Logan's POV

Logan paced the hallway outside the white wolf's hospital room, waiting for the doctor. His thoughts were all over the place, and despite his resolution, he found himself aching to see her.

In the space of a few hours, she had changed the trajectory of his life. She was all he wanted now. Even the rogue attacks had been pushed to an obscure corner of his mind by her presence. He wanted to mark and claim her in every way possible, place a mark on her that told the world that she was his and his alone. He wanted nothing more than to be with his mate, to hell with whatever may be happening around him.

His mate?

He swore silently under his breath and raked his hand through his ponytail. He sounded like he was already accepting her as his lifelong partner. He would never mark her as his mate. If she was truly innocent of the crimes of being a spy, he would let her go and never think about her again. And if she was really a spy sent to snoop on his pack's activities, he would make sure today was the last day she spent on earth.

His wolf growled in protest as that last thought crossed his mind. You seem to have forgotten how mating works, it said. If anything, bad happens to your mate it would happen to you too. Your destinies are intertwined now and it would be a futile effort trying to separate yourself from her. Killing her would make you end up like your father. Do you want that?

I did not remember asking you for any advice, Logan replied his wolf in his mind. So shut up!

''Don't say I didn't warn you,'' Alpha. His wolf replied with a grumble.

Before Logan could fire back with a reply, Frank Callister the pack doctor walked out of the hospital room with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Logan turned to the doctor with questions in his eyes.

"How is she?" He asked the doctor "I was told that she's awake."

"Yes, she is, Alpha." Doctor Frank replied "But as for the being fine part, you should ask her that yourself. She has refused to answer any of my questions or say anything at all. Perhaps you would have more luck trying to get her to talk?"

Logan nodded at the doctor who bowed in response and walked away, leaving the alpha alone in the hallway. The Alpha took several deep breaths, then pushed through the hospital room's wooden door.

The white wolf was facing the wall with her back to him. He was about to call her when she turned her face and he was hit by another wave of emotions like when he had first seen her.

Logan heard her gasp and he knew that she had also felt what he was feeling. They stood on opposite sides of the room: the alpha by the door and the white wolf in the corner, but the currents of attraction that moved between them were as strong as if they were standing side by side.

He saw her look away as though she was trying to regather her composure, but when she looked back at him there was that same sizzling wave of desire and need again. He closed his eyes and looked away, fighting the urge to move closer to her.

When he opened his eyes and looked at her again, the expression of shock and need that had been on her face had been replaced with a calm stubbornness. Logan looked at her uncertainly, wondering what had changed in the few seconds that he'd closed his eyes. She was looking at him but with a defiant look, as though daring him to do his worst.

He continued to stare longingly at her. In human form, she was a very attractive woman, with long curly black hair and dark eyes. Her hair looked unkempt as though she had not taken good care of it for several days, but that didn't diminish her beauty in any way. In fact, he found himself even more attracted to her despite the obvious state of untidiness.

Her skin was a rosy shade of pink, slightly tanned and smooth. Logan wanted desperately to run his fingers along that skin and see how it felt to the touch.

He caught himself hardening just by looking at her and he cleared his throat nervously, trying to push away the metal picture of her lying naked and pliant under him. "I see you're awake." He said, moving forward and slowly closing the gap between them.

She ignored his question and continued to stare at him with defiance in her eyes. He found himself starting to get annoyed at the expression on her face. He also hardened his expression into something close to suspicion and hatred. Two can play at this game, he thought.

"You were found close to my territory. You were unconscious and half-buried in the snow. Apparently, you passed off just outside this pack's border...Or not." He continued with all the suspicion he could muster.

"I want to know who you are and why you were found close to my territory. As Alpha of this pack, it is important that I find out everything I need to know about every intruder. Did you hear me, lady? I would like to know all about you, starting with your name. It's important."

She continued to ignore his prompts and he felt anger rising in his chest. He moved closer to her, sitting on her bed.

"As Alpha," he growled in her face "I command you to answer my questions. Now." She continued to stare at him stubbornly, her big brown eyes locking into his.

With a shout of frustration, Logan stood from the bed and stormed to the door. He stopped and looked back at her, wondering how one person could make him feel love and hatred at the same time. Then without another word, he left the room.

Once outside, he took several breaths to calm his frayed nerves. He walked away from the clinic room's door and towards his own quarters, feeling the rage leave his body. He would find out why she had invaded his pack one way or another. He would make her break down and tell him the truth about everything.

He got to the hallway that led to the Alpha's quarters and stopped in his tracks, seeing a figure standing before his room door. When the person saw him, she gave a squeal of delight and walked over to him.

"Alpha." She cooed and gave a bow that Logan knew was fake. "I was waiting for you. Is it true?"

The alpha gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger "Is what true?"

"The rogue werewolf!" She rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde locs "I heard from the beta that she was found half dead at the border."

Logan groaned inwardly. Trust Casper to run his mouth and create problems like this for him.

"Yes, Kylie." He replied, trying to move but she was blocking his way. He looked at her with barely concealed rage and she smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes as though she was unaware of what she was doing.

"You know, alpha." She continued "Not to invalidate your decision, but keeping her here in the pack house isn't really good for the rest of us pack members. She could turn and get violent, you know. It would be best to send her back into the woods where she belongs."

Logan stared at the she-wolf with distaste in his eyes. Her attempt at flirting wasn't lost on him but he kept his opinions to himself.

"Thank you for your opinion, Kylie." Logan grunted "I will think about it." He managed to squeeze himself past her and moved to his bedroom door, opened it, and went inside.

Kylie watched as the alpha practically fled into his room, her flirty face melting into something more sinister. Her smile turned to a smirk and she laughed derisively at the Alpha's inability to get all her cryptic messages. She hardened her face determinedly and sashayed out of the hallway.

