Logan hissed. “You don’t understand pack law! A mate belongs to the entire pack . No one, not even the Alpha, can go behind the others’ backs like that!”
“Belongs… I’m sorry, Logan, I don’t belong to anyone ,” Allison said frankly. “I’m a human being, not a… a… a book or-or-or… a hamburger!”
“Shh!” Logan hissed again. “Please don’t let them hear you! Luke will freak out!”
“So what? Let him freak out! You people don’t own me!” Allison shrieked, jumping to her feet. “This is ridiculous! I’m leaving!”
Allison stormed toward the door, but in a flash, Logan was blocking her way. He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. His expression was soft and pleading.
“Please don’t go,” he begged. “I… they’ll kill me.”
“Well, not literally,” Allison said, rolling her eyes. When Logan didn’t respond, she said, “Logan?”
“Pack law is complicated,” he said. “Besides, I… I really want you to stay.”
“Logan, tell me you’re joking,” Allison demanded. “They wouldn’t really kill you, would they?”
“If I let you go, I’d be betraying my pack,” Logan said firmly. “By law, they would have no choice.”
“Oh, this is not happening,” Allison muttered, hanging her head ruefully. “Your kind sure has some crazy rules.”
Allison flopped down on the bed and sighed heavily, hiding her eyes underneath her arm, which she draped across them in frustration.
“They may seem crazy to you, but they’ve kept our kind in check for hundreds of years,” Logan said.
“I’m sorry,” Allison said quickly, glancing at Logan apologetically. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m just shocked that you’d kill your own kind over some rules. Who makes the rules, anyway?”
“You know how on those nature shows they show baby animals that get abandoned or their parents die and they have these natural instincts?” Logan asked. “Like birds have the instinct to migrate?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, some of it is like instinct. It’s something that is so deeply ingrained into our psyche we are powerless to go against it. Like taking you as a mate. We physically couldn’t prevent it, because it would be going against thousands of years of instinct.”
“But animals go against their instincts all the time,” Allison pointed out.
“I suppose. But for us, instinct is all about survival. We’ve developed a society based on strict obedience of our laws. It’s the only thing that keeps our kind safe from being hunted by humans. We obey our laws strictly. Those that don’t draw too much attention and could get us killed.”
“Well, how is that other pack able to go against their instincts?”
“The best way I can explain it is to point out humans who go crazy and go on murderous rampages. You know… like serial killers and stuff. They’re insane.”
“So this other pack is crazy?”
“Basically.”
“The whole pack?”
“A pack feeds off the emotions of their Alpha. Michael is our Alpha, and we pretty much have to obey whatever he commands. Their Alpha… his name is Victor… went crazy and took his pack with him.”
“I see.”
“It wasn’t always that way. Victor used to be a decent guy. But then…”
Logan’s face drained of color, and his mouth hung open for a moment. Then he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Then what?” Allison urged him.
“Um… nothing,” Logan said. “Then he went crazy and that’s it.”
“But what about… you know… the kiss?” Allison asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Logan’s brow furrowed, and he looked irritated.
“It’s a betrayal,” Logan said flatly. “Michael betrayed all of us.”
“How?”
“You’re our mate, not his. He had no right to do that without us being present. It’s not
“Belongs… I’m sorry, Logan, I don’t belong to anyone ,” Allison said frankly. “I’m a human being, not a… a… a book or-or-or… a hamburger!”
“Shh!” Logan hissed again. “Please don’t let them hear you! Luke will freak out!”
“So what? Let him freak out! You people don’t own me!” Allison shrieked, jumping to her feet. “This is ridiculous! I’m leaving!”
Allison stormed toward the door, but in a flash, Logan was blocking her way. He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. His expression was soft and pleading.
“Please don’t go,” he begged. “I… they’ll kill me.”
“Well, not literally,” Allison said, rolling her eyes. When Logan didn’t respond, she said, “Logan?”
“Pack law is complicated,” he said. “Besides, I… I really want you to stay.”
“Logan, tell me you’re joking,” Allison demanded. “They wouldn’t really kill you, would they?”
“If I let you go, I’d be betraying my pack,” Logan said firmly. “By law, they would have no choice.”
“Oh, this is not happening,” Allison muttered, hanging her head ruefully. “Your kind sure has some crazy rules.”
Allison flopped down on the bed and sighed heavily, hiding her eyes underneath her arm, which she draped across them in frustration.
“They may seem crazy to you, but they’ve kept our kind in check for hundreds of years,” Logan said.
“I’m sorry,” Allison said quickly, glancing at Logan apologetically. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m just shocked that you’d kill your own kind over some rules. Who makes the rules, anyway?”
“You know how on those nature shows they show baby animals that get abandoned or their parents die and they have these natural instincts?” Logan asked. “Like birds have the instinct to migrate?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, some of it is like instinct. It’s something that is so deeply ingrained into our psyche we are powerless to go against it. Like taking you as a mate. We physically couldn’t prevent it, because it would be going against thousands of years of instinct.”
“But animals go against their instincts all the time,” Allison pointed out.
“I suppose. But for us, instinct is all about survival. We’ve developed a society based on strict obedience of our laws. It’s the only thing that keeps our kind safe from being hunted by humans. We obey our laws strictly. Those that don’t draw too much attention and could get us killed.”
“Well, how is that other pack able to go against their instincts?”
“The best way I can explain it is to point out humans who go crazy and go on murderous rampages. You know… like serial killers and stuff. They’re insane.”
“So this other pack is crazy?”
“Basically.”
“The whole pack?”
“A pack feeds off the emotions of their Alpha. Michael is our Alpha, and we pretty much have to obey whatever he commands. Their Alpha… his name is Victor… went crazy and took his pack with him.”
“I see.”
“It wasn’t always that way. Victor used to be a decent guy. But then…”
Logan’s face drained of color, and his mouth hung open for a moment. Then he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Then what?” Allison urged him.
“Um… nothing,” Logan said. “Then he went crazy and that’s it.”
“But what about… you know… the kiss?” Allison asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Logan’s brow furrowed, and he looked irritated.
“It’s a betrayal,” Logan said flatly. “Michael betrayed all of us.”
“How?”
“You’re our mate, not his. He had no right to do that without us being present. It’s not
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