Page 8 of Shared With The Pack

I don't know what the future holds, but that's a concern to grapple with later.

Ridge takes up one half of the mattress as he settles in. He reaches over, pulling a thick blanket over my body before wishing me a goodnight. Heath lets out a long yawn as he curls up at my feet. Griff says nothing. A silent guardian, yet a reassuring presence.

I shut my eyes and find the darkness waiting for me pleasant.

Chapter 8

Wren

It isn't the storm that wakes me...it's the lack of one.

No howling wind. No patter of rain on the rooftop or beating against the windows. Only the gentle cackle of the stove's fire and the quiet sound of sleep, slow inhales and exhales with an occasional snore. I blink my eyes open and to find a stranger's face staring at me. Though the green eyes are familiar.

"Heath?" I whisper.

"Yes," he hums. He's not cuddled beneath the blankets with me. He's laying on top of them, stretched out on his side...and fully naked. "I am on watch, so I watch you sleep."

His mouth shifts into a cocky grin, his teeth as sharp in his human form as his wolf one. In the dim candlelight, I can only make out a faint impression of Heath's features. He looks younger than Heath and Ridge, but still much older than me. His hair is a tawny sort of blond and an untamed mess, falling past his ears. A strong chin and a square face. Thin eyes.

He's handsome, I have to admit, in a wild sort of way.

"Why did you wake?" he pets my cheek. His fingers have unusually long nails. Almost claw-like.

"I'm not sure." I keep my whisper, not wanting to wake the others.

Heath chuckles, his green eyes darkening. "Such a quiet little mate."

"Mate?"

"Yes, you are mate. You must sense this. I smell it on you." Heath curls closer, his fingers digging into my curls. He leans forward to press a kiss onto the crown of my head and buries his nose there, breathing deeply. "So sweet, so soft. You never have to be afraid again. I will protect you. We all will."

I try to shake my head, not understanding any of that, but Heath only holds me tighter.

"You are special," Heath grins again. His brilliant eyes are open wide and unblinking. Watching everything I do. Listening to everything I say. His thumb taps my lips. "There is something wild in you. I think you hear it, yes? The call of everything green and good."

My flowers, I think, and my herbs. All the plants I've ever tended to and grown from seed to sprout. Yet, that's just my interest in potion brewing, right? He must have it wrong. Witches can't be the mates of werewolves. Though what Ridge pointed out before isn't wrong. There's a lot I don't know about shifters. Or about desire.

Heath touches my mouth and licks his lips, his green eyes soaked in what must be lust. Nobody has ever looked at me like that. Or touched me either. Heath touches me. He draws down the blankets, replacing their cocoon of warmth with the heady press of his body heat. He runs as hot as a furnace. It seeps through my layers of clothes and tickles my skin.

Heath's large hand pets and pats and fondles, each touch making my heart skip a beat. I'm so confused. My breath catches in my throat.

"I don't -- I don't know," I tell him, both my body and voice shaking.

I don't understand what's happening to me. I'm hard. I want...I want so much. I shouldn't want this, I think. I shouldn't want him. And I shouldn't think about wanting Ridge and Griff either. A few hours ago, I was running away from a wedding my family forced on me. I didn't want to give up my body to a stranger.

And yet now...I feel like a bud about to open.

This time, it's my choice.

"Shall we find out together?" Heath asks. He's got that hopeful puppy-dog look in his eyes once more. I don't know what I'm doing, but I curl closer and press my mouth against Heath's. I close my eyes. I feel his grin against my lips. Maybe it makes me a fool, but I believe Heath.

He wouldn't use his teeth to eat me. He'd only use them to protect me.

I've kissed no one. Not another boy or any girls. My family forbade me from dating. I don't know how to kiss him. It's awkward, but that only lasts a moment before he takes charge. He crawls on top of me, his massive naked body bearing down to pin me in place. Both of his hands are in my hair, tipping my head back.

His tongue in my mouth is strange. Wet and weird at first, but when Heath presses our groins together, I discover he's hard. It excites me. Makes me gasp into his mouth, and I cling to his broad shoulders.

I'm no longer his quiet little mate.