Katie Mason went quiet, and | heard his footsteps coming back down the hall.
Whoever he was talking to, it sounded urgent.
And kind of...scary?
Did this have to do with the phone call he got at the regional pack gathering?
Whatever it was, it seemed best not to tell him Iâd overheard.
It wasnât my business anyway, and maybe | was worrying too much.
âIs everything okay?â | asked in a casual voice.
He blew out a deep breath. âOh yeah, itâs fine.â He waved me off, but his eyes looked dark and unfocused.
âJust some plans have changed, is all.â
He stood in the doorway to the living room, his fists flexing repeatedly.
âIt's nothing really.â
He glanced away from me, but before he did, | swore | saw his wolf flash in his eyes.
What the hell?
He was definitely hiding something.
And it was getting him pretty f ucking riled up by the looks of it.
âDo you wanna come sit back down?â
| patted the spot next to me and Stella on the couch.
âActually, | think | should go,â he said, still not meeting my eyes. âI'll visit you and Stella again soon.â
He left quickly, without another word.
Apr ickle of unease crawled up the back of my neck, but | rolled back my shoulders and shook it off. We all had had our own s hit going on, and Mason didnât need to tell me everything.
Plus, if there was really some danger present, wouldnât Lily sense it?
She seemed pretty da mn calm right now.
| expected the door to shut behind Mason, but instead, | heard Quinnâs voice.
âOh, hey,â
And then Masonâs grunt of acknowledgment.
Sh it.
We'd been caught.
Quinn walked into the living room, arms crossed, eyebrow coc ked.
Uh oh, | was in trouble.
âGirl, | get the appeal there,â she waved toward the door Mason had just walked through, âbut you shouldâve stuck with my brother.â
Da mn. Knew this was coming.
1 like Asher, too,â | argued, but even | could tell it wasnât very convincing.
Quinn rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch next to me, giving Stella a gentle stroke under her chin before continuing.
âMason is trouble. Even Asher told me so, and thatâs his best friend.â
âHow so?â | asked. âI donât mind guys who are rough around the edges.
| nodded down to Stella in my arms.
âlm a mateless she-wolf with a newborn baby. | canât really judge.â
Quinn laughed.
âThatâs not the kind of trouble Iâm talking about.â
She bit her lip like she was deciding whether or not she should say something.
My palms started to sweat.
Honestly, | liked Mason.
My wolf liked Mason.
And dear go ds, that man was se xy.
| wasnât ready for the illusion to be shattered just yet âListen, Katie,â she said. | didnât like how serious she sounded. âI've hung out with those guys, and itâs crazy the shi t Mason will say when he thinks Iâm not paying attention or that Iâm too drunk on Moonflower champagne to remember what we talked about.â
My mouth went dry.
âWhat kinds of things?â | asked, my voice almost a whisper.
âLike the fact that heâs some Alphas âs ba stard son, for one,â she said.
So that was why he didnât mention the Alpha thing sooner.
He was a bas t ard child.
Quinnâs eyes went wide, and | held my âHeâs been plotting his revenge against the Alphaâs legitimate son ever since.â