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Dirty Laundry

Chapter Seven

By Roofles

Sloan didn’t pick up.

The phone buzzed on his desk as the lion sat there in his office, late that Friday evening after what had happened that morning with his assistant. Ex-assistant if Logan was to believed in quitting. Sloan did… everyone eventually quit on him. The glow of the phone was the only light in the stuffy, cramp, cage of an office. The lion’s tail was swaying, never a good sign as his eyes bore into the phone on the desk.

He always hated this place. This cage. This office. The people in it. The people he was working for. They all were shills, brownnosers, suck ups and morons as far as he saw it. A bunch of kiss asses that would suck ass in order to get that small, insult of a raise or a promise of a promotion that would never come.

Who’d want to invest in a place like this. It might as well be a carcass. Rotting in the sun with the vultures circling above.

Sloan’s nails dug into the desk as he stared at the phone, unable to look away. Wanting to pick up. To answer it and finding that his pride, didn’t let him.

The name “Logan” read on the screen.

It buzzed two more times before going to voice mail. His ex-assistant leaving him another voicemail, along with a string of text messages. Logan wanted to check in on him to make sure he was ok... Sloan didn’t like that. Sloan had wanted this to be the other way around. He had wanted to be the one to comfort and take care of his assistant. To spoil him, to treat him, to give him what the human had wanted and desired… Sloan had misread it. Had misread everything and the harsh truth of it was, Logan had been the one doing that for his boss the entire time without the lion ever picking up on it.

Not until it was too late.

Logan had been such a breath of fresh air in this cesspool. His smile and warm, friendly voice. Greeting the lion without fear or consternation for who and what he was… Logan had accepted him. “Scars and all…” And that pained Sloan more than he could ever say. Sloan hadn’t even realized he’d been looking forward to seeing the human show up every morning until, just today, the lion had gotten to the office…

With two cups of coffee ready for them.

Only to realize, Logan wasn’t coming in anymore.

He’d thrown the cups out, not even bothering to finish his own as he sulked like the broody predator he was, in his cage…

In a way, it had been exactly the game Logan had been playing. An unhealthy, easy game that created more time bombs in his wake than the human was willing to acknowledge or admit. Logan had been Sloan’s anchor. Not only that, he was his friend. Someone the lion felt he could confide in, tell him all those sweet juicy secrets the officer had been after.

And once that anchor was gone, Sloan’s mind began to drift again. Into the darker waters. Away from the man he was and more into the lion, the predator he knew himself to be…

A far more primal, wild side of Sloan wanted to track the human down. Hunt, stalk him and demand for him to get back on all fours. It was that caveman mentality that most predators had; an instinct that lurked on the edge of their consciousness, fighting against it each and every morning and forced to sleep with it, each and every night…

A part of themselves, a passenger in their own mind they were forced to take everywhere with them. A caged beast that needed to be kept in the back, locked away and forgotten.

Those who gave into such thoughts, such instincts didn’t last long.

You saw it on the news, read it in the papers. There were studies on it, board members and politicians who ran their entire campaign on… Against those who acted more animal than man. These people were seen as the true dredges of society. The media painted them as such and when everyone reinforced the idea, such a fact became distorted and twisted as they wanted it to be. A clear right and a clear wrong answer.

Sloan knew better…

They were all just animals in the end. Dressed in suits, forced to work in cages, chained by society… Sloan’s nails dug into his desk, once more. The lion using the desk more as a scratching post these days than anything else. The thread that was keeping him sane was beginning to snap and he wasn’t sure when it’d happen.

It could be today. Flip the desk over, go into the hall to yell at his new, useless, secretary that wasn’t into paw play. Then go up to the “uppers” above and yell at the other management and tell them how he really felt about all their inane demands and expectations before throwing them off the roof one by one so they could watch. And then sue the entire company for the books worth of illegal activities Sloan had a hand in covering up for them.

It could be on the way home in traffic at a red light as someone honked at him from behind. Pushing the lion over the edge until he opened his door, grabbed the baseball bat in the back and wailed on the other person’s vehicle, before beating them into a bloody pulp.

Or it could be tomorrow. When he was getting his coffee; they’d get it wrong and he’d snap right then and there. Pull that buck across the counter and no matter how cute he was…

The lion could feel drool trickling from his lips and he wiped it on the back of his suit, not minding the stain it made after.

“I don’t even like venison… usually.” Sloan muttered about the dark thoughts seeping in.

A light broke through the dark room as his office door opened, just enough for the secretary bird to look inside.

“Sir?” His new secretary asked from the cracked doorway, afraid to step into the office. As it should be… Sloan growled in reply. Afraid of walking into the lion’s den… unlike that human had. “I-I finished sending the report and your afternoon a-appointment canceled…” The lion chuckled at that.

Of course they would. Everyone cancels on Sloan sooner or later…

The lion’s nails pricked his center paw pad and he had to consciously sheath them away like the deadly blades they were. Hooked claws that didn’t let his prey escape.

“Very well, I have plans anyways.” Sloan had planned to cancel his last scheduled appointment for the day. This just made things easier. It still bothered him… how they so callously canceled without warning; that should be Sloan’s position. He should be the one canceling on others not the other way around.

Sloan kept his back towards the door, knowing she was already gone. He doubted she’d last the week… he worried; he might not be able to survive the week. His eyes glanced over at the desk, at the phone sitting on top of it.

Logan had been one of the few people who seemed to have been able to handle the lion. To put up with him… to be with him. Sloan gritted his teeth hard enough he could taste the iron of his own blood. Nails dug into his arm as he hunched over, trying to keep from roaring on the very spot he stood in the dark, isolated cage…

What had he done to get Logan to leave him, like all the others… Was it something he said? Was it something he’d done? The worried, racing thoughts haunted him as the lion looked down at his hands. Logan had shown him his scars and Sloan felt as if he were the one to have inflicted them on the human…

“Dammit…” Sloan could only curse. There was no answer and that bothered him more than anything else. He wanted to meet up with Logan again, ask what was going on and if he could do something to change what had happened, whatever that may have been…

Another text came from his phone, from a number he’d been waiting to hear back from. It was the primary reason Sloan had stayed around instead of just calling it after Logan left. He picked it up, unlocking the phone with a swipe, his nail leaving a nasty scratch on the front of it, and nearly cracking the screen with the force in which he held it.

The lion was breaking and everything around him seemed to be crumbling with it.

Looking at the homepage sent that pain through his chest again. He’d forgotten to change the picture…

His homepage was of the two of them. Of him and his assistant; a lion and a human standing there posing. It was supposed to be the picture they used for his profile, to make Sloan feel, ironically, more human. More approachable, with his assistant there with him. Smiling without a concern on his face…

Sloan had hated the picture. Telling everyone to delete it, to scrap the idea and just use the picture he’d been using for the last five years… while keeping this one just for himself. He knew it was fake. That the entire picture had been set up and orchestrated to make the lion less intimidating.

