Mr. Red Riding Hoode

“No.”

He sighed and took a bite, but some of his enjoyment seemed to have disappeared. “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

She sat up straight. “Not you, your reactions. I don’t want you to be scared of me.” Not now, not ever. She’d defend Steven Hoode with her very life. She bit her lip and hoped she wasn’t about to push his boundaries too hard. “I could prove that we’re mates.”

“How?”

She watched him take another bite, enjoying his reluctant shiver of pleasure. Her mate was a sensual creature. She’d enjoy feeding him in the future. “If I give you the mating bite, you’d feel the pull.”

His eyes went wide. “Bite?”

She nodded.

“Um. If you bite me, will I change into…?” He waved at her, and she understood.

“Yes.”

“And if I’m not your mate?”

He was remarkably patient, her mate. He only tapped his foot as she rolled on the floor, laughing her ass off. He didn’t once yell at her to get up or anything.

She wiped a tear away from her eye as she took her seat once more. “Trust me. We’re mates.”

Thank God amusement seemed to be taking over from the fear. Apparently he found her funny. “And this bite will prove it?”

“Yup.”

“And your Alpha approved this.”

“He already accepted you. You’re one of us now, a protected member of the Pack.” Mate or not, the moment Rick had howled his recognition, Steve had been theirs. Rick would eviscerate anyone who tried to harm him without a second thought.

“So…one of you would be biting me anyway to change me.”

Oh, he was bright once he got over his fear. She liked that, even if some of his questions made her want to laugh. Silver bullets? Really? “Ben would probably do it, since he’s the one who first petitioned for you to become a member.”

He blinked, his expression utterly horrified. “I’m not his mate too, am I?”

Again, all he did was tap his foot while she laughed hysterically.

“I’m glad you think this is funny. No, really. Seeing Ben’s hairy, naked ass the other night wasn’t traumatizing enough, now you have to tell me he could bite me and make me crave cock.” He gagged, making her laugh harder. “No offense to Ben or Dave, but I really like boobs. They’re soft, and squishy, and the owner makes such interesting noises when you—”

“Steven!” He’d cupped his hands in front of his chest, his fingers flexing, and she couldn’t stop laughing.

“What? This is important. The last thing I want to do is look at Rick and think mmm, redhead.”

Steven Hoode was going to be the death of her. “No, silly. Even if Ben changed you, he can’t mate you. The enzyme for mating only releases with the person who is our mate. No one else. You can’t force someone to mate.”

“So if I said no?”

She winced. Ouch. The last thing she wanted to hear was that he was thinking of denying her. “I would walk away, and Rick or Ben would bite you.” She’d die inside a little every day until she went feral, but she would give him what he needed.

His eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying that either way I’m going to wind up wolfing out.”

She nodded. She didn’t want to lie to him, not about something as important as this. “Rick accepted you. It’s inevitable. The only thing that isn’t is our mating.”

He contemplated her for a moment, and she just knew he was turning everything over in his head. “Will it hurt?”

“The bite, you mean?”

“No. Wolfing out.”

She smiled. That was an easy question to answer. “It’s more like flowing into something new. It’s… indescribable. There’s no screaming agony, no crunching of bones. Just a pleasant tingle.”

That seemed to ease Steve. “Anything else I should know?”

“You’d be under Rick, subject to his commands, like every other Wolf in the Pack.”

“I figured. Anything else?”

“Ah.” She tugged on the end of her ponytail. “There’s a mild side effect of the mating bite.”

He sagged. “I knew it.”

“You’ll get so horny you’ll be blind with it.”

He cleared his throat and sat up straight again. “So…I’ll jump anything that moves and hump it like a dog.”

Chela growled. “No. You’ll only hump me.”

“If Ben bites me?”

“That bite would be different. It’s only a changing bite, not a mating bite.” She shrugged. “It will hurt, but you won’t wind up chock-full of lust either.” And if that was the route he wanted to go, she’d allow it. He’d feel the pull once his wolf woke up, and they’d be mated later rather than sooner.

Now that the mate dreams had started, she didn’t think she’d be able to keep away from him. She just prayed he didn’t want Ben to change him, that he accepted she was the one who was going to give him the bite. So she played her last card and hoped it worked. “Do you want Ben kissing your neck?”

The way his eyes went wide would have made her laugh again if this weren’t the moment she’d been waiting for. She held her breath, praying with everything in her that Steve chose her.

He stared down at his half-eaten steak, his expression grim. His emotions were all over the place, making her dizzy. But when they finally settled down, when his blue eyes finally met hers again, she nearly sagged in relief. He’d made his decision.

Steven nodded once. “If you’re telling me the truth, then I’d rather you bite me.”

Chela stood. She could barely keep the smile off her face. “You won’t regret this.”

He grimaced. “There’s a lot of questions I still have, but…” He sighed. “Ben has never once hurt me. I have to trust in that, if nothing else.”

That wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped to hear, but she’d take it. She’d work on winning his heart after he’d accepted the bite.

She was patient.

She opened her mouth so he could watch her fangs grow in. She wanted him a part of this, to see everything that was about to happen. Her eyes changed, going over to her wolf’s. Her vision changed as she lost the red-green spectrum. His red shirt now appeared to be deep mustard yellow, but his blue eyes darkened, sharpened. His blond hair appeared lighter, almost white.

He looked ethereal yet strong, a fairy warrior come to life just for her.

“Holy shit. What big teeth you have, Grandma.”

She wasn’t fooled. The sight of her fangs had made him fearful again. “This won’t hurt, I swear.”

“You can say that, but you aren’t the one facing the fangs.”

She tried for humor once more. She shook her head and tsked. “Just because you’re a virgin…”

He glared at her. “I am not.”

She put her hand on her chest and fluttered her lashes. “Oh, it’s so big. I… I don’t think it will fit.”

“I hate you right now.”

Except she knew he didn’t. She could feel it, the uneasiness, but there was no hatred. Hatred burned, was acrid against her senses. Even when his fear had been at its highest point she hadn’t felt that. “At worst, it might sting a little, like getting a shot.”

“Have I mentioned I hate needles?” He stood, towering over her. “Just…” He sighed, his emotions all over the