Chapter 4

*Logan*

I glanced at the road before me with an absentminded face. I looked at the navigation panel and sighed at the sight of another two hours of driving before I reached my destination. I've never wanted to tear Lex apart as much as I do now. Not only did he turn me into an errand boy, but he only gave me two days to do so.

"Who does he think he is? Almighty?" I drawled as I stepped on the gas.

'He's a king, so technically he's almighty. He can even give orders to a pompous asshole like you.' Gunnar, my lycan, mocked.

'Thanks for your support, pal. We'll see who's an asshole when you have to sleep with that red-headed witch.' I told him off.

Gunnar was furious when we mentioned the pompous, cynical woman who gave us a headache. His distaste for Princess Margo mirrors my own for her human form, Matilde. Just the thought of this woman makes me want to vomit. Not that she's ugly or gross, but every meeting ends with arguments and destruction for some reason. We seem not to get along at all. I wonder why Alexander still has not gotten me out of this mess.

'Focus on something else. Maybe we can run in our forests and get rid of the tension in our loins,' he moaned, or maybe Alina has already returned from the North. We seem to get along excellently in bed,' he suggested, fantasizing about our friend.

'Or maybe stop thinking about sex so much and focus on the task at hand for a change. We have to pick up a woman with a child. I don't want her to think we are perverts because of your unrestrained sexual desires.' I ended the conversation by reminding him of the critical point of our task.

'Yes, child. Gunnar sweet.' He saluted and shut up.

"At last." I breathed a sigh of relief as I turned onto the road to Autumn Pack, the nearest werewolf's pack from our home.

Gunnar fell silent, but unfortunately, his thoughts remained loud and almost migraine-inducing. The bastard not only recalled our last night with Alina but also showed hot images of her slender body writhing beneath me. Maybe I'm Logan Brantford, the youngest of three brothers. I may be the Prince of the Lycans and the least visible member of the royal house. But above all, I stand on the head of royal warriors who swore to guard the law, justice, and the wronged. And I can't afford to have my reputation tarnished by my extremely intense sexual needs.

As lycans, we stand above werewolves. We surpass them not only in hierarchy but also in abilities and feelings. We are bigger and stronger, and we feel everything more intensely. We hear from greater distances, see from a greater perspective, love more robust, and caress more passionately. Our sex not only lasts longer and is more intense, but we can have it anytime and anywhere. We are not afraid of promiscuity as long as it occurs before we find our partners.

When a man finds his other half, the whole world ceases to exist for him. We see, love, and desire only one thing: our mate. There is no infidelity among Lycans because our feelings bind us together so strongly that even the thought of betrayal disgusts us. Werewolves are different. They are our weakest link. Though they are equal to us in speed, strength, and wisdom, greed is their most significant flaw. Werewolves always want more despite having a lot, even in the case of mates. Our Moon Goddess divided our souls into two parts and placed them in two bodies. Only when we look into each other's eyes will we be able to find our other half and bond with them forever. Forever, because that's how shapeshifters bond.

I have just crossed the border of the Autumn Pack, where I am supposed to pick up a woman whose greedy husband wanted more. And the very thought of this wronged woman and her daughter, who was deprived of her right to the pack, makes my blood boil. I stopped at the entrance gate and opened the window, smiling at the warrior on guard.

"I have an appointment with Alpha Thompson." I gave the reason and waited for the gate to open.

"Hello, Your Majesty. We did not expect that the prince would be delegated to the task. We were rather expecting Mr. Bernard." The man bowed and smiled slightly nervously.

"I am not here as a prince but as a royal envoy. I was on my way home when my brother asked for help. Please do not announce me to your Alpha as such. I prefer that my visit here take place without unnecessary pomp." I reassured him and winked playfully.

"Today, I'm Logan. Just Logan." I suggested, and the boy nodded.

"This can be quite difficult to achieve, considering you look similar to your brother. I mean, Your Majesty does." He corrected himself nervously, making me laugh sincerely.

"What's your name? I thought I knew all the guards in Autumn Pack." I asked, surprised to see a new face guarding the gate.

"David. David Miller, Sir. I'm new. I moved here after my parents died. I found my mate here. Sir." He revealed his history, which made me feel sorry for the poor guy.

I knew what effect we had on others, not only werewolves but the other lycans, too. Fucking royal protocol. Everyone thinks we are grumpy, proud, and demanding superiors without feelings. And sometimes, we can't keep up with the excessive distance we have from our subordinates, not to mention pretending to be perpetually dissatisfied assholes. This isn't us, and I hope Lex will eventually change that, or we'll all go crazy.

"Logan," I repeated it.

"Listen, David. First of all, welcome to the new group. Second, please stop calling me by the title. You won't be harmed by being casual with me. If you don't believe me, contact Wesley, Adam, Jerome, or another guard who had to undergo training like you. They will tell you the same thing as me. You don't have to be afraid and follow the protocol if we ask you to." I hadn't finished explaining to him when a large silver wolf emerged from behind the gate, growling at us.

"Oh, that's great. Now everyone probably knows about my arrival." I rolled my eyes, put the car in neutral, put the handbrake in my Audi, and went out to explain the situation to Alpha Thompson, who had just transformed back into a well-built naked man. He quickly put on sweatpants, which he had tied to his leg, and with the strength of his muscles, he opened the almost two-ton steel gate.

"Prince Logan, it's an honor to have you here." Alpha Thompson started, but I quickly raised my hand to stop him.

"Albert, not that. Please. Don't throw that title at me when you know I don't like it." I reminded him, but his mischievous smile suggested he knew what he was doing.

"I know; that's why I'm doing the exact opposite. Did my new guard pass the test?" He asked, walking over with his hands on his hips, staring at poor David.

"You have to change your tactics; otherwise, someone will have a heart attack. Stop abusing them; you know it's punishable. Lex doesn't like it very much." I gave him the same smile, and we looked at each other briefly before we laughed and hugged.

"Nice to see you, bastard. I haven't seen you in years." Albert hugged me tightly and patted me on the back as if he wanted to punch my lungs out.

"It's not my fault I'm an errand boy. Be glad I was around; otherwise, you'd probably see me again in another seven years." I returned the favor in the same way, only with greater strength.

"Don't hit me, or I'll complain to your mom. She's always liked me. Probably even more than you." He pushed me away with a suffering expression.

"David, I'm sorry, but Logan is my childhood friend, and we like to joke around." He turned to a confused David. "You did bravely; thank you for the information." He patted him on the shoulder, which calmed the boy down. "Zayn will replace you; he's just finishing his patrol. Go home early; you look a little pale." He directed him toward the guardhouse and instructed him on what to do next. I returned to the car and waited for the gate to open completely when Albert opened the passenger door and entered the vehicle.

"You can't hide who you are even if you wanted to; you look too much like Lex, which is weird because Easton doesn't look like your family. Are you sure he wasn't adopted by accident?" Albert asked, chuckling to himself at our childhood joke.

"You know I don't. Now tell me what Lex didn't tell me. I probably don't even know half of what I need." I put the car in gear and drove towards the pack's house, listening to what my friend had to say.