Logan was in it though. Standing there all dumb and cheery next to the lines side with an arm around his back, just above Sloan’s tail. Sloan had rested his own heavier arm over the human’s shoulders, hugging him close…

His finger hovered over the delete button…

“Dammit…” Sloan’s arm fell limp to his side. He lifted up the phone as it began to ring. “It’s me…” He answered with a low growl, his mood officially soured by the fact he couldn’t… no, he didn’t want to delete such a memory.

“We’ll be on the golf course, waiting.” The voice from the other line side before hanging up.

Sloan knew exactly what he had meant. He hadn’t been out of this line of work long enough to forget such a simple code… the lion’s were going on a hunt.

…

Logan arrived late that night to the club downtown. It was once owned by the deranged Alpha wannabe Diamond and now was owned by the even more deranged, unstable Vicky; Diamond’s mate. Or ex-mate depending how you wanted to look at it. After Diamond’s death during her attempted coup of Alpha-ship, as Logan was just beginning to call it… Vicky had lost her freaking mind.

Drugs, woman, booze… nothing ever seemed to be enough to sate her endless hunger. Gluttony was a sin for a reason. Booze, woman, drugs? They all were the same thing. Trying to partake in the raw pleasures of life, unable to ever fill the void inside left by her dead mate…

To numb herself from the pain of loss. Logan knew what that was like, after losing his brother.

Logan would’ve felt bad if he didn’t know just how sick and twisted Vicky had been before Diamond’s death. And she’d only grown worse in the following year of her passing.

The human parked far down the street, in the safer part of the block. It was so his car wasn’t raided by junkies; the closer you got to this seedier part of the city, the less savory the people became. Homeless were a serious issue and nearly every alleyway had someone in it. Rotting. Rotting like the city itself.

And here Logan was going to a nightclub to check on a wolf he barely even really knew.

He had changed into a far more… skimpier outfit than he’d ever normally ever wear. The shirt didn’t come down far enough to cover his navel, but was enough to hide the claw marks on his back. The pants he stripped into were ripped as if a predator had clawed through them, highlighting the point the human officer was trying to go for.

Without a word, he needed others to see he was the “party and play” boy like all the others that ended up going into the club.

He clipped several glow bands to his wrists of various monotone colors. They were more for his benefit, planning to walk into the dim nightclub without any proper flashlight. They went well with the black leather metal bands he fastened on next. It matched the leather vest he tossed on and the boots he quickly slipped into.

He looked like a punk to others while Logan just felt like a nark. A mix between someone going to a rave and a leather biker daddy one would see at Collar N’ Chains.

“How do you do fellow kids?” Logan said aloud, cringing after as he shuddered. He’d be putting on the collar once he got into the club, the pup mask and paw mittens were soon to follow he was sure. Whatever it took in order to fit in, to get this over with without being noticed.

Walking over towards the back alley entrance was easy enough. The rains, of course, began to fall. Those on the streets ignored him as if knowing he was willingly walking into a wolf’s den. Logan preferred to count the days it didn’t rain over the days it did. It just made things easier that way as the human tried not to openly shiver in the revealing outfit he had on.

Tight fitting ripped jeans, a shirt two sizes too small and a leather vest with an assortment of trendy knickknacks on his arms and legs, hoops and buckles that didn’t connect to anything; it fit in a place like this at least. Logan hated it.

“Ah, there ya’ are welp.” One of the two bouncers, Alphonse or just Alph, said with a spreading grin that seemed to reach his ears at it split his face in two. All fangs, little smile. It was a common trait to see from predators that didn’t follow the social norms of keeping ones muzzle closed; they went the alternate route. Trying to open their muzzles as wide as possible when talking.

It was more comical than anything else, Logan thought.

“Alph-y!” Logan voice was high and, for lack of a better word, more flamboyant than a horse, dressed as a unicorn, sliding down a pole licking a rainbow lollipop (something Logan had seen on the Utube the other night) while singing it’s raining men.

After all, a flamboyantly gay guy was one of the least threatening things in a place like this.

The wolf’s ears perked up, eyes easing as his jowls lowered. The tip of his tail wagged and Logan was soon enough smothered in a hug from the large brute of a bouncer out front. It wasn’t a friendly hug, more of a tackle of fur and muscle from the wet bouncer forced to stand outside as it rained. He smelled strongly of wet dog and warm leather. Alph’s, excitement, was grinding against Logan’s front.

“It’s been too long, ya’ hairless ape.” The other bouncer took his turn, shoving Alph aside roughly against the brick wall before scooping Logan off the ground and shaking him back and forth in a bone crushing hug; if Logan wasn’t flexing, fighting against it he was sure he’d have been injured from the seemingly friendly gesture.

Logan had been coming here for over a year now, back when Diamond was still around. He’d been keeping watch on the club as part of one of his assignments for the police. Once that led him nowhere, Logan took it on himself to go investigate first hand. It took some work and a lot of “favors” Logan wasn’t proud of to get these wolves to see him as the “harmless, kinky human” he wanted them too.

The main issue was, as Logan was being set down; Logan couldn’t bring weapons with him. The two wolves giving him hugs both had groped, rubbed and felt up every part of his body, practically cavity searching the human for any contraband. Logan wasn’t foolish enough to be packing and he barely carried his badge with him in the first place.

“Where’s Dom?” Logan asked with that sweet, high pitchy voice that made his throat hurt.

The wolves exchanged a glance; ever the suspicious type.

“Why?” Alph was the one to ask while Cliff, the other bouncer, stepped forward. Using a clawed finger, Cliff lifted Logan’s chin up to look into the ashy gray wolf’s face. The look on the wolf’s face told Logan everything the wolf wanted from the human.

“Yeah? Why you barking up that tree when I’m right here, puppy?” Cliff bent down, planning on giving Logan a rather aggressive kiss as the human backed up.

Logan couldn’t noticeably let such a thing slide and had grabbed the front of Alph’s suit, or rather, the bouncer’s tie. Gripping it like a leash, Logan pulled it quickly jerking the startled wolf’s face forward just enough for the two wolves to conk their skulls together with an audible “thunk” that resounded in the alleyway.

The two wolves collected themselves, allowing Logan to slip past in the brief respite he’d been granted. Toying between slut and officer was a difficult task to do, and if he slipped up Logan would be biting off more than he could chew; or someone would be taking a, literal, bite of him…

“It’s our anniversary sillies!” Logan just said giving them both a wink, a kiss on the cheeks before quickly making his way inside before he had to entertained any more wolves tonight than he already planned too.

