Chapter Fourteen
Seraphina
My life at Nahachoh settled into a strange new rhythm. Logan was by my side, his presence a constant, warm thrum of protection that followed me—earnest and… persistent.
For the first few days, I was forced to remain in the infirmary as I rebuilt my strength after draining so much of my magic. Most of the time, Logan was there—often deflecting Linda’s blatant dislike of me. She had a habit of taking my blood pressure with unnecessary force, something she didn’t dare do when Logan was present. “Linda, you’re more careful with us warriors, and Seraphina’s much slighter,” he would point out.
He often made jokes about how I could start building my magic muscle up again by practicing on silencing Linda’s constant sighs. Each time a sigh slipped out, he’d raise a brow at me as if daring me to use my magic on her. I would bite back a smile, grateful for his protective care, but… I still had no feelings for him.
After our intense conversation about my parents’ innocence, his bullying in the past, and my intention to leave the pack once their names were cleared, we hadn’t talked in depth again. Yet, I became overly conscious of the warmth rising in my chest whenever he watched me. Since he’d heard the news about my parents’ innocence—and knowing how the Black Moon leader had aimed that killing curse at me—his protective instincts had kicked into overdrive. He barely left my side. Even when he was on patrol duty, he insisted warrior Tara stay with me. In truth, I much preferred her company. It was free of the weighty expectations and hidden agenda that I was sure Logan’s company held.
On the fourth morning of being in the infirmary, Linda finally looked at my bloodwork charts, took my vitals, and declared, “You’re back to normal. I’m discharging you.”
“Thanks, Linda,” I said, hoping that despite her lingering resentment, we might end on a civil note.
But she just nodded curtly before walking away.
“She’s really gonna miss you,” Tara joked under her breath.
I chuckled, watching as Linda got her handbag and left the infirmary. With all the Silver Moon warriors and other packmates fully healed, I was currently the only occupant. I supposed Linda was making the most of this quiet spell.
“Seriously, Tara, what are you doing back there?” I asked.
Tara had been messing with my hair for at least half an hour. “I just can’t seem to get it right,” she said.
I realized what was happening. “You’re deliberately keeping me here, aren’t you?” I accused.
“Logan made me swear I wouldn’t let you out of the infirmary without him,” she admitted.
Frustration whipped through me. I knew Logan’s protective instincts were overbearing, and I resented the restriction he placed on my freedom. I hadn’t confided in Tara about mine and Logan’s new bond, but I was also on edge at the idea of her and other packmates discovering it. With Logan’s overbearing behavior, it wouldn’t be long before they put two and two together. I wanted to keep it under wraps so that it would be easier to leave after I’d exonerated my parents.
“That’s it,” I said, wrenching my hair from her grip, even though her gentle braiding had been comforting. “I thought you, of all people, would appreciate that I can look after myself,” I challenged.
“I know you can, but Logan’s the patrol leader,” Tara complained. “It’s hard to turn down an order from him.”
“Excuse me for wanting to escape Linda giving me the stink eye.”
“She’s not even here!” Tara argued.
I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. “I want to get back—have a bath and use my altar.” See Tyler , I added silently to myself, my heart drumming with anticipation and nervousness.
“Of course you do,” she said, understandingly. “I bet you can’t wait to be back in your own space.”
Finally, Tara relented but insisted on walking me back to Tyler’s house. I hugged her goodbye before letting myself in through the unlocked kitchen door.
Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for the first encounter I’d had with Tyler since he’d learned Logan and I were fated mates. He hadn’t visited me during my four days in the infirmary, something that I admitted stung. Yet, I told myself this space was for the best. Tyler was finally putting the distance between us that I had tried to create before our ascent up the mountain.
But disappointment swept through my stomach as I saw the note on the table: “At the Council Chamber if you need anything, Tyler.” Did he know I’d been discharged this morning? Had he deliberately avoided me? He ordinarily worked at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee beside him, notebook open, unless he was seeing packmates.
I tried to find solace in meditation and a bath. After dinner alone, I got an early night. Much later, I heard Tyler return. In the morning, I heard him quietly leaving at an early hour. I got up to look out at the dawn, realizing we’d reversed roles. He was employing the same techniques I had used to evade confrontation before our journey up the mountain.
Over the upcoming days, the most I saw of him was his back as he skillfully evaded me. Conscious that I should feel relieved by his distance, I focused on myself. With the packmates healed and enough jedra infused into bottles, I worked on exercising my magic. After drawing so much from it, rebuilding my capacity was crucial.
