by Jenny May
“Ty, wake up!” Myles quickly grabbed her clothes and threw them on as fast as she could. “I think Logan is going to change. We need to figure out how to get ahold of my brother. I don’t know what to do. This isn’t right. David didn’t change when my brother bit him.”
The sounds were coming louder from Logan. He was curled in a ball on the cold cement floor, shaking. Ty put on Logan’s jeans and quickly came around the bed. He scooped Logan up in his arms and placed him back on the mattress.
“Myles, I’ve never seen anyone go through the change. I was born like this, too. How do we get out of here so we can find Jack? We were all blindfolded when we were brought in. I don’t see a door.”
The room looked like nothing other than a box of four concrete walls. Myles began feeling along the walls for some type of hidden compartment or switch. “I wish I knew. I’ve never been here before.” She pounded her fist into the wall. “Jack! Jack, come quick!”
The sound echoed throughout the room, but nothing happened. Logan turned from his side onto his knees, still keeping himself tucked into a fetal position. The sound of popping made everyone freeze. A loud scream followed as he thrashed on the bed.
“Shit!” Myles and Ty both raced to the bed. She felt so helpless. What could she do to ease his pain?
“Logan, talk to me. Tell me what you need.”
Another yell came out of his mouth, and Myles gasped in horror as she watched his bones start to readjust under his skin.
“Jack!” Myles raced around the room. There had to be some way out. She searched the ceiling with her eyes, and it suddenly dawned on her that there was one place she hadn’t checked. “Ty, stay by Logan. I’m going to check the restroom.”
Myles was walking in circles as her hands frantically felt the walls in the enclosed space. Another scream made her jump. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what she was searching for. The alignment was off behind the door. Myles ran her fingers through the tiny crack but couldn’t figure out how to open it. She slammed her fist into the concrete, frustrated, and squealed as the door popped open toward her. Bright light flooding through nearly blinded her.
“I told you, it should only be a few more days—”
Jack stopped midsentence as she burst through the opening.
“Hey! How’d you find the exit? You’re not supposed to come out yet.” As he took in Myles’s heavy breathing she watched him grow stiff. “What is it?”
“Logan.” She tried to catch her breath. “He’s changing. I don’t know what to do. He’s in so much pain.”
Jack rushed forward and David was right on his heels. The yelling poured through the opening as Myles followed them back into the dim room.
“Oh shit.” Jack’s eyes were huge as he watched Logan toss and turn on the bed. He turned to Myles. “What did you do? I mean, how?”
“What do you mean how? I bit him when we bonded!”
“Yeah, but…Do you know how rare this is! My, it’s just doesn’t happen anymore. Transmission by bite hasn’t occurred in decades. Every wolf I know was born with this disease.”
Myles suddenly felt light-headed. “So you don’t know what to do?” Panic was starting to set in. She pulled Jack off to the side. “You tell me right now, he can’t die from this, can he?”
The look he gave her made her heart sink. “I don’t know, My.”
“Fuck.” Logan slammed his fist into the mattress.
Everyone looked at each other. Myles took a deep breath and pushed herself not to think of the bad things that could happen. She crawled onto the bed and placed her hand on Logan’s back. He’d made it back to his knees. “It’s going to be okay. I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” As she lightly stroked his back, Ty came up and joined her.
“We’re here for you, Logan.” Ty looked at her, his eyes full of fear and pain. The tears were ready to spill over.
The bones in Logan’s back began to shift under Myles’s hand. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of how much her mate must be going through. Raspy breathing echoed off the walls. Desperate, Myles searched her mind for the right thing to do. Her wolf purred at her insides. As she tried to brush the feeling away, it was as though she’d been punched in the gut. The true Alpha inside of her tried to surface.
She’d done so well at keep the power buried, and she was almost scared to let it surface. What would that mean for the long run? For Jack? Would she ever be able to dismiss the supremacy if she unleashed what she was capable of?
