“Is that what this is?”
“You went through the mating heat, well, my wolf is getting really fucking territorial. It won’t stop until you’re marked under the full moon.”
“Okay, I guess I understand.” They were so close, and this side of him was starting to turn her on. “I still feel the heat from time to time … like now.”
“Really?”
“It won’t be much longer until we can make this official,” she said.
He kissed her neck. His scent was rich and purely masculine. Her pussy tingled as he trailed kisses to her shoulder. “We can practice now.”
“David, we can’t. They’re all waiting for us.”
He growled, lowering her hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “This is our pack. Our family. The sooner you accept it, the better,” she said.
“You mean accept him.”
“Yes, David. Caleb’s already said the pack was too small. This is perfect.”
“We’ll see.”
He took her hand and they left the house, heading to the celebratory cookout in the backyard. She felt the tension and still couldn’t wrap her head around it. She was one hundred percent committed to David and his wolf. Once their mating was official under the full moon, he could finally relax and enjoy life again.
Bethany insisted on preparing her vegan burgers so she could enjoy the evening with the rest of them. Usually, David made sure to cook for her, so it was nice that he didn’t have to stay at the grill. They chose a couple of wooden chairs near the firepit. The sun was already going down, the air cooler than earlier.
It had taken all her willpower to refuse David when he made her body come alive with one touch, one kiss. But there would be plenty of time for her to enjoy her man later. Right now, it was important to have peace within the pack.
“I’m happy to welcome our newest member, Maddox,” Caleb said, holding up a beer.
Everyone cheered. She peered at David, who remained quiet. If he kept this up, their alpha would notice and call him out.
“I never expected to belong to a pack. Certainly not after thirty-five years of basically living on my own. I’m not exactly sure how everything works here, but I’m willing to try.”
“Tell us about yourself,” Brian said, taking a drink of his beer.
Maybe hearing his story would make David more tolerable of the new wolf.
“Nothing to tell,” he said.
Even Heather bristled. Silence rained down on them. This wasn’t what everyone wanted to hear. It was important not to have secrets between pack members. They were supposed to be parts of a whole that worked, hunted, and protected seamlessly.
“Everyone has a past,” Caleb said.
“Not me.” Maddox chugged the rest of his beer. “Just surviving and drifting.”
The jovial nature of the cookout changed to awkward silence. Could David be right about the new wolf? She didn’t want to believe it. The pack had accepted her and her family with open arms. She wanted to do the same for Maddox without judgment.
By the end of the evening, Brian, Reese, Caleb, Mika, and her uncle Benjamin had gathered near the edge of the forest. She joined with David.
“I don’t trust him,” Brian said.
“Don’t jump too quick to conclusions,” Caleb said. He was always the voice of reason, but even alphas could make mistakes.
“He’s kind of cute,” Heather said.
Caleb growled his disapproval.
Heather didn’t care. She spoke up. “He saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. He’s bigger, stronger, and I have no doubt he could have killed me in the pit.”
“The she-bear was there. It was in his best interest at the time,” David said.
She shook her head. “Why can’t you believe what he says? Maybe he was a drifter.”
“Shifters aren’t drifters unless they walk away for their pack or are thrown out,” Caleb said. “We don’t know anything about Maddox.”
“So let him prove himself. This is a trial after all, isn’t it?”
David and Caleb seemed to groan in sync.
“He doesn’t heal like the rest of us,” David said. “Something’s off about him. I can sense it.”
“It’s just the mating heat,” she said.
All the men laughed, unsuccessfully trying to hide their snickers.
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” Caleb said as they dispersed.
The walk back to their room was tense. She knew David was unhappy with the situation, but she also didn’t trust his judgment right now. Especially when he admitted his wolf was being territorial since he hadn’t marked her yet. She wished the full moon would come so they could end all this drama.
“I guess you’re happy with the pack the way it is,” she said. “If you felt that way before, we’d never be mated.”
“That’s different.”
“It’s not, David. Most packs are more than twice our size. It’s only natural for us to want to expand. It’s safer to have numbers. Maddox is a capable male. He could be an asset.”