When Logan woke again it was early morning. Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains above his bed and he winced, raising his hand to his cheek and touching the warmth the sunlight had left there. He opened his eyes and sat up, looking around groggily, and suddenly he was jolted by the ring of his bedside clock which read 7:00 am. He switched off the alarm and threw aside his bedcovers, slipping his feet into his pajama slippers. The alpha rubbed his eyes and sighed in contentment, walking towards his bathroom. He had never felt this satisfied in a long while.

On his way to his bathroom, he passed his vanity mirror and stopped, staring at his reflection. A tousle-haired, crusty-eyed well-built man stared back at him. On impulse, he smiled faintly, as though enjoying the image that the mirror reflected. A few stolen moments of peace like this were worth all the chaos he would have to face later in the day.

He walked into his bathroom and freshened up, brushing his teeth and taking a hot shower. He caught himself whistling cheerfully once or twice. Logan was mildly surprised at his happy mood as the past day had been full of depressing events. From the rogue attacks to the discovery of the white wolf to Kylie's recent attempt at getting his attention and his visit to his father, his mood should have been anything but cheerful.

He walked out of the bathroom with only a towel on and noticed that a servant had laid his clothes on the bed. He slipped into the navy-blue button shirt and matching blue pants, completing it with black loafers. He combed and pulled his hair back in its characteristic ponytail and walked out of his room.

The dining room where he was supposed to have breakfast was located on the ground floor of the pack house, close to the kitchens. When he entered the dining room, he saw that his wolf aides were already waiting for him, sitting around the long dining table. They all rose in greeting when he came in and he gestured to them to sit down.

"Good morning, everyone. I see we're already having breakfast." He said cheerfully. Casper who was sitting to his right noticed the change in his mood as opposed to yesterday and wondered what must have gotten the alpha so happy.

"Yes, Alpha." His gamma who was sitting to his left answered "We thought you won't be joining us for breakfast today."

"Well, I had a change of heart," Logan responded and gestured to one of the servants, who proceeded to serve his breakfast.

Suddenly the doors to the dining room opened and a servant came in, bowing to the wolves. She turned to Casper. "Beta, the patient you requested is here."

"Oh, bring her in," Casper replied.

While Logan wondered what patient they were talking about, the servant turned and walked out of the room, coming back a few seconds later with none other than the white wolf they had rescued.

Aella was dressed in a simple white slip-on dress that reached her ankles. Her feet were bare and her hair had been let down so it flowed down her back and shoulders in lush black waves. Her brown eyes were big and staring around the room in wonder as she took in the number of male wolves sitting around the table.

The whole room had gone silent as the men in the seats watched her with awe and amazement. They had sincerely never seen any she-wolf as stunning as her.

A snarl slipped from Logan's mouth as he saw all the men staring at her. His mate instinct kicked in and he stood up, walking towards her. He reached her and immediately, her scent hit his nostrils again. Cinnamon, he thought. She smelled of cinnamon and crushed lilies.

"Why are you barefoot?" He whispered huskily, trying his best not to move closer to her. He feared that he would give himself away if he got too close to her and lost control.

"I prefer it that way." She replied sharply, pushing at his chest to walk further into the room.

Even that little contact had affected him in ways he couldn't explain. He stumbled and quickly righted himself, feeling the anger bubbling to the surface. How dare she treat him, an alpha, that way?

She reached the table and took a seat beside Casper, smiling at the men around the table. Slowly they all continued their breakfast, still watching her discreetly. She dug into the food that was laid on the table, filling her plate with breakfast.

Logan gritted his teeth in anger and walked towards the table, turning her chair with a force so that she faced him.

"You!" Logan yelled "How dare you come in here and make yourself comfortable without my permission? How dare you even walk in here without my knowledge?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" She asked, staring into his eyes while slowly putting a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

The effect that had on him was inexplicable. He found himself gaping at her lips as they closed around the fork. He quickly turned his back on her and faced Casper.

"I don't remember asking you to bring her in here." He yelled. "Why did you bring her?"

Casper dropped his fork calmly and faced his Alpha "She was already getting better and it would not be prudent to keep her in the clinic. And since there was nowhere else to keep her, I decided to bring her here. I didn't know it would be a problem."

"Well, it is a problem." Logan responded sharply "You shouldn't do things behind my back and without my prior notice."

The woman stood up and faced Logan in defiance "Hey!" She cut in "You know I'm here, right? Stop acting like I can't hear all that's being said about me."

"Shut up!" Logan snarled without even soaring her a glance.

"What if I don't?"

He turned to her abruptly and came so close to her that they were practically sharing breaths "You are nothing but a stranger we rescued and you should be grateful for that." He breathed into her face. "You will obey me as the alpha of this pack, without any questions. Do you understand?"

She stood on tiptoe as he was several inches taller than her and met his eyes squarely "What if I don't?" She repeated.

He growled as his haunches were raised in anger. "Everyone, get out." He whispered, but his whisper carried around the silent room. The rest of the wolves scrambled to get out of the room, leaving the alpha, his beta, and Aella in the dining room.

"I want to know who you are and why you were found close to my territory, now. Enough of all this." He demanded menacingly.

Aella kept her eyes on his without blinking "My answer remains the same. I don't know."

"You!" Logan reached for her but in a swift second, Casper has gotten between them, blocking the alpha from doing anything rash.

"Alpha, calm down" Casper murmured in his ears. "It wouldn't do to lose your temper and hit her."

Logan released himself from Casper's grip and walked towards Aella, his every step screaming danger. She moved backward as he came towards her until her back hit the wall behind her, their eyes still on each other.

"I promise, I will find out what you're all about." He whispered with venom in his voice "But before then, I promise to make your life a living hell. Mark my words."