Mate of Her Heart by R. E. Butler

strike her as the sort of man that would be intimidated by a sex toy, but would rather do anything to be sure that the woman he was with was satisfied.  A snarl came from her throat that surprised her.  She’d never really thought about the females that Luke had been with before.  She knew he’d dated, the same as she had, but they’d never really talked about those people.
    She reached for the vibrator and turned it off, dropping it next to her on the bed and closing her eyes.  It didn’t matter if Luke had been with anyone else before her, the same way that it didn’t matter who came before him in her bed.  From the moment that they chose to become mates, there would never be anyone else for either of them.
    When the pleasure from her two orgasms subsided, she had expected that there would be a lull before her body would start to heat up again.  But within minutes, her heart started to pound and her stomach started to quiver.  The orgasms, although wonderful, had felt empty in some way, and she knew that it was because she was alone.  She might be able to deal with the heat by artificial means, but her body knew that there was no male with her, and that left her feeling unsatisfied.
    It’s going to be a long week.
    By the time the sun set, Eveny had come so many times that her body felt hollow from the inside out.  She was physically exhausted but she was also hyper, unable to do more than doze off between sessions.  She had burned out the batteries in the vibrator after the first couple hours and had trouble replacing them because her hands shook so badly.  Then she’d switched to a different vibrator, a Rabbit that twisted and turned inside her pussy.  Then she’d tried a bullet vibrator.  They all made her come.  Made her tingle with pleasure.  But after the first few climaxes, she stopped feeling satisfied at all.  If anything, the climaxes seemed to make her need even greater.
    She contemplated getting into her car, driving to Luke, and begging him to help her, but she knew that was a pipe dream.  She’d never make it the thirty miles to town.  Not only because she couldn’t seem to go ten minutes without trying to make herself come, but also because once she hit town, even in her car, the scent of her heat would attract the unmated males in her pack and she’d end up leading them right to Luke.  They would see him as a threat and they’d kill him.
    She soaked in the tub, but the hot water made her sweat and as it cooled, it chilled her until she shook.  Drying off as best she could, she glanced at the kitchen and the thawed steak on the counter and knew she should cook it and try to eat, but she couldn’t bring herself to stand at the stove.
    She stood in the center of the cabin and looked at the bed with the crumpled sheet and box of sex toys on the floor in front of it.  Then she looked at the walls of the cabin.  Her wolf whined pitifully in her mind and she mentally stuck her fingers in her ears.  She could see now what a bad choice she’d made in trying to go through this on her own.  If she had been smart, she would have told Luke a week ago and brought condoms.  Then she would have had his help with the heat but not tied him down with the mating and a baby until they’d had a chance to talk.
    She wanted to smack herself for not considering that.  She’d made her plan - to delay until after this heat and then give Luke plenty of time to understand the consequences of their mating - and she hadn’t allowed herself to see any other alternatives.
    Her stomach cramped again, and the need to have sex filled her mind.  She’d definitely made a mistake.  Several of them.
    Lights hit the back wall of the cabin and then disappeared.  She heard a vehicle pull to the side of the cabin and stop abruptly, the brakes squealing some.
    Her head cocked to the side as she realized she recognized the sound of the engine.  It was Luke’s truck.
    She moved to the bed and pulled the