7. Serena
7
SERENA
S erena tossed and turned all night. Every time she closed her eyes, ancient memories of Logan flooded back - his laugh, the way he'd scoop her up when she least expected it, those tender moments when he'd brush her hair from her face. The digital clock on her nightstand seemed to mock her with its slow progression toward morning.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered into her pillow. "He's just another client now."
But her dreams didn't get the memo, filling her head with snapshots of their past - stolen kisses behind the school, late-night stargazing in his pickup truck. She woke up feeling like she'd run a marathon.
Before long, her Honda pulled into the sanctuary's gravel driveway. The morning sun painted everything in soft golden hues, including the wooden sign that read "Steele Wildlife Sanctuary." Her stomach did a little flip when she spotted Logan's truck parked near the entrance.
"You're here for the animals. Just the animals," she muttered.
The gate creaked open before she reached it. Logan stood there, wearing a faded henley that did nothing to hide his broad shoulders.
"Morning." His voice was warm honey. "The fox is doing much better."
"That's... that's good." Serena murmured. "I brought fresh supplies to make another batch."
They walked side by side down the path, close enough that their arms almost brushed. The air between them crackled with unspoken words.
"Here, let me take that." Logan reached for her heavy kit.
Their fingers touched. Serena yanked her hand back as if burned. "I've got it."
"Still stubborn as ever, huh?"
"Still trying to fix everything yourself?"
They shared a look, then both laughed, breaking some of the tension.
Inside the treatment area, Serena laid out her ingredients while Logan brought in the first patient - a young deer with glassy eyes. As she worked, mixing herbs and channeling magic into the potion, she caught Logan watching her.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just... you always get this little crease between your eyebrows when you concentrate."
Her cheeks felt warmer. "Well, you still tap your foot when you're impatient."
"I do not-" He glanced down at his tapping foot and stopped.
The potion turned a brilliant blue, filling the air with the scent of summer rain. As they moved from animal to animal, administering the medicine, their movements fell into an easy rhythm. It felt familiar. Dangerous.
When their hands met passing a bottle, neither pulled away immediately. Serena's heart beat erratically in her chest. She couldn't afford to feel this way again. Couldn't risk another heartbreak. Especially from him.
Serena crouched next to the raccoon enclosure, her knees pressing into the damp grass. The morning dew had soaked through her jeans, but she barely noticed as her eyes traced the extensive damage along the sanctuary's perimeter. Fresh wooden posts stood out against weathered ones, their raw edges still sharp and bright. Twisted metal fencing lay in piles, waiting to be hauled away.
"This is all Silas?" she asked, counting at least six different repair sections.
Logan's jaw tightened. "Started about two weeks after his release. Can't prove it though - cops need evidence, and bear claw marks aren't exactly admissible in human court."
"What about your insurance?"
"They're calling it 'repeated vandalism.' Won't cover it anymore," he grumbled. "Third fence this month. At this rate, I'll be broke by summer."
Serena stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. The sanctuary stretched before her, clearly a labor of love now under siege. Her stomach churned at the thought of all these animals losing their home because of one crazy shifter's vendetta.
"Logan, you need help. Real help." She turned to face him. "The Council exists for exactly this kind of situation. They have resources, investigators who understand shifter matters-"
She stopped talking. Logan had gone completely still, his shoulders rigid. He opened his mouth, closed it, then scratched the back of his neck - a nervous tell she remembered all too well from their dating days.
"What?" she asked. "What aren't you telling me?"
Logan shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking more like a guilty teenager than a grown man who could turn into a thousand-pound bear. His golden-flecked eyes darted everywhere but her face.
"Logan..."
Logan drew in a deep breath, his broad chest expanding beneath his henley. Serena watched him fidget with the enclosure post, his calloused fingers picking at a splinter.
"Silas showed up here last night," he said finally.
Serena's stomach dropped. "What?"
"He was lurking around the property line. We had... words." Logan's jaw worked. "First real proof I've had it was him behind all this."
The morning breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and something else - hesitation. Serena narrowed her eyes. After all these years, she could still read him like one of her potion books.
