Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

L ogan stood on top of a hill in a large clearing that wasn't on any map he'd ever seen of Shadow Pines pack territory. It was a strange field, with what looked to be rows carved into it. Some lines were higher and others sank lower. The whole field was covered in grass and a few small trees were beginning to grow in one corner. If he'd stumbled across this place on his own, he'd have been captivated by the wonder of nature, that she could create such a place in the middle of a forest of trees, but he hadn't come across it by accident and he knew for a fact it was manmade. exactly what each of those rows held beneath them.

The field was a graveyard and each of those hills hid a body. An unmarked grave for a pack member was usually a sign that the wolf had wronged the pack in some way. The people buried here though, had only slighted one man. The sheer magnitude of unmarked graves and the dishonor his father had given these pack members, even in death, made him sick to his stomach.

The night he and Dominic had gone to see Darren McMurtry, Logan had learned some of his father's most horrifying secrets. Like Logan, the power of Byron's hold on Darren had been lessening as the Alpha weakened. The elderly man hadn't been able to tell them everything but he'd said enough that Logan had gotten a pretty horrible picture of just what his father had been up to, and what his mother had been trying to tell him from her deathbed.

She had been right. His father was the illness. The fact that she had spent her last moments on this earth trying to undo the damage her mate had done, trying to do right by her children, had given Logan the solace he needed to truly forgive her for the role she'd played in his childhood of cruelty and neglect.

"Fucking hell." Dillon McMurtry muttered, running a hand over his face. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is?"

The youngest of the McMurtry brothers had volunteered to join his father and Logan on the trek. Dominic was busy elsewhere, with things Logan would rather not think about. Drake was working a shift at the previously defunct Sheriff's office. Which had only left Dillon and despite Darren's moaning that he could damn well make the trip there and back without a babysitter, Dillon had come along.

He had whistled as he walked along behind them, young and carefree in a way that Logan couldn't ever remember being. Dillon had skipped rocks like a kid and largely ignored the conversation his father and Logan were having. Which was how he'd come to be standing on the hill with a look of utter shock at what lay before them now.

Darren looked at his son with something akin to shame, "This is where he made me bury the bodies."

"You?" Dillon gaped. "You did this?"

"He was forced by my father. He used his Alpha voice to control your dad and force him to keep his secrets." He turned back to Darren McMurtry, "You have nothing to feel guilty for. You didn't do this of your own free will. This is his doing, all his."

The older man turned away and dabbed at his cheek, coughing to cover his sniffle before facing them again, "That doesn't mean it didn't kill a little piece of my soul every time he ordered me to clean up his mess."

"Dad?" Dillon still looked wary. "Who are these people?"

Darren shot Logan a look and waited for him to nod his consent before he cleared his throat, "These people were the casualties of Byron Kemp's reign of terror."

"I don't understand." Dillon crossed his arms over his chest. "Make me understand."

"Byron began abusing his power decades ago. He got it in his head that as Pack Alpha, he had the right to bed every female in the pack before her mating ceremony. It was an ancient practice, one nobody in their right mind would ever try to bring back, but Byron had appetites that were… outrageous." Darren looked out over the field. "He bedded the ones who were willing and then sent them on their way to their mate."

"And the ones who weren't willing?" Dillon demanded.

"He raped them."

"Fucking hell." Dillon said again.

Logan spoke up when Darren looked like he might not be able to speak. The old man had been through more than enough already. Logan would have preferred Darren simply showed him where this gravesite was on a map but he had insisted on going in person. Still, the trek hadn't been easy and emotions were running high so he took over to fill in the parts of the story Darren had already conveyed to him.

"It started by accident, at least that's what he said. One of the girls fought back and he got rough. She died and he forced your father to get rid of the body and tell the parents that she'd run away." Logan swallowed past the knot in his throat, "The thing was, the supposed accidents began to happen more frequently and then, the sickness started."

Dillon eyed him suspiciously, "You mean whatever it was that made your dad sick was what? An STD?"

"Kind of." Logan acknowledged. "We don't know how he contracted it to start with but we think it was a form of canine distemper. It's rare in our kind but it attacks every part of your body and it's deadly. Nobody survives it."

"So all these unmarked graves are the female pack members that died from some wolf STD your dad gave them when he raped them? Am I getting this right?" Dillon started to pace. "Because this sounds insane."

"Believe me, I know how it sounds… but it's true." Darren found his voice again. "Only, most of the bodies buried here didn't die from the virus. Byron killed them as soon as they began to show symptoms and then he made me get rid of them. If the parents or the family started to ask too many questions, he got rid of them too."

"He murdered whole families?" The color drained from Dillon's cheeks and his gaze ping-ponged from his father to Logan and back again. "Are you saying that all those stories about families that picked up and left in the middle of the night are lies? They're all dead? Buried out here?"

"A lot of them, yes. Some really did leave. They had their suspicions and got out when they could but…"

"What about Gray?" Dillon cut in with a high-pitched whine. "Is he out there? Tell me Gilly and Gray aren't out there. Tell me the whole Rose family isn't buried in some unmarked grave out there."

It took Logan a second to place the names. The Rose family. They had owned the flower shop in town, fitting with their surname. They had a daughter, Gillian, and a son, Grayson. He had a vague memory of Dillon and Grayson playing in the pool as kids when he and Dominic were supposed to be babysitting.

"No, son." Darren put a hand on Dillon's shoulder but the young man shrugged it off.

"Don't lie to me!" Dillon yelled. "He was my best friend and he just disappeared."

"He's not out there. None of them are." Darren tried again, "I promise. They got out before Gillian came of age. I couldn't tell them much but they were wary of the Alpha and I urged them to go before it was too late."

