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We stayed close for a while before Mason got up. He had to talk to the alpha about what happened. Maybe they could track down the guys together since there were two of them.
I stayed on the couch, in the borrowed scrubs I had from getting checked out, but I wasn't alone for long. Jenna made her presence known by some more stomping. I rolled my eyes a second before she entered the room.
"Who the hell do you think you are, swooping down on Mason once I had opened him up?" She tossed the accusation at me as she came closer and closer. I wasn't afraid of her like all the other women in this house. "You stay away from him, you whore!"
She shook her pointed, manicured, finger in my face.
"Get your finger out if my face before I break it."
She growled and didn't take my warning. She poked my forehead with said finger, which obviously crossed the line. I grabbed her finger and twisted as I stood up. I covered her mouth with my hand before I felt her finger pop and snap. Her scream was muffled by my hand, but I kept an ear out for anyone who would come running to her rescue.
"Now, you get something straight." I squeezed in her broken finger, earning another cry of pain. "You will stay away from Mason. He is mine."
She snarled, and again, I twisted, breaking a bone in her hand. I didn't like that she was trying to put a claim on what was mine. "You're going to listen to me."
She swung at me, forcing me to let her mouth free so I could block it. She screamed and I reacted. I punched her right in the jaw, cutting off her scream to a pathetic squeal.
I let her fall to the ground and cower with her broken hand pulled against her body.
"You bitch!" she yelled. We both heard people coming to investigate, so she thought she was safe.
"I might be a bitch, but you're a whore. You use your snatch as currency to get what you want around here."
Her jaw dropped as she gasped.
"Don't speak to her like that!" Her mate warned as he ran into the room.
I glared at him. "And you're pathetic, letting her do it. What kind of a man are you?"
When her mate took a step towards me, he was warned of by Mason's growl. He looked back at Mason once before turning his attention back to me.
"You should know that Mason started this mess. It's his fault she's like this."
Mason scoffed behind him. "Trust me, it wasn't my fault. She practically begged me for it."
My anger rose from being caught off guard. "That's classy."
I saw Mason's uncertainty through his eyes. He hadn't meant to say it, not like that, and especially not with me around. It was one of his knee-jerk reactions.
I looked down at the woman on the ground, grimacing in pain. "So you two were fuck buddies then?"
When she nodded, I looked up at Mason. "Isn't that something I should've been warned about?" I could barely stop myself from screaming at him. "You know, something like: this pack is different, humans hang around, most of them are whores, and, oh yeah, I screwed someone else's mate last time I was here?" I felt the sarcasm hanging from my words as much as my anger did.
"You shouldn't be so judgmental, you're the one who's going to mate bond with him," Jenna hissed condescendingly from the ground. The woman was surrounded by her pack, so she felt safe. It was a bad habit.
I looked down at her and kicked her right in the stomach with my bare foot. I put everything I had into the kick. I could feel the snapping of a rib or two as she howled in pain. It was not nearly satisfying enough.
I was over a shoulder and out the door before I could do anything else.
We stood there for a few minutes before my foot started throbbing. I couldn’t even bring myself to look over at him. I didn't understand how he could've kept something like this from me. Wasn't I important enough to him to deserve some kind of warning?
I fought from Mason's grip. Reluctantly, he let me go. I went out the back doors to the patio. I needed to think.
The mating bond was special, he told me, it was to be cherished and taken care of. But he had bedded this woman while she had a mate! I knew her goal was to make me mad at Mason, and I admit it worked, but he wasn't that man anymore.
I stood out on the back patio, waiting for Mason to come out. He wouldn't hide from me for long, he knew that I didn't appreciate being caught off guard.
"It's getting cold out," a deep voice came from behind me and it wasn't Mason. "Here's a blanket."
Before I could protest, the blanket was draped over my shoulders. I tossed the blanket off of me. I wouldn't take anything from Jamison. He should've worked something out with his mate so she would've grown out of the need to screw other men.
The only thing that kept me from snapping at him was the fact that he too was a victim. It wasn't his fault that his mate was a whore. I was sure that he didn't want her stepping out on him.
"Thanks," I muttered, folding the blanket back up, "but no thanks. I don't want to talk to anyone else but Mason right now."
He gave me a charming smile. "You should keep it on." It wasn't a suggestion. This man was ordering me to keep the blanket on. "Your mate wouldn't want you to catch something." He gasped dramatically. "Oh, that's right. You two aren't mated. Are you?"
I didn't appreciate the condescending tone he used while taking with me. His order meant nothing to me. I wasn't his pack and he didn't have the ability to tell me what to do. I was pretty sure that I could've taken him long enough to get Mason out here.
