I tried releasing my hand from his grasp, but once again he held it firmly in his. “Ella already told me about your mom.” I hoped he was okay with the fact that she had.
“Of course she did.” He shook his head and squeezed my hand. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“What?”
“You being tight with my sister.” He tugged me closer and released my hand, wrapping his arm around my waist. “It’s actually really nice. I’d always hoped that my ma… girlfriend got along with her.”
He almost slipped with the mate word. I should have called him out on it, but I wasn’t prepared for that conversation quite yet. When I attempted to slip out of his hold, he wouldn’t let me budge. The problem was I loved that he wouldn’t. My walls were already breaking down faster than I ever thought possible. The bond was forcing itself, and my will to stay away was crumbling.
“Is your dad out of the picture?” It hurt to think that he had to put the pressure all on his shoulders.
“Nope, but he’s got a demanding job, so he can’t make extra money.” When we reached the door, he jogged in front and opened it for me. “So I’m doing this until we have enough for the right person to heal her.”
I thought about pushing him through the door and following through it after him, but I couldn’t find the strength to be an ass. “Sounds like your dad has a big job.” I figured his dad must be the alpha of their pack. If so, why wouldn’t my uncle help him?
“He does.” He placed his hand on the small of my back as I walked through. “He takes care of a lot of people and is trying to do the best he can. I’m just helping out in the background.”
“So, in other words, he doesn’t know you’re doing this.” He and I were more alike than I realized.
“Yup, and it’s going to stay that way.” He kept his hand secured on me as we headed toward the crowd.
This time, I was at the mercy of his touch.
Unlike last time when Ella and I had to push our way to the front, the crowd parted for Mason.
“Hey, man.” A guy held up a wad full of one hundred-dollar bills. “I’m staking my retirement money on you. Make me proud.”
Mason nodded at him and kept moving.
It wasn’t long before we were in the front where the fighting ring was. “Break a leg.” I turned to smile at him.
“Nope, you’re going over there with me.” He pointed to the corner of the ring where Alec had been sitting the other night.
“But there is only one chair.” The last thing I wanted was to kick his friend out of his seat.
“I’ll take care of it.” He took my hand in his and tugged me over to the corner.
“Hey, man.” Alec appeared from the back room and punched Mason in the shoulder. “Are you ready?”
“Yup.” Mason strolled into the back room and came out with two additional chairs. “Where’s Ella?”
“Oh, she’s in the bathroom.” He nodded to the door against the far wall.
“The rest of them?” Mason set the other chairs on the ground next to his side of the ring.
“They’re over there doing some betting.” Alec’s eyes landed on me. “And if they were going to say something to your parents, they would’ve by now.”
“Yeah, but that still makes me nervous.” Mason looped his finger through one of my belt loops and tugged me toward him.
The door to the women’s bathroom opened, and Ella came marching out. “You guys are so freaking cute.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. All I knew was if I didn’t get out of here soon, my will to stay away would dissolve, and my defenses would be nonexistent. It already hurt to think about it. Maybe I could sneak out when he got distracted with the fight. I could either run home or call one of my guardians to pick me up.
“She sits in between you two.” Mason pointed his thumb at Alec and pinky at Ella. “Make sure she doesn’t try to sneak out.”
“You think I’d do that?” He had me pegged and ruined my plan with little effort.
“Hell, yeah you would.” He grabbed a bag off the ground and turned toward the men’s bathroom on the other end of the wall. “I’ll be back. If you run off, I know where you live.” He winked at me. “I’m going to change real fast.”
As he strolled away, I rubbed my eyes and took a steadying breath. Tonight was a whirlwind, and I needed to get my head on straight. I struggled to do that around him.
“If you’re worried about me being upset, don’t be.” Ella quietly clapped her hands. “I never thought he’d settle down, but this is amazing.”
“Settling down.” That confirmed that he told her about our bond. “We’ve agreed to take it slow.”
She raised a hand. “I have a good feeling about this.” She sat on her seat and patted the chair next to her. “Come on and sit down. Shit’s about to get real.”
I turned around and saw the announcer, or whoever it was, head in our direction. He appeared to be in his twenties and had his long chestnut hair in a man bun. He was also stout, and he wore a tight black shirt and jeans, which accentuated his muscles. “Where the fuck is Mason?”
“He’ll be out here in a second.” Alec lifted both hands up. “He had to go change.”
“He better get his ass out here. It’s time.” The guy nodded his head at whomever Mason’s contender was.
The guy he was fighting was tall and slender, but there was something cruel in his dark eyes. He didn’t smell like a shifter but didn’t have a human scent either. What the hell was he?
“It’s about time that
