Cole didn’t want that: couldn’t stand the idea of losing his last name, his identity, his humanity.
In that one moment, the decision was clear.
His parents wouldn’t want this for him. If they knew he had a way out, they’d want him to grab it with both hands, even if it meant cutting ties with everything, everybody he loved.
All they wanted for him was to be happy.
And he’d never be happy if he joined the McKillan pack and did what they wanted him to do.
Never.
Sadness swept through him as he listened to Nick animatedly describe parts of that tattoo and what they stood for. He’d miss this, miss Nick, more than he could think about right then. And he wished more than anything that he could tell them the truth. That they wouldn’t have to believe he was dead.
But he also understood why it had to be like that.
His hand trembled as he lifted his glass, but thankfully Nick didn’t seem to notice. Cole’s mind raced with thoughts of what might happen next. Now he’d made up his mind.
He was putting a hell of a lot of trust in Logan. Trust that he was telling the truth, that he could make this happen without getting Cole killed, and trust that none of this would come back to impact his family or friends. How well did he know him after all?
Doubt reared its head again, and he took a long drink of his pint, anything to take the edge off.
His gaze fell on Nick’s drawing, and his stomach roiled.
I don’t want that.
Any of it.
Logan was his only way out. He had no choice but to trust him and hope that it didn’t get him or anyone else killed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Logan was nervous.
He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and paced in an attempt to loosen up. Nerves meant a distraction, and he couldn’t afford to be anything less than a hundred per cent alert today.
Something wasn’t right.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, hackles up, as Logan waited.
And waited.
He checked his phone for the third time in as many minutes.
No text, no call, no Cole.
Thirty minutes late wasn’t a huge amount, and ordinarily Logan would grumble but not think anything of it, but today... he felt it deep in his bones.
Something had happened.
Fuck this.
The park was only a fifteen-minute walk from Cole’s house. No point standing around speculating when he could go find out for himself.
At the top of Cole’s street, the wind met him head-on, bringing with it multiple scents.
Logan froze, wolf rising to the surface, ready.
Pack.