They grumbled and muttered out front. Something along the lines of how lucky Dom was to have such a slutty human around.

The stairs leading down into the nightclub were lined with neon lights that shifted and changed to the beat of music Logan could already feel in his bones. The walls had a sort of carpeted feel to them, Logan barely able to make them out in the dark as he focused on the steps before finally pushing through the twin doors, dramatically, and walking into the nightclub as if he owned the place.

If you walked as if you belonged, most people usually thought you did. Any sign of nervousness or hesitation would quickly be pounced on in a place like this.

Music filled the air along with the stench. A musty smell of stale air of too many warm bodies breathing in the same room with filtration. Logan was never sure how someone like Domino was able to breathe properly in a place like this. It was stuffy, uncomfortable and he was already beginning to sweat from the heat. The smell made him feel nauseous as he walked with a dance in his step; Logan already moving with the beat of the music as he’d done countless times before.

Logan was in his early twenties. He was fit, healthy and made sure to stay that way. He’d snag a drink from someone not paying attention; make sure everyone knew he had one before carefully emptying it out as he went before dropping the empty glass on the counter. Logan had a tipsy smile to his face as he flirted with someone he’d never met or seen before, acting like some drunk bimbo before moving on just as quickly.

Some officers did drink on the job but Logan preferred not to. It was a risky gamble and he rather act drunk than be drunk. He couldn’t afford to lose his senses in a den of predators. He needed to keep them honed sharp in a place like this if he wanted to get out alive.

Diamond had been strict on who she allowed into her club. It was a front, after all, for raising her new army to go against the current Alpha, back in the day. She’d been doing a number of side jobs in order to increase her own wealth and status amongst the darker circles of the underbelly. Planning to off Bale and replace him in the very same night.

That hadn’t ended well for her or Bale, leaving the position up for grabs with the wolves left standing.

Vicky, on the other hand, could care less. After Diamond’s death, Vicky didn’t give too shits about being the new alpha. She’d been far too accustomed to her life with Diamond; sex, drugs and woman whenever she snapped her fingers to change much however. Vicky couldn’t let anyone else take the reins and steer this sinking ship, she’d lose her cash flow if she did; instead she tried to live up each and every day as if it were her last. She didn’t care who came into the club as long as they weren’t going to kill her buzz or high she was trying to go for that night.

Still, most weren’t foolish enough as Logan was to walk into a den of worked up, sometimes coked up, wolves.

Sure, there were plenty of other predatory species around. There was a weasel at the end of the bar talking with a rather beat up looking otter; Logan was sure the weasel was the otters dealer, doing the dirty deed here meant he was cutting Vicky’s group a cut of his profits while they protected him from the law. A double edged sword. Protected and yet also under the wolves thumb.

There was a snake coiled underneath a sun lamp off near the side where the round tables were set up for the more “exclusive” members that wanted to have some, hired, company for the night. They’d retreat into the back before long; though, from the looks of it, the snake was just enjoying their sunlamp too much to worry about anyone else. Most likely too shot up with something to care about company.

Several hawks and other birds of prey were chatting nearby in a language Logan didn’t recognize. He figured it was Russian though with the constant “dah” they kept nodding to one another. It was, literally, the only word of Russian Logan knew. He was fluent in Spanish, Hindi (due to the tiger family he grew up next too…) and loosely in Italian and French. He’d never needed to learn Russian before.

Logan scanned the room. Over the large dance floor in the middle and to every corner, noting how many guards were on duty. It looked like a light night, oddly enough. Half the bouncers were missing and, looking towards the second floor, Logan noted how Vicky wasn’t around this night either.

It the room wasn’t filled with people, however, Logan might’ve been worried. Vicky was most likely off in her own private quarters being… entertained; which worked in Logan’s favor as he checked out the dance floor.

It consisted of several different squares stuck together. Each square lit up with different, soft, colors as they changed with the music’s beat above. Lamps hung from the ceiling on heavy chains, most were dimmed down so low Logan could barely see they were on. He just ignored what was with the lamps as he looked elsewhere for Domino…

The human moving through the thick crowd as he made note of every guard and their position. Nights like this usually had more guards though…

The thought made a pit form in Logan’s stomach; it was, after all, prey night at the club.

Along with the lamps hanging from the ceiling were several large cages. The steel bar cages weren’t empty and several different herbivore species danced inside. Usually only one to two in each. Lewdly, suggestively, dancing caged up around all the predators in the room. They’d strip their clothes off throughout the night as they “danced” with the predators salivating over them. The cages had been lowered to the point they might as well have been resting on the floor, but weren’t. The smallest of things, such as that, was a clear sign these herbivores were in fact their “entertainment.” Trapped in cages and hoping no one found the keys to them.

Logan was glad he’d never been put in such a precarious situation. He made sure he always had an escape route, just in case things turned south. Being a human, he didn’t strike the same… interest, as the heffer in the cage nearby did.

She was a very large bodied bovine, white with black spots all over her naked body. She had curves on her curves and to a predator, Logan figured, she looked very tantalizing. Some entertainment with your dinner, as it were. She moved back and forth just letting her mass do the work for her. She was sweating underneath one of the lamps; something Logan noted. The lamps that were on were the ones on the cages, highlighting them in the otherwise dimly lit room.

Like auction pieces, that could be bought…

Logan knew just how true that was as he quickly maneuvered between two large bears eying the bovine with far more interest than Logan was comfortable with. He didn’t want to be here any longer than he had too as he made his way underneath the upper rises of the second floor, where Vicky kept her throne, and towards the darker back corners.

Logan knew he stuck out. His glow bands might as well have painted signs all around him in the dark. It left the human somewhat blind as he tried not to scramble in the dark; it was harder than it might seem. Logan needed to act like he was afraid while making sure not to be. A tricky thing to do when you were surrounded by predators and you were left without one of your primary senses…

His hand reached out and felt fur and for a second Logan worried he’d bumped into someone… taking care of themselves, again, in one of the corners; the back rooms could be expensive and so some of the keener species would stay nearby, listen in with their enhanced hearing and get off on the voyeuristic act of it.

“Logan?” The voice asked and he deflated slightly as the worry seeped away.

“Dom. There you are…” Logan knew the wolf would instantly pick him out. Domino had his scent and when a brightly lit human was coming, somewhat, towards you. You took notice quickly.

“The hell are you doing here?” Domino growled at him, keeping his voice down. It was hard to hear him through the growl and over the music’s beat all around them. The generic techno was pumped through the room from massive speakers in practically every corner.

“I was looking for you…” Logan tried to start up, playing joyful to have found the wolf. Coy and playful, that’s how Domino usually liked it. To Logan’s surprise, Domino wasn’t in the mood. Which was a first.

