A/N: Hello to anyone who has clicked this link. I thank you for taking the time to read this story of mine and this chapter. For some time, I've held onto this chapter because I've been trying to get it just right since this is the last chapter. I love this story entirely too much and I have told myself that I will update it and finish it before the new year. So, here I am damn near New Years, posting this. So, for the last time of this story, enjoy!
Two weeks. Two weeks has gone by and nothing has happened. It was weird because I hadn't noticed the time pass by until John told me. We were walking home from school and he mentioned how it's been so long since something has happened. He seemed pretty excited about it, especially when we were at lunch and we saw how sad Jett was looking at us.
My mother hadn't heard from Michael for almost a week and then he asked her out for a make-up dinner. She declined because we all had agreed to a movie date. Just me, her, and my brothers and sisters. It was a good family bonding experience and definitely something well deserved. I felt like the bond me and my mother has strengthened to what it was before everything happened. The only thing I had to do was tell her about Michael, but she seems to be distancing herself from him anyway.
John was going to come with me to James' house, but he had to help his mother with something. I offered to help him, but he said he didn't want his mother to freak out over someone seeing her house dirty. I decided to take the walk by myself and get some alone time to think about how much things have changed. Everything that's been happening in the past few months have been insane. Now, I understand why we have a lifetime bond between us. Any other person would not be able to handle the life of being with a wolf.
For me, I felt like the bond only brought out the feelings I already had for him a lot sooner. There was no way that I would be this close to someone or have them meet my family like this but with James it was different. I felt like we had already been together for years and we were just returning to each other. As I walked down the pathway that lead to his house, I got this feeling that I was being watched. It was like I got chills along my arms and I stopped walking.
When I turned, I saw a deer staring at me. It was really weird, and I didn't stop staring at this animal. Our staring contest was broken when it was spooked and ran off. I shrugged it off and headed in the direction I was going to. As I reached James' house, I saw Carlos, Jack, and Finn circling each other with smiles on their faces.
"Go!" Dak yelled before they all dived for whatever was in the middle of them. Carlos was the first one to grab what looked like to be a green flag and he ran towards Dak. I moved closer to see that Dak was a little way away. Jack and Finn were directly behind Carlos with flags of their hands. I was surprised to see Finn catching up with Carlos, who screamed when he was passed.
Dak held out a hand and as soon as Jack's flag hit Dak's hand, the boy shifted and headed back the way he came. Carlos was next to shift and his wolf kicked up dirt as he caught up to Jack and passed him. Finn even passed Jack in his wolf form but wasn't fast enough to catch up to Carlos as they slid to a stop in front of James' house. The front door opened, and it was James coming out in nothing but a pair of shorts.
"Logan!" James said, smiling with his hands in the air. The wolves turned to me and a second later, they were in front of me, nuzzling me.
"Hey guys." I said, laughing as their wet noses tickled my arms and face. I rubbed their heads before Jack and Finn ran back towards Dak. Carlos stayed next to me as I walked up to the house.
"Why weren't you at school today?" I asked James as I stepped up the steps of the porch to give him a kiss.
"Carlos wasn't feeling well this morning and I didn't feel right leaving him. Lucy was within ear shot of the school though for your safety." He said after the kiss ended.
"Aww." I said, turning to Carlos. I rubbed the side of his snout and he nuzzled against my hand in return.
"You're feeling good now, right?" I asked him and he nodded. Dak whistled which got Carlos' attention and he ran over to the group to continue their fun.
"What exactly are they doing?" I asked James as I stepped passed him and into the house. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, tickling my sides.
"Testing their speed and shift control." He said as I tried not to laugh. I looked over to see the twins jumping back and forth at each other as some type of hype generator for each other.
"You know, you never told me how those two came about." I told him.
"Who? Jack and Finn?" I nodded to James' question and he smiled. "They were stray omegas depending on each other and Carlos found them and convinced them to follow us. It wasn't long after that they had asked me to take my role as Alpha. I think it was a full circle moment that I accepted my role as Alpha after I helped Jack." James explained and I couldn't help but awe at the whole situation.
"Hey, Logan." Kendall said as he emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey, Kendall." I replied. Kendall walked over to us and smiled as he put his wet hands on us. I was used to this because of my little brothers and sisters while James gasped and moved away, making Kendall laugh.
"So you just don't have a reaction to him and his wet hands?" James asked me.
"Eh, I live in a house with a bunch of kids. It's rare that their hands are dry and clean."
"That's gross." Kendall commented and James nodded in agreement.
"All of you transform into animals but messy kids are gross?" I asked Kendall and he nodded.
"Yup."
"Pretty much." James agreed. I rolled my eyes at the two of them before we heard a thump. Kendall opened the door to see Carlos standing halfway on the porch, still in his wolf form. Kendall rubbed his mate's head before stepping outside. James smiled at the two of them as Kendall changed into his wolf form.
"Where's Camille and Lucy?" I asked James as he closed the door.
