Page 42 of Marked For A Bite
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 someof 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."
