Logan stared dejectedly out the window of his bedroom, silently cursing the snow that had picked the wrong day to fall. The cold and lonely weather was doing all the wrong things to his already black mood. He grunted and raised a hand to his head, raking his fingers through his black shoulder-length hair. Dammit, where was inner peace when you badly needed it? He hated feeling like this.
He turned abruptly from the window and began pacing the room. He had gone to see his invalid father as a last resort this morning, hoping for some much-needed advice on what to do about the rogue attacks at their boundary. As usual, his father had barely recognized him, then after he finally did, had screamed a load of gibberish, capping it up with cries for Jessica to be brought to him. Jessica had been his mate and Logan's mother before she was killed years ago.
As if that wasn't enough, there had been pressure on him of late to find a mate. He was always steadily reminded that he needed a Luna chosen for him by the Goddess, someone to bear his children and be a mother to his pack. He had no desire to find anyone to spend the rest of his life with though. His father was enough example. Pressure or not, he wasn't willing to go down the same route his father had gone.
The recent rogue attacks had been his personal headache for several weeks now. He had sent a number of his pack members to their deaths trying to curb the attacks. There was a cloying feeling about the attacks, something strange and eerie that gnawed at his mind and made him lose sleep thinking about it. This was not their first rogue attack, and neither would it be their last. Why did this one feel so different?
A rude voice interrupted his thoughts and he stopped pacing, trying to zone in on the intrusion. It was his beta trying to reach him through the mind link.
Still all cozy in your blanket aren't you, Alpha? His beta's teasing voice resonated in his ears. Logan rolled his eyes and sighed.
What do you want, Casper?
There's a situation with the patrol. You might have to join us. We're really short of men here and we need more wolves to cover more ground. Maybe leave your bedroom and join us?
Logan groaned. Do I really have to do this?
Yes! Casper insisted. It would really boost the confidence of your subjects if you showed up. You can't stay holed up in that room all day, you know.
Alright, fine. I'm on my way.
Casper closed the mind link and prepared to join the patrol team. Several minutes later, he walked out of his room decked out in a gray fur coat fit for the weather. His raven-black hair was pulled back in a ponytail that accentuated his sharp jawline and dimpled cheeks.
He moved from the hallway of his bedroom to a large foyer that joined all rooms in the pack house together. Heaving a sigh of resignation, he opened the foyer doors and walked out into the cold winter air.
The packhouse was situated in the middle of a large expanse of land, the tallest building in miles around. To the right was the small gathering of houses where his subjects lived, and to the left was the woods that stretched for miles around. Directly in front of the pack house was a training site which was empty. All the trainers had been recruited for patrol too.
The alpha trudged forward in the snow, silently cursing as his boots got stuck severally in the muck. One more reason why he hated winter.
He got to the border a few minutes later. The patrol team was arranged at intervals along the borderline. They were so scanty; Logan had no idea how they could take on another attack. His heart ached with worry and fear as he contemplated the depleted number of his pack.
Their border was located at the edge of the woods, with the forest behind the patrol team and a wide expanse of land to their front. Everything had been made white and bleak by the falling snow, but Logan could sense the enemy as surely as he could see his own hands. He knew they were lurking in the snow, waiting for any sign of relent before making their attack.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by Casper's voice in his head. He sounded excited and scared at the same time and Logan was finding it hard to make sense of his words. His voice was frantic and incoherent. Logan waited for him to calm down before speaking.
You might wanna repeat all that you've said, Casper. He said calmly.
Casper paused and took deep breaths. Then he started again:
Alpha, there's a bit of a situation. You might wanna check this out. Meet us at the north border.
Logan murmured an excuse to the men around him, then walked over to the north border, wondering what Casper was all excited about.
He reached the north border and saw a group of men gathered around something on the ground. His sharp wolf eyes caught a glimpse of white on the ground but before he could look further, Casper appeared in front of him, his eyes full of excitement.
"Bad news again?" Logan asked, bracing himself for the worst.
"Not particularly. At least not yet." His beta answered. "Come see this."
Casper led the Alpha to the group of gathered men. They all parted to show him the center of their attention.
