by Stormy Glenn
It made sense to him.
“Love, listen to me, please,” Logan pleaded. “You cannot answer the door. You have no idea who could be there. They might be dangerous.”
“Logan, I’ve been living on my own for a lot of years. I’m sure I can answer the door without—”
“You can’t!” Logan suddenly snapped, his face darkening.
Love arched an eyebrow at the anger he could see growing on Logan’s face. Then he suddenly realized that he was more intrigued by it than scared. That was a totally odd reaction in his mind considering how afraid he was of Logan earlier. And it confused the crap out of him.
“Please, baby?”
Well, put like that…Love sighed and stepped back from the door. He waved his hand at it. “Fine, you answer the door then, but I still think you’re being paranoid as hell.”
Logan grinned from ear to ear then leaned down and placed a small kiss on the tip of Love’s nose. “I know you don’t understand, Love, and we’ll get to that, but you really have to take more precautions with your safety.”
“Somehow, I think you’re going to be doing enough of that for both of us,” Love said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
The knock came again, this time followed by the ringing of the doorbell.
Love rolled his eyes. “Answer the damn door, Logan.”
“Either stand behind me or go back and sit down on the couch.”
“Seriously?”
“Love.”
Love rolled his eyes and his head. This really was too much. He thought Logan was just odd. Turned out he was paranoid as hell, too. Love walked across the room then turned back to Logan, spreading his arms wide.
“Will this do?”
“Perfectly.” Logan grinned before he turned back to the door and pulled it open.
Love arched on his toes and leaned a little trying to see who stood on the other side of the mountain of muscles blocking his view. When he spotted a shock of dyed blue hair, Love squealed and raced across the room.
“Drea!” He pushed past a very stunned looking Logan and enveloped the only other person he considered his best friend besides Matt and gave him a big hug. “Oh my god, I missed you so much. Last time I saw you, some hot guy at the festival had all your attention.”
“Love, sweetie, I can’t breathe.”
Love laughed and loosened his arms. Drea didn’t look any worse for wear. He actually looked quite rested. Love smirked. “So, how was he?”
“He?” Drea asked innocently. “He who?”
“You know exactly who he is, dork.” Love smacked Drea’s shoulder. “The guy that—”
The hairs on the back of Love’s neck suddenly stood on end as a low growl filled the space behind him. Love could feel the force of Logan’s anger pushing against his back like a wall of flame. The man was livid.
“Love,” Logan said. His voice sounded like it came out through clenched teeth. “If you value your friend’s life, I suggest you step away from him very carefully.”
Love slowly stepped back from Drea and turned to look at Logan. What he saw made the rest of the hairs on his body stand on end. Logan’s teeth were clenched except for the long sharp canines that hung down over his lower lip. His eyes had gone dark golden brown, but they looked like they were tinted by flames. Logan’s hands were clenched, but Love could still see the claws trying to get out.
“Logan, what…” Love licked his lips. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, checking on Drea. He looked as confused as Love felt. Logan’s hand suddenly clenched in Love’s hair, pulling his head around.
“Me!” Logan growled. “You look at me!”
Love didn’t understand why, but he could see Logan’s wolf lurking in the background of Logan’s eyes. The wolf was practically pacing with agitation and anger. Love somehow knew that Drea’s very life depended on how he acted.
Love stepped closer to Logan and pressed himself against the man’s body. He started rubbing his hands up and down Logan’s chest, murmuring to the man and beast, trying to soothe them both. Logan’s arms wrapped around him in a crushing hug. The man’s head started rubbing against the top of Love’s.
“I’m here, Logan,” Love whispered, “right here with you.”
Love didn’t give a sigh of relief until Logan started to purr.
“Love, what the fuck?” Drea exclaimed.
Love groaned when the purring abruptly stopped and a low growl rumbled through Logan’s chest. He reached back with his hand and waved Drea past him. “Matt is in the kitchen, Drea. Go on in there. He can explain everything to you.”
Love knew when Drea moved past him, but only because of the way Logan’s body tensed. Love quickly went back to murmuring softly and rubbing Logan’s chest. Logan and his wolf seemed to like it when he did that.
He also didn’t want Logan attacking Drea, and that seemed like what the man was on the verge of doing. Logan’s body was stiff. His chest continued to rumble, very slowly turning to a purr. Love could feel Logan’s clawed fingers stroke down his back, even though they didn’t press hard enough to hurt. It was still strange.
“You can’t…” Logan’s voice was rough but almost a whisper. “You can’t stand close to other men, Love.”
Love tilted his head back to look up into Logan’s face. “Why not?”
“It’s too dangerous.”
Love frowned. That didn’t sound exactly right to him. “Drea is one of my best friends, Logan. He would never hurt me.”
“No, but I might hurt him.”
“You?” Love’s eyebrows shot up. “Why would you hurt Drea?”
“Because you belong to me, damn it!” Logan snapped. “And no one has the right to touch you without my permission.”
Love blinked. “Excuse me?”
Logan shook his head in resignation. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you, Love.”
“So, just tell me.”
