Chapter 5: Assignment

Lycia

During lunch, Taria went with me to the pharmacy, and I got a pregnancy test. I wasn’t sure which one to get, but Taria appeared to be an expert, so I took her word for it.

When we got back to the salon, I went to the back, taking my pregnancy test with me in the bag. Taria was free, so she walked to the back with me. “Now, no matter what it says, I’m here with you. Okay?”

I pulled her in for a quick hug. “Thanks, Taria. I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

“Neither do I. Now, go see what we’re dealing with here.” She gave me a sly smile. “I might be an aunt!”

“Shush!” I shook my head, rolling my eyes. “If Erica finds out, the whole salon will know.”

“If Erica finds out what?” she asked, walking around the corner, suddenly curious. Every salon had a gossip or two, and Erica was ours.

“Nothing!” Taria pushed me into the bathroom. “Nothing at all.”

I closed the door and locked it so I wouldn’t be interrupted again. This was the moment of truth. I quickly did what the test said, and then set the plastic stick on the side of the sink and waited.

Bang, bang, bang!

“Hurry up!” Erica yelled. “I have a customer that needs to use the restroom!”

I rolled my eyes. “Have her use the men’s room! I’ll be out in a bit!”

Of course, it was just a ploy for her to try and find out what was going on. But no matter what the test said, I was glad I wasn’t going through this alone. Taria was a great friend. Over the years that I’d known her, she had become like a sister to me.

I closed my eyes, afraid to look, but then slowly opened them. Sure enough, two bright pink lines were clearly visible in the test window. I blinked, unable to believe it, although I already knew it was correct.

I flushed the toilet again, packed everything into the shopping bag, washed my hands, and headed out.

Erica had her hand on her hip. “Well, it’s about time!”

“Shut up, Erica,” I huffed as I passed. “None of your customers needed the restroom.”

“What did you say to me... daughter of an Omega?”

“Shush! Say it louder, why don’t you? I don’t think the human heard.” I looked around the corner to see if Kelly had heard us. Luckily, she was busy talking to a customer at the front desk at the other end of the salon.

Erica grabbed my hair as I looked around the corner. “Never tell me to shut up!”

“Let her go, Erica!” Taria said, loud enough for the whole shop to hear as she folded her arms across her chest. “Leave her alone, Erica. You wouldn’t want Kelly to think that you’re harassing one of her employees, do you?”

Kelly stormed to the back, her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on back here?” she stage-whispered, pointing toward the front. “We have customers out there!”

When we all walked out front, Taria glanced over at me, raising her eyebrows. I nodded slightly, and she patted my back, all without anyone noticing. As I started shampooing my next customer, I was glad to have a moment to process, unable to believe this was really happening.

My thoughts went to my mystery man, and I wondered what he would think about it. But I was glad that the baby would just be mine. I never wanted him to feel like he had to marry me just because I was pregnant. It was a moot point now, anyway, because I didn’t even know his name. But I could take care of myself. I didn’t need a man to take care of me. But now that I was going to have a baby, it wasn’t going to be just me anymore, leaving me to wonder what I was going to do.

Logan

“Want another beer?” asked Frank, the bartender on duty tonight at Supernova.

I nodded. “Yeah, hit me again.”

Frank smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll call you if I ever see her again.” He was the same bartender that had been on duty the night I met my woman. The night after I met her, I came back to see if she would come back, but so far, it’s been a month, and I haven’t had any luck. I had given Frank my phone number and asked him to call me the second she walked in the door. I would figure out the rest when I got here.

“Thanks, man.” I took the last swig of my beer and slid it across the counter to him.

He gave me a small smile as he threw the bottle away and popped the top on another for me. “If you need anything, let me know.”

I nodded my thanks. You know, this was pretty pitiful. I was the son of Kylo Kahn, the Alpha Supreme in charge of all Alphas on the east coast, the most powerful Alpha in New York and the eastern seaboard. To the humans, he was the Mafia Don of the Kahn Family, and I was a Mafia Prince. Yet, here I was, spending every night at this bar, waiting for one woman to walk back into my life.

Suddenly, there was a light tap on my shoulder. Excitement filled me for a split second, but I was horribly disappointed when another woman was standing there instead of my woman.

“Want to dance?”

I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m waiting for someone.”