It was a white wolf, half buried in the snow.
Immediately Logan's eyes fell upon the wolf his body reacted violently. A hot searing flash of connection went through his body, igniting something inside him that he couldn't identify or control. He found himself drawn to the white wolf, and suddenly something in his mind clicked and became right, as though he had been waiting for this moment all his life. Suddenly all he wanted was to get on the ground and wrap his hands around the wolf, whisper in her ears, and tell her she would be fine. Suddenly it felt as though they were the only two people in the world. The feeling was unbearable, yet comforting. Unwelcome, yet desirable. And immediately, the Alpha knew what had just happened to him.
He had found his mate.
He gasped at the realization and turned his back on the wolf, trying to regain his composure. His men mustn't notice any form of weakness in their Alpha. Casper placed a hand on his shoulder worriedly.
"Alpha…what's wrong? Perhaps–"
"No." He replied, righting himself "I'm fine." He counted the seconds slowly, then turned back to the wolf and crouched before her. This time he was a little more prepared for the onslaught of desire. His wolf cried out in excitement as he looked at her again but he ignored it.
The lone wolf on the ground had her eyes closed, apparently unconscious. Her fur which matched the snow perfectly was partially buried under all the white. Logan reached his hand out and brushed a few flecks of snow away from her body, revealing her left shoulder.
There was a branded mark there, just below her neck. A crescent-shaped tattoo-like mark, barely bigger than a bottle cap. Logan fought the urge to reach out and touch it. The mark looked like none he had ever seen. It looked ancient, as simple, and as confusing as a hieroglyph. He frowned, wondering how she got the mark and why it stood out to him.
He stood without another word and turned into the forest, ignoring Casper's call behind him. He wanted to clear his head and rearrange his thoughts: everything that had just happened was starting to get to him.
He had just invited his mate into his life.
Little did he know he had also invited trouble.
Logan continued to walk through the forest, paying no attention to the direction his steps were taking him. He felt as though he was moving against a tide, as though he was leaving all he had always wanted behind him. All that his heart and wolf wanted was to turn back and see his mate again, but his brain needed a break from everything that had just happened.He reached the edge of a creek and sat down on a tree stump beside it. The creek was his comfort spot, a place where he could offload and recharge. It had been his favorite spot as a young werewolf, and now, with all the responsibilities of an Alpha on his shoulders, he found himself coming here more often.The creek was frozen over due to the weather, its surface shining like a lake of glass. Logan stared into it, seeing his reflection look back up at him. His was the face of a tired young man who had been dealt the rougher side of life.From a very young age, he had been made the Alpha in his father's stead, having to rule ove
Aella woke up with a start. Beads of white spots danced before her eyelids and she groaned tiredly, wondering where she was. Her eyelids were shut tight and she struggled to open them but couldn't. It had been closed for more than a day and she'd been stuck in the snow. The cold had completely numbed her body, she realized.She attempted to move her limbs and realized that they felt different. She frowned, eyes still closed, wondering why she felt like she was in a different body. Her limbs were as immobile as stone figures and all she could do was roll her shoulders from side to side.She cast her mind back, trying to remember how she had gotten to the snow in the first place, but all she remembered was running through the blizzard and the fear that had taken root in her chest. She couldn't remember how or why she was running in the snow, but after a while, she had fallen from exhaustion and passed out. And now she was here, in this strange place.Her body was still heavy with exhaus
Logan paced the hallway outside the white wolf's hospital room, waiting for the doctor. His thoughts were all over the place, and despite his resolution, he found himself aching to see her.In the space of a few hours, she had changed the trajectory of his life. She was all he wanted now. Even the rogue attacks had been pushed to an obscure corner of his mind by her presence. He wanted to mark and claim her in every way possible, place a mark on her that told the world that she was his and his alone. He wanted nothing more than to be with his mate, to hell with whatever may be happening around him.His mate?He swore silently under his breath and raked his hand through his ponytail. He sounded like he was already accepting her as his lifelong partner. He would never mark her as his mate. If she was truly innocent of the crimes of being a spy, he would let her go and never think about her again. And if she was really a spy sent to snoop on his pack's activities, he would make sure toda
