CHAPTER FOUR
Logan watched Cole closely as his words sunk in. It was way too early yet to know if he was someone to talk to Jacob about. There’d be an evacuation run soon, before the final pack affiliation decisions were made, but places were limited. They had to be sure there was no other choice, because there was no going back afterwards.
Cole might not like the idea of joining Logan’s pack, but was he willing to give up everything to avoid it? Logan didn’t think so, but then he hadn’t told Cole which part of the pack he’d most likely end up in. That might be the tipping point, unless he could persuade Paul to let him go elsewhere.
“Humour me for a moment,” Logan said, lifting a hand when Cole went to speak. “Let’s pretend that there’s no law stating you have to join a pack. What would you do? What would be your ideal job if you got to choose?”
Cole eyed him, suspicious, but he didn’t answer straight away, giving the question some thought. He looked out to the lake, and for a moment Logan thought he might ignore the question altogether.
“I know you look at my college report and probably focus on all the weapons stuff, but just because I’d be good at killing someone with various implements doesn’t mean I’d ever want to.” He shuddered, and Logan’s stomach sank a little more. “But the martial arts? I loved learning those: the discipline, the concentration. It’s not just about fighting, it’s about integrity and respect. I led the lessons a few times, helped out with training the lower-level-colour belts.” He glanced at Logan again, eyes alight with excitement for the first time since Logan had met him. “It was great, rewarding, and I like to think I was good at that too. Seeing people learn and progress as you help them... It’s what I’d like to do. If I had the choice.”
“You’d like to teach martial arts?”
“Or anything really. I could do other sports.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want to be forced to use my skill with weapons to do something I don’t believe in.”
Logan struggled not to wince because,fuck. At the minute, that was exactly what was in store for him. He needed to get back and talk to Jacob. His initial report was due tomorrow anyway, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone. Clearing his throat to get Cole’s attention, Logan said, “I think that’ll do for today. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
“Really?” Cole frowned. “But you haven’t told me what part of the pack I’m supposed to be working in. Or anything much, come to think of it.”
“Today wasn’t about that. I wanted to get to know you a bit better. Get a feel for where you’ll fit in best.” He managed a smile despite the ball of dread building inside him. “I told you, I want to make this as painless as possible.”
Cole barked out a harsh laugh and shook his head. “Good luck with that.”
They walked towards the park entrance, stopping when they came to the gate. Logan held out his hand. “It was good to see you again, Cole.”
Cole shook his hand but didn’t return the sentiment. Logan hadn’t expected him to.
“I’d like to meet again on Thursday if that’s okay?”
“I guess.” Cole sighed, clearly unhappy about it. “Where and when?”
“Ten o’clock. And I’d like to come to your house, meet your family.”
“Why?” The mistrust was obvious, and although tired of seeing it, Logan didn’t blame him. If the tables were turned, he’d be the same, if not worse.
“Because this affects them too. I’d like to meet them and let them know that their son isn’t about to go off and join a pack of monsters or to leave and never be seen again.”
Cole smirked. “Okay, yeah. That should be interesting. I’ll see if they can get the time off work.”
Logan debated offering to talk to their respective employers but suspected that would only piss Cole off, and he didn’t want to lose the tiny bit of progress he thought he’d made today. “That’ll be fine. I’ll see you Thursday, then.”
Cole nodded, then turned and headed back towards his house without another word.
“Fuck’s sake,” Logan muttered. He always got the difficult ones—which was what he wanted—but it never got any easier. He cracked his neck from side to side, the tension from the day making him itch to shift and let it all out. But his day was far from over.
Rush hour was still a couple of hours away, so the Tube ride into the city itself wasn’t rammed, but scents lingered. Logan stood as near to the doors as possible, straining to catch any relatively fresh air that might make its way in.
JACOB WAS WAITING for him in his office at McKillan pack headquarters—one of the few places reliably soundproofed—and Logan hurried along the busy streets, dodging people as he went. Tourists weren’t as plentiful as they used to be before shifters took over, but with the country relatively stable now, their numbers were starting to grow again. The world had got used to the idea of shifters being in charge of the UK. Or maybe they just didn’t care enough as long as it didn’t spread. Either way, the city centre was still far busier than Logan liked.
Too many people made him long for the wide-open countryside, where one could run for miles and not see a single soul. He was still thinking about it when he entered the building, a soft smile in place.
Lifts were a definite no if he could avoid them, too small and closed in—so as always, he headed for the stairs.
“Hey, Logan.”
Damn it.Logan inwardly cringed but looked back over his shoulder at Rob as he approached at a jog. “Hey. What’re you doing here?” They both reported to Jacob, and as far as reporting on potential candidates went, there was no reason why they both couldn’t see him together. Please let him be here for some other reason.
Rob grimaced. “I need to see Paul. One of my guys wants to join his team. I had her pegged for something less... active, and well, she wasn’t overly thrilled at the idea.”
