VI

Logan

“Alpha Logan, I thought you and Lincoln would be back tomorrow.”

Henry, the leader of my warriors, greeted me at the entrance to the pack's house. Henry wasn't the strongest warrior, but he was the smartest, which is why I had named him leader.

I knew that in battle, brute force wasn't enough; we needed strategy.

Coincidentally, Henry and I had graduated together from the National Military Academy; I with highest honors and he with fifth best.

“Kayden postponed the meeting. They are preparing the Mystic River for Morgan's funeral and his pack,” I replied to Henry as I entered. He walked beside me, keeping pace.

“Yes, I heard about what happened to Alpha Morgan's pack,” Henry said quietly, a palpable sadness in his tone.

I wanted to change the subject; I'd had enough of talking about Morgan. Every time I spoke of his fate, the pain of loss became more intense.

“Any news? What happened while I was away?” I asked Henry.

“Not much. We captured two renegades wandering around the area; they're in the basement right now.” Henry paused, his tone becoming more reserved.

"The first renegade we captured has already been... interrogated. He's quite resilient and hasn't revealed any information. The second renegade remains intact. I saved her for you, in case you felt like letting off some steam upon your return.“

A bitter, automatic smile crossed my lips at his suggestion. Henry knew of my aversion to renegades.

”Yes, I'll visit the basement later. It's almost time for the border patrol, Henry."

Henry immediately glanced at the watch firmly attached to his wrist. “Agreed. We'll begin the patrol right away, Alpha Logan,” he replied. He dismissed me with a military nod. I returned the gesture and continued on my way to the heart of the pack house.

Upon entering, I headed straight for the attic, where my room was located. Our pack house was as vast and grand as a palace, expanding each year as our population grew.

It had four floors; I occupied the entire top floor, which was the attic, while the rest of the pack lived on the lower floors. Generally, single members resided here; once they found their mate, they built their own family home.

I let out a deep sigh. The word “mate” echoed in my mind. I had not yet found my Luna.

At twenty-six, the hope of finding her was slowly fading. I felt a pang of envy toward those who found their mates at eighteen. My pack still lacked a Luna.

“Alpha Logan.”

I stopped and turned when I heard someone calling my name. A genuine smile spread across my lips when I saw Jordan, a boy of about five, running toward me, holding a piece of paper.

“Hello, Jordan,” I greeted him. His face lit up. He handed me the drawing.

“A wolf?” I asked, looking at the large wolf drawn on the paper.

Despite his young age, Jordan was a surprisingly good artist. The wolf in the drawing was lying in green grass, looking peaceful.

“Yes, Alpha Logan. That's Kol, your wolf.”

I couldn't help but smile at his response. He was visibly proud of his work.

“You're the best, Jordan. How did you draw Kol?” I asked him. The boy shrugged with charming innocence.

“I took a picture of Kol with my Polaroid when he was in the backyard, Alpha Logan. He's really big and furry.” His answer made me chuckle softly as I ruffled his hair.

“Okay, can I keep this?” I asked him. He nodded quickly, giving me permission.

“Alpha,” Jordan called me again. “My mom says your wolf is weird and that he's the strongest. I want to have a strong wolf too, what should I do?” His brown eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity.

“Well, if you want to have a strong wolf, you should start by eating your vegetables,” I replied.

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched his face scrunch up in disgust. He obviously disagreed.

“But vegetables taste like garbage, Alpha Logan. They make my stomach hurt. Dad doesn't even recommend eating vegetables; he says they make us weak,” Jordan complained.

I knew that's what he would say. Werewolves are carnivores; we love fresh meat. It was unnatural to find a wolf who was vegan.

“Well, no pain, no gain,” I replied, ruffling his hair again before saying goodbye.

“Alpha Logan,” Jordan called after me once more. I looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Hmm?”

“I'm not going to eat vegetables,” Jordan said, smiling triumphantly. Then he ran off to his room.

I shook my head, smiling softly as I continued on my way to the attic. The drawing of Kol, my wolf, in my hands was a reminder of the purity I strove to protect from the darkness represented by the renegades.

As I walked near the attic, I couldn't help but frown when I saw Maddox, my Beta, pacing back and forth in front of my door.

Maddox was in charge of the pack in my absence. I didn't know what was going on, but from the look on his face, something was consuming him.

“Maddox,” I called out, as he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice my presence.

“Logan!” He straightened up immediately when he saw me approaching.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, trying to hide my anxiety. I had asked Henry if something was wrong, and he assured me it wasn't. Whatever was troubling Maddox must be personal.

“I found my mate, Logan,” Maddox replied. I breathed a sigh of relief; I thought he was going to give me bad news.

“That's great news, Maddox! Why do you look like you've been hit by a truck? Who's your mate? Is she a member of the pack? Or from another pack?” I fired question after question at him, but he just shook his head.

“Well? Who's your mate?”

“She's a renegade, Logan,” Maddox replied.

The smile on my lips vanished instantly. I froze. Suddenly, I remembered my conversation with Lincoln: my vow that I would reject my mate if she turned out to be a renegade.

“Well, that's bad news,” I said to Maddox, and I saw his face pale even more. I went into my attic, my mind in a whirl.

“What do you mean, that's bad news, Logan? We're talking about my mate here, in case you forgot,” Maddox said, pounding on the door.

I sighed, opened the door, and met Maddox's furious gaze.

“What do you want me to do, Maddox? Look, I'm happy for you that you've finally found your mate, but that's all I can do for you: be happy.”