Kym Grosso: Logan's Acadian Wolves

“Please, sir,” she continued to beg.

Logan grew irritated. Why was he trying to talk sense into the human in the middle of a dirty alley? It would be much easier if he could just command her like he could do with the wolves. He let a small bit of his power flow out toward her until she stilled in acknowledgement. He cocked an eyebrow at her in surprise that it appeared to work. Not all humans could sense the supernatural force he wielded. Intriguing.

“Listen to me, Miss. I’m going to say it one last time; you are safe. I’m sorry but you do realize that I can’t just let you go? I’ve got some questions about what the hell just happened here, and you’re in shock. We’re going to go home now. Let’s get out of this alley.”

“No, no, no. Please just let me go. I’ll go home. I’ll…” She was about to tell him she’d go to the police, when she saw the vampires coming for her. Her heart caught in her throat. It wasn’t just any vampire stalking toward them. It was him. The one who had repeatedly fed on her; he’d enjoyed it. Endorphins flooded her weakened system.

Logan shook his head. Much to his chagrin, she obviously didn’t understand that she had no choice in the matter.

“More…more vampires,” she whispered, unable to look away. Pointing down the street, she grabbed the wall in an effort to remain upright.

“Stay here,” Logan commanded.

Wynter silently nodded, fully intending to run.

“Hey D, looks like a few more partygoers want to dance.” Logan spun on his heels, taking off down the street to head off their attackers.

“What can I say, Alpha? You’re a good-lookin’ guy. Real popular tonight,” Dimitri joked as he followed.

Logan grabbed the vampire, smashing him up against the wooden shutters of a townhome. Splinters flew as the wood cracked into several pieces. Tearing a shard off the structure, Logan staked him in his back. “Sorry, pal. Dance card’s full.”

As the second vampire attempted to bite Dimitri, he flipped him onto his back, driving the wood straight through the bloodsucker until he hit the pavement. He shoved up onto his feet and brushed the debris from his jeans.

“Fuck me. What the hell is happening tonight?” Dimitri huffed. “This is some kind of crazy shit.”

“Goddamn vampires.” Logan stood, scanning the street and was met with silence. “They’re out of control.”

“Kade must be going soft if he’s letting his skeeters buzz the humans. Not good for tourism, ya know.” Dimitri laughed.

“Yeah, I get the feeling that our girl’s not a random human either. Shit. Where is she?” Logan asked, realizing she must’ve taken off down into one of the courtyards. Logan sniffed into the air. Humans were so naïve. It was just a matter of time before he found her. “Did you see which direction she ran?”

“No. But I’m guessing from her little tantrum that she doesn’t want our help,” Dimitri surmised.

“Well, she doesn’t have a choice. I want to know exactly what went down before we saved her pretty little ass. Something’s not right, and I’m going to find out what it is.” Logan continued, deep in thought. “And she’s not getting away from me either. Listen, I’m goin’ wolf.”

“You need me to go with?”

“No, go back to the party. Fi’s waiting.” Now that Logan had held the woman from his visions in his arms, he needed to know who she was more than ever. What was she doing in New Orleans? Why did the vampires want her?

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. But do me a favor, will ya? Put a call into Kade’s office and report our little scuffle. They can call me tomorrow. I’ve got a bad feeling this isn’t over.”

“You got it.”

“Uh…one more thing…my clothes?” Logan grinned.

“Yeah, okay. You sure you want to do this, man?”

Logan laughed without answering. He ducked into an alleyway, away from prying eyes and threw his clothes and boots over to Dimitri. Not that he had a problem with nudity. Quite the contrary; he enjoyed being naked whenever he got the chance. But it was unusual for Logan to go wolf in the city, preferring to run wild in the country. Tonight, however, the woman gave him little choice.

Remembering her lack of clothing and shoes, he reasoned she couldn’t have gone far. Where would a human run to in the middle of the night in the French Quarter? Bourbon Street would be the logical place for her to go. Since they were on the other side of the French Quarter, nearly at the river, she’d have quite a ways to walk in order to get there. At two in the morning, most shops would be closed. Even though she didn’t seem to be of a criminal nature, she could try to break into a business or home. But that didn’t seem likely given her frightened state, not to mention that she’d soon crash from exhaustion. Against the gate, she’d struggled to remain on her own feet. She’d shown signs of illness, trauma and malnutrition. She wouldn’t get far.

Letting go of his human thoughts, Logan let the beast take over and do what it did best: hunt. The sweet smell of her remained strong in his memory. Running hard, he zipped down streets and walkways. As her scent grew stronger, the wolf grew excited. Having the capacity to run for miles if necessary, he was unyielding in his search. Soon, the prey would be his.

Wynter sank into the shadows, contemplating her next move. Exhaustion racked her body. The lack of food and sleep combined with ongoing stress had taken its toll. She wished she could convince herself otherwise, but her mind was unclear; confusion blanketed her thoughts.

A creaking gate alerted her to a maid leaving one of the homes via a courtyard alley. She watched as the older woman looked around, as if to make sure no one was watching, then typed a code into a security pad. As the worker walked down the street, she swiveled her head, still checking for strangers, while the gate slowly closed behind her. Wynter’s heart pounded. A human? Help? She closed her eyes for what seemed only a second, but by the time she looked again, the woman had strangely disappeared. The gate, however, was slightly ajar as if it was broken. The motorized hinges roared in protest, finally puttering into silence. Wynter leapt at the opportunity to get off the streets, within the safety of a gated house. Decision made, she stealthily slipped through the iron bars.

Wynter pressed her back against the arched stone wall, praying no one had seen her enter. Panting for breath, she reflected on what had happened near the bar and cursed her indecisiveness. For a minute, she’d actually considered giving herself over to the warm, strong Alpha who’d held her. With her cheek at his chest, she’d allowed herself the small indulgence of smelling his clean, spicy scented cologne. As his strong arms and low voice enveloped her, she wanted nothing more than to give herself to him. He was a stranger, yet the familiar strength of an Alpha reminded her of home.

But there was nothing about him that was like her Alpha. No, something about his presence incited an awareness that she’d thought was long gone; perhaps something she was not capable of experiencing. Raised by an Alpha, dates weren’t exactly breaking down her door. Her guardian had seen to that. In high school, no one had had the guts to even ask her out, let alone try to kiss her. It wasn’t until college that she’d dated humans, had sex. But once she graduated, she was too focused on work to make men a priority. An occasional fling was all she allowed herself, given the high stakes of her research.

In truth, she’d never been intimate with a wolf. She knew all too well that mating with one didn’t always turn out well; her guardian had warned her off that idea. But the Alpha who’d just saved her jolted something within her libido; that brief encounter left her wondering if she’d made the right decision by running. His warmth, coupled with his caring words, aroused her. Maybe if she got out alive and her guardian approved, she could contact him later, she thought.