Logan's Acadian Wolves (24 page)

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?”

“Yep, right there on the counter.” Dimitri pointed to a holster and gun.

“Okay, thanks. Here she comes,” Logan warned, hearing Wynter walking toward the kitchen. “Hey, sweetheart. D brought dinner.”

Logan offered her the tray and hoped plying her with food would soften her for what he was about to suggest next.

Wynter joined them, took a sandwich off the plate and bit into it. “Oh. My. God. This is awesome. I could so live down here. Between the beignets and everything else I might weigh five thousand pounds, but who cares?” She laughed.

After a few minutes had passed, Logan stood, took his plate to the sink and then picked up the bag sitting on the counter.

“I’ve got something for you,” he told her. He pulled the Lady Smith out of the holster and checked the safety.

“What the…?” she gaped.

“It’s a gun, Wyn.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she stammered. “But do you really think this is necessary?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not taking any chances. When we go in, you’re staying locked in the car with Jake. But just in case…always need a plan B,” he replied, continuing to check to make sure everything that he’d requested was there. Logan took the magazine out of the gun, checked it and set it down.

The reality of what they were about to do made Wynter stop and take a breath. Even though she had to do it, it would be difficult to go back to the same place where she’d been held captive. No longer having an appetite, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and pushed the plate aside.

“Come over here,” Logan told her. Wynter got up from the table and stood next to him, watching him work.

“Here you go…just lift your arms,” Logan instructed, slipping her arms through the black leather shoulder holster. He adjusted the straps so it fit properly. “There you go. Have you ever used a gun?”

“Well, yes, but…” She straightened her back and moved her arms, trying to get used to the feel of it on her body.

“When was the last time you went shooting?” He looked her over, waiting on her response.

“Well, it’s not like I’m a sharpshooter, but Jax insisted that I have one. You know, late night in the city and all that good stuff. Honestly though, I don’t carry it with me most days.”

“When was the last time you used it?”

“I don’t know.” She rubbed her hand over her forehead, trying to think. Geez, had it been that long? “Maybe a year ago?”

“Better than nothing. Take it out and let me see you load it.”

She did as he asked, and then promptly put the gun back into its sheath.

“That’s a girl. Now, let’s review what we’ve got, okay? Silver bullets. Eight in a clip. There’s loaded magazines ready to go both here and here.” He pointed to the ammunition pouches attached to her holster.

She nodded, but her expression didn’t match her assent. Her brow knotted in worry.

“You’re going to be safe, Wyn. If something happens, do whatever Jake tells you, okay? Also, there are stakes in the car. Lots of them. Take one with you when you get the go ahead to come into the lab. Just in case.”

“Got it,” she said with determination. Grabbing a bottle of water, she unscrewed the top and took a long drink, wishing it was whiskey. When she looked up, two large men walked into the kitchen.

“Jake, Zeke, meet Wynter. She’s my…uh,” he fumbled for the word.
Mate.
No, not the time. “Girlfriend.”

Logan glanced over to catch her reaction. Her face flamed, and she failed to hide the smile evident in her eyes. Yep, girlfriend worked just fine.

“Nice to meet you, Wynter. I’m Jake,” said the taller man. His blond hair was tightly cropped. He confidently strode around the table and joined them. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought law enforcement. Maybe military?

The other wolf, standing at the door with his arms crossed, merely gave her a nod. His cool demeanor bristled Wynter. She wondered what his issue was, that he couldn’t even offer up a simple ‘hello’, and determined that maybe her presence wasn’t welcome. Wynter made eye contact with him and set her bottle on the counter.

“Don’t worry ’bout Zeke over there, cher. He’s just the muscle. Lucky for you, you’ve got the brains lookin’ out for you tonight.” Jake told her with a smile.

“When will we know if it’s safe to go into the lab?” Wynter asked Logan.

“I’ll send Dimitri out when it’s okay for you to come in. But until he does, you stay in the car with Jake. We’ve got to be crystal clear on this. Don’t move out of the car until he says you can. Now, the cars…they’ve been specially outfitted for occasions like this. They’ve been custom armored. Bulletproofed. Even so, we’re going with redundancy in case we run into any problems. You, Jake and I will go in one car. Dimitri and Zeke in the other.”

After a long pause, Dimitri rose from the table, as did Jake. Wynter waited until Logan indicated they were leaving and tugged on his sleeve. Without warning, she hugged him tightly. Wynter wanted to tell him how she felt, worried that something bad would happen to him.