The Monsters We Hide

Chapter 16

I woke up and heard Lukas and Logan talking downstairs. I couldn't make out their words but I could hear their laughter every now and then. I got up, slid my shoes on and walked down the stairs slowly. I was glad that the pounding headache had eased because it had hurt. I was never drinking again.

        When I got down, Logan was already looking at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back and I enjoyed looking at his straight white teeth. I remembered the toe curling kiss from this morning and I finally had to admit it to myself. My walls were breaking down. I was letting him in, just like I said I wouldn't. 

       I turned my eyes towards Lukas, his brother, and marveled at how they looked so much alike. They both had the same black hair and tanned skin, and they were both undeniably gorgeous. 

       The only difference was that Lukas's eyes were a different color. They were still strange, but they weren't the icy blue that Logan's were. Lukas's eyes were an incredibly vivid, green jewel color. They were oddly attractive but I still liked Logan's eyes.

       "Good afternoon Sunshine," Lukas greeted me. I smiled and nodded once. I could easily tell that Lukas was the more playful one. He had a strange energy about him. Logan was more serious and brooding, but he had a softer side to him that he didn't really let other people see.

        "Um, I'm ready to go, whenever you are," I told Logan. He narrowed his eyes a little with a concerned look on his face. 

        "Are you sure?" 

        "Yeah. My parents are probably worried and you have your whole Alpha duty stuff going on. Besides, I should be with my family on my birthday I guess." 

        He nodded and Lukas spoke up. "I didn't know it was your birthday today. Happy birthday. How old are you turning," he asked. I smirked and said "Haven't you heard? It's rude to ask a woman her age." He smiled and chuckled a little but I continued. "I'm kidding. I don't mind. I'll be twenty-four."

        Logan stood up and Lukas followed suit, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "You're twenty-four yet a beautiful woman like you isn't mated yet? That's a shame," he said. Logan shot him a warning look which he ignored. 

         "Come on. Let's get you home," Logan said. I nodded and walked to the door, which he held open for me. "It was nice meeting you Shyanne," Lukas called from behind me. I turned and smiled at him. "You too," I said.

        Logan walked me to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me. He started the car and drove towards the pack house.

        "So, I thought of a way to get you out of the mating ceremony," he said. I looked at him, feeling a small hope. "Since I'm alpha," he continued. "I could just say that I don't approve of the forced mating and then you're free." I felt a huge smile break out on my face. 

        "Please do that! I don't want to spend my life with a cheating douchebag," I said. He chuckled and nodded. "Okay. Whatever you want princess," he said softly. Now I didn't have to mate with Gage. My parents couldn't go against the alpha which meant that I was free from Gage.

         "Hey," I said, turning back to him. "What was that completely crazy thing that you were going to tell me this morning." His breath caught and he glanced at me. 

         "Uh… are you sure you wanna know," he asked. His question only made me more curious. I nodded and he took a deep breath and then pulled into a parking of an old store. He parked the car and turned to face me. "Please don't hate me again or think I'm stupid or whatever. What I'm about to tell you is the complete truth, whether you want to hear it or not."

        My curiosity wasn't just sparking. It was an electrical current running through my body. I waited for him to continue and he scanned my face for a few seconds. "You're my mate." My mouth opened in surprise. That was the last thing I was expecting him to say. Was he serious? 

        "Are you serious," I asked. 

        "Lycans don't joke about there mates and I would never lie to you," he said. His expression was serious and I realize that he's never lied to me, which meant that he was telling the truth. Logan may seem dangerous and intimidating, but lying is not one of his characteristics. 

        "How long have you known," I asked.

        "Ever since the day we got suspended. When your necklace broke, I felt the connection, which is also another thing we need to talk about, but I think that should wait," he said. I wanted to ask now, but if he said to wait, then that meant he would tell me about it later. 

         "Okay," I said indifferently. He cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "'Okay'? That's it? No big freak out thing? No surprised look," he asked. I smiled at him. I was glad this pull towards him was finally explained. 

         Mom told me that when werewolves found their soulmate, the connection was always on both sides, which explained the undeniable attraction that I had been fighting against. It was also a rare thing to find your soulmate. That's why most packs had arranged marriages or just chose someone that they liked well enough to spend their life with.

        "No. I'm just glad you told me. Now I know why I feel this weird connection to you. Now I can move on with my life," I said. His face fell a little and I added "With you, of course. Move on with you." 

        Surprise took over the joy on his face and he said, "Really?" I laughed and nodded. His eyebrows scrunched together. "But I thought you hated me," he said.

        "I did in the beginning, but I've always felt connected to you and I tried to fight it. But now… I realize that you're not as bad or tough as you try to seem. I gave up trying to fight the way I feel about you when you asked if we could be friends. So now that I know you feel the same, then I don't have to worry about anything else."

         He smiled the big, bright smile that I loved so much. "So does that mean we can be together?" I nodded, not even trying to hide the big, goofy smile that reflected his. 

         He unbuckled his seatbelt and walked quickly around the car. He opened the passenger door and unbuckled my seatbelt the pulled me out of the car. I stood in front of him, wondering what he was doing, when he grabbed my face gently between his large hands and pulled my mouth to his, crushing our lips together. I reached up and locked my fingers together around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground. He started spinning and I pulled my mouth from his, laughing at how he was acting.

         The people walking on the sidewalk were looking at us like we were crazy, but some of the women seemed to smile at the crazy couple. 

         "She's mine," Logan looked over at the humans walking around town and they all stopped to look at us. "She finally wants me after I've been chasing her forever," he said dramatically. I laughed and said "Please stop. This is embarrassing." He smiled at me and kissed me again, finally setting me down on the ground. The people around us started clapping and I could hear a couple of cheers. This man is so crazy, I mused.

        Honestly, I was just as happy as he was on the inside, but I wasn't going to show it outwardly like he did. "Let's go home," he whispered against my lips. I nodded and we walked back to the car and the crowd slowly dispersed. 

        He pulled out of the lot and took my hand across the console. He tightened his grip and locked our fingers together, like he was never letting me go. To be honest, I didn't really want him to. Now we just have to tell my parents, but I'd worry about that later on.