Playing Games

Annie
I smiled up at Logan as he sauntered down the bleacher stairs, easily weaving his way through the sleuth members to reach me. The heat in his eyes told me exactly what he wanted as he draped his arm over my shoulders. He grinned down at me as he steered me away from the practice field.
“My, my, my, Annie. You looked so good out there, running around with all those cubs. I’ve never seen someone so at ease with children they didn’t know.” He pulled me closer to his side, lowering his head so he could press his mouth against my ear. “Let’s have an entire soccer team, baby. Let’s really have a team Havana.”
I opened my mouth to flirt back with him, but all that came out was a small moan. His lips lifted as he pulled me around to the front of him, smoothly lifting me up into his arms as he continued to stride toward the forest. I wrapped my legs around his waist, teasingly moving my hips.
“Goddess, Logan. I’ve been thinking about this all day,” I told him. “I love it when you hunt me.”
“Good, because I love hunting you.” He pretended to drop me, and I threw my arms around his neck, making him chuckle. “I know this is a game, but would it be too much to let me win one night? It’s not fair that you had more siblings to hide from. You’re really good at this.”
Marsha let out her little purr as she rubbed my body against his. “One night wouldn’t hurt,” I whispered against his neck before nipping at his mark.
He groaned. “Annie, keep that up and I’m not going to care that it’s in poor taste to mate you in front of children,” he warned.
“This?” I asked, running my tongue up the length of his mark.
“Yes,” he moaned, moving his hands to grip my ass tightly. “That.”
I giggled, loving the way he responded to me. He never hid how much he wanted me, and I never hid my own desires. At least not from him. I only tried to be cautious when Ryan was at the house. He creeped me out when I first arrived, and he still creeped me out to this day. He always watched me like he wanted to do something to me. I wasn’t exactly sure that might be, but when I mentioned it to Logan, he hadn’t brushed off my worry at all. He had immediately started to call other sleuths in our area to ask if they would take him in. He was literally the best mate anyone could ask for and it was because of how he treated me that I felt safe to be fully free.
He kissed my cheek. “Annie? Where’s your brain?”
“Everywhere,” I admitted.
He set me down before gripping my face as he looked into my eyes. “Let it all go, my love. Be here in the moment with me. Just run free and let me chase you. When you get tired, I will catch you, throw you over my shoulder, and take you home, where I will make love to you until you are screaming my name. Okay?”
I bit my lip as I nodded. “Okay.”
He pecked my lips before glancing around. “Shift.”
I eagerly took my clothes off so that I could let Marsha out. We had taken to letting Logan hunt Marsha. Her scent along with her body were more noticeable than my own. Marsha licked his hand and after a loving pat on our head, Marsha took off into the woods. I closed my eyes inside our mind to enjoy the feeling of the wind in our fur and the soil under our paws. After a long day, there was nothing better than being in this form with nothing between me, Logan, and nature. I heard him roar behind us, and I smiled. That sound might be the only thing that could make this setting better because it meant that the hunt was on and pretty soon, Logan would be reminding me why he was the only man for me.
About ten minutes later, I heard him approaching us carefully. His scent came from several different directions all at once and it was hard to pinpoint exactly where he was. Marsha turned her head in every direction, methodically scanning the area as she moved slowly, careful to stick only to the shadows. A twig snapped behind me to my right, and Marsha’s home whipped around to stare in that direction. Marsha pawed at the ground when Logan stepped out of the trees, grinning at me.
“Hey, Marsha. You weren’t supposed to make it this easy for me,” he chuckled.
‘Oh, he wants to play,’ I giggled. ‘Marsha, why don’t you show him why you were the best at hide and seek?’
‘It would be my pleasure.’
She waited for him to be near her before pretending like she was about to jump over his head but shifted instead to twirl around him, shifting back as soon as she was facing the opposite direction.
‘GO, MARSHA! GO!’ I cheered.
She charged away from him, her feet barely touching the ground as she practically flew over it. She lifted her snout into the air to inhale deeply, wanting to see how close to her Logan was. A familiar scent in the air made her miss a step, sending her stumbling to the ground. She pushed herself up, her fur rising as she slowly began to look round the area. A slap on her flank made her spin around, snapping at Logan’s hand before backing away from him, shaking her head. She tugged at his shirt as I opened our link.
‘Give me your shirt, Logan.’
He tugged it off without hesitation as I shifted back. I quickly put it on before turning in a circle, still searching for the source of the scent. Logan began to turn in his own circle, trying to figure out what I was searching for.
