3. Mason

Iwatch Radley walk away until she disappears behind the kitchen doors, and then I turn back to Bryce and Nash.

"That's her," Bryce whispers, excitement clear in his voice. I nod without saying anything, and he practically starts bouncing in his seat.

We've known who Radley is for years, since her first dream about us—or what she thought were dreams. Until last night, she never tried to find what was haunting her. We led her to her Grandma's cabin in hopes she would finally learn the truth, but she ran instead.

Then we felt her seeking us out this morning while she was awake. She was feeling the impressions of our prints, and only our one true mate could feel our presence in them, which is how we ended up here today. We've watched over her for years but never approached her. I just hope she's ready to accept what we are.

"What do we do now?" Nash asks.

"We wait," I answer. "She's still not ready."

"How do you know?" Bryce asks, his eyes seeking Radley out. "Didn't you say she learned the truth today?"

I could feel her confusion and fear through the bond this morning. I tapped into it and saw her Grandma telling her about the wolf shifters. "She did, but that doesn't mean she believes it."

"She's just so…" Bryce sighs and leans back in the booth, "gorgeous."

"She is," Nash answers, putting his hand on Bryce's thigh. "But we can't push her."

"Did you see her eyes?" Bryce responds. "They're so big and green."

Bryce is the smallest of our three-man pack. Most people think packs are made up of families, and in a sense, they are. But we find our packs through friendships, which is how Nash, Bryce, and I became a pack at eight. It was the exact same time Radley started having her dreams. Nash is the biggest in his human form and the protector. Nash and I were born alphas, but it was more natural for me to take the leader position, which Nash was completely fine with. Bryce is our beta and ours to protect.

"I think we need to teach that girl a lesson," Nash says, eyeing the other server with disgust. "She needs to leave Radley alone." I shrug, more than happy with this plan.

"Oh! Can we do it like the last time?" Bryce asks excitedly, and I can't help but smile.

The last time we scared someone for Radley, it was her piece of shit ex. She broke up with him, and he kept showing up at her apartment every day for a week. By that weekend, we were fucking sick of it. So, Nash and I chased him into the woods behind her apartment building, where Bryce was waiting in wolf form. He might be smaller than us, but he's no less intimidating. We gave him a warning to leave her alone, or we were sending our "pet" wolf after him. The dude promptly pissed himself and agreed. We haven't seen him since.

"Yeah," I answer. "We can do it after she leaves work. I'll lure her out there."

Light Point, Virginia, our hometown, has always had legends about us. Most of them aren't accurate, but some people, like Radley's grandma, have all of our true history that was recorded and passed down from generation to generation. Movies, shows, and fictional books get it mostly wrong, but the times that we do see true information, we think it might be someone who read the lore or were born shifters.

I take a bite of my burger and feel Radley before I ever see a flash of her bright red hair. Without trying to hide it, I stare at her, taking in her pale face, bright freckles, and perfect fucking lips. She looks tired tonight, and I don't fucking like it. I know this job pays her shit, but until she agrees to be our mate, I can't step in and take care of her like she deserves.

"Hey, creepy man," Bryce cuts into my thoughts with a laugh. "Your wolf is showing." I can control myself unless I'm around her. I have this constant animalistic need to claim her, mark her, and make her mine.

Radley turns to face me like she knows I'm watching her. She licks her lips nervously, and I track the movement greedily, wanting nothing more than to feel her lips on mine. Maybe it is time to step this up and quit hanging out in the background. Radley needs to be ours.

The guys and I finish eating, and I slide a hundred-dollar bill under my plate with the check. We leave without waiting for change, and I watch through the window as that bitch takes Radley's money. I check my watch and see that she's only got a little over an hour before her shift ends, so we slide into my truck to wait.

Two hours later, we watch Radley climb into her car and head home. Nash and Bryce slide out of my truck, disappearing into the woods. When the other server walks out, I climb from my truck and lean against the hood, crossing my arms over my chest. Her eyes immediately find me and flare with appreciation.

"Hey," I call out, trying not to snarl when she walks up.

"Hey." She flips her hair over her shoulder in what I'm assuming was supposed to be a sexy way. "I'm Rebecca." I finally have a name for her.

"Mason."

