Logan's Acadian Wolves (19 page)

“Hey, Wyn. It’s going to be okay,” he reassured, sitting down next to her on the bed. “Come here.”

The bed depressed and Wynter felt a strong arm around her shoulder. And even though it wasn’t the man she wanted, she was oddly calmed by his touch and welcomed his presence. He was warm, and like Logan, his scent was appealing, safe. A sob wrenched from her chest, and she clung to him, seeking comfort.

“That’s it, cher.” Dimitri wrapped her all the way into his embrace. While he found her attractive, especially after watching her with his Alpha, he only sought to give her peace. There was nothing sexual about the situation for him. Oh no, a cryin’ woman was a libido killer, in his book. “It’s not your fault.”

“I should have told him sooner,” she cried. “But it wouldn’t have mattered. They want me. I may have to go back to them. They won’t stop.”

“No, don’t think so. You’re not going back. Do you think your Alpha would ever let that happen?”

“Jax or Logan. Who is my Alpha?” She pulled away; her eyes were swollen and red. “I don’t know who I am, Dimitri. Where I belong. Hell, I don’t even know what I am. How could they do this to me? Wasn’t it enough to drain me? To chew on me like rodents? And now, I’m just a freak.”

“You’re wolf, cher. And it’s going to be okay. It may not be easy but you’ll get through it. As for your Alpha, only you can make that choice.”

“I haven’t slept with him,” Wynter confessed.

“Logan?”

“Jax,” she stated.

“Okay, then.” Dimitri wasn’t sure if he was ready for this conversation but he steadied himself for what came next.

“We live together, making people wonder, leaving it ambiguous to everyone…well, except for his beta.”

“Now why would you do that?”

“My parents. They were murdered. I was fifteen,” she whispered. She kept her head down. “My Dad worked for him. He was his accountant. They were pretty close friends. Jax trusted Daddy with everything. One day I was in my parents’ loving home in Brooklyn and the next thing I knew I’d been moved into Jax’s Manhattan penthouse. I had no other family when they died.”

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri offered, and wrapped his arm around her once again. “It must’ve been really difficult. You were so young.”

“I hated Jax at first. He was overbearing. What else can you expect from an Alpha? But he cared about me….really cared about me. The first year, he never left my side. Seriously, pretty much wherever he went, he made sure I was with him,” she reminisced. “He filled my days with school, friends, horseback riding…all kinds of things to keep me busy and growing up right. He loves me.”

“Like a father?”

“Like an Alpha,” she responded quickly. “No, Jax is quite aware that I’m a woman, but if he’s ever wanted me that way, he never told me. We’re friends, but he’s Alpha. I know that, respect him.”

“So why the pretense?”

“He insisted on it. I didn’t mind. I mean, the wolves, he kept me from his pack for the most part. I don’t think he wanted me around the males. He kept telling me I’d grow up to find a human. It sounded reasonable. It didn’t really bother me.”

“But why not just tell Logan?” Dimitri persisted.

“I don’t know. He asked me if I belonged to Jax, and I do. I did. Or at least that’s how it felt before, but now everything is so confusing.” She rubbed her face with the back of her hand, trying to dry the tears. “But when I went to dance with Léopold…he frightened me. I saw his fangs, and he kept talking to me about Logan. And I don’t know…all I knew is that I wanted Logan and…”

“What?” Dimitri could hear the hesitation in her voice.

“I felt like he really was my Alpha,” she said with a shake of her head. “How crazy is that? I mean, I’ve known the guy for what? A day? Maybe a very long intense day. So to have that thought in my head…him being my Alpha. It’s insane, yet it felt so real.”

“Sometimes things in life don’t make sense, cher. Sometimes our feelings,” he put his hand on her chest above her heart, “our gut; that’s what you’ve got to trust. Now I know you’re some kind of a scientist and you like data, facts and all that business. But you know since you’ve been around Jax that that’s not how things work in the pack. Fate, she directs the life show. And you’ve got to trust your heart.”

Wynter listened intently. Maybe he was right but she was still ripe with confusion.

