Fated Hearts (Echoes of Darkness Prequel)

5

Logan

I pinch the bridge of my nose in an attempt to calm my throbbing temples as my eyes skitter over the endless pages in front of me. I’ve been at this for hours. I wish someone would have told me before becoming an Alpha that I would spend most of my time chained to this fucking office chair by my responsibilities.

“You don’t look too good, little bro,” Emily’s voice travels through the room, pulling my attention toward the door.

“You were born thirty seconds before me,” I shoot back, throwing the documents I’m holding onto the desk in frustration and running a hand over my face. For a whole month, I’ve been trying to find a cure for the weakness affecting the children of the pack. Two more kids have fallen into the deep sleep and won’t wake up. Endless hours of research have amounted to nothing. Needless to say, I am beyond desperate.

“That still makes me the bigger sister,” she teases. A wry grin pulls at her lips as she enters my office, her high heels clicking against the hardwood floor. She is wearing a long, light blue dress that floats at her back with every step. The sigil of Baphomet etched on her right bicep, marking her as an Obsidian Conclave member, stands out against the deep amber hue of her skin, enhanced by the color of the dress. Everyone in the pack wears the same sigil tattooed on their wrists, but only my family wears it on their biceps.

All dark creatures are under the jurisdiction of the Obsidian Conclave. We all have to abide by the rules of not killing humans and, in the case of wolf shifters, not transforming anyone by biting them. It’s pretty easy if you ask me, but some rogue wolf shifters don’t believe in following the rules.

“Aren’t you going to start getting ready? Mom’s gonna be pissed if you’re late to your own ball.” She takes a seat on one of the chairs in front of my desk.

I run my hand over the back of my neck and snap my eyes shut. I’m sure wrinkles form at the corners with the pressure. God, I just want a minute to fucking breathe. “I’ll go take a shower,” I say as I stand and push the swivel chair backward.

“Wait, have you seen this?” Emily looks above my head, where a flat-screen TV is perched on the black-painted wall behind me. I turned the volume down earlier because it made me lose my focus. “Where’s the remote?” she asks as she starts searching under the mountain of paper covering the top of my desk.

I open the top drawer, take out the remote control, and pass it to her. She turns the volume up while I spin to face the TV. The voice of the news anchor announces a brutal animal attack two towns over.

My phone starts vibrating in my jeans pocket. I take it out and tap on the screen. It’s Kaiden Black, the head of the Obsidian Conclave and one of my closest friends. I accept the call.

“Have you seen the news?” he asks.

“I’m watching it right now. Another animal attack. Do you think it’s a rogue?”

“Yeah, I sent Dominic to investigate. I got wind of it yesterday before it hit the news. He said it’s a wolf shifter for sure; there were no signs of fang marks on the victim.”

“Shit. You think it’s the same one from a few months ago?”

“It looks that way. Same claw marks, and the heart was ripped out brutally from the chest cavity,” he says grimly.

I swear under my breath and look at my sister. Her face is etched with worry as she listens to our conversation.

“I wanted to let you know so you can have everyone in the pack on alert. It’s pretty close to Ashville. The rogue wolf shifter might travel toward our city next.”

“So far, we haven’t picked up a strange scent, but I’ll keep you posted if anything changes. Thanks for letting me know, man.”

“We are having a Conclave meeting tomorrow night. Are you coming?”

“I’ll be there,” I respond and end the call. I’ve been ignoring my Conclave responsibilities lately since the weakness was— is my top priority. But aside from being the Alpha of my pack, I also represent wolf shifters around the world within the Obsidian Conclave. There has been a lot of blood spilled in wars between our species, but when Kaiden became head of the Conclave, he made sure all of the dark creatures’ voices were heard, and the wars stopped. I am the representative for wolf shifters, Dominic for vampires, and Malik for the dark witches. It also helps that we are all close friends.

My gaze locks with Emily’s. “You heard all that?”

“Yeah, should I prepare a statement? You need to announce this as quickly as possible. With the pack being weakened…”

“I know. Fuck, this is the last thing we needed right now,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’ll announce it at the ball tonight. I’ll go get ready,” I say and make my way to the door.

“Maybe wait until the ball is over. Mom will kill you if you ruin the celebration. If you start with that kind of speech, no one will want to have fun anymore. The pack needs a breather just for one night. We’ve all been so wound up with the kids being touched by the weakness.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Tomorrow morning, then.” With slumped shoulders, I stride out of the room to get ready for the ball my mother is throwing in the hopes I will finally choose a mate and get married.

“Would it hurt you to smile a little?” my mother scolds as she arches a dark eyebrow at me. She is wearing a golden, sparkly dress that enhances the deep hue of her umber skin. Her usually curly, dark-chestnut hair is straightened and styled in an intricate updo.

“She’s not here, Mom,” I grumble before downing a hearty sip from the whiskey tumbler. With a deep sigh through my nose, I glance over the ballroom. The spirit burns the back of my throat as it carves a path to my stomach and kindles a low burning fire that warms my insides. I don’t usually drink hard liquor, but tonight, I seem to need it more than anything.

My mother put a lot of work into organizing this event, and it truly shows. Crystal chandeliers hang from the embellished, vaulted ceilings. Their soft, glittering light bathes the marble floor, along with every guest in attendance. Men in their best suits and women dripped in diamonds and shapely gowns that flow and swish with every move are engaged in animated conversations or gracious waltzes as the lively tune played by the band bounces off the ornate plaster-smothered walls.

