“Did you feel her power?” I hear someone ask before the door slams behind me.
The cool night air feels good on my face as I stand on the dock, looking up at the almost full moon. I can’t help but wonder if I’m going to start growing a tail and walking on all fours during the future full moons. One part of me is excited at the idea of turning into a wolf. The other is absolutely terrified. What if I turn into a wolf, and I can never turn back? Or worse, what if I’m never able to actually shift at all?
I sit down on the dock and dip my toes in the lake, mulling it all over.
It seems like days ago that I was out jet skiing with Ryker, but it was only hours ago. It’s crazy how fast someone’s life can implode before their eyes. I do, however, find some relief in knowing there is a reason I’ve been feeling like I’m losing my mind lately.
I’ve been dreaming about the wolf for months because he’s Ryker. And Ryker is my mate.
Ugh! Will that ever sound like a normal term to me? I hope so because Ryker proved to me I would never be okay with the idea of him being with someone else. And I know in my heart I could never walk away from him. It would hurt too much to do so.
“Mind if I sit?” a voice asks from behind me, and I turn to find him standing there.
“Would you listen to me if I said no?”
“Probably not.” Ryker sits down next to me, our arms brushing against each other. “I don’t think I will ever get tired of that feeling.”
“You enjoy feeling like you’ve been shocked every time you touch me?” I ask.
“I spent fourteen years thinking I would never touch you again, so no, I don’t mind it.”
I don’t look at him, but I can feel his gaze on me.
“I remember when I first saw the mating aura around you,” he says. “I was only ten, and you were five or six. I asked my mom why you were so sparkly. At first, she didn’t understand what I was saying, but when I drew a picture of you in art class with a golden glow all around you, she finally realized what I meant. My dad and she had to sit me down and explain it. They told me I was lucky to have found my mate so young since most wolf shifters spend their whole lives looking for theirs, and some never find them. And it looks like I’m still lucky because I get a second chance with you…Pruitt.”
He stumbles over my name when he says it. I can understand how hard it is for him to call me something else after all of these years, and I appreciate his willingness to do so. But after all the changes in my life in the last twenty-four hours, I need to hold onto the things I know, my name being one of those things.
“What happens if they never find their mate?” I ask him, curious about this whole mating thing.
“They go rogue.”
“Was the red wolf from earlier a rogue?”
“Yes. It isn’t really his fault he’s gone rogue, but it doesn’t change the fact he was a danger to others. He had attacked so many women before today. I’m glad I was able to stop him before he hurt anyone else,” Ryker explains.
“Why do rogues attack?”
“Every male shifter has an internal stopwatch of sorts that dictates how long we’ve got to mate before it’s too late. If we aren’t mated by then, we go rogue. Rogues are driven by pure need and desire, like a dog in heat. They have a bloodlust that’s so strong it takes over. I’ve spent the past five years tracking down every rogue wolf I can get my hands on.”
“Why?”
“We believed it was rogue males who attacked your family. I vowed I would kill as many rogue wolves as I could, avenging you and your family. My hope was I would eventually come across the ones that killed you.”
I turn to face him, and a sad look appears on his face. “How were you supposed to know I was alive? Everyone had told you I was dead, and you had every reason to believe it.” I reach over and take his hand. I’m still upset he kissed Avery, but my need to comfort him is stronger than my anger.
“I can’t help but think of all those years we could have been together.”
“I wouldn’t have been ready for you before,” I admit. “I want to believe I am now, but you’ll have to be patient with me.” At the hurt I see in his eyes, I add, “This is all new, and so much of it scares me. You turned into a wolf today and killed someone, Ryker. I have the right to a small adjustment period.”
“Take all the time you need.”
I’ve never found it easy to talk about my feelings, so I take a deep breath before I say, “Please don’t ever kiss her again,” I say. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to understand this whole mate thing, but I don’t like how it made me feel when you kissed her, and that anger is something I never want to feel again.”
Ryker turns to face me more fully. “When are you going to understand the only person I ever want, or ever wanted is you?” He reaches up with both hands and cups my face, his thumbs lightly brushing my cheeks. I place my hands over his and look into his deep blue eyes that are swimming with emotion. “That I will never want to look at another woman, or touch another woman,” he adds.
“I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped with me, that I’m your only option. I know