“It’s prey night, Logan!” Domino snarled the words out, his grip on Logan’s arm tightened and the human actually flinched at that making the wolf ease up a bit. “You… you shouldn’t be here…” The wolf took a heavy breath. It only made it worse. “It’s not safe.”

It was a first for the wolf to seem concerned for the human; something Logan had come here for. To warn Domino, not the other way around.

Domino had been here all night, keeping an eye on the crowds that were grinding, humping and biting at the caged prey lowered down to them like offering from heaven. It made a part of him stir, stir in a way he didn’t like to openly show in front of others. Vicky knew that, working on their animal sides. Giving them a chance to “indulge” in such a thing here, away from prying eyes and behind closed doors.

Vicky would give just enough to those who supported her, to keep them coming back. To fund her whimsies and fanciful desires that could be rather expensive some nights.

Bale, the previous Alpha, had prided himself on being a civilized member of society. Despite the dirty work he got them to do for him, Bale made sure to always wear suits, keep well trimmed and with enough bling to put the sun to shame. To him, it had all been about appearances and respect.

While Bale preferred to be the man, Vicky wanted to be the wolf they were. Wild, untamed animals running on pure instinct and desire and little more.

Domino had to wipe his mouth off, once again, salivating in front of all this… meat, before him. The smell in the air. The smell of sex, sweat and bodies. It was hard to keep himself in check, as many of the other bouncers seemed to be struggling with as well.

“If it’s not safe for me, then it’s not safe for you, Dom.” Logan just felt the need to point out. He petted the side of the wolf’s face, trying to look into his eyes. It was hard too in the dark but once he did, Logan took a sharp breath and a step back.

“I…” Domino took a moment to collect himself. He was breathing heavily. Panting. Panting like some horny, hungry dog and he hated it. Hated how good it felt, to give in… to be wild. “Just give me a moment, mate.” The wolf snarled the word out between clenched, drool covered fangs.

Logan kept the frown from showing on his face as Domino said that. “Mate” meant something very different to them than it did to humans. It meant something… primal, wild and feral. Something usually associated with their feral cousins out in the wilds or seen in zoos. Not to those within the city, that was for sure.

The possessiveness Domino had said it with made Logan regret coming this night. He should’ve just texted, no matter how impersonal that was.

“Do you need some water?” Logan offered, making sure to keep his distance. Domino’s ears perked up, swiveling in on him as his face twisted and turned to look at him as if only now seeing the human standing directly in front of him.

And it made goose bumps form on Logan’s arms.

Dom used a hand to cover the smile forming on his face as he just gave a single, curt nod in reply without words. The growl that followed made Logan not turn his back fully on the wolf as he headed towards the front.

Logan had half a mind to just leave for the night, come back at a different time or just call Domino over the phone. He didn’t like to see his suspicions about these wolves be true… any predator, confirmed for what they were, was never a pretty sight.

“Detox.” Logan said to the bartender, another wolf. While the shorter gray furred female seemed like an everyday, average bartender Logan knew better. She had sharp eyes, a cut over one side of her muzzle and she was the front runner within the club in case anything went sour.

Logan knew there was heavy artillery under the counter and did not want to have her pulling it out. He once helped Dom out, while the bouncer served drinks during a busy night; servicing the wolf underneath the counter while Dom served drinks, that is.

The single word Logan had said told the bartender everything she needed to know. She used codes to get certain drinks for the costumers that “mattered” compared to those who drifted in and rarely drifted out…

Pouring his drink, she brushed a hand over his and looked him in the face stopping him from going.

“Did Dom tell you?” She asked and Logan just gave a single nod. She eased up at that. “Good. Be safe.” And with that was turning towards the others there.

It made Logan’s chest feel that pit again, sinking down into his stomach… there were so many wolves here that weren’t pieces of shit like those above the food chain in the pack. Logan never went to the second level and would flatly refuse if someone tried to get him too. Some things were best left unknown, left in the dark… Logan still needed to sleep at night.

And here was Dom, the bartender Lilith and somewhat Alph out front who all were just trying to watch out for the regular human who showed up. The three of them, along with a couple of others, had begun to accept Logan as one of their own, in a way, and kept an eye out for the human.

It wasn’t like they were friends and yet, Logan could feel her eyes on him as he made his way back towards Dom underneath the glass floor above and towards the side where the wolf was keeping himself in check.

There were so many people here Logan didn’t want to see get hurt, or worse, just because of their crazy alpha. Logan had even thought helping someone like Dom take Vicky’s place. But the wolves left standing were more followers than leaders and, until he met Reese, Logan hadn’t found a wolf that could actually fill the role they all were looking for.

“Here.” Logan said giving the brown furred wolf the drink, following it up with a handful of pills Lilith had given him from the bar. He was sure that wasn’t her real name but didn’t concern himself in such thoughts as he rubbed Domino’s back with a hand. “Just… just take it easy, ok, Dom?”

Domino downed the whole glass of water. Logan was sure it was more than just water but whatever it was, it seemed to work like a magic pill as Domino ended up nearly hurling after. He forced himself to take the pills and Logan eased him off towards the corner away from the others.

“We need a room,” Logan said to Barreth, one of the other bouncers keeping an eye on the back rooms. The rooms were reserved for those looking for more than just some dry humping on the dance floor. Party and play usually meant booze and drugs would also be involved in the stickier aspects of these rooms.

“Right.” Barreth didn’t argue or question him as he pulled the velvet rope out of the way and let Logan help Domino into the back.

In a way, seeing Barreth trust him so easily… made this all the harder for Logan who just wanted to help out his friend.

“Dammit, Dom…” Logan knocked on the doors one by one until he found one empty. Logan wasn’t bothered by those offering him to join them or walking in on two in a position his human body could never manage; it was just another night at the club after all.

He pushed the wolf inside the empty room near the end of the dead end hallway. Logan quickly shut and locked the door behind them. He did not want anyone joining him this night. Only to realize he had gotten the “blood room.” A room near the back that didn’t have lights like the others.

Instead the circular dance pole in the middle of the room was lit up with eerie red neon lights that circled around and up, creating a blood moon overlooking the seats set up to watch the dancer. Before feasting on them… Logan wasn’t sure what that smell was in the air and just hoped it wasn’t stale blood.

Some were into blood play and sometimes that play went too far… there was a reason why there was a grate in the middle of the room, for the blood to drain out of.

“Are you going to be ok?” Logan had to ask, rubbing the wolf’s back as he tried to pull himself up.

Domino was huffing, panting and his nose twitched several times. For a second, Logan was worried he was smelling the blood, sex and drugs in the room and hoped it wouldn’t trigger the wolf’s more baser instincts. Instead, the wolf turned on him. Looking him in the eye suspiciously making Logan take a timid step back.

