by Lola Gabriel
“The hotel is run by an immortal, and most of the guests are immortals.” Logan grinned. “I told him I had a party last night that got a bit out of hand, and a dragon shifter had a bit too much to drink and lost control of himself.”
Brianna laughed, and Raina and Logan exchanged a glance. Brianna saw the look and laughed harder, tears streaming down her face. She got herself under control and shook her head.
“Sorry. It just hit me how comical it was that you’re talking about dragons losing control, and I’m just accepting it as normal. And you two are bears, right? You seemed so concerned that I was losing it, and somehow, that struck me as funny, too. Like, shouldn’t you be concerned with bigger things than my mental health?”
The ridiculousness of the situation also hit Raina and Logan, and when they started to laugh, so did Brianna, and the three of them let out all of the tension in themselves. It was kind of a strange situation, one Raina hadn’t dealt with before. Chessa had known about the immortals and everything that came with it when she had been taken, and someone clueless to their existence had never really factored into Raina’s thoughts when she’d pictured herself doing this.
When the laughter subsided, Logan was the first to speak. “We’d better get out of here so the hotel can fix the room up. I’ve been moved to another room, and the manager insisted he’d have the staff move all of my belongings to show me there’s no hard feelings. How about Raina and I drive you home, Brianna?”
“We don’t have a car,” Raina pointed out.
“I’ve been next door and rented one,” Logan said, holding up the keys.
“I really need to go and change,” Raina said, gesturing to her shredded top.
“You’re fine. You can change later. No one is going to see you,” Logan said.
Raina nodded and stood up. The three of them walked into the room. Logan picked up the briefcase of money and held it out to Brianna.
“What? No. I can’t take that,” she said.
“Sure you can. Call it supernatural compensation or something.”
Brianna still looked hesitant, and Raina nudged her.
“He’s a billionaire. Take it,” she said with a grin. This was Logan’s way of making things right, his way of atoning to Brianna for the part he had played in all of this. The money meant nothing to him, but he knew how much it could change Brianna’s life, and in some ways, it seemed only right that she should be the one to benefit from her ordeal.
Brianna looked at Raina, who nodded again, and she finally reached out and took the briefcase. She seemed torn for a second, and then she launched herself at Logan first and at Raina second, hugging them both tightly.
“Thank you. Not just for the money, but for saving my life, too,” she said.
Logan shrugged awkwardly, and Raina reached out and squeezed Brianna’s arm before she went and retrieved the Ure sword. She poked her fingers through her shredded top and wiped off a bit of partially dried blood. She wiped it on the blade of the Ure sword, and it reverted back to a notebook. Brianna gasped.
“Even after everything I’ve seen, I wasn’t expecting that one.”
“No one ever is. That’s why it’s so effective,” Raina said.
They left the room and headed out into the street, where Logan led them to the car he had rented. Brianna gave Logan the address of her apartment, and he programmed it into the GPS system. Her apartment wasn’t far away, and within ten minutes, they pulled up outside of her building.
“Don’t worry, Brianna. You’re safe now,” Raina reassured her again.
Brianna nodded. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“Any time,” Raina said.
Brianna got out of the car and turned to wave at them. Raina watched through the mirror above the dashboard as Brianna headed for her building.
“She took all of that well,” Logan said.
“Yeah. She’ll probably go inside and have a nervous breakdown or something now, though,” Raina said. Logan’s eyebrows shot up, and she laughed. “I’m joking. She took it really well, and I honestly think she’ll be fine. There was a certain toughness about her once the shock wore off a bit.”
“You lied to her about me,” Logan pointed out. Raina shrugged.
“We’ve all made mistakes, and she didn’t need to know about yours. It would have taken too much explaining if we’d told her everything.” The truth was, she hadn’t wanted Brianna to think badly of Logan, not even for a second. Logan drove them back to the hotel, and they went up to Raina’s room.
“So, what happens now?” Logan asked.
“I change out of this ruined shirt.”
“I’m serious, Raina.”
Raina sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. She had known they’d have to have this conversation, but now that it was time to have it, she didn’t know where to begin. She decided to start with the obvious.
“I know fate brought us together for a reason. To be mates,” she said.
“I feel the exact same way,” Logan said.
She could hear the relief in his voice, and she hated that she was about to say what she had to say next.
“But the thing is, Logan, I’ve found my calling. Hunting Matchmakers is what I was born to do. I just know it. And I’m not ready to give that up to come and live with your pack. I… I’m sorry. I…” She stopped talking when she saw the grin on Logan’s face. That had been the last reaction she had been expecting.
