Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat)

by Laurann Dohner

  “Fuck, hon,” Brand groaned. “You’re in heat.”

  She panted too hard to respond but nodded. There was no doubt about what had happened to her. It was the only time she grew fangs or claws. His hold on her wrists eased as he shifted enough to stop crushing her chest under his much bigger one. She breathed easier once she could completely fill her lungs. Brand raised his head and peered down at her.

  “Sorry. I didn’t want you to tear up my back.”

  “It’s okay. I understood.”

  He searched her eyes. “You look stunned.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to go into heat.”

  “It’s not that time?”

  She shook her head, still dazed. “No.”

  A smile played at his mouth. “Was I rough enough? I realized what was happening when I saw your fangs and remembered how you needed it fast and forceful. You used to swear that foreplay was sheer torture of the bad kind.”

  “That was amazing.”

  “Yeah. It was.” He chuckled and slowly moved his hips, testing the feel of her pussy gripping his cock. “You’re so damn hot and tight. I forgot how you swell a little and get so wet.”

  Charma moaned and it urged Brand to keep moving inside her. He adjusted again and his fingers laced through hers while his elbows held his upper body off her. She arched her back and lifted her legs higher until her heels dug into his firm, muscular ass cheeks. She could feel them flex with every drive of his cock inside her.

  “More.”

  “You got it, hon.” His mouth sought hers.

  Their fangs brushed and she turned her head a little to avoid causing damage to either of them. His were extended and she couldn’t control hers for anything when she was in heat. Her shifter side kind of went crazy since it was the only time it was allowed out.

  Every growl Brand made only excited her more. The vibrations in her chest returned when she began to purr. It was unsettling at first to adjust to it, made breathing difficult, but she concentrated on how good it felt to have Brand fuck her.

  Her vaginal walls clenched and she cried out when she came again. Brand spread his thighs a little and drove into her deeper, fighting to keep moving when she squeezed his cock tighter.

  “Fuck,” he rasped. “Oh yeah!”

  His body tensed and he threw his head back. The howl he let loose startled Charma but she opened her eyes to watch his face as he found his own release again. His eyes closed and the sheen of sweat on his big body and his nearly agonized expression were so sexy. Her gaze lowered to his broad shoulders and the fresh, still-bleeding bite wound she’d put on him. Her mark would leave a scar. A smile curved her lips as he stopped moving and tried to recover.

  His still-black eyes opened as his chin lowered and their gazes held. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. This time I’m not sorry.”

  One of his eyebrows arched in question.

  “For marking you.”

  He grinned. “Honey, you can bite me any time.” A chuckle escaped. “On my shoulder. You’re not getting near my dick with those fangs. I’d be no good to either of us until I heal if you accidently bite me there.”

  “Too true.”

  “You had no idea you were going into heat? Did you stop keeping track of that stuff?”

  “It wasn’t supposed to happen. I think my emotions and being near you kind of sent me into it. I’ve heard of it happening when mates are separated for a long time but only with long-term matings. It also might be your pheromones. You smell incredible when you’re in heat.”

  “I always said you were my mate but we just hadn’t cemented the deal by sharing bites during sex.” His smile faded. “You felt the same way.”

  “I did,” she admitted.

  “I want to kill something when I think of all the years we lost.”

  Sadness gripped her hard and she squeezed his fingers, still laced with hers. “We’ve got a lot of years to look forward to.”

  “I’m never letting you go.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I won’t.” He smiled. “When were you due to go into heat?”

  Charma hesitated. “I don’t. I mean, I haven’t in a really long time.”

  Brand’s smile faded as confusion set in. “I don’t understand. Are you saying that you don’t go into heat anymore, ever?”

  “I really don’t think you want to have this discussion right now.”

  “I do.” He adjusted his body to keep her pinned. “I know you took pills to prevent the heat but you’re far too young to have stopped naturally.”

  She was afraid to hurt him by mentioning Garrett. She gave him the short version, hoping it would be enough. “I had to keep taking the pills all the time and it seemed to send me into menopause.”

  “You only ever took them when you started going into heat.”

  She hesitated but knew Brand wasn’t going to let it go. “Let’s skip this.”

  A muscle in his jaw jerked and his eyes narrowed. “Talk to me, damn it. Is this something to do with that asshole you were forced to be with?”

  She nodded sharply. “I don’t want to talk about him ever again.”

  “What are you not telling me? You said you’d never lie to me, hon.”

  “I don’t want you to get angry.”

  “Tell me because whatever I’ll imagine has to be worse.”

  She studied his eyes. “I doubt it.”

  “Damn it, Charma. Tell me.”

  It was a direct order from her mate. She knew the tone, although with Brand it wasn’t harsh or implied he’d inflict pain if she disobeyed his demand. “I just didn’t want to ruin the moment by answering. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m off the pills and obviously I can go into heat.”

  “You’re stalling.”

  She took a deep breath and prepared for his rage. It wouldn’t be directed at her but she hated to expose him to all the horrors she’d been through. “Okay. I told you I took the pills to avoid going into heat and getting pregnant when I was with Garrett.”

