Logan Chapter 135

-Logan-

The foreplay between Emory and I would have to go unresolved. Landon was ready to go on his vacation, and this evening would be both the first time and the last time we’d seen him in a while. He’d been completing his Beta duties and jetting right back out to watch Cora, so we haven’t seen as much of him around the pack house as I’ve been used to. When I’ve texted him to ask about it, he keeps making infuriating jokes about how Emory and I reek of sex all the time and he can’t be around us without suffocating. I know for a fact that’s not totally true, but he’s determined to hide his little vacation scheme. His shenanigans and surprises usually don't end well, but I know it’s easier to just let him do what he wants and bail him out afterward. Landon is always so determined to get into whatever trouble his mind is set on that resistance seems futile.

We’re all having a steak dinner to celebrate Landon’s “temporary freedom” starting early tomorrow morning. He’s leaving at four in the morning so he has time to debrief his surveillance replacement and still get some good fishing in at the cabin, according to him. We’re all digging into the absolutely perfect steaks the cooks made when I decide to finally break the silence. “So, Landon. I’ve never known you to have the patience for fishing. What’s going on with that?”

He flashes me his mischievous grin. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tried it, you know? Figured I’d try one more time just to make sure it was boring, still. Who knows, maybe this time I’ll find something interesting about it and it’ll be my new hobby. This time next month we could be eating tuna steaks instead of beef ones!” Emory’s nose crinkles beside me. She doesn’t eat fish unless it’s deep fried.

“You can’t get tuna out there. I think it’s mostly bass. Maybe trout?” I search my childhood memories for what kinds of fish Dad would catch for dinner, but I mostly just remember keeping an eye on Landon after he scared all the fish away and Dad told us to go somewhere else so we don’t all starve. After the first few trips, nobody tried to make Landon enjoy fishing and the two of us would run through the woods instead. I probably liked that more than I would have liked fishing as well, but now I’m mourning the loss of that time with our Dad.

Landon’s smile falls for a second as if he’s having thoughts along the same line as mine, and Emory jumps in to change the subject. “I think you could make anything fun, Landon. Just look at all this surveillance you’ve been doing on Cora. Anyone else would have been bored to tears and begged to come off of it, but you stuck in there.” She smiles sweetly at him and I send her a wave of appreciation for pulling both of us out of unhappy thoughts.

“Well, I can find entertainment anywhere, for sure. This vacation is going to be one for the books, I bet. Besides, you two seem to really need this house to yourselves. I won’t even ask why the sitting room smelled the way it did when I walked through it this evening.” Emory blushes scarlet, making Landon laugh out loud even as he pretends to be disgusted. He loves to wind her up.

“I don’t think that’s as important as our other news.” Emory blurts. We talked about not telling everyone that she can shift until tomorrow, but with Landon leaving so early this makes more sense.

“What other news? Are you already pregnant?” Landon’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline, and he sets his fork down. Emory and I both sputter at the question of pregnancy. We’ve been almost ignoring the possibility, but Emory has stayed on her birth control. She’s worried it won’t work with her changed physiology, but I think we should be fine.

“God, no! Warn a girl, Landon! I almost choked!” Emory takes a big gulp of water to re-center herself before she continues. “I actually don’t know how much about this you’ve heard already, but it turns out I already had some wolf shifter in my background. I managed to shift today for the first time ever!”

Landon’s jaw drops before his smile overtakes his face. He slams his palms on the table, shouting. “Shut the fuck up! Why am I always the last one to know about anything? That’s cool as shit!” His eyes shift to me. “What did she look like- red? I bet she was a little red wolf. I’m going to have to rework all the red riding hood jokes I’ve been storing up!” Without pausing long enough to get an answer, he turns back to Emory. “Isn’t it the coolest thing you’ve ever done in your life? Did you love it? What was your favorite part? We gotta all run through the park! Or we can plan a vacation at the cabin for all of us when… uh…” Landon peters out as he realizes he’s about to give away his mysterious vacation plans.

I sigh with all the patience I can muster after a lifetime of cleaning up his messes. “Please just reassure me that the cabin will still be standing after whatever you have planned. Grandad built that like half a millenia ago. It has historical value now.”

Landon rolls his eyes, but I can tell he’s working hard to cover something up. “Of course it’ll still be standing. You have no faith in me, bro. It’ll be a nice, quiet vacation away from all my responsibilities, that’s all.”

That, of course, means it will be none of those things. “Fine, I’m sure it will. Have a great trip, man.”

Emory is much more patient and forgiving than I am, but she hasn’t dealt with him for decades, either. “Can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back!” If Landon’s smile back at her is a little sick-looking, none of us comment on it.