“I always thought being my pack’s alpha was my life’s work. But I was wrong, Raina. I’m meant to be hunting Matchmakers as well. I can feel it inside of myself. I was dreading you saying you wanted to give it up and move to my district and live a quiet life,” he said.
“You mean you’re going to give up the pack?” Raina asked. “Logan, that’s a huge decision. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”
“It is a huge decision; you’re right about that. And it’s one I’ve made. You don’t have to feel bad about it. I want to travel the globe with you and make the world a better place. But even if you had told me you didn’t want me, I would still be doing this. It would just be a hell of a lot less fun doing it without you by my side.”
Raina jumped up off the bed and flew into Logan’s arms. Their lips met, and she clutched him to her tightly. She couldn’t believe she had gotten so lucky. She had found her life’s purpose and her soul mate. Things like that didn’t happen to girls like her. Or at least, they hadn’t up until now. She reminded herself she had waited over two centuries for this to happen, and that maybe things like this did happen to girls like her after all, as long as they were willing to be patient. And boy, had she been patient.
16
Three Weeks Later
Raina stood by Logan’s side, her hand in his. His grip was tight, and she could feel the nerves coming off him. She felt a little nervous herself, and she wasn’t the one about to make a speech. The last time she had stood before Logan’s pack like this, with all eyes focused on her, had been two weeks ago, when she and Logan had completed the mating ceremony.
Noah, Chessa, Harvey, and Raina’s father had made the trip to District 18 to be there for the ceremony, and Raina had felt like her heart would burst with joy. Before the ceremony, she had sat down with Noah and told him she would always be a member of his pack while he was willing to have her. He had asked her how that could possibly work now that she was going to be mated to the leader of a different pack, and she had told him everything: how she and Logan were scouring the news channels and newspapers waiting for a sign of their next target, and how when it came, Logan was stepping down and going rogue. Noah had taken her hands in his and told her she was always welcome in his pack, and so was Logan.
That had been a huge weight off Raina’s mind. The eyes that had watched her walk to Logan and say her vows had been caught up in their joyous occasion, and Raina had been so happy that she had barely noticed them watching her then. This time, though, she felt every gaze on her.
Logan sque
ezed her hand, and she squeezed back, suddenly not caring that she was being watched. All she cared about was being with Logan.
“Attention, everyone, I have a serious announcement to make,” Logan said.
The pack stopped muttering and whispering among themselves and focused their full attention on him.
“As you know, I recently went to New York to meet my soul mate and bring her home to us,” he said. This got a cheer from the pack, and Raina couldn’t help but smile. “It is with a combination of great sadness and great excitement that I say this. I am stepping down as the alpha of the bear pack of District 18.”
Gasps and cries went up through the pack. Logan paused, giving them a minute to take in the news, and then he raised his hand again.
“As I said, it is with great sadness that I leave the pack, and I have given this much consideration, but it’s the right move for me. The excitement I feel comes from new beginnings. Raina and I will be traveling the world and taking in everything the world has to offer.”
More disgruntled cries came from the crowd, but more than a few cheers and calls of support came to them as well.
“My last responsibility as your alpha is to name the new alpha of the pack. I know you will all welcome him with open minds and open hearts and support him in the same way you supported me. Please kneel for your new alpha.”
The pack fell to their knees. Raina found Josh in the crowd. He wasn’t kneeling. He was standing, looking up at her and Logan and wearing a smug smile. His mission had always been to take the pack from Logan, and now, he thought he had won.
“Pack of District 18, your new alpha is Rory Williams,” Logan announced.
Raina didn’t bother to try to hide her smile as Josh’s face fell, and he joined the rest of the pack on his knees. Rory looked up from where he knelt at the front of the crowd, his face showing his confusion. Logan nodded to him with a warm smile and gestured for him to come to stand beside him. Rory got up and made his way to the front of the crowd.
“Rory has been my faithful beta for the last century, and you all know as well as I do that his heart lies with you all. I have no doubt in my mind that I’m making the right decision, and that Rory will lead this pack to greatness.” He turned to Rory. “My brother, my friend. It’s your time to shine. Lead the pack and elevate them to the greatness each and every one of them is capable of,” Logan said.
Rory beamed with pride and nodded his head.
“Rory Williams, do you accept this role?”
“I do,” Rory replied.
“Do you promise to put the pack’s needs above your own and govern in a fair and unbiased manner?”
“I do.”
“Do you promise to take on the responsibility of ensuring that no pack member is left behind?”
“I do.”
“Then it gives me great pleasure to announce that you, Rory Williams, are the alpha of the bear pack of District 18. May you live a long and fruitful life.”