One day, very soon, she would sink her claws into him and he would be hers forever.

Casper has learnt in his many years as a beta to be a man of actions and not just words. He used to be a very carefree man, light-hearted and full of laughs, till he was made the beta for Logan, a quiet young man of fifteen then. He had been one of the few people Logan had included in his social circle, more because of his skills in battle than anything. Logan had taught him patience, discipline, and the ability to back up his words with action.

He had been the most reserved and disciplined young werewolf when they were growing up. It was clear that he was destined to be an alpha, whether or not he was the son of an alpha. He wasn't one to let petty things trouble him, and he usually proffered solutions to any problems quickly and efficiently.

So, Casper was aghast when he saw the same Alpha in his room looking troubled. Many questions from him about his troubled mood proved futile as Logan wasn't giving any answers.

"I know you'd prefer not to tell me what is troubling you but it is important that you tell me," Casper said. "But I'm your beta because you need someone you can share your burden with."

"I would rather not, Casper." The alpha replied gruffly, appearing uninterested.

"But Alpha..."

"Casper, drop it. Please."

Casper eyed him warily. "If you say so. I've been meaning to ask you something about the white wolf we rescued."

Immediately Casper mentioned the white wolf, the Alpha raised his head in alarm. He realized that he had looked too interested and quickly checked himself. In a split second, he rearranged his expression from interest to indifference.

"Yeah, what about her?" Logan asked in what he hoped was an unconcerned voice.

Casper looked at him with suspicion. The alpha was definitely hiding something. "I wanted to ask about the mark you found on her shoulder. What do you think it means? Frankly, I have never seen anything like it before. Rogue werewolves are known to draw tattoos that separate them from normal packs but that's one tattoo I've never seen before."

Logan signed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers "Yeah, you might want to keep that information to yourself, Casper." He said "Stuff like that can cause an uproar among the people. It would be best if we kept anything about the white wolf or her mark or how we found her to ourselves. Inform Dr. Frank to not say a word to anyone about it too, till I fix all of this."

"Noted." Casper replied, nodding his head "And what do you plan on doing with her in the end? She would still pose a problem whether she's a spy or not. Would you kill her or imprison her?"

Logan turned to him in alarm. Casper could read his expression as easily as an open book. His face was full of doubt and the beta could see that he was hesitating to make any judgment. It was like the Alpha was going against everything he preached.

"I haven't made a decision yet." Logan answered after a few seconds of silence "But in the meantime, tell Dr. Frank to keep her in the clinic till I figure something out. She is not to go anywhere or talk to anyone else. Not like she does a lot of talking anyway." He added under his breath.

Casper looked at his alpha and wondered what type of emotional turmoil could be going on inside him that would cause the man to act so distractedly.

Was it the presence of the white wolf or something else? With this last thought, he inclined his head towards the Alpha in greeting and walked out of the room, leaving Logan to his thoughts.

Logan sighed with relief as Casper left his room. He knew he couldn't take a minute more of his beta's incessant questions. Everything seemed to be getting to him these days. Usually, he would have answered Casper's questions seamlessly but he had caught himself struggling for words and solutions. All his mind could conjure was a curly, dark-haired, mute woman that the Goddess had forced upon him as his mate.

His thoughts randomly went to his father and he sighed as he remembered how great the old man had once been. He remembered being a young boy and idolizing his father, admiring the alpha he was. His father had been a great alpha, fierce in battle yet loving and gentle with his people. He loved his son and his mate Jessica very much.

Maybe a little too much.

The death of Jessica his mate had made him retreat to a dark corner of his mind till he slowly began to lose his sanity. People had thought that he would get over it after a few months but he had gotten much worse, till the Council of Alphas declared him invalid and unable to rule, thereby crowning fifteen-year-old Logan as Alpha in his stead.

Logan sometimes resented his mother for dying and leaving his father like that, but most times he thought most of the blame rested on his father. The man had been too weak and soft-hearted, giving room to love and be loved, and it has cost him a lot. The story of his father had taught him the dangers and implications of giving yourself wholly to someone. He had vowed to never follow that path. Ever. Not until this white wolf had come and turned his world upside down.

Logan grunted in frustration at the direction of his thoughts and stood from the desk behind which he was sitting, heading towards the door of his room. He would see his father again to remind himself of the dangers of falling in love.

His father had been moved from the main Alpha's quarters to a small room on the ground floor of the pack house, where he was to spend the rest of his days. Once Logan got there, he opened the door without any preliminaries and peeped inside.

His father was fast asleep on a couch by the window, his head lolling carelessly over the arm of the couch and his hands and legs flung about. His long gray hair was flowing down from the arm of the couch to the ground and he had almost a week's worth of stubble on his chin.

He was letting out a great unpleasant snore that made Logan turn his head in distaste. The alpha moved closer to his father and wrinkled his nose as the smell of whiskey and stale sweat hit his nostrils. Several bottles of the stuff were lying around and Logan saw that his father was clutching something to his chest. He gently removed the thing and saw that it was a picture of his mother, Jessica. Typical. His father often slept off with the picture in his hand. Logan's father was a defeated man.

The alpha's face hardened as he looked at the face of his mother smiling up at him from the picture. She used to be a beautiful woman and used to bake him cookies that he never ate because they were too sugary. He remembered throwing a lot of her cookies away and then lying to her that he enjoyed them just to please her. He never really had a close relationship with his mother: from an early age, he had been training to be an alpha and barely had time for anything else.

He looked back up at the snoring vulnerable man on the couch and hardened his resolve. If this was the price for love, he would never ever allow any woman into his life to treating him like this. Ever. And with that last thought, Alpha Logan returned the picture to his father's chest and walked away, leaving his past behind.

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."