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Gavin s his eyes to spring back open "Oh," he said, laughing "Now I can’t kiss you? Better get used to it, because I don’t plan to stop anytime soon"

"Shit Let me up, Gavin Just let me sit next to you on the sofa I won’t try to run"

"You wouldn’t get very far if you did If you soet past me, two of my men are in the hall"

At Tucker’s panicked expression, he shook his head again "Just as a precaution in case you tried to run, honey They know better than to ever harm a hair on your head Not that they would hurt you in any case"

Gavin sat Tucker beside hiuard hi him He had towas going to kill hio on, honey?"

"Hell, there’s more?"

Gavin smiled a little "Well, yes Your mother was human, of course, and your father, my beta, is like me You know, a member of our pack He really wants to et you to come home with me to visit him"

"Oh my God"

"Tucker, from the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were et one bloodmatch, and it’s for life, baby You’re it for me, forever, and I want to take you for my mate"

Tucker looked up at hi his head "I-I don’t knohat to say Yourweird"

Tucker leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands Gavin sat beside hi to push him too far "Uh,baby," Gavin said after aout of the oven"

Tucker’s head jerked up "What? Oh shit, the pizza!" He ju it open and grabbing a towel to pull out the pan and dump it in the sink He turned back to the stove to turn off the oven, then sluoing to turn into sohis head "You’re a non-shifting aze doard and cleared his throat "We-uh…we call the non-shifters our pets, along with the human mates You see, at puberty, each packat the full moon sometime around his twelfth birthday, or he or she stays…more human"

"So how am I different froer for one thing Maybe two hundred years And you won’t age much at all after your thirtieth birthday or so Itime"

"So is the fact that you’re a -a wolf on your dick?"

Gavin sland that’s used e uess you’d call it, that helps create the bond between mates I’ll use it on you ethat Gavin had said when and not if, but choosing not tobreath "So explain this pet thing to ain"

Gavin took a deep breath, as if he knew this would be a sticking point for Tucker "It’s just a name, honey, to differentiate non-shifters froressive as the wolves I guess you would say most of them are sub wewrong with it So personalities Take the North Carolina alpha’s pet, for exaendary in a really short time for some of his battles with his mate He was a human, like your mother, before he became a member of the pack Of course, ultimately, the wolves are theirsound and pushed away from the counter, his eyes dark with fury "And you think I’et it! Look, if you tell these people they’re submissive from the time they’re little kids, then of course, they believe it! Nurture over nature, you know?"

Gavin stood up, looking nervous and caive yourself a little tiet used to the idea, baby I’m sorry, but you are a pet" He held up a hand as Tucker started sputtering again "At least in na else Non-shifter, remember? If you’d been a wolf, you’d have shifted way before now Besides, you’re my mate Mates are always pets"