I waited anxiously for Logan to return for the remainder of the weekend. My heart pounded with the hope of seeing a stranger again every time I looked over my shoulder or he walked by me on the street. However, he continued to be elusive, like a menacing shadow that was just out of reach.
I was able to persuade myself that perhaps I had just dreamed the entire thing by Monday morning. Perhaps my mind had imagined him as a cruel ploy in reaction to Leah's visit, or perhaps I had just seen someone who reminded me of him. What were the chances that he would follow me to a city that was hours away from the pack's territory, after all?
However, a peculiar feeling descended upon me as I departed for work. The streets had a new, unwelcoming appearance. Every car I passed seemed to have secrets I wasn't prepared to confront. Nevertheless, I made myself perform the actions, maintaining my attention on the current tasks.
When I got there, the diner was already bustling. Despite her busy schedule behind the counter, Amelia gave me a cheerful wave.
She called out, "Hey, Aria!" and gave me a quick check-up. "You appear better today. Are you feeling more like yourself?
I gave her a little smile as I nodded. Yes, I do appreciate yesterday. It was just what I required.
"Anytime. We need to go out and have a little fun, as I told you," she winked. "The routine of working, eating, and sleeping gets old very quickly."
Slipping back into the cosy rhythm of work, I grinned and focused on the first table of patrons. However, as the morning went on, I continued to feel as though someone was watching me. My instincts buzzed at the periphery of my consciousness, sending a jolt of awareness down my spine. Its familiarity unnerved me and brought back memories I had worked so hard to suppress.
I was tense by the time the lunch crowd dispersed. Now I could feel it, the distinct pull of another wolf close by. As I looked around the diner, half expecting to see Logan's dark eyes staring back at me, my heart was racing.
I saw him after I finished clearing the last table by the windows. Logan was standing across the street, barely visible through the haze of the midday sun. His posture was stiff, his eyes fixed on me, and he looked out of place among the city people. He didn't approach or make a move. He just observed, his presence pulling me back in time like an anchor.
My chest began to flare with panic. He was unable to attend. In the life I had created from the ashes of his rejection, he had no right to appear. Before I knew it, my breath was coming in short gasps as I gripped the edge of the table.
"Aria?" Amelia's soft yet worried voice broke through the mist. "Are you alright?"
I forced a painfully brittle smile onto my face and looked away from Logan. Indeed, I simply believed I saw a familiar face.
She cocked her head, looking at me intently. Since Saturday, you've been behaving oddly. You know you can let me know if you're having problems, don't you?
There was a strong desire to confide in her. Since leaving the pack, Amelia had been my first true friend and my lifeline. However, she would never comprehend certain things, which I was unable to explain without revealing the meticulous web of lies I had woven throughout my life.
Thank you so much, Amelia. Really," I uttered quietly. But I'm all right. I suppose it's just some old memories haunting me.
She looked at me empathetically, obviously not convinced but not wanting to argue. "If you say so. Just keep in mind that you are not alone.
As my shift came to an end, her words continued to linger, but my mind was already racing with escape plans. Logan's presence wasn't coincidental. He was searching for me, and he could have done it again if he had discovered me this time.
I slipped out the back door and made my way to my flat building by navigating side streets and alleys. I sagged against the door and bolted inside, trying to stop my heart from pounding. I could run again because I had already done it. However, the idea of uprooting my life and removing my son from the only security he had ever known made me feel incredibly depressed.
No. I couldn't allow Logan to push me away once more.
There was a gentle knock on the door as I stood there, panting in the low light of my foyer. Staring at the wood separating me from the one person I hadn't been prepared to face made my entire body tremble.
Another knock, a little harder this time.
Logan said, "Aria," in a quiet, low voice that seemed to know I was listening through the door.
I was immobile for a long time. Between the urge to flee and the odd, irresistible pull that pushed me to let him in, my heart pounded in my chest. At last, with a trembling breath, I opened the door slightly and unlocked it.
Logan's intense, inquisitive gaze locked with mine, and I gasped at the thought of him so close. He didn't look like the proud, self-assured Alpha I had known in the past; instead, he appeared worn out and almost vulnerable. However, his presence continued to be overwhelming, pressing against my defences.
"Is it possible for us to speak?" His voice was hardly more than a murmur as he asked.
I suppressed the urge to lash out at him for having the audacity to encroach on my life once more. However, there was a hint of regret or remorse on his face that prevented me from acting.
"All right," I said in a clipped voice as I moved aside to make room for him. "But hurry up."
He walked into the flat, looking around the tiny room, observing the evidence of my existence there. His eyes brother softened as they fell upon the tiny toys strewn all over the floor, which were proof of the life I had created for both our son and myself.
He turned to me and said, "Aria, I wasn't here to mess with your life. I simply had to see you. To clarify."
"Explain?" With a hint of resentment in my voice, I repeated. "You suddenly feel that I need an explanation after all this time?"
A shadow passed across his face as he flinched. "I am aware that I have no authority to beg for forgiveness. I made a mistake by rejecting you.
I kept my distance and folded my arms. "Logan, wrong doesn't even come close to describing it. After breaking me, you turned to leave. What it took for me to get myself back together is beyond your comprehension.
He stepped forward, his hand outstretched as if he wanted to touch me, to close the gap between us. However, he paused, letting his hand drop back to his side.
"I apologise; I understand. His voice was raw with emotion as he said softly, "I was a fool." "I believed I was keeping the pack safe. That a stronger was what you deserved. However, I was mistaken. Now I see that.
His voice's sincerity caused my resolve to falter, causing old wounds to resurface. I wanted to yell at him, to let him know that no amount of apology could make up for the suffering he had caused. But entangled with a thousand unsaid memories, the words stuck in my throat.
"Logan, what do you want?" I asked, hardly raising my voice above a whisper.
He looked up at me, a silent resolve shining in his eyes. I'd like to put things right. I'd like to re-enter your life. as well as our son's.
Heavy and indisputable, the admission hung between us. I clenched my fists, my heart's walls quivering beneath the force of his words. There was a part of me that wanted to believe him, forgive him, and give our son the father he had never known. However, there was another part that was difficult to let go of—the part that was still hurting and raw from his betrayal.
My voice hardened as I said, "You can't just show up and act like nothing happened." "Logan, you made your decision. I have also made mine.
He averted his gaze and stepped back, his shoulders hunching under the pressure of what I had said. He appeared momentarily disoriented, a man struggling with the fallout from his deeds.
Finally, in a hardly audible voice, he said, "I understand." "But just think about it, please."
He then turned and left my flat, leaving me standing there by myself, caught between the life I had created and the one he was attempting to offer.