The Princess's Revenge Chapter 88

Valencia’s POV

The door burst open. Logan strode in, his leather doublet dusty and stained with blood. His dark hair was windblown, and exhaustion lined his face. But he was alive. Whole. The knot in my chest loosened.

Delphine immediately dropped into a low bow. "Alpha."

But Logan wasn't looking at her. His gray eyes locked onto me, and suddenly they weren't tired anymore. They widened, his mouth falling open slightly.

"Valencia..." His voice came out rough, almost strangled.

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "Logan?"

"You're... God, you're beautiful." The words tumbled out like he couldn't stop them.

Heat flooded my cheeks. "It's just makeup. Delphine helped me."

"No, it's not just..." He took a step closer, then another, like he was being pulled by an invisible rope. "You look like a goddamn goddess."

Delphine let out a soft laugh, quickly covering it with a cough. She bowed again. "I should go."

She slipped out, closing the door with a quiet click.

Logan crossed the room in three quick strides. "I can't believe how beautiful you are."

"Logan, stop - "

His hands went to my waist, lifting me easily onto the table. The cosmetic pots scattered, one rolling off and hitting the floor with a thud. My back pressed against the cool stone wall.

"I've been thinking about you all day," he said, his voice low and rough. "Every deer I tracked, every rabbit I caught, all I could think about was getting back to you."

Then his mouth was on mine. Hard. Like he'd been starving and I was his first meal in days. His tongue swept into my mouth, and I tasted blood and forest on him. My hands went to his shoulders, gripping the leather of his doublet.

He broke away to kiss my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin just below my ear. "Fuck, Valencia. You smell so good."

I could feel his arousal pressing against me through his breeches. My body responded, heat pooling low in my stomach. His hands moved up my sides, and I knew where this was heading.

But we couldn't. Not now. The makeup Delphine had spent an hour applying. The ceremony was about to start.

"Logan," I started, preparing to push him away.

But he pulled back before I could, his breathing heavy. His hands stayed on my waist, but he put space between us. "I know."

I blinked, surprised. "How did you know?"

"I can read you." He smiled, but there was frustration in it too. "Besides, Delphine would murder me if I ruined her work."

"She really would," I agreed, still catching my breath.

He helped me down from the table, his hands lingering on my waist. "You really do look incredible." Logan said again, his gray eyes warm as he studied my face. "Delphine did an amazing job with the makeup. Looks like you’re ready for the ceremony."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I shook my head, feeling the weight of the upcoming ceremony pressing down on me. "I don't feel ready. I'm still nervous about tonight. What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong." He squeezed my waist gently. "I'll be right beside you."

"How did the hunting go?" I asked, trying to change the subject from my anxiety.

"Four wolves, six deer, and twenty rabbits," he said, finally stepping back from me. "Should be enough for two days if we ration carefully."

Relief washed through me. At least we wouldn't starve immediately. "That's good. Did Elias tell you about Amara?"

Logan's expression darkened. "Yes. He told me everything."

"Do you believe her?" I asked, watching his face carefully. "About not betraying us?"

He was quiet for a long moment, his jaw working as he thought. Finally, he spoke. "Logically, it doesn't make sense. If Amara left to join Elton, he would kill her immediately. She knows too much about the assassination. And she has no reason to betray me."

"But her story has too many holes." He ran his hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "Why would they torture her and then just let her go? It doesn't add up."

I could see the doubt in his eyes. The Logan from before would have made a quick judgment, trusted his instincts. But after Clarence’s death, he was second-guessing himself.

"Maybe the people who caught her weren't Elton's people," I said without thinking.

Logan's head snapped toward me. "What?"

"I mean... I'm just guessing," I said quickly, but my mind was already racing. "It's probably nothing."

"No, wait." Logan's eyes sharpened. "If we assume it wasn't Elton's people who captured her, then her story makes more sense. But who else would know about the assassination from three years ago?"

"I don't know."

"And what would be their purpose?" He started pacing, his boots clicking on the stone floor. "They tortured her for information about the assassination, then released her. Why? What did they gain?"

The questions hung in the air, unanswered. Neither of us had any real ideas about who these people could be or what they wanted. The whole situation with Amara just got more confusing the more we thought about it.

"Have you eaten?" I asked, noticing how tired he looked from the hunt. I gestured at the plates on the table. "You should have something."

"I already ate while hunting," Logan said, still frowning as he thought about Amara's situation.

I picked up one of the plates, intending to take it to the kitchen to save for later. The food shortage meant nothing could be wasted.

"Let Echo handle that," Logan said.

"Echo's injured," I said. "She can't work right now."

"What?" Logan's voice turned sharp. "What happened to Echo?"

I wasn’t sure if what I did goes against what Logan said. I hesitated, then told him about rescuing Maya from the workshop. About the captain and the fight.

