Page 38 of Torin

“She got to know him.”

“And decided she wanted to marry a bear.”

“Mate a bear.”

“Whatever.”

“Not quite whatever.”

I glance over.

Torin keeps his eyes on the road. “Gunnar and Alexandria are true mates.”

“What does that mean?”

He looks at me briefly. “You don’t know?”

“Apparently not.”

“A true mate isn’t somebody your family picks out for you. It’s one person. Your mate. You don’t choose who it is.”

I stare at him. “So Gunnar already knew Alexandria was his mate before she agreed to anything?”

“The second he met her.”

“How?”

“Her scent.”

I think about that. Then I think about Cade. “Cade kept smelling me.”

Torin’s expression changes.

“He said he liked my scent. Actually, everyone seemed weirdly interested in it.” I watch him for a moment. “Does that mean he thought I was his true mate?”

“No.”

The answer comes so quickly that I blink. “You seem pretty certain.”

“I am.”

“How?”

“Because he wasn’t acting like a male who’d found his mate.”

I turn toward him. “How does a male act?”

Torin is quiet for a moment. “Depends on the male.”

“Helpful.”

He smiles. “Gunnar nearly lost his mind.”

“Over Alexandria?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t stay away from her. Couldn’t stop thinking about her. Wanted to know where she was, whether she was safe, whether she’d eaten⁠—”

“That sounds slightly unhinged.”