3
Turner
Mark and I make the trip to Wolfe Creek, even though I’d prefer that he stayed back in White Wolf, but he’s hard of hearing and insisted I not go alone. Within a few minutes on the road, he’s already testing my patience.
"I should have left your ass back there," I say, giving him a deathly glare.
"Nah. You're already on edge. Your wolf has been ready to strike, and don’t lie to me either. You're raging, and it doesn't even make sense. Your father—hell, even you have said that your brother overreacted, and we’re the ones who should make amends."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not supposed to show a strong, united front. He touched my sister, and that automatically put him in my crosshairs. I just want their word that we don't have a problem."
"And a phone call wasn't sufficient?"
"Obviously fucking not. If it was, I wouldn't be going. Now, are you going to drive and stop being a whiny bitch?" I hiss, itching to slam his head on the steering wheel.
"Damn, as long as you don't act that way with Hunter Wolfe, we'll be good." He reaches over and turns on the radio. The Beatles are on, and for the first time I don't hate it. I let it play and then attempt to relax, which strangely happens. It's early afternoon, but it gets dark early at this time of year and although I trust them not to act up, being in another's territory after dark isn't smart.
"We're about twenty minutes out from his property. He's supposed to just have his Beta with him, so if he's honest, then we've got nothing to worry about." The snow turns to rain as we get closer to their place, but then stops altogether and the sun suddenly comes out. It's strange, but my wolf feels restless.
We're about a quarter mile from his home when my wolf growls and I look out the window. It looks like there's a vehicle out there, but we're moving too fast to check it. Oddly, I don't sense a foreboding and danger. I swear for a minute I feel my dick jerk. That can't be right, unless Hunter lied about having someone else being there. Although, if it is her, then I don't care if he lied to me.
"We're here," Mark says, pulling into a long driveway. “Okay, Alpha. You let me know what you need me to do. I’ve got your back, as always.”
“I will. Just keep your cool. I have a good feeling about this,” I say, sensing my wolf is excitable. She's near. We exit the vehicle cautiously and then make our way to the porch. I’m greeted by two large men, who make introductions. Hunter Wolfe and his Beta.
“What’s with the gun?” Mark says, eyeing the holster on the Beta.
“I’m the sheriff. I’m always carrying.” He doesn't flinch and stands strong, which is good for both parties.
“Hey, don’t get bent out of shape. I just asked. We want this to be peaceful as possible,” he says, tossing his hands up in surrender.
Wanting to get this over with, Hunter gets right to the point. “Okay, so two of our young ones got into a fight, but what I don’t understand is why.”
I thought they would have talked to the kid. "It’s because I told my younger brother to protect my little sister. She’s a teen, and well, I don’t want any men sniffing around her. She’s not mating age yet, so when the Crabtree kid kissed her, my brother was on him.”
“Let me ask you something. Did you ever think that they’ll mate once she’s of age?” the sheriff asks me, which raises my hackles. Is he itching for a fight?
I snarl out, “Even if it was possible, why is he kissing her now?”
“Why would you care? He can’t fuck her,” Hunter asks.
“I didn’t react. My little brother did. But it still doesn’t excuse what he did," I say, defending our actions.
“He said it was because some human boy was flirting with her, and he didn’t appreciate it. Erik, why don’t you go ahead and tell them about how you met my sister?” Hunter asks his second.
The sheriff chuckles, but I see the pain behind his eyes. He's married to the Alpha's sister, which means Hunter understands about having a little sister too. “He probably kissed her because he’s young and his mating starts next year. If he feels anything like what I felt for my mate before I mated with her, then his heart is hurting. Jealousy eats at him constantly. It can leave you empty and sad, craving for her just to be near. Have you met your mate yet?”
A low growl rips through my chest painfully, as if the lonely ache has tripled from just the mention of a mate. I need to find my mate. The wolf within me grows increasingly agitated.