Rogue. Beta

7. MASON

Dylan was speaking to me from across the table while I fought back a grin.

Fate worked in mysterious ways. Mysterious f*****g ways.

Indigo. Indigo Penn.

It was a lovely name. For an even lovelier girl.

I was mated. I had a mate. I wasn’t cursed after all.

I pretended to listen to Dylan as he pointed out things on his computer, but my attention was someplace else.

She had hurried out of my room to meet up with her friends – Remi and Clara. I begged her to stay but she wouldn’t. It was cute. I smiled again.

She wasn’t a shy person. I could tell from the way she had reacted to me the previous night that she was far from shy. However, this was still unfamiliar territory. For her. For me.

I couldn’t wait to know everything about her. From her darkest desires to her deepest fears. I wanted to know her inside out. I wanted to know her better than I knew myself.

It was sudden. Not knowing someone this moment and then binding yourself to them for eternity in the next. It was sudden and it was scary. It was also crazy but as a werewolf, crazy was and is my normal.

My fingers twitched on my knee from the memory of the previous day. Man, she was really good in the sack. She was also very pretty. With her light olive skin and big honey brown eyes. She was easily the prettiest person I ever set eyes on.

“Are you listening or am I wasting my saliva?” Dylan’s annoyed voice cut into my daydream.

“I don’t start work until tomorrow, man. My brain isn’t in work mode yet,” I answered with a shrug.

“So I’m wasting my breath then.” He shut his laptop with a sigh. “I’m happy for you man. You’ve waited for her for so long. You deserve happiness.” He got out of his chair and patted my shoulders.

We weren’t the sort of friends to get all mushy with each other. I had been gone for a year and it seemed things had changed. A lot.

“I just – I can’t believe I spent so long looking for her. It’s just bizarre that I went the extra mile to find her and she was here all the while. How long has she been here?” I asked, sliding to the edge of my seat.

“Yeah, I was going to speak to you about that. You’re the last person I’ll have to tell to treat anyone right but she’s coming from a dark place. She begged Remi to be under our protection. It was not a happy sight. Her former pack were definitely evil. She’s been with us for a little over three months and there’s never been a cause to regret. Ashley does give her problems though but I’ve warned her she would get kicked out if she doesn’t stop causing trouble. “

A ferocious growl kindled in my throat.

Ashley Walters. I would have to do something about her.

“What pack is that?” I demanded. I didn’t know how tight my body was until I felt my arms quivering. I unclenched my fist.

“Last Days pack.” That gave me pause.

I just came back from a pack tour. I had been in the top hundred packs and then some more. I had been in packs that people didn’t even know existed. Over two hundred packs and not once did I ever hear a mention of any called Last Days.

“Never heard of them,” I muttered with a frown.

“Me neither. They are in their last days according to her. Not very popular.” He shrugged again, taking a ginormous book off the floor to ceiling shelf in his office.

“I’ll look into them,” I vowed.

“Free piece of advice: don’t bother. Bringing them up makes her cry.” He went back to his chair. “Why are you here if you don’t want to work?” He asked sternly.

“I – Man, I don’t want people hounding me about my trip or my mate. I thought I would hide out here.” I got out of his simple cushion.

“You should be with your mate, especially since she’s pissed. For future reference, raising her hands against her alpha could cost her her life. Good day, Mason.”

°°

It wasn’t supposed to be cute. Her eyes flared, her teeth clenched and released while her hands jabbed at me. She was jealous. Goodness freaking gracious, she was jealous. I was thorn between reassuring her and kissing her insecurities away.

“You love her. You f*****g love her. Clara wouldn’t say anything else but you’ve been pining after her for years!”

I hated being put on the spot. I loathed it.

What was I supposed to say? Yes, I had pined after Remi for years. Up until the last night, I hadn’t ben sure there would be anyone else for me. How was I supposed to explain it to her?

“Yeah, I kind of had a thing for her for a while.“ I decided on the truth. It stunned her.

“I – You – Why!?” It stunned me.

Why did I like Remi Vaughn?

She was pretty. She had a good heart – she forgave her asshole brother! She was also smart. And sweet.

I wasn’t going to tell my mate that though. Because all those things I saw in Remi seemed to be the things I thought I wanted. This girl standing right before me? She was everything that was perfect for me. Ask the goddess. She picked her out.

“I thought she was everything great. I was wrong.”

“Yeah? How so?” She challenged, hands gripping her hip. She fixed me with a stern glare that had fire in it. I wanted to kiss her eyelids.

“You’re everything great,” I finally said. And because I wanted so bad to kiss her eyes, I did. I felt her tremble in my arms. Then I kissed her lips.

“Your lips are really soft... And warm. Soft and warm. I could kiss them all day,” I purred.

Pulling back, I was greeted by the sight of a reddened mate.

“Awwn, you’re blushing! You’re really beautiful, all red and embarrassed.” I kissed her nose. The man passing by stopped to look quickly at us.

“I am not blushing,” She exclaimed, hands flying up to covers her cheeks.

