Free Vegetarian Mate [Pack Law 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Becca van Page A

there always seemed to be someone willing to relieve the new mothers if they looked like they were flagging. She cuddled Stefan and gently removed her hair from his little hands, then proceeded to lift his top and blow raspberries on his tummy. The gurgling laughs he produced were contagious, and she found herself laughing along with him.
    “Do you want children of your own?” Michelle asked, taking the seat next to Rochelle on the sofa.
    “Maybe someday. I’ve always loved children, not that I’ve been around any since I left the orphanage.”
    The toddler in her lap reached for his mom. Rochelle passed him over to Michelle, feeling wistful at the sight of the baby with his mother. “I never thought I’d have a man of my own,” she said to Michelle.
    The other woman’s eyes twinkled. “Or men.”
    Rochelle laughed, reaching for her wine to hide her embarrassment. She still wasn’t used to talking about this. “Or men,” she agreed. “I was too hell-bent on finding what was missing to even think about starting a family of my own…but I think that’s what was missing.”
    She looked around the room, at the women and their babies. She couldn’t imagine leaving. The idea of getting back in her car and continuing her road trip gave her an actual physical pain in her chest. This is where I’m supposed to be.
    Keira spoke up from the other side of the room. “Can I ask you a question, Rochelle?”
    “Oh, sure.”
    “Why are you vegetarian? Speaking as a werewolf, it’s kind of hard to grasp.”
    Rochelle looked down at her lap. “The orphanage had their own stock, and they used to bring someone in to kill whatever unfortunate animal had been chosen for that week. I used to pet the animals and name them. It was quite a shock to find some of my pets missing. I learned very fast to stay away from the animals.”
    All the women looked sympathetic. “You probably shouldn’t watch the men hunt, in that case,” Michelle said.
    Rochelle recoiled. “I certainly won’t!”
    The others laughed. “They don’t ever catch anything,” Michelle reassured her. “We buy our meat from the supermarket.”
    “Don’t think poorly of us for it,” Keira said. “Werewolves can’t help it.”
    “I know.” As repelled as Rochelle was by the idea of eating meat herself, she was getting used to being surrounded by wolves. There were plenty of other aspects of pack life that made it well worth it to live among carnivores.
    Rochelle felt a frisson on the back of her neck. She glanced toward the living room door and saw Jarrod standing there staring at her. Rochelle had never been more grateful that he didn’t have access to her thoughts than at that moment, though actually, it didn’t look like he was looking at her, more like through her. Something was obviously on his mind, but she just gave him a smile of welcome. She suspected his thoughts were still at work. Her body responded to his presence. Her breasts swelled, her nipples hardened, and her pussy leaked.
    Finally he really looked at her and gave her a wink and smile in return. Then he disappeared back into the hallway.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jarrod stood in the living-room doorway, staring at his mate. When she smiled at him he gave her a wink and smiled back. As much as he wanted to walk into the living room, pick Rochelle up, and carry her upstairs, he couldn’t. With one last glance at Rochelle, he backed away and headed outside.
    He went through the kitchen door and into the backyard, listening to the sounds of the others running and howling in wolf form. His own wolf wanted to be let out. Being close to Rochelle all week was testing the limits of his control. But he was still preoccupied with an incident at work earlier that week.
    Harold James, a lone wolf, in his town. The man hadn’t done anything yet, nothing that they could prove, but ever since he’d come into Jarrod’s office, he’d been trying to figure out what the wolf wanted.
    On the surface, James