He was facing a full-fledged inquisitive hellion.

"Don't. touch. anything," he warned with an exasperating perplexed look.

It was the 15th time he mentioned the warning that seemed to disappear into thin air the moment her eyes lit up with awe and caught something new of interest. To touch.

"What is that?" she gasped inquisitively reaching for it only to have him swear underbreath with a groan and run up to her and pluck it out of her hands.

"That is not a toy," he murmured tossing the can opener back into the drawer.

It was clearly obvious and bright as day the moment Nikki brought her down to the kitchen, that she honestly did not know anything about common kitchen utensils or equipment. It puzzled him. How could she not know?

"Oh! Male what is this?" she gasped again reaching for the buttons on the blender.
The moment she pressed it, the grinding noise startled her. She shrieked and rushed to him in fear burrying her face into his chest.

With an umph he caught her to him. With a hiss he clenched his jaw with the awkward embrace that felt so good. With words of assurance he tried to calm her then pressed his hand over her ear and reached with the other to turn it off.

With his arms outstretched he stood still; waiting for her to uncurl her fists from his shirt. A warm shiver of appreciation swirled down his spine as he lowered his gaze to her petite form clinging to him, then she slowly pulled away.

She looked away from his hot gaze as she stepped back. He caught her timid smile before her teeth tugged away nervously at her bottom lip.

He swallowed down the growl that threatened to erupt from his throat.

"Please don't touch anything," he said again. "Understand?"

With a slight nod, her curls bounced. She began to fidget under his gaze as she peered up into his eyes, so much swirled in their depths..Intrigue, Fascination...Curiousity.

"Alpha?" One of the pack members stepped into the kitchen with a folder in hand.

He looked over to him and acknowledged him immediately.
"I got the copies you needed to sign," Mark handed the folder to him.

He reached for it and distanced himself from her towards the table quickly taking the pen and signing it.

"Let me make a copy of it and we will fax it over to Alpha Jaxon of the Red Ridge Pack." he began to walk off but stopped to turn to her then as she hadn't moved away.

"I will be right back." he looked at her. "Behave!" he leveled a stern finger at her.
She blinked with frown. The expression alone was adorable and it had Koda's tale wagging.

"Got it?"

She nodded her head coyly but her eyes sparkled with genuine innocence and ....something else he could not put his finger on. It worried him.

He wasn't gone for but a few seconds before another pack member knocked on his door and poked his head through it with a sheepish look followed by a cough.

"Um Alpha? We have a situation in the kitchen." He coughed again.

"Ah hell," he muttered, walking out of the office into a smoke filled kitchen as a bright flash and pop echoed around them.

With a curse he pulled her away, he delved through the plume of smoke and yanked the plug to the microwave.

Now standing in silence and choking smoke, he turned slowly to face her. He barely heard the pack member apologize for leaving a foil wrapped pop tart on the counter.

"For once can you listen," he yelled in irritation. She flinched and all he received from her was a crestfallen wounded look and her gaze filled with tears on the brink of falling.

You frightened her! Koda growled.

Under his breath he muttered something she did not understand before looking down at her.
"Look." He exhaled an apology. His gaze softened as she hung off of his every word. "Some of these things can be dangerous and are not to be played with," She watched him gesture toward the microwave that still billowed with smoke.

He was filled with genuine concern for her and that alone made his chest tighten.

Before he could say anything else, Nikki walked into the kitchen.
"Holy crap, what happened here?" she waved her hands in the air frowning at the smoky kitchen.

"I popped a tart," Hannah said softly as a tear fell down her cheek. "And I believe I have ruined it."

Her saddened look had Nikki glaring at him accusingly and ....Koda joined in.

Just great!!!

With an exasperated groan, he dropped his face into his hand.
He literally did not have time for this.

"Please take her somewhere and keep her busy," he begged Nikki.
"And out of trouble," he added.

"Come on Hannah, let's go for a walk," she crooned; frowning at him before turning away with her.

Shortly after, other pack members showed up to check on the commotion. Irritated, he pointed towards one of them to throw out the microwave.