Unarmed, locked in a room with a wolf on the verge of losing it… Yeah, Logan had fucked up and he was only now seeming to realize that. He had forgotten Domino was just another one of them. A predator. He wanted to give the wolf some leeway, thinking, maybe, they were friends and now he was going too-

“You smell like Reese.” Domino sniffed at him, his whiskered snout bumping against Logan’s chin and underneath before up over his hair.

Logan’s eyes widened at that, his mask slipping for a moment at being caught. He was sure the deodorant and sprays in his car would be enough. Maybe it was the sweat trickling from his forehead that helped dilute the otherwise potent sprays. He tried not to use too much; a human covered in cologne was extremely suspicious and the wolves, even knowing him, wouldn’t had let him in if he was doused in the stuff.

“I…” Logan took a half step back, eying the door now and trying to calculate if he could-,

Domino’s arm hit the wall hard as the wolf punched it. The dark brown furred wolf slowly stood up to his full height and looked down at the human. His nose twitched, eyes glaring with both ears perked up as he stared at the human before him. Yeah, Logan had fucked up this time.

“Why do you smell of Reese?” Domino had to ask, his voice very low and almost too much of a growl to understand.

“I…” Logan wanted to say something like he banged the wolf without knowing who he was but was sure that was the last thing Domino wanted to hear right now.

“Who are you, really?” Domino finally just asked the question that had been lingering over the two since they’d met.

Domino had found the human funny at first. Just another horny fuck seeking some dirty, risky fun in a predator’s club. Logan had danced around the bouncers and members until he landed in Domino’s lap. Somehow the wolf had managed to… keep his interest. Logan was playful and fun and wasn’t opposed to things the wolf was into.

Then Logan began asking questions.

Silly, inane ones at first. It confused the wolf, thinking he was just curious about him… but that changed, over time. The questions growing far more… specific. Domino hadn’t answered them and Logan’s demeanor shifted when the wolf continued to refuse too. The more he did, the more Logan began to look away… look at others. Begin wondering if maybe Domino hadn’t been the right choice to take among all these wolves here.

The human already looking for his next “fix” as it were.

So Domino began telling him things. Small things. Little things, here and there. At first…

And that had gotten Logan’s attention again making the wolf feel as if… he mattered. That attention Logan gave him had been the highlight of Domino’s week. And Domino hadn’t wanted to let it go, let others have that attention… to have Logan looking that way at anyone but him.

It bothered him, on that primal level. Seeing the human look at others with interest. He wanted to be Logan’s only “interest” in this matter. And he began to feed the human more juicier, dirtier details about what was going on in the club.

And it had worked like a charm. Logan was all over him, always with him, talking to him, hanging out during his shift and on more than one occasion, returning to Domino’s home for late night fun.

As long as Domino could answer Logan’s question, then the human would keep coming around. He’d show up. Tease a few people; poke a few wolves before landing in Domino’s lap once more. And it was… nice. A guilty pleasure and if there was one thing Vicky’s nightclub was known for, it was for these guilty pleasures.

“In fact, why are you here?” Domino ended up asking. His ears fell back and the wolf… took a timid step back, looking away at the human. As if Logan had been the one to call him out, question Domino instead of the other way around. “You never show up unannounced and…” Domino wasn’t sure what to say, what to do.

If he kept speaking, then Logan would lose that interest in him. And if he didn’t, then he’d be betraying his new pack. It was his job to sniff out rats and Domino was beginning to suspect that Logan was a-

“I’m a reporter.” Logan lied, taking a step forward and just giving Domino a look. The wolf ears perked up at that, looking at the human. “I’ve been doing a whole research piece on predators and clubs and nightlife…” Logan went on.

It was easy. Maybe too easy and that worried Logan, though he pushed such thoughts away as he lied to this wolf in front of him. It had been a backup plan if he were ever caught. Logan had even prepared a counterfeit badge from a local news station. He could read Domino as any canine could, except for the smell. The human had learned and picked up on their hidden body language; something he made sure not to let any of them know he had. Having such an ace up his sleeve had saved his life more times than he’d like to count.

And this was one situation where Logan “read” that he needed to fall to plan B since the horny, twink persona wasn’t working any further.

“I… you… the questions, then?” Domino said trying to piece it together. Something was fishy about this and the wolf, in the state of mind he was, couldn’t find that single missing piece to complete the puzzle. And just like before, Logan gave it to him. The wrong piece for the wrong puzzle throwing the wolf off his trail.

“It’s my job.” Logan just answered, getting his full attention. “I find out the things going on behind these closed doors, write a story on it and send it to my editor anonymously, using a pseudonym.” Logan sighed heavily, shaking his head before looking at Domino with large, damp eyes as if he were trying to hold back the tears.

Logan wasn’t. He wasn’t crying. Looking like a pitiful mess however had the effect he was going for on the dominate male who had to resist comforting the submissive “mate” in this pseudo relationship they had going on. Behind closed doors...

Domino’s ears fully laid back, tail tucking now.

“I’m sorry, Dom…” And Logan touched the wolf’s hand. He surprised himself… with how genuine he was saying that. Though he was apologizing for something else all together, Logan had meant the apology selling the lie the rest of the way. “I didn’t mean to get you involved in this, any of this… I didn’t turn the report in yet...” Logan just shook his head, brushing a hand through his face before biting a finger as if really thinking about this, deliberating telling him… another lie. “If I turned it in… then everyone… Alph, Lilith, Barreth… you,” Logan turned to look at the wolf. “I didn’t want to risk hurting you…”

Domino huffed a breath, taking a moment to collect his racing thoughts. He thought Logan was someone he’d have to put down, kill… to protect the pack. Instead, here this human was telling him his greatest secret, all in the hopes of telling Domino the truth. To let this wolf in further, as if they really were…

And Domino took a heavy step forward, wrapping an arm around Logan before nuzzling his broad muzzle against the side of Logan’s face.

“You should text me before coming from now on…” Domino just said with a low growl as he nuzzled the human again. He wanted his scent on Logan. He didn’t like smelling other wolves on him. “I’ll come out, from now on, to greet you… To take you in. You can… can, keep me company from now on.” Domino let go, taking a step back.

Logan was acutely aware of how turned on the wolf had been hugging him like that. It was rather hard not to notice the rather impressive bulge grinding up against his body. It was difficult to tell if Domino was interested in doing more, just yet, or if the wolf just really wanted to make sure his scent was on the human.

“Yeah. From now on,” Logan shook his head about to just dumbly agree with the wolf and forget the very reason he came here tonight. “Domino!” He grabbed the wolf’s arm before he could reach the door to leave. “I have to tell you something…”

Then the lights went out.

The two stood there in absolute darkness that fell over the room, waiting for the backup generator to turn on. It never did.