“You are. It’s cute. Don’t try to hide it.” I pried her hands off her face to admire the flush of colour on her cheeks. “It’s also cute that you got jealous,” I kissed her knuckles one after the other, marvelling at how red she was getting.

“I wasn’t jealous. I don’t get jealous. I don’t blush either,” She cried out in mortification.

“Ugh, please don’t tell me you’re mated to this loser,” A sickly falsetto called from behind her. Ashley and her latest boy toy – the unfortunate one that was mated to her, said.

“Oh, hey Ashley,” My mate said.

I don’t know if it was my imagnation, but I felt a sharp flare of anger from my mate. It was gone in less than a second and I was left to assume I had imagined it.

She smoothed down her shirt, stepping closer to me. In a bid of possessiveness, I wrapped my hands around her waist, pulling her flush against my side.

“Ashley, Mark,” I nodded at the couple in greeting. “How are you guys?”

This little b***h used to play at our house with my little sister and I’m not certain which one of them had turned out worse. My sister had tried to kill the alpha and this one had been an accomplice to attempted murder.

She served dungeon time but I wasn’t sure why it was so short. I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t been kicked out considering her record of bullying. I wasn’t sure what kept me from punching the daylight out of her when she regarded my mate with an upturned nose. Like she was a piece of stinky gum beneath her running shoes.

“Uggh, Masssooon,” She drawled my name in a saccharine and grating voice. Indigo coiled beside me. “You mated her already? Uggh, why would you –“ Her mate cut her off with red cheeks.

“Babe, I’m sure Mason is happy with his choice.” The blonde delta said quickly.

“I wasn’t speaking to you, Mark,” She hissed at him. The man became more uncomfortable. “Anyway, Mase, what would Bella think of her?” Bella was my younger sister that had tried to kill Remi so she got kicked out of the pack.

“I’m not sure why Bella’s opinion would matter here,” I said in an uncertain tone.

“Look at her! Sure, she’s pretty. But can’t you see she’s weak? They used to beat her in her pack so you know she’s not all that. She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t fit with you!” She cried.

My wolf snarled and the girl beside me trembled. I ran my hands through her hair to soothe her while I clenched the fist not holding her.

“Wanna hear something interesting? “ I asked, putting my trademark smile back on.

“Yeah, I guess,” She pretended not to be interested but her body language gave her away. She leaned in closer. Closer than I liked.

“Stupidity comes in all shapes and sizes,” I stated. Her brows furrowed as she tried to decipher the punchline. My mate was already trembling but with laughter this time.

“So?” She flipped her shiny blonde hair.

“Some of them look exactly like you.”

Her lips pursed, Mark’s eyes sparkled and Indigo burst into loud laughter.

“I don’t give a damn about what you think, Ashley.”

“You should be grateful I’m looking out for you. I’m just doing my job as Bella’s friend. She wouldn’t want you mated to a low life who got chased out of her pack. You never looked out for her but she always looked out for you.” Contempt dripped from her words. One would think I had been the one to push a silver poisoned dagger into their alpha. That had been my sister.

“You have a right to your opinion, Ash. Just as I have a right to disregard your opinion. Thank you though,” I shook my head.

“You’re going to regret her, Mason. She’s going to be nothing but a setback. A f*****g damsel in distress. If things go bad, be sure you would have to rescue her all the time,” She sneered.

My control on my anger was slipping. It was slipping fast. I wasn’t one with a temper but the way she spoke of my mate made my fist shake. I assessed her mate. I could take the both of them in a single move.

“Some people deserve a nice smack sometimes. In the face. With a chair,” Indigo muttered and I grinned openly.

“Excuse me? “ Ashley took a threatening step forward.

“Oh! I was just thinking of how some people deserve to be smacked for their ignorant words.” She said innocently, batting her lashes.

“You think because you’re mated to the beta you’re now at my level? You’re still a lowly omega! I’m still your superior in this f*****g pack! You’ll see –“ Her mate pulled her back.

“Apologize.” My words were calm despite my quivering fist.

“What!?”

“Apologize!”

“I'm sorry, Mason. I didn’t –“

“Not to me, ” I said quietly.

“You have got to be kidding me, ” she murmured. Whatever she saw in my eyes made her apologize immediately.

“I once regarded you as my little sister, Ashley. But you will not disrespect my mate. You will not disrespect me. You’re hanging here by a thin thread. I will snip it if you don’t watch your tongue around Indigo.” I growled.

“I’m mated to Mason and there’s nothing you can do about it. Cry me a river and drown yourself if it hurts too bad!” My little spitfire spat.

“You can’t –“ She growled. “She can’t speak to me like that!” She cried, stepping forward. Her mate grabbed her and pulled her back.

“Come on, Ashley. We aren’t looking for trouble. Sorry Beta Mason, Indie,” He inclined his head and dragged his mate away.

Turning to my mate, I smiled. “I didn’t think you had such spirit.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” She answered, voice quiet. I couldn’t shake off the feeling there were double edges to her words.

“I’ll like to know everything.” I cleared my throat. “Do you fancy like – I mean, we could grab a bite or – or a drink. That’s if you want. “