"And one of you go get another one. Two if possible," his jaw clenched. He turned away and stomped off towards his office. He slumped in his chair behind his desk, feeling the waves of mental and physical exhaustion which he shouldn't, but he did. When it came to her, he did.

***********

He needed peace....
He needed sleep....
He needed distance....

He needed to seriously shoot Brody and Nikki...

He sighed. All of those things were hopeless wishes as he sat in his office with his pounding head in his hand.

His self-restraint was a joke at this point. He wondered how soon the scent of the one person he was hiding from will slip passed the door and invade his sanctuary. His Sanity.

He had been avoiding her.

He couldn't seem to get her out of his head. Even when he slept, she haunted his dreams. The things that he did. That she did. That they did in his dreams was driving him to the edge of madness.

It's been nearly a week since they found her and still he knows nothing about her. Who she is. Or what she is.

Getting to know her was proving to be difficult. His first attempt of getting answers from her was a disaster he was now paying for.

Ever since Nikki got her paws all over her, she has been everywhere. She has already been introduced to the pack after Nikki's endless nagging. It seemed they took a liking to her immediately. He hated to admit it, but, he liked that fact. The last thing he needed was a nervous pack of wolves feeling threatened by her presence.

He tried keeping his distance, but everywhere he turned she was there. Or pretty much Nikki made sure she was there.

Brody with every chance he had, made an excuse to whisk his sister away and Maddox would be left alone with her.

The need to mate with her was growing already stronger. And it increased with a ferocity every time they were close. He fought it as hard as he could, battling to suppress the urge to claim her.

That night was a prime example...

Finally, after being released from Nikki's constant chatter, the overly social butterfly that she is, pulled Hannah along to get ready for bed. He had trouble sleeping. She slept in one of the guest rooms, while he avoided his own directly across from hers and found his way to the living room couch.

Sometime throughout the night, he sat up, unable to rest. He needed something or...someone to sate the restlessness within him. But just as fast he shook it off with a frown. Grumbling to himself, he made it to the kitchen. He pulled open the refrigerator, searching for something to shake off the weariness from his mind.

He stood there with a hesitating glance at the 6-pack of beer; he could easily down to get the inch or tickle of a buzz that won't last long. (Cruel irony because Werewolves can't get drunk) Rolling his eyes at the wasted $10 spent on it anyway, his gaze shifted to a row of bottled waters.

Reaching for one, he popped the lid off  and downed half of it in one satisfying gulp before leaning against the frame of the refrigerator and rubbing the cold bottle across his forehead.

He growled. "Much better!"

He lifted the bottle again to his lips, then paused. He frowned.
The muscles in his shoulders rippled and tensed. He caught the familiar scent, and his shoulders flexed as it tantalized his every last nerve ending.

Good Lord!

He had to fight it.

He turned to look at her standing behind him.
The mesmerizing silence between them was gone as he spoke.
"What are you doing out of bed? Are you O.k.?" he could barely recognize his own gruff voice.

She began to fidget. "I couldn't sleep," she whispered softly.

Silently he watched her. Their gazes locked briefly. Her arms crossed over her protectively; she wore a short Jersey nightgown that hugged her slender frame — exposing smooth shapely legs. His mouth went dry.

Needing a non-captivating distraction, he lowered his gaze to his water.

"You want one?"

She shyly accepted.

After grabbing another for himself and hers, he walked to the nearby table and placed it for her on it gesturing for her to sit first. He dropped to his own seat after she gently sat next to him.

"So, tell me about yourself, Hannah," he murmured with the hope that she would tell him.

She busied herself, taking tentative sips of her water.

"What is it you want to know?" she muttered in a low soft tone. Her brows knitting into a frown.

"I don't know," he paused for a sip. " Maybe where you are from? Who you are? How and why we found you injured in the woods," he finished.

She swallowed nervously.

"Did someone hurt you, Hannah?" he asked, slightly turning to face her.

He bit back an angry growl of the idea of someone hurting her. Quickly he shook off the sense of possessiveness — that need to protect her.

"No," she whispered.

That wasn't enough of an answer for him. He still sat and waited gazing down at her.

Long, dark lashes fluttered and slowly lifted to his. Suddenly, he's gazing down into her depths of chocolate brown eyes that flickered with sadness.

