by J. K Harper
Ana looked down at the mug she held as if she wasn't sure what was in it. “Yes. Coffee. Merry Christmas, Mason,” she whispered, drawing her gaze back up to him. A faint smile lifted the corners of her always kissable mouth.
Mason felt his own lips curve up into a smile. This was a hell of a gift: being able to wake up next to the woman he loved on Christmas morning. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
They looked at one another for a long, dopey moment, both of them smiling like complete idiots. Mason knew he must look like a total goof, but he didn't care. Best damn present he'd ever gotten on the holidays. That was for sure.
The rich aroma of the coffee teased him again. He'd never smelled some so good before. Maybe it was special Christmas coffee she'd imported or something. Ana did like her coffee. “Bringing that to me as a peace offering? Did you say something about muffins, too?”
Come to think of it, the muffins smelled like some kind of heaven, too. Damn. Everything smelled amazing this morning. He could even smell the sweet scent of his Ana, like some signature perfume or something. But she never wore perfume.
Ana laughed and stepped over to the bed. Careful not to spill the coffee on her, he gently tugged her down to sit next to him. The swell of her hip under his hands made him groan again. He sensed the earthy hunger simmering beneath her laughter, which faded into a more ardent expression at his touch. “Put that down for a second and kiss me, babe,” he said, holding her gaze steady with his own. “I can't think straight till you do.”
Her eyes darkened to a smoky green as she leaned down to meet his lips with hers. Silken soft, her mouth teased at his while her teeth gently played with his lower lip. Her scent was so intoxicating Mason literally felt a star-shot black haze momentarily dip over him, like he was about to pass out from it. But he managed to stay alert, every sense in him focused only on Ana, her captivating mouth, the sweet promise of her body.
With what seemed to be enormous reluctance, she pulled away after a moment. Mason groaned his disagreement with that, but she stayed resolute. “No,” she said, although she brought the back of his hand to her lips and grazed the skin there with her lips. “My boss invited us up to his house this morning. It's already almost ten a.m.”
She ducked her head with one of those bashful little smiles that held all the feminine secrets of the universe. The smile that always slayed him with its combo of innocent and sultry, tentative yet bold. Her tousled dark hair slid over one eye, giving her even more bedroom appeal. Groaning again, he turned his palm up and stroked her cheek, half sure he was still dreaming and she'd disappear in a poof of smoke when he really woke up.
“Really? On Christmas morning? This is when he grills me yet again about my true intentions toward you, right?” He meant it jokingly, but his conversation with the man last night still left him feeling strangely unsettled. As if there had been a challenge in there somewhere. A challenge he didn't quite understand but would have to answer anyway.
At his words, the smile slipped right off her face again. The little catch of breath wasn't from his kiss anymore, but from concern.
“Babe?” He searched her face. The green eyes were clouded. Her fingers loosened in his and tried to tug away.
“Please.” Her voice was so quiet and worried he felt a hard bolt of protectiveness rip through him. “It's just a—a Christmas morning thing. They probably have gifts for us or something.”
Mason sensed she wasn't really being truthful. Not letting go of her hand, he tipped her chin up so she had to look at him. Her wide, shiny eyes made the protective instinct stronger.
“Why are you crying?” His voice sharpened as his own worry increased. “Did we do something wrong last night?” He wracked his brain for anything really dumb he might have said or done at the party, but nothing in particular came to mind. “He seemed cool with me when we talked. I think.”
Her hand flexed convulsively in his. Shaking her head, she said, “No. It's—ah, I think I'm just nervous because I'm so happy, Mason,” she whispered, although her face looked anything but. Her voice softened as she added, “I love you. I do. No matter what.”
He gave her a look but let it drop for the moment since she was pulling away again. “I love you, too, babe,” he said back. He meant it with every molecule of his being. No way did he want to mess this up. Whatever was going on, she'd tell him eventually. For now, he just planned to agree to whatever the woman wanted. Anything to keep her with him.
