2. Shya

Chapter two

Shya

T he scent wafted down the driveway. I inhaled deeply, noting the intoxicating aroma, a tantalizing blend of cedarwood and musk that could only belong to one person: Mason.

Damn it!

The last thing I needed right now was to see Mason Shaw, hear Mason Shaw, or smell Mason fucking Shaw. He had the ability to send my brain into a Mason fog. I couldn't think properly when he was around.

As his scent wove its insidious threads around me, as it always did, I felt my body respond instinctively. My heart beat faster, and an annoyingly pleasing warmth spread through my core. I hated that he had this effect on me. And it was getting worse. I was seeing Mason in my dreams now. Like, every fucking night. Each dream was more vivid and explicit than the last, as if my subconscious was determined to torment me with what I couldn't have. The way he would touch me, the way he made me feel; it was addictive. All I could think about was his chiseled jaw grazing my neck as he whispered exactly how he was going to fuck me. And he used those words, too. No romantic sweet nothings, no promises of unending passion. No, in my dreams, Mason told me exactly, in explicit detail, what he was going to do to me. And instead of being appalled at his language, I woke up each night horny as hell.

Maybe if I got a new vibrator, thoughts of Mason would disappear? I'd been using the same one for years now. Ever since my parents made it abundantly clear that having sex before my mating ceremony was a hard—no pun intended—no. I'd been sat down when I was fifteen and told that no matter how appealing someone might be or how much I wanted to, I could not risk the future of this Pack by sleeping with whoever I wanted. If the mate bond sealed, that person would be the future Alpha of this Pack, whether they wanted it or not. I had to trust my parents to help me choose the best person for the Pack, and as had happened for my parents, hope that the fated mate bond sealed during the official mating ceremony. If not, well, not everyone found their fated mate, and at least my parents will have chosen someone suitable to be my partner to help me rule this Pack. But I couldn't help but wonder what was under Mason's pants, what that bulge in the front would look like. What it would feel like.

I had to stop doing this. I couldn't get caught up in my Mason fog anymore. I was the daughter of the Pack Alphas, and I had work to do. I sped up. I would just have to find out what he wanted and send him on his way. I didn't have time to daydream about his hands roaming my body, his lips kissing lower and lower until—No! No more daydreaming!

This morning, I had a meeting scheduled with Edmond, the werewolf my parents had chosen as my future mate. I had to focus on that. Both my parents thought he was the perfect match for me. I wasn't so sure, but Edmond certainly possessed qualities that made him an ideal partner and co-leader of the Pack. He was, first and foremost, loyal to Bridgetown. We'd had our share of traitors recently; first Tristan, then Elise, who'd tried to kill Ryan and Mai while they were hiding out here. The new werewolves my dad and Tristan had brought in to help us when we thought there might be a war with the Three Rivers Pack had all left with Tristan. Now, everyone was on edge, wondering who might be next.

Edmond, though, came from a Bridgetown family that was as old as mine. He was raised like me, taught to always put the Pack first. He understood the importance of unity and would do anything to protect our people. He had a sharp analytical mind, which allowed him to assess situations quickly and make well-informed decisions, and it helped that he was always cool under pressure, a trait that was invaluable in our world.

I wasn't attracted to him, although he was definitely handsome in an accountant-who-secretly-works-out kind of way. This was what had convinced me I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to fall in love. Didn't want someone to have that power over me. Not after what had happened with Tristan.

Memories of my past with Tristan flooded my mind, transporting me back to when I was an 18-year-old, sheltered within the Pack and surrounded by my parents' enforcers. I remembered the thrill when I realized that Tristan had noticed me, that he was paying special attention to me. Me!

It started with small gestures, like bringing me my coffee in the morning, just the way I liked it, or leaving a single flower on my desk. He would always find a reason to be near me, offering to help with my training or volunteering to accompany me on errands. Tristan made me feel special, like I was the only person in the world who mattered to him. At eighteen, it had been intoxicating.

One day, he surprised me with a picnic in the woods, just the two of us. He had prepared my favorite foods, including caprese sandwiches and strawberries, brought a blanket for us to sit on, and wine to drink. As we ate and talked, Tristan told me that we were fated mates, destined to be together forever. He said he could feel the bond between us, and that it was only a matter of time before I felt it, too.

I had been so naive, so excited by the idea of being Tristan's fated mate. The idea of having someone who loved me so completely, who wanted to share their life with me, was everything I had ever wanted. I believed every word he said, and I couldn't wait for the day when I would feel the bond, too.