“Now look, you’ve made me all sappy,” Dimitri laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t tell Logan. I won’t live it down.”

“You’ve gone and spoiled that dangerous mystique of yours,” she smiled. “I’ll try to take your advice, and I promise I won’t tell Logan.”

“Oh cher, you don’t need to worry about that danger part. Let’s hope you don’t ever need to see it. Now come on, go get a shower. I’ll get you some tea and then you’re goin’ to bed.”

As Wynter emerged from the bathroom, she stared at herself in the long mirror. Dressed in a pink camisole and underwear, she noticed her naturally curly hair had now gone completely haywire, but her skin was smooth and flawless. Too flawless. Unnaturally so. It was physically impossible for a human to heal at this accelerated rate, she knew. Part of her was relieved that she actually looked better than she had prior to taking the job. The other part of her shivered in trepidation. Her molecular structure had changed and was still in flux. Would she shift? Would it hurt? What would it feel like to be an animal?

A blanket of despondency shaded her otherwise optimistic spirit. It was then that she realized why she was so utterly miserable. She missed Logan. More than lust, she wanted to get to know him and talk about things that only lovers would share. Thoughts of what it would be like if they made love danced through her mind. But then that nasty bit of reality cropped up, slamming her back to what was really happening. The reason she was here alone, her lack of transparency.

A sigh drew her attention away from her spiraling misery. She startled at the sight of Dimitri watching her. His one hand was propped on the door jamb, and the other held a steaming cup. At first, she’d found him a little scary with his massive presence, tattoos and sharp goatee. But he’d shown himself to be gentle and caring, and she understood why Logan chose him as a beta.

“Hey, brought you tea.” He offered her the warm beverage. “You look beautiful. I mean, tonight you looked great. But look at you; you’re all healed.”

“Yes. Not very humanlike.” She gratefully took the mug, sat on the bed and took a sip.

“No, but it’s natural…for a wolf,” he countered.

“Can I ask you a question?” She knew she shouldn’t ask but she just couldn’t take not knowing.

“Ask away. My answer, that’ll depend on the question.”

“Fair enough. Is he with those women? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” She buried her face into the cup, regretting her question. How embarrassing was it to be so insecure?

He smiled, thinking that they were going to drive each other crazy before admitting what was going on between them.

“Logan’s single. As in not attached. That being said, my Alpha’s all about business. I’m fairly sure that he’s with Léopold right now and not out messin’ with girls.”

“I feel horrible,” she cringed. “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Trust me; there are things at work here that you don’t understand.”
Like he’s your mate.
“Logan’ll be home later, cher. Ya’ll will work it out. Until then, you need to listen to your beta. I know what’ll make you feel better,” he predicted, taking her by the hand.

Wynter nervously followed him, unsure of where they were going. But as soon as he opened the large door, she knew. Logan’s scent engulfed her, and her wolf rejoiced.

“What are we doing in here?”

“You know where you are, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she managed. A flick of a light revealed Logan’s bedroom. Immaculate, but sparsely decorated, a king sized cherry four-poster bed invited her. A simple white cotton down comforter covered the bed along with a topping of several white pillows. A matching dresser sat across the room in between rectangular windows, and night tables flanked the mattress. Several large potted tropical palm trees added an organic flair to the décor.

She stood frozen watching Dimitri, who walked over to the bed and pulled back the comforter. What was he doing? Wynter tried desperately to quell the nervous flutter in her stomach.

“Come, cher. In you go,” he commanded.

She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. There was no way in hell that she would get into Logan’s bed with his beta. No freaking way. Wynter had made enough mistakes for one evening, thank you very much.

“Don’t worry, I’m not getting in bed with you,” he promised. “Not that I wouldn’t want to, but Logan would kill me. Stop stallin’ and get on over here.”

Wynter smiled at Dimitri. “I don’t know. I’m not sure Logan would want me in his bed,” she hedged.

“I’m tellin’ you. Logan doesn’t know what he wants. But this’ll be good for you and him. Now get in.” He continued to hold the linens up, gesturing in a sweeping motion for her to get in the bed.

