Page 63 of Defiance
Would it change anything between them? Would Cole still feel the same about what they were trying to do here? Logan had never thought that was something they had to worry about, but none of them knew if or how Michael’s bite would change Cole’s attitude. Instinct was a powerful thing, and as a shifter, especially a newly bitten one, there wasn’t much stronger than the instinct to please your alpha.
Logan took another drink before voicing his concerns. “Do you remember when you were first bitten?”
Aaron smiled. “Yeah. I’d been so excited, right up until I saw his huge bloody fangs, and then I shit myself.”
Logan had been a lot younger when Michael had bitten him. “I remember being so overwhelmed with everything I alternated between wanting to run all over everywhere and hiding in my room.” In those days, Michael had been funny, warm, and a source of comfort when Logan had been scared of the new sensations flooding his body. “I wanted to please him so fucking badly, I made a right arse of myself at first.” He’d soon grown out of it, and after the uprising... well, his admiration for his alpha had changed significantly.
Aaron frowned, obviously realising where Logan was going with this. “You think Cole’s going to have a change of heart?” He didn’t look convinced.
“No, I—” Logan huffed, frustrated with himself. “I don’t know what I think.”
Aaron took him by the hand and tugged him into the living area. “Sit.”
Logan did as he was told.
“Being bitten by Michael should have an effect on Cole, maybe give him a sense of belonging he didn’t have before. Our pack should feel like his, and Michael should feel like his alpha.” He took a seat in the chair opposite Logan. “But it won’t erase his memories. It won’t change his core beliefs that how he came to be a shifter, a part of our pack, is fundamentally wrong. Michael’s bite won’t brainwash him.”
When put like that, Logan felt like such an idiot. “Sorry.” Slumping back against the sofa cushions, he closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m overreacting. I know.” He played with the label on his beer bottle. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
Aaron raised an eyebrow because they both knew exactly what the problem was.
I want to bite him.
“Whatever.” Logan drained the rest of his beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. “What I really need to do is run.” Just the thought of shifting and racing across damp grass set his skin tingling. “How long till we can?”
“Five days until we can shift.” Aaron said, but his eyes sparkled with something that spelt trouble. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t run.” Logan groaned. “You promised.”
“But I hate running.”
“How can you hate running on two legs when you love doing it on four?” Aaron looked at him like he was crazy.
“I don’t know, it’s different.” It didn’t give him the same rush, running in human form.
“Different or not, it’ll get rid of some of that energy bouncing around your veins. Something you need if today was anything to go by.”
“Extenuating circumstances.”
Aaron softened his voice, and Logan sighed, accepting the inevitable. “There’ll always be something to test your resolve where Cole’s concerned. You need to be calm for his sake and yours. And this will help.Trust me.”
That wasn’t fair.
He trusted Aaron with his life.
And he knew it judging by his smug smile.
“Fine.”
Twenty minutes later Logan found himself watching Aaron’s back as he sped off towards the trees laughing.
“I thought we were going on three!” Logan raced after him, grumbling about dirty cheaters, and suddenly remembered that it wasn’t running he hated.
It was running withAaron.
* * *
Paul’s teamtrained every day.
The only concession they made to weekends was to cut training to two hours in the morning, with the rest of the day off.
