‘Callie, baby, you okay? Did I hurt you?’ The pain in his
voice could be heard.
‘You bit me!’ she replied. ‘I mean, you really bit me!’
‘You are mine, Callie. Everyone will know now that we are
mates.’
‘But you bit me…’ That made him laugh above her. Slowly, he
pulled free from her body, making her moan again.
‘Later, baby,’ he said. ‘Right now, we need to get you
cleaned up so we can tell the others what happened.’
‘You bit me…’
Logan pulled himself from the bed as his head fell back and
he laughed even louder.
‘Come on, let’s get you showered.’ He lifted a shocked
Callie into his arms and walked towards the bathroom. ‘You’re so beautiful,
Callie.’
He watched her rub his mark at her neck, knowing it would
never heal fully and would always leave a scar for all to see. He couldn’t
believe he had fought this so hard, believing Callie wasn’t for him. She was
perfect. He placed her on the counter by the sink and turned to start the
shower. Once it was hot enough, he picked her up again and placed her in the
shower as he climbed in next to her.
‘Will you let me wash your hair?’ he said. He made sure the
spray was on her so she didn’t get cold.
‘You bit me…’
His undoing was when he saw the tears that had formed in her
eyes. He never wanted to see her cry again.
‘Yes, baby, I did. I love you. You are mine, forever, always.’
He placed a gentle kiss on her lips but, before he could pull back, Callie
swung her arms around him and pulled him to her wet body. Damn, if she wasn’t
hard again for his mate. She gripped him like she was scared he would disappear.
‘Promise me, Logan, this is real. It really happened and I’m
not dreaming.’ Callie was openly crying now.
‘Baby, I promise this is very real and you are not dreaming.
Although, I kind of like being your dream man...’ He took her arms from around
his neck and made her loosen them. Gently cupping her face with his hand, being
careful not to put pressure on her bruise, he looked deeply into her eyes. ‘I
know I was a prick when we first met and I’m sorry for everything that has led
to this point. But, like I said before, I promise to love you forever and I’ll
spend the rest of my life making sure you know that. Will you let me wash you?’
‘Oh my god, Logan,’ she replied. ‘I love you so much. Right
now you can pretty much do anything you like to me…’ With that, he snarled and
kissed her hard.
‘Anything?’ he questioned.
‘Yes, my mate, anything,’ she smiled at him.
With that, they didn’t leave the shower until the water ran
cold.
Chapter 18
The sun was shining as they walked to Seth and Sarah’s home.
Logan was holding Callie’s hand and had her pulled close against his side.
Callie had never felt happier in her life. She had her mate who wanted her and who
had totally blown her mind and body in the bed, shower and over the kitchen
counter before they had to leave to fill the other pack members in on what had
happened.
For Logan, he craved her body and couldn’t wait to be inside
her. He had marked the other side of her neck and, when she had questioned him
as to why he had marked her on both sides, he simply replied it was so others could
plainly see she was his. She couldn’t believe her love would grow so quickly
since the last time they had shared sex.
They walked up the steps and Logan knocked before opening
the door. Sarah came bounding from the kitchen area but stopped sharply when
she noticed they were holding hands. Her eyes narrowed and looked directly at
Logan. Callie felt like a teenager again, being caught bringing a boy home. Suddenly,
sadness filled her at the thought of her parents. They had lied to her her
whole life.
But
only to keep me safe from Marcus
, she reasoned. Just
when something was going so right in her life, the other side was falling apart.
Logan must have noticed the change in her as she felt him squeeze her hand.
‘Baby, you okay?’
‘Baby! Since when do you call her baby?’ Sarah’s tone was sharp.
Callie remembered Logan had said they had all spoken to him about how he’d
treated her and, even though Sarah was like a sister to her, she felt her wolf
bristle at the way she’d spoken to her mate.
‘Logan, what did you do?’ continued Sarah. ‘Fuck, Callie,
are those bite marks? Did you two...’ Before she could answer, Seth appeared in
the doorway.
‘Whoa, baby brother. Looks like you finally got your head
out your arse. Congrats, man!’ He slapped Logan on the back in the way men do
without hugging. Callie smiled up at Logan. Her mate. She loved saying that.
‘Fuck off, Seth!’ he laughed. ‘Sarah, I know what we spoke
about. But I love Callie, and she belongs to me, so…’
‘She doesn’t belong to you, Logan, she belongs to herself. You
promised you would talk first and act later. If you forced her...’ Sarah was
seething mad.
‘Sarah, it’s okay,’ said Callie. ‘We did talk, amongst other
things, and Logan explained how things were with him. I love him, Sarah. Please
be happy for me.’ Callie so wanted everything to be okay with her best friend. She
had a lot of shit still going on and needed her help to get through it.
‘Oh, Callie, I am pleased for you,’ replied Sarah. ‘I only
wanted to make sure this big lug didn’t just push his hulking body at you. You
needed time to heal and work things through.’ She reached for Callie and swept
her in her arms. Callie reached round with her spare arm, as Logan didn’t
appear to want to let go of her other hand.
