Page 33 of Defiance
“What are you going to do?” Aaron asked, and Logan had no fucking idea.
Claiming a new pack member was done in front of the betas, team leaders, all of his new pack, and usually the candidate liaisons. But Cole hadn’t joined in the usual way. “The circumstances are vastly different this time though,” Logan thought aloud, and Aaron hummed in agreement. “Members of his new team died trying to get him back. Are the rest of them ready for a formal welcome into our pack?” Logan couldn’t imagine that going down well. “It’d be like pouring salt into old wounds.”
“I guess you’re right. And he’s still under lockdown too.” Aaron walked over to the fridge and helped himself to a beer. “Want one?” Logan nodded. “Maybe he’ll just go ahead welcoming the other successful candidates and leave Cole for later.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Logan was a big fan of waiting. He’d be happy if it never happened.
“Well, let’s hope that’s the case. Maybe you’ll have a better handle on your emotions by then.”
Logan scowled. “Fuck off. I’m not that bad.” At Aaron’s raised eyebrows, he added, “I can let my guard down here because there’s no one watching or listening. I wouldn’t be like that in public.”
Aaron looked less than convinced, and Logan didn’t blame him. He only half-believed it himself.
Glancing out the window, Logan focused on the sun sitting low in the sky. It would be dark in a couple of hours. The moon was no doubt visible if you knew where to look. Logan felt its pull, even now, away from the full moon. A low-level hum stealing through his veins. “Let’s shift,” he said, the urge to run in wolf form growing quickly.
“Now?” Aaron spared a look out the window, and Logan caught the spark of excitement in his eyes.
“Yeah. I want to feel the evening sun on my fur.” Guilt hit him as he thought of Cole, locked away in the flat, but he ignored it. Nothing he could do would change that, and for both their sakes he needed to burn off some of the tension coiled inside him. Needed to find that inner calm only his wolf could give him. Fixing pleading eyes on Aaron, he lowered his voice. “Please. I need this.”
Aaron nodded. “Yeah, okay.” Then his face fell. “Shit.We can’t.” He groaned. “We’re banned for two weeks. Remember?”
Logan slumped against the counter, disappointed and frustrated. How had he forgotten about their punishment? “Fucking Simon.”
Aaron nudged his shoulder. “It’s only for two weeks. It’ll fly by.”
“Course it will.” Logan shook his head and took a long pull from his bottle.
He had a feeling the next fourteen days were going to feel like forever.
Both for them and Cole.
* * *
The next morningthey arrived at Cole’s flat to find him alone this time.
He greeted them cheerfully enough, all things considered, and after coffee and a little small talk, they made a start on pack history. Logan made a conscious effort to keep his distance. If Cole noticed a difference in his behaviour, he didn’t let it show.
The day after followed the same routine, and the day after that, but by the fourth morning, Cole’s greeting was anything but cheery.
He met them at the door with a scowl and muttered, “Morning,” as he stepped back to let them inside.
Logan stopped to take a good look at him. Haggard was the word that sprung to mind, which was an achievement considering his advanced healing capabilities. Dark shadows underlined his eyes. His hair stood up on end like he’d had his fingers constantly in it, stubble covered his jaw, and he was still in his pyjamas. “Everything all right?”
“Yep.” It came out curt with an emphasis on the p.
Obviously no, then.
“Were you up all night?”
Cole sank into the sofa with a sigh. “Most of it.”
“Why?”
Aaron helped himself to a coffee and brought one for Logan too.
“Thanks.” Logan took it from him and then focused back on Cole. “Why didn’t you sleep?”
Scrubbing both hands through his hair and gripping the ends, Cole’s frustration was clear to see. “Fuck, where to start?”
