By Hook or by Wolf

And maybe they’re right.

Henry and I were mates. That’s what he always told me. I still have the scar on my wrist where he bit me to mark me as his own. It had been our first date, our first time together, our first everything. Henry marked me as his mate because he said that he just knew. As soon as he met me, he knew that we were destined to be together.

It’s a little cheesy, but it never bothered me.

If anything, I always found it to be entirely wonderful.

We’re silent the rest of the drive, but I pull up to the Claw residence and Lee and Trevor are standing in front of the garage. They’re waiting for me. Cody just turns and looks at me.

“Are you okay?” I ask him. “I mean, we don’t have to do this. There’s no pressure.”

He stares at me for a long minute and then he bursts out laughing.

Uh, a little rude, but okay.

“I’m sorry,” he says, sensing my slight irritation. “It’s just that usually, the guy is the one telling the female that there’s no pressure about a situation. With you,” he shakes his head and looks at me. “With you, I don’t even know where to start. You had no idea we were wolves, yet you also didn’t really care.” He smiles at me and reaches for me. “It’s a lot to take in, I know, but so is the idea that you’re so completely comfortable with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought we were going to have to give you the information gently,” he admits. “That we were going to have to tell you slowly, carefully. That’s how it usually works.”

“I’m not like most people, I guess,” I shrug. “But then again, I think most people can be pretty understanding if you give them a chance.”

“With you, Natasha, I’ll give you all the chances in the world.”

Then Cody kisses me again, and this time, it’s just as passionate, but there’s more there.

This time, his kiss holds a promise.

This time, his kiss holds hope.

This time, his kiss solidifies the fact that whatever happens next is going to change everything.

Chapter Eleven

Cody

She didn’t know, but she doesn’t care.

My mind is blown at

the fact that Natasha is so totally open to the idea of shifters. Surely there’s a reason. We head inside through the garage and sneak up the back staircase to Lee’s big bedroom on the top floor. Mom is staying in a first-floor guest room and both Trevor and my bedrooms are on the second floor. This means that the third-floor master suite offers both a huge bed and a ton of privacy. Nobody is going to overhear us up here.

Once we’re in the room, Natasha looks around.

“Wow,” she says. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” Lee says, smirking, and he strides over to her. He grabs her and cups her cheek. “Every one of my brothers has had a taste,” he says. “It’s my turn.”

But instead of kissing her mouth, he drops to his knees in front of her, flips her dress up, and brings his mouth straight to her panties. Natasha squeaks and tries to jump away in surprise, but Lee grabs her bottom and pulls her close.

“Fucking perfect,” he says. He tugs her panties down and lets them pool around her ankles. Then he kisses her on her soft, shaved pussy. He slides his tongue over her and even from where I’m standing, I can see just how wet she is.

Yeah, our girl loves this.

“You like all of the attention, baby?” I stride over, grab her hair, and pull her head back so she’s looking at me. Natasha nods, and I kiss her. “Good,” I say. “Because you’re about to have a lot of it.”

Trevor comes over and admires her for a minute before he reaches out. Softly, gently, he touches her breasts over the thin fabric of her dress.