Mate of Her Heart by R. E. Butler Page A

the sheet wrapped around her body.  She looked peaceful as she stared out into the woods surrounding the cabin.
    He slipped out of bed and joined her, putting his arms around her and resting his chin on top of her head.  “How are your wounds?” she asked, her fingers touching the edges of the bandages on his arms.
    “Healing.  Are you okay, baby?”
    “I feel great, actually.”  Her voice had a little bit of awe to it.
    “You do?”
    She turned in his arms and smiled up at him.  “The heat’s over.”
    For a moment he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.  “What?”
    “It’s over,” she repeated.
    “But it was supposed to last for a week, right?”
    She seemed highly amused by his inability to understand what was going on.  And then he understood.
    Holy crap, she was pregnant.
    She reached for him, concern on her face.  “Are you okay?  You said you understood what might happen if we had sex without protection.”
    He snorted and swept her up in his arms.  “I think I remember health class, baby.”  He dropped her to the bed and settled next to her, peeling the sheet away from her beautiful body and resting his palm on her stomach.  “Sorry I’m a little slow this morning.  There was this incredible she-wolf in bed with me last night and she kept begging for my cock.”
    “Sounds like a real trial,” she laughed.
    “Oh yeah, I’m exhausted.”  He chuckled and kissed her.  “Tell me about the baby we made, Ev.”  He’d never said something that filled him with such joy.  His best friend – his mate – was carrying his child.
    He didn’t think he’d ever seen her smile so brightly.  Her hand rested on top of his.  “I think it’s why I was able to go sleep after the last time we made love.  I was told that when the male’s seed plants, the heat stops immediately, but I was too tired last night to figure out why I was able to actually fall asleep without the heat getting so bad again.”
    “Human women don’t realize they’re pregnant until after they miss their periods.  Wolves are really amazing.”
    “My people are pretty different biologically.  I don’t actually have a period.  My body is only ready for pregnancy during the heat, so I can’t get pregnant any other time during the year and I don’t need regular birth control.”
    He mulled that over for a minute.  “So next fall, if we don’t want to have a baby, then I should use condoms?”
    “It depends.  If I’m still nursing our baby, then I won’t go through the heat-cycle next fall.  Once the baby weans, then I’ll go through the next heat-cycle after that for sure.  We can decide whether we want to have another baby when the time comes, and if not, then yes you’d need to use condoms.”
    She lifted her hand to cup his cheek.  “You’re going to be a great father, Luke.  I know it.”
    Pride swelled in his chest.  “You’re going to be a great mom, too, Ev.”
    He slipped his hand down her stomach and cupped her sex.  She moaned softly, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.  He realized that she did that whenever she was turned on.
    He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her pulse.  She spread her legs, lifting her hips in invitation, and he smiled.  He’d wondered last night if she was reacting so strongly to him because of the heat-cycle, but as he pushed a finger inside her and felt her hot wetness, he knew that her reaction to him wasn’t fueled by anything but her feelings towards him.
    He pulled his finger away and pinched her clit lightly between his finger and thumb and she moaned, one hand fisting in the sheet and the other clutching his arm.  Tugging lightly, he rubbed the swollen bud and watched her body begin to tremble.
    He released her clit and she whimpered as he leaned over and kissed her.   “I want you to come around my cock, baby.”  He rolled off the bed and found the box of sex toys that had gotten shoved under the bed.  When he noticed them after the first