by Parker Skye
Logan froze momentarily as he turned the key in the look, dreading what he’d find when he opened the door. Logan hoped Judas hadn’t done too much damage to their home while they were gone. He’d made sure the cat had an extra bowl of food and three bowls of water laid out in the kitchen. He’d even left the seat down on his toilet just in case. After walking in on Judas drinking out of the john several times already, Logan knew it wasn’t below the cat’s standards.
The cat’s litter box had also been thoroughly cleaned and Logan had left him an old shirt to sleep on, spread out on the recliner. He’d made sure to research online how to make a cat as comfortable as possible when left home alone for an extended period of time. It’s not that Logan cared whether the cat was happy or not, he told himself. Logan just wanted to avoid having to replace any more of his personal belongings. He’d already lost too many items to list to Judas’ unpredictable temper.
Logan finally pushed opened the front door and scanned the room quickly. He failed to pick up any obvious signs of damage or unpleasant odors. The cat was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t unusual. Judas was not a social creature. Logan let out a sigh of relief and he couldn’t avoid hearing Ben’s answering chuckle behind him. Logan was too tired to pick a fight with his brother, though, so he ignored Ben’s laughter.
He’d driven most of the way home himself, despite the offer to trade off from everyone else in the vehicle. Logan suspected they’d all been more than a little uncomfortable with the aggressiveness of his driving, but once he had pointed the vehicle toward home, Logan had felt the urgent need to get there as quickly as possible. It was bad enough they’d had to stop twice for Izzy to pee. Logan wasn’t willing to stop again just to switch drivers.
Everyone mumbled their goodnights as they split off into their respective rooms. Logan stopped in the kitchen and refilled Judas’ empty food bowl. He was pleased to see a few nuggets of food remained in the bottom and one of the water bowls was almost full. Knowing he hadn’t left the cat wanting made him surprisingly proud.
Picking up the empties, he placed them in the sink before heading to bed. Logan’s jaw popped as he yawned widely. Pushing his bedroom door open, he found Judas curled up asleep in the middle of his pillow. He flicked a glance at the recliner and saw the shirt he’d left on the chair obviously untouched.
“You little fucker. I bet you slept in my bed the entire time we were gone didn’t you?” Logan asked the cat. He would deny to his grave the tone of fondness that accompanied the accusation. Judas raised his head and mismatched green and blue eyes blinked back at him. The cat mimicked Logan’s wide yawn and quickly went back to sleep. Logan kicked his shoes into his closet and dropped his shirt and shorts across the end of his bed. He eyed the cat and debated pushing him off his pillow. Sighing audibly, he took the other side of the bed, letting the cat keep his place. I’m such a sucker. Logan set his alarm for six and switched off the light. He was asleep before his eyes were even fully closed.
Metallica’s Enter Sandman blared exactly at six in the morning as planned. Logan blinked and rubbed the grit from his eyes. He silenced his phone as he sat up; scanning the room for Judas, but the cat was gone. He heard someone puttering around in the kitchen and smelled the unmistakable aroma of cooking bacon and knew instinctively where he would find the beast.
Logan took a quick shower and, towel-drying his hair, finally made his way to the kitchen. A much livelier Izzy was standing over the stove whipping up what looked like the makings for breakfast tacos. Logan almost felt himself tearing up in relief and not just for Izzy’s return to cooking. Before he could stop himself, he had Izzy in a bear hug from behind, the other man complaining audibly and hitting Logan in the thigh with his wooden spatula.
“Let go of me, doofus. I’m going to burn the eggs,” Izzy complained. Logan placed a loud kiss on the top of Izzy’s platinum head and released him.
“I’m just so glad you’re better. It feels like weeks since I’ve had a real meal,” Logan said as he pretended to wipe fake tears from underneath his eyes. He’d never admit the dampness he smoothed into the legs of his jeans.
“Glad to know that’s what you’d miss most about me, asshole,” Izzy said. Logan flinched and looked down to see Judas biting the back of his ankle repeatedly. He jumped away before the cat could draw blood and Izzy burst out laughing.
“At least the cat’s on my side,” Izzy said. Logan stood rubbing his ankle while he waited for the coffee to finish brewing.
“Traitor,” Logan said to the cat. Judas blinked and started washing his paws, ignoring Logan’s barb.
“So you’re really feeling better then?” Logan asked, honestly concerned. He poured himself a cup of black coffee and took a sip, feeling his shoulders relax the instant the hot liquid poured down his throat.
“I do. That concoction Sylvia worked up is gross, but it seemed to do the trick for my stomach. I’m actually hungry this morning and if Junior agrees, I might keep my breakfast down this time,” Izzy replied. Logan saw him place his free hand across his lower abdomen unconsciously as he’d seen several pregnant females do before.
“Well, even if it’s gross, I’m glad it's helping. It was making us all crazy to watch you be sick all the time. As hard as it was on me, I can’t imagine how difficult it was for Ryan,” Logan said. He put his empty mug down and made short work of setting the table while Izzy finished cooking. Logan had to shove Judas out of the way with his foot several times as the cat kept lying down in the middle of the kitchen floor. Taking notice of their dance, Izzy chuckled.
