Chapter Six.

I wanted to be anywhere other than in Logan's arms. I wasn't used to being embraced by a strange muscular man that continued to sniff my hair and could shift into a giant wolf at will. I was still frozen in his arms, his huge frame swallowing me up as he hid me from view of those in the kitchen. I could feel him breathing heavily against my neck, every inhalation causing a disconcerting shiver to go up my spine.

The room was filled with tension as footsteps could be heard hitting the laminated floor by those that were wise enough to escape the kitchen and the argument that was about to break out. It seemed that it was inevitable that Logan was about to argue with who I guessed was his dad, the voice that had spoken before with so much authority and anger underlying his tone.

I didn't understand what he had meant when he had asked why there was a 'rogue' in the room. I didn't know what a 'rogue' was but I knew that it had something to do with my mum and I. He had also mentioned a human and both my mum and I were humans and most likely the only humans within a ten mile radius.

It seemed that whatever Logan had growled into my neck had gone unnoticed by those around us. I didn't know what he meant by 'mate', it normally meant friend and I was sure that Logan and I weren't friends. I could hear someone other than Logan breathing heavily in the room and I guessed that it was his dad. His dad was beyond furious and I knew that if I could see his face I was sure that his face would be bright red and if it was possible, steam would be coming out of his ears.

"You have exposed our existence and endangered our entire pack!" His dad was once again shouting in a fierce voice, and I found myself cowering into Logan who tightened his arms around me.

"Her mum already knew and Esme would have found out sooner or later!" Logan growled out as he removed his head from my neck so that he could glare in his direction.

I didn't know how he knew my name as I never recalled telling him. I hadn't told him anything about me and I was a little unnerved that he knew my name when I hadn't told him. I wondered if my mum had told him who I was and all about me when I had fainted earlier. I hoped she hadn't as that would make the already complicated situation even more difficult.

I slowly moved my head backwards so that I was able to see something other than Logan's black t-shirt. I could see my mum standing at our side, a small frown on her face while she crossed her arms defensively across her chest, her eyes focused ahead of us. I moved my head further back so that I could see Logan's dad. His face was red just like I would have thought, his hands were balled into tight fists at his side and I saw Logan's mum at his side, a worried frown on her face and a restraining hand on his upper arm.

Logan's younger brothers, who I recognized from the photographs, flanked his dad's other side. Although their faces looked bored at first, excitement could be seen in their eyes as they scanned the room. Their attention darted to me when my face was visible; I saw them both suck in a deep breath between their teeth causing the attention to momentarily move onto them as I moved backwards so that I was once again hidden from view. I hadn't seen anyone else in the room and guessed that everyone else had left when Logan's dad walked in.

I knew that they had seen the ugly bruises decorating my skin. The horrible shades of blue and purple bothered me but there was nothing that I could do but wait until they had healed.

I began to struggle against Logan's hold, I wanted him to let go of me as my body continued to react strangely to his touch. I could feel a rumbling begin from deep within his chest before he growled out loud, the sound causing me to whimper as the attention was once again back on me struggling in Logan's arms while he held me close to him. The stance that he had taken and the way that his arms were positioned around me was extremely protective and I assumed he felt that his dad was a threat to me.

"What do you mean she would have found out eventually?" He snapped. His voice piercing the tension in the room like a sharp knife.

"She's my mate." Logan announced, I could hear the pride in his voice as I frowned.

He was calling me his 'mate' once again but we weren't friends. Logan had simply kidnapped both me and my mum and we were now surrounded by werewolves. I didn't know what Logan was thinking. I wondered if he was crazy and I was actually the sane one.

The announcement seemed to shock his entire family. I could hear a feminine gasp and I guessed that his mum was surprised.

The angry breathing that I knew had belonged to his dad had stopped and the sound of flesh hitting flesh sounded throughout the room. The sound was all too familiar as it had echoed in my own ears many times. My eyes widened as I stuck my head out and around Logan, to look for the source of the sound to see that Logan's brothers were high fiving each other.

I felt silly for thinking that Logan's family would harm one another. I knew that they would never purposely lay a hand on each other with the intention of inflicting pain. I could already tell they looked out for each other, they loved each other; they were not like my complicated family.

"Oh my," a voice choked and I looked to see that Logan's mum was staring at me with wide eyes, her hand brought up to her mouth.

"Did you do that?" His dad growled as I looked back at him to see that he too was staring at me, at the bruises on my neck and face.

Logan growled loudly, the sound so animalist that I cowered away from him resulting in him drawing me even closer to his powerful form. His body heat was enveloping me completely, the cold that I had once felt disappeared and my body seemed to hum while electricity flowed through the air between us. I didn't know if I was the only one to feel so affected by his presence and I wondered if after years of getting knocks to the head and having little to no communication with the opposite gender other than family if it was just that I was completely hopeless when its came to boys, or rather men.

"I would never, ever hurt my mate." Logan snarled. He had been angry when I had called him a monster but now he sounded furious as he began to shake violently.