It really had been that easy for him. I fell for the fantasy, the attention. For the gorgeous older Beta who wanted me to be his mate. It took me at least another six months before the doubts started to creep in.

My parents had been delighted that Tristan and I were involved. They adored him. But I started to see how he acted around them was different to how he acted with other members of the Pack. With my parents, he fully supported their vision of Bridgetown as a tourist spot for humans to come and learn and interact with Shifters. With others, with me, though, the way he spoke about humans and the future of our Pack made me uneasy.

I remember the first time I really noticed it. We were walking through town one evening, and a group of human tourists passed by, excitedly taking pictures.

Tristan's lip curled in disgust. "Look at them," he muttered, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Gawking at us like we're some kind of circus attraction. They have no idea of the power we possess."

I felt chilled by his words. "But isn't that the point?" I asked hesitantly. "To show them we're not a threat?"

He scoffed. "But we are a threat! We should be ruling them, not pandering to them."

Then, after a Pack meeting about increasing human-werewolf integration in town, I heard him talking to some of his friends. "They're leading us down a path of weakness. We're diluting our true nature. Werewolves are apex predators, not tourist attractions or pet dogs for humans to coo over."

I tried to argue, to defend my parents' vision, but Tristan always had a way of making his words sound so reasonable, so right. "Use your brain, Shya. How long before humans decide they want to control us? Study us? We need to show them our strength before it's too late." He'd looked around at his friends, at the others nearby listening in. "When I'm Alpha," he said, his voice low and intense, "things will be different. We'll reclaim our rightful place. Humans will learn to fear us again, as they should. And you'll be by my side, Shya. My mate, my queen."

The possessiveness in his voice, the way he spoke about humans as if they were inferior beings, it all started to make me deeply uncomfortable. But every time I tried to talk to him about it, Tristan would brush me aside, telling me I just needed time to understand, that once our mate bond fully formed, I'd see things his way.

Gradually, I began to see how Tristan manipulated others in the Pack. He'd whisper doubts about my parents' leadership, plant seeds of discontent about our relationship with humans. To the younger wolves, he'd talk about the ‘glory days' when werewolves didn't hide their nature, when they were truly free.

"Imagine not having to pretend to be weaker than you are. That's the future I see for us."

As I watched him work his charm on others, saw how easily they fell under his spell, just as I had, the unease in my gut grew. I began to realize that the Tristan I thought I knew, the one who brought me coffee and left flowers on my desk, was just a mask. Behind it lurked someone far more dangerous, someone whose vision for our future filled me with dread.

When I went to my parents, they thought I was just getting cold feet. They couldn't believe their beloved Tristan, who was so charming and supportive, would turn on them. So, I'd done the only thing I could do. I'd sneaked out of Pack territory and gotten really drunk at a human bar where no one would recognize me.

Fortunately, it turned out that Derek Shaw, head of intelligence for the neighboring Three Rivers Pack, was there. He'd asked if I was okay, gave me his card. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but I'd gone home determined to find some proof about Tristan to show my parents. That's when I found he'd been in touch with someone in Three Rivers, and they were plotting to take over both Packs. I'd remembered Derek's card and called him. After that, I'd worked as an agent for Derek, passing him information when I could. We'd eventually worked out that Brock Madden in their Pack was conspiring with Tristan, and we'd stopped their plot, but Tristan escaped and took a lot of our Pack with him, ones who bought into his vision of the future.

I'd been burned pretty badly by the whole thing. Tristan had taught me how easy it was to manipulate feelings. He taught me not to trust myself or what I felt. I had been convinced that he was my fated mate, but I'd been wrong. Now, I couldn't help but question every emotion, every attraction I felt. I didn't want to make the same mistake again, didn't want to give my heart to someone who might betray me and the Pack again.

That's why I had to push my feelings for Mason aside. I couldn't risk getting caught up in another whirlwind romance, no matter how much my body and heart wanted him. My wolf thought I was a being an idiot. For her, it was straightforward. I wanted Mason. I should have Mason. But I had to focus on my duty to the Pack, on my arranged marriage to Edmond. It was the right choice, the logical choice.

I was walking up the steps to the front door when I heard raised voices coming from the study. I crept closer to the door.

"You have got to be fucking shitting me!" Mason's voice was full of disbelief and anger.

Damn it!

I was guessing Mom and Dad had just told him about my upcoming mating ceremony to Edmond.

Well, he had to find out sooner or later. Though I had been hoping it would be after the event. Mom and Dad would give him some time to cool down and then send him on his way.

Me? I was going to take the coward's way out and hide in my room until he'd gone.