Logan

Jeremy had just left my office to get the new secretary who might be working for me. I wouldn't say that I'm thrilled about having a new secretary-he's not going to last for long anyway. Just like the rest, they always quit before six months.

Yes, I was a difficult person to work with.

So, I'm not looking forward to the new guy coming in today. His portfolio said he was a late bloomer, so he was definitely ot going to survive my harsh work environment. But I wasn't ready to be biased by sending him away because he was a late bloomer, without giving him a chance at all.

I stare at the email I got from a close ally, James, from the International Council of werewolves. The email stated that there seemed to be a serial killing going on in the world of humans, and it seemed to be the handiwork of a werewolf. An alpha, to be precise. I wondered who had the nerve to wreak such havoc.

"The FBI is in collaboration with the NIS, but the worst part is that they are keeping it on a low. I think they might want to use this case to find faults with our community, so be on guard."

Those humans and their cunning acts to find faults with us.

I sent a "thank you" message back to James, and I also promised him to investigate the matter from my own end. That would make me have something to defend myself with in case the federal government tries to act funny with me again.

Jeremy stepped in just as I was about to open another email. I raised my head towards the door. In fact, I already smelled him before he entered, but I couldn't smell the guy behind him. And that did nothing, but piqued my curiosity.

From the way he was observing the room, he hadn't noticed I was sitting across the room. I didn't know when Jeremy had ever done his job properly before. It was odd enough that he was bringing in a late bloomer to be my secretary, but I never imagined he would be so frail and pale-looking.

Seeing how he bowed hurriedly even before our eyes met, he must have felt my presence.

"Really, Jeremy?" I asked in disbelief with a slight annoyance in my voice.

And he talked back too, after I expressed my displeasure with his physical appearance. I guessed he was a feisty one compared to his timid look. I took a step closer to him to assess him better, and that was when I smelled it on him.

It was faint and slightly distinct, but I still knew what I smelled. I could never be wrong. Even my wolf felt it and wouldn't stop stirring in my head.

Did the moon goddess give you a gay mate?

"That's not possible. If it was the smell coming from him should be stronger than what I am perceiving right now," I replied to my wolf in my head. The moon goddess wasn't the sort of comedian who would play such a childish trick on me.

Jeremy and Aub kept explaining how good Aub was at his work, but that was the least of my concerns at that point. And Aub was such a weird name to begin with.

I scoffed. "Your experience and weakness are not even the issue now."

"Then, what is?" He asked, his eyes searching mine for answers. I wondered how he'd react to my next question.

"Why do I smell my mate on you?"

"What!?" Jeremy and Aub chorused.

The rest of our conversation from that point was chaotic. And Jeremy seemed to be getting so much from it. They think I'm mistaken. How could I be? I had been waiting my whole life since I shifted to meet my mate. I attended conferences and parties organized by other packs even when it wasn't convenient for me, just because I was eager to meet my mate. But now that I get a whiff of her scent, I might be mistaken.

I refused to accept that.

Even as I handed the pen and paper to Aub, it didn't feel like I was doing the wrong thing. I needed to find my mate.

It might not just be from someone he met on the bus or on his way to the pack; it might be a close relative of his. So, I asked him to add the names of his relatives to the list of the strangers he met on his way to the pack, too. That would be his first job as my secretary.

But my new secretary seemed to be the type that wouldn't follow my instructions blindly. He didn't even flinch much when I used the alpha's tone on him, but I was too distracted by the smell of my mate to focus on that.

He was about to give another excuse before Nathan stepped in. Just right in time, except I didn't know Jeremy had already mind-linked him and given him the whole backstory of what was going on in my office.

"Just do as you are told," Nathan said, preventing him from going on and on about how good he was at his job. Maybe I was seeing things, but I could swear I saw him ogling Nathan. Could he be gay and was just lying earlier?

"Bullshit!" He blurted out without thinking. I could see he was brazen, too.

I guess he realized that his word could cost him his life because he agreed to do what I asked immediately without compromising.

"Listen to me," I began to speak. "If you want to work here for a long time as my secretary, you need to do a good job at finding whoever left that scent on you before coming here."

He bowed his head slightly, and it made me feel like I was abusing my authority. But, I couldn't care less. I needed my mate.

I noticed how Nathan was eyeing him suspiciously, so I wasn't surprised when he expressed his displeasure with him being my secretary.

