by Kym Grosso
Logan watched as Dimitri approached Wynter. He’d asked him to talk with her before tonight. Even though it wouldn’t be the first time he’d ever shared a woman with Dimitri, he made it clear to him; Wynter was his and his alone. As such, his beta would have to pay close attention to his directions. While his beast possessively insisted on keeping her to himself, he suspected her shift would be rough. They’d let Wynter decide how much or how little sexual relief she needed afterwards. He expected that by the afternoon, her senses would flip into high alert, causing her to become extraordinarily aroused. Hunger. Thirst. Smell. Lust. Her body would prepare for the metamorphosis.
Anticipating a spectacular experience, Logan struggled to contain his excitement. He could not wait to see her as wolf. Keyed up, he needed an outlet. Challenging René to a race, he took off in a sprint across the property.
“Hey cher,” Dimitri said with a smile. He pulled off his shirt revealing the prominent ridges of his stomach. “Damn, it’s hot.”
“Yes it is.” Wynter smiled. She couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming over his expansive chest. As tall as Logan, he looked as if he was a body builder, not too bulky, but broad and hard. Shit, what the hell was wrong with her? “Game over?”
“Yeah, René’s a great kid. Logan’s runnin’ him back to his mamma’s.”
“Looks like fun.”
“So, uh, made up with the Alpha, I see,” he commented.
“Yes.” Her cheeks turned pink. Just what had Logan told him? Bad wolf.
“How’re you feelin’ today?”
“Um, okay.”
“Logan and I talked this morning. About your shift.”
“Did Logan tell you everything?” she asked with a small smile, trying not to look at his chest.
“Let’s just say that we have few secrets. Kinda comes with the territory.” Dimitri took the seat next to hers, laying his head back on the wooden surface. “We trust each other. He knows that no matter what, I have his back. And yours.”
“Like tonight?” Damn straight she was going to bring it up. Embarrassed or not, this was her life.
“Like tonight,” Dimitri concurred, trying to discuss the topic without making her uncomfortable. “But don’t worry. Logan will do whatever he has to do to make everything go smoothly.”
“And you?” She noticed Logan walking toward them. He, too, had taken off his shirt. Holy hell, the man was hot. She coughed, trying to focus on what she’d been saying.
“Yeah, me too.” Dimitri smiled at Logan, guessing he could hear at least part of their conversation. “Won’t lie, cher, I’m looking forward to watching you shift, to helping you.”
“I’m scared. But I guess this is going to happen whether I like it or not.” Wynter glanced over to the bayou and then bowed her head. “I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me…your talks, the encouragement the past couple of days. I know this hasn’t been easy on you either. Whatever happens tonight…I trust you both.”
“Logan and I won’t let anything happen to you. It’s going to be one of the greatest days of your life.” Dimitri smiled at Wynter, reached over and took her hand in his. He wanted so badly to be able to explain the rush she’d feel, but he reasoned it was of no use. Tonight, she’d run with them and learn the way of the wolves. He was confident she’d do well once she shifted.
Wynter squeezed his hand. She’d meant what she’d said. She trusted them, both Logan and Dimitri. Together they’d get through the night.
“Well hello, Logan, have I told you what a beautiful mate you have?” Dimitri said as Logan approached.
“Yes, you have. My mate is beautiful, isn’t she?” Logan gave him a sardonic smile. He’d told him to talk, not drool.
“Very.” Dimitri laughed, enjoying their easy banter.
Logan leaned down and gave Wynter a kiss. His mate. So perfect for him.
She reached up to him, pushing her hands into his sweaty hair. Her tongue swept into his mouth. A long drugging kiss ensued and before she knew it, she’d jumped into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.
Logan could tell she was starting to feel her increased arousal already. He shuddered to think what would happen later. Thank the Goddess he and his beta had a plan to get through the shift. But until then, he’d have to get her to rest. He smiled into her kiss, breaking away with a sigh. His forehead to hers, they both struggled to catch their breath.
