EllaI was left in the wake of Logan’s exit, my heart fluttering in my chest like a caged bird.Inside of me, my wolf roiled like a brewing storm. She was furious with me, and I couldn’t blame her. I had almost just rejected our fated mate.But in the end, I couldn’t do it. The words, no matter how hard I had tried to utter them, simply wouldn’t come. I cursed myself inwardly, wondering how I had grown so weak and lovesick.“I need some fresh air,” I whispered to myself. “I need to think.”The warm rays of the morning sun were filtering through the window, casting a golden glow across the room. It was still early in the day, and it was Sunday. Maybe a hike would help me clear my head. Maybe I just needed to get in touch with nature, and then I could see clearly through the fog of emotions that were whirling around inside of my head and clouding my judgment.Maybe.Stepping outside, I was greeted by the embrace of a perfect sunny morning. The warmth of the sun on my skin was comforting
EllaI was in the middle of descending the hiking trail, my thoughts still consumed by the conversation with Ema and the unresolved emotions surrounding Logan, when I heard a voice calling my name.“Ella! Ella, wait up!”I turned around, my heart skipping a beat as I spotted none other than Devon in the distance, waving and heading my way. My surprise was palpable as he drew closer, but his presence wasn’t unwelcome. It was nice to see a friend right now.“Devon?” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”He grinned as he approached, that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. “I hike here all of the time,” he said with a shrug. “Seems like you do too, considering this is where we first met. You haven’t forgotten already, have you?”I couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It felt like a lifetime ago when I had literally bumped into Devon on this very trail, right when I needed someone the most.He had helped get rid of a group of guys who were bothering me by pretending to be my boyfr
EllaAfter my hike and the introspective conversation with Ema, I found myself back at Logan’s mansion, standing in front of his office door with my heart pounding in my chest.I had come here with a purpose, a resolve to apologize for my earlier behavior and finally confess my feelings for him. It was time to be honest, to let him know how much he meant to me.Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door and heard his deep voice calling for me to come in. My heart raced, and for a moment, I felt a rush of excitement and anticipation. This was it; I was going to tell him.As I entered his office, Logan looked up from his desk, his piercing gaze fixing on me. “Ella,” he said in that low, gravelly voice of his, “did you need something?”The words I had rehearsed in my mind were on the tip of my tongue, ready to spill out. But as I stood there, awkwardness creeping in, I faltered at the last moment. Suddenly, my confidence seemed to evaporate, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.Lo
EllaIt had been a long day at the office, but a fulfilling one nonetheless. After working out our plans and splitting up the cases based on our interests and areas of expertise, Sarah and I planned for another meeting in the morning.I was excited to work with her, although I knew that working too closely together could throw a wrench into our budding friendship if we weren’t careful. Still, I trusted Sarah deeply, and I sorely needed the help—and she needed the cases if she was going to move up in the firm and get Mr. Henderson’s attention for the upcoming promotions.By the end of the day, though, I was exhausted and ready to go home. I went through my usual rigamarole of packing up my files, my laptop, and my tapped phone, even though the thought of taking it anywhere with me anymore made me sick.I almost considered leaving it here again. Another ‘accident’. Another night of not being listened to, if that was even possible.But Logan had made his point very clear already; appeara
Ella“Ella?” Logan asked, still clutching the tool I had handed him as he stared incredulously up at me. “What are you doing here?”I felt a little awkward now after I had clearly taken Logan by complete and utter surprise, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a little accomplished.“Did I scare you?” I teased.Logan chuckled as he stood, dropping the tool into his nearby toolbox and dusting off his jeans. “Not at all,” he said. “You did surprise me, though. I didn’t expect you to be here.”I shrugged as I glanced around. “The driver told me you were here, so I decided to pay you a visit,” I said, my gaze finally coming to rest on him. “If you don’t mind, of course.”For a moment, Logan and I just looked at each other. The air seemed to crackle with electric tension between us, and I could feel my wolf pushing me to step closer, to confess my feelings. But once again, I couldn’t. Not yet, at least. I didn’t know why, exactly, but this just doesn’t feel like the right time qu
Ella“Do you want to drive the car yourself or not, Ella?”Logan’s question came out with that same infuriating mischievous smirk, as always. We had just spent the past two hours working on his racecar together, which I had admittedly enjoyed, but driving was a whole different story.“Driving? Logan, you know I hate driving,” I protested, crossing my arms as I stared at him with a mix of annoyance and reluctance in my eyes.Logan’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he stood beside the racecar. He leaned on the hood, leveling me with a probing gaze.“Oh, come on, Ella,” he urged, a playful grin tugging at his lips. “It’s not that bad. And I promise it’ll be fun. We’ll just take a little drive out into the desert, enjoy the night. It’s not like there will be other cars out there.”I sighed, feeling a sense of defeat wash over me. Logan had a way of persuading me to do things I had never thought I would, and right now, I was on the verge of giving in, no matter how much I hated that fact.“
EllaI climbed out of the car, my legs a little wobbly from the experience of driving Logan’s race car for the first time. But despite my initial trepidation, it had actually been more fun than I had expected. A playful smirk tugged at my lips as I turned to face Logan then.“You know, if you were planning to kill me out here, Logan,” I teased, “just remember that I beat you during our training session the other day. And you still owe me a tattoo, now that I think of it.”Logan chuckled, shaking his head as he circled around to the back of the car. “I’m not going to kill you, Ella,” he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Well, not yet, at least. And I haven’t forgotten about the tattoo.”I laughed, realizing that he seemed to be serious. “Oh, come on, Logan. You don’t actually have to go through all that trouble. It was just a playful bet. I would never expect you to get a tattoo if that’s what you don’t want.”But Logan shrugged, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Y
Ella“Ella, why are you always so hell-bent on pushing me away?”Logan’s words, filling the silence left in the wake by the movie, made my stomach twist up in knots that I had never expected. I swallowed, unsure of how to respond.“W-What?” I asked, leaning back a bit in my chair. “What are you saying?”Logan scoffed as he set down the TV remote next to his plate of pizza, which was half-eaten. “You’re always pushing me away,” he said. “It’s always a game of hot and cold with you. I never know whether you’ll open up or close yourself off even more.”A slight chill ran down my spine at Logan’s words—because they were right. But I wasn’t ready to admit it. Not yet.“I’m not hell-bent on pushing you away,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper, but even as the words left my lips, they felt hollow, unconvincing.Logan’s expression was one of frustration mixed with sadness. I could tell that he didn’t believe me, and why should he? “Ella,” he said, “every time it seems like you’re f