"Mason," I mutter, heart still racing. This is a situation I've never imagined, especially not with him. He makes my breath hitch, my heart beat uncontrollably when he touches me, his scent makes me go wild, and he makes me feel an indescribable feeling of lust. I don't know how Mason manages to make me feel this way, but this isn't like anything I've ever felt before. "I-"

"What is going on?" Dread runs down my spine as I hear Justin's voice approaching.

Immediately, I unwrap my legs from his waist and press my back against the tree, trying to put as much distance between Mason and I. Madison is standing a few feet away from the tree I was leaning against, and then I make eye contact with my furious brother who is standing behind her. Justin's jaw is clenched, his breathing is erratic and he has a vein popping out of his neck, which usually happens when he is seething. His eyebrows are furrowed so much that they nearly touch his eyes as he keeps glancing between Mason and I, his eyes lingering a bit longer on Mason. This side of Justin terrifies me, because he usually is able to keep his emotions in but Mason Wood is the last person Justin wants to see me with. Ever since Mason stole Justins girlfriend last year, who he loved so much that he would call her the love of his life, Justin has loathed Mason. Even though they weren't mates, Justin felt for her as if they were fated to be together. Mason managed to charm her enough to take her away from Justin which left him heartbroken and with a newfound hatred for the Red Moon Pack. Now, I am fated to be with the person that hurt my brother. Mason slowly turns his body to face two people from the pack that hates him.

"What is going on." Justin hisses through his teeth with venom lacing his words.

"Um," I whisper, trying to find the right words but they won't come. "I–" I'm sorry Justin, but Mason is my mate and this is happening for a reason. I want to say this to Justin but the words won't come out. Instead, I'm standing with my words caught in my throat.

"My bad," Mason looks over at me and grabs my hand with a faint, smug look against his lips. I watch as he shoots Justin a wink, knowing this will agitate him even more, "I came to see my mate without telling you. I didn't know I needed permission to see her, but it's not my fault she looks so damn good." He turns towards me, roaming his eyes up and down my body as he bites his lip. I know Mason is doing this on purpose to anger Justin.

My cheeks heat up and I pull my hand away, glancing at my brother trying to read his facial expression. Justin completely loses it and closes the space between the two of them with three big steps. Once he's right in front of Mason, he gives us no time to comprehend what's about to happen before he punches Mason square in the jaw. Mason stumbles back from the blow and immediately grabs his jaw, groaning in pain. Everything happened so fast that all I can do is just stand still, shocked.

"What the hell was that for?" Mason growls, spitting a small amount of blood onto the dirt in front of him.

Justin gets in his face and spits, "Keep your grimy hands off of my sister, Wood. I'm not letting you fuck her over and treat her as a conquest." Madison is just standing behind Justin, wide eyed and as shocked as I am. Without thinking, I quickly stand between them and slowly move Masons hand from his face. I gently touch the growing red spot forming on the right side of his cheek, right next to his lips. The spot is sore which causes him to hiss at my touch and I immediately retract my hand.

"What was that for, Justin?" I demand, still staring at Masons jaw. Mason glares over my head at my brother. "You didnt have to do that." I say, turning around to face my brother

"Why the hell are you defending him? This asshole and his pack have caused so much shit for us." Justin growls with disgust all over his face. I look at his hands and notice his fists are clenched. His lips are lifted into a snarl as he stares at the lack of space between Masons bare chest and I.

"This asshole is my mate." I grind my teeth, mustering up the courage to stand up to my older brother. His face changes; his eyes are cold with a hatred running behind them. "Justin, like it or not, there's no changing the fact that Mason and I are mates. None of us may like it, but this is going to be something we'll have to figure out. You don't think I've forgotten what he's done to you? Or what his pack has done to us? I know he stole Lizzy from you, and I know how much that hurt. I watched your downward spiral as you were sleeping with everyone, but you know how long I've been searching for my damn mate. Hell, you're just as shocked as I am about it. Just because you don't like him, doesn't mean you can just punch him or treat him like this." Justin takes a couple steps back and is glaring down at me and I just stare back at him. This is one of the first times I've ever stood up to my brother.

