Chapter Fourteen

Mason

Clint's screams filled the building. The older man was crying as snot dripped from his nose. He was terrified and Mason didn't blame him. His father's fate was not going to be pretty, and Clint had just gotten a peek at how that would go.

"Shut up, old man." Jason kicked his father in the ribs.

"Jas," Mason hissed.

Jason shook his head. "You know he would be kicking the shit out of us if that was one of us on the floor. He did always like to kick us while we were down."

That was true. Mason didn't want to get any closer, but he had to get answers.

Mason stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

"Help me, son," his father pleaded. "Can't you see that they're all monsters? Didn't you see what they just summoned?"

"Help you?" Jason repeated. "Why would we do that?"

"The monsters have corrupted you!" his father yelled. "I can save you."

"Where's the book?" Mason demanded.

His father's eyes widened.

"Yeah, that book," Mason said.

His father shook his head.

"What book?" Jason asked.

"Remember the book of Grandpa's that Dad kept with him all the time? The one where he wrote what kind and where monsters were killed?" Mason asked.

"The journal?" Jason questioned.

"I read it once," Mason said. "Dad found me and locked me in the closet for a week for that. After he beat me, but it was worth it."

Levi growled as he stepped forward.

Mason grabbed his waist. "It's okay. It was worth the punishment."

Levi's fangs were showing.

"Where's the book?" Mason asked again.

"I won't tell you anything!" his father yelled.

Levi nuzzled Mason's cheek then stepped forward. He crouched in front of Mason's father and grabbed his chin. "You might as well tell us," he said quietly. "You already know what your future holds. It's up to you if you leave here in one piece or not."

The low growl of Levi's voice was so fucking sexy. Especially when he was threatening Mason's father.

Mason pressed against Levi's shoulder. "We'll find it one way or another. I'm giving you the chance to do something right for the first time in your life. Give us the book."

His father snorted. "No."

"Why not?" Mason asked. "It's not going to do you any good where you"re going."

His father turned his head away.

Levi growled. "You came into my territory and threatened my mate. You caused harm to my family. Tell us what we want to know or what the hounds do to you won't even compare to what I do." He flicked out his hand, showing off his claws.

"Mates," his father spat. "I know that's a lie. It's a trick you monsters play on unsuspecting humans."

Now they were getting somewhere.

"We are mates," Mason said. "It's not a lie."

His father just shook his head.

"We'll find the book whether you help us or not," Mason said.

Mason nearly cringed when his father turned those familiar hate-filled dark eyes on him. He didn't. Mason stood straight and met that gaze. "You shouldn't have come after me."

"We weren't even looking for you!" his father sneered. "It was just our bad luck that one of the guys spotted you in town."

That shocked him. "What were you doing here?"

His father didn't answer.

Levi struck out with his claws, cutting his father's face.

His father yelled and threw himself back, but Levi was quicker and grabbed the front of his shirt. Levi shook Mason's father hard. "I'm not even trying to hurt you yet. I will though. What were you doing in town?"

There was finally real fear in his father's face.

Levi picked his father up and threw him against the wall. Hard. Mason's father's head cracked.

"Stop!" his father wailed.

"What were you doing here?" Levi demanded.

"A favor!" his father shouted. "Paying back a favor!"

"What. Were. You. Doing. Here." Levi flashed his fangs.

"Looking for a mage that ran from his coven. They tracked his magic and knew he was around here somewhere. I didn't even know my son was around. It's not like I bothered to look for him. Not after he betrayed everything he was taught and sided with you monsters."

It shouldn't hurt. To hear that his father hadn't cared that Mason and his brother had left. They'd always been more of a burden and their father never let them forget that fact.

"A mage?" Levi asked.

"Yes," his father hissed. "We owed the coven a favor. The favor was to return this guy to them."

"Why?" Axel questioned as he stepped forward.

"I didn't ask. I don't care. We had to do it because—"

"Because?" Axel demanded.

Instead of responding, his father pressed his lips together tight.

Levi lifted his father off the ground before shoving his back into the wall with enough force that the building shook.

"He was paying back the coven that performed the sacrifices," Mason said.

Levi turned to him. "Sacrifices?"

Mason nodded. "While I was talking to the other boys upstairs, they brought up mates and about what Seb is trying to figure out."

"Why mates hadn't been found for—"

"Since my great-great-great something, a coven, and many others made sacrifices to some God or divinity to stop the paranormal community from finding mates. It was after something called the great hunt. The plan had been that the paranormals who'd lived through the hunt and gone into hiding would eventually become extinct without finding their mates."

Behind him someone gasped.

Mason turned quickly.

Gavin had gone completely pale.

Levi must have noticed as well. He tossed Mason's father to Axel before rushing over to Gavin. "Gavin, you okay, man?"

"I…" Gavin shook his head. "I…can't…"

"Okay." Levi wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "We have this. Go up to the house."

Gavin seemed shocked and Mason wanted to offer the other man comfort. He didn't know Gavin, at all, but the look on his face said something was wrong. "That book…"

"We'll get it," Levi said.

"Okay." Gavin stumbled away and Levi turned toward Mason.

"Levi?" Mason said quietly.

Pulling him into his arms, Levi sighed deeply. "Gavin was alive during the great hunt. His entire family, species, was wiped out. One…one of the human mates betrayed them."

"No!" Mason replied in shock.

"It's…You know what that book looks like?" Levi asked.

"Yeah," Mason said. "My father always had it with him. I saw it that one time, but I read about the coven and what they did. This was before my father was even alive."

"It was a long time ago," Levi said.

"There's a mage in town? Did you know that?" Mason asked.

"Yes, we know. He contacted Axel when he chose to settle here."