She knew she shouldn’t do it, but the temptation was too great. The scent in the room was like walking into a chocolate factory and damn if she didn’t love chocolate. Just one small bite, a taste, and then she’d leave and go to her guest room. As she pushed her feet into the bed, the smell of Logan grew stronger. Like a cat, she shamelessly rubbed her face into the pillowcase. It felt incredible. Desperately, she kneaded the mattress and pillow, letting the calm of Logan wash over her. She didn’t understand why it was happening, and she didn’t care. This man, this Alpha, she needed him; he was hers. Oh God, she prayed they’d reconcile. As she drifted off to sleep, all she saw was Logan’s face.

Logan went to the cupboard, pulled out a bottle of scotch and poured himself a generous glass. God damned fucking vampires. Logan cursed them to hell, worried that it was just a matter of time before they attacked another one of his wolves. He and Léopold had gone over every square inch of the blocks surrounding Courettes, and they’d found nothing. Granted, the eccentric vampire had caught a scent off of Dana’s body, but it wasn’t enough. Despite the failure to find anything, Léopold had assured him that he’d find the lab’s location. But Logan didn’t trust him, and sure as hell couldn’t wait around for Léopold. His pack was in danger, and he needed to take immediate action to protect them. In the morning, he’d planned to call Jax and have it out.

He’d been so angry with Wynter. Still, he felt like shit for yelling at her. But he was sick of the lies. Well, he knew they weren’t exactly lies; more like an omission of facts. And even though she may have had her reasons, it still was a bitter pill to swallow. Coupled with her challenge, he’d torn into her, treating her like he’d treat any wolf. And therein lies the rub; she wasn’t just any wolf.

The look on her face when she’d left the apartment had ripped his heart out of his chest. Yes, he sought to provide comfort to Fiona and Luci, but he should have never let the women touch him like that. Only an hour earlier, Wynter had opened herself, allowing him to touch her, taste her. He’d been so disrespectful. He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t forgive him.

Footsteps alerted him to Dimitri’s presence.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Dimitri asked, grabbing a glass, looking to join Logan in a drink.

“Not good,” he replied, falling into an overstuffed chair. He propped his feet onto an ottoman.

“I take it you didn’t find the lab, huh?”

“Nope. We didn’t find a damn thing. Devereoux is certain whoever it is is from his line. But of course, he’s as slippery as an eel.”

“And Fi?” Dimitri asked all too innocently.

“Fi’s Fi. She’s upset, of course. But you know, she wasn’t exceptionally close to Dana. The two fought like wildcats. Still, they’re sisters…half-sisters. Whatever. Luci’s staying with her. I didn’t really have time. Had to meet Devereoux down at Courettes. How the pack loved seeing him,” Logan said acrimoniously, throwing his head backwards into the cushion.

“Yeah, I bet,” Dimitri concurred, taking a long swig. He coughed as the caustic liquid burned his throat. “So, uh, what about Wynter?”

“What about her?”

“She’s upset.”

“Yeah, so am I,” he spat out.

“Well it wasn’t that way at the club. Y’all seemed in tune then,” Dimitri mentioned. “Pretty hot, man.”

Logan let that sink in a minute before responding. Goddess, she was amazing. The sweetest he’d ever tasted.

“Yeah, it was,” he began. “Didn’t go so well after that.”

“Yeah, not so much,” Dimitri commented, looking into his drink.

“This thing with her…it has me distracted. I’ve fought hard to be Alpha. The pack needs me.” Logan swiped his hand over his eyes, replaying what happened at Dana’s. The scene at the apartment was jacked. Guilt dug at him, knowing how he’d treated Wynter. “Fuck, I’m an asshole. How is she doing?”

“I’ll be honest. She wasn’t lookin’ so good earlier. She’s torn up about what’s happening. I think the whole wolf thing’s freaking her out too. But don’t worry; I took good care of your girl. She’s doing fine now.” Dimitri darted his eyes to the side and then finally looked over to Logan and smiled.