“Yeah, we can go now.” His green eyes seemed to glow. “We can grab breakfast on the way there.”
“Okay, I’ll be back later.” Even if I committed to this pack, I couldn’t leave them high and dry here.
“Good, the four of us need to figure out what we’re going to do about the vampire situation.” Kassie stood and took in a deep breath. “I’m assuming he won’t be going away any time soon,” as she gestured to Mason.
“Nope, you’ll probably get sick of me.” Mason winked at her.
“Don’t try to be coy.” She shook her finger at him. “But we all know what’s going to happen as soon as she shifts.”
I wanted to disappear right now. Was she bringing up us completing the mate-bond before we even had breakfast? “Okay, let’s get going.”
Mason chuckled. “We’ll be back soon.”
“You just better take care of her.” Mona crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. “Because we know how to kill a wolf and get away with it.”
That was the thing about Mona. She was all sweet and nice, but times like these were when she acted just as badass as Kassie.
I hurried over and gave each one a hug and made my way to the front door. I was going to take back my life this morning. Nothing could go wrong unless fate intervened.
Chapter Fourteen
Mason stopped at a Burger King and got us some croissants on the way to his house. The food sat hard on my stomach, but it was due to my nerves. To be honest, I’d fought my wolf so long I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I allowed her to be unleashed.
“Are you okay?” Mason reached over and placed his hand on my thigh.
The strong electric currents sparked to life and warmed the skin under his palm. “I’m just not quite sure what to expect.”
“I promise it’s not bad at all.” He glanced at me as his forehead lined with worry. “You don’t have to do this. I won’t be mad or upset or anything.”
“No, I want to.” There was no hesitation in my mind. “I’m just not sure what to expect. That’s all.”
“You’re sure?” His thumb began massaging my leg.
“Yes, I promise. No hesitation at all.” It meant we could be together the way our bond wanted us to be.
“Thank God.” His shoulders sagged a little. “I meant what I said, but it’d be nice to be around you and not fight everything inside me.”
“I know.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I get it.”
We were heading in the same direction as the lake from last night. “I take it that you didn’t stumble upon the lake.”
“Nope. It’s only a few miles from the house.” He slowed as he turned on a gravel road right before the lake. “As a kid, I hung out there all the time. It was fun for swimming and fishing.”
“That sounds fun.” I never had those experiences before. For the first few years, I was highly anxious anytime I left the house. “Does your dad know we’re coming?”
“Yeah, I just linked him now.” He leaned over and adjusted the air conditioning. “He’s meeting us at the house.”
“Wait. Who all will be present for this?” That part I hadn’t considered.
“Oh, no one.” He shook his head. “It’ll just be me and Dad.”
“Do you think he’ll find this weird?” The closer we got, the more anxious I was.
“I told him that you were out of balance with your wolf somehow and that you needed to find an alpha you could submit to in order for the shift to not be so overwhelming.”
I guessed that kind of made sense. “So he just stopped asking questions?”
“Well, I told him that you were my world and I wouldn’t ask for his help otherwise.” He glanced my way and linked his fingers with mine. “That’s when he was sold.”
“The last thing I’d want is for your family to get hurt because of me.” Was I being selfish doing this?
“Our family is strong, and nothing bad is going to happen.” He took my hand in his. “Believe me.”
People can’t always know things for a fact. I’m sure my parents expected to live until they were old and gray, and look how that turned out for them.
Dammit, I needed to stop thinking negatively. I did believe in energy, so I needed to stay positive.
A small subdivision appeared in front of my eyes. The neighborhood had a craftsman feel to it, and there were at least thirty houses that were spread out to give them lots of space between. Since the neighborhood was in the woods, each house butted up against a section of the trees. That had to make it easier to shift and run. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“It’s not much, but we do well.” Mason released my hand and pointed to the house at a dead end. “That’s home.”
Their house was only slightly bigger than the others. Its hunter-green siding made it look earthy and inviting. “Your house looks the coziest out of them all.”
“That’s due to my mother.” A small adoring smile filled his face. “She said our house should reflect us, and what better way to signify an alpha than to be the same color as the trees he loves to run through?”
“She sounds amazing.” I hated that she was so sick. I wished there was some way I could help.
“Yup, and she’s going to love you.” He turned right onto a street that led us straight to the house.
It wasn’t long before he was pulling into the driveway and turning his car off. “You ready?”
“Let’s do this.” The longer I waited, the more anxious I was going to be.
“He wants us to meet him around the back.” He walked over and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me to the side of the house. “He doesn’t want questions from the members of the pack until after you’ve shifted and smell like one of