“What?” Logan asked, unaware of the spectacle he and the cat were making.
“That cat really likes you, doesn’t he? Everywhere you go, he follows,” Izzy replied.
“I don’t think that means he likes me. It just means he likes to torment me,” Logan said as he reached across the table to lay out another set of silverware. “OUCH! Damn it, Judas! Quit biting my ankles,” Logan groused at the cat and pushed him away with one foot again. When Izzy started to laugh, Logan aimed an accusing finger his way and the other man mimed zipping his lips.
Logan was the first to leave that morning since his new job started before eight. He hated construction hours, but it was a paycheck as they had all agreed. He knew from previous experience that the further along a project got, the earlier he would be getting up and the later he would be getting home.
Logan pulled on his work boots to complete his outfit of ratty jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed a long sleeve button up that already had paint on it in case the sun came out. He didn’t need sunburn on his first day, even with his superior healing ability. Constant exposure to the sun would have his skin smarting just as annoyingly as it did any human. He would just suffer hours instead of days while it healed. Logan headed for the kitchen, shoving his black locks under a baseball cap.
Logan smiled as he saw his lunch sack lined up along with the others in a neat line. He smirked as a thought flew threw his mind that Logan was sure would earn him a beating from his pierced pack mate. Of them all, Izzy was obviously the most maternal, always making sure they were well-fed and comfortable. Izzy was definitely going to extremes, however, to prove his mothering abilities with his seemingly impossible condition. Feeling the cat weave itself between his feet, Logan looked down to meet the mismatched eyes staring up at him.
“I have to go to work. I’ll be back later,” Logan told the cat. Judas glanced at his bowl as if signaling he needed to be fed first. Logan spied the egg concoction Izzy must have tried to feed the cat.
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t put that there. It’s Izzy’s fault. Maybe next time you’ll be nicer to me and bite his ankles instead.” Judas’ ears flattened as if he understood every word. His nose pointed up in the air and the cat stoically stalked away. Logan chuckled at the cat’s antics and went to empty out the eggs, replacing it with the cat’s usual dry food. When the first jingle of food hit the bowl, the cat was back, weaving between Logan’s feet
again purring loudly. Logan patted him on the head and stepped back, leaving the cat alone to finish his boring breakfast.
Chapter 7
A very sweaty Logan pulled up to their house just as the sun was setting below the horizon. He bypassed the quiet kitchen and headed straight for his room and his shower. He left a trail of dirty clothes along the bathroom floor and stood under the steaming hot spray groaning as the powerful jets tried to soothe the kinks out of his sore muscles. When the hot water started to run out, Logan finally turned off the water disappointed. Logan stood on the rug dripping and ran a towel through his black hair. Picking up on the sensation of being watched again, Logan turned and found the cat staring at him from the open doorway.
“What are you looking at?” Logan groused. Judas glanced down at the ground and walked away. Not for the first time, Logan wondered if the cat could actually understand his words. Shaking his head at his own idiocy, Logan wrapped the towel around his waist and strode to his dresser. He quickly pulled on a clean pair of basketball shorts and a stretched out blue t-shirt. He sincerely hoped his pack had left him something to eat. He was starving. His wolf sat up and growled its agreement, ready to take over and lead them on a hunt if human food wasn’t readily available. Logan soothed his inner beast making him a promise to go for a run sometime before the week was out. His wolf was starting to get a little stir-crazy. Logan knew better than to push his luck with his wolf’s patience.
Logan needn’t have worried about being provided for. Izzy’s handwritten note with reheating directions sat atop the covered plate he’d put aside for his absent pack mate. Logan stuck the food into the microwave, not even caring what he was about to consume. Logan was so hungry, he felt like his stomach was about to start eating itself. Logan juggled the hot plate to the table and was taking the first bite of enchiladas before he was even fully seated.
“Oh, hey. You’re home,” Ben said as he walked into the kitchen. “How was your first day?”
“It was fine. Just long,” Logan replied through a mouthful of food. “Thanks for saving me something. I saw a deer on the way home and was severely tempted.” Ben smiled wide and Logan knew his brother’s more primal side was imagining the hunt just as easily.
“I bet. Damn, I had two plates of Izzy’s enchiladas and that still makes my mouth water,” Ben replied. “We should really go hunting this weekend. It’s going to be the full moon anyway and we need to find a local place to run.”
“You’re right. It is. Let’s do that. I’ve been scouting out the territory and there’s a nature preserve about thirty minutes away that should be perfect,” Logan agreed through a mouthful of food. Ben was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning as he ran off to inform the others of the plan. Logan shook his head at his brother’s youthful enthusiasm. His own wolf was also doing the happy dance at the prospect of being free again, but at the moment his human side was just too tired to do more than finish his meal.
