" The human buried within the wolf’s skin exerted every ounce of

control he had and forced his wolf to move back, lest he frighten his

best friend. Zev raised himself off Jonah on shaky legs and backed

away into the corner. He rolled himself into a ball and whimpered

quietly. He hurt. Every nerve ending in his body wanted to touch Jonah.

He needed to claim his mate, but he couldn’t because Jonah was male

and human. Zev had never known pain as intense as that which coursed

through him as a result of the denied need to be with his mate, to tie

together and join with him in all ways possible.

“What’s wrong, Pup?” Jonah approached Zev with his hand out,

palm up. He squatted down by the huge wolf and looked at him with

concern. “Are you sick?”

Jonah’s position brought his crotch dangerously close to Zev’s

face. The young man’s enticing scent was strongest in that part of his

body, and Zev couldn’t stop himself from raising his head and resting it

in Jonah’s lap, sniffing at him and burrowing as close as he could

through the protective barrier of his mate’s pajama pants. He rolled

onto his stomach, hiding an arousal that he knew would frighten and

repulse the human, but kept his head in place on Jonah’s thigh with his

nose close to Jonah’s sex.

With his mate near, he could feel Jonah’s heat, smell Jonah’s

scent. They were together. It was enough. It had to be enough. For now.

The last thought—an internal promise from Zev’s human to his wolf

that the separation from Jonah’s body was only temporary—was what

Zev’s body needed to soothe out the cramping that had taken over his

intestines. "

― Cardeno C. , Wake Me Up Inside (Mates, #1)