Forget Me Not (#2, The Mystic Wolves) (10 page)

I watched as anger crossed Mason’s expression.

“She has some nerve.” Mason shook his head, disgusted. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting her anywhere near Darcy. She’s an idiot to even think we’d accept her help. I think it’s time I laid down some new ground rules for her stay here.”

Taking the mug from Daniel’s hands, he returned to the bathroom. It sounded as though he were rinsing it out, and when he returned, it was full of water. He walked back to where I was laying, and holding his palm open, gestured for me to take the pills resting there. I swallowed them without hesitation, chasing the tablets with the cool liquid, and tried not to cringe as they hurt my throat going down.

“Thanks,” I offered weakly, snuggling back into bed, and pulling the blanket up to my chin again. The pain was slowly receding, leaving in its path complete exhaustion, and suddenly I couldn’t keep my eyes open a second longer.

Mason and Daniel continued to talk, but I was beyond understanding. The surrounding noise became a blur until finally, I was asleep.

It was cold, so very cold. I released a breath, and a billow of white vapor escaped from my mouth. Shrinking into myself to generate some warmth, I wrapped my arms around my body, rubbing chilled hands against bare skin. It shocked me to not only find myself naked, but I was also standing deep in the woods, surrounded by countless tall pines. I instantly recognized the place—the area I frequently ran in during the full moon with the pack. The house was a fair distance away, but not so far that I couldn’t shift and journey safely back.

Looking around to see if anyone was here with me, the once friendly and familiar place now held a sinister appearance. Shadows created patches of darkness, and the absence of noise raised red flags in my mind. There was something evil here with me—something that had everything on edge, and as I raised my arm, I could see the goose bumps covering my flesh.

I reached within, deciding it was safer to become my wolf until we could assess the danger, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t sense her. She was nowhere to be found, and a blind panic overcame me.

She was an integral part of me, and there’d never been a time when she didn’t respond. Seeking deeper inside myself, all I found was emptiness, and no indication she’d ever been there.

“You didn’t deserve her. She’s gone, never to return.”

I twirled around to see a robed figure, its face obscured by a low hanging hood. There was something familiar that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and curiosity caused me to move closer. Lifting a hand to stop my advancement, whoever it was made no attempt to reveal their identity.

“Where did she go?” I asked, worry lacing my voice.

“You are not worthy to hold such a gift within you. You are nothing … insignificant,” the figure spoke, ignoring my query. The tone was cold, and the cruelty of the words crushed my heart.

“What have you done with her?” I raised my voice now, and I took a step forward. “She’s mine, and I am hers. Give her back!” The last sentence came out as a yell.

“Leave here. You don’t belong. There is nothing here for you.”

I felt a force shove hard at my chest, causing me to stumble back and sprawl across the forest ground. On instinct, I reached for my wolf, preparing to change so we could face the threat together. I cringed at the sound of malicious laughter filling the air.

“So incredibly weak. You do not deserve the honor of pairing with such a creature. You do not deserve many things. One by one, they shall be stripped from you until you are alone and forgotten.”

I lifted my head to challenge the accusations, but shock silenced me as I watched the figure slowly slide the hood back, finally exposing its face—his face.

Mason stood there—an expression of disdain and indifference, and the impact felt as though I’d been sucker punched. Everything screamed for me to raise myself from the ground and go to him, to rekindle the look of adoration and love I knew he possessed. But this wasn’t truly my Mason. It couldn’t be.

A second person stepped out from behind a tree, and it caused a strangled sob to escape from me. Amber carried herself with such elegance it was like she was floating on air, and she wrapped her arms around my Mason.

I tried to move so I could tear her away from him, but I was rooted to the ground. My muscles rebelled, refusing to concede even an inch, and the world seemed like it was turning in slow motion.

Catching every nuance on their faces, sickened by the blazing lust shining from their eyes, I willed myself to wake up, knowing this couldn’t possibly be real. There was no way in hell Mason would ever look at Amber as though she was the center of his