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“I’m not going to let you go, Clara. I won’t allow you to leave me. I can’t.”
“You have to, Mason. I know you’ve been surrounded by people who give you everything that you want all the time, but that isn’t going to be me.”
I kick him in the knee which thankfully knocks him backwards. He releases his grip on my wrists and edges a little out of the door way as well, giving me a little glimpse of escape. I race out the bedroom and tear down the stairs at the speed of light. I don’t know if he’s following me or not, but I need to keep going.
“Whoa, where are you going?”
Fuck! I bump into someone because I just wasn’t looking where I was going. I was so busy trying to find an exit that I forgot about the other people in the building.
“I… I need to get out of here.”
I run my eyes up the man’s body, my mouth running bone dry as I do. It’s him, the sexy friend that I don’t know yet, and unfortunately never will get to know. Up close, he’s even better looking. So much so that I actually stop in my tracks for a moment to admire him. Looking at him is almost enough to have me forgetting that I need to get away from Mason before he gets his hands on me again. Wow, how is this man so gorgeous? I like the dimples that pop when he smiles at me, and the way he always looks like he has something cheeky going on in his mind. I wish I had the time to ask him what’s going on, but I don’t. I really do have to go…
“I have to leave, now.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Now he’s the one standing in my way. I wonder if he knows that I’m trying to escape his alpha and he’s working for him. I wouldn’t be surprised. “My name is Sledge, and I can listen to you. I can hear you out. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong, Sledge, is that I need to go, okay? I can’t be here any longer. I’m sure you understand why.”
Finally, he seems to sense that I’m desperate and that I mean every single word that I’m saying. Sledge steps to one side and lets me be free. Thank God I don’t run into anyone else while I’m here. I get outside and race down the driveway as fast as I can, bursting in to my wolf form as soon as I can. My paws pad rapidly, but I still keep them going, I don’t want to look back. I don’t want to see anyone coming after me.
I only come to a halt when I’m far enough away and I’m pretty sure that no one is chasing me. That’s when I shift back and I slump by a nearby tree, allowing the emotions to get the better of me. I finally let those tears come flying out of my eyes, and I slide down into a much needed sob. This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. Being alpha and leaving Mason behind as well. I know he’s the worst person in the world, and someone I should keep away from, but what if he is my mate? Now I will have to lead a loveless life without him. Nothing will ever be quite the same, and that breaks my heart.
I don’t want anyone to know that I’m sad, especially not the people back at my pack. They won’t be able to forgive me for this, and if I was in the same position as them, then I wouldn’t either. I would be the first to want to cast out someone who betrayed us. But unfortunately, that person is me.
I clutch my stomach as I sit in a ball on the forest floor, just trying not to throw up. I don’t want to be sick over this as well, but there’s just so much resting on me. How the hell am I supposed to make all the choices that affect my whole pack for the rest of our lives? Just because I’m the one with the necklace, does it mean I can really do this?
If my recent behavior is anything to go by then definitely not. But I need to be better. I have to find a way to prove myself. I have to show that I can do it, otherwise we might all end up dead. I really don’t want to lose anyone else here in Chicago.
10
MASON
Ihaven’t slept a wink. The whole night has been filled with stress and frustration, with anger and irritation rolling through my body. I’ve barely been able to close my eyes because all I can see is Clara, and the hatred that burned in her eyes as we talked.
I don’t think she knows that she’s actually shattered my heart into a million pieces. I don’t think she knows I care about her and that this hasn’t been just some game to me. Just because I have a reputation as a playboy doesn’t mean I’m always going to be one. For my mate, I would happily change everything around, and I really think that she is my mate.
She’s mine, but now she’s slipped through my fingers like grains of sand, and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to pick her back up again.
With a loud groan, I fall on the bed, wishing I could just switch all these thoughts off and I could sleep already. My brain is like a thick blackhole with endless nasty thoughts careering through me. I need this to end. It’s like torture.
I haveneverfelt this way about a woman before, and that’s what’s driving me crazy. Clara has completely infected me with all of her. I’ve become a drug addict and she is the only one for me. She’s the only person who can give me the serotonin I need.
Although now she’s gone, and she might be gone forever. Her pack might leave Chicago. I know that might be one of the solutions that my pack is hoping for, but not me. I don’t want them to leave. I want them to stay so me and Clara can be together.
“Fuck,” I cry out to my empty bedroom. If only she wasn’t the alpha of the pack, she would be here with me now, in my bed and we could have an intense connection all over again this morning. We could be exploring one another’s bodies again. “Fucking hell.”
I’m so used to being in control, to having all the power, so this is new territory for me. I don’t know how to cope with everything being in Clara’s hands, especially when she’s trying to pull away from me, trying to escape so she can run from all of this.
I blame that fucking necklace. Oh my God, I don’t think she would have been chosen as the alpha if she didn't have that necklace. I don’t think we would be in this mess at all. Either someone else would have taken over or they would have fallen apart. I wouldn’t have needed to have all of this drama. We could have been together by now.
But she does have that necklace, and that’s linked to being alpha. Somehow. Even if I don’t understand it, doesn’t make it wrong. Which means something needs to be done about that necklace… is that even possible? Hmm, that has me thinking…
Immediately I jump out of bed. Lying around and doing nothing isn’t going to get me anywhere. I need to call a family meeting, so we can make a plan together.
“Sledge,” I cry out as I burst out of the room. “Sledge, where are you?”
It seems like he’s been hanging around outside my door all night long, probably checking in on me, trying to make sure I’m not doing anything wild and out of control. It must have been a disappointment to him that nothing happened… although I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed he didn’t come in to check on me. We could have talked this shit out and made it all okay. But I don’t have time to scold him right now.