Strangely, I feel exactly like one of the stupid walls while my mother parades me around like a prized stud at auction.

“Two more packs need to arrive. I asked them to bring all the single women with blond hair and blue eyes. In the meantime, you should at least mingle. These people came all this way for us.” She takes a sip of champagne. “And Logan, you promised if you can’t find your fated mate tonight, you will get engaged and married as soon as possible.”

“I know, Mom. Trust me, I’m trying. It’s just…I can’t seem to do anything right, and I know everyone is blaming me for the children falling into the deep sleep. I hate that I haven’t found a cure.” I crook a finger in my shirt collar and pull at it. The suit I’m wearing is custom-made to fit my big frame, but I feel like it’s constricting me, and I can’t breathe. I want to rip it to pieces.

She lets out a deep sigh. “I don’t tell you this enough, but your father would have been proud of you, Logan. I know I am. You are the best Alpha this pack could ask for. You simply need to let go of the idea that you will find your fated mate. Taking a chosen mate and getting married is the only way the children will wake up. The pack needs a Luna desperately.” She places the empty flute of champagne on the cocktail table near us and curls her fingers around my bicep. “Now come, I want you to meet someone. I think she will be the perfect chosen mate for you.”

We descend the stairs from the private balcony on the second floor and make our way to greet every guest in attendance—at least those of significant importance. My mother knows how to work the room, making everyone eat out of the palm of her hand while exchanging graceful pleasantries left and right. You can see how much she enjoys this type of life. On the other hand, I would rather take a silver bullet dipped in aconite than sit ten more minutes through the surface-level stilted conversations.

Fuck, how I wish I were at my small cabin high up in the mountains right now, away from everything and everyone.

“That man doesn’t know when to shut up,” my mother mumbles with a grimace when we finally manage to escape a conversation with the Alpha of a northern pack who is under the impression we still live in the dark ages and have to fight vampires and dark witches to death. He doesn’t realize how lucky we are that Kaiden put a stop to all the bloodshed. My father lost his life because of an injury he sustained in one of the wars against vampires. The fact that we now live in peace shouldn’t be taken for granted.

She swipes a flute of champagne from a server’s tray that passes near us and takes a delicate sip. As she turns around, a big smile spreads over her face. “There she is. The girl I’ve been telling you about. Isn’t she beautiful?” my mother gushes in my ear as we approach Conrad, the Alpha of the Ironclaw pack.

“Hello, Conrad, thank you for coming! It’s wonderful to see you again,” my mother says from beside me.

“Thank you for inviting us, Deborah. It’s always a pleasure to see you and your Silverfang pack.” He bends at the waist slightly and kisses the back of my mother’s hand.

We exchange a firm handshake. “Conrad.”

He is almost as tall as me, with hair that is more salt than pepper and wise ocean-blue eyes. “This is Grace, my oldest daughter. I hope you’ll find her to your liking.”

His daughter takes a step forward and curtsies like we are in a period movie. She is angelic, with pale blond hair and eyes the same color as her father’s, her body lithe like a ballerina’s, enhanced by her soft pink dress. But I don’t feel even an ounce of attraction to her; I prefer my women a lot curvier and with more fire in their eyes. However, it wouldn’t matter if she was my fated mate. My fated mate will always be the most beautiful woman for me, perfect in every way.

I know what my mother is trying to do. She thinks that if she picks a girl for me with features similar to my fated mate, I will surely consider her my future bride, my Luna. At the end of the day, it doesn’t even matter what my fated mate looks like. It’s the bond that matters. The feeling of rightness that courses through me when I simply dream about her. I can’t even imagine how it would feel to have her in my arms. I’m getting hard just at the thought of her, and surely this isn’t the moment for that.

Clearing my throat, I get my mind out of the gutter and bring my thoughts into the present. “She is beautiful,” I reply politely, and Grace smiles demurely at my remark.

“I think it’s safe to say my son won’t find a woman more striking than Grace tonight. Maybe you should invite Grace to dance with you, Logan.” She pushes me slightly toward her like I’m a child.

My sister suddenly appears at my side. “I’m so sorry for interrupting your conversation.” She nods toward Conrad and Grace.

My mother’s lips thin. “This is Emily, my daughter. She’s Logan’s Beta.”

“I’m afraid something that requires your immediate attention has come up,” Emily says, her tone dripping with urgency, earning a look from my mother that could cut through skin and bone.

“I’m so sorry,” I echo and dip my chin toward Conrad. “Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” I turn on my heel with Emily at my side, my strides long and purposeful as I let out a deep breath of relief. “Did something really happen?”

She arches an eyebrow while throwing me a conspiratorial glance. “Dude, you looked like someone shoved something up your ass. More so than usual,” she chuckles out. “I decided to play the good Samaritan and save you. You owe me one.”

“You get on my nerves every single day, sis, but damn if I don’t want to kiss you right now.”

“Eww, I don’t want your dumb face anywhere near mine, thank you very much. What you need to do is give me a fat raise for how smoothly I saved your ass. I surely don’t make enough if I have to bartend and be your Beta.”

“You bartend because you want to, Em, not because you need to. I’ll give you a bonus and a raise if you keep Mom away from me for the rest of the night, though.”

She puckers her lips, seemingly pondering my offer. “Deal.”