The Abused Mate (First Version)

Chapter Nine

Alexa

Logan took me to the house Marcus had taken from. It was deep in the woods, and I gazed around in awe as we drove. I wasn't afraid of the forest; I wasn't for sure why, but I was excited about that fact.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked, caution coloring his voice as he parked the truck and turned to face me.
I nodded, suddenly feeling much better. It must have been because I was feeling safer with Logan. I had, after all, discovered that Logan could protect me from my father.
When he didn't say anything else, I glanced up at him to make sure he wasn't angry with me. When I saw his face go from worried to saddened, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I was sure the bruises on my face caused the change, and I wanted to comfort him, but I was afraid to trust him too much. Somehow, though, I felt he would never hurt me. The only problem was that I couldn't bring myself to believe that. Not completely.

We pulled into a clearing next to the house, and he parked. After that, Logan's eyes were on my face, watching my every movement. I felt uncomfortable about that, and I looked away from his probing gaze. His eyes followed mine, but then, they were back on me, and they darkened in anger. I froze. No, I didn't mean to upset him. His expression changed from anger to realization. "No, I'm not mad at you. I'm angry about what happened to you," he quickly explained. "I should have been there to stop it."

I shook my head. It wasn't his fault. I had never blamed him for what happened to me, and I never would. But, that didn't mean it hadn't affected my ability to trust people, including him.

The silence between us was awkward, and I began fidgeting. He draped his jacket over my shoulders, and I relaxed a little, soothed by the warmth, but I was still on edge.
"Let's go inside," he broke the tension, holding his hand out for me. Hesitantly, I took it and allowed him to help me out of the truck.

He led me around to the front door of the house. He opened the door for me, smiling charmingly. Then, he allowed me to go first up the stairs and into his room. I couldn't help but breathe in his scent, which filled the large room. It was musky and manly, almost woodsy. He smirked, so I assumed he'd noticed. I blushed at the thought.

He gestured to the bed, "Please, sit. The doctor should be here soon." I shook my head with a bit of disbelief, but instead of pointing out how strange that was, I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his doctor impatiently.

A few minutes later an older man with graying hair strode into the room with a first aid kit. Silently, I wondered what he had for psychological injuries.
When he looked at me expectantly, I shrugged off the jacket, allowing him to check the cuts on my arms first. He took a few minutes with all the superficial wounds, and then, he asked if I'd been hurt anywhere else.
I looked away from the kind man. I knew he was just doing his job, and I knew I should tell him about everything else, but I couldn't do it in front of Logan. I didn't want him to see me in an even weaker position than I was already in.
"No. Nowhere else."
With that the kind doctor collected his tools and left.
I look over at Logan, who was sitting beside me. When he looked at me expectantly, I squirmed and reluctantly started the conversation. "So, you said you and Father are. . . Different?" He cracked a smile but nodded seriously.
When he didn't add anything to the conversation, I continued, "What did that mean, exactly?"
He took a deep breath and blew out the air. "I can't show you without fear of hurting you, so I'll get Drake in here."
What? "Who's Drake?"
"He'd my best friend and second in command. You'll like him. He helped get you out of there today."
I nodded, pretending to understand.
Suddenly, a man around Logan's age was walking through the door. I jumped, a bit startled.
The man stuck out his hand rather abruptlh, and I flinched back. The man shot a weird look in Logan's direction as the man said, "I'm Drake. Nice to meet you."
I was impressed by his manners, and I smiled sincerely and replied, "Nice to meet you too."
Logan seemed to hrow agitated, "Great. Introductions are out of the way." I quickly dropped Drake's hand, getting the hint.
Logan cleared his throat. "Did you ever read Beauty and the Beast as a kid?" He asked.
I nodded enthusiastically. "That was my favorite story."
Logan grinned. "Good."
And then, Drake's body errupted in hair. I jumped back, nearly knocking Logan over as Drake's mouth and nose elongated into a snout.
I heard cracking sounds as his form began to grow. His clothes stretched and ripped, eventually falling to the floor in shredded pieces.
I screamed, and Logan wrapped his arms around me when I tried to move towards the door.
"It's okay." He murmured into my hair, smoothing my hair back as if petting a dog. "It's still Drake. He won't hurt you."
I watch in horror as the beast, now as tall as Logan while standing on all fours, finally stopped changing. What the hell was going on here?
It took a a tentative step towards us, and I shrank back into Logan's arms. The beast lowered its head, looking directly at me, and whimpered.
"He doesn't want you to be afraid of him," Logan spoke up.
"How can I not be? What is he?" I asked.
"He's a werewolf. So am I. So is your father." He sneered the word 'father'.
I jerked away from him, but he tightened his arms around me, so I couldn't get away.
"Do you not feel perfectly safe with me? Do you feel drawn to me for some reason that you can't explain?"
I couldn't say anything; my throat tightened with anxiety.
"That's part of being a werewolf."
I gasped. "I'm a werewolf?"
Logan chuckled and hugged me closer to him. "No, you're not a werewolf. I am, though, and werewolves are bonded to a mate--sometimes another wolf, sometimes a human--their mates are their other halves. Literally. Half of their souls. They cannot be complete without them, and once a wolf has found his or her mate, they can't bare even the thought of losing them."
So. . . I was Logan's mate? The other half of his soul? Well, shit.
I was pretty sure I understood what he was saying; I was just having a very difficult time accepting it as fact. I mean, werewolves?
So. . . You're awerewolf? And I'm destined to be with you for the rest of my life?" He nodded, trying and failing to hide his smile.
"You do understand how difficult this is for me to believe, right?" Drake whimpered, hiding his head under his massive brown paws. I jumped, forgetting he was still in the room.
"You've seen it for yourself," Logan oh so helpfully pointed out, glancing in Drake's direction.
"That doesn't make it any easier."
"I know." He hugged me again, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.
A silence fell on the room, and I shifted uncomfortably. "Why didn't you just change into a wolf or whatever?" I fumbled on my words, awkwardly motioning towards Drake. How was I supposed to handle this?