Page 79 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

“So why stay silent?” I demand. “You could’ve helped Grace yourself instead of punishing Elsa for doing what you should’ve been doing in the first place!”

“Things are not as simple as they seem,” Marlene says quietly. “While we have not pledged loyalty to the Silver Mist Wolf pack, they do rule this land. The North and South Alliances are growing increasingly unsafe for my kind. Helping the Silver Wolf escape would have meant the death of my coven. And at least, over here, the Silver Wolves are not used and tortured. They are simply bred to create a stronger line. The fate that awaited Grace was not a surprise to me, but if Cyrus had learned his lesson, he would have given you and Sophia refuge in the Central Alliance.”

Every person looks out for themselves, I muse silently. I was the same way, ready to use the Silver Wolf for my own gain before I met and fell in love with Sophia. Before I realized that I was willing to put her above my pack.

“Even if he had, we would not have accepted it,” I say, terse. “The North is crumbling. The South has deep-rooted corruption that needs to be weeded out. All the prophecies about the Silver Wolf have become legendary. There’s a war going to happen soon, and Sophia plans to prevent it.”

Marlene smiles. “I am aware of the prophecy. It is the prophecy that the Central Alliance has tried to prevent from coming to pass. That is one of the reasons they have kept the Silver Wolves isolated from the world. That is why they created the myth of this mythical creature rather than reveal the truth. Otherwise, no matter how dangerous the terrain of the Central Alliance, the other two alliances would have invaded.”

Marlene has given me a lot to think about. It is true that now that Sophia’s identity is out in the open, she will constantly be in danger, even from the packs in the South Alliance.

I am not so naïve as to believe that since they have pledged loyalty to her, they are no longer going to try and capture her. The show of power that she displayed before was enough to make them wary, but it will not stop those who are hiding the greed in their hearts. Perhaps she would have been safe in the Central Alliance, but a few minutes with Alpha Cyrus were enough to tell me that she would prefer to be in danger rather than be caged here.

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you.” Marlene gets to her feet, brushing the dirt and grass from her clothes. “That mercenary traveling with you…Logan.”

I get to my feet, instantly alert. “What did he do?”

“It’s not what he did but what I sensed from him. There’s dark magic lingering around him.”

“That’s impossible.” My brows knit together. “If there had been dark magic on him, Sophia would have sensed it.”

“Not if it was ancient dark magic,” Marlene says, her eyes trained at the activity going on below. “Sophia is still just a child, learning the basics of magic. A lot of what she is able to do is self-taught. Ancient dark magic is strong and not that easy to detect. You can call it a curse if you want. The magic I felt was quite old, spanning decades perhaps. At least, that is my estimate. It will take some time to get rid of it, but with Sophia’s help, I might be able to create a potion to help him while she takes her time and removes the dark magic from him.”

Alarm fills me. “You think he will harm her?”

“No, it’s not that.” Marlene gives a small shake of the head. “Sophia told me he was missing his memory. My suspicion is that his memory was tampered with.”

“She found him in a cave, sealed by dark witches.”

“Sophia told me,” Marlene replies. “She told me about the pentagram drawn under him. If she could recreate it, it would have told me what they did to him. But she couldn’t remember, and when I tried asking Logan, he experienced a terrible headache. That would have been the effects of the dark magic.Dark witches are very protective of their magic. A pentagram gives away the kind of magic they’ve used and its purpose.”

I study her intently. “You think it’s possible to recover his memory?”

“It would take weeks for me to work on it, maybe months, but it’s not impossible. I asked him if he would like to stay back. It will take time but if he’s willing. I can remove the magic blocking his memory. However, he refused.”

I startle at the old witch’s words. Logan is desperate to remember his past. Why would he…?

“He wants to protect your mate.”

A growl escapes my lips. “I can protect my own mate just fine.”

Marlene chuckles. “Simmer down. I don’t think he’s interested in your mate like that. He’s roaming blind right now without his memories. You shifters have instincts telling you to protect your vulnerable, you females, your pack. He is a loner. He’s latched onto her simply out of a desire to protect her and belong somewhere. There’s no reason for you to feel jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.” I bare my teeth at her. “She already has me protecting her is all and…”

“Good, then one more helping hand won’t hurt,” Marlene says decisively, brushing her hands on her skirt. “With all the people after your mate, you must be relieved that she has another person looking out for her.”

Even if what she says makes sense, I don’t have to like it.

I watch her leave and think over her words. I’m aware that Logan doesn’t view Sophia in any romantic way. I would have sensed his intentions if there was anything amiss. But having another male care for my mate pisses me off.

Just as I’m trying to tell myself to be the bigger person and let him stick around, I see Sophia walk out of one of the small buildings. She’s waving at someone, and when I follow her line of sight, I see the older man heading toward her. He’s carrying something that looks like a basket of peaches in his arms.

I watch him offer one to Sophia and my jaw tightens when she accepts it, biting into it and smiling at him. The two begin walking in the direction of the trees.

My eyes narrow.

He’s up to something.

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