Page 57 of Marked For A Bite
Logan ended the call and turned to face Zoe, whose green sweater brought out the gold flecks in her eyes that had become so much more pronounced since her abilities manifested.
"He's weak but stable, and asking for you," Logan said gently.
Zoe immediately grabbed her backup boots from her backpack, jamming her feet into them with jerky, desperate movements. Her fingers fumbled with the laces as emotion overwhelmed her motor skills.
"I need to get to him. Right now." Her voice cracked as she bolted toward the door.
"Wait up." Logan hurried after her, grabbing his own boots. His body still felt the lingering effects of the wolfsbane poisoning, a weakness that his enhanced healing was steadily burning away but hadn't completely erased. "We need weapons. There could still be Granite Ridge patrols searching for escaped prisoners."
And I'll be damned if anything happens to either of you on my watch.
Zoe paused at the door, her hand already on the handle. "You're right. Sorry, I'm just?—"
"You're about to actually talk to your father for the first time in twenty-five years. You're allowed to be rattled."
Logan strapped on his shoulder holster with twin Glocks, the familiar weight grounding him back into his tactical mindset. He handed Zoe her custom leather harness, watching as she secured her knives with the efficient movements he'd drilled into her.
"We'll take the Jeep," Logan decided. "Faster, and I'm still recovering my full strength."
The drive to the safehouse felt simultaneously eternal and too brief. Logan's hands gripped the wheel as his tactical mind cataloged the potential threats—Granite Ridge search parties and human hunters who might still be tracking Zoe. But beneath the professional assessment, he felt Zoe's emotional turbulence through their newly completed mate bond.
She's terrified he won't be everything she's hoped for. Terrified he will be. Terrified of losing him again before they've even had a chance to really know each other.
The safehouse appeared through the trees, a modest cabin that served as one of many rebel hideouts scattered throughout the territory. Logan parked and immediately scanned the perimeter before allowing Zoe to exit.
"Ready for this?" Logan asked gently, placing a steadying hand on her lower back.
Zoe nodded, though her breathing had gone shallow with anticipation.
The door opened before they reached it. Maya appeared, her copper hair disheveled and her practical clothes stained with medical supplies.
"He's been waiting for you," Maya said softly to Zoe, stepping aside.
The interior of the safehouse buzzed with quiet activity. Several of the rescued prisoners sat on makeshift beds, being tended by Lena and other pack members. But Logan's attention focused immediately on the figure sitting in a chair near the back corner.
Jared Raymond was tall even seated, though his frame showed the devastating effects of twenty-five years of captivity. His dark hair was streaked with premature silver, and his face bore the gaunt hollows of someone who had endured unspeakable hardship. But his blue eyes—the same unusual shade that occasionally flickered in Zoe's hazel ones—blazed with fierce intelligence and undiminished spirit.
When Jared's gaze found Zoe, his entire expression transformed.
"My baby girl," he whispered, rising unsteadily to his feet.
Zoe rushed to him without hesitation, throwing her arms around his diminished frame. Jared held her with the desperate grip of someone who had dreamed of this moment through decades of darkness.
This is what I fight for. This is why all the blood and violence and moral compromise matters—for moments like this.
"All I ever wanted was to see my baby girl one time," Jared said, his voice thick with emotion.
"I wish I knew sooner that you were alive," Zoe said through her tears. "I would've found you sooner. I would've torn that place apart with my bare hands to get you out."
Logan's wolf stirred with pride at his mate's fierce declaration.
"It was never safe for you to find me," Jared replied, pulling back to study her face. "And I worry you're still in danger. They won't stop coming for you."
"She may be in danger," Logan stepped forward, "but now that she has her mate and we're officially bonded, we're stronger together. She's not facing any of this alone anymore."
Jared's perceptive gaze shifted to Logan, taking in his tactical gear, the way he positioned himself protectively near Zoe, and the unmistakable scent of their completed mate bond.
"You're the one who's been protecting her." It wasn't a question. "Thank you for everything you've done for my daughter. I know it's been dangerous, but you seem like the perfect mate to keep her safe."