Dillon's shoulders seemed to relax just a little, "They're really out there somewhere then?"

"Yes. All four of them left and the last I heard, they had joined a different pack. It's been years since I heard from them but, I'm sure they've made a good life for themselves."

"How can it be good if they're not here?" Dillon jerked his gaze between them again. "They're Shadow Pack wolves. Everyone who left is. Someone should find them, track them down and let them know that the evil bastard is dead and it's safe to come home."

Logan hadn't thought that far ahead. He'd been more focused on finding the unmarked graves and doing right by those his father had harmed in the most egregious of ways. He wanted to use Darren's knowledge to have markers placed for each pack member so they could be properly honored. He had so much going on, he hadn't stopped to think about the pack members who had fled for their own safety but the hope that lit Dillon's face made the decision for him.

"Find them then," He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'm giving you the task of helping us rebuild our pack by tracking down those who left out of fear. Find our lost pack members and tell them it's safe to come home. You can take as many others as you need, form a taskforce and get to work."

Dillon bit his lip, "What if I find them and they don't want to come home?"

"Then you give them my apologies for what my father did and you leave them to their new lives." Logan gave Dillon's shoulder a squeeze. "You think you can handle that?"

"Absolutely, Alpha."

Logan could sense the urge to run in the other man and nodded, "Head back to town and put together a team and a plan. We'll meet to discuss it tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now go."

"Dad, can you get back to town on your own?"

"He's not on his own. I'll make sure he gets home."

"Thanks." Dillon managed a smile for the first time since they saw the clearing. "Thank you, Alpha."

He turned and all but sprinted back into the forest. Logan watched him go before turning back to find Darren watching him. The old man looked as though he wanted to say something but he turned away. Logan didn't let him get away with it.

"What?"

"Nothing." Darren shook his head, "It's just…you're going to be a great Pack Alpha."

"I'm going to try."

"You care and that's more than enough to get us started."

Logan hesitated, not wanting to ruin the moment but Darren raised an eyebrow.

"My turn to ask. What is it?"

"You said we could get started but, I guess I need to know if you're planning to stay on and help me get this pack back on track. I'd love to have your years of knowledge and experience. You know this pack better than anyone and your guidance would be invaluable."

Darren gave a sad smile, "You'll have it, whatever you need. I'm happy to help. But being second to an Alpha is a young man's game. Besides, I know you and Dominic always planned to lead the pack together and I think that's how it should be. The next generation is who should be guiding the pack into the future."

"Dominic has enough on his plate right now." Logan scowled but Darren only chuckled.

"Don't be angry with him. You know better than anyone that there's no controlling fate. We don't choose who we bond with. Fate does."

"I know." Logan grumbled, And I'm not angry that he sparked a bond with my sister. I'm upset that he didn't have the common courtesy to tell me what had happened."

"You also had a lot on your plate at the time." Darren pointed out. "And you still do. You need him. You two have always balanced each other and together I think you know you were always meant to have him at your side when it came time to lead this pack."

"I know."

"Besides, you'll be more than just friends soon. You'll be family. Brothers. Just like it was always meant to be."

Logan eyed the old man skeptically, "You knew didn't you? You knew about Viv and Dom?"

"I had a feeling." Darren shrugged and when Logan raised an eyebrow he smirked. "When you boys were teenagers, that sister of yours followed you around everywhere. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah. Annoyed the crap out of me."

"Know who it didn't annoy?" Darren shrugged. "I saw it then, in the way he looked at her, the way he always made room for her and checked that she had whatever she needed."

"She was just a kid then."

"Yes, but oftentimes fate sets things in motion long before the bond sparks. You should recognize that truth yourself now, don't you think?"

"Touche." Logan snorted.

"My point is, Dominic has cared about Vivian for as long as I can remember. Those feelings are what will form the basis of their bond and it'll help it grow into something bigger, something more, so that they can learn to love one another and make a life together."

Logan stared out over the field, not saying what he was thinking. He knew Dominic better than anyone and he knew that his friend revered the mating bond. He would claim Vivian because it was what fate intended and he might even learn to love her. But he didn't love the baby that was growing inside of her. That baby was proof that she'd been with another man even though she was meant to be his. Dominic was angry and hurt by the secret Vivian had been keeping and it was going to take a lot of fate's magic to make their mating work.

Darren must have sensed Logan's change in mood because he patted him on the back, "Come on. It'll start getting dark soon and I'm not as young as I used to be. I'd like to be back on level ground before it gets dark."

"Yeah, of course, let's head back." Logan agreed.

"I'm sure your mate is wondering where you are." Darren smiled as they fell into step together.

"I told her where I was and what I was doing but you're right, I'm sure there's some mating ceremony decision that she wants me to make."

"Ah, wedding planning. It's good you two are going the traditional route and performing the ceremony on the first new moon. It'll be good for the pack to see you mated and settled."

"Wren wasn't wild about doing it so soon after the funeral and what with all the horrible truths about my father that have come to light, but the pack needs a reason to celebrate."

"And you want to show your mate off as the new Pack Queen." Darren nodded knowingly.

"I want the pack to see that we're not my parents. We're happy together. We're in love. And we want the best for our friends and family."

"I think that's exactly what the pack needs. You're going to be a great Alpha and that mate of yours is strong and tenacious. She'll be a great Queen too."

"She will." Logan agreed.

His heart reached out through the bond to search for Wren. He felt the connection between them even at a distance now and it grew stronger every day. They weren't starting over, but they were starting something completely new. A life together where there were no more secrets and no more lies to come between them.

Despite all the heartache and horrors that they'd faced, they had found one another and now, there was nothing that could tear them apart.