The Heat

RIVER

There was no more room for human thought, which would have kept me running toward the house and safety. Instead, my only thought was that it was time to mate, no matter what the consequences might be.

My tongue lolled from my mouth, and I huffed with the effort of running. Moving as swiftly as the wind in this unfamiliar land, I almost could have believed I was flying.

I would have enjoyed the sensation more, but I knew that massive shadow was coming. I could feel his presence just out of reach.

And I had lost sight of him.

I added a punch of speed, but before it could take effect, another hard body was tackling mine into the forest floor.

My heart thundered against my ribs, and an intense energy electrified my senses as a heavy body weighed me down. I knew it belonged to the shadow. He pushed my snout into the dirt, and just before he did so, I got the tantalizing whiff of a male’s scent.

Fangs almost pierced through my skin as his powerful jaws clamped down on the back of my neck and held me in place.

Then I felt the command that rumbled deep in his growl.

“Shift!”

My mind and body were in a haze. Everything in my being screamed for me to yield to his authority, to let him have whatever he wanted.

It was my wolf’s instincts in control, and I had no option but to shift back into my skin.

A moan slipped through my lips as I felt the heated skin of a solid man at my back, pushing my body into the cool, soft debris of the forest floor beneath my breasts.

Another cramp hit me, and I groaned, trying to wriggle my hips and ease the pain. Instead, it created a gush of wetness that seeped out and coated my thighs, and my ass rose. Unwittingly, I bucked my hips and rocked my ass against the male at my backside.

Something akin to an appreciative growl rumbled through his chest, and he pushed himself hard against me. This time I felt his erection against my ass, and I panted with newfound anticipation.

“You aren’t from this pack,” he snarled, his nose running through my hair as he inhaled my scent.

“I’m not,” I said, not fully recognizing the wanton sound of my voice. It was breathy and filled with needy desperation.

“You shouldn’t go running in heat. It’s not safe.” His deep voice was husky and gravelly, as though he was still a beast as he reprimanded me.

“You’re right.” The words were thick on my tongue. I didn’t want to talk at all.

He smelled like pine and the smoke of a bonfire. Clean and woodsy. I wiggled my ass again and parted my legs for him.

“If you keep acting like a whiny slut in heat, I’ll breed you like one.” That coarse growl sent shivers down my spine, and I purred with forbidden delight at his threat.

“You promise?” My voice hummed with anticipation. His cock throbbed against my heat, and I titled my hips to grind myself against him. The male snarled and grabbed my hips with calloused hands, holding me in place.

When one of his fists curled in the back of my hair and yanked my head back, I gasped. He tugged my head until I was looking far enough to glimpse his face and body from the corner of my eye. A tingle ran through my core as I took in the sight of him.

Black hair fell over his forehead and was shorter on the sides. He had a short beard that accentuated the sharp lines of his face. His skin had a golden hue, and tattoos adorned both of his arms. His eyes, filled with hunger, were the color of whiskey in the sunlight as he stared down at me and admired my bare backside.

More evidence of my sudden arousal dripped down the inside of my thighs, and I softly moaned at the feeling of it. His eyes rolled back, and his nostrils flared as the scent of my heat hit him.

A monstrous growl ripped through his lips. For a second, I thought I saw his pupils dilate as he looked at me, his eyes roaming over the contours of the side of my face. I closed my eyes, dreading him asking about the scars so plainly visible.

But he didn’t. Instead, he let go of my hair, and I dropped to the ground, bracing myself on my elbows. His hands ran up and down my sides as he pressed his face into my shoulder and inhaled deeply, and I shuddered as I felt his nose trace down my spine.

“Fuck, you smell so good.”

I didn’t have a moment to reply. His mouth finally pressed to my skin as he buried his face in my wet pussy. All I could do was cry out as white-hot fire ran through every nerve ending in my body. That wicked tongue lapped at every drop of my juices, tasting the evidence of my heat.

“Ah! Oh, gods!” The pleasure was blinding, and it burned my entire body, helping to relieve the ache of my cramps. Then, something bright and wonderful rose in my core, pushing me to new heights.

He buried his face in me, savoring the taste and devouring me in a way I had never experienced before. I clutched at the dried leaves and dirt under my fingers and writhed as this man drove his tongue into my pussy.

He paused, his hot breath blowing against my core. Then, his master tongue ran up my slit, and he inhaled deeply one last time before sitting up and grabbing my hips again. My body stilled, but excitement raced through me with anticipation of what was to happen next.

“I’m going to fuck you through your heat. Do you want that?”

“Please,” I begged, knowing I sounded pitiful and desperate for him. It didn’t matter. I knew I needed him to get me through the night or else I would suffer through the pain until the full moon left the sky completely.

“I’m going to make you mine now,” that deep voice professed.

“Yes.” My voice trembled. My lashes fluttered from the intoxicating desire flooding my system and clouding my thoughts.

The moment I felt the head of his erection rubbing against my wet pussy, I was panting, anxiously waiting for him to enter me. To claim me.