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
LoganI watched Ella as she laid beside me under the starlit sky, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful she looked beneath the soft glow of the stars.The way her white blonde hair caught the moonlight, the sparkle in her eyes as she traced the constellations in the night sky—it was all mesmerizing. In that moment, I couldn’t deny what I had been feeling for a while now, a longing that seemed to grow with each passing day.
Ella“Your turn.”The afterglow of Logan’s successful tattoo, which he thankfully loved, was short-lived once those words left his lips. I had been grinning from ear to ear as I watched him admire his new tattoo; it was the simple outline of a wolf’s head, simple and understated yet unique and, if I may say so myself, utterly handsome on him.
EllaIt was late, far too late for me to be awake, but sleep eluded me that night thanks to the excitement roiling around inside my head. I found myself standing in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom. In the soft glow of the lamp on the bedside table and the waxing moon filtering in through the sheer curtains, I could just make out the delicate rose tattoo that now sat on my hip.“My dad is gonna flip when he sees this,” I whispered as I tugged down the waistband o
LoganIn the dead of night, the silence of my room felt oppressive, almost as if there was a tangible weight on my chest. It was almost two o’clock in the morning, and yet I wasn’t even close to finding sleep.My mind was a battlefield, thoughts of Ella, her past, and her reluctance to trust me swirling in a relentless storm. I wanted to empathize, to understand her pain, but frustration clawed at me. How could I make her see that I had changed, that my feelings for her were
EllaAfter a night of fitful sleep, I finally rolled out of bed around six in the morning and began my morning routine. My wolf was quieter than usual; she was upset with me over what had happened last night. Hell, I was upset with myself. I had succeeded in pushing Logan away once again, and was now likely going to face the brutal aftermath of the defensive, damaged side of myself getting her way.That day, I planned on heading to the office. It was Saturday, outside of my normal work h
EllaThe reception was in full swing, the air filled with the soft sound of music, the clinking of cutlery and champagne glasses, and the pleasant murmur of guests. It was the perfect night, too; the sun had set, and the air outside had cooled to a pleasant temperature as the crickets and cicadas sang.Walking hand in hand with Logan, we approached the multi-tiered wedding cake. It was unbelievably tall, adorned with carefully piped flowers and leaves. There were two little figures at th
EllaThe reception hall was filled with the soft, warm glow of hundreds of candles, and the sound of gentle music filled the space. It really was everything that we had wanted. The wedding planner had outdone herself.“What do you think?” Logan asked, holding my hand as we meandered around the room. “Quite the party, huh?”
EllaThe doors to the chapel opened, and the soft sound of orchestral music filled my ears. This was it; this was the moment. Everything felt like it was moving so fast, and yet somehow it felt as though time was standing completely still at the same moment.I watched as the wedding planner gestured from the sidelines for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to pair up and walk through the doors, preceded by the flower girl—a family friend’s daughter, who looked absolutely precious
Ella“Are you nervous, Ella?” the makeup artist, Jenna, asked as she selected a palette of soft, natural colors that complemented my skin tone.Nervous would have been an understatement. It was the morning of my wedding; the day had finally come, after what had somehow felt like both an eternity and no time at all at the same time.
LoganI sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the little silver key in the palm of my hand.“I should just go and do it,” I whispered, more to myself than to my wolf. “Get it over with, right?”“What’s the worst that could happen?” my wolf added. “It’s
EllaAs I walked into the bridal boutique with my entourage, the little bell on the door chimed and I was immediately greeted with the scent of lavender and the smile of a bridal assistant.Daisy, Moana, Clara, and Sarah were with me; it was just a couple of days after the housewarming party, and our new house felt full to the brim with my family and Clara staying for a while. Not that I minded, though. It was fun having them here, and I was glad to have them all by my side as I tried on
LoganI was enjoying the party, watching with a smile on my face as Clara, Ella, and Sarah exchanged stories, when the sound of my phone ringing suddenly cut through the lively atmosphere.Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I felt my heart lurch in my chest. It was Hartman; I hadn’t heard from him in months. After Marina and Harry had taken off and Devon had been caught, I had paid Hartman for his help—even though our plan wound up being foiled—and that was the end of t
EllaThe months following Logan’s and my engagement was a whirlwind of change. We sold Logan’s mansion to a wealthy family from out of the area, and before I knew it, we were moving into our new home.It was a 1920s Spanish-style home, with warm stucco walls and breezy windows. The first floor was open concept, and I could already picture all of the wonderful parties we could have here. I fell in love with it immediately.
Ella“Sit down. Both of you.”Sarah and I exchanged wary glances. Her face was just as pale as mine probably was, and I felt a wrench in my stomach.“But Mr. Henderson, Sarah never—”