The wolf became restless as she contemplated. She could feel it stalking deep within, searching for a way to get out. Jack took a step toward her. His face was unreadable, but she knew he could feel the power within her stirring. Hell, they all could. The group of men were on edge as they stared at her nervously.
“Myles, what are you doing?” Jack almost looked frightened.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m not trying to do this. My wolf wants out, Jack…I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stop it. It’s like I can’t control her.”
Logan rose to his knees so fast Myles fell back on the bed. As his head snapped back, a sound came out of his mouth that reached way down into her core, past her humanity, and straight to her beast.
“He’s calling her! He’s calling my wolf.” Myles doubled over from the shooting pains that began to take over.
“How is he calling your wolf?” Jack began to pace. “Only Alphas can do that. You’re the only Alpha here, Myles!”
“Wait.” Ty glared in his direction. “What do you mean, Myles is the Alpha? What in the hell are you getting at?” As Ty went to get off the bed, Myles grabbed his arm.
Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “We’re twins. Our strength is almost identical, but by right Myles is technically the older one. She is our true leader.”
“Shit.” Myles tried to breathe as her body began to contort on the inside. “I told you I don’t want it! I’m not going to be Alpha. Ever.”
Ty reached over and moved the curls out of her face, but his glare never left Jack.
“Let’s not worry about that now,” Ty whispered. “We have to figure out what’s going on with you and our mate.”
Logan had moved back down on all fours. The way his head shook back and forth caused Myles to wonder what was going on his in mind. What was he thinking? Why wouldn’t he speak? As the pain inside started to decrease, Myles moved in closer to him. Logan’s head jerked in her direction. His eyes pierced her very soul. They were not the eyes of a human, but of his wolf. Blackness had taken over all of his color, and as his gaze burned into her, she could feel her beast bounce around her core, skittishly. She was scared, and not for fear that he would hurt her. For the first time Myles felt what it was like to be inferior to someone.
“Oh God.” She bowed the top part of her body and stared down at the comforter. Movement had her turning her head. Ty’s eyes were wide, and she watched as he looked at her and slowly lowered himself to the bed.
“Jack, David, get down right now. Slowly.” Myles tried to speak softly so she wouldn’t set Logan’s wolf off. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was fight her own mate.
“Myles, what the hell is going on?” She turned to see Jack and David obeying her orders.
“Don’t look at him. Let me try to take care of this. I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to do though. He’s…stronger than me. His wolf, I mean. It outranks mine.”
“Impossible.” Jack was lying on the floor, and his arms were propping up the top part of his body as he stared at the ground.
Myles swallowed hard and rose slowly to her knees. Logan had his head in his hands. A creak in the frame had him turning to her. The wolf was still there, and the fact that she held his stare was either completely stupid or a suicide wish. “Logan. It’s me. It’s Myles. Can you hear me?”
Silence.
The black eyes narrowed at her, and she could feel her wo
lf cowering. Myles stood completely still even though everything inside of her said she needed to run. “You are my mate. Me and Ty need you to come back to us.” She paused. “Logan, please.”
Her wolf stirred, and she could feel the tug of her beast as Logan’s face moved in closer. “I don’t want my wolf to come out right now, Logan. Please don’t call her. You come back. Your wolf will still be there when you do. I promise.”
Air brushed against her face as he began taking in her scent. Myles closed her eyes at his closeness. The purring came back and she could feel her core tighten. Her wolf wanted him. A moan slipped out as he nuzzled her neck.
“Ty was right. You smell delicious.”
Myles’s eye flew open as she looked back into the grey of Logan’s eyes. “You’re back.” She sighed as her arms flung around his neck. “I was afraid you’d be stuck in wolf mode.”
Lips kissed her forehead, and Logan leaned over and helped Ty from the mattress. They stared at each other and something passed between them. It appeared to be a newfound respect, but Myles wasn’t completely sure.
