Chapter 10 Mason
Mason
I woke with a start. The room was dark.
For a second, I didn’t understand why. My brain felt slow, heavy, like I’d been dragged up from deep water. Then it hit me. I’d slept through the afternoon.
“Shit.”
I fumbled for my phone on the bedside table, squinting at the bright screen. 7:56 PM.
My stomach dropped. There was a message from Levi.
Be there in 5.
Sent over an hour ago.
“Shit,” I repeated, louder this time.
I scrambled out of bed, grabbing the first shirt I could find and pulling it over my head as I stumbled toward the door. I didn’t even bother checking the mirror. My hair was probably sticking up in every direction.
As I hurried down the stairs, the sound of a video game filtered up from the living room, filled with bright electronic music, the revving whine of engines, and bursts of groaning and cheering.
“—no, no, drift now!” someone yelled over the chaos.
“That was my boost!”
“You cut me off!”
I slowed slightly at the bottom of the stairs and peeked into the living room.
The coffee table was a mess of takeout containers, half-empty boxes, and scattered sauce packets, with soda and beer cans pushed to the edges. The TV flickered with a chaotic race of cartoonish go-karts speeding through a bright track, items flashing and flying across the screen.
Nico and Tony were sprawled on opposite ends of the couch, each eating straight from their takeout boxes while clutching controllers.
Levi sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch.
Two others sat nearby, one broad-shouldered guy focused intently on the screen, the other leaning forward and animatedly pointing at it.
Nico spotted me first. “Hey, you’re finally up!”
Everyone glanced over briefly.
“That’s Griffin,” Nico added, nodding toward the broad-shouldered man. Griffin barely acknowledged me, too focused on the race.
“And that’s Michael,” Nico continued, gesturing at the other guy.
Michael gave me a quick nod before immediately turning back. “Brake—brake—okay now boost, boost!”
Griffin grunted in concentration.
Levi’s amused gaze slowly slid over me, from my messy hair down to my bare feet. His eyes lingered for half a second at my waist, and I realized my shirt had ridden up, exposing a strip of skin.
Heat rushed to my face.
I tugged the shirt down quickly, trying to smooth it out, then ran a hand through my hair, which probably only made it worse.
On the TV, a triumphant jingle played as the race ended.
Michael pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!”
Nico groaned. “I hate this track.”
Tony finally looked over at me. “Tried waking you a few times. You were dead to the world.”
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean to—I must’ve—”
Levi pushed himself to his feet. “Come on.” He gestured his head toward the hallway.
We stepped into the quieter space just outside the living room.
“You okay?” he asked. “We can take a rain check if you want to sleep more.”
“No,” I said immediately. “No, I can still do dinner. If you’re still up for it.”
Right on cue, my stomach growled.
Levi laughed softly. “Alright. I’ll wait while you get ready.”
I nodded and hurried back upstairs.
The cold shower helped wake me up, and I changed into clean clothes. I splashed water on my face one last time before heading back down.
When I reentered the living room, Levi had taken over one of the controllers. He was leaning forward, nudging Griffin with his shoulder.
“You’ve got to hit the boost right out of the turn,” he said. “See?”
On screen, his kart shot forward, overtaking two others before crossing the finish line.
A victory jingle chimed.
Levi grinned. “Yes!”
Nico groaned dramatically. “I demand a rematch.”
Levi set the controller down and stood as I approached. “Ready?” he asked. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I… uh,” I hesitated. “I don’t really know what’s around here yet.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Though… I liked that Korean takeout place Nico ordered from the other night.”
My stomach growled again, loudly enough that Tony snorted.
My gaze drifted to the spread of food still on the table. Levi followed my line of sight, then looked back at me, one brow raised, as if to say really?
I tried for an apologetic expression.
From the couch, Nico called out without turning around, “Just let the man eat. Can’t you see he’s starving? And you—” he pointed vaguely at Levi— “when have you ever denied free food?”
Levi sighed, but there was a hint of amusement in it. He went to the kitchen and came back with two plates, then immediately started scooping food onto them. He piled rice onto one side, added noodles, then paused.
“Spicy okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He added a few pieces of fried chicken, then glanced back. “You like this?”
I wasn’t sure what it was but I just nodded.
He kept building the plates until they looked almost too full. “Grab a couple beers?”
“Oh. Yeah.” I moved to the fridge, still a little confused. I grabbed two cans and followed him to the front door.
