Rogue (Alpha Dom’s Book 2)

Chapter Three

Aden

In all my years, in my entire life I had never expected the feelings that assaulted me as the woman on the sand opened her eyes, spluttering up sea water so it dribbled over chin and down her cleavage.

I had grown up on stories of the mate bond. The real mate bond. The kind that hit shifters with all the power of a freight train. I had never really believed it until I had first seen Mason. But that jolt of electricity had nothing, absolutely nothing compared to the lightning bolt that hit me when I stared down at the tiny woman in front of me.

A million colours flashed before my unseeing eyes. I couldn’t catch my breath, it felt like I was drowning on solid land.

I watched as Mason was bombarded with the same feelings. He fell back in the sand even as I stumbled back myself.

She was the one.

Our third.

There could be no denying it. I would never want to. As I gazed down at the woman, because she was a woman being helped upright by other tourists I distantly heard Mason say something , his voice so fraught with emotion it was like a dagger in my heart.

He ran, big strong, never take s**t from anyone rogue, turned on his heel and ran and I knew I should go after him. I should but I couldn’t get my feet to move.

All I could do was stare down at the woman, even now she was on her feet she didn’t even reach my shoulders.

She was wobbling slightly but her brown eyes were unusually clear. “You saved me.” Her voice was small.

Smiling I shook my head. “My friend Mason. Not me.” Feeling foolish I held out my hand. “I’m Aden.”

Her smile was coy but dazzling, it was like a second sun had started shining. “Daisy, Daisy Malone..” her hand wrapped around mine and it was like I was engulfed in a whirlpool of colours and scents.

It was officially Daisy Malone was our third.

“Mason.”

The stench of booze hit me in the face as I pushed my way into our hotel room. The drapes had been pulled closed over the floor to ceiling sliding windows.

“Mason I know you are in here”

Silence was my only answer but I knew he was in there. He could be as quiet as he wanted I would always be able to tell when he was in a room.

Pulling back the curtains I illuminated the room in the bright Caribbean sunlight. Mason gave a strangled cry , throwing up his hands to cover his face. The tumbler in his hands falling to the floor and shattering into a million tiny crystalline shards.

“What are you doing?” I stood there and just stared at him. What the hell was his problem? After everything we had been through with Liv,surely actually finding out mate and third was a good thing surely?

So why was Mason sat here, in the dark? Trying to drown his sorrows in the mini bar?

“Drinking.” His voice was dead. No emotion in it at all.

“Why?” What the hell was wrong with him? “”Why are you here trying to get drunk when our mate is out there….” He didn’t let me finish, the snarl that left his lips was animalistic. “I feel like having a drink, it’s what some adults do Aden and as for the girl on the beach… she’s not our mate.” His eyes met mine, he had obviously drank a fair amount since he had left me in that sand staring at the most beautiful woman in the universe. “We agreed it would be just the two of us…”

It was my time to interrupt him with a growl of my own. He could deny it however much he wanted. I knew what I had felt. What we had felt. “I know you are still hurting over Liv, I k is Beast coming back and taking her wasn’t what you wanted but she was never our mate Mason. DAISY is.”

He started at her name and for a second his eyes closed.

“That’s her name by the way and she is beautiful and incredibly sweet. Mason just give her a chance. Get to know her.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t, I won’t put myself in that situation ever again.”

“You’re a coward Mason.” I had expected him to defend himself. He was a proud man. But instead he just gave a shrug.

“Just leave me alone Aden. I can’t deal with this right now.” He unscrewed the cap and tipped the small bottle to his lips, downing it in one.

“Fine.”

Mason didn’t have the exclusive rights to heart break and pain. Liv had broken my heart as well. But Daisy was our chance at happiness. Like real happiness.

I just didn’t understand why he didn’t want to fight for it.

Personally I had no inclination to leave this island with out Daisy being mine. I just hoped Mason would come round to my way of thinking when he calmed down.

“We have been invited to have dinner with her family tonight. They want to meet you.” Fishing the business card out of my pocket. “Join us when you have got your head out your ass and for gods sake take a shower you smell like a brewery.”