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Mason After being a virgin for twenty-three years, I never thought I’d ever be one to complain about sex. And don’t get me wrong, I love absolutely every minute I spend buried inside my mate. But ever since reading Asher’s note, she’s constantly needy. I’d do anything to wipe that broken, devastated look off her face but the only time it leaves her face is when Aspen and I have her screaming in pleasure. But the minute we stop touching her, she withdraws again. I’ve even caught her quietly crying a time or two but when I try to comfort her, she pulls away, insisting she’s fine. It’s tearing me up inside that I can’t take her pain away. Currently, we’re all sitting around the kitchen table in my family home, trying to come up with a plan to find Aspen’s mother. Everyone except Ellie, who’s currently curled up in the window seat, studying the yard like it holds all the secrets of the universe. Her nose is red and she has dried tear-tracks on her cheeks. “You remember, don’t you
Elena “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Mason snarls at Aspen “You might have mentioned that when someone started picking off your ex-girlfriends by strangling and gutting them with tree limbs!” “Mason,” I tug at his arm, trying to pull him away from an unintimidated Aspen before their argument comes to blows. “No, Elena!” He shakes me off, his use of my full name more telling than his tone of how pissed he is. “Don’t you dare take his side. What he did is inexcusable!” “No, you’re being fucking ridiculous! There are dozens, if not hundreds of Earth Fae living in the vicinity. Why would I suspect my own mother who wouldn’t hurt a fly?” He blares at him. “By that logic, maybe we should have interrogated Elena’s mom too. She can control earth elements.” “But she, along with the others you referred to, wouldn’t have a clue who you and your brother have been whoring around with for the last few years now would they? No, your mother would be suspect number one on that list!”
Mason I try to zone out while Grey runs but I can't keep the guilt at bay. I hate the tension between Aspen and I. I hate the awful things I said to him and the hurt I saw in his eyes when I said them. Apologizing to him is the least I can do. That and a lot of groveling. Surely he’ll forgive me. If he doesn’t, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’m back to square one, racking my brain for ways to make it up to him. There has to be something I can do to show him that I trust him implicitly, that I didn’t really mean the things I said. “We should bite him.” Grey’s idea startles me. “What? You would want to mate him too, like a chosen mate?” I ask incredulously. Since the day he came to me, Grey has never wanted anyone but his fated mate. It never crossed my mind that he might want to mate Aspen. “We have our little one but he is part of her too. So in a way, he’s already ours.” He comments. “Using that logic would mean Asher is ours too.” I cringe at the thought but he just
Asher I’m so confused. My head tells me I recognize this house, that I’ve lived a life in it full of love and dreams for the future. But something feels off, wrong somehow. It’s poking at me like an itch I can’t scratch. When I wake up this morning, I’m on autopilot. I get out of bed, get ready for the day, and join my mate in the kitchen where she is already cooking breakfast. I kiss her cheek, take the mug of coffee she offers, and sit at the kitchen table, waiting for her to join me. Perfectly normal, right? Then why do I have this nagging feeling it’s not normal at all? “What’s wrong, my love?” Nissa asks when she sets a plate in front of me and I do nothing but stare at it. My head feels fuzzy and my limbs feel heavy. I can’t remember the last time I ate but I don’t feel the least bit hungry. It feels like something is banging against my skull, trying to get out and the longer I sit there trying to figure out what it is, the more intense the throbbing pain becomes. I
Aspen Walking away from Elena and Mason is the hardest thing I’ve ever done besides leaving my brother. In both cases, I did what I thought was right at the time. But it had gotten me fuck all so far and already I’m keen to give up. Splitting up was a waste of time. I’m no closer to finding my mother than I was before I left Crimson Moon. The next logical place to look was North Winds, the only other pack where we had family, but they hadn’t seen my mother in years. All I want to do now is rejoin my mates. My mates, as in plural. When we first found Elena, I was over the moon and that will never change. She’s everything I could ever want and so much more. Then Mason showed up looking like a blond haired, blue-eyed adonis and the attraction was instant. I never dreamed he’d want me as a chosen mate but now that he’s put it on the table, I realize I can’t live without him any more than I can her. Just one more stop and then I’m going back to them. It’s probably another dead end bu
Elena “It feels like forever since it’s been just the two of us.” Mason reaches over from the driver’s seat to squeeze my hand. “It really does, doesn’t it? We were apart for so long and I was already with the twins when you came back. When everything settles down, I’d like to have some one-on-one time with each of my mates.” I squeeze back, willing myself not to think about whether Asher will be in the picture I’m painting of our future together. “If that’s what you want, you know we’ll make it happen.” He agrees. “But I imagine once we’re all back together, it will be a while before you want to be separated again. I was kind of hoping we could take advantage of some alone time now. How would you feel about a date night?” “I’d love that, Mace!” I lean in to kiss his cheek in appreciation for his thoughtfulness. “With all the craziness happening around us, some down time to just focus on our bond sounds perfect.” We settle into companionable silence. Mason leaving me alone
Mason “When you said you wanted to have a date night, this isn’t quite what I’d envisioned.” Ellie looks at our crowded surroundings pointedly. “I was hoping for something much more . . . intimate.” “Oh really? Why don’t you describe what you had in mind? Every ‘intimate’ detail.” I murmur huskily, lifting her into my lap and leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. “Now, Alpha,” She purrs back, making my cock spring to life under her soft ass, “given present company, I don’t think that would be appropriate. But I’d be happy to give you a full demonstration once we’re alone.” “I’ll hold you to that, little one.” I growl softly, nipping at her ear playfully. She isn’t wrong. I definitely saw our date night going much differently too. We’re currently in the theater room of the Glass Lake packhouse watching a movie along with a bunch of other pack members. Some not even old enough to have their wolves yet. But after Luna Kat’s reaction to the mystery item Ellie found, they
Elena I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this exhausted. I’d blame it on the sleepless night, but the truth is, there have been too many of those to count recently. I really should try to sleep but my racing thoughts won’t quiet down. Instead, I’m staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the towel twisted around my wet hair leaving my neck bare and Mason’s mark on full display. I run my fingers over it, eliciting a frisson of need that leaves my nipples tightening and slick leaking from my core. A contented smile spreads across my face, knowing he’s mine forever. We may have taken a few detours and I may have lost myself a bit along the way, but looking back on it now, it’s obvious we were always going to end up here. Mason and I were fated long before we shared a mate bond. I only wish the same were true of my other two mates. Shaking that thought away before it can pull me under, I go in search of something to wear. I’m not ready to share my mark with the world