Chapter 16
Eden
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The rest of the day passes fast, even if I’m in Logan’s constant presence. He follows me to every class, sits with me at lunch (making Paris so furious she “accidentally” dumps her water bottle in my lap), and glares at anyone who so much as looks at me wrong. It’s weird having an Alpha–sized shadow, especially one who used to be my tormentor. He doesn’t even mind Elvira and sort of just ‘accepts‘ that she is part of whatever fucked up trio he has turned us into.
By the time the final bell rings, I’m exhausted from the emotional roller coaster. I have no idea why Logan is nice to me, probably the guilt from offering me to the fairies, but still… what’s the point now?
“Ready to go?” Logan asks, hovering by my locker while I’m grabbing my things. He is wearing an expensive winter jacket, looking every bit like the rich guy he is.
I zip up the jacket Elvira has let me borrow. It’s a bit too small. I have to suck in my stomach to get it to fit. Logan’s lips twitch as if it amuses him to see me hold my breath to get inside my jacket, but he doesn’t say anything. I’m grateful for that. Fat jokes added to the list of things he bullies me about wouldn’t be fun.
“Actually,” I say instead, “Azriel said he’d drive me home.”
The little light that was on Logan’s face is blown out the second he hears Azriel’s name. “Absolutely not.”
“It wasn’t a request,” I remind him. “More of a fairy demand.”
“I don’t give a damn what he demanded,” Logan growls, his Alpha voice making nearby students scatter. “You’re not getting in a car with that thing.”
I sigh, shutting my locker. “Look, I appreciate the sudden bodyguard routine, but Azriel isn’t going to hurt me. Not yet, anyway. He needs me alive for his sister’s buffet.”
Logan flinches at my bluntness. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Like what? Like I’m going to die?” my smile is challenging. Logan might be my Alpha, and yes, he frightens me, but since I’ve already been sentenced to death, I’m not afraid to let the firecracker within me come out to play. “Because I am going to die, Logan. Thanks to-”
“I’m working on it, okay?” Logan cuts me off.
I gape at him. “Working on what?”
“Finding a way out of the fairy deal,” he says, glancing around to make sure Azriel isn’t there listening to us or someone he knows. “The sacrifice. The deal with the fae. All of it.”
For a moment, I’m speechless. Hope flutters in my chest before I ruthlessly squash it down. “Why would you do that? You’re the one who prayed to the moon goddess for help with Paris.”
“I didn’t know the price would be…” His voice drops to a whisper. “I never agreed to sacrifice you, Eden. My father was the one who killed your mother, and the pack elders were the ones who accepted Azriel’s terms.”
“But you didn’t stop them,” I point out, trying to ignore how beautiful his blue eyes are. “You just stood there.”
Logan clicks his tongue. “I know. And I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.”
A sudden, silky voice interrupts us. “How touching.”
Azriel materializes beside us like he’s been there all along, leaning against the lockers with casual grace. His violet eyes glitter with amusement.
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Chapter 16
“Alpha,” he says, the word dripping with mockery, “I believe Eden has a ride home already arranged.”
“She’s riding with me,” Logan growls, stepping between us.
Azriel’s smile is sharp enough to cut glass, “I don’t recall giving you a choice.”
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“Let me make something clear,” Logan says in a low voice that makes no secret of what he thinks of Azriel, “Eden is under my protection until she turns eighteen. Pack law.”
Azriel laughs, the sound musical and terrifying at once. “Pack law means nothing to me. Or have you perhaps forgotten who
I am?”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten who I am,” Logan counters. “This is my territory.”
I look between them, at the Alpha werewolf and the fairy prince locked in what feels like a supernatural pissing contest. The tension between them is so thick 1 half–expect them to jump at each other’s throats. The other students are giving us a wide berth, sensing danger.
“Guys,” I interrupt, not so tough now that I’m caught between two massive guys, “people are staring.”
Neither of them acknowledges me.
“Your territory?” Azriel laughs. “How quaint. Tell me, Alpha, have you ever seen what happens when a fairy claims something as theirs?”
Logan’s hands curl into fists. “Touch her, and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Azriel’s eyes flash. “Fight me? We both know how that would end.”
“Stop it!” I snap, stepping between the giants. “I’m standing right here.”
“And?” Azriel asks.
“And I’m not a toy for you two to fight over!” I growl.
Both men look down at me with surprise before exchanging a look that clearly says, “This small chick really speaking as if she is boss?” which would be funny if I weren’t pissed off. Luckily, Azriel steps back, and he is the first. I shoot a glare at Logan, which really is pushing it. I’m just an omega while he is the Alpha, but he actually steps back.
“I don’t like the idea of him driving you home,” Logan says in a grumpy tone. “Ride with me.”
I weigh my options. Should I ride with Logan, who traded my life to have pups with Paris but claims to regret it, or Azriel, who makes no secret of my fate but at least seems honest about it?
“I’ll go with Azriel,” I decide, seeing Logan’s face fall. “He’s not going to hurt me, remember? I’m too valuable as a sacrifice.”
Azriel’s smile widens as he gestures toward the exit. “After you.”
I can feel Logan’s eyes burning into my back while I walk away with Azriel. Why do I want to turn around and look at him looking at me? And why does my heart hurt to leave him?
“Your Alpha is quite protective,” Azriel observes while closing the zipper of his leather jacket. He looks as elegant as ever. Hair styled and everything. “One might think he actually cares for you, not just his pack.”
“He feels guilty,” I say, pushing through the doors to the parking lot. “That’s all it is.”
“Is it?” Azriel sounds amused. “I’ve lived a very long time, Eden. I know the look of a man who is in love with a woman that he can’t have.”
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Chapter 16
I almost choke on my own tongue before I force myself to recover. Logan is the Alpha, and he would never settle for an omega mate. He has also bullied me for years. There’s just no possibility of him liking me.
“You’re delusional…” I mutter.
Azriel chuckles. “Whatever you say, darling.”
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