NovelAppChapter 80: Picture of the Past
The pictures on the mantle were a clear progression of Serena and Santino‘s childhood. Logan scanned over them, smiling. Ther
e were pictures of Serena and Santino out on the boat with their dad, fishing. They were similar to the pictures he had seen of O
livia and Oliver.
Looking at the pictures, Logan felt like
he had a window into Serena‘s past, a part of herself she always kept hidden from him. It was clear from the pictures, though, th
at their parents put much more focus on Santino, probably because he was going to be the next Alpha
As the siblings got older, Serena was less and less of a focal point for her family. There were fewer pictures of her by herself, and
most of them were
at evens where she had achieved something. Like graduations. When he came across the picture of her at her undergraduate gr
aduation, Logan paused. He picked up the frame to examine it closer. He felt like he‘d seen her when
she was younger like that, but he couldn‘t place where.
“Enjoying a look at our family?” Santino asked, returning with a glass of water. Logan set the picture down and
took the water. He drank deeply to sooth his throat before answering.
“I never understood why parents would put a complete photographic history of their families out where everyone could see,” Log
an said. “It seems a bit invasive.” Santino chuckled, putting a hand on one of the frames with him
and Serena when they were younger, making a sandcastle at the beach. “Your parents do the same?” he asked. Logan nodded.
“Do you know
if I‘ve met your sister before, in the past?” he asked the question on his mind. Santino shrugged. “My sister is kind of private,” he
said. “Even with me sometimes. You know, she
always felt like she was ‘second best when my parents focused on me as the next
Alpha. It wasn‘t always easy on our relationship.” Logan nodded absently. He‘d picked up on
that from the pictures. It wasn‘t uncommon in a family of Alphas for the successor to be considered the ‘golden child but Logan c
ould see how that would be harder on twins. Serena was supposed to be Santino‘s equal in everything. Just
like Olivia and Oliver. “I can‘t shake the feeling that I‘ve met her before,” Logan said. “But...
I feel like I should remember more clearly, knowing who she is now. She is not
very forgettable.” Santino chuckled and clapped Logan on the back. “Our packs have intermingled a lot,” Santino said.
“Especially when we were younger. I‘d be surprised if you hadn‘t run into her before.”
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“True,“Logan muttered. He sighed, finishing his water. “Look, I don‘t want
to tell you your business or anything, but I know Serena came here to get away from you, at least
in part,” Santino said. Logan growled under his breath and pulled away from the other male. He didn‘t need to be reminded of tha
t fact! He felt guilty suddenly, standing in her parents‘ living room while she was just outside, and she had no idea he was there!
He should have let her know he was coming, even
if Thomas wanted to surprise the twins. It was the courteous thing to do, the respectful thing. Instead, he was
sneaking around behind her back because he had been desperate to see her and the kids again.
“I know why she is here,” Logan assured. “I‘m not here to get in her way or cause any problems. When the safety of my pack is a
t stake, I will do whatever is necessary.” “Good,” Santino said. “Because this whole Moonshine thing isn‘t going to be as easy as
my dad made it out to be. I think you know
that, just like I do.” Logan looked at Santino, quirking and eyebrow. Now he was beginning to think that the other male had secret
s of his own. He made it sound like he had some kind of personal tie to Moonshine, or some history with
them. “Deciding the fate of any pack, your own or another, is never easy,” Logan pointed out. “It is a calculated risk, but we have
to weight the pros and cons.” “You‘re right,” Santino said. “Can I ask you something kind of personal?” Logan shrugged, taking a
seat again. Santino sat in the chair across from him. “Go for it,” he said. “You‘re going to be a father soon, right?” he asked. Loga
n nodded.
“I guess I am,” he said with a sigh. “You don‘t seem particularly thrilled
about it,” Santino pointed out. Logan chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. “It came as a bit of a shock,” he admitted. “I sus
pect I will adjust and accept it when the time comes.” Santino laughed. “I guess I just figured you were a father
already, because Serena has talked about how good you are with
the twins. They also never stop talking about you,” he said. Logan fought the smile that tugged at his lips. He couldn‘t help it! He
cared so much for the twins, and knowing that they cared about him and missed him too, it made him uncontrollably happy. “Do y
ou ever wish you were their father?” Santino
asked, tilting his head at the Alpha. Logan was a bit caught off guard by the question. He grunted, stroking his chin. It wasn‘t som
ething he had really thought about before. He‘d liked being a male authority figure to them, but thinking in terms of being their ‘fat
her‘ had always seemed like crossing some kind of invisible boundary in his mind.
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Chapter 80. Picture of the Past
“Do you mean biologically, or do wonder if I wish I could raise them as my own with Serena?” he asked for clarification, not sure
what Santino was asking. “Whichever,” Santino said with a shrug. “You just seem much more interested in them than your own c
how my own kid is going to turn out. Olivia and Oliver are so amazing because they have an amazing mom.
I think of all the ways I could fail my own child of how Holly...” he trialed off, not wanting to talk too much about how he
thought Holly might not be a great mom. Santino was smirking at him, as if he had received some kind of confirmation to an unas
ked question.
“What?” Logan asked when the other male wouldn‘t stop smirking at him. Santino shook his head.
“Oh, nothing,” he said. “You just say some interesting things sometimes,” Santino said with a chuckle.
“Interesting how?” Logan asked, narrowing his eyes. Santino laughed again. “You said that you love who the twins are because o
f who their mother is,” he said. Logan shook his
head. “That isn‘t exactly how I said it,” he argued. When he thought about it though, in the simplest terms, Santino wasn‘t wrong.
He loved who the twins were, and he had attributed who they were to their mother and
the way she‘d raised them. Shaking his head, Logan looked at his empty glass of water. “I‘m going to get a refill,” he said. Santin
o nodded. Logan went to the kitchen where Alpha
Thomas had a territory map spread out on the table. “Is this up to date?” he asked as Logan went to the sink to get more water. L
ogan drank first and then glanced over Thomas‘s shoulder. He grabbed a pencil
and made a few marks on the map to update some landmarks.
“That looks better,” he said.
“Thank you,” Thomas said.
“Is that all for our meeting?” Logan asked. Thomas nodded.
“I have everything I need,” he said. “I suppose that means you want to see the kids now?” Logan smiled.
“I would;” he admitted. “Although confronting Moonshine is a top priority, I wouldn‘t come all this way to not see them.” Thomas g
rinned. “They do have that affect, don‘t they?” he asked. Logan nodded, drinking more water. His throat was
rather dry with all the talking. “I‘ll go see where they have gotten off
to.”
Thomas left Logan alone in the kitchen. He looked over the map. It showed all three
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Chapter 80 Picture of the Past
territories, a map of what was once the Federation. Moonshine territory mostly bordered Night Sky, only touching on Starseeker te
No wonder Moonshine had only been going after his territory! Logan finished his water and ran a hand over the map, drawing his
Night Sky had more territory than Starseeker, and Logan wanted to ensure that Starseeker got some kind of reward
for aiding in his battle against Moonshine. Increased land holdings seemed like a good way to go. It was another problem to
consider on another day. First, they had to handle the threat, then they could figure out what to do with the spoils.
“Logan, come on out to the yard!” Thomas called from the back deck. Logan finished his water and left his glass behind.
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