Chapter 179

Ella

Somehow, I managed to fall asleep after Marina’s hellish phone call. But it felt as though I had only been asleep for mere minutes before I was suddenly alerted by the sound of a thud coming from my front door.

Immediately, I jumped out of bed on high alert and looked around frantically. My wolf pointed me toward the source of the sound, and so I grabbed the heavy bat I kept under my bed and began to tiptoe out of my bedroom.

As I stepped cautiously toward the source of the sound, my eyes fell upon a white envelope lying on the floor, just under the crack of my apartment door.

“What is that?” Ema asked, her senses bristling.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “But I’m about to find out.” My hands trembled as I picked it up and noticed the note taped to the front. It was a simple message, and yet it sent chills down my spine.

“You know what you need to do.”

I tore open the envelope, fearing what I might find inside. My heart sank as I pulled out several photos, all of them showing someone who I never would have suspected.

Photo after photo depicted none other than Miles, Logan’s assistant from the racetrack, in increasingly compromising situations. In one, he was near Karl’s race car, looking as though he was tampering with it. In another, he appeared to be sneaking around in the garage late at night with a pair of pliers in his hand.

The images looked like CCTV footage, and they looked real; but I knew they were fake. They had to be. Miles would never do anything to sabotage Logan. They were friends.

I felt a sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach as I flipped through the pictures. Marina was forcing me to frame Miles, to make him look like a spy, to divert attention away from me.

I couldn’t bear the thought of betraying someone innocent like this, but I knew I had no other choice. Marina held my sister’s safety over my head like a guillotine blade, ready to come down and strike at any moment.

“We have no choice, do we?” Ema’s voice echoed in my mind, sadness lacing her tone.

A sigh escaped my lips as I carefully slid the photographs back into the envelope and pulled the note off. I tore the note up into tiny shreds and tossed it down the garbage disposal in my kitchen sink just to be safe, the harsh grating sound of the machine a perfect depiction of how I felt inside.

“I guess not,” I replied once I finished. “It’s either this or Daisy.”

Ema growled slightly. “But Logan will be able to tell. He’s not an idiot.”

I paused as I looked down at the envelope. Ema was right; Logan would be able to tell that something was amiss. He wouldn’t suspect his friend of something like this.

But then again, these photoshopped images… They were convincing. Very convincing.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone. I quickly typed out a message to Logan.

“Logan,” it read, “I’m sorry. Can we meet up this morning? I’ll tell you everything.”

Within a few minutes, there was a response. “Sure. Where?”

Seeing his words made my heart sink. I had secretly been hoping that he would refuse, that he would be too angry with me still to listen to me. And that that would save me, somehow, from having to do what I was about to do.

But, once again, he trusted me when he shouldn’t have.

I suggested a nearby park, and he agreed to meet me there in an hour. My heart was heavy with guilt as I prepared to meet Logan, knowing that I was about to lie to him, to betray his trust in the worst way possible.

But Daisy’s safety was my priority, and I couldn’t let anything happen to her. If this was what it took to keep her safe, then I would do it.

When I arrived at the park, Logan was already waiting for me on a bench, his brow furrowed with worry. I approached him slowly, my eyes unable to meet his.

“Hey,” I said as I approached.

He looked up, shooting me a worried glance. “Hey.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart, then sat down beside him. We sat in silence for a while, each of us too wrapped up in our own thoughts to speak.

“Nice morning out,” I said, my voice shaking slightly despite my efforts to stop it.

Logan shot me a warning glare. “Spit it out, Ella, before I leave.”

“I…” I paused, swallowing. “I have to tell you something. And… You’re not going to like it.”

He watched me closely, his clear blue eyes searching mine. Despite everything, there was still a profound trust there, and it made me hate myself even more. “What is it?” he asked.

With trembling hands, I handed him the envelope containing the incriminating photos of Miles. As he flipped through them, his expression darkened, confusion and disbelief warring on his face.

“What is this?” he asked, looking at me.

I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “It’s Miles,” I murmured. “Logan, he’s been spying on you. He wants you dead.”

Logan stared at me for a long time, his eyes wide, before a grin overtook his face. “Don’t be silly, Ella. Is this some sort of prank?”

I shook my head. “Logan, please, just hear me out,” I pleaded. “The night of the fake engagement party, Marina showed me these pictures and warned me about a man who was trying to get you killed. She told me to keep an eye out for him. I’ve been trying to figure it out ever since.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me. “So you’re saying that Miles, my friend of five years, is…”

“A spy,” I said. “I don’t know who he’s working for. Hell, I didn’t even know who he was at first. But then, when I saw him on the night of your race, I finally realized. I…” I paused, my voice catching in my throat. “I think he really does want you dead.”

Logan shook his head in disbelief. “Ella, this makes no sense. Miles has been nothing but loyal to me. Are you sure you’re not jumping to conclusions? Marina is a liar.”

I felt a lump in my throat as I looked into his eyes, desperate for him to believe me. “Logan, you have to believe me. I’ve been looking into it, and I know it’s him. He’s not your friend.”

He stared at the photos again, his jaw clenched. I could see the turmoil in his eyes, the struggle to accept this shocking revelation. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh and met my gaze.

“Alright, Ella,” he said, his voice resigned. “I’ll take these photos and investigate. If what you’re saying is true, then we can’t afford to ignore it. But if it turns out to be a mistake, there will be consequences.”

I nodded, my heart aching with guilt. “I understand, Logan.”

He stood up, tucking the photos carefully into his jacket pocket. “I know you did what you thought was best, Ella,” he said. “I’ll handle it from here. But we need to be cautious. If Miles is really such a threat, then we can’t underestimate him.”

Before I could answer, Logan turned on his heel and left. As he walked away, my guilt felt like it was eating me alive. I watched him go, feeling like a fraud, knowing that I had just set something terrible in motion.

The fate of Miles hung in the balance, and it was all my fault.