Heat Approaching

LIANA

I completely demolish my breakfast, and to be honest, Zeke isn’t a bad cook at all. Food is definitely what I needed. After eating, I excuse myself for a shower, and scrub myself as clean as I possibly can. The less my scent is in the air, the better. Zeke needs distracting.

After my shower I get dressed again and quickly realize it has all been a fruitless effort. I scrubbed myself so hard I lost a layer of skin, but my clothes are covered in my scent, and even I can smell the oncoming heat approaching.

With a sigh, I walk back to the kitchen, peeking around the edge of a wall as Zeke washes our plates and the equipment he used to cook with. I frown a little as I watch him. I didn’t know he was so house-trained.

“Something on your mind, beautiful?” he says, and I blush a little, feeling caught out for spying on him. As I walk into the room, I keep my face averted.

“I didn’t realize you were trained so well,” I mock, and he scoffs out a laugh as he turns to face me, drying his hands on a towel.

“There is very little you actually do know about me, Liana.”

I flush inside. I always assumed that he was some kind of messy, unkempt, player of the pack. Maybe I misjudged him. But whose fault is that, really? He never wanted to spend time with me unless we were… I won’t think about that.

As he rests his hands on the countertop, I plop myself down on the couch and cross my legs in front of me.

“Tell me, then,” I say.

He smiles, folding his thick arms across his chest. “What exactly do you want to know, Princess?” His tone is condescending, but I just roll my eyes and shrug. We may have slept together and had our kind of mutual ~understanding~ but I still don’t really know all that much about ~him~.

“Anything.”

He pulls an odd face and chews his lip a little as he walks over to the armchair and sits down. “Not much to tell… My grandmother raised me; my parents died when I was four. Never had any kind of relationship with anyone… well, except for you.” He clears his throat and shrugs.

“I’m sorry… about your parents.”

“It’s okay, I never really knew them enough to miss them. Well, I know you know how that feels.” He shrugs again but more sympathetically, and I nod, keeping my head bowed a little.

“Who is she? Your grandmother?”

“Marion. She runs the pups’ daycare.”

My eyes light up a little at the mention of Marion. “I love Marion; I helped her a lot with the pups. She never mentioned being your grandmother.”

He smiles warmly and nods. “I know… I used to watch you sometimes,” he says quietly, and I blush. Damn my uncontrollable blush.

“Creepy,” I tease, but can’t stop the small smile that he returns with a blush of his own.

“When I was on patrol I used to circle the daycare and I’d see you through the window… You were always so great with them, you know? A little bump or graze and you were right there, kissing the pain away… I always thought you’d make a great mother someday. I could see it in you. The love you could give a pup that wasn’t even your own. It was always a sight to watch… You can’t blame me.” All of a sudden, he sounds shy.

I frown a little, disturbed that he knows so much about me. I’m trying to determine if this is all an act, put on in hopes of getting me to mate, but it just doesn’t feel like it.

“Do you want them? Pups?” he asks out of the blue, and my attention snaps back to him.

“Yes. Someday…” I can feel my wolf whining within me. She wants pups with her mate. The thought sends a wave of heat through my body, and Zeke’s eyes are on me in a flash, glowing expectantly, like a predator watching prey.

I flinch and shuffle back on the couch into a tight defensive ball at his growl. He shakes his head and tries to relax back into the seat, although I can see one of his hands opening and closing in a fist down at his side. He tries, for my benefit, to look around the room and distract himself.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to scare you,” he says quietly, still looking anywhere but at me.

“It’s okay, I’ve seen your wolf. I know how he is.”

He hums quietly, still avoiding looking at me as best he can. “He’s not the best, I know that,” he agrees, and I can hear the regret in his voice.

His wolf is beautiful in his own way, but he can be terrifying. He really takes over Zeke’s mind, forcing him to become a true beast. I’ve only met him once and it was a very close escape. It’s why Zeke usually leaves the pack for the night of the full moon. His wolf is uncontrollable, and Zeke does his best to protect the she-wolves from his bestial side.

“Will he hurt me?” I whisper, and Zeke’s eyes lock on mine. Standing up, he walks slowly in front of me and dips down to his knees to make himself smaller and less of a threat.

“Liana… I will do everything in my power to control him and myself. I won’t hurt you… I’ll kill myself first.”

My eyes widen in horror at his sincerity. “N-no,” I plead, and he gives me a small, sad smile.

“Don’t worry yourself over me, Princess.” With a few fingers, he bravely strokes my cheek.

I flinch immediately, and he removes his hand with a sigh. “Oh, how I wish things had been different,” he whispers, seemingly to himself.

A wash of guilt fills me and I reach for his hand, but he stands and runs it through his hair as I sink back into the couch.

“I’m sorry, Zeke, it’s jus—”

“I know, Liana. You’re mated,” he sighs again softly before straightening up and hardening his features a little. “But we have an obligation. To this pack and to your father.” His voice is stern now, and my face drops at his change of tone. For a moment… I really thought I was getting through to him.

Before I can reason with him, he trudges out of the room, stony-faced. I frown and try to piece together this puzzle that I must be missing parts of.

Zeke seems like two people these days. One is kind and noble. The other is ruthless and harsh. Maybe his wolf really is seeping into his human mind.