I held the blanket out for him to take, but he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "You should keep it."
I tossed it to the floor, next to the door. "You can keep trying to give me orders, but I'm not going to listen to them."
His eyes narrowed on me just as the sliding glass door opened. He didn't have to look back to know who it was. Mason was mad. It came off of him in waves.
"You think you can come out here for revenge when she might feel a little vulnerable?" His voice was more of a growl.
He grabbed the back of Jamison's neck and pushed him into the house. "One word," Mason warned. When he was like this, no one really argued with him. The love of my life did have the ability to look like he just climbed right out of the deepest pit of hell.
When he looked back at me, his eyes were still golden and furious, but they softened when his gaze met mine.
"I'm not vulnerable," I snapped defensively. Mason nodded, like a good puppy. "I was handling him."
Mason's shoulders slumped as he tried to make himself smaller. He was awfully cute when he was guilty. "Can we talk about this inside? This pack is really nosey."
He held out his hand for me to take, and because I was cooling off, I took it. I was mad at him, but I would get over it.
When we got to our room, I could feel the sharp pain that shot through my foot and up my calf with each step I took. I sat on the bed and looked at it. My toe had swelled, making me wonder how I didn't notice it before.
"It's broken," Mason stated when he glanced down at it. "It broke with Jenna's ribs."
"Thank you detective," I shot as I brought my foot up to the bed. It would need to be set so that it would heal correctly. I didn't want to have a crooked toe for the rest of my life.
"I can do that for you." He stepped towards me. "It'll be quick and easy."
I sighed and pretended to think about it for a moment. It was nice to have him stewing over this. I held my foot out for him.
He did a good job at hiding his grin. Maybe he knew what I was doing. It wasn't often that I had him groveling, so I wanted to milk it.
He covered my foot with his hands and held it for a moment. "Do you want to look while I set it?"
I shook my head. He smirked as he brought his face closer to mine. "Shall I distract you then?"
I didn't have to move. Mason knew what I wanted. He could distract me from the world ending if he had to. When his lips were almost at mine, I felt sharp pain radiate up my leg. I didn't have a chance to scream at him because his mouth caught the noise.
And just in Mason's reputation, we didn't argue or fight the rest of the night. I needed Mason and I knew he needed me. I wouldn't have anyone trying to get in between us. I would make sure that we woke up with a mate bond between us.
---
Waking up, I could sense that Mason was still asleep. The mating bond brought a whole new level to what I could sense from him.
Mason was wonderful and attentive when he was getting what he wanted. The marking process hadn't even hurt, really. The only pain came from the facial bone structure changes when the time came to exchange the bites, but even that wasn't bad.
The process was worth it. He was nothing like what my first bite had been. Mason was a good guy. I could feel it in the bond that ran between us. I felt warm and wanted and loved.
Mason was mine and I was his. Anyone who looked at us would know. This went so much deeper than I ever thought it could.
I pressed up against him, feeling his response through the bond immediately. He ran his hands along my side before it rested in my hip.
I could understand why mated couples stayed together for so long. This was addictive and delightful, why would anyone ever want to leave their mate? My thoughts from before paled in comparison now. I wouldn't trade Mason for the world.
"You should've talked me into this before," I muttered before kissing his naked chest. "I like this." I could feel his response to my skin against his and my lips on his chest.
He chuckled. "I tried. You were too damaged for it."
I kissed up his chest to his neck. "What a shame that was. We could have had this all along."
He made a sound of agreement. I snuck a glance at his face. It wasn't often Mason looked so happy; it was usually when we were alone. I was happy to think that I was the only one in the world who could make him this happy, this satisfied with his life.
This bond made me wonder why mates got out of bed at all. This feeling of closeness was indescribable.
It was safe to say that we didn't get out of bed that day, and no one came to bother us.
---
The next day, when we decided to get out of bed, I was still in awe of this bond with Mason. I had never felt so close to him, or anyone else for that matter. I also felt incredibly guilty that I had been delaying this for years. If only I hadn't been so damaged, if only I had trusted him completely, this whole thing wouldn't have been an issue.
I heard the back door squeak open. I caught a scent almost immediately. I hadn't caught a scent that quickly before. I knew that being mated would change some things, but I didn't know that I would be getting a boost in my smelling. It was Jenna, and she didn't give off the scent of being happy... just the opposite.
"So, I hear you're mated with Mason now."
My peace of the morning was shattered with her words. It had been so calming to be alone, outside, without having to worry about anything. I could feel my wolf stir within me. She had been closer to the surface since we'd mated to Mason.
With a sigh, I pushed off the railing, standing to my full height. I was just a tad bit taller than this woman, and being mated to Mason put me in a higher ranking than her… as far as I knew.
