Chapter One - So sorry Freya

Freya Rose

I ran back onto the bus and slumped into my seat, turning my body to face the window, so that I could carry on crying without being seen. I felt Mason sit down behind me, he put his hand on my shoulder. I knew he was only trying to comfort me, but I shrugged it off with an aggravated huff. 

“I'm so sorry Freya.”

He spoke in such a kind and apologetic voice.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Mason. I'm the one that just cheated. You didn't know,” I replied while closing my eyes and resting the side of my head on the seat. 

“I know but I'm sorry, nevertheless. I pushed it, when I should have been stronger. I behaved out of line, and I should have resisted you. I hate seeing you this upset.” He leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. “What we just did, felt so natural to me and it was the most amazing experience of my life. I just wish we had met under different circumstances. That way you could have appreciated just how wonderful this all is.” 

He sighed while slumping back into his seat. I turned my body around to face him, his head was tilted back slightly, and his eyes were closed.

He really is a stunning looking guy, the thought instantly wracked me with guilt.

I took in a deep breath and said, 

“It was wonderful, Mason. I have never felt that way before, it was so electric and explosive, but it doesn't change the fact that I shouldn't have done it. Or that I now feel terribly guilty for doing it.”

I reached out to touch his hand.

“I wouldn't do that if I was you,” he warned and quickly pulled his hand away from me. 

“I was only going to hold your hand, Mason,” I replied while sitting back into my seat properly. 

“I know, but there is a reason why we were drawn to each other so intensely. If you touch my bare skin right now, it will just excite it further,” he explained, then sat up to look at me. “Hold your hand out, and I'll show you what I mean.”

He scanned around the bus making sure that no one had come back on to it yet. I obeyed, and turned to face him, then held my hand out with my palm facing upwards. He raised his own hand up and held his index finger out so that it was just above my palm. A bright white electrical looking spark emerged from his finger and connected with my hand.

“What the hell is that?” I questioned with a gasp.

I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. He didn’t answer me. Instead he ran his finger down my palm making the bright spark of electricity dance around my hand. My gaze followed it as it swept up my arm, then down into my chest. It vanished from view, but I could still feel it vibrating inside my chest, before travelling all the way down to my core. It bombarded my bud with an intense heat that left it pulsating and tingling. 

“Hmm,” I moaned loudly, not able to control myself.

I didn’t want to attract attention. I’d learned enough about keeping the werewolves secret, and this situation was no different. I snatched my hand away from him, then held it to my chest. Glancing into his eyes with fascination, I watched the white swirling circles appear around his pupils and rapidly grow with intensity. 

“We can't help it, Freya. You are my Fianna and I am your Fennid. Basically, it's our kind's version of soul mates. Our one true love. There is no getting away from it, and we can't fight it either. So, you see, it's not your fault.”

He placed his hands either side of my face, and I could see how much he wanted to touch me, but he fought the urge. “If you weren’t one of us, what we just did, would never have happened,” he explained to me while pulling his hands away and balling them up into fists.

He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, like he was in pain, or concentrating really hard. After a while, he opened his eyes again. I was shocked to see that they were back to normal and the white circles were completely gone. He smiled sweetly at me, before turning back around in his seat. I straightened up in my seat too, just in time to see the passengers boarding the bus. 

“So... Um, what are we, exactly?” I asked in a whispered voice, trying to make sure that no one else could hear me. 

“Now that, I can't tell you. Your father will want to explain that to you himself,” he whispered back. 

“Wait, you said some Fionn guy was my father. Well you must have me mistaken for someone else, because my father's name is...”

“Damien,” he interrupted. “Fionn is the name we use for the leader of our group, like Alpha for werewolves or Sire King for vampires,” he stated while tilting his head back and closing his eyes again. 

The all too familiar rage built up inside me. While struggling to keep my voice at a low whisper, I blurted out, 

“So, where the hell has he been all my life? Why did he leave me? I thought he was fucking dead!”