"They went shopping." He told me as I sat down on the couch.
"Oh."
"You don't want to go outside?" He asked me and I shook my head.
"I have homework. You know, something you should have if you went to school." I told him and he rolled his eyes at me before he plopped down next to me. I got started on my homework and James sat there, watching me. It didn't bother me like it would if my younger siblings were watching over me. After a while, it was kind of comforting just having him next to me.
A few hours later, my homework long done, I found myself bored out of my mind. The rest of the pack got together to go running together in celebration of the full moon. James decided to stay with me because he said he would get a run in with his pack later. I tried to let him go have fun and even suggested I went with him, but he had the nerve to say they would run too fast. I might be mistaken but we definitely spent time together during a full moon before, but he said now that our bond is as strong as ever, his wolf is stronger. I couldn't really challenge that, so I was fine with him cuddling with me on the couch.
"James."
"Yeah." He said looking at me as we laid there.
"Let's do something fun."
"Hmm…" He said, smirking.
"No not like sex. Like, I don't know."
"Want to watch a movie?" He said, holding out the remote.
"No." I said, taking it from him.
"We coul-"
"I got it! We can do something with you in wolf form." I said when I felt his arm hair.
"Like what? You know I'm stronger tonight, so, we can't-"
"What if I mask my scent and hide and you come find me."
"Logan, that's going to be impossible, not to mention it isn't safe." He said as if the conversation was going to end there.
"A lot of things aren't safe, like me riding on top of you while you're running."
"I know but-"
"Come on, James. This sounds amazing." I said, standing.
"I don't know how amazing it will be when I find you in seconds."
"That's why I'll mask my scent."
"I'll still hear you." He said, gesturing to his ears and I cursed and laid back out on the couch. When my phone poked me in my side, I sat up.
"Headphones."
"What?"
"Music, we'll have you listen to music that way you can only see me." I told him and he sat there thinking for a moment.
"It sounds crazy."
"Please. Pretty please. This is the best idea I've had in forever." I pleaded, strangely having flashbacks to a time when Briana used similar words on me.
"Fine but what are you going to use to mask your smell?"
"Um, what if we overwhelm you with my smell so you can't find me."
"I'll go to where it's the strongest." He said and I rolled my eyes.
"Not if you can't smell me at all."
"Nose plugs?"
"Yup."
"This is crazy but okay."
"Yes!" I said, before I jumped up and ran to the door. I opened the door and looked out into the forest before James placed his hands on my waist. "It's bright."
"The moon is full, and the sky is kind of clear."
"Oh." I said, looking up at the moon.
"Come on before I change my mind." He said, nudging me forward as he reached to close the door. This was going to be fun. I can already tell. I felt something big at the small of my back and I turned to see James already in his wolf form.
"You usually growl or something when you shift." I said to him and he nodded his head before he tried to lick my face. I moved away from his tongue and he nudged me with his head.
"Alright, alright. Stop it before you knock me over. Wait here, I need something to plug your nose with."
I started thinking about the many different things I could use to plug his nose but none of them seemed comfortable enough and safe enough to put up his nose. Luckily his nostrils weren't that big and I remembered that he had some cotton balls in his bathroom cabinet. I ran into the house and into the bedroom, going into the joined bathroom.
I opened the cabinet behind the mirror but they weren't there. I ducked down and opened the doors to under the sink and found them there. I grabbed a few out of the bag and put it back before I ran back outside. He turned to look at me from where he was sniffing something on the ground. For a moment he looked more like a dog than a wolf and it just upped the cute factor.
"Okay, I have these." I said, holding up the cotton balls and he nodded. I held one to his nose and he just looked at me before I put it inside his nose. Almost immediately he sneezed, shooting the cotton ball out. I closed my eyes and held up my hands to keep whatever would fly out off of my face. Luckily, there wasn't anything but him shaking his head before he sneezed again.
"Okay, that didn't work." I said, making a mental note to pick up that cotton ball when we get back.
"Do you want to try something else?" I asked him and he shook his head before he nudged my hand with the cotton balls inside. I held a few of them in my hand before I quickly put them in his nose, making sure not to go too deep. He took a step back like he was going to sneeze, but it never came. I walked closer to him and put the rest of the cotton in his other nostril and he took another step back.
"Okay, now try to smell." I told him.
"Do you smell anything?" His nose twitched a few times before he shook his head. I smiled before I turned to face the trees, thinking of a plan.
"Okay I'm going to put these in your ears okay. I know you have sensitive hearing so I'll turn the music on the lowest it can go." I decided to turn on Animals by Maroon 5. The look on his face when he heard the first few words made me laugh as I made sure the headphones were secure. I stopped when I realized I had no place to put my phone. James leaned close and took the phone out of my hand with his mouth.
"Are you sure?" I asked and he nodded.
"Don't break my phone." I told him and he nodded again.
"Turn around and count until twenty." He followed my instructions and I started counting in my head as I ran into the forest.
