by Parker Skye
“You gonna let me in, asshole?” Logan glared up and asked.
“I don’t know, Logan. Who’s that you brought with you?” Kieran asked, still grinning. He made no move to trigger the gate’s release. Logan looked over his shoulder to where Jude stood and shrugged.
“Not sure. Some guy we picked up hitchhiking. He looked harmless enough so I thought I’d bring him for tonight’s sacrifice.” Kieran and Logan both laughed at Jude’s answering scowl. Logan’s eyes slammed shut and he cursed internally when Jude spoke up, apparently refusing to take the joke lying down.
“I’m Jude Hawkings. Logan’s mate,” Jude announced, squaring his shoulders and emphasizing his physical prowess. Logan felt the tiger’s arm as it wrapped around his lower back, one hand possessively squeezing Logan’s hip.
“Well, fuck,” Logan groaned as he felt himself flush in embarrassment. He did not flush or blush or anything of the sort. Ever. Especially in public. He was a future alpha, for fuck’s sake. Alphas did not show their discomfort in such a manner.
Kieran’s laugh ratcheted up to what could only be considered a cackle and he waved over several of the other guards manning the wall. Logan looked up to find five of his pack mate’s grinning down at him now, apparently enjoying his humiliation.
“He’s not my mate, damn it. It’s complicated. Now open the fucking gate, Kieran. I’ve got shit I need to do,” Logan growled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and refusing to meet his friend’s gaze directly any more. He shifted until he was free of Jude’s attempt at staking territory. Logan practically sighed in relief when the gate creaked open and he was once again safely inside home pack. Unfortunately, Jude followed him inside as expected, putting a damper on his homecoming.
“We’re going to talk about this some more before you leave again, Logan. Mark my words,” Kieran jokingly called after him as Logan continued to widen the distance between them. He could still hear the muttering and laughs of the guards he’d once considered friends. Doing his best to ignore Jude, Logan stalked off to the cabin he shared with his brother. Without thinking, he burst in through the front door. He quickly backpedaled at the sight that greeted him, covering his eyes with one hand in self-defense. He pushed a confused Jude behind him and out the door, as well. He kicked it shut behind him, cursing about patience and his brother’s lack of said virtue.
“Problem, Logan?” Jude asked, his brows furrowed in concern.
“Ben and Adam are obviously happy to be back home and are christening the couch again, if you get my drift,” Logan said, disgust evident in his tone. When Jude didn’t respond, Logan looked up to see what had Jude so obviously distracted.
Logan just now noticed how Jude’s eyes shifted almost constantly, as if scanning for an oncoming threat. He imagined being on another pack’s home turf wasn’t comfortable at all, especially when you weren’t even the same species of shifter. Logan placed a hand on Jude’s shoulder and squeezed in sympathy, dragging the tiger’s gaze back to meet his own.
“Jude, look at me. It’s okay. You’re safe here. No need to get your tiger all freaked out, okay?” Logan said. Jude licked his lips nervously and Logan stepped closer, squeezing his hand on Jude’s shoulder again. While he refused to admit it, Logan knew Jude would be comforted by their proximity.
“I mean it, Jude. You’re completely safe here. I won’t let anything happen to you. This is my home and I would have never brought you here if I couldn’t guarantee your safety,” Logan calmly reassured.
Jude took a breath and stepped back slightly, letting Logan’s hand fall free. He nodded once in apparent acceptance and adjusted the strap of his backpack. The bag shifted slightly where it rested on his back. Logan almost said something snarky about Jude being a scaredy cat after all, but realized it would only make him look like an asshole of the highest form. It wasn’t fair to kick another shifter in their moment of weakness.
Besides, Logan really liked breathing. While the tiger would definitely be outnumbered on Logan’s home turf, he was more than capable of making quick work of Logan’s wolf before anyone else could get there to offer support. Apparently, Jude was becoming able to read Logan’s inner thoughts pretty well, too. Jude smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring daggers at the other shifter.
“What?” Logan asked defensively.
“You were just about to make some snarky comment about me being a fraidy cat or something, weren’t you?” Jude accused. Logan tried to deny it, but his answering flush was confirmation enough for Jude. The other man laughed and pushed Logan’s shoulder playfully. Logan stumbled, caught momentarily off balance before he righted himself and stuck his tongue out. Jude laughed aloud at the childish maneuver, which even left Logan wondering where it came from.
“Did you really just stick your tongue out at me? What are you five?” Jude asked, still chuckling. Logan flipped Jude off with both hands and turned, tossing his duffle on the front porch. Sounds of sexy fun times could still be easily heard from the other side of the door. Logan motioned for Jude to add his bag to the pile.
“Our stuff will be fine here. Come on. Let’s go see how the checkup is going. My alpha is probably going to be there, too, so it’ll kill two birds with one stone,” Logan said. Jude dropped his bag and quickly moved to catch up, striding alongside as they headed for the clinic. Both men shoved their hands deep inside their front pockets as they walked. Logan suspected they looked as ridiculous as he felt, as if they were each doing their damnedest to avoid touching the other. While Logan knew his own reasons for keeping his distance, he wondered once again at Jude’s.
