Chapter 80: Chapter 79

arm.

Katie “Hello, Katie. It’s lovely to meet you.”

Mason’s voice was smooth and rich, like hot, fresh coffee on a cold morning.

His hair was long and dark like his eyes, his lips perfectly full, his jawline strong.

This close, his scent was strong, too-woody and fresh, with something subtly sweet underneath.

It hit my senses so hard that my head spun, but | didn’t mind it.

Actually, it felt kind of hot.

| fought the urge to lean close and breathe in deeper He extended his hand, and when our skin touched, a tingling feeling crawled over my palm and up my The sensation was weirdly familiar.

Suddenly, | felt a stirring deep inside, a beast pawing at my chest.

My wolf.

| hadn't felt her since I'd awoken at Adele’s pregnant and panicking.

| was starting to wonder if she even existed at all.

“Touch him again,” she urged. “Smell him again.”

“Not here,” | replied. “Not now.”

Why had she suddenly awakened?

Sure this Mason guy was hot as hell, but so was Asher, and she’d never bothered to even lift her head at his touch.

Interesting.

“Mason and | have been friends since we were little, Asher said. “I know all his darkest secrets.”

“Ha. Ha, Ha,” Mason said drily.

“I’m gonna get us all a round,” Asher said. “Don’t steal my date while I’m gone.”

He winked and walked off, and then we were alone.

Mason eyed me with an expression of amused interest.

“Care to share some of those secrets?” | asked. “I haven’t seen you around Stillwood before.”

pretty young.

My face must've fallen because he laughed and said, “Don’t look so sad, | turned out alright.”

“Why were you banished?” | asked.

Immediately, | felt the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck and silently cursed myself for being so nosy.

But Mason waved off the question.

“| had a rough childhood, my parents weren't around” His expression darkened, and | could sense some of his coolness starting to cr ack.

“| don’t think anyone really knew what to do with me.

His mouth quirked up in a small smile, but his eyes were full of sadness.

| wanted to know more, to know why he was here, and why my wolf was so interested in him.

| wanted to know if my scent had made him as dizzy as his scent had made me.

But he beat me to the punch.

I “You've got so many questions, Miss Katie,” he teased. “But | don’t know a thing about you.”

| coc ked my brow.

“What do you wa to know?”

“How'd you come to live in Stillwood? You some kind of hardened criminal or something?”

He smirked deviously.

| turned sideways and rubbed my belly dramatically.

“Yeah, everything about me just screams supervillain.”

“Hey, | don’t judge a book by its cover,” he said.

We both laughed, and it felt easy but also. ..charged?

What the hell was | doing?

I'd come here with Asher, it wasn’t like | could leave with his best friend.

“Seriously though,” | said. “I kind of don’t know. | was in an accident and | woke up here. | didn’t remember anything, and no one could find my family.”

| looked away.

| didn’t want to see his face when | admitted the next part.

“| don’t even know who did this to me.” | patted my belly. “All | know is that my name is Katie and I’m pregnant.”

“Dam n, that’s tough.”

| glanced back up at him. | was surprised but grateful he didn’t have anything more to say on the matter.

The last thing | wanted was to have some bro-wolf offer to be my new baby daddy.

| shrugged. “Stillwood’s been good to me, though. I’m lucky to have met people like Quinn and Asher.”

“And me?” he asked.

| wanted to roll my eyes or gag, but somehow Mason made the stu pidest flirting sound smooth.

| tried to put on my best coy voice. “Maybe”

| glanced over Mason’s shoulder to avoid looking him in the eyes and instead, my gaze fell on a girl about my age When she saw me, her jaw dropped and she ran over, “Lanie” she cried, her eyes glassy and wild. “Oh my go d, it’s really you!”

“Da mn, that’s tough.”

| glanced back up at him. | was surprised but grateful he didn’t have anything more to say on the matter.

last thing | wanted was to have some bro-wolf offer to be my new baby daddy.

| shrugged. “Stillwood’s been good to me, though. I’m lucky “And me?” he asked.

have met people like Quinn and Asher”

| wanted to roll my eyes or gag, but somehow Mason made the stu pidest flirting sound smooth.

| tried to put on my best coy voice. “Maybe...

| glanced over Mason's shoulder to avoid looking him in the eyes and instead, my gaze fell on a girl about my age.

When she saw me, her jaw dropped and she ran over “Lanie!” she cried, her eyes glassy and wild. “Oh my go d, it’s really you!”