Page 41 of Wicked

“Maybe I will come to the sanctuary, then,” I threaten. “I have nowhere else to go.”

“Then I will find a bed for you. We specialize in helping displaced red wolf shifters.”

“Didn’t you hear what I did?” I ask. “Aren’t you going to tell me to turn back and do my duty so my fated mate isn’t alone during his heat? What is wrong with you?”

“If you are looking for someone to judge you or hate you for leaving a situation you couldn’t handle today, you’ll have to look elsewhere.”

“But he was counting on me!” I shout, even though this isn’t Ken’s fault.

“I find the scent of an omega’s heat triggering too. I take two weeks off in the spring because every time I smell it, I panic.”

Is that what this is? Am I triggered right now? What does that even mean?

“You should come to the sanctuary, Manny. Just for a few minutes to calm down and make a plan. I don’t know everything about your situation, but I know that when I’m triggered or feeling depressed, it helps to talk about it with someone who can help me keep a clear head and develop a strategy to cope.”

If I hang out at the sanctuary for a few hours, will Candlewick still accept me into his bed? Is that fair to him?

“I don’t know,” I say.

“Okay, I understand. But I need you to think about something. All sex should be consensual. If someone wants to have sex with you, and you aren’t ready to have sex with them, that’s okay. Even if they’re in heat.”

He sounds a lot like Candlewick.

“My fated mate isn’t trying to take advantage of me. He’s just alone during his heat. His alpha should be there to help him through it.”

“Then figure out a way to help him through it,” Ken says.

“I don’t know how—”

“Then come to the sanctuary so I can help you. We’re wasting time here. Do you want to be there for your fated mate or not?”

Ken has helped a lot of red wolf shifters over the years. Could he help me fast enough that I could give Candlewick what he needs, even if it’s only for a few days? Is that even something I’m capable of offering to Candlewick?

There’s only one way to find out.

14

Candlewick

In the past, my heats came slowly. I could spend a full day or two gathering trinkets for my nest before my need became so unbearable that I’d call one of my escort friends to help me through it. One of them (or sometimes several of them) would fuck me until I was satiated. Afterward, we’d order pizza and eat it while we were still sticky with cum and sweat. Lester would inevitably invite himself over and make sure everyone was fully hydrated. He was like a mother hen, passing around water bottles and filling the tub with hot water so I could take a bath.

I wish I could ask them to help me through my heat again, but I don’t want to see the pity on their faces when they find out my fated mate abandoned me. Not at the beginning of my heat when I’m feeling lonely and vulnerable. I can’t handle it.

Besides, there isn’t time. They never get up before noon, and my heat is descending upon me with a speed that scares me. I tell Buddy what is going on and ask him to call a heat companion service who might be able to help me. Then I start to work on my nest.

I’ve always been a drifter—moving from place to place, and rarely taking more than a few items with me, so I’m accustomed to building my nest with odds and ends owned by other people. I wander downstairs to Dorian’s storage room where I find a copy of Clue and take out all the weapons. Those go on the nightstand next to my grandmother’s pearls.

I find a tube of my lipstick in Dorian’s bathroom. That goes under the pillow. There are champagne flutes in Dorian’s cupboards that remind me of the ones I used to sip at during Lester’s parties. I put those on the vanity next to the door. I even take a shirt Anne brings me that smells of Manny. I’m ashamed that it brings me comfort, but it feels so good to hold it in my arms while I curl up in Dorian’s bed.

There’s a knock on the bedroom door. I’m wearing nothing but Dorian’s robe, and I’m leaking slick in earnest now, but I open the door anyway.

A wide-shouldered alpha in a pristine suit stands in the doorway. He’s carrying a black suitcase with the letters SHC Inc. printed on the top.

“Good morning. My name is Steel. I’m from Shifter Heat Companions Incorporated. May I come in?”

I open the door wider and step back. “Yes, please.”

“I see you’ve started the nesting process. How much time do you think we have before you need assistance?”

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