Page 73 of Brazen

I tried to remember what Sam had told me about the other two mothers–Becky and Audrey.

“Are you all…human?”

Becky grinned. “Yep. The theme here with this gathering is human moms with shifter kids. We thought you could use the moral support–if not about you and Sam then with raising a half shifter. We’re here for you no matter what happens between you and Sam.”

My throat grew tight. “Thank you.”

Harper from the fall festival was really nice, and I could’ve drowned my sorrows in a bottle of wine with her, except I couldn’t explain to her anything about why we broke up. Or what JT was. Or anything. The only answers she’d have for me were other restaurant recommendations.

I eyed the three women, who were kind enough to organize this ambush.

So much for me not wanting any part of their pack. I was so desperate for mom friends who understood, my misgivings started to leak away.

“How are you holding up?” Joy asked, sympathy in her gaze. She sat across from me on the loveseat beside Audrey. Her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, like usual. “Falling for a wolf is some crazy shitake, right?”

I laughed at her modification of the word shit for the little ears present. “Yeah. Falling for one wolf six years ago was crazy.” I took a deep swig of the red wine. “Two wolves have pushed me over the edge.”

“Yeah, Wes said Sam’s pretty much going out of his mind, too.”

I went still, my heart stuttering.

I was right. Sam was hurt. This thing between us really was real.

“I couldn’t help but overhear what Sam’s bonehead brother-in-law said. About Sam being on seduction duty?” Joy added. “I just want to say that he’s an idiot for saying it that way. You’re Sam’s fated mate. No one had to tell him to seduce you. It’s guaranteed by nature.”

“Yeah, it’s really his only option for survival,” Becky said, nodding.

Audrey shot her a look, and Becky quickly said, “I mean–”

I held up my hand.

“What do you mean, survival?” I cut in. I wasn’t going to be an outsider with these women, too. They were human like me, and they had shifter mates. They needed to let me in on what they knew.

No one spoke for a moment.

Audrey sighed. “Sometimes with wolves with enough alpha in them, never meeting their fated mate or meeting her but not claiming her can essentially turn them feral,” she explained in a doctor-patient voice. I remembered that she was an OB/GYN. “They call it moon madness although it actually has nothing to do with the moon, other than that the symptoms are exacerbated by the full moon.”

“What is claiming her?” I demanded, setting my empty glass on the side table and giving her my full attention.

The women glanced at each other again, like they weren’t certain they should tell me.

Becky chose to answer, tugging at the hem of her cute top. “When a shifter male meets his fated mate, he’s overcome with the urge to mark her. Essentially, he bites her and permanently leaves his scent in her skin, so other wolves can tell she’s been claimed.”

My eyes widened. I remembered someone saying that Sam hadn’t marked me. Bitten? Sam had to bite me to mark me as his? The one who’d done the biting had been me. I felt my cheeks heat remembering. “Have you all been bitten? Or claimed? Marked?”

Each of them nodded.

“If you were a wolf, he probably would’ve marked you the first time you had s-e-x.” Audrey spelled that out and continued. “You’d both be on board and understand it. But with you, Sam was holding himself in check until you consented.” She smiled. “We humans expect a normal courtship, not just to be carried off and bitten.”

For some reason, the idea of being carried off and bitten by Sam sent a thrill of excitement through me. It was the same as when I had that déjà vu meeting his wolf. Like some part of me knew being marked by Sam was right.

“Was that why his eyes changed when we were having… you know?” I glanced toward JT’s bedroom. The kids were all in there, but with them all being half-shifters, I had to assume they could hear anything we said.

I picked up a piece of cheese and set it on a cracker and took a bite.

Joy nodded and stood to pour me some more wine. “Yes. Well, they will always do that, but it’s a sign his wolf came out,” she explained.

The food tasted good. I made myself another cracker. “So, you’re telling me that Sam could go mad if he doesn’t bite me?”