Logan nodded to Raina, and she knelt before Rory. Logan knelt beside her. They gave Rory a minute to compose himself, and then Logan looked up and nodded at him.
“All rise,” Rory commanded. The pack, including Raina and Logan, got to their feet. “Thank you, Logan. I will do you proud, I swear,” he told Logan.
They shook hands, and Logan stepped off the stage, followed by Raina. He grinned at her. “Alicante it is, then.”
She returned his smile feeling the familiar stirring inside of herself when she looked into Logan’s eyes. They had found a pattern of missing women in the center of Alicante, and that was where they would find the next Matchmaker. It would be another dangerous pursuit, but with Logan at her side, Raina could do anything.
Epilogue
Brianna Lake walked briskly down the quiet street. Night was just starting to fall, and the shadows cast by the buildings were long and misshapen. This time of the evening had always been her favorite time. The temperature was always just right; not too hot and not too cold. It was also a good time to take a quiet, peaceful walk through the streets of New York. The day people, the tourists and the office workers, had mostly gone back to their hotels to change for the nighttime or their apartments to relax for the evening, and the night people weren’t out yet. They were most likely getting ready for a long night of fun.
Now, though, Brianna felt different. She glanced around herself warily, conscious of every doorway that could be hiding someone from her, jumping at every shadow, peering into it, trying to make out the facial features of someone watching her. Every car that passed her made her shrink back away from the road in case it came to a stop and someone tried to drag her into it.
Raina had told her that Chester’s people would disband and that they wouldn’t come looking for her, and she believed her. Raina had seemed genuine. But it didn’t stop the fear that plagued Brianna. If one Matchmaker had found her, then others could, too. Raina had assured her Chester would have paid the doctor to keep his mouth shut, but it had been three weeks since she had rescued her, and Brianna was starting to wonder what would happen when the payments to the doctor stopped now that Chester was dead. What if the doctor found someone else willing to pay good money for information?
Brianna had hoped the paranoia would pass, but if anything, it was only getting worse. She wished she had taken Raina’s number and could call her and ask for her advice, but she hadn’t, and it wasn’t like she could talk to anyone else about this.
This was the first evening since her rescue that Brianna had forced herself out into the streets. She had been out through the day, of course, when the sun was shining and the streets were crammed with tourists. She had felt safe as part of a crowd, but she craved the peace solitude brought her. She told herself if she made herself do this every night, she would relax again and come to enjoy the quiet streets.
She had quit her job working tables at a diner. She didn’t need the money anymore, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid working evening shifts forever. As for being a singer? Well, that was out of the question now. She couldn’t bear the thought of getting up on a stage in front of people, all the while wondering if any of them were out to grab her.
Brianna shook her head. She didn’t want to be a damned victim all her life. Even if she couldn’t be a singer, she had to find something else—something that would give her some sort of purpose. She had been given a second chance at life, and she fully intended to take it.
Her heart quickened up as she heard running footsteps behind her. She turned quickly, her hands raised to protect herself. Relief and embarrassment flooded her in equal measures when two teenaged boys gave her a strange look as they ran past her, laughing and shoving each other.
“This city is making me crazy,” Brianna whispered to herself. She had never said it out loud before now, but as she did, she knew the truth of it. She had to leave New York. She didn’t feel safe here anymore, and she didn’t think she ever would.
She brought two fingers to her lips and gave a loud whistle. She felt lighter now that the decision was made, and when a cab pulled up and she got in, she gave him her address in a jovial tone, no longer whispering and acting oddly while she tried to work out if the cabbie was a threat to her.
She didn’t have a passport, and she didn’t want to wait around while she applied for one, so she couldn’t leave the US, but it was a big place, and she had plenty of options to choose from. She sat back in her seat, looking out of the window, saying a silent goodbye to the streets of New York. She was going home one last time, where she would decide where to go. She didn’t want to waste another minute of her life living in fear, and she decided she would leave first thing in the morning.
* * *
LOVE THIS BOOK? READ ALL THE BOOKS IN THE DISTRICT SHIFTERS SERIES.
SECOND CHANCE ALPHA
WOLF’S SECRET
PROTECTED BY THE DRAGON
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Thank You
Thank you for reading my book. Readers like you make an author’s world shine. If you’ve enjoyed this book, or any other books by Lola Gabriel or another author, please don’t hesitate to review them on Amazon or Goodreads.
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Lola Gabriel
About the Author
Lola Gabriel loves reading and writing paranormal romances. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she has fond memories of retreating to the woods for long hikes. The towering evergreens, natural waterfalls, and soothing rain often set the scenery for her characters’ romantic encounters.
