Chapter 2 - Mason

I sat down with a coffee, and tried to distract myself from the worst imaginable beginning of the day, when there was yet another knock at my office door. I released a huge sigh... this was not what I needed. Not off about two hours' sleep...

“Come in!” I called, only hoping it would not be Brooke deciding to come back for round two. I would be letting my wolf out if it was, I swear…

“Only me. No need to sound like you want to eat me.” Levi said cheerfully as he walked into my office. Levi was the pack’s Beta, and one of my closest friends. He was also one of the guys who liked to drive me crazy. And seemed to be always smiling.

I faked a smile at him as he dropped himself onto the seat in front of my desk. “Jeez, Mase, you used up your smiling quota for the month or something?” he joked. "Because you look miserable as sin, dude."

“Wow, thanks for that. But, yeah, something like that. What's up anyway?”

“Was that who I thought it was leaving?” he asked, and I knew instantly he had to have seen Brooke leaving the packhouse for him to have come and asked me that. I simply nodded, not wanting to go into further details.

“And are you okay?” he asked. His whole attitude had changed now, he seemed concerned, which I understood. He had seen me nearly fall apart at the discovery of my mate’s unfaithfulness, and I know he struggled to see me like that. Levi had never been a massive fan of Brooke from the first moment he met her, they had clashed massively. So, her deceit had given him even more reason to hate her.

“I am good.” I smiled across at him, hoping to reassure him.

“Why was she here?” he questioned, and I shrugged.

“Usual shit. Begging to come back.” I rolled my eyes.

"Please tell me you are not considering that.” Levi sounded disappointed in me, and I shook my head at him, shocked that he would even think for a second I would consider it. He had to know me better than that. All my friends did.

“Have more faith in me. I have managed perfectly well without her for almost a year now. I do not need her, and do not want her. She just seems to be struggling with accepting that.” I explained.

“You mean she wants what she can get from you?” he questioned, knowing how these conversations with Brooke had gone previously, and I nodded my agreement.

“Don’t worry, I told her where to go, and this time with a warning that if she came back, she would be finding herself with the guards attacking.”

Levi began laughing. “Atta boy!” he nodded at me. “If that happens, can I help?! Though you know she will be back, right? She sees you as a meal ticket, Mason, she always did.”

The sad thing is, I think he is right. I don’t think my mate had ever seen me as a mate should. Not the way I saw her. I was drawn to her as soon as I had met her, and began to fall for her exactly as a mate should, but when I look back, I think she saw my title and what she could gain from being with me. She loved the title she gained by being with me, and the things it brought to her. I doubted she ever loved me. But, the sad thing was, I had realized all of that far too late. And it had hurt my ego as much as it had hurt my heart. I should have known better. I was meant to be smart. Strong. I was an Alpha after all, yet I was tricked by her... fooled...

“So, to put all that shit to one side, are you still coming out with us tonight, yeah?” Levi asked, his eyes glaring at mine, like he was attempting to intimidate me with his stare. “You barely spend time with us anymore. And you did promise Jaxon.”

Jaxon was another of my friends, one of my group of friends that I had grown up with. My pack Gamma too. And tonight was his bachelor party, I guess you could call it, before he gets married next week. I hadn’t forgotten, honest…

“Erm…” I began, already thinking of a reason I could make my excuses. Levi was right, I rarely spent time with my friends now, preferring my own company, especially since things with Brooke went down. And they were all settling down. Meeting their mates, having families. It just seemed easier to be alone.

I planned to be alone now. Running the pack as an Alpha on my own, and seeing my friends all loved up, well, at times it could be hard, as it reminded me what I was missing.

“No erms, Mason." Levi scowled. "You promised. This will be good for you too. Come on, it has been so long since we all went out together. It will probably only be a few drinks. You know Thea would go crazy if we did anything major on his night out.” Levi told me, and I nodded. "We had agreed on heading into Cedar Ridge. There are a few new bars there we wanted to try out. So, you have definitely got to come."

Cedar Ridge was a nearby town, a human one, away from the werewolf packs nearby, but a town our pack members would often venture into for a good night out, and certainly a town I had ventured out into with my friends many times over the years. Levi was right, it had been a long time since I had been out with them. I guess a few drinks wouldn't hurt.

“Fine, I will be there, okay?” I relented, already regretting agreeing, knowing the night out would likely be everything I hated…