I was getting so damn angry, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Mason. He turned to face me in a panic. 

“Freya please, you need to calm down. You don't know how to handle your power yet, and you can't risk ascending for the first time in front of all these humans. You’ll kill them all!”

His eyes scanned around at all the passengers, and his expression couldn’t have been described as anything less than terror. His hands reached for mine, then quickly retracted when he turned back to face me. I guessed that he didn't want to make me worse by touching my skin. Instead he placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Freya, I need you to follow my instructions. Close your eyes and take in a deep breath, in through your nose, then exhale through your mouth, okay?” 

I was filled with rage, but the guy was clearly crapping his pants. So, whatever this ascension thing was, it was something I needed to take seriously. I'd seen him calm himself down less than ten minutes ago, and his eyes returned to normal within seconds, so I trusted that he knew what he was doing. I followed his commands, breathing in and out exactly how he instructed.

“Good. Now clear your mind completely and focus solely on your breathing.” 

I began to push all of the nasty thoughts of my father out of my head and concentrated only on my breathing. My heart rate soon returned to its regular pace. 

“Thank you,” I whispered to him once my rage had eased.

I noticed that a man was standing behind Mason. He was staring at me like some sort of creep. I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn't place where. Mason spotted me looking at the guy and addressed him.

“She suffers from panic attacks.”

The guy nodded, seemingly satisfied with the lie that Mason had just fed him. He continued on down the bus and into his seat. I glanced back at him, expecting him to have busied himself with something else, but he was still glaring at me. I furrowed my brow while turning back around in my seat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. 

“What's up?” Mason asked me when he noticed that I was shuffling around in my seat.

“I'm sure I've seen that guy before, and he keeps staring at me,” I whispered in reply.

Mason looked at the guy then back at me. 

“He's not staring at you Freya, look,” he replied, ushering me to look at the guy.

True enough, the guy had his head down and was typing away on his cell.

“See. Now get some sleep, your father will be waiting for us when we arrive in Banff,” he ordered as he laid his head back, closing his eyes yet again.

I didn't want to see my father, and the thought of being face to face with the guy, brought my rage back. It was simmering and bubbling away beneath the surface. 

“Please calm down Fi,” Mason whispered while placing an arm around my shoulder.

He drew me into his chest, and as soon as my head rested against him, I closed my eyes and began the deep breathing exercises again. I finally managed to calm myself down, which induced a yawn. I nuzzled my head into his chest, getting myself comfortable. I was absolutely exhausted, and I couldn't stay awake any longer. Mason stroked my hair and it felt so good that I let out a low moan. 

“Grrr.”

Was that a growl? I thought to myself but swept the thought away and drifted off to sleep.

 ***

Mason Hart

I heard a low growl come from the guy that had been staring at Freya. I swept Freya's hair away from her face to check that she was asleep, and luckily for me, she was. I then turned my head around and shot the guy a scowl, making sure that my eyes were fully illuminated. His face dropped immediately when he noticed them. He bowed his head and held up his hands in an ‘I don't want any trouble sort of way’. I grunted at him then turned back around and checked that Freya was still sound asleep. I then carefully reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. 

“Fionn?”

“Mason, have you left the services yet?” Damien asked me.

“No, but the bus is just about to leave, now. We have a problem though, she has a tracker wolf following her,” I explained to him.

“A tracker? Why would she have a tracker following her?”

“I have no idea, he hasn't tried to communicate with her yet, he's just been staring at her.”

“Okay. Well, you stick close to her. Oh, and um... What is she like?” He asked nervously.

“I fully understand. And she's amazing, Damien, truly amazing,” I told him honestly.

“You make sure you protect her with your life, Mason. I'll see you when you get here. I can't wait to meet her,” he said with emotion in his voice.

“I will Damien, don't worry, she's safe with me. We will see you in about three hours.”

