Arise

“You look worse for wear.”

I rolled my eyes. “You always seem to tell it how it is, Dr. Knight.”

He chuckled. “Unlike Dr. Hal, I like to keep it real.” He gave me an ice pack and handed me two pills of pain reliever. “This should help with the pain. You’ve got one heck of a bruise on your face. Your neck will be sore for at least a week. You just need some rest.”

I groaned as I moved my legs off the hospital bed and sat up. Taking the glass of water off the table, I swallowed the pills. The nurse checked helped clean the blood off my face and checked my blood pressure. My body was sore, and I was in desperate need of some sleep.

“I’m surprised you could even withstand any of what you went through.”

“I’ve been injured a couple times since meeting the pack.” I dropped my shoulders in exhaustion. My life really had taken a drastic turn.

I saw him glance at me. “I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not fair what’s happening to you.”

I looked down. “How are his parents?”

“They’re three doors down with Dr. Hal doing a psych evaluation. Four years in isolation and confinement can mess with your head.”

I nodded, not fully understanding where to go from here.

The rogues were no longer an issue. His parents were safe now. Logan was still in a cell.

“Where is Caleb?”

“With Logan’s parents.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“And you will, but you need rest. I know you’re fighting your exhaustion to finish whatever it is you need to do, but that can wait.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine.” I attempted to get off the bed but moving made my back ache. I groaned in pain.

“Rest, Beta.” He put his hands in his lab coat pockets, “and that’s an order.”

I narrowed my eyes but obliged. The nurse removed my shoes and helped me get under the sheets. I would worry about Logan later. Right now, I was in desperate need for sleep. The moment my back hit the mattress, my eyes shut and my mind drifted.

I opened the cell door causing Logan to look up. I kept my back straight and tried to walk as normal as possible, but I couldn’t stop the pain from showing on my face. I at least could hide the bruises, except the ones on my face.

He took in my fading bruise and my busted lip in curiosity, but his eyes narrowed when he noticed the hoodie I wore. His hoodie. “What happened to you?”

To be honest, I had no idea why I was still wearing it. I only wore it at first because it made Samuel and Grace more at ease when I smelled like Logan. But now, I couldn’t deny that it brought me comfort.

It had been a few days since we got them back. They were still adjusting to the pack and me, which was completely understandable. They had agreed to weekly therapy sessions with and moved back into their lodge, taking up the room that Logan forbade me from entering. I moved back too but chose to stay in the guest room. Staying in the room I had shared with Logan again wasn’t up for discussion.

I brought a bundle of clothes to his face. “You need to change.”

“Why?”

“Because you reek,” I snapped. I dropped the bag in front of him and turned around. Slowly but surely, I heard him start to change out of his dirty clothes.

“Done.”

I walked away from him and toward the door.

For the past couple of days, his parents had been begging to see Logan. I couldn’t keep them from him any longer.

I opened the door wider, stepping back and allowing Samuel and Grace to enter the room.

An intake of breath behind me before a cry choked his throat.

“You have three minutes.” They weren’t allowed to be left alone with him so, I slinked back into the dark corners of the room and watched the scene unfold in front of me.

His parents raced to their son and embraced him with such love. Crying tears if sadness and joy and laughing. Grace placed both of her hands on Logan’s face as tears fell freely from her as did his. Samuel hugged both of them as they fell to the ground in a tight embrace.

Tears threatened to fall down my own cheeks.

“My beautiful boy. You have grown.” His mother continued to run her hands over his arms, still grasping the fact that her son was in fact in front of her.

Logan laughed and hugged her again. “How?”

I tried to drown out their conversation, but it was getting hard and the room didn’t have great cell reception.

Samuel wiped his nose on his sleeve. “We aren’t very sure, but they found us in the mountains a couple days ago. Your mate found us.”

Logan’s eyes shifted to me briefly before returning to his parents. He smiled widely and hugged them once more.

I wrung my hands together and looked away, willing the burn in my eyes to fade.

He had smiled with his dimple.

My heart soared and fell, shattering once again.

I let out a shaky breath and stepped forward. “Time’s up.”

Grace shook her head and held Logan’s arm tightly. “No.” Rage swam in her eyes as she glared at me.

Samuel only stared at his son.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground. “I gave you five minutes, and now it’s time to go.” I winced at my stern tone.

Logan pushed his mother’s hands off his arm and nodded toward the door. “Go, mom. I’ll be fine.”

With reluctance, and Samuel’s arm around her, they both stood up and walked right out the door, refusing to acknowledge me. A pang went through my chest.

I turned around to follow them when his voice asked, “how?”

I turned toward him once more, placing my hands in my back pockets. “It’s a long story.” I met his gaze. “Bandit dropped some hints before he died, and it led to the history of this land, which led us to finding them. I can’t tell you much since you can’t be trusted.”

He looked down. “Thank you, Rosetta.”

I scoffed and tilted my head. Anger consumed me suddenly. “We could’ve found them faster if you had just told me. If you had just let me for once in your life, we wouldn’t have been in this damn mess. Now, I have to pick up the remaining pieces.”

He lifted his head. “Rosetta,” he pled.

I shook my head. “The truth.” I gulped. “I want the truth right now, Logan.”

He licked his lips before starting. “I kept getting these notes during my last semester of college. They were just phrases. Things only my parents said around me. At the wedding, I received a note on where to meet these people and found out they were rogues. They told me my parents were alive and threatened to kill you.” His voice shook. “I only started working with them after they threatened to kill you and my parents. They promised me they wouldn’t touch you if I gave them information. But you started getting suspicious and demanded answers, and I just knew I had to get away. I did it to protect you.”

A ringing sounded in my ear. My legs shook. I clenched my jaw as rage poured out of me.

Absolute, unending rage.

He dropped his head. “I’m sorry.”

My eye twitched. A bomb went off in my head. “If you had just told me or Caleb or anyone, we could’ve helped, Logan!”

“I couldn’t risk it. I’m sorry, but I don’t regret doing this to save my parents. I thought they were dead—”

“I COULD’VE DIED,” I screamed. My chest moved up and down as I breathed. “If it wasn’t me the other day, it could have been Val. I hope you never forget that you tried to kill one of us and I will never forgive you. I hate you.”

I left the room quickly and closed the door behind me. My back against it, I slowly slid down the door, hands on my head. I gasped a cry just as Logan howled in agony.