  “Yeah.” His fingers caressed hers.

  “He got angry when I didn’t go into heat. I never wanted to be with him. I couldn’t stand him touching me and the thought of…” She closed her eyes. “You know how I get. I couldn’t stomach knowing I’d…” She stopped talking, unable to say it to the man she loved.

  “Shit.” He sounded unhappy. “You’d have accepted him if you were in heat. Welcomed his touch.”

  She nodded.

  “Look at me, hon.”

  Her eyes opened and she met his gaze.

  “It’s the bad part of being a shifter. When nature calls, she’s one mean bitch in that regard.”

  Tears slipped out though she tried to hold them back. “I would have begged to be touched if the heat got hold of me and I hated him. The thought of being that vulnerable and needy around him sickened me.”

  “Fuck.” He was pissed but controlled his temper. “What did you do?”

  “I took the pills but then he got angry when I never went into heat and he injected me with drugs, trying to force it.”

  A snarl tore from Brand. “He drugged you to make you want him?”

  “He threatened me with it first so I was able to plan ahead and avoid him forcing me into heat. I took the pills every day, Brand. I never knew when he’d come after me with those injections. The pills counteracted the drugs as long as they were in my system. They weren’t designed to be taken every day the way I was popping them. After two years I no longer even felt the heat coming on. There were no urges at all. They also suppressed my appetite so I started losing weight. That was an added bonus because I wasn’t attractive to him anymore.”

  He lowered his head and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “I understand. I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  He pulled back and surprised her when he smiled. It reached his eyes. “I don’t need to drug you to make you want me.”

  “No,
you don’t.” She was relieved he wasn’t punching walls or snarling. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, hon.” His humor faded. “I’m still going to kill that son of a bitch the first chance I get.”

  “Okay. Just don’t risk your life to take his. I couldn’t stand to lose you.”

  “It’s not ever happening. You’re stuck with me.” He winked.

  She laughed. “Good.”

  “Speaking of us, do you want to go another round or do you want to eat first? I could fuck you all d—”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “Go away!” Brand yelled.

  “Um, you’re needed downstairs,” Braden called out. “I heard you two going at it. Don’t I get points for waiting until you were done? Anton said to get you pronto. The pride has been spotted in town and they are headed this way.”

  “Fuck!”

  Fear gripped Charma as she stared up into Brand’s handsome face. He could get hurt. She could have found him again only to lose him. They stared at each other.

  “Did you hear me? Are you coming? I mean, going downstairs? I know you just came. My ears are still ringing from that howl and I was two floors below, man.”

  “Go away, Braden. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay.”

  His footsteps faded down the stairs. Brand gently tugged to get her to let go of his hands but she refused.

  “I’m needed, Charma.”

  “Swear you’ll come back to me.”

  “Nobody is going to stop me from returning to this bed really soon. I have too much to live for.”

  She let go but it was a tough thing to do.

  He paused before he pulled away. “You stay up here. Lock the door and barricade it. I doubt they’ll get inside the house but… There’s a shotgun under the bed with a box of shells. Use it if you come under attack.”

  “I will.”

  He inhaled. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

  “The fear you smell isn’t for me.”

  A smile softened his mouth. “I’m going to kick their asses. No worries.”

  She sat up to watch him dress. “Go for their faces.”

  He glanced at her before pulling his shirt over his head. “Why?”

  “Pride males are very vain and conceited.”

  “Seriously?”

  She hesitated. “Yes, they really care about their appearances. Sometimes it’s the only thing they have going for them. You claw up their faces and they’ll freak out.”

  “Scars are sexy.” He winked.

  “I think so but they don’t. Just be careful.”

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  He left and she slid off the bed to rush toward the door. He waited on the other side until she locked it. A smile curved her lips. “I’ll barricade it now. Go. Your family is expecting you.”

  A deep chuckle sounded through the door. “You’re a great mate for taking orders.”

  “Don’t get used to it.”

  He laughed as his footsteps receded down the stairwell. Charma turned and glanced around, spotting some old heavy furniture in the shadows. She highly doubted any of the pride would breach the house filled with werewolves but she didn’t want to take a chance of coming face-to-face with anyone from her old life. They’d kill her on sight if they discovered she’d warned the Harris Pack of their pending attack. She was a traitor to her own kind.

  Her gaze slid to the bed. She should have told Brand she didn’t know anything about weapons but it was a comfort to know a shotgun was there.

  * * * * *

  Brand glanced around the basement at the pack males holding various conversations while they waited for everyone to arrive. Anton frowned at Rave for some reason, seeming upset. He walked over to the brothers.

  “Is there a problem?” He kept his voice low to avoid being overheard.

  “Yes,” Anton hissed.

  “No,” Rave answered at the same time.

  “Okay.” Brand glanced between them. “What isn’t the problem then?”

  Rave crossed his arms over his chest. “Anton isn’t happy that I brought a guest home.”

  “It’s too dangerous.” Anton glared at his brother.

