Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
ARES
I ’m up to my elbows in code on the security terminal when Logan storms into my room like a one-man hurricane. His face is a storm of barely controlled rage as he logs into my console, fingers stabbing at the keyboard with enough force to make the keys rattle.
Poe follows close behind him, his expression unreadable but stance tense—ready to intervene if necessary. Something’s seriously wrong.
“What’s going on?” I ask, pushing away from my desk.
Logan ignores me completely, focused on whatever he’s searching for in the system. His golden eyes scan the screen with predatory intensity, jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitching.
Poe glances between us before answering. “When Logan came storming into the suite like this, I thought it was a good idea to make sure no one was about to get murdered.”
A reasonable concern, given the look on Logan’s face. The last time I saw him this angry, he’d just snapped Viktor’s collarbone in the arena.
“Where is Maya?” I ask, glancing between Logan and Poe.
Poe’s face remains impassive, but something flickers in his dark eyes. “She’s in the harem being prepared for the bonding ceremony. Cillian accompanied her because no Alphas are allowed.”
I frown, running a hand through my curls. “I forgot about that shit. I hate wearing that damn dress uniform.”
“That’s the last of your worries,” Logan murmurs, still focused on the screen.
“It’s for all show,” Poe comments, crossing his arms. “The king wants a public display, complete with all the traditional rituals. You know how these things go—the more witnesses, the more legitimate the claim appears.”
Logan continues rifling through my security files, his movements precise despite his obvious anger. “Maya needs to be seen as mine—completely, publicly, undeniably mine. No matter the actual truth of that matter.”
The bitterness in his voice makes something twist in my chest. I’m still processing the betrayal myself, but unlike Logan, I can almost understand why she did it. We haven’t exactly given her many reasons to trust us.
Logan finally finds what he’s looking for. He pulls up the video feed from last night, playing it on the main screen for all to see. My eyes widen as the footage unfolds—Maya leading a clearly drugged Logan to bed, methodically stripping and restraining him, then...
Holy shit.
I fight back a chuckle at the sight of Logan tied spread-eagle to his own bed. The laughter dies in my throat when Logan whips around to glare at me, his expression murderous.
“Can you explain to me,” he growls, voice dangerously low, “how this video was downloaded from your personal terminal and sent to a reporter?”
My blood runs cold. “What?”
“This footage was sent to Belinda Farrow last night,” Logan points at the screen where Maya is now climbing on top of his unconscious form. “From your terminal. Using your access code.”
I stare at the screen in disbelief, watching as Maya uses Logan’s body while he’s unconscious. Something uncomfortable twists in my gut—not just because of the obvious violation, but because I have no idea how to prove my innocence.
Logan is my pack brother, but I did just watch him kill another alpha with his bare hands.
“Could someone remotely access your terminal?” Logan demands, his golden eyes bright with fury.
I tighten my grip on the edge of the desk, mind racing. “Not possible. This system is completely siloed off from the palace network. That’s the whole point of having a closed-circuit security system.”
“So you’re saying it had to be someone physically at your terminal,” Logan presses, his voice dropping to a dangerous register.
I reluctantly nod, my throat suddenly dry. “Should be impossible otherwise.”
Logan’s eyes narrow to slits. “Then what am I supposed to make of this evidence, Ares?”
The accusation in his tone makes my muscles tense, instinct screaming at me to prepare for a fight. But I force myself to stay calm, to think this through logically.
“Look, we were all pretty messed up last night,” I say, reaching for an explanation that doesn’t end with me dead. “Maybe someone snuck in while we were passed out. Servants are always in and out.”
“Servants with your access code?” Logan questions, voice dangerous.
Poe clears his throat, interrupting the standoff. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small bag of blush, now noticeably lighter than it was yesterday. “We weren’t just drunk. We were drugged.”
Logan’s eyes flash to the pink powder. “What?”
“I found this by the bar after everyone was already out cold,” Poe explains, his voice carefully neutral. “I was going to mention it this morning, but then,” he gestures at the current chaos, “I got distracted.”
My brain clicks the pieces together, and I let out a humorless laugh. “Makes sense now. Maya seemed to really enjoy the stuff when we were watching your fight at the games.” I remember how she writhed on my lap, inhibitions completely gone. “Maybe she thought she was doing us all a favor.”
The words feel wrong as soon as they leave my mouth. Something doesn’t add up. Maya wouldn’t drug us just for fun—not after what happened last time. And she definitely wouldn’t record herself sexually assaulting Logan while he was unconscious.
Would she?
A cold feeling settles in my gut as I remember finding her with my tablet yesterday, how quickly she’d pulled her hand away when I entered the room. The flimsy excuse about fashion magazines. The way she’d avoided my eyes afterward.
I don’t want to voice my suspicions aloud. But from the darkening expression on Logan’s face, I don’t need to.
“Has anyone else received strange messages recently?” Logan asks, his voice deceptively calm. “Something that seemed off?”
Poe shifts uncomfortably. “I received an encrypted message a few days ago. I assumed it was from Ares, since only pack members have access to that communication channel.”
My head snaps up. “I didn’t send you anything.”
“Show me,” I demand, gesturing for Poe to hand over his tablet.
He hesitates, then passes it to me. I pull up his secure communications and find the message in question. My fingers fly over the keyboard, breaking down the encryption patterns.
“Fuck,” I mutter as the source code appears. “This message shows it came from my terminal too.”
Poe’s expression darkens instantly. “You set me up?”
“No!” I protest, rising from my chair. “I didn’t send this. I swear on my life.”
“Then who did?” Poe demands, stepping closer, his hand drifting toward the knife I know he keeps concealed at his lower back.
“Both of you, shut up,” Logan commands, his voice cutting through our argument like a blade. Though he’s still clearly seething, a calculating look has replaced the blind fury in his eyes. “If I believed for one second that you did this, Ares, you’d already be dead.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “So you believe me?”
“I believe you’re smart enough not to use your own console to send incriminating evidence,” Logan says flatly. “Which means someone else accessed it.”
Poe turns to Logan, his expression grim. “What was in the message that got sent to Farrow?”
Logan’s jaw tightens. “Me, restrained and unconscious. And Maya...” He trails off, but we all understand what he’s not saying.
I review the evidence aloud, needing to hear it laid out clearly. “So we have the drugged drinks last night, an encrypted message sent to Poe from my terminal, and now this video sent to a reporter—also from my terminal.” I look between them. “There’s only one explanation that makes sense.”
Logan’s expression hardens as he finishes my thought: “Our omega has played us all for fools.”
The words hang in the air between us, heavy with implication. I think about Maya’s bright laugh, the vulnerability she showed in my nest, how perfectly she fit against me. I remember her curiosity about the security system, her apparent interest in my console.
I should have seen it coming. We all should have.
“What now?” Poe asks, his voice carefully controlled, though I can see the hurt behind his mask of indifference.
Logan’s golden eyes are cold as winter as he stares at the paused image on the screen. “If she wants to play games so badly,” he says quietly, “we’ll show her exactly what prize she gets for winning.”