Page 11 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)

NINE

ZOE

T he heat inside Logan's cabin hit Zoe like a wall after the crisp autumn air outside.

Without air conditioning, the space held the warmth of the day, making her sweat-dampened shirt cling uncomfortably to her skin.

She tugged at the hem of her black long-sleeved shirt, trying to create some airflow, but it was futile.

God, I must look like a mess, she thought, acutely aware of the way her ponytail had come loose during training, with curls escaping to frame her flushed face.

Logan, meanwhile, barely looked affected by their intense training session.

Sure, there was a light sheen of perspiration across his forehead and his black henley clung to his powerful chest in ways that made her heart race, but he moved with the same controlled grace he'd displayed throughout their training.

The unfairness of it rankled. Here she was, practically dripping with sweat and probably smelling like she'd run a marathon, while he looked like he'd just finished a casual warm-up.

"Thirsty?" Logan asked, already moving toward the kitchen with that efficient purposefulness that seemed to govern all his actions.

"Very," Zoe admitted, following him and trying not to stare at the way his cargo pants hugged his muscular thighs. The training session had been brutal, but in the most exhilarating way possible. Every muscle in her body ached, yet she felt more alive than she had in years.

Logan filled a large glass with water and handed it to her.

Their fingers brushed during the exchange, and that familiar electric current shot through her nerves, making her breath hitch slightly.

The mate bond pulsed between them, stronger now after hours of moving and training together, existing in perfect synchronization.

She gulped the water greedily, not caring about appearances. The cool liquid soothed her parched throat, and she found herself draining the entire glass in what felt like seconds.

Logan's deep chuckle rumbled through the small kitchen. "Easy there. You'll make yourself sick."

"Can't help it," Zoe panted, setting down the empty glass. "I feel like I could drink a lake and eat a horse."

"That's normal." Logan moved around the kitchen with practiced efficiency, pulling out bread, turkey, cheese, and various condiments.

"Your wolf's been dormant for twenty-five years.

Now that she's waking up, your metabolism is shifting to match.

You'll need more food, more water, more everything for a while. "

Her wolf. The phrase still felt foreign, like trying on clothes that didn't quite fit yet. She watched Logan construct sandwiches with the same methodical precision he applied to everything else, each movement deliberate and controlled.

"Is that why I still feel so..." she searched for the right word, "energized? Like I could run another ten miles?"

"Exactly." Logan slid a plate across the counter to her, the sandwich piled high with meat and vegetables. "Your body is remembering what it was designed to do. All those years of feeling restless since puberty, of needing to move and not knowing why—that was her preparing to wake up."

Zoe bit into the sandwich and nearly groaned with pleasure. The flavors exploded across her taste buds with an intensity that surprised her. Everything tasted sharper, more vibrant, as though her senses were dialing themselves up to eleven.

"This is really good," she mumbled around a mouthful of food. "Did you do something special to this turkey?"

Logan's lips quirked into what might have been a smile. "Just regular deli meat. Your enhanced senses are sharpening each day."

Oh yeah, that's right, her enhanced senses.

Another piece of the puzzle that was her new reality.

Zoe devoured the sandwich with an appetite that would have embarrassed her yesterday but felt perfectly natural now.

Logan watched her eat with those intense green eyes, and she caught something that looked suspiciously like pride in his expression.

"You're progressing faster than I expected," he said, taking a more measured bite of his own sandwich. "Most new shifters struggle with the physical demands of training, but you're adapting incredibly well."

Warmth bloomed in Zoe's chest at his approval. Her wolf preened under the compliment, practically purring. She hadn't realized how much she'd needed to hear that she was doing well, and that she wasn't completely hopeless at this new life that had been thrust upon her.

"I've always been stubborn when I set my mind to something," she said, finished with her sandwich and already eyeing the remaining ingredients for another. "My mom used to say I was like a dog with a bone."

"I've noticed. And it's more like a wolf with prey," Logan corrected, and there was something almost admiring in his tone that made a heat pool within her.

She made herself another sandwich, this one even larger than the first. Logan didn't comment on her appetite, but she caught him refilling her water glass without being asked. The small gesture of care made something warm and fuzzy unfurl in her.

"So what's next?" she asked between bites. "More obstacles? Target practice? Please tell me you have throwing knives hidden somewhere."

Logan's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "Shifting."

The single word made Zoe's stomach clench with anxiety. She set down her half-finished sandwich, her appetite suddenly gone.

"That's the part I'm worried about," she admitted. "My wolf... she doesn't listen to me. It's like she's fighting me for control."

Logan leaned against the counter, studying her with that penetrating gaze that made her feel like he could see straight through to her soul. "You keep saying she's fighting you. But from what I've observed, I think you're the one fighting her."

"What do you mean?"

"Every time you describe your episodes, your partial shifts, you talk about them like something that's happening to you instead of something you're participating in.

" Logan crossed his arms, and the movement made his henley stretch across his broad chest in a way that was seriously distracting.

"You're trying to control her instead of communicating with her. "

Zoe frowned, turning the idea over in her mind. "How do you communicate with something that feels like a separate entity living in your head?"

