Meanwhile, Logan was in his father's room. He had just gotten off the phone with Louve his cousin who had confirmed that she would be visiting the pack that same day. He stood up from the bed and stretched, then looked over at his father who was knocked out on the couch. He had thought he would find the man awake but it seemed that every time he came, the man was either drunk or fast asleep. 

The room was in much better repair than the last time he had visited. He had told a few maids to clean up the place before he came in. The bottles of beer that had once littered the floor were gone. The curtains had been drawn and the windows opened, and the bed had been freshly laid. Logan had had a restless sleep as his wolf had cried out for his mate, and his father had been snoring on the couch.

He really could not wait to see his cousin as he believed that she could restore normalcy to his life. The dramatic events with the rogue attacks and his new mate were taking a toll on him, and he really needed some stability. He knew that Louve would bring back the steadiness that he so needed.

His mind flashed back to Aella and the way she had turned his room upside down and he realized that it had been his fault. It was hard to admit but he had caused her outburst. Staying holed up inside a room for two days could drive anyone up the wall, even him. Yes, he suspected that she was somehow connected to the rising deaths of his pack members but restricting her to the confines of his room would definitely make her go crazy. He should let her get some air. He would unlock the door of his room and let her roam about for a while.

He was tired of listening to Aella’s naggings and tantrums and decided to totally ignore her. That way, they would not have to exchange words and bicker at each other. That, he resolved to do.

So, with that thought in mind, he walked to the door of his father's room and opened it, peering outside. A guard had been stationed there too. He summoned the guard over and said:

"I want you to go to my wing and tell the guards that are at my door to unlock the door and leave there." He commanded.

"All right, Alpha." He said, bowed, and left.

Th alpha went back inside the room and took a hot bath, then decided to hit the gym. There was nothing else to do anyway as his father wasn't much company. On his way to the gym, he was so preoccupied with thoughts about Aella and Louve that he unknowingly ran into his beta.

"Oh, didn't see you there, alpha," Casper called out, steadying himself.

"No, it's fine, I was the one that wasn't looking in the right direction." Logan answered.

"Are you okay though, Alpha? You seem distracted."

Logan groaned "How many times will you ask me that, Casper? I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah. If you say so." Casper eyed his alpha with increased interest. "And what about, you know, your mate?"

Logan glared at his beta and shushed him, looking around warily. "You might as well shut up instead of shouting it to the whole pack house, Casper."

"What, they don't know already?" Casper asked.

"No, they don't. And I'd like to keep it that way." Logan retorted. The both of them began to walk towards the gym room together. After a while, Casper spoke up again. "Is that why you did not sleep in your room today?" Logan opened his mouth but Casper shushed him.

"Don't deny it, alpha. I saw you come from the direction of the former alpha's room, while yours is much closer to the gym." Casper added with a teasing smile. "Did you and your mate have a little fallout?"

Logan ignored his question and continued walking towards the gym. Casper however, was persistent. "I understand that you have woman issues and you are probably reluctant to admit it, seeing that you have told everyone times without number that you don't want a mate or a partner, but you can talk to me about it, mm?"

The alpha turned to his beta "Talk to you about what? What do you know about mating?"

Casper laughed. "I may not know much about mating or imprinting, but I've had my fair share of lovers, Logan. And seeing you all stressed up like this, all you need is a nice good fuck with your mate to ease the tension." They had reached the door of the gym now. Casper left the alpha at the entrance and walked in, still laughing.

Logan watched the other man go and wondered how he could still be so genial even after that implied statement that the alpha had made to him. He hadn't meant to imply that Casper didn't have a mate but the words had dropped before he could check them. He knew that behind the smile and laughs was a man who also craved the love and warmth of a mate. Casper only had much more success in hiding his craving than Logan.

The alpha remembered when the both of them had been young wolves, barely out of puberty. Casper had been the most playful and happy of their boy group then, and Logan had been quieter, more sullen. She-wolves their age used to be more attracted to Casper because of his ability to crack jokes and make them laugh. They had only begun to show interest in Logan when he became alpha in his father's stead. Still, they had become best friends despite their character differences.

But when Logan became alpha and had picked Casper as his beta, the other man had had to take things more seriously, become more responsible to himself and the pack at large. This had caused him to be more quiet, more observant than the Casper that Logan used to know. But once in a while, his playful side came out.

He followed Casper into the gym and saw that his beta had started working with the dumbbells. He himself moved over to the treadmill and put it on, running in one place. Mid-workout, he looked out through the glass windows that shielded the gym from the front lawn of the pack house and saw Aella sunning herself outside.

He frowned and turned off the treadmill, focusing instead on his mate. She was putting on his white hoodie, which was several sizes too big for her, and her hair was let down just the way he liked it. She looked like a little girl with her face turned to the sun, and he smiled faintly as he watched her enjoying the sun's rays. She must have really missed the great outdoors, he thought.

Then he saw Kylie walking from behind Aella. He saw how she smiled maliciously as she hit his mate from behind. He growled in anger as Aella stumbled and quickly righted herself. Immediately after Kylie had hit Aella, he felt the uncontrollable desire to give the woman a good smackdown. It was as though whatever happened to Aella automatically happened to him too, good or bad. As though they shared emotions.

He watched as they exchanged words and as Kylie tried to put Aella down. But what the woman did not know was that the White Wolf was much tougher than she looked. He smiled as he overheard Aella tell Kylie that she was his mate, and smiled even wider when he saw Kylie's shocked face. That would shut her up at least. At that moment he had never been prouder of his mate.