowed hard, and walked away, this time, slower. Less certain. Like she knew the ground beneath her had finally started to crumble.

I watched her go, but the ache in my chest didn’t ease.

---

That evening, just as the first drops of rain began to fall, my mother summoned me.

The guards didn’t say why, only that I was to meet her in her study. It was a formal setting, which meant it wasn’t a simple conversation. It was a strategy.

The walk there felt heavier than usual. The palace halls were quieter these days, as if even the walls were listening.

When I entered, she was already standing by the window, arms folded, looking out over the wet courtyard. The scent of rosemary and parchment filled the room.

“Close the door,” she said without turning.

I did.

After a moment, she spoke again. “You’ve been quiet.”

“There’s been a lot to process.”

She finally looked at me. “So you believe it? That Emma might still be linked with the rogues?”

“I believe there’s enough to question everything she’s claimed.”

She nodded slowly, face unreadable. “So it begins.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means we no longer know who we can trust.” She moved back to her desk, fingers brushing the surface as if tracing ghosts. “Emma may be compromised. Evelyn has caused more disruption than any outsider in years. The pack is divided. And your hesitation is starting to show.”

“Because I’m not willing to blindly accuse Evelyn without evidence?”

“No.” Her eyes snapped to mine. “Because you’re starting to feel, and feelings make you vulnerable. Especially now.”

I stepped forward. “You called me here for a reason. Say what you want to say.”

She studied me a moment longer before sitting behind the desk. “Emma came to me weeks ago. She was concerned. Not just about Evelyn’s presence but about what she represents.”

I stiffened. “Go on.”

“She believes Evelyn is being protected. That her boldness, her sudden sway over the people, her immunity to consequence— None of it makes sense unless she has backing.”

“What kind of backing?”

“The royal kind.”

I blinked. “You’re saying the prince is involved?”

Immediately, I was remembering Evelyn’s drunken words about the prince. I felt mildly sick as I pushed down the memory.

She nodded once. “He’s been moving pieces quietly. Visiting outer territories. Making alliances. It wouldn’t be the first time he sent someone ahead to pave the way.”

“That’s a huge leap.”

“But not impossible,” she said. “And it would explain why Evelyn acts without fear. Why she digs into things she has no business knowing.”

“She’s trying to help,” I argued. “She’s uncovered potential threats no one else was willing to see.”

“She’s also disrupted our balance. And balance is a fragile thing.”

I rubbed a hand over my jaw, heart pounding. “So what, you want me to spy on her?”

“I want you to pay attention,” she said. “You’re going to be Alpha one day. And if a royal power struggle is brewing, you need to know exactly where you stand.”

I stared at her. “And where do you stand?”

Her expression was cool. “With the pack. Always.”

But that didn’t feel like a real answer. Not anymore.

I left her office without another word.

By the time I reached the training grounds, the rain had turned steady. Thin rivulets streamed down my coat as I stood beneath the awning, watching the warriors disperse into the mist.

I thought about Emma, her desperation, and her fury.

I thought about Evelyn, her fire, her clarity, and her courage.

And I thought about my mother, speaking in strategies and suspicions, drawing borders even where there were none yet drawn.

I was being pulled in every direction. Loyalty. Logic. Instinct.

I didn’t know who to trust anymore.

But I knew one thing.

If Evelyn was connected to the prince, then this wasn’t just about our pack. It was about power.

And if she wasn’t—if she was exactly who she claimed to be—then we’d just pushed away the one person willing to stand between us and the chaos coming our way.

Either way, the storm had already started.

And I was standing in the middle of it.