Page 70 of The Omega's Bloodlinem: Part Two

“Any of it. Is this a real choice or is it fate? Is it pure hubris on my part to even consider itcouldbe fate?”

“Fate shows us the way, but it doesn’t force us to make the choices,” Logan insisted. “Hecate told me from the start she would send the people I needed, and I spent my first while in the nest trying to convince myself you weren’t one of them.”

Ouch.

“That was when I listened to the influence of people who didn’t know you the way I know you now. I made a choice to change that. I made a choice to let you in. Fate might’ve brought us here, but the rest is us.”

That made me feel a little better. “Are you sure?”

“Logan is the only one who was told anything about meeting the people she needed,” Seth added. “There’s no divine prophecy putting me right here.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that. I want to be a choice, not an obligation.”

“You are,” Logan insisted. “Trust me, we all want to be chosen, and I’m very conscious of doing that instead of simply submitting to fate. Who I share myself with ismychoice, and I swear on Hecate herself, I’m not here because she told me to be. I chooseyou.”

So far so good,Haru said.

I sighed. “It appears so.”

No urges to eat him?

“I’m pretty sure that urge is never going to go entirely away, but it helps that Logan feels happy in the bond.”

After being free of house arrest, I had thrown myself into work. I updated Calliope on everything, did the constant roundsto keep an eye on the nest and help people cope with the stress of another potential evacuation. For now the wards held, but that was precarious; we knew that.

I hated feeling so helpless.

Haru trotted at my side as we checked in at the kitchens, Caden working alongside the rest of the staff. He was much more amenable in general when he had a task to occupy himself.

Between the two of us, we had read Logan’s witch book cover to cover multiple times, searching for clues that might help her. The most useful thing I’d discovered in my confinement was a set of runes and sacred scripts witches would paint onto their skin, letting it funnel magic into the marks, similar to how we had been using the torque and gems. One of the associated spells seemed to also be used as a sort of magical birth control, which I presumed Logan would be a fan of. She couldn’t control her heat, and the one witch that had offered a recipe to protect her from pregnancy ended up withholding that information. At least this way she would be able to retain some of her bodily autonomy.

“Protector Yelena.” Estrella nodded at me as I slipped into the kitchens before continuing to go about her business.

I nodded in return and went straight to Caden, navigating the rest of the staff.Logan has been intimate with Kendrick.

Caden stiffened, his gaze snapping to mine.Are you okay with that?

Are you?

I’m trying to be relaxed about it. She’s not a disloyal person, and just because I don’t see it, doesn’t mean there’s not a purpose behind it. If she wants him, I have to believe it’s for a reason.

You are entirely too reasonable.

Caden laughed and shrugged.Being anything else would only stress her out. She must see something in him that we don’tand I’m trying really hard to trust her judgment even if I don’t understand it. I spent too many years not doing that.

I couldn’t argue. It would be better for all of us, myself included, if I could adopt that same mentality. Trust was difficult when you were used to control.

Come to the nest when you’re finished for the day.

I will.

I departed with Haru, slipping downstairs to the basement where Logan was stretched out, resting with Seth in her nest. Her sweetness hung heaviest in the air, but I couldn’t help but notice Kendrick’s scent as well.

Haru flopped down next to her and Logan rolled over, wrapping her arms around him.

“How are you feeling, precious?”

“Pretty good. Not one hundred percent yet but getting there. I overloaded the torque so Kendrick put it back.”