Mate of Her Heart

by Butler, R. E.

  His fingers played across her back and he chuckled. “Sounds like you could become my favorite dessert.”

  She could faintly feel the heat-cycle ramping up again, and while she still had her wits about her, she asked him to tell her what brought him – and the other wolves – up to the cabin.

  As he told her about overhearing Acksel and then Vince, she knew that she was staring at him in utter disbelief.

  His brows furrowed. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  “Of course. I know you wouldn’t lie to me. Although I talked to some of the females about going through the heat on my own, I never said I was leaving town. The only people – besides you – who knew where I was were Acksel and my dad. There’s no way my dad would have told any of the males that showed up here where I was. That leaves Acksel.”

  He was very quiet and she straightened her arms and looked down at him. “What?”

  He frowned. “You don’t want to know what I’m thinking about right now.”

  “Let’s not start with secrets, Luke, please.”

  He exhaled and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I want to kill Acksel, baby. I want to fucking break his neck and kill the assholes that came up here thinking they would rape you.”

  She stared into his determined blue eyes, taking in the snarl on his lips and the intense anger that radiated from the sapphire depths. He was one of the most even-tempered men she’d ever known. But the man underneath her was all alpha male. She felt incredibly blessed to have him as her mate. “Luke?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “I love you.”

  His brow arched and the snarl faded to a tender smile. “Even after all I just said?”

  “You proved you could protect me, Luke.” She gently touched the fang marks on his throat. “I marked you as my mate. Your come is inside me. We’re together for the long haul.”

  His smile broadened. “Better or worse?”

  Nodding, she leaned down and kissed him. He groaned as he opened his mouth to her questing tongue and the need that had slowly been building within her rose to a fever pitch.

  He rolled them, not breaking the kiss, and slipped two fingers inside her pussy. Within seconds she was screaming her pleasure and writhing under his talented fingers. As he pushed his hard cock inside her, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, and they made love again.

  Nothing had ever felt as perfect as what she experienced with her best friend and mate. Regardless of what waited for them after the heat was over, she knew that taking Luke as her mate was worth it all. It hadn’t really even been a choice. He was the only one for her. The only male that would ever be her mate.

  Chapter 8

  Luke rolled to his back and stretched, stifling a groan as his muscles burned and ached. He’d made love to Ev four times overnight and given her several orgasms with his fingers and tongue in between rounds while his body recovered.

  He’d never had sex so many times in one night, and he’d worried that he wouldn’t be enough for her, but after the fourth time, when her body seemed to calm down as it did for a while after each round, she fell asleep in his arms and didn’t rouse right away.

  He’d enjoyed holding her and watching her sleep, but he didn’t waste time staying awake. He wanted to rest as much as possible before her heat started up again.

  His eyes popped open as he realized that he was in bed alone. Sitting up, he found her standing at the front window, the sheet wrapped around her body. She looked peaceful as she stared out into the woods surrounding the cabin.

  He slipped out of bed and joined her, putting his arms around her and resting his chin on top of her head. “How are your wounds?” she asked, her fingers touching the edges of the bandages on his arms.

  “Healing. Are you okay, baby?”

  “I feel great, actually.” Her voice had a little bit of awe to it.

  “You do?”

  She turned in his arms and smiled up at him. “The heat’s over.”

  For a moment he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. “What?”

  “It’s over,” she repeated.

  “But it was supposed to last for a week, right?”

  She seemed highly amused by his inability to understand what was going on. And then he understood.

  Holy crap, she was pregnant.

  She reached for him, concern on her face. “Are you okay? You said you understood what might happen if we had sex without protection.”

  He snorted and swept her up in his arms. “I think I remember health class, baby.” He dropped her to the bed and settled next to her, peeling the sheet away from her beautiful body and resting his palm on her stomach. “Sorry I’m a little slow this morning. There was this incredible she-wolf in bed with me last night and she kept begging for my cock.”

