Fifteen

Logan
“I’m leaving,” she looks resolved.
“Is it about the call?” I ask.
“No, I was planning to leave even before that,” she responds.
“What’s the rush? It’s a weekend. Why don’t you spend some time here, at your home? I wanted to give you a tour around the territory, as the Luna of Blacktooth Guardians pack, there are some things you should know,” I tell her.
“I am not the luna of Blacktooth Guardian’s_”
“_yet,” I add in correction. “But you already are by virtue of being my mate. Initiation and other rituals, are just a formality.” She sighs heavily, but does not object.
“I have to go. Eric might start to worry,” she says.
“Why don’t you call him and tell him where you are?”
“What am I supposed to say? That, sorry brother, I couldn’t come home last night because I was at Alpha Logan’s place. Oh, and don’t worry I am safe.”
“That could work,” I tell her.
“It will probably shock the life out of him.”
“Not unless you tell him the truth that I am your mate. There is nothing wrong with that. He will want to kill me but he won’t because I am so precious to you, you might also end up dying of depression,” I say. Arya’s glare is shooting daggers at me. I can not help but grin at her priceless expression.
“Look, he has to know this sooner than later, before I get you pregnant with my heir.” Her jaw practically drops to the floor. Oh, how I love shocking Arya! “It has to be either you or me, but preferably you, because he won’t take it in good faith if I am the one who tells him.”
“Whether you or I tell him, he will still kill you, but I promise not to die of depression because the moon goddess will be kind enough to give me another chance,” she replies with a smirk.
“What makes you so sure that your other chance will be better than me? What if it is a vampire? I am the best the moo goddess could find you. The moon goddess never makes mistakes,” I assure her. Her face puffs with fury.
“I hate you,” she hisses through clenched teeth.
“I know,” I shrug. “You just need to give yourself time and soon you will fall in love with me.” She punches me with a balled fist on my chest but it doesn’t hurt.
“I am leaving,” she says and then dashes to the door.
“Are you sure you know the way from here?” I ask, trying to catch up with her briskly.
“I will find out,” she responds without looking back.
“It is a long way to the main road from the pack territory.”
“I can walk. I will run if that’s necessary.”
Through the corridor, Arya’s heels cluck loudly.
“You can’t run in those heels. Let me drive you,” I offer.
“No, thank you. It would be considered trespassing if you entered Blue Blood pack’s territory, and trust me, every pack member would be excited to punish you.” I stifle a laugh. Is this supposed to be a threat?
“I am sure I can talk my way out with my inlaws. They will have to accept the fact that I will be doing it a lot of times from now.” She stops and turns to glare at me.
“That’s a fact, pretty face,” I tell her.
“Don’t call me that!” she screeches at me.
“Whoa! You don’t like the name? What would you prefer? Mate?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Stop being stubborn, dear mate. Being angry only makes you prettier. Mate.” She touches her forehead as if she could faint from fury.
“Why exactly are you so mad at me?” I ask.
“A lot of reasons. Mainly it is because of you. You are so annoying! Leave me alone!” she is trying hard not to burst.
“I can’t do that. I am stuck with you for the long haul, dearest mate of mine.” She turns swiftly, her hair flying and goes down, the stairs, two at a time. I go steadily after her in case she trips, because it is the most likely thing to happen judging by the way she is going down the stairs.
She nearly bumps into Kate at the bottom of the stairs. We all stop dead in our tracks. Jordan appears from behind her. Kate’s shock is immediately replaced by a huge grin. Arya tries hard to be composed. Jordan’s eyes fly tome and I Just give him a shrug.
“Arya! I have waited all my life to see you,” Kate begins, being as dramatic as usual. “I am Katherine, Jordan’s mate,” she adds, giving Jordan a sideways glance. “It is so nice to finally meet you.” She pulls her into a bear hug. Arya tries to play along.
“Come with me,” she says, holding her hand. “These two have some business discuss.” She pulls her through the hall and she complies. She only turns her head to give me a confused look. I answer her with a smirk. I know Kate is way more stubborn than she is. I hope she will help her forget whatever made her get mad at me.
Jordan and I remain there looking at each other.
“Told you she would be so excited,” he says.
“I can see that,” I finish the stairs and meet him at the bottom.
“Donovan is coming down here in half an hour. This information just reached me,” he says, his face suddenly tensed up.
“Is he coming to meet me or the council?”
“He said he wants to talk to you.”
“Okay, is he coming alone?”
“Not that he mentioned it, but he hardly ever travels alone. He is probably going to travel with some escorts.”
Donovan is the head of the Vampire clan that roams these mountains. They never do any clean business. They are dirty and bloody but they are the best when it comes to business. One could wonder where they get all this knowledge about handling business, but why not? They live way longer than the longest-living werewolf has ever lived.
