Crimson Moon

Twenty-One

Her body had gone into heat while she was sleeping, and her subconscious had decided Cain was the male to relieve her discomfort. She wiggled in discomfort as her dream came back to her, the image of Cain moving over her, staring down at her... she was a goner. Her wolf purred in pleasure, because of course Cain was the male for them.

Cain had been like a different man since their dance lesson four days ago. He no longer ignored her presence. He didn't leave the room when she entered, nor did he avoid the rooms she was in. More than once, she'd caught him giving her a lingering glance that heated her to her core. Without saying so many words, he was telling her that he saw her, that he acknowledged her, and he didn't hate her presence. He listened intently when she talked, even when it wasn't to him. Of course, this new awareness wasn't completely one sided, but then again, she'd always been aware of him. Where he was, what he was doing. She was attuned to him, and her wolf longed to strut for him, to make the male pay them some direct attention, rather than from across the room. Of course, at the time, Lou had shut that thinking down real quick. But now, while her body was begging for release, she was halfway tempted to go find him to take care of this discomfort.

No, no! That was just her hormone driven mind talking. She would not go find Cain, no matter how much her wolf and body urged her to. Her wolf reminded her that this wasn't her first erotic dream about Cain and thought that definitely had to mean something. Lou shook her head and ran her hands over her face. The first time meant that Cain was an attractive man, and this second time meant that she was in heat and her body conjured up pleasing images of the still-attractive man.

Lou hadn't had to deal with this feeling of pure need and discomfort in seven years, and she had no appreciation for how awful it was. She wasn't mated, she was alone, but her body didn't care about that. All it cared about was the primal urge to find a mate and produce offspring.

A cold shower, that was what she needed. That would help this feeling go away, and then she could go on with her day. With any luck, a wave of heat wouldn't come over her while she was around any of the males. She trusted that the male wolves here wouldn't hurt her, but no matter how civilized the males were, the scent of a female in heat sent them back to the dark ages. Primitive beasts.

Even as she snuck out of room, she could feel her heat subsiding, thank God. She lingered in the shower, making sure to wash away every last drop of sweat and desire from her body. Her mind cleared through the cloud of sleep and lust, and she relaxed in the knowledge that she could safely go eat breakfast now that he body was under control. And despite how much her wolf was now pouting, she knew that was better for everyone.

After she had dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, Joey had been so kind as to pack a few items of clothing for her, she made her way up to the kitchen. It was still early, barely six o'clock in the morning, so most of the pack was still sleeping. The only wolves that would be awake would be whoever was on patrol this morning. She contemplated cooking breakfast, even going so far as to pull the flour and sugar from the cabinet, when she noticed a tall, broad figure leaning against the railing on the back deck with a cup of coffee secured between his big hands. Big hands which, only an hour ago in her dreams, had carressed and pleasured her body in ways she'd never before experienced.

Lou allowed herself only a few seconds to admire the way his jeans clung to his as he leaned over, the way his blue t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. She'd always thought he was handsome, but now that he'd let her in a little bit, allowed her to see that he wasn't always the biggest douche in the world, she thought he was downright gorgeous. And now that she was in heat and after the way he'd treated her in her dream, now she was entirely confused.

She walked quietly over to the door and slid it open, causing him to turn around to look at her. His eyes simultaneously darkened and sparkled kindly upon seeing her. He straightened to his full height to turn and greet her with a warm smile. He didn't show any teeth, she would probably fall at his feet and beg him to kiss her again if he gave her his full megawatt smile, but the gesture showed how far they'd come nonetheless.