"That's what we're going to figure out." Logan pushed away from the counter, his movements fluid and purposeful. "But first, you need to stop thinking of her as your enemy. She's been trapped for twenty-five years, Zoe. She's probably just as frustrated as you are."

The idea hit Zoe like a revelation. All this time, she'd been approaching her wolf like a problem to be solved, a force to be contained. But what if Logan was right? What if her wolf wasn't trying to hurt her, but simply trying to exist after decades of being suppressed?

"Come on," Logan said, heading toward the door. "Time to meet your other half properly."

Zoe followed him outside, her heart hammering with a mixture of excitement and terror. The afternoon sun had shifted, casting longer shadows across Logan's property. The forest seemed to beckon to her, promising secrets and revelations that both thrilled and terrified her in equal measure.

This is it, she thought, falling into step beside Logan as they headed toward the training area. Time to find out who I really am.

The clearing Logan led her to on his property felt sacred somehow, ringed by towering pines whose branches filtered the afternoon sunlight into dancing patterns across the forest floor.

Zoe's nerves jangled like live wires, her hands trembling at her sides as she looked around the secluded space that would witness her first true transformation.

"You need to relax," Logan said. "This won't work if you're wound tighter than a bowstring."

Easier said than done, Zoe thought, wrapping her arms around herself. Every instinct screamed at her to flee back to the safety of Logan's cabin, and to pretend this moment wasn't happening. But her wolf stirred restlessly, practically vibrating with anticipation.

"I know you want to run," Logan continued, moving closer until his presence surrounded her like a protective shield. "But your wolf is demanding you stay. Listen to her."

Zoe closed her eyes, focusing on that inner voice that had been growing stronger by the hour. Her wolf wasn't afraid—she was eager, practically bouncing with excitement at finally being acknowledged.

"Fine," Zoe said, exhaling shakily. "I'll stop being stubborn. For once in my life."

Logan's chuckle was warm and approving. "That will definitely do wonders right now. Now close your eyes and breathe. Feel every muscle relax, one by one."

His voice guided her through deep breathing exercises, and gradually the tension began to ebb from her shoulders, her jaw, and her clenched fists. The forest sounds seemed to grow louder—birdsong, rustling leaves, and the distant creek babbling somewhere beyond the trees.

"Good. Now reach for her," Logan instructed. "Listen to what she's saying."

Zoe let her consciousness drift inward, following that familiar tug toward her wolf's presence. The voice came through clearer now, less fragmented than before.

Want to be free. Want to explore. Want to run on our mate's land.

"She wants to be free," Zoe whispered, her eyes still closed. "She wants to explore your land."

"Tell her you're both where you belong," Logan said softly. "You're safe here with your mate. I'll protect you both."

Zoe relayed the message, though her wolf already seemed to know. The reassurance was more for Zoe's benefit, her human mind still struggling to accept this new reality.

Logan is here, her wolf said with certainty. He won't let anything happen to us.

"She trusts you completely," Zoe murmured, warmth flooding her chest at the absolute faith in her wolf's mental voice.

"Then trust me now too," Logan said. "Think about her emerging. Let her guide you through the shift. Don't fight it—work with her."

Zoe took a shuddering breath and opened herself completely to her wolf's guidance.

The change began slowly, a warm tingling that spread from her core outward.

Her bones ached as they began to restructure themselves, her muscles stretching and reforming.

Pain lanced through her as her spine elongated, her limbs reshaping with wet, crunching sounds that should have been horrifying but felt strangely right.

Her senses exploded with new information. Every scent in the forest became distinct and meaningful—the earthy richness of decomposing leaves, the green vitality of living trees, and underneath it all, Logan's intoxicating masculine scent that called to every primal instinct she possessed.

Her clothing shredded as her body expanded and changed, fabric falling away in tatters. Dark brown fur erupted across her skin, soft and thick, with honey-colored patches blooming across what would become her belly. Her face elongated into a muzzle, her teeth sharpening to deadly points.

Finally, the transformation completed itself with a final surge of energy, and Zoe stood on four legs for the first time in her life.

She was magnificent—smaller and leaner than Logan's wolf form, but perfectly proportioned. Her dark brown coat gleamed in the filtered sunlight, the honey patches along her underside catching the light like precious gold.

Logan's sharp intake of breath drew her golden wolf eyes to his face. The expression there made her wolf preen with feminine satisfaction—pure awe mixed with unmistakable possession.

"Magnificent," he breathed, his voice rough with emotion. "You're absolutely magnificent."

Zoe tried to communicate her approval, her pleasure at his reaction, but found she couldn't speak in this form. The telepathic connection she'd heard other shifters possessed remained elusive still. Instead, she met his gaze directly, letting her wolf's contentment shine through her eyes.

Logan stepped closer, his hand extended as if to touch her fur, but something went wrong.

The energy that had sustained her transformation suddenly drained away like water through a broken dam.

Pain racked her body as the shift reversed itself without warning, bones cracking and reshaping with violent urgency.

Within seconds, she collapsed to the forest floor in her human form, naked and losing consciousness fast, her body unable to sustain itself or the transformation any longer.

The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was Logan's face, etched with concern and something that looked suspiciously like panic.