By Hook or by Wolf Page 6

  “I am,” he says.

  “How did you know all of this?” I ask, shaking my head to break her spell.

  Natasha ignores me, though, and turns back to my mother.

  “You tricked me,” she says angrily.

  “I did no such thing,” Mother insists.

  “You own the Gem of Malice,” she tells my mother.

  My mother looks sheepish.

  “Wait, what? What’s this all about?” Cody asks, stepping forward.

  “Emily Bright,” Natasha says. “Hired me to steal the Gem of Malice. She told me that it was a family heirloom. She said it was something that had been stolen from her long ago,” Natasha shakes her head like she can’t believe it.

  So that’s what she was doing?

  She broke in to steal my mother’s gem for my mother?

  “Emily Bright is your maiden name,” I say to my mother, who nods.

  “Why would you have me do that?” Natasha asks, and to my surprise, she looks genuinely upset. “You know I only recover goods that have been previously stolen. If you wanted your gem, you should have asked your sons. I’m sure they would have been happy to help you.”

  “It’s not like that,” my mother says, but Natasha shakes her head. Then she reaches in her bag and pulls out our portraits.

  Wait, so she stole them, only to bring them back?

  “These are yours,” Natasha says. “When I realized who you were, that you owned the gem, I was angry. I grabbed some pictures off the wall because I thought they weren’t important. I was wrong,” she says. “My daughter discovered the sapphires in the frames this morning. I though it prudent to bring them back.”

  An honorable thief.

  How unusual.

  “I trust you won’t be pressing charges,” Natasha continues. “Seeing as how you’re the one who hired me in the first place.”

  Then she turns and leaves, entering the elevator and jabbing in the code to go back downstairs.

  Somehow, this woman seems completely in control of everything: herself, the world.

  As soon as the doors close, my inner-wolf goes nuts. Seriously. It’s all I can do to keep from coming apart. Cody and Trevor each look like they’ve been hit by a bus of some sort. I can’t tell exactly what they’re feeling, but I have a pretty good idea.

  She’s our mate.

  All of ours.

  Natasha might be a human, but she’s definitely ours.

  Chapter Seven

  Cody

  “I can explain,” our mother says.

  “You wanted to play matchmaker,” Trevor says, instantly recognizing what had happened. I have to give my brother credit for that. I don’t know that “matchmaker” is the conclusion I would have jumped to if left to my own devices.

  Mother nods.

  “I’m going to die,” she says. “I thought that a woman who could get to the Gem of Malice would be worthy to wield it as her Token.” She looks sad, and for just a moment, I feel bad for my mother. The reality is that she truly is going through some changes. She really is facing the last few months of her life. She loves my brothers and me more than anything else, and it’s natural that she would want to see us happy before her death. That doesn’t excuse her using Natasha, though.

  “But she didn’t take the gem,” I say.

  “She didn’t,” mother shakes her head.

  “Instead, she took our Tokens.”

  “She brought them back,” my mom says, as though it matters, but it doesn’t. A thief is a thief. Someone who steals from others, even if it’s for a good reason, really isn’t a good person at all, are they?

  “We can find our own mates,” Lee says, but I know he felt what I felt when Natasha walked through the doors. I know he felt that spark, that longing. I’ve never felt that mating call the way I did when she stepped off the elevator and darted in here full of fire and passion and mystery.

  I felt it when I saw Natasha, though.

  We all did.

  There’s something that happens when a wolf meets a chosen mate. It’s destiny. Your heart connects with theirs and you just know. You just feel it. I always thought the idea of mates was total crap until today. Today all of my previous objections just sort of floated away when I saw her for the first time because Natasha seems...well, she seems incredible.

  “Besides, shouldn’t the person we mate have their own Token?”

  “Person?” My mother raises an eyebrow.

  Oops.

  “People, I mean,” I say quickly, but my mother seems to notice my slip of the tongue. My brothers and I have never talked about sharing a mate. Not before today. It’s not unheard of for a female wolf to share two mates, but three? That seems like a bit much.

  Still, something changed deep inside of me when Natasha came into the room.

  I think something changed inside all of us. My brothers and I each looked at her like she wasn’t just some random person who came into our lives. We looked at her like she was ours.

  And I didn’t feel jealousy.

  Or rage.

  Or lust.

  I felt...adoration.

  I’ve never had a mate before. I’ve never felt anything like this before, but something makes me think that this, this moment, is what the mating ritual of being a wolf really is all about.

  “Not everyone has a Token,” my mother shrugs. “And besides, I was trying to find one of you someone smart, which Natasha is.”

  “Where did you find her?” Trevor asks casually.

  My mother looks at him. Then she looks at each one of us in turn. A smile spreads over her face and she rubs her hands together.

  “You like her, don’t you?” She grins. “All of you? I was hoping that one of you would feel a connection to her, but all of you? This is too much to handle. How wonderful!” She jumps up and down and for a brief moment, I think my mother is going to faint. It’s all too much excitement for a frail old woman.

