Wolf in Heat (Mated for Life 2)

“How do you know that?” Reese asked.

“Because I had time after the mating heat where we avoided each other. This has nothing to do with Heather. This has to do with the bear attack.”

“You think it was a shifter?” Caleb asked.

“I know it was a shifter.”

“How about you were hoping it was a shifter rather than getting your ass handed to you by a bear?” Brian asked.

“Are you on my side or not?” he asked. He wasn’t in the mood to play games.

“Wow, mating is supposed to make you happy, like Christmas. Not put you in a bad mood like you just learned there wasn’t a sale on chocolate but that was the reason you went into the store,” Reese said.

David folded his arms and glared at his pack, his brothers. He would die for these men.

Both Reese and Brian held their hands up as if they were surrendering once again.

“Personally, I think we should ban David from mating. He’s turning into a pain in the ass who’s not any fun, and believe me, no one wants that.”

He tried not to smile. Mating. Mated. That was him.

“Wow, a smile. It was about time you cracked one,” Reese said.

“Shut up,” he said.

He wasn’t in the mood to argue with them. “Let’s stay on track of the shifter. You have got to trust me on this. It was a shifter. I can sniff out a bear. The scent of this one was all off. I got the sense that it was hungry or something.”

“What?” Caleb asked, his frown back in place.

“This bear wanted to eat me. I’m talking carnivore. It was fucking messed up.”

“Are you saying the slash marks were designed to what? Tenderize you like a steak?” Reese asked.

He rolled his eyes. “I may have been the instigator, but there was a difference to this attack. Like the person was hungry.”

“And for dinner, it wanted to eat on human flesh?” Brian asked.

“No, wolf flesh,” David said.

“Creepy. I’m not the only one thinking that am I?” Reese asked. “That is super creepy.”

They all agreed.

“I’ll reach out to Joe. See what he makes of it. You’re sure it was a bear?”

“Positive. I know a fucking bear when I see one. It’s kind of hard to mistake.”

“He’s going to be pissed. I prefer him to keep his distance,” Caleb said.

They had an odd friendship with their buddy Joe. Bethany, Caleb’s mate, used to work for him at the café he owned. They’d been through a lot together.

For a shifter, Joe spent way too much time around humans.

David knew he couldn’t spend a lot of time in town as he had no trust when it came to them. They were the enemy.

“I don’t think anyone should go out alone. Especially not into the forest. I’m going to keep an eye on Heather. I’m not going to let her out of my sight.”

“You can’t keep her locked up because of this,” Caleb said.

“I won’t. I just … nothing can happen to her. You understand?”

Reese snorted. “Of course he understands. He has a mate of his own. We all understand. Just because we’ve got no mates doesn’t mean we don’t know how to protect one. We all do.”

“Thanks, guys,” he said.

“Anything you need. You know we’re always here for you.”

He knew they would have his back. There was no doubt in his mind about it.

Reese and Brian left and he turned back to the fridge, intent on making Heather a sandwich. He wanted to take care of his vegan mate and that meant feeding her right.

He already researched extensively the food she could eat and much to his surprise, there was a great deal of vegan alternatives for her to enjoy.

Caleb was still in the kitchen.

With some vegan cheese and meats, along with tomatoes and lettuce, he turned around. “What’s up, Caleb?”

“I want you to tell me every single detail of the attack,” he said.

“Why?”

“I need to know. If I’ve got to warn Joe about a possible rogue bear again. You know he’s going to want to come out here and interrogate you.”

“Then don’t tell him.”

“It’s not my call. You know that.”

David sighed. He told him every detail. He wished he’d never fucked around with that shifter. He’d been in a dark place since Heather gave him the silent treatment again. It was like he had a death wish, picking different fights for weeks. The bear was different. From the moment he stood in the forest, to the sound of a twig snapping. How he tried to stop the bear from eating him.

“It wasn’t trying to kill me, at least I don’t think it was. What do you think?”

“Possibly a new bear? Untrained? It could be a shifter that has no idea who or what they are.”

“Like a child?”

“A teenager maybe? It’s rare for a teenager to not know what they’re going to become but it does happen.”