Page 74 of The Alpha’s Heir

Where the heck is he getting the fur from?

Damn it. Something was wrong with me.

I shook out my wrist and tried again, making sure to focus. Roman’s stern face. The way he’d kissed me in the hall. The feel of his fingers threading into my hair. The way he tasted.

Heat flushed my body as my core clenched, and I pictured him coming into my cave and—

Ha. The metaphor.

I lost it again. Frustrated, I cried into my pillow as the orgasm I was chasing slipped through my literal fingers. Tears burned behind my eyes. Something was seriously broken inside of me.

I knew what it was, vaguely. Like an old wives’ tale passed down between females meant to scare you, but you didn’t believe could ever actually happen.

All female shifters went into heat once or twice a year, and it was tolerable for the most part. You could choose if you wanted to entertain company, or take care of yourself, like I preferred to do. Everything worked just as nature intended.

Unless, of course, you happened to meet your mate and your body wanted him to answer nature’s call.

I needed to talk to Trish, like immediately. She’d been able to handle her heat for years after meeting Jaxon, but it wasn’t until later that she found out he really was her mate like we’d always suspected.

My sister was stronger than she ever let any of us know. Thinking of her dampened my heat momentarily and I sat up straight.

Maybe that was the solution.

I could just ignore it. Then it’d go away.

That’s not going to work.

I need a distraction. I looked around the cave I’d claimed as my own.

We weren’t like some of the larger packs with communal huts for the unmated females. Out here, we still lived closer to the old ways, with enough caves that we each could have our own safe places.

This one used to be Alpha Kera’s before she mated Uncle Jareth. I’d stumbled upon it when I was younger, just like my sisters found their own caves in these mountains. We’d decorated them ourselves, dragging up bedding for nests and filling them with little trinkets that had gotten more advanced as we aged.

They were supposed to be our own little havens, but now it felt more like a tomb I was trapped in, wishing a certain man would come crashing into…

Focus. I groaned as another wave of heat washed over me. It would pass. It had to. I just couldn’t think of him or the way he kissed.

But it was so good.

My gaze snagged on my shelf of romance novels, which I would definitely not be reading if I had any chance of ignoring sexy thoughts. Though there was that one position in Mating Season I wanted to try. Roman could stand in for the MMC and I—

“I hate to interrupt, but is everything okay in here?” Alec’s voice was the cold splash of water I needed to stay in control.

I scrambled off the bed, feeling a little lightheaded as I stood.

“It’s been two days,” she said. “Do you need… something else?”

My bare feet slapped against the cold stone floor as I marched across the cave, feeling my heavy and aching boobs bounce with each step. Females took care of each other when we were in heat, especially when we requested no males to be invited, but what I needed now was for everyone to leave me alone so I could get over this and get back to my goddess assigned role of selling my soul to save this pack.

“I’m fine,” I growled as I pushed back the fur flap on the cave entrance, wincing when the sun burned my retinas. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to eat something.” Alec placed a bowl in my hands.

The smell of charred beef had my mouth watering. I grunted as I blinked, looking up.

Alec wasn’t alone outside the cave. Aunt Coral was there. So was Alpha Kera and Mom. The four of them stared back at me, scarcely breathing.

I must’ve looked feral for them to be this concerned. I tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace. I’d missed them all so much, and should’ve been happy to see them, but my skin was crawling and my wolf was dangerously close to the surface.