“His name is Logan and I just met him. He was cute, wasn’t he?”
“Girl, he was more than cute. He was a certified stud-muffin! Now where can I get me one of those?”
“Not in this town.”
“So true. The hot lumberjack thing is great for a gay man to look at. Not so much for finding Mr. Right. Now shoo! You need to go put those pretty feet up and rest. You’re opening again in the morning!” Tim flapped his hands at her while simultaneously herding her to the door.
“Fine! I’ll go!” she laughed.
Reaching the sidewalk, Jessica shook her head at the man she called her boss. The man was a wonderful employer and a great friend. Although sometimes he could be a bit much. Some might say dramatic. She would just call him perfect.
Walking down Main Street, Jessica thought back to her last customer. What was it about that man? Sure, she’s found guys attractive before. But this guy? This guy called to something deep within her.
Growing up in foster care, she learned early on to trust her gut. Not once did it steer her wrong when she went to a new home. It told her who to trust. Whom not to trust. But most importantly, it would tell her how long she would stay. That same voice told her that there was something special about Logan.
This terrified her more than when she would move to a new foster home.
Her gut told her that Logan was the forever-type. He was the sort of man she had always longed for: a man to love her and give her a place to belong. Someone to give her everything she never had growing up. She thought she had found that a few times after high school. However, all she found was a revolving door of men who thought she was worth nothing more than a good time. After her last boyfriend walked out on her for wanting a family of her own, she said farewell to all the Mr. Right-Nows. She moved back to the only home she really knew in Everett Hollow. Since finding her job at the coffee shop, Jessica felt the stars of her life beginning to align properly.
Could Logan be another star in her life aligning properly?
That thought scared her. All of her failed past relationships told her that men would just leave after a while. Logan was too good-looking to not behave the same way. Men like that were really only looking for a good time.
Now, that was something she could get on board with.
It had been several months since Jessica had some male companionship.
That’s what she’ll do!
Logan can fill the void left by the absence of a man in her life and nothing more. He’s good for a good time. He can’t be good for anything else. She wasn’t ready to allow another man that close just yet. Emotional space from the male species was what she wanted. There were just a few things that were better with a male partner. Plus, her wrist was starting to ache, and she was tired of buying batteries.
With that settled, Jessica strode further down the street towards her apartment.
~
Jessica wiped down the counters after the morning rush. The shop just emptied, and she could finally take a breath. For a tiny town, the coffee shop got a lot of traffic in the early morning hours.
The chime of the front door alerted her to a new customer. Glancing up, she was greeted by a large bouquet of purple and pink flowers of all shades. A bald, dark head poked around them.
“Good morning Jessica!” Logan greeted with a smile.
“Logan. Good morning to you too! What are you doing here?”
“Why, bringing my favorite barista some flowers of course!”
“I’m your only barista,” Jessica laughed at Logan’s silliness. “Plus, you’ve only been in here once,” she pointed out.
“True but I am a convert. You have made me into one of those people that must go to a coffee shop for their daily fix. You, my dear, deserve a raise.”
Jessica let out a gut-clenching laugh. This man was something else. He rivaled her silliness and quirkiness. Something she didn’t even know was possible!
“Well, I’m glad! What are the flowers for?” she asked.
“They’re for you! I wanted to say thank you for yesterday. And I saw these and they made me think of you. All bright and colorful and cheery.”
Logan extended the flowers toward her. Grasping the bouquet, Jessica drew them toward her and took a deep sniff. They smelled fantastic!
“Thank you, Logan. But you really didn’t have to do this. Yesterday I just did my job.”
“Ah, but I did! A pretty girl needs pretty flowers to brighten her day!”
Jessica bent her head to her chest as a blush warmed her cheeks. This man. The charm he possessed!
“I just wanted to bring these by. Let you know I was thinking about you. Give you something to brighten your day and to remind you of me.”
“You’re pretty hard to forget Logan.”
The two of them shared a smile as they stared into each other’s eyes. Jessica watched something swirl and brighten Logan’s chocolate gaze. An electricity filled her. A voice inside her head urged her closer to Logan. It told her he was the person she always longed for.
Logan shook his head and closed his eyes for a brief moment, breaking the connection between them.
“Well, I just wanted to bring those by. I guess I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll see you around Jessica.”
Suddenly, Logan turned on his heel and walked out of the shop. Jessica just stared after the man in bewilderment. Who was this man? No one had ever brought her flowers just because before.
It’s because he’s your person.
The voice inside her head startled her. Every so often, the voice would pipe up while Jessica was a child. It guided her when she seemed to really need it. Having it speak up now, concerned her. She wanted to find her person in this world, but it also terrified her. She already decided that if Logan was going to be anything, he would be temporary. Nothing more than someone to scratch the itch.
That’s what you think.
That voice!
Jessica shook her head to clear it. There was no way she was going to listen to that voice this time. Logan has a love-em and leave-em air about him. She’s been down that road before and had no desire to travel down it again.