When they reached the healing center, Logan knocked on the sturdy wooden door. The door opened almost immediately and Logan was surrounded by small female arms. Jude’s possessive growl would have been funny if it hadn’t been the Alpha’s dainty mate and Adam’s mother, Lucy, he was threatening. Lucy pulled back after another quick squeeze and peered curiously over Logan’s shoulder. Logan wanted to hide while he watched Alpha’s Mate scan the shifter behind him from head to toe slowly in obvious appreciation.
“Damn, Logan. Where’d you find this tall drink of water?” Lucy asked. She may have become Alpha’s Mate, but Adam’s mom still showed her human beginnings with the way she talked sometimes.
“Woman! How many times do I have to tell you not to ogle other men?” a deep baritone boomed from inside the room. Logan contemplated telling Jude to run, but before either could step away, Alpha Leikos was in the doorway and pulling his giggling mate tight into his side. The joking smile melted from the alpha’s face as he noticed Logan’s companion.
“Logan,” Alpha Leikos said in terse greeting. “Are you going to introduce me to your guest?” The alpha’s perusal of their visitor was not near as welcoming as his mate’s had been. The alpha even blatantly sniffed the air, advertising he was memorizing the other shifter’s scent for future reference. Jude stepped forward with his shoulders squared.
“I’m Jude Hawking, sir. I believe Logan has told you about me. I’m Logan’s true mate. His sufletul pereche, I believe your pack calls it.” As introductions went, Logan thought Jude had nailed it, even if he still didn’t completely believe the mate part himself.
“Hmmm. Is that so?” Alpha Leikos responded. “Well see about that, won’t we, Tiger?” The alpha stepped back inside the clinic, pulling his mate along beside him.
Lucy had obviously picked up on the tension between them as she shot a questioning glance in Logan’s direction. Logan dropped his gaze slightly, signaling his own unwillingness to discuss the situation further in their present location. Thankfully, Lucy took the hint and turned back to focus on their patient as Izzy was poked and prodded on the examination table.
“Ryan, make her stop. She’s going to hurt the baby,” Izzy nearly whined as the pack healer, Sylvia, poured cold, blue goop on his still flat abdomen. Ryan squeezed Izzy’s hand and soothed his anxious mate while Sylvia ran the sensor through the transducing gel covering Iz
zy’s belly. Rhythmic whooshing sounds echoed through the room and shades of grey popped up on the monitor, too blurry and confusing to be deciphered if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
“Is that him?” Izzy asked excitedly, instantly forgetting his previous complaints of discomfort.
“Not yet,” Sylvia responded, moving the sensor around as if searching for something. “That’s your heartbeat we’re hearing right now. It’s too slow to be your baby’s.”
A faster, harsher rhythm started and Sylvia’s movements froze. She smiled like the cat that ate the canary and pointed at a blurry rounded object on the screen.
“There’s your baby, Izzy. But I won’t call it a him yet. It’s too early to tell,” Sylvia explained. Sylvia spent the next few moments taking pictures of the bean-shape that she swore was going to be a pup one day. Logan had no clue how. Sylvia cleaned the goop off Izzy’s stomach with a towel and handed out the pictures. Logan almost laughed as she made sure everyone in the room, even Jude, got one. Logan caught Jude staring down at the fragile print several times and wondered what the tiger’s expression could possibly mean.
“I think this calls for a celebration. Let’s head back to our place and see what we can round up for dinner,” Alpha Leikos said. Lucy shook her head as her mate steered her toward the door.
“Don’t let him fool you, boys. We’ve been planning this meal for a week. We both spent all day in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove, but this meal’s going to be worth it,” Lucy said.
“Woman! How many times have I told you not to tell people I help out in the kitchen? Don’t you know an alpha has to maintain his pride around other men?” Alpha Leikos joked in his booming voice again. Lucy laughed and slapped her mate on the chest playfully.
“I’m sorry, dear. I just keep forgetting about the image you have to maintain. I promise I’ll do better to remember next time,” Lucy said, laughter still obvious in her tone. Alpha Leikos smacked a kiss across her lips and pretended to snarl.
“See that you do, Mate,” the alpha said, all his emphasis on the word ‘Mate’.
Ryan and Izzy followed close behind the alpha, hand in hand. Izzy clutched the picture of their still-developing fetus tight in his other hand and wouldn’t stop smiling. Izzy’s gaze repeatedly returned to the picture and each time, Logan saw Izzy’s happiness grow. Ryan looked more than a little dazed, but in a calmer way than the last time they were here. Logan suspected now that he could see their developing child, Ryan would settle into being a parent in no time. Logan turned back toward his cabin at the next bend and Ryan aimed a questioning look his way.
“I’ll go get Ben and Adam and meet you there,” Logan explained. Ryan waved his free hand overhead in agreement and kept following the alpha to the main house. Logan was unsurprised to find Jude had turned along with him without being asked. He suspected he’d better get used to having the tiger trailing his every move for the foreseeable future.
