Angelina blinked, aware of the heavy arm draped across her hips. She moved. The body behind her shifted too as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Outside, the moon still beamed full and bright. The alarm clock on the bedside table indicated that it was midnight.
She no longer craved sleep. Beside her, Mason still slumbered. He looked uncomfortable with one of his arms thrown over her thigh now, while the other was bent and used as his own personal bicep pillow. He was on his side, while his legs remained tangled with hers and his ridiculous fur blankets.
They were so freakishly soft, she was tempted to steal one.
Her bladder protested too much for her to remain in bed, buried in Mason's body heat. She was warm and the first graze of cool air on her feet made her shiver. Mason's arm flopped off from her as she carefully slid from the bed, careful not to wake him up.
Angelina was pleasantly surprised by how big Mason's bathroom was. It was wide with black tiles and two shower heads protruding from one wall. There was no glass door or cubicle for it. It was just an open space with a cubbyhole filled with bodywash and hair products. She spotted his shaver and other minuscule items neatly placed in the space.
There were three towel racks just beside the hexagon mirror. Below, sat a deep, stone sink with matte black taps. A stool was placed to the side with a little indoor pot plant that resembled a fern.
Angelina suddenly had the urge to try the shower. She ducked her head out to see that Mason was now sprawled on his back, one arm flung across his belly and the other dangling off the edge of the bed. She watched him for a few seconds before she closed the door behind her and began to undress.
Surely Mason would allow her to use his shower. Any traces of sleep had long abandoned her.
She activated the rain of droplets by turning the brass lever. The water came instantly, steaming up the room and fogging up the large mirror. She closed her eyes and relished the heat against her body. It felt fantastic. She tried not to feel too guilty taking a dollop of body wash, rubbing it into her skin. She also used a squirt of his shampoo and conditioner in her hair. It smelt divine as the rich scent of citrus and sandalwood permeated the air.
Angelina remained under the shower water until she felt as if she would wrinkle up like raisin. She switched off the water and realised that the bathroom now resembled a sauna. She blindly reached for the switch to turn on the fan. It activated, making a whirring sound.
She grabbed one of the dark green towels from the dark rungs and wrapped it around her body, soaking up the water. Her skin was bright and taut. She rubbed a hand over the mirror, catching a glimpse of her face. The heat of the water had made her cheeks pink. Her hair unfortunately was a mess of dark locks. She took another towel and pat her damp tresses with it.
The sound of the fan kept her company until she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock at the bathroom door.
"Angelina?" Mason's voice definitely had remnants of sleep in it.
She straightened, clearing her throat. "Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just took a shower."
A pause. "Come back to me when you're done." He said finally, through the door.
When she heard his footsteps depart, she dried the rest of her body. She used some of his toothpaste and spread it along her teeth with her finger.
She just twisted the knob when she realised her dilemma.
She had no clean clothes to wear. Her newly stripped clothes were wet from the shower and she only had a towel to keep her modest.
Her only option was Mason's clothes.
She opened the bathroom, surprised to see that Mason had switched on the lamp on his bedside table, bathing in the dim light. He ditched his shirt at some point. His colourful gaze found her quickly. He took in her lack of clothes, "You must be cold."
She was the complete opposite.
The lamplight was doing incredible things for his abdominal muscles. It didn't help that he was perched against the headboard, watching her with those bewitching eyes.
"Can I borrow a shirt or something please?" She forced the words from her throat.
"Choose anything you want." He gestured to his closet.
Angelina went across the room and tugged open the first door. She felt his gaze follow.
She took the first article of clothing she could reach and pulled it out. It was a simple denim blue crew shirt. She dropped her dirty clothes to the floor and pulled on the shirt, keeping the towel locked firmly around her. When she pulled the hem down, it ended halfway down her thigh. She got rid of the towel and bundled her old clothes and towel together, placing it in an empty plastic basket.
Turning back to the bed, she was surprised to see that Mason no longer looked tired. He was wide awake and taking in every inch of her body outlined in his shirt.
Angelina crawled under the covers, hugging a pillow to her chest. Mason peered down at her. "Ready to go back to sleep?"
She nodded.
Mason switched off the lamp and she felt him move. When he was flat on his back, he didn't make a move to close the gap.
Angelina studied the shadows across the ceilings from the trees outside, cast from the light of the moon.
Despite how many times she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, she simply couldn't.
She had already slept for too long.
Beside her, she felt Mason move again.
It wasn't that she couldn't just find sleep. Mason's closeness was affecting her. She was aware of every breath he breathed, to every little shift he took as he too struggled to find sleep.
