Beast Within (Loup-Garou Series Book 3)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  She grinned and turned, planning to meet him at the door, but she only managed to take a step before her bedroom door flew open and Logan rushed in. Katey squealed as he enfolded her in his arms and swung her in circles. She held onto his neck, and when her feet met the ground, Logan’s lips met hers with demanding force.

  Katey let her eyes close as she drank in his scent, mingled with the aroma of earth and pine. He smelled of the world outside, the forest she had been eager to return to for her training since before the evacuation began. It was intoxicating.

  What was more intoxicating was the relief that flooded her body, chasing away the days of loneliness and revitalizing her spirit. The tether between them strengthened again, and Katey took back all the times she thought his constant presence was annoying or suffocating. If this time apart proved anything, it was that she never wanted to leave his side again.

  Logan pulled her close, squeezing her supple body against his own and she could feel the rigid muscles of his abs and chest. Her fingers weaved through his matted hair, savoring the slick feel of the fibers in her palm. A groan rumbled in his chest, and he kissed his way down to her neck. Tiny shocks coursed through her limbs and core as his lips worked on the tender skin of her neck.

  “I missed you,” she whispered breathlessly, burying her nose in his shoulder.

  “I missed you too. Damn Darren for sneaking my phone away from me,” he grumbled.

  Katey pulled away, impatient to see his blue eyes again. When their gazes met, his eyes were not blue, but a lustful red. She wondered if hers were the same and placed her hand in the center of his chest to stop him from carrying their reunion any further. As much as she wanted it too, they weren’t mated yet.

  Logan made a high-pitched whine, and they waited until both of their appetites for each other had subsided. He leaned in for a gentle, harmless kiss and brushed his nose against hers. “Are you well?” he asked.

  Katey smiled and wrinkled her nose. “I am now that you’re back. Are you okay?” she asked, looking him up and down for injuries. He was decked out in camouflage pants and a jacket that was unbuttoned over a plain white shirt, stained with sweat. It was then that she noticed his face was smudged with dirt as well, making his eyes stand out even more brilliantly.

  “I’m fine,” he replied and kissed her again. “Now that I’m with you, my world is perfect again.”

  Katey giggled and heard the front door open to admit Dustin and a raging Darren. She went still and listened to his curses. “What’s wrong with Darren?” she asked.

  Logan let out a breath. “Some of the Devians are refusing to evacuate. They don’t think there’s a reason to worry unless the hunters have been killing. Since there’s no body count, they’re not budging.”

  Fear streaked through her. “They weren’t there when Devia was wiped out the first time?”

  “Some were. Some weren’t. There’s a total of ten families still in Crestucky that haven’t left yet, and Jacob’s asked us to stay behind and look after them.”

  Katey wasn’t sure how to feel about it. In one instance, she was thankful she wouldn’t have to leave Crestucky or her friends. It had been the one thing she would not be so apathetic about when the time came. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about battling Darren’s authority again. On the other hand, she knew how dangerous it would be for those families to stay in Crestucky when the threat of a hunter loomed over them.

  “Can’t Jacob order them to leave?” she asked with suspicion.

  “Jacob was going to, but when Darren agreed to watch over them, he decided to leave it alone.”

  “So that’s why Darren’s not happy? He could have said no.”

  Logan shrugged and rubbed down the center of her back. “There are still many things I don’t understand about him.” He planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “I was so worried the hunters had come here and I wasn’t here to protect you, but I knew as long as I could feel the bond between us, you were alive.”

  Katey rested her head against his shoulder and smiled. She hadn’t thought of the bond as a lifeline, but it made sense. As long as his heart still beat, it was beating for her, and their bond would remain. “You shouldn’t have worried. Ben was here to look after me.”

  Logan huffed and hugged her tighter. “That’s not much of a comfort.”

  Katey pulled away and gave him a reprimanding look. “Ben is fully capable of taking care of me. We talked a lot while you were away.”

