Logan POV
When one of my patrol guards mind-linked Andrew and me and told us that he saw a white wolf running through the forest, my heart almost gave out.
I kept picturing someone taking her away from me again. I was so afraid she would disappear again.
Andrew was a wreck. He almost destroyed the whole house when we found her empty bed.
We had no choice. We had to tell her the truth.
Emma came back downstairs wearing a dry pair of sweatpants and a simple long-sleeved black shirt. She looked amazing. She would look amazing wearing a trash bag, as far as I was concerned.
She sat down on the armchair opposite us and raised her eyebrow.
“Will you tell me what’s wrong?” she asked, looking at Andrew. “I know I shouldn’t have gone away in the middle of the night without telling you first, but it was just a short run. I was nowhere near the border.”
“Why were you out in the middle of the night in the first place?” Andrew sighed.
“I couldn’t sleep.” she shrugged.
Goddess, I wanted to kiss her so bad.
Andrew ran a hand through his hair and leaned his elbows on his knees.
“You are right.” he said quietly. “You shouldn’t have gone outside in the middle of the night without telling me, but it’s not about the run, Emma. It’s about your safety.”
“My safety?” she asked, confused. “Sienna and Rolf are locked up, aren’t they?”
Andrew and I growled when she said their names. Yes, they were locked up, and they would never leave. The only way out was death, and neither Andrew nor I were willing to give them that anytime soon. They had a lot to pay for. Every time Emma got scared or had a flashback, the list of their debts increased. They were going to be in my cellar for a very long time.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Emma started panicking when we didn’t respond right away.
“Oh, Goddess, did they escape?” she said, her eyes widening.
Her breaths were getting short and fast, and her eyes kept glancing from me to Andrew.
“No, baby, don’t worry.” I said, trying to stay calm. “They are locked up.”
She visibly relaxed before getting confused again. “Why am I in danger then?”
“Do you remember the day Alpha Drake came to visit our pack?” Andrew asked her.
Emma nodded and gulped. It was the day before Sienna kidnapped her.
“Well, he didn’t just come for dinner.” Andrew continued. “He came to give us information he got about the Rogue King and the attacks on our packs.”
Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay.”
“Drake managed to capture one of the rogue wolves who attacked his pack.” I continued. “He managed to get information out of him. We noticed that the Rogue King attacked only the packs whose Alphas were mateless, but we didn’t know why. Drake managed to get the rogue to tell us the reason.”
“What is the reason?” Emma asked.
I glanced at Andrew, who gave me a small nod.
“The Rogue King believes that one of us has a very powerful mate.” I said slowly. “She is supposed to be the greatest Luna that ever existed. She is a True Luna. The Rogue King wants her for himself. He wants to mark her and mate with her because he believes she will give him powerful offspring. His plan is to use her and take over the packs.”
Talking about another man wanting to mark my mate made me want to throw up. I could barely finish speaking. The need to grab her and never let go only grew as I continued talking. Just the thought of her with someone else made my blood boil and my body burn.
Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Drake asked the rogue he captured about that she-wolf.” Andrew continued. “He wanted to know how the Rogue King would know who that she-wolf is.”
Andrew stopped to take a deep breath. My heart started beating painfully fast.
“What did the rogue say?” Emma asked quietly.
“The rogue said they were told to look for a pure white wolf.” Andrew said slowly.
Emma froze. She was staring at Andrew without moving a muscle. I wanted to take her into my arms and tell her that he would never touch her. I wanted to tell her she was safe with me. I would never let anyone, or anything hurt her again.
“Emma?” Andrew called her after a few minutes of complete silence.
“I am a pure white wolf.” she mumbled, not moving her gaze from Andrew.
“Yes.” he nodded slowly. “You are the True Luna, love. Which is why it is not safe for you to shift and show your wolf to anyone.”
“He still doesn’t know about you, and we need to make sure it stays like that.” I continued, making her look at me. “You can’t shift and go on a run, baby. You can’t tell anyone about this, not until we deal with him.”
Well, he suspected that she was in this pack, but he didn’t know for sure. And he wouldn’t get a chance to confirm it. I would deal with him before he did.
She was staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I wasn’t even sure she heard me. What was she thinking about?
“Emma, baby, did you hear what I said?” I asked carefully, leaning toward her and placing my elbows on my knees.
I wanted to hold her, but I knew that she needed a little space right now. I didn’t want to push her, especially now when I was on thin ice with her.
I saw tears forming in her eyes. She tried to take a breath, but it was interrupted when a sob escaped her.
Andrew and I were on our feet in a second. We wanted to go to her, but she stopped us when she raised her hands.
She looked at me, and the tears fell on her cheek.
My heart was breaking in a million pieces. Seeing her cry felt like I was being stabbed repeatedly.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Are you scared? Please don’t be scared. He will never touch you. He will never breathe near you. I will never let anything happen to you again, baby.”
“Is that why you suddenly changed your mind about me?” she asked quietly. “Is that why you suddenly accepted me? Now that I’m supposedly powerful, I am good enough to be your mate and Luna?”
I felt like someone poured a bucket of ice water all over me.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think.
I was an idiot.
Of course she would think that. How did I not see this coming? Oh, Goddess, what should I do?
‘I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, LOGAN!’ Leon screamed, clawing to be set free.
I ignored him and pushed him to the back of my mind.
Andrew took a step toward her, but she stopped him.
“Don’t come near me, Andrew.” she said. “How long have you known?”
Andrew looked like she stabbed him. His own pup telling him to stay away from her was hurting him.
“From the day Sienna took you.” Andrew said, his voice laced with pain. “We had a meeting with Drake in the interrogation room that morning.”
I still couldn’t move. I was frozen. I wanted to hold her, but I knew she wouldn’t let me.
“Is that why you searched for me?” she asked, sobbing. “I was worth something to you because you found out that I am powerful?”
My heart broke in half.
“Goddess, Emma, no!” Andrew said, stepping toward her.
She tried to step back, but he grabbed her and pinned her against his chest.
“You are my sister.” he said, tears falling down his face. “I searched for you because I love you. I searched for you because I can’t live without you. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you are the True Luna and absolutely everything to do with the fact that you are my whole life.”
She stopped fighting him, but she didn’t hug him back. I could hear her sobbing, and it made me move. My instinct to protect my mate worked its magic, and I was next to her in a second.
I placed my arm on her back, and she froze. I tried to ignore it.
“Emma, baby, I love you.” I said quietly. “I was an idiot when I rejected you, and I realized that even before I found out about you being the True Luna. I would want you either way, baby.”
She stopped crying and lifted her head from Andrew’s chest. She looked at me with those blue eyes I adored.
“I need some time alone.” she said quietly, taking a step back from me and Andrew.
Andrew tried to grab her arm, but she didn’t let him.
“Please, Andrew.” she said. “I need to think.”
She turned around, not waiting for us to respond. She ran upstairs, and we heard her shut and lock her bedroom door.
“Fuck!” Andrew said, sitting back down and burying his face into his hands.
I clenched my fists. I was ready to burn the world down.
