Page 12 of Reject Him

CHAPTER FIVE

Logan’s wolf itches to shift. As he strides outside with his (hopefully) soon-to-be mate, he has to work to control him. All he wants is to be out, to be running the mountain with the other wolves he can hear in the distance, and to be running with Eme’s wolf to see if she hates him as much as Eme does. But he wants Eme to lead this. He won’t force her to shift. Many wolves won’t shift when they first join a new pack simply because it makes them feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. He doesn’t want to put any pressure on her.

They stride, side by side, out along the backyard. The rocky ground is peppered with snow as it usually is, and their feet crunch both the snow and the rock beneath it. He reaches out to hold her hand, but she snatches it away. He chuckles softly under his breath and then stops to take off his shoes.

“Are we shifting?” she asks.

“I’m going to, but the choice is up to you.” He needs to. Absolutely needs to.

The snow is cold against his bare feet, but he’s used to it. He takes off his pants next and then his shirt. Thankfully, Eme follows suit, removing her bra last. If a shifter shifts with their clothes on, the clothes are shredded. Logan had learned that the hard way as a pup when the shift was less controllable.

Once they’re naked and goosebumps pepper their flesh, Logan asks, “Ready?”

Eme nods.

“Good. Stay close. The other shifters know you’re here, but in their wolf forms, some may get defensive and territorial.”

She looks at him sidelong and scoffs. “I can take care of myself.”

He has no doubt she can. She’s an alpha wolf for a reason but still . . . “Just . . . stay close.”

He shifts on the spot, and soon he’s on four legs. He shakes his black fur, and by the time he’s done, he looks over to see Eme’s wolf, also of black fur. Her wolf is stretching her hind legs, watching his wolf curiously. He wonders briefly how long ago she shifted because, by the way she stretches, it’s been a while.

Nudging her side, he’s received with a snap of jaws. He doesn’t bother to growl a warning at her, not if she’s to feel comfortable in whatever skin she chooses to walk.

He takes off with Eme on his heels. They weave between trees and hop over frozen streams and fallen branches. Eventually, she takes the lead, and he lets her. The way her wolf moves is stealthy, beautiful.

The deeper they get into the woods, the more wolf tracks there are. Eme follows them with her nose, and soon, they find most of the pack playing in a clearing. She stops in her tracks, watching them, and Logan strides up beside her.

A few pups are playing to the right while their parents watch on. To the left, a few wolves lounge in the snow. Straight down the middle is where the mated couples dwell. The clearing is beautiful with snow-capped pine trees and drifts where the snow was carried away by the breeze.

He remembers coming here as a child, remembers each memory he has of playing with the other pups. Back then, he was a young kid with great ambitions and loving parents. He had no idea that someday, those ambitions would come as the Head Alpha and a heavy burden.

A gray wolf breaks away from the left and comes to a skidding halt before the alphas. Draven, Logan notes. Draven noses Logan on the side then barks at Eme before nudging her too. Eme’s wolf stands there, taking it all in.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of the pack to come and check her out. He braces himself, not liking the other males so close to her, but each keeps a careful distance or allows only a brief encounter before going back to what they were doing.

They stay in the clearing for an hour, watching the other wolves play. And for that entire hour, he stayed silent and still. His wolf wants to touch her, but he knows this is a crucial moment for her and the pack.

When the hour is over, he nudges her side. He starts to lead her back down the path that they used to get to the clearing, and she follows without protest. Eventually, she picks up her pace, and soon she outmatches his own. By the look in her eye when she keeps looking back, he can tell she’s trying to race him. The thought thrills his wolf.

He picks up his pace, and then she starts trotting. He trots, and she begins to run. He laughs inside his head and follows closely on her heels.

Just before they would have made it back to the house, a gray wolf barrels into Eme’s side, seemingly coming from nowhere. He skids to a halt and growls, knowing the scent right away.

Becca.

The two wolves roll in the snow, chomping their maws and clawing with their back paws until the black wolf lands on top. Eme bites into the wolf’s neck, not enough to break the skin but to give a warning. The gray wolf, Becca, stops moving quickly, and as Eme’s wolf growls, she whines.

Logan takes a step forward, fearing he’ll have to intervene, but Eme releases Becca. Becca’s wolf scrambles to her feet, and she shifts back into human form. She spits blood onto the snow and mumbles, “Bitch,” to Eme before she takes off toward the village at a walk.

When she’s gone, Eme’s wolf peers back to Logan. Then she shifts on the spot. “What the fuck was that?”

Logan’s heart sinks to his toes. He shifts back into his human form. “That was Becca.”

He crosses the distance and steers her toward the clothes they left in the backyard. He snatches them up and waits for what she’ll ask next. He can feel the anger coming off her in waves. Though he was a bit shocked that Becca would be so bold as to attack an alpha, he has pride for Eme. She handled herself well and let the wolf go once the wolf submitted. Not every alpha has that strength.

“And who is Becca?” Eme asks as she slips her shirt over her head.