I hung up the phone and gently placed it back in my pocket trying my best not to wake, Freya. After wrapping my arms around her I thought, she is so damn perfect.

I rested my head on top of hers and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. 

 ***

Freya Rose

I woke up still cradled in Mason's arms. His cheek was resting on my head and I didn't want to wake him, so I just awkwardly stayed still until I felt him stir.

“How long have you been awake Fi?” His voice was rough and sleepy, but so damn hot.

“Just a few minutes,” I lied.

I'd been awake over ten minutes, but I didn't want to sound like a weirdo. I sat back up, once he'd lifted his head. I threw my hair up into a messy bun to get it out of my face, then let out a little moan while I stretched.

“Mmm,” Mason quietly moaned.

I giggled as I looked over to him, he was staring at me with pure lust and biting his lip. I blushed when I saw his eyes were illuminated. They were drawing me in, and I could feel my body tingle as the electricity began to build up between us. My breathing became heavier and quickly matched his. He ran his fingers gently down my arm and the sparks left a trail of Goosebumps over my skin.

Bang

Some of the passengers screamed as we were all jolted and flung around in our seats. The bus swerved then came to a stop in the dirt at the side of the road. 

“I'm so sorry everyone. I think we have blown a tire. If that’s the case, I am going to have to call out a recovery vehicle. Feel free to exit the bus and stretch your legs,” the bus driver said over the loudspeaker.

The passengers began moaning and whining, but gradually made their way off of the bus. 

“Let's go and get some fresh air,” Mason suggested while taking my hand.

I gasped when sparks tingled through my fingers. He chuckled before helping me up. He then began gently pulling me down the bus aisle. When we got to the stairs, he jumped right over them like an excited teenager. He twisted his entire body around in mid-air, then landed on the ground holding his arms out for me.

I smiled widely, and my heart flew out of my chest when I nervously jumped out of the bus. Mason caught me perfectly and with such ease, I giggled like a little schoolgirl when he spun me around in a giant circle. 

“Grrr,” I heard a faint growl and frantically spun around to see who it had come from.

It had come from the guy that was watching me earlier. My eyes grew wide as I suddenly remembered where I had seen him before. He was one of Alpha Aiden's trackers. Shit! I thought to myself as I quickly struggled to get Mason to put me down. He looked at my face then over towards the tracker, then back to me. With a furrowed brow he said, 

“Don't worry about him Fi, he's totally harmless, aren't you?” He snapped at the tracker and scowled at him. The tracker grunted, lowered his head and then walked away without saying a word. 

“See, I told you. I'm going to go make a phone call, will you be okay here for a minute?” He asked as he put me down on the floor and pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

“Yeah sure, I'll be fine,” I replied then watched him walk away. Oh crap, I forgot to let mom know I was coming out to visit nana and granddad, I thought to myself. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and pushed the button. 

“Damn it!” I whispered to myself. My phone had run out of battery. Well it's just going to have to be a surprise then isn't it. I huffed, and then shoved the phone back into my pocket.

“Ahem,” I heard a man clear his throat from behind me. I spun around and was faced with the tracker. His eyes grew wide as he looked over my shoulder, I followed his gaze and saw that Mason was quickly approaching us, and his eyes were fully illuminated. The tracker bumped into me, and discreetly placed a mobile phone into my hand, he then quickly ran off into the woods. I heard Mason behind me talking on the phone to someone, so I quickly shoved the phone the tracker had given me into my pocket, then spun around to greet Mason. 

“One sec Evan,” he spoke down the phone, then held the phone away from his face. “Hey Fi, what did that creep want?” He asked with a questioning look on his face. 

“Oh. Um, he wanted to see if I was ok after my panic attack. Strange though, he saw you then ran off into the woods,” I said while trying to play dumb. I didn't know if Mason knew about werewolves and I'd rather not get into all that madness, I have enough things complicating my life right now.

