Florida Heat: Book One in the Clearwater Pack Series

Chapter 6: You're already dead to me

Mason’s Point of View:

I cannot believe that happened, none of it. I’m sitting looking out over the Ocean in front of me wondering how on earth she showed up at a bar in my town. All of the events from the evening are weighing heavily on me. I saved her; I f*****g saved her life. The only reason I was able to go back through that damn door was the simple fact that my feet walked me over to it. My father asked me how I found them, and I couldn’t answer, because I didn’t even know how I end up back at the door I had come from minutes prior. I had walked a football field away and yet was pulled right back to the damn door.

My mother too pressed me over the phone asking me the same questions, but I thoroughly have no idea how I knew I needed to go back to the door. Oddly enough, Sophia and Theo both said they heard me through our mind link – but I never triggered that within my head. I’ve asked them both what I said and they both inform me that it was gibberish but the words that were clear were “back door”. What the f**k. I throw myself back on the sand and look up at the night sky, what happened to me tonight?

The ground next to me shifts and I know its her before she sits down next to me, Sophia. She has a smell of honey that gives her a way. She grabs my hand, “You know what is happening right?” I laugh, “If I did, would I be laying out here in the sand looking up to the night sky for answers like I’m black panther in a dream sequence?” She laughs, “You are an idiot.” She pulls me up to sit up, where she grabs my hands.

“What do you feel when my hands are on yours,” she asks me. I look at her confused, “I feel you?” She shakes her head, “Come on Mase, what do you feel.” What the okay fine. “I feel, the urge to protect you, to help you I feel a bond that will never be broken but never grown either.” With that last statement I drop her hands and look back out over the ocean. I know where this is going now. “Mason, that girl you saved tonight Cassie I think I heard her friend call her, the girl you saved, the girl you beat the s**t out of her boyfriend for, the girl who you pulled into your arms here on this very beach… you know what she is to you.” I shake my head and laugh out loud. “Jesus Christ, of all people, I was hoping you would have my back here. I did what I did because I’d do it for anyone. She ran into my arms here on the beach and I was simply trying to protect her from seeing the man who assaulted her.”

With that, Sophia gets up and brushes the dirt off her backside. “My piece of advice, figure out how the hell she was with that man. Regardless if he is like ‘us’ how was she with him for so long, and not know.” She walks away but not before kicking dirt at the back of my head. I brush the bit of sand that is falling to my shoulders and quickly stand up and shake off. I pace along the shoreline for awhile thinking about the words that my dearest friend just muttered to me. The realization she noticed, and yet I didn’t… I mean, I knew he was a shifter, we just know. But, how on earth was she with a shifter and not know it? How did he keep that from her?

I grab my phone and call my father, “Is he in the secured cell?” My father mutters yes and I’m now into a full spring to the local police station that has a particular cell that house people like Landen, people like me. When I arrive at the station, I go around to the desk of the officer who was the one who took Landen here and ask to see him. He directs me toward his cell and when I look into it, I see a broken man. He notices me and straightens himself up, good he is afraid of me.

“Is she your mate?” I spit out at him. He shakes his head no. “Does she know what you are?” He again shakes his head no. “How?” He looks at me utter pain etched across his face, “Not without a lot of self-control. I’ve held it back and when I felt it coming to the surface I would leave or request to go for a run and let my wolf out.” I shake my head in disbelief. “How did you meet her?” He looks up at to me, “Disney Springs like 4 years ago. She was setting up a concert there with Disney as an intern. I could smell her a mile away. I don’t know what it is about her, I thought…Listen, I know she is your mate, but I thought she might have been mine at first… and then, I just really began to love her, so I stayed even though I knew she wasn’t my mate.” I look at him, “She is not my mate.” He laughs, “Denial, that’s cute. For an Alpha line wolf, you truly suck at this.”

I slam my hand against the cell bars, “What the f**k is that supposed to mean?” He smiles, “I could have had her forever… but keeping my wolf at bay around her began to become more difficult and I couldn’t control my anger because I was keeping it pent up for too long, it got the best of us. I could have had her, and you wouldn’t have even stood a chance.” I growl and immediately in shock over my reaction. “Ha, look at you. You are upset over a threat I made that obviously won’t happen. I can’t compete against an alpha line wolf.” I look at him, at least he knows that much about this situation.

“Where are you from, how come I’ve never seen you in these parts before?” He smiles, “Well, I know who your father is threw the grapevine but, I didn’t know he had another son.” I tilt my head, “You know my brother?” He smiles and shakes his head, “Sure do, he much bigger than you though…more alpha type, but your left hook tells me different I suppose.” The anger within me continues to grow but he interrupts my thoughts, “She will come back to me. She might be your mate, but she is in love with me. She is about to realize it too. I’ll be able to explain things to her and get this straightened out. She will see it was all a misunderstanding.” I grab the bar, “You will not go near her, she is going to put out a PPO.” He laughs, “I’m one of the best trackers you will ever meet, I’ve been stealthy this entire time she’s never questioned me before. I’ll just tell her the truth and try and make things right between us, besides… you’re not the only one who can sing. I’ll have her swooning once again soon. I won’t stop, I’ve had a taste of her – I’ll never stop, you’ll have to kill me.”

I grab both bars and look directly at him, “that won’t be a problem, to me you are already dead.” I turn on my foot and step out of the hallway to which is the high tolerance cell, the one we use for people like him. The police around here know that there are certain people who need to be placed in this type of cell, questions are not asked but suggested to get my father involved on these specific criminals.

I walk out the door of the police station and breath in the air… I can faintly smell her – she’s not close but she is nearby. I let my nose lead and become focused on her scent and her scent alone. I home to the Nolan Apartment building and continue to let it lead me into the complex and it brings me to a door that has 4 or 5 different boxes outside labeled “Take your s**t Dickhead” I smile at the thought. She has already put him out like he is the trash.

Against my better judgement I find myself knocking on her door even though its well after midnight by this point. I hear some rustling around and the door handle jiggles quite a bit, and then it opens. Standing before me is not the girl whom which I saved but it is the girls friend, I recognize her from the evening. “What can I do for you guitar boy?” I smile at her question, “I’d like to speak with Cassandra, It’s kind of important.” She shrugs her shoulders, “How did you find our apartment?” I smile, “Police officer. I asked to check up on you, thankfully my dad is the mayor I was able to pull some strings on this.” She looks at me then looks behind her shoulder, “fine come in and sit on the couch, ill go get her.”