Masked SheWolf

by Yara Gharios

That's when the tension starts to settle and I can tell she knows more than she's letting on. I don't push it though. Thankfully, we're saved from having an awkward silence -which would be a first with Sadie- when Cade suddenly pulls up in front of us in his red convertible BMW. Sadie immediately jumps into the passenger side and plasters her face to his, her hands on his neck. I roll my eyes and wordlessly climb into the backseat, keeping my eyes averted.

  "I've missed you," she mumbles once they finally break apart for air.

  "I've missed you more," he whispers back, his voice hoarse.

  Uh, hello! Person in the backseat! I want to yell at them.

  As if she hears me, Sadie pulls away and turns to me. "Baby, you remember Dylan, right?"

  I think I hear him sigh right before he meets my gaze levelly. "Of course," he replies dryly. "Only, I know him as Michael."

  My name sounds like a curse word coming from him. There is definitely a 'talk' coming up. Great.

  For Sadie's sake, I make an effort to be extra polite. "Good to see you again."

  He nods his head to the side. "You too." He faces his girlfriend again. "Shall we?"

  My suspicions about him are confirmed at the compound. Cade's brothers are in the living room with a guy I'm guessing must be Reena's brother, Jason. They're arguing about where they should spend their Friday night, while the three sets of parents -Sadie's, Cade's and Jason's- are in the dining room putting away the leftovers from lunch.

  I am shocked. They have leftovers?

  "Hi Mom, hi Daddy," Sadie greets them.

  "Michael!" her brother cheers.

  Since when am I his favorite person? I wonder.

  "Hi," I say to everyone.

  "Want to play Wii tennis with me?" Zack suggests.

  "You will go upstairs and change young man," his mother objects. "We're all going to the park, Sade. Would you and Michael like to join us?"

  "No, I promised I would crush him in a round of video games," she replies with mock seriousness.

  I grin. "That's what you think."

  Sadie's mom smiles. "Have fun, then."

  She and Zack then leave the room. The other adults start following them when Cade speaks.

  "Sade, I need to change before I go. Could you make me something to eat on the way?"

  Although she smiles, she gives him a knowing look and agrees. I try to follow her to the kitchen, but he grabs my arm, quite roughly I might add, and stops me. By then, we're the only ones in the room. I sigh and look at him neutrally.

  "Is there a problem?" I deadpan.

  "That girl in there," he starts, "she's mine, and as long as you remember that and don't try anything, there won't be a problem. Okay?"

  Ah, so it's a pissing match he's expecting, I mentally comment.

  "Look man, I'm not interested in her that way, or in anyone for that matter," I tell him. "Plus, you know, you should really trust her; she loves you."

  His grip on my arm tightens and his teeth grind together. "I do trust her -I'm not worried about that. I'm saying don't try anything. It's you I don't trust."

  "You don't even know me," I remind him.

  "My point exactly."

  I refrain from eye-rolling, because I know how werewolves can get about somebody else trying to get close to their mates, although Cade is kind of pushing it.

  "Look, I respect you and all, but you're out of line. I want nothing from her other than her friendship, and I've given you no reason to believe otherwise and be threatened by me."

  He gives me a deadly and warning glare. "Not yet."

  He lets go and stands relaxed again just seconds before Sadie walks in from the kitchen with a panini sandwich. She hands it to him with a sweet smile and leans into his arms for a hug. He runs his hand over her arm and kisses her forehead.

  "Thanks, Sade," he says all lovey-dovey and gross-like. "I better hurry. Logan will be expecting me soon."

  Then he takes a bite from the sandwich and goes up the stairs two at a time. Sadie watches him and waits until he's out of earshot before turning to me with a knowing smile.

  "Okay, be honest, did it work on you?" she asks.

  I pretend not to know what she's talking about. "Did what work on me?"

  She rolls her eyes. "The whole stay-away-from-my-girlfriend-or-I'll-kick-your-ass talk. Don't play dumb with me. I've known about that speech since we started going out."

