It had been two weeks since Logan had left my territory without saying a word. I saw the regret and disappointment in his eyes as he pulled himself off the ground, turned and just walked away.
Part of me had wanted to run after him, but I knew I couldn't. He had come to my house, announced he was organising another whipping, punched my friend, and then left; without another word.
It was all I had thought about. I didn't understand and I was afraid I never would. Would I be able to live with myself not knowing what he meant?
My heart and wolf longed to see Logan again, and deep down I was hoping his wolf was feeling the same.
"Well, you two look like you're having fun," laughed my mother as she walked into the kitchen, gazing at Theo and I as we stood by the oven, covered in flour.
"He threw it first," I said, flicking Theo on the forehead, causing him to laugh and scrunch his nose up dramatically.
My mother shook her head, laughing. "Who would have thought I had two twenty year olds standing in my kitchen?"
"Being an adult is boring Maggie," said Theo, flashing a cheeky grin.
I shook my head, hiding my smile. My mother and Theo were on first name basis, meaning Theo had definitely been spending way too much time at my house. I would almost completely forget about Logan when Theo was around.
He brought me to tears with laughter on a daily basis, but he was mature and serious when he needed to be. I had never had a friend like him. I was more than grateful for Theo coming into my life, especially during a time like this.
"We'll clean it up, don't worry Mom," I said, waving her away, leaving Theo and I alone in the messy kitchen.
"Maybe we're not the best chefs in the world, but I can tell these cupcakes are going to be bomb!" cheered Theo, gazing down at my smiling face.
I found myself gazing back into his deep emerald green eyes, getting lost in the algae coloured orbs.
Theo smiled softly, wiping off a smudge of flour from my forehead.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, dropping my gaze and turning towards one of the kitchen cupboards. Pulling it open, I took out a dustpan and brush, passing it to Theo. "Cleaning time."
Theo was wonderful. It was a fact I couldn't deny, but I wasn't sure what was going on in my mind and I knew better than add to the mix with another guy. I hated how I couldn't stop thinking about Logan.
I wanted to just forget, but I couldn't. There was always something pulling me back, making me ask questions that I didn't really want the answers to.
"You going to help or are you just going to stand there?" asked Theo, waving his hand right in front of my face in an attempt to pull me out of my daydream.
"Oh, um, yeah," I answered, grabbing the dustpan and brush from him, avoiding his gaze.
"Do you think Logan is going to come back?"
My jaw clenched at the question; the brush falling from my hands and clattering to the floor. This was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I shook my head, biting at my lip nervously. "I don't know."
"What do you think he meant? About protecting you?"
Theo's questions were the same as the ones I had been asking myself over and over in my head for the past two weeks, and now, I was being reminded of them again. It seemed I couldn't escape.
"I have no idea," I mumbled, running my floury hands through my hair, making it even dirtier.
"Do you think-"
"You know what, I have to go," I interrupted, quickly untying my apron and throwing in onto the kitchen counter, before making my way out the front door.
"But this is your house!" Theo yelled after me in confusion.
"It's fine, just go home when you're ready. There's something I have to do!" I yelled back, giving him a quick smile before pushing myself into a jog, making my way towards the forest.
I couldn't spend the next however long making myself go stir crazy with possible answers to my questions.
I needed to know the truth and I knew who I needed to hear it from. I continued to run in human form, knowing I couldn't shift due to the fact that I hadn't brought any spare clothes with me, but I didn't mind.
I hadn't been on a proper run in a while, and I enjoyed the feeling of adrenaline searing through my body, creating the feeling of almost floating through the forest.
I wracked my brain, thinking of all of the questions I wanted to ask Logan, hoping he would be willing too answer them. I wasn't too sure how I was going to approach this and what I was going to say, but I knew it needed to be done; for my own sanity.
I ignored the burning feeling in my chest as I continued to run, hopping over old tree stumps and logs, loving the feeling of the wind in my long thick hair.
I had forgotten how free I felt in the forest, remembering how it used to be favourite place for reading and writing before all of this happened.
As I approached the border to Logan's territory, I stopped to take a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing, but before I took another step, the noise of a twig snapping behind me echoed through my ears, causing me to instantly spin round in shock.
Nothing.
Furrowing my brows, I turned back around and continued on towards Logan's territory, taking slow and steady steps, trying to make as little noise as possible.
The bushes beside me swayed vigorously, and I knew it wasn't from the wind. Panic struck me and I stumbled backwards, feeling helpless in my human form. "Hello?"
Just as I was about to shift into my wolf for my own protection, a loud growl vibrated the ground from behind me, and I spun on my heels, holding back a scream as best I could.