Casper has learnt in his many years as a beta to be a man of actions and not just words. He used to be a very carefree man, light-hearted and full of laughs, till he was made the beta for Logan, a quiet young man of fifteen then. He had been one of the few people Logan had included in his social circle, more because of his skills in battle than anything. Logan had taught him patience, discipline, and the ability to back up his words with action.He had been the most reserved and disciplined young werewolf when they were growing up. It was clear that he was destined to be an alpha, whether or not he was the son of an alpha. He wasn't one to let petty things trouble him, and he usually proffered solutions to any problems quickly and efficiently.So, Casper was aghast when he saw the same Alpha in his room looking troubled. Many questions from him about his troubled mood proved futile as Logan wasn't giving any answers."I know you'd prefer not to tell me what is troubling you but it is
When Logan woke again it was early morning. Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains above his bed and he winced, raising his hand to his cheek and touching the warmth the sunlight had left there. He opened his eyes and sat up, looking around groggily, and suddenly he was jolted by the ring of his bedside clock which read 7:00 am. He switched off the alarm and threw aside his bedcovers, slipping his feet into his pajama slippers. The alpha rubbed his eyes and sighed in contentment, walking towards his bathroom. He had never felt this satisfied in a long while.On his way to his bathroom, he passed his vanity mirror and stopped, staring at his reflection. A tousle-haired, crusty-eyed well-built man stared back at him. On impulse, he smiled faintly, as though enjoying the image that the mirror reflected. A few stolen moments of peace like this were worth all the chaos he would have to face later in the day.He walked into his bathroom and freshened up, brushing his teeth and taking a
Logan walked into his room and slammed the door, raking his fingers through his ponytail in rage. He growled and fisted his hands, pacing the room as he tried to keep his anger in check. He had always thought he was a master of his emotions until this white wolf came along. How could one person make him feel rage and love at the same time?He couldn't really explain the feelings he felt when he was around her. She was doubleweight annoying, yet appealing as hell. He had thought she was attracted to him too; their brief meeting in the clinic had made him believe so. She had stared into his eyes with those big brown eyes of hers and he'd thought he saw his feelings mirrored in them, but maybe all that was a facade. Her behavior and reaction to him today in the dining room were making him doubt it. He had honestly never met another woman who made him feel such conflicting emotions before.He growled in defiance as his body reacted to thinking about her again, and began to pace the room e
Logan was deliberately avoiding his eyes, Casper noticed. Which further confirmed his suspicions. He walked closer to the alpha, boring him with his eyes. He could sense that Logan was becoming uncomfortable under his stare."What do you mean?" The alpha asked "How could I ever imprint? And even if I were to imprint on anyone, it would certainly not be on someone like her."Casper folded his arms and looked at the alpha with a knowing smile "You haven't given me a straight answer, alpha. Yes, or no?""I see no reason why you would have such thoughts." Logan grumbled "Let's just drop the topic, okay?"Casper eyed the alpha with suspicion "If you say so. I'll be in the foyer if you need anything." He said and left the alpha’s room.Logan began pacing the room again, thinking to himself how close Casper was to discovering the truth about his imprinting on the white wolf. He knew there and then that he had to keep his emotions in check when he was around her, or other members of the pack
Logan walked out of the living room with all his confidence in shambles. He would have thrown all caution to the air and fucked her there on the loveseat if he hadn't bolted from the room. Goddess, where did all his strong resolve go?His feelings for her were stronger than he had imagined, he realized. Staring into her eyes had proven that to him. Now all he was left with was more frustrations and a painful boner.He found his thoughts wandering dangerously to her again and groaned with frustration. She was so small, so frail and yet so stubborn. How could one person be so tiny, yet affect him like a wrecking ball? She barely reached up to his shoulders in height, and the white slip dress she'd worn had made her look more like a waif than anything else.She had looked into his eyes with all the innocence of a virgin. Sometimes he found himself wondering if she had been taken by any man before. The sheer thought that she must have willingly given herself to any man before him made him