Claiming Her Mate — Jess Buffett

In book one of New Hope Valley: For more than seven years, Summer Ashcroft has had to watch the man she knows is her mate, go about his life, ambivalent and distant toward her. As one of only a few tiger shifters left, the pressure on her to mate threatens to suffocate her, leaving her to wonder if is she strong enough to risk it all to be with him. Evan MacKenzie has known Summer all of his life, and has forcefully maintained his distance from the gorgeous woman. Staying away seems to be his only recourse since he is unwilling to risk losing the one person that still makes him feel as if he has a heart. When it's realized he is the key to things left out of their control, he finds himself at a crossroads. Mistakes are made by both, but when the truth is discovered, the pair is thrust together in unimaginable circumstances. They must work as one to search out answers for Evan, and secure a future for Summer's species, but are they strong enough? Or will forces set into motion thousands of years before, keep them apart?