EllaI stood frozen in a secluded section of the garden, bathed in the dim glow of hanging lanterns that failed to dispel the chill creeping up my spine. Marina stood behind me, the cold metal of her knife pressing into my neck. I felt frozen in place, lost without my wolf’s strength, and utterly alone.“What is this all about, Marina?” I asked, keeping my voice as steady as I could manage.Her smirk widened. “You’re smart, Ella. A good lawyer and an even better fake girlfriend. You play the part well, but it’s time for you to stop.”My eyebrows knit together. “Stop what, exactly?”“Stop being the damsel who always gets in the way of my plans,” she snapped. “I want Harry’s fortune, and you and your precious Logan keep stumbling in the way.”The audacity of her statement floored me. “So you’re just going after Harry’s fortune? That’s it?” Marina’s eyes flickered in the surface of the water, and her smirk returned. “He has a lot to offer, and not just money. Influence, power, connection
EllaLogan and I watched Marina saunter away, and it was as if the air suddenly felt ten pounds lighter. I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, and before I knew it I was sinking down onto the edge of the koi pond, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.Now, even more than before, I wished I had my wolf beside me.“Where the hell are you?!” I called out in my mind, begging for her to return. “I need you, Ema!”I waited for a moment, hoping, but there was no response as usual. Of course she was still dormant. When I needed her the most, she was dormant, still throwing a tantrum over my relationship—or rather, lack thereof—with Logan.Logan, noticing the faraway look in my eyes, turned to face me with a puzzled expression in his gaze.“You sure you’re alright?” he asked.“For the millionth time,” I barked, maybe a little harsher than I intended, “I’m fine.”Logan fell silent, and so did I. I think we both knew it was a lie, but there was no way I could tell him about
Ella “Ella, I think you should move in with me.” Logan’s words hung in the air, and it was all I could do not to laugh out loud. Move in with him? Into that sprawling labyrinth of a mansion, filled with secrets and lies and dark corners? My head was spinning, but I couldn’t let him see that. “Absolutely not,” I said, unable to hide my wry chuckle any longer. “I’m not moving in with you.” Logan frowned. “Why not? My mansion has plenty of spare rooms. And it’ll make us seem more serious, so maybe we won’t need to resort to a fake wedding after all.” “Oh? And why your mansion?” I shot back, squaring my shoulders. “Why not my apartment? Why should I be the one giving up my home in this ridiculous scenario?” He chuckled, the sound echoing through the sprawling garden as though he had just told the joke of the century. “You’re joking, right?” “I’m dead serious,” I countered, crossing my arms. “I love my apartment, Logan. I worked hard to get it, and I’m not ready to give it
Ella Two days after the engagement party, I found myself pacing the cobbled pathways of the downtown farmer’s market, a canvas bag slung over my shoulder. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a golden light over the market stands brimming with fresh produce, homemade jams, and fragrant bouquets of flowers. Today was the day. Logan was coming over for dinner, and my plan was to make him realize how good life could be in my modest apartment. I hated to say it, but it wasn’t necessarily out of the goodness of my heart. I couldn’t exactly tell Logan that I had to cut him off because his brother’s fiancee had hitmen trained on both me and my sister, so this felt like my only option. It was all part of the larger scheme to shift the family fortune to Harry, protect my sister, and give Marina what she wanted. I was just reaching for a head of cabbage when my hand brushed against someone else’s. I looked up, and my eyes met a familiar sight. It was Devon, the guy who I had mir
Ella The evening sun dipped below the horizon, casting a soft glow that filtered through the sheer curtains of my small but cozy apartment. Candles flickered on the dinner table, illuminating the dishes we had prepared together. As I opened a bottle of wine, I felt satisfied, but also a bit of unease. My sister’s safety hinged on this moment. If I didn’t manage to pull through with my plan to make Logan lose out on the Barrett family fortune, th
Ella“Tonight?” My cheeks flamed red at Logan’s question. This was no what I was expecting at all.Logan, seemingly oblivious to the storm of anxiety that was overtaking me, nodded.“Yeah. I mean, as friends, of course,” he clarified, waving his hand dismissively. “That’s what
EllaBy the time I awoke, the morning light was streaming in through the window. I yawned, scrunching up my eyes against the light; I wasn’t in my bed. The air still smelled faintly of popcorn, and I was thirsty from the alcohol. What happened?Then, suddenly, I remembered.Logan.I had fallen asleep on the couch next to him, our bodies close. My cheeks instantly flushed red, and I jolted slightly as I lifted my head to see that he was asleep right beside me. His back was turned to me on the large sectional sofa, but I could still feel his warmth, and we were sharing the same blanket.Before I could get up and get my bearings, Logan began to stir. He rolled over onto his back, his eyes blinking open. And then his gaze met mine.The events of last night crashed over me like a tidal wave. The movie, the popcorn, the accidental exhaustion—it all went directly against what I had promised myself. I had allowed myself to cross a line I had drawn in the sand, a line meant
Ella The days blurred into a seamless routine, a pattern that was never meant to last, or so I tried to convince myself. Logan’s visits to my small apartment became more frequent, and with each passing day, the line between our fake relationship and something that felt strangely real began to blur. He would arrive in the evenings, an unspoken agreement between us that his presence should be temporary. But the evenings turned into nights, and Log