Chapter 155

Logan

I stare at Emily, still curled up in the hospital bed, her hair mussed from exhaustion, a tiny crease between her brows as she watches me. She’s quiet, contemplative, and I can’t quite figure out what she means when she says she’s proud of me in that soft, lingering way. “What do you mean?” I ask, voice low, uncertain. My words feel small in the quiet room, swallowed by the hum of the machines and the faint beeping from the monitors.

Before she can answer, the door opens abruptly. Tony strides in, his presence commanding even in the sterile calm of the hospital.

“Logan, turn on the news. Now.”

I frown, confused, glancing at Emily. Her eyes flick to the small television mounted in the corner of the room, but she doesn’t speak. There’s a pause, heavy and stretching, before Tony’s hand hovers near the remote.

“Do it,” he insists. “you need to see this.”

Reluctantly, I flip the switch, the screen flickering to life. At first, it’s just the familiar anchors reporting routine updates, but then the words catch in my throat, halting my breath mid-sentence.

“…and with the final tally now in, the people have spoken. Logan from the Titanfang Pack is declared the new Alpha King. In an unprecedented turn of events, the vote confirms him as the nation’s leader, stepping into the role previously held by the Alpha from the Ace Pack.”

I can feel the room tilt slightly, the words echoing in my skull. My body goes numb, and my heart hammers against my ribs so hard I think it might burst. My eyes snap to Emily, searching for some kind of anchor in her calm, tired gaze. She meets my stare, her lips pressing together in a soft, encouraging smile.

“Emily…” I whisper, my voice barely audible, disbelief threading through every syllable. “I…we…that’s…how?”

“I don’t know the details,” she admits softly with the shake of her head, “but you won. You’re the Alpha King now. That’s what matters.”

“Logan, we need to get moving. Security, press…everything is on high alert. You should be leaving now,” Tony steps closer, voice brisk, practical. I shake my head firmly, my gaze still locked on Emily.

“No. I’m staying here. With her. With Peter. This moment—right now—it’s ours. My duty can wait,” I inform him.

“Your duty?” Tony’s eyebrows shoot up, incredulous. “Logan, the nation’s waiting. You have responsibilities. Cameras, officials, interviews…you can’t just—”

“I know my duty,” I interrupt, my voice firmer now, resonating with a certainty I hadn’t realized was there until this moment, “and my duty is to her.” I gesture toward Emily. “She is more important than anything else. It always has been. It always will be.”

Emily shifts slightly, reaching out to squeeze my hand. Her eyes glimmer with a mixture of pride and love.

“Logan…you have to fulfill your duty. You’ve been chosen for a reason. This is your moment to lead,” Emily whispers to me. I press my forehead to hers, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat through the connection of our hands.

“And I will,” I whisper, “but this is my moment with you too. And that matters more.”

“Fine,” he mutters, slightly defeated. Tony sighs, running a hand down his face. “I’ll bring the camera crews here. But you don’t have much time. You need to prepare for what comes next.”

“Thank you, Tony. I’ll be ready. But right now, this is where I belong,” I nod slowly, still holding Emily’s gaze, letting the weight of her approval and love anchor me.

My phone buzzes softly in my pocket, drawing my attention. I glance down and see a message from my father.

Father: Congratulations. I’ll be in touch soon.

My chest tightens, a mix of pride and relief coursing through me. The acknowledgment is simple, understated, but I know the weight behind it. He understands what this means, not just for me, but for all of us.

I slip the phone back into my pocket and turn to Emily again. She’s smiling now, small and shy, her fingers still entwined with mine. The sight makes my throat ache with something I can only describe as love, raw and full, filling every corner of me. I lean down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, careful, reverent.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispers when I pull back, voice soft and full of warmth. “For everything you’ve done, everything you’ve endured. You did this, Logan. You earned it.”

Her words send a shiver down my spine, a grounding sensation in the middle of chaos. “I couldn’t have done any of it without you,” I whisper back. “Without you and Peter, I wouldn’t even know what I’m fighting for.”

She shifts slightly, adjusting Peter on her lap, and I watch him for a moment. Every detail matters: the curve of his tiny hands, the way he curls against Emily, the faint rise and fall of his chest. My chest swells with pride and awe, and I feel a quiet determination settle over me.

“Logan?” Emily’s voice draws me back, gentle but insistent. “No matter what comes next, you’ve already shown what kind of leader you are. And what kind of man you are.”

I swallow hard, emotions coiling in my chest, and I nod slowly. “I won’t forget,” I promise. “I won’t stop. Not now. Not ever.”

We sit like that for a while, hands intertwined, eyes locked, and the weight of the world outside the hospital room fades into the background. The hum of machines, the faint smell of antiseptic, even the distant chatter of nurses becomes a gentle backdrop to the most important moment in my life: this one, right here, with Emily and Peter.

Tony clears his throat, reminding me of the responsibilities waiting outside. But I ignore it for now, letting the calm, the quiet, the intimacy of this small space envelop me. The cameras, the officials, the public — they’ll wait. For now, this is ours.

I lean back in the chair slightly, still holding Emily’s hand, feeling the pulse of life and love and hope radiating from her.

“We did it,” I whisper, barely audible. “We made it here. All of us.”

“We did,” Emily smiles faintly, brushing a stray curl from my forehead. “And we’ll keep making it, Logan. Together. Always.”

I press a final kiss to her hand, letting my lips linger on her skin, feeling the warmth, the heartbeat beneath, and I know with certainty that nothing else matters—not the campaign, not the accolades, not the world outside. Right now, we have each other. Peter has us. And that is everything.

I glance at the phone again, briefly, but my gaze returns immediately to Emily, to Peter. My life, my heart, my purpose — all of it is here, anchored in the small hospital room that feels like the only place that has ever mattered. Tony nudges me lightly, a reminder that reality won’t wait forever, and I nod, squeezing Emily’s hand once more.

“We’ll face everything,” I whisper. “But first…we stay here, like this. Together. And nothing else can touch us.”

Emily leans in, resting her head lightly against mine, and I feel the quiet strength she radiates.

“I love you,” she murmurs.

“I love you too,” I reply, holding her gaze, holding her hand, holding this perfect, fleeting moment.

I finally understand something I’ve always known but never fully felt until now: no matter what the world demands of me, no matter how high the stakes, nothing is more important than this. Than them. Than us.