  “Sounds like a real trial,” she laughed.

  “Oh yeah, I’m exhausted.” He chuckled and kissed her. “Tell me about the baby we made, Ev.” He’d never said something that filled him with such joy. His best friend – his mate – was carrying his child.

  He didn’t think he’d ever seen her smile so brightly. Her hand rested on top of his. “I think it’s why I was able to go sleep after the last time we made love. I was told that when the male’s seed plants, the heat stops immediately, but I was too tired last night to figure out why I was able to actually fall asleep without the heat getting so bad again.”

  “Human women don’t realize they’re pregnant until after they miss their periods. Wolves are really amazing.”

  “My people are pretty different biologically. I don’t actually have a period. My body is only ready for pregnancy during the heat, so I can’t get pregnant any other time during the year and I don’t need regular birth control.”

  He mulled that over for a minute. “So next fall, if we don’t want to have a baby, then I should use condoms?”

  “It depends. If I’m still nursing our baby, then I won’t go through the heat-cycle next fall. Once the baby weans, then I’ll go through the next heat-cycle after that for sure. We can decide whether we want to have another baby when the time comes, and if not, then yes you’d need to use condoms.”

  She lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “You’re going to be a great father, Luke. I know it.”

  Pride swelled in his chest. “You’re going to be a great mom, too, Ev.”

  He slipped his hand down her stomach and cupped her sex. She moaned softly, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. He realized that she did that whenever she was turned on.

  He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her pulse. She spread her legs, lifting her hips in invitation, and he smiled. He’d wondered last night if she was reacting so strongly to him because of the heat-cycle, but as he pushed a finger inside her and felt her hot wetness, he knew that her reaction to him wasn’t fueled by anything but her feelings towards him.

  He pulled his finger away and pinched her clit lightly between his finger and thumb and she moaned, one hand fisting in the sheet and the other clutching his arm. Tugging lightly, he rubbed the swollen bud and watched her body begin to tremble.

  He released her clit and she whimpered as he leaned over and kissed her. “I want you to come around my cock, baby.” He rolled off the bed and found the box of sex toys that had gotten shoved under the bed. When he noticed them after the first time they made love, she had kicked the box under the bed and said she didn’t need them any longer because his cock was better than any battery-operated toy. He’d been curious as to whether she’d thought about him while she was playing, and she’d blushed but assured him that she had.

  There were several different vibrators shaped like cocks, but since he wasn’t trying to replace his cock but instead give her some extra pleasure, he chose a small egg-shaped vibrator that had a thin cord attached to a remote. The remote said it was called a Bullet Vibe, and he lifted it from the box and clicked the button to turn it on low. As it hummed to life in his palm, Eveny sat up in surprise and looked at him
.

  After testing out the other two speeds, he wiggled his brows at her and said, “On your hands and knees, baby.”

  She looked at him silently for a moment and then rolled fluidly to her knees, spreading her legs apart. He turned off the vibrator and climbed behind her. Placing his hand on her neck, he pushed gently and she lowered her head to the mattress and spread her legs apart further. He stroked her soaked pussy with his finger and she trembled.

  He moved between her spread legs and slid his cock into her hot body. The tight heat of her was almost his undoing, but he seated himself fully inside her and then took a deep breath, grabbing hold of his control so he didn’t come right away.

  Switching on the bullet, he turned it on high and reached around her with one hand. Palming the vibrating toy, he rested his hand against her pussy and pressed the vibrator against her clit. She reared up with a sharp cry of pleasure; he pushed her shoulder down roughly and she fell to the mattress with a whimpering moan. He could feel the high vibrations through her body and knew he wouldn’t last long. He kept the vibrator pressed to her clit and began to fuck her hard. He pistoned his cock in and out of her pussy as she groaned and writhed, her hands gripping the sheet underneath her.

