Page 28 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)

TWENTY-THREE

ZOE

Z oe's wolf form raced through the moonlit forest with Logan's tactical-gear-laden body clasped in her powerful jaws.

The wolfsbane poison was spreading through his system faster than she'd anticipated.

His breathing had grown shallow and labored, and Zoe could feel his strength ebbing through their mate bond.

Her wolf's instincts screamed in desperation.

The herbs are too far. He'll be dead before we reach the caverns.

But something deeper began to stir within her consciousness.

The land itself seemed to whisper ancient secrets as her paws struck the earth, guiding her steps with knowledge that transcended her brief existence.

The mountain territory of Granite Ridge called to her blood and to ancestral memories she shouldn't possess.

Follow the pull. Trust what the earth is telling you.

The full moon shone bright overhead and cast silver light through the autumn canopy as Zoe's wolf climbed higher into the mountainous region. With each stride, her strength multiplied impossibly—the moonlight feeding directly into her soul and enhancing abilities she didn't understand.

Logan's presence beneath her amplified everything. Their mate bond was creating a feedback loop of power that made her wolf form faster than should be possible for a newly awakened hybrid.

Snow began to fall in spirals around them, unusual for this time of year, as if nature itself was responding to their desperate flight. The wind picked up gently, carrying scents that spoke of sacred ceremonies and ancient rituals performed in these very woods.

Suddenly, Zoe's wolf stopped in a circular clearing that seemed to glow with ethereal beauty.

Ancient stone markers formed a perfect ring around the space, weathered by centuries but still emanating power.

The moonlight concentrated here, creating an almost cathedral-like atmosphere that made her wolf's fur stand on end with recognition.

Ancestral mating grounds. The blood in my veins knows this place.

She looked up at the moon instinctually. Even in her wolf form, she recognized the deep crimson hue that painted the lunar surface. A Blood Moon. Tonight of all nights, when the veil between worlds grew thin and ancient magic ran strongest.

"You need to shift back," Logan's voice was barely a whisper, but his alpha presence still commanded attention despite his weakening state.

His green eyes, now dull with pain and blood loss, found her golden ones with desperate urgency.

"I think I know what we need to do, but I don't have much time left.

I only have just enough strength to do the one thing that might save me. "

Zoe's transformation back to human form was surprisingly instant, driven by panic and the absolute certainty that she would not lose him. Not after three centuries of separation. Not when they'd finally found each other again.

The cold mountain air hit her naked skin, but she ignored the discomfort as she dropped to her knees beside Logan's weakened form.

His black henley was soaked with blood and his tactical gear weighed him down like anchors.

His face had taken on the deathly pallor that spoke of internal systems beginning to shut down.

"What do we need to do?" She wrapped her arms around him, trying to share her body heat while fighting back tears. "You're going to die soon. We don't have any time."

Logan's hand found her face, his thumb brushing across her cheek with devastating tenderness. "We have enough time for one thing, and I think it will work." He paused to take a deeper breath, struggling to breathe at this point. "I need to give you my full mate mark right now."

Zoe's heart stuttered. "Logan, you don't have enough strength for that. Plus, I don't want to hurt you any further."

Her eyes traced the alarming amount of blood seeping through his gear and the way his breathing hitched with each word. The wolfsbane was winning its war against his enhanced healing, and she could practically see his life force dimming before her eyes.

"Trust me," he said with that alpha authority that had struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. Despite his weakened state, Logan remained fundamentally unshakeable. "Trust your instincts. Your wolf knows what needs to happen here."

He's right. Something about this place, this moment, the Blood Moon—it's all connected.

Zoe leaned down and pressed her lips to his, tasting the salt of her own tears mixed with the metallic tang of blood on his mouth.

Logan kissed her back with gentle passion that belied his dire condition, pouring all his love and desperation into the contact.

Their lips moved together with the familiarity of souls who had found each other across lifetimes, tender and intimate and absolutely surreal under the crimson moonlight.

This is it. Whatever happens next will change everything.

Zoe soon broke their kiss and began removing Logan's shoulder holster with his Glocks.

Her hands trembled as she worked quickly and efficiently to strip him of his gear.

She unbuckled the holsters on his thighs, removed the knife from his hip, and slid the hunting knife from its sheath across his back.

Each piece of gear felt heavier than it should, weighed down by the gravity of the moment.

She tried not to look at the wound between his ribs, the blood oozing from it a stark reminder of how close he was to death.

"Logan," she murmured, her voice breaking as she peeled off his bloodied black henley.

"I'm here," he replied, his eyes locking onto hers with a piercing intensity that made her heart ache. "I'm not going anywhere. Not yet."

She stripped off his dark cargo pants, boxers, and combat boots with careful precision, trying not to cause him any more pain.

The sight of him naked and vulnerable twisted something deep inside her.

His body, usually so powerful and imposing, now looked fragile, ravaged by the wolfsbane poison coursing through his veins.

But despite his weakened state, he was fully aroused.

Zoe climbed onto him gently, her knees framing his hips. She straddled him, careful not to put too much weight on his injured body. Logan's hands found her hips, his fingers digging into her skin with a reassuring grip.

"You're doing good, Zoe," he encouraged, his voice rough but gentle. "Keep trusting your instincts."

She guided him into her entrance, surprised by how wet she was despite the dire circumstances.

Slowly, she took him fully inside her, biting her lip to stifle a moan.

