Don't leave me

Charlotte

Logan was beside himself, screaming and hurting my arms with his strong grip, I was so scared that I couldn't say anything to calm him down and free myself. Logan's eyes were glowing red from the curse, he was losing control of himself once again.

"Logan," I cried in desperation, "listen to me, please."

"You were planning to run away with him, weren't you?" Logan accused, shaking me. I couldn't control my tears any longer and this only seemed to irritate him even more. "Are you crying because this time I've discovered your plan?"

"I'm not going to run away," I shouted in desperation.

"Liar!" Logan roared, his teeth becoming sharp as his fury took over more and more. My life was at risk and all I could have done in that situation was shout out the truth, my feelings.

"Why would I run away from my partner? From the wolf I love!" I shouted and then Logan stopped. I had my eyes closed, the sobs echoing through the dark, silent room. 

Logan's hands let go of my arms and I hug myself, trying to calm the trembling in my body. Logan's hands touch my face, but I'm afraid to open my eyes, so he gently brushes his thumb across my cheek. I open my eyes and see him calm, his beautiful blue eyes full of guilt, but not knowing what to do or say. I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly.

"I'll never make the same mistake of staying away from you, my heart couldn't take it." Logan hugs me tightly and kisses the top of my head. "I wanted to tell you something important." Logan nods in agreement, then takes my hand and leads me to the bed, where we sit side by side.

"I also need to talk to you about something important that's why I came here, but when the maids told me that you spent the day with Gabriel, I lost control." Logan's voice was low and calm, which reassured me even more about what I was going to say.

"About Gabriel," I took a deep breath before continuing. "I think he might be a relative of mine." Logan looked at me, but I didn't see in him the surprise I was expecting.

"Explain it to me better," Logan said, getting up and walking over to the window.

I tried to put my thoughts in order, so as not to leave anything out and end up angering Logan once again. My supposed lineage was a very delicate subject and that Gabriel could be something like a cousin or something like that stirred my heart. I'd never had a real family and that day I'd discovered a world completely different from everything I'd ever known.

"Gabriel told me that I might belong to a line of wolves called the Aurora Wolves, who have a strong connection with the Goddess and have thus received special gifts from her." I was nervous, not knowing how Logan would react, but his indifference persisted. "You hear me, Logan?" he turned and looked at me.

"Did he tell you anything else?" your question confuses me.

"Not much, just the story of the Logbas of Aurora, that his mother was a descendant of those wolves and that I smell like her." Logan remained impassive, so I stood up and faced him. "Did you know that?"

The silence lengthened and I understood. Of course Logan knew, that's why I was chosen to carry his heir out of thousands of much better, more skilled, and beautiful she-wolves. As he said at the time I ran away, my lineage was the factor that defined his choice for a concubine. Even if I didn't awaken the gifts of the she-wolves of the dawn, a son could inherit them. A perfect alpha, the High King who would rule after Logan's departure. 

"I didn't know everything, just that you were a direct descendant of Selene. I also knew that you'd never had a mate, which was crucial for me, because I needed an heir. The she-wolves of Aurora can only give birth to two children, one male and one female." Logan takes my hand, pulling me close to him.

I was angry with him, but I still accepted him and approached him. I knew Logan didn't feel that way anymore, but it hurt to hear him speak without any remorse or emotion. The whole situation bothered me. He lacked empathy when he told the truth, even though I had already told him the lies Diane had told me. He had many opportunities to tell me the truth, but he didn't.

"Why did you hide it from me? Even after I told you what Diane had told me, the lies she told me, and you chose to keep quiet." Logan then let go of my mother and walked away, heading for the door.

"We'll talk about it when I get back," he said walking away and already changing into his Lycan form. "Now get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day for everyone."

"Back?" I say, running towards Logan and grabbing his wrist. My heart raced at the same moment. "Where are you going?" Logan sighs and turns to me.