Clearly, there was a tale in her past; she wasn't prepared to share. He could see it easily as a bleak shadow of despair streaked across her eyes. It seemed the topic of the conversation uneased her. She cast him a quick glance before lowering her gaze again.

He decided he wasn't going to push the issue for now. Eventually, he will press her for answers later because there was something about her that unsettled him. Her innocence and naivete daunted him and at the same time bewildered him. It made her seem defenseless, vulnerable...too pure...

The faint scent of her anxiety pulled him away from his musings. He watched the long mass of her mahogany curls falling forward like a curtain as she lowered her head.

The urge to touch one prompted him to reach up and pull a shiny tendril. To feel the soft ringlet bounce and spring away from his finger.

Graceful like a flower blooming for the sun, she lifted her head. The tenderness of her gaze resonated through him at once. Her gaze filled with trust and unabashed appreciation and ....something more. It tingled through him.

For a delirious instant, logic escaped him. Before she could react, light as a feather, she was pulled from her seat and sat onto the table before him. Looking down at him, silence fell around them. He could hear the rapid beat of her heart, but it was not from fear. And that excited him. A bolt of electricity and need sizzled through him as the pull of attraction for her was front and center.

It controlled him, left him feeling weak and vulnerable in a way he did not like. He needed to fight it. But the primal instinct to taste her was even stronger.

And in one swift swoop, he curled his fingers around her nape and pulled her forward then his mouth was on hers. Every intoxicating inch of her in detail slowly melted into his soul. Her scent, rhythmic heartbeat, silky smoothness of her skin and curves clung to him. Lust and hunger uncoiled within him, making his fangs itch at the surface.

Pliant and molding to his need, she surrendered to him, and the sweet, sultry scent of her arousal followed swirling around him like a cloud.

Strong padded fingers caressed soft satiny skin inch by inch under the nightgown, up her slender waist to her ribs, just inches beneath her pert breasts. His lips pulled away reluctantly from hers and nibbled his way to her jaw, and the shell of her ear; deeply inhaling her scent.

Her soft pants were music to his ears as he pressed his lips to her neck. Not able to contain himself, he dove his fingers into her hair and pulled her further into another demanding kiss filled with desire that she eagerly stoked with her moan.

Before he knew it, the pads of his thumbs were brushing gently across her nipples and rendering her senseless in his arms. Then they were kneading and caressing her spine ardently as he slowly stood and pressed her back against the cool surface of the table.

She was getting warm in his hold, and it soothed him bone deep pressing his body above hers. The sweet taste of her lips drove him over the edge. He could sense her need for him. It seethed through him; robbing him of any control. His frustration and pleasure played with his senses. Instinct screamed for him to claim her.

Claim your mate!

His restraint weak as it was, was keeping him from spreading her legs right there on the table and burying himself deep in her to the hilt.

Shît!

His claws slowly extended out of his fingers, and he could slowly feel his eyes change. He caressed her tighter, fighting the primal need to bond with her. It was a debilitating battle that he was slowly but surely losing the minute she dove her soft fingers through his hair.

She tugged at it, moaning softly and sweetly into his mouth with every inch his fingers went up to her back. Her scent was turning heady and delicious that he could taste it at the back of his throat.

The moment his fingers grazed something soft at her back, she arched up into him with the most sultry moan he has ever heard and a shimmering warmth shot through her to him, a growl rumbled up his throat that tore a startled gasp from Hannah.

As if sanity reeled back and slapped him hard, he jerked up and stumbled back away from her.

She shot up breathing heavily and staring back at him flushed and startled.

That seductive pull wasn't easy to fight as they stared at one another lost in their passionate hold.
His brow knitted with confusion. He watched as she trembled and looked away, hiding the glazed over look of desire in her eyes as they turned timid.

A disturbing thought itched at the back of his head nudging him. She was...hiding something.

Before he could say anything, she slipped from the table and ran off. The moment her scent became faint, he leaned against the table for support. He made a mistake of thinking that he would be able to control his own urges.

He was wrong.

********

Here we go my peeps..
Tell me what you think...