Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Mates?

It had been a long day working on the reports from the attack. Logan stood from his desk, stretching

and going to the nearest window. The full moon was rising, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck

prickling. Logan looked back at his desk with the stack of reports he still hadn’t gone through. Sighing,

he returned to his seat, but he remained standing. He lifted the cover of the top file on his desk,

contemplating whether or not he wanted to sit and go through more reports. Deciding against it, Logan

headed out of his office. He wanted to breathe the fresh air, run as a wolf under the full moon. It was

too nice of a night to be cooped up inside. He pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside as he prepared

himself for the change. Once on four legs, Logan trotted into the woods, ears turning back and forth as

he listened for any sounds that could alert him to other nearby wolves. He knew he wasn‘t the only one

out for a run tonight! The woods were quiet, which let his mind wander. The stack of reports on his desk

still weighed on him heavily. If things had been different, his father might still be Alpha, but Logan had

taken control of the pack at age 21. He was one of the youngest to ever become Alpha, and it had not

been an easy transition. All his father had left behind was wealth from some good investments, and a

vision to modernize the pack. He‘d picked up his father‘s vision where it was left off, renovating the

medical facilities and the pack houses. Even now, after he had been Alpha for over five years, there

were times when he still felt as though he would have preferred not having the weight of the whole

pack on his shoulders. Logan sniffed the air, heading deeper into the woods and further from the pack

town. Leaving his office, clothes, and skin behind, he could pretend for a while that he was free of his

duties and responsibilities. Not that he didn‘t love being Alpha and appreciate all his father had done.

He had a good plan and roadmap to follow. His father had been

very prepared and left detailed notes of what he had been planning for the pack. What worried Logan

the most was when he got to the end of that list of notes. What would he do then when he no longer

had a careful roadmap to follow?

The question became heavier and heavier in his mind. Finally, he snarled, growling into the darkness to

break away from that thought. He missed his father, but he had plenty to do in honor of him:

Moonshine‘s break from the Federation hadn‘t made his life any easier as a young Alpha. He‘d had to

further assert his authority and strength to prove that he was strong enough to lead with the instability

that Moonshine‘s void left in the Federation.

Starseeker had been supportive, for the most part. Logan had Serena‘s parents to help with that.

They‘d known his father and trusted him to take up his father‘s call.

Still, the situation with Moonshine was getting more complicated, if the recent attack was any

indication. Sighing out of his wet nose, the Alpha picked up his pace, trotting through the underbrush,

picking his padded paws up high to keep himself from tripping over branches and sticks. He moved

gracefully and fluidly through the trees, hardly needing to pay attention to where he was going. His wolf

instincts kept him from running into trees or bushes. If Moonshine continued to press their borders and

try to hurt their convoys, it could lead to all out war. The Federation had been created for a time of

peace. Logan did not want to be the Alpha that saw that come to an end, that perpetuated it.

Moonshine‘s Alpha wasn‘t even a legitimate leader, but when a coup for power is staged, the only way

to prevent it is to go to war. Logan hadn‘t wanted that, neither had Alpha Thomas, so allowing them to

leave the Federation was the easiest option. Of course, that only remained true if they weren‘t attacking

his pack! Night Sky‘s greatest export to the human world was fruit. It was income and trade relations

that they needed. Moonshine‘s interference with their

trade convoys would only increase. They thought they could get away with it, and Logan had to

consider the safety of the entire pack! Growling again, he headed in the direction of the stream. His

mouth was drying out from all the growling he was doing at his own thoughts. He‘d adjusted well

enough, and he‘d known that being Alpha would come with trials and conflicts. He was bred from a line

of Alphas, and Logan knew that he could do what was required of him. It wasn‘t always easy, but it was

his responsibility. He‘d been entrusted with it, and he wouldn‘t abandon that or take it for granted. The

pack relied on him, and he was their leader, their defense. Moonshine pack would be dealt with, and

Logan knew that with Starseeker still as an alley, they could keep peace and would do anything to

avoid an all–out war. He‘d like to think that if it came to war, Night Sky and Starseeker could take on

Moonshine, but numbers didn‘t necessarily win battles.

He needed more support, personal support. Having a pack Luna would help take some of the burden

off his shoulders. Someone to share the responsibility, to confide in, someone who would understand

the pressure he was under. Logan looked up at the full moon again. It was so beautiful, the stars in the

sky the forest laid out before him. There was a part of him that longed for someone to walk by his side

through the woods under the moon.

Holly had joined him before. He cared about her. She was incredibly insistent that they were mates.

Logan didn‘t doubt it, but he also wasn‘t fully committed to the idea. They‘d always had a good time,

but she wasn‘t his Luna, and she didn‘t share the same responsibilities he did. There were things she

couldn‘t understand about what he did and the pressure he was under.. Although, she helped

immensely with the stress relief. Logan was fond of her. He was also happy that she had been able to

find refuge with Night Sky. Left in the Moonshine pack, she probably would have been killed by the

illegitimate Alpha. An attempt to remove all traces of the former Alpha‘s bloodline, Holly‘s father. She

had adjusted well in the wake of her father‘s death. It was something they shared, and part of what had

allowed them to bond. Her desire to become mated and the mild pressure she put on him to declare

them mates had started to grate on his nerves. She was a lovely woman and from a good bloodline.

She‘d make a good mate, a good Luna, and a good wolf to have pups with. It was the direction she

was pushing him in. Logan feit like he couldn‘t be bothered by thàt with everything else that had been

going on. He didn‘t know if that feeling came from thinking Holly wasn‘t his mate, or just not being

ready to commit on that level. He knew he needed a Luna, but that didn‘t encourage him to take Holly

as a mate with any more urgency. It was hard to say if that was because he was waiting for someone

different or because he just had too much else going on. He didn‘t want to make anything official with

Holly until he was sure she was his mate. Logan made it to the edge of the clearing with the stream

and he stopped walking. His front paw snapped a twig he was standing on. Downwind from the stream,

he smelled something! He‘d never smelled it before, but he knew it was another werewolf!

Mouth opening, Logan‘s tongue slipped out the side and he began to pant. The scent was too

delicious! Saliva built in the back of his throat, and he unconsciously let out a soft whine. Who was

that!? He tried to get closer to the edge of the clearing to see if anyone was there that he could

recognize. With the full moon, seeing wasn‘t complicated, but he didn‘t want to reveal himself and

scare off the other wolf.

He couldn‘t see from his position. He was about to risk stepping closer, but the wind shifted direction,

taking his scent right into the clearing. Logan remained still. The mouth–watering scent wasn‘t as

strong anymore, but he still felt it straight into his bones. He had to know who it was!

He waited to see if they would reveal themselves. After several moments of silence, with the wind

blowing against him, he wasn‘t sure if the wolf was even in the clearing anymore. Logan gave up and

headed back out of the forest.