Turner (White Wolf Ridge 1)

"Calm yourself, love. I won't hurt you. I could never, ever hurt you." I attempt to reassure her, but I’m not sure she’s on board with the suddenness of the situation.

"I don't understand why..." she waves her hands between us "…this connection. I don't understand it."

"I don't know everything, but I believe Hunter Wolfe knows exactly what's going on."

"Why does everyone run everything past Hunter? Besides him being a know-it-all." Damn, she doesn’t seem to like him, which makes me feel better, but then a sense of dread fills me. She has no idea what we are and what we mean to each other now.

"You don't really know the truth." I pull off to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Her tension elevates a notch or two, but it’s not from fear. Desire pools between her thighs and invades my nostrils. I want to strip her bare and taste her, let her scent envelop me.

"We need to talk, and I can't leave you feeling so upset."

"We can talk at the hotel,” she argues.

"I'm afraid we cannot. I won't be able to control this raging longing once we are left alone without interruption."

"We're alone here." She takes a deep breath, and I know her body's begging for mine. I reach up and brush her cheek with the back of my fingers.

"Anyone can pass by,” I remind her. It’s that notion that staves off my hunger long enough to pull my thoughts together. "Maria," I say, pausing, trying to figure out how to say this. "Listen. Hunter, your sheriff, and me. We're not just human."

"Oh my God. What are you?"

"We're wolf shifters." Her face whitens and then she laughs, shaking her head.

"That's nuts."

"Then how come you jumped into my arms as if you've known me? Let me rub my scent all over you?" She’s about to say something smart, so I put my fingers to her lips. "Trust me, mate. Do not say something like ‘I do that all the time’ because I'll tear this town apart, killing every single man here who thinks you are theirs. You belong to me." I sound possessive, and I am. My father had been right. The second I found my mate, the world would flip on its head and I’d become more irrational than a motherfucker.

"There's no one else, but I don't understand this. You can't be real."

"I could say the same for you. For nearly six months I dreamed of you, and yet here you are as if I'm still dreaming."

"You too?" A dawning strikes her.

"See? I've never heard of it before, but something Hunter said told me he understood my plight more than your sheriff did."

"Oh my goodness, how many are there of you?"

"There's only one of me, but there are thousands of shifters throughout the world."

“Wow. I don’t even know what the hell is going on.”

“Why were you there in the first place?” I growl. It’s been on my mind because if she wasn’t there for me, then why would she be at the home of another Alpha? Jealousy fills my soul like a mad beast.

“Your eyes just flashed a brighter blue,” she says.

“My mate, please explain.” I take a deep breath, attempting to control the urge to mate with her right here. I need to mark her so everyone knows she's mine.

"My roommate disappeared today, and I was looking for him." I stop her right there and undo her belt, lifting her onto my lap.

"You're mine and you've been living with another man?" I snarl, cupping the back of her head.

"You don't own me." Fuck. Please don't do this. I feel the bond cracking. I can't let that happen. I need my queen to rule by my side. She attempts to break my hold, which is futile.

"Maria. Damn it. You own me more than you can ever, ever, ever imagine. I live for you, now and until the end of my days. We're fated to be together. I wish I could even explain what you mean to me."

She reaches up and touches my face. "Don't be upset, Turner. I'm scared, but for some reason, I trust you more than I can even comprehend. It's as if you mean more to me than is even rational. I just need time to absorb what this all means. I've been living around these people and completely unaware."

"I can't tell you anything about them because I don't know much about them, other than Hunter, because he's the Alpha of this pack. He's the one I came to talk to about some trouble his people made in my area two days ago."

She freezes. "Is this about Jacob?"

"Who the fuck is this Jacob?" Just hearing her speak another man’s name with such concern pokes at my green monster.

"My roommate. The one who has gone missing."

"He better not be in White Wolf again,” I mutter to myself with a little more tension than I should. I’m supposed to be relaxing her, not scaring her.