Page 6 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)

Logan's phone buzzed with an incoming text. He grabbed it with one hand, keeping his eyes on the road. It was Kieran.

Status report. ETA?

Logan typed back quickly. Thirty minutes out. Target secure.

Target. The word felt harsh in his thoughts. Zoe was so much more than a target now, but admitting that would complicate everything.

His phone buzzed again. Any complications?

Logan stared at the screen for a long moment. Complications didn't begin to cover it. Finding his mate, killing four human hunters, and discovering Zoe's fierce protective instincts—none of it had been part of the plan.

Nothing I couldn't handle, he finally typed back.

Zoe shifted again, her hand falling across the center console to rest dangerously close to his thigh. Even through his jeans, he could feel the heat of her palm like a brand. His wolf preened at her unconscious trust, and the way she instinctively reached for him even in sleep.

Twenty more minutes to figure out how to walk away from everything he'd never known he wanted.

The gravel crunched beneath Logan's Jeep tires as he killed the engine, moonlight filtering through the dense canopy overhead to cast silver shadows across the hidden safehouse.

His enhanced hearing picked up the familiar sounds of a rebel stronghold—muted conversations, the soft scrape of weapons being cleaned, and the restless pacing of wolf shifters.

He turned toward Zoe, who'd been sleeping peacefully for the past hour and a half, her curly hair spilling across the passenger seat like dark honey in the moonlight. The mate bond thrummed between them, a constant electric current that made his wolf pace beneath his skin.

"Zoe." Logan kept his voice low and gentle. "We're here."

Her hazel eyes fluttered open, immediately finding his green ones in the dim interior of the Jeep.

When she smiled softly—bright and unguarded and absolutely devastating—Logan felt his carefully constructed walls crack even further.

That smile hit him with sheer force, warm and trusting and completely at odds with everything his world represented.

Turn the engine back on, his wolf demanded. Drive to the cabin. Keep her.

Logan's hands flexed on the steering wheel as he fought the urge to do exactly that. One hour to his isolated cabin where he could claim her properly and never have to let her go.

"Where are we exactly?" Zoe stretched, her blood-stained hoodie riding up to reveal a strip of smooth skin that made his mouth go dry.

"The safehouse I mentioned. There are good, trusting people here who know what you're going through." Logan forced himself to open the driver's door, stepping into the cool mountain air before she could completely unravel his control. "They'll help you learn to manage your wolf."

He walked around to her door, hyperaware of how her expression dimmed again. The hope in her eyes flickered and died, replaced by something that looked dangerously close to abandonment.

"You're really leaving." Not a question.

Logan opened her door, extending his hand to help her out. The moment her fingers touched his, electricity shot through him. Her scent shifted, arousal mixing with her natural sweetness until he had to clench his jaw to maintain control of his body.

"Logan, please." Zoe stepped closer as her feet hit the gravel, not releasing his hand. "Stay with me tonight. Just tonight. I don't know these people, and I—" Her voice cracked slightly. "I trust you."

Those three words nearly destroyed him. Logan had spent a decade ensuring no one trusted him, cultivating a reputation that kept people at a safe distance. But Zoe looked at him like he was something worth believing in, even covered in dried blood and carrying enough weapons to outfit a small army.

"You'll be safe here. I promise." Logan made himself release her hand, immediately missing the contact. "Safer than you would be with me."

He guided her toward the safehouse, his palm hovering over her lower back without quite touching. Even that minimal proximity made his wolf snarl possessively.

Logan knocked once on the heavy wooden door, the sound echoing in the stillness. Within seconds, it opened to reveal Tabitha—mid-thirties, blonde, with the lean build of a seasoned fighter and intelligent blue eyes that missed nothing.

"Logan." Tabitha's gaze flicked between him and Zoe, taking in their body language with predatory awareness. "This is the hybrid Kieran mentioned?"

"Zoe Raymond. Per Alpha's orders, she stays here until further notice." Logan stepped back, putting necessary distance between himself and Zoe before his control snapped entirely. "Keep her safe."

Tabitha nodded, understanding the weight behind those words. "Of course. Come on, honey. Let's get you settled."

"Wait." Zoe turned toward Logan, her hazel eyes pleading. "When will I see you again?"

The question hit him like a knife between the ribs. Logan's throat worked as he searched for an answer that wouldn't be a complete lie.

"Take care of yourself, Zoe."

He turned sharply, heading back toward his Jeep before he could do something catastrophically stupid like promise her things he had no right to promise. His wolf clawed at his restraint, demanding he go back, claim what belonged to them, and damn the consequences.

"Logan, wait!"

Footsteps on gravel behind him made Logan freeze. She was following him—this stubborn, fearless woman who had no idea how dangerous he really was.

"You can't just leave me with strangers. I've been alone for a year since my mother died, and I can't?—"

Zoe's hand grabbed his arm, her grip firm and desperate. Logan spun around instinctively, his enforcer training taking over as he caught her wrists and backed her against the Jeep in one fluid motion.

The position put them chest to chest, her back pressed against the cold metal while his body caged her in.

Her arousal spiked immediately, the scent hitting him like a powerful drug and making his vision blur with want.

Heat flooded his groin as her breathing quickened, her lips parting slightly as she stared up at him.

Logan's hands lingered on her wrists longer than necessary, his thumbs tracing over her pulse points where her blood sang beneath her delicate skin. The mate bond roared between them, demanding completion.

"Logan," she whispered, his name on her lips like a prayer.

The world narrowed to this moment—her hazel eyes gone molten gold, the way her body trembled against his, and the perfect curve of her mouth just inches away. Logan found himself leaning down, drawn by an irresistible force and bone-deep recognition.

Mine, his wolf growled. Claim her. Now.

The tactical part of his mind snapped him back just before his lips touched hers, the cold reality crashing through the haze of desire like ice water. Logan released her wrists and stepped back so quickly that Zoe stumbled slightly, confusion and hurt flashing across her features.

He turned and walked toward the treeline without another word, trusting the darkness to swallow him before his resolve cracked completely. Behind him, he heard Zoe's soft intake of breath and the tremor in her voice as she called his name one more time.

Logan kept walking.