James POV
When I got to zero, I turned around and he was gone. Instincts took over and I tried to smell for him but then I remembered the cotton balls. I tried to listen for his heartbeat but all I got was the sound of the bass from the song. I started in the direction I know he went based on the footprints on the ground. Having the cotton balls in my nose was making this whole thing a lot more uncomfortable for me. I couldn't smell, I couldn't hear, so I really had to focus with my sight. As I sped up, I made sure that I held onto Logan's phone with my teeth but not so tight that I crushed it. At one point his footprints stopped and I realized we never set a barrier or anything to keep him from wandering too far. Hopefully, he doesn't get too far before I find him. The last thing we need to do is get lost in the woods. I doubt he could get that far anyway, at least not before I caught him.
When I caught movement in my peripheral, I turned and angled my ears. Logan made a good call on the music to block out my hearing. I caught more movement and when I turned, I realized that this wasn't the same person. They had a different build to them. I dropped Logan's phone and as it fell to the ground, it took the headphones with it. I shook my head quickly and angled my ears to hear multiple footsteps. There were three people, but I couldn't catch a scent. I blew out of my nose and one of the cotton balls came out. Just as I turned, a yellow smoke was blown in my face. I tried to turn away, but the smoke was coming from all directions. I took off running into the forest trying to shake the scent from my fur.
Logan's POV
As I ran through the forest, I knew he was on my tail because of my footprints. I ran around a tree in order to get him confused and planted my footprints facing a fallen tree before I stepped back in the way I went around the tree. I looked around when I heard a branch snap. I didn't see anyone so I followed my own footsteps before I jumped the farthest I could away from them. I used my foot to cover up those steps before I continued running. I slowed to a stop and turned to see if I could see him following my tracks, but I didn't see anything. I kept going further into the forest before I came to a stop. I didn't hear him anywhere close to me. The light from the moon was slowly taken over and I looked up to see a dark cloud was overhead.
As I continued to walk, I was starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The cloud kept moving and slowly revealed the light of the moon once again. I didn't want to go too far so, I decided to turn around and try to cover my own tracks to confuse him just in case he found them. As I was making my way back, I noticed there was something like dust flowing through the air. It was dwindling and it strangely reminded me of a cloud of pollen or something. I used my shirt to cover my face and walked through it. I kept going back to the direction of James' house before I heard some leaves rustling. A part of me said to keep going to James' house and another part told me to see what was making that noise. I went with the latter and when I looked around a tree, I saw James thrashing about on the ground.
"James!" I called out. He immediately stopped his thrashing and looked directly at me.
"James." I said again as I walked towards him. There was a low rumble that gradually grew in volume as I stepped towards him and when I stopped, he stood up. It was now that I noticed that he no longer had my phone in his mouth. I was about to take a step forward before something caught my eye. I looked down and saw the balls of cotton on the ground. I picked it up and saw that it was partially covered in a yellow residue. I looked up at James and he was a lot closer than before.
"James, what happened?" I asked him and the only response I got was a growl, deeper than what I've ever heard from him. I looked him in his eyes, the way that I normally do and there was no response. It was in that moment that my heart started pounding and I started to panic.
"James."
"LOGAN RUN!" Someone screamed. I turned to see that it was…
"Michael?"
"RUN!" Michael screamed again.
I turned back to James just as he lunged at me. I screamed and stumbled back, hitting the ground just as James was tackled by another wolf. I immediately recognized it was Kendall and I was in shock as James began to fight back. Another wolf, Carlos, jumped over me, followed by two more, Jack and Finn. Everything was happening so fast and I felt myself being nudged by another wolf. I saw that it was Dak, trying to get me to stand. I couldn't stop looking at the scene in front of me as Camille and Lucy joined the rest of the pack. Dak's whimper is what got me to stand up and look at him. He was looking at them fighting as well and I turned to see that Michael was gone.
Dak leaned down and I jumped on him just as James tossed Carlos into a tree. I covered my mouth in shock at the sound of him hitting the tree. I couldn't tell if the loud snap was from the tree bark or from Carlos. Dak continued to whimper as the rest of the pack tried to intimidate James into a corner. I looked over at Carlos and he didn't appear to be moving. Kendall was the one who broke the half circle they had around James and jumped at him. James rolled Kendall off of him almost immediately, tossing him across the ground.
"James." I whispered as I clutched my burning chest. His eyes went directly to me and he bolted towards us, dashing around the rest of the pack.
"Dak!" I screamed to get him to run faster.
It was the first time I felt true fear from James and Dak immediately responded as I held onto him for dear life. I glanced behind me and saw that James was right on us. Jack and Finn were coming up on both sides of him and they tried to steer him off course, but he pushed Finn hard, causing him to trip and fall. Jack managed to jump up on him, but James saw it coming and countered, tossing Jack to the other side of him. It was enough to put a bit of distance between us and James, but he was quickly catching back up.
