[Rock]In the morning meeting, we told the guys that Carmen was going to be taking the rest of the week off and announced that Gemma would be leaving for the national mating conference the week after. She got mixed reviews on that. The men who had formed crushes on her didn’t like that she might find her mate and the ones who hadn’t were happy for her and wished her luck. We decided not to tell them that Carmen was taking time off for her heat. That was personal information, but I knew the shifters figured it out. We’d wrapped up a few other jobs and I already contacted the people who we’d be starting with. They were looking forward to meeting everyone and getting started. I kissed Carmen then left with the crew. The day went as expected, but there was a cloud hanging over me all day. I didn’t like the idea of Carmen being gone for practically a whole week. I’d be dropping her off with her mom after her lesson with the seers and wouldn’t be picking her up until Saturday morning unless she was done early. When I returned to the office, I saw why I needed Carmen to go. I walked in and she practically flew into my arms. Carmen held me as if she hadn’t seen me in months and rubbed her face all over my chest and stomach. “She’s scenting you,” Gemma explained. “One of the early signs of heat. She’s making sure any other female knows you’re her mate.”“I’ll take her home to get ready to go to her mom’s house. You’ll be checking in on her, though, right?” I asked. “Yeah. After work, I’ll go home to shower and change, so I don’t smell like you, and then I’ll go see her. If I don’t do that, she might try to fight me. We’re more possessive of our mates during heats.” Carmen gripped my shirt and looked up at me with pleading eyes. I stroked her hair and she looked happy. I didn’t want to give her up in that moment. The whole situation pissed me off. “There’s really nothing else we can do? What if I use a condom every time? I can manage this,” I said. “That’s the pheromone affecting you, Rock. It’s really easy to tell yourself that you can do it, but in the heat of it, you might forget. Remember, this is something you both agreed to.”“It’s like when your troll brain took over during your coming-of-age, Rock. She’s not going to be making good decisions while she’s in her heat. And, unlike our coming-of-age rage, it looks like it’ll make you do the same if you’re around her,” Forrest told me. “They’re right. I can’t think clearly, even now, and it’ll be worse as time goes on. My brother will give me the order to stay in my mother’s house during my heat and not leave the property. His order will act like the shackles you had on. If I manage to break through, then Alpha Trent is prepared to give me the same order,” Carmen said. She was still holding on to me. I wrapped my arms around her. Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly, either. I never realized her pheromones could really affect me. “Let’s go home and get you packed while we wait for the seer to come for your lesson,” I told her. “Gemma, can you finish everything here and get me signed out on my computer?” Carmen asked. “Yep, you go. I’ll see you this evening.” I took Carmen out of the office and helped her into my truck. If we didn’t have to take bags with us, I would have suggested riding to her mother’s house on my motorcycle. I wanted her close to me. When we arrived at home, we went straight to the bedroom to start packing and to let Carmen get changed into something more comfortable. She turned to me and undressed while looking right at me. I was going to miss everything about my little wolf mate. Once she was dressed, we packed up a few outfits, pajamas, underclothes, and her bathroom stuff. The fuller the bag was, the more I hated this. I’d ask the seer if she could figure out anything to help with the heats. Maybe something to make them not affect Carmen as much. I didn’t want my mate to leave me for a week every month. Carmen was mine and I was beginning to feel that angry possessiveness take me over. I stripped off my shirt and put it in the bag with her things. “Come over here and scent me more, Carmen. I only want to smell like you and me.” Carmen didn’t waste any time. She rushed over to me and started rubbing her face everywhere she could reach. I knelt down so she could reach higher. I didn’t want it to end. She was so soft and as she rubbed her face on me, I grew calmer. When she started kissing and nibbling my ear, I pulled away. As much as I loved it when she did that, I knew it was a precursor to more. Carmen had learned everything about how to make me hard. “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to lose my resolve, Carmen,” I murmured. “I don’t want to leave, Rock. We can be careful. We don’t need to be apart,” she whimpered softly. “Let me stay with you.” “It’s not time for us to have a baby yet and I know for a fact you would make me forget all about being safe. We’ll figure something else out, until then, please, go with your mom. I don’t want us to be unprepared.” The doorbell rang, pulling us out of our own world. I got up and grabbed another shirt, then led Carmen out to the living room to have her lesson. I left her by the couch when I went to the door. Orella was there, without the other one who came last time. She smiled at me. “Good afternoon, Rock. You don’t look well.” “Carmen’s beginning her heat and I’m sending her back to the pack lands. Neither one of us is terribly happy about it. Please come in.” She entered the house and took off her shoes, something I didn’t tell her or the other one to do, but they both had done so last time. It was as if they sensed that I preferred no shoes in my house. “If you like, I can work on a charm to help with muting her heats. It will enable her to function like normal, but you will still need to abstain during these times. It will take me some time, but I think I can have something ready before her next heat,” Orella offered. “Please,” Carmen said. “I don’t like the idea of missing so much time with my mate. Being without Rock hurts me.” “Of course, there will need to be payment for this magic, though.” “What payment would you want for a charm?” I asked. “I would like Carmen to spend a weekend with the women who were going to raise her. They would all like time with her, but don’t feel right about asking, since they couldn’t be her mothers.” It was an odd request. A charm wasn’t a very high-priced magic, but a weekend was overpaying for that magic. Though it was an entirely new magic she would be