I slowly padded my way down the stairs, wandering into the kitchen to see a still shirtless Logan pouring a frothy brown liquid into two cups.

He turned to me, offering me a cup which I took gladly, offering him a smile. I took in a whiff of the steaming hot chocolate, inhaling the sweet cocoa aroma.

I watched Logan as he took a sip from his cup, my gaze travelling from his chin down to his tanned bare chest, but I gulped, averting my eyes.

"Do you not own a shirt?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and smirking.

Logan laughed, shaking his head. "If you want me to cover up, all you need to do is say the word."

Logan knew I wouldn't. He knew I wouldn't ask him to put on a shirt, because deep down I was enjoying the view, and I was frustrated at myself for it.

"Do they know?" asked Logan, his glowing hazel eyes boring into mine.

"What?"

"Your father and your Alpha; do they know I'm considering organising another Whipping?" asked Logan, running his hands through his dark tousled hair.

I shook my head. "No, only Theo and I know. I swore him to secrecy. I'm hoping he won't blab, but now I'm not so sure."

"Okay," spoke Logan, nodding. "I would prefer people didn't know until my mind is made up, I'm not too sure how people would react."

"They'd react the same way they did with the first Whipping. Most would be taken aback and frightened, but they have no choice. They can't not take part," I said, dropping my gaze, focusing on the glistening tile floor.

"I know you didn't have a choice," whispered Logan, taking a few steps closer to me, his breath fanning my face. "I wish those weren't the rules Eliza. I wish I hadn't have been running late, then, I would have found you before the event started. I wish I didn't have to watch my own Beta whip you. I have a lot of wishes, but I can't take back time."

"If I could change it, I would. I wanted a strong and powerful Luna; someone who was ready for the position, because I knew how hated my pack was. I needed someone who could handle all of that, but I didn't know that all I really needed was you."

"You're not power hungry, you're not itching to become a Luna, but you're compassionate and sympathetic. You're loyal and kind-hearted, and that makes you stronger than any woman who would have been willing to take a thousand whips."

I gazed up at Logan, my mouth slightly hanging open in shock. I had never heard someone speak so highly of me; not in all of my twenty years. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it; he had meant every single word.

His face inched closer to mine, scanning my expression quickly to check I wasn't feeling uncomfortable. I was drawn to Logan, and to know that he thought I was strong, empowered me, only making the feelings inside of me blossom, spreading throughout my body.

He took another step closer to me, my eyes fluttering down to his soft plump lips as I slowly inched towards him, letting my eyes gently close.

Just as our lips were about to touch, a banging noise came from behind the front door, causing me to jump back in fear, almost throwing my cup up in the air.

"It's Heather. I sent her a message to come and bring some stuff for you," mumbled Logan, averting his gaze to the floor, coughing awkwardly as he took a step back from me. "I'll be in the living room picking a movie."

I nodded, watching as Logan hurried out of the kitchen, running his hands through his hair in annoyance. Sighing, I made my way to the front door after setting my cup down, pulling it open to see Heather standing in front of me, her face a picture of impatience.

She shoved a large bag towards me, raising her eyes at me questionably until I took it from her hands. "You're oddly small, so I got the shortest things I could find. Logan asked me to put some toiletries in there too."

"Thank you," I said, smiling slightly, feeling awkward.

"Why are you staying here?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There weren't any other houses, so-"

"No," Heather interrupted, "I don't mean the house. I mean the pack. Why are you staying here? Have you finally accepted what Logan is to you?"

I widened my eyes at Heather's harsh tone, attempting to avoid her intense stare. "Heather, look," I said, stepping outside and closing the door behind me, giving us more privacy, "you can't tell anyone about Logan and I."

"There you go again!" scoffed Heather, shaking her head. "Why are you even here Eliza? If you aren't going to accept Logan then you might as well leave, because I know what girls like you do; you ruin people like my brother."

I shook my head, furrowing my brows. "No, he doesn't want people to know either. He's trying to protect me."

"What?" asked Heather, raising her eyebrows.

"He's trying to keep me safe. He knows what other packs will do when they find out he has a mate."

"Well I think he's already made it pretty clear Eliza. Do you think people are stupid? Do you both honestly think that people think nothing of what happened at the Whipping? He stopped the entire event and then attempted to beat up his own Beta for whipping you. You would really have to be a fool to think that people didn't catch onto that Eliza."

"But-"

"No," Heather interrupted, "you're really just going to spend the rest of your life hiding away pretending that Logan isn't your mate? Those packs want revenge Eliza, they'll be willing to wait decades for Logan to find his mate, as long as it means they get what they want."

"But eventually, it'll come to a point where they don't care if Logan doesn't have a mate, they'll find another way to destroy this pack, so you can either stay here hiding away like a coward, or you can stand up as Logan's mate and take it when it comes."

"Logan was going to organise another Whipping to deter people from thinking he had a mate," I spoke, chewing on my lip nervously.

"People will die either way; no matter what you decide, so if you're trying to think of a way to save lives here, I would just give up if I were you," spat Heather, shaking her head at me.

"Just know, that lives will be lost no matter what happens. There's no one way ticket out of this Eliza; people are going to die because of what my father did. Another Whipping may buy you some time, but you'll always be on edge, you'll always be wondering when they're going to strike."

"Do you really want to be spending the next thirty years of your life like that? At least if you let the world know now, you know the attack will happen soon, and we can prepare. We can fight for our pack."

I glared at Heather, angry that I was taking the blame for Logan's idea that I had been attempting to convince him to drop.

I knew Logan wasn't going to just announce to everyone that I was his mate. He wanted to keep me and his pack as safe as possible, and the only other option was The Whipping. He was going to go through with it, whether I agreed or not, so I knew what I needed to do.

Heather shrugged. "It's your call. I can't tell you two what to do, but whatever you decide, you'll have to live with it for the rest of your lives, so I hope you don't get too much blood on your hands, for Logan's sake."

I watched as Heather turned, walking away, her face a mask of disappointment. She was right. I didn't want blood on my hands. I didn't want to be the reason for anyone's death. Nobody was going to die, and I was going to make sure of that.

I let the tears that were begging to escape finally dribble down my cheeks as I tried to control my breathing, hoping Logan wouldn't hear me.

Wiping my eyes, I opened the front door, making my way into the living room to see Logan sat on the couch, his face masked with concern.

"Eliza, what's wrong?" he asked, pushing himself up off the couch.

"Okay," I whispered, closing my eyes. "Organise another Whipping."

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