Chapter 303: Chapter 303

Mason “Fuck this,” I muttered out loud as I took a step in front of Xander, a call to action clear in my voice.

I wasn’t worried about my brother, obviously, but carrying our sadness, he wasn’t going to be able to fight if he had to.

The woman’s laugh was a light tinkle that floated through the air like a thousand cascading butterflies. Fuck, for a few seconds I even swore that’s what I saw—tiny glowing insects fluttering about, and then they disappeared, but I wasn’t fooled. If she could read my mind, who was to say she couldn’t also insert stuff in there, too?

“I am Melina. Welcome to the enclave, Mason. I must assure you, here, you aren’t surrounded by vamps as you might think,” she said, sounding amused. “Shall we say, to put it gently, here in the haven we call Brightsky, we share our space with many supernaturals. Brightsky is a refuge for those who need it. Those such as yourselves.”

I tilted my head to chase away any residual sensation of those damn butterflies. “What the hell are you talking about? Other supernaturals?”

“Mason,” Lanie murmured.

Even though I loved and trusted her with my life, I ignored her. I took another step toward Melina.

“What others are you talking about? I know about him.” I gestured toward Greyson. “I know about hybrids. Vampires, witches. You’re telling me there are others?”

“Mason,” Lanie repeated firmly and took my hand to force me to look at her.

Zane joined her, and the two of them swirled their energies around me, but I waved them off. I had a responsibility to my mates and all three of my pack. One step wasn’t going to come without some explaining.

“Let him speak,” said a tall, murmuring man with steel-gray hair.

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and unlike the others who wore light clothing, he was dressed for what I’d expect in an Austin winter. I tried to pinpoint his kind but couldn’t. He was not witch and not even dragon, which was still so new a smell I wasn’t quite used to. I nodded at him, though, and he returned it. Whoever he was, I liked his vibe.

Melina’s smile switched on like a camera iris that she peacefully waved a hand in his direction, then mine. “Mason should know he is welcome to question anything. Welcome here at Brightsky at any time, for any reason.”

Zane’s Beta energy tried to tickle the back of my mind at the base of my spine, but again, I did my best not to let it infiltrate me. I could sense his frustration with me.

“Beta,” I ordered through our private link. “Stand down.”

“I wouldn't be a very good Beta if I did!” came his quick reply, though he did back off.

Well, he backed off of me. He focused on Melina. “Respectfully, it’s been a very short time since we learned other than wolf shifters existed. Wolves and humans, that’s what we believed.”

He took a breath, clearly shaken. “Finding out about vampires was a huge shock. And not just us, but all of us. Maybe you all have more information or whatever, but we’re understandably a little bit shook.”

Again, her light laughter tinkled through the air. No butterflies this time. Maybe she’d read my damn mind and felt how that unsettled me. But the flowers blooming around us nodded their heavy heads as if in agreement.

Lanie pulsed some Luna calm around me, which I allowed.

“Melina, there is so much we don’t understand, and we thank you for allowing us to come here to your home. Trust me, knowing we have a refuge is immensely reassuring. I hope you all will forgive any missteps we might take as we adjust.”

I couldn’t help but be proud of how well-spoken my Luna had become. When I met her as Katie, she was an unsure mother, and now she’d become almost regal.

Now, Katie no longer existed. Lanie carried herself like a fucking queen.

Melina smiled, looking like she was about to burst with pride. “My granddaughter, you and your kin are welcome here for as long as you like.”

“And if we want to leave?” I challenged him, aware of Lanie’s frown but wanting to get things out in the open right away.

Melina’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head with the same delicate grace she’d shown with every action so far. “Oh no, Mason, I’m afraid we can’t allow that. Not at all.”