"We've found a clue to Aiden's hideout, let's go and find Fenrir." I didn't know how to react to that information. Logan was leaving once again, to capture Aiden and rescue our son whom he was holding hostage.

"What if it's a trap? Aiden knows you're closing in, he may have planned all this to get to you and he's using Fenrir to do it." Logan touched my face with his finger, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to accept that warmth.

"There's nothing to worry about, I'll be back well and with our son." 

"Can't you stay here tonight?" I ask, feeling my face heat up and my heart race.

"I'd love to spend the night with you, but I still have a few things to sort out for the early departure tomorrow." I hold his hand in panic.

"Be careful, please. I can't bear to lose you both." Logan wrapped me in his arms and his sweet scent of forest and sunshine washed over me, calming my heart and my thoughts. Logan then gently pulled me away and looked into my eyes.

"I'm King Alpha, the only thing that's going to happen is a big celebration as we return with that bastard's head on the end of our flag and our son in my arms," he said with his usual unwavering confidence.

I hugged him as tightly as my arms could hold me because I knew that the next morning that would be impossible. I would say goodbye to him with just a wave, wishing with all my being that he would come back well and that our son would be with him. Logan returned my hug, perhaps thinking the same as me. It was hard to part from him and let him go to finish the preparations for the next morning.

I wasn't sleepy, so after I showered and changed, I sat on my windowsill and watched the quiet night. The moon was full on that hot, uncomfortable night, and I wished I could take my wolf form and run free through the forests of Reims to try to calm my heart and my troubled mind, but it would be impossible after what had happened earlier that evening.

I ended up falling asleep at the window, with the soft cool breeze blowing across my face. Lia woke me early and helped me change to say goodbye to Logan and the soldiers. That was one of the duties of a queen, to want the men to return safe and sound from battle.

Everyone was getting ready to leave. The soldiers were excited about the upcoming battle. Miguel and Gabriel were talking in a corner, while Logan was watching everything with a pensive expression. I walked over and gently touched his arm, drawing his attention.

"You promised me," I said quietly and he smiled, lightly touching my hand with his, then walked away.

"We'll be back soon, child. There's nothing to worry about." Michael said confidently, then walked over to Lia and did the same as Logan had done to me, a simple and subtle gesture, but one that for those of us who were staying was the most important of promises.

"Is Gabriel going with you?" I asked curiously.

"No, he's returning south by order of King Alpha, he'll be his direct representative," Michael explained and I nodded in agreement.

A loud howl caught everyone's attention and they turned to see Logan standing on a large rock. Another howl and everyone began to move. Michael looked once more at Lia and followed the others. From the top of that rock, Logan looked down at me, his beautiful blue eyes shining with promises of a happy future for our family, and then he was gone. We stood there looking at the horizon until the last wolf could no longer be seen. Tears began to roll down my cheeks, but I held my ground. I felt Lia's arms around me and then I knew I didn't have to hold back any longer.

"They've come back all right, child, trust me," she said in my ear.

The days passed and quickly became weeks. We weren't afraid of any news and as a result, I wasn't able to focus fully on my duties. Lia didn't hold it against me, because she understood my worries. That evening I went out into the garden, sat by the jelly bean bush, and looked up at the starry sky.

"If I have these gifts," I said, closing my eyes. "If I am Selene's descendant, show me that they're all right, show me what's happening on the battlefield." But nothing happened.

The next day, there was a lot of noise at the gates. I rushed to check, hoping it was Logan and his troops returning with victory, but instead two wolves appeared, both badly injured, one leaning on the other to walk a few more steps.

"Gabriel?" I looked at the most injured wolf who was being dragged by his companion. He had lost an arm and his left eye was closed and bleeding. I ran over to him and helped him steady himself with the other soldiers. "What happened? You should have gone south."

Gabriel didn't answer me, he just handed me a dirty, crumpled letter that he had brought with him before he passed out. Lia took the lead and ordered that they both be taken for treatment while I opened the letter and read it. What was going on?