Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

I t had been six years since he'd set foot in pack territory. Six long years since he'd run away from the small town in eastern Oklahoma where he'd been born and raised, run away from his family and friends and everything he'd ever known. Now, the winding road leading him home seemed endless and the trees on either side of his black SUV towered overhead, blotting out the rest of the world as if it had never even existed.

Logan Kemp had never let himself think about what returning to his pack would feel like. He'd missed his packmates of course, especially in the early days. He'd felt the magnetic pull towards home, particularly on the full moons when his wolf longed to run with the pack. But he'd had Vivian to think about, to take care of, so he'd focused all of his energy on creating a life for his younger sister where she didn't have to deal with the same horrors that he had.

She'd only been seventeen when he had woken her in the middle of the night and asked her to leave with him. She'd been so close to coming of age but he hadn't been able to stomach leaving her behind with their self-centered parents. She'd looked at him with confusion and fear but ultimately she'd nodded and he'd thrown her things in a bag and they'd hit the road together.

They'd had each other's back through thick and thin, and though he'd never been able to tell her the full truth of why they'd needed to get out of Shadow Pines, Vivian had seemed to understand that he couldn't talk about it. She had never asked. Not once. At first he thought it was because she was too young to comprehend the enormity of what leaving meant but as time went on he realized it was actually because she was wise beyond her years.

They didn't talk about Shadow Pines and Logan had spent so long pushing down every thought and feeling he had about their family that it wasn't until he'd gotten that phone call from his childhood best friend that he'd actually let himself believe that he might be able to return to it.

It wasn't a happy homecoming, not by a longshot, but it was time. Time to be the man he had been born to be. Time to make some changes, even if he could never make things right.

When he'd left Shadow Pines he had barely been more than a kid himself. He'd been nineteen and scared, hurt and angry. He'd felt powerless and at a loss for any other way to escape his grief or the new reality of his situation. He had left because he hadn't known what else to do and now, he was returning for the same reason.

He didn't have a reason to stay away anymore. He was needed here. Dominic had demanded that he come home and take his rightful place at the head of the pack. And no matter the painful memories this place held for him, he knew it was where he belonged.

As if she could sense his trepidation, his sister reached out from the passenger seat and put her hand on top of his. A sense of calm washed through him that he knew wasn't his own and he shot her a thankful glance before refocusing on the road. Vivian had always been able to read him better than anyone and he was more thankful than he could ever hope to put into words that she had agreed to leave with him all those years ago and again, now, that she had once again uprooted her life to return home with him and face whatever awaited them.

For six years they had been out in the world without a pack and it changed the both of them. It had been up to him to protect Vivian and keep her safe. He had become more than just a big brother. He had become a man who understood what it meant to put others before his own desires. He wasn't the same kid who had left. He was stronger now and ready to face his past and build a new and better future for himself, his sister, and his pack.

The sun was setting by the time the sign that welcomed them back to Shadow Pines came into view. He held his breath as he drove past it but he couldn't shake the shiver of awareness that overtook him the moment he crossed into pack territory. His wolf must have felt it too because he stirred from deep within Logan, suddenly alert.

Vivian shifted restlessly in her seat as well, no doubt experiencing at least a little of the same anxiety Logan was feeling.

After all, the last time they'd been in Shadow Pines was the day they had buried the woman who was meant to be Logan's mate. He had lost the woman he loved, the woman he'd planned to spend his life with and it had broken him. In so many ways, he still grieved that loss and knew he always would. Lark's death, the way her family had blamed him for what happened, the way he'd blamed himself, it would have been too much for the teenage boy he'd been even without the added weight of keeping his family's secrets.

The irony that he had left Shadow Pines after burying the woman who represented his future and now, he was returning to bury the man who represented his past, didn't escape him.

His father was dead. That was what Dominic had called to tell him. That was the only news capable of finally bringing Logan home. As the eldest son of the Shadow Pines Pack Alpha it was his duty to step up and take control of the pack now.

Finally, he could bury the old bastard once and for all and maybe, after he was rid of him, he might be able to see a future for himself again.

Logan's palms were clammy against the leather steering wheel of the SUV as he drove through town. The same stores lined Main Street. The same signs hung in the windows and the same sun-faded awnings covered the doors. He noted the familiarity of it all with a mix of dread and apprehension. Some things never changed and when it came to his hometown, he didn't think that was a good sign.

Shadow Pines had always been an isolated town, tucked deep in the hills of the eastern Oklahoma forests. It was home to wolf shifters, like him and it wasn't located on any human map. Occasionally people driving through on their way to somewhere else stumbled into Shadow Pines but they didn't have a tendency to stay long. It wasn't designed to be welcoming to strangers. The need to keep the secret of what they were from the outside world had created a town where everyone was connected. It was the insular nature of the place that kept Shadow Pines safe.

Logan had once admired the way the pack thought and acted as one. He'd known since he was a child that his birthright came with certain responsibilities and expectations to keep their existence secret from the outside world. But it had been the other secrets, the darker secrets, hidden even from those within the pack, that had ultimately torn his family apart and sent him fleeing.