Anything, he thought with a deep, bizarre firmness in his mind that almost didn't sound like his own voice. Shaking his head, he simply got out of the warm bed and began pulling on clothes since Ana was already dressing. “After we get back here, though, babe, I've got some other plans for you,” he warned teasingly, taking a step toward her to drop a lingering kiss on her bare neck.
He heard the faint smile as she replied, “Yes. When we get back.”
But there definitely was no imagining the undertone of nerves in her voice as well. Keeping his frown to himself, he finished getting dressed. Then they headed out into the cold Christmas morning.
* * *
Ana steeled herself before knocking on the beautiful golden oak door of the house belonging to Alpha and his mate. Not looking at Mason the entire walk here had helped her stay focused, though she held tightly to his hand. Her wolf danced nervous somersaults in her head, twirling and pacing and almost continually blasting forth images of Mason as hers.
As her mate.
Yes. He is, Ana thought, only half paying attention.
Wolf mate, her wolf stubbornly thought. Her pacing increased to the point Ana felt a little dizzy.
Mate to a wolf shifter. Forbidden human mate.
Now she felt a little sick to her stomach. But surely, surely, Alpha wouldn't pass judgment on Christmas morning, with Mason present to hear it all? Christmas was a tradition somewhat more beloved by the younger pack members, the older ones still honoring the winter solstice more strongly, but everyone still celebrated the darn holiday. It was special. Joyous. A time for love, right? Alpha had said so himself. He wouldn't lie to her.
“Babe?” Mason sounded a little concerned. “You going to knock, or should I?”
Ana realized she was frozen with her fist an inch from the door. The occupants inside would already know she was here, of course, having scented them approaching. But for Mason's sake they would wait for the knock. Smiling quickly at him, she rapped once. The door opened almost immediately, assuring her she'd been right. Alpha's mate opened it, her face covered in a genuine smile as she greeted them.
“Come in,” Otsana Bardou said, gesturing them inside. “They're in the front room.”
They? Ana's wolf stopped pacing and honed in on scents. Alpha and Otsana, yes. And someone else. Someone Ana recognized with a small start, but had no idea why on earth he would be on pack property on a holiday morning.
On the bright side, she thought, Alpha wouldn't do anything while someone not Pack was here. Her mind suddenly more relaxed yet also even more confused, Ana glanced at Otsana, who smiled serenely back at her. The older woman's face gave nothing away, much like her mate. As the pack's healer, Otsana had many skills. Diplomacy and close-mouthedness were among them.
Keeping a tight hold on Mason's hand while she warned her wolf to settle a bit, Ana followed Otsana through the spacious home to the enormous front room. Its stunning beauty, complete with a floor-to-ceiling window that showcased the snowy San Juan Mountains to perfection, was completely lost on Ana as the two people standing there admiring the view turned at the sound of their footsteps.
Channing Bardou, of course, appeared fairly regal and utterly composed as he regarded them. His face was unreadable as usual, which was yet another skill Ana sort of wished she had. He looked none the worse for wear despite the late hour the party had gone to last night, not to mention their own unsettling meeting afterward. Ana knew she probably looked tired, given the fact she'd barely slept at all. Just the thought was enough to r
ouse a blush, which she urgently squashed. Shifters could pick up on the hormones of other shifters, and she definitely didn't want to broadcast to Alpha and his mate what she and Mason had been up to last night, even though Alpha knew already. Shifters weren't particularly concerned about sex in general, given what a natural part of life it was, but the fact the man in question was human made it something she didn't feel like emphasizing any more than necessary.
With another dance of nerves tingling over her skin, she wished she was baking. Or decorating. Or wandering the stores in town again, looking at beautiful window displays. Anything that would feel normal. Anything that would make the reality of this situation different.
No matter what the consequences.
Her wolf rustled in her mind, shaking her to awareness that this moment couldn't simply be disbelieved out of existence. It was here, and so was Ana. Her wolf side always lived in the present moment. Biting her lip again, she inhaled deeply yet quietly through her nose. As her gaze moved to the man beside Alpha, she knew Mason's reaction would be exactly the same as hers.
