Lucy couldn’t stop herself from giving him a little verbal jab. “So, you’re telling me your leaders are all incompetent nincompoops, too?”
Mason laughed, and once again, Lucy felt a comfort and ease she’d never experienced. For some reason her logical mind couldn’t fathom, his mere presence made her feel safe. Safer than she’d felt since the day her parents had died. In fact, she wanted to ask him to lie down next to her and wrap his arms around her, but she managed to control herself. Barely.
“I’d like to think we care more about our people than politicians,” Mason said when he caught his breath, “but you never really know what’s in someone’s heart.” He paused and stared deeply into her eyes. “Do you?”
The urge to invite him into her bed grew stronger. Lucy swallowed hard and pressed on, ignoring what her body demanded.
“So why are they bugging you? You’re the alpha here, right?”
Mason held her gaze a moment longer before answering. “I am, but every pack in the country falls under the purview of the National Ruling Circle. You could think of the packs as states and the NRC as the federal government.”
Lucy rolled her eyes but said nothing more.
“Roman and his men are here to investigate a false claim that someone in the Blackwood pack violated our code of conduct.”
“How do you know it’s false?”
“I just do.”
“Uh huh,” Lucy mused. “So, everyone in this house is a werewolf? Even Drew?”
“Drew is the pack healer, which is why he’s qualified to treat you.”
“He’s not just a vet?”
Mason’s smile lit her world on fire. “Nope.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” To her surprise, it was true. Almost as if she was starting to believe all this werewolf nonsense. Then another thought hit her. “Good lord, is everyone in Ashtown a werewolf? What about Miss Violet from the coffee shop?”
“As human as they come.”
Lucy smiled, happy that one of her favorite people was just like her. But that disquiet she’d been battling with surged to the surface and a thought popped into her head that made her blanch. “Wait, what about Charlie?”
What remained of Mason’s smile flitted away, replaced with a grim expression. “The Tiptons are members of my pack, including Charlie.”
“But…” She thought hard, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. “But if Charlie is a werewolf, and he bit me, then…” She turned wild eyes on Mason, true fear pulsing through her, especially the spot the boy had bitten. “Am I going to die?”
Mason reached out and took her hand in both of his, stroking it gently. “We don’t know for sure. You’re something of a special case.”
“Why?”
“Charlie might not be your mate, but you are destined to be mated to a werewolf.”
“How do you know that? How can you be sure?”
The worry in Mason’s eyes softened to something else. Something Lucy wasn’t ready for. “Wolves know their fated mates the moment they meet,” he explained. “The connection is instant and forever, but it isn’t until they mate fully that their bond is unbreakable. I knew we were fated before I even laid eyes on you. I smelled your scent on Drew and my wolf recognized you as our mate.”
Lucy stared at him blankly for a moment. “Now what the fuck do you expect me to say to that?”
He smiled again, melting her from the inside out. She couldn’t deny she was attracted to the man. More than attracted. She was drawn to him on a cellular level. Her body yearned for him, ached for him, needed him to survive.
That’s it!
“So, if Charlie isn’t my mate—obviously—but you are, then what happens? Will… whatever you call it… mating me save my life? If so, what are we waiting for? Don’t let me die, Mason.”
“Never!” His upper lip pulled back in a snarl that in no way felt threatening to Lucy. Quite the opposite. She understood instinctively he was growling at the possibility of her death. “But it’s complicated, Lucy.”
Tears burned her eyes and she turned her face away from him. “Whatever. This is all a bunch of bullshit anyway. You’re not a werewolf and I’m not dying from some stupid bite from a little kid. I’m just hallucinating all of this. That has to be it!”
“You need proof.” Mason’s tone was cool and confident. Lucy turned back to him, ignoring the tears streaming down her face unchecked as she nodded.
Without a word, he pushed himself out of the chair and moved to the center of the room. He dragged his black t-shirt over his head, revealing the contours of his chest. A fine spray of hair dusted his pecs, but what lay under the hair had Lucy swallowing hard and fast as he unzipped his jeans. When he hooked his thumbs in the waistband, she closed her eyes—partly to give him privacy, partly to control her own wildly erratic libido.
“If you want proof, you need to open your eyes, my love.”
Gripping the bedsheets in her fists, Lucy pried open her eyes. Mason stood proud as a peacock, his entire, fantastically ripped body on full display for her.
And only her, something deep inside her growled.
Then Mason wasn’t quite Mason. He lengthened and became broader. The hair on his chest thickened and spread across his entire body. His face stretched, and before she could even blink, Mason wasn’t Mason at all.
Before her stood a giant wolf, its fur so dark it was almost black, but with a faint hint of brown—just like his hair. Fangs poked out from its snout. Sharp claws clacked on the floor as it settled into its new form. Its fluffy tail wagged. But the creature’s eyes caught Lucy’s attention. Green as a springtime field—Mason’s eyes.
Even as the room spun around her, and the world faded to black, Lucy understood in her soul that werewolves were real.
Chapter Twelve
Mason didn’t take his attention from Lucy as Drew left, the healer quietly closing the door behind him. Mason had summoned the healer the moment Lucy lost consciousness and Drew… had been less than pleased at Mason for shifting. Even now, the words continued to flutter through his mind.
“She’s fighting for her life, Mason,” Drew scolded him. “Next time you want to impress your mate, do it when she’s healthy, okay?”
Mason slumped in the chair by her bed, wishing Drew had given him a chance to explain. He’d only wanted to give her the proof she’d needed, but inside he knew the truth. He’d wanted his prove himself worthy to his mate. He’d wanted to show her his wolf and parade around for his mate.
Listening hard, he could just make out the conversation between his brothers and the NC. Kade and Gavin invited them to the main dining room for dinner, which was just fine by Mason. Roman, Silas and Dane might be his superiors, but nothing would come between him and his mate.
Lucy became restless and whined in her sleep, the sound not stopping until Mason clasped her hand. She sighed and settled just as he suspected, his touch calming her. Maybe lying next to her would ease even more of her discomfort.
Mason had slipped on his boxer briefs after returning to his human form. While he normally slept in the nude just in case he needed to shift on the fly, he crawled under the covers with them on to keep himself from going wild with desire for his mate. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his body, realizing his meager efforts were futile. Her curves fit into his hard planes softly and perfectly, making his body react in an instant without restraint.