by Ariel Lei
Mason.
Mason swept Neoma into his arms and carried her back to her cell. He lay her down on the hard bed and sat down next to her. Her drenched body was shaking. Her face was pale. She looked so fragile. So breakable. Clenching his fists together tightly, he tried to ignore the ache he felt in his heart at seeing her like this. He hadn’t liked watching her struggle under the water as Gary held her down. He’d ordered it to be done because he thought the other prisoner would answer his questions to end her suffering.
He had been wrong.
Wade. That’s what she’d called him. Hearing her called his name as she tried to crawl to him had Mason feeling Jealousy like he’d never felt before. Knowing she’d crawled on her hands and knees to get away from him, and to seek comfort from another male wasn’t something he would easily forget.
Tears streamed down her face. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and wiped them away with his thumb. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and make her feel safe. The instinctual urge to claim her and mate was getting harder to resist. But he wouldn’t. Because she’s the enemy. Unless she left her Pack and disowned her father, he would never be able to accept her.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he murmured, brushing a strand of blonde hair from off her face. She looked up at him, and he held her gaze, searching her eyes for some sort of clue to how she felt towards him. She must hate me. It was probably for the best that she did, he decided.
He pointed over to the chair in the corner of the room. “There are some clean clothes on the chair. Change and get some rest.” He got up and left the cell, but instead of leaving the building, he stood outside, staring at her from the viewing window. She stood slowly, and walked over to the clothes Jonas had got from his sister. Courtney was a little bigger than Neoma, but they would have to do.
She moved back to the bed with the fresh clothing and put them down. When Mason saw her lean forward to start taking off her underwear, all the blood from his head shot south, and he inwardly groaned. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even though he knew he was invading her privacy.
He took a step closer to the glass separating them. His wolf clawed inside of him to get free. He clenched his jaw as he watched her slip out of the animal skin skirt, and then pull the string at the back of her top, causing it to fall to the floor. His eyes travelled down her exposed back and fell on her toned ass. His cocked started twitching uncontrollably. With a groan, he shoved his fist into his mouth, and bit down hard on his knuckles, trying to fight his instincts. He wanted to go back in there, throw her down on the floor, and fuck her senseless to end the ache in his pants. I should have fucking walked away. Now, he couldn’t tear his eyes from her.
She picked up the clean panties and put them on, followed shortly by the bra. Once she was fully clothed, dressed in black leggings and a navy-blue tank top, disappointment washed over him. He’d wanted her to turn around so that he could see all of her body.
He was about to walk away, in desperate need of relief, when she walked up to the window and stared right into his eyes. From her side it looked like a mirror, so he knew she couldn’t see him. But for a moment there, he thought she could.
Her head tilted to the side as she looked over her new attire. Her brow furrowed. She lifted her hands to her head and started pulling out her messy braid. She gathered her long, wavy, blonde hair to one side and tied it with a small band. The smallest smile graced her lips, and Mason felt his heart melt at the sight of it. A warm feeling settled over him as he wondered what it would be like to make her smile himself, but the feeling didn’t last long, because he knew she would never smile for him. Why would she when he’d rejected, scared and tortured her?
With a sigh, he turned away from the viewing window to leave. Things would never work out for us anyway.
Chapter Six.
Mason.
Mason descended his spiral staircase down into the crowded foyer. He was dressed in a white linen shirt, black cardigan, black jeans, complete with a pair of barely used dress shoes. He hated dressing up, and this was the best he could come up with without making any effort. His ear length blonde hair was still slightly wet from his shower. He hadn’t even bothered brushing it. He knew it looked unkempt, but he didn’t mind. Women seemed to prefer it that way.
The crowd in the foyer parted for him as he made his way to the bar room. It was even more crowded inside here. A massive plasma TV hung on one of the pale-blue walls, and a navy-blue corner settee stretched across the opposite. Along another wall was a long, wooden bar with a vast selection of drinks behind it on the shelves. A black hi-fi was between two large windows covered with cream blinds, blasting out loud music.
It was Gary’s twenty fourth birthday. Mason had promised him a party. And a party was just what everyone needed. With a possible fight hanging over their heads, he wanted his men to let out a little steam to help them relax. After finding out that Neoma was Earl’s daughter, all his men had become tense. Him included. He was going to cancel the party in case Earl decide to attack, but then changed his mind, tripling security instead just for tonight.
“Hey, baby,” Courtney cooed, making her way to him from the bar. The black miniskirt she wore was tight, her red waist top showed off her curves, and the high heeled shoes made her look taller. Her brown hair curved around her chin. She had dark-blue eyes, thick lips and high cheekbones. She was twenty two, making her two years younger than Mason and her brothers. Despite the fact that Jonas was his best friend, he’d been in an on and off relationship with her for about a year. He’d tried to ignore her advances when she first started showing interest in him because he didn’t want to complicate his friendship with Jonas, but the woman was sexy as sin, and he soon found himself in bed with her. Jonas didn’t say much about it when he found out. He just asked him to treat her with respect.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big smile. “I didn’t think you were going to show up,” she admitted.
