Chapter Six #2
“So I left Bitterroot behind and built something new. A life. I made a home in the CIA, and my team is my family now. But I never forgot what happened here. I never stopped wanting to avenge my mom and dad.”
Willow could barely speak. Her throat felt tight, her chest tighter. Logan hadn’t just lost his parents. He’d lost his home. His future. His whole identity.
Willow found herself inching closer without meaning to.
She didn’t speak. In recent years, her life had been mostly miserable, but she couldn’t even image living through the things Logan had.
She was sure they would have broken her.
But they hadn’t broken Logan. He’d come back and as he stood beside her tall, and proud, he exuded confidence, strength and power.
How did he do it? Maybe it was because he was an alpha’s son who’d been born with the same strength running through his veins that his father had.
The forest felt heavier now, blanketed in a hush that wasn’t just the weight of night, it was the gravity of everything Logan had told her.
Willow stood beside him, her arms folded across her stomach, more to keep herself grounded than warm.
His story rang in her chest like an echo of her own.
Different, yes, but carved from the same cruelty.
She hadn’t realized how deeply she’d believed she was alone in how much she hated Derek.
That no one else could truly understand it.
But Logan did.
Willow’s throat tightened. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. For a second, the words just wouldn’t come. But something had shifted inside her, and she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She wanted to open up to him.
“I was born an omega,” she said. “When I was younger, I didn’t feel all that different from anyone else in the pack, but after Derek took over, all that changed. He made sure that it was all anyone saw when they looked at me. It was all I was allowed to be.”
She didn’t look at him. Not yet.
“My parents used to tell me that omegas are the heart of the pack, the peacekeepers.” Her mouth twisted. “But what they mean is, we don’t fight. We don’t challenge. We don’t speak unless we’re spoken to. We take what we’re given, and we say thank you for it.”
Finally she looked across and met Logan’s gaze. “I wish I stronger. I wish I could stand up for myself more. I wish I was more like you.”
“Don’t,” Logan said sharply. “Don’t fall for the bullshit that Derek has been feeding you.”
Logan reached out and took hold of Willow’s hand and it didn’t occur to her to stop him. A zing of electricity raced up her arm, but it was the fierce, determined expression on his face that stole her breath.
“You are not something less. Do you hear me? You’re perfect, just as you are. Please remember that. Omegas should be cherished, not made to feel like they don’t matter. I see you. And I appreciate you. You are more than enough.”
Willow felt a sob rise in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She couldn’t, however, stop the prickle of tears that stung behind her eyes. Logan sounded so sincere, so adamant. There was so much belief in words that it made her want to believe them, too.
“I used to think if I was useful enough, if I kept my head down and helped everyone, if I followed every rule, they’d treat me better.” A bitter laugh escaped her. “But they never did. It only made me easier to hurt.”
Silence stretched between them again, but this time, it felt like the silence was waiting to be filled. She finally looked up at him.
Logan was staring at her. Not with pity. Not even sympathy. Rage simmered just beneath the surface of his calm exterior, cold, quiet and furious.
And yet somehow, she wasn’t afraid of him, not even a little bit. It was then she realized that he still had hold of her hand. He squeezed it a little, but not enough to hurt. His whole body was taut with restraint, like he wanted to tear something or someone apart.
“I hate them,” he said at last. “I hate them for what they did to you, and I hate them for what they took from me. No one should have to go through any of it. My team and I are going to put an end to Derek’s reign of terror.
I promise you. Derek is going to pay for everything he’s done.
The pack deserves better. You deserve better, and I’m going to make sure you get it. ”
The strength of his conviction was so powerful that she believed every word he’d uttered.
Before tonight, Willow had believed there was no hope, that nothing would ever change in Bitterroot.
Now, she knew she’d been wrong. As she stared into his eyes, Willow felt a connection that she’d never felt before.
With anyone. It was soul deep. She wondered if that was the mate bond at work, but really it didn’t matter what it was, only that it was real.
As they continued on with their walk, Logan didn’t let go of Willow’s hand and she was grateful for it. The heavy weight of it made her feel safe and secure, like she belonged. She’d never had that before. Maybe with her parents when she was young, but not since. Never since.
The stream emerged from the trees like something out of a dream, soft and quiet in a way that felt private, and protected.
Willow slowed as soon as she heard the trickling rush of water.
It was so peaceful here. So still. She rarely got time to relax anymore, but being here now with Logan, she could almost forget about the world and just… be.
Moss carpeted the banks in soft green mounds, and the stones at the edge were slick and dark, glistening in the low light. The moon hadn’t fully risen yet, but the clearing was gently lit by the milky glow of starlight breaking through the canopy overhead.
She stepped to the water’s edge and crouched, her fingertips skimming through the cool stream. A breath slipped out of her chest. Not quite a sigh. More like a release.
Behind her, Logan paused. Then, without a word, he lowered himself to sit beside her. Not close enough to press against her, but close enough that the warmth of him reached her skin. She sat down next to him.
Inside, Willow’s wolf stretched languorously. It had been vocal all day, only quieting when Willow had reached the clearing and caught her first glimpse of Logan again.
“It’s beautiful here,” she mused. “You can almost forget that the world out there exists.”
Logan nodded. “I haven’t been here in what feels like forever. Last time I came, I was a different person.”
She reached across the space between them and took hold of his hand. It was meant as a comforting gesture, but the second their palms connected, something changed.
The current babbled softly over stone and root, and in the distance, an owl hooted once, low and slow.
Their gazes met and held. Willow didn’t even realize she was leaning closer until their shoulders brushed.
It was the barest touch. Just the fabric of his sleeve against her arm, but warmth blanketed her.
The moment stretched between them, fragile and unspoken, and for once, Willow didn’t want to run from it. She wanted to stay right where she was.
The air between them felt different now. Warmer, somehow. She glanced at Logan from beneath her lashes, just in time to catch the way he was watching her. Like she was something worth marveling at. Something precious.
Her heart stuttered.
Then his gaze dropped to her mouth and a split second later, Logan moved. Slowly. Carefully.
His hand lifted, and for a moment she thought he might stop, might second-guess the impulse. But instead, his knuckles brushed the curve of her cheek in the lightest touch, a graze more than a stroke. Gentle. Asking.
Willow didn’t flinch. She hadn’t expected to lean into it, but she did. Her breath caught, shallow and uncertain, but she didn’t pull away.
For a long moment, they just stayed like that, his knuckles against her cheek, her skin tilted toward his touch. Their lips a fraction of an inch apart. It was as if he was giving her time and space to see if she wanted to move back.
When she did move, it wasn’t away from him, it was toward him. Almost without thought, Willow pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft and barely there, but it ignited something inside her that was so powerful it would have floored her had she been on her feet.
Then Logan responded and it was everything she had imagined it would be.
His hand slid to cradle her face fully, his fingers curling along her jaw, and he kissed her back with a depth that made the earth feel like it had tilted. What had started as tentative grew into something that was all consuming.
Logan deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping between the seam of her lips and seeking entrance.
Willow opened to him, her own tongue snaking out in silent question.
Logan answered at once, kissing her harder, deeper and when one of his arms slid around her back, she arched her body into him, moaning against his lips.
The growl that left Logan’s throat sounded primal. Will swallowed the sound, her hands grabbing at him and pulling him closer. Her heart pounded, not with fear, but with something wilder.
Claim mate! her wolf insisted.