The determination and anger in his eyes were making my chest hurt the longer I looked at him and I had to close my eyes. The pain didn't stop, and I heard a whimper, making me open my eyes once again. I saw Lucy rolling on the ground and right after, Kendall jumped over her. He was gaining ground fast, but James was also catching up to Dak. I gasped as I felt my grip loosen on Dak and he yelped in pain as he came to a stop. The only thing is, when he came to a stop, I didn't. Suddenly, I was viewing everything upside down, weightless. James had dug his claws into Dak and pulled him to the ground. I screamed as I flew through the air and I heard a growl before I felt a tug on my clothes. I screamed as I swung back and forth. It took me a moment to realize that I had been caught. I was about to start freaking out but then I realize that James wasn't the one who caught me.
"Camille?" I asked, looking up or at least trying to. When we came to a stop, she sneezed and dropped me on the ground. I looked back at her and she continued to sneeze as she backed away from me.
"Logan?" I looked up from the ground to see Michael standing there.
"What the fuck is going on?" I asked him as I pushed myself off the ground.
"Logan, you're bleeding." Michael pointed out. I looked down and saw that there was blood on my hip. I touched it and gasped as the pain took over my body. I fell to my knees and Michael rushed to my side as we heard a howl in the distance. The howl was repeated multiple times before Camille howled as well.
"You're only feeling this much pain because James did this to you." He told me and I had to push him away from me as tears fell from my eyes. Camille growled behind me and Michael looked up. He jumped back as I felt her step over me. I looked up at her and back down to him as he was looking down at his hands.
"Logan, tell the wolf to back off. You're covered."
"Covered?" I ask him and he started to rub his hands furiously on the ground. He started mumbling something and shaking his head as he scooted away from me. I pushed Camille by her chest and when she looked down at me, she sneezed once again. I gasped as she continued to sneeze as she stepped away from me. I could feel drops of rain coming down now that I wasn't covered by Camille. I moved to stand but pain hit me again and I fell back to the ground. Camille whimpered as I heard what sounded like a wolf coming towards us. Camille ran to the wolf and I recognized it was Dak. He shifted back into his human form and Camille did the same as she ran up to him.
"You're bleeding." I could hear her say as he hugged her.
"We need to get Logan in the house." Dak said as he walked over to me.
"It hurts to move." I told him and he nodded before leaning down.
"Where's James?" I asked him as he lifted me off of the ground.
I hissed when I felt more pain in my side as Dak carried me into the house. He placed me on the couch and I had a flashback to when James was in this same position. The only difference was there was much more blood than mine. I could only imagine the amount of pain he was in compared to mine. I felt myself start to cry just thinking about him. I have no idea what happened, but it must have something to do with whatever I'm covered in. It really started to rain outside, and Camille was on the phone with someone, who I guessed was Kelly. I could hear her explaining what she saw as Dak came back into the room.
"Logan, I need you to take these clothes off." He told me and I noticed that his chest and face was wet.
"I can't just get naked." I told him as I tried to calm my tears down.
"I want to help you, but I can't. Not with you covered in whatever that is." He said, gesturing to me.
"Do you know what happened?" I asked him as the front door opened again. I felt more pain in my side and at this point it was becoming more of a throbbing sensation. I placed my hand on it and that only made things worse.
"Ugh, no. I don't know what happened. We all came back, and we saw James looking at you like…I don't know." Dak explained as he kneeled in front of me. I saw that he was wearing a pair of James' shorts and that made me hurt even more. I looked towards the door and I saw Kendall coming in holding Carlos in his human form, both drenched in rain.
"Carlos." Dak said, getting up and going over to the couple. Kendall sat down on the floor with Carlos and held his mate's head in his arms.
"Is he going to be okay?" Camille asked him.
"I think so, but he hit the tree pretty hard. I just think he needs time to heal." Kendall said as he wiped his tears.
"Kelly is on her way so she can check up on him too." Camille explained as she knelt beside them. Another wave of pain came over me and I groaned, trying not to scream. Dak rushed back over to me and grabbed my hand. He sneezed again but didn't let my hand go.
"I wish I could take away your pain, but James is the only one who knows how to do it." Dak told me.
"It's okay." I told him as more tears rolled down my cheeks. The door opened up again and I saw that it was Lucy and Jack carrying Finn in. Jack had a bit of a limp to him and he winced as he and Lucy sat Finn in a chair.
"Hold his hand." Lucy said to Jack. Lucy went to the kitchen and grabbed something. I wanted to see what was going on but the pain was becoming too much.
"Finn, you have to bite down on this while we reset your leg." Lucy said as she knelt by his leg. The sound of bones cracking made me cringe before Jack and Finn screamed in pain.
"Kelly is here." Dak said before he sneezed again. Camille was the one who answered the door and Kelly came rushing in with three different bags.
"Where's Logan?" She asked before Camille pointed to me. Dak moved out of the way and sneezed again when he was stepping away.
