Bite Me

Chapter 7

     It was ten at night on Saturday when we drove out. Just Cedric, my father, and I, packed into my dad's black convertible. The drive wasn't long, maybe fifteen minutes, and it brought us to a forest mildly similar to our own.

      The moment I stepped out of the car, I hated it. I felt the sensation I got whenever Mason walked into a room, except multiplied by fifty.

     Oh god, Mason.

     We'd kissed. Mason and I had full on made out on Marcella's bedroom floor. His girlfriend, Marcella.

     I regretted it with every fiber of my being. I regretted for every reason I could.

      I regretted it because he was a guy. I wasn't gay, or bi, or pan, or bi curious, or heteroflexible, or anything close. I was straight.

    I regretted it because he was Mason. Fucking Mason. I hated the dude, and one kiss wasn't going to change that. Nothing was going to change that.

     But mostly, I regretted it because of Cella. She was my best friend, my only friend, and I'd gone and made out with her boyfriend.

     I wished I could say that he forced himself on me, that it wasn't consensual. But it was nothing close to harassment. I'd kissed him back with as much fervor as he'd kissed me. I'd liked it.

      I wanted to do it again.

      And that was what was really tearing me apart. Everything would be so much simpler if I could just say that, looking back on it, I was disgusted. Revolted, even. But if I wanted to do it again, did I even really regret it?

     I wanted to truly regret it. I needed to truly regret it. Cella deserved that much.

      But I couldn't forget how his lips had felt against mine, and I certainly couldn't stop wanting to feel that again.

     I was in deep shit, man.

    The main difference between this forest and the one where our house stood was that the trees weren't quite as tall and thick here. I could actually see the moon and the stars in the night sky here, and they cast enough light for me to take in the appearances of the five tall men waiting just a few yards away.

      I recognized one of their faces as Mason's.

     I couldn't say I was surprised. I'd been putting the pieces together since yesterday, when he got upset with me for saying he couldn't work with a team. Honestly, I probably should've put the pieces together a while ago.

      The odd sensation that I was biologically engineered to dislike him was my first hint.

     My second hint was that he got all triggered when I said I couldn't work with him that first night we had to do the project. He'd gone on some rant about me not knowing a thing about teamwork. A wolf pack was built around teamwork. Duh.

      My third hint was his strength. No mortal his size should've been able to stop me by grabbing my wrist, even after I resisted. That should've at least told me that he wasn't human, but apparently I'm stupid.