By Hook or by Wolf

Natasha is gorgeous.

Absolutely, totally, completely gorgeous. I get the impression that she knows it, too, and that there are no body issues tucked away. I get the feeling that she knows exactly how much we’re enjoying her right now and exactly how much more pleasure is to come.

She’s lovely in every way, every shape, every form.

She’s perfect.

Natasha takes a step back from us so we can all see her completely. Then she reaches behind herself and unhooks her bra. She lets it fall to the floor and then she’s bare.

Bare to us.

Her tiny nipples tighten in the chilly room, but seeing her here, perfect, means that we’re ready. We’re ready for her. We’re ready for all of it.

I take a step forward. I realize that she’s still wearing her watch. It’s a techy one that tracks her heartbeat and fitness and it’s probably linked to her phone, but I reach for it and kiss her hand as I take it off of her. I want to be able to bite her. I want to mark her wrist. I want to take her as my mate in every way, but as soon as the watch is gone, my brothers and I each take a step back in shock.

The mating mark.

She already has one.

Well, this definitely puts a damper on the evening.

“Natasha,” I ask pointedly. I know that they’ve all see it. I know there’s no hiding what this is. The only way to go is forward, so she needs to be totally up front with us. “What is that?” I motion to the little scar on her arm.

I hope there’s a logical explanation for the mating mark.

I hope beyond all hope that there’s a reason she has that scar in that spot, but I already know with a sinking feeling that there’s no good explanation. Natasha is mated. My brothers and I have been swept away in caring for someone who already has a mate, who is already involved in someone else. The idea that I would be part of her cheating on someone makes me feel sick, but maybe there’s an explanation.

I can’t jump to conclusions right now, but oh, I desperately want to because from where I’m standing, Natasha is a mated woman. Mating is forever. A promise is a promise and there’s only one way out of the mating bond, but it’s not through cheating. It’s through death.

Chapter Twelve

Lee

She’s already mated.

Fuck.

Really?

Of all the things I thought were going to happen tonight, that wasn’t one of them. I didn’t expect to fall for a woman who already has a mate. No wonder she’s been so accepting of all of us. In her eyes, this is nothing new. She’s already been with a shifter before. Hell, maybe her kid is a shifter child. I don’t know. All I know is that when the night started, my brothers and I all had high hopes for what would happen next.

Now?

Now I feel nausea washing over me.

My brother asks her about the mark and then we wait. All of us wait in careful silence, curious as to what the woman is going to say. What’s she going to tell us? Is she going to be honest? Or is this the part where Natasha tells us a lie?

Is she going to make up a story about how she fell or tripped or got in a childhood accident?

I bite my lip to keep from speaking.

I need to hear this from her.

“It’s my mating mark,” she says, cocking her head. She looks at us like we’re idiots who have never seen the mark before, and then all hell breaks loose.

Trevor shifts instantly and goes under the bed. I mean, what the fuck, Trevor? He goes under there and howls and whines like his heart is fucking breaking. Probably because it is. Cody pales and takes a step back. Then another. Then he starts yelling and shouting about being tricked.

Me?