"Just let him be for now since he has to figure out who my mate is," I interjected. "You know how much I want to find my mate." Nathan kept his cool after my words. He was my best friend, and he knew how desperate I was.

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan asked the moment Aub and Jeremy stepped out of my office.

I went back to my seat, releasing a deep breath the moment my back touched my seat. "I don't know, man. Let's just see how far he can go."

"But..."

"You are being suspicious for no reason again," I said, preventing him from arguing further. "I'll get rid of him myself when I see he might become a problem for us one day.

He nodded.

Nathan had always been like that. He investigated any new member of the pack, especially ones that had contact with me. He had been doing that ever since I was attacked by the third secretary I was working with.

Besides, I didn't think Aub had the potential to hurt me, given his appearance and how weak he looked.

"We have a more pressing issue at hand."

"What's that?"

I turned my computer so Nath could see the email James sent to me. "We need to look for a serial killer."

Aubrey

"I thought I'd be getting a single room," I said, tightening my grip on the suitcase in my right hand as I stared into the room of four I had just stepped into. I foresaw everything, except the fact that they'd make me live with other men in a room.

Jeremy scoffed before holding his hands akimbo. "We don't have the luxury of giving everyone a single room, and you being the alpha's secretary doesn't mean you get preferential treatment."

Well said.

"But..." I paused, not sure of any perfect excuse to give at this moment. "Where are my roommates, by the way?"

"The three of them are pack warriors, so they are mostly on the training grounds during the day," he said as he walked across the room, observing the paintings of the war. "So, you guys will hardly run into each other, except at night."

Somehow, his words brought me a bit of relief. I could use the time they are out for training to change and get dressed. And, since there's a bathroom in the room, changing in there wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Of course, until the boys started to get suspicious of why I always changed in the bathroom, and out of curiosity, stripped me naked because they wanted to see what I was hiding.

I shook my head at the dreadful thought that had just crossed my mind. I knew I had to do everything to remain normal and not draw suspicion to myself.

I cleared my throat in an attempt to get Jeremy's attention, since he seemed to be so lost in the paintings on the wall. Weird taste. "You can leave now, I want to try and settle in so I can get started on the alpha's order as soon as possible."

"Oh, right!" He said quickly. "I should let you do your thing then."

He headed straight for the door but didn't leave without giving me a salute with two fingers and a wink. He was the most friendly person I had ever met. I guessed life had always been easy for him. Not everyone had the luxury of being so friendly with others on their first meeting.

"Now, where do I begin?" I said to no one in particular.

                                                                           ******

It was seven pm already. I was so engrossed with the work I was doing on my system that I lost track of time. Of course, I reported everything that transpired between Logan and me after I arrived at the pack to the director. He instructed that I do Logan's bidding since I had to investigate him at all costs.

And that was how I found myself checking security footage of where I passed through before I got to Silvermoon pack. I was searching for who the alpha's mate could be. Such a hassle

The sound of a doorknob turning made me hurriedly close my laptop. I knew my roommates were back. Thank god I already had my bath and changed my clothes hours before they arrived. Now, I just need to act more like a man without stuttering when I speak.

"Whoah!" The first guy exclaimed as he stepped into the room. "I see you are the new roommate Jeremy informed us about."

I raised my hand slightly above my head. "Hi, my name is Aub Smith."

"Aub?" The second guy asked with his eyebrows raised.

"You look smaller than I had expected," the third guy chirped in.

I gave out a nervous laugh. I should have listened to Kate and gone on a weight gain journey with her the previous year. I was beginning to hate how everyone was pointing out how small-looking I was, a guy. It felt like it would be my first giveaway soon. I wonder what was going through the director's head when he gave me this job.

"I'm Matthew," the first guy said, stretching his hand forth for a handshake. I took it with a smile.

"Lucas," the second guy said begrudgingly. What was his deal?

"Steve," the last one said. He also extended his hand for a handshake.

Every one of them was friendly, of course, except Lucas. He seemed to be the only one who wasn't pleased about my appearance in their dormitory. But, boy, that was his problem to deal with. I wasn't planning to be there for long anyway.

"Join us at the pack dinner after we take our shower," Matthew said. He didn't ask. And that made me feel like I didn't have a choice but to go with them.

So, I nodded in agreement.

I wasn't surprised when Matthew and Steve entered the bathroom together because they wanted to save time. But, I was surprised when they both came out of the bathroom with nothing but tight, small boxer shorts.

"Aarrghh!" I screamed before covering my eyes with my hands.

"What!" Steve cried out.

