POV: Logan
My hand connected with the training dummy's head, sending it swinging wildly on its rope.
"Take that!" I growled, hitting it again. Sweat dripped down my face as I hit the leather target, trying to work out the anger burning in my chest.
I'd just come from another stupid pack meeting where the adults talked about "maintaining order" and "keeping wolves in their proper places." It made me sick. Everyone acting like some people were worth more than others just because of the rank they were born with.
"Logan's getting stronger every day," I heard someone say behind me.
I spun around to see three young betas watching me train. They were supposed to be training too, but instead they were standing around talking.
"Yeah, but he's still just the third son," one of them snickered. "Kai gets to be Alpha, Ethan gets to be head doctor, and Logan gets to be... what? A guard dog?"
My jaw clenched. I'd heard that joke my whole life. The spare child. The one without a special job waiting for him.
"At least I'm not standing around gossiping like a bunch of old ladies," I shot back.
They laughed and walked away, but their words stuck in my head like thorns. Sometimes I wondered what my role was in this pack. Kai was smart and would make a great boss. Ethan was gentle and would save lives as a doctor. But me? I was just the angry brother who hit things.
A high-pitched yelp from across the courtyard snapped me out of my dark thoughts.
"Give it back!" a small voice cried.
I looked over to see three older beta kids circling a tiny omega boy. They'd taken something from him and were playing keep-away, throwing it back and forth over his head while he jumped hopelessly.
"Please!" the little boy begged. "That's my lunch!"
"Omegas don't deserve lunch," one of the bullies laughed. "Maybe if you weren't so weak, you could take it back."
Red rage burst behind my eyes. I dropped my training gloves and marched toward them.
"Hey!" I roared.
The bullies froze like deer caught by a hunter. The little omega boy looked up at me with big, scared eyes.
"What's going on here?" I asked.
"Nothing, Logan," the biggest bully said with a fake smile. "Just playing around."
"Playing around?" I stepped closer, and they all took a step back. "Stealing food from someone half your size is playing?"
"He's just an omega," another kid mumbled.
"He's just a child," I growled. "Give him back his lunch."
"But—"
"Now!"
They quickly gave the wrapped food back to the little boy, who clutched it against his chest like treasure.
"And if I catch you picking on smaller kids again," I continued, letting my voice drop to a dangerous growl, "you'll be dealing with me. Got it?"
They nodded quickly and ran off, leaving me alone with the omega child. He looked up at me with wonder, like I was some kind of hero.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"What's your name?" I asked, bending down to his level.
"Tommy."
"Well, Tommy, if anyone bothers you again, you come find me. Okay?"
He nodded excitedly and scampered away, probably to tell his friends that one of the Alpha's sons had protected him. The thought made me smile for the first time all day.
"That was really kind."
I turned to find Maya Rivers standing a few feet away, holding a basket of plants from her garden. She must have seen the whole thing.
"Those kids were being jerks," I said, suddenly feeling awkward. "Someone had to stop them."
"Not someone," she said quietly. "You. Most people would have walked away."
"Most people are cowards."
Maya stepped closer, and I caught the smell of lavender and mint from her herb basket. "Tommy's lucky you were here. He gets picked on a lot because he's small for his age."
"That's exactly why people should protect him, not hurt him," I said, anger rising again. "Strong wolves are supposed to keep weak ones safe, not beat them down."
Something flashed in Maya's eyes—surprise, maybe, or respect. "You really believe that?"
"Of course I do. What's the point of being strong if you don't use it to help people who can't help themselves?"
She smiled then, and it changed her whole face. I'd never really looked at Maya before—she was always in the background, quietly doing her work. But when she smiled, her amber eyes lit up like warm honey.
"I wish more people thought like you," she said.
"Yeah, well," I shrugged, feeling heat creep up my neck. "My brothers think I'm too soft. They say a warrior should be tougher."
"Being tough and being cruel are different things," Maya said strongly. "You're strong enough to be gentle. That takes more guts than being mean."
No one had ever said anything like that to me before. People generally called me the scary brother, the one with anger problems. But Maya saw something different.
"I should get these herbs to Ethan," she said, raising her basket. "But Logan? Thank you for saving Tommy. It means more than you know."
She started to walk away, but something made me call after her. "Maya?"
She turned back. "Yes?"
"If anyone ever bothers you like that, you tell me. I'll handle it."
Her cheeks turned pink. "Thank you. But I can take care of myself."
"I know you can. But you shouldn't have to."
We looked at each other for a long moment, and I felt something strange in my chest—like a warm flutter I'd never experienced before. Maya was so different from other girls in the pack. She wasn't trying to impress me or get my attention. She just saw me as... me.
"I have to go," she said softly, but she didn't sound like she wanted to.
"See you around," I managed to say.
I watched her walk toward Ethan's office, that weird fluttery feeling still dancing in my ribs. What was wrong with me? Maya was just an omega, and I was expected to mate with someone like Sophia someday.
But as I picked up my training gloves, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Maya had looked at me—not with fear or fake admiration, but with real warmth and understanding.
I was still thinking about her when Kai came running across the courtyard twenty minutes later, his face white with fear.
"Logan!" he shouted. "Drop everything and come with me!"
"What's wrong?"
"It's Maya," he gasped, grabbing my arm. "She collapsed in her yard. There's something shining under her skin, and she has a mark on her wrist."
My blood turned to ice. "What kind of mark?"
"The kind that shouldn't exist yet," Kai said grimly. "We need to get her to Ethan fast. But Logan..." He met my eyes with a look of shock and fear. "I think the moon just changed everything we thought we knew about our futures."