"Tatum attacked you?" Logan's voice was deadly quiet. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

I thought Tatum probably was the captain.

"He threatened you?" His hands clenched into fists.

"I handled it," I said quickly. "Really, it's fine."

"It's not fine." He turned toward the door. "I'm going to find him right now."

"No!" I grabbed his arm. "Please, let me deal with this."

"Valencia, they disrespected me. They attacked you. This requires immediate action."

"No, it doesn't." I moved in front of him, blocking his path to the door. "Logan, listen to me. If you go after him now, it'll look like I can't handle my own problems. Like I need you to fight my battles."

"You don't need to fight any battles. You're going to be Luna."

"Exactly. And a Luna should be able to handle conflicts herself." I looked up at him, making my expression as determined as possible. "Please. Let me deal with this my way."

"Your way?" His eyebrows rose. "What's your way?"

"At the ceremony tonight. If he causes trouble, I'll handle it publicly. Show everyone that I can stand up for myself."

"That's dangerous."

"Everything about being Luna is dangerous," I said. "But I need to prove myself."

Logan stared at me for a long moment. I could see him struggling between his protective instincts and respecting my wishes.

"I don't like this," he said finally.

"You don't have to like it. Just trust me."

"Valencia—"

"Please." I took his hands in mine. "I know you want to protect me. But sometimes protection means letting me prove my own strength."

He sighed heavily. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

"I learned from the best," I said, squeezing his hands.

"Fine," he said, though he didn't look happy about it. "But if the captain tries anything tonight, if he even looks at you wrong—"

"I'll handle it," I said firmly. "My way."

"Your way." He shook his head, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. "You're going to give me gray hair before I'm forty."

"You already have some," I teased, reaching up to touch a few silver strands near his temple.

"Those are from dealing with pack politics," he said, catching my hand. "The rest will be from worrying about you."

"I'm not that bad."

"You paralyzed a guard, fought four armed warriors, and rescued three servants from the workshop. All in one morning."

"When you put it like that..."

"It sounds exactly as insane as it was," he finished.

"But it worked," I pointed out.

"This time." His expression turned serious again. "Valencia, I know you want to be independent. I respect that. But being Luna doesn't mean doing everything alone."

"I know."

"Do you? Because sometimes I think you're trying to prove something that doesn't need proving."

"What do you mean?"

"I already know you're strong," he said softly. "You survived fifteen years of slavery. You saved many pack members. You've adapted to everything. You don't need to keep proving yourself."

"The pack will see what I see. Eventually." He cupped my face gently, careful not to smudge the makeup. "You're already worthy, Valencia. You just need to believe it."

Tears pricked at my eyes. "Logan..."

"Don't cry," he said quickly. "Delphine really will murder me if you ruin the makeup."

I laughed, blinking back the tears. "She would. She spent an hour on this."

"And it was worth every minute." His thumb traced along my jaw. "You look like you were born to be Luna."

He kissed me tenderly. We shared a soft kiss and then slowly drew apart.

"When I fought them... I changed."

"Changed how?"

"Not a full shift. Just... parts." I held up my hand. "My fingers became claws. But not wolf claws. They were black, like obsidian. Long and sharp."

Logan's eyes widened.

"And my teeth," I continued. "They became fangs, but different from wolf fangs. And Echo said... she said my eyes turned gold with slits."

"Slits?"

"Like...dragon eyes."

The word hung between us. Dragon. Impossible, but there it was.

Logan opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. No words came out.

"I know it sounds crazy," I said quickly. "Dragons have been gone for centuries. But that's what they saw. All of them."

"Dragon," Logan finally said, his voice strange. "You transformed into... part dragon?"

"I don't know what I transformed into. It just happened when I got angry enough."

Logan sat down heavily on the bed. "This is... I don't even know what to say."

A knock at the door made us both jump.

"Enter," Logan called.

Dr. Vance walked in, a rolled parchment in his hand. His eyes went to me, and his face lit up.

"Valencia! You look absolutely radiant," he said warmly. "That dress, the makeup... you look like the Luna."

"Thank you," I said, feeling my cheeks warm.

"The great hall is ready for the ceremony, Alpha," Dr. Vance said, turning to Logan. "Everything has been prepared as you requested."

"Good," Logan said, though his mind was clearly elsewhere.

"How is Amara?" Logan asked.

"Resting. Her injuries are severe but not life-threatening." Dr. Vance hesitated. "She keeps asking for you."

"I'll see her after the ceremony."

Dr. Vance nodded, then held out the parchment. "This arrived by Galen. From Luna Kestrel."

Logan's expression turned serious. He took the letter, breaking the wax seal with his thumb.

I watched his face as he read. His jaw tightened. The muscle in his cheek twitched. His knuckles went white as he gripped the parchment.

"Logan?" I asked anxiously. "What is it?"

He didn't answer. Just held out the letter to me.