Page 44 of Logan’s Acadian Wolves

What did I do? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Logan was shocked at what he’d just done, but as he gently took Wynter into his arms, cradling her to his chest, he couldn’t summon an ounce of remorse. Instead, his wolf, categorically satisfied, howled in victory, invigorated that he’d marked his mate. Logan knew that it shouldn’t have happened like this. But if she’d been a wolf, he wouldn’t have needed to explain it to her. It was a natural act after all. Hell, in a perfect world, Wynter would have already marked him back.

Logan carried her up the stairs, quickly finding his bedroom. Before he made it to the mattress, Wynter had curled into his body like a purring kitten and drifted off to sleep. Without disconnecting, he carefully laid on the bed, bringing her with him so her head rested on his chest. Gliding a finger along her shoulder, he smiled. His bite was already transforming into a unique design. Like Wynter, it was small, beautiful and understated. Two intertwining loops had appeared; Logan likened them to linked souls, independent but co-existing as one. It was a sentimental thought, he knew, but a sense of pride clutched at his chest nonetheless.

But what was Wynter going to think when she saw the mark? A nagging twinge of concern spiraled into unanswered questions. What if she rejected him? Denied him as her mate? She hadn’t shifted, after all. The concept of claiming and mating was lupine, and she still clung to human expectations and cultural beliefs. Even though she lived with Jax, she’d told Logan that he’d kept her out of pack business, away from wolves. He didn’t need to think too hard about how Jax was going to react. Not that he could blame him for being irate, but eventually even Jax would accept it. As Alpha, he’d understand that wolves couldn’t deny what nature demanded.

Logan hugged Wynter tightly, placing a kiss on her forehead. He silently grinned at how crazed he’d become when she insisted on role playing. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t experimented sexually; he’d lived a long time. But he’d never in a million years expected his little scientist to play secretary. When they’d first met, she seemed reserved, afraid of her own nudity, even. Their interaction in the pool was meant to open her to the way of wolves. But he’d had no idea how creative she’d become. The memory of how she’d looked standing naked, bent over that table….Goddess, she was sexy.

She felt so soft and warm in his arms, his heart constricted. Not only was his wolf rolling over in adoration of his mate, Logan could fall for this female. Maybe he was in lust, he reasoned. That would make much more sense. The harder he tried to comprehend the why and how of the situation, the more frustrated he became. This was exactly what he’d been telling Dimitri. No matter his wolf’s desire for his new found mate, his inner conflict about it was distracting him from more pressing matters.

The last thought in his mind before he fell asleep was that he needed to get his shit together before they left to find the lab. Logan decided to talk to Wynter about the mark when they got back home. They didn’t have time for heavy emotional discussions before going off on a dangerous mission. No, it would wait. Logan cleared his mind of Wynter and focused his thoughts on the killer, on what he’d done to Dana, how he’d tortured his mate. That was all it took to release a fresh river of anger, fueling the revenge he would mete out in just a few short hours.

Wynter dressed in black jeans and a t-shirt that Logan had left for her on the bed. It all seemed very James Bondish to her, but she trusted they knew what they were doing. As she pulled on her socks, she let her mind drift to Logan. When she woke, he was already freshly showered and dressed. With a quick peck to her cheek, he trotted downstairs without saying a word about what had happened in the conference room.

She breathed a sigh of relief, considering what they’d done. At the same time, she felt no regret. As if a magician had revealed the hidden dove, she’d bared her newborn sexuality. She could have blamed it on her wolf, but Wynter knew the truth. Like a caged tigress, she’d been waiting for the right man to unleash her from her prison, unlocking her true nature. Wynter laughed, thinking about how she’d encouraged him to bend her over that table. The way he’d made love to her had been phenomenal. Rough yet gentle, the passion and intimacy embraced both her body and soul. The electricity between them sizzled, threatening to burn down the room.

What surprised her the most was the way he’d tenderly scooped her up in his arms afterwards, petting and caressing her. There wasn’t a moment when they’d lost physical contact. As they lay in bed, his soft lips to her forehead sent tendrils of warmth through her body. Wynter wasn’t sure if he’d been aware that she’d felt every loving touch and feather-soft kiss. Emotion welled in her chest as she considered her feelings.

Wynter ran her hands through her curls and attempted to lasso her hair into a scrunchie. When she reached back to do so, she felt a small raised area near her neck. Had he bitten her? Given her a ‘love bite’? Yes he did. And damn, that had been hot. She remembered how the slight pain had pushed her into another orgasm when he’d done it. Was that some kind of kinky wolf trick? Maybe next time, she’d bite him back? She smiled at the thought.

Wynter’s focus drifted back to what they were about to do. I’ll be safe…I’ll be safe. She kept saying the mantra over and over. She knew that Logan wouldn’t have agreed to let her go if he didn’t think he could keep her out of harm’s way. If she could just get her hands on the data, she might be able to cure Emma. As she stared at her face in the mirror, she promised to herself that she’d keep her eye on the prize.

“Brought sandwiches,” Dimitri commented, taking a big bite out of his po’Boy.

“Thanks, been so busy, I haven’t even thought to eat. Are Zeke and Jake ready?” Logan asked.

“Yeah, they’re over at my place loading the cars. You ready?”

“Born ready.” Logan sat down at the kitchen table, grabbed a muffuletta and started eating.

“Anything you want to get off your chest?” Dimitri noticed his Alpha had been avoiding eye contact with him since he’d come down, which was unusual. Yeah, Logan was definitely trying to dodge talking about something.

“Just eatin’ my sandwich. These are good. Where’d you get them?”

“So how’s that new table workin’ for ya?” Dimitri thought he’d try another tactic. Oh, he’d heard, all right. It almost made him want to go try to find his own mate…almost.

“Fuck off, D.”

Laughing, Dimitri almost choked on his food. Bingo. He’d hit the topic.

“You know that I’ll never be able to concentrate in there again, don’t you? Don’t worry, I didn’t stay for the show,” he assured him, wagging his eyebrows.

“She’s my mate,” Logan stated nonchalantly, waiting for the ribbing that didn’t come.

“Guessed as much. Does she know?”

“No way, man. She hasn’t even shifted. I mean, you’ve talked to her. She hasn’t spent a lot of time with wolves. What I mean is that even though she lives with Jax, it sounds like he keeps the pack activities on the down-low.”

“Full moon’s soon. She’s goin’ have to learn,” Dimitri advised and took another bite.

“Yeah, there’s something else.” Logan casually placed his sandwich on his plate and proceeded to drop the bomb. “I marked her. And before you ask, she doesn’t know.”

“What?” Dimitri involuntarily spit his food out in surprise.

“And here’s the thing, D, I know I should feel guilty or something rational like that.” Logan leaned back and closed his eyes thoughtfully and then stared over to Dimitri. “But I don’t. I feel fucking great. I guess I’m an asshole to feel that way. But I’m tellin’ ya, it just feels good…really good. She’s mine, and I want others to know it. And in that conference room, she was just so…I can’t even tell you what it was like. She’s beautiful. Playful. Spirited. My wolf…he just wanted her so much.”

“Listen, you can’t beat yourself up about this. You’re a wolf. This is what we do. You know it. And I know it. It feels right because that’s how it’s meant to be. She’ll understand when you tell her.” Dimitri stood, slapped Logan on the shoulder and walked over to the sink. “So when are you going to tell her?”

“Tonight. But not until we get back. Right now, I’ve gotta focus on what we’re about to do. Did you bring that item I asked for?”