Pack

Chapter Eighteen

I sat on the porch swing waiting for my pack.

Jonathan had called around noon. I'd never gotten to talk to him but he'd demanded an audience with Logan. Immediately.

After my earlier chat and make out session with Logan, I'd gone back inside to see Dean. When I tried to talk to him, he just ignored me and kept staring at my throat as if he wanted to rip Logan's mark right off it. Logan ended up having him put back in the cell and said he wasn't coming back out until Jonathan arrived. I wasn't happy about it but I couldn't blame Logan either.

I anxiously rocked back and forth on the porch swing. Logan and his betas had left a few minutes ago to meet my pack at the border of his territory. I hoped the two packs could behave enough not to start some sort of fight on the property line. With Dean's uninvited appearance yesterday, if Jonathan and the rest of the pack didn't behave themselves, Logan wouldn't lose any sleep over telling them all to get lost.

I shot to my feet at the sound of car tires crunching over gravel. Logan's black Range Rover pulled up the drive first, followed by Jonathan's van and Bo's white truck.

Before I had a chance to take a step down off the porch, the van's door flew open and Scout jumped out. He bounded across the lawn in quick steps and straight up the porch stairs. Wrapping his arms around me, he picked me up. "Avery." He twirled me around. "I was so freaked out." He put me down, but didn't let go. "I'm so sorry. I should have protected you better." He stepped back and his eyes immediately found Logan's mark. He stared at it for a few breathless seconds before his eyes lifted to meet mine. A flash of fear crossed his face.

I was about to start making up excuses, when the sound of doors opening caught my attention. I looked over his shoulder as Jace, Colt and Cal all jumped out of the van. Unlike Scout, they waited until Jonathan had climbed out of the passenger seat. The three of them circled him tightly as he made his way to the porch.

Logan and his betas also got out of their trucks to make their way toward us. Logan's eyes latched onto me, while his betas watched the others.

"Avery." A relieved smile lifted the corners of Jonathan's mouth as he wrapped his arms around me

I nestled my head against his chest, breathing him in. He held me for longer than I'd expected. Considering I'd never hugged him before, I thought it would feel strange, like hugging a great uncle or something, but his scent was comforting. Bizarre, since I hadn't known him very long and not under the greatest circumstances. I let him hold me and listened as he sniffed my hair as he did. This was only the quiet before the storm. I would get a good tongue lashing about disobeying his orders, but at the moment, I didn't care. For the first time ever, he actually felt like my father.

Releasing me, a look of relief lit up his face. The look of contentment faded fast, though. His eyes moved over me and stopped dead on my throat.

He spun around so fast my eyes had a hard time tracking the movement. His head jerked back and forth, looking for something, before he froze. His shoulders rose as his body hunched forward. I looked past him to see Logan strolling toward us, as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"You!" Jonathan yelled, taking a step down off the porch. Ryan and Bo stepped in front of Logan but he waved them off. "How dare you mark my daughter!"

Logan smirked. "Guess she's mine now too, huh?"

Silence filled the space around us. Everyone stooped down slightly, their shoulders rising as they assumed a fight position. Jace took a couple stalking steps toward the porch, his eyes not leaving Ryan and Bo. Colt and Cal moved closer to Keith and Darryl. Scout grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.