"Then how did she get those bruises? How did they both get those bruises?" His dad questioned. I could tell from his voice that he was trying to remain calm.

"I don't know but when I do find out, I'll kill them." Logan threatened.

I felt the breath get caught in my throat. Logan had threatened to kill my dad, he was horrible and had done many terrible things over the years but he was still family and as much as I hated him I would never wish that he was dead. It didn't matter that Logan had the ability to turn into a werewolf, my dad was strong, he was stronger than anyone I had ever seen or known and he had connections. Logan wouldn't be able to kill my dad even if he wanted to.

"You can't," I choked out as I struggled within Logan's grasp.

Logan growled lowly as he released me from his hold, only to gently grab the tops of my arms forcing me to look up at him. I stared up into his brown eyes, now darkly swirling with anger. I flinched away from him. I didn't like it when he was angry and I had only ever seen Logan angry. I didn't know why he cared so much or if he cared at all. I didn't know what was happening and with each passing second I found myself more and more confused.

I just wanted to leave. I wanted to go back to when I knew what was real and what was make believe. Werewolves were not supposed to exist; they belonged on the pages of stories and not in real life. They didn't belong in my already complicated life and I certainly wasn't Logan's friend as he continued to say I was. I didn't have friends, I couldn't remember the name of my last friend and although it was lonely, it was normal for me. The situation I was in wasn't normal and I didn't like it.

"I can, and I will." Logan growled as his eyes darkened until they were completely black. I was beginning to recognise that whenever he felt a strong emotion his eyes darkened as the wolf within him began to come out. "No one hurts what is mine."

It took me a moment to process what he had said. Logan continued to call me his when I wasn't. The names he continued to call me were confusing, they didn't make sense. The only time that his reference to me made sense was when he called me Esme, my actual name that was written on the white paper of my birth certificate.

Stop!" I cried out desperately shaking my head from side to side.

I was beginning to be overwhelmed with confusion and the emotions that stirred within my body weren't helping. I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I barely had enough strength to hold myself up and the grip that Logan had on my upper arms was the only thing that was stopping me from falling to the ground. I needed to sit down and drink a glass of water, my mouth and throat was dry as my tongue darted out in an attempt to wet my parched lips.

"Logan you're hurting her," his mum said softly as Logan looked down at me. My face was twisted into a grimace as my arms lay limp at my side, the look on my face caused him to instantly loosen his grip on my arms but not let go of me completely for which I was thankful.

"I'm sorry," he apologised softly, his hand came up so that it was lightly caressing my bruised cheek causing a warm flush to erupt on my sensitive skin, "are you alright?"

I shook my head causing his hand to drop from my face and back to my upper arm, his grip light but firm on my skin.

I didn't like physical contact and Logan continued to touch me or hold me close. I liked my personal space, I required it; it was hard when I hugged my mum and she was my closest family. Logan was a complete stranger. I knew his name and his secret but I didn't know him as a person or anything about himself and he continued to touch me. It was testing my nerves that were already hyper-sensitive to his contact.

"Logan, can you let my daughter go please?" My mum asked from behind him. She could sense my distress, my inner panic and the emotional battle that was raging within me.

Logan's eyes darkened and he growled once again while pulling me again into his arms that had become like a vice securing me to his body. I was beginning to feel dizzy from the constant pulling and pushing that Logan was putting my body through and my head repeatedly knocking against his solid chest was causing a small headache to embed itself in my forehead.

"Mine," Logan snarled.

I knew that the animalist characteristics that Logan displayed were because he was part human and part wolf. It was complicated and difficult to understand. I wondered if Logan could feel the wolf inside of him, if it was a presence in the back of his mind or if the transformation was mixed within his genes. I figured that it was a more sophisticated and complicated process, some sort of genetic mutation, thinking about it was beginning to give me a headache.

"I know she's yours, I know what she means to you and I understand that you and your wolf don't want her to be taken away, but I'm her mother, I would never hurt her. Look at her," my mum instructed and I felt as if every pair of eyes in the room were on me, it felt as if I could actually feel them on my skin. "You're making her uncomfortable; she's been through a lot and right now you need to let her go."

My mum's voice was soft and gentle, she was soothing Logan and calming down the anger he had felt moments ago. I didn't like that my mum had said that I was Logan's as I wasn't. I felt like I was a belonging in Logan's presence and the constant possessive behaviour was suffocating me. I had never been in control of my life and I had only tasted a minute of freedom before it was taken from me and I was back to being controlled.

Logan's arms slowly dropped from around me and I immediately stumbled a few steps backs. I was taking deep breaths as I calmed myself down. My mum gently wrapped her arms around my shoulders as she drew me to her side, the familiar comfort finally helping me to relax. I couldn't help but glance at Logan to see that he was frowning while watching us closely. It was clear on his expression that he didn't like letting me go and I was confused by this.

The word 'mate' seemed to go around and around in my head. I had thought that it was simply another word for friend but it may mean something completely different for werewolves. In the short time that we had been standing in the kitchen I had heard a few words that I didn't understand the meaning of, and I guessed that they were werewolf terminology that everyone else in the room was familiar with. The word 'rogue' had also been mentioned and I had to ask my mum about that later after I had a chance to rest. It was clear that she knew more about the situation than I did and I wondered what she hadn't told me.

