Drew’s eyes grew wide as saucers and his breathing became shallow. Great, he thought she was the crazy one. Squeezing his wrist as hard as she could, she tried again.
“I know, I sound insane or delusional or something, but I swear to God they’re talking about it in the next room. I know you’re buddies and everything, but you seem like a really good guy. Please help me get out of here. I can’t end up like some too-stupid-to-live bimbo in a bad horror flick!”
A shadow dropped over Drew’s eyes, but instead of helping her up and out of the Little Lodge of Horrors, he took a deep breath and shouted, “Mason!”
Perfect, just perfect. As the sound of his crackpot leader’s feet running up the hallway thundered through the lodge, Lucy wondered if she should give them some tips on the best way to season her for their evening meal.
Chapter Ten
Mason strode into his bedroom, scanning the room for any threats. Lucy lay in the bed, fists full of blanket and eyes squeezed shut, body tense as she braced for oncoming pain. Drew stood at her side, a wicked-looking instrument in his hand. That was the moment Lucy’s eyes popped open and she met his stare across the distance. With her panic-filled gaze came a wave of her scent—the sweet notes now crowded by the stinging hint of fear.
His wolf howled and demanded its release. It would eliminate the threat against their mate. Permanently. But Mason had one problem with obeying the wolf’s desires—he didn’t see a threat, only Drew.
Drew, the healer.
Drew, the unmated male.
Drew, the man Mason had left alone with Lucy.
Having never had a mate, Mason was nearly knocked off balance by a ferocious surge of jealousy. He glared at Drew, lungs hardly able to draw in air. The man he’d trusted to care for his mate must have done something for her to be so fearful.
Mason crossed the room before Drew could so much as blink and wrapped his fingers around the healer’s throat. With the merest flex, he slammed Drew against the wall, the wolf’s feet dangling two feet above the floor. The other male’s hands scrabbled at Mason’s wrist, but he refused to release his prey.
Only Lucy’s scream stopped him from breaking Drew’s neck. He spared a moment to glance at the bed and met her terrified eyes. The scent of her panic filled the room with a cloying stench that drove him mad, drove his wolf toward the edge of violence. No doubt about it, whatever had scared her before he entered was nothing compared to how she felt as Mason pinned Drew to the wall.
Common sense told him that the only difference between then and now was his presence. It was enough to break through his hormone-fueled rage. He lowered Drew to his feet though he refused to release the wolf. He stared into the man’s wide eyes.
“What did you do?” Mason growled through clenched teeth.
Before Drew could speak, Lucy answered for him with a snarl of her own. “Nothing! Except for not answering my question.”
Mason’s fury lessened while apprehension crept in. He released Drew and turned to face his mate. Who didn’t know she was his mate. Or that he was even a werewolf.
“And what question might that be?”
She narrowed her eyes and her nostrils flared. “Whether he knew you nutjobs think you’re werewolves.”
Mason stopped breathing, and he was pretty sure his heart stopped beating as well. Shit!
He hadn’t wanted her to find out this way. She would eventually have to learn the truth about the Blackwood pack, and her eventual membership, but he’d wanted to ease her into their world slowly. How had she discovered their secret? Drew?
No, it hadn’t been the healer. The wolf was loyal to the pack above all. In truth, Lucy’s accusation was no doubt the reason why Drew had called for Mason.
“What makes you say that?” Mason kept his tone cautious, soothing.
Even in her sickness, she had enough pluck to roll her eyes at him. “Seriously? I heard you talking in the next room, plain as day.” She pointed a trembling finger at him, the shakes revealing her weakness. “Don’t even try to deny it.”
He wouldn’t call her a liar about hearing the conversation, but he could easily have denied that their meeting wasn’t next door. Mason had escorted the National Circle through the pack house and back to the sitting room to have their little chat. No human could have heard their mumbles at that distance, much less any details.
A spark of hope joined his rolling fear. She exhibited symptoms of transforming into a wolf—the only question was whether she could survive the transition. No matter what, Mason was going to do everything in his power to ensure she lived.
He returned his attention to Drew and wrapped an arm around his old friend’s shoulders. He walked the healer to the door and Drew didn’t need to be told to leave. Drew gave Mason an encouraging nod and then left the room though Mason knew he’d stay nearby, ready to help when he was needed.
The National Circle waited nearby, the trio’s gazes not leaving Mason. He kept his voice low as he spoke. “Time to leave, gentlemen.”
The beta and the enforcer backed away, but Roman—the alpha of alphas—didn’t budge. The other two glanced at each other and then followed Drew, leaving Mason and Roman to face off on their own.
Mason ground his teeth as he glared at Roman. National Circle Alpha or not, Mason wasn’t about to allow him anywhere near Lucy. “You need to leave. Now.”
To his credit, Roman kept his cool, but the way he crossed his arms made it clear he wasn’t leaving any time soon. “I’ll leave after Miss Morgan has answered a couple of questions.”
Defying the National Alpha would normally earn a wolf all sorts of painful punishment, but the only thing that mattered in that moment was Lucy. A growl developed in his chest, but a feminine snort jolted him out of his growing anger. Both he and Roman glanced at the bed where Lucy remained, a firm glare in place.
“You can go suck a lemon, pal,” Her objection endeared her to Mason even more. “I’m not answering questions until I get a few answers of my own. Do you freaks really think you’re werewolves, or what?”
Mason bit his lips to keep himself from smiling. He’d known she was one ballsy chick even before they met—throwing herself into the path of an oncoming car to save a child proved that—but seeing her tell off the National Alpha was more than he could have dreamed. Judging by the frown Roman gave Lucy, he disagreed though Mason caught the gleam of amusement in the man’s eyes.
Lips twitching ever so slightly, Roman returned his attention to Mason. “We’re not leaving until we have answers, Mason.”
The last of Mason’s patience evaporated, and so did his inhibitions about speaking freely in front of Lucy. Even if they left the room, she’d hear it all anyway. She’d already proven that fact.
“Listen,” Mason jabbed a finger in the air in Roman’s direction. “I have an injured mate who’s asking questions, and she has a right to answers. I don’t need to remind you how this could turn out. Instead of taking a step back, you’re more concerned about bleating like a fucking sheep over a mishap involving a young pup!”
“I’d stop pointing if I were you,” Roman’s jaw worked overtime and his green eyes flashed a dark warning.
“And if I were you,” Mason curled his lip. “I’d figure out who called in the tip in the first place. Interesting timing, don’t you think? That you got a helpful call about the Blackwood pack breaking laws at the exact same time I’m dealing with an asshole starting fires in my forest. Convenient, don’t you think?”
Roman examined Mason for a moment before he spoke. “Seems as if you already have a theory. Share with the class.”
That was the alpha of alphas—demand, not ask.