"Yes. Mason and I are mates."
I wouldn't abuse the power over her like she used hers over the humans. I was going to teach her how to lead, or she was going to be ordered to keep her trap shut. She was risking our way of life and that wasn't acceptable.
She shook her head and leaned her hip against the banister. "Do you know why Mason is supposed to be banned from this pack?"
I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. The past is the past. Anything you say won't change how I feel about him."
She nodded. "Yes, but as his mate, you should know what happened here."
I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't want to hear her twisted story, but I was also curious to hear what it was. Maybe there was a kernel of truth to what she was going to tell me. Unlikely, my wolf grumbled unhappily, this woman wasn't worthy of our trust.
"Before the Meyer's joined Finn's Packs, they were on the run."
I already knew this. Mason and his pack brothers had been on the run from Finn until an agreement over Casey's safety could be reached. Casey was kept hidden. They hadn’t joined until Finn swore to keep Casey safe. Finn had a notorious grudge against telekinetic supernaturals.
"They came here for a few days. Jamison and I were newly mated, and so in love," she sighed dreamily at the memory. "But Mason had this magnetism to him. He was irresistible and could have anyone he wanted. He just happened to choose me for his time here." The dreaminess from her voice disappeared. "He took me away from my mate and used me in whichever way he wanted. My poor Jamison couldn't do anything about it either. He's so weak against every werewolf. I didn't know I had mate-bonded to such a weak wolf."
She made it all seem like Mason's fault, but I knew it wasn't.
I felt a surge of jealousy, but I knew that it didn't matter anymore. Mason was with me and he didn't want anyone else. He wouldn't betray me like that.
"You could have said no. You could have stayed with your mate. He would've respected that and moved on. You are responsible for your own actions."
Her eyes narrowed on me. "I'm just warning you. The mate-bond means nothing to Mason. It's just a hurdle for him, one that he can easily surpass."
"Please," I scoffed. "Mason won't be leaving me for you, or any of the other whores you parade around here."
She chuckled. "And when you feel a tugging at your bond and your mate is nowhere to be found, you'll worry that he's cheating."
I shook my head. "I trust my mate. He'll never betray me like that."
"We'll see about that, now won't we?" She smirked.
The glass door opened and Mason stepped out of the house. "Go inside, Jenna."
She pursed her lips before she opened them to speak.
But Mason cut her off. "Go inside," he ordered rather forcefully. He wasn't happy about something.
He stopped in front of me. We were almost touching, we were so close. I could feel a pull between us and couldn't help but smile at him.
"What was she saying? I couldn't catch it all through the door." He leaned in and rubbed his nose along my chin, up to my ear, all without any extra body contact.
"She was relaying her version of your past with her," I answered breathlessly.
He paused a moment, hovering by my ear before pulling back. "What did she say?"
"Short version: you cave-manned the newly mated woman without care of what her mate would say."
He smiled. "I cave-manned? That's not even a word." His smile sobered. "But I get it. I didn't cave-man her. She came to me, I just didn't care that she was mated."
"So even though you knew she had a mate, you two had a sexual relationship?"
He wasn't comfortable speaking about this past relationship, but he needed to. "I was a different guy back then. We were young and on the run. Grayson was yapping about Casey to me while Brian kept her and Amanda safe. It was a very stressful time. There was a lot of fights and a lot of sex."
"Which all happened when I was like what? 15?" He shrugged, not comfortable thinking about just how much younger I was than him. "Nothing you did in your past matters to me Mason. I know there were women before me, but what matters is that you've been true to me."
"Always, baby." He brought his lips down to mine for a peck.
"Except next time we run into this situation, you're going to let me know ahead of time. I'm pretty good at keeping my cool, but I don't appreciate being caught off guard."
He nodded and leaned forward to put a very possessive kiss on me. "Keep your guard up around here," he muttered to my lips. "Jamison's looking for some payback, so keep that in mind when he's around."
I nodded. "That makes what happened yesterday make so much more sense."
He smiled. "Don't let him corner you again."
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "I'm mated to big, mean, badass Mason Meyers now. What chance does he think he has?"
"He's delusional." He showed that trademark smirk I was so fond of. "Badass Mason Meyers, huh? I like that."
I playfully shoved him away. "Oh, please. Don't let that go straight to your head."
He pressed another hard kiss to my lips. "Too late."
A knock at the sliding door broke our little intimate bubble. Alpha Dean waved us in. Mason sighed as he took my hand and led me into the house. It was time to eat and probably discuss their next move.
We knew there was no next move for us. The next move was going to be the murderers’ doing what they do best... And there was nothing we could do to stop it.