"We need to talk to him too. If my father was after him…" Mason didn't know what to say about that. The man was obviously in some sort of trouble.

"Axel will take care of it."

Mason looked over his shoulder where Axel was currently beating the hell out of his father to get answers. Mason leaned heavily against Levi. It had been a long fucking day. His body ached. He was tired. Mason just wanted everything over and done with.

"You can go inside as well," Levi offered.

Mason turned his face into Levi's shoulder. "I want to stay with you." He might sound needy but fuck it, he was feeling needy. After all the events of the last twenty-four hours, the only person that Mason wanted to see or talk to was Levi.

How had everything changed so drastically?

"Okay." Levi cupped the back of Mason's head, pressing him closer. "I got you."

Mason allowed himself to drift a little. Not sleep. Just let his mind wander while ignoring the sounds coming from the back corner. Why had his father been hunting this mage? Just to return him to the coven, or was there something else worse going on? Was there a chance the coven was up to something as evil and sick as before? If the coven was in contact with his father, it worried Mason.

He'd just found Levi. They weren't even mated yet. Hell, they hadn't even had sex. There was so much that Mason was looking forward to. This world that he'd been born into was dangerous. Mason knew that better than anyone. He was also getting a good look at what a healthy and happy family actually was.

Mason wanted more time with his mate, new friends, family.

After all the pain in his life, it was nice to have a brighter future to strive for. He'd hoped, secretly, when he'd run from his father that he'd find a mate like his cousin had. He'd seen how Cassie had been welcomed lovingly into her pack. Mason had wanted that.

The men in this particular family might not make up a typical pack but they were people that Mason would happily get to know. He liked the boys, respected them all.

The sudden quietness of the building jarred him from his thoughts.

Lifting his head, Mason peered up at his mate and smiled. Levi looked back at him with so much love in his eyes.

Axel, Bo, Jason, and Tristan joined their little circle.

"Is he still alive?" Mason asked.

Axel nodded while wiping his hands with a blue towel. "He might wish he wasn't, but he is. Bo will call the hounds for him in a minute."

"The book?" Mason questioned.

"At the old lake house," Jason said. He looked at his mate. "How about a road trip, hot stuff?"

Tristan grinned. "With you? I think I can handle that."

"I'll go with the hounds and fill Mal in on what we found out tonight."

Axel sighed. "I'll need to talk to Dean as soon as possible."

"Dean?" Jason asked.

"The mage," Axel said. "We need to find out what he knows about—" Axel huffed. "Could it really have been a coven that…that took mates away? Why would they even help the hunters?"

Mason didn't have the answers. "I'm sorry."

"No, baby," Levi said gently. "We wouldn't even know this much without you. We've been trying for so long to find answers, and this is really the first time that we have any real leads."

"I just don't know how it's even possible," Bo stated.

"They sacrificed the most powerful beings they could capture," Mason said. "The journal goes into very specific details."

"We need that book," Axel said.

"Let's get some sleep and we'll leave first thing in the morning," Jason said.

"Are you sure?" Mason asked his brother. "I can—"

"No," Tristan said. "I'll go with my mate. We'll get the book and return quickly. In the meantime, find out what Dean knows."

"We also need to make sure that everyone from Dad's group is really gone," Jason said.

"Get all the journals," Mason ordered. "He wrote down everything. There should be more information on other factions of hunters."

"If it's too much to bring back, call me. I'll portal to you," Bo offered.

"That would be great," Jason replied. He grabbed Mason's arm. "Is there anything you want? We never went to the lake house after we left."

Mason thought about what he'd left behind. They never had much. Their father didn't believe in giving them much and what they did get, he took away as punishment. "I don't think so."

"I'll look around," Jason told him.

"Just be careful."

Jason smirked. "I'm always careful."

Mason rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, my new brother from another mother," Tristan said. "I'll keep him in line."

"Oh God!" Mason groaned. "Don't ever say that to me again!"

"I'm going to take Mason up to my room," Levi said. "I'd like to make sure he didn't injure himself further."

"I'm sure you do," Jason teased. "Make sure you check over every inch of him."

Fuck! His brother was so embarrassing.

"I plan to," Levi responded with a smirk.

Shit! His man was so hot!

"Go." Axel waved them off. "We'll take it from here."

Finally. Mason practically slumped with relief. He was just so fucking tired.

"Thanks," Levi said. "Let's go, baby." He turned Mason with an arm around Mason's waist.

"Mason?" Axel called his name softly.

He and Levi turned back toward the Alpha. Mason now had no doubt that Axel was an Alpha. A true Alpha. One that cared about his family.

Axel strode forward before cupping Mason"s face.

Mason froze.

"Thank you. You have no idea what you gave us tonight. A real chance of figuring out what happened and how to avoid it in the future. You gave those that haven't been as blessed with a mate hope."

"I'm just happy that we were talking about mates, and I remembered the book," he replied honestly.

Axel nodded as he smiled. "Welcome to the family." Leaning forward, Axel kissed Mason"s forehead. "Now let your mate take care of you."

"I'll do that." Mason was nearly giddy with his exhaustion. The pain that he'd felt since his father had first captured him throbbed through his entire body.

"Go." Axel released him but Mason didn't have time to even blink before Levi swung him up into his arms.

With an arm around Levi's neck, Mason smiled. "I can walk."

"I can also carry you," Levi said. "Unless you insist on walking."

Why would he? It felt way too good to be in his mate's arms. "Not going to complain."

"Good. Let me take care of you, boy. I need to do this."

"Yes, Daddy." Mason closed his eyes as they exited the building. He was leaving his past behind and all he wanted to do was be with his man.