“Hey Wyn, baby, you okay?” he asked gently.
“I…I’m sorry. I’m just so…so…” Oh God, what was happening? She’d woken feeling so happy, so refreshed. Now, she was hot and hungry, for both food and sex.
“I know. Come on, let’s get you inside. Your wolf, she’s rising. How about we go get something to eat? It’ll help.” Logan continued to hold Wynter and walked over to the back door.
“But I ate already,” she protested, but her stomach rumbled.
“Your wolf’s preparing. Eating’ll help take the edge off. Being around D probably isn’t helping either.”
“What?”
“She knows my beta’s scent. She’ll want to be around him, to touch him.”
“But Logan, this makes no sense. I only want you.” Humiliation doused her arousal. She buried her head in his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Wyn. This is just your body doing this,” he reassured her, hugging her to his chest.
Logan yearned to tell her that he loved her, but the timing was off. With her impending change, he only sought to soothe her symptoms. Soon, he’d tell her, but with Dimitri watching and her on the edge, now was not that time.
Wynter retreated into herself. Her emotions, lusting after Dimitri upset her sense of what she knew was right. The night before she’d confessed her love. Unexpectedly, but still, those words fell through her lips. And today? Today, she nearly creamed her shorts over a hot, shirtless beta. What kind of a horrible human being did that? She shook her head, realizing she was no longer human. Yet she wasn’t convinced she was one hundred percent wolf. She was made unnaturally, not born a shifter. Sanity would elude her until she ran her own blood tests; she needed to know who and what she really was
The day wore on and Wynter became increasingly restless. Her skin crawled. Her ears rang. Her stomach growled in hunger, despite eating as Logan had told her to do. Wringing her hands up into her hair, she pulled at the blonde springy tendrils, causing a twinge of pain. Sickening as it was, it salved the unending need to scratch and bite. Holed up in the bedroom, she tried to sleep it off, but had only managed a small nap. Logan advised her not to wear constricting clothing, so she’d thrown on a sundress sans underwear. It was far too suffocating; her skin felt raw and chafed against the soft cotton.
She hated that she was changing. None of what had happened had been in her control. Unfair and hurtful. Her parents dying. Being forced to live with Jax. Held captive for months. And now forced against her will to shift into an animal. She despised it. She’d have to make the only choice she had which was to carry on and endure it. Headstrong and determined, she pounded down the stairs, ready to face her Alpha.
Logan had planned a surprise, but things weren’t going well. By late afternoon, Wynter had grown more and more uncomfortable and cranky. Unsure what they’d done to her to turn her wolf, he couldn’t be certain how smoothly she’d shift. In only a few short hours, they’d know. He hated seeing her in such pain and abhorred the fact that he couldn’t control it. That was what he did well: control, dominate. Yet hour after hour, it became more apparent that they’d have to let nature take her course.
By the time Wynter came downstairs, Logan noticed that she looked wild with agitation. Sexy as ever, her unruly curls sprang in all directions. Despite her discomposure, he knew her wolf would be amazing, but he thought better of telling her. For now, he’d orchestrate a diversion of sorts, a lesson on the bayou. He smiled as he led her outside to the waiting airboat. Nothing was more fun, and he suspected it would give her a rush, interruptin
g the cycle of negative thoughts playing in her mind.
“What is this?” she asked, not sure what they were doing on the docks.
“It’s a boat,” Logan answered with a wink.
“Yeah, I see that. Is it safe? I don’t want to get eaten by alligators. Really, I’ve had enough fanged creatures sinking their teeth into me lately.”
“Nothin’ safer. This is our home, chérie and we’re goin’ to show it to you,” he drawled, doing his best imitation of his beta. “We promise to keep you away from the snakes…even though we might eat them later. Maybe go crawfishin’.”
“Don’t let him fool you, cher. Logan may be a city boy, but he knows his way ‘round the swamp…almost as well as I do. Wait ‘til you see him pet the gators. He likes to kiss those pretty lips,” Dimitri joked.