  “Mom, I don’t think any of us is ready to make a commitment this second,” I say carefully, but it doesn’t matter because my mother has grabbed her planner and is flipping through it.

  “What are you doing?” Lee asks.

  “Looking at wedding dates,” my mother said. “You must have the mating ceremony before I die. I’m going to want to be a grandmother before I pass away, and you know, Natasha does have a child: a sweet little girl. Rebecca is her name.”

  Natasha is a mother?

  Very interesting.

  She mentioned that when she was in the office, but I was so focused on her beauty and courage that I didn’t really pay as careful attention as I should have. So she’s an honorable thief with a kid. How very unusual.

  Perhaps that played a role in her decision to return the stolen portraits once she realized how important they were to our family. She didn’t seem to want to keep something that might be valuable to another person.

  “She’s a moral thief, huh?” Trevor asks, but Lee rolls his eyes. The two of us are the most similar and I know what he’s thinking: a thief is a thief. Is there ever really a good reason to steal? But I know in my heart that sometimes, there is a perfectly good reason to steal.

  Sometimes it’s vital that you steal.

  Sometimes there’s no choice at all.

  “Yes, she is a moral thief,” my mother glares at Lee, who suddenly goes stoic. “I met her online. We met for coffee and I asked her to steal the Gem of Malice.”

  “Why?” I ask my mom. That’s one thing I just really don’t understand. “That is your prized possession,” I tell her.

  “I was given it when your father and I met someone from another planet,” she says. “It’s very important to me and I’ve always planned on giving it to one of your mates. I just never thought you’d all share the same one,” she says with a soft smile. “I believed that if someone could make it past all of your tech and security and traps and alarm systems, that she’d be smart enough to be the woman you needed. Well, the woman that at least one of
you needed.”

  It was an interesting plan, to be sure, but now Natasha is gone. She’s pissed off and she feels tricked. My mother crafted a plan, but somewhere along the way, it went horribly wrong, and unfortunately, there’s part of me that wonders whether we’ll ever see Natasha again.

  She was sweet and beautiful and she smelled so fucking nice.

  But is she really the type of woman who wants to marry a wolf?

  Is she really the type of woman who wants to marry three?

  “I think that ship has sailed,” Lee says, almost sadly.

  “She seemed pretty pissed when she stormed out of here,” Trevor agrees.

  “I have to admire your tenacity, Mom,” I say to our mother. “But I think that this time, the girl is going to get away.”

  “But she can’t get away,” my mother stomps her foot like a little child. “She just can’t.”

  “She can, and she has. She’s lovely, Mom, really, but she’s got her own life and I don’t know that we have any place in that.”

  My brothers murmur in agreement.

  “Look, Mom, it’s getting late.” We’ve basically spent the day checking out the gallery and then dealing with our mother’s new illness and the consequences of her bad decisions. “Let’s take the portraits back to the gallery and then we’ll all go get dinner together, okay?”

  My mother shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t want to go get dinner,” she says. “I’d rather just eat at home.”

  “Mom, I’m not letting you starve. Besides, if your diagnosis is as bad as you say, you’re moving in with me,” I say to her. Her eyes go wide and my brothers nod. “You’re moving in with all of us,” I add. My brothers and I live in a huge house with plenty of space. Mom has always kept her own residence, but there’s no reason for that anymore. Not with everything that’s happened. From now on, she can make herself perfectly at home from the comfort of our place. If we really only have a few months with her, I’m planning on making every one of those months count.

  And as much as I think Natasha would make a wonderful mate, I’m not about to harass her. I’ll drown my loneliness in alcohol and dating and I’ll try to forget the curvy brunette who sneaked her way into the most secure art gallery in Starton, only to walk away with nothing.

  Chapter Eight

  One Month Later

  Natasha

  “Mom, this is it!” Rebecca squeals and leaps out of the car as soon as I’ve come to a complete stop.

  “At least wait until the car is turned off,” I grumble, but she doesn’t. Instead, she hops out and we head to the trunk to pull out her project for the art fair. As promised, Rebecca and I took a bunch of family photos together. It was a little strange doing this without Henry, but I’ve come to realize that I can’t keep waiting for life to happen to me.

  It’s happening constantly.

  We carry the pictures inside, locate the table where Rebecca’s display will be, and start setting up. Her project is quite lovely. We took a series of photos of each of us, as well as quite a few photos together. Then we created decorative frames that really do look like the ones we saw just a month ago.

  Ever since I gave Emily back her pictures, I haven’t been able to stop thinking her family or her very attractive, very Dominant sons. Walking into her office with the pictures had been the right thing to do, but there was no way to prepare myself for meeting those gentlemen in person. They were tall, dark, and delicious, and I’ve spent the last month fighting off fantasies of every one of them. Of all of them. It’s all been very naughty and slightly embarrassing.

  I even looked them up online, which was a very, very bad idea.

  The dudes are rich, handsome, and they do a lot for the community. They are super, completely, totally out of my league. I would never date someone for money and it’s a good thing because those guys are swimming in it.

