Chapter 25
ELENA
The night air was crisp as Logan guided Aiden and me to his car. The tension still crackled in the air, a lingering reminder of the chaos back at the boutique. My fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted Aiden’s seatbelt, my mind replaying Derek’s accusations over and over.
“You were already cheating on me. Faked your death because you were afraid someone would find out you were pregnant?”
The venom in his voice still echoed in my ears, and my stomach twisted at the memory. I should have known better than to expect anything else from him. It was foolish—naïve—to have ever loved him.
“You’re quiet.” Logan’s voice cut through the haze of my thoughts as the car rolled forward. His sharp blue eyes flicked over to me briefly. “Still stuck in your head?”
I forced a small smile. “Just thinking.”
“That’s a dangerous habit,” he quipped. “Want me to fix it?”
I sighed. “If you say another bad joke, I might actually throw myself out of this car.”
Aiden giggled beside me. “Logan’s jokes aren’t that bad!”
“Thank you, Aiden,” Logan said, smirking.
“How’s your hand?” I asked, glancing at the hand that rested on the steering wheel. It looked a little swollen and one of his knuckles had split open.
“Nothing wrong with it that can’t be fixed with some ice and a kiss from a princess.”
He held his hand out to me. I grabbed his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles.
His eyes sharpened with something I couldn’t name, but I still didn’t feel anything. Not like I had with Derek—that pull, that heat.
Logan pulled his hand back to the steering wheel and his gaze darkened slightly. “You know, we could end all of this tonight.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Logan leaned back in his seat, his tone deceptively light. “Announce an engagement. Say Aiden is our child.”
I blinked, taken aback. “Logan—”
He held up a hand. “Hear me out. It would kill two birds with one stone. One, it keeps Derek and Cassandra from digging into your past. Two, it secures your place in our world.”
I hesitated. “And what about you? Do you really want to tie yourself to me like that?”
He shrugged, trying to be jokey. “Could be worse.”
I shook my head, my decision already made. “No, Logan. I won’t drag you into my mess.”
His smirk faltered slightly, but he nodded. “Fair enough. But you know I’d do it in a heartbeat, right?”
I smiled, gratitude swelling in my chest. “I know.”
I didn’t deserve him.
Mason insisted I dress up for the Alpha Ball. It wasn’t a request; it was an order.
“Make a statement,” he said, tossing a garment bag onto my bed. “You’re not a rogue, Elena. It’s time you remind people who you are.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. When I pulled the dress from the bag, my breath caught.
The dress hadn’t gotten any less beautiful. The dark silk flowed like water over midnight rocks, and I remembered how it clung to the soft animal of my body, the way it showed off the deep copper of my hair.
It was regal. Powerful. A reminder of my bloodline.
And at the last minute, Mason delivered another bombshell. “You’re going with Logan.”
“What?” I turned, barely keeping my voice even. “I thought I was going alone.”
My plan had been to go in a dark suit. Look like the staff. Make sure everything went off without a hitch.
“You’re better off at his side.” He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “People will talk either way, but at least this way, you have an ally. And maybe a fiancée?” he finished hopefully.
I let out a frustrated breath but didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it.
The Alpha Ball was a spectacle of wealth and power. The haute monde of the werewolf world gathered in their finery, and I looked around me as we pulled up to the amphitheater, pleased with how well my planning had come together.
It was a masterpiece, if I did say so myself. Towering stone columns wrapped in twisting ivy framed the open-air space, their bases adorned with intricate carvings of wolves and moon phases. The lanterns I’d pictured looked lovely, suspended from hidden riggings, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the polished marble floors.
The seating curved in tiers around the central dance floor, draped in rich blue velvet, with golden lanterns flickering at the end of each aisle. A raised dais stood at the far end, where announcements would be made, with seating for the elder Alphas and Lunas in deference to their long reigns.
And every one of them, from old to young, watched, whispered, and speculated as Logan and I arrived together. I could hear murmurs trailing behind us.
Logan smirked as he leaned in, his breath warm against my ear. “You’re causing quite a stir.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wonderful.”
As we entered the ballroom, I couldn’t help but overhear whispers of other rumors.
“I’ve heard the Moonstone princess will be here.”
“I’ve heard she was mangled from a rogue attack. Took a silver dagger to the face.”
“Have you seen her? I haven’t seen her.”
I couldn’t help but smile wryly at some of the speculation. I walked by all these people who were speculating endlessly and they had no idea. Wait until they all found out the Moonstone princess was just…me.
There was a reason I never came to these things. You go through life trying to keep a low profile and it all just backfires. It was depressing.
Then, as if the night couldn’t get worse, we ran into Derek and Cassandra.
The moment Cassandra laid eyes on me, her face twisted in barely contained rage. She, too, wore blue—a paler shade, a lesser dress. And the comparison wasn’t lost on the room. Whispers turned into outright stares.
Caroline, always eager to add fuel to the fire, tsked loudly. “Oh dear, it looks like someone’s trying too hard.”
Cassandra’s expression soured. “A rogue wearing something like that? Must be a cheap imitation.”
I arched a brow, unfazed. “Funny, I was about to say the same thing.”
Logan chuckled. “Cassandra, if anyone here is wearing a knockoff, it’s not Elena.”
Cassandra bristled. “Why are you even here, Logan? Parading around another one of Mason’s leftovers?”
I could feel Derek’s eyes boring into my skin. First with heat. Then with ice.
Logan held his tongue.
Derek? Didn’t. When he finally spoke, his voice was sharp. “I didn’t realize the dancing had already started, Elena,” he said. “You sure switches partners quickly.”
I turned to him, my voice icy. “What relationship I have with any man is none of your business.”
His jaw ticked, anger flaring in his dark eyes. But before he could retort, the announcement for the opening dance rang through the ballroom.
And just like that, the spotlight landed on us.
One of the high elders stood at the podium, clearing his throat. “And now, the opening dance shall be performed by our honored guests. The hosts and organizers of tonight’s ball—Alpha Derek and Elena, will you please do us the honors?”
The room fell into a stunned silence.
I turned, my heart pounding, as Derek extended a hand toward me. His expression was unreadable, his body tense.
Cassandra choked on an indignant gasp. “Elena’s just a rogue—she doesn’t even deserve to be here, let alone dance at the opening.”
Logan leaned in, smirking. “And yet, here she is. Funny how life works.”
Cassandra turned a shade of red I didn’t know was possible. But I barely registered it. My eyes were locked onto Derek’s.
He was waiting.
I hesitated, every nerve in my body screaming at me to walk away.
But I wasn’t a rogue. Not anymore.
So I lifted my chin, ignored the chaos around me, and placed my hand in his.
The music began.
And the world watched as Derek King and I made our way to the dance floor, our past and present colliding with every step.
