Chapter 9 #2
Mason and Thad stepped in front of me, both with their arms crossed like they meant serious business.
Mason was wearing fresh gym clothes, looking like he’d just showered after practice.
His shoulder-length brown hair was wet and tucked behind his ears.
Thad was still dressed in his school uniform, looking sharp, no doubt having come from whatever student council, debate team, or world domination club he attended after school.
I did not look up from my phone.
"Can I help you gentlemen?"
"Mave," Mason said, "I was hoping we could… talk about Knox for a minute. I promise we won’t take up much of your time."
"Hard pass, thank you though," I responded.
"Mave, this is serious," he said, his polite tone slipping a bit. "We know Knox better than anyone, and he’s... he's not a bad guy. He hasn’t handled this whole… thing… in the best way, I’m well aware. But you should know that he could very well change his mind and decide to accept the mating. Maybe not right away, but I just want you to try to be open to it. You’d be incredibly lucky to have him as a mate. "
I did finally look up at him as he finished spewing that pile of insane bullshit. I laughed out loud, then stared at him some more.
"Oh, shit, you’re serious," I said.
"We just think it would be best if you two at least tried to be civil to one another. You could get to know him," Thad added, apparently also not joking.
Mason nodded, then he narrowed his eyes at me. "And you should stop sniffing around the humans," he added, like an asshole.
"I’m sorry, have I done something to fuck things up with Knox that I’m not aware of?
" I growled at him. "Was I the one that announced my refusal of the mate bond after considering it for all of two minutes in front of every shifter in school?
Was I the one that laughed while my loyal pack members called me a whore for two straight days?
Was I the one that was fucking a girl who was not my girlfriend during Study Hall earlier today? "
“Hey, watch your fucking tone, omega," Thad barked at me.
"You will not speak to my sister like that."
Ben had materialized out of nowhere in time to step right up into Thad’s face, their noses almost touching. "Why don’t you two lapdogs fuck back off to your boss and stop harassing my sister? You’ve all done enough."
Thad glared murderously at Ben and puffed up his chest. "Get out of my fucking face, Fortune."
"Make me, James," Ben smiled at him and took another tiny little step closer to him.
Thad’s face was starting to flush with rage and frustration. They glared at each other until finally Thad just shouted, "Fuck this!" and stalked away.
Mason stared at Ben with confusion.
"I don’t understand how you’re doing that... how either of you are doing that," he muttered.
I knew what he meant—he didn’t understand how Ben could get into a staring contest with a high beta-bloodline wolf and win when we were supposed to be nobodies.
Before he could interrogate either of us further, my phone dinged with a text from Dad to the family group text. As soon as I read it, my stomach dropped to the floor and the nausea rushed back into the hole that was left there.
"Fuck, Ben, we’re being summoned to dinner at the Alpha’s house on Saturday."
"Shit, he fucking knows."
I whirled on Mason. "He knows, doesn’t he? He knows Knox rejected his fated mate and that it was me. Who the fuck told him?"
Mason sighed, looking tired and resigned. "Look, I told my mom. She’s his top beta, and after all that shit in History class about power boosts and what not, I just wanted to ask for her advice. I’m assuming she told him."
"FUCK, MASON!" I screamed in his face. "Why would you do this? Do you not think I’ve suffered enough at Knox’s hands? Now we are adding his father?"
"I’m sorry, Mave, I am. But I’m trying to fix this. I don’t want either of you to be plagued by a fucked-up bond for the rest of your lives!"
Ben wrapped his arm around my shoulders and fixed Mason with a death stare.
"Listen up, Hayes," he seethed. "There will be no fixing this.
Knox Monroe is not good enough for Mave, and there is nothing he can do that will ever make up for his disgusting behavior this week.
She will not be pressured or manipulated into anything by you, Knox, or his father.
After we suffer through this mandatory dinner, you will not be speaking to Mave about this ever again. "
Mason just let out another long-suffering sigh. Must be hard being the number two to a reckless walking hard-on, cleaning up his messes all the time.
He finally left us alone. Ben hugged me, then we headed off to Marilynn’s.
I fell back into my routine behind the bar with practiced ease, and it calmed me.
It was like being transported back to my glorious summer days when all I did was train and work and not give one ounce of thought to the wolf pack.
Back when I didn’t have a tainted mate bond rotting inside of me.
The day’s events must’ve worn me down, because despite the stress of the looming threat of dinner on Saturday, I was out in seconds when my head hit my pillow that night.