The porch light flicked on automatically as we stepped outside. Levi set both plates on the small table, then adjusted one of the seat cushions, fluffing it slightly before patting the spot beside him for me to sit.
“By the way, this doesn’t count as going out,” he said.
I glanced around. We were literally outside. “It doesn’t?”
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “You still owe me one. We’ll go out properly another time.”
The certainty in his tone made something flutter low in my stomach.
“Alright,” I said, smiling as I sat beside him.
For a while, we just ate. The food was warm and comforting, and I realized I was even more hungry than I’d thought. Levi ate more slowly, occasionally glancing at me like he was making sure I had enough.
The conversation drifted easily. Small things about the town, about his training schedule, about how Nico apparently cheated at the game earlier.
And the more we sat there, the more I became aware of Levi beside me.
The way his shoulder brushed mine occasionally when he shifted. His scent, clean and warm, with that faint sharp note I’d noticed earlier, seemed stronger outside, and my coyote leaned into it instinctively.
When he smiled at something I said, I found myself watching his mouth. His lips looked soft and plush, curving slightly at the corners even when he wasn’t fully smiling.
I looked away quickly, focusing on my food.
I finished before he did, wiping my hands on a napkin. From inside the house, a loud cheer erupted, followed by someone groaning dramatically.
Levi chuckled. “Sounds like Nico lost again.”
He set his plate aside. “Want to walk? Just around the block.”
I hesitated for half a second, then nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
We walked without much direction, following the quiet roads that wound through the packlands. The sky was a deep blue, the last of the daylight fading, porch lights glowing here and there between the trees.
For a while, neither of us spoke. Our footsteps fell into an easy rhythm.
Levi glanced over at me. “So, how are you settling in?”
“Good,” I said. “I mean… I haven’t really been around town much yet.”
That wasn’t exactly a lie. I’d mostly stuck close to the house and the areas Nico had shown me. I hadn’t wandered further than that. It just felt like if I did, it wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Before I could stop myself, I added, “I didn’t really want to overstep.”
“Nico just doesn’t like driving.”
I blinked.
“He hates it,” Levi added, sounding amused. “If you want to go somewhere, just call me. I don’t mind taking you.”
“Oh.” The answer caught me off guard. I guessed I’d built the whole thing up in my head, assumed I was being watched. “Sure. Thanks.”
He nodded, and we kept walking.
I didn’t talk much after that. Levi didn’t seem to mind. He filled the silence easily with stories from patrols, half amused and half resigned.
Like the time they tracked a lost shifter for hours only to find him asleep in an abandoned shed. Or when Nico insisted he could read footprints better than any tracker, then promptly led them the wrong way.
“Security and tracking argue all the time,” Levi said, smiling. “But we end up working together anyway. Nico once tried to ‘improve’ our route planning software. Crashed it right before a patrol rotation.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“We went old school,” he said. “Paper maps. Nico sulked for three days.”
I huffed a quiet laugh.
The more he talked, the more I relaxed. The sound of his voice blended with the quiet night. A cool breeze picked up, brushing against my arms, and with it came a now familiar scent.
My coyote leaned toward it instinctively.
At some point, our footsteps slowed. I looked up and recognized the area. We’d walked all the way to Levi’s cabin.
I shifted my weight. “I should probably—”
The words caught before I could finish. His gaze was fixed on me. His eyes darkened, something sharper settling into his expression.
We were standing closer than I’d realized, close enough that all I could think about was the curve of his mouth.
I wanted to close the distance. Wanted to pull him in and press my lips against his.
Levi’s eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to mine.
Oh. This is a bad idea.
I should leave. I should step back now before I did something I’d regret. Instead, I stayed exactly where I was.
Levi seemed to notice. “Tell me to stop.”
That would be the smart choice. The safe one. Everything depended on keeping him at arm’s length.
Levi leaned in slowly, giving me time to pull away. I didn’t.
Our lips brushed. For a split second I froze, the contact so gentle it almost didn’t feel real. Then something in me shifted. I leaned in, chasing the warmth.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair, steadying me. I let out a moan before I could stop it.
His lips were softer than I’d imagined, and when he tilted his head slightly, the kiss grew firmer, more certain.
The faint spice of his scent wrapped around me, grounding and dizzying all at once. My hand curled into his jacket without thinking, drawing him closer until there was barely any space left between us.
When we finally pulled apart, Levi rested his forehead lightly against mine, trying to catch his breath.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
“Still okay?” he asked softly.
I stared at him, not trusting myself to speak right away.