Whenever she shared a bed with Mason, she had always been in an emotional mess to the point she was completely drained to appreciate Mason fully.
For the first time, her head was clear.
The problem was, she was feeling all sorts of things for the man beside her.
She was at risk of jumping him.
She turned to her side, facing away so she didn't get any ideas and squeezed her eyes shut.
More minutes passed until it suddenly became unbearable trying to feign sleep.
She was horny.
She suddenly shot up from the bed, rolling off the mattress.
Usually if a need arose, she would pamper and dress herself up and find the closest bar to find someone to help satiate her lust.
But now, she was vulnerable.
Mason was out of the bed too. When she glanced back at him, his naked chest moved rapidly with each breath he sucked in. His elbow was planted against the wall, as he hunched slightly forward, holding his hip on the other side.
Judging by the bulge in his sweatpants, she wasn't the only one affected by their proximity.
The threads of green and amber in his eyes held her captive as she tried soothing her own rapid breathing pace. "I need to go."
Mason blinked then shook his head. "You need me."
"W-what?"
"I can feel it. Your wolf calls to me."
"I told myself I wouldn't go there with you."
"Why?"
Angelina had no real, honest answer.
Mason took her moment of silence to slowly approach her, as if she was some rabid animal in danger of sprinting off if he wasn't careful enough.
"Don't come any closer."
Of course Mason didn't listen. He prowled closer on silent feet.
"I mean it Mason." The steel in her voice was breaking.
He stubbornly pressed forward until he was mere inches away, she could feel his body heat and take in his clean scent.
"Why?"
Because she knew she was going to give in a piece of herself. She should've known it would he inevitable with him.
She had begun slipping already.
She realised the moment Mason suddenly became a threat. When he had been speaking with Evie, she had been speechless when he spoke for her.
No one had ever tried to come to her rescue because she always saved herself. She never expected help and she didn't know why Mason had done that. Yet, deep down, she knew the real reason why.
Mason wasn't Arabella.
Or Eris.
He was just Mason.
A man who came to the aid of others without a request of help needed and he did this because he was good.
Mason was good.
Her preconceived prejudice of the man had been passed down by others. It was her fault for taking the words to heart even when she witnessed the good things he did day by day. She had refused to see it initially but it had gotten harder to accept with the increased time she spent in his presence. Of course, there were times when his asshole side pushed through but even then, she knew he wouldn't truly hurt her.
He had valid reasons for not trusting her but for some reason, he had defended her so viciously against her sister, she had to discreetly pinch the side of her thigh to assure herself that she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.
Tonight, she finally conceded that Mason was everything Eris and Arabella had not said.
She liked to think that she was a reasonable woman but this shamed her a little. She didn't like to think that she was quick to assume, rather than seek the truth.
She could still feel the residual warmth from his protectiveness earlier still lingering in her chest, like a blooming flower.
"You scare me."
He froze. She even heard his breath hitch.
"Angelina."
"If I give you my body, the fall would be inevitable."
"The fall?"
"Falling for you Mason." She clarified with a rough voice.
Genuine shock spread across his features. It was obvious he hadn't expected her admission or the weight of it.
The fall would indeed be inevitable.
Angelina was certain she ruined any progress with her claim however Mason came into her space until all she could see, hear and smell was him. He effectively cut off her musings as he held both her elbows in his large palms, searching her expression. "You're not the only one in danger of falling."
She blinked as she slowly made sense of his words.
She studied his eyes, seeing that he meant his words.
Was he in the same boat as she was?
There was a glint of determination in his gaze as he tugged her gently into his space, until their chests lightly grazed each other. Her nipples pebbled in response. She hadn't expected it. She tried to resist his hold but Mason gripped her chin, angling her face so their lips brushed slightly. A tremor rolled through his body as he pressed his thumb right in the middle of her bottom lip. Her breath hitched as he effectively caught her into his spell.
"This is going to happen." His words were rough against her lips and for a moment, they shared the same breath.
"It's not a good idea."
"I think it's a fucking amazing idea."
"Mason. Be serious."
"I am. You're not the one taking this seriously enough. I want you. You want me. Why complicate this? Are we not mated already?"
At his last word, his voice had softened. His forehead rested against her as his locks tickled her temples. His nose grazed her, and she visibly could see the goose bumps along her arms make their appearance.
"Stop it." Angelina mumbled into his chest.
"Stop what?" He sounded suspiciously close to laughing. She would bet the measly twenty dollars to her name, that he was stifling it.
"Sweet. Stop being sweet."