“Gramps?” Mason said in bewilderment. “What are you doing here?”
Kurt Tunstall, a long-time friend of Alpha's and also Mason's grandfather, smiled widely first at Ana, moving forward to hug her. He'd always liked her immensely, and she him, which had made breaking up with Mason even harder.
Mate's family, her wolf thought, looking with fondness at Kurt. Ana struggled to shove her wolf back down, who was hovering very close to the surface. As Kurt swept her up in a hug, wishing her happy holidays, Ana felt yet another rush of fear. Surely Alpha didn't mean for his old friend to lose his grandson because of Ana's foolish heart.
Did he?
Mate, her wolf insisted so loudly Ana was pretty sure Alpha and his mate could hear it. Shaking despite her resolve to be present, she didn't dare look at either one of them.
“Now,” Kurt said, releasing Ana and giving Mason a similar hug. “I'm sure you're both wondering what I'm doing here.”
Mason, who'd let go of Ana's hand when Kurt hugged her, said, “Pretty much. Just so you all know,” he said carefully as he looked at everyone in the room with puzzlement clear on his face, “my intentions toward Ana are very solid. If that's what this is about. And she's back on board with me. I think,” he added as he looked right at her with those gorgeous blue eyes she could never get enough of, the obvious bit of hesitance in his voice sawing at her heart.
Ana swallowed hard as her wolf whined in her head, wishing desperately she could comfort her mate.
“Otherwise, I'm not really sure what's going on here.” Mason tightened his hold on Ana's hand as well, but he stood firm and sure.
Kurt, his face still smiling but his eyes piercing them both with an intensity that had Ana's wolf suddenly on guard, said, “My dear friends here have a gift for you, Mason. Actually, it's my own gift to you.” He made a slightly deprecating sound almost under his breath. “Not one I ever thought would come to light, my dear boy. But that was always my fault. Old choices can indeed return to haunt us later in life. Don't forget that.” He wagged a finger at them, gently but in all seriousness.
Mason opened his mouth, but his grandfather gently shushed him. “Just wait. What we want to tell you—tell you both,” he added, giving Ana a knowing glance, though what she was supposed to know was lost on her, “is rather important. We thought about simply saying it, but it seemed doubtful you would believe us that way. So we thought another approach might be best. Something that would drum in the reality of the situation to you. Something,” he said as he look Mason square in the face, his own face draped in a solemn ferocity that abruptly had Ana's wolf pawing at her mind again to be loosed, “I think a part of you has known your entire life, Mason.”
At those last words, Ana's wolf did some bizarre whirling thing in her head that made her blink. Partly ecstatic, still partly confused, and with a bit of self-satisfaction thrown in, she and Ana's human were so entwined at the moment that Ana didn't dare open her mouth for fear what sounds might come out.
Then Alpha stepped forward and Ana's breath caught again. The heady scent of the decorated tree in the room invaded all her senses, along with Mason's suddenly sharper tang. They mixed together as Alpha advanced step by slow step, his gaze fixed on Ana. Ana's wolf's hackles suddenly rose even as her tail drooped.
Mate! she insisted again, certain even in the face of her approaching alpha and his grim, even fierce expression. My mate!
Her alpha was about to attack them. His movements were those of a predator on the hunt.
Sighting its prey.
Preparing to leap.
Head whirling in shock, body instinctively readying itself for defense, Ana didn't know if she would faint, scream, or leap in front of Mason. Her wolf's teeth sharpened in her mouth as her feral side threatened to overwhelm her. Her entire world seemed to crazily spill sideways into some sort of black hole, threatening to take her with it.
Instead, the one thing she never would have expected happened.
Mason shoved her behind him and growled. A genuine growl ripped out of his throat, then another and another falling into the room with a cadence so natural and pure Ana knew her eyes were glowing in response as her wolf tried her hardest to leap out of her skin to stand beside her mate.
Her mate, who had just growled a wolf's growl.
A wolf just like her.