"Eliza?"
In front of me stood a tall man in nothing but a pair of denim shorts, and a large dark grey wolf.
"You know my name?" I asked, taken aback.
The man nodded. "We heard somebody approaching, so we came out to investigate. Didn't expect to see you here though."
"You're part of Logan's pack?"
The man smiled, flashing a row of white teeth. "You mean the Dark Moon pack? The best pack to ever grace the planet? Of course."
I huffed with laughter, rolling my eyes. "I came to see Logan."
"We wouldn't expect you for any other reason Eliza. Please, follow us," the man said as they led me through the remainder of the forest, pulling back heavy shrubbing, allowing me to walk through without getting hit.
"How do you know my name?" I asked, biting on my nails nervously.
"Logan's a good friend of ours. He needs someone he can vent to, but, don't worry, the secret is safe with us."
I nodded as a thank you, appreciating the fact that they weren't going to tell anyone that Logan and I were mates, however, I couldn't help but wonder how many people Logan had told.
Were there other people in his pack he had told? What would his answer have been when everyone asked him why he did what he did at the whipping? Surely people weren't going to just let that go like it was nothing?
Once we approached the clearing, my vision was met once again by the beautiful village of The Dark Moon pack.
I had forgotten how vibrant and bustling it was, and it seemed to amaze me all over again, but I shook the thoughts aside. I was here for answers and I was going to get them. I wasn't going to get distracted.
"He's just over there," said the man next to me, pointing over at a group of men all using heavy metal equipment to chop up a number of large logs. Logan was shirtless and had sweat dripping down him, his body glistening in the hot shining sun.
I gulped, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach as he lifted up the large log, plopping over his shoulder and carrying it over to the pile. It looked so effortless for him; as if it was child's play.
Once Logan noticed me approaching, his eyes went wide and he swivelled past a number of people, trying to reach me as fast as he could. His eyes held pure joy and he beamed, flashing his beautiful white teeth. "Eliza, I didn't know you were coming."
"Well, you seem to like to show up on my territory unannounced, I figured it was my turn."
Logan seemed to like my cocky and sarcastic comment, laughing, shaking his head in amusement.
"I'm sorry I haven't come by," he explained, "after everything that happened, I just figured you needed some time. I was waiting for you to come to me, but I've been getting pretty antsy."
I nodded, not really wanting to hear his excuses. "I came for answers Logan. I've been going crazy the past two weeks and I have some questions I need you to answer."
Logan nodded, smirking at me as he looked me up and down, laughing, raising his eyebrows.
I squinted my eyes, confused, but then gasped, quickly wiping away as much flour off my face and body as I could, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.
"Alright, well, let's go somewhere a little more private. It's too busy here. We can go to my place."
I nodded. Logan was right. It was far too busy here and I really didn't like the idea of anyone listening in to our conversation.
"We were just getting the materials ready to build a new house. A couple has just had a baby so we're making them a place of their own, so they don't have to live with their parents anymore," said Logan, pulling off his dirty gloves and stuffing them into the pockets of his shorts.
"You help with that stuff?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Of course," shrugged Logan as if it were no big deal.
As we walked up the cobbled path towards Logan's house, I couldn't help but wonder why Logan was out chopping wood with everyone else.
A lot of Alpha's would be in their office doing anything they could to avoid the hard work. As an Alpha, he wasn't expected to do any of the manual labour, but Logan seemed to really put a lot of effort into this pack, and I couldn't help but admire that.
The sight of Logan's house brought back butterflies in my stomach, and I remembered how I'd felt when I had first seen it. As Logan opened the door for me, waving me in, I heard some shuffling coming from around the corner.
"Hi honey!" called his mother, causing Logan to curse under his breath.
"I'm sorry, they weren't here when I left earlier. I didn't think anyone would be in."
Logan seemed genuinely apologetic and I gave him a smile, showing him it was okay.
"Logan!" screamed Millie as she dashed up to Logan, clawing at his legs in excitement. Her brunette pigtails bounced with every step she took, and her rosy cheeks blushed even more when Logan came into sight.
"Hey!" exclaimed Logan, lifting her up into his arms and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, causing me to smile.
"Eliza!" Millie squealed, poking at my lip playfully.
"Oh, you remember my name?" I asked quietly, raising my eyebrows in confusion.
"Well, it's not often Logan brings home a girl," interrupted Diane, Logan's mother, as she rounded the corner with her arms crossed, a smile plastered on her face.
"Mom," Logan warned, widening his eyes at his mother.
Diane laughed, taking Millie from her son's arms. "Come on Millie, let's give these two their privacy."
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Question for my readers! What's your favourite TV series?