Logan stepped back as he realised what he had done, what Elias had pushed him to do. The man was still standing at a distance, laughing like a lunatic. The alpha closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. Damn, what had he done? He had let a crazy man like Elias get under his skin. Now the people of the pack would think he was not worthy to be their alpha. 

He opened his eyes and looked at the people that stood before him. They were all looking at him with anger and disappointment in their eyes. Logan felt his whole world crashing around his ears. 

One by one the pack members and the Head Wolves began to walk away, led by Elias. Logan wanted to reverse the hands of time and rethink his decisions. It was as though he had made the worst thinkable decision of his life. How was he to face the people now when he had let his emotions ride roughshod over him?

Casper led him back into the study and led him to a nearby sofa. Logan sank into it and buried his head in his hands. He felt like a dark cloud of sadness was hanging above his head, ready to rain over him.

"It's not the end." He heard Casper say. His voice sounded faraway, as though he was talking from a distance. Logan realised that the feeling of sadness had clogged his ears and made everything sound sluggish.

He swallowed past the painful lump of emotion in his throat and spoke. "How can you even say that? Were you not aware of what happened only a few minutes ago? That was simply...uncalled for as an alpha that I am. I let that great oaf Elias get under my skin. I let him get to me. I gave him the reins of my emotions and let him ride it. It's about over at this point." He said and chuckled bitterly.

"Not until you're dead, it's not Logan." Casper said with determination in his voice. "The seat of the alpha belongs to you, fair and square. I would rather face the rogue pack singlehandedly than see Elias sit on that seat."

Logan smiled without humour. "Thank you for your enthusiasm, Casper. But I'm not sure at this point that I have even the motivation to carry on." He said, and before Casper could say anything to counter his statement, he walked to the study door. "Have a good day, Casper." He said with finality and walked out of the study.

He walked towards his and Aella's room, still thinking about all that has happened. He knew that soon the news would spread like wildfire and the whole pack, the whole population of people that he was supposed to be leading, would know and they would wonder if he was really fit to rule them. Was he even deserving of the privilege of being called an alpha?

He reached the room and opened the door, walking in. Aella was lying huddled on the bed. She gave a little gasp as he walked in, then relaxed when she saw him. She looked so small, he thought. Almost like a teenage girl, with her delicate bones and petite features. Only her face showed the hard shadows of her past. He could clearly see the years and years of hard living in the haughtiness of her nose and the hard set of her jaw. 

He didn't know much about her past or her childhood, but she had alluded to the fact that she'd had a very tough time growing up. She was small, yet she carried herself with all the grace and energy of a female warrior. She always seemed to have stored up energy inside her, just waiting to be tapped. How could one person be so fragile, yet so strong? It still baffled him till this day.

Aella walked over to him and took him in her arms like a little baby before he could even say anything. Logan wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug, sighing as he sniffed the scent of her hair. She smelled, as usual, of cinnamon, but also of his lavender body wash, as though she had just stepped out from the bathroom.

He knew she must have sensed his troubled spirit from their shared bond. He could feel every single emotion of hers, same as she could feel his. Their connection seemed to have deepened in the past few days. It seemed they were more in sync when they weren't fighting or arguing.

She stepped back and held him at arm's length to look at his face. "What's troubling you?" She asked with a gentle voice. "I could sense your sadness hours away."

"Do you know the Council of Head Wolves are threatening to overthrow me as alpha, because of that tattoo business with my mother. I'm sure you have heard of it?" He said and eyed her with suspicion. 

"Yes. Yes, I have. Everyone has been talking about it for days now." She said, frowning and chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. Her face gave nothing away, no inkling of the thoughts that were going through her mind.

Logan decided to take the bull by the horns and ask her a question. "Aella, what do you know about the killing of those wolves? The two that were found at the border shortly after you joined the pack, and—and Kylie." He asked with a tentative voice.

"What do you mean, what do I know about them? As much as you know, I'm sure. I didn't kill those wolves, Logan what the hell are you insinuating?" She said, her voice rising.

"I am not Insinuating anything, Aella." Logan replied patiently. "I'm just trying to put two and two together."

"Well, stop!" Aella yelled. "Can't you at least have some trust in me? Do I look like someone who can commit murder?" She turned away from him but he held her back by the arm.

"Aella, listen to me. There's a lot of pressure on me right now, and I'm sorry if I gave off the notion that I didn't trust you. I do trust you, Aella. But do you trust me?"

She turned slowly to look at him, her eyes welled up with tears. "Logan, I'm scared. There has been threats towards me lately. Some masked person tried to attack me earlier today in the gardens. Ever since they found out about my tattoo, it's been one threat after another. People look at me like...like I have the plague or something."

"I know, love." He said and pulled her into his arms, laying her head on his chest. "And everything would be fixed soon, trust me. But for now, you'd have to do something for me really quickly."

"What's that?" She asked, her voice muffled by his cloth.

He stepped back to look into her eyes. "We would have to hide you for a while, until the whole issue dies down. Just for a short while. There's a small cabin somewhere outside the limits of the pack's border. It's far enough so that those people can't reach you but close enough so that I can easily reach you. You can stay there till everything subsides."

Aella nodded in understanding. "Okay. When do we go?"

"Pack a few needful, love." Logan said. "We move by midnight."