  Her pussy gripped him suddenly and she cried out as she came. He kept thrusting into her, ignoring the orgasm that tingled at the base of his spine and driving into her. He slid his hand up her spine and fisted his hand in her hair, jerking her body upright and pressing the vibrator more firmly against her pussy.

  Her hands gripped his thighs and her nails dug into him. He bit her neck, gripping her flesh with his teeth at the juncture where her shoulder met her neck. She screamed his name again, raking her nails up his thighs and trembling. He let himself go as his climax poured over him, and he let her fall forward to the bed and followed, thrusting into her as his cock spasmed.

  He kissed the place on her neck where he had bitten her. His teeth had broken through her skin and she was bleeding slightly.

  “Luke?” she said weakly, shivering.

  “Yeah, baby?” He kissed the mark again.

  “The-the vibe?”

  He chuckled and pulled his hand out from underneath her body, tugging the buzzing toy with him.

  “Sorry, love.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s okay.”

  Turning off the vibrator, he leaned over and placed it on the nightstand and then settled on his side next to her. “Was I too rough?”

  She turned her head so she was looking at him. Her eyes, which had been golden throughout her heat, were now back to their normal, beautiful gray. “No. I loved it.”

  He sighed and stroked his fingers lightly down her spine. “Is it okay that I bit you?”

  She smiled. “I loved that, too. You can bite me anytime.”

  He grinned. “That goes doubly for you, too.”

  She yawned. He asked, “Want to take a nap or do you want me to make you something to eat?”

  “Both? And a shower. And we need to talk.”

  He nodded and went to the freezer to pull out two steaks. It took longer to cook them because they were frozen solid, but he knew she was hungry and hadn’t eaten since the heat had taken over. They ate in the bed and he cut up her steak and fed it to her, reveling in being able to take care of all of her needs.

  While they ate, she told him what she thought would happen when they got back to Wilde Creek, and explained what Acksel would do to her. He grimaced.

  “He has to, Luke,” she insisted.

  “I don’t think anyone has a right to stick their claws into another wolf’s arms just because that wolf happens to be mated to a human. It’s barbaric.”

  She shrugged, but nodded. “If we were to just take off, Acksel would most likely come after us and then he’d want to fight you.”

  “I don’t care about that.” He’d do anything to keep her safe.

  She shook her head. “It’s not that I think you would fail, Luke, because I honestly don’t know. But I don’t want you to fight my brother because I don’t think I could take it.”

  He nodded in understanding. “Should we stay here for the week or do you want to head home?”

  She exhaled slowly and looked around the cabin. “It didn’t seem like such a bad place to be when I was so consumed by the heat. Now, though, I kinda want to go home. Even though it means we’ll probably have to pack a bag and leave tonight.”

  He frowned. “So soon?”

  She nodded and stood, stretching. The light from the windows caught her curves and made his brain go numb. “It would be best if we went straight to my dad and told him everything. When Acksel finds out I’m back so soon, he’ll figure out that my heat-cycle is over because I’m pregnant and he’ll probably blow a gasket. My dad can help with that.”

  Luke got off the bed and stood next to her. “Do you think Acksel knows that I’m here? Vince might be dead. If he’s not, then he was seriously injured.”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure if those guys would tell anyone that they got beaten by a human.” She smiled suddenly and laughed. “Male wolves think they’re so superior to humans, but you beat four of them. I’d say that you’re pretty damn near perfect.”

  He kissed her. “What do you mean ‘near perfect’?”

  She grinned so broadly that he was surprised her cheeks didn’t hurt. “You hog the bed.”

  “Yeah?” He bent and grabbed her, tossing her over his shoulder. “You kicked me twice in your sleep.”

  She pinched his ass and laughed. “At least neither of us snore.”

  “Thank goodness for small miracles.”

  After showering, making love in the shower, and then showering again, they dried off and dressed. The claw marks on his arms and body were healing well, and he bandaged them again. He cleaned up while she packed up her car, and then he followed her back towards town. They went straight to her dad’s house, and Luke wasn’t surprised to find him in the backyard standing in front of the grill. He never used the stove in the house unless the weather was so bad he couldn’t get the grill lit.

