The Princess's Revenge Chapter 19

Logan’s POV

The door to the hall exploded inward under my palm. The sound echoed through the vast space. The scene before me ignited a fury so absolute, that for a moment I couldn't breathe.

Valencia knelt in the center of the room, trapped within a circle of salt—the traditional judgment ring. Her thin frame was rigid with terror.

Xander and Amara stood on the raised platform at the far end of the hall, positioned like judges passing sentence. Around them, five pack elders sat in a semicircle. And Dorian stood off to the side. His expression was troubled.

That stung worse than I expected.

My Alpha pressure erupted from me, rolling across the hall with crushing force. The air itself seemed to thicken, heavy with dominance.

Lower-ranked wolves immediately dropped their gazes, their bodies going rigid with instinctive submission. But Xander and Amara held firm. I could see the strain in their faces, the way their muscles trembled with the effort of remaining upright.

"What," I said, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper that somehow carried to every corner of the room, "are you doing?"

Xander stepped forward, his jaw clenched but his posture respectful. "Alpha, we are conducting a value assessment. It's pack protocol—"

"I didn't ask for your justification." I moved down the center aisle. "I asked what you're doing to her."

"We're following pack law," Amara interjected, her eyes flashing with conviction. "The same law that has governed Cliffwatch for generations."

I reached the edge of the salt circle and stopped. Valencia still hadn't looked up. She looked helpless. The sight made something primal surge in my chest.

Knox was losing his mind. RIP THEM APART! THEY DARE TO HURT HER! THEY DARE TO—

Control yourself, I roared.

Xander descended from the platform, carrying something in his hands. As he approached, I recognized it—an ancient tome, its pages yellowed with age. The Pack Law Codex.

"Alpha Logan," he said, opening the book to a marked page. "According to Article 47, established by your father, Alpha Winston: 'Any wolfless individual who seeks residence within pack territory must prove their value to the community. They cannot hunt, cannot fight, cannot contribute to pack defense. Therefore, they must demonstrate other skills that justify the resources they consume.'"

He held the book out for me to see. The text was there, written in my father's bold handwriting. I'd read this codex before, of course, but I'd never paid attention to this particular article.

"This is tradition," Xander continued, his voice gaining strength. "It's how we maintain the pack's strength and prosperity. We're not questioning your judgment, Alpha. We're simply following the established procedures."

"Established procedures?"

"Yes." Amara moved to stand beside Xander, presenting a united front. "Any new member who might strain pack resources undergoes evaluation. Valencia is wolfless, which means she cannot contribute in the traditional ways. We need to know what value she brings to Cliffwatch."

The logic was sound. Infuriatingly sound.

"I've already stated her value," I said coldly. "She's my personal attendant."

"But what does that mean?" An elderly voice creaked from the assembled elders.

I turned to see Thaddeus rise slowly from his seat. He was perhaps seventy, with a long white beard. He'd been on the council since before I was born.

"Alpha Logan," Thaddeus said. "Your mother faced similar scrutiny when she first arrived at Cliffwatch."

The mention of my mother sent ice through my veins.

"The pack questioned her value too," Thaddeus continued, leaning heavily on his walking stick. "She was Lycan, from the enemy kingdom. She couldn't integrate fully with our wolves. Many wanted her expelled." He paused, his clouded eyes finding mine. "But then the plague came. And your mother—using her knowledge of Lycan healing arts—saved forty-three lives. She proved her worth beyond any doubt."

He gestured toward Valencia with his gnarled hand. "This girl... what can she do? What value does she bring that justifies the food she'll eat, the space she'll occupy, the resources she'll consume?"

The question hung in the air.

I felt Dorian's presence beside me before he spoke. "Alpha," he said quietly, for my ears only. "If you simply overrule them without justification, it will be seen as tyranny. The elders have the authority to challenge decisions that affect pack resources." He hesitated, then added even more softly, "They can call for a vote of no confidence. Force you to justify your choice before the entire pack."

My hands clenched into fists. I could force my will through sheer dominance—I was stronger than any of them, could break their resistance with raw power. But that would shatter the balance that held Cliffwatch together.

We couldn't afford internal strife.

"Alpha?" Amara's voice pulled me back. "Do you have a response?"

I looked at Valencia again. She'd finally lifted her head, just enough for me to see her face. Those purple eyes met mine for one brief moment—and what I saw there gutted me.

Not accusation. Not anger. Just... resignation. Like she'd expected this. But if she went through with these trials... she could die.

These weren't just tests—they were traps disguised as tradition. She wouldn't survive. I knew it with absolute certainty.

And I couldn't—wouldn't—let that happen.

Valencia’s POV

I knelt in the center of the salt circle, my heart pounding so hard. The cold stone floor bit into my knees, but I barely felt it. All I could focus on was the hatred in the eyes surrounding me.

Logan stood at the edge of the circle, his entire body rigid with fury. I could see the war happening inside him—the need to protect me fighting against his responsibility to the pack.

He couldn't save me this time. The realization hit me like cold water. I was on my own.

"Fine," Logan said finally. "What do you propose?"

Xander stepped forward, unrolling a piece of old parchment. "According to tradition, we offer two trials. If she completes both, she earns the right to stay at Cliffwatch. If she fails either one, she must leave immediately."

Amara moved to stand beside Xander. "The first is the Winter Survival Trial. She will be taken to the North Mountain and left there for three days and three nights. No food, no water, no tools. If she survives and returns, she proves she has basic survival capability."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Three days? On North Mountain?"