  Amused and also impressed that she knows him so well, I chuckle. "Not really," I admit. "It's not him; there's nothing he can say that would scare me because I don't see you that way. No offense."

  She shrugs. "None taken."

  I nod. "Good."

  "Now that that's out of the way, how about a few rounds of Battlefield 4 to start off?" she suggest. "I'll get the snacks?"

  I grin. "You're going down."

  "Oh, we'll see about that."

  Fifteen minutes later, Cade has left, Sadie and I are in the game room, and I find out she is not as bad as I would have expected her to be. She's actually pretty good. I can tell she plays this game quite often, but it's also obvious who she plays against. She's more confident than she should be with her skills, which makes me think whoever she plays against goes a bit easy on her sometimes to make her happy. Only a boyfriend would do this sort of thing.

  After that, it's like time just flies by. We play four different games for two hours straight. I don't let her win but she does manage to do that on her own in almost half of the rounds. While we play, we tease each other in a way that's very different than how my brothers and I do it. If possible, it's just as fun as playing with my brothers.

  Around six thirty, a car pulls up in front of the pack house and I notice that it's gotten dark because of the headlights shining through the small window up high in the basement.

  "Whoa, are they back yet?" I question. "We barely got started!"

  Sadie laughs and her hands grip the console while she fires at me. "We've been at this for hours," she corrects me. "I have to get ready before Cade comes, but I'll just finish you off before I go."

  A short, sarcastic laugh escapes my lips. "Okay, sure."

  Then I proceed to wipe the floor with her.

  "No!" she shrieks when the game's over and she lost. "No fair, I was this close to pulverizing you!"

  I pat her arm like a wounded animal. "Whatever you say, sweetie."

  That's when I hear the front door open. Whatever reply Sadie was thinking of throwing at me dies in her throat when we hear shouting.

  "... same fight over and over again!" a female voice yells. "You promised me!"

  "Can you listen to me for just one second, please?" a voice pleads with her. Is that Logan?

  "No! I just don't get it, Logy!" Yup, definitely Reena and Logan. "I don't get why you're never around anymore. It's like, ever since you officially became alpha, all you care about is following ghosts and dead leads. I mean, I knew being an alpha meant you'd have more responsibilities, but you're not even here to fulfill them, and you've completely ignored your responsibilities toward me. I don't like feeling neglected, Logan. You promised you'd stay with me, but you're abandoning me every chance you get."

  Their footsteps indicate that they've gone into the kitchen now, but their voices are still loud enough to be heard throughout the whole house.

  "Ree, you know that's not true," Logan protests. He sounds so tired and yet he's gentle with her. It's kind of sad to listen to.

  "Should we go?" I whisper to Sadie.

  She sighs and shakes her head, then stands up and leaves.

  "You know how I feel about you," Logan is saying. "This is just something I have to do. You don't have to understand it, but I do need you to support me."

  "Well, I don't, okay? Because I can't just forget about myself, too."

  "Reena," he begs and is cut off by Sadie entering the kitchen.

  I have to strain my ears to hear what she says. I'm curious, okay? It's not everyday I witness a big fight between an alpha and his mate.
My parents never fight like that. They argue, sure, but it never escalates this way, at least not from what I've seen.

  "Hey guys," Sadie greets them. "Want to join us for some video games?"

  "I'm going to my room," Reena angrily announces before Logan could say anything.

  "Ree," he calls after her. "Reena, please."

  From what I can tell, she ignores him and goes upstairs. Logan sighs tiredly.

  "Hey," Sadie calls out with her soothing voice. "Everything alright?"

  "Don't worry about it, it's fine," he replies. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date? Cade's going to be here soon."

  "Yeah, I'm going to, I just want to make sure you're okay."

  "Yeah, I told you I'm fine. Who are you playing video games with by the way?"

  "Dylan," she tells him.

  "Oh." His voice changes.

  "He won't be here long; Cade and I are going to drive him home before we go," she informs him.