‘Everything’s fine,’ she said. ‘Although he
did
use
his big hulking body, as you put it, against me…’ She winked at Logan, who
stood there with his mouth open whilst she felt the blush creep up her cheeks. Sarah
let go and began to laugh.
‘Amongst other things, you said,’ she replied. ‘Let’s go
into the kitchen and grab a coffee, whilst Seth and Logan call the rest of the
pack. You can fill me in on all the dirty details before we get down to
business. You’ll need to let go of her hand for that, Logan!’ Sarah winked at
Logan, who released Callie’s hand and the two girls headed towards the kitchen.
‘Don’t be too long, baby,’ said Logan. ‘I’ll miss you
already.’ He placed a kiss on her mouth, making her smile.
‘I miss you, too.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ cried Seth, rolling his eyes skyward.
‘I’m going to throw up. Come on, Logan. Put her down and let’s ring the others.
We need to find out what happened.’ He headed towards the lounge area, leaving
Logan kissing Callie goodbye. When she turned to head towards Sarah, she felt
him smack her on the arse, hard. He growled as she turned to smile over her
shoulder.
‘There’s more where that came from if you don’t get back
soon,’ he said.
‘Then I’ll make sure I take a really long time,’ Callie replied,
winking.
‘Bye, baby.’ He loved how her confidence had grown in such a
small amount of time. He was proud that his love for her had made her grow –
and damn, if that ass didn’t sway when she walked. He wanted to take her home
and bend her over all the furniture he owned. Shit, this was so not helping his
hard-on.
Callie found Sarah in the kitchen, pouring out two cups of
coffee.
‘So, I want all the dirty details,’ she said, looking up.
‘I’m not one to kiss and tell, Sarah,’ Callie smiled,
knowing Sarah wouldn’t let it drop.
‘Bitch! I want to know everything. He is huge – does that
mean he is big everywhere?’ Sarah’s eyes glimmered with excitement.
‘Sarah…’ Callie was blushing. ‘Let’s just say he knows how
to use it!’
‘You were gone for pretty much the whole day, so I’d say he
got to use it a lot!’ Callie and Sarah both laughed.
‘You have your own hot alpha wolf, so keep away from mine,’
said Callie. ‘God, it feels funny saying that after everything that has
happened. I have a mate. Who says he loves me. You think he means it, Sarah?’ Sarah
was round the counter and pulling Callie in for a hug before she could blink.
‘Callie, honey. Logan was beside himself when you were taken.
He actually cried – although, if you tell him I told you, I’ll deny it,’ she
laughed. ‘But he was really upset. I know it took him a while and he said some
really shitty things to you, but there is no doubt in my mind that he loves you
now. He just needed time to get his head in the game and realise what a great
mate you are.’
‘Thanks, Sarah. After everything that has happened, I can’t
believe I still have you, the wolf pack and now a perfect mate.’
‘Well,’ said Sarah, ‘he may be perfect to you, but I could
still kill him for making you cry.’ She sat down on the breakfast stool next to
Callie. ‘So, has he taken you against the wall yet? Jesus, Callie, I swear that
was the best and hottest sex I’ve ever had. Every woman should try it…’
‘Sarah, you’re so bad,’ said Callie blushing. ‘I’ll make
sure to mention it to Logan.’ With that, both girls laughed out loud again.
Seth and Logan had placed the calls and everyone was on
their way over to hear what had happened to Callie. The guys could hear the
girls laughing, but they were talking too quietly for them to hear what was
being said.
‘Got to be laughing about you,’ Seth had said with a smile.
‘Yeah, right,’ replied Logan. ‘They’re probably talking
about how much more virile I am than you. I seem to remember the “quick” moment
you and Sarah shared when I brought her clothes round…’ Logan’s fingers made
speech marks over the ‘quick’, causing him to laugh.
‘Fuck off,’ said Seth. ‘Bet you haven’t done much better. Hope
you’re not going to break her heart, as Sarah will freak. And if you piss my
mate off, it’ll piss me off.’
‘I won’t break her heart, Seth. ‘I love her. Took me a while,
but I know now how lucky I am.’
‘Argh, big boy’s in wuv!’
‘Fuck off!’
‘Have you told Mindy that you’re not taking her to the
wedding yet?’ asked Seth. ‘She’s going to be pretty upset. Last I heard she had
a matching dress to go with your mourning suite.’
‘Shit,’ replied Logan. ‘No, I’ll speak to her as soon as
this meeting is done. Callie has some big news that I think we will all need to
hear.’
Once everyone had arrived at Seth’s house, Logan located
Callie, who was washing up the cups in the sink by herself.
‘You’re stalling, baby.’
‘I know I am,’ she replied. ‘I just don’t want to go in
there and tell them that I have the same poisonous blood pumping through me as
that sick fuck. I don’t want them to think less of me…’ Her shoulders sagged
and her head dropped. He knew she was crying.
‘Baby, don’t ever think that. You weren’t to know what
happened, or how Marcus turned out. Colt was the one who saved you, from what
we can gather. So somewhere deep down he must have some of your good blood
running through him.’ Logan couldn’t bear to think Callie thought of herself as
evil. She was the purest, most perfect person he had ever met and he loved her.
