Forget Me Not (#2, The Mystic Wolves) (2 page)

“But that’s such an old practice, rarely used now,” I interrupted. I was shocked he’d been put under such obligation.

 “My father didn’t care. Neither did I, because it meant he left me in peace. He never saw my worth, and with his focus now on different things, I secretly trained and prepared for the day I’d eventually have to face him.”

“What about Amber?”

“She was completely besotted with me and under the rule of her father. He wasn’t a fool to discredit me, knowing sooner or later I would become the new leader of the Mystic Wolves. While he sweet-talked my father, he had Amber try to win my affections. It almost worked too. But it was all for nothing when my parents were killed. I stepped forward and the pack accepted me as their Alpha without any fanfare. Amber’s father tried to push the issue of the arranged marriage, but I refused.”

“How long ago was this?” I asked.

“About five years. Amber’s father has done everything he could to force me to marry his daughter, even bringing me before the Council. They deemed it pack business, and dismissed the case immediately. Every now and then, Amber thinks she can try to change my mind, but each time I send her away. We last spoke two years ago, and I honestly thought I’d convinced her to give up her vain hope. Everything returned to normal and then I met you. I haven’t thought of her until today, and I was just as shocked as you were to see her.”

I looked into his strong, handsome face, the sincerity of his words blazing in his blue eyes. Getting up from my chair, I sat beside Mason. He opened his arms, and I relaxed into them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so mad. Seeing her hang all over you—kissing you—pushed me right over the edge. I’m the one who always tries to find a peaceful solution, but I wanted her blood. I still want it.”

“Just remember… I’m yours, and we’ll be mated in a few weeks. Nothing will change that. You’re stuck with me, Darcy O’Connor. Sounds good, doesn’t it?” he whispered in my ear.

“It’s perfect.” I smiled, holding my hand out to him. “Okay, time to see why she’s here. The sooner we do, the sooner she can leave and never come back.”

Mason kissed me languidly, taking his time, and when he was finished there was a grin on both of our faces, and the tension had completely lifted.

Reaching for the door handle, I paused. “Just so you know. Next time she insults me like that, I will eat her.” I flashed my fangs at him, my voice steady to show my seriousness.

He cocked his eyebrow, shaking his head at me. “I have no doubt. If she’s that stupid, I wish her luck. And by the way… this side of you is definitely a turn on.” He caressed the side of my cheek, studying my face. “Yep, sure is.” He kissed me once more, and then led us back to the living room.

Chapter Two

Amber burst into tears, burying her head into her hands the moment she saw us enter the room. Tightening his grip on my fingers, Mason made no move to comfort her, and I tried desperately to stop a sound of disgust from escaping from my mouth. She was definitely a good actress, but not quite convincing enough—that was until she lifted her face, and genuine tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Still unsure over how to judge her reaction, I remained by Mason’s side, willing to follow his lead. He just stood there, unmoved by the display of emotion and waited for her to finish. He wore a look of annoyance, showing his patience was wearing thin, and just when I thought he would snap, Amber finally spoke.

“I’m so sorry, Mason. My father made me do it.”

This time I didn’t hold it in, and I laughed in disbelief. Reaching to quiet me, Mason looked on with skepticism. Walking over to the nearby side table, he returned with a box of tissues and tossed them at her. Struggling to keep hold of it, she took one, a feeble smile on her lips as she began to dab away her tears.

Mason directed me over to the opposite couch, and taking a seat, I glanced at him expectantly. I knew he was measuring his response, trying to find the right thing to say.. Gone was the arrogant attitude I’d sensed earlier in Amber. The woman sitting here clearly appeared upset by the turn of events, and there was no hiding the fear when she finally looked up.

“We’ve gone through this before, Amber. What has your father asked you to do now? And the truth please, I don’t have the patience to go digging for it.” Even though he leaned back beside me, I could feel the tautness in his body. Something wasn’t right.