That’s it. No matter what her inner voice said about Logan, she was not going to listen. It would only lead to more heartbreak. And that was something she could not afford.
Grabbing a cloth rag, Jessica turned to the counter and started scrubbing it. She needed to keep her mind from thinking about Logan and from her mind telling her what to do about him. Idle hands and minds and all that. Inhaling deep, Jessica got back to work.
~
A smile stretched Logan’s lips as he walked from the coffee shop. His mate was just as affected by him as he was by her. Bringing her flowers was a risky move. What if she hadn’t liked them? Or was allergic to them? Or what if he had been completely off to her attraction to him at their first meeting?
Shifters moved fast when they found their fated mates. Everything happened at lightning speed. Finding a mate that was human, that took a different set of gloves to handle. Logan watched his Alpha go through the same thing just a few months ago. Gabe was super patient with Nina. He tried his best to ease her into their world. Of course, things didn’t happen that way, but the intention was there.
We need to talk to our Alpha.
The voice of his wolf echoed through his mind. And he was absolutely right. Gabe knew that Logan had found his mate yesterday and that she was human. He could give Logan advice on being mated to a human. After he finished his business in town, he would talk to Gabe. After all, that’s what having a best friend as your Alpha is for, right?
Logan got into his car and headed toward Ben Carr’s house. This morning while enjoying his morning cup of coffee, Gabe asked Logan to go talk to Ben. The man was going crazy after the sudden death of his fated mate. The cor contritum fatis or fated mate affliction, was something every mated pair would go through. Depending on how the first mate died, the other could experience a simple p
assing, or one filled with pain. Ben’s was filled with pain. Gabe hoped that Logan could talk the other man down and get him to focus on living.
Pulling off the road onto a dirt path, Logan came to an eventual stop in front of Ben’s house. It was a small rustic little place Gabe had helped Ben build several years ago. It was where Ben and his late mate had intended to start their family.
After parking, Logan made his way up the front steps. Reaching out, he rapped his fist on the door. It slowly creaked open before Logan’s knock could echo.
“Ben? Are you here?”
Stepping carefully into the house, Logan took stock. Chairs were tossed on their sides. A table was completely upended. Papers strewn all over. Walking further into the room, a crunch sounded beneath his foot. Looking down, Logan noticed pieces of glass scattered about. Logan picked his foot up and found a photograph underneath the glass. Bending down, he could tell it was one taken at Ben’s mating ceremony. Ben and his mate, Caroline, looked so happy in it. Logan couldn’t fathom the amount of pain Ben must be experiencing.
Looking further around the house, dishes were piled up in the kitchen and clothes were tossed about the bedroom. Pictures of Caroline lay on the master bed. Logan could smell the pain and sorrow that filled the house.
Walking back outside, Logan went around to the back of the house. Maybe Ben was out there. Once he made it around back, he noticed a cut path leading into the woods. Grunts and loud thwacks could be heard from deep within the forest. Following the path, Logan came to a small clearing. Ben stood facing the trunk of a tree. His arm drew back and smacked his fist into the trunk. Splinters flew, accompanying the same loud thwack Logan heard earlier.
“Ben.”
Ben whirled around and glared at Logan. His grey eyes held a rage and feral-like quality Logan had never seen before. His golden blonde hair lay dripping with sweat. And the man’s strawberry-blonde beard had grown to an unruly length. He had obviously stopped running a comb through it.
“Ben. I know you are hurting, but Caroline would not have wanted this.”
“How would you know what she would have wanted?!” Ben roared.
“Because I knew her. And I know you. You will get your revenge one day, but that day isn’t now. We need more information on the hunters before Gabe will issue an extermination order.”
“She was my mate!”
“I know. No one is saying you do not have the right to avenge her. All Gabe is asking for, is that you wait. Once we have the information we need, you can go after them all you want.”
“He promises that I can deal with them without interference? Because if not, I will go rogue and take them out on my own.”
“Yes. There is no need to go rogue. Come back to the pack. Spend time around your family. Caroline would want you to live, not shut yourself off to everyone.”
“How can I go back? How can I be around all the places she loved? The places we went and shared together. Every inch of the house and this town remind me of her,” Ben whispered brokenly.
Logan felt the other man’s pain. It radiated off him in waves.
“With one foot in front of the other, brother. Caroline would want you to keep on living. Cherish the memories the two of you made together. I know it’ll hurt, but she wouldn’t want you to block yourself off from the pack.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
With a bent head, Ben walked back toward his house. Logan could see the utter defeat in the other man. His shoulders slumped forward and he dragged his feet. A feeling of helplessness washed through Logan. He didn’t know how to help his friend. Add that to the growing list of things he needed to talk to Gabe about.
Heading back to his car, Logan stopped to check on Ben in the house. He could hear him walking about and righting furniture. Poking his head through the door, Logan saw Ben bent over the broken picture frame he stepped on earlier.
“So, you’ll stay with the pack? No going rogue and waiting for Gabe’s A.O.K. before attacking the humans?”
