Page 17 of Shadow of Fury

Vivian shook her head, “And you can’t tell her…”

“Anything. I can’t say anything and even if I could, what would it change? I’m the reason Lark is dead. She’s right about that much.”

“Logan, no.” Vivian sat down beside him again, “Don’t say that. I may not know everything that happened back then but I know you, and I know that you loved Lark and you never would have hurt her on purpose.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. Not anymore.” He pushed to his feet, “Fate made a mistake. Wren hates me and she has every right to. I won’t hurt her any more than I already have so I’m not going to claim her. That’s why we need to leave, right now. I need to put as much distance between us as possible.”

His sister stared up at him from her childhood bed. It was the same bed she’d been in when he snuck into her room six years ago and told her that he was leaving and he wanted to take her with him. She hadn’t put up a fight then but he could tell from the stubborn look on her face that this time, she had no intention of going quietly.

“Viv…”

“Leaving isn’t the answer, Logan.” She spoke over him. “It didn’t fix anything last time and it won’t this time either. You scented one another and the bond sparked. We both know what that means. Even if you run, the moment your wolf takes control on the next full moon, he’s going to go crazy trying to get back here to mark her. You could run to the other side of the world and you might have a chance of outlasting the mating heat but the odds aren’t in your favor.”

Logan touched his bottom lip self-consciously. He could still feel the sting of Wren’s teeth slicing the sensitive skin open. He could still taste the copper tang of his own blood. And he could still sense the way the bond had expanded from a tenuous string to binding ropes when his blood became a part of Wren.

Vivian’s eyes widened and though the cut on his lip had healed, he knew he’d given himself away, “Oh! You didn’t just scent each other, did you? You already gave in to the heat.”

“I didn’t mean to.” he groaned. “Neither of us meant for it to happen. One second we were arguing, fighting, in each other's faces and the next second… we were kissing.”

“Kissing?” Vivian raised an eyebrow.

“It felt more like a battle to be honest and… it got bloody.”

It was the truth. The raw and unvarnished truth was that neither of them had wanted the bond but the heat between them had been impossible to ignore. The anger had bubbled over into passion but it had been no less violent than if they’d been trying to rip one another apart.

“Oh, Logan.” Vivian sighed. “There’s no escaping this. Not now. You know that.”

“There has to be a way. I can’t be mated to Wren. I can’t have a mate who despises me, a mate I can’t tell the truth. Not Lark’s sister. I just… can’t.”

“Okay. Okay.” Vivian stood and moved closer to him again. “I know you don’t want this and I’m certain she doesn’t either so maybe there is a way to undo it.”

“You think so?” He didn’t believe her but he wanted to with every molecule in his body.

“Maybe. I don’t know. But the next full moon is a week away. I can use the pack library, try to find something in the histories that might help.”

“But we have to stay for you to do that.”

She nodded.

He rubbed a hand across his cheek, “And staying… this sudden need of yours to be home, it doesn’t have anything to do with your… condition?”

His sister scowled at him, “I’m trying to help you, Logan. Don’t piss me off by turning this mess back around on me.”

“Fine. Sorry, I just…”

“I know what you just.” she snapped and he sighed.

“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. Ignore me.”

“You’ve dealt with a lot today so I’m going to let it slide for now, but Logan…” Vivian pointed a red tipped fingernail at him. “Don’t you dare mention it again. Not here. Not in this house where they might overhear and not in town where anyone else might. You have your secrets. I have mine. Deal?”

He wanted to argue with her about how different their secrets were and how she wouldn’t be able to keep hers hidden forever but he was tired so he nodded, “Deal.”

“Good. Now go away so I can get some rest. I’ll face the daunting task of finding a way out of a mating bond for you tomorrow.”

He nodded, “Okay.”

“Okay.”