"Even we would struggle without our wolf forms."

"A wolfless can't possibly survive that."

My heart was racing, but strangely, I wasn't afraid. Not of the cold, at least. I'd never felt cold, not even during the harshest winters. Maybe... maybe I could actually survive this.

Logan exploded. "This is insane! The cold will kill her!"

For the first time since I'd known him, I heard real panic in his voice.

Xander's expression didn't change. "If she cannot handle this, how can she be your personal attendant? That position requires not just skill, but loyalty and courage. She must prove she has both."

"The second trial," Amara said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She walked down from the platform and stopped right in front of me. "One week after she returns—if she returns—I will formally challenge her to combat."

My stomach dropped.

"It won't be a fight to the death," Amara continued. "But blood must be drawn. If she can survive ten minutes against me, she passes."

I stared up at her. She was a trained warrior, probably been fighting since childhood. Her amber eyes held nothing but contempt for me.

I had no chance. None at all.

But I nodded anyway.

Because what choice did I have? If I refused, I'd be expelled immediately. Amara would hunt me down and kill me without hesitation—there was no doubt in my mind about that. Even if Logan tried to protect me, even if he shielded me from immediate harm, what then? I'd become a rogue with nowhere to go. Rogues didn't survive long—hunted by packs, vulnerable to enemies, with no resources and no allies. Logan was the only person who had shown me any kindness. Cliffwatch Pack might be my only refuge in this entire world.

If I had to face these trials to stay, then I would face them.

"She accepts," Xander announced, satisfaction in his voice.

"When do I leave?" My voice came out stronger than I felt.

The hall erupted in shocked whispers.

Amara's eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow at dawn. We'll escort you to the base of North Mountain. From there, you're on your own."

"Fine."

Xander looked between me and Logan, clearly surprised I hadn't fought harder. "The salt circle is dissolved. You may return to your quarters."

I stood up slowly, my legs shaking. The crowd parted as I walked toward the door, and I felt every eye following me.

Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed and let myself shake. Now that I was alone, the fear came crashing in.

Three days on a frozen mountain. No food. No water. No shelter.

Even if I didn't freeze to death, I could starve. Or get attacked by wild animals. Or simply get lost and never find my way back.

And if I somehow survived that, I'd have to face Amara in combat. A trained warrior against a slave who'd never thrown a punch in her life.

My hands clenched into fists on my lap. No. I couldn't think like that. I'd survived fifteen years as a slave. Survived beatings that should have killed me.

I could survive this too. My rapid healing. My resistance to cold. Maybe I had other abilities I didn't know about yet. Maybe my body would adapt, would find a way to keep me alive.

I had to believe that. Had to hold onto that hope.

A knock on the door made me jump. "Come in," I called.

The door opened, and Logan stepped inside. He closed it firmly behind him and leaned against it, his gray eyes fixed on me.

We stared at each other in tense silence.

"You shouldn't have come," I said finally. "People will talk."

"Let them talk." He pushed off from the door and crossed the room. "I don't care what they think."

He sat down beside me on the bed, close enough that our shoulders almost touched. The heat from his body was distracting.

"Why did you really agree to this?" he asked quietly.

I looked down at my hands. "Because I have nowhere else to go. Here, at least I have a chance. But only if your pack accepts me."

Logan fell silent. His face became completely blank, unreadable. The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

"If it gets too dangerous," he said, "if you feel like you can't survive—give up. Come back. I'll deal with the consequences."

"No." I shook my head. "I won't give up. I can't."

"You—"

"I need to prove this to myself too," I interrupted. "I've spent fifteen years being helpless. Being beaten and starved and treated like garbage. For once in my life, I want to prove that I'm more than that."

We sat there in silence for a long moment. "Live," he whispered. "Whatever happens out there, you have to live. Do you understand?"

My heart hammered in my chest. "I understand."

He slowly stood up. At the door, he paused and looked back at me.

"I'll be waiting for you to return," he said. Then he was gone.

I sat alone in the darkness for hours, unable to sleep. My mind kept spinning through everything that could go wrong. The cold. The hunger. The wild animals. Amara's blade cutting through my skin.

Dawn came too quickly.

I stood at the castle gates. Snow fell in thick sheets, turning the world white and gray.

Xander, Amara, and about a dozen other pack members had gathered to see me off. I noticed Dr. Vance standing near the back, his weathered face creased with worry.

But Logan wasn't there.

The absence hit me harder than I expected. I'd thought—hoped—he would at least come to say goodbye. But maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was easier for both of us if he kept his distance.

Xander stepped forward, holding that same piece of parchment. "The rules are simple. Three days and three nights on North Mountain. No food, no water, no tools provided. You cannot return to the castle during this time. You cannot seek help from anyone. After three days, we will come to the mountain to look for you. If we find you alive, you pass. If we find your corpse, you fail."

His words were matter-of-fact. Like he was describing a routine task.

"Do you understand the rules?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then you may begin."

I looked at the crowd one last time, searching for any sign of Logan. But he still wasn't there.

Fine. I didn't need him. I could do this alone.

I turned and started walking toward the mountains.

The path led away from the castle, winding through sparse forest toward the rocky peaks in the distance. Within an hour, Cliffwatch had disappeared behind me, swallowed by the falling snow.

I was alone.