Page 9 of By the Blood Moon

People often misjudged Silas as the goofy, golden-retriever type. Which, ok, he could be, but he was also one of the most emotionally intelligent men Finn had ever known. He had a way of sensing what others needed, especially those closest to him.

Could that be because of the alpha in him? Or was that justSilas?

Finn didn’t get the chance to broach the topic, however, because just as he was about to ask, Sam and Jaime thundered back down the stairs.

“Brace yourself,” Silas said.

Finn snickered, but the sound died in his throat as the two brothers appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Mate.

Ours.

Finn’s wolf surged to the surface at the sight before him, and it was all he could do to keep hold of the reins before he had Jaime thrown over his shoulder and out the door, ready to start their plans early.

“Surprise!” Jaime said, bounding up to him and holding out the red cape he'd thrown over his shoulders. He twirled, and Finn swore he was showing off for the predator rumbling beneath his skin.

Pretty mate.

Yes. Pretty mate, indeed.

Finn could only stare, hands limp at his sides, mouth slightly open. Underneath the cape, Jaime was wearing some sort of ruffly, oversized, cream-colored shirt. It was unbuttoned at the top, so that a good portion of his chest was showing, and the sleeves hung loosely, ruffles draping from the cuffs at his wrists.

Finn's eyes followed the exposed line of his chest down, canines thick in his mouth at the sight of all those freckles on display, to where the billowy garment was tucked into a pair of high-waisted leather pants that were so tight, they looked practically painted on. The way they fit Jaime’s thighs and crotch left very little to the imagination, with only a bit of cotton lacing holding the damn things up. A pair of black boots completed the outfit.

Finn blinked, thinking he’d passed out and was in the middle of a wet dream.

Jaime stepped in close, the most adorable smile on his face, and rested both palms on Finn's chest.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked excitedly.

I think we're all very lucky that cape covers your ass, or else I'd be gouging Silas' eyes out right about now.

“Um…” was all he managed out loud, grasping Jaime's hips, his claws catching on the faux leather. “I like,” he finally finished, nodding, voice husky.

Finn blamed his inability to form a complete sentence on the fangs.

Jaime gave him a knowing smirk. “I can see that.” He leaned forward to brush his stomach up against the erection Finn was hopelessly unable to tame. “But who do you think I'm dressed as?”

Finn reached down and tucked his cock into the waistband of his jeans for thesecondtime that day, hopefully before anyone else noticed, and shook his head a bit to clear it. Focusing back on Jaime's outfit, he tried again. “Um, are you a sexy pirate?”

Maybe he’d been inspired by their hot pirate-themed sex from a few weeks ago.

Jaime threw his head back and laughed. “The wordsexywasn't written on the package description, but thank you.” He waggled his eyebrows and patted Finn’s chest. “No, I'm not a pirate. I’m Red Riding Hood! You know, like the fairytale,” he finished, twisting to show off the bright red cape draped over his shoulders.

Finn grunted, only half hearing him. He palmed Jaime's hip to keep him still, teasing his thumb along the front panel of those godforsaken pants, his wolf very aware of how easy it would be to run a claw underneath the laces, snapping them. Jaime let out a breathy huff, leaning further into Finn’s touch, and it was all he could do to keep his teeth to himself.

He leaned down to whisper in Jaime’s ear. “We're exploring this outfit more, later.”

Jaime nodded, and smirked up at Finn, a knowing gleam in his eye. “My, my, what big teeth you have.”

And then it clicked.

Jaime had done this for him.

No, that wasn’t quite right. Jaime had done this for themboth;for Finn, and his wolf. He’d specifically picked an outfit meant to tempt the wildness in him, to draw his wolf out to play, welcoming him to participate in their game.

Dressed as Red Riding Hood, Jaime would be the beautiful lost man running through the woods, and Finn would be the big bad wolf, chasing him down to claim for his own.

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