Page 22 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)

EIGHTEEN

LOGAN

L ogan's mind refused to quiet during the ten-mile trek back to Kieran's cabin. The tactical part of him still cataloged every shadow, every potential ambush point, and every alternate route—but underneath that surface vigilance, his thoughts churned with self-recrimination.

How the hell did I miss that hidden compartment?

In ten years of missions, he'd never made such a fundamental assessment error.

The very moment those first two guards had fallen to his blades, he should have swept the entire underground chamber methodically.

Instead, his attention had been split between securing the immediate area and monitoring Zoe's positioning—a distraction that could have gotten all three of them killed.

She had to fight because you screwed up, his inner voice snarled with brutal honesty. Your mate had to spill more blood because you couldn't focus on the mission properly.

But even as self-condemnation flooded his system, another part of him—the part that belonged entirely to Zoe—swelled with fierce pride at how she'd moved in perfect synchronicity with him.

They'd fought like partners who'd shared a thousand battles, their movements complementing each other with an instinctive flow that transcended logic and training.

She was magnificent, he admitted grudgingly. Deadly and graceful and absolutely fearless.

The contradiction tore at him. Every protective instinct demanded he shield her from violence, yet watching her fight beside him had awakened something primal and possessive that went beyond the mate bond.

She wasn't just his to protect—she was his equal in battle, his partner in the deadly dance he'd been performing alone for too many years.

By the time Kieran's cabin came into view through the autumn trees, Logan's nerves felt stretched to their breaking point. The ancient scroll in Lena's hands seemed to pulse with otherworldly energy that made his skin crawl with anticipation and dread in equal measure.

"Whatever that thing says," Malcolm muttered, echoing Logan's thoughts, "it's going to change our lives."

"That's rather the point," Maya replied dryly, though Logan sensed the tension beneath her scientific composure.

Inside the cabin, Lena placed the scroll on the coffee table with reverent care, as if handling a live explosive. The parchment radiated an ancient power that made Logan's wolf pace anxiously, sensing forces beyond comprehension.

"Zoe," Lena's eyes glowed with residual magic from the bunker. "You need to center yourself before attempting to read this. It has been waiting three centuries for the right interpreter."

Zoe settled onto the couch, her hands hovering inches above the scroll without actually touching it. "I've been preparing for this moment without knowing it—seven years of studying Pacific Northwest artifacts and texts, becoming increasingly obsessed with this region's cultural history."

Logan positioned himself near her, close enough to provide support but far enough to avoid crowding. The urge to pace the room like a caged animal grew stronger with each passing second.

"The energy signature is... intense," Zoe murmured, finally making contact with the ancient parchment. "It's like the scroll recognizes me somehow."

With infinite care, Zoe broke the wax seal and began unrolling the scroll. The ancient symbols seemed to shimmer in the early afternoon light filtering through Kieran's window, their meaning dancing just beyond Logan's comprehension.

Zoe's breathing deepened as she focused on the text, her hazel eyes beginning to glow with that golden light. He watched her face transform as understanding dawned, her expression cycling through confusion, wonder, and something that looked disturbingly like resignation.

What are you seeing? Logan's hands clenched into fists at his sides. What price is this damned prophecy going to demand from us?

"The first part is about Maya," Zoe said slowly, her finger tracing symbols that Logan couldn't read. "The first one with the blood of both worlds who bridges old ways with new, bringing reform through unity with the Alpha bloodline."

Kieran's blue eyes sharpened with interest. "That tracks with everything we've experienced."

"But the second part..." Zoe's voice trailed off as she studied a particularly complex section of the scroll. Her birthmark began glowing with that warm light that always preceded something significant.

Logan's patience cracked. "What does it say about you?"

"I'm still deciphering the full meaning," Zoe replied, though her suddenly careful tone suggested she understood more than she was revealing. "The language is archaic, and some of these symbols reference concepts that don't have modern equivalents."

The diplomatic non-answer made Logan's teeth grind. After everything they'd risked to obtain this scroll, the evasion felt like a slap. His wolf snarled with frustration, demanding answers that might determine their entire future.