A slight nod was all Logan received in response. Ben continued to stare hard at the photo in his hands. Inhaling deep, Logan turned to leave. Although he wasn’t extremely confidant in Ben’s agreement to stay put and not do anything rash, Logan still had the man’s word. And a shifter’s word was as good as law.
Pulling away from Ben’s cabin, Logan couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He did not know what he could do to try and relieve some of Ben’s pain. The man was one of his and Gabe’s closest friends. He thought about what he would do if he was in Ben’s place. Although he had only recently found his fated mate, the mere thought of losing Jessica felt like losing a limb. Inhaling deep, Logan vowed to do everything he could to help his friend and to protect the one person in his life who should never experience such pain.
Chapter 3
“How did it go with Ben?” Gabe asked him before he even made it completely into the room.
“He was– God Gabe it was awful. To see him like that. So lost and broken.”
Logan exhaled loudly before falling into a chair in front of Gabe’s desk. The two men looked at each other. They could each see the pain the other held for their friend.
“The entire house was ransacked. Furniture was upended. Papers scattered. Broken pictures. He’s having a hard time.”
“We knew this would be difficult for him. Where is his mind at?”
Logan knew what Gabe was referring to. With a deep breath, he leaned forward.
“He wants revenge, which I completely understand. He threatened to go rogue.”
Gabe closed his eyes before responding, “Please tell me you were able to convince him to stay?”
“I believe so. It took some convincing. I promised him that once we have enough evidence against these hunters, then he can take his revenge. Until then, he needs to stay within the pack.”
“And did he agree to these terms?”
“There was hesitation. But eventually he did. Right now it is hard for him to see reason. His heart is breaking, and he can only see his pain.”
“Which is greatly understood. I’m not sure I would have the same strength if it was Nina that had been killed.”
Pain swirled in Gabe’s voice. Logan understood the ache. More so now than ever before.
“We have to help him Gabe. I don’t know how, but we cannot let him lose sight of the man we know.”
“I agree Logan. I’m not sure we can do much other than keep an eye on him and remind him we are here. He has to pull himself out.”
“We both know he’ll hold on until you allow him to kill the hunters. After that–”
“After that,” Gabe agreed.
Logan sat back in his chair. Both he and Gabe stared off into space. The men knew that it would be a long road for Ben. A shifter could recover from the sudden loss of a fated mate, but it was very difficult. Normally they had some reason to keep going. Right now, all Ben had was his need for revenge.
With an aching heart, Logan gave one last look to his best friend before rising from his seat. Having confirmed that Ben will not do anything rash, he needed to try to find out any information about the hunters.
“Logan. How did the flowers go this morning?”
He almost forgot he asked Gabe this morning for a good florist. Then again, there is only one in town.
“She really liked them. They were a hit. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What is on your mind?”
Logan sank back down to his chair.
“I need advice on this mating a human thing. How do I go about it? When should I tell her? How do I ease her into this?” Logan bombarded with questions.
“There isn’t a handbook on this Logan. I expect that the answers to your questions would change depending on the human. Does your mate seem receptive to you?”
“I suppose. She definitely feels the attraction. I’m not going around in wolf form to get to know her though.”
“Why? It worked for me,” Gabe smi
rked.
“And we both know that was a stroke of luck. And I told you it wasn’t very smart.”
“And not listening to you got me my mate and a child on the way. So I’d say that it worked out very well.”
Logan groaned at his best friend. He smiled at his Alpha. “But I don’t think that’ll work for me. She seems, a little hesitant.”
“That is understandable. She’s feeling things on a level she has never experienced before. Nina told me that it was very intense and terrifying for her. I imagine it’s the same for your mate.”
“How do I make it better? How do I make it less scary for her?”
“She has to trust you. Nina said that once she learned about everything, she no longer felt scared of her emotions about us.”
“No offense, but she was no longer terrified of you because she was terrified that there was a plot for her head after Amos attacked her.”
“OK, you may be right. But I stand by what I said. You need to get her to trust you and to embrace her feelings toward you. Even if that embrace is just an acceptance of having strong feelings for you. You’ll know when the time is right to tell her about us.”
“How will I know?”
“It’s just a feeling. Believe me. You’ll know when it is time. In the meantime, just get to know her. And let her get to know you. Mating a human does not seem much different than mating with a shifter. All the feelings and emotions are there. You still have to take the time to get to know one another.”
“You just have to have one extra conversation with a human mate,” Logan wryly commented.
Gabe tilted his head back and laughed. “Exactly. But seriously Logan. Take it one step at a time and listen to your gut. You’ve always had a pretty reliable gut. It’s what makes you a great Beta.”
“Thank you, Gabe.”
With a slight smile, Logan rose one last time from the chair. Before leaving the room, he turned to Gabe and stated, “And this is why you make a great Alpha.”
Logan closed the door to Gabe’s smile. The man’s ability to help all those around him, greatly contributed to his ability to lead the pack. And Logan was honored to call him his friend too.
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