“Inform the council, now! They should know what is going on. I might have to meet with them after this. They should be on standby,”
“Yes, sir,” he responds hastily and dashes out of site to go and make phone calls.
What the hell does Donovan want from me now? They are always up to no good. Even when their business is profitable, there are always a lot of sacrifices. No wonder all the wolves hate them. They are so goddamn bloody and they are always thirsty for war. I have never found it so necessary to hate them, though. We are business partners and they are very reliable.
I go back upstairs to prepare my office for this meeting. Vampires are very observant and can easily detect insufficiency. I have proven myself sufficient all these years we have worked together and nothing is going to ruin that for me. Not even having a mate who wants to be chased.
As suspected, Donovan comes with three escorts. Donavon has a sharp jawline with piercing green eyes. His hair is white and long. He looks very young and good-looking even though he has lived for thousands of years. He was there when my late grandfather was born and he has never aged a bit. He, therefore knows everything about my lineage, all my forefathers. How this pack has fallen and risen to its glory. That is what makes me respect him.
He looks around the place, taking in every detail.
“What is it that makes you trouble to come meet me on such a bright hour?” I inquire, ignoring the groovy formalities that I know we both prefer to skip.
“You are worried that I would scotch to ash,” he gives me a side smirk. “That’s not something I have known in you Logan. Your house smells different from the last time I was in here.” when was that? Half a decade or so? We had our last meetings at his place.
“Does it smell like a threat to you?” I say, choosing not to be direct with you.
“I have heard,” he says, entering the house, and walking past me. “A word reached me. That Blue Blood is going to start flowing in the veins of your family’s lineage. Is that so?” I am not very surprised that he found out. Nothing ever goes past him.
“I wouldn’t have reached that conclusion if I were you,” I say, following after him.
“Why not? Don’t you want that? You know we are not like the human race. We only get one partner our entire life and we never get to choose who it should be. It is quite inevitable that the Blue Blood will soon flow in the veins of your descendants,” he says.
“It doesn’t matter, does it?”
“To you, it might not. To the Blue Blood pack, it might. Do they know about this or are you going for the word to also reach Alpha Eric?” he turns to face me with a sarcastic smile. “In case a war breaks out, don’t hesitate to ask for my help. My warriors are trained to destroy without hesitation. You may need them.”
“No, thank you for your offer but I don’t think it will be necessary,” I hope.
“It won’t be unnecessary unless you decide you don’t want anything to do with her. You can reject her. Werewolves have a chance to get another chance at a mate, I am told, but that is like one out of a thousand likelihood. You might stand a better chance as the Alpha,” he says. I am praying that he drops the topic because I am not liking it at all.
“Okay, I promise to invite your troops, but don’t be so hopeful.” I usher him into my office.
“A mate makes an alpha stronger. I hope you know this. The sooner you make her the Luna, the better. Otherwise, things will start to go out of hand. The last thing you probably want is your pack doubting your ability as an alpha. You are the strongest alpha of all the five parks, but a mere female can distort your strength to a point where your servant will step on your head,” he says, his face dead serious. My throat suddenly feels dry.
“I appreciate your very rare concern, Donovan, but I gave got things under control. What I don’t understand is why you are being disturbingly concerned,” I look him directly in the eyes because this is getting suspicious.
“You’ve got me there,” he chuckles and rubs his chin. “You know, getting the princess of Blue Blood pack as your mate comes with many benefits. Soon enough, she will be hopelessly in love with you. She will be so willing to do anything for you. She can even betray her pack for you.” It seems I can see exactly where this is going.
“What exactly are you trying to say?” I play along.
“The Blue Blood pack can be yours if you want. We can easily eliminate the brother if she is on our side. If that happens, we can have it. We can have the gold,” his evil smile is undying. I knew it was leading to this. Whenever anyone talks about the Blue Blood pack, the next thing that will follow is the gold. I nod my head thoughtfully. Donovan has been calculating quite a plan, but he has no idea who exactly he is talking about.
“Is that what you came all the way here to discuss?” I ask.
“I came to other things, but turns out I have found a better resolution. This is a very good opportunity for Blacktooth Guardians. If you take over the gold, guess how much the standards of Blacktooth Guardians will elevate! It would be the greatest pack that ever existed and your leadership would be legendary.”
“It is not as easy as it sounds, Donovan. Taking over a pack involves a lot of bloodshed, losses destruction. I am not ready to lose what I have worked hard all these years for.”
Donovan gets up from the chair and strolls across my office, approaching me.
“You are the strongest alpha in this land, Logan. Saying that you are not ready to take this risk doesn’t sound like you at all. You sound very timid. You are not a coward, are you?” he raises an eyebrow at me. Is this a challenge?