"I bet the pack members are now scared shitless wondering if they are safe," Logan said as he took in the situation of his surroundings, men, women, and children scattered everywhere, and while some looked worried, some looked indifferent
'Why has no one thought of taking over this pack? It feels so weak' he thought briefly, but then, war isn't also on his bucket list so he dismissed the thought before it got grounded
He had always made it his job not to interfere with another pack's problem so he took his eyes off the people and faced his men
"Why don't you guys stay here," he said, giving his men a stern look
"Alert me when Alpha Lucas comes back while I take a stroll," he said and after Arthur and Elias nodded their heads in approval, he walked away from them and in the opposite direction
He didn't know why Alpha Lucas suggested that he should walk around his pack since most Alphas are cautious around one another and most definitely don't want another Alpha to know the layout of their pack but he appreciated it either way.
He allowed him to see just how beautiful and crowded his pack was, he loved the fact that he had many people he was taking care of and how neatly arranged the houses are
He had been to many packs and he knew just how scattered some pack layouts are
After walking for a while, he came to the end of the lane he was walking through and as he saw the woods in front of him, he had the sudden urge to let his wolf out and run.
No matter how huge the urge is, he knows how forbidden that is and he knows breaking that rule is like declaring war so instead of following his urges, he decides to walk instead.
The deeper he went, the bigger the urge and he knew it was only long before he couldn't control it and his wolf would come out so he increased his pace instead
Before he knew it, he came face to face with the iron mesh which signified that he was already at the end of the pack's perimeters. On their own accord, his legs moved towards the left and he walked until he came to a part of the mesh which has blood around it
He couldn't describe how he felt as he saw the blood, he couldn't tell if it was anger or pain all he knows is that the blood's presence didn't sit well with him
As he scrutinized the blood's location, he noticed that the mesh wasn't in the same position as the others like it was curvy instead of straight so he instinctively pushed the mesh, and it gave a brief opening before closing back…
That was when he realized there was a loophole. He ran his fingers around the edge of where it seemed like the loophole was inflicted and he saw that there were a few twists and knots, he untied the knots and loosened the twist, pushed the mesh, and like its paper, the mesh fell
Before moving forward, he looked around him to be sure there wasn't anybody around and after he was sure enough, he walked outside of the pack's perimeter and deeper into the woods
In seconds he caught a whiff of a scent that drew him in
It smelled like rain and cloves mixed with a few berries
All he could think of as he assessed the scent while his legs were in motion was that he wanted more. He wanted to breathe in the scent daily, wake up next to the scent, and have it next to him while he goes to sleep
After walking for more seconds, he stopped and in his presence was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She couldn't be more than 5'8, she had blonde long hair that looked like they were shining and blue eyes that pierced directly into his soul and the words that his wolf had been aching to hear so much for a very long time came spilling from her mouth in seconds
"Mate," she said and he couldn't deny it but he couldn't say it back
He has finally found his mate after long years of not searching but who would have thought that the moon goddess would bestow upon him a rogue? Especially one who breaks into territories and steals?
He knew she was the one who stole because of the blood on her arm, where her clothes tore
Truth is no matter how much his wolf wanted the she-wolf fated to him; he couldn't accept this woman.
She is beautiful; no doubt, she makes his heart race that is for sure but she isn't part of any pack, she is a criminal, a rogue who was sent out of her pack for a reason and now committing another crime which would lead to her death in another
Aside from the fact that she is a rogue, she is no doubt wanted by Alpha Lucas, learning that this woman is his mate would only give the man the upper hand and he might not be able to say no to his twenty-five percent demand so he did the most reasonable thing he could think of which definitely against his wolf's feeling
"I Logan Shredder reject you as my mate," he said staring deep into her blue eyes with his own greenish red, the red pigment because his wolf wanted so badly to come out and he couldn't push him back in
He could feel Alaric's pain but that couldn't stop him, he had to think of the future, and the consequences
'No one should ever know about this' he told his wolf who growled in response
"Wait, what?" the lady said and her angelic voice almost softened his resolve to the extent that he had to shake his head vigorously to keep Alaric and himself in place
The bond isn't broken and he knows why, which leads him to his next question
"What's your name?" he asked and the lady looked at him with a funny expression on her face, one he interpreted as her not being able to process what he was saying so he continued "I should do this right don't you think?" he asked and in a matter of seconds, tears rushed down her face
It shocked him how her tears made him feel hurt but he couldn't stop there. It made his heart ache and he felt a twinge of pain but he couldn't jeopardize his goals so he pestered her for her name
"This pain would only stop when this bond is broken so let's just do the needful" he managed to say as he involuntarily moved closer to her with one step before he stopped himself
"And how is that the needful?" she asked as she roughly cleaned her tears while glaring at him, a glare that could have killed him if only glares can
"I don't want a mate. I don't need one" he said giving his incomplete reason
It isn't a lie that he doesn't need a mate, after all, he has survived a whole twenty-eight wolf years without one but that he doesn't want one; is a lie. Of course, he wants to feel the intimacy that everyone around him has been talking about
And if the intimacy is accompanied by the feeling in his chest right now, he most definitely wants it
"Every male needs a mate, just as every female needs a mate, that's just the drill," she said with a roll of her eyes and he stifled a smile
'Attraction isn't something you should feel right now' he made a mental note
"That's because you haven't met me, I'm an Alpha; I'm strong enough to be alone," he said in reply to her smart words, and the way her eyes bulged, he could tell she was shocked, just as he was shocked she's a rogue and then slowly, an expression which reads realization crept on her face
"Oh," she started as she shook her head "No wonder you're rejecting me" she stated and he raised his eyebrows in confusion
"What do you mean?" he asked as he stared at her, wondering what was going on in her head
"I mean it's obvious," she said with a scoff while she looked up
"You're rejecting me because I'm a filthy rogue who smells like shit," she said, a twinge of sadness in her voice as she looked down. He so badly wanted to tell her that she didn't have the rogue scent or maybe he just wasn't perceiving it since she's his mate but he said something else
"I would be lying if I said that isn't reason, but you just have to accept the rejection"
"You know what? I Abelia Cassius accept you Logan Shredder as my mate" she said walking closer to him while maintaining eye contact and leaving almost no space between them
He felt as if something, like a rope, which was tied around his heart, was being pulled tighter
Her name sounded beautiful and the joy his wolf felt at her words would have made the moment almost magical if he hadn't been in a conflict with himself
"What are you doing?" he said as he searched her eyes, not knowing what he was looking for
"What you should be doing, Alpha," she said, and the way the word Alpha rolled off her tongue made a little of his self-control snap as his gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips
"I shouldn't…" he trailed off for a second before he drew himself away from his thoughts and back to reality
"Why don't you come back here when your mind is settled?" she said with a small smile on her face as she stepped backward and he welcomed the fresh air he got from the space
"When your thoughts aren't clouded with destructive things and it is focused on important things" she completed
"Right now, my mind is focused on the important things," he said with his eyes trained on her and a little shake of his head
"If it is then come back when your mind is focused on the destructive things," she said with a wink
"I'll meet you at this spot in exactly two hours, mind you, keep in mind that not accepting me would only lead to regrets," she said before she turned around and walked away leaving behind a confused Alpha Logan Shredder