Logan groaned. Out of the ten candidate mediators from his pack, he’d drawn the most days this year, covering virtually all ten of the testing days. Along with his best mate, Aaron. They didn’t sit in on all the tests—there were far too many candidates for that—just the ones they were particularly interested in.
Like Cole Moreton.
If ever Logan had met a human who was made to be a shifter, it was Cole. Lean but well-toned, agile. He wasn’t the best runner, but with his experience in self-defence, Logan bet he’d be quick on his feet, with awesome reflexes. He also had the patience to learn. His weapons training had shown that. With all that going for him as a human, Logan could only imagine what he’d be like as a shifter.
And that was the problem. He wasn’t the only one who could imagine it.
All the packs were given the list of candidates months ahead of the testing phase. Along with their names was a brief background and education report. It was some poor soul’s job to sift through them all and select potentials according to a list of guidelines provided by Alpha McKillan and his betas. There were a few that had stuck out, and Cole’s was among them. None of his family were affiliated with packs, both siblings having tested below the required level.
There was no evidence to suggest Cole didn’t want to join a pack, but Logan had a gut feeling as he’d read through his file. He’d had to pull a couple of favours to sit in on Cole’s test, but it’d been worth it.
There was no doubt that McKillan would want Cole in their pack and would want him to take the bite. But he wouldn’t be the only interested alpha.
Logan cracked his neck and stretched. The day had been long but lacking in any physical activity, and he longed to be outside in the fresh air, stretching his legs. His phone chimed with a text, and he glanced at the screen, smiling when he saw Aaron’s name.
I’m outside.
Logan replied with,on my way,and headed for the automatic doors at the front of the medical centre.
A dark-blue Jeep sat at the kerb, waiting, and Logan hurried down the steps towards it.
Once inside, he slumped back against the seat and sighed. “Fuck me, that was a long day.”
Aaron laughed. “You’re telling me. I hate this part of it.”
“Me too.” Though he wasn’t sure they hated it for the same reasons. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes.
“Only another week of it to go.” Aaron indicated and pulled out onto the main road. “How was it? See anyone we might want?”
Aaron was Logan’s best friend. Had been since he’d joined their pack in 2014. But there were some things Logan couldn’t share with him. They weren’t justhissecrets to tell. “A few,” he said, being intentionally vague.
But Aaron was feeling chatty. “You got that Moreton kid, right? He looked too good on paper; bet he was a right twat.”
“Nah, he was okay.”
Aaron glanced over at him. “Was he gagging to be turned and get some shifter strength to go with all his other skills?”
Not exactly. “I think he’s expecting not to be compatible, like the rest of his family.”
Aaron drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Man, Paul’s gonna be well pissed off if that’s the case. He’s been drooling over that file for weeks.”
Paul was one of McKillan’s team leaders.
And a bit of a cunt.
The thought of him getting his hands on Cole made Logan’s wolf uneasy. Tension crawled up his spine, his baser instincts screaming at him that that was the worst idea possible, and he struggled to stop any of it showing. Aaron felt the same where Paul was concerned, but even so, getting this worked up over someone who wasn’t pack—might never be pack—was a bit extreme.
Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly, Logan managed to shrug in response. “On paper he’d be perfect for Paul’s team, but I don’t think he’s got the right mindset for it.”
Aaron laughed and turned to look at him. “And by that you mean he’s not a sadistic arsehole?”
“Something like that.” Logan relaxed, even managed a smile as he glanced out the window at the clear sky. June was one of his favourite months. Many humans wrongly assumed that shifters preferred the winter months, when darkness came early and the night lasted far longer.
But Logan, like so many others, loved the light nights. The moon was still out there. He could feel its pull just as well as if it was pitch black. But there was something about running through the trees in the park as the sun set... something almost magical as the fading light streamed through the trees.
Maybe he’d do just that tonight.
His body ached with the need to flex its muscles and burn off some energy.
