They both knew the answer, but Logan humoured him anyway. “Yes. He has some good guys on his team, but the majority were born into this life. They haven’t had to switch sides. For them, it’s just a job to uphold the new laws. To you, it’d be something entirely different.”
“It would.” He buried his face in his hands. “Fuck,” he hissed through his fingers.
Logan let him be for a few moments. Let him absorb the bombshell Logan had just dropped on him. He quickly checked the time on his phone. His next appointment was in a little under two hours, but he’d need to be going soon. “Cole?”
Cole blew out a breath and lifted his head to meet Logan’s gaze. “How would you do it? How would you fake my death?”
“I can’t tell you.” He held his hand up when Cole went to speak. “Not because I won’t tell you, but because I don’t know. It’s not my area.” Sighing, he reached out to grip Cole’s knee, the bare skin taking him by surprise. He’d forgotten Cole had shorts on. A mixture of smooth skin and soft hair tickled his palm. His fingers on Cole’s inner thigh suddenly seemed far less innocent than he’d intended. Swallowing back an ill-timed flare of attraction, Logan focused on the very fucking important matter at hand. “I’m not going to tell you anything more now. You need to go home and think hard about what I’ve said, because once you make a decision, there’s no going back.” He paused, waiting for Cole to nod. “If you tell anyone about this, the offer will be immediately revoked. If you report me to the shifters, then not only will you be signing mine and possibly countless others’ death warrants, they’ll have you under guard before you’ve finished speaking. Do you understand?”
Cole nodded, seemingly at a loss for words, but when Logan started to stand up, Cole grabbed his hand. “I wouldn’t be able to see them again, would I?”
Logan didn’t need to ask who. He gripped Cole’s hand in his. “No. And you won’t get to say goodbye.” They stayed like that, hands locked together for far longer than Logan should’ve allowed. He couldn’t afford to get attached. If Cole agreed to this, then it wasn’t just friends and family Cole would never see again.
He needed to keep a professional distance.
Tugging Cole to his feet, Logan gave his fingers one last squeeze, then let go. “You can also choose to forget we had this conversation, join my pack, and try to make the best of it. The choice is totally up to you.”
“For once,” Cole muttered.
“Yes, for once.” He gestured for them to start walking.
When they reached the entrance to the park, Cole stopped and glanced over at him. “Why do you do this?”
Logan had given the same answer for as long as he’d been a part of the CEG. “Because forcing humans to join packs is wrong, and I’d rather help them escape than watch them kill themselves or slowly die doing something they hate. I can’t change the laws, Cole. But I help where I can.”
Cole’s expression was for once unreadable, and with the wind getting stronger, scents swirling around them, Logan couldn’t be sure what scents he was picking up from him. Emotions were complicated things to unravel at the best of times, and Logan was no expert in that area, depending on gut instinct more than his sense of smell. Anger and arousal were easy to pick out, but anything more complex was a challenge.
Logan would bet good money that the emotions running through Cole right now were about as complex as you could get. Come on,” he said, picking up the pace. “I need to be elsewhere, and you need to go home. Your parents’ll be wondering what I’ve done with you.” He smiled, but Cole didn’t return it.
Not that Logan blamed him. “Give me your phone. I’ll add my contact info. That way I can text you details of our next meeting.”
Cole handed over his phone without complaint, and Logan typed his number.
“I’ll give you as long as I can to think about this, but it probably won’t be more than a few days. Whatever you decide, there are things that need sorting.” After giving Cole his phone back, Logan offered him a small smile. “I’ll be in touch.”
LOGAN GOT BACK to his flat at just gone seven, mentally knackered yet vibrating with nervous energy at the same time. It would only get worse as the escape run drew closer. Add to that the full moon, and the escape run itself was going to be interesting, to say the least.
As he walked down the corridor to his door, Logan grinned at the sight that greeted him. “You could’ve just called or texted. I would’ve answered.” The dark brown wolf lying in front of his door huffed and fixed him with a look so Aaron-like that Logan burst out laughing. “Fine, fine we can go for a run in just a sec. Let me feed Smudge first.”
Logan stepped over Aaron and unlocked his door.
Smudge greeted him, purring loudly and fussing around his legs as normal, paying no attention to the wolf that trotted in after him. “Come on then,” Logan said as he scooped Smudge up so she could lie across his shoulders. “Let’s get you sorted.”
Aaron watched from his spot by the door as Logan put some biscuits in the cat bowl and changed her water. With that taken care of, he stood and stretched his arms above his head, bones cracking loudly. It felt like ages since he’d done anything more taxing than a fast walk. “Fuck, I do need a run.” The thought was suddenly far more appealing than it had been five minutes ago.
Ignoring Aaron’s smug expression, Logan hurried into his bedroom and quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to centre himself, to relax and try and let the stresses of the day fade away. His wolf was always with him, lurking under the surface, ready to come out whenever he called. He rolled his shoulders, tipped his head back, and let the change take him.
Pain, hot and sharp, tore through his body as bones and skin morphed into their new form. As always, it was over so quickly it almost felt like he’d imagined it, but it still left him panting for a moment after. The world around him came into sharper focus, senses alert in a way he could never quite achieve as his human self. He heard Smudge still eating happily, loud to his sensitive ears, and the swish of Aaron’s long tail against the carpet as he waited for Logan near the door.
Logan opened his eyes and acclimatised to his new perspective.
The novelty of seeing himself like this had worn off years ago, but every now and again he’d sneak a look in his mirror. Silver fur, darker on his belly, ears, and paws, and eyes far bluer than they were in human form. Today wasn’t a day for admiring his wolf, though. Aaron was waiting, and he’d take the piss for weeks if he caught Logan checking himself out.
Padding on silent feet, Logan headed out into the kitchen.
Smudge looked up as he passed, and he paused to touch noses. She knew it was him, he was positive. How she knew he had no idea. Feline instinct, maybe?
Aaron got to his feet as Logan approached, took one look at him, and huffed loudly.
