Let Them Come
799 Words
Lena
We buried the body at sunrise.
Well—Logan did. I mostly stood there trying to process the fact that my boyfriend (mate? bonded forest god?) had just ripped a man-wolf in half because he called me “sweetheart” like it was a damn challenge.
I wasn’t upset.
Weirdly… I was proud.
I’d never had anyone fight for me like that.
Not my family, who cared more about cocktail parties than my safety.
Not my ex, who broke more than just trust.
Not even myself.
Until now.
Now I was standing beside a man who saw me—not just as someone to protect, but someone worth protecting.
And that changed everything.
By the time we made it back to the cabin, Logan had cleaned the blood off and thrown on a shirt, but his energy hadn’t cooled.
If anything, he was hotter now.
A storm in slow motion.
He stood by the window, jaw tight, eyes scanning the woods like he was waiting for more.
“You think there’ll be others?” I asked softly.
He didn’t answer right away.
Then—“Yes.”
I nodded. “Because of me.”
“Because you’re mine.” His voice dropped to that dangerous low again. “And because the second I bit you, every shifter in a hundred-mile radius felt it.”
My heart thudded.
“But I’m not hiding,” I said.
He turned, eyes sharp. “Lena—”
“No.” I stepped toward him, toe to toe. “I won’t live in fear anymore. Not from my past. Not from rogues. Not from whatever shifter power games are about to rain down on us. I made my choice.”
His chest rose with a deep breath.
“I chose you,” I whispered.
He cupped my face, thumb brushing along my jaw. “I’ve never been more terrified and more in love.”
I blinked. “You… love me?”
He didn’t flinch. “Since the first second you looked at me like I was dangerous and didn’t back down.”
And just like that—I was gone.
We kissed.
God, did we kiss.
But this one wasn’t about lust.
It was about fire.
Unity.
War drums beneath skin.
When he pulled back, his voice was like gravel dragged across thunder.
“Let them come.”
----------
Logan
I spent most of my life keeping the beast in check.
Disappearing into the woods when the bond got too strong. Refusing to take a mate, to build a pack, to be anyone’s Alpha.
But Lena changed that.
She changed me.
Now I didn’t want to hide. I wanted to make damn sure every wolf, bear, cat, or asshole rogue within range knew exactly where the lines were drawn.
This cabin?
Our home.
These woods?
Our territory.
Lena?
Mine.
And I wasn’t just willing to kill to protect her—I was willing to lead.
The bond didn’t just make her mine.
It made me stronger.
Stronger than I’d ever been.
I looked at her—curled up on the couch, wearing one of my flannels again, legs bare, mark still glowing faintly on her neck—and I saw more than a mate.
I saw a future.
A reason to fight.
A reason to build something.
And if anyone tried to take that from me again?
I’d burn down the world.
----------
Lena
I made tea because I needed something to do with my hands that didn’t involve clinging to Logan like a feral cat in heat. Not that he’d complain.
“Okay,” I said, pacing. “So you said other shifters can feel the bond. Like, feel feel it?”
“Yes.”
“Gross.”
He chuckled. “Welcome to pack politics.”
“Do I get to fight someone?”
That stopped him cold. “What?”
“I mean—you said this could bring trouble, right? That someone might challenge you or whatever?”
“Yes, but—”
“So I want to be ready. Teach me.”
He stood slowly, that serious look overtaking his face again. “You’re not a fighter, Lena.”
“Neither was I a month ago. But look at me now.” I pointed to my neck. “I’ve got a bite mark, a man who shifts into a bear, and two solid thighs ready to kick someone into next week.”
He stared.
Then smiled.
And damn if it wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever seen.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll train you.”
“Good. Because if someone else knocks on that door calling me ‘sweetheart,’ I’m putting them in the dirt before you even shift.”
“That’s my girl.”
- Writer