The chair next to Logan shuddered as Judas’ large form appeared. The cat put his head above the edge of the table and eyed Logan’s plate. He aimed his mismatched eyes at Logan’s icy blue ones and meowed plaintively. Logan knew better than to offer the cat people food. He never ate it, just sniffed and turned up his nose. Logan wasn’t wasting a morsel on the finicky feline. Judas continued to watch the fork as it carried every bite from Logan’s plate to his mouth until Logan was scraping up the last of sauce. As he licked the tines clean, Judas’ tongue flicked out to lick his own lips hungrily.
“Sorry. All gone,” Logan said to the cat. Judas meowed again and Logan put the empty plate in front of him. True to form, Judas sniffed the plate thoroughly but refused to taste it. Apparently satisfied that the offer had been made, Judas jumped down and scampered off. Logan found himself smiling fondly as he rinsed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher.
Logan climbed into bed wondering briefly where the cat had gotten off to. He squashed his wandering mind though, refusing to miss the furry little fucker. Logan shut off his bedside lamp and curled onto his side. As soon as his eyes closed, Logan felt the unmistakable thump of twenty pounds of cat joining him on the bed. Logan ignored the other creature, accepting that even his wolf seemed to have gotten used to the other creature. Neither side of Logan’s consciousness did more than take note of the warm presence as it circled repeatedly like a dog and lay down smack in the middle of Logan’s bed.
Chapter 8
This job wasn’t actually going to kill him, but Logan realized he may wish he was dead if he had to keep doing it much longer. He stared down at his smaller than expected paycheck and sighed. All that work for that? No way would this be enough to support more than himself long term. He was a grown man, for Pete’s sake. Logan knew he needed to be able to support himself and any family he might one day have whether he was on pack lands or not. At this rate, it was never going to happen.
Logan almost kicked himself for not taking up the alpha’s offer to go to school this year. At the time, he’d convinced himself it would be a waste to start college without a firm idea of what he was going to do with the expensive education. But he was quickly realizing he would be more likely to get a good paying job with any degree than none at all. It was, after all, the thing that had stood between him and both of the sales jobs he’d interviewed for recently.
Plus, he missed seeing the rest of his pack these last few works working such god-awful hours. He’d almost forgotten what the rest of his pack looked like. If not for the shared sleeping arrangements, Logan suspected he might actual miss the little prick (aka Judas), too.
If not for the weekend of the full moon, Logan doubted his wolf would have gotten even a hint of freedom this week either. At least they’d managed to get themselves not one, but two deer for their efforts. It had been the most fun Logan could remember having in months. Since then, Logan had been too tired to do anything more than shower, eat, and go to bed after each long day slaving away at the job site.
Logan had quickly figured out that he was becoming the go-to boy for hauling and heavy lifting at work. His foreman had obviously picked up on Logan’s superior strength and endurance and made sure to put him to good use being the ‘tonk’, leaving even Logan’s wolf too tired to do much more than basic hygiene and feeding at the end of every day.
Logan opened the front door, expecting the usual silence to greet him. Instead, he found his pack arranged on the sectional, obviously waiting for his return. He was surprised to see the cat seated on top of the coffee table, as if it was now part of the pack, too. Logan’s wolf chortled at the sight but didn’t complain like Logan would have expected. It seemed both parts of him had developed an unexpected fondness for the prickly feline.
“What’s going on? Something happen?” Logan asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. We just hadn’t seen much of you this week and wanted to talk to you,” Ben answered. The hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stood up in suspicion at Ben’s business-like tone.
“What is this? An intervention or something?” Logan asked sarcastically. “I promise I’m not out doing drugs or driving too fast, Dad. Just working.”
“We know. That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Ryan added. Logan suspected he interjected in an attempt to keep the conversation from digressing into an argument.
“We think you’ve been working too much, Logan,” Ryan continued, meeting Logan’s gaze directly. “This job’s not good for you. You’re never around except to eat and sleep. You look exhausted all the time. I know the alpha said you didn’t have to work, so what’s up?”
Logan toed off his boots and went to heat up the plate of food he knew would be waiting for him in the fridge. He carried the steaming meal to the living room and sat down on the recliner. Logan pulled a pillow onto his lap to avoid burning his thighs and dug in. If he was going to be interrogated, he was damn well going to eat his dinner while it happened.
“I can’t just sit around here all day doing nothing. It’s not fair t
o the pack. Izzy has a job. You guys are all going to school. I need to be doing something, too,” Logan finally said.
“Being a productive member of the pack is awesome, Logan, but not if you’re practically killing yourself to do it. How safe does that make the rest of us when our leader can barely keep his eyes open through dinner?” Ben asked. Logan dropped his gaze ashamed. He knew his brother was right.
“Couldn’t you do something else?” Izzy asked. He seemed more than a little nervous at adding his voice to the discussion. Logan smirked as he caught Izzy looking to the cat, as if seeking Judas’ approval that he’d said the right thing. Logan was certain Izzy had no idea he’d even done it.
“I tried, but no one else would hire me. I don’t have any experience doing anything other than construction and I don’t have a degree,” Logan grumbled.
