“It’s not fair.” He bit his lip, blinking back tears. “None of this is fucking fair.”
“I know.” Logan was focused on his hands, and Cole took the opportunity to study him unobserved.
He looked as human as Cole did.
Dark stubble covered his jaw and throat. Thick eyelashes dusted his cheeks when he blinked, and his hair hung a little long on top. Sitting here in the sunshine, it was hard to imagine what lurked inside him. What he was capable of.
These were Logan’s pack mates they were talking about. People he’d told Cole he thought of as family.
People he trusted.
He’d said he was sorry that Cole was in this position, but how could he be? Logan was a shifter, just like all the others. He followed the same rules as the others. Was he really any different from them?
So caught up in his thoughts, Cole hadn’t noticed Logan staring at him until now. “What?” he barked out, mind still full of questions.
Logan shrugged. “You were quiet. I was wondering what you were thinking so hard about.”
The words tumbled out. “I was thinking that you sit here telling me how sorry you are that this is happening to me, yet you’re a part of that pack. You can’t be that bothered by the whole affiliation process. You told me yourself that you volunteer to do it.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly, obviously taken aback by the sudden turn in conversation. “I volunteer because I want to help people transition. I want to make the process as painless as I possibly can.”
“If we weren’t forced to pick a fucking pack in the first place, then there’d be no need for any of this shit.”
“I know, but—”
“If you’re that concerned, why not try and do something about it? Why not complain to your superiors that this practice is fucking barbaric.” He drew in a sharp breath, on a roll now. “I know us humans did some pretty shitty things to your lot before you took over, but this is no fucking better. Is it?” Cole suddenly realised how loud he’d got and glanced around nervously.
“No one’s listening,” Logan muttered, hand over his face. “And you need to stop talking like this, Cole.”
“Why? Am I touching a nerve?”
“Yes.” Logan dropped his hand and inched forward until their faces were almost touching. “I don’t agree with a lot of things the new government has implemented, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything I can do to change them. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Have you ever tried?”
Logan looked conflicted, like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. “No.”
“Then why should I believe a fucking word you say?” Cole’s shoulders slumped. He’d started to trust Logan. Had wanted to trust somebody in this whole fucking shitshow. He stood, turning his back on him. “I should just run away and be done with it.”
“Are you insane?” Logan hissed. He grabbed Cole’s shoulders and spun him around to face him, fingers biting into his skin. His gaze darted about the park, worried. “If someone hears you, do you have any idea what’ll happen?”
Logan’s eyes flashed, a wildness in them that Cole hadn’t seen before. A sliver of fear snaked down his spine. “I was just kidding,” he spat back, trying to ignore the tension rolling off Logan. If he’d had trouble picturing him as a shifter before, it was as clear as day now. His skin seemed to be pulled taut, too tight for his body, and as hard as Cole tried not to, he couldn’t help but imagine Logan’s body morphing into his wolf. Sharp teeth, claws, and so much strength.
He shuddered, unable to stop it, and Logan immediately dropped his hands and stepped back.
“Fuck, I’m sorry.” His whole body appeared to relax, and Cole dragged in a breath. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but Cole, all it takes is the wrong person to hear you say something like that, and they’ll be monitoring you all the fucking time from now until affiliation day. You think having me poking my nose in is bad? If they get even an inkling that you’re thinking about doing a runner—whether you’re serious or not—you’ll have guards twenty-four hours a day. Zero privacy.”
Cole sighed, still a little unnerved by the sudden change in Logan. “Okay, I get it.” He glanced up at the sky. “Did anyone hear?”
“No. You were lucky.”
This time.Logan didn’t say the words, but Cole heard them anyway. He needed to be more careful. He sighed again, the whole hopelessness of the situation getting the better of him. “It’s not like it’d do any good anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Where would I go for starters?” He met Logan’s gaze. “And besides, everyone gets caught eventually, don’t they?”
Logan didn’t answer, and when Cole looked at him, he was looking out over the water.