She began moving gingerly, her hips rocking in slow, sensual motions.

Every movement was deliberate, and every touch carefully calculated to ensure he could climax without hurting him further.

Logan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she buried her face into his neck.

Her tears mingled with the sweat on his skin, the scent of blood and sex thick in the air.

She tried to focus on the feel of him inside her, the feel of his body pressed against hers, and the way their connection seemed to transcend the physical.

"I love you, Logan," she whispered against his skin, her voice choked with emotion. "And I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."

"You won't," he promised, his voice strained but firm. "I love you, Zoe, and I'm not leaving you. Not like this."

She felt the pressure building in her core, her orgasm approaching despite her fear and grief.

Logan's breathing grew heavier, his hips bucking weakly beneath her as he neared his own climax.

Just as she felt herself shatter, Logan leaned into her neck and bit down hard, marking her with his teeth over the partial mate mark.

She cried out, her body convulsing around him as he spilled his seed inside her.

For a moment, they clung to each other, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Zoe looked down into his eyes, searching for any sign that the mate mark had done something, anything, to save him.

"Logan," she whispered, her voice trembling as panic threatened to overwhelm her. "What if this wasn't enough? What if?—"

"Wait," he interrupted, his voice barely audible. "Just wait a minute."

Zoe nodded, clinging to Logan's naked body beneath the crimson glow of the Blood Moon.

Snow continued its gentle descent around them in the sacred clearing, each flake seeming to catch the ethereal light before melting against their heated skin.

The ancient stone markers surrounding them pulsed with a rhythm that matched her accelerated heartbeat.

Please work. Whatever this is supposed to do, please work.

The mate mark on her neck throbbed where Logan's teeth had claimed her, sending waves of connection through their mate bond that felt deeper than anything she'd experienced before. But Logan still looked pale, his breathing shallow and labored despite the intensity of what they'd just shared.

Suddenly, heat surged through Zoe's body like wildfire racing through her veins.

Not the uncomfortable burn of fever, but something else entirely—a powerful magical resonance emanating from every cell in her being.

Energy crackled beneath her skin, making her feel as though she might explode from the sheer force of it.

"Logan," she gasped, her voice trembling with wonder and fear. "I feel really hot and—and funny. Something's happening to me."

His green eyes, though dulled by pain, focused on her with that commanding alpha presence that never wavered, even when death knocked at his door. "Listen closely to your wolf," he instructed, his voice barely above a whisper but carrying absolute authority. "What is she saying?"

Zoe closed her eyes, reaching for the presence that had guided her through so much chaos over the past few days. The connection felt stronger now, clearer, as if the mate mark had opened channels in her consciousness she hadn't known existed.

Heal him.

The words rang through her mind with crystalline clarity, spoken in her wolf's voice but carrying wisdom that felt ancient beyond her twenty-five years.

"She says to heal you," Zoe whispered, opening her eyes to meet Logan's gaze. "But I don't know how. I've never?—"

Touch his wound. Feel the energy flowing through your body and push it into him. Guide your healing power into his flesh.

Tears began to stream down Zoe's cheeks as panic threatened her rational mind. The instructions seemed impossible, like asking her to fly or breathe underwater. But Logan was dying beneath her, and desperation made her willing to try anything.

"I don't know if I can do this," she sobbed, but her hands moved instinctively to the bloodied wound between his ribs.

"You can," Logan said with absolute conviction, even as more blood seeped between her fingers. "Trust yourself. Trust what you're feeling."

Zoe pressed her palms against the torn flesh, warmth immediately flowing from her hands into his body. She closed her eyes and focused on the energy coursing through her veins, imagining it pouring from her core into Logan's damaged tissue.

Nothing happened for several agonizing seconds. The wound continued bleeding, the wolfsbane poison continued its deadly work, and Logan's breathing grew more labored.

"I love you so much," she whispered desperately, the words torn from her soul. "I've always loved you, in every lifetime we've shared. I can't lose you."

The moment those words left her lips, something extraordinary happened.

The wolfsbane poison began moving beneath Logan's skin, black veins of toxin becoming visible as they traveled toward Zoe's touch.

The poison flowed into her hands like water seeking its level, drawn by a power she didn't understand but accepted completely.

Draw it out. All of it. Make him whole again.

Zoe concentrated with every fiber of her being, feeling the deadly substance collect in her palms. When the last trace of wolfsbane left Logan's system, she focused on making it disappear in her hands. To her amazement, the poison dissolved between her fingers as though it had never existed.

"Jesus Christ," Logan breathed, color already returning to his face.

Zoe looked down in wonder as his wound began stitching itself closed, her healing abilities working in perfect harmony with his enhanced shifter recovery. Within moments, only a faint pink line remained where the gaping injury had been.

"I can't believe I just did that," she whispered, staring at her hands in amazement.

Logan's arms encircled her waist, pulling her down for a kiss that tasted of gratitude and desperate relief.

When they broke apart, he smiled softly at her. "I had a feeling those other abilities you could develop, the ones hinted at in the prophecy, would only manifest when we were officially mated," he said, his voice stronger now but still rough with emotion.

Zoe kissed him again, this time with passionate intensity, pouring all her relief and overwhelming love into the contact. Under the Blood Moon's crimson glow, surrounded by falling snow in her ancestral clearing, she finally understood what it meant to be whole.