Page 59 of Logan’s Acadian Wolves

“I’m not going over there to fuck them, D. Fiona’s sister died. I’ll be careful not to touch them a lot, but let’s be clear, okay, tonight is about Dana. Not me. Not Wynter. And it’s sure as hell not about my mating,” he huffed. “And yeah, this whole mating thing is not exactly what I thought was going to happen, but then again, I never thought in a million years that my mate was going to walk into my life as soon as I became Alpha. I certainly didn’t expect her to be human.”

“Yeah, not optimal,” Dimitri concurred.

“I’ll deal with this…with Wynter, when we get out of the city. I’m not looking to hurt her, but I’ve got to be with the pack. You know this. Fiona. Luci. They are pack and need me too…especially tonight.”

Logan slid open the door and righted the umbrella.

“As for a little rain, it never hurt anyone. Might actually do me some good to breathe in the petrichor. Love it.”

“Petrichor?” Dimitri asked, shaking his head. Someone had been doing crossword puzzles again. A strange stress reliever for his Alpha, but whatever it took.

“The smell that comes with the rain, my friend, the smell. Nothin’ better.” Logan laughed and pressed open the black canopy.

Dimitri laughed but then his thoughts turned dark. He hoped his Alpha worked out things with Wynter sooner than later. He’d caught the wince on Logan’s face upon hearing the faint sound of crying coming from his little wolf upstairs. They’d both tried to ignore it as if it wasn’t happening. He knew Logan was giving his full attention to the pack, trying to concentrate on maintaining a sense of tranquility for them. And it wasn’t the time to get involved between him and Wynter. Sometimes it was better just to let the dust settle.

He looked into a mirror that hung in the kitchen and adjusted the knot in his tie. He hated funerals. Luckily he hadn’t attended many for wolves, but still, many of his human friends had passed over the years. As he glanced down at his black shoes, ones that seemed uncomfortably tight, he sighed, knowing what the night had in store for them all. The funeral was going to be as much fun as…well, a funeral.

Within minutes, the clicking of heels let him know Wynter was ready. She rounded the corner, dressed in black with a small tote in her hands. Wet ringlets surrounded her reddened face. Wearing no makeup, she still looked beautiful and determined. She made low maintenance look chic, Dimitri thought. Unsure of what to say, Dimitri gave Jake a knowing smile and went to the closet. Logan had bought Wynter some things she’d need for the trip, and he’d asked him to give them to her.

Wynter had pulled it together after a five minute crying jaunt. Angry and confused, she refused to let life or her lack of control over it hold her down. Ever since her parents died, she’d been fighting. She wasn’t sure if or when she’d work things out with Logan, but she still had a purpose: get the data, work on a treatment for Emma. Her other goal was to get through the shift. If Logan rejected her because of a human mistake, then she’d leave and go back to New York. As Jax had explained it, she didn’t have to mate him if she didn’t want to do it or if he decided a human wasn’t suitable for an Alpha’s mate. She’d be devastated but she’d get through it. Like the loss of her parents, like being held captive and tortured, she’d dig deep and continue with her life. Self-preservation was a strong motivator.

As she glanced down to her black oxford shirt and matching pencil skirt, she wondered if Logan had selected the outfit himself. And what if he didn’t? What if he’d asked those women to do it for him? She shoved the nasty green monster to the back of her mind. No, she would not go there. Still, it hadn’t been with the clothing Dimitri had originally brought her to wear, nor were the black leather pumps.

She sighed. None of this really belonged to her. It was merely an illusion of reality. Her life had been stolen. Everything she’d had in her purse was gone, taken by her captors. Smoothing down the soft fabric of her sleeves, she made a mental note to contact Jax’s secretary to have her forward her mail. She also needed her home laptop in order to report her credit cards stolen. Every last shred of her personal information was digitalized. His secretary could just download the info and send it to her. She could purchase a new laptop online, but she still needed a cell phone. Maybe tomorrow, she’d arrange to go to a local cell phone carrier where she could purchase a new one.

Dimitri’s hand on her shoulder startled her out of her daydream.

