Uncontrollable Heat - Book cover

Uncontrollable Heat

Megan Blake

Chapter Two

OLIVIA

Bang! Bang!

The loud pounding on the door was what tore her from her groggy sleep.

She turned around in her bed, her white silky sheets bunched at her waist, and she landed on her stomach. Olivia palmed at her face, trying to chase away the sleepiness clinging to her. Last night had been rough.

She’d left work without so much as a warning—something that would come with consequences—and she’d locked herself up in her apartment.

The alpha—whoever he was—had gotten her so worked up, she had to take care of herself.

It had lasted a good portion of the night. The proof was still in her bed: a pink vibrator. She groaned, grasping it before tossing it in her open nightstand.

The banging on the door continued.

“Yes,” she barked out, aggravated.

Her feet landed on the cold wooden floor and she grabbed an overly large sweater that was discarded on the floor.

She slipped it on, tugging it until it went past her rear, and she headed for the front door. For crying out loud. She swung the door open, her eyebrows knitted as the door revealed the intruder.

“Will,” she said in a low breath.

His brown eyes scanned her from head to toe, a grin tugging at his lips. “Is there someone else here or is this for me?” he asked, gesturing at her attire.

“Funny,” she said, moving out of the way. “I wonder if Jess is gonna find it funny too.”

“You know I’m kidding,” he said, closing the door behind him. “No, but seriously. Anyone in your bed?”

“I stay away from people during that time. You know that.” Granted, she almost didn’t last night, but that wasn’t her fault. How was she supposed to know there would be an alpha at the ER, ready to pounce on her?

She couldn’t be blamed for that, right?

“There was a time you didn’t.” There was a glimmer in his eyes, it was brief but it was hard to miss, especially as his glance lingered on her.

Will was her first.

He was a beta, chased from his pack when his parents died. His mother had been human-born, his dad a werewolf from birth. He’d gone and lived with his maternal grandparents after they passed away.

He was much like her, a wolf out of place. What little she did know about her new life, she had learned from him.

He’d forgotten a lot of it since he had been so young when he moved in with his grandparents.

But he did have a lot more instincts than she did. He had always been a werewolf—unlike her. At twenty-five years old, Will was a few years older than her, and he’d experienced his first heat well before her.

But he was there when hers hit. And he’d taken her virginity with him. She always had a small crush on him. Olivia could be honest with Will, she could be who she was without reservation.

He was the one who found her the first time she transformed. He took her back to his house and helped her through the transformation.

That was how they met. If it weren’t for him, she might have hurt someone—or died.

He had saved her life and she would always owe him for that. He had guided her through her learning curve as best he could, sometimes treating her like a little cub.

She never regretted what happened.

Not the first time, not the other times that followed. It never soothed the urge completely, but it did take off the edge.

After the first time they laid together, she had almost expected something to come out of it, but it never did. He slid back into his friend role as though he hadn’t pounded her the night before.

The first few days, she had felt awkward, but he had picked up on it, explaining to her that wolves didn’t always behave like their usual self during their heats.

They were on autopilot, some letting their instincts take over more than others.

He was that type. He didn’t have the best self-control since no one taught him.

She had more control because she had a stronger human side.

Maybe that was what kept her pants on yesterday…

“That was before,” she settled on answering. Ever since Jess walked into his life, they hadn’t been together physically.

There were a few times where the urges brought them close to a mistake, but they never crossed the line. Olivia would have never forgiven herself if they had. Will and Jess were her version of a pack, her family.

They were all she had left in the world.

“Right.”

“Guessing you had fun last night.”

He chuckled. “I did.” He lifted his gaze, staring at her bedroom through the open door.

“And I’m guessing from your open drawer that you had fun too.”

That was fun to distract her from the big fun she almost had. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Was she? But who else could she tell, who else could she ask?

There was only him. He’d be absolutely furious though… He was the one who warned her about alphas, taught her about them… “Will—listen…”

His eyebrows bunched together. “I don’t like that tone…,” he interrupted.

