Kaden

Heat

While the princess remained in her tower prison, Zach never left her side. He agreed it was better to keep her somewhere she wasn't afraid while she healed for a few hours. But once he established he was safe, he planned to move her. I imagined it would be before nightfall, but he decided to let her have one more night where she expected certain... things.

None of the female wolves in my pack would even look at me, but I sensed their grief and anger over what I'd done to my mate through them. That she saved Tuck when we never gave her a reason to cut them deeper. It proved she cared more for saving the innocent than her life. Which meant I not only tortured an innocent, but a pure soul who didn't deserve such callous treatment.

I didn't enter her room before bedtime, because I didn't want to scare her into moving or make her think I intended to torment her again. It sucked that I couldn't check on my mate because I wanted to more than I wanted to breathe. I lay in bed with my hands under my head, listening to her sleep until the whimpers started. They sounded different tonight and I hesitated for several minutes before I got up to check on her. If she was asleep, it couldn't hurt anything, right?

Oh, how wrong I was. The instant I opened her door I knew what was wrong. My nostrils flared and I trembled while my fingers clenched on the doorframe and it cracked. Her soft whimper cut through the sweet scent of her arousal and I trembled while approaching my mate. Each step felt like a death sentence but I was helpless to take them anyway. I hit my knees by her low bed and whined when she whimpered and moved restlessly.

The memory of what I intended to do to my mate when she went into heat surfaced and I cursed myself. Still, I couldn't leave her like this. No, for a female werewolf, it was painful to be in heat without someone there to scratch the itch. She chose to suffer so she could give a priceless gift to the man she devoted her life to. That was... awe-inspiring. Her strength was greater than my own and I felt dirty next to my mate. But she didn't need me to hate myself. No, she needed someone to ease her through her heat.

But with her wounds, she was easy to hurt and mar. The slice across her belly could easily become infected and ruin her womb. So I was hesitant because I didn't want to make her worse. "How about you worry about her, and forget about you?" Zach offered from behind me and I snarled while moving so I blocked my mate from his view. "Her thrashing will worsen her wounds, but if you make her feel good, she should settle. Do I have to supervise? I hear you enjoy an audience." He knew how deep his words cut me and his smile hurt.

Still, my shoulders relaxed when he left and closed the door behind him with a soft click. At least I knew I could take care of my mate without ruining her life more. Her eyes remained closed while she whimpered her discomfort and the soft sound tore at my heart. My fingers trembled when I unbuttoned the gown Zach put her in. He said buttons on the front made his life easier and I couldn't help but agree.

Every bit of flesh I revealed made my mouth water while my mate's arousal filled my nose until all I could smell was her. I couldn't remember the scent of anything else and didn't care to try. My entire body shook for a moment before I found the strength to open the gown and I groaned deep in my throat. She was beautiful, although I mourned the bandages covering the wounds she accepted to protect Tuck.

What surprised me, was my wolf didn't surge in my mind to mate with her. To mark her as his so the world knew to back off. He mourned her heat, whining and wishing it wasn't now, not when she was afraid. Well, if he wasn't pushing, we should pull this off. But that didn't mean I wouldn't do it properly. No, a little worship never hurt anyone.

Before I could stop myself, I kissed her, sighing at the sweet taste of her lips. Then I pressed my lips to her soft skin in a path to her neck. I nibbled her throat, chuckling when her whimper wasn't pained but needy. The princess stopped thrashing, albeit her eyes remained closed. Perhaps she pretended I was the man she intended to marry since she feared her mate. It stung my pride and pained my heart to think that, but I had no right to complain. I created this hell, so I would navigate its pain without faltering.