"Logan, oh my god, you're covered in…wait a minute." Kelly said before she took this case out of her bag. She went through it and brought out a tissue and other vials of stuff. She kneeled down and wiped my skin, gasping when she looked at the tissue.
"Oh no." Kelly said and I knew that was not a good sign. She sat the napkin down on the coffee table and pulled up my shirt. I winced in pain as my injury was exposed to air. Kelly reached into another bag of hers and pulled out a huge first aid kit, sitting it on the floor next to her.
"Logan, I have to give you stitches."
"Stitches?"
"Yes, there are four scratches along your hip that need stitches." Kelly told me and I nodded before trying to sit up.
"Don't move. I can do them here. I just need you to relax."
"Shouldn't I just go to a hospital?" I asked her and she shook her head.
"Kelly is a Doctor." Camille chimed in.
"There will be too many questions asked." Kelly explained before she asked Camille to help her. Kelly took out a pouch out of the first aid kit and rolled it out on the table. I saw that there were various needles and I had to look up at the ceiling.
"Don't worry, I use to hate needles too." Kelly told me as she cleaned around my hip.
"Kelly, why does he seem to be in so much pain?" Camille asked her and Kelly sighed.
"It's because it's more than his hip that's hurting. The pain he's feeling comes from being attacked by his mate. I'm sure James is feeling it as well." Kelly said before I felt another wave of pain.
"He should!" Lucy yelled from where she was.
"Lucy, please, you have to calm down." Jack told her and she shook her head.
"Hell no. Why would James do something like this? I mean, he attacked his own pack and his mate."
"Lucy, you aren't in the right mindset and neither was James. I will explain once I'm finished with Logan." Kelly said as she focused on readying the needle. I closed my eyes and winced as she gave me the shot. After that I didn't feel anything but a slight tug at my skin. It was a while before Kelly finished and we all just sat in silence as she worked. I had Dak there to comfort me and it reminded me of how I would be there for my siblings.
"I'm all done." Kelly said to me. "There will be some discomfort with them being on your hip but you should heal up in no time."
I was about to thank her but my body was taken over by another wave of pain. I tried my best to fight back the pain but it was worse than the other waves of pain that I ever had. Dak, of course was there for me but then he started to grip my hand until Kelly broke his grasp on me. Camille gasped and it echoed throughout the room as everyone seemed to feel the same pain that I was feeling.
"Oh no." Kelly said standing up.
"Kelly, what's going on?" Dak asked as I felt my pain start to subside.
"Okay, Logan, you need to stand up, right now." Kelly said, grabbing my hand.
"What? Why?" I asked as I let her pull me up.
"You're killing everyone in here." Kelly told me and I froze in shock.
"No no, don't freeze, we have to get you out in the rain. All of you." Kelly said, pulling on my arm and using her free hand to open the door. I stepped out into the rain and was soaked in a matter of minutes along with everyone else. Kelly was walking back and forth as she surveyed everyone. Kendall was still holding Carlos and Jack was letting Finn lean on him as he recovered.
"Why are we out here?" I asked her.
"Wolfsbane poison." She said almost immediately. "The yellow dust that was on you. It was wolfsbane."
"Wolfsbane is purple tho."
"Not this kind. This kind is rare and it is highly toxic. Where did you get this from?" Kelly asked me.
"Huh? I-I this was in the air when I was looking for James. I had to go through it." I told her before another wave of pain washed over me. I gasped and fell to the ground. My whole body felt like it was on fire and I was instantly crying from how intense it was.
"No! Don't touch him!" Kelly yelled at someone.
"He's hurting! We have to help him!" Dak yelled at her.
"This doesn't make any sense." Kelly said as I felt hands on my shoulder. I heard Dak gasp behind me and there was a scream. I turned to see that it was Kendall. He dropped to the ground and Carlos rolled out of his hands. The boy gasped awake and screamed into the air followed by the rest of the pack dropping to the ground. I looked up at Kelly and she looked at us in pure shock.
"K-Kelly." Kendall said to her and she was panicking which made me panic. I could feel my pain starting to subside and I tried to get my breathing under control.
Kelly said that it was because of the wolfsbane but we were all outside. I looked down at the ground and back up at Kelly. This time she wasn't looking at me, instead, she was looking to my left. I turned to see Michael standing there. He looked shocked and panicked once his eyes locked onto mine. I could hear Dak growling behind me before there was a flash of light. The thunder that followed was so intense that I could feel it rattle me. Michael's eyes went to Kelly before moving again. I looked down at the ground because I was scared to see what was going on. If Michael was here, I knew what he was here for.
Everything that Guitar Dude said about his brother's pack was flowing into my mind as I felt Dak's hands leave my shoulder. I looked over to the rest of the pack to my right and they were all looking pass Kelly. I followed their eyesight and the flash of lightening gave me a clear sight of what everyone was looking at. James stood there, a couple of feet away from us and my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
As the thunder rumbled away, I felt multiple hands on me as the pack helped me stand up. Kelly stepped to the side and I knew I was to walk forward but a part of me was hesitant. At my hesitation, James let out a sob and fell to the ground. With the clouds covering the light of the moon, I could barely see James anymore. As if on cue, Michael shined a light to James and the sight made everyone gasp. James sat there on his knees with black liquid coming out from what seemed like every orifice.
