Page 50 of Reject Him

“This would have ended quickly without the wolfcalm,” Wayne grumbles as both wolves begin circling each other.

“Sh!” Eme hisses.

Dillon leaps and crashes into Logan. Both wolves tumble in the snow, and jaws begin snapping, and yips fill the air. The scent of iron coats the atmosphere, but try as she might, the wolves are moving too fast for Eme to figure out which one’s blood is staining the snow.

For what feels like an eternity, Eme watches the wolves fight for their lives, for her. She wants to put a stop to it. She wants to keep Logan safe, but just as she steps forward to do so, she stops. Logan’s wolf howls in pain because Dillon has his teeth clamped into Logan’s shoulder. Dillon hangs on tight even as Logan whips him about. And just as Dillon attempts to get Logan on his back by putting all his weight against him, Logan lashes and bites into Dillon’s flank.

Dillon yips and releases Logan’s shoulder. Blood seeps down her mate’s shoulder, but she only gets a flash of it until Logan’s moving again. He plows into Dillon, and Dillon lands on his side then rolls until his belly faces the sky.

Logan shifts to his human form and leaps onto the wolf’s belly, straddling him.

“Enough!” he shouts, breathing heavily. The wolf squirms underneath him, but Logan’s thighs hang tight. He wraps his hands around the wolf’s head, prepared to snap his neck. “Enough!” he orders again.

This time, Dillon’s wolf feels the order of his Head Alpha and stills his movements.

“If you want to live, I suggest you dig deep and end your fight for my mate.”

“Live?” Eme whispers to her father.

It’s Wayne who answers. “Unlike the past Head Alphas, Logan doesn’t like to kill anyone.”

Eme looks back at the fight, pride filling her chest. Dillon still doesn’t move, and Logan slowly releases the wolf. “You will leave here and never come back. Do you understand?”

Dillon’s wolf only blinks. With his hands still cautiously on Dillon's head, Logan makes to stand, but Dillon growls and juts his head forward. Logan doesn’t hesitate before snapping the wolf’s neck.

Eme gasps as Dillon falls lifelessly to the ground. She then holds her breath as Logan bows his head and releases Dillon’s head. The wolves howl his achievement behind her, but she pays them little mind. She rushes to Logan’s side and throws her arms around her mate’s waist. He’s naked, and blood covers his body, but she doesn’t care.

He makes an oof sound then hisses when his coat that she’s wearing rubs against the wound on his stomach. “Sorry,” she quickly says. She moves to step away, but he grasps her and crushes his lips against hers.

When he releases her, he rests his forehead against hers. “I didn’t think you’d make it,” she sobs.

He kisses her forehead as Wayne comes up behind her and slaps Logan on the uninjured shoulder. “For a minute, I didn’t think so either,” Wayne says.

Logan huffs. “I didn’t want to kill him.”

“We know,” Eme whispers. “But you had no choice.” Even though his life is gone, even though it’s not what she wanted, Dillon had made a choice, forcing Logan to make his. If Eme were being honest with herself, she’s glad he’s dead. It makes her feel like a terrible person for thinking so, but she knows that Dillon never would have given up.

Lee approaches with a set of clothes. As Logan dresses, Lee says, “Congratulations, Head Alpha.” He looks behind him at the wolves shifting back to human form and talking amongst each other. “Did you figure out who Dillon had befriended?”

“What?” Eme asks. She looks back and forth between the two. A friend? Eme can think of one person who has wanted her gone since she got here, someone who would pay to become alpha herself. Her cheeks heat with anger.

Logan lifts an eyebrow. “As a matter of fact . . .” He lets go of Eme and marches toward the crowd. Eme, Wayne, and Lee follow him. They pass wolves that Eme barely knows, and then Eme spots her joining the crowd. Becca meets her gaze, but instead of hatred, there’s confusion. Eme thinks that Logan will stop before her, but instead, he passes her without a word. She follows her mate dutifully even if she has no idea what’s going on.

Logan knows exactly who had done this. It had taken him seconds in his office to put together the puzzle of the last few days, and it is time to confront the matter before it spreads like wildfire among his pack.

He passes a few more shifters, and they part for him as he does so, limping and all. As he approaches Jim and Viola, Viola blinks, confused at why Logan would stop before them. But he doesn’t pay attention to Viola. His eyes are on Jim.

Jim snarls, and Logan knows he found the culprit. Logan’s hand shoots out and wraps around the man’s neck.

“Hey!” Viola yells.

“This is between me and him,” Logan says to her. He gets into Jim’s face and growls, “You did this.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jim says, eyes narrowed.

“You do. You went to the bar when you were in the city with the kids. You ran across Dillon. You consorted against me when you fed him information and encouraged this mess.”

Jim’s top lip curls, but he says nothing.

Viola whispers, “Jim? Is it true?”

Again, Jim only glares at the Head Alpha. He had been the one to betray Logan, and in Logan’s eyes, it makes him just as guilty as Dillon had been. He won’t tolerate it, not within his pack. He almost got Logan killed. He almost forced Logan’s mate to be taken by Dillon. His crime cannot go unanswered.

He throws Jim to the ground, and Jim scrambles to sit up. Logan points at him. “I want you out of this pack.”

Viola sobs into her hands, and Eme goes to comfort the woman by wrapping her in a hug.

“Gladly,” Jim hisses. “You’re a weak Head Alpha. I want nothing to do with you. Viola and I -”

“No!” Viola says, lowering her hands to bark the word through her tears. Eme lets go of her so she can talk to her mate without interference. “You did this. All of this. You created this mess. It’s your fault. Even Clark picking up wolfcalm in the streets is your fault.” Viola spits on the ground. “I want nothing to do with you.”

A moment ticks by where all is silent while mate stares at mate.

“Are you sure?” Logan asks her gently. A mated pair splitting up doesn’t go unheard of, but it can be painful for both parties. He can’t imagine the agony that she’ll go through having to do so.

Viola slashes her hand through the air. “See him out.”

Logan looks back to Jim. “Gather your things. I want you out of here before the sun rises.”