“Never bow to me,” he whispered to her other mate. Their lips connected for a brief moment, and then Logan stood. He turned to face Jack and David. “Stand.” The words were full of authority, and so out of character for Logan. It took a moment for Myles to process the tone.
“You.” Logan walked up to Jack. “You nearly got me killed, you’ve kidnapped me, and you’ve been an ass from the moment I met you.”
Jack stood with his head lowered. “Yes.”
“You’re not going to be anymore though, are you?” Jack glanced up, and looked back down. “No.” The word was curt. Myles could feel Jack’s rebelliousness. His wolf wanted to test Logan’s, she could feel it. Out of pure respect for her, she knew he was holding off.
Logan nodded. “Good. Thank you for accepting me into your family, brother.” Logan’s arms wrapped around him. The new muscle covering his body was astounding.
“What are we going to do?” Myles hugged her body tightly. The cramps she was experiencing from the near change were brutal.
“What do you mean?” Logan turned around confused, but the look on Jack’s face told her he knew exactly what she meant.
“Jack?” Myles urged on.
He shook his head. “I have no idea. Anyone in the pack that meets him will know. I was lucky to pass off you being my twin, but if his beast is as powerful as you say it is, they’ll know. It’ll change everything.”
And it did, even if Jack was having a hard time believing it. Myles wasn’t sure how their pack or other packs were going to take the news, and she was almost afraid to find out. With new leadership came the trial of power. A test Logan was going to get put through, time and time again.
Chapter 9
Myles sipped her coffee as she and Ty watched Logan shovel down his third plate of food. It’d been two days since they left Iso. No one had said a word all the way back to her house, but she knew their thoughts were on the same plane. Something big had just happened, and things were going to change probably more than they all knew. It was scary, and the fear kept her wolf on edge.
“Okay, I think I’m done.” Logan looked up from the plate for the first time since he had started eating. His attention went right to the platter that sat in the middle of the table. He grabbed a slice of bacon and practically inhaled it. “Okay, now I’m done. So…What now?”
Ty looked over at her. “Actually, I’ve been wanting to talk about that. I have to get back soon or else the pack is going to know I’m missing. Hell, they might already know. We can’t risk staying another day here.”
“Uh, what?” Myles shook her head, confused and shocked that he’d even assume they were going back there. “We’re not leaving anywhere, Ty. I mean, I’m sorry. I know that’s your pack, but if you think I’m going to curtsy before Samone as my Alpha you’ve got another thing coming.”
Ty’s eyes widened. “I can make you happy there. Just pretend Samone isn’t even there. It’s not like we’ll live with her or anything.”
A snort came from Myles and she rolled her eyes.
“What are you saying, My? You think your pack is better? I’m sorry, but everything I’ve come to see here is nothing but a lie. You’re brother isn’t even Alpha and yet everyone bows before him. They have to have known, or at least had suspicions.”
“My brother is a great leader! Everyone loves him. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right.” Ty took a drink of his coffee and looked over at Logan. “Well, I guess things are about to get interesting then. Here we are, a new Alpha in our midst, and whether we go back to my pack or stay at yours, Logan, here, isn’t going to fare well in either place.”
Black clouded Logan’s eyes. “Why is that? You don’t think I can take care of myself?”
“Calm down now there, Chief. I know you can. But that doesn’t go to say that people aren’t going to want you to prove it. Trust me when I say that wolves love to fight. And they’re going to want to test you.”
Myles moved the coffee out from in front of Logan. “No more caffeine for you. You’re way too worked up right now. Listen to Ty, he’s right. We have a big problem here. Any wolf you get near is going to detect the power you hold within yourself. It’s like a drug to some. They want to experience it, taste it. The only way they can do that is provoke you into action.”
Logan took Ty’s orange juice. A growl came from her mate’s mouth as he stood up to make him some more. Myles slammed her hand down on the table, nearly knocking over the empty glass of OJ. “Logan, you’re not paying attention.”