“I worked last night.”

“During a heat?”

“Yeah… I had—I had to help out Cassie.”

“That’s not smart.”

“I know…would you just let me finish please?”

He nodded, holding out his hands in front of him.

“Alright, alright, sorry.”

Alright. One shot. She could tell him. ~Rip it like a band-aid, Olivia.~ “There was an alpha in the ER.” She glanced away from him, focusing on the suddenly so interesting hem of her sweatshirt.

“An alpha?”

“Yeah.”

Emotions clouded his dark eyes, his jaw clenching for a beat before his whole body relaxed. “Liv, did you fuck an alpha?”

She stomped her foot on the ground, turning around, baring her blunt teeth at him. “NO. I already told you. I didn’t do anything last night.”

“You were in the middle of a heat, with an alpha, and you didn’t fuck?” He arched an eyebrow, obviously not believing her telling of the tale.

“No.” She breathed out, nostrils flaring. “It happened so fast—I think he tried—but I ran.”

“You ran from an alpha?”

“Yes. Are you gonna make me repeat everything?”

“And he let you?”

“What do you mean he let me? I’m not a thing.”

“An omega in heat? You might as well have been, Liv. You don’t get it, do you? Alphas do what they want, they take what they want.

“The alpha of my old pack killed my parents and then got rid of me. They do what they want and they don’t care.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it. “I’ve told you this like a million times. I don’t even know why he’d let you go.”

“Maybe he didn’t want a human-born omega.”

Will had once told her that wolves looked down on people who weren’t born this way or those with mudded blood like he did. There was no pride in becoming a wolf. You had to be born one.

“I don’t think it mattered to him. In the throes of a heat? An alpha would fuck anything—anyone.”

“Well, he let me go. What do ya want me to tell you?”

“Did he touch you?”

If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she heard a hint of jealousy in his voice.

But it couldn’t be. Because he could have had her but he didn’t want to—and she couldn’t blame him. There was too much there. Too much to risk too much to lose. Plus, he was happy with Jess…right?

“A little.”

She wouldn’t go there. She’d gotten over that initial heartbreak a long time ago. It wasn’t his fault she clung to him because he was the only one she had after her horrific transformation.

“A little?”

“Yes. Okay. And I told him no but—”

“But what?”

Her ears turned red, her chest caving in as she dipped her head forward. Was she going to say it out loud?

“It felt like I was saying yes…” She didn’t run quickly enough. She didn’t fight him.

She let him touch her, she let him take more than she wanted.

The thought of his hands on her again was enough to bring warmth inside of her. How could that be possible?

Will palmed at the back of his neck, turning his head to the side. “Alphas are pretty hard to deny.”

He had let his parents’ murderer chase him out without putting up a fight—just because he had ordered it.

She had never known the pull of an alpha, the pressure their commands could exert on someone’s mind. He had told her it was unforgettable but she hadn’t understood it until now.

Will had said that was the reason he never joined a pack again. He didn’t want someone to have that kind of power over his life, over his decision.

He wanted to be free and the only way to do that was to be free of any kind of alpha.

Sometimes he missed having a larger pack, the same kind of calling she had, but the never-fading pain in his heart always reminded him that he was better off without it.

“Well, hopefully, I don’t have to see him again.”

He wouldn’t chase her, would he? She was no one. And except for the fact that she worked in that hospital, he knew nothing about her. Surely he wouldn’t want to retaliate. She hadn’t harmed him, she hadn’t done anything.

Well—maybe she had bruised his ego a little bit but no one but them knew that.

It wasn’t like he had to prove himself superior or anything. He probably had a pack full of females ready to throw themselves at him.

He didn’t need her.

“Are they really that ruthless?”

“What do you think?” he spat out, rage dripping from his every word.

Will had conditioned her to fear them.

She knew that as a human-wolf, it was best for her to steer clear of them and the packs. She kept herself surrounded by humans since wolves rarely escaped their little territories. They didn’t mingle well with humans.

