I turned slowly, fully expecting to be hit. Instead, my jaw dropped open. There was no swinging fist, no angry glare, Logan wasn't even facing me. He stood in front of the stove with his head cocked to one side and tongue sticking out of his mouth as he poked at the eggs expiramentally.It was so unexpected that I let out a tiny hysterical giggle, then immediately slapped a hand over my mouth, shrinking when he looked my way."You have a cute giggle." Was all he said before turning back to the eggs. Then, a moment later, "Hey, are these done?"Hesitantly, I stepped forward to where I could see the contents of the giant cast iron pan. It looked… perfect.The eggs were lightly browned in places, the onions were translucent, and the cheese was a beautiful gooey mess around chunks of meat and tomato. It smelled heavenly."Yes, sir." I squeaked."Just Logan. Here, you plate, and I'll start setting the table." He was still smiling as he handed the spatula back to me. Confusion swirled throu
Through the wall, I could hear congratulatory remarks and joyous welcomes seemingly directed at Logan. From what I could hear, it sounded like Logan had just gotten home from a boarding school for young alphas or anyone who tested dominant enough to get in. This made him a bit older than I had initially thought, closer to 18 than 15.He had learned everything he needed to know there and now was home to train under his father to take the mantle of Alpha when the time came.The laughter from the dining room sent a sudden pang of homesickness through me like a hunter's arrow. I missed those happy meals with my family when things were simple, when I was innocent and unhurt.Suppressing a forlorn sigh, I finished scrubbing the last pan and left the kitchen to start collecting the dirty laundry hampers from everyone's rooms.The rest of the day was oddly uneventful. No one tripped me or pushed me down the stairs. No one yelled at me or called me names. It got to the point where my anxiety k
"Don't you fucking touch her!" He roared at the older man, anger making him shake like a leaf.Instead of watching, I curled into a ball and retreated inside my head. I had built a safe space where harsh reality couldn't hurt me. It was a pillow fortress made from every single happy memory I could salvage from a childhood I could barely remember. Only about four years worth.Blackberry picking with Thomas and Lily. Eating more than we put in our buckets.Riding around on my father's shoulders, tiny pudgy hands grasping for wisteria blossoms overhead.Grandpa Zeckle teaching us about the constellations. Stargazing and pointing out the ones we remembered. Making up names and stories for the ones we didn't. "Silver?"Playing hide and seek with a few of the older kids."Silver?!"I furrowed my brows in concentration. I didn't want to go back there, not yet."Come on, snap out of it."Learning to swim in the river near the house. "Silver?" This voice was new, gentle, warm like hot cocoa
After that first trip to the infirmary, Logan kept a much closer eye on me. Any time someone tried to hurt me, he stepped in like my own personal guardian angel. There were still occasions when he was kept busy, but on those occasions, he would always help me to the medical building where Skye would patch me up and send me on my way.It was during one of these visits that I discovered why Logan trusted Skye around me without any protective or jealous tendencies. Skye had no interest in women, and that made him safe for me to be around."I don't have to worry about him pulling anything or trying to take you away from me." Logan had explained sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "You're too special for me to share."Sadly, the newfound protection was cut short when the Alpha caught on and began to actively separate us. While still infrequent, the beatings got more severe, and I was left to crawl to the medical building on my own, leaving a trail of blood."Dear God!" Skye hastil
I paused in dinner preparations for a moment, a tear trickling down my cheek as I thought back to how Logan had been when we first met. Before he got pushy about us mating and demanding of sex. Had it only been a few months ago?At first, I had been all for us mating. I loved him with my whole being. I wanted us to be together, always. Again and again, we would stand under the full moon trying to bind our souls."Soul by blood and flesh and bone. Here in your heart, my spirit is home. My strength is yours, thine will is my own. I'll be beside you wherever you roam." We spoke the words in unison while gazing into each other's eyes, and a warmth would begin to spread outward from my heart. The mating bond would start to form then as we stood breathing in sync.This completed the first half of the ceremony. The second half began when we raised a wrist to the other's lips and bit down. The magic in our blood would spill forth in that rush of crimson. A promise to provide. A promise to sha
"Father, stop!"Logan was suddenly there, pulling his dad away from me. "You could kill my pup!"He knew?My eyes popped open in shock, and I pressed a hand to the tiny baby bump under the overly large shirt I wore. How did he know? It was just a bundle of cells at this point. There wasn't even a heartbeat yet! So how?I watched as the Alpha's angry face shifted into one of surprise, and he looked down at me. I quickly averted my gaze until he looked back at Logan."Shit." He breathed. It actually sounded like he felt bad. Not for hurting me, of course, but for potentially hurting his grandpup."Take her to the healer, then come right back here." Alpha Greyson ordered. "Leah."My attendant snapped to attention. "Sir?""Take over on dinner." And with that, he left the room, calling out. "And clean this mess up!" As he went.I breathed a sigh and winced. Those broken ribs would be slow to heal, but this latest beating could be used to my advantage. I could blame the beating for a miscar
And there it was. The rare way that werewolves were made accidentally.Rabies.The magic that allowed us to change our shape was in our blood. Sometimes, a weaker wolf would catch rabies and then bite their tongue as they went on a rampage or breathe so hard that they could cough up blood from exertion. The blood in their mouth would then mix with the foam forming from the virus, making the salivary glands overproduce.If they attacked a human, then their blood could be transferred in a bite with the rabies virus. If the human got to a hospital in time, then the rabies could be eliminated, but the shape-shifting magic would still be there just waiting for the next full moon.I gave Skye a sympathetic hand squeeze, letting him know I was still here. He wasn't alone.He gripped my hand tighter and kept talking. "The wolf attacked me before I could move. All I managed was to get my arms up to protect my face. It's a bit of a blur after that. I remember blinding pain and screaming, then a
In some ways, my quality of life improved after that night. Logan held true to his promise and rarely let me out of his sight. I attended meetings with him seated on his lap, where I started to learn this pack's politics and more about the surrounding world. I ate meals the same way. My stomach couldn't hold much yet, so Logan just loaded extra onto his plate and shared it with me, feeding me one careful bite at a time.I was just happy to be getting full meals now. I wasn't going to risk upsetting him and losing my food privileges, so I wasn't about to complain.One thing that I had not expected in the slightest was for Logan to begin teaching me. I had a very basic understanding of how to read and write, but my math was terrible. He helped me with these and also taught me history, which I greatly enjoyed. Surprisingly, he also began to teach me self-defense."So you can protect our pups." Logan had explained. Fortunately, the years I had spent tackling all of the manual labor around