“Is that normal?” Logan asked, looking around the pitch black room. He felt Dom reach for him, taking his arm in his hand once more. It wasn’t as tight as it had been before but there was still that… possessiveness Logan was beginning to get used too from these wolves.

Logan was sure Alph and Cliff out front scent on him had bothered Domino as well. Wolves didn’t like their “mates” having other scents but their own. It was that feral, wild part of them they kept in check. With the meat being dangled before them, with a room filled with the smell of lust and sweat and then smelling the other wolves on Logan… it all had most likely triggered Domino’s innate animal to try and “protect” him; in the most violent way possible.

Just another day with wolves, it seemed.

“No, these rooms are always lit. Some like to enjoy the… display, they make after they’re done.” Domino was frowning as he looked around the room. He pulled Logan closer, not wanting the human to stray too far from him.

Something was… off, he just wasn’t sure what it was yet as he sniffed the air. All he could smell was sex and drugs.

Opening the door, Domino poked his head out as many others were beginning to do. The dance floor and other monotone colorful lights were still on, using different power sources than the rest.

There was a smell in the air. Confusion, fear and something else… the wolf just couldn’t discern it over everything else as he kept Logan behind him.

Others stepped out of the room, demanding to know why they had been interrupted. Others just continued going at it; Logan could hear a nearby room moans and groaning through the door, as the rest of the club had grown eerily silent now that the music had been turned off.

A naked stoat with a mangled ear and a golden capped fang began walking down the hallway towards the front demanding to speak with “management” about this. The Karen, as Logan saw it, reeked of money and had to be some sort of business tycoon… or a loan shark.

The two didn’t move. Both using the arrogant mustilid as a sort of canary, sending it down into a mineshaft. Each watching the stoat saunter forward, yelling loudly that he wanted to be serviced. While each waited for something to happen…

And neither of the two expecting it to.

A single shot rang out and the Stoat’s body jerked backwards, the mustilid barely able to keep his feet as his eyes grew wide and warmth ran down his front and back.

“The fu….” And he collapsed before the two at the end of the hallway sending up red flags everywhere. They both took notice as all hell seemed to break out in the main room from that single gunshot.

Shots were fired, tables were turned over, glasses were thrown and all Logan could see was darkness as Domino flung the human back into the room to protect him from a stray bullet that whizzed past their heads. Shouts filled the night club, cries of pain and a howl alerting everyone to what was going on.

“Stay!” Domino yelled at him as Logan got up and managed to catch the wolf’s tail. Domino jerked at that.

“Dom! Don’t go! Don’t leave me,” Logan begged knowing that would work far better than if he tried to be reasonable about this. If Dom saw Logan as a mate, then the wolf’s instinct would be to stay and protect him. Not run out into that bloodbath happening on the dance floor.

The wolf hesitated, faltering as he looked back at the human then at the chaos happening in the club. His home away from home. It was his job, he was still a member of Vicky’s pack and yet… Dom didn’t want to leave Logan’s side.

“It’s my job.” Domino said in a soft voice as someone cried out, howling in pain before being silenced.

“Your job isn’t worth your life!” Logan moved forward, not letting go of the wolf’s tail. “For fuck sake, Dom. This whole damn place is falling apart!” The wolf tilted his head at that. “Not literally, fuck…” Logan took a breath before saying more than he should. “Vicky is fucking insane. She’s going to bring everyone with her, here, down with her! Including you,” Logan jabbed a finger against the wolf’s chest now not backing down. “You need to get out!”

“But… she’s my alpha…” Domino said uncertain of what to say or do.

The wolf knew Logan was right. Everyone here knew how insane Vicky had become and yet… they followed, because that was what wolves do. You follow the Alpha. You follow them straight into the pits of hell if that’s where they were leading you. No one else, left alive, had challenged her for the position. They weren’t, Dom wasn’t a leader.

So, Logan did the stupidest thing he could think of. He grabbed Domino’s tie as he had Alph’s out front and pulled him close. Close enough to kiss the wolf directly on the lips in a very human fashion. Domino eyes widen as Logan pet the side of his face, pulling him close enough they could share each other’s breaths. Taste each other’s tongue as Logan drink in the drooly muscle Domino slipped past those willing lips as the wolf groaned into the kiss.

Even as the bullets continued to be fired.

“She’s already dead, Dom…” Logan tried to look into the wolf’s eyes the best he could. “Or might as well be. You don’t have to go down with this sinking ship...”

“Not like I have anywhere else to go…” Domino ears perked up, hearing one of his pack brothers being gunned down. It sounds like Lilith had gotten her gun out; the chain gun being lifted up onto and mounted on top of the bar before unloading hot lead into everything in front of it.

In a way, it was smart Domino had stuck back with Logan. Lilith was known to fire indiscriminately. Gunning down pack brother and sister along with whoever was foolish enough to raid their club.

“She probably planned all of this.” Logan just went on, turning Domino’s muzzle to look back at him, away from the others. Logan needed Domino to focus only on him, it was the only way to save the wolf’s life. “Sex, drugs, meat and murder? Sounds about right, doesn’t it?” The human tried to force some reason into the wolf’s brain. A hard task to do to get a wolf to betray his back. “Vicky probably planned this!”

“I…” Domino faltered once more. It was clear he was aware of it. Everyone here was, to some extent. It was one reason why Vicky let her goons do as they pleased. Throw money, booze and coked up woman at them to keep them all sated and happy and stupid.

While everything burned around them…

“Do you smell that?” Domino’s nose twitched. Logan just gave him a look. “Ok, sorry. Stupid question. It smells like fire.” The wolf just pointed out, smelling the smoke even before he saw it.

“Fire?” Logan thought that over for all of three seconds. “The Pride! Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! They got here already!” He practically shouted. Domino gave him a look at that. “I’ll explain later, Dom. I promise... do you trust me?” Logan had to ask, for his own peace of mind.

Having a wolf watch his back during this was going to be hard enough. He just hoped Dom was still going to be on his side when the truth was dragged to the surface. Saving his life right now was more important than Logan’s and the human was already feeling the wolf up.

Logan knew he had to protect Dom, even if the wolf didn’t want that.

“Logan?” Dom growled. “This is not the time for that!” The wolf’s ears splayed out, tail wagging once as the fire alarms went off and the room was blanketed in a sheet of rain from the sprinklers.

Logan ignored him as he practically groped the wolf until he found what he was looking for. A rather heavy pistol and pulled it out in front of him.

Dom jumped at that, “dude do you even know how to use” and Logan popped the clip out checking the ammo before loading it back in and giving the wolf a look.

“Do you have another one?” Logan asked ignoring the look passing over the wolf’s face. Domino nodded once in reply. “Good. Let’s head out the back way.” Logan just said without backing down.

