Emma woke from a heated dream, her blankets wrapped in confining ropes around her thrashing body, to find her hand between her legs.

She was rubbing herself furiously, trying to ease the ache of her heat by herself. It wasn't helping.

Her dreams had been of Elam. Of taking Elam, of letting Elam claim her as his mate.

She had no idea why she'd resisted him as long as she had. She'd known, as did he, that they would become one. Maybe she didn't appreciate her body choosing for her brain, or maybe she was scared to give in to feelings she'd never had before, or maybe it was just a virgin's caution, but she wished with all of her might that she had let Elam know that when the time came, she didn't want his best females guarding her in the cave.

She wanted him. She needed him. And by god, she was going to go find him.

She slid out of bed rather clumsily, getting tripped up and caught by her own tangled sheets before planting both feet on the floor beside her bed and heading toward her front door.

She'd thought she still had time. Kate had only left a few hours ago, and she was to give Elam her answer in the morning as to who would accompany her to the cave- him, or a group of females, but she guessed from the animal, instinctive need raring through her that she was too late.

Her gait was unsteady crossing the living room she'd been meant to share with Kate. She paused behind the couch they had just been sitting on together a while before, and she gripped the back of it as a particularly strong wave of erotic need rolled through her.

She'd been horny before, of course, but she'd never felt quite like this. This was stronger than she was, this was biological, and animal, and well...heated.

She laughed at herself, having scorned the pack's 'fucking through their heat, like dogs' as she started tasting the feeling herself.

Elam had been right, if there were a pack of willing men just outside her door, she was almost convinced she would allow them plenty- again and again. And her heat was just beginning.

She eyed the arm of the couch that she was currently using to hold herself upright, and imagined herself straddling that arm- parting her thighs, hiking a leg up and over the arm of the couch, and riding the arm like it was Elam's cock, just long enough to come.

Just long enough to knock the edge off, a little, and allow her to go find Elam in his cabin and offer herself to him.

She somehow knew that it wouldn't help, and trying it would only mean that much more time passing before she could get to what she really needed- Elam. She used the back of the couch to push off, to propel herself to her front door instead.

She opened the door, flinging it wide, and instead of the expanse of open porch she expected to see, she saw him.

He was planted on her porch, his wide, naked back to her, his arms crossed over his chest, his feet spread wide, his naked ass staring back at her, guarding her cabin. The last remnants of rationality in her brain had her head swiveling, looking for the band of females he'd said he'd need to help him keep the throngs of wolves from her during her heat, but she only saw him.

"Elam..."

The heat in her words, combined with the wave of scent she'd sent his way when she flung open the door, reached him.

His body was already tense with need. Knowing she was inside, suffering, when he could help her drove a spike through his very soul. He'd wanted to go to her, the minute his wolf became aware that her heat had begun in earnest, but she hadn't made up her mind yet, and he damn well wanted her to be sure, to choose him as he has chosen her, before he would ever take her, wolf or no.

He braced himself, waiting until she moaned his name again, before turning to face her. He was shocked breathless by what he saw.

"Emma, jeeze. You are naked."

"So are you!"

"I was in wolf form when I scented you, I didn't have time..."

"Where is everyone else?"

"Everyone else? What are you talking about?" The sight of her before him was enough to drive all rational response from his mind. It was all he could do not to go to her.

She was beautiful, her fiery hair a disheveled cloud around her head, her full, ripe breasts rising and falling with her every breath. He followed the line of her body south, wanting to grip her where her waist nipped in, and run his palms over the flare of her hips before dropping to his knees in front of her to worship her body, to rub his face between her...

Her words pulled him back, but barely.

"You said there would be hordes of wolves when I was in full heat."

His throat tightened in pain, but he choked out a response.

"Do you want hordes? I can summon them. Whatever you wish, Emma."

"No! I'm just confused. I was headed to you. I want you Elam, only you. But you said you'd have to fight..."

"That was before. Things changed."

"Things? What things? Elam, I can't think right."

"That was before I was Alpha. Before I took you with me, hand in hand, to see Thomas's body. I'm sure your scent is driving many a wolf to find a mate tonight, but none will bother us here. I am Alpha, and you are mine. I know it, the pack knows it."

"I know it as well. I need you, Elam. Please."

"That is the heat talking, Em. I will guard you, don't worry about that. No one will bother you. But I don't want you to choose me in heat, and regret it later. Your regret would tear me apart. I will wait, Em. I will wait, however long it takes, no matter how badly I ache to come to you, to soothe you, to claim you. I will wait. Until it is what you want as well."

"You were just willing to summon hordes of wolves at my whim, if that was what I wanted, but you won't give me you?"

She snorted the words with equal parts sarcasm and wonder, but she was honored that he wouldn't take advantage of her just because he could. And right now, he most definitely could.

She let her eyes roam over the hard body she'd been seeing quite a bit of lately, had even gotten to touch in the cave before Galen interrupted them. She'd wanted him then, almost admitting it to him and giving herself to him then, and she was damn determined his honorable chivalry was not going to stand between her and what she wanted tonight.

She took the few steps needed to reach him, stopping inches from his hard, sculpted body. The body she knew would give her so much pleasure, if she could only tempt him past chivalry, tease him past honor, drive him past protection and over the edge toward possession.

The wind picked up right then, caressing her skin with its warm breeze. It felt like a benediction, a blessing. It soothed her and encouraged her at the same time, feeding the flames already burning hot, but also arousing her confidence and urging her into unknown territory- seduction.

Emma had never seduced anyone, ever. But tonight she felt like her very life depended on getting Elam into her bed.

Her subconscious noted with some humor that the full moon shone huge and bright over his shoulder as they faced off, teasing her with the irony of every werewolf story she'd ever read. She took stock of every heightened sense she had in the heartbeat before she made her move.

It was the scent of him, stirred up and driven into her nostrils by the wind that sealed her fate.

He smelled like heaven. Peace, eternity, passion, need, forever, those were the words her brain used to try to categorize the various conflicting but complementary scents. But also twisted and tangled in his scent was coffee. Soothing coffee, dark chocolate, and weirdly- freshly cut summer grass. And under that, surpressed but growing was something darker.

Cinnamon, like he said he scented on her- but also musk and some scent her brain could only classify as sex. She'd never smelled sex, but somehow, maybe because he'd already named it, that was the word that jumped into her brain.

Sex.

Her brain focused on the word. It expanded in her conscience, flashing other words at her in quick succession- heat, need, now, mine. It started repeating on a desperate, escalating loop- mine, Mine, Mine, MINE!

His face looked almost pained as she focused on it. His breathing shallow, as if he was fighting the instinct to inhale her deeply. She felt a pang of insecurity, her human doubt coming to the surface. But then her eyes dropped, taking in the large, almost throbbing, very erect cock that was pointing straight at her. He definitely wanted her. But then he'd made that very obvious since she'd come here, in word and in deed.

"There's no going back, Em. Be sure. Be very, very sure. If you come any closer, if you make the slightest move in my direction, there will be no going back."