  “Hi Dad,” Eveny said, standing on the deck next to Luke, their hands twined together.

  He looked over his shoulder in surprise. “You aren’t supposed to be here for a week, honey.” He eyed Luke speculatively, his eyes latching onto their hands.

  Luke had a lot of respect for Dade. He had always treated Luke respectfully, not as if he were a second-class citizen the way that some wolves did.

  “Sir,” Luke started, but Dade held up his hands.

  “It looks like there’s a story to be told, so let’s go inside and talk.” He turned off the grill and lifted what appeared to be chicken breasts onto a platter.

  Eveny cast a supportive smile at Luke and led him into the house. In the family room, Luke sat next to Eveny, and Dade sat across from them in a recliner. Luke told Dade everything, from Acksel’s betrayal to Vince’s invitation to his friends.

  Dade was quiet for a few moments after the story was over. Then he leaned over, picked up the coffee table and threw it across the room. He howled, and the sound was pure rage.

  “I’ll fucking kill him!” Dade shouted.

  Eveny stood up, but Luke grabbed her, shoving her behind his back for protection. “Dade!” he yelled, stepping backwards and taking Eveny with him. “Calm the fuck down.”

  Dade turned and snarled. “My son nearly got my daughter gang-raped and killed. And you want me to calm down?”

  “I want you to not throw any more tables.”

  Dade bared his teeth and his fangs were elongated, but Luke wasn’t worried. The anger wasn’t directed at him, just at the situation. Dade spun and smashed his fist against the wall, denting it. Shaking his hand, he huffed, cracking his neck. “We need to talk to Acksel. Now.”

  Eveny gripped Luke’s arms and peeked around him. “Dad, Acksel made a mistake.”

  Even Luke felt a growl well in his chest at that remark. “That’s the unde
rstatement of the century, Ev.”

  She persisted. “Acksel was acting like an alpha, not my brother or your son. I don’t know why he did it, and I hate him a little bit for what could have happened, but he’s still my brother. He’s still your son.”

  “He swore to me that he would let you go through the heat alone. He lied.”

  “Dad, Luke saved my life and I’m mated to him. If Acksel hadn’t interfered, I would still be miserable. Acksel behaved irresponsibly and irrationally, but I got Luke because of it. He proved he was worthy to be my mate, even though I never doubted it.” She paused and moved from behind Luke’s back to his side. He immediately slid his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Regardless of what Acksel did, the result is that I’m mated to a human and it’s against our pack’s traditions. You can’t protect me from getting kicked out of the pack for taking Luke as my mate. You never wanted to be alpha, so you won’t fight Acksel, and if you call him out in public he’s going to have no choice but to put you in your place. I’m fine now. Better than fine.”

  “She’s carrying my child, Dade. I know she’s going to be shunned because of it, and I don’t see any reason to stress the situation further. I wanted to kill Acksel at first, too, but he’ll have to live with the knowledge that males he trusted betrayed him and it cost him his family. I know him well enough to know that he’s going to go nuts when he finds out. If he doesn’t already know.”

  “We came back so I could get out of the pack and we could be on our way to a new life.”

  Some of the rage leaked way from Dade’s eyes. “I’m going to leave, too.”

  “Dad?”

  He sighed. “Do you really think that I would go the rest of my life never seeing you or my grandbaby again?

  Luke was surprised at Dade’s statement. “You’ve lived in Wilde Creek your whole life.”

  Dade shrugged and walked over to the coffee table, which lay tilted against one wall. He righted it and ran his fingers over a crack through the center of it. “I’d rather leave here and still have you two in my life. What kind of father would I be to just watch you walk away, Eveny? I own a few acres of property around the cabin and can build another house for myself, and we can build onto the cabin for you both and turn it into a real house.”