Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

L ogan walked aimlessly through town, furious with himself for what he'd done. He should have stayed strong. He should have stayed away from her. He should have at least waited until he figured out how to handle his father because Wren was right, she deserved the truth.

Instead, he'd given in to the heat and his longing. He'd claimed her, marked her, and she was a part of him now. They were bonded and there was no way to undo that, not even to protect her.

How could he have been so stupid? He hadn't given any thought to his curse affecting her but he should have. He should have known the bond would mean she felt the pain he felt whenever he tried to talk about that night. Bonding was an intense process about far more than sex and a biting mark. They were linked in every way, or they would be as soon as their wolves were allowed to complete their side of the mating.

His wolf was angry too. Pacing and clawing at his insides, wanting him to go back and let him have a chance with their mate. He could barely keep the animal contained but he wouldn't let his baser instincts win, not again, not tonight at least.

Logan looked up at the building he was standing in front of and sighed. He hadn't been walking with any purpose except to put space between himself and Wren but some part of him must have known he needed a safe place to go. He trudged up the stars and followed the scent he knew nearly as well as his own. He knocked on apartment 2B and waited as he listened to footsteps approaching from the other side.

Dominic opened the door and his friend's eyes immediately widened, "Hey."

"Hey."

"You look like hell."

Logan snorted because that was just like Dominic not to mince words, "It's been a long day. My mom…"

"I heard." Dominic raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't really explain why you smell like sex though."

Logan scrubbed a hand over his face, "I don't really want to talk about it. Can I come in?"

"Sure. Sure." His friend moved aside and then shut the door behind Logan. "And I'd let the sex thing go but there's one little detail I'm going to need some clarification on first."

"What?"

"Your scent, Logan. It's mixed with another." Dominic stared at him intently, "You didn't just have sex. You mated with someone."

"Fuck." He hadn't thought about that either.

He'd been too busy beating himself up to realize that his friend would be able to scent the change in him. He had to be covered in Wren's scent after what they'd done but it was more than that. His scent and hers were mixed now, irreversibly, so that anyone who encountered them would know that they were part of a mated pair.

"Literally, it seems." Dominic smirked and when Logan shot a glare at him he shrugged. "Tell me about it. About her? Or him? I thought…"

"I know what you thought. The same thing we all thought. But it's complicated." He glanced around the apartment and sighed, "Do you mind if I take a shower? We can talk after."

Dominic seemed confused by the request but he nodded, "Sure. First door on your right down the hall. Towels are in the cabinet. You want some clean clothes?"

"That would be great."

"I'll see what I have that might fit you."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Dominic gave him a reassuring pat on the back before disappearing down the hall towards what must be his bedroom.

Logan slipped into the bathroom and turned on the water as hot as it would go. He pulled off the clothes he had only so recently just tugged back on, leaving them in a pile on the floor. He stepped into the steaming shower and stuck his head directly under the spray of water, hissing when the heat pounded at his head.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the past few hours. Hell, the past few days. He had come home to repair the things in the pack that were broken. He'd had no intention of making things worse but that's exactly what he'd done to Wren.

Everything he did hurt her and now he had to worry about anything that happened to him affecting her through the bond.

He opened his eyes, trying to wipe away the image of her beautiful face streaked with tears and pain. She was furious with him, again, and he deserved it. He'd told her to go ahead and hate him but damn if it didn't break his heart that he couldn't even explain himself. Not for his own benefit, but for hers.

He had loved Lark once, sure. But the way he'd felt about her had been clouded with teenage lust and big dreams. Lark had been fun and exciting. Being with her had always felt on the verge of dangerous and ultimately, it had ended in disaster.

But being with Wren felt like coming home. She was fire and fury. She gave as good as she got. She was strong and determined. She was a fighter and she didn't give up. The fact she was still looking for answers about her sister six years later proved that. She was his perfect match, born to lead the pack, at his side as his mate, his lover, his life and his Queen.

