Chapter 117 Desperate

Chapter 117 Desperate
Logan POV.

She's sacrificing herself piece by piece. And I'm watching helplessly.

Three days since she healed Marcus. Three days since she lost her childhood. Three days of watching her adapt. Compensate. Pretend she remembers things she doesn't.

This morning, Cassandra mentions an Elder Delta by name. Marcus's uncle. Someone Rune should know from pack gatherings.

I see the brief flicker in Rune's eyes. Confusion. Then she smiles. Nods like she remembers.

She doesn't.

But she's learning to fake it.

My chest aches.

I find myself touching her constantly. My hand on her back during pack meetings. Fingers entwined with hers while walking. Palm pressed against her hip when we stand together.

Confirming she's still there. Still real. Still mine.

Rune notices.

"I'm not going anywhere." She says gently when I pull her close for the third time in an hour.

But she is. Piece by piece.

I wake this morning—day four since the healing—already hard. Already reaching for her.

"Logan?" Rune murmurs. Still half-asleep.

"I need you." I pull her nightgown up.

"Again?" But she's already spreading her legs. Already wet.

"Again." I push into her.

Quick. Urgent. Desperate. I fuck her hard and fast. Need to confirm she's here. She's real. She's mine.

She comes gasping my name. I follow immediately after. Buried deep.

We lie tangled together afterward. Both catching breath.

"That's the second time this morning." Rune points out. Not complaining. Observing.

It is. I woke her an hour ago for the first round.

"I can't help it. I need... I need to know you're here."

Rune's silver eyes find mine.

"I'm here." Simple.

For now.

Midday. Council meeting with Cassandra and Garrick. Discussing Viktor's movements. Freya's intelligence. Defensive strategies.

But all I can think about is Rune in our chambers. Alone. Possibly forgetting more things while I'm not there.

"Logan?" Cassandra prompts. "Did you hear the question?"

I didn't. "Repeat it."

She does. I force myself to focus.

The meeting ends after an hour. I dismiss everyone. Immediately go searching for Rune.

Find her in the library. Reading reports about Viktor's rogue army.

"Rune." From the doorway.

She looks up. Smiles when she sees me. That smile. Still the same. Still lighting up her whole face.

Still knowing me.

"Come here."

She sets down the papers. Crosses to me. I pull her into empty corridor. Press her against the wall.

"Logan, what—"

"Now." I interrupt. Already hiking up her dress. "I need you now."

"We're in the corridor." She protests even as her hands go to my pants.

"Don't care." I free myself. Lift her.

She wraps her legs around my waist immediately. I push into her. Both of us groan.

I fuck her against the wall. Hard. Desperate. She buries her face in my neck to muffle her sounds.

When we finish, I stay buried inside her. Forehead pressed to hers.

"I'm here." She whispers. "I'm not fading. I'm right here."

But she is fading. And I can't stop it.

Evening. Our chambers. I'm trying to give her space. Let her rest.

Failing.

She's sitting by the fire. Brushing her hair. Such a simple, domestic scene.

"Logan, you're staring." Rune says without looking at me.

"Can't help it."

She sets down the brush. Turns to face me. "Come here."

I cross to her immediately. She pulls me down to kneel between her legs. Her hands frame my face.

"Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking I'm losing you. Piece by piece. Memory by memory. And there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"You're not losing me. I'm right here."

"For now. But what about next time you use Oracle power? What if you forget me? Forget us? Forget the bond?"

"The bond isn't a memory. It's deeper than that. Soul-level. I could forget everything and still know you through the bond."

I want to believe her.

She sees something in my expression. Sighs softly.

"Show me."

"What?"

"Show me you're not losing me. Prove it to yourself."

I pull her off the chair. Carry her to the bed.

This time I take my time. Map every inch of her body with my hands. My mouth. My tongue.

The small birthmark on her inner thigh. The way she gasps when I bite her hip. How she tangles her fingers in my hair when I use my mouth between her legs.

"Logan." She moans. Arching. "Please."

"Not yet. Let me worship you first."

I make her come with my mouth. Then my fingers. Then finally—when she's begging—with my cock.

We move together slowly this time. No desperate urgency.

"Don't forget me." I whisper against her neck.

"I won't." Rune promises.

"Promise." I demand. Thrust deeper.

"I promise. I'll always know you. Always."

We come together. The mate bond flares brilliant gold.

Afterward, lying tangled together, I voice the question.

"What if you do forget me? What if Oracle power takes that too?"

Rune is quiet for a long moment.

"Then you'll make me fall in love with you again. And I will. Because soul recognizes soul, memory or no memory."

The certainty in her voice.