Page 32 of Marked For A Bite
Before Logan could voice his obvious disagreement, Lena's violet eyes brightened with a burning intensity that made the air around the table shimmer. Her petite frame seemed to vibrate with barely contained energy as she cut through the tension between Alpha and enforcer.
"So anyway, I have good news," she announced, her soft voice carrying surprising authority. "If Zoe agrees to interpret the ancient scroll, I know where it's located. My mentor Rhea had a vision, and it revealed the exact spot. We can go tomorrow morning."
Logan's protective fury spiked so violently through their bond that Zoe gasped, her hand instinctively reaching for the partial mark on her neck. The heat radiating from him was palpable, his entire body coiled like a weapon ready to strike.
"Absolutely not," Logan growled. "We don't even know what kind of security?—"
"This is imperative to all our futures," Kieran interrupted, his Alpha command brooking no argument. "The longer we wait, the more time the Council has to eliminate threats."
"Fine. But we strategize and plan every detail before we breach whatever security protects that location. And I need to train Zoe more aggressively than planned—hone her combat skills and shifting abilities at a faster pace." Logan's green eyes locked onto hers with a fierce intensity that made her heart skip. "We'll have to accelerate everything if we're going to pull this whole thing off."
The possessive heat in his gaze made something deep in her belly flutter with anticipation. Even discussing danger andancient scrolls, Logan managed to make her feel like she was the most precious thing in his world—something worth killing for and worth dying for.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes," Zoe declared, lifting her chin with the fierce determination that had gotten her this far. "Not just to protect myself, but all hybrids like me who are in danger. If I'm one of the keys to exposing the Council's secrets and bridging our worlds, then that's exactly what I'll do—I'll become a lethal weapon."
Maya nodded approvingly from across the table, her copper hair catching the lamplight. "We'll meet back here in the morning to strategize before?—"
Logan's body went rigid beside her, his head snapping toward the cabin's front windows. Zoe could sense his predatory instincts surge to full alert, every muscle in his powerful frame coiling for action.
Kieran was already rising from his chair, those silver-blue eyes brightening as his wolf pressed close to the surface. "Multiple heartbeats approaching through the tree line. Moving with tactical precision."
"They tracked us here somehow," Logan growled, his enforcer training taking immediate control. The gentle lover who'd held her earlier vanished, replaced by the deadly weapon the pack feared and respected. "Zoe, stay inside. Don't come out no matter what you see or hear."
Both men were already moving toward the door, their movements synchronizing with the deadly efficiency of warriors who'd fought side by side before.
"Maya, stay inside with Zoe and Lena," Kieran commanded, his tone holding absolute Alpha authority as he stripped off his henley with fluid grace.
Through the living room's large window, Zoe watched in breathless fascination as both men shifted into their wolf formswith explosive power. Kieran's midnight black wolf was massive and commanding, but Logan's dark russet form moved with a predatory grace that made her mouth go dry with primal attraction.
The brutal efficiency with which they tore through the four human hunters who emerged from the forest was both terrifying and mesmerizing. Logan's wolf moved like liquid death, his powerful jaws crushing threats with the same protective fury she felt pulsing through their bond.
These were the men hunting her—the Council's operatives sent to eliminate the hybrid who could expose centuries of corruption. Watching Logan and Kieran eliminate them with such devastating effectiveness should have terrified her, but instead it filled her with a fierce sense of safety and belonging.
When both wolves returned to the cabin minutes later, shifting back to human form and pulling on their discarded clothes, Zoe felt the weight of her destiny settling deeper into her bones.
"I'll drive you both back to Logan's cabin," Kieran announced, his Alpha composure barely masking the violent satisfaction of eliminating threats to his pack. "It's not safe to walk through the woods tonight, even though we handled the immediate danger. There might be more out there."
"Tomorrow we get that scroll. Whatever it takes," Zoe declared, meeting Logan's intense green gaze with unwavering determination. "Our future depends on it."
FOURTEEN
LOGAN
Kieran's modified truck rumbled through the forest roads toward Logan's cabin, the headlights cutting through the autumn darkness like predatory eyes. Logan sat in the passenger seat, his body still thrumming with the violent satisfaction of eliminating those threats to his mate. The scent of human blood lingered on his clothes, mixing with Zoe's intoxicating fragrance from where she sat directly behind him.
"I'm going to beef up security throughout the entire territory," Kieran announced, his Alpha authority evident even in casual conversation. His hands gripped the steering wheel with controlled tension. "No more human hunters will slip past our outer defenses into the heart of pack land. What happened tonight can't happen again."
Logan's protective instincts hummed with approval. The thought of more Council operatives tracking Zoe made his wolf pace restlessly, demanding action and violence. "I appreciate that. She's my mate and I can't let anything happen to her. Not to mention, she's one of the keys to this damned prophecy. Protecting her protects all of us."
"That's what a good Alpha does," Kieran replied, glancing in the rearview mirror at Zoe. "Takes care of his pack, especially those who matter most to the future." His eyes met Logan's briefly. "I'll see you both in the morning. We'll finalize our strategy then."
As they pulled into Logan's fortified driveway, Logan's mind was already calculating training scenarios and combat drills for Zoe. Tomorrow's mission to retrieve the ancient scroll would require Zoe to be at peak fighting condition, and he refused to send her into danger unprepared.
"Thank you for the ride," Zoe said, climbing out of the truck with fluid grace that made Logan's pulse quicken.
Once Kieran's taillights disappeared into the forest, Logan turned to face his mate. The moonlight caught the honey highlights in her dark hair, and those hazel eyes gleamed with anticipation rather than fear.
"We need to run an extreme training crash course," he announced, his enforcer instincts taking command. "Defensive and offensive combat skills, knife wielding techniques, and then we'll work on your shifting control."