"And?" She crossed her arms. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing. I'll handle Silas myself."
"Oh my god." Serena said, exasperation bubbling up. "You haven't changed at all, have you? Still think you have to shoulder everything alone."
"That's not-"
"It is! You did the same thing when that alpha wolf pack moved into town. And when the pixies infested the old Miller barn. And when-"
"Those situations worked out fine."
"After you ended up with three broken ribs and poison oak in places I don't even want to think about right now!"
"You remember that, huh?" he asked, starting to grin.
"Don't change the subject." Heat crept up her neck. "Logan, this is serious. If Silas is targeting you-"
"I've got it under control."
Serena threw her hands up. "Clearly! That's why half your animals were magically poisoned and your fence looks like it went through a paper shredder."
The familiar stubborn set of his jaw told her she wasn't getting anywhere. He was still as immovable as a mountain when he thought he was protecting others. It was admirable and infuriating all at once.
"There's more going on here," she said. "I can tell."
Logan's eyes flickered away, confirming her suspicion. "It's complicated."
Serena pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed her glasses back up. The morning sun beat down on her neck as she stared at Logan's stubborn expression. Some things really hadn't changed - like his inability to share what was actually going on inside his head.
"Complicated?" She let out a short laugh. "That's exactly what you said just before I left town."
"That was different." Logan crossed his arms, his henley stretching across his shoulders.
"How would I know? You won't ever tell me anything!" The words came out sharper than she intended. Her hands trembled slightly as she gathered her potion supplies, more to keep them busy than any real need. "After all these years, don't I at least deserve some honesty?"
"Serena-"
"No, you know what?" She spun around, nearly knocking over a bottle of wolfsbane. "This is exactly why things didn't work between us before. You always had to handle everything yourself, never letting anyone in, never trusting-"
"That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" The old hurt bubbled up, mixing with fresh frustration. "Here we are, years later, and you're still keeping secrets. Still pushing people away when they try to help."
"I'm trying to protect-"
"Just stop." She held up her hand. "Let me help you now." Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd offered.
The sanctuary suddenly felt noticeably quiet. A bird chirped somewhere in the distance. Serena's cheeks burned as she mentally kicked herself. What was she thinking? Her magic was meant for healing animals and brewing potions, not taking on whatever mysterious threat Logan was facing. Besides, they were exes for a reason. This was supposed to be strictly professional - check on the animals, make sure they were recovering, and go home.
She opened her mouth to take it back, but Logan's expression stopped her. He looked... surprised? Hopeful?
Serena watched the internal struggle play across Logan's face. His gold-flecked eyes darted between her and the damaged fence, and she could practically see the gears turning in his head.
"Look, at least let me help with the animals," she said. "They need someone like me. And since I'm currently between jobs..." She shrugged, trying to appear more casual than she felt.
Logan scratched the back of his neck. "Serena, if anything happened to you-"
"I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." She gestured at her potions kit. "Or did you forget the time I turned Brad Thompson into a toad for trying to copy my chemistry homework?"
A reluctant smile tugged at his lips. "That was pretty impressive. Though I'm pretty sure that violated several school policies."
"He deserved it. Besides, the effect only lasted an hour." She crossed her arms. "Stop changing the subject."
Logan sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine. But... you need to be careful, okay? And if anything seems off-"
"You’ll be the first to know." She rolled her eyes. "Though I seem to remember someone climbing a tree to rescue Mrs. Henderson's cat during a thunderstorm."
"That was different."
"Really? How?"
"I can turn into a bear."
"And I can turn people into toads among other things. Your point?"
Logan laughed, the sound warming something in Serena's chest that she thought had frozen over permanently. "I forgot how impossible you are to argue with."
"Not impossible." She smiled, gathering her supplies. "Just usually right."
His expression softened into something that made her heart skip. "Yeah, you usually are."
Serena busied herself with her potions kit, hoping he couldn't see the blush creeping up her neck. She'd forgotten how his smile could make her feel like she was seventeen again, sneaking out to meet him by the old oak tree behind the school.
"So," she said, clearing her throat. "When do I start?"