Chapter 10 Logan : 13 55 vouchers I approached the car with my brothers and our girlfriends . I couldn't see any sign of Dakota . She normally waited for us around the car . " Where's Dakota ? " Jasper quickly asked , sounding worried . " Relax , Jasper . She must be around , " Conan said , trying to calm Jasper's nerves . " Don't tell me you give a damn about her whereabouts , Jasper . She means nothing to you . To us , " Matilda said immediately . " My brothers and I despise Dakota only because our father got mated to her mother when we were all against him getting a second chance mate , but that doesn't mean we don't care about her . She's our stepsister and we are responsible for her . " " Calm down , Jasper , " Kylie said , moving closer to him and holding his hand . " Why are you getting all worked up over that weakling ? " Jasper unexpectedly pushed her back . " Don't you dare call her a weakling again . " Kylie got mad . " How dare you push me ? " she questioned angrily . " Jeez , I'm out of here . " Kylie sighed and stormed off . " Kylie , wait , " Keisha yelled as she went after her . " You are so unbelievable ! " Matilda snapped at Jasper . She turned to look at me . " You guys ain't even saying anything about this . Y'all have been acting weak ever since that bitch showed up . You know what ? I hope you guys never find her and rot in hades ! " I watched her leave without uttering a word . I was more worried about Dakota but I didn't want to show it . I had told Jasper and Conan she had a Silver Wolf . We all knew about the Silver Wolves ' predicament . We knew how they were hunted down by Hybrids and killed . That was enough reason to be concerned about Dakota's whereabouts . She wasn't safe . Her wolf was rare and she hadn't learnt to control it yet . " Does anyone have Dakota's phone number ? " Conan asked . I shrugged . " I don't have it . Do you , Jasper ? " " No , I don't , " he replied . " Then we have to find out if she is at home , " I suggested and got into the car . " What if she is somewhere in this school ? " Conan asked . " Do you smell her scent ? " I asked rhetorically . " No. C'mon we have to get going . " 16:06 Fri , Sep 19 d Chapter 10 Jasper and Conan got into the car quickly . " I hope she's at home ," Jasper said , closing the door . " What if she's not ? " Conan asked . " Perhaps , we should give dad a call and find out , " Jasper proposed . 55 vouchers " Dad must be at the Pack Office , " I said , starting the car . " And besides , we can't let him know that we let Dakota out of our sight . What if she's not at home ? " " Yeah , you're right , " Jasper said , leaning forward between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat . " If anything happens to Dakota , I won't forgive us for it ." The ride home was tense . Nobody said a word for the next ten minutes . I could hear Jasper's foot tapping against the floorboard restlessly . Conan kept glancing at his phone like Dakota would magically text him , even though none of us had her number . I hated how out of control this whole thing felt . We were supposed to protect her - whether we liked her or not . But now , after seeing how Jasper reacted , I realized maybe we all cared a bit more than we were willing to admit . I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as I sped down the road , my thoughts tangled in worry and confusion . Jasper slumped in the backseat , muttering under his breath and rubbing his temples while Conan who was seated in the front seat was unusually quiet . " What if something did happen to her , Logan ? " Jasper said after a long stretch of silence . I didn't answer immediately . My mind was too preoccupied . Dakota - she was reckless , yes , but not foolish . She wouldn't just disappear without letting someone know . Unless she couldn't . " I don't know , " I finally said . " But we're going to find out . She has to be okay . " " I still don't understand why you're all suddenly acting like you care ," Conan muttered , looking out the window . " I mean ... we've never treated her like family before . Why now ? " " I don't know , " I repeated , this time a bit more quietly . " Something's changed ." " She's still our pack . Like it or not ," Jasper said . " If we let something happen to her , we're no better than the Hybrids that hunt Silver Wolves . " The words made my stomach churn . Silver Wolves . The rarity of her bloodline made her a target . And none of us had taken that seriously until now . When we pulled into the Packhouse driveway , Jasper was the first to jump out . I got out , slammed the door and rushed inside . " Dad ! " I called , but there was no response . I heard someone in the kitchen and walked in to find our stepmother sipping tea at the counter . " Boys , welcome home . Go to your rooms and freshen up while I cook something delicious for lunch , " she said 16:06 Fri , Sep 19 d ... Chapter 10 ( 60 65 vouchers with a small smile , glancing from me to my brothers . " Where's Dakota ? She didn't come home with you boys ? " " She stayed behind , " I replied quickly . " Said something about a project she's working on . I'm heading back to pick her up ." She frowned . " Are you sure she's okay ? She seemed distracted this morning . And she hasn't been opening up to me lately . I feel like there's something she's not telling me and that's getting me worried . " " She's fine , " I lied . Dakota didn't tell her mom that she had seen her wolf . " Just focused . " She studied me for a moment and then nodded . " Take care of her , Logan . Dakota needs a family . She has been through a lot than you can imagine ." I couldn't meet her eyes , so I just gave a sharp nod and walked out . By the time I reached the car again , Jasper and Conan were already back inside , waiting . " Well ? " Jasper asked . " She's not home ," I said shortly . " Let's head back . " I caught a faint trace of her scent - sweet lavender and something wild . That's when I saw her . Dakota . I swallowed hard . " She's back . " Jasper and Conan got out of the car at once . Dakota was standing by the gate side , facing away from me , arms crossed tightly . Her shoulders were tense , like she was trying to hold something in . My relief was instant , and I rushed to her without thinking . I grabbed her into a hug before I could stop myself . She stiffened in my arms , not returning the gesture . " Are you okay ? Did River hurt you ? Where have you been ? " I asked quickly , pulling back to look at her face . " Were you with him ? " She shoved me back , her eyes blazing with emotion I couldn't quite place - anger , hurt , maybe even betrayal . " Stop acting like you care , Logan . You never did . None of you did . Leave me alone . " I froze , stepping back instinctively . " Dakota , we were all worried about your safety ." I felt Jasper step up beside me , Conan too . " You and your brothers , your fake kindness , it's all fake ! Ever since you found out what I am , you've been watching me like I'm a freak or a threat . And now you're suddenly worried ? Why ? " I opened my mouth to speak , but no words came out . She was right - in some ways . We had been distant . 4 16:06 Fri , Sep 19 d Chapter 10 2 14 56 vouchárk Dismissive . Angry about Dad marrying her mother . She was a constant reminder of everything we didn't want to accept . But I also couldn't explain this sudden need to protect her . To find her . To be sure she was okay . " I didn't mean to hurt you , " I said quietly . " Yeah ? Well , you did , " she snapped . " All of you . " Her voice cracked at the end , and she turned away before I could see if she was crying . Something inside my chest twisted . " Dakota please . Just talk to us . What's going on ? Where were you ? Were you with River ? Did he hurt you ? " Jasper asked , from behind . She didn't turn around . " He's not who you think he is . And no , he didn't hurt me . He's a nice person . " " Stay away from him . You can't trust him . We don't know anything about him , " I said , at once . " I know a lot about him . And unlike you guys , he's a good person , " Dakota said defensively . " We just care about your safety- " " Stop acting like you guys care about me and leave me alone ," I yelled . " I'm eighteen . I can take care of myself . " I watched her walk in . Why did I get so worried ? Why did I all of a sudden care about her well - being ? What was going on with me ? " Well , she's safe , " I snapped angrily and began walking away . AD