23. Mason
CHAPTER 23
Mason
What the actual fuck!
Their combined perfumes hit me like a freight train, the sweet blueberry of Lake and the tangy sweetness of Chad is almost more than I can handle. Only it isn’t just them I can smell. I can smell another alpha and the possessive need to claim them both right this second still has a chokehold on me.
The air feels too thick to breathe, and my throat tightens, but I keep moving. My muscles coil with every step I take toward them, Lakelyn’s wide eyes tracking me while Chad’s gaze is slower, more deliberate. It lingers like a challenge, sliding over me in a way that makes my pulse pound in my ears. He’s messing with me. He knows exactly what he’s doing, making me feel like the third wheel to something I haven’t even agreed to.
Then, Chad’s lips curve into that cocky smile, and his voice cuts through the haze, soft but sharp. “Where do you suggest, Alpha?”
The word Alpha rolls off his tongue like a dare, and it lands heavy in my chest, making my heart stutter. My mind scrambles, trying to keep up. Did I say something? Did I suggest something? I blink at him, confusion flaring, before it clicks— he’s asking where else they should go. Somewhere better suited for whatever was about to happen before I walked in. Heat floods through me, pooling low in my gut, and I shift on my feet, trying to ease the ache building in my jeans without making it obvious.
Chad doesn’t miss it. His eyes flick down to where I’m standing stiff, and his smile widens, slow and lazy like he’s enjoying every second of watching me squirm. My fists clench again, this time out of sheer willpower to keep myself together. He’s got to be kidding. I grit my teeth, forcing my voice out in a low growl.
"Stay here if you want," I growl, barely holding back the possessive edge creeping into my voice. My whole body feels like it’s teetering on the edge, every instinct screaming at me to take control. "I don’t give a damn."
Chad’s eyes flick down again, and that lazy smile stretches wider. He knows exactly what I’m fighting. "You don’t, huh?" he murmurs, his voice soft but thick with challenge. "Because you’re acting like you care. A lot."
My fists tighten, knuckles white, but I force myself to stay rooted in place. He’s baiting me, pushing me, and damn if it’s not working. My lungs burn as I inhale, and that scent— our scent—hits me again like a sledgehammer. I know the alpha. It’s Dean. And them combined…Dean, Chad, Lakelyn—Pack.
The realization crashes over me, drowning out everything else. They’re mine. All of them. This isn't just some messed-up desire. This is instinct, raw and primal, and it takes every ounce of restraint not to act on it right here, right now.
I’m supposed to protect them, to be at the center of this connection that’s already thrumming between us. But they’ve already gotten too close to each other without me, and that part of me—the part that refuses to let anyone else touch what’s mine —roars to the surface. No matter how much I try to tamp it down.
"Lake," I say, my voice strained as I glance over at her. She’s watching us both, her lips slightly parted, wide-eyed like she’s waiting to see who’s going to make the next move.
"Mase," she breathes, stepping closer, her fingers brushing my arm. Her touch sends a jolt through me, grounding me for a second. But it’s not enough to stop the heat flooding my veins.
Chad chuckles, the sound low and teasing. "What’s got you all worked up?" His eyes are locked on mine, daring me to admit what we both know. "Is it because you can’t handle the fact that I know what Lakelyn’s lips taste like and you don’t?" His voice drops lower, taunting. "That you want both of us."
His words are a punch to the gut, but they’re true. I want them both. I want everything—every part of this pack, of them. But more than that, I want control. I need to know they’re mine, that no one else can touch them the way I will.
I step forward, my jaw tight. Chad’s grin fades slightly as he straightens, his cocky attitude faltering for just a second, like he wasn’t expecting me to close the distance so fast. My hand shoots out, gripping his chin, forcing him to look up at me. His breath catches, but his eyes gleam with anticipation.
"You think this is a game, Chad?" I growl, my voice low and rough. "You think I don’t see what you’re doing?"
Lakelyn gasps softly beside us, but I don’t turn my attention from Chad. His lips part slightly, and there’s a flicker of something in his eyes—maybe surprise, maybe satisfaction—but he doesn’t pull away. He leans into it, into me.
"Maybe it is a game," Chad says, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe you’re just scared to play."
That’s it. That’s the final shove I need. The last ounce of restraint shatters, and I’m done pretending.
I slam my mouth against his, hard, demanding, pouring everything into it. He groans into the kiss, his hands fisting in my shirt, and it only fuels the fire. The taste of him—spicy and sweet and undeniably Chad—has my senses roaring, my body reacting like I’ve been starving for this. For him. For them.
Lakelyn’s soft inhale pulls me back for a split second, reminding me she’s watching. Her scent curls around me, and I break away from Chad, my breath coming out in heavy pants as I turn to her. The way she’s looking at me, her lips parted, cheeks flushed, it’s like a punch to the gut. She wants this, wants me . And I want her, just as much as I want Chad.
But as I reach for her, a fleeting thought slices through the haze clouding my brain—Landon. My best friend. Her brother.
He’s trusted me my whole life with her, trusted me to keep her safe, never knowing how I’ve felt. And now here I am, crossing a line that can’t be uncrossed. How the hell am I going to face him after this? Explain why I didn’t stop this from happening? That I couldn’t stop myself from wanting her—and Chad.
I’ll have to deal with the fallout later. Landon’s not going to be happy, but this isn’t just some casual hookup or something I can walk away from. It’s deeper than that, something primal, something bigger than any of us.
