Enticed (Two Marks 3)

Make that—these two men.

“I want to see your wolves,” I said after we’d exhausted ourselves with morning sex and were lying in a tangled heap on the bed.

“Yeah?” Holt’s grin was broad.

Theo traced his index finger lightly around my areola. He seemed mesmerized and didn’t look up.

“Can I? Is it… hard to change?” I wondered.

Holt’s laugh was rich and warm. “No, sweetheart. It’s easy. The first time can be hard. But the real difficulty can be learning how to shift back.”

I frowned, considering. It was something I’d never thought about before. Turning into a wolf and back as if there was a switch. It wasn’t like they were Superman and went into a phone booth. Or Wonder Woman, who spun in a circle and magically changed. “When do you learn? Is it like learning to walk?”

Theo kissed my bare shoulder and murmured into my heated skin. “No, the ability comes with puberty. And just like puberty, some get it earlier, some get it later.”

“When did you both get it?”

“Thirteen,” Holt said.

“I was younger. Twelve,” Theo answered. “I don’t know what it’s like for a human to go through puberty, but for a shifter, it can be pretty fucking overwhelming.”

“Oh yeah.” Holt chuckled as if thinking back.

I wouldn’t be paid to go through seventh grade again. A girl and her first period was a hot mess, but turning into a wolf? That had to be kind of scary. Or perhaps exciting.

“Raging hormones that get stronger with the full moon,” Holt continued. “The urge to spontaneously shift every time you get a hard-on. That’s not just embarrassing, it could be damn dangerous to the pack.”

“What do you mean?”

“Say a kid turns furry in the middle of his middle school gym class? The humans might not take that well,” Theo explained.

I laughed. I could only imagine. “Oh God, has that ever happened?”

“No. It gets drilled into our heads from the time we’re tiny to never, ever reveal our secret,” Holt said.

I gasped. “Wait—does this mean I went to high school with shifters? Which ones? Who were they?” I tried to picture the kids in my class, and wondered who was human and who’d been so stealthy I never knew they were… more.

Holt and Theo looked at each other. I sensed hesitation from them.

“Oh. Can you not tell me?”

“You’ll know soon enough, sweetheart. Once we’ve claimed you, you’ll be part of our pack. All the secrets will be yours.”

Once we’ve claimed you.

My belly did a little flip-flop.

Secrets. Yeah, they’d revealed a big one, by mistake, but weren’t too keen on sharing everything with me now. Because I wasn’t claimed.

The pressure I’d felt last night to make a lifetime commitment to these guys returned. I’d just met them, but they believed I was the one. Their only one. Forever.

It was a lot to take in, especially since getting to know them more was tied to it.

“Show me your wolves,” I blurted, in part to distract myself from the thoughts swirling in my head.

They stared at me in surprise.

“Really?” Holt asked.

I frowned for a second. “Is that a secret too? That I can’t see you like that?”

“No, it’s just… well, it might be weird for you to see your two men turn into wolves. Don’t be afraid,” Theo cautioned.

“I’m not afraid.” I wasn’t. I was excited. Curious.

“We’re big,” Theo added. “Bigger than standard wolves. But we’re not dangerous—not to you. You never need to be afraid.”

I let out a light scoff. “I work with big animals on a daily basis.”

And then I screamed.

It was more out of surprise than fear. Holy shit. Theo had shifted right before my eyes. A giant silver wolf was lying beside me where Theo had been. I couldn’t be sure but I could have sworn it—he—was smiling at me! Mouth open, rows of sharp white teeth gleamed in the morning sunlight through the window.

“Oh my God,” I murmured. I raised my hand, but dropped it.

“You can touch him,” Holt said. “Go on.”

Now I understood why they’d cautioned me not to be afraid. I wasn’t, but I could see how someone not used to working with animals might be. His head was massive—so much larger than a big dog’s. I stroked his silky ears, and when he licked me, I buried my face in his fur and kissed him back. Theo.

“Show me yours,” I challenged Holt, who was watching with amusement.

He shuddered and I heard the crack of joints as he changed form. This time I wasn’t as freaked, but wow. It wasn’t every day you saw your naked lover turn into a wolf.

Holt was black with tan markings. His wolf-eyes were amber. He stood over me, and I giggled when he leaned down to lick my face. I grabbed his neck and curled my fingers into the soft fur.

“You’re beautiful.” I reached with one hand for Theo’s head to rub his ears. “Both of you.”