No , he reminded himself as he steered the SUV through the gated entrance of the Kemp family estate that backed up to the forest. No, that wasn't true. It wasn't the secrets that had ruined his life. That had been his father's doing. It was his father who had shredded Logan's picture-perfect vision of his life and his future. It had been his father who made him hate everything that the Kemp name stood for in this town.

He hated his father. Hated what he had done. Hated what he'd forced Logan to do. And while he would never admit aloud that he was happy the old man was finally dead, the truth was, he had been relieved when he answered that call and heard what Dominic had to tell him.

His childhood best friend was the only person he had kept in touch with in all the years since he'd been away. Dominic hadn't judged him for abandoning the pack and he'd stayed in contact no matter the time or distance between them.

If anyone should have been next in line to become Pack Alpha, Logan thought it should have been Dominic. He was practically pack royalty himself. The eldest son of the Pack Alpha's Head Enforcer, he had been groomed all his life to fight for the pack and defend it at all costs. He was the one who knew the pack members and their needs. But there was no way Logan's father would ever admit there was a problem in his lineage by allowing someone other than a Kemp to inherit the Shadow Pines Pack, not even if he hadn't spoken to either of his children in more than half a decade.

Logan assumed the pack thought he was in contact with his father. That would have been the story the old man told. It would have looked bad if people found out he couldn't control his children and if there had ever been anything the old bastard cared about other than himself then it was how he was viewed by his pack.

Now that he was dead, now that Logan was back, it was time for the truth to come out.

He slowly pulled the SUV up the driveway, which was strangely empty. It looked almost as if the large manor house where they'd grown up was vacant and he felt Vivian shoot him a confused look before they both reached for their door handles.

Logan reluctantly slipped out of the SUV, taking in the dry and empty fountain in the center of the large drive that had once been a shining example of his father's virulent need to impress. The thriving gardens that had grown around the base of the house with roses as large as his fist and vines that snaked up to the second story windows, had been reduced to an overgrown tangle of weeds. Even the once vibrant white paint on the faux marble pillars that held up the massive porch and the matching plantation style shutters had faded to a haunting shade of gray. It seemed his family withering away to a slow death was reflected back at him from every facet of the ancestral home.

It almost made him feel bad for leaving. For not staying to take care of what was his by birthright. Almost .

With a looming sense of unease, Logan raised his hand and rang the doorbell. He could hear the old familiar chimes as they worked their way down the large entryway and echoed through the big house. When he heard footsteps on the other side he steeled himself to face the maid or his mother but when the door swung open it wasn't either of the women that he came face-to-face with.

It was his father.

His very much alive, still breathing, father.

Byron Kemp, after everything he'd done, managed to smile at the sight of his only son standing on his doorstep, "Logan, my boy. It's good to see you."

A fury so intense it felt as if every molecule of blood in his veins was boiling ripped through Logan. He couldn't believe this was happening. Couldn't believe he had come all this way, only to find out that Dominic had lied to him. His friend had told him Byron was dead and yet here he stood, on his own two feet, under his own power.

It was a good thing Dominic wasn't the one standing in front of him, he decided, because the urge to punch his old friend in the face, repeatedly, was overwhelming.

Logan's hands balled into fists at his sides, "I wish I could say the same but I was really hoping the next time I saw you, that you'd be in a casket."

The old man chuckled and then let out a sputtering cough that nearly doubled him over. Vivian stepped forward and Logan was about to reach for her, to keep himself between her and their father, but she seemed to catch herself first. She stopped beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder in a show of solidarity and Logan wished that he'd told her to wait in the car until he'd figured out what was going on here.

Their father hadn't even glanced at his daughter. He hadn't welcomed her home or opened his arms to her. He'd acted as if she wasn't even there and Logan knew that his lack of acknowledgement was meant to cut Vivian down to size, just as he knew that despite his sister's blank expression their father's indifference hit its intended target.

Logan watched through barely contained hatred as his father got control of the coughing fit and tried to regain his composure. The big, intimidating man he had known looked mostly the same as he remembered but signs of illness were there once he looked more closely.

Byron's eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. He was thinner too, his cheeks sunken in, giving him a skeletal appearance. His skin had a strange, gray pallor to it once the pinkness from lack of oxygen during his coughing fit waned. He looked sickly, that was true, but he was still alive, despite what Dominic had said.

"My apologies for still breathing." Byron wiped at his mouth with a handkerchief. "But if it's any reassurance at all, I'm sure it won't be for much longer."

"This isn't funny." Logan growled.

"I'm quite aware of that, after all, I'm the one that's dying."

"And yet you're still lying." Logan countered as realization dawned on him. "You had Dominic call and tell me you were dead. Not dying. Dead. You knew that was the only way you would ever get me back here."

"Why you're home doesn't matter, son. I need you here. The pack needs you here. Now, come inside. I'm sure your mother would love to see you both and then we can talk like civilized men."

