An Alpha's Revenge

Leaving

Logan was noticeably absent when the entire pack gathered around the fire pit. Zander and Will had lit a raging fire that spit and crackled loudly, sending tiny tendrils of flaming sparks into the air.

Despite the raging heat from the flame, the air was frosty. The rest of J's pack had taken the sight of her neck about as well as Saf had. They were all alternating between glaring at her neck and avoiding looking at her altogether. No one seemed surprised that Logan was absent, no one seemed to care.

J's wolf was growing restless, not liking the atmosphere with her pack and worrying for Logan and where he was.  "Saf, Jonathon, tell us what you found."

The two of them shared a look that J couldn't read before explaining what had happened with Saf and the she-alpha.

"So you mean, she threw herself off of the balcony?" Zander asked, leaning forwards to snag a bag of Cheetos off of the ground where Callie and Caleb had dumped a pile of snacks earlier.

Saf nodded as she bit into a piece of bread. "Yup, just went straight over and now the alpha thinks I did it because she basically set me up. I now understand why she'd been so difficult with me in front of him. So now, I'm trying to find out who took the she-wolf in the first place. If we can do that – and work out why, then maybe we can get to the bottom of the rogue wolves."

"There's a bounty on her head." Jonathon interrupted, earning him a glare from Saf.

"Jonathon. Will you shut up." Saf snapped, smacking him on the arm.

Jonathon smiled wide, like the fool he was. "What?" he asked innocently, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I just think it's important for your alpha to know..."

"She's not my alpha. This is not my pack, and you are not my mate." She yelled in frustration, eyes rolling up to the sky before settling on Jonathon, anger radiating from her.

"You keep telling yourself that." Jonathon whispered conspiratorially.

She growled in response and then blushed as she remembered they had an audience. J watched the way Jonathon looked at Saf and knew that he had fallen hook, line and sinker for her.

A bounty on Saf's head.

J's wolf flashed to the surface at that. The idea that someone had put a bounty on the head of her friend...her wolf growled and fought to be released – to hunt, to kill, to-

The anger stalled and flickered away as Logan's scent washed over them, somehow making its way through the heavy stench of the fire. J froze as the rest of the pack looked over her shoulder and watched in a stony silence as he walked towards them.

He paused just outside of the circle they'd formed and waited. J slowly turned around, forcing herself to drag her eyesight up and up and up until they met his eyes, his sorrowful eyes. She knew the pain she'd find in them, knew they'd be laced with guilt but that didn't mean she wanted to see it.

"Logan." She whispered but his eyes had already darted down to the fading yellow-green bruising on her neck. Instantly his whole demeanour changed, his wolf rioting against his skin in anger. A growl slid past his lips and his wolf filled his eyes, he took a step towards her – J flinched.

She didn't see them move. Didn't ask for it. Yet within a blink, the entire Black Oath pack – and Saf – had formed a shield in front of her, each of them with their wolves in their eyes and posture.

J jumped to her feet and tried to push past them to calm everyone down, Logan's growling intensified, his wolf not happy at being barred from seeing his mate, but her pack doing it for her protection – keeping him from her as they perceived him as a danger to their alpha.

It tore J's heart in two, because despite it all – despite her love for Logan and even for her pack, she was scared. Terrified of her own mate. And even though the pack were only making things worse and only serving to anger Logan even further, she was so relieved that they were there – that they'd stopped him from getting close to her. She had to remember, it wasn't just about her anymore.

Their growling intensified as Logan began to rage. Saf glanced over her shoulder at J in fear and surprise. She hadn't known how bad Logan was, J wasn't sure that any of them really knew.

"Enough!" J's voice carried across their packlands, silencing everyone – even Logan. "Everyone sit down and shut up, now."

Reluctantly, her pack and Saf followed her instructions, but Logan remained where he was, his eyes blaring with the heat of the fire. He looked more human now than he had, Logan in control of the wolf for a moment, maybe two.

"I'm leaving." He said, so simply that J wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.

"You're what?" she snapped, taking a step towards him, earning her a warning growl from her pack.

Logan's face fell and softened and J was reminded of the night before when he'd knelt on the bed and glared at his own hands; broken, guilty.

"I-I, I'm leaving." He repeated, as though only just realising what he'd said.

J's chest tightened and ached and she took a heavy step towards him. "But, you can't. Logan, you can't. If you go, you'll only turn rogue quicker – I can't do this without you, I-"

He slowly looked up at her, his eyes glistening with tears. As his gaze travelled over her neck, he visibly recoiled. "I can't stay Jos'. I'm putting you in danger. I can't do it."

"But you're my mate." She hated the whine in her tone, but hated him even more. Despite her protest, she knew from the bottom of her heart and from the pit in her belly that he was right.

"I love you. I will always love you, but until my head is sorted out, I can't be here."

"Where will you go?" she asked quietly.

"Not far." Logan dropped his head and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "If I'm honest, my wolf is probably going to camp outside of your packlands and watch you, but we both know I can't be here at the moment. I can't be this close to you right now."

'Your' packlands. J shook her head, she'd bought him here to make him better not to unseat him as alpha and then have him exiled.

"But I need you." She mumbled, becoming very aware of the audience they had.

Logan took another step towards her and when she didn't flinch, he took another and then another until he stood right on front of her, hands lingering in the air as if afraid to touch her. Slowly, he brought his hand up to cup her face and brushed a stray tear. "You've never needed me, Jos'. But I need you, always will, and right now I'm the biggest threat there is to you. Your pack are right..."

'Your' pack. A little piece of J's heart withered.

"...I am a danger and I shouldn't be near you. So I'll be out there," he motioned with his head to the forest, "watching you, as always. I will not be far but I can't be this close." He sighed and his voice broke, J knew that if she looked into his eyes, she'd find him crying. She kept her gazed fixed on the floor and stilled as he leaned into her and planted a soft, chaste kiss on her forehead. "Good bye Jos'."

She didn't watch him leave. Couldn't bring herself to do so. When she felt arms wrap around her and the familiar scent of Saf wash over her, she buried her face into her friend's shoulder. She didn't want him to go. She knew he'd get worse without his mate, without his pack, but she couldn't risk it – couldn't risk him. Everything had changed since they'd returned to Black Oath territory – she had changed – and things would never be the same again.

"It'll be alright, J." Saf promised, as her pack surrounded her, each placing a hand on her shoulder or back. "Everything's going to alright."

J didn't believe that for a second.

*
A/N
More tomorrow...