"Take your time," Lena said gently, though her own tension was palpable. "Accuracy is more important than speed."

Logan began pacing despite his best efforts to remain still, his tactical gear creaking with each movement.

Zoe stood up abruptly, the ancient scroll forgotten for the moment. "I need to get this harness off," she said, her voice strained from the intensity of reading the prophecy.

Finally, something I can actually help with, Logan thought grimly, grateful for any distraction from the growing knot of dread in his chest. His hands moved with efficiency as he worked the buckles and straps of her custom leather harness, starting at her shoulders and methodically working his way down.

The familiar weight of weapons and tactical gear had always been his armor against the world's chaos, but watching Zoe emerge from that protective shell felt oddly vulnerable.

His fingers brushed against her skin as he lifted the harness away, and the contact sent electricity through their bond. For a moment, his fears quieted under the simple pleasure of caring for his mate, and of being useful in this small, intimate way.

"I need some water," Zoe requested next, and Maya practically vaulted from her chair to retrieve it from the kitchen.

Logan remained close to Zoe, his protective instincts causing him to catalog every micro-expression crossing her features, searching for signs of distress or overexertion. The last thing he could handle right now was watching her collapse again.

Control yourself, he commanded his restless wolf. She's stronger than you give her credit for.

"Try approaching it more intuitively," Lena suggested gently as Zoe accepted the glass of water from Maya. "Sometimes ancient texts respond better to feeling than analysis."

Zoe nodded and settled back onto the couch, her posture shifting into something more meditative. Logan watched her close her eyes and take several deep breaths, her birthmark beginning to pulse with that familiar warm light.

When she opened her eyes and looked down at the scroll again, Logan's breath caught. Her hazel eyes began blazing with a golden fire brighter than he'd ever witnessed.

"The second one with the blood of both worlds," Zoe began, her voice taking on an otherworldly quality that made Logan's skin crawl with recognition, "has the power of special abilities that will be enhanced by their fated mate."

Logan's knees nearly buckled under the weight of understanding. Enhanced by their fated mate. The implications hit him hard, reshaping everything he thought he knew about their bond.

"This pairing will be the true shifter power couple," Zoe continued in that same trance-like tone, "who will lead together and help conquer the resistance to the bridging of both worlds."

Power couple. The words reverberated through Logan's mind with startling clarity. Not just mates—partners in something far greater than personal happiness. The prophecy wasn't asking Zoe to sacrifice herself; it was asking them both to become something more than they were individually.

Through their growing mate bond, he felt Zoe's recognition of the same truth, her emotions shifting from fear to wonder to something that felt disturbingly like destiny accepting itself.

"This pairing was written in the stars but fractured when the Severance occurred," Zoe's glowing eyes never left the ancient symbols, "and was meant to be restored three centuries later on the second one's twenty-fifth birthday."

The scroll trembled in Zoe's hands, and Logan saw her sway slightly. Without hesitation, he moved to her side, his large frame settling on the couch beside her.

"Take a break," he commanded, his deep voice carrying the full weight of his protective instincts. "You're pushing too hard."

Her eyes were blazing so brightly now they looked like golden flames, and Logan's memories of her overheating after her first shift flooded back with visceral intensity.

"Breathe," Lena instructed, moving to Zoe's other side. "You did wonderfully, but your body needs time to process this much revelation."

Zoe blinked several times, the supernatural glow gradually fading until only her natural hazel eyes remained. When she looked at Logan, tears glistened on her lashes.

"I can feel it now," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"Deep in my soul. Being a fierce warrior was always my true purpose, and you.

.." She reached up to touch his face with trembling fingers.

"You were always my true warrior, meant to be reunited in this lifetime to fight the Council and restore harmony to our shifter world. "

Logan's throat tightened at the raw vulnerability in her voice, the absolute certainty that transcended logic or reasonable timeline. His wolf rumbled with deep satisfaction, finally understanding why the bond between them felt ancient and inevitable rather than new.

"Three centuries," he murmured, covering her hand with his own. "We've been waiting three centuries to find each other again."