Obviously, they needed to run errands, interact—some had jobs according to Will—but for the most part, they limited the contact.

It made it easy for her to blend in with humans.

It let her forget what happened to her that fateful night, it let her pretend that she hadn’t been changed forever. One bite—it was all it took to spin her life around.

And no one was there to repair the damage.

It was just her and her new life.

“Sorry. I know what they did to your family.”

“That’s one way to put it.” He sighed. “Maybe you should take a few days off.”

“Will, I can’t do that.”

“Tell them you’re sick. He might go lurking. They like a challenge. Give it a few days to blow over and then go back.”

She put a hand on her hip. “You really think he’s gonna be waiting for me out there? I think he has other things to do than stalk a human hospital.”

“Why was he even there in the first place?”

Flashes of the previous night flooded her mind. Naked flesh, large hands palming at her body…Wrong memory, Olivia. Blood—the wound. “He was hurt.”

“And he came to a hospital?”

He popped his lips. “A human hospital,” he clarified.

She shrugged. “I don’t know—”

“That’s unusual. He’d never expose himself like that.”

“I don’t know. I’m not the one who admitted him. Though, there should be a record…a file…something.”

It would also have his name or whatever name he gave them—if he even spoke. Sometimes patients gave very little information, even if it was needed to save their lives.

It wasn’t like she could exactly trust whatever he provided. But it was worth a look. She hadn’t thought much of his presence there until now. If Will was suspicious…could be a rogue alpha? Did he not belong to anyone either?

That would make him more dangerous.

“Can a human-born be an alpha?” she asked, her eyes searching his for a negative answer.

“I doubt it. I haven’t been around enough packs to know, but I’d be surprised. And even if it was possible, who would want to follow them?”

“Right.” They wouldn’t—so maybe he’d exile himself. Great, now she needed to find out more about him. “I could go back and—”

“No.”

He gripped at her wrist, his thumb pressing against the pulse point. “I told you. Stay away.”

His brown eyes gleamed with an emotion she couldn’t recognize but his words pulsated through her. Was it fear? She gulped and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll wait.” Maybe.

She did think he was being overly cautious. She hadn’t hurt anyone. Why would he want to know? Plus, what was he going to do? Attack her in a crowded place?

It wasn’t like he could hurt her in the middle of the hospital. Plus if he tried to follow her, she could always lose him. He would lose interest very fast.

Will shook his head, a sigh rattling his chest.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“Because you know me?”

“A little too well.”

He hadn’t let go of her hand yet. His fingers had wrapped tighter around her wrist, their warmth spreading through her. Sometimes, she could remember.

Remember his large body between her legs, the way he felt as he delved into her. He’d been rough the first time, but she hadn’t complained.

They’d both acted out, their instincts driving them. She was the first wolf he bedded.

It was the first time he fucked someone he didn’t worry about hurting. When he was with Jess, he had to control himself because she was human.

The times they had shared, they had been carefree, abandoning themselves to their needs.

Olivia’s heart skipped a beat, and she forced her gaze back to the floor. She couldn’t let her thoughts go there. This wasn’t her.

She didn’t fantasize about someone else’s man. She would never steal a girl’s boyfriend. And she liked Jess—they were friends.

Then again, she wondered if she would still allow Will to be around her if she knew about their past.

Will had opted out of telling her. Olivia had been strongly opposed to it, but he was under the belief that their friendship would have to end if Jess knew. She wouldn’t let them be around each other.

The thought of losing her best friend was heart-shattering, but—lying? She never enjoyed it. Still, it wasn’t her relationship, and no matter how much it gnawed at her, she was letting Will call the shots.

She only hoped Jess didn’t find out on her own. That would be much worse.

The unbearable silence between them was broken by the sound of his cellphone ringing.

He finally tore his eyes away from Olivia as he fished it out of his pocket. He brought it to his ear, a smile on his face. “Hey, Babe.” He paused. “Yep, on my way.” He laughed. “Love you too.”

“Jess?”