Logan scrubbed a hand over his jaw and stepped backwards, "No. There's nothing you could say that I want to hear. Maybe if you'd changed, maybe if you wanted to take responsibility for your actions, but having Dominic call and lie to me is all the proof I need that you're still the same selfish, manipulative asshole you've always been."

"Logan…" His father's jaw clenched but Logan turned on his heel to walk away. Behind him he heard his father's voice soften, "Vivian, please. If your brother won't grant a dying man's wish and come inside to talk, maybe you can convince him to do it for your mother. We're mates after all. What do you think this illness is doing to her?"

Logan was halfway back to his vehicle when his father's words registered and he wanted to scream. His vision blurred but he forced back the tears that wanted to come. Six years had passed but less than six minutes in his father's presence and he felt like that wayward boy again, lost and confused. He hated the feeling, just as he hated his father. He was so focused on his fury that when a hand landed on his shoulder he spun around with his clenched fists raised on instinct.

"Logan, wait." Vivian held her hands up and he instantly deflated at the fear he saw mirrored in the eyes that looked so much like his own.

"Viv." He winced, horrified by his own violent reaction. "I'm sorry. I would never…"

"I know." She wrapped her arms around him and Logan pulled her into his arms and hung on to her like a lifeline. "I know you would never hurt me."

"Never." He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry we ever came back here. This is just another of his twisted mind games. We can go. We can leave again and…"

She pulled back from his hug to look up at him, eyes watery with unshed tears of her own, and Logan felt like she'd punched him in the gut when she shook her head, "I don't want to leave again. Not yet."

"Viv…" He frowned.

"He said Mom is sick too, that the bond between them means they're both dying." She sighed. "I need to see her for myself. I need to talk to her. I can't leave until I do. I owe her that."

"You don't owe her anything."

"He's the monster, Logan. Not her. She was forced to live with him, same as us, but she couldn't escape."

Logan grit his teeth, wanting to tell Vivian all the things he'd never been able to say, but the tightness in his throat kept the words at bay. He growled with disgust. He should have tried to tell her the truth before coming home. If he had, if he'd at least tried to tell her and the words were still stuck inside of him, he would have known his father wasn't dead.

"I know you don't want to stay here and I'm not asking you to. Go and find Dominic. Make sure he's okay. I'm guessing Dad used his Alpha voice to force him to call you. He likely had no choice in it, just like Mom doesn't."

That was just like his sister to be one step ahead of him. She'd already thought of the way their father could wield his power with nothing but his words. Dominic wouldn't have lied to him without being manipulated into it. He had proven his loyalty to Logan time and again and he deserved the benefit of the doubt.

His father, on the other hand, did not.

As Pack Alpha, Byron had the ability to use his wolf's voice to give orders. Pack members could fight those orders but it was painful and nearly impossible to break the hold of one. Most Pack Alpha's only used that special gift in the most dire of circumstances, to control a rogue wolf or help their pack to shift or heal when they couldn't manage it themselves. Their father, on the other hand, had always used it whenever it would benefit him and Logan knew better than anyone the damage it could do.

"I should kill him for everything he's done." he growled but his sister only shook her head.

"He's dying anyway and I don't want patricide on your conscience for the rest of your life."

"He's dying." Logan blew out a rough breath, glancing back at the house where the door was wide open but his father was nowhere in sight. "Out of everything he said, that much, at least, seems true."

"He does look like he's dying, but I think there's more to the story." Vivian reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Find Dominic. Find out what Dad isn't telling us. After all this time, there has to be a reason he made Dominic call now, right?"

Logan stared at his smart little sister and sighed because he knew she was right. Again. She wasn't the little girl he liked to think of her as, not anymore. Maybe she hadn't been since that night six years ago when she'd left everything she'd ever known with him. She hadn't asked not once in all that time why they had to flee their hometown, but it was clear now that she needed some answers, just as much as he needed the truth to come to light.

It was time, wasn't that what he'd been telling himself the whole drive back to Shadow Pines?

He finally nodded, "Okay. We'll stay, at least until we get some answers."

"Yeah?" Vivian looked surprised but hopeful.

"Yeah." He motioned to the house, "You check on Mom. Ask questions. Figure out whatever you can about what Dad is up to. I'll go back into town, find Dominic, and try to get some answers of my own."

"Thank you." Vivian smiled softly.

"Don't thank me yet. This could all turn out very, very badly."

"I know." She assured him but the truth was, she didn't know, not really, and he couldn't tell her, not yet. "Be safe out there."

"I'll be back for you as soon as I can and I have my phone if you…"

"Logan…" she groaned, "I'm twenty-three, not thirteen. I can take care of myself."

Vivian turned and headed for the house and Logan tried to keep his breathing even as she waved before she shut the door behind her. Every instinct he had said he should charge inside, grab her and hit the road again but he held tight to his control. If Vivian could face their parents, the least he could do was find his best friend and figure out what was really going on here.

Logan looked up at the moon that was just rising high above his head. He was home. Finally. And now, he had work to do.