“Yeah, strange. Maybe he needed a piss, or something?” He said as he put the phone back up to his ear. “Evan? Ok, we'll see you in a bit, bye,” he finished up his call then hung up the phone. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I rested my head on his chest and sighed. 

“What's wrong Fi?” He asked me as he stroked my hair. 

“Nothing, I'm just nervous about meeting Damien,” I said in a low voice. I was lying to him, I was angry about my father and the whole situation, but I didn't want Mason to know what I was really thinking about. 

I was thinking about Tristan. I didn't even know if he had pulled through. If he hadn’t, then what was everyone going to think of me running away? I should have been there, right by his side in his last few moments. If he had pulled through, what the hell was he going to think when he woke up and I wasn’t there? I kept trying to tell myself that running away was the best way to keep him and the pack safe. Without me there, the vampires would quickly lose interest in the wolves. But in all honesty, I ran away because I was a coward. 

I couldn’t face the thought of losing him, or then being rejected and hated by the pack if he died. My head was a mess, and I was hoping that a day or two away, being normal with my family, would clear my head. I could then return back home stronger, and deal with it all. But, I was worried that I had made it all ten times worse, and I hadn't even got to my nana's yet.

Oh, my God the tracker, he's probably already told the pack about Mason. Oh God, what am I gonna do? I thought as I closed my eyes and exhaled heavily. 

Mason pulled away from me, I looked up at him and stuck out my bottom lip, and then gave him my sad puppy dog eyes. He chuckled as he held my chin and ran his thumb over my protruding lip. I pulled it back into place as he said,

“Don't pout, my beautiful Fianna, I'm just going to get our bags. Evan will be here soon to pick us up.”

He kissed my cheek and walked away towards the bus. As he walked away, I found myself checking out his ass. 

“Wow!” I said a little louder than I'd intended to.

He turned around and winked at me. I blushed and bit my bottom lip. He went onto the bus and got our bags, then came back out and carried them past me, and then placed them on the grass by the side of the road. 

“See, I wasn't gone that long, was I?” He asked as he walked back towards me.

He stopped in front of me and swept his hand through his hair. Why is he so damn beautiful? I questioned myself, while closing my eyes. I slowly began breathing in through my nose, and out through my mouth, trying to curb the electrical lust that was beginning to smolder deep inside me. He chuckled at me as he must have realized what I was trying to do. 

“Freya come on, we'll go and sit over on the grass and wait for Evan,” Mason said instantly distracting me.

He bent down and swept my legs up off of the ground with one arm, and then placed the other arm around my waist. I put my arms around his neck, and he carried me bridal style over to the grass at the side of the road, he then sat down with me on his lap. 

“I can walk you know, Mason,” I chuckled as I slid my arms down and around his waist. 

“I know, Fi, but I like carrying you. I like having you as close to my body as possible, it makes me feel whole.” 

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. This guy was something else, the things he said made the butterflies in my stomach find mates, and then have little caterpillar babies. He stroked my cheek with his thumb, then lowered his head. He softly placed his lips on mine and kissed me.

It wasn't frantic or full of lust like in the restroom. It was more delicate and passionate; it was filled with pure love. My guilt suddenly faded away and new feelings began to replace it. It was a beautiful and perfect moment, everything else around us just vanished. It was like nothing else existed on this earth except for me and Mason. It felt like we were surrounded by a bright white light that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The atmosphere felt happy and safe and the silence was glorious. 

I thought my life was perfect before. I never had any doubt that Tristan was the only one for me, and that we'd be together forever. But then I found out about all this werewolf and vampire shit, and everything changed. I still had that niggling thought in the back of my head that he would eventually find his mate, and I would lose him if it wasn't me. He also refused to turn me; it was all a complete mess. I didn't quite know how to explain it, but with Mason, it just felt right, like it was meant to be or something. This moment in time was heavenly and he made me feel complete.