Chapter 94: The Test
âCan we talk?â Santino asked. Logan nodded and Serenaâs brother joined him outside. âHowâd the talk
go?â Logan asked curiously. Santino laughed. âOur parents have always been hard on Serena,â he
said. âThey have to be, though.â âWhat does that mean?â Logan asked. Santino shrugged and looked
out at the water.
âYou really like the kids, donât you?â he asked. âI love them,â Logan said. âI did before Serena told me
the truth. Santino sighed. âYea, she shouldnât have hidden that from you,â he said. âIf Iâd known, I
wouldnât have let her keep that a secret.â âI thought you supported her in everything?â Logan asked. He
crossed his arms over his chest as he approached Serenaâs twin. Santino chuckled and shrugged.
âSheâs my sister and I love her, but she doesnât always make the best choices, you know that,â Logan
said.
âNo, I donât,â he scoffed. âI think she really did believe she was doing the best thing for Olivia and
Oliver.â
He hadnât said that aloud, or even admitted it to himself, but in saying it, he did feel like he believed it.
Did he agree with it? Not entirely, but he could accept that Serena had believed it.
The sun had almost set completely, and porch lights flicked on as the sky darkened. Santino was still
looking out at the water. Logan wondered what it was he was doing. âWell then, you are a forgiving
man,â Santino observed, glancing slyly at the Alpha. âHardly,â Logan muttered. âI accept she thought
she was doing the right thing, that doesnât mean I agree with it.â Santino nodded.
âYea, I guess it will be a while before you see her as a friend again, wonât it?â Santino asked. Logan
shrugged. He wasnât sure why Serenaâs brother was acting so friendly to him all of a sudden, and in
such opposition with his sister. Heâd been under the impression that Santino stood up for her with her
parents a lot, but now he seemed willing to badmouth her.
âI donât even know if we were friends,â he admitted. âI thought we were butâ¦â
âBut what?â Santino asked, turning to face Logan.
Again, the Alpha shrugged. He wasnât sure what he was trying to say.
âEven though I didnât know she was my mate, maybe I was just drawn to her because she is,â he said.
âMaybe thatâs why I felt comfortable enough to confide in her. The rest of our âfriendshipâ was one
sided.â âI donât know it if works that way.â Santino said. âIt is a question worth bringing up,
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Chapter 94: The Test
though. Did you even talk about being mates?â
Logan shook his head, sighing. He looked into the house where he could see Olivia and Oliver on the
couch with Serena. He wondered if this was how it was going to be from now on. Would they hardly
ever be in the same room together, spending time with the twins separately and parenting separately?
âI was more concerned with her other lies.â Logan said, nodding to the kids. âThatâll be a conversation
for another day.â âDo you get mad like that a lot?â Santino asked. Logan raised an eyebrow at him.
âSerenaâs told me some things.â Logan scoffed, rolling his eyes. âI have a temper, we all know this,â he
said snippily. Santino laughed and nodded. âNoted,â he said. âI just meanâ¦from the sounds of it, your
two most recent outbursts had to do with my sister.â Santino wasnât wrong. First when he thought
Serena and Carson were seeing each other behind his back, then again when he found out the truth
about the twins. Serena seemed to bring it out in him the most these days. âYes, they did,â he admitted.
âAnd before that, you had it under control for a while, didnât you?â Santino asked. Logan narrowed his
eyes at Serenaâs brother.
âYour point?â he asked. Santino shrugged casually. âI just think that youâre looking at this the wrong
way,â he said. âIf she brings your temper out, it isnât because you are mad at her or donât agree with
her, it is because you feel passion.â âPassion?â Logan snarled. Santino nodded. âThink about it, all
great romances have fiery passion like that. I bet she fights back just as hard,â he said. Logan rolled his
eyes again. âIt doesnât matter. Iâm with someone else and she is having my child;â Logan grumbled.
âSure, sure,â Santino said dismissively. âYou know, Serena has always been difficult. Whether it is in
lying and keeping secrets, rebelling against my parents, not doing a good job in school. Sheâs always
been a problem.â Logan growled, stepping closer to Santino. He didnât like the way her brother was
talking about her, and it made his anger explode in his chest. He was seconds away from pouncing on
Santino and biting into him. One wrong word! âThatâs not true!â Logan snapped. âShe has done
amazing things in the pack and on her own! Raising twins while being in medical school away from the
pack and their support, managing a huge renovation project in the hospital and getting us the best,
most up to date equipment, and she never turns a patient away, even when she
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should. She saved my life by giving me her own blood, and all the while, she keeps putting her kids
first!â
He kept his voice low, even though his words flowed out of him with strength and power. Santino raised
an eyebrow at him. âYou do like to defend her, even when youâre mad at her,â he pointed out. Logan
scoffed and walked to the edge of the deck. He thought about running into the yard and shifting into
wolf form so he could go for a run. âSheâs special,â he said. âAnd I donât just mean because she is my
mate. You havenât seen what she has done in Night Sky, the trials she has overcome, the crap sheâs
had to deal with â no thanks to meâ¦â he sighed, trailing off.
Santino laughed and Logan looked at him again. He was partially hunched over as he laughed,
clutching his side like it hurt. âWow, you really have noticed her,â he said. âIâve never known anyone to
be mad at someone and simultaneously in awe of them while being self-flagellating for what youâve put
her through, yet still begrudging her for what she put you through. You are a man of many
contradictions, arenât you?â Logan shook his head. âWhat are you talking about?â he asked.
âOh, nothing,â Santino said, waving his question away. âI was just testing you. I wanted to know what
your reaction would be if I told you something negative about my sister. It was pretty much what I
thought it would be.â âWhat?â Logan snarled. Santino held his hands in surrender. âHey, thatâs my
sister, and Olivia and Oliver are my niece and nephew. Iâm not going to let them go off with any male
just because he is their father,â Santino said. âBut donât worry, you passed the test.â âThanks ever so,â
Logan muttered sarcastically. âYou were quick to come to her aid,â Santino pointed out. âAnd it was a
lie. Sheâs never been problematic. Well, at least not in any defining way. Sheâs my twin and I lover her
to pieces.â âIt seems Iâm not the only one thatâs protective,â Logan said. Santino grinned at him. âNot at
all,â he said with a nod. âSheâs my family. But you know, youâre her family now too. Even if the twins
donât know it and even if the two of you canât be together, youâre still family.â
That made Logan feel better. He smiled and nodded. It was nice to hear, and he wanted to think of
Serena and the twins as family. âYes, they are my family too,â Logan said more to himself. Santino
raised an eyebrow at him. Logan didnât like that. It reminded him too much of his mother and how she
acted like she knew things she shouldnât!
harte: 4 The Test âCan I ask you something kind of personal?â Santino asked. Logan groaned a little
âCan I stop you?â he asked.
âNope,â Santino said chuckling.
âGo for it, then,â Logan said, extending his hand out as an invitation. Santino grinned.
âIf you care so much about my sister, why are you with some other woman?â he asked. âI mean, I get
the baby and loyalty and all that, but you were drawn to my sister long before Holly was pregnant.â
âTrue,â Logan said with a sigh. âHolly and I have been together a long time.â Santino shook his head.
âYouâve never spoken of Holly with such passion, even when someone is insulting her,â Santino said. âI
think you should take some time to think about how you feel about Serena and about Holly.â
Santino left Logan alone on the porch in the dark. Crickets hard started chirping, drowning out the
sound of the muffled voices from inside the house. Santino had given Logan something to think about,
even if he didnât want to.
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