LOGAN: Alliance of Shadows, Book 2

DMV Drama

Dating Selene was entertaining in ways I hadn’t expected.

The list of things she had never done before was longer than my arm. Her father’s paranoia over her safety had kept her under strict watch, rarely allowing her the freedom to explore the world. I had promised her we would cross off whatever she wanted to experience with me, and so far, we had managed three dates.

For the first, she wanted to go to the movies. I ran the options by her parents until we settled on one we all agreed was appropriate. Sitting beside her in the dark theater, watching her eyes widen with excitement at the scenes unfolding on the screen, felt strangely rewarding.

The second was a chaperoned dinner at a local restaurant. With Izzy’s help, my brother and I turned it into a double date, making the evening feel a little less stiff under the watchful eyes of her family. Between nervous laughter and shared glances, we made the most of it, though her father’s presence loomed over us like a silent warning.

The third was the fair that had come to town. Technically, the entire Howler pack attended, but she counted it as a date anyway. Watching her let loose—eyes bright, hair whipping in the wind as she ran from booth to booth—was the best part. It was the first time I’d seen her truly carefree.

It still bothered me that her twin older brothers insisted on monitoring our every move, but it wasn’t like I had any intention of stepping out of line with her.

Now that my sixteenth birthday had arrived, I knew for certain. I hadn’t spoken to Selene yet, but just the thought of her sent a chill through me—the kind that made my pulse quicken rather than slow. The bond between us was undeniable, something I could feel in my bones, even when she wasn’t near.

Neil and Izzy had covered the cost of my driving permit as their birthday gift, something I’d been eager to get my hands on. From Mom, Dad, and Lorne, I received a backpack packed with high-quality sketching supplies, a few new sets of clothes, and, most surprising of all, Dad’s old 1990 ZR-1 Corvette.

I ran my fingers over the sleek hood, feeling the weight of the gesture sink in. This wasn’t just another birthday gift. It was history. It was trust. It was responsibility. The deep burgundy paint gleamed under the morning light, a classic beast that had undoubtedly seen its fair share of roads long before I ever got behind the wheel.

‘Are you done yet, Logan?’ Neil groaned in my head, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I smirked, shaking my head. ‘You’re starting to sound like Paul.’

Neil laughed scrolling through his phone as he rolled his eyes. ‘Whatever.’

I finished the last question and walked over to the counter, handing the test to the clerk. She flipped through the pages, her expression shifting from neutral to skeptical.

Then, she frowned.

“Is there a problem?” I asked, keeping my voice calm.

Her narrowed gaze locked onto me. “Did you cheat or something?”

I blinked, momentarily speechless. Damn. That was a new low.

“I didn’t,” I replied evenly, refusing to let irritation show. Yeah, I was stubborn, but it often worked in my favour. “I just studied the book hard to prepare.”

Before she could press the issue further, Neil walked over, shoving his phone in my direction with an exasperated look.

“Kindly tell your sister-in-law where we are,” he sighed.

I glanced at the screen, already regretting whatever mess he had gotten himself into. “While I’m doing that, can you deal with the clerk? She thinks I cheated on the test because I got them all right.”

Neil groaned, lightly knocking me on the head with his knuckles. “Didn’t I tell you to get a few wrong on purpose?” He shook his head, half-amused, half-exasperated. “You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?”

I smirked. “And didn’t I ignore you?”

“Obviously,” he muttered. “Fine, I’ll deal with your mess if you deal with mine.”

He stuck out his hand, and we shook on it like it was some kind of high-stakes negotiation.

I raised the phone to my ear as Neil turned to the clerk. "Hi, Izzy, how’s it going?"

She groaned. "Are you really at the DMV right now?"

I smirked as Neil shot me a sideways glare. "Yep, we are."

"How did the test go?"

"Neil’s sorting it out with the clerk," I said, exhaling slowly. "They think I cheated."

Izzy scoffed. "Logan Daniel Pierce, is it really that hard to get one or two questions wrong?"

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. Today just kept getting better and better. First the clerk accused me of cheating, and now Izzy was lecturing me about being too perfect at a test. Switching gears, I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Izzy, did you want us to grab you something to eat on the way back?"