“Do I really need to talk in front of her? This is a private matter.”

“Be grateful I even allowed you an audience,” Mason retorted quickly. “Whatever involves me, or this pack, is Darcy’s business. So, if this makes you uncomfortable, too bad. There’s the door.”

She seemed to weigh her options, her gaze darting over to me, and I could tell when she’d reached her decision.

“He still doesn’t accept your refusal and sent me here with a message. He called you a coward, the pathetic offspring your own father accused you to be. He said he’s done waiting for you, and if you don’t honor the betrothal, there will be consequences.” This sent her into another round of hysterical sobbing.

“I won’t cave in to his bullying tactics and threats. His followers and pack may think he’s all-powerful, but if he wants to challenge me, it will only result in his downfall. He’s no match for me, and he knows it. This farce of an arranged marriage ended with the death of my parents. You and I see that, and it’s about time he accepts it. Leave, Amber, and remind him that the moment I became Alpha for this pack, any agreement he had with my father became null and void. I won’t explain this again, now go home.”

He stood, indicating the meeting was finished, and I moved to join him when she uttered something he couldn’t possible ignore.

“Then I beg for asylum.”

“Don’t call on protocol unless you mean it—not unless you’re willing to pay the penalty for breaching it,” Mason warned.

 “Please. He told me if you sent me home without the commitment to mate, he would make me suffer. I’m scared, Mason.”

His Alpha authority flared, causing the room to feel as though his energy had set it on fire. The hairs on my arms stood, and my wolf took notice.

“Do you honestly think I’m a fool? I don’t believe for one second you need protection from your father or your pack. This is just another one of your many attempts to wheedle your way in and gain control. I may have made that mistake once, but I’m not so easily fooled again. I won’t grant you asylum. Tell your Alpha that his plan failed.” Turning his back on her, Mason moved toward the door. “I’ll escort you out.”

“But you can’t deny me. You haven’t even tried to see whether I’m telling the truth. You’ve automatically judged me. Refuse me, and I’ll bring this before the Council. I’m serious, Mason, if I go home, I’ll be in danger.”

I noticed the vein at the side of Mason’s temple pound as he stared at her. Even though he was the Alpha of his pack, he also had to work within the guidelines established by the Council. I remembered him telling me, as part of the alliance, it had been agreed there would be a higher assembly of supernatural leaders, a ruling entity to ensure peace and fairness was maintained. Mostly, the Council kept out of each group’s affairs, but they were often appealed to. Looking at Amber, she knew exactly what she was doing when she mentioned them.

 “Then, Amber Bracken of the Silver Canyon Pack, I hereby grant you temporary asylum.” Her sigh of relief was so loud it caused him to stop momentarily. “And I place heavy emphasis on the
temporary
. You may stay here overnight and in the morning, if it is determined you’re telling the truth, you’ll be granted your petition officially. I don’t trust you, and I’ll be seeking a way for you to be safeguarded by a different Alpha.” His voice took on an even more serious tone. “Know this, I’ll personally bring you before the Council for fraud should you be lying. Let them deal with you.”

His office may have required it, but I knew Mason wasn’t happy by this turn of events. A strong sense of foreboding swept through me, cautioning me I needed to remain alert.

Amber seemed to visibly relax, and nodded in agreement. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to face me, wringing her hands in her lap. I held her gaze, and after a brief moment of holding it, she lowered hers.

“This is Darcy, my future mate.” Mason stressed the second part of his comment. “Before I take you to where you’ll be staying the night, you owe her an apology for your rudeness.”

You’re going to make her choke on her words, Mason
, I laughed through our connection.

Good,
he retorted.
I can’t wait until I introduce you as my mate officially
.

Amber blew her nose, breaking my attention away from Mason, and I wondered if she’d actually do it. Watching her, I wasn’t quite sure, but then she opened her mouth and began talking.

