I resolved to do some actual work the next day. At least, that's what I told myself when I struggled to get out of the men-sandwich I was in.
As much as I tried, it seemed that the only way to free myself was to wake them up and I didn't want to. They were adorable when they were asleep. Dean snored like a bear but it was easy to deal with when you looked at his sleeping face.
His hazel eyes were closed but it only made his eyelashes stand out more. His mouth was relaxed and pouty in sleep and I resisted the urge to kiss him. Face relaxed and warm, it made him all the more cuddly.
I had always known that Mason clung like crazy to me while asleep but this was insane. His grip was so tight, I barely had room enough to wiggle.
I had no choice.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, thrashing around madly. They both snapped up, looking around for any possible danger before they assessed me.
Wow, the caring was so evident here.
“What's wrong?” Dean mumbled sleepily, falling back on the bed when he saw no danger. I scowled, newly trapped once again.
“I need to get up. Let me go” I wiggled against his grip. Mason got up and went to the bathroom. I heard the shower go on.
“I'll consider it” he yawned, snuggling with my damn pillow.
“No. Let me go right now” I tried to smack him, figuring that it was a good bet as any to have him let me go but he had amazing reflects and snatched my hand right out of the air. He gave it a tender kiss and let me go.
“If you're willing to hit me to get free, I guess I have no choice. God knows what you'll do when I'm finally asleep” he mumbled, turning and falling back asleep. I scowled again. I hated that he was such a late riser.
I always got up early and I didn't like it when people just wasted their precious time in bed.
“Lazy ass” I muttered on my way to the kitchen. I woke up near starving.
“I'll be waiting for breakfast downstairs” I called to Mason through the closed bathroom door.
“You'll be waiting awhile” he called back. I smiled and went on my merry way.
I needed to do stuff today. The pressure on my shoulders nearly incapacitated me and I needed to get rid of it.
So I went to where I knew a stack of papers would await me. I used my mom's home office as my own so all the research I had done for a new property was there. I had to go back to the drawing board. I hadn't found anything in the lands that I had already looked through.
Thirty minutes into it and I wanted to kill myself. All the properties that we could actually move to were way out of our price range and the ones that we could afford were too small. There wasn't any way to win here.
I felt like crying.
That's not going to solve anything, Cris was right there with me.
I know but I want to anyway. I think I need a good cry, I told her.
We'll figure it out. Don't worry. Right now, I guess you can have your cry, she sighed, a little disappointed. I felt that disappointment down to my very bones.
I hated when she was disappointed in me.
But I still wanted to cry.
So I did.
Mason's POV
I hummed along to a song by the Rolling Stones. I felt really good. I slept with my mate last night and now I was making breakfast for her.
Life was good.
I knew that Lottie was in her little office, I could hear her move around upstairs. I never thought I would like to feel like such a house wife but there it was.
I wanted to make something quick and go to her. Already, I ached from her absence. I needed to be near her.
Jeez, she has me so whipped.
But then, she always has.
“Sup” Dean walked in, still in his pajama pants and a white t shirt. He yawned and poured himself a cup of coffee. It had been the first thing I did after my shower. Lottie basically inhaled coffee, especially now that she was an Alpha.
“Nothing. I'm making pancakes for breakfast” I told him, for absolutely no reason. He sniffed the air and nodded.
“Smells good” he said, slumping in the chair next to the island counter. He looked tired.
I gave him a plate of three pancakes and some eggs and went to give Lottie a plate too. I didn't like it when she forgot to eat, or when she ate something completely bad for her.
When I was close to her door, I heard soft sniffles from inside. Oh no, what if she was coming down with something?
I didn't want her sick.
“Lottie?” I knocked and came inside without an answer. Why did I need one? I was her mate.
I walked in to see her sobbing at her desk, shoulders shaking with the force of her tears. I bolted over to her, unable to think about anything other than getting to her and taking away her tears.
“It's okay” I soothed, holding her close to my chest.
She curled around me, throwing her arms around my neck, still crying.
“No, it's not”
Dean came in not long after.
“What's wrong?” he asked to the room in general, willing to take an answer from any one of us who was willing to give it.
“I have no idea” I told him when Lottie refused to say anything.
We stood there in silence, Dean circling closer and closer to her until he had his arms around her too. It was only then that Lottie talked.
“I can't find a property for sale that is big enough for our pack” she said quietly, “I'm a complete failure”
Dean looked uncomfortable all of a sudden.
“I'll have to tell everyone that we're sure to be massacred” she whispered, “How can I possibly tell them that?”
My stomach dropped.
“Can't we just fight for our land? We might win. They are only humans, after all” I told her although the prospect was deeply unsavory.
“We will but we'll lose. They have weapons that can kill a werewolf at the first shot. It'll be no problem mowing us all down”
“Remember our first date?” Dean blurted. We both turned to him, shocked by the interruption hat was completely unrelated to everything we had been talking about.
“Yes?” Lottie answered uncertainly.
“Remember why you agreed to go in the first place?” he prompted, a small smile making a home on his face.
“Because you practically blackmailed me” she said.
“Blackmailed you with what?” he kept on prompting.
“With the salvation of-” suddenly she let me go, turning to him with all the hope in the world.
“Can you really do it?” she asked breathlessly.
He nodded.
“I'm sure I can”
What happened next completely shocked us.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him.
I stood a bit awkwardly while they kissed, not really knowing my place here.
But then it was finally over.
“Tell me” she demanded. Dean gave a breathless laugh.
“If I had known that this was the way to win your affections, I would've done it a long time ago” he told her.
“It was always the way. Now, tell me how you can help”
“When the fire tore through our pack, it took many of our pack members and it took most of our funds to try and repair what had been done. That fire had killed a third of our pack. Now we have a huge property that we can't afford to keep” the pain in his voice was clear but he held on to her, wanting the comfort she could bring. Accordingly, she kept her arms around him, lending support.
He forced a smile.
“What do you say about moving in together?”
Having the solution to her problem suddenly thrust in front of her face was a shock to Lottie. Or at least I thought so. She squealed and kissed him again, pouncing on him hard enough to knock them both to the floor.
I went back to the kitchen, knowing that they both needed to work out exactly how such a move would occur.
I told myself that I didn't care that she was with that stupid Alpha instead of me. I told myself that it didn't matter that he had stopped her tears.
But it did.
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I'm sorry it's short but I couldn't add anything more right now. Hope you liked it! :)