creating, so one weekend might not be enough. “That’s too cheap,” I answered. “How about I spend one weekend with them and they can come to visit when they wish, plus they will be invited to life events?” Carmen asked. “I would be amenable to this.” “Still not enough for an entirely new magic created just for Carmen. I’m sorry, Orella, but I don’t want to undervalue your talents.” “What if Orella and the women who were supposed to raise me became godparents to our children? The one we are going to have ourselves and the one the goddess is going to give us. Would that work?” Carmen asked. I smiled at her. “That’s perfect. You can be godparent to whatever child the goddess gives us and they can be godparents to the child we have.” “You have taken my job of bartering for my work. I was fine with a lower payment,” Orella laughed. “I’m fae and I would never ask you to put in this work without reasonable compensation. Plus, our children will need more people around them who care for them. Werewolves, trolls, and other fae,” I answered. “True. Adopted children often get left out by troll relatives and there will be very little troll blood in your child, so there may be issues there, as well.” “Please start your lessons. I will go to the kitchen and start dinner. I appreciate you being willing to work with us, Orella,” I told her. “Of course, Rock. I am happy to be of help. My mates will be excited about a godchild. I am, of course, assuming that you were including them as godparents.” “Obviously. I wouldn’t give that to just one mate. You are bonded and everything you have, they have,” I replied with a bow. “Wonderful news.” She took Carmen’s hand and they sat to work on Carmen’s magic. I went into the kitchen and started pulling out food to make for my mate. She would rely on her mother’s cooking for the next few days. I remembered the meat with the cream sauce she liked and how she said she wanted to try it over pasta. I got out all of the ingredients, including cream cheese and heavy cream. It was very protein-heavy. I sautéed the meat and mushrooms separately while I melted a stick of butter in a pan and quickly diced a block of cream cheese. It made the cream cheese melt faster. Once the meat and mushrooms were ready, I put them in a bowl and focused on the sauce while the water for the pasta heated. I seasoned the cream cheese and butter with salt, pepper, basil, and thyme when it melted and added heavy cream, mixing until it was the consistency I wanted. After adding the meat and mushrooms, I let it simmer. The water was boiling and I added spaghetti noodles. It would only take about ten minutes for that to be ready. I went and started putting together bowls of salad. I wanted to make sure Carmen had everything she needed in her last meal at home. When the timer went off, I drained the noodles and then added the sauce to them and some parmesan cheese before mixing it all together in the pan. I dished the whole thing up in two large bowls. I knew Carmen would be happy with this. I set the food out on the table and got drinks ready for us then I went out to the living room. Carmen and Orella were chatting about the symptoms of heat. I waited patiently for them to finish. Orella stood and said goodbye to both of us. She saw herself out while I went to help Carmen up. She was tired, like the last time. It seemed like they pushed harder on Mondays, so I would make sure I was prepared to take care of her every Monday. “How was your training?” I asked. “I told her how I used my magic to see my mom and how I’ve been practicing. She was proud of me for working hard. I was able to push my magic out further today. Are you proud of me, too?” “Always, no matter what. The goddess gave me the most perfect mate in the world,” I replied. Taking her to the dining room, I settled her in her seat. Carmen sniffed the air and grinned. “You made pasta with that sauce!”“I wanted to make sure you craved more than just my body while you were gone,” I chuckled. Carmen laughed and started eating. She wiggled happily while she enjoyed her pasta. I liked it too, though, it needed a little more salt, in my opinion. It was my first time making it on pasta. I hadn’t calculated how much more seasoning would be needed to make up for the unseasoned pasta. I’d learn, though. My mate liked pasta a lot and I wanted to make her more dishes with it. We ate our dinner while she told me all about her training. Carmen told me what she was able to see when she used her magic to see her mom. I soaked in these precious moments. When the meal was over, I was sad. I wouldn’t have another meal with my mate until she came home to me. It felt like forever and she hadn’t even left yet. We cleaned up and got her things together. When we were ready, we headed to the pack lands. It was as if I was losing something all over again. Like the first time I took Carmen home but this time, I knew exactly what I was missing. What I was losing. Her mother and brother were waiting in front of the house when we arrived. I didn’t see Beth, but she wasn’t really needed for this, I supposed. We got out of the truck and Carmen clung to me as we walked over to where her family was waiting. I pulled her off me and kissed her tenderly. I didn’t want to leave her and I knew she didn’t want to stay. Carmen stroked my ears while I kissed her and I couldn’t help but remember how she did that every time I was kissing her goodbye. “Carmen, it’s time to let him go,” Mike said. She turned to him and nodded. “I’m ready.” “Carmen Rosen, you will not leave the pack lands for the duration of your heat,” Mike ordered. “I won’t leave the pack lands for the duration of my heat, Beta. Thank you.” Carmen turned back to me briefly. “I promise to come home when this is over, Rock.” “You know how seriously we take promises, Carmen. I’ll be here as soon as you’re done. Take care of yourself. Don’t forget me.” “I could never forget you, my handsome troll,” she said with a slight smile. “Rock, you have to go, she won’t leave until you’re gone,” Mike told me. I didn’t want to, but I nodded and went to my truck. When I started it up, I saw Mike grab Carmen around the middle. She tried to get away from him. I could see her reaching out toward me. I hated this even more. Carmen should never have to leave me. With a heavy heart, I pulled out of the driveway and headed back to the fae lands. It would be the first night without my mate since we marked each other and I felt lost without her. The feeling made me growl. It was only one week.