  Logan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “About what, exactly?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but she had a feeling Ben wouldn’t have wanted her blabbing about his life to everyone. He kept his history a secret from the others for a personal reason, and after hearing everything he had to say, Katey understood why. What would they think if they knew he had murdered their own kind in cold blood? What would they do when they found out he had great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren running around? Though she understood the purpose of openness in the pack, Ben’s business was his own.

  “He just told me a lot about himself, and I know if it came down to it, he would do what’s best to keep me safe.” Logan didn’t appear convinced. “Why are you giving me that look like I’ve got five heads?”

  Logan shrugged as if caught in a statement he couldn’t support. “Ben just hasn’t exactly proven his medal around here, that’s all. He doesn’t have complete control over his wolf without an alpha present. If he changed, he might have hurt you.”

  Katey gave him a look. “You’re not exactly great in that department either, you know?” As soon as she said it, Katey knew she had done wrong.

  Logan’s face went cold, and he let out a long breath, his burning eyes still locked on hers.

  “I’m just trying to make a point that Ben’s not a bad guy,” Katey said quickly, her knees bending a little in submission, appealing to Logan’s dominant tendencies that showed up every now and again when they were alone.

  He seemed to accept her apologetic body language and stroked her hair while his expression softened. “I know, Katey. I’m sorry. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.” He kissed her again, and she lifted herself onto her toes to kiss back.

  “Will you be staying home from now on?” she asked as his hands cupped around her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheeks.

  “I think so. Darren told me Dustin and Ben would be going out as scouts to patrol around the homes of the families. So, I’m assuming that would leave the three of us together at home.”

  “Did he mention anything about continuing my training?” she eagerly asked.

  Since the others had left Monday afternoon, Katey had been itching to try and change again like they had agreed. However, since they were on a strict lockdown, Katey hadn’t had the chance. She had hoped with Darren home, they could pick up where they left off. With luck, taking a break in the last few days would not disrupt her progress.

  Logan gave her a rueful smile and shook his head. “No. It never came up. You have plenty of time. Changing on command will be easier after your first natural change. Have you been keeping track of that?”

  Katey grimaced. “No. I have trouble keeping up with my own menstrual cycle.”

  He chuckled and kissed her again. “I love you,” he muttered warmly.

  Darren tossed his cap and bag on the couch, still spewing out insults. “Those damn, bloody fools! Do they think the hunters are going to pass them over because they’re brave enough to stay? Or are they just ignorant?”

  Dustin came trudging in, looking weary. He rolled his eyes and dropped his own bag down next to the one Logan had abandoned before darting upstairs. “I don’t know, Darren,” he replied tiredly. Ben could tell Dustin had already gotten an earful of Darren’s grousing.

  “Who’s staying?” Ben asked, feigning a curious tone. Dustin shot him a displeased look and growled. Ben gave him a cheeky grin, knowing he was prolonging Dustin’s suffering.

  Darren tore op
en his camouflage jacket, sending a few popped buttons clattering to the floor. “The Devians! Some of the families are staying behind!” he roared, waving his arm angrily toward the front door. Ben sneered at the fallen buttons, knowing he would have to refasten them before Darren had to wear that jacket again. Because he had plenty of experience mending his own torn uniforms in the military, the job of tailor fell on his shoulders.

  Dustin went to the kitchen and began fixing their plates for a late lunch.

  “They’re staying?” Ben asked, snapping closed the book he was halfway through reading for the twentieth time. “I thought Jacob was ordering an immediate evacuation?”

  Darren rubbed at his dirty face with an equally filthy hand. “He did, but these idiots think there’s no reason to worry. You’d think that they had never heard of what happened in Devia over a century ago.”

  “What does that mean for us?” he asked, suddenly interested in this emergency.

  Put into a place of true leadership for the first time took him off the sidelines in a way that spurred him out of complacency.

