chapter 40

“What happened to dating, to getting to know each other?” she asked. “You’ve decided to pick fights and throw caution to the wind instead?”

“You’ve managed to keep your distance, no different than before. I’m only human, Heather.”

“But you’re not, are you?”

He looked different than she remembered—jaded, harder.

“No, I’m not, and it’s not so easy keeping my wolf at bay,” he said.

She stood up and paced back and forth in front of him. This was all her doing. She was going against how many centuries of tradition?

The mating call was no joke, even though she felt it with every beat of her heart. Now she was destroying a perfectly good male because she was messed up in the head.

“Then maybe you should let your wolf guide the way.”

He rose to his feet, towering over her. She glanced at his wound, already stitching itself together with the help of her herbs but mostly from his woven DNA. Why did his torn open shirt make him look so damn sexy? Her attraction to this shifter was going to be her undoing.

“I didn’t think you liked my wolf,” he said. “Then you’re wrong.”

She backed away, knowing their wolves were in sync, knowing he’d chase. He matched her step for step until she was pinned deeper in the forest against a massive oak.

“You’re destroying me, Heather. What game are you playing?” He slammed a palm against the tree near her head. She felt his strength reverberate through the tree.

“I’m not. I was waiting for you to take the next step.”

“So you’re ready for me to claim you?” He narrowed his eyes. She noted the sarcasm in his tone, and it felt like he’d given up on them. A new fear began to grow inside her.

She didn’t want to push him away to the point she’d lose him forever.

She swallowed, feeling his proximity, wanting him, but so used to fighting her desires. “I’m not trying to be difficult, David. This isn’t easy for me.”

He growled, and the sound traveled all the way down to her pussy.

She liked this side of him … or maybe her wolf did. He leaned down, breathing in deeply at her neckline. “I can smell your need.”

“It’s the mating heat.”

David shook his head. “You can’t use that excuse anymore. The mating heat ended weeks ago.” He ran his tongue along the shell of her ear, making her quiver. “Run. I’ll give you a two-minute head start.”

****

If Heather wanted a lesson on being a shifter, he’d give her one. He’d show her exactly how a male claimed his mate.

No more tiptoeing around or being the model human. That had gotten him nowhere with her. He was a wolf shifter and Heather belonged to him. Tonight, he planned to show precisely how he felt about her.

She stared into his eyes briefly and then she ran. An invitation if ever he saw one. Her pheromonal signature was impossible to ignore. She may continue to act aloof but she wasn’t cold at all. The heat of her desire was a powerful enticement for his wolf.

He’d barely slept since their last encounter. Each day he became more feral as he shed his humanity to save himself from the downward spiral of depression her rejection was creating. She was destroying him.

He waited as she ran. Then he gave chase.

She’d stripped off her clothing at some point, shifting into her fur to run farther and faster. He joined her, using his hunting skills to track her through the old growth forest. She’d traveled deeper than he usually ventured.

By the time he slowed his pace, they were at the precipice of a cliff, a white river far below. At any other time, he’d stop to admire the beauty of it. Right now, all he could think about was fucking his mate.

He scented her hot and bothered, her wanton desire perfuming the air.

She was getting in touch with her wolven side, and it was a beautiful thing.

She was close, so he shifted back into his skin, his bones elongating, his skin and muscle replacing thick fur.

“Heather!” he called out. “You can’t hide from me.”

He slowly walked around the area where she hid amongst the tall brush. “You keep fighting what you know is meant to be. It’ll destroy you. No one can ignore the mating call, not even you, Heather.”

Was he that repulsive? Such an unfit mate that she’d go to such extremes to avoid being with him?

“I’m not ignoring anything.”

Her voice was clear, but she remained hidden. She was playing another of her games, and he was tired of them.

“Then allow me to claim you. The full moon returns in three days.”

She stepped out from the brush in her glorious nudity. Such lush curves that his wolf thrashed within him, attempting to destroy his control.

“And what does that entail?” Her voice was soft and inviting this time.

She kept walking out toward him, her usual sense of shyness not evident.

“Marking you.” When she was close enough, he ran his fingertips along her neck and shoulder. “Right here.”

She stopped in front of him, looking up into his eyes with no words. “Heather?”

“I’m sorry, David. I never meant to hurt you. I’ve been going through a lot with the loss of my parents.

I still have nightmares.” She ran a hand through her long, black hair. He could feel her turmoil, her regrets. “I’ve dreamt of this day … forever. I want this to happen. I want you. Just, please, be patient. I’m afraid to love again.”

“Never be afraid to love me. You have all my loyalty, Heather. I’d do anything for you.”

“Until you tire of me, tire of the vegan shifter that everyone thinks is a freak.”

“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t make assumptions for me. When I spent that week with you, it meant something.

My human and wolven sides committed to you, whether we made it official or not. That’s a lifelong commitment, and if anyone has a problem with you, they’ll answer me.”

She bit her lip, not arguing with him. “You got the short end of the stick,” she said.