  "Oh, well, that's not necessary." Next thing I know, he's coming into the game room with Sadie following behind him. For a moment, he just stands there in awkward silence. You know, the usual for us. "Evening, Micheal. How's everything?"

  Did he really just say evening?!

  I shrug. "Good. You?"

  "Could be better," he admits. I'm surprised by his answer because I only asked out of politeness. "Listen, you don't have to go right away. I'm kind of in the mood to play a little bit of video games myself, so if you want to stay, I can drive you later."

  I hesitate. I don't want any more awkward moments with this guy; I've lived through enough. "Uh, I don't know about that."

  Sadie steps in. "I'm going to get dressed. You let me know what you want to do when I come back, okay Dyl?"

  Unwillingly, I nod. "Sure."

  After she climbs up the staircase, Logan sits next to me on the couch.

  "Really Michael, you can stay a while longer, I don't mind taking you home after," he assures me. He coughs and lowers his voice. "You, uh, may find this hard to believe, but I like talking to you."

  My left eyebrow shoots up skeptically. "You're right; I do find that hard to believe."

  He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "Listen, I know I acted a bit defensively last time, and I'm sorry. Putting that aside, I really did like talking to you, and I'd like to try and be friends."

  My shock makes my ears ring. Did I just hear him right? Did an alpha just say he wants to be friends with me, a lowly werewolf who isn't even part of his pack? That's got to be a first. Although, to be fair, there's never been an alpha as young as Logan, not for a long time at least.

  "You're not messing with me, are you?" I check.

  He frowns, looking very confused by my question. "Why would I do that?"

  I pause. "So you want me to stay a bit longer just so we could... talk?" I ask in complete disbelief.

  "We don't have to do just that, obviously," he answers. "We can pick up the game where you and Sadie left off."

  I don't reply immediately and instead think about it for a second. He's just given me an opening to start whatever kind of conversation I want to start. But I'm not sure if there's something I want to talk about that's worth staying and facing possible tense silence. Although, I am curious about his fight with Reena.

  "Okay, I guess," I finally agree.

  His smile is relieved, and I get the sense he really wants somebody to talk to. "Thank you," he tells me.

  He doesn't say anything else and just stares at me, like he's waiting for me to get the ball rolling. A couple more seconds of silence pass.

  Then, he leans his elbows over his knees and joins his hands together in one grip. "You know, you were a lot more talkative in the van," he jokingly remarks, saving me the trouble of breaking the ice.

  I half-smile, and suddenly, I feel a little lighter. "Sorry, I just keep remembering the last time I tried to ask you something and you completely shut down," I find myself admitting.

  It's like whatever censorship I have over my thoughts evaporates with this guy.

  He chuckles, joining his hands together between his legs and looking down. "I guess I had that coming. But you can't blame me for having my guard up."

  I balance my head from side to side as if I'm weighing something in my mind. "Well, there's guarded, and then there's armed-and-ready-for-battle, and you were all missiles and tanks. I mean, you made me feel guilty for asking a simple question."

  Amazingly, he looks up at me and smiles, and that's when I get a closer look at his eyes. I still can't tell what color they are, though, because with the room's lighting, they keep switching between blue, hazel and brown.

  "Sorry about that," he tells me truthfully. "That wasn't fair to you."

  I soften at his apology. "In your defense, you were kind of having a rough day."

  He exhales loudly and leans back against the couch, covering his eyes with his hands. "More like a rough year," he tells me, sounding so tired that I feel an urge to get him a glass of water or a blanket or anything that would actually make him feel better.

  For a moment, I watch him rub his eyes with the palms of his hands, studying him.

  "Hey, can I ask you something? And this time you won't freak out on me?" I add with humor.

  Without removing his hands, he smiles and mumbles, "Sure."

  "Are you okay?"

  Something about the tone of my voice catches him by surprise. He drops his arms into his lap and looks sideways at me, analyzing me just like I was doing seconds ago.

