ALPHA LOGAN

Chapter 5

The court hall was more packed than Logan had ever seen it.

More words spread quickly that Adrian Lustblood had decided to make a formal proposal to Elena and pack law was clear about what they actually meant.

It was once spoken aloud in an open court and it was a proposal that was never meant to be answered before the next full moon.

There is no setback or rejection behind closed doors.

Logan stood near the front this time around and nobody sent him to the back anymore, this was not after the courtyard attack and not after the way his blood changed to trained warriors two different times.

People still refused to trust him but they had stopped feeling as if he was dangerous.

Adrian proceeded like he already was the owner of the room with silver and black banners moving behind him and his smile fixed straight at Elena on the throne.

“My lady Elena.” He announced loudly for everyone in the room to hear.

“I stand before this court to offer you a choice your father will never offer you, I want you to marry me and unite the Bloodmoon and Lustblood packs by love and power and not by a dying man's debt tona slave.”

The room suddenly got noisy with mummers and Garrick who was seated near the front said nothing, but Logan saw the small deliberate movement of his head.

This was exactly what he wanted, the pressure, chaos and a reason to unravel Cassius's will before it could ever be finished.

Elena's face Gabe away nothing because she had already learned much from years of watching her father ruling as a king

“What if I refuse?” She asked.

Adrian's smile was unchanged.

“Then I will withdraw peacefully and wish you good luck with your….. arrangement.” His eyes switched to Logan and he watched him with disgust.

“Though I imagine a slave born husband will never make an interesting appearance in the foreign court.”

Few of the nobles burst out in laughter and Logan stepped forward before he could stop himself.

“Yoi can say anything you like instead of convincing everyone with your manners.” Logan stepped forward and everyone suddenly turned towards him.

The hall immediately went quiet and Adrian turned to his face for the first time.

Amusement ran over his face immediately.

“I meant what I meant, you have no recognized pack, and no name worth marrying into, the princess deserves a better answer befitting husband not a slave.”

“And I'm going to also tell you this, she's not a slave or property to be sold cheap to an unknown prince.” Logan replied with fury written all over his face.

“Carefull there man, remember you're speaking to an Alpha's son.’

“And you're speaking to a man who's already survived two assassins your family sent to kill him.”

The words landed unexpectedly on Adrian harder than Logan expected and they moved him a little bit, it was for a brief second but Logan noticed it.

Adrian was aware of what Logan was talking about and Elena noticed this too.

“I will attend to the proposal.” She answered before any of them could add more and her voice sliced through the tension like a sword.

Then she added, “But not today, since the pack law gives me until the entire moon circle is over, I intend to use every single part of it.”

Adrian bowed with a feigned respect as usual and not bothered about what just happened.

“As you wish princess, I'll be here gladly waiting.”

He left the hall with his banner moving behind him and the court began to murmur the moment the door went shut.

********

Logan saw Elena afterwards on the same balcony where she had once told him she would burn the crown than marry him.

But this time she wasn't looking at him like the enemy but as an ally.

“I noticed you saw the expression in his face when you mentioned the assassin.” She questioned.

“He was aware, and he knew something about it but it might not be everything.”

Elena paused for a brief moment before turning something over in her mind.

“My father's letter mentioned the Lustblood name right next to yours, the letter was burnt and torn before I could read the rest, it seems Adrian's family already knew something about it.”

“Then he didn't come here for a marriage proposal, there's more to it.” Logan finalized.

Elena agreed by nodding slowly.

“I need to know what my father was protecting you against before I answer anything and before the moon cycle comes to an end.”

Logan looked at her and for the first time since the will was read aloud there was no space the way she looked back at him.

There was also no trust but it was something closer to that then both of them expected.

“I'll make sure I fight for this marriage.” Logan assured me.

The fight isn't for the crown because I don't care about that, even if I step aside you're handing this marriage over to an enemy, to someone who wanted to kill me twice but I won't let that happen to you”

“You want to fight Adrian, a trained Alpha's son who was supported by the entire pack?”

“I've survived worse than that.”

Something that looked like a smile crossed her face before she quickly removed it.

“Then tomorrow the proposal should be contested, challenge him to a fight.” Elena suggested.

Logan nodded once, then it's decided.

********

That night, Logan was unable to rest, he tossed from right to left on his bed, he kept seeing Adrian's face in his head, the change of expression that lasted for more than a second.

Whatever secret the Garrick was protecting it concerns Adrian's family too and that was certain too.

A soft knock landed on Elena's door across the hall, it was careful and it was not a guard's knock.

Elena opened it and saw nobody there. What she saw was a folded piece of paper on parchment on the floor, it was sealed with plain wax, no crest, no name.

She stared in both directions down the corridor. It was empty and the person that leave the letter was already gone.

He or she had moved through the palace without anyone noticing which means the person knew the guards pattern pd movement better than anyone.

She took the parchment inside the room and broke the seal with careful fingers.

Inside was a single handwriting she didn't understand, aside it was a folded map, where an unknown location was marked deep in the eastern forest.

The same Forest where her father had been saved by Logan.

*The guards who died protecting your father that night were not killed by a rogue attacker, they were killed on Alpha Lustblood's order, you can ask Adrian why his father wanted Cassius alone in those woods “

Elena stared at it again and went through it twice.

If this was actually true, the snake hadn't been an accident too, it was arranged by someone, arranged for him to be alone exactly where Logan would locate him, meaning his entire life story had been written from the very beginning.

Logan wasn't meant to save the king that night.

He was meant to be there when the king died.