Page 62 of Tamed Wolf

“She also asked if I knew that mating us was irreversible,” Beckett informs them like a total traitor.

“Lark, you’re smarter than this baby,” Brooks says as he squishes me tighter.

“I just wasn’t sure if—"

“We are,” Blake argues, finally putting his book down.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” Would it be too much if I folded my arms across my chest like I mean business? Never mind. I forgot I don’t currently have use of them, clingy ass wolf shifter.

“You were going to ask or insinuate that you weren’t sure if we were ready for a huge commitment like that to you.”

“Well, you haven’t—”

“Because we haven’t said anything in a few days, right?” Brooks finishes for me again, far too smug for his own good.

“Have you checked the calendar lately, Lark?” Brooks asks as he nuzzles into my neck and rubs his cheek against me.

Is that a trick question? “Why would I need to check a calendar?”

“Alright then,” Brooks says as he stands. “I owe you 10 bucks, Beckett.” And he whips off his shirt and his pants and strides from the room, leaving me very confused.

Especially when Beckett copies him, and then it’s just me and Brooks in bed with a whole lot of unanswered questions.

“Come on, love,” Brooks says as he sits up and pulls me out of bed. He strips down to nothing as well, and somehow, I just can’t stop staring at the chest in front of me.

I’m halfway to leaning forward to lick his nipple when he flicks me lightly in the forehead and snorts. “Outside, woman,” he says before throwing me over his shoulder.

“Not complaining about this angle,” I say as he carries me through the house.

The question about the calendar makes sense when we step onto their small back porch, because it’s a full moon. Not that we need the full moon to shift, but it always feels a little bit more magical to shift during it.

Blake and Beckett have already shifted, putting me face to face with their wolves for the first time. It’s been forever since I’ve been around other wolves like this, but surprisingly it’s not traumatic. They’re beautiful, dark wolves with white accents and bright blue eyes, identical even in animal form.

Brooks takes my hand and pulls me away from the soft puppies I was about to start playing with, leading me through the wooded area behind their cabin until we get to a space full of flickering LED candles where the moon penetrates right down to the forest floor in a perfect circle. There’s an arch set up with wild roses wound all around it, and standing under the arch is the Alpha and Luna of the pack.

“Welcome boys, wasn’t sure if you’d remember. Was starting to get impatient.”

The ‘boys’ shift back to their human skinsuit, pulling some sort of fabric coverings from a tree nearby. I look around trying to take everything in, feeling the moon beating down on me, wondering what's happening. And then their mother is grabbing me by the hand to pull me over behind a big tree nearby. “I had to kind of guess on style, but the boys helped. We made sure to get a dress that had a bit of stretch to it so that it would fit you okay, didn't want to risk something not fitting right. Not on a night like this one.”

“Rowan’s sleeping, we don’t even have the monitor with us. I need to go check on him,” I protest, suddenly scared out of my mind and feeling the need to run.

“Rowan is fine, Lark,” she assures me. “I have somebody I trust about to enter your living room to keep an eye on him. If he wakes, she’ll take care of him until you guys get back.”

I can’t even question her, because I know they love that kid as much as I do. If she says he’s safe, then he’s safe. Then I look at the dress hanging from a tree in front of us. It’s a beautiful silver dress, a mating dress. “I’ve never worn one of these,” I mumble as I let my fingers run over the lace detail at the hem. “With the silk, it reminds me of moonlight.”

“That’s why it’s traditional for mating dresses to be silver,” she explains. “Seems to be trendy nowadays to go with other colors, but I had a feeling you’d want to stick with this.”

I nod, not really thinking much other than to admire how pretty and simple it is. But it’s not boring; it has accomplished that perfect balance between looking extravagant and rich without overdoing it.

“Take your time, Lark. This is for you and them, so if you need to stand there for a bit and think through some things, then do it. And just so you know, if you decide that this is too much, that you need to leave, they’re going to try again next month. You not being ready is not going to be a deal breaker. You know that they’re going to understand, and you know that we’ll happily meet up again at the next full moon to help out. Of course, I’m hoping you’ll stay, because I sense that you want this but are just too scared to reach for it. Remember, it’s your life to live. If you let the past dictate what you do, then you’ll never get anywhere, and they win.”

She steps away and I hear voices back in the clearing talking in low tones, but I tune them out.

I know Beckett just asked me to mate him, but I wasn’t expecting something like this. Something somewhat formal that was clearly thought out ahead of time.

“How badly do you want to punch me right now?” Beckett asks from right next to my ear.

I yelp because I was not paying attention to my surroundings, too lost in thought. “Beckett! Don’t sneak up on me like that. I’m having an existential crisis right now. Can’t you respect that?”

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