Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Mason
Taking one last look in the mirror, I grab my wallet, phone, and room key, then head out the door.
Even though Hex and I haven't been together in years, there's still a part of me that wants to look good for him.
Something my wolf highly encourages, yet I keep telling him not to get invested in the outcome.
Most of the impulse is likely because of the increasing strength of the bond now that we're back in close proximity to each other.
Pulling up the address Hex sent me, I plug it into the GPS and exit the hotel parking lot, heading out of the small town of Bison Ridge.
The drive isn't long, but feels like an eternity due to nerves.
I have no idea what kind of reception to expect from Hex, or from his chosen family – the brothers of the Nefarious MC.
Their tech guy, Cipher, and I are on good terms. He helps the pack out when we need intel on missions for the Ravenswing Coven. But since I've been stalling about meeting with Hex, even he may be a little testy. If it comes down to choosing sides, Cipher would choose the club witch, no contest.
Pulling up to a non-descript building out on the edge of the forest, I park my truck and take a deep breath.
On the exhale, I open the door and get out.
Hex must have been watching for me because the door opens before I make it more than a few steps.
I pause, and we stare at each other across the short distance.
Hex is hot in his leather pants and a mesh shirt.
He's always had his own style. Attraction was never the problem between us.
I feel the mate bond pulling us toward each other, but I rein it in, much to the displeasure of my wolf. We're basically mates on a technicality. There won't be any physical displays of the connection.
"You gonna stand there all afternoon and stare, or can we get on with it?" Hex asks.
I resume my steps and follow him inside. Instead of being full of his club brothers, we're alone in the building. I wasn't looking forward to everyone witnessing whatever is about it happen, but somehow being completely alone isn't any less nerve-racking.
"Drink?" Hex pulls a beer from behind the bar.
I take it from him while he grabs another, then have a seat on one of the barstools.
"Let's get this over with," I say after taking a long drink.
"Do you honestly feel nothing?" Hex asks, sadness in his eyes.
"You know I do. But you deserve to live your own life, not be shackled to a mate you didn't ask for."
"You saved my life, Mason. That means something to me."
"I know. But don't confuse that with love."
"I'm not, and you damn well know it. I also know we can't break this bond. Why not at least try to make a go of it?"
So that's it, then. He hasn't found a way to break the bond. We either try to make this work, or live the rest of our lives estranged mates. We'd never be able to formally take another mate.
I can't walk away from my family's responsibility to the Ravenswing Coven, and Hex won't leave the MC.
I won't lie to myself and pretend I'm not tempted to throw it all out the window for a life with my mate, but I've dug myself into a pit it'll take me a while to pull myself out of once my pack finds out about Hex.
I've kept my association with the MC vague.
To my family, they're just mysterious contacts.
But it's going to come out now, and mending that betrayal… that may take the rest of my life.
"I care about you, Hex. But we both have complicated lives outside of the mate bond."
He sighs and takes a drink, then sets the half-empty bottle on the bar. "I've met someone."
Despite what I just said to him, that statement hits hard. My wolf bristles and it's a fight to hold him back. What did I expect? That we'd keep going on in a state of indefinite limbo?
"I thought it would be better to deliver the news in person. Plus, I'd like you to meet him."
Studying the beer bottle in my hand, I ask, "Does he know about us?"
"He does. I asked him to give me time to figure out what you and I are to each other before things went any further. He's been patient, but it isn't fair to make him keep waiting."
If Hex is ready to move on with his life, I won't hold him back, no matter how unhappy my wolf is about the situation. "Tell me about him."
"He's a wild mouse shifter named Kory. Adorable. Sweet." Hex smiles in a way I've never seen before and a pang squeezes my heart. I want that kind of connection.
You could have it, my wolf says. I ignore him.
"What happens when he wants a formal mate bond and you can't give it to him?"
"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
We sit in silence a few moments as we finish our drinks. After Hex tosses the empties in the trash, he reaches across the bar and takes my hand.
"You remember the night we met?"
"As if I could ever forget. They'd just returned you to your cell after taking more blood."
"They took too much and I was out of it. So when the guards came in to have a little fun, I was in no shape to defend myself. They wanted you to ignore what they were doing or join in."
I don't like re-living this.
"But because you're a good man, you did the only thing that would keep them away from me. Even those bastards respected the mate bond." Hex looks me in the eye. "If you could go back and change your mind, would you?"
"Of course not! Why would you even ask that?"
"Why? What made me special out of all the others being held there and experimented on?"
"I don't know. There's something about you that interested my wolf more than the others.
" I look down at our joined hands. "But you know our bond isn't the way it should be.
There's no evidence we're Fated. We're not like Jericho and Faith, Ezri and Lorne, or Nicola and Tavian.
If we were Fated, would we have been able to stay apart so long once the bond was in place?
Would you have been able to fall in love with someone else? "
"I don't have those answers. But something led you to me that night. It would have been easy for you to ignore what was happening, but you didn't. You tied yourself to me in order to save me. That has to mean something, Mason."
"What do you want from me, Hex? You say you want to move on with this new guy, but it sounds like you want our bond, too."
"That's exactly what I want. You walked away because of how our bond came about.
You think it's hero worship and our complicated lives are a barrier.
You walked away, and I agreed to give you time to see how we'd fare apart from each other.
But it's time to get our shit together. It's been years.
Hanging out in this gray area isn't healthy – for either of us. "
My mind is all over the place trying to figure out how to respond, but before I can utter a word, he releases my his hold on my hand. "Come on. Let's go to Kory's place."
"Now?"
"You need all the information before you make a decision on how you want to move forward. And Kory doesn't deserve to be at the mercy of your whims."
I'd argue with him that I have all the information I need, but the look on his face tells me that won't go over well. My body feels as if it weighs a thousand pounds as I hoist myself off the barstool and follow Hex out to his bike.
Far too soon, we're speeding down the road toward an uncertain future.