"James." I said in a whisper of shock. He looked directly at me and I felt a slight singe of pain come to me. I took a step forward and the pain subsided. I could see him wincing in pain as he gripped his body.
"Logan, he's dying. James is dying and you're feeling it. You all are. When an Alpha is dying, the entire pack feels partially what he's feeling." Michael said and I couldn't even look at him as tears blurred my vision. "Y-You have to accept him. You have to love him and forgive him for what he has done." Michael added and I didn't understand what he was saying.
"W-When an Alpha hurts his mate, he must be accepted back but that's with emotional things. I-I've never seen an Alpha in this state. I-It's like he's dying b-but his body is fighting back." I took another step to him and a part of me remembered the look in his eyes when he chased after me. That look made me stop in my tracks and James screamed out in pain. When he looked back up at me, black tears fell from his eyes.
"I-I'm s-so sorry, Logan." He said and I heard him so clearly that I felt like he was standing right in front of me and not a few feet away. The look in his eyes was something completely different than what I had locked in my memory from earlier. I could feel tightness in my chest as I took a step towards him. One step lead to another before I was full on sprinting to James. I dropped down to my knees and crashed into him, ignoring the tightness in my chest as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Almost immediately pain wracked through my body before I felt it being pulled from me. The veins on his neck turning black, matching his tears.
"I'm sorry, Logan." James said again and I just pulled him closer to me. He kept repeating it over and over as he pulled the pain from my body. I could feel the push and pull of the pain from my body to his as I squeezed him tighter. Slowly, his hands wrapped around my torso and I started to sob as his grip increased on me.
"Shh, it's okay. It's okay, James. I love you. I forgive you. Everything is going to be okay." I told him before I leaned down to kiss his neck. He started to shake with his sobs and I held him as tight as I could to me, somehow trying to take away his pain as he did me.
"Adrian! Stop!" I heard Michael scream and when I looked up, there was a man standing there with a gun pointed at James and I.
"Adrian, you don't have to do this."
"Shut the fuck up Michael!" The man yelled and I instantly knew he was one of the other hunters.
"Jett, think about what you're doing!" Michael yelled again and I turned to my right to see that there was a gun pointed directly at me. When I looked at Jett, I could see that he was shaking. I felt James turn and this guy moved closer, putting his gun to the back of James' head.
"Anyone moves and I will empty this clip into your Alpha's head and my son will do the same to his mate." Adrian instructed and his words struck fear into my core.
"Now, Logan, you need to separate from him right now." He said, looking down at me. I increased my grip on James, despite his words and continued to look at Jett.
"Logan, do you want to have his blood in your lap?" Adrian said again.
"Adrian, we talked about this!" Michael yelled.
"No, Michael! You bitched out on this!" Adrian responded, pointing at Michael with his free hand.
"This was not the plan!"
"Do you honestly think a peace treaty would work with these savages?!"
"They're just kids!"
"A fucking kid doesn't turn into an eight-foot beast, Michael!" At that, Michael was silent, and I was trying to plead with Jett as he looked down at me. There was a flash of lightening and I heard the deafening sound of a gun going off.
"NO!" I heard Michael scream before there was another sound of a gun going off followed by the rumbling sound of thunder. I hid my face in James' neck and waited for pain that never came. I opened my eyes and looked at James and he opened his eyes to look at me. He looked pass me and I turned to see Jett gripping his shoulder. I looked over to where Adrian was standing and he was flat on his back. I turned to Michael and he was still holding his gun up as he shook. He sighed, lowering his gun before I saw someone emerging out from behind the trees.
"Mom?" I said in shock. Michael took the gun from her and nodded before she ran over to me and James.
"Logan, James, oh my god!" She said, hugging the two of us. Michael walked over to Jett and aimed his gun at him.
"Please no, there's been enough blood shed." Kelly said and Michael turned to her.
"This boy was perfectly fine with ending everyone's life here. If he would've shot Logan, he would've died here and then the wolves would've tore him apart."
"But he didn't. Look, he clearly didn't know what he was doing. He was nothing but a puppet, controlled by his father." Kelly told Michael and he shook his head.
"You don't know him like I know him."
"I know that and that's why I can see this from a different point of view. If you kill him, that's more blood on your hands." Kelly explained as she walked up to Michael. The rest of the pack stood behind her as she spoke.
"And if I let him live and he kills someone, then that's still more blood on my hands." Michael told her.
"But what if he doesn't?" Kelly responded, and Michael seemed to think about what she said before he turned to Jett. My mother's grip on me and James increased when we heard the gun fire.