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from
behind, resting his head on top of hers. ‘I love you, Callie. We will get
through this together. My family and this pack will help you get through
anything.’
Callie spun around in his arms, hugging him tighter to her. ‘I
love you, too, Logan. You make me feel like I can do anything, as long as you’re
there with me.’
‘Baby, that’s what mates are for.’ He kissed her sweetly on
the lips, then spun her around towards the door. ‘Come on. Let’s get this over
with so I can take you home. Then, tomorrow night we’re going dancing.’ He
twirled her round and she felt as light as a ballerina, giggling like a
schoolgirl. However, before she reached the door, he pulled her back into his
arms and kissed her like he owned her lips – which, of course, he did. She
would give everything up for Logan. Her mate.
In the front room, which by now was full of people, Logan
pulled Callie into his lap as they sat down. All eyes were on Callie, waiting
for her to start. Sarah was sitting in Seth’s lap, whilst his parents sat side
by side, holding each other’s hands. His family was strong and, as a pack, they
would defeat whatever Marcus had planned.
Logan felt Callie take a deep breath and exhale slowly, as
if to steady herself. She always assumed the worst, but he guessed life had
dealt her many unhappy cards. He vowed to change that, so her deck now only
dealt the good cards.
‘I guess you know that Marcus killed my parents,’ she began.
‘He told us, when we went to collect Sarah’s and my things. Well, he admitted
it to me when he took me. He held me in some sort of cell and told me what had
happened. He killed them because they weren’t really my parents. My real mother
had given me to them to protect me from my father.’ Tears were steadily flowing
now as the reality sank in. She felt Logan's rough hand rubbing her arm, as if
to anchor himself to her, letting her know he was there for her. ‘You see, my
real mother, my birth mother, was also killed by my father for taking me away. Marcus.’
She stated the last word as if it would explain everything. A hush fell over
the room, with only Callie's quiet sobs breaking the silence.
Sarah was the first to speak. She left her mate’s lap and
knelt in front of Callie, taking her hand in her own.
‘My beautiful Callie. Are you saying that Marcus is your
biological father?’ Callie nodded her head and Sarah let her tears run
unchecked down her face.
‘He told me everything,’ she continued. ‘How he killed my
parents because they were keeping me from him. Then he tortured and killed my
real mother. Colt didn’t know any of this. I guess he was as shocked as I was
at what Marcus had planned.’ She cuffed her tears on her sleeve. ‘He wanted to
make his bloodline pure. That’s why he is after me. He wants to create a line
of pure wolf using either mine or Colt’s genes. My eyes turn blue when I turn
into a wolf, but others are amber. He said it was a family trait and one that
needs to be carried on. He said Colt was too weak to lead his pack, but I was
to be used as a breeding bitch to give birth to others for him to control.’ She
was openly sobbing now, for her lost parents, for the mother she never knew but
who had tried to protect her, and for the brother whose role she did not yet
know. ‘I passed out pretty much at that point. But all I know is Colt carried
me out of there and gave me to Logan...’ Breaking down, she put her face in her
hands and cried.
‘Oh, baby girl,’ soothed Logan. ‘I’ve got you. We’ve all got
you. This is your family now, everyone in this room. If Colt truly is against
his father’s ways, then we will help him to break free.’ Mary, Logan's mother,
engulfed her in a warm, motherly hug. She was still sitting on Logan's lap, but
the love that surrounded her made her cry all the more.
‘Hush now, child,’ spoke Mary. ‘You never have to feel alone
again. Your mother was a very brave woman, but she knew the consequences of
what would happen if she was to remove you from Marcus. She loved you more than
life itself, and that’s why she tried to protect you. Never doubt that. Your
parents will still be your true parents. They raised you and loved you and took
you in, despite the peril they may have faced. Now you will have us. The Penn
Lake pack and your mate will take care of you now.’ She was rocking her in a
way that only a mother would rock their child to sooth them.
‘Like fuck we will help Colt! That prick is nothing but
trouble.’ Brandon’s sudden outburst had shocked everyone.
‘Now, son,’ replied their father. ‘We don’t know what he has
had to deal with his whole life. Marcus is a sadistic bastard and Colt is just
one of his pawns. Their mother left them there for a reason. Maybe she thought
he could help bring his father down.’ Their dad had always had reason. He
always saw the good before anyone else.
‘Dad’s right, Brandon,’ said Seth. ‘I know you love Callie...’
Logan growled deep in his throat. ‘Not like that, but as a sister. Calm
yourself, you huge lug…’ Seth looked across at Logan. ‘But if Colt is innocent
then we must help him. If he is on board with his father, then we will stop him.
Either way, we need a plan. We need to sit calmly and consider Callie in all
this. It is, after all, her brother and father we are planning on destroying.’
Seth’s alpha power swirled around the room.
‘I don’t care what you do to Marcus,’ spoke Callie. ‘He
deserves to die for everything he has done. Colt, however, saved me from him. I
want to know why, and if, he is worth saving. He was just as shocked as me when
this all came about. He didn’t know anything about me, or his mother’s death.’