Chapter 14, My Alpha Protector

Chapter 14

Secrets and Shadows

Logan’s POV

Tonya is barely conscious, slumped against the cold concrete as the paramedics work to stabilize her. Julia kneels beside her, gripping her cousin’s hand so tightly her knuckles turn white. Her face is a mess of emotions —fear, guilt, desperation.

I crouch next to them, my pulse still thrumming from the firefight. “She’s gonna be okay,” I say, but it sounds more like a vow than reassurance.

Tonya’s eyes flutter open, unfocused. “He’s not done,” she rasps, her voice rough from whatever hell Mac put her through. “He won’t stop, Logan.”

Julia sucks in a sharp breath, a fresh wave of panic flashing in her eyes. I squeeze her shoulder. “We’ll stop him first.”

The paramedics lift Tonya onto the stretcher, and Julia hesitates before stepping back. “I should go with her,” she whispers.

I nod. “I’ll meet you at the hospital after I secure the scene.”

She hesitates, then surprises me by pressing a trembling hand against my chest, right over my heart. “Thank you,” she murmurs before following the medics to the ambulance.

I watch her go, my jaw tightening. I’ll never let Mac get near her again.

At the hospital, Tonya is hooked up to an IV, her face pale under the harsh fluorescent lighting. Julia sits beside her, holding her hand, while I stand at the foot of the bed, waiting for her to speak.

She blinks slowly, her voice hoarse. “I didn’t think I’d make it out.”

Julia squeezes her hand. “What happened?”

Tonya exhales shakily, shifting in the bed as if the memories are pressing down on her. “I was walking to my car when someone grabbed me from behind. A bag over my head, hands tied. I didn’t even get a chance to fight back.”

My hands clench into fists.

She swallows hard, her voice trembling. “They took me to some abandoned house. Kept me in a basement for hours—maybe a whole day. I don’t know. No windows, no clocks. Just the dark.”

Julia’s face is stricken with horror. “Did they—”

Tonya shakes her head. “No. They didn’t touch me like that. But Mac… he was there.” Her voice drops lower, as if saying his name might summon him. “He liked to talk. Liked to tell me exactly how easy it was to find us. How stupid we were to think we could ever be free.”

She inhales sharply, her fingers digging into the hospital sheets. “He made it clear that he wasn’t after me. I was just bait.” She lifts her gaze to Julia, eyes red-rimmed. “He wanted you.”

Julia presses a hand to her mouth, her whole body trembling.

I step forward. “Did he say what he was planning?”

Tonya lets out a bitter laugh. “He said he likes to play games. That this is just the beginning. He was trying to break me, Logan. Said that I should be grateful he wasn’t making an example out of me.

That next time, he wouldn’t be so ‘merciful.’” Her throat bobs as she swallows hard. “He wanted me to be a message.”

A slow, burning rage spreads through my chest. “That son of a bitch.”

Tonya nods weakly. “Yeah.”

Julia’s voice shakes. “I never should’ve let you be here. I—”

Tonya cuts her off. “Stop. This isn’t your fault. This is his fault.”

I place a steadying hand on Julia’s back, feeling her tremble beneath my touch. “We’re going to stop him, Julia. This ends soon.”

She nods, but the haunted look in her eyes tells me she’s not convinced. Not yet.

The next day, I show up at Julia’s house, knocking lightly on the screen door before stepping inside. I find her sitting with Lily on the living room floor, helping her put together a puzzle. The sight does something to my chest — something I don’t quite know how to name.

Lily looks up, her face lighting up. “Logan! Do you like puzzles?”

I rub the back of my neck, smirking. “I guess I could be convinced.”

She pats the empty spot next to her. “Come sit! I bet you’re not as fast as me.”

Julia smiles faintly, watching as I drop onto the floor. “You’re underestimating me, kid,” I tease, picking up a piece.

For the next ten minutes, I let myself get lost in something simple—helping Lily put the puzzle together, listening to her giggle when I pretend to struggle. Every so often, I glance at Julia. She’s watching, something raw in her gaze, something that makes my gut twist.

This feels right. Too right.

I push the thought away when Lily triumphantly places the last piece. “Told you I was faster.”

I chuckle, ruffling her hair. “Alright, you win.”

Lily giggles “Logan! Did you know the fair is coming to town?”

I raise a brow, smirking. “The fair?”

She nods excitedly, bouncing in place. “Miss Carter at school told us all about it today! There’s going to be rides, and games, and cotton candy! And a petting zoo! I’ve never been before, but Miss Carter says it’s the best part of the whole year.”

Julia smiles, tucking a stray curl behind Lily’s ear. “She hasn’t stopped talking about it since she got home.”

Lily beams up at me. “Will you come with us? Mama said maybe.”

Julia shakes her head with an amused sigh. “I said we’d see, sweetheart.”

Lily turns her pleading eyes to me, her little hands clasped together. “Pleeeease?”

Something in my chest tightens. I never expected to be part of something like this—something so normal. And yet, I don’t hesitate when I say, “I’ll be there.”

Lily cheers, throwing her arms around my neck before scampering off to find her favorite stuffed animal.

Julia watches me, her eyes unreadable. “You didn’t have to say yes.”

I shrug. “I wanted to.”

“You’re good with her,” she says softly.

I meet her eyes. “She’s a good kid. I got to get to the station but I’ll be back around 5:30 to go to the fair.”

She hesitates, something unsaid lingering between us. But before she can speak, Carla enters the room, glancing between us with a knowing smirk. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Nope, just leaving, see you later.” I walk out after kissing Julia.

The fairgrounds at Seaside Bluff were aliTonya is barely conscious, slumped against the cold concrete as the paramedics work to stabilize her. Julia kneels beside her, gripping her cousin’s hand so tightly her knuckles turn white. Her face is a mess of emotions—fear, guilt, desperation.