Chapter 21
Jude
When they reached the cabin Logan shared with his brother, Logan knocked loudly this time. He should have announced they were coming in last time. If he had, he wouldn’t still be trying to scrub the image of his brother and his naked mate humping each other out of his brain. Jude followed and started to sit on the sofa, then thought better of it considering the recent action the benign-looking furniture had reportedly seen. He found a place on the wall to lean instead and crossed his arms to wait. Logan stalked off to drag Ben and Adam out of bed.
Audible complaining and cursing echoed from the hallway and Jude settled in for the duration, figuring it was going to be a while before the pair was ready to go. Jude scanned the room, taking in his mate’s style of decorating. He was pleased with the heavily masculine features, easily seeing himself settled into the small space. The sofa and arm chair were both chocolate leather and a huge flat screen TV huge hung on the opposite wall. Several video game consoles rested on the entertainment center underneath the giant television and Jude wondered who was the game player…Logan, Ben, or both? The kitchen sat at one end of the open space. Glass-front cabinets displayed a collection of bright blue earthenware plates and bowls that Jude could easily see himself purchasing for his own home.
Jude crossed the room to examine a hodgepodge of pictures hanging on the living room wall. He grinned as he found several of his mate in various stages of his childhood, often seeming to be more limbs than anything else. Jude suddenly wished he could share pictures of his own awkward phases with his mate but knew it would never be.
Through each stage of Logan’s development, his black hair got darker and his blue eyes shone more like ice. Jude was focused intently on one family picture in particular when he felt Logan standing silently behind him. In the photo, Logan and Ben appeared to be in their late teens. They were standing with what must have been their parents between them. The entire family was beaming as they smiled for the camera. Instantly, Jude felt Logan’s loss hit him like a bullet through the heart.
“What are you doing?” Logan asked faintly with just a hint of accusation in his tone. Jude slowly turned; making sure his mate could see his face before he answered. Jude wanted there to be no doubt about his intentions any longer, especially now that he’d been in Logan’s home. He’d seen firsthand how important the concept of family was to Logan. Jude hoped his mate could finally accept how desperately the tiger yearned to be considered a part of Logan’s.
“I’m trying to get to know you better, Logan. I love your home, by the way. It’s very comfortable. I could easily see myself here,” Jude said, intentionally pushing Logan past his comfort zone. Logan’s nostrils flared and his answering tone was anything but accepting.
“That’s impossible, so don’t start getting any ideas. This is wolf territory. You might be welcome to visit this time, but you’ll never live here,” Logan practically snarled. Jude snarled in response and echoed Alpha Leikos’ words from earlier.
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Before Logan could argue, Jude looked over his shoulder and plastered on a fake smile.
“Oh good, you guys ready? Come on, Logan. Ben and Adam are ready to go. We don’t want to keep your alpha waiting.” Jude motioned with one hand for Logan to lead the way. Logan continued to glare momentarily before he shook his head and charged off. Logan quickly followed the others out the front door, making no effort to hide his attempt to put some distance between them. Jude smirked and trailed his mate closely all the way to the alpha’s house. Jude strongly suspected if he took his eyes off Logan for a second, his mate was going to run. His tiger purred deep in Jude’s chest, excited at the possibility of such an exciting chase.
Jude would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss the suspicious looks aimed his direction throughout the virtual feast the alpha and his mate had prepared. He refused to show any weakness, though, knowing that the alpha would sense even a hint of trepidation on his part. If he had any chance of getting the alpha’s blessing to claim Logan as his mate, he had to prove himself above question.
Lucy seemed to be adept at steering the conversation to safe topics throughout the meal. Ben and Adam were forced to dole out the details of their coursework while Ryan and Izzy were peppered with questions about their plans for the future now that they were expecting. By the time Lucy seemed to run out of interrogation material, Jude almost felt sorry for the little wolf he’d come to consider a friend. Izzy’s color was paler than normal and he was pushing the food around on his plate after eating his fill.
“I think I better put my mate to bed before he turns into a pumpkin,” Ryan said. The alpha and his mate doled out the expected pleasantries while Ryan guided an obviously exhausted Izzy out the front door.
Jude took a deep, calming breath in and out, instinctively knowing his time of reckoning was likely at hand. His suspicions were more than confirmed with Ben and Adam hopped up eagerly to clear the table. He couldn’t blame them. He wished he could leave the room with them and avoi
d whatever unpleasantness was about to happen. Jude knew he couldn’t or he risked losing his mate for good. To a pack wolf, an alpha’s acceptance or refusal of your mate had to be close to law, Jude suspected. When Alpha Leikos returned alone, Jude was ready.
“So what do you do for a living, Tiger?” Alpha Leikos asked. Logan’s alpha casually kept his back to the table as he filled a tumbler with ice and an amber liquid. He held up the half-full glass, obviously asking both Jude and Logan if they cared to join him. Jude declined, intent to keep a clear head, but was surprised when Logan also passed on the offer of a little liquid fortification.
“He must be more nervous than he’s letting on,” Jude thought.
“I’m between jobs at the moment as I’m sure you’re aware, but I used to manage a nightclub. Several in fact. I have no trouble providing, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Jude replied.