“Here, Wyn.” Dimitri held up a royal blue trench coat. “Go ahead, put it on. It’s nasty out there.”

Gratefully, she shrugged into the garment, noticing it was from Burberry. As she buttoned it up and buckled the thin black leather belt around her waist, she considered how she’d never splurge on something so extravagant. She looked up to Dimitri who attempted to give her a black patent leather clutch. Was he giving her someone else’s purse?

“But this isn’t mine…I mean I lost my bag…” she started.

“He knows. Here take it. I’m guessing it’s got all the basic lady stuff in it,” he surmised, turning off the kitchen light. “A gentleman doesn’t go through a lady’s purse.”

“Since when are you a gentleman?” Jake joked.

“Hey now, go easy, bro. I am so a gentleman.” Dimitri laughed and turned back to Wynter. “And before you ask, Logan got these things for you. I swear, that wolf shops more than a woman does. But then again, you can’t walk two feet around here without running into a store of some kind.”

“Thank you,” she replied thoughtfully.

Logan shopped for her? She wasn’t sure why the thought of him doing so made her feel a little better, but it did. The man surprised her at every turn. It made her feel that even if he’d been mad, he’d still cared enough to think of her. A flicker of hope sparked. As she headed out, safely between Jake and Dimitri, the sound of thunder clapped in the distance. She’d have to wait until after the funeral, but later tonight, she hoped they’d talk about what had happened.

A police officer ushered the crowd into the cemetery as the sheets of rain sliced through the lights of his emergency vehicle. The crowd of nearly a hundred people carefully shuffled through the narrow stone walkways. Battery operated lanterns illuminated the pathway toward the crypt. Between the cracked pavement and pebbles, Wynter feared she’d take a nosedive into a marbled tomb. She wrapped her hand around Jake’s arm in an effort to steady her feet. Unable to see ahead, she wondered how the jazz band managed to continue playing in the deluge. Yet the funeral dirge pounded a sad beat into the night.

By the time they neared the tomb, the music ended. The small space was thick with people and Wynter struggled to find a spot to stand, settling against the cold stone of another’s resting place. Creepy, she reasoned, but there was literally no room for all the living who had come to mourn. Through the bodies, she spotted Logan, who stood next to Luci. Her hateful eyes bore into Wynter. Surmising that Luci was engaging her in some kind of sick wolf intimidation, Wynter stared back as if to dare her to touch Logan. Thankfully, their gaze was broken as all heads turned to watch Fiona and an elderly woman, Dana’s mother, make their way toward the casket. Logan had explained to her that Fiona was Dana’s half-sister; they shared the same father. Yet Fiona appeared close with Dana’s human mother as well.

The smell of incense permeated the air as the priest blessed the tomb. The stone tablet had been removed and the rectangular opening had been draped for the service. The older woman sobbed openly, clutching on to Fiona as the final prayers were said. Wynter leaned her head forward, trying to hear the sermon. Upon a final ‘Amen’, a word passed between Logan and the priest, silencing the crowd. Her heart caught as she realized Logan was about to speak.

“My wolves,” Logan began somberly. “Dana. She was our doctor. Our friend. Our sister. She will be missed by our pack. But always remembered. We knew her as hybrid, but she was as much wolf as any of us.”

“And that is what got her killed!” Dana’s mother screamed, lunging at Logan. Fiona scrambled to hold onto the old woman, but she slipped from her grasp. “Wolves! You killed my husband! My daughter! I hate you!”

Logan easily caught the woman’s wrist as she attempted to slap him in the face. “Marguerite, please. I know this pain. I know,” Logan cried. “Don’t ever think for a moment I don’t. Marcel. Dana. We all miss them.”

“My baby, Logan, my baby,” the woman wailed as she fell into his embrace. “Oh God help me.”

Wynter watched intently as Logan cried along with the old woman. It was evident that he knew her well. It was as if Logan’s heart had been splayed open for all to see, but he didn’t deny the woman’s grief. No, he mourned with her, held her until she calmed. Others wept alongside them as the torrent fell from the skies.