“Hey now, I may have been up north for the past fifty years, but it’s like ridin’ a bike. And hell, I’ve well made up for it these past couple of months,” Logan told them. “And he’s wrong about the lips…it’s their nice white teeth that I like to see.”
Wynter rolled her eyes. “As long as those pearly whites stay far away from me, we’ll be good to go. Remember, I’m a city girl.”
“Ah well, we’ll see about that after you shift, baby.” Logan gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “First, we’re gonna go out into the lake a bit, and then we’ll take you back in the swamp so you can see it in the daylight. And then, we’ll boat on over to our running grounds.”
Wynter eyed them both suspiciously. See it in the daylight? What was that supposed to mean? He did not think she’d be going into a swamp at night? Not happening.
“Here ya go.” Logan handed her a pair of yellow earmuffs as Dimitri fired up the engine. With a small smile, she promptly put them on, cautiously looking forward to her boating adventure.
By the time they’d sped through the lake and hit the swamp, Wynter’s body thrummed in exhilaration. The rush of the wind and intermittent spray of water combined with the speed sent her heart racing. She was having fun. It had been so long, she barely recognized the sensation. Smiling from ear to ear, she glanced over to Logan who was pointing to blooming bushes of swamp-rose mallow. The hibiscus petals, in white and pink, brought a splash of color to the otherwise green and brown landscape.
Dimitri cut the engine, and they all took off their earmuffs. Wynter scanned the horizon, astonished at the beauty all around her. Insects sang in the twilight. Blue sky and clouds reflected in the water as the sun went down. Ancient cypress trees stood proud, their knees poking up toward the heavens. Logan tapped her shoulder and held his fingers to his lips to quiet any potential conversation. He pointed to a great white egret poised immobile, hunting for his next meal. The majestic bird took notice of them drifting toward the bank, and took off in flight toward another fishing ground.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said, swiveling her head.
“Hey Ace,” Dimitri called. He dug out a small bucket. A prehistoric swish of a tail followed and eyes rose above the water. “Come on over here.”
Wynter reached for Logan’s hand and turned so she could watch.
“D likes to feed his boy,” Logan commented.
“Ace? How does he know that’s the same one?”
“They’re territorial. And live a long time too. This is his spot. There’s a few of his girls…see there on the bank.” Logan called attention to a couple of alligators who were basking in the final rays of the sun.
Wynter watched in great delight as Dimitri held up the raw chicken. The reptile lurched out of the water and snapped it up.
“Amazing,” Wynter gasped, grinning at the same time.
“They’re just a small part of the ecosystem. This place…it’s special.”
“Do you all come here a lot?”
“Not enough. As much as I love this place, I’m in the city a lot of the time. Even when I lived in Philly, we split our time between the city and mountains. It’s the same here. Poor D is goin’ to have to get used to livin’ in the French Quarter. But you can’t really run wolf in town, so if we want to go for a run, this is the place.”
“You run in the swamp?”
“Yes and no, cher. We’ve got lots of open land that’s easier to run on but if need be, we know how to walk in the swamp,” Dimitri explained.
“But we’ll save that lesson for another day,” Logan finished.
“We’d better head out. It’s just about time to hit the preserve. Who’s up for a sunset?” Dimitri asked. He wiped his hands on a towel and readied to start up the engine.
“Thanks for bringing me here. I love it…it’s breathtaking.” Wynter tried to hide the emotion rushing up into her throat but a traitorous tear fell. She swiped her finger at her eye, capturing it. With a small smile, she sighed.
“It’s going to be okay. Just stick with your wolves, baby.” Logan kissed her cheek.
A subtle sense of relief showered his conscience, knowing she liked the swamp. Even though he’d grown up in the French Quarter, his parents had made sure he’d spent plenty of time running in what at that time was considered the ‘far country’. Good thing, too, because over the centuries, the city had grown, sprawled over its open spaces and now this land belonged to his wolves. It represented his culture. The bayou. The swamp. Home to his wolf.