Mason softly grabs my hand, and I turn on my heels to face him. "And you can't just be an asshole to my brother and provoke him. You're just as in the wrong as he is. You two may never get along, but if this," I point my finger, moving it between Mason and I, "Is going to work, you both need to be civil. I cant have you being a dick to him and expect him to be civil with you." I exclaim.

Mason lets out a deep sigh and responds, "Okay. I'll try to stop." He is staring so deep into my eyes its like he's searching for an answer in them. This whole situation has made me flustered and tired. I turn back around and face Madison and Justin. They are both staring at us and I'm unable to read Justins expression, but Madison is standing with shock and discomfort on her face.

Madison clears her throat and softly mutters, "Justin, we should head back to the pack house." She avoids making eye contact with Mason, but she makes eye contact with me. "You should too." She says, talking to me.

I nod at her and say, "I'll be right there." She nods in understanding, walks behind a tree and shifts. I watch as her retreating form dashes towards the pack house, and then I look at my brother. He has seemed to calm down and without saying a word, he turns around and starts running into the woods following Madisons direction. Still running, he shifts and soon he is out of our sight.

I stare in the direction they. Went, and once its fully silent, I turn back towards Mason. I take a step back from him and cross my arms over my chest. "I should probably head back too." I say, pointing in the direction. He nods in agreement and steps closer to me.

"Alison, I just want you to know I want this to work out." He announces, lightly running his fingertips across my cheek. This is going to be so hard with everyone against us. Hell, I've been back and forth between the idea. It's just hard knowing all of the conflict between our packs and the mutual animosity between him and Justin.

I sigh, "Mason, this is going to be really hard. My family means so much to me, and I love them and I respect their opinions." His face falls and he moves his hand away from my face. "But, you make me feel something inside me that I've never felt before."

He smirks and jokes, "What? Is it desire? Does my sexiness bring it out in you?" He is now grinning and I cant help but laugh.

"That's definitely not what I'm talking about." I say smiling. "You make me feel good and safe. Like. After we figured out we were mates, there was a shift in my feelings towards you. Don't get me wrong, you have done some really shitty things, and I'm not sure if my family will ever stop hating your pack, but I want to see where this could go." As soon as I finish my sentence, Mason has a big smile on his face. I smile back at him and before he can say anything, I say, "But I really should head back."

He nods, still with the smile on his face, "Okay. I'll see you sometime." I nod, and watch him walk a couple steps away and abruptly pull his shorts down, exposing his bare ass. I almost shriek out of surprise but I manage not to make a sound. He turns his head to look at me and winks before shifting and running off. Once he's gone I strip out of my clothes, hide them back in the tree, and shift mid-run.

I make it to the pack house pretty quick and stay a little out of view to shift out of my wolf form. I search around the tree until I find a pair of clothes and throw them on. I try to sneak into the pack house, and see no ones around so I take the stairs two at a time until I make it to my bedroom and lock the door. I fall face forward on my bed bed and let out a big groan. I just stay laying down, and then I hear someone at my door.

"Allie baby?" My mom knocks gently on my bedroom door. I let out a big huff and roll over on my back.

"What?" I reply feeling emotionally drained. I know why she's here, and I'd really rather avoid this conversation.

"We should to talk, honey." She sighs. I feel exhausted and I just want to take a nap.

"There is nothing to talk about." I announce, shoving my head into my pillow.

My mother stays quiet for a moment before speaking up, "Sweetie, we need to talk about your brother."

"What about him, mom? I am feeling really exhausted right now." I sigh, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. A lot happened and it hasn't even been a whole day. 

"Please, let me in." She says, sadness clear in her voice. She's always hated seeing Justin and I fight. I drag my feet to the door and unlock it. I swing it open and stare at my mom with exhaustion and annoyance still on my face.

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