by Lola Gabriel
Logan shrugged awkwardly, and Raina reached out and squeezed Brianna’s arm before she went and retrieved the Ure sword. She poked her fingers through her shredded top and wiped off a bit of partially dried blood. She wiped it on the blade of the Ure sword, and it reverted back to a notebook. Brianna gasped.
“Even after everything I’ve seen, I wasn’t expecting that one.”
“No one ever is. That’s why it’s so effective,” Raina said.
They left the room and headed out into the street, where Logan led them to the car he had rented. Brianna gave Logan the address of her apartment, and he programmed it into the GPS system. Her apartment wasn’t far away, and within ten minutes, they pulled up outside of her building.
“Don’t worry, Brianna. You’re safe now,” Raina reassured her again.
Brianna nodded. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“Any time,” Raina said.
Brianna got out of the car and turned to wave at them. Raina watched through the mirror above the dashboard as Brianna headed for her building.
“She took all of that well,” Logan said.
“Yeah. She’ll probably go inside and have a nervous breakdown or something now, though,” Raina said. Logan’s eyebrows shot up, and she laughed. “I’m joking. She took it really well, and I honestly think she’ll be fine. There was a certain toughness about her once the shock wore off a bit.”
“You lied to her about me,” Logan pointed out. Raina shrugged.
“We’ve all made mistakes, and she didn’t need to know about yours. It would have taken too much explaining if we’d told her everything.” The truth was, she hadn’t wanted Brianna to think badly of Logan, not even for a second. Logan drove them back to the hotel, and they went up to Raina’s room.
“So, what happens now?” Logan asked.
“I change out of this ruined shirt.”
“I’m serious, Raina.”
Raina sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. She had known they’d have to have this conversation, but now that it was time to have it, she didn’t know where to begin. She decided to start with the obvious.
“I know fate brought us together for a reason. To be mates,” she said.
“I feel the exact same way,” Logan said.
She could hear the relief in his voice, and she hated that she was about to say what she had to say next.
“But the thing is, Logan, I’ve found my calling. Hunting Matchmakers is what I was born to do. I just know it. And I’m not ready to give that up to come and live with your pack. I… I’m sorry. I…” She stopped talking when she saw the grin on Logan’s face. That had been the last reaction she had been expecting.
“I always thought being my pack’s alpha was my life’s work. But I was wrong, Raina. I’m meant to be hunting Matchmakers as well. I can feel it inside of myself. I was dreading you saying you wanted to give it up and move to my district and live a quiet life,” he said.
“You mean you’re going to give up the pack?” Raina asked. “Logan, that’s a huge decision. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”
“It is a huge decision; you’re right about that. And it’s one I’ve made. You don’t have to feel bad about it. I want to travel the globe with you and make the world a better place. But even if you had told me you didn’t want me, I would still be doing this. It would just be a hell of a lot less fun doing it without you by my side.”
Raina jumped up off the bed and flew into Logan’s arms. Their lips met, and she clutched him to her tightly. She couldn’t believe she had gotten so lucky. She had found her life’s purpose and her soul mate. Things like that didn’t happen to girls like her. Or at least, they hadn’t up until now. She reminded herself she had waited over two centuries for this to happen, and that maybe things like this did happen to girls like her after all, as long as they were willing to be patient. And boy, had she been patient.
16
Three Weeks Later
Raina stood by Logan’s side, her hand in his. His grip was tight, and she could feel the nerves coming off him. She felt a little nervous herself, and she wasn’t the one about to make a speech. The last time she had stood before Logan’s pack like this, with all eyes focused on her, had been two weeks ago, when she and Logan had completed the mating ceremony.
Noah, Chessa, Harvey, and Raina’s father had made the trip to District 18 to be there for the ceremony, and Raina had felt like her heart would burst with joy. Before the ceremony, she had sat down with Noah and told him she would always be a member of his pack while he was willing to have her. He had asked her how that could possibly work now that she was going to be mated to the leader of a different pack, and she had told him everything: how she and Logan were scouring the news channels and newspapers waiting for a sign of their next target, and how when it came, Logan was stepping down and going rogue. Noah had taken her hands in his and told her she was always welcome in his pack, and so was Logan.
That had been a huge weight off Raina’s mind. The eyes that had watched her walk to Logan and say her vows had been caught up in their joyous occasion, and Raina had been so happy that she had barely noticed them watching her then. This time, though, she felt every gaze on her.
Logan squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back, suddenly not caring that she was being watched. All she cared about was being with Logan.
“Attention, everyone, I have a serious announcement to make,” Logan said.
The pack stopped muttering and whispering among themselves and focused their full attention on him.
“As you know, I recently went to New York to meet my soul mate and bring her home to us,” he said. This got a cheer from the pack, and Raina couldn’t help but smile. “It is with a combination of great sadness and great excitement that I say this. I am stepping down as the alpha of the bear pack of District 18.”
