Logan Chapter 121

-Logan-

Thankfully, Emory wakes up with her attitude back. When we get up in the morning, she’s as cranky as usual, but not subdued. Once we get some breakfast and coffee in, she’s trying to convince me that yesterday was a one-off.

“Seriously, Logan. I don’t think I was actually in any danger. He just saw what he perceived to be a celebrity and was a little awkward about it. That’s not a crime.” She’s looking at me earnestly, trying to get out of having a bodyguard.

“That’s not what it sounded like when you told me about it yesterday. Should I go over it again for you?” She huffs out a breath, frustrated.

“That was a panic attack. I’ve had them before, remember? I might have been able to breathe through it on my own if my senses didn’t go all weird afterwards.” Wait, what?

“Explain that to me.” Her senses?

She looks at me with her head tilted, like she doesn’t know why I’m asking. “Didn’t I tell you about that part? I guess not… Anyway, I just felt weird as I was trying to leave. My skin was all tingly and itchy, everything smelled too intensely, and the lights were too bright and noisy. It was so weird. I’ve had that tingly feeling recently when I was mad at Bryan, but I just forgot about it until now. It didn’t seem like a big deal.”

I shoot a look toward the kitchen to see both of the cooks staring at the back of Emory’s head, eyes wide. I tilt my head toward the door and they discreetly exit. “That is weird. How much do you know about where your family is from? Have you talked to your grandparents about it? Probably your dad’s side would be the more relevant one.”

Emory searches my thoughts, trying to figure out why I’m bringing up her grandparents when she doesn’t feel like they have anything to do with the current conversation. I watch her eyes widen as she catches my suspicion. “Part wolf? That would have to make me less than half, right? Because you said shifters always breed true to the father?”

I try to remember anything I learned about our genetics, but I’m just not sure. With half-human matings, the only true difference should have been Emory’s life expectancy. She’s showing signs of fighting off shifts, though. Maybe her grandmother was a shifter, and it passed down almost like a recessive gene would have? We need to talk to the elders about this. It makes the height in her family more reasonable, though.

Emory puts her head in her hands while she thinks through every story her dad has told her about his parents for some kind of clue. “I don’t know. I only saw them once or twice when we were little. I’m not sure Hunter was born yet. They’ve always lived far away and Dad doesn’t talk to them much. Some argument they had decades ago. I just don’t know. I’ll have to call my dad.”

“We’ll have to meet up with James to get something encrypted so you can speak openly with him. Until then, we’ll just have to make sure you stay safe and limit your stress when you’re away from the pack house. That’s another argument for a bodyguard, baby.” She groans outright.

“If I’m about to shift, I’ll be stronger than everyone around me! I’ll be safe on my own!” She’s cute when she’s being stubborn, but I won’t bend on this one.

“Maybe so, but you don’t know how to fight, do you? And besides, the last thing we need is you shifting in public- most shifters have their whole lives to get used to their wolves and being in the body they need for the setting they’re in. You’re jumping in the deep end. I’d rather teach you how to swim before making you go it alone, okay?” I see from the slump of her shoulders that she finally agrees with me on this one. Thank the stars, because I don’t know if I could let her out on her own after yesterday.

She takes a deep breath and nods. “Fine. But only until I figure out this shifting stuff. Maybe get another wolf so they can teach me. It would be easier to have someone who already knows the secret, anyway. My poker face isn’t great.”

I laugh at the last. “I love that you’re an open book, baby. It makes my life a lot easier, even with the mind reading. Now, I’d like you to stay in and pamper yourself today. Don’t worry about eating a single vegetable, sit in your house clothes all day, watch some movies. I’ll be home from work before you know it.” She gives me a sunny smile as I stand up from the table.

“I like carrots just fine. I could stand to have a rest day, though. I’ve been doing salary math and party planning all week. I don’t know how some people do event planning for fun. It gets complicated fast.” She tilts her head up for a kiss before I go.

“You mean you like ranch dip. Don’t pretend.” We share a laugh and I head to work.