The foolish man chuckled into her neck, making her squirm from the rich cadence of it that caused vibrations to shoot to her core. "Why? Don't know how to handle yourself when I'm like this? More difficult for you keep yourself closed away?"
"If I'd known that you spoke like this-"
"-Oh, you haven't seen anything yet."
"-you're terrible."
"Give in."
Angelina swallowed hard, entranced by how close his lips were. He slowly began peppering fleeting but soft kisses along her neck and up her jaw, tempting a reaction. Angelina could only bite her lip and expose more of the skin on her neck that he couldn't easily claim. Mason took this as a signal to nibble the underside of her jaw and nip her ear. A weird noise escaped her throat. She had never been with anyone like Mason who liked to tease and take his time, just like how he was doing with her now.
His warm breath scaled across her cheek before she felt his smirk against the corner of her lip. "You're responding to me."
"You're not playing fair."
"Aren't I?" He brushed his lips against hers, claiming a long, languid kiss.
He tasted like trouble and bad ideas, there was no inkling of doubt that he didn't need many words to compel someone to fall into bed with him.
Angelina ruminated on the idea of taking Mason to bed.
There was no one else she would invite to the covers. Although their arrangement was for both their own reasons, she wasn't a cheater, even if their mating was built on lies.
One also couldn't ignore that Mason was seductive in his own right and he knew how to use his lips. They nipped hers teasingly, and that tongue of his, it slid along hers with practised ease, coercing her further into his touch.
Angelina pressed her palms into his shoulders, pushing back until his lips unlatched from hers. She was completely dazed as she stared at his moist lips. His pink tongue flicked out, coating his bottom lip. She was momentarily distracted by the sensual move, it took longer than usual for her to gather her senses.
It's just sex. There was no need to complicate it.
She trusted him enough not to hurt her and he was making it obvious that he wanted her, despite her reservations.
His fingers climbed along her waist, pausing along her spine. She held her breath for a brief second, uncertain of how she should commence.
She knew what she wanted, her core was practically pulsing at the idea. "I have conditions."
Mason went completely still but his fingers formed a clamp around her waist. "You seem to have a thing for conditions. Tell me."
Angelina chuckled but continued, "I know what this arrangement is but we both know that we had other reasons to get involved. We can't ignore those reasons."
Mason nodded slowly but kept his rapt attention locked on her.
"Even so, if I give you my body, that means it's only me for you for as long as this arrangement is intact."
There was no hesitance on his part. "The moment you became Luna, my body was spoken for. What else?"
"I'll need to get on the potion."
"I agree. I will too." Mason replied, nodding.
Angelina blinked up at him in surprise. The potion was a common contraceptive tool wolves used to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Diseases weren't a thing for wolves. Witches usually made potions for contraception and they weren't cheap. Potions usually were effective for six months before another dosage was required.
The fact that Mason had told her that he would take the potion was interesting. Rarely did male wolves bother with it. Males couldn't impregnate female wolves unless they were going through Heat, which occurred only twice in a single year.
When Heat happened, female wolves needed a week to be isolated away from any other males in the Pack because the scent they produced were addictive, it immediately worked like an aphrodisiac to anyone who caught even the slightest scent. Heat however was only limited to mated wolves, as a way to allow mated wolves to come together and procreate when it came on. However, wolves could use the contraceptive potions during these periods to avoid pregnancies.
Angelina hadn't expected Mason to want to go on it either. Both wolves didn't need to take it for it to work. If two shifters of the pair chose to take the potion, it showed unity and support.
Hence, why she was speechless.
Mason never failed to leave her speechless.
"Oh." The syllable left her lips quietly. She didn't know how else to respond.
"What else?" Mason urged.
"That was it." Angelina responded.
"I have conditions too." Mason said.
Angelina was not surprised. She lifted a hand to invite him to expand, curious about the conditions he possessed. "What are they?"
"It's only one."
Angelina perked a brow. "Tell me."
"I want honesty Angelina. If we're going to share a bed, there will be honesty. If you don't like anything I'm doing, you let me know and vice versa. These exchanges don't need to be awkward or cold afterwards. We're both adults. This arrangement is consensual on both parties."
What was she to do with him?
"I agree." She heard herself respond.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Evie's familiar voice cut through the silence.
"No, you're not." Angelina peeled herself away from Mason, approaching her little sister peeking into the room. Her voice was saturated with nerves. Angelina ignored the heat of Mason's gaze on her ass and approached Evie with a cautious smile.
"What is it Evie?"
Evie blinked up at her once before her eyes flooded with tears. Loud sobs escaped her mouth as she lunged into her arms, knocking the air from her lungs.