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Mason “I, Elena Stone, daughter of the Glass Lake Alphas, reject you . . .” Aspen and I both reach for her at once, slapping our hands over her mouth before she can finish the rejection, my hand landing on top of his. Holding it there so she can’t speak, I take a minute to breath before I say something I’ll regret. Fury rips through me, thinking about what almost happened. When I consider how quick she is to always assume she’s the problem, a burden for others to bear, all I feel is rage. At her parents, and myself for the things I said to her before I left. I swallow back the growl threatening to escape and try not to bark as I say what I need her to hear. “I’m going to talk now and you’re going to listen!” I can’t help the command in my tone, my Alpha side riding me hard. “What I said to my grandfather was insensitive. I didn’t stop to think about how it would sound to you. But you also misunderstood what I meant. “I only wished that I had left someone more capable in charge
Elena Lying here snuggled up between my mates, the feeling of total peace overwhelms me. Once again, Mason proved he knows me better than I know myself. His “lesson” was just what I needed, taking me out of my own head long enough to really see myself the way he sees me. Lesson learned. My mates go out of their way to show me I’ll always come first to them. Old habits die hard, but I know I have to do better, they deserve better. I have to stop jumping to conclusions, assuming the worst and instead, give them the benefit of the doubt the way I know they always will for me. What’s the worst that could happen? If I’d confronted Mason instead of running away he could have confirmed my fears and torn my heart in two but isn’t that what happened anyway? If I’d bothered to ask, I could have avoided the heartache and spared them the panic of finding me gone. With that resolution, only Asher’s presence could make this moment any better. But I choose to believe he’ll be with us soon.
Elena “Mason!” I gasp, panic rising to a boiling point inside me, my hands coiled in the back of his shirt. “Aspen, don’t fucking move from her side!” He barks the order then softens before speaking to me. “Nothing to worry about, little one. I’ll handle this.” Aspen steps up beside me and bands a protective arm around my waist, plastering me to his side. “I’ve got you, shortcake. I have every faith in our Alpha to settle them down but there’s always my backup plan.” The hand resting on my arm heats ever so slightly to demonstrate exactly what he has in mind. Mason’s chest rumbles with a dominant growl, silencing the crowd. They all wait with bated breath to hear what he will say, though the weight of their intense stares never leaves me. They’re looking for someone to blame and Mindy gave them the perfect scapegoat. “I completely understand your fear given the unfortunate circumstances.” Mason addresses the crowd. “I had planned to call you together later this morning wh
Asher “Fuuuuck,” I groan, not a damn inch of me that doesn’t ache. My eyelids are heavy, refusing to open. My muddled brain is still offline and the message that I need to wake up gets short-circuited somewhere before reaching the rest of me. Unfortunately, it’s broadcasting the fact that I’m freezing and in pain loud and clear. I manage to press my palms to the ground, alerting me to the fact that I am indeed lying on a cold slab of concrete. That would explain the kink in my neck and the fact that I’m shivering, but not much else. Where the fuck am I and how did I get here? The penetrating chill is bone deep, making my joints stiff. I suck in a ragged breath as I attempt to bend my knees and get my feet beneath me. The pain of that simple movement is enough to jolt my brain cells back into action, reminding me I have a way to warm up. But when I try to call on my fire, all I get is a weak pulse of heat that fades as quickly as it came. “Blaze?” I reach for my wolf instead.
Aspen “Aspen, nice to see you again.” Mason’s dads, Finn and Zayne, shake my hand. “Hello, sweetheart!” They move on to Elena, enveloping her in a group hug before I have a chance to respond. “Uncle Finn, Uncle Zayne, thanks for coming so quickly.” She hugs them back just as enthusiastically. “Of course we came. We’re happy to help our son and his new Luna,” Zayne winks at her when he mentions her title, “any way we can. I just wish there hadn’t been so much misunderstanding between us for so many years. We would have been here in a heartbeat if we’d known he needed us.” “That’s all water under the bridge, Odie.” Mason tells him and I grin at his weird nickname for Zayne. “I’m just happy you’re here now.” Mason pulls them aside to bring them up to speed. He called them after the morning’s ill-fated meeting and they agreed to come right away, along with fifty men to help shore up our defenses. We all breathed a sigh of relief knowing help was on the way. “Hey, you okay,
Elena Guilt sits heavily in my gut as I pack a bag for our trip to find Asher. I’d only just managed to unpack the last of the clothes the guys bought for me on our way here, and now we’re leaving again. Aspen filled Mason in on our plans late last night when he finally came to bed. He insists on coming with us, leaving his pack again when they clearly need his steady leadership. The selfish part of me breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to be parted from him. But I can’t shake the feeling that his loyalty to me may cost him too much. The sound of paper rustling pulls me out of my reverie and I turn toward the sound. A large yellow envelope sits on the ground by the front door like someone just slid it under. I poke my head out into the hall but it’s empty. I can’t even catch a scent which is odd. Turning the envelope over in my hand, it’s completely blank. I consider leaving it for Mason to deal with but he’s busy because of me, briefing his fathers to take over in his a
Asher My cock is so hard it feels like it will shatter if I don’t get some relief. I wrap my calloused hand around it and pump it in firm, rough strokes. Elena leans over me with that wicked gleam in her eye, the one she always gets when she knows she’s about to do dirty things to me that will make me beg for more. Her tongue flicks out to lap up the heavy drop of pre-cum beading at the tip. Her eyes roll back in her head like she just tasted the most delectable dessert. I love that look, like I’m giving her the best gift by feeding her my cock, and it only makes more cum weep from my slit. I keep one hand tight around the base of my shaft, offering her the rest to do with as she pleases. Her warm mouth envelops the swollen head as she tongues my leaking hole and it feels so good I can’t hold back, bucking my hips and forcing myself deeper. “Your mouth is fucking perfect, gorgeous.” I moan as she bobs on my cock. “Mmm.” She hums, her mouth too full to respond, and the vi
Aspen I hold Elena on my lap while Mason drives us to our next destination, Crimson Moon. My shirt is soaked with tears from holding her to me while she cried and it only fuels the rage burning me from the inside out. My brother better hope we don’t catch up with him or have a very good exclamation if we do. She only just fell asleep in my arms so I keep stroking her hair, hoping she won’t wake. Mason keeps glancing at us in the rearview mirror, worry for his mate creasing his brow. It took a lot of convincing for him not to load her in the car and head straight back to Sacred Moon, lock her away from the world and anything else that could hurt her. In the end he agreed that regardless of Asher’s path, we needed to follow our plan to ensure Elena’s safety. It took even more arguing for him to release our mate to me so he could drive. But time is of the essence and he’s made the trip between Glass Lake and Crimson Moon many times to visit his grandparents, and knows the route in h