Pack.
I shove the thought away for now, focusing on Lakelyn’s gaze, the way she leans in, her breath hitching as my fingers brush the side of her neck. Her skin’s soft, warm, and it sends a jolt straight through me. My grip tightens just slightly, and she lets out a small gasp, her eyes fluttering shut for a second.
“Lake…” I whisper, my voice rough, hoarse with the need I’m barely keeping in check. I’m so close to losing it, to pulling her against me and showing her exactly what she means to me—what they both mean to me.
Chad moves behind me, and I feel his presence like a magnet pulling at my instincts. His hand lands on my shoulder, firm but not possessive. It’s a reminder that he’s here, that we’re all connected in this. His lips brush my ear, and his voice, low and teasing, sets my skin on fire.
“Don’t stop now, Alpha ,” Chad murmurs, his words dripping with that smug confidence that usually drives me crazy. But right now, it only makes me hungrier. For them.
Lakelyn's eyes are wide, searching my face as if waiting for my next move. I pull her closer, my lips grazing the corner of her mouth, teasing. Tasting. I groan against her lips. Fuck me. She tastes like she smells. Blueberries.
“You’re both mine,” I growl, the possessiveness I’ve been holding back slipping out without my permission.
Lakelyn moans softly, her body pressing closer to mine, the sound vibrating through my chest, making me nearly lose it. I grip her tighter, the heat between us building with every second, my mind spinning with the need to claim them both, to make this real.
Chad’s lips trail along the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine as his words sink in. “Show her,” he urges again, the heat of his breath driving me wild. My control is slipping, fast. His teeth graze my skin, and Lakelyn’s hands tangle in my shirt, pulling me closer.
I’m on the edge, so close to giving in to every primal urge screaming at me, but just as I lean down, ready to press my lips against Lakelyn’s neck, something snaps.
A loud bang from the back of the shop, metal clattering to the floor, breaks through the haze.
Lakelyn startles, jerking back from me, her breath coming in shaky gasps as her wide eyes flicker toward the source of the noise. Chad’s grip on my shoulder tightens, but even he pulls away slightly, his gaze snapping to the back of the shop, where the sound came from.
“Shit,” I mutter, my heart pounding, the moment shattered. My body protests, wanting to pull them both back, to finish what we started, but instinct kicks in, demanding I figure out what just happened.
“What was that?” Chad steps back, ready to go investigate.
“The back door’s locked,” Lakelyn says.
I tug my fingers through my hair, urging my heart rate to go back down. “Stay here, I’ll check it out.”
Chad huffs out a laugh at my overprotectiveness, but he’s going to need to get used to it.
He gives me a crooked grin, one eyebrow raised as he crosses his arms, clearly amused by my instinct to take charge. “Really, Alpha? You think I’m just going to sit here while you go play hero?”
I shoot him a look, my jaw clenching. “I’m serious. Both of you, stay here.”
Lakelyn glances at Chad, then back at me, clearly torn. Her lips part, but no words come out as she wraps her arms around herself, the flush of our moment still lingering on her skin. I can feel her worry, mixed with the adrenaline from everything we just went through. She doesn’t want to stay behind any more than Chad does, but this isn’t up for debate.
“I’ll be quick,” I add, trying to reassure her. “Just—wait here.”
She bites her lip, her eyes softening for a second before she nods. Chad, on the other hand, isn’t so compliant. He steps closer, his expression hardening. “I’m not some damsel in distress, Mason. If someone’s here, we’re handling this together.”
I sigh, knowing it’s pointless to argue. Chad’s stubbornness is one of the things that drives me insane—and makes him so damn attractive. “Fine,” I relent, stepping toward the hallway that leads to the back of the shop. “But stay close. Both of you.”
Lakelyn’s steps are light behind us as we make our way toward the noise, and my senses are on high alert, trying to pick up anything out of place.
The tension between us is thick, the charged energy from before still humming under the surface, but now it’s twisted with a sharp edge of caution.
As we reach the backroom, I pause, listening. The clatter from earlier has left the air tense and too still. Chad, standing beside me, peers around, his jaw tight.
“Nothing seems out of place,” Lakelyn whispers, her voice barely audible.
I glance around the room, scanning the shadows, trying to make sense of the sound that had broken the moment. A stack of paint cans is toppled over in the corner, scattered on the floor, but other than that, everything seems untouched.
“Maybe it was nothing,” I mutter, though I don’t fully believe it myself.
Chad snorts. “You seriously think a random stack of cans just decided to fall over on its own?”
I grit my teeth, annoyed by his tone, but even more annoyed that he’s probably right. Something feels off, but there’s no sign of anyone here. Just the heavy tension between us that hasn’t eased since we left the front of the shop.
Lakelyn kneels beside the paint cans, running her fingers along the spilled paint that’s splattered across the floor. “It looks like someone knocked them over,” she says, her brows furrowing. “But there’s no one here.”
I take a step forward, my gaze scanning every corner of the room. “We’ll double-check the doors and windows, just in case.”
Chad is still watching me, his lips curved into a lazy smirk like he’s enjoying watching me take charge. “You’re not letting this go, are you?”
I shoot him a glare, but he just laughs softly, the sound low and teasing. “Fine, Alpha. Lead the way.”
I shake my head, trying to ignore the pull of both him and Lakelyn. Now’s not the time. But damn, the way Chad’s eyes flick over me, challenging me with that smirk of his, it’s hard not to get distracted.