“What is it, Annie?” He asked worriedly.
“Gerry’s here,” I answered.
A fire ignited in his eyes as he began to sniff the air before grabbing me roughly to pull me to his side. “That’s not Gerald, Annie! That’s a feral bear!”
“No, it’s not,” I argued. “That’s Gerry! I’m telling you it is!”
Logan growled loudly, silencing me as he began to lead me back toward the sleuth. “UNLESS GERRALD IS FERAL, THAT’S NOT HIM! THAT IS A FERAL SCENT!”
“But–”
He growled again, cutting me off as he picked me up to throw me over his shoulder. I began to thrash, punching and kicking him.
“PUT ME DOWN!” I yelled.
“No! Now stop it!”
“PUT ME DOWN!” I repeated.
His arm came up to pin my legs to his body as he raced through the trees, barely managing to avoid tripping a few times. I groaned when Giselda’s and Milton’s scents passed by me, followed by a few of our warriors. I gripped Logan’s belt to push myself up so I could see Giselda’s retreating back.
“DON’T HURT HIM, PLEASE,” I screamed. “GISELDA, DON’T–”
Logan flipped me off his shoulder and the suddenness of it, knocked the wind out of me. I grunted as I rubbed my back, glaring at him angrily.
“Why’d you throw me on the couch like that? I’m pregnant and that hurt!” I snapped.
“WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO PROTECT HIM?! ARE YOU STILL IN LOVE WITH HIM, ANNARIA?! HUH? TELL ME?! WHY IS HE ALWAYS SO CLOSE TO YOUR MIND? DO YOU WANT TO BE WITH HIM?!” He yelled at me.
I stared at him in shock. “Are you serious, Logan?”
“YES, I’M FUCKING SERIOUS, ANNARIA!” He sneered. “ANSWER ME! WHY IS HE SO DAMNED IMPORTANT TO YOU!”
I jumped to my feet to slam my hands against his chest, but he didn’t move. “I thought you of all people would understand! Weren’t you the one who told me that you didn’t like people and that to you Giselda was the only person you felt safe with? The only you could get along with? Didn’t you tell me that you and her were supposed to get married and be chosen mates because you didn’t think that you could ever find a woman who understood you? WASN’T THAT YOU?!” I screamed hysterically as tears pricked the back of my eyes.
“Don’t turn this around on me, Annie! This isn’t about me and a childish promise I made before I hit puberty.”
“I don’t see the difference. She’s your best friend, and he’s mine. You would do anything for her, just like I would do anything for him. Our relationships are not different, Logan.”
“Yes they are, Annie,” he growled.
“How?” I snapped as I put my hands on my hips.
“BECUASE I DIDN’T FUCK GISELDA, ANNIE! I DIDN’T MARK HER! AND SHE DIDN’T MARK ME! THERE IS A BIG FUCKING DIFFERENCE, AND YOU’RE CRAZY IF YOU DON’T SEE THAT!”
I flinched as if he hit me before I looked up into his eyes. “You’re never going to forgive me for making a mistake before I met you, are you?” I whimpered.
“Annie, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for me.
I pushed his hands away. “No, you’re right, Logan. I’m just a crazy bitch that fucked her brother. This is probably his child and you’re right. I will always love him, because he is my brother, and I want the best for him. I thought that Giselda was what was best for him. I thought the same of Havana, but I can see it’s not right for him. Or for me for that matter. I don’t want to stay somewhere where the man I’m in love with doesn’t trust me. I don’t want to be in a sleuth that hates my guts. I won’t stay here and be ridiculed or judged for things I did to belong somewhere or with someone. I threw all of that away to be here with you and lead Havana by your side. I’d rather go home shrouded in failure than stay here and be forced to live stuck in my said failures.”
I spun around to go inside to pack my things while he called my name. As I stepped inside the house, he grabbed my hand.
“Annie, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”
I jerked my hand away from his. “No? Funny, I could believe that if you didn’t throw it in my face every time there were waves between us.”
“Annie, please, let me–”
I turned around to face him. “You said what you said, Logan. Be an alpha and stand by your words.”
“Annie–”
“Whatever, Logan. I don’t want to hear it. Don’t follow me!”
I spun back around, hurrying away from him as tears began to roll down my face. Stupid alphas and their damned jealousy. It was going to ruin us. *No, not was. Had. It had ruined us.* And I couldn’t forgive him. Not this time.