"I think we all need to take a step back and breathe before we go jumping to conclusions," Logan's mum once again spoke softly as I looked up at her to see that she was smiling fondly at me.

It was a strange look that I wasn't used to receiving especially from strangers. I felt myself frown a little and I looked away and to the floor. I was in way over my head and it felt like I was swimming in the middle of the ocean with waves crashing down on me. I was only just managing to keep my head above water but that wouldn't last for long. Complete exhaustion was looming close to the surface.

"You're right," Logan's dad sighed while he put his arm around his wife's slender waist pulling her against his side.

The gesture was so relaxed, so casual and yet so intimate and loving. I don't think I had ever seen my parents act in such an affectionate way towards each other. I found myself blushing and looking away from the gesture. It felt as if I was intruding on something private between the two and I suddenly felt awkward. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other while I sagged against my mum, the energy was slowly leaving my body and I didn't know how much longer I could stay upright.

"I'm sorry for my behaviour earlier, it is clear that there are some issues that need to be addressed before we go jumping to conclusions. I'm Alpha Paul Wilson, this is my wife and Luna Gemma Wilson, and you know my eldest son and future Alpha, Logan. My two youngest sons, twins Jason and Oliver. Welcome to Evergreen pack," the Alpha said indicating each as he introduced them. A smile broke out onto his face but I could tell that he was still sceptical; he continued to keep his guard up and he remained on edge.

I knew what he meant when he had said 'Alpha'; I had access to books and the internet. Alpha Paul was the leader of his entire pack, he provided for them, he looked after them, and he kept them safe and alive. It was a huge responsibility and Logan would soon have to take over from him. I didn't know what 'Luna' meant, it was an unfamiliar term and I hadn't heard it used in that context before.

I could understand why he was on edge and I didn't blame him. Alpha Paul's entire family was on display as well as his pack and although me and my mum were completely harmless they didn't know that. We were an unknown threat to the safety of his entire life and he refused to be persuaded so easily by our beaten up bodies and cowardly behaviour. I could tell Alpha Paul wasn't easily swayed when it came to meeting new people and it was understandable.

"I'm Kerry Winters and this is my daughter Esme," my mum replied as the arm around my shoulder gave a gentle squeeze.

"Winters," Alpha Paul mused while he folded his arms across his broad chest. He seemed to be deep in thought as he began to think hard about something. I realised that although Logan looked a lot like his mum his physique and behaviour was exactly like his dad, little gestures like folding his arms across his chest were almost identical to the Alpha's.

"Mum, I don't feel very well," I whispered.

I felt dizzy. The headache was increasing to the point where it hurt to blink, the slightest movement of my head hurt and I winced. I buried my face into her shoulders as I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from crying out. My body was becoming sluggish, its movements slow and uncalculated. My mum was carrying the majority of my weight and the arm around my shoulders slipped down so that it was now around my waist, holding me to her.

"I know that surname." I'm guessing one of the twins spoke as I didn't recognise the voice although it was deep and masculine just like the rest of the Wilson men. I wanted to lift my head and see who had spoken. Jason and Oliver although they were twins they were non-identical and looked completely different from one another although it was clear to see that they were all related.

"Isn't there an Alpha with the surname Winters, Alpha Ryan? Riley? Ryder? Roger? I think it's-" My mum interrupted the other twin that was speaking.

"I'd rather have this conversation in private and alone. Esme doesn't know and I'd like to keep it that way, at least for now until she is better." My mum's chest vibrated as she spoke, the sensation caused my eyes to drop in one fluid movement. It was relaxing and familiar as my mum would sing me to sleep when I was little while I lay on her chest.

"You can't keep who she is a secret. She's going to find out one day and the longer you keep it from her the harder it will be for the both of you." Logan sounded angry and I wanted to glare at him for talking to my mum so harshly.

I didn't know what Logan was talking about. I already knew who I was; I wasn't a complete stranger to myself. I was confused as to what he meant by 'what she is'. I was human, my parents were both human and so I too was human, the genetics were obvious. I briefly wondered if it had something to do with the word 'rogue', was I a rogue? I was sure that I wasn't but Alpha Paul had said that there was a 'rogue' and a human in the room, was my mum a 'rogue'? My head was starting to pound just thinking about it.

"I know my daughter and what's best for her; you don't know what she's been through." My mum's voice was cold, venom dripped from her every word.

"Mum," my voice was just a desperate whisper as I tried to grab onto her.

I knew the feeling that was slowly traveling through my body; shutting down everything. I was unable to open my eyes and my limbs were slowly giving out on me. It had happened a few times when my dad had beaten me severely and my body had become both physically and mentally exhausted; it would just shut itself down for a few days while it regenerated and healed.

"Esme!" Logan was calling my name but he was too late.

I sagged completely against my mum as I lost consciousness.