“I am so sorry. You must think I’m a horrible person, coming in here and saying all those things—doing all those things.” She had the decency to blush as she brought up her advances. “I was told to lay it on thick, and I couldn’t ignore my father. I’m so embarrassed.”

I looked at her with skepticism. “I don’t know what to think. For now, you’re a guest tonight, and that’s all. It’s not an invitation to focus your intentions on Mason. Remember that and we should be okay.” I didn’t bother to hide the warning in my voice. If she even
looked
like she wanted to resume her attempts on my mate there’d be war. Mason also caught my meaning, and placed a hand at the small of my back—whether to support or chastise me, I didn’t know.

I love this possessive streak you’re showing, baby.
I heard his chuckle through the mental pathway and I sighed. It seemed our connection had decided to work. It was so sporadic, I never knew whether I could rely on it or not. It was definitely a mystery, and one I wished I could get answers to.

“I want us to get to know one another, Darcy.” She paused, quickly looking in Mason’s direction, never quite meeting his gaze. “That is, if I’m still here and under your protection.”

He rolled his eyes, making a disgusted sound. “You’re not here to make friends, Amber. I doubt you’ll have time for anything before you return home.”

“Well, just in case.” She shrugged. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, but I’d like the opportunity to prove myself to you. Surely you can’t hold tonight against me, knowing the details?”

My wolf howled, firing my instincts up, and I placated her with the assurance I wasn’t so easily fooled. It wasn’t the first time someone tried to blindside me with false pleasantries, but if I was to get to the bottom of all of this, I’d need to play nice.

“We’ll see.” I left it at that.

We moved from the living area, taking Amber to the guest room where she’d be staying. After we had her situated, Mason walked me back to mine.

I couldn’t wait until we were both sharing a room. I remembered how people had wondered why I didn’t stay in his suite, but after discussing it, we’d decided the temptation to fully explore our passion was hard enough without adding fuel to the fire and sharing a bed. It worked out because it gave me somewhere safe to retreat to and make my own.

“You okay?” He paused, and when I nodded, he continued. “First thing I’m going to do is request a private meeting with the Council for tomorrow morning. Hopefully they’ll rule the way they did over the betrothal claim, and leave it up to me to decide. That happens—I’ll come home and personally send her packing. Just remember, this is your home, your pack. You don’t have to talk with her or even be in the same room.”

“I know, but maybe we should spend a little time together. Who knows, I might come to like her.” I paused for a moment before Mason burst into laughter.

“This is me you’re trying to fool, Darcy. There’s nothing to like about that woman.”

“I don’t think there is either, but it might help. I’m not saying I want to be her new best friend, but maybe in her eagerness to impress, she’ll let something slip. I don’t know, it may not even be a problem if you can deal with the asylum issue yourself. I just hate seeing you like this.”

Remembering a comment he’d said earlier, I changed the subject.

“So, you can’t wait for the mating ritual, huh? Getting a little impatient?” I added a flirtatious tilt to my head, peering up at him through my eyelashes. We approached the door, and I leaned back against the frame, not wanting to part ways just yet. “Any reason why you would want it sooner?”

“I can think of a number of things, Darcy.” He stared at my mouth.

“Name one then.”

He stood there, contemplating which answer to share, when a devious grin crossed his face. It wasn’t hard to guess what his response would be. He leaned in, tracing the curve of my cheek with his finger, twirling a strand of hair before resting his forehead against mine. We were standing so close, our breath mingling—lips barely apart.

“There’s something I’ve been dying to do, but wanted to wait for the right moment. Want to know what it is?” The tip of his tongue touched my bottom lip, his hands resting at my waist.

I was breathless, and he’d yet to kiss me—the anticipation was that intense. Heat radiated off our bodies, our individual scents combining and causing us to move in even closer. Every part of us touched, and my skin felt like it was on fire.

“Tell me.” I moistened my lips, waiting for him to seal the deal. I wanted him to kiss me, it didn’t matter what kind he chose, just as long as his mouth was on mine and I could taste him.