Page 13 of A Mate for the King
Zehr’s eyes flashed, now more amber than not. “Shouldn't have let you wander the woods in the first place. They are going to have me to answer to when this is all over.”
Cora’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”
He didn’t answer right away, strong hands moving to quickly finish his work of finishing putting away the heat supplies. He lifted his eyes to Cora, and she went still at the intensity of the alpha's stare on her.
She was helpless to look away and her wolf howled, demanding that she get closer, that she let him take care of her in a way that only he could, that she give in and just slide her hair back, bare her neck to him, and beg for his teeth. It would all be so simple, and she could find relief from the discomfort of her heat, she could find pleasure instead of pain and...and...and—
“Cora?”
She blinked and bit her lip. “Sorry?”
Zehr’s lips pursed but he said nothing, studying her silently for another moment before he moved again, this time toward her. Cora's fingers tightened on the blanket beneath her as he approached her in slow, measured steps.
“Get settled,” he told her, voice gruff, and at the tone, Cora deflated slightly, her arousal dampening.
Omegas liked kindness and sweetness, and she bit her lip, wondering if the alpha was capable of providing the gentleness Cora would need.
A heat, especially a first heat, would be so much smoother in the company of omegas she knew, whom she trusted, and whom she was positive would help ease her discomfort. She held no illusions that shifter royalty would deign to give her, a half-magic omega of no consequence, their knot. Which meant her heat would be rough.
As loath as she was to admit it, she needed to return to the Moonwater Clan, and she needed to do it now. Cora sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders, the brief thought of challenging the alpha just taking form—but no sooner had it begun than Zehr let out a soothing rumble.
And that was all it took for her to go compliant and soft-eyed. That one low, gentle, nearly crooning sound from Zehr had Cora letting out a breathy sigh as another wave of heat licked up her body from the tips of her toes to the tops of her ears.
Oh, he was good.
Cora gave him a begrudging look as she settled back and began to arrange the pillows and blankets to her liking. She tried not to notice how she had made room for two in her nest. Not when the only other soul here was Zehr.
“I’m going to give you what you need, sweets.”
She cautioned a sidelong look him to see the alpha’s unusual eyes now seemed to be entirely shot through with the amber hue Cora had noted earlier.
Zehr's eyes didn’t justresemblea feral shifter. Hewasferal. He had to be for them to be shining with amber as they were. A second later Cora's observation clicked into placeand she scrambled back on her hands until there was nowhere left for her to go.
He wasn't feral. He was under the influence of a heat haze, which to be fair highly resembled feral. Logic and sense were all but foreign concepts to shifters in a heat haze. Afflicted shifters operated purely off instinct and want.
And right now all it took was one look at the alpha’s nearly glowing amber eyes to see that what he wanted was Cora.
Zehr’s lips pursed but he said nothing, studying her for another moment before he moved again, this time toward her. Cora's fingers tightened on the blanket beneath her as he approached her in slow, measured steps.
Cora went still, eyes widening at the unmasked arousal in Zehr’s voice. She cautioned a sidelong look him to see the alpha’s unusual eyes now seemed to be entirely shot through with the amber hue she had noted earlier.
He had gone into a rut.
Cora scooted further away from the alpha even as her body screamed at her to stop retreating. It wanted him. Just where the hell did she think she was going? After all, there was a virile, available alpha inches away from her. Just what her heat needed to be successful.
Though success in the most basic sense of her biology meant a belly full of pups, and that couldn’t happen. Not with the Fireheart Clan alpha. She could already hear the gossip about her purposefully tempting an alpha as powerful as him.
She had to resist. It wasn't right.
Cora licked her lips. “You need to go.” She put the pillow down in front of her, between them, for emphasis. "Now."
Zehr didn’t react to her words, just gave her a grunt and kept advancing slowly toward her, each move eating up the space separating them until a second later his knee hit the bed and Cora had to suppress the muffled whine that caught in her throat.
“Be good for me, omega. Don’t you want to be good for me?”
“I—I…” Cora stammered, fighting against the urge to say that yes, she did, she wanted to be whatever the gorgeous alpha wanted her to be. Instead, she remained silent and licked her lips again, a movement she instantly regretted when she watched Zehr’s eyes dilate in response.
“I have to go.” She gave a jerk of her hand toward the tent entrance. Turning quickly, she almost tumbled from the bed when she tried to stand. It seemed her legs had other ideas and had somehow, in the course of a few minutes, forgotten how to operate.
