Chapter 136: Camping
âCamping?â Logan asked. âUncle Santino showed us how to survive. We wanted to prove we could do
it,â Olivia explained. Santino groaned, shaking his head. Logan sighed. He went over to the fire and
knelt down in front of the kids. âYou shouldnât have run off like that,â he said in a firm, parental tone.
âYour mother is very worried. I was very worried. The whole pack is out looking for you.â Both Olivia
and Oliver looked down at the ground, their faces sad. âWeâre sorry,â they muttered together. Logan put
a hand on each of their faces. âLetâs get the two of you home so your mom can relax. Running off like
that really scared her,â Logan said. âOkay, okay,â the twins said. âIâll clean up the camp,â Santino
offered. Logan nodded to him. âThanks,â Logan said. Carson headed off into the shadows. He would
have to go and alert the other search groups that the twins had been found. Logan knew it was a best-
case-scenario, they were safe and uninjured, and hadnât been abducted, but they needed to know that
they couldnât run off like that. The whole pack had paused everything else and put their resources into
finding the twins. Of course, it was a precaution he would take any time children went missing, but it
was a waste of time and resources when the kids werenât in trouble. It was the first real parenting
moment Logan was having where he had to be firm and get his point across. âYou both did a really
great job with the camp,â Logan told them. âIt looks like your Uncle Santino taught you well.â
âWe hunted and cooked dinner too,â Olivia said looking up at Logan happily. He took each of their
hands and started walking through the woods. Logan didnât smile at them, because he wanted them to
realize it was serious. Oliviaâs excitement faded. âLook, I know you two were just trying to have fun, and
you are very capable of taking care of yourselves, but you canât run off like that,â Logan admonished.
âWe wanted to survive, like Uncle Santino showed us,â Olivia protested. âI understand,â Logan said
firmly. âBut running off like that without telling anyone where you were going was not the right thing to
do. Your mother is very upset and worried about you. I was very worried about you. The whole pack is
out looking for you, away from their jobs and their families. If you want to go out in the woods to go
camning vouâve got to tell your mother or me first and tell us where you are aning.â
Chapter 136: Camping âButâ¦â Olivia started to say. âNo more excuses, Olivia,â Logan said sternly. âIt is
never okay to run off without telling anyone. It is never okay to worry your parents like that, and it is
never okay to make the whole pack worry.â Oliver had been quiet the entire walk, and now that she had
been reprimanded, Olivia stopped talking too. Logan really didnât like playing the firm father, but while
Serena wasnât there, he had to be the parent.
He was trying to be stern but not yell at them or punish them severely. It was about responsibility and
understanding the trouble theyâd caused for everyone else Logan texted his mother ahead of time to let
her know that the kids were safe and uninjured and he was bringing them home. He hadnât told her
about the camping, thinking that would just freak Serena out more. Heâd wait until she had seen them
and hugged them before that came up. Serena was awake when they got back to the house. She was
on the couch, her face still stained with tears. Flo and Dana were still there too.
Logan opened the door and let the kids in. Olivia and Oliver ran up to their mother and hugged her.
Serena hugged them back, tears of joy filling her eyes as she held them
close. âWhere were you two?â she asked. âWhy did you leave the yard?â âWe wanted to go camping,â
Olivia said.
âWe wanted to survive,â Oliver added. Serena looked at Logan he shrugged.
âI already gave them the âresponsibilityâ talk,â he told her. Serena nodded. âMom, can you help Carson
bring in the search groups and make sure they are all accounted for? Carson will manage the gear
retrieval.â
âYes, of course,â Flo said. She headed out the front door.
âIâll make myself scarce,â Dana said, realizing that Serena and Logan needed a family moment with the
twins. Dana headed down into the basement where her apartment was.
Logan sat on the coffee table. Serena was still curled on the couch and the kids were sitting one on
each side of her. She had her arms around them, but her tears had stopped and she was starting to
look irritated.
âTell me why you left the yard without letting Dana or me know first,â Serena said more firmly. âWe were
trying to survive, like Uncle Santino taught us,â Olivia said. âWe already talked about going camping as
a family. Why did the two of you run off? || want a real answer,â she said. Olivia said. âIt wouldnât be
surviving if you knew where we were,â Olivia said. Serena closed her eyes. Logan shook his head.
Chapter 136: Camping âThat was not okay,â Serena reiterated Loganâs statements from before. âThe
two of you are grounded, do you know what that means?â âNo, what?â Olivia asked. âIt means that you
arenât allowed to go out with friends. When youâre home, you have to stay in your rooms separately
unless you are having breakfast, dinner, or a snack, and you arenât allowed to play in the backyard,â
she said. âMommy, thatâs prison!â Olivia wailed. Serena shook her head. âYou made a bad decision,â
she said. âYou made your father and me very worried, and you got the entire pack involved. That is
irresponsible, and the two of you have to accept the consequences of your decisions.â âWe wouldnât
have done it if you were going to lock us up!â Olivia wailed again. âThen youâll know never to do it
again,â Serena said. She glanced at Logan. He nodded. He hadnât known how to punish them, but
Serena was more experienced. At least heâd been able to impress upon them the seriousness of the
situation. âThatâs not fair, mommy,â Oliver argued.
âYou scared us today, thatâs not fair either,â Serena said. âWhen you arenât grounded anymore, youâre
not going to be allowed to play outside unsupervised until you both understand that you canât run off
again.â
âMom, that is torture!â Olivia cried, tears springing to her eyes. âI donât want to hear it,â Serena said.
She stood up off the couch and opened the door to Danaâs apartment. âDana, can you come up and
put the kids to bed?â Dana appeared moments later. She led the kids upstairs. They did not look
pleased. Logan stood up and Serena ran to him, throwing herself against him. Logan wrapped his arms
around her and kissed the top of her head. âThank you for bringing them home,â she said. âI promised I
would,â Logan reminded her. He kissed the top of her head again. âI hate being so hard on them but I
canât ever go through that fear and worry again,â she said. âSerena, you donât need to explain yourself
to me,â he said. âI understand why youâre upset, and I wanted to make sure they understood that I was
disappointed in them too. At least they werenât hurt, or lost, or abducted. Bringing them home safe was
the best we could ask for.â âYouâre right,â Serena said with a sigh. She collapsed against Logan entirely.
âThank you for everything today.â âIâm here for you,â he said. âYou donât think the punishment was too
harsh, was it?â Serena asked. She lifted her head enough to look into Loganâs face. He grinned at her.
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âCompared to my mother, no,â he said, shaking his head. âThey have to learn responsibility. I just didnât
want to choose a punishment that you werenât okay with.â Serena bit her lip.
âI should have asked you what you thought,â she admitted. Logan shook his head.
âThatâs not what I meant,â he said. âLook, the kids are safe, and Iâm confident they wonât do anything
like this again. Letâs celebrate that as a victory.â
âOkay,â Serena said. âThat sounds like a good idea.â
Logan leaned down and pressed his lips to Serenaâs. She sighed, leaning into the kiss with incredible
passion. Logan was almost swept away. After her day, he wasnât surprised that she was emotionally
needy. He was glad he could be there for her and for the twins.
Even though theyâd scared him half to death, he couldnât be happier having them home safe and
sound. And he definitely wasnât going to complain about how warmly and hungrily Serena kissed him.
Logan slid his hands down her sides, pulling her closer.
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