Once Mom had calmed down and left the room, I led Liam upstairs to my bedroom. I closed the door and turned to him, my heart pounding.
“She thinks you’re Logan,” I whispered, trying to piece it all together. “Which means… Logan’s missing.”
Liam’s expression darkened. “Missing for three days, according to her.”
“Weve gotta find him,” I said.
Liam nodded, his jaw clenched. “Yeah, but where do we even start?”
“Have you forgotten we are wolves.”
Liam scratches the back of his head. “Oh, Yeahh, totally forgot about that.”
“Then let’s put our wolf senses to use,” I said, feeling a spark of hope. “We can track his scent.”
I went into Logan’s room to pick up something we could use to help us to track him and I landed on collecting his shirt from his closet, holding it up to my nose to catch his scent. It was faint but distinct, like a mix of forest and something uniquely him.
Liam took a sniff too and nodded. “Got it. Now we just need to follow it.”
We went back downstairs and out the door, stepping into the cool night air. I closed my eyes, focusing on Logan’s scent, letting it guide me. Liam did the same, and together, we moved toward the edge of the forest.
As we walked, the scent grew stronger, leading us deeper into the trees. The moonlight filtered through the branches, casting long shadows around us.
The deeper we moved into the forest, the stronger Logan’s scent became. I kept my focus, following every trace, while Liam walked beside me, his senses sharp. The silence around us was thick, broken only by the soft crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
Suddenly, the scent became so strong I knew we had to be close. I looked over at Liam, who gave a quick nod, sensing it too.
We stepped into a small clearing, and there, leaning against a tree, was Logan. Relief flooded over me at the sight of him-he was alive. He looked disheveled, with dirt streaked across his clothes and face, but otherwise, he seemed fine.
“Logan!” I called out, and he snapped his head up, his eyes widening in shock.
For a moment, he looked at Liam, and I could see the confusion in his gaze. Liam and Logan looked so alike that it had to be jarring for him to see what looked like his own face staring back at him.
“Who… what…?” Logan stammered, his eyes darting between us. “Why… do you look like me?” He took a step back, looking startled.
Liam raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Easy, Logan. I know it’s strange, but I’m Liam. I guess we kinda related or something.” Liam gave a weak smile.
I stepped forward, trying to keep my voice steady. “Logan, it’s me, Audrey. We were worried about you. Your mom thinks something bad happened.”
Logan looked at me, his expression a mix of confusion and fear. “Audrey? What are you doing here? Where have I been?”
I could see the memory flicker behind his eyes, the last time we were together-when he’d lost control. “Logan, I just want to make sure you’re okay,” I said softly. “Last time… you were… different.”
His eyes widened as he remembered that night, the moment when the darkness had taken over him. “I know,” he said quietly, his voice trembling. “I don’t want to hurt you again. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
I took a step back, my heart racing at his words. “Logan, what do you mean you didn’t want to hurt anyone? Who else did you hurt?”
His gaze dropped to the ground, shame washing over his face. “I… I don’t remember everything clearly. It was like I was in a haze. But when I came to, I saw… I saw that I had hurt people. I think I killed most of the pack members.”
The weight of his confession hit me like a punch to the gut. “What? Logan, you can’t be serious!” I exclaimed, disbelief flooding my voice.
“I didn’t mean to!” he shouted, frustration boiling over. “I couldn’t control myself. It was like I was a puppet, and someone else was pulling the strings. I don’t even know how it happened.” His hands balled into fists, shaking with anger and fear.
Liam stepped closer, trying to intervene. “Logan, we believe you. You weren’t yourself. But we need to figure out what caused it. Do you remember anything about that night? Anything at all?”
Logan ran a hand through his messy hair, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “I remember running… feeling this overwhelming urge to hunt. I thought I could handle it, but then everything went black. When I woke up, I was in the woods… and I felt something was wrong.”
I looked at him, my heart aching for the pain he was in. “You didn’t do it on purpose. You’re still Logan. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”
“But what if it happens again?” Logan’s voice trembled, fear evident in his eyes. “What if I lose control and hurt you again or someone else?”
“Logan, we’ll help you,” I said firmly. “You have to trust us. We’re wolves, remember? We’re stronger together. If something is making you lose control, we’ll find it and stop it.”
He nodded slowly, though uncertainty lingered in his gaze. “I want to believe that, but I can’t shake this feeling that I’m dangerous.”
Liam placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “We all have our dark sides, but it doesn’t define who we are. You need to let us help you find your way back. You can’t do it alone.
“Logan, we’ll figure it out,” I assured him, but doubt crept in.
Just then, a low growl echoed from the shadows, freezing us in our tracks. We turned, and I felt a chill run down my spine as a massive figure emerged, fangs bared, eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Run!” I shouted.