“Back way?” Domino fidgeted at that, unsure how Logan knew there were several secret exits into and from the club.

“It’s a nightclub for a drug den of Mafioso wolves.” Logan just gave him a look. “Of course there is a back exit! Now, Dom, Now! Let’s go!” Logan ushered him along, the two ducking down into the hallway to make themselves harder target to hit.

“Right… what about…” Domino fought against his instinct, once more. Just as he had done in front of the meat cages, while around Logan and now, once more… leaving his pack behind. Fighting against his instincts in order to survive. “Right. Right, I’ll lead the way…”

“I’ll cover you, ok?” Logan reached a hand out to touch Domino’s arm. “Let’s get out of this alive, together…”

“And when we do… you’re telling me everything.” Domino glared at the human before moving forward to lick his cheek. “Also I’m gonna fuck you. Like really, really hard. For all this shit. Fair warning.” And the wolf was heading down the hallway towards the dead end.

“Well, fuck me.” Logan checked out towards the main room before retreating after the wolf.

The shots had died down and the fire was allowing Logan to see several figures still standing. They were fighting with tooth and claw instead of their guns; very animal, indeed. You have a gun in your hand and you decide to use your claws? Logan would never understand predators as he quickly tailed after Domino.

“In here.” The wolf just said motioning towards one of the very last rooms. It was a smaller room than they had been in and Domino had to grab Logan’s arm to help the human through the dark room. His hand eased up, drifting down Logan’s arm until he was holding the smaller males hand. “Don’t worry, I’m here…”

“I’m not worried.” Logan admitted, not wanting to laugh but unable to help the smile on his face at the idea. Logan had been in far worse situations than this.

“I… I know.” Domino said, saying more than he meant too in that moment. “I know you aren’t, Logan…” And the wolf didn’t say anything more as he hit the panel on the wall. It blended so seamlessly in that unless you knew it was there it would’ve been impossible to distinguish from the others.

A door swung open allowing the two to sneak inside. Logan was sure, just from the smell, other wolves had escaped ahead of them.

Ducking his head down, Domino helped Logan into the crawl space as they moved through the inner guts of the building they were in. Reaching a manhole cover in the cement floor, Domino hooked a nail into it and lifted it up for the two. There was a dark stairwell leading down into the bowels of the city.

“Uh…” Logan wasn’t sure about this, rather taking his chances back inside the burning club. The city stunk bad enough on the surface.

“Do you trust me?” Domino asked and Logan would be a hypocrite to admit he didn’t. With a nod, Logan took Domino’s hand and was helped down the ladder before the wolf followed after. Closing their escape route behind them.

The smell told Logan they had entered the sewers and he landed on the cement walkway overlooking the murky, filth below. He moved aside for the wolf to join him, Logan grabbing the wolf once more for support in the dark.

Domino fidgeted with his jacket before turning on a clip-on light. It shined forward giving Logan a chance to see for a change.

“Thank you…” Logan admitted, trying not to gag or cough from the rancid smell down here. He couldn’t imagine how Domino was fairing in this filth.

The sewers running nearby was filled with things Logan chose to ignore. Things the wolves from the club mostly dumped here in secret.

“I got your back.” Domino winked as he pointed which way for the two to walk, letting Logan go first seeing as how Domino had the light.

A good fifteen minutes later, they were still down here. Words weren’t exchanged. The tension between the two was heavy and Logan wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to recover from this. They’d need a specialist that neither could afford.

“You came to warn me about The Pride’s attack…” Domino finally spoke up with a frown, having been thinking about everything involving Logan this entire time.

“…Yeah.” Logan admitted, not wanting to lie anymore than he had too. “I figured out what they were up too. It’s a long story,” Logan waved that part off. Not wanting to think of Sloan right now. “They of course used fire on you guys…”

Domino glanced at the human as Logan went on.

“The docks. The previous Alpha attacked the docks The Pride was shipping their goods through. You… they, hit it hard and fast. It was a bloody massacre…” Logan frowned recalling the reports. He’d been watching Diamond’s den back then and hadn’t been part of the team that had to clean up that mess, thankfully.

It had been a brutal massacre with no witnesses left alive. Even normal everyday dock workers had been hit. Anyone foolish enough to be out that night had been taken down leaving very few left alive that knew exactly what had taken place.

Bodies had been stacked, lion’s had been skinned and burned, hung up as a morbid, sick display. A message. A message sent to The Pride never to enter wolf territory again. And here they were, knocking on the wolf’s den door in vengeance.

“So, they want to burn and massacre the wolves in what… revenge?” Domino actually laughed at that, as if it was the funniest of things. “Fucking, cats. They lost. Should’ve retreated to lick their wounds…”

Logan didn’t point out that was exactly what they had done before coming back once The Pack had been taken out. The Pride had been bidding their time specifically for this moment to reenter the city. The ports were too good a deal to just give up; able to ship supplies from all over the world. Seattle was a prime sport for many kinds of trafficking for a reason.

Just old grudges coming back to haunt those still left alive. Logan rolled his eyes.

“An eye for an eye and all that jazz…” Logan mumbled out, rather sure Domino wouldn’t appreciate the thought behind it. Oddly enough, Logan was sure Reese would’ve appreciated the sentiment.

“Wait…” Domino stopped Logan, keeping the human behind his back. “Someone’s here…” His nose twitched, smelling blood.

“How would they know?” Logan thought about. This was supposed to be a secret route only the wolves in the club knew about. How the lion’s had learned of it could only mean... “Fuck me! Vicky, that double crossing bitch!”

There were several bodies laid out before them. Of other wolves, and some lions along with it. The wolves that had tried to escape had been ambushed; it looked like they hadn’t gone down without a fight taking several out with them.

And just in the view of the light, Logan could see them. Several, maybe ten, lions standing crowded together waiting for their next prey.

Logan could tell these lions, forced down here, were the newer members most likely to bolster the numbers The Pride had lost after losing so many at the docks last year. It was the only thing that made sense for other male lions to be here; most lion prides would kick out males that would be a threat to taking over.

The reserved numbers must’ve been called in. Pulling in all their troops for their official takeover of the city.

Everyone in front of Logan looked like kids compared to the lion back in the office. They were barely weaned off their mothers and here they were brandishing guns and knives at the two of them with grinning faces.

“Just a bunch of kids…”

Logan shrunk against the wall, practically invisible behind the wall of meat and fur that was Domino’s body. Logan knew the suit the wolf was wearing wasn’t just for show; it was lined to help protect him as a bullet proof vest might. Though it wasn’t of the same quality, going for looks over usefulness. Logan just prayed, for the first time in his life, that Domino would be ok…

“Look it ‘ere, we got a couple of sewer rats!” A lion said loudly, stalking forward with his head tossed back as if what he’d said was the funniest damn shit in the world. He never even saw the bullet that pierced his skull.