8
Mason felt the weird vibration in his throat, felt it echo into the room as Channing prowled toward Ana. His Ana. His to protect from all danger.
“Mine. Mine!” he shouted, his voice coming out half growl, half roar. It startled him so much he brought himself up short, staring in shock at Channing and everyone else in the room. Channing stopped, seeming very pleased all of a sudden. The danger signals faded away.
What the hell was going on? His heart was hammering like he was sprinting, and something crazy weird was happening to his vision. It was going in and out, kind of like he could see clearly one second, then everything was even sharper the next, but in the wrong colors. Something inside his head scrabbled around, trying to get out. Everyone just stood staring back at him, even Ana.
It was the most insane thing he'd ever felt in his life. At the same time, it felt—natural. Normal. Like he knew exactly what was happening.
It felt, he suddenly realized with a jolt that almost knocked him over, like the dreams he'd had his entire life. The dreams about wolves.
Blindly reaching for Ana's hand again, which he'd let go of when he jumped in front of her, he took several long, calming breaths. The piney scent in the room and all the other typical smells of the season, like gingerbread and pumpkin spice, were so strong in his nose it was almost like he could taste them. He could smell Ana's fear, too. Actually smell it, the bitterness making his nose wrinkle even as he pulled her closer to him, where she'd be safe.
His grandfather had a look of both intense love as well as a kind of sad wonder written all over his face. Channing and his wife both watched Mason very closely, but they also seemed pleased as hell.
“What,” Mason finally said out loud, his voice sounding more normal, “was that? And why the hell,” he directed at Channing, “were you coming at us like you meant to kill us or something?”
“Because he was,” Ana said. Gravel speckled her already sultry voice, deepening it to a register he'd never heard before.
He looked at her and almost choked on his shock again. Her eyes were glowing. Like, really glowing, with a sort of amber light pulsing out of her usual green. Her expression was unlike any he'd ever seen on her face before. Almost savage, and maybe a bit desperate.
“Babe?” he whispered. Something was sizzling between them, like an electric shock racing from her into him where their hands touched. Something wild, and pure, and so stunning he wanted to just open himself up to it, let it take him over.
Shaking his head hard, feeling as if his reality had just dumped him down the rabbit
hole, Mason resisted the urge to grab his mate and kiss her long and hard in front of everyone, claiming her as his so no one would mistake it again.
His mate? Where the hell had that come from?
“Mason,” Channing said.
His voice held a command Mason couldn't resist, and he looked into the man's eyes. Almost immediately, he dropped his gaze from the heavy weight of it. It was impossible to look Channing directly in the eyes, as if the weight of an entire mountain leaned on him and forced him to look away.
Ana made a shocked little sound at that. He looked at her again. His sweet, sexy anchor in this room of utter wildness. Her hands were over her mouth, her still weirdly lit eyes so big they seemed to take up more than half her face. Shaking from the tips of her gorgeous dark brown hair to the toes of her boots, she reached out one hand to him, to touch his upper arm.
“Oh, my god,” she whispered. Her voice rattled like dry leaves. “This isn't possible. Is it?” she asked, wildly looking around the room. “He's human. You're human, Mason. This can't be.”
He rocked back on his feet, feeling simultaneously slapped by and amused at her words.
Amused? Yes. Some part of him was amused at what she'd said.
Human, something inside him whispered. Not human.
He startled badly and shifted his gaze around the room so fast, looking for the source of the voice, he felt dizzy. “What is that?” he whispered.
Wolf, the voice said again. Wolf. I am wolf.
Ana's enormous eyes were still locked on him, wonder and something else growing across her stunning face. Something that looked like what he felt. Possessive. Thrilled. Shocked. Maybe even...joyous.
“Babe,” she whispered, her voice cracking, sounding a little more like the Ana he knew. “I can feel it. Inside you.” Wonder colored her words as her hand touched his arm like she'd never touched him before. “You—how is this possible?”
She looked at Channing, at Mason's grandfather. But it was Otsana who answered, a slow smile returning to her face.
