“Don’t let him fool you, cher. Logan may be a city boy, but he knows his way ’round the swamp…almost as well as I do. Wait ’til you see him pet the gators. He likes to kiss those pretty lips,” Dimitri joked.
“Hey now, I may have been up north for the past fifty years, but it’s like ridin’ a bike. And hell, I’ve well made up for it these past couple of months,” Logan told them. “And he’s wrong about the lips…it’s their nice white teeth that I like to see.”
Wynter rolled her eyes. “As long as those pearly whites stay far away from me, we’ll be good to go. Remember, I’m a city girl.”
“Ah well, we’ll see about that after you shift, baby.” Logan gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “First, we’re gonna go out into the lake a bit, and then we’ll take you back in the swamp so you can see it in the daylight. And then, we’ll boat on over to our running grounds.”
Wynter eyed them both suspiciously. See it in the daylight? What was that supposed to mean? He did not think she’d be going into a swamp at night? Not happening.
“Here ya go.” Logan handed her a pair of yellow earmuffs as Dimitri fired up the engine. With a small smile, she promptly put them on, cautiously looking forward to her boating adventure.
By the time they’d sped through the lake and hit the swamp, Wynter’s body thrummed in exhilaration. The rush of the wind and intermittent spray of water combined with the speed sent her heart racing. She was having fun. It had been so long, she barely recognized the sensation. Smiling from ear to ear, she glanced over to Logan who was pointing to blooming bushes of swamp-rose mallow. The hibiscus petals, in white and pink, brought a splash of color to the otherwise green and brown landscape.
Dimitri cut the engine, and they all took off their earmuffs. Wynter scanned the horizon, astonished at the beauty all around her. Insects sang in the twilight. Blue sky and clouds reflected in the water as the sun went down. Ancient cypress trees stood proud, their knees poking up toward the heavens. Logan tapped her shoulder and held his fingers to his lips to quiet any potential conversation. He pointed to a great white egret poised immobile, hunting for his next meal. The majestic bird took notice of them drifting toward the bank, and took off in flight toward another fishing ground.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said, swiveling her head.
“Hey Ace,” Dimitri called. He dug out a small bucket. A prehistoric swish of a tail followed and eyes rose above the water. “Come on over here.”
Wynter reached for Logan’s hand and turned so she could watch.
“D likes to feed his boy,” Logan commented.
“Ace? How does he know that’s the same one?”
“They’re territorial. And live a long time too. This is his spot. There’s a few of his girls…see there on the bank.” Logan called attention to a couple of alligators who were basking in the final rays of the sun.
Wynter watched in great delight as Dimitri held up the raw chicken. The reptile lurched out of the water and snapped it up.
“Amazing,” Wynter gasped, grinning at the same time.
“They’re just a small part of the ecosystem. This place…it’s special.”
“Do you all come here a lot?”
“Not enough. As much as I love this place, I’m in the city a lot of the time. Even when I lived in Philly, we split our time between the city and mountains. It’s the same here. Poor D is goin’ to have to get used to livin’ in the French Quarter. But you can’t really run wolf in town, so if we want to go for a run, this is the place.”
“You run in the swamp?”
“Yes and no, cher. We’ve got lots of open land that’s easier to run on but if need be, we know how to walk in the swamp,” Dimitri explained.
“But we’ll save that lesson for another day,” Logan finished.
“We’d better head out. It’s just about time to hit the preserve. Who’s up for a sunset?” Dimitri asked. He wiped his hands on a towel and readied to start up the engine.
“Thanks for bringing me here. I love it…it’s breathtaking.” Wynter tried to hide the emotion rushing up into her throat but a traitorous tear fell. She swiped her finger at her eye, capturing it. With a small smile, she sighed.
“It’s going to be okay. Just stick with your wolves, baby.” Logan kissed her cheek.
A subtle sense of relief showered his conscience, knowing she liked the swamp. Even though he’d grown up in the French Quarter, his parents had made sure he’d spent plenty of time running in what at that time was considered the ‘far country’. Good thing, too, because over the centuries, the city had grown, sprawled over its open spaces and now this land belonged to his wolves. It represented his culture. The bayou. The swamp. Home to his wolf.
Her words of admiration soothed his need for her acceptance. He supposed he hadn’t realized just how important it was that she’d approved of his home, the way he lived. A house he could change, but everything else? No, she’d either welcome or reject his world. A final test, the pack, awaited not just her, but him as well.
As the motor roared, Logan wrapped his hand over hers. His gut told him that she could do it. It might not be easy, but fuck easy. Nothing lately in their lives had been easy but that didn’t equate to impossible. Like his challenges, he’d won them all right but not without difficulty. Nonetheless, victory had been all the more sweet. He’d kill to make this work, but knew she’d have to fight on her own. And then she’d face the pack. No, not easy. But sometimes the best things in life were hard and well worth the fight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dimitri stayed back to tie off the boat. He watched his Alpha and mate through the trees, sensing the struggle. In all his years, he’d never known a human to shift. They were born wolves, not made. Yet defying nature, this was going down. He hadn’t told Logan, but he was seriously worried about the pack’s reaction to Wynter. Not only was she from New York, she was human. Sure, the pack would welcome a mate for their Alpha, but they’d expected her to be one of their own, and without a doubt, wholly wolf.
The she-wolves had been chasing around Logan since he’d replaced Marcel. Luci, especially, had staked her unofficial claim by continuing to live with Logan. Up until several days ago, she’d made it her daily ritual to knock on Logan’s bedroom door. And while he knew Logan had only comforted her, Luci wasn’t going to take his impending mating well.
Cognizant that Logan had been busy with Wynter and also Dana’s death, Dimitri had hesitated to broach the subject with him. But tonight, he was prepared to step in and assist. And that didn’t just include helping Wynter sexually. Yes, he’d grown fond of the little wolf. But at the moment, he was more concerned about her safety. Dimitri had already decided that he’d step in and stop a fight, if necessary. Sure, he’d take a hard hit for intervening but so be it. A direct challenge to Wynter wouldn’t negate her status as Logan’s mate, but still, it was within a she-wolf’s right to attack and kill if necessary. If someone challenged Wynter and she lost, it would further distract Logan from leading the pack. Within days if not hours, another challenge for Alpha might be issued. Logan had promised to kill the next wolf who challenged him, and Dimitri was confident he’d make good on his word
No matter how sexually adventurous she’d felt, Wynter’s human notions clashed with her emerging wolf. She watched as Logan stood naked before her, cajoling her to shuck the dress. Wynter reluctantly undressed and immediately covered her breasts with her hands. Realizing that the rest of her body was already exposed, she forced her arms to her sides.