Page 3 of Cupcake

“Not yet,” Logan mumbled to himself. “We have to get home.” Then he’d let his animal out. His lion was fierce when he needed to be. Strong. Smart. Logan wished he was like his lion half. They needed to get home with his family and make sure Levi was alright.

Logan placed his gift in the seat beside him before he pulled on his seatbelt then started the truck. Logan was supposed to be heading into the office to check the schedule, but his family needed him.

Logan broke several laws driving like a bat out of hell toward home. He made it back in record time. He braked hard and slid to a stop in their designated parking place before grabbing his treat and running for the backdoor.

He didn’t spot anyone else on his way to the house.

Entering through the back, the house was quiet. Logan raced up the steps to the second floor and his suite. He stashed his cupcake on the little kitchen counter before running back out.

Following the most recent scent of his alpha, Logan tracked the rest of the family in the woods, outside the back door.

Several of the boys were crying. Axel paced as he spoke on the phone. Gavin was vibrating with anger. The scent of bloodwas sharp. Logan dropped to his knees as he saw how much blood there was.

“Levi,” he whispered the name.

There had been a small little picnic set up. A worn plaid blanket. A backpack and an insulated bag. Remnants of food.

Breathing deep, Logan tried to memorize the scents. He wasn’t the best tracker in the family, but he would try. He would do anything for his family. They had to find Levi! They had to. Levi treated Logan so well. Levi never called him dumb or made Logan feel silly. Levi was Logan’s true brother, unlike the siblings that were blood related to him.

“Nate. Logan. Can the two of you head to Mason’s cabin and see if they went there?”

Logan snapped his head toward his alpha.

“Go and come right back,” Axel ordered. “I don’t want anyone out here alone.”

Logan climbed unsteadily to his feet. “Of course.”

“Be careful, boy.” Axel’s gaze darted around the area. “Please.”

“We will,” Nate promised.

Logan caught the little bobcat’s eye. Neither of them believed that they would find Levi at Mason’s cabin. Not when the big house was so much closer. Still Logan would always do what his alpha wanted. It was better to be sure anyway, right?

He started to disrobe, making sure to fold up his clothes neatly. It wasn’t fun to come back to clothes that had been sitting in the dirt. Lawson rushed forward and took them from him.Logan smiled and thanked his friend before he called on his lion half.

The transition was fast. Logan shifted almost daily, several times a day, more comfortable in his animal form than human sometimes. He waited until Nate brushed against his side before they both ran off in the direction of the park ranger's cabin.

Logan was happy that it appeared Levi had been spending time with his mate, but he was worried about them both. Levi would be okay. He was one of the immortal species. If something happened to Levi’s mate though, Logan didn’t know if Levi would recover from that.

Levi had been like Logan, where he had actively been praying for a mate. When Axel first found Bryce, it had brought back hope that Logan had almost given up over time. He wasn’t as old as Axel, Gavin, and some of the others, but as soon as he’d realized he was gay and had been kicked out of his pride, Logan had hoped to come across the one perfect person that was meant to be his.

He’d lost all his worth with his pride when he’d refused to have babies with the lionesses. His mama had told him to give her lots of cubs, but Logan was gay. He didn’t want to have sex with women! Not even to make his mama happy by giving her grandbabies. Revealing the fact that he was gay had disgusted her. His father had dragged Logan out of the house, tossing him away when he found out.

If Logan wasn’t there to give the pride cubs, then he was only another mouth to feed and wasn’t welcome.

It had been hard to be on his own.

Logan hadn’t even been eighteen years old when he’d found himself on his own. No money. No experience with the outside world. Heck, Logan had never been out of pride land until he’d been sent away.

Logan had shifted. He’d always loved being in his animal form. Allowing the lion to be in charge. He needed his lion to survive. That was when he’d felt the bond with his lion side snap into perfect alignment.

Some shifters were able to shift back and forth. Shifting was a part of their genetics.

Lion shifters were different. He hadn’t really understood what that had meant though. Not until he’d shifted while broken-hearted and terrified. The soul of the lion that lived inside him took over and their connection was strengthened. Complete. For the first time Logan could share and talk to his lion soul.

The missing piece inside him had filled and Logan was no longer alone.

While bonding fully with his lion had been wonderful, it hadn’t solved all his problems. He was still on his own, scared, and lost.

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