I roped Tara into sparring with me during the first few days, but when she had patrol duty, I thought I’d be forced to skip it. Logan insisted he could help, though. I hesitated to accept his offer, knowing that I should be fostering distance between us now that I was out of the infirmary. But as ever, he proved persistent, even promising me that sparring with him wouldn’t be any different from sparring with Tara.
Unexpected duties had come up earlier for Logan, and by the time I stepped into the training ring, night had settled in, enveloping everything in a deep, velvety darkness. The air was crisp and biting, hinting at the onset of fall. A gentle snowfall swirled lazily in the low light.
Flaming torches flickered in the darkening sky, casting an amber glow across the snow-dusted ring. I peeled off my hoodie, the chill hitting my bare arms, and tucked my tank top neatly into my leggings.
Logan stood with his feet planted firmly, exuding a quiet confidence. But it was the intensity in his gaze that caught me off guard. It wasn’t the determined look that Tara often shared with me, but something primal—fiery and consuming. His dark brown eyes burned as they swept over me, igniting heat in my cheeks and making me uncomfortably aware of how different this felt to sparring with Tara.
Logan’s tall, muscular figure exuded strength in his lightweight training gear, too. The form-fitting, long-sleeved top clung to his ripped physique while his combat pants showed off his defined legs.
He went to hand me a sparring pole, but I shook my head. “I don’t need one. I’m working to build my magic, remember?
“Sure, but what if you overexert yourself? You’re still—”
“Healing, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “But I have to push myself. If I want my capacity to grow again, I need to use it. With Tara, I just yelled ‘Timeout’ when I needed a break. We can do the same.”
His brow furrowed as he considered it. “A safe word. All right,” he acquiesced, a suggestive smile on his lips.
Uh, again, this was so not the vibe when training with Tara.
Awkwardness bristled along my skin. I began to suspect that he’d only been eager to train with me as he hoped that if we got hot and sweaty together, other feelings might spark. But I gritted my jaw, determined to feel nothing but the determination and exhilaration that rebuilding my magic brought.
I laid the pole aside on the snow-dusted earth of the training ring and straightened my stance. Centering myself, I felt my magic thrum beneath my skin, anticipating Logan’s strike as he leveled his stare on me.
Logan ran toward me, his pole connecting with my shimmering magic shield as he struck. I countered by sending a pulse of energy radiating around me—a dome of energy that held me within its protective embrace. However, that power waned a moment after, fading like a candle snuffed out.
Restraint etched itself across Logan’s features, and he didn’t take advantage of the lull in my defenses.
“Come on—Tara was much fiercer,” I ribbed, dodging sideways as he swung his pole toward me.
With a chuckle, he twisted, his movements fluid and precise. I stepped back to evade him, his strike barely grazing my shoulder.
He smiled, but it was tinged with the same protectiveness that had become all too familiar lately.
“My magic needs this!” I thrust my hands forward, unleashing a wave of force that collided with him, sending him staggering back.
At last, determination solidified on his wide face, his jaw tightening. “All right. But you asked for this.”
With newfound energy, Logan sprang toward me, swinging his pole with force. Excitement surged through my veins as I met his strike head-on, a flare of magic bursting forth from my palms like flames igniting tinder. He had to duck and roll to evade it.
Logan tested me, pushing harder as I summoned my power, weaving patterns of energy to match his strikes. Each of his swings was met with shimmering spells erupting from my fingertips, bending the air around us.
I could feel energy building deep within, muscles of magic straining and strengthening pleasantly as my magic flowed forth.
For a brief moment, our eyes locked amidst the flurry of blows. He came at me again with an intense swing aimed to catch me off guard, and I countered, exerting a force that sent him stumbling back.
As he regained his balance, he dove toward me. Exhilaration flared through me as it felt freeing to unleash my magic. With every push of my will, Logan answered with skillful strikes and evasions. Then, in one mighty clash, I summoned all the magic I could muster, infusing it into my hands, redirecting it to form a light shield around me—energy coiling in response.
Admiration flickered across Logan’s features. Then, there was something more—heat stoked in his brown eyes. I sensed his desire to breach the barrier between us, not to defeat me but… to get closer.
Awkwardness surged within me. I’d told him I didn’t want a romantic relationship. Why was he looking at me like that? He’d insisted that fighting him would be no different than fighting Tara, but my heart raced at the intensity of his gaze.