“Yeah. I gotta—I gotta go. But promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”

“I promise.”

He nodded. “And if you do, at least call me before you’re in trouble?”

He did know her a little too well. “Yes, Dad.”

“I’m just looking out for you, Liv.”

“I know. Thank you.”

He let her hand fall into the emptiness as he finally released it from his grip. The skin felt cold where his fingers used to be, and she held back the urge to reach out for him again. He wasn’t hers.

But it was like he could feel her at times. He paused, turning his body so that he could lean in, and kissed the top of her head.

Please, listen for once. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Words were stuck in her throat, and the only way she could answer him was by nodding her head. This was why she agreed to lie, even when it made her feel uneasy. Will always looked out for her, he always protected her.

He wanted what was best for her.

He gave her a small smile before turning around and walking away, his cellphone clutched in his hand. He was going to see Jess. Of course he was; she was his everything. As it should be.

She watched the door as it closed, leaving her alone in her empty apartment. If she took a deep breath, she could still smell his lingering scent. It wasn’t good.

As if her emotions weren’t enough of a wreck—she didn’t need this. This was why she hated her heat.

It reminded her of things she wanted to forget, things she wasn’t allowed to think about.

To make matters worse, there were two people stuck in her head now and she wanted neither of them. Why couldn’t she clear her mind?

One mistake and her life turned out like this.

Olivia quickly scanned the room, looking for pants. She found black sweatpants lying across the couch and she hopped her way to them. She slipped them on then quickly wrapped her black locks into a bun.

She didn’t want to stay here. She needed some fresh air and a distraction.

Maybe he was right, maybe she shouldn’t go to work but she had to get out of here.

She grabbed her purse from the coat hanger by the door and escaped the apartment. She slammed the door shut behind her and fumbled with her keys for a moment before finally locking it.

Will should be back in his car by now and there shouldn’t be a risk of her running into him.

She walked to the elevator and pressed the down button.

As she stepped back, waiting for the doors to open, she couldn’t chase away the feeling of dread traveling down her spine. It was like she could feel someone’s eyes on her.

She shook her head, dismissing it as her being crazy over recent events. Yet, she reached out for the button again and pressed it a few times. She tapped her foot against the ground, mumbling a curse under her breath. “Come on.”

Of all the days for the stupid elevator to not cooperate.

The feeling intensified and despite her best efforts, she found herself turning her head, looking around. No one, not a thing.

Even if she tried to glance down the hall, she couldn’t see a shadow. There was no one. She was alone.

This was all Will’s fault. She had never even entertained the thought that the alpha might come after her.

He was the one who put this paranoia in her head. It was fine. How would he know where she lived? He couldn’t have possibly followed her home. No, no. It was fine. She was alone and turning crazy. That was it.

She needed to shake off the feeling and get Will’s words out of her head. The alpha didn’t care. If he had, he wouldn’t have let her leave in the first place.

The doors finally opened with a ding and relief washed over her.

She hurried to step inside. She pressed the button and then put her back to the wall. She watched the door waiting for them to close. Why were they taking so damn long?

She chewed on her lips, balancing from the ball of her feet to the tip of her toes. Come on. Come on. Finally, they squeaked, closing in front of her, shutting her view from the hallway.

And then they stopped.

She gasped, a breath caught in her throat as they remained open not more than an inch.

For a brief second so short that when she blinked it was gone, she could have sworn she saw fingers clutching at the edge of the doors, keeping them open.

But then, nothing happened.

No one came in.

The doors closed as if they had never stopped their motion.

It’s in your head, she told herself. If someone had stopped the doors, they would have re-opened completely, right? ~Yes~.

She forced herself to swallow, her heart beating like a drum. Her stomach leapt and the feeling felt strangely familiar.

Maybe she should be paranoid?

She shoved down a lot of her wolf’s instincts but some of them had barely been somewhat accurate over the years. Could this be it again? Or was her wolf leading her down the wrong path?

Screw her promise.

She had to go to work and find out what she could about that alpha.

In case.

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