“I thought you knew who we were when I saw you at the festival. I thought you understood how things were and…” Logan’s face seemed to take on an adoring look that Love had never seen aimed in his direction before. It mystified him and scared him at the very same time.
Love leaned lightly into Logan, tilting his face toward him. “And?”
“And I claimed you as mine.”
Love’s eyebrows rose in amazement. He knew there was a stronger meaning to Logan’s statement. He felt it deep in his bones, and saw it in the agonized expression on Logan’s tense face.
“Your what?”
“My mate.”
Love nervously moistened his dry lips as he tried to remember everything he had ever read or seen about wolves and their mating habits. He just kept seeing a single alpha wolf with several other wolves in his clan. Did wolves really mate for life like the nature channel said?
“Do you have a harem?”
“A what?”
Love set his chin in a firm line and repeated his question. “You know, a harem. Do you have one?”
“What in the hell would I need a harem for?”
Love pressed his lips together in frustration and pushed out of Logan’s arms. He took several steps away the swung back around to face the man again. “Look, I don’t know what you call it, harem, wolf groupies, hell, maybe you call it orgies parties. Maybe that’s what your moon festival is, but—”
“Love, what are you going on about?”
“How many people do you fuck?” Love snapped. His hands landed on his hips as he glared at Logan. “Am I going to be one of several? Isn’t that what wolves do, one alpha to a multitude of other lesser wolves?”
“That’s called a clan, Love.”
Love’s eyes widened as his worst nightmare came to life in Logan’s words. “Then it’s true?”
“I am the beta of my clan, not the alpha, but yes, we have a clan.”
Love’s brow creased with worry. “Do I have to be with all of them?”
“Them?” Logan’s jaw sudden
ly clenched, his eyes narrowed lightly. “Them who?”
“Your clan.” Love thought he was being pretty straightforward with his words. What part of it wasn’t Logan getting? “Do I have to fuck them all?”
“What in the hell are you talking about, Love?”
Love couldn’t stand it anymore. He felt like he was talking in circles. He was confused and felt out of sorts. He just wanted to make it all go away for a few minutes so he could catch his breath and think with a clear head.
Love spotted the pile of lollipops on the coffee table and raced over to them. His hands shook so bad when he grabbed one that he couldn’t get the wrapper off. Love started whimpering, desperate for the simple solace the lollipop brought him.
He suddenly felt Logan’s larger body press up behind him. Logan grabbed the lollipop and carefully unwrapped it then held it out to Love. A soft cry fell from Love’s lips as he snatched at the lollipop and popped it into his mouth.
He groaned and leaned back against Logan as the sweet taste of watermelon filled his mouth. He preferred cherry but watermelon would do considering how desperate he felt. Love closed his eyes and just concentrated on sucking on the lollipop.
He didn’t exactly understand why sucking on a lollipop made him feel better, but it always did. He discovered this little wonder quite by accident about five years ago during finals at college. One lollipop and he aced his biology final. Without it, he was doomed.
Love opened his eyes when Logan’s hands began to rub up and down his arms. “I know this is all confusing to you, Love, but I swear it’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Love pressed his head sideways into Logan’s chest and closed his eyes again. His life seemed to be spiraling out of control, and he didn’t know how to stop it. Most shocking of all for him was the calm he found just from inhaling Logan’s strong masculine scent. The more he breathed in, the better he felt.
The strength and power he could feel coming from the muscular body behind him just added to the effect. Logan’s body virtually surrounded him, protecting him from the outside world. Love felt like Logan was a barrier between him and anything else. It was an odd feeling but comforting.
Love soaked up as much of Logan’s presence as he could before the questions floating around in his head started to make sense to him again. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly then opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder.
“I don’t want to do this, Logan.”
Logan’s eyes darkened dangerously. “You don’t want to be my mate?”
Love couldn’t honestly answer that. “I don’t know what being your mate means.”
“It means you’re mine, my lover, my mate, my…” Logan’s lips pressed together for a moment. “It means you’re my everything, Love.”
“Yeah, but who else’s?” Love didn’t know what Logan’s stiffening body meant, but he did know he didn’t like the deep frown that came over the man’s face. It made Logan look menacing, and Love didn’t think that was a good thing when dealing with someone that could shift into a two hundred pound wolf.
Love turned in Logan’s arms and started slowly backing away from him. Logan suddenly reached over and grabbed Love by his arms and pulled him closer, giving his body a little shake.
“You belong to me,” Logan snarled through clenched teeth, very long and sharp looking clenched teeth. “No one, and I mean no one, gets to touch you without my permission. And I will kill anyone that tries to take you away from me.”
Love’s eyes hurt from widening so much as he stared at Logan’s thunderous face. He once again felt like prey to a predator. The only thing he could think to do was soothe the beast. Love started patting Logan’s chest, hoping what worked before would work again.
“Yeah, this whole ownership thing isn’t working for me.” Love clamped his mouth shut the instant he realized what he said. Those hadn’t been the words he planned on saying. He really needed to check with his brain before opening his mouth.
“Ownership thing?” Logan snapped. “Is that what you think this is?”