I lowered the barrier, quickly uttering, “Timeout.” I leaned over, putting my hands on my thighs as I took in deep breaths, trying to clear my head, the tide of feeling beating through my chest, stirring something.
The exhilaration and attraction pounding in my chest that I felt from Logan, far from making me feel anything toward him, reminded me of another time. I remembered dragging Tyler into the supply closet in the infirmary and how I’d used my magic to prove I could defend myself. “You’ve always been able to handle yourself,” he’d said. The mixture of exhilaration and attraction I felt in my chest reminded me of what I’d felt for Tyler then. His bright blue gaze had held me with such reverence and affection.
My wolf howled at the thought of him. She ached for Tyler. Despite glimpsing him slipping away in the early mornings, I still hadn’t seen him since he’d learned of the bond between Logan and me.
Desperation beat through me, raw and aching. My breaths grew more ragged as frustration and longing quivered through me. Logan touched my back. “Are you all right?”
We’d both worked up a sweat, and his spicy scent was overpowering as he stood so close. Far from comforting me, I longed for a different aroma. My nerves felt frayed as my wolf yearned for the fragrance of cedar—Tyler’s scent.
“You were right,” I said, trying to quash the need in my voice. “That was a lot. Can you take me home?”
Suddenly looking worried, Logan took my arm, tucking it into his side. “Of course. You were amazing, Seraphina,” he said, his tone imbued with that warmth that made my skin prickle uncomfortably.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to avoid the shining look of admiration I felt sure was still suffusing his face. I grabbed my hoody and focused on the stillness of the snow-dusted landscape, catching my breath as we strolled back.
I had to fight to prevent Logan from following me in.
“I just need to lie down,” I insisted. I promised I’d call if I needed him. He’d given me his mobile number while visiting me in the infirmary. Finally, as I closed the door, I was free to be by myself. But as the emptiness of the house lapped at me, it only deepened the yearning in my heart.
In a moment, my wolf dominated me. I let Tyler’s scent wash over me, trailing to where it was most potent: his bedroom. As if our bond still existed, urgency rushed through me. I remembered the raw, intense look Tyler had given me in the infirmary when I’d asked him to give Logan and me space. That same feeling was consuming me now. I felt as if it would devour me entirely if Tyler stayed away any longer. I couldn’t bear it anymore.
The startling realization hit me: I still loved him. My heart grappled with the powerful scent of him as I allowed myself to settle on his bed, breathing him deep into my lungs as if it were as essential to me as the air itself.
With a fierce determination igniting my veins, I raced back down the stairs. I threw open the door, stripped off my clothes, and shifted into my wolf. As if she were on the hunt, she raced out into the snow-dappled land. Following the faint echo of intuition—magic guiding our strides—we made our way toward Tyler.
My paws seemed like an echo of the hope pounding in my chest. It wasn’t too late. Every fiber of my being seemed to resound with that thought.
I skipped around the back of the packmates’ houses, keeping close to the treeline—eager to avoid being seen by anyone. I didn’t want to get waylaid. I needed Tyler. My instincts guided me to the house beside Justin and Harry’s. I peered through the large picture window of the neighboring house, my heart sensing Tyler’s presence before my eyes did.
He was there.
But my heart sank as I caught sight of him on a cream sofa, remembering belatedly who this house belonged to as I saw Linda beside him. Despite the darkness, I stole down in the snow, every muscle in my body screaming in protest as I watched her lean closer to him, her arm running along his. Jealousy burned through me, a fierce wildfire amidst the bitter cold.
A tide of memories engulfed me—of Tyler and Linda standing together during their mate ceremony, of their futures entwining as I was pushed farther away, eternally separated from the one I loved. Numbness crept through me, as cold as the snow beneath my paws.
Had Tyler decided to give up on me?
The sharp ache deepened, gnawing at my fragile heart. I forced myself to turn around—my ears and tail drooping as I slunk back along the treeline, feeling like the cruel hand of fate was toying with me yet again.
As I stalked back, questions whispered in the dark corners of my mind. Had I angered the Moon goddess by daring to rebuff her plans? Was it she who had cursed me to live a life forever shadowed by unfulfilled love? The weight of despair pressed down on me, and the hope thrumming in my heart felt like a cruel joke. Was there still a path forward, or had I lost Tyler forever?