Logan didn't know if he should calm down or not, he was angry at the disrespect but then in all honesty, the Alpha had a reason to be paranoid, it just didn't make sense that he would jump to a conclusion like that.
For all Logan could care, Lucas's hold on his pack was too sloppy. Even though he hasn't spent much time in the pack, he could see a lot of loopholes but he didn't press on it or even brood on it. Being accused of conniving with filthy creature didn't sit well with him though, so he decided to stay mad
"Wait, am I the only one who caught the rogue scent?" he asked as he looked around just as Elias was getting settled in the space beside Arthur, who was releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding
"The horses are closer, a whistle will get them here in fifteen seconds, and the shortcut is still active, we can go through there," Elias said to Arthur who managed to keep a straight face as he mouthed
"Looks like the scent is completely off Alpha Logan"
"Really?" Elias asked considering the odds. He reasoned that the scent was faint before they entered the room but then, in very close proximity, it could still be perceived, unless the breeze was enough to send the rest of it out
But before Arthur could reply to Elias, Logan spoke up
"Did anyone else catch a rogue's scent off of me?" he asked his voice still low and menacing
After a few seconds of silence, Logan concluded that he was going to make it sound like Lucas was being delusional
"Goddess," Lucas said as he flared his nostril, heaved a sigh, and looked at Logan apologetically "I guess I was mistaken," he said and Logan internally shook his head at how stupid Lucas was, while also adding his pack to the list of packs he'll be taking over soon
"You guess? Do you think such little words are going to help this situation? You accused me Alpha Lucas" Logan said shaking his head
"Well, it isn't entirely my fault, I was on the edge because the incident's timing was so weird, and then I caught the scent unexpectedly, it is only normal I think that way, we both know your reputation" Lucas countered
"You know my reputation but you couldn't think that I wouldn't do such? You couldn't even calm down and ask about the situation on the ground? You know what, no long talks, deals off" Logan said clearing the table of the contract paper, his pen and ink
"Wait Alpha Logan, it's not that serious!" Lucas said, hands in the air, thinking about how Logan was being unreasonable "Wait" he said before rushing to block Logan's path
"Don't tell me what to do Alpha Lucas, I've been calm enough," he said, sending a glare straight at Lucas who once again felt a tremble down his spine
He hated Logan's guts and power but then he needs the deal to work out. He had planned a lot of things on the revenue it was going to generate, and he couldn't afford to lose it all now, so in the wake of all this, he stood his ground and didn't move, all while making sure his facial expression doesn't give off anything but apologetic
He was also grateful no one else, especially his Beta was there to witness the scenario
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, knowing very well he sounded like he was at Logan's mercy but still hoped it would rub his ego enough to consider him
"Nothing, now if you'll excuse me," Logan said before stepping to the side, hoping to evade Lucas's roadblock but Lucas immediately got in front of him again
'Just how rude is this stupid man?' Logan growled internally
If his calculation was right, he guessed he has used close to an hour, out of his two-hour time frame, from walking back to the pack's clearing to the small talks and the dramatic moments, he still has to confirm with Elias if he knows how he could get around the pack and after confirmation, get his ass there, all in thirty minutes, that's too short of a time for this Alpha to waste!
With the look on Logan's face, Lucas could feel the opportunity that came to his doorstep sliding away from his hands, so he did what his brain thought of next
"I'll take the fifteen percent," he said eagerly, looking from Elias to Arthur and then to Logan who had the same expression he had on his face before, as if he didn't hear what he said
"And I already said the deal is off the table" Logan replied curtly, letting his frustration show in his voice
"Alpha Logan come on, try and see this from my end," Lucas said, desperation slowly making its way out of its cave
"Funny how I remember saying the same words before now, anyways, I'm not ready to strike a deal with an alpha that can't concretely comprehend a situation and above all, disrespects me," Logan said, once again sidestepping Lucas and this time, it worked, he successfully got out of the roadblock and made it out of the meeting room, with Elias and Arthur in tow
"Eli" he called the moment he saw the situation of the sky directly "The downpour is closer than I thought"
"Yes Alpha" Eli replied and before Logan could speak any further, Lucas came rushing out of the room, his face full of newly found hope
"I'll take twelve percent," Lucas said, face up with a bit of anticipation, he hoped that his dropping his bid lower would make Logan consider leaving the offer on the table
'Sodding snake' Logan thought to himself with a slight shake of his head, thinking about how the bid started at thirty percent and now it has made its way down to twelve percent
Suddenly, he felt like he had a good luck charm from meeting his rogue mate, after all, if her scent didn't linger on him, Lucas wouldn't have perceived it and flared up, and he would have had to give him twenty percent of the total profit
"I'll pass, thank you," Logan said dismissively, knowing for a fact that more could still come from his strong headedness, after all, if Lucas could lower it to twelve, that meant he knew the worth of the deal and would do anything to get it
"Come on, you also need this deal to work, I'll throw in a few more catches" Lucas said after seeing that Logan didn't budge "I'll increase the manpower and still maintain the twelve percent profit," he said, and that catch Logan's attention
"Increment by how many percent?" Logan asked while trying to maintain his stoic expression but his response made Lucas happy as he finally saw an opening
"Five percent, any more than that and twelve percent won't be enough," Lucas said and Logan nodded his head as if thinking if he still wanted to strike the deal or not, but in truth, he already took the deal, it is more than what he would've gotten anywhere else
"Okay then," Logan said with a firm nod, looked to Arthur who was carrying the contract, and signals that he passed it to him
"Do you need to draft another contract?" Lucas asked as he looked between Logan and Arthur who was bringing out the contract from a leather pack
"No, I don't have time for that," he said as he collected the contract from Arthur
"Oh, okay," Lucas said, looking from his guards to Logan's men
"Just write the new deal attachment and then sign, there's space for that," Logan said handing over the contract and ink to Lucas who started feeling his khaki pants for his pen but couldn't find it
"Mind lending me your pen?" he asked and Logan rolled his eyes
"Arthur," he said, as a silent command for the man to pass a pen to Lucas
"Thanks," Lucas said, after collecting the pen
"Instead of signing, thumbprint, it makes it more credible," Logan said and Lucas didn't complain or utter a word, he was just grateful he got the deal even though it was way lower than what he wanted initially
After signing the contract, he passed the paper to Logan who also thumb-printed printed and then Logan passed it to Arthur who kept it safe
"I'll send the bird soon," Logan said as he shook Lucas's hand "You don't have to see us off," he said, more like a silent command, and even though Lucas felt a bit offended at the tone, he decided to suck it in still and watch Logan and his men walk off
"The scent," Arthur said when he was sure they were well out of earshot
"Yes, I know," Logan said as he heaved a sigh
"Which brings me to the question, Elias, do you know how I can get to the back of this territory's lane without alerting the guards?"
"You would have to race it on foot, but the chances of not getting caught are slim" Elias answered, without questioning his Alpha
"Alpha Logan, what's going on" Arthur asked his friend
"I'll explain later, give me the description"