I slowly removed my hands from my eyes and saw how horrified they looked. My scream was probably heartwrenching. "Sorry," I said with my head bowed. "But, you could have tied a towel around your waist."

That was why they said you don't need to be afraid of anything or getting judged if you have a clean heart. I went through military training and had seen men in such tiny boxers, but I didn't know why. I just had to fret over their own. Probably because they were werewolves.

"Have you lived alone your whole life?" Lucas asked in a cold and stern tone. He reminded me of Logan.

I nodded.

"Well, this is a dormitory, you should get used to this and stop acting like a girl." This time, it was Steve who spoke.

Me? Acting like a girl?

I stood up and threw the pillow in my hands in the air. "How am I acting like a girl? I was just surprised to see your body, since I've lived alone my whole life and never got to see men walking around me, half naked." I commended myself mentally for speaking without stuttering.

"Whatever. Let's just hurry up so we can make it to dinner," Matthew said impatiently.

I placed my hand on my chest. It was surprising that I didn't have a panic attack from how erratically my heart was beating. I looked up to see Lucas eyeing me suspiciously. I quickly removed my hand from my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. He smirked and headed straight for the bathroom.

Did he just smirk?

Our walk to the pack house was extremely loud. I used to think the men I worked with at the NIS were loud, but their loudness was nothing compared to that of werewolves. I could tell the evening was part of their favorite time of the day. The streets were bustling with people, children's laughter echoed down the street, and everyone had a pleasant look on their faces.

I didn't understand why they all looked pleased until I saw all the meals served on the table before me. One would easily think there was a feast going on, and everyone in the state was invited.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't know what to put on my plates either. There were varieties of food. From meat to seafoods-they were all foods I'd pay quite a few large bucks to get at a standard restaurant.

"From the way you are drooling, I can tell it's your first time having a pack dinner," Steve said, interrupting my thoughts.

I needed to get my act together.

I gave out a shy laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

He shook his head in disbelief and went for my plate. Before I could even react, he had filled my plate with all kinds of meat. I nudged him with my hand to add a snow crab for me.

"Eat this first," he said, placing the plate filled with meat before me. He didn't even add any carbohydrates. "You need to eat more meat, so you can at least increase in size."

I scoffed at his words. I'd still get that snow crab after I gobbled down the meats before me. I've never had meat as tender as that before in my life.

Suddenly, everywhere went still and silent. I slowly raised my head only to see everyone's heads turned towards their right. Then I saw Logan and Nathan come in through the door. How did they know he was coming when he hadn't even opened the door yet? Strange.

"Alpha!" Everyone echoed, making me drop the fork in my hand in fear. Even the soldiers, training on the military grounds, weren't that loud. I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't think I'd ever get used to that sight.

I returned my gaze to my food. I still have like four pieces left before I go for the snow crab. But, for some odd reason, I felt someone was watching me, hence I couldn't bring myself to place the fork with the piece of meat in my mouth.

It was Logan.

His forest-like green eyes bore into mine, so that they could literally create a hole in them. I bowed slightly with an awkward smile plastered on my lips. Why was he staring at me instead of sitting and eating?

The next thing I saw was Logan walking towards me with a plate in his hands. Right, there was an empty seat beside me! Don't tell me....

"Do you have a problem with me sitting close to you?" Logan asked in a firm tone.

I shook my head with the fork stuck in my mouth. How could I eat in peace now?

Two minutes after Logan had settled down in his seat, I decided to ask him why.

"So, why did you choose to sit here? You could have sat near your beta," I said, finally reaching for the snow crab. I could swear that butterflies were dancing in my tummy at that point.

Logan inhaled a deep breath. Was it such a hard question?

I carefully used my hand to detach the leg of the snow crab from its body. The excitement in my eyes was probably the same as the first time I had ice cream.

"Because you smell like my mate, hence I want to be near you since I miss her a lot."

I choked on my snow crab.

Logan didn't even bother to help me with water as I choked on my food, but instead, he looked at me like he was enjoying the dilemma I was going through. I decided to get water for myself, but Steve beat me to it. So sweet of him.

"Be careful," he said as he passed me a glass of water. "And be aware that choking is definitely among the one thousand ways to die."

I almost choked again, but not because I was shocked this time, but because I found what he said funny. "Thank you."

I turned back to see that Logan wasn't bothered by me at all. Instead, he went back to his food. I prayed silently within me that I would survive my stay in the pack. And, Logan being next to me constantly, especially while I'm eating, wasn't helping. I wondered who I came across that left her scent on me. Landing me in this big trouble.

