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“You really feel that way?” Ash muttered.
“Of course,” he scoffed. “You are everything to me, Ash. Not just because you are my mate and so fucking amazing and strong. Because I’m in love with you. I will do anything to make you happy.”
Love. The word had been bouncing around inside her mind, and fear had been holding it back. But nothing felt more real, more crystallized, at that very moment, curled in each other’s arms in the autumn breeze.
Their matehood had been solidified, the bond imprinting upon their very souls. It was all very real inside them both.
“God, Mason.” She began to tear up again. “I am completely in love with you, too. We are stronger together, I have no doubt.”
Mason beamed. Lifting her to sit on his lap, he knocked his coffee over, spilling it along the steps.
“Oh, no! The hazelnut!” Ash snickered.
“It’s good coffee, but nothing tastes as good as you,” he said, kissing her passionately.
Just then, they both heard a knock at the door. They froze, and Ash straightened her robe, drawing it tight.
“I guess it’s time. Rain check on that?” Ash asked, holding his face in her hands.
He grumbled. “I would much rather make love to you than deal with this asshole. I would keep you busy all day.”
The thought made Ash feel frazzled, but they would have all the time in the world to make love and explore each other’s bodies once the Puppeteer was dealt with. They both stood from the steps and then went back inside, their burning desires put on hold.
“We’ll be there in a second. Keep your shirt on,” Mason yelled at the door.
They both got dressed separately to avoid temptation. Ash got herself in the zone of battle. She needed to keep herself on guard. Nothing could happen to Mason or to any of the enforcers. It was part of her job as the female alpha.
Mason waited for her on the porch with the enforcers, Jeff, Sally, and Arthur … three of the strongest, most agile shifters in the pack. Ash began to wonder where Derek was, but she knew that he existed as an advisor as well, not just a physical intimidation.
“Ready?” he asked.
Ash nodded. They brought extra sets of clothing in case they needed to shift and wore specially made outfits that stretched with their bodies as they transformed. All of them climbed into Mason’s car and went out to meet in the open meadow nearby, where Florence said her informant was going to meet the Puppeteer.
Ash was ready to go. Her focus was narrow. No one was going to get past her or her man. That was a promise she knew she could keep.
EIGHTEEN
MASON
Mason was charged up. His conversation with Ash and their confession of love for one another had sparked something in him that felt ethereal. He thought he was already a strong alpha. With Ash by his side, and her unwavering support and love, he felt like he could tear down the moon if he wanted.
He still had to keep his head on straight, though. He had no clue who the Puppeteer was. The reveal could truly throw him off his game. So he tried to go into the secret meeting, knowing that, in all likelihood, the person betraying him was within his close circle.
That filled him with unfathomable rage, but he could deal with it as long as Ash was there by his side.
She sat next to him in the front seat, and he reached out to touch her leg. He squeezed it, and she laid her hand over his.
They shared a moment.
We got this,he heard her say in his mind.
I know. I love you.
Ash began to blush, which was one of many features that drove him crazy about her. They drove on, getting to the meeting place where Florence informed them the nonexistent informantwould be meeting with the bastard orchestrating his demise. The meadow was cast in a faint light with fog rolling in from the sweeping hills beyond.
It had a foreboding, eerie element to it. Mason’s heart began to pump in his chest, but he didn’t let it get to them.
“When did she say they’d be here?” Mason said.
