The truth was he’d spent the whole of the next day without a shirt. When he’d seen her come close, he’d made sure to be in some kind of flex to show off just how muscular he was.
Caleb, Brian, and Reese had thought it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen.
Assholes.
So he’d resorted to strip teasing. Using the sun and sweat to make him look appealing. At night, he’d even started to try eating her vegan food, foregoing meat to show his support. Some nights she didn’t even join them. Mika would make some excuse and the uncle would make a random subject change.
What were they trying to avoid?
He didn’t know what the fucking problem was.
“Dinner!” The word was suddenly bellowed around the house.
Would Heather join them?
He took several deep breaths, sure his wolf was in control before he left his bedroom. Arriving in the dining room, he was surprised to see Heather sitting at the table, already loading her plate up with food. This was a good start.
Reese had left a chair available to him so he could sit opposite her.
They all had spaghetti. Heather’s was bare of all meat and fats, while theirs had ground beef. There was also garlic bread. Heather’s would be made with different butter. He’d Googled everything he could about veganism, but he was far from an expert.
He sat down opposite and watched as she twirled her fork in the spaghetti and filled her mouth.
Such luscious, full lips.
She rarely ate with them, and never with this kind of relish. Even as she chewed on her spaghetti, she took a large bite of garlic bread. Her hands shook a little, and he wanted to know what was wrong.
“I hope that’s okay for you,” Bethany said.
“It’s amazing.” Heather covered her mouth as she spoke. “It tastes so good.”
Caleb jerked his head toward her suddenly.
David watched as her uncle looked in her direction.
“It’s really good food,” Mika said, laughing. “Bethany, you’re an amazing cook.”
Heather finished her first full plate and David watched as she filled her plate a second time. He didn’t have a problem with her eating, or the quantity. It was good to finally see her eating anything. Something else was off, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Are you okay, Heather?” Caleb asked.
She looked up, swallowing her food, and nodded. “Fine. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” She’d finished the bowl in record time.
She looked at her empty bowl.
“There’s more in the kitchen if you need it,” Bethany said.
“I’ll go and grab some.”
Heather left the room. Silence met her departure.
“Guys, what is going on?” Bethany asked.
Caleb cleared his throat and looked toward Mika.
“Seriously, is that your polite way of saying leave? Wow, your manners really suck. Either you’re going to discuss the concern that Heather is rejecting you guys in the pack or she’s going into heat.”
Another round of silence, and Mika shrugged her shoulders.
“Which one is it? Are you going to tell me?”
“She’s not rejecting the pack,” Caleb said. “She’s coming close to heat.”
“Oh crap,” Mika said. “She doesn’t think it’s that.”
“What has she said to you?”
“Is this a big deal?” Bethany asked. “I know when I had mine, you were there.”
Caleb reached out for Bethany’s hand and kissed her inner wrist. “Babe, you’re not a wolf. It will affect Heather differently. I’m surprised she’s being reluctant at all.”
David looked toward the kitchen. If she was in heat, or gradually building to it, then it wouldn’t be long before she was in a great deal of pain and only a mate would be able to satisfy her.
Her uncle cursed. “Is there any way we can stop this or at the very least … control it?”
Caleb burst out laughing. “Control it? No. It can’t be controlled. If she wasn’t close to her mate, then it would only be a mild, uncomfortable experience.”
David looked toward his best friend and his alpha. “But she is?”
“You’ve been near her for a good six months. We all know she’s yours. I don’t know what it is between the two of you, but you should have gotten closer by now. There is always a risk of this happening.”
Heather came back, plate loaded with food. The cardigan she’d been wearing was gone. She’d gotten a bigger bowl.
They were all looking at her, and as she lowered her fork, she glanced around at them. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
David cleared his throat.
“How are you feeling?” Caleb asked.
Heather frowned. “Fine. Why?”
“Oh, screw this,” Mika said. “They believe you’re going into mating heat, and if you and David don’t get your heads out of your asses soon, there’s going to be a shitshow.”
He wished he’d asked to speak to Heather privately before Mika let the entire problem out of the bag.
Chapter Two
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been running. All she knew was she had to breathe, to get away from all the staring eyes. Heather was tired of feeling like the freak. It was like she didn’t belong in the human world or the shifter world. She was volatile around humans and, as far as she knew, she was the only vegan werewolf.
Why couldn’t she just accept her fate and bond with David? Why did she have to push everything good away?
Being in her fur brought out her feral instincts and made the mating heat worse. And that was exactly what it was. She wanted to fuck David. His body was hard and strong. Watching him work around the house in just his jeans was pure torture. She wanted to drag her claws down those ripped abs and sink her fangs into the thick muscle along his shoulder.
Heather shook the thoughts away and focused on the punishing pace as she raced through the unfamiliar forest. She’d never ventured this far. Darkness shrouded the land, but her night vision aided her in traversing the rugged terrain.
Once she was far enough and her body ached from exertion, she stopped and shifted back into her skin. She felt clammy and out of breath. Heather sat down and leaned against a tree. Tears pricked her eyes.
Why couldn’t she accept her fate? Why did she have to be a freak?
A war played inside her, and she felt so lost. She had no parents to guide her. No mother to teach her about these new feelings bombarding her. Her sister couldn’t understand what she was going through. She was the perfect shifter. Strong, vocal, and a meat-eater.
She cried harder, needing the release.
“What are you so afraid of?”
Heather gasped, rolling to her side to see where the voice came from. It was David, standing in the shadows in his human form.
“How did you get here?”
“I followed you. I was worried.”
She hugged her knees, trying to hide her nudity—another freakish thing for a shifter to do. “You don’t have to put yourself out. You don’t have to pretend to care.”
There was no denying the growl, the masculine authority made her pussy tingle. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be here, Heather.” His tone was deeper, darker than normal. “I’ve been walking on eggshells the past six months, trying to please you, to give you everything you need, not to scare you away. Nothing’s enough for you, is it?”