She sighed heavily, the sound of rustling in the background suggesting she was multitasking. "Grab me a Mama Burger Combo from A&W. No onions, extra-extra pickles, and a Sprite with no ice."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Is that all, or do you want the rest of the menu while we’re at it?"

"Unless you want to be on my bad side today, do not try my patience," she snapped, her tone edged with mock warning.

"I'm too young to die, sis. We'll be home as soon as we can," I assured her before ending the call. As I turned back to Neil, he held out a small piece of paper with Permit written on it, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Damn, she’s scary when she’s with pup.”

He snickered as he handed over the paper. “You should probably keep the sarcasm to a minimum around her then. She didn’t believe me either, so I had to show her and the manager here your last years test scores on my phone before they would pass you. Next time, get a few wrong, okay? Not everyone has an IQ above one-twenty, you know.”

Wordlessly, I swapped his cell for the paper and bolted out the door.

The moment I stepped outside, I instinctively took a deep breath—only to nearly gag. The air was thick with exhaust and the bitter scent of hot pavement, stifling any trace of freshness. It clung to my throat, acrid and unrelenting. Coming to town was always like this—a suffocating mess of pollution and oblivious people who moved through the haze, indifferent to its weight.

Behind me, soft footsteps disrupted the monotony of distant traffic and murmuring voices. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in their approach. I didn't need to turn to know who it was.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, keeping my tone light despite the oppressive atmosphere. “Are you hard at work or hardly working?”

He chuckled, his laughter steady and familiar. No matter how I’d acted over the past eight years since my adoption, he had never raised his voice in anger. There was no shouting, no hollow threats—only quiet reasoning and consequences meted out with calm precision. He would simply explain my mistakes, revoke a privilege, and wait until he felt I’d earned it back. That patience, that unwavering control—it had eased tensions in more conflicts than some of the short-tempered Alphas who came to him seeking guidance.

He was the reason I had any emotional control when frustration threatened to take over. Instead of obsessing over problems until they drove me mad, I brought the ones I couldn’t solve to Dad. He never dismissed them—never told me to just "get over it" like others might. Instead, he walked me through each issue with a clarity most people could never achieve.

I held up the little slip of paper, grinning as his expression shifted from bored to excited.

“That’s me lad!” Henry exclaimed, pulling me into a fierce hug. “Fair play to ya, Logan.”

“Can’t... breathe,” I wheezed.

Chuckling, he loosened his grip just as Neil stepped outside. I shot him a grin. “Izzy wants her usual.”

Neil raked a hand through his unruly black hair. “Refresh my memory.”

I reiterated her order, barely holding back a laugh as Neil’s face twisted in disgust at the mention of pickles. He hated them with a passion—but Izzy was pregnant, and cravings didn’t take opinions into account.

Henry let out a hearty laugh. “Ah, is she still makin’ ya get the snip?”

Neil groaned. “Dad, don’t start. This is our seventh child. Please. I’m hoping for a girl this time—I can’t handle any more boys in the house.”

Henry raised his brows, crossing his arms over his chest, the muscles shifting with the motion. “Ah sure, fair enough. Wouldn’t mind a granddaughter meself.”

We carried on chatting for another half hour, the conversation weaving effortlessly between jokes, old stories, and the latest family updates. Laughter mixed with the steady hum of traffic, the easy flow of familiarity wrapping around us like a well-worn jacket.

Then Neil’s phone rang, shattering the moment. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face before fishing the phone from his pocket. With a resigned shake of his head, he tossed me the keys. “You drive.”

I caught them mid-air, the metal cool against my palm. Slipping into the driver’s seat, I adjusted the mirrors out of habit before easing the Honda onto the road.

Beside me, Neil exhaled and answered the call, his voice shifting instantly—calm, steady, patient. Whatever had flustered his Mate, he was already working to smooth it over, his words quiet but firm. I let him handle it, focusing instead on the flow of traffic. The streets were a mess of honking horns, hurried pedestrians, and exhaust fumes, the city always teeming with movement.

As Neil murmured reassurances into the phone, I wove through the chaos, guiding the car forward with practiced ease.