The rest of the dinner went 'not so quiet'. But it was better than when I first came in. Logan didn't say anything else to me, and I could tell he seemed quite bothered from the look on his face and how little he ate.

I knew werewolves cherished their mate bond, and often some of them claimed they can't do without their mate bond. But I've heard about other wolves neglecting their mate bond and going after someone else. But, I guess Logan wasn't strong enough to do that, seeing how clung he was to this mate saga.

"Thank you for the meal," I said quietly, wiping my mouth with a napkin. I was done eating, but I didn't know if it would be awkward if I stood up and walked out while others were still eating.

You know what? Screw it.

I dropped the napkin, pushed my chair backward while still in my seat.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Where do you think you are going?"

I turned to look at Logan. What did he want? "My room."

"I know it's your first day, but I'm afraid we'd have to pull an all nighter together," he said, his eyes staring intently at mine.

I dropped my gaze in frustration. I thought I'd be from pulling all nighter here in the pack. But, turned out, it's everywhere. Bosses using their employees however they like.

"What are we working on?"

"You'll see when you get to my office," he implied, shifting his gaze away from me to Nathan.

I hoped it was something that I could finish in a few hours. I hated being unable to sleep because of work.

I couldn't believe the papers before me were meant for me to go over. I doubted I would even finish before daybreak. Was he trying to punish me or what?

"Alpha." He raised his head to look at me, taking his eyes away from his computer.

I gave him a tight smile, "I'm sure about what exactly I'm supposed to do with all these."

He cocked his head towards one side and raised his eyebrows.

He looked so hot that I wouldn't mind a one-night stand if he asked me in that state. Oh my God! What was that thought?

"Aub," my name rolled off his tongue like it tasted bitter. "Is this not what you've been doing for almost half of your life?"

"Huh?" It was my turn to raise my eyebrows.

He released a light sigh, as if I was being frustrating. "That's what your record says. Or was it forged?"

Oh my god!!

I let out a sarcastic and nervous laugh. "Of course not! Why would I forge my records? I know perfectly what to do." God knew, I didn't know what to do.

I turned my back to him, reached for my phone, and sent an SOS message to Kate. She worked as a secretary in a big firm before she became an agent. She would know one or two and be able to share with me.

I started sorting out the papers in alphabetical order as Kate instructed. Then I created a document on my computer and began the documentation. Apparently, the files before me contained the names of adopted pups the pack had from twenty years ago to date. It was a surprise for me, because I didn't know werewolves adopt children too. Even though it's just children of their kind.

But it was still a nice thing to do.

I was halfway through the papers before I checked my time. It was three thirty in the morning. I didn't even realize that time went by so fast. And to think I still had half of the papers to go. Kate said it was one of the simplest tasks for secretaries. I'd rather die on the field working as an agent than do any other strenuous job than what I was already doing.

"Do you care for coffee?" Logan's word brought me out of my inner misery.

I raised my eyes up to see his tired face. Was that his first time pulling an all nighter, or was what he was working on draining for him, like me? It wasn't my first time staying awake all night working, but I'd be on a stakeout, watching out for when the drug lord would make a move rather than documenting papers.

"I'm not sure coffee is the right thing for you to take at this moment," I said, trying my luck at getting away for the night.

He placed his hand on his chin, gently rubbing the stubble on it. He had probably realized that he needed a shave. "Then what is?"

"A good sleep." I beamed buoyantly, hoping he'd at least use being tired as an excuse to call it a night.

He stood up from his seat and walked across his desk towards me in a steady manner. "Are you trying to get away from work?"

If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under already. Why was he shooting daggers at me with his eyes?

I swallowed a deep lump in my throat, "No, I was just looking out for you."

"You can only look out for me by doing your job perfectly, which involves finding out who my mate is."

There we went again.

"Noted," I quickly said, burying my face back in work. He was so scary at that moment. Maybe I'd be doing myself a lot of favor by finding out who his mate really was. At least he'd let me be, and focus on his mate. Then, I could focus on what brought me.

I just needed to find that incriminating evidence. Then the buttering up I was doing would come to an end. Wait!

If his mate's scent on me was so strong that it still lingered after I had my bath, could it be someone I spent a lot of time with? The last person I saw before I left home for the pack? The person who hugged me and refused to let go because she thought I was walking into the lion's den?

Kate, my best friend!?