Epilog

Five years later

Logan looked up from the papers he was reading. The running footsteps came closer. Then his office door burst open and his daughter came in crying. Standing, he went to meet her, wanting to kill whoever made her so upset. The instinct was so powerful that his claws pricked at his fingertips.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Elena wrapped her skinny arms around his neck, gripping as tight as she could.

“What is it, baby girl? Who hurt you? Tell me and I’ll remove the limb he used to harm my beautiful Elena.” He meant every word he said. No one had permission to touch his precious heart. Elena was all he had left. She was a part of him and his mate. Sheila had fought for her and their baby, giving her life for Elena’s. He could do no less.

“Uncle Trick is going into the city, and he’s not taking me with him!” She wailed.

Right then, the uncle in question entered the office, looking with fondness at the distraught female in Logan’s arms. Shaking his head, Trick narrowed his eyes at the little faker.

“She’s too spoiled, Logan, and it’s your fault entirely!” He said harshly, trying to be the bad cop.

Logan stroked the graying hair of his precious baby. Born with black hair like Sheila’s, Elena had changed after she turned two. The first change had been the depigmentation of her hair and skin. John’s healer told them it was most likely an effect of the trauma she had suffered in the womb while her mother was in distress. Everyone had sighed in relief at that news. They had hoped it wasn’t an effect of the medication Cain had given Sheila while pregnant.

However, Trick was right. Elena was spoiled and they all knew it. Being an only child, she always got whatever she wanted. He and his Beta had to play games to keep the little monster in check. Unfortunately for them, the girl took after her mother. They had the same success in taming her as they had with Sheila. None!

“I want to go in the city!” Elena glowered at her favorite uncle but held on to her father. She looked up at him and pleaded. “Can I go daddy? Please? I want to see mommy. Can I go?”

Her light green eyes shimmer with fake tears. Logan pursed his lips in a tight line, trying to keep from snarling. Looking up, he met Trick’s eyes. The man’s face paled. Logan looked at his little princess.

“Elena, mommy’s with the angels, baby. She can’t visit us.” The topic was painful, but he didn’t want Elena growing up, reaching for a mother she couldn’t have.

“I saw her last time.”

Logan froze. They hadn’t found a body when they’d searched the remains of the pack house. Could it be possible? No! Sheila would come to them. She wouldn’t stay away from her daughter. From him.

“Where did you see her?”

It was Trick who placed the question.

“At the mall. I saw her in the reflection of a window. She always hides and when I turn, she isn’t there. But I know she’s mommy.”

Logan sighed in relief. “Baby, it could have been anyone. Sometimes a reflection can fool you.”

“No. I know she’s mommy. I recognized her scent.”

Logan frowned again. Elena knew Sheila’s scent from a t-shirt she had worn and he had kept in a sealed bag. He frowned. A person could have a similar scent.

“I like her pink eyes.”

Silence. Elena hadn’t been told that her mother was half-shifter and half-feral. Logan’s heart beat faster. A feeling of excitement entering his heart and soul at the thought of his mate being alive, of having her again. He threw a quick look in Trick’s direction. The Beta was even paler. Logan focused on his daughter.

“Elena, was anyone else with mommy? Another woman with pink eyes?”

The thought of Sparrow and Sheila being alive and together was mind blowing. Hope grew in his soul.

“No. She’s always alone.”

“Always? Baby, how many times have you seen mommy’s reflection?”

“A few times. She’s not always there. But she’s always there on my birthday. And she always cries. I see her wipe away her tears. And I want to hug her to make her feel better. That’s why I want to go.” She glared up at Trick.

Logan stilled, then cleared his throat. “How about if I come, too?”

“Yay! We are going to see mommy!”

Elena jumped down from his lap, rushing out of the room. Logan watched her leave. His eyes rose to meet Trick’s.

“Can it be possible?” Logan asked his Beta.

“The body wasn’t found in the remains of the house. It could be her. But why stay away?”

“That’s the big question.”

“You can come and stay out of sight. If Elena sees her, she can signal me, and I’ll signal you.”

Logan nodded. “Fine. Let’s see if we can catch my elusive mate.”

Three hours later, Logan waited in the men’s bathroom of the mall. He had been there for twenty minutes and was sure that whatever his daughter had seen was just her imagination. Then his phone pinged with a message.

“Food court. Took the stairs down when she saw me.”

Logan bolted from the bathroom. He knew where that exit was—the cargo bay of the mall. Running like the fiery pits opened below his feet, he reached the cargo bay in under two minutes. The soft fragrance of wildness penetrated his senses. She was alive! She was here!

Frantic for his mate, Logan looked around the cargo bay. Where was that scent coming from? A glass door opened and the pungent smell of fresh fish invaded the area. He looked in that direction and saw...

The reflection of the woman he loved was there. Her pink-tainted eyes watched him with love. She wiped away a tear, and Logan almost lost his mind. He turned and... There wasn’t anyone there. He looked back at the glass. The reflection was gone.

Heading back into the shopping area, he found trick and Elena eating cake. Trick lifted an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“I saw for a moment, but it disappeared.” Logan sat next to his girl. The disappointment and hurt squeezing his chest left him breathless.

“Hey, don’t give up.”

Logan clenched his teeth in anger. How dare she do this to them? Why hadn’t she come home and why had she let him think she had died? Why reveal herself to Elena? He wanted answers. He would be damned if he would let his daughter live with glimpses of her mother. Didn’t want to be his mate? Fine! But she will be a mother to their child or he will kill her himself.

“No,” he growled. “I’m not giving up anything. I just caught the scent of my prey and the hunt is on.”

The end

Did you enjoy this story? Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter (https://www.subscribepage.com/erriverauthor) and you will receive The Black Belt, the second novelette in the series, and August Heat, an erotic short story, for free.

Stay up to date with my news, new releases, and discounts by following me at:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-r-river

https://www.facebook.com/erriver.fictionworld

https://erriverauthor.wixsite.com/official

––––––––