Gasps and cries went up through the pack. Logan paused, giving them a minute to take in the news, and then he raised his hand again.
“As I said, it is with great sadness that I leave the pack, and I have given this much consideration, but it’s the right move for me. The excitement I feel comes from new beginnings. Raina and I will be traveling the world and taking in everything the world has to offer.”
More disgruntled cries came from the crowd, but more than a few cheers and calls of support came to them as well.
“My last responsibility as your alpha is to name the new alpha of the pack. I know you will all welcome him with open minds and open hearts and support him in the same way you supported me. Please kneel for your new alpha.”
The pack fell to their knees. Raina found Josh in the crowd. He wasn’t kneeling. He was standing, looking up at her and Logan and wearing a smug smile. His mission had always been to take the pack from Logan, and now, he thought he had won.
“Pack of District 18, your new alpha is Rory Williams,” Logan announced.
Raina didn’t bother to try to hide her smile as Josh’s face fell, and he joined the rest of the pack on his knees. Rory looked up from where he knelt at the front of the crowd, his face showing his confusion. Logan nodded to him with a warm smile and gestured for him to come to stand beside him. Rory got up and made his way to the front of the crowd.
“Rory has been my faithful beta for the last century, and you all know as well as I do that his heart lies with you all. I have no doubt in my mind that I’m making the right decision, and that Rory will lead this pack to greatness.” He turned to Rory. “My brother, my friend. It’s your time to shine. Lead the pack and elevate them to the greatness each and every one of them is capable of,” Logan said.
Rory beamed with pride and nodded his head.
“Rory Williams, do you accept this role?”
“I do,” Rory replied.
“Do you promise to put the pack’s needs above your own and govern in a fair and unbiased manner?”
“I do.”
“Do you promise to take on the responsibility of ensuring that no pack member is left behi
nd?”
“I do.”
“Then it gives me great pleasure to announce that you, Rory Williams, are the alpha of the bear pack of District 18. May you live a long and fruitful life.”
Logan nodded to Raina, and she knelt before Rory. Logan knelt beside her. They gave Rory a minute to compose himself, and then Logan looked up and nodded at him.
“All rise,” Rory commanded. The pack, including Raina and Logan, got to their feet. “Thank you, Logan. I will do you proud, I swear,” he told Logan.
They shook hands, and Logan stepped off the stage, followed by Raina. He grinned at her. “Alicante it is, then.”
She returned his smile feeling the familiar stirring inside of herself when she looked into Logan’s eyes. They had found a pattern of missing women in the center of Alicante, and that was where they would find the next Matchmaker. It would be another dangerous pursuit, but with Logan at her side, Raina could do anything.
Epilogue
Brianna Lake walked briskly down the quiet street. Night was just starting to fall, and the shadows cast by the buildings were long and misshapen. This time of the evening had always been her favorite time. The temperature was always just right; not too hot and not too cold. It was also a good time to take a quiet, peaceful walk through the streets of New York. The day people, the tourists and the office workers, had mostly gone back to their hotels to change for the nighttime or their apartments to relax for the evening, and the night people weren’t out yet. They were most likely getting ready for a long night of fun.
Now, though, Brianna felt different. She glanced around herself warily, conscious of every doorway that could be hiding someone from her, jumping at every shadow, peering into it, trying to make out the facial features of someone watching her. Every car that passed her made her shrink back away from the road in case it came to a stop and someone tried to drag her into it.
Raina had told her that Chester’s people would disband and that they wouldn’t come looking for her, and she believed her. Raina had seemed genuine. But it didn’t stop the fear that plagued Brianna. If one Matchmaker had found her, then others could, too. Raina had assured her Chester would have paid the doctor to keep his mouth shut, but it had been three weeks since she had rescued her, and Brianna was starting to wonder what would happen when the payments to the doctor stopped now that Chester was dead. What if the doctor found someone else willing to pay good money for information?
Brianna had hoped the paranoia would pass, but if anything, it was only getting worse. She wished she had taken Raina’s number and could call her and ask for her advice, but she hadn’t, and it wasn’t like she could talk to anyone else about this.
This was the first evening since her rescue that Brianna had forced herself out into the streets. She had been out through the day, of course, when the sun was shining and the streets were crammed with tourists. She had felt safe as part of a crowd, but she craved the peace solitude brought her. She told herself if she made herself do this every night, she would relax again and come to enjoy the quiet streets.
She had quit her job working tables at a diner. She didn’t need the money anymore, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid working evening shifts forever. As for being a singer? Well, that was out of the question now. She couldn’t bear the thought of getting up on a stage in front of people, all the while wondering if any of them were out to grab her.
