chapter 39

“You’re not marked,” Bethany said. Heather shrugged.

It had been over two weeks since she’d spent a week alone with David.

She’d heard the whispers and was tired of the confused looks. Everyone seemed to expect an explanation, including her sister, but she didn’t have one to give. Heather was just as confused about her so-called mating as everyone else in their pack.

David and she had perfected the art of avoidance. She’d only seen him in passing a couple of times since the night he came into her room and saved her from her nightmares. She yearned for more but felt helpless to understand the full scope of her emotions.

Bethany had pity in her voice. “There will be other full moons.”

Heather didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her love life with the alpha’s mate.

They were so happy and in love, and that perfect relationship seemed to mock Heather at every turn.

She smiled politely and headed outside. Before this crazy mating heat last month, she’d started to grow a friendship with Bethany.

Now she was only a shadow of herself and unable to focus on anything other than her constant fuck-ups. No, she wasn’t marked. It was supposed to happen near the end of the mating week.

That blood bond was for life, intense and incomparable. She craved that closeness with David yet pushed him away at every turn.

What was wrong with her?

Deep down, she knew she was deeply scarred. The trauma of losing her family in such a brutal way had left her broken. She was too scared to love again.

What if something happened to David, too? Heather couldn’t survive another loss. It was better not to love at all, then she’d never have to experience that deep-seated pain ever again.

As she walked through the forest, she knew that wasn’t the answer, yet she had no other ideas. Should she allow David to mark her, to finalize their mating?

He probably deserved better, a meat-eating normal shifter with a good head on her shoulders. Heather was a freak, always had been. Her dreams of being mated were just that—pretty dreams.

She’d told him she didn’t love him. That was a lie.

Heather was just terrified—of everything. Rejection, pain, loss, the future, all her own insecurities and fears rolled up into one.

There was only so long David would put up with her bullshit, then she’d be free. Alone but free of obligations and expectations. She was destined to be a rogue wolf, no matter how much she wanted to fit in and be normal.

“Heather!”

It was her sister Mika. The last person she wanted to deal with right now was her younger sister. Sometimes a person wanted to be alone and sulk. She needed to sit and feel sorry for herself right now. And Mika pushed her for answers she wasn’t ready to give.

“David’s hurt.”

That captured her full attention. As her sister neared, she grabbed her by both shoulders. “What are you talking about?”

“In town. He got hurt bad. He asked for you.”

“What happened?” Even as she spoke, she was already running, heading right back toward the house where they had numerous vehicles. “Answer me, Mika!”

Her sister was in the driver’s seat of one without being asked, doors slamming shut, steering them toward town. Her heart raced.

“I don’t know all the details. I just know there was another fight.”

“Another? And he got hurt?” David wasn’t a small wolf by any means. The man was huge and hard with muscle. She knew that firsthand. They’d kept their distance for weeks. It was just too awkward to deal with their issues right now.

“Well, there was a bear involved.”

The edge of the little town came into view and she saw Reese standing at the perimeter of the forest, flagging them down. Mika brought the truck to an abrupt stop, and Heather jumped out the moment it came to a standstill.

“David!”

She dropped down to her knees beside her mate, briefly skidding in the dirt. And that was exactly what he was, even if they hadn’t completed their mating bond. He was leaning against an old oak, his hand at his side, blood soaking through his shirt like it had been dipped in crimson paint.

“You came,” he whispered.

“Of course, I came, David.” She tore open his shirt with ease and immediately opened the satchel she always wore around her body.

Heather’s grandmother had taught her the art of natural medicine. It was one of her passions. The forest was a treasure trove if only you knew where to look.

“What happened? I heard you’ve been fighting?” It wasn’t like him at all. He’d always been a patient man of reason.

“Bear attack.”

The slashes looked deep. His wolf would heal, but not as easily from a bear shifter. “A shifter, right?”

He nodded.

She began to mix two herbs into a paste, then patted it onto the wounds. He hissed as she tended to him, but she kept at her task, her heart still racing.

Knowing he needed her helped her to focus, to align all her energy into one purpose. It felt good to be needed, wanted. If anything, just being close to him put her wolf at ease.

Once the blood had stopped, she sat back and exhaled. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Mika spoke up before David could answer. “He has a death wish, that’s what. He’s been picking fights all week.”

Heather narrowed her eyes. “Is that true?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. Why wouldn’t he look her in the eyes?

“I need to be alone with him. Can you head back home with Reese?

We’ll be okay,” Heather said.

Mika looked like she wanted to protest, but kept her mouth shut and boarded the truck with Reese. Soon they were completely alone in the privacy of the forest. Only the wind through the leafy canopy could be heard.

“My wolf, he’s been … agitated,” David said. “Does that have anything to do with us?”

He didn’t answer her.