Logan washed himself with Dominic's body wash quickly. Thinking about Wren as Queen of the pack brought back memories of his mother. Their conversation that afternoon had left him with so many more questions. He'd been trying to work them out in his head ever since but he needed to get out of his head now so he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

There was a t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts sitting on the counter for him and he pulled them on. He hadn't even heard Dominic open the door and leave the clothes for him. He snorted as he looked at himself in the mirror. The clothes were too big which figured since Dominic was built like a damn freight train. He rolled the shorts and the sleeves of the shirt before swiping the towel through his damp hair one more time.

He hung the damp towel on the back of the door and gathered up his own clothes before opening the door and returning to the living room.

Dominic was standing at the bar in the kitchen and grinned when he saw him, "Sorry, I couldn't find anything else."

"It's fine."

"You look ridiculous."

"Good, I look how I feel then." He slid onto a barstool opposite his friend. "At least I'm still taller than you."

Dominic's lips pulled upwards and he motioned to the plate in front of him, "I was making dinner before you got here."

"You're eating late."

"I was on patrol and just got in." He shrugged. "You want some of this?"

Logan eyed the bowl of pasta, "You made that?"

"Yep."

"Is it edible?"

Dominic pointed his fork at him, "I'm a grown man. I can cook a meal, you dick."

Logan managed a smirk, "I was joking. But yeah, if there's enough, I'm starving."

"I bet you are." Dominic turned to get a plate out of the cabinet behind him and when he turned back he saw Logan's glare. "What? You're allowed to joke and I'm not?"

Logan didn't answer and Dominic moved some of the pasta from the pot on the stove to the plate for him. He grabbed a fork out of the drawer and added it as well. He went to hand over the plate but when Logan got a grip on it, his friend didn't let go.

Dominic met his eyes, serious this time, "Want to tell me who she is now?"

Logan pulled on the plate, "Not really."

"Oh come on." Dominic released it with a huff. "I thought Lark was your mate. We all did. You left town because you couldn't stand to be here without her and you've been mourning her for six years. Now, all of a sudden you're back in town and within days you're mated to someone else. That's a story I need to hear and not just as your best friend, but as your second in command. After all, this mate of yours is going to be Queen of the pack when you're Alpha."

Logan picked up his fork and stirred the pasta without picking it up. Dominic was right of course. He'd just been imagining what Wren would be like as his Queen. Confident and demanding but caring with their people and their pack. She would make a good Pack Queen and he would need her help to make things right but first he'd have to make them right with her.

He swallowed hard, "Wren Culvert.

Dominic's eyes went as wide as saucers, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I did, but I thought maybe you were joking."

"Trust me, when I realized who it was, I thought it was a joke too. Fate must think she's real funny. But it's true. Wren's my fated mate."

"Wow." Dominic leaned against the counter, his food forgotten for the moment. "That's… unexpected."

"Tell me about it."

"Do you think…" Dominic's brows furrowed as Logan glanced up at him. "Do you think it was her all along? I mean, was your relationship with Lark some sort of link fate gave you in order to put Wren in your path?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"So Lark was never your true mate?"

"No, she wasn't. Only we never got to figure that out because she died before she turned eighteen."

"And then you left town before Wren came of age."

"Exactly."

"Wow." Dominic said again, "I bet that's been fun."

Logan harrumphed and took a bite of the pasta. It really was quite good. He chewed and ignored the way his friend stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"You know she hates you and your family, right?"

"I'm aware."

"Oh, I bet you are." Dominic's lips twitched upright again and Logan groaned.

"She has every right to hate me after what happened with Lark. Not only is her sister dead because of me but there's the other issue that we're shifters. Our wolves are possessive. She doesn't like the fact that I was with Lark to begin with, let alone that I've spent most of my life believing she was my one true mate."

"She's not cutting you any slack, I take it?"

"Her sister died and she blames me so no, and she shouldn't."

Dominic raised an eyebrow, "That's the first time I've ever heard you actually talk about Lark's death."

"It's weird." Logan frowned. "I feel like I've said more about Lark and what happened that night in the past few hours than I've been able to in years."

"Maybe because you're finally letting the idea of her as your perfect mate go."