Rebecca lays her hand on my arm and squeezes my bicep. Bile rises in my throat, but I push it down. "Were you waiting for me?"

Not for the reason you think. "Yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere."

She smiles and moves her hand to my chest. "Your house or mine?"

I stand up and control the shudder of repulsion that runs through me when her hand slides down my abs. "Let's go behind the building."

Rebecca laughs. "Are you that desperate for me, Baby?"

"Yeah. Sure. Come on." I walk off without waiting for her because I know she'll follow me. I'm turning the corner when she catches up.

"Where are you going?"

"Further into the woods for privacy."

We get about three feet behind the trees when I turn around and back her into one. Her eyes flare with excitement when her back hits it. Her hands land on my chest, her breathing erratic. "You're so fucking sexy," she says, running her hands over my pecs.

I smile, but it's not friendly. "I want you to leave Radley the fuck alone."

"What?" she asks in confusion.

"You fucking heard me. Every bit of fucking money you've stolen from her, I want it returned. If you steal from her again, this conversation will go a lot different."

I know Nash and Bryce have stepped out in wolf form when her eyes widen. I step to the side and turn around. Nash steps closer, towering over us. His eyes are glowing, and his lips peel back from his teeth, a growl rumbling up his chest.

"Wha…what…what is that?" Rebecca asks, trying to run, but I grab her arm to stop her. Bryce walks closer until his snout is almost touching her nose, and he snarls, licking his canines. "Oh my God."

"Are you going to leave Radley alone?" I ask. Her wide eyes are still on the giant wolves standing in front of her. "Answer me."

"Y…yes."

"You'll return her money?"

"Yes!"

"Get the fuck out of my face." I let her arm go. "Or the next time, I won't keep them on such a short leash."

Rebecca takes off running, tripping in her haste to get away. I hear Bryce bark and know that he's laughing. His form shimmers, and he's back in his naked human form. "That's always fun." Nash turns his massive wolf head and sniffs Bryce's hair, making his curls fly everywhere. "Hey! Stop that, or I'll ride you like a fucking horse."

I snort. "Like he'll care when your bare dick is anywhere near him."

Bryce grins. "I'd rather have his bare dick near me."

Nash shifts back to human and starts advancing on Bryce. Bryce laughs and takes off through the woods, Nash right behind him. Even in human form, we're fast, and our senses are heightened. They are magnified times a thousand when we're wolves. I listen to Bryce's laughter and pinpoint his location in seconds. I take off, running parallel to him as fast as I can to catch up. Before he reaches where they left their clothes, I slide out in front of him. His eyes widen, and he whirls around just to come face-to-face with Nash.

"Where do you think you're going?" I ask when he turns back to me. Our packs mate with each member in every sense of the word. Since Bryce is our beta, he loves every fucking second of it.

"Oh shit," he breathes when Nash steps up behind him, locking his arms around his waist.

"Why are you so hard, Baby beta?" Nash asks, tightening his hold.

"I like it when you chase me," Bryce answers, unashamed. "Why are you?"

Nash's eyes start glowing red, and he lowers his head to Bryce's ear. Nash is six-seven, and Bryce barely reaches six-two. I topped out at six-five when Nash continued to grow. "Because of you."

"Are you sure it's not because of a certain redhead?" Bryce quips, reaching back and grabbing Nash's massive thighs.

I step closer until Bryce's cock is trapped between our bodies. "How bad do you want her, Little beta?"

"So bad."

"I think it's time we step things up. We need to make her realize she's ours," I declare.

"Fuck," Bryce says. "Please."

I take a step back and pull my shirt over my head. Bryce's eyes track the movement when my hands go to my jeans. I jerk them down with my boxers and kick them off with my boots. My socks come off last until I'm finally naked. "Tell your alpha how bad you want him."

"Please, Alpha. I want you so fucking bad."

"Are you desperate for my cock, Little beta?"

"Yes," Bryce hisses when Nash sinks his teeth into his neck, marking him. It's in the exact same spot Nash marked him all those years ago when he claimed him for our pack. The scar is still there and is a constant reminder of how lucky we were when Bryce moved to town.

"What about me, Baby beta?"

"Always." I move to the side, and Nash pushes Bryce forward.

"Good," Nash says.

With glowing eyes, I give him the one command I know he'll follow without hesitation.

"Run."