  "No," he finally says. Then he scratches the back of his head. "Not really. But there's a big part that I can't talk about with outsiders. You know, from the pack."

  His honesty isn't offensive at all; I'm actually grateful that he answered the way he did this time instead of making up something and pushing me away.

  "Then which part can you talk about?" I wonder.

  He thinks about it for a moment. "Reena."

  A flash of annoyance surprises me. What is that about? Didn't I just say I was curious to know what the fight was about?

  "What about her?" I ask.

  "I just-" he cuts off. "I don't know. Lately, it's been more complicated than usual. We've never fought as much as we have since I became the alpha."

  "I'm no expert, but I think fighting's necessary between couples," I say. "But still, I've never seen my parents or any of my brothers fight like that with their mate or girlfriend."

  He sighs heavily. "I swear, sometimes, being a good mate is harder than being a good alpha."

  I grin smugly. "I wouldn't know. I'm never going to experience either of those things."

  He gives me a dubious look. "Why do you say that?" he says. "I mean I get the thing about being alpha, but everyone finds a mate, and you're no exception. One day, it's going to be you complaining to me about having a fight with your mate, and it's going to be me giving you the advice."

  For more than one reason, I can't help laughing. "Okay, first of all, what makes you so sure I'll even come to you for relationship advice?"

  He pretends to look offended. "Well, I should definitely return the favor. I am a man of honor, you know? I'm an alpha; I kind of have to be. I don't just take things from others, even if it's words of comfort."

  I roll my eyes. "Well aren't you chivalrous. Thanks for making the rest of us look bad. Besides, I didn't give you any advice; it was a load of crap I heard on TV or something."

  "Still, it helped," he insists.

  "Whatever," I laugh.

  "I see you two are getting along," Sadie's voice jokes, coming from the doorway.

  Logan and I both turn to look at her at the same time. We didn't even hear her coming because we were too caught up in the conversation, which turns out to be pretty great, when it flows easily.

  She's dressed in a strapless white dress that reaches her knees and a black cardigan over it, open at the front. She's also got on shiny black flats and various silver bracelets clinking together on he
r arms. Her hair is pushed back with an iron band, making her face look radiant. She is seriously gorgeous right now.

  "Wow, Sadie, you look beautiful," Logan tells her.

  "Yeah, you're amazing," I second that.

  She smiles brilliantly, flashing her teeth, and giggles like a little schoolgirl with a crush. "Thanks guys! I hope Cade agrees with you."

  "He will," Logan assures her.

  "He'd be stupid not to," I add confidently.

  She chuckles at our compliments. "Anyway, he's here already. Have you decided what you want to do, Dylan?"

  Logan and I exchange looks, and we smile at the same time.

  "I think I'll hang out here for a while."

  Chapter 16

  Logan

  Three more names were crossed off my father's list. Two of them kicked us out of their houses the second we mentioned my father's name. It wasn't like with the Mariners; they didn't turn us away out of fear. It seemed more like they hated my father. The third family does not even remember who my father is. They were nice enough to invite us for some tea, though.

  The fourth family Cade and I visit is another sad and hopeless case. When we get there, the house is abandoned. It's not hard to conclude they moved.

  "Damn it, I really had a good feeling about this one," I admit to Cade.

  "We'll find something," he assures me. "One of those names is bound to talk to us."

  I don't acknowledge how much I hope he's right.

  "What do we do now?" he asks.

  I remember the Mariners telling us they went to the police when they thought Jace's kidnapping was something done by an ordinary human. Maybe this family had a similar idea.

  With my luck turning worse and worse with each name we cross off my dad's list, I think it's understandable that I'm really hoping for a change of fortune right about now. But things don't turn out the way I want them to, unfortunately. I get a big surprise when we're about to walk into the police station.

  "Jason?" I say when I spot my cousin leaning against the side of the building. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be going out with the guys?"

  Jason shrugs. "They couldn't make up their minds on where to go, so they just decided to hang out at Tyler's place. I didn't feel like sitting around. So what are you up to, cuz?"