  In the army, he only ever had to worry about one person; himself. Even then, he was given orders or was placed under the direction of someone else. In the pack, it was no different. He wasn’t dominant enough to serve as an alpha or beta, but he found himself slipping into the role of protector much easier than he anticipated.

  Although he would never relinquish his easy life as a subordinate, it made him appreciate the mindset of Darren and Dustin.

  Darren sat down heavily on the sofa beside Ben and rubbed the back of his neck. “Jacob asked us to stay, and I agreed. You and Dustin will look after the families from a distance and make sure they’re all right.”

  Ben watched his alpha for a moment and inwardly cringed at the way he appeared older than he had been before the evacuation began. The stress was getting to him. “When was the last time you slept?” he questioned, his tone rife with concern.

  The alpha gave a heavy sigh and looked at him with eyes rimmed in dark circles. “Not since Sunday night.”

  Alarmed, Ben put his hand on Darren’s shoulder. “Go rest. The hard part is over.”

  Darren’s brows snapped together. “What happened?”

  Ben blinked. “Nothing happened. I just don’t want you exhausting yourself. That’s a long time to not sleep, and you’re the one usually telling us to get a full eight hours.”

  “I think he means,” Dustin interjected, “what happened to make you care at all?”

  Ben looked back and forth between the other two men whom he had come to consider as brothers in the last century. He had always cared, but never let it show. He stayed detached from the pack in what ways he could; something else the military taught him.

  Soldiers who opened up about their greatest fears and deepest secrets were ridiculed for being weak. Though, often times he saw the bullies suffer from the same emotional scars as the truthful GI. To stay inconspicuous, Ben knew to shut his mouth and not let the cracks in his armor show. It was better to be calloused in some respects, and he had lived his life that way ever since he roamed through the western territories.

  Their puzzled looks and the revelations that Katey inspired over the last couple of days made Ben begin to second guess everything. It appeared the military had tainted him so thoroughly that there was little left of the farm boy from Georgia and that didn’t settle well with Ben. What would Abigail have thought if she faced the cold man he was today?

  One thing she loved about him was the way he could carry on a conversation with anyone about nearly everything under the sun. It was his honesty that brought them together because he never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. In a society where people were polite and unoffending for the sake of others, Ben was a shining jewel to Abigail. He spoke his mind, but now he kept his problems and comments to himself.

  When did that happen? At Antietam? On the beaches of Normandy? In the jungles of Vietnam? Or had becoming a loup-garou stolen his best quality to replace it with some instinct to keep to himself? The days spent apart from the rest of the pack gave him more time to reflect than in all the years he had spent wandering alone on the prairies.

  His hand dropped from Darren’s shoulder. How could he possibly answer the alpha’s question? Talking with Katey was somehow effortless, but he couldn’t fathom how to be candid with his friends.

  “How’s Katey?” Darren asked, diverting the subject away from Ben for the moment.

  “She’s fine. Restless, but fine. She was fit to be tied when I told her you took Logan’s phone away.”

  Darren huffed a humorless laugh. “Logan, too,” he said before he rose to his feet and walked toward the stairs. “I’m going to take a nap. Don’t let hunters burn the house down while I’m asleep.”

  Ben was not amused by his statement. Did he truly think they would let something like that happen? Ben stood from the sofa and joined Dustin in the kitchen as their alpha retreated upstairs.

  “Don’t worry, Mother Goose. I washed my hands,” Dustin quipped. Ben let out a short snarl and began helping him assemble the plates loaded with different meats. “So, did you and Katey have a fun time stuck indoors?”

  “We played chess on the first day, but she didn’t like that.”

  Dustin laughed. “Did you whip her like you do with us?”

  “I let her win one game, but she lost interest quickly.”

  Dustin elbowed him. “You’re turning into a softy all over, aren’t ye?” he teased in his Irish cadence. Ben went silent and poured their glasses. “I’ll bet she didn’t like staying cooped up, did she?”