"Remember this moment. If it weren't for these wolves and their guide, you wouldn't be here." Michael said and I turned to see Jett was staring at Michael wide-eyed. Michael offered him a hand and Jett grabbed it with his healthy arm. As soon as he was up, Kelly went to inspect his arm while Michael picked up the gun Jett had. Someone stepped up to Adrian's body and I looked up to see that it was John.
"He was the one who gave the orders to kill my brother and his pack." John said, looking down at Jett's father. "I never knew who he was, but my brother said that it was a man named Adrian."
"I tried to stop him then, but he had more people on his side. They didn't know what he was trying to do either. He was a manipulative son of a bitch. When they found out that what they were doing was killing wolves, they left Adrian's side. I only stayed with him because we were friends before all of this." Michael informed John, who's lip quivered as his tears mixed in with the rain. He wrapped arms around himself before my mother stood and gave him a hug. My attention was brought back to James when I felt his hand go down my side and underneath my shirt. His body shook, and he let out another sob and I had to lean away from him in order to look at him. The black liquid that came from his body was beginning to wash away with the rain, but he wouldn't look at me.
"James." I said, getting his attention.
"Logan, I'm sorry."
"James, please. Look at me."
"I-I can't."
"James." I said sternly, and his eyes immediately opened. I moved my thumbs under his eyes, wiping away the remnants of the blackness. His sad hazel eyes looked at me before they filled in with normal tears and I pulled him into my lips. He barely reciprocated the kiss and I moved my lips to different parts of his face. His cheeks, his chin, his temples, his forehead, his nose, and over his eyelids. I returned to his lips and kissed him a few more times before I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Logan you're going to get sick." I heard my mother say in my ear. I wanted to tell her that I'm fine but then James was standing, holding me in his arms. I wrapped myself around him and he carried me towards the house. The rest of the pack stood by the door and they all crowded in, surrounding us. I could feel the happiness radiating off James as the pack enclosed us in a group hug. I felt him squeeze me tighter and I knew that he was crying.
At least this time, the tears were happy tears. I held him close and kissed along his neck as the pack held onto each other and then James as much as possible. They all began to step off and James carried me into the house. I expected him to put me down but instead, we headed into the bedroom. I wanted, more than anything, to hold him and kiss him as we collapsed on the bed but the drying black liquid coming from his body stopped me. I unwrapped my legs from his waist and he reluctantly let me go and I grabbed his hand, leading him into the bathroom. I closed the lid on the toilet seat and when I turned to look at James, his eyes were wide. I looked down to see that there was a little bit of blood on me. I hadn't noticed that he was taking my pain until I saw his hand.
"Stop it." I told him and he sighed heavily before letting go of my hand. I gestured for him to sit down before I looked through his cabinets. I grabbed a roll of paper towels and wet them. I dabbed under his nose and the corners of his mouth that were stained with black liquid. I couldn't help but tear up as I did so because it reminded me of the fact that he almost died. I went to wipe the inner corners of his eyes, only to see that he was crying as well.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled.
"This isn't your fault."
"I promised to never hurt you."
"You were ambushed with a toxin that turned you onto your own pack. You did nothing wrong. That is why I forgave you." I told him and he closed his eyes and nodded at my words. I finished cleaning him up before I threw the paper towels in the trash. There was a knock on the bedroom door, and I peeked out of the bathroom to see my mother standing there.
"Is he okay?" She asked me and I nodded.
"He blames himself for everything."
"But that's not true."
"I know. I told him that and I'm sure he knows it, but you know how it is." I explained.
"He needs some time. Everything that has happened is going to weigh on him the most and you need to be there for him. I didn't get to see everything that happened, but Michael and Dr. Wainwright explained it all to me." She told me and I squinted at her.
"What was Michael doing here? Was he-"
"No. He explained everything to me, and he was here because he was trying to stop them. I know you were suspicious of him, but he helped saved you." There was a moment of silence between us as I accepted the fact that she was right. "I-uh, I've never shot someone before, but something just took over. It's weird because I don't even feel bad about it but-"
"You shouldn't." James said, stepping out of the bathroom. I could feel the anger radiating off him.
"James, I wanted to tell you and Logan that we are handling the clean-up outside. Dr. Wainwright also told me that you two are probably going to need a few days to rekindle your bond. I love you. Both of you, so so much."
"I love you too, Mom." I told her while James walked up to her and pulled her in for a hug.
"Thank you for everything."
"Of course." My mom said as their hug ended. I gave her a hug and she kissed me on my cheek before she stepped away. I grabbed James' hand and lead him to the bed. I took off my wet clothes and he took off his wet shorts. We laid there for a moment in the bed, looking into each other's eyes.
"Please, let me say it."
"No, James." I told him and he nodded before closing his eyes. I could feel the tension on him rising and I sighed. "Fine, one more time and then that's it."
"I'm so incredibly sorry for everything. I hurt you and I don't think I'll ever forgi-" I cut him off at that point and connected our lips. I didn't want to hear him say it because I knew that eventually, he would forgive himself. I continued to kiss him until I felt him relax. I wanted to do more but I thought about my stitches and I knew if I aggravated it, it would only make James feel worse.