“How in the hell am I supposed to know?” Love snapped right back as he jerked out of Logan’s grasp. He shook his finger at Logan. “You keep saying that I belong to you and no one is allowed to touch me unless they have your permission. That sounds a lot like you believe you have the right to give other people permission to touch me, and I can’t allow that.”
“I should hope not!” Logan’s arms crossed over his chest. “I would be very unhappy if you started allowing people to touch you.”
Love blinked. This conversation wasn’t going quite like he thought it would. Well, it actually was, sort of. It was all going wrong, and that was Love’s usual experience when he liked a guy a lot.
Hell, he could even see himself falling in love with Logan, if he wasn’t falling already. And that scared Love right down to his toes. He didn’t believe for a moment that Logan would ever come to care for him the way Love always dreamed. He wasn’t stupid.
Growing up with a name like Love gave him a very unique perspective on life. He believed in true love, soul mates, and the ability to connect with that special someone on a spiritual level.
And he knew, somehow deep down inside, that Logan didn’t believe the same way. There was something about the rough, dominant male that screamed at Love to run and run fast. He just couldn’t seem to make his feet move.
Love was almost saddened by how much he wanted Logan. Their relationship was doomed from the moment they set eyes on each other. Loving Logan would eventually destroy Love, and he could only walk to his doom with his eyes open.
Love crossed his arms over his chest to match Logan and set his chin. Despite his need to have Logan, he wasn’t going to just blindly give in. He knew if he didn’t give Logan boundaries now, he would never get a word in with the man.
“I refuse to be your little play toy, Logan. If you want me, fine, but I will not allow you to dictate my every move. That includes telling me who I can and cannot touch.”
The wave of heat that came from Logan when he cocked an eyebrow nearly knocked Love off his feet. Logan might not show it, but he was pissed. Well, the small tick in his jaw showed it enough. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed, but Love’s full attention was on the man.
“If you think for one damn minute that I’m going to allow you to—”
“Allow?” Love gasped. “What makes you think you get to allow me to do anything?”
“You expect me to just sit here while you go fuck anything and everything?”
“You—” Love rubbed his hand over his face when words escaped him and turned away, walking back and forth several times as he tried to get his sudden anger under control. Logan seemed to think he was a slut that would sleep with anything that walked. “Is that what kind of person you think I am?”
“Isn’t that what we’ve been talking about here?”
“No!” Love snapped. “We’ve been talking about you thinking you own me.”
Logan suddenly moved over and sat down on the couch. He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face then pushing his long golden hair back before lifting his head and looking over at Love.
“I do not, nor have I ever believed that I own you, Love.”
Love blinked. “You haven’t?”
“No, people don’t own other people, Love. It’s wrong.”
“Then what is this all about?” He asked as he spread his arms out. “You keep going on and on about me belonging to you and no one having the right to touch me without your permission. If you don’t think you own me, then what is that all about?”
“It’s about us mating.”
Love rolled his eyes. “You’ve used that word before, and I asked you what it meant. Obviously your explanation wasn’t enough.”
Logan flopped back on the couch and let his head fall back. He stared up at the ceiling, frowning. “That’s because you’re not a shifter, Love. Shifters understa
nd what mating means. Humans don’t.”
Love wanted to growl in frustration, and then he wanted to wail at Logan for pointing out the one thing he could never change. He could never be a wolf no matter how much he wished differently. Not even his fuzzy ears and tail would change that. He would always be on the outside looking in at what he wanted.
“So, tell me what it means for a shifter then.”
“I suppose it’s different for other wolf shifters than it is for me. I’m the beta of my clan.”
“The beta?”
“The beta is the second in command of the clan. I take over when my alpha is away like he is now. Asher and his mate are away on business. When that happens, I temporarily become alpha. Other times, I’m like the vice president. I still take orders from the alpha, but everyone else is beneath me in rank, well except for the —”
“Logan!”
Logan chuckled. “Sorry, I guess I got carried away.”
“You think?”
“Let’s just say I’m second in charge. My clan answers to our alpha and then to me. In return, I am responsible for them. I keep them safe, fight for them.”
Love inhaled suddenly. “Those blood drops on your arm.”
Logan nodded. “They stand for the shifters I’ve killed while protecting my clan. You have to understand, Love, I don’t like killing people, but I will do whatever I need to do to ensure my clan’s safety, even kill.”
Love walked over and sat down next to Logan, pushing his hand through his hair. “Fuck, Logan, this shifter stuff is pretty scary shit. How do you live with it day in and day out?”
“It has its upsides.”
“Like what?” Love snickered. “An addiction to puppy chow? Doggy bones?”
“No, but peanut butter is an aphrodisiac for wolf shifters, strangely enough.”
“Great, I’ll remember to put some in your stocking at Christmas.”
Logan chuckled. “Just remember, Love, small quantities or you won’t be sitting down comfortably for a week.”
“Yeah, yeah, get back to the upside to being in a clan.”
Love’s face flushed when Logan arched an eyebrow at him. “You don’t think a frisky wolf shifter with an attraction only for you is an upside?”