  The oldest brother, Lee, is in real estate. He closed more sales last year than any other real estate agent in the city. He’s known for being a strong closer, which is one of the reasons their companies do so well.

  The second brother, Cody, is also serious, but he seems to be a bit more playful. He’s also in real estate, but he deals with the business side of things. He’s intellectual and considerate and he loves being around people.

  The youngest brother, which is perhaps a bit of a misnomer since they’re triplets, apparently, is an art teacher. I don’t know at which school. I don’t know which grade. And I don’t know if he’s going to be here today.

  I’d be lying if I said coming to my daughter’s art show presentation wasn’t completely unnerving. It’s sponsored by Claw and Sons, but I don’t know if that means there will be people from the company overseeing the show itself. Sometimes when there’s something set up like this, the sponsors don’t actually attend the show.

  Part of me is terrified that I’ll run into any of the brothers today. They were all very handsome, very tall, and very dominant when I saw them before.

  None of those are things I need in my life right now.

  I’ve pleased myself because in the last few weeks, I’ve actually gone on a few dates. Jan still comes by to babysit for me as needed and I’ve even done some kissing. That’s right. I’ve now kissed someone just because I wanted to and not for any other reason.

  Dating after losing the love of your life is super weird, but I had to start sometime, right? I’d been putting it off for a long time. I always had plenty of excuses as to why I couldn’t do it or as to why the timing was all wrong, but Emily’s strange trickery was just the boost I needed to get going.

  Who knew?

  I still don’t really understand why she tried to test me into seeing if I could steal from her. I probably shouldn’t have charged her for the time it took me to prepare and then break into her art gallery, but the reality is that it was a wakeup call I needed.

  I’m not thieving now.

  Not anymore.

  Instead, I’m choosing to use my time and skills in other ventures.

  I’m doing other things now.

  Rebecca and I have spent the last month taking pictures, doing crafts, and working on art. We’ve painted and sculpted and I even learned how to make things out of glass. We signed up for every art class in town and every day after school, we visit a different class. We’ve been learning about how art can be used as a form of therapy and how it can be used as a healing method. Together, we’ve learned so much.

  I couldn’t be more proud of my kid.

  “How does it look?” She asks when the last picture is neatly in place.

  “Perfect,” I tell her.

  “Thanks, Mom!” She says. She looks around nervously. People are starting to arrive and soon there will be patrons and visitors walking around, taking pictures and asking questions about the different art projects that are represented at this event. Suddenly, Rebecca looks a little green.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her, but she nods.

  “Yep, I’m fine,” she says. “Okay, Mom, you can go with the other parents now. I can do this on my own.” She looks at me and gulps. I know she’s going to feel more confident when she doesn’t feel like I’m lurking nearby to watch her.

  She doesn’t need me right now.

  She’s got this.

  I look at my daughter and all I see is her dad. All I see is her strength and her bravery and the fact that she’s incredible.

  “Good luck, kiddo,” I give her a quick hug and then I take off, wandering down the aisles. I’m not offended at all that Rebecca was ready for me to leave. I’m proud of her. She’s been working really, really hard for this day and it’s finally here. She’s finally going to get to show off her incredible skills for the world to see.

  I look at the other projects that the kids have made. They’ve worked their tails off to make these incredible projects that their parents will be proud of. I see moms and dads smiling at their kids and I’m filled with a sen
se of satisfaction.

  I round the corner and see a display up ahead. It’s by one of the sponsors. The art show that’s being put on today is a way for kids from different schools in the area to come together and show off what they can do. Some of the kids will win prizes for their talent and others will win prizes for their creativity or forward thinking. Others will get notable mentions for being great team members. Everyone is going to walk away feeling proud of what they’ve accomplished and satisfied with what they’ve done.

  Moving toward the display, I feel a sense of familiarity.

  Why does this section seem familiar?

  The table before me has paintings and a small sculpture that’s shaped like a wolf. Realization dawns on me and I tiny placard shows me what I already suspected. These items are part of the Claw family dynasty and were put on display by the Claw brothers themselves.

  So they are going to be here today.

  Fuck.

  I feel a twinge in my core as I think about the three handsome brothers who caught me so off guard last month. Closing my eyes for just a moment, I think about how I felt when I stepped into their presence.

  It was unnerving how strangely they affected me.

  When I looked at them, my heartrate went through the roof. I felt alive and excited and aroused. Oh, I felt so damn turned on that it’s just wrong. No well-natured, well-rounded, well-groomed person should feel totally and completely horny just from looking at cute guys. The reality is that seeing those men turned my insides into hot, mushy goo. It’s a feeling that’s both exciting and entirely uncomfortable. I don’t know if I’m ready for more of that.

  Opening my eyes once more, I look at the display ahead of me. It’s so beautiful. I recognize some of the items from their gallery. There’s a painting that, if I’m not mistaken, I pushed to the floor when I felt angry. There’s another set of sketches that show animals and humans living together. On one part of the table is a portrait of Emily. It’s the one from the jewel room: the picture I left alone.