“I wasn’t going to.” He was going to have an early night. The last few days were wearing him out. He guessed it had something to do with him fighting his werewolf instincts where his mate was concerned. Resisting his true nature wasn’t easy.
“I’m glad you did. You deserve a break,” Courtney replied, softly. She pulled her arms back and trailed her manicured finger down his chest. “You’ve seemed stressed lately. Distant.” He ignored the comment, not wanting to get into the reason why.
Searching the crowd, he sighted Jonas sitting on the settee. Jake and Gary were next to him with women on their laps. He gave Courtney a polite smile.
“I’m going to wish Gary happy birthday.” He went to walk away, but she reached out quickly and grabbed his hand to stop him.
“Are we breaking up again? I don’t want to be messed around with, Mason. I need to know where I stand.” She crossed her arms, trying to appear serious, and the action pushed up her breasts.
Courtney was a decent girl. She was nice to everyone one and easy to like. But lately, Mason just wasn’t finding her interesting. And the reason was locked away in his prison. But only Jonas knew about him finding his mate, and he wanted it to stay that way.
“I just need a bit of a break at the moment.” It was the best answer he could give without sounding like an ass. “I’ll talk to you later.” He kissed her on the cheek, and then made his way over to the guys. They looked up when they saw him.
“Happy birthday, man.” He bumped fists with Gary and sat down on the settee.
“Thanks. I appreciate the party,” Gary replied.
“I’m surprised you aren’t wasted yet,” Mason commented. Gary smiled crookedly. His grey eyes glowed with merriment.
“I’m getting there.” He waved half a bottle of whiskey in the air. The redhead on his lap giggled. “Here.” He handed Mason the bottle, and he downed a few mouthfuls, enjoying the burning sensation as it went down his throat. He took a couple more mouthfuls and passed it back. He let
out a contented sigh as the alcohol settled in his stomach, warming his insides, and leaned back against the settee.
“Tiffany, bring us some more beers, babe?” Jake asked, his tone flirtatious. The blonde on his lap stood up, her skirt riding high as she did.
“Sure thing, babe,” she replied. Mason laughed in amusement. Jake was a ladies’ man through and through. He was always looking for his next lay. It was common in male werewolves. They had a high sex drive and would often sleep around until they found their fated mate.
Being an Alpha, Mason had a bigger sexual appetite than the others. Lately, he’d felt sexually frustrated. He’d thrown himself into his Alpha duties just to take his mind off it.
“I’ll go help her bring the drinks,” the redhead on Gary’s lap offered. As she stood up, Gary slapped her arse. She let out a girly squeal.
“Hurry back,” he told her. Blowing him a kiss, she followed after the other girl.
***
Mason spent a few hours drinking and playing pool. When Gary and Jake disappeared with the girls they were with, he went back into the bar room with Jonas. It didn’t take a genius to know why they had both disappeared at the same time. Gary and Jake sometimes liked to share women. It wasn’t uncommon in the werewolf world. Although, it wasn’t something Mason liked to do. He was possessive. A typical Alpha trait.
“What’s going on with you and my sister?” Jonas asked, taking a seat at the bar. Mason shrugged and sat down next to him. He lifted his beer to his mouth and took a big pull from it. “She asked me if I knew why you’d been distant lately,” he added.
“I don’t mean to be,” Mason murmured. Jonas grabbed a bottle of tequila and poured two shots. He passed one to Mason. They downed them together. Mason grimaced at the bitter flavour. “Damn. I hate this shit.” He slammed his shot glass down. Jonas chuckled.
“It does have a kick.” A moment of silence passed between them. Mason listened to the music and noisy chatter around him. It had been a while since he’d thrown a party. He only ever threw Pack parties on special occasions. Not everyone from his Pack came. Older werewolves, children, and pregnant females and their mates stayed at home. He had just over two hundred werewolves in his Pack. Compared to most of the Packs in Canada, his was small. But it was strong. Disciplined. And respected by other Packs.
“It’s the girl isn’t it? She’s the reason you’re being distant with Courtney?” Jonas asked, softly. The grip around Mason’s beer bottle tightened. Jonas poured another two shots of tequila. “Courtney would understand if you told her the truth. It’s got to be hard finding out your mate is your enemy.” He slid the shot over to Mason. The alcohol induced buzz he was feeling was slowly dying due to the conversation. He didn’t want to talk about Courtney. And he definitely didn’t want to talk about Neoma. He thought about her enough as it was.
“Just drop it,” he replied, stiffly. He shot the tequila and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m done for the night.” As he stood up, he swayed. Shit. That’s gone straight to my head.
“You could try to get her to switch sides,” Jonas suggested. Mason gave him an incredulous look. Was he being serious? “You’ve tried torture. Why don’t you try something else?” Jonas stood up and faced him.
“Like what?” Mason asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
“You’re her mate. Use that to your advantage. Seduce her.” Seduce her? It was something Mason hadn’t tried. But would it work?
“I don’t know if that is a good idea,” he mumbled, running his hand through his hair in uncertainty.