Logan was already shaking his head as a twinge of something in the back of his mind made him restless, "No. I think it's more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I think… maybe… it's almost like the strength of my father's Alpha order not to talk about that night is waning."

Dominic's eyebrows hit his hairline, "Holy shit. Did you just say that out loud?"

"Yeah." Logan's heart started to race as he realized his throat didn't close the words off. "Yeah, I did."

"You've never been able to talk about that night, or even really say your dad used his power against you, have you? You've definitely never said as much to me. I always just assumed."

"It's weakening."

"Why?" Dominic wasn't casually lounging against the counter anymore but was upright and alert. "How?"

"Maybe because of his illness? Because he's weaker now?"

Dominic shook his head, "No, he's been weakening for a while because of the illness. What if, what if it's your mom?"

Logan nodded, "She died this afternoon. They may not have been a love match but they were fated mates. They were bonded. If he was siphoning her strength through the bond to keep himself going, that would explain why she was far sicker than him despite him being the one with the illness."

"Fucking hell." Dominic groaned. "What a bastard. He was siphoning her strength even as she was dying?"

"I think so." Logan fought the nausea that roiled in his gut as he thought of his dying mother and his last conversation with her. "But if he was using her power to keep himself going, he's lost access to it with her death. He's weaker now than he's ever been so his hold on the pack is weakening too."

"He's really dying then, and probably soon."

"Not soon enough." Logan pushed to his feet. "We need to go and talk to your dad. Now."

"My dad?"

"If the order my dad used on me is weakening, maybe his power over your dad is too. Maybe all the lies he's hidden behind his veil of silence are starting to seep through." Logan nodded as the puzzle pieces began to come together for him. "In case he finds another way to regain his strength, we need to talk to your dad, now, tonight."

"What do you think he knows?"

"Everything." He grabbed for his shoes where he'd dropped them by the barstool and began shoving his feet into them. "I spoke to my mom before she passed. She said something to me I haven't been able to figure out. She said I needed to find the ones who didn't leave."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know." he admitted. "She said something else too, something about how there were others who were sick, others who had died. She said Dad was the root of the sickness."

"Because he's sick with power? I think we all know he's willing to go to any lengths to protect himself and his secrets. I wouldn't put murdering a few people past him. Would you?"

"No. I wouldn't. He's done it before." Logan felt the words slip past his lips and then gasped when his throat spasmed.

The order that had kept those words and so many like them at bay was weakening. He still felt the pain and the choking feeling but it hadn't been enough to keep the words inside of him this time. He briefly panicked at the thought of Wren experiencing that same feeling of helplessness when she couldn't get a breath of air and everything inside of him wanted to rush back to her and make sure she was okay.

But if he truly wanted to protect her, he had to get to the bottom of this while he still had the chance. He had to discover what else his father was hiding. He had to take away the bastard's power. Then he would truly be able to give Wren the truth that she deserved.

"Logan? You okay?" Dominic had come around the counter and put a hand on his shoulder.

It was only then he realized he'd doubled over and was breathing hard. He struggled for breath, the curse of his father's stranglehold on him kicking hard against his admission. It was still powerful enough to hurt him even if it hadn't managed to keep the words at bay.

"Yeah." He sucked in a gasp of air and tried to calm his racing mind. "I'm okay but we need to go, now."

"Let me call my dad and see if he's in any state to talk to us." Dominic hedged but Logan was upright again and shaking his head.

"No. We're going over there. I don't care if he's been drinking. I don't care if he's three sheets to the wind. Hell, maybe it'll be easier if he is. I don't know. What I do know is that we finally have a chance to destroy my father and I'm not about to let it slip away."

"Okay. Yeah." Dominic glanced back at the kitchen, "Can I finish eating first though?"

Logan glared at him and his friend groaned.

"Fine. Let's go. But I'm taking my plate with me."

He snorted, "Shoes first, plate second."

Dominic smirked, "Want me to grab yours too?"

"Hell, bring the whole pot, maybe your dad could use some spaghetti too." He grabbed his phone out of his pants and shoved it into his borrowed shorts. "Now, let's go before that bastard figures out what we're up to."