Her words of admiration soothed his need for her acceptance. He supposed he hadn’t realized just how important it was that she’d approved of his home, the way he lived. A house he could change, but everything else? No, she’d either welcome or reject his world. A final test, the pack, awaited not just her, but him as well.
As the motor roared, Logan wrapped his hand over hers. His gut told him that she could do it. It might not be easy, but fuck easy. Nothing lately in their lives had been easy but that didn’t equate to impossible. Like his challenges, he’d won them all right but not without difficulty. Nonetheless, victory had been all the more sweet. He’d kill to make this work, but knew she’d have to fight on her own. And then she’d face the pack. No, not easy. But sometimes the best things in life were hard and well worth the fight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dimitri stayed back to tie off the boat. He watched his Alpha and mate through the trees, sensing the struggle. In all his years, he’d never known a human to shift. They were born wolves, not made. Yet defying nature, this was going down. He hadn’t told Logan, but he was seriously worried about the pack’s reaction to Wynter. Not only was she from New York, she was human. Sure, the pack would welcome a mate for their Alpha, but they’d expected her to be one of their own, and without a doubt, wholly wolf.
The she-wolves had been chasing around Logan since he’d replaced Marcel. Luci, especially, had staked her unofficial claim by continuing to live with Logan. Up until several days ago, she’d made it her daily ritual to knock on Logan’s bedroom door. And while he knew Logan had only comforted her, Luci wasn’t going to take his impending mating well.
Cognizant that Logan had been busy with Wynter and also Dana’s death, Dimitri had hesitated to broach the subject with him. But tonight, he was prepared to step in and assist. And that didn’t just include helping Wynter sexually. Yes, he’d grown fond of the little wolf. But at the moment, he was more concerned about her safety. Dimitri had already decided that he’d step in and stop a fight, if necessary. Sure, he’d take a hard hit for intervening but so be it. A direct challenge to Wynter wouldn’t negate her status as Logan’s mate, but still, it was within a she-wolf’s right to attack and kill if necessary. If someone challenged Wynter and she lost, it would further distract Logan from leading the pack. Within days if not hours, another challenge for Alpha might be issued. Logan had promised to kill the next wolf who challenged him, and Dimitri was confident he’d make good on his word
No matter how sexually adventurous she’d felt, Wynter’s human notions clashed with her emerging wolf. She watched as Logan stood naked before her, cajoling her to shuck the dress. Wynter reluctantly undres
sed and immediately covered her breasts with her hands. Realizing that the rest of her body was already exposed, she forced her arms to her sides.
“Come here, Wyn,” he told her. Magnanimously nude, she was a spectacular sight, Logan thought. “You trust me?”
“Yes,” she responded quietly, looking at her feet. She could feel Logan and Dimitri’s eyes on her skin. She was frightened out of her wits. No matter how much she’d told herself this was going to happen, she still wasn’t prepared.
A surge of nausea rolled her stomach. Reacting, she bent over, her hands on her knees, willing her stomach to hold the food. She coughed and gagged, managing to push the bile back down her esophagus. Please God. I will not throw up…no throwing up…especially in front of Logan. Be brave. I can do this. No, I will do this. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. With a whoosh, she blew it out through her mouth. Logan is with me. Logan. Oh shit. She’d almost forgotten he was watching her ridiculous panic attack. She stood up and gave him an apologetic smile.
“Are you okay? As gross as it is, if you need to throw up, go ahead. Believe me, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“You’re being nice.”
Logan smiled. “Well, it’s the pups who usually hurl their first time, but you’re kind of like a pup.”
She shot him an annoyed look, her hands on her hips.
“Okay, more like a super-hot, naked human lady wolf,” he laughed. “Seriously, baby. Nothing and I mean nothing bad is going to happen tonight. We’ll shift. We’ll run. We’ll make love.” His voice was low and dominant, guiding her wolf.
She simply nodded, allowing him to take her hand in his.