  “She is safer with me than on her own.”

  “Really? We’re at war with a bunch of pissed-off cats. Explain to me why she wouldn’t be better off far from here.”

  Rave hesitated. “It’s complicated.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “I’m just nosy,” Brand whispered.

  His cousins both shot him a grin and he was happy the tension eased between them. The last thing anyone in the pack needed was for the alpha’s sons to show stress. There was enough of that going around already with the news of the approaching enemy. Rave spoke.

  “She came to me for help. It’s a long story but she wasn’t safe with her pack. She was already in danger from them. She asked for asylum with our pack and I gave it to her.”

  “Fine.” Anton looked annoyed but he calmed down a bit. “We’ll discuss this later. Did you get her settled in your old room?”

  “Yeah. Sorry we were late.”

  Grady stepped into their tight huddle and smiled. “What are we whispering about?”

  “Rave brought someone here that we don’t know,” Anton whispered.

  “That’s not all that strange. He’s always bringing women home.” Grady brushed his shoulder against the brother in question. “Is she hot?”

  “Yeah.” Rave grinned.

  Grady shrugged. “Mystery solved. Are we ready?”

  Anton glanced around the room. “Yes. I think everyone who was able to come is here.” He turned, faced the room and moved to the center of it. One loud growl from him caused the room to go silent as all conversation ceased.

  “The pride males were spotted in town and at the bar where they asked for directions to this house.” He paused. “We made sure no wolves were there, hoping to draw them in. They were given that information by the few humans we hired for that purpose. It was reported that the pride hasn’t started any trouble yet. I’d guess they are going to attack really soon though.”

  “What humans?” Clover Arris frowned. “You told them what was going on?”

  Rave answered. “No. They are some biker friends of mine who have no clue what I really am. They don’t ask a lot of questions and some of them owed me a few favors, which I called in. I gave them orders to just direct anyone who came looking for a Harris to this house.”

  “What do they think is going on?” Brand was a little curious about the humans his cousin had planted at the family-run bar to feed information to the invading pride.

  “I said I’d gotten into debt gambling. As I said, my friends don’t ask many questions.”

  “Aren’t you afraid they’ll get hurt?” Thomas Krid frowned.

  “No.” Rave chuckled. “These aren’t your typical humans. They are good at lying and aren’t easily intimidated. They’ll also split right after their shift ends and leave town, no questions asked. We couldn’t exactly have Yon bartending or any of the other pack members on staff there. The pride would have been on the attack, not just asking directions.”

  “What about the other humans in town? The pride could screw with our pack by causing trouble with them.” Raymond Borl shook his head, a look of disgust plastered on his surly features. “They are lambs to the slaughter if we aren’t around to protect them. We should go into town and attack the cats there.”

  “That’s why you’re not an alpha.” Anton glared at him. “The last place we want this to go down is so close to innocent people. Some of their houses aren’t far from the main strip and they’d hear the fighting taking place in town.”

  “What about the ones who do know about us?” It was Timmy McQuire who asked.

  “We told them trouble was coming and to go visit family. Hopefully they all got out.”

  “But what if these idiots do attack some of the humans?” Timmy
questioned him again.

  “Prides are stricter about keeping secrets than we are,” Rave answered. “It’s a death sentence in most prides to reveal what they are to anyone who isn’t a shifter.”

  “How do you know?” It was Raymond Borl who asked that question.

  Grady growled at him. “I’ve heard enough shit from you. What is up with you being the loudmouth of contention lately?”

  Rave stepped closer. “I know because I’ve dealt with all kinds of shifters. Who do you think my father sends to talk to them when we’ve had boundary issues? Me.”

  The older man didn’t look convinced. “We’ve never had anyone attack us before. This is what happens when you don’t stick with your own kind.”

  Anton snarled. “What does that mean?”

  Brand felt his own fangs growing longer. This conversation concerned Charma too. “Be very careful of what you say, Raymond. You might be the first to go if you want to start thinning the pack.”

  Braden stepped between them and the older man and faced him down. “I know you’re old school but you’re being an idiot. Brand’s way nicer than my brothers. Have you noticed how they aren’t like Dad? Dad would have just smacked you down by now but they will kill you. Now sit down and be smart. Shut up.”

  The older man didn’t look happy but he sat. “I’m still worried about our human neighbors. They need us to protect them.”

  Rave looked ready to lunge at Raymond but it wasn’t Brand who prevented bloodshed. Braden handled the situation.

  “I know about prides too. They are totally anal about keeping shifter secrets. They make us look lax about that. Dad sent me to deal with a few of them when Rave was busy. They aren’t about to do anything that will expose what they are to our human neighbors. We’re the targets.”

  “When did Dad do that?” Rave touched Braden’s shoulder to get his attention.

  The youngest Harris shot him a quick look. “Someone likes to go to biker rallies sometimes. Life doesn’t stop just because you leave town.”

  “Why you and not me?” Anton frowned. “I didn’t know that either.”

  Braden grinned. “Dad knows I’m up for anything that involves pussies and I’m good with them.”