  “Frankly,” Ben replied, “I didn’t either.”

  “But no trouble?” Dustin asked as he set the plates out on the table.

  Ben shook his head, even though he knew Dustin couldn’t see him. There was no trouble at all. In fact, it was a pleasant few days. Being separated from the pack wasn’t so enjoyable, but he and Katey talked about a variety of things.

  He shared with her about the nature of the wolf, explaining in more detail about hierarchy and what he had learned over the decades. He even began teaching her the loup-garou language Darren had promised to teach her weeks ago, but she was too preoccupied with her loneliness to stay interested. He hadn’t seen her since earlier that morning after Darren called to let them know the boys would be coming home that afternoon.

  “Your night was Monday, wasn’t it?” Ben asked, remembering the bit of anxiety he felt when checking the calendar on Tuesday morning. Dustin had enough control over his wolf that escorting the Devians wouldn’t be a difficult task for him under the circumstances, but it didn’t keep Ben from being concerned.

  “I did,” he replied. “No trouble at all. I enjoyed getting out of the truck for a little while. I ran alongside the highway until we got to the safe house and it was easier to help offload all the luggage from their vehicles.” Dustin came back in the kitchen while Ben set the glasses out again. “Do you think we should keep Darren awake for lunch?” Dustin asked.

  Pondering for a while, Ben joined him and shook his head. “I wouldn’t. He can have a double portion at dinner.”

  The two men leaned against the kitchen countertops, a pause of awkward silence stretching between them.

  “You did a good job taking care of Katey,” Dustin finally said. “I half expected her to have run away to find us.”

  Ben snorted. “I’m sure she wanted to. It was hard keeping her engaged.”

  “What did you two do besides chess?”

  Ben ground his teeth a little, debating whether to tell Dustin the truth or stay obscure. “We talked.”

  Dustin raised his eyebrows and waited. “Do I have to winkle the details out of you? I’ve had to listen to nothing but Logan and Darren arguing for the past few days and little children asking me when they could go back home.”

  “We mostly talked about me. I told her about everything that happened in Georgia. Nothing you don’t already know.�
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  Dustin shifted and crossed his arms, giving Ben a curious look. “That’s unlike you.”

  Ben shrugged. “It kept her attention for a little while, that’s what matters.”

  “I think there’s a little more to it than that.”

  A deep line creased between Ben’s brows as he frowned at his friend’s insinuating tone. “She’s just a child, Dustin. Why would you even think there would be something more there?”

  Dustin’s eyes went wide. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

  Ben threw up his hands. “Then what do you want me to say?”

  Dustin looked heavenward, aggravated as much as Ben was. “I’m not even home for half an hour, and we’re fighting like a married couple again. I was just wondering if you had let yourself get wrapped around Katey’s finger. That’s all I meant.”

  Ben watched him shed his camouflage jacket, toss it over one of the dinette chairs and march toward the back billiard room. A tinge of guilt spiked in Ben’s. Sometimes he wondered if the fights were always his fault.

  Dustin read Ben correctly. Katey had stolen a piece of his shattered heart. She was a sweet girl; a little headstrong perhaps, but a sweet girl. The hug she gave Ben that day during lunch had been so meaningful, so comforting and filled in the chip on his shoulder that had crippled him for far too long. It melted the ice clean off him, and there was no hiding the change it produced in him.

  After taking a few deep breaths to cool off, Ben followed his friend into the back room and found Dustin racking the balls.

  He took up a pool stick and waited for Dustin to take his first turn before speaking. “Listen, I didn’t mean to get defensive,” Ben said softly.

  Dustin leaned on his stick, assessing where the balls were rolling after he broke their formation. “I suppose we’re all a little on edge right now. Darren’s not himself either,” he said with a sigh. “I can understand why, with his experience with hunters and all, but all that tension is making its way through the pack.”