Page 15 of Crimson Heart

Surprised by Eve’s curiosity, he felt compelled to give a more thorough explanation.

“Once matured, yes. The male members of the Alliance get their tattoos when they take the oath, when they turn eighteen. The females won’t.”

“Why not? Then why does Danielle get it? Are you saying it’s a choice for the women?” Eve looked at Danielle. “Do you want this? I mean, it may look cool on a man, but on a woman? I don’t see the appeal.”

“The women only get the tattoo once they mate with a member of the Alliance,” Danielle explained.

He’d told her about this rule soon after they’d mated, but had given her time until she was ready for it.

“It leaves a female werewolf born to a Werewolf Alliance family the option to mate outside the Alliance,” Jude added. “Just like a human woman becomes part of her husband’s family, a female werewolf becomes part of her mate’s pack. And if that pack isn’t part of the Alliance, the female won’t have the tattoo.”

“Are you saying the Werewolf Alliance allows the women to mate outside their organization?” Doubt colored Eve’s voice.

“The Werewolf Alliance isn’t the Mafia. We don’t keep anybody prisoner. That’s why my sister and the females in my extended family don’t have the tattoo. And some of them may never get one. It’s a sign of absolute loyalty to the Alliance. It underscores the oath we took.”

Eve looked skeptical. “Are you saying that all the men who swore an oath to you as their new alpha will have to get that tattoo? Will my brothers have to do that? You should have told us that when we all swore an oath to you!”

Jude lifted his hand. “Hold your horses, Eve. It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like?”

“It’s complicated.”

Because it was. There was a whole handbook written on what had to happen for the members of a rogue pack to become true members of the Werewolf Alliance. Swearing an oath to the alpha taking over on behalf of the Werewolf Alliance was only the first step in the process.

Before he could decide what and how much to tell Eve, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the display.

“Sorry, I’ve gotta take that. Excuse me.”

He accepted the call and pressed the phone to his ear, while he left the dining room and headed for the privacy of his office.

“Hey, Dad, what’s going on?”