Domino ducked down, other gun in hand as he opened fire on everyone in front of him. “Logan, run!” Domino snarled out, feeling the clip of a bullet along his shoulder as the wolf tried to shrink as low as he could against the ground as the lion’s roared in front of him.

Logan used Domino’s lower position to stabilize his shots. Resting the butt of the gun on Domino’s back, the human opened fire. Three shots, three hits.

While Logan and Domino had gone with the fewer numbers in the already tight space, the lion’s had tried to use their swelled numbers against the wolves. In this case, it worked against them. Those in the back couldn’t open fire as those in the front were taken down.

Logan emptied the clip and Domino was already passing him a spare as Logan rolled backwards, allowing the wolf to lift up to fire. Logan ejected the clip, sliding the new one in and made sure it was secure before angling the gun underneath one of Domino’s arms to empty it just as he had done the first.

No hesitation. Pull the trigger and watch the body fall. Don’t regret, don’t think, just shoot. It was how you survived a gunfight like this. The less experience lions weren’t prepared for the bloodlust the two had and they fell like a stack of pegs against a bowling ball.

Logan could smell the sewer around him. Smell Domino’s musk, smell gunpowder as he emptied the next clip with far less precision as the first.

“Do you have a knife?” Logan asked as the gun clicked empty. The sound was worse than the screams back up in the club. An empty gun was practically useless.

“Left boot,” Domino just said as he backed up to shield Logan. He took another two shots and with a grunt, the wolf collapsed against the wall with a heavy breath.

“Domino!” Logan cried out, grabbing the hidden switchblade and moving forward as two lion’s stalked the wounded wolf. Going in for the kill with claws and fangs instead of their gun, big mistake.

Logan clicked the bottom on the hidden blade as he moved in. The thin, almost needle point blade jutted out the end.

“Little rat bastard!” The first lion’s nails sprung out as Logan closed the distance between the two with one last burst of speed, practically pouncing on the lion. Without hesitation, Logan moved right into their feline’s space and with it, the knife that twisted into their torso. Logan ripped it out the side, getting a yowl of pain from the feline he kicked into the sewer water, bracing himself on the sewer wall to give him the “oomph” he needed too.

The next lion was already on him before Logan could recover.

Grabbing his neck and wrist, Logan was slammed against the cement sewer wall with the lion snarling in his face. Stars burst in front of the human’s eyes. He didn’t kick careless, he didn’t let the dagger slip from his grip; that would’ve been stupid.

He dropped it instead. The lion watched the knife fall with a smile before his eyes went wide.

The inexperienced gang member had caught one of the human’s arms and his throat, leaving Logan’s other arm free enough to grab the falling switch blade and jab it into the lion’s chest.

Kicking off the wall, Logan brought his knee square into the bottom of the lion’s jaw snapping the lion’s teeth over his own tongue. Blood sprayed from their mouth as the lion let go, grabbing at his severed tongue as Logan brought the knife across his throat.

Breathing heavily, Logan stood there as the lion crumbled at his side, bleeding profusely.

“Right, who’s next?” Logan angled the knife down, lifting both arms up defensively as he stared forward.

Claws and fangs shined in the light from Domino’s vest light. Brown and golden fur meshed together as bodies rushed forward. Each trying to prove themselves, stepping over their own in order to get at the human or more likely the wolf; trying to get the credit for the kill.

All in order to improve their ranks.

Lions would devour each other to improve their standing, while wolves worked together until the very, bitter end.

The butt of the pistol connected with the back of one of the young lion’s skulls, Logan pistol whipping another as he lashed out with the blade as they swarmed the two of them. The walkway wasn’t large and their numbers proved to be disadvantageous for them. If they had taken a moment to think, each not trying to go for the kill the two wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Claws lashed out and were met by the sweet kiss of the cold, bloody steel in Logan’s hand. The human backing away each time another moved in. Letting the two lions have to deal with each other before going in to stab, jab, cut, slice or threaten whatever came too close.

A lion moved in from Logan’s blind spot, catching him off guard. A wolf’s claw reached over his shoulder, catching the lion’s face and smashed their skull against the cement wall several times. Domino howling in pure rage and fury as he rejoined the fray.

Once Domino had, the two managed to break through the numbers. Just jumping over the body of the fallen wolves as they made their escape.

Logan felt claws meet his exposed skin and the warmth of blood run down his back. It hurt. Not the nails, but the memories of feline claws digging into his skin. His remorse was gone as he cut down another young kid who couldn’t have been older than eighteen.

Domino barreled through the lot of them. Using his bulk to steamroll them out of the way as the two quickly ran for it. Logan ducked under the wolf’s arm, helping carrying him the rest of the way as they scrambled to get their proper footing.

There had been voices from behind them, most likely other wolves that were making their escape in the same route the two had. The additional numbers had thrown the lions off, giving them a chance to run for it as they turned towards the new threat baring down on them.

Logan doubted a single lion would survive this night. They had all been sacrificial pawns, all in order to get rid of the wolves left in the city…

Logan needed to make several phone calls to make sure the lions hadn’t planned such hits on other areas with wolves in them. He worried about Reese, and thus Alan living there. If the lions knew about this other possible alpha, they’d send just as many in order to burn him down as they planned to do tonight at the club.

Some of the lions were infighting, arguing whose fault it was they had gotten away. Others were trying to help their friends out of the cesspool they had been knocked into. Just as Barreth, leading the survivors pounced on them. It was chaos, just like the upstairs; those forced to come down here were inexperienced new recruits forced to take the “dirty” job of crawling through the sewers.

Their luck seemed to finally be on their side as Logan helped Domino climb the ladder making their escape.

There was only one sentry keeping a lookout on the manhole and they never saw the wolf sneak up behind them, snapping their neck just as quickly and dropping the body into the manhole before covering it once more.

“We got lucky,” Logan helped Domino into his car and took off before either were buckled in. Logan needed to report in, call the station and let them know what happened… “I need to take you-,”

“No hospital. No cops…” Domino managed to groan out from the back seat, half succumbing on the spot to his wounds.

The heavy breathing of the wolf in the back seat took Logan’s full notice. He couldn’t call the police, he couldn’t let them know about Domino… they’d probably end up just killing him “accidentally,” it wouldn’t be the first time. There was no one else he could bring him too and the hospital would ask too many questions…

Logan sped off, not even bothering to stop at a red light as he drove through the city and out into the suburbs. Heading for the edge of the town and towards the only place he knew had others wolves at…

Logan ended up knocking on the only door he could think of.

“Hey Clem, is Reese here?” Logan just smiled, dripping blood, covered in scratches as he helped support a dying wolf’s weight. “I have another guest for thanksgiving!”