Chapter 8 The Heat

• The trees behind the fence swayed, moving in tune with the wind. Warm fresh air wafted into the courtyard, making the clean pink dresses sway as they dried. The dresses were beautiful and immaculate like the owners.
• I couldn't help but wonder if their jobs as pack seamstresses were better than the cleaning Maryanne and I were taxed with. Sure, it looked beautiful and aesthetic but using traditional sewing machines was hard work. Besides, they had to hand sew some things like buttons, embroidery which left their hands with a variety of sores from needle accidents.
• Cleaning and washing was hard for me since I had not done much of it before, but it couldn't be worse than sitting by a machine all day. I had a lot of rest time where I could sit outside and enjoy nature.
• My wolf was restless and needed a good run, but I could not break the rules. I was not supposed to turn in the property except during the full moon which made it almost impossible not to turn.
• The concrete slab which had felt cold when I sat there was beginning to warm up as the sun's heat intensified.
• “Let's go see him,” my wolf insisted. “fvck the rules. We need our mate.”
• My wolf had been whining all day about seeing Ridian. Even I wanted to see him and it was taking all my strength to sit tight and not go running to the pack house.
• There was a strong warm feeling of need at my core and lower belly. Whenever Ridian's name popped up in my mind, it would spread all over my body making me restless as hell. I had never felt anything like that before but for some reason I believed Ridian would help me get rid of it. My heartbeat was heightened as well.
• It had started when I woke up. I had thought about my mate and before long I felt a wetness on my underwear. Thinking it was my period, I grabbed a sanitary towel and ran to the bathroom. When I checked for blood, I saw something else. A slippery egg white substance.
• At first, I was scared but my wolf said it was probably my heat. I was not convinced because Ada was fond of saying a lot of nonsense that did not add up. The best thing to do was consult Grace, one of the ladies who worked in the kitchen.
• A few minutes after putting on a new underpant, I had felt the wetness again which prompted me to use a sanitary towel. I could still feel it but there was nothing I could do to make it stop.
• My body yearned for his. I could control myself but it was harder when it came to my wolf because feelings and emotions were heightened for her.
• Standing up, I started walking towards a rock to sunbathe. Maybe the heat of the sun would minimize the one inside my body.
• Had the moon goddess made a mistake? Ridian should have been able to feel the mate pull. If he was truly my mate, he had to be suffering as much as I was without him. So why hadn't he showed up? I decided it was better for me to think about something else like my family.
• The day dragged on and evening finally came. The other slaves returned to the homestead and started relaxing while taking the tea Maryanne and I had served.
• Maryanne was having a good time flirting with the men, laughing as if she didn't have a single problem in the world.
• Scanning the room for a suitable table, I zeroed on one with two pink dressed women. Picking up my tea and cake, I started to walk towards it. Suddenly, a sharp pain assaulted me and the cup and saucer fell from my shaky hands. My stomach felt like it was being stabbed by multiple knives. I staggered to a nearby chair and sat on it.
• “You on your period or somethin'?” a man asked. I ignored him. I tried to look around but my vision was hazy and I couldn't see anything clearly. My head felt like it was about to explode in that moment. I placed my head on the table to wait it out. It was not helping. Instead the pain increased as sweat poured from all pores of my body.
• “Can someone take this girl to the healer?” the man next to me said loudly.
• A few minutes later, I felt someone tapping on my back. Sitting up, I saw Grace, the elderly lady from the kitchen.
• “Can you stand up?”
• I nodded. The pain in my head had gone but my body hurt like hell. At least I could see properly. When I stood up, she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the hall. Within a short time, we were in my room.
• “What's going on?” Grace asked after helping me get on bed under the covers. I was still sweaty so I tossed the covers away.
• “I don't know,” I told her, not sure if it was safe for me to inform her that I was the alpha's mate.
• “Periods?” she asked.
• I shook my head.
• “Where is the pain coming from?”
• “It started from my stomach but spread all over my body. It has reduced now. Thank you so much for helping me.”
• “You met your mate,” she stated. How did she know I did?
• I glanced at her kind face. She was the only motherly figure I had in that damn pack.
• “Tell her,” my wolf implored. “She might be able to help. She's a nice person and she might know something you can take to avoid the pain.
• “Ahhhh...” I screamed when I felt a fresh jolt of pain.
• “You have to wait it out,” Grace said.
• “What?”
• “The reason you feel the pain is because your mate is mating with another she-wolf. You'll feel better when he stops.”
• The physical pain now felt less compared to the emotional pain from knowing that. My wolf broke and cowered, wanting to cry immediately.
• “I have been feeling like being with him,” I confessed. “There was white liquid coming out of me since morning.”
• “Your heat is starting. It's going to get harder from now. You can tell me who is. I'll try to talk to him.”
• “I don't think that will help. If he doesn't want me, I doubt anything will change his mind.”
• “Who is he?”
• “Alpha Ridian.”
• Grace's face paled.
• “No, it can't be.”
• “Why not? Did he meet his mate?”
• “You have to reject him immediately,” she said.
• “Why?”
• “Because he loves my granddaughter and is going to marry her.”
• What?