Her smile faded. “Okay. Have a great night!” She smiled as she walked away with her friend.

I hadn’t been with another woman since I was with my lady. At the time, it seemed cute, her wanting to stay anonymous. But now, I could kick myself for not getting her name and phone number before she left. Well, at least her name, if not anything else. But at the time, I thought she was going to be just any other woman. I was dead wrong.

Over the last month, thoughts of my woman flooded my mind, and I didn’t know why. That had never happen before. But as each day wore on, I came to realize that she was my Mate, the woman I’d been waiting for my whole life, and I let her slip through my fingers.

As I thought about her now, dancing with me on the dance floor, under me in my bed, or just talking, I knew we had a special connection that I couldn’t explain.

As I waited, a part of me wondered why she had been so adamant about staying anonymous. Was she hiding from someone? My blood boiled at the thought. I would crush anyone who scared her with my bare hands. She’s my Mate, and I felt protective of her, and I did that night, too.

After drinking only half of the beer, I paid my tab and headed out, knowing that if she hadn’t arrived yet, she wasn’t coming. Not tonight, anyway.

I walked through the crowd and headed to my car. Even my car had lost its flavor for me. As I slid inside and started the engine, I considered trading it in. But then again, this was the car that my lady had been in. There was no way I could sell it, not until I found her.

For a few days after I met her, the car still held her scent. But even now that it was long gone, I would know her scent anywhere.

Before long, I drove down the long driveway of the Skyclaw Guardians Pack Compound and pulled up front. I got out and threw Samson, one of the guards, my keys. “Take care of this for me, will you?”

I didn’t have to threaten them anymore. Over the years, I found that it lost its punch when you threaten people all the time. People only take you seriously if you have follow-through.

“Sure thing, Boss.” Samson picked the keys out of the air and headed toward the driver’s seat.

“And I’m not the boss,” I threw over my shoulder, knowing he would hear. Wolves had excellent hearing.

“Yes, Ba... er... yes… Logan.” He slid into the car and pulled slowly away from the curb.

Damn straight. My men knew I didn’t mess around, and I didn’t let anyone mess around with my sh*t, either. All of the guards nodded in respect as I passed by. When I pushed the glass door open, Atticus was standing in the lobby, waiting for me. Atticus McKay was my father’s Beta and the Underboss of the Family. This could only mean one thing.

“We need to talk.” He stood before me, blocking my way.

“Can it wait?” I sighed, not in the mood to deal with him tonight.

“Nope.” He walked away, expecting me to follow, but I held my ground. When he saw that I wasn’t following, he balled his fists at his sides and let out a deep breath. “Logan, it’s important.”

I nodded and followed him into his office down the hall from my father’s, and he closed the door. Even as the Crown Prince of the Pack, I couldn’t just do as I pleased. I had people to answer to, just like anyone else in the Pack.

“So, what’s going on?”

“There are some delinquent debts—”

“Then get the Capos and Soldiers to do it.” I started to walk out, but he placed his hand on my chest, stopping me. If it were anyone else, I would have ripped his arm off, but not Atticus. He was as tough as they come, but he still had to learn respect. “Remove your hand before I remove it for you.”

He arched an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. “Really?”

“So, what’s the problem?” I folded my arms over my chest, listening. I wasn’t in the mood for any sh*t tonight. Until I found my woman, nothing else mattered.

“As I said, there are some delinquent payments that we haven’t been able to collect.” He handed me a folder, and I started paging through it.

“These aren’t just late.” I quickly scanned the paperwork, a crease forming between my eyes. “These are severely delinquent.” My head snapped up. “Why has this been allowed to go on?”

“It hasn’t.” Atticus let out a deep breath. “I’ve sent men over several times to warn them. The last time, I instructed them to rough them up a bit.” He sighed. “But now—”

“It was time to make an example of them.” I closed the folder, understanding.

“Precisely.” He sighed. “And the only ones sanctioned for murder—”

“Is the immediate members of the Royal Family.” I handed him back the folder. “So, tell the Capos to do it.”

He handed the folder back, smashing it against my chest.

I let out a low, guttural growl as I looked into his eyes, but his resolve never wavered. I ripped the folder out of his hands. He was a tough son of a b*tch. I’ll give him that. “So, what do you want me to do?”