Page 29 of Marked For A Bite
"Pack scent markers," Logan confirmed, pride swelling in his chest at how quickly she was adapting. "Every wolf shifter leaves traces. Your wolf recognizes pack territory now."
"I used to be a Girl Scout," Zoe said, stepping easily over a fallen log. "Nature always fascinated me, especially wolves. I thought it was just because they're beautiful and intelligent, but now..."
"Now you know why." Logan's hand found her lower back as they navigated a steep section of trail. Even through her sweater, the contact sent jolts of electricity through him. "Your wolf was always there, guiding your interests."
"That explains so much." Zoe's voice held a note of amazement. "At Columbia, when I was studying art history and anthropology, I kept gravitating toward Pacific Northwest indigenous cultures. They revered wolves in a way that other cultures didn't, and I could never understand why I felt so connected to their artwork and stories."
Logan's steps faltered slightly. "You studied indigenous Pacific Northwest culture?"
"Obsessively." Zoe's laugh held a note of self-deprecation. "My professors thought I was limiting my research scope too much, but I couldn't help myself. The connection felt... ancestral."
"Because it was." Logan's voice carried quiet reverence. "Those weren't just indigenous human cultures, Zoe. They were our kind—wolf shifters who lived openly alongside humans before the Severance three centuries ago."
Zoe stopped walking entirely, her eyes wide. "The museum exhibit I spent months preparing—the one where I attacked that art critic..."
"You were defending your heritage without even knowing it," Logan finished, unable to suppress a grin. "Your wolf recognizedthe disrespect to our ancestors and reacted accordingly. Fierce little thing, isn't she?"
"Is that why I got so angry? When he criticized the wolf imagery and called it 'primitive'?" Zoe's hand unconsciously moved to her throat, her fingers tracing the partial mark there. "I felt like he was attacking something sacred."
"Because he was."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, the forest alive around them with sounds only they could properly hear. He found himself constantly aware of Zoe's presence beside him—the rhythm of her breathing, the confident way she moved through terrain that would challenge most humans, and the subtle changes in her scent as different emotions flickered through her.
The partial bond between them hummed with contentment as they moved together through his territory. This was what he'd never allowed himself to imagine—having someone to share this with, someone who belonged in his world as much as he did.
As Kieran's cabin came into view through the trees, Logan felt Zoe's nervous energy spike through their connection.
"They're going to love you," he said, catching her elbow gently. "Maya's a hybrid herself, and Kieran..." Logan paused, searching for the right words. "He's not like the Alphas who came before him. He sees potential where others see threat."
"What about Lena?"
"She's the pack healer and possibly the smartest person I know. If anyone can help you understand your hybrid nature, it's her."
Zoe nodded, but Logan could feel her anxiety through their bond. He stopped walking and turned her to face him, his hands framing her face as warm light spilled from the windows of Kieran's cabin ahead.
"Just be yourself," he said, his thumb brushing over her lower lip. "The same fierce, stubborn, brilliant woman who decided to trust a dangerous stranger and follow him into a world she didn't understand."
"The same woman who killed for you within an hour of meeting you," Zoe added quietly.
"The same woman who's brave enough to love a monster like me." Logan's voice came out rough, thick with emotions he was still learning to acknowledge.
Zoe's smile was soft and fierce at once. "You're not a monster, Logan Cross. You're mine."
The possessive way she said it sent heat through him, and Logan had to fight the urge to press her against the nearest tree and finish what they'd started back at his cabin. Instead, he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss that was both a promise and a claim.
When they broke apart, Logan's fingers traced the partial mark on her neck one more time, his wolf humming at the sight of his claim on her skin.
"Ready?" he asked, though he could have stood there kissing her until dawn.
Zoe straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin with the fierce determination he was learning to adore. "Ready."
Logan guided Zoe up the wooden porch steps of Kieran's cabin, the autumn night air crisp against his skin. The warm glow spilling from the windows promised sanctuary, but Logan remained alert.
He knocked once, a sharp rap that announced their arrival without seeming urgent. Maya opened the door almost immediately, her copper-red hair gleaming in the light as she smiled warmly at them both.
"Logan, Zoe—please, come in." Maya's greeting held genuine warmth as she stepped aside to usher them into the cabin's welcoming interior.
Logan felt Zoe's nervous energy through their bond as they entered, but Maya seemed to sense her anxiety immediately. The hybrid Luna approached Zoe with the kind of intuitive grace that came from understanding what it felt like to be caught between two worlds.