“What do you have to lose?” Jonas asked. Mason thought about it for a moment. He didn’t have anything to lose. If seducing her didn’t work, he’d still be where he was now, with an enemy for a mate. But if it did work, then he’d gain her allegiance, and with that his revenge.
“I’ll do it,” he decided. He hoped he wouldn’t come to regret it.
Chapter Seven.
Neoma.
Neoma was drifting in and out of sleep when she heard the door to her cell open and someone walk in. Her eyes shot open. She took in a deep breath through her nose. When she caught the scent of spice and mint she immediately knew who it was.
Mason.
She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She hadn’t seen him since she was drowned in the tub in the torture room. That was two days ago. She’d barely slept since then, worried about being tortured again. She was so tired. She was weak, and getting weaker each day that passed. She’d kept count of the days by how many times she’d been injected with wolfbane. Six days had passed since being captured. Hours seemed to blur together.
She heard the door shut, and then the sound of Mason’s footsteps as he moved towards her. Has he come to torture me again? She hoped not. Even though he hadn’t seriously hurt her, she feared he would soon.
“I know you’re awake,” he murmured, leaning down to talk to her. The smell of alcohol drifted up her nose. He’d obviously been drinking. “Neoma,” he whispered her name in a husky voice, his breath fanning across the back of her neck. Butterflies flutter in her stomach. The thin blanket that was over her began to slide off as he pulled at it. Her heart started racing.
“Are you here to torture me?” she asked. He chuckled darkly.
“Depends on what you see as torture.” She swallowed and turned her head to face him. He was starting down at her. His green and grey eyes were slightly darker than usual. With anger or lust? She wasn’t sure. And she didn’t know what emotion scared her the most. But, she was prepared for both. She put on her game face, letting fear cross her features. Almost right away Mason’s eyes returned to normal. She gave herself a mental pat on the back and smiled inwardly. She was certain now that he was affected by their mate bond.
Mason took her hand and pulled her up so that she was sitting in front of him. “Why does Dwain think he is your mate?” he questioned, his voice low. Neoma blinked a few times in surprise. How did he know about that? He’d only mentioned speaking to Dwain, but never mentioned he knew that he was her chosen mate. “Tell me,” he demanded.
“Because he is my chosen mate. It was arranged by my father for me to mate with him when he passes,” she answered, seeing no reason to hide this from him. It wouldn’t endanger her Pack.
A small growl rumbled in his chest. “And you agreed to this? You want to mate with him?” he asked, lifted her face so she’d look at him. His eyes darkened again, this time with definite anger. She bit down on her lip for a moment, and his eyes flicker to her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter what I want. I do what is best for my Pack,” she answered honestly. Mason gripped her by the waist and pulled her up against him as he stood to his feet.
“You’re not his,” he growled, flashing his sharp canines. Before she could even react, his lips smashed against her mouth. Fireworks exploded in her head as he kissed her. She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She was too shocked. She hadn’t expected this.
When he noticed she wasn’t responding to his kiss, he let out a small growl and bit her bottom lip. She gasped, and he took advantage of her open mouth, plunging his tongue deep inside. Unable to resist him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He tasted sweet and bitter. It was a heady combination. He took hold of her ass and pulled her up onto his waist, and she wrapped her legs around him. He moved across the room and shoved her up against the wall, causing her to gasp again. His mouth left hers, and he started sucking on her neck, causing shivers of pleasure to run through her body. She moaned. He responded by pushing his solid erection against her, and her stomach flipped. Her core throbbed like a beating pulse.
When he pulled away, she sucked in a deep breath, not realising she needed it so bad. He was like a drug. She wanted more of him. Needed more.
All he had done to her since she’d been there was forgotten. At the moment, he wasn’t her enemy. The word enemy didn’t even exist in her mind. Only Mason existed.
Mason
Mason couldn’t get enough of Neoma. He was feeding off her touch, her sweet little moans. He needed more. He wanted to explore every last inch of her body. Feel himself buried deep inside her. Her lips tasted so damn sweet he wanted to taste more of her addictive nectar. He was getting high off her scent. He could feel his canines elongating even more as he sucked on her delectable neck. The animal inside wanted to mark her. Take her completely as his own. He felt threatened that someone else wanted to stake claim to what belonged to him. She was his. His only.
The pressure in his jeans was beginning to get painful as he rubbed himself against her. Pleasure pulsed through his body, and he couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to throw her down on the floor to take her there and then. It took everything in him to hold back. He knew he needed to pull away, but he couldn’t because it was like his body had become glued to hers. She was too addictive. He’d never felt anything like it before. He feared he would come right there without even being inside her.
As he brushed his canines against her neck, he felt her whole body shiver against him. He bit down lightly, but not enough to break through her skin.
Neoma tensed up as if scared. Reality hit Mason like a truck, knocking sense back into his mind. She’s the enemy. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, taking in deep breathes through his nose. He kept his head on her shoulder, and managed to stop his body from grinding against hers. Fuck Earl. He no longer cared that Earl’s blood ran through her veins. I’ll take his daughter and then his life.
He knew trying to seduce her was a bad idea. He wanted to take it further, but he couldn’t. Not yet. He needed her allegiance first.