“I am! People are going to want to see me fight. I get it. Fighting I can do. I’ve had to do it my whole life.”
Myles closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “To the death, Logan. It’s not just a scrap in the yard where both people walk away. Most wolves will become so bloodthirsty for a taste of what you’re made out of that they’re not going to want to stop. And when I say taste, I mean that literally. Your blood will give them power and adrenaline. That’s why I say drug. It’ll be addicting from the first drop they consume.”
A serious expression came across Logan’s face. “That bad, huh?”
“Yes,” Myles said, relieved. “That’s what I was trying to explain. We’re in a lot of trouble, Logan. First of all, you’re not a natural wolf. I mean, you weren’t born one. I don’t know of anyone, I mean anyone, who wasn’t born this way.”
Logan reached for the coffee, and she swatted his hand. “No. Now, let’s bring your job into it. You work at Dark Days. That ranch is ninety-percent wolf. And all of them are Jack’s pack. The owner is a wolf. It’s where we train, have our meetings. Every one there knows you came in as a human. What do you think is going to happen once you go back and you’re a wolf?”
“All hell’s going to break loose?” Logan stood and took out three bottles of water from the fridge.
“I’m afraid it will,” Myles said quietly.
The first empty bottle went flying across the kitchen and landed in the trash can. “Well, it’s my job. I’m sorry, but I don’t care how freaked out people are going to be. I have to work. Plus, what would you want me to do? Hide inside for the rest of my life for fear someone who knew I was human suddenly realizes I’m not? Sorry, My. I can’t do that. I’ve never hidden from anything in my life. I’m not about to start now.”
As the second bottle flew over her head, Myles reached up lightning fast and crushed the plastic in her hand. The smugness fell from Logan’s face. She stood up and placed it in the trash can. “Okay, let’s do scenarios. Everyone sees you. They realize that you’ve changed. No fights, the pack is cool and accepts you as one of them. How long do you think it’s going to last before your wolf reveals just how powerful it is?”
Logan rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth, and Myles leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. She was done letting him argue with everything she said. If he didn’t learn how se
rious this was then their situation was going to be nothing but trouble.
“I’ll tell you, Logan. When we meet up once a month, all we do is train and show off our skills. We push ourselves to get better. When you go in there and blow away everything we’ve strived to accomplish over years of working our asses off, everyone will know. And this is of course if you can hide your wolf from them until that point. I’ll tell you right now. I can smell your power. You want to know what it smells like?”
Ty leaned forward, as if he were curious to what she was going to say. The fact that he was so into the conversation made Myles almost smile. If she wasn’t so mad at Logan she probably would have.
“It smells like arrogance, Logan. You have so much to learn about our ways, and I don’t think you can even comprehend how bad this is going to get. When they find out that you’re the rightful Alpha, they’re going to want you to take it.”
Logan looked between her and Ty. “Take it? What do you mean?”
“You’re going to have to challenge Jack.” The amusement vanished the moment Ty realized that Myles was staring at him. It was no secret the way her mate felt for her brother. It was equivalent to the way she viewed Samone, but still. That was her brother. Ty grabbed Logan’s last water and pretended to look around.
“Why do I have to challenge anyone? Why can’t I just join and do everything you all do and just, I don’t know”—he leaned back in the chair—“just chill.”
“Chill.” Myles looked at Ty, who shrugged. “Logan, you won’t understand anything until you’re actually confronted with someone’s wolf. If you could remember being a wolf in the way we all saw you, you’d know what I’m talking about. The damn thing is all business. I don’t even know why I’m explaining anything. It’s pointless. You’re just going to have to learn firsthand.”
Myles stood and excused herself from the table. She needed some fresh air. Nothing was like she’d thought it would be when she left Iso. For some reason she believed that what happened with Ty and Logan would bring them all together, even closer. But in reality it had the opposite effect. The three of them hadn’t even touched since they’d left. On top of that, they couldn’t have a conversation without arguing.