As if reading my mind, James moved me so that I was on my back and wrapped his arms around me, resting his head next to the stitches I had on my side. The tenderness that I was feeling went away and I didn't have to look to know that he was taking away my pain. I ran my fingers through his hair and felt him squeeze himself closer to me.
It took four days for us to bond on a sexual level and James took care of me and treating me with so much tenderness. Unfortunately, James had lost his job at the claw but he was able to find another one with the help of Michael. We were excused from school for a week and the pack delivered groceries to us. My brothers and sisters visited us on the seventh day, and I was grateful that my mother gave us a heads up. We didn't have to explain much to them, but Briana wouldn't stop hugging us the entire weekend. I think she knows that something bad happened. Sometimes kids just seem to pick up on unspoken things. It was too sweet when her and James ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. After everything that John had done for the pack, we all volunteered with him at the elderly home nearby. It was a nice chance to see things from a different perspective. James and I fell in love with an older gay couple that was there. They spoke about all of their great adventures and showed us pictures of their kids. It made us smile and it made me think about adopting kids at some point in our lives.
Two weeks after that, the pack came over and James went on a short run with them. He refused to leave me alone, so, I rode on his back. It was the first time since the incident that I had seen his wolf form and it took some time for us to be comfortable. I could tell that he was nervous about the whole thing, but Kendall and Carlos convinced him to shift. They ran out to a clearing near a lake that I never knew existed and for a moment, I wondered how far we were from the city. I leaned down and hugged James when we came to a stop in front of the water. Kendall and Carlos ran and jumped into the water in their wolf forms, causing a huge splash.
Camille and Dak rested next to us in their wolf forms, curled around each other. Jack and Finn followed Kendall and Carlos into the water but shifted into their human forms when they came back up. Lucy stopped at the edge of the water and began sniffing around for something. I couldn't help but laugh when I realized that she was checking the temperature of the water before she slowly walked in. James allowed me to climb off of him before he joined his pack in the water. I wasn't planning on going in the water, so I sat on the small patch of sand that was there and took off my bookbag.
As I watched them all play around in the water, I started thinking about everything that has happened. I wondered how Jett was dealing with everything that had happened. I hope that someone is there for him, especially since he seemed to be manipulated by his father. I mean, Jett has never been the nicest, but he seemed like he didn't want to kill us, but I could be wrong. The feeling of wanting to look over my shoulder went away after a few days of James reassuring me that he didn't hear anything but the ich was still there. I relied on everyone around me because I knew that their senses would pick up on anything before I would. James came out of the water in his human form and grabbed a towel from my bookbag. He wrapped it around his waist before sitting down next to me.
"You okay?" He asked me and I nodded before looking over at him.
"Just thinking." I told him and he smiled, wrapping an arm around me. We went from sitting up to laying down after while of watching everyone splash around. I had one hand rested on his chest and I moved it over his heart and smiled. He turned and kissed my forehead before I sat up slightly, using my elbow to hold me up.
"I love you." I told him and he smiled.
"I love you too. More and more, each day more than the last." He told me and I blushed, looking down. My necklace caught my eye and I held it in my hand before looking at him.
"You know ever since you gave me this, my life has been a complete roller coaster ride." I told him and he smiled at me before he spoke. "You have changed my life in so many ways that I am forever grateful. I did so many unpleasant things and just a complete jerk to you. You helped me become a better person, an even better alpha to our pack and I love you for that."
"I was thinking about the time we've spent together over these last couple of weeks and I just want you to know that no matter if I live a hundred years or not just know that I love you. I will always love you, all of you, each individual aspect of you, including the wolf that growls from within." I told him.
"Ever since I first shifted, I dreamt of the day that someone I love with my entire soul would love me the way that you do. I would lie awake at night and think if I was even deserving of that type of love for someone to just love me, all of me. After everything we've been through, to hear you say those words makes my heart soar." He said and I smiled before he shifted us so that he was hovering over me. He growled as he started kissing on my neck and I burst into laughter before he claimed my lips in a kiss.
When we pulled apart, I looked him in his eyes and my heart fluttered just like the first time we kissed, and I knew that I was in love. In his eyes, I could see our adventures together. The two of us, along with the pack, exploring the world, maybe in search of other outcasts to join us. We could be helping other packs survive the threat of hunters and the poison of wolfsbane. We could do it all until we're old and gray with our kids. The best part about it all is that we'll be together forever.
THE END
A/N: Man, this was a journey to write. I've written the middle section over and over just to make sure I covered everything that I wanted to. Please excuse any errors that are found because no one is perfect and I know for sure that I am not. But anyway, thank you all for reading this story of mine that started as a dream that has then turned into this 20 chapter story. It feels weird to say that a decade is over but it is and now we're heading into 2020 and I am going in with a smile and I hope that you are too. Happy New Year!