Brianna shook her head. She didn’t want to be a damned victim all her life. Even if she couldn’t be a singer, she had to find something else—something that would give her some sort of purpose. She had been given a second chance at life, and she fully intended to take it.
Her heart quickened up as she heard running footsteps behind her. She turned quickly, her hands raised to protect herself. Relief and embarrassment flooded her in equal measures when two teenaged boys gave her a strange look as they ran past her, laughing and shoving each other.
“This city is making me crazy,” Brianna whispered to herself. She had never said it out loud before now, but as she did, she knew the truth of it. She had to leave New York. She didn’t feel safe here anymore, and she didn’t think she ever would.
She brought two fingers to her lips and gave a loud whistle. She felt lighter now that the decision was made, and when a cab pulled up and she got in, she gave him her address in a jovial tone, no longer whispering and acting oddly while she tried to work out if the cabbie was a threat to her.
She didn’t have a passport, and she didn’t want to wait around while she applied for one, so she couldn’t leave the US, but it was a big place, and she had plenty of options to choose from. She sat back in her seat, looking out of the window, saying a silent goodbye to the streets of New York. She was going home one last time, where she would decide where to go. She didn’t want to waste another minute of her life living in fear, and she decided she would leave first thing in the morning.
Wolf’s Secret
District Shifters
Wolf’s Secret: District Shifters
Text Copyright © 2020 by Lola Gabriel
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing, 2020
Publisher
Secret Woods Books
[email protected]
www.SecretWoodsBooks.com
1
Brianna Lake felt nervous but excited as she pulled open the heavy glass door of the University of Nebraska, taking a deep breath and smelling the long-forgotten smell of an academic institute; books, floor polish, and possibilities.
She smiled, telling herself not to be so damned corny. The place smelled just like the University of Houston, where she earned a biology degree. But, that hadn’t been Brianna’s favorite time. Now, though, it would be different. It wasn’t like she was being forced to attend, and she had more than enough money not to have to worry about coming to school here after she had received a large sum of money from Logan, the bear shifter who had also saved her life.
She was attending school again because she wanted to make something of herself, give her life some meaning. And this time around, she would be studying medicine, something that had always fascinated her.
“Hi. Are you here for orientation?” someone asked.
Brianna turned in the direction of the voice. A woman who looked a few years younger than her twenty-five years was smiling at her questioningly. Brianna smiled back. Something about the woman made her feel at ease, and she nodded.
“Yes. Are you?”
The woman nodded and stuck her hand out. Brianna shook it.
“Macey Reeves. God, I’m so nervous,” she said.
“Brianna Lake, and me too,” Brianna said back.
The doors opened, and a few more people came in.
“Do you have any idea where we’re supposed to go?” Macey asked.
“Yeah. The main hall. But I have no idea where it is.”
“It’s this way,” another voice said.
Brianna turned around to see a short woman beneath a shock of blonde curls.
“I’m Caroline,” the woman smiled. “Caroline Maynard. I turned up half an hour early to find the place so I didn’t have to ask for directions I would never be able to follow.”
Brianna and Macey introduced themselves as they fell into step beside Caroline. She led them along a hallway covered in photographs and news clippings.
“The university’s hall of fame,” Caroline commented.
Brianna slowed down a little, looking at some of the photographs and captions.
“I don’t recognize any of them,”
she said.
Caroline laughed, an infectious sound that made Brianna want to laugh herself.
“That’s because no one ever gets famous going here. You want fame? Nebraska is the last place to come,” she said.
The thought didn’t upset Brianna. In fact, it reassured her. She had moved to Nebraska because she wanted to disappear, fade into the background, and not be noticed. And if Caroline’s assessment of the place was anything to go by, then she’d picked the right place.
“Why come here if you hate the place so much?” Macey asked.
“I grew up here,” Caroline explained. “It just made sense for me to stay local to save money. But you two both have accents.”
“I’m from California,” Macey said.
“I’m originally from Texas, but I’ve been living in New York for the last couple of years,” Brianna said.
“New York, huh? So why come here? I mean, there are great medical schools there. And the night life has to be better than anything you’ll find around here,” Caroline said.
Brianna shrugged, not sure what to say. She could hardly tell Caroline she’d run away from New York after a Matchmaker who had discovered she had the Sanmere protein in her blood had abducted her and planned to sell her to an immortal shifter. After being rescued, she learned that having Sanmere in her blood gave her the ability to bear immortal children, which is why she was being sold. Luckily, she had been rescued, and one of her rescuers, Logan, had even given her enough money to start a new life. However, that was way too much information to tell someone she had just met.
Instead, she settled on a half-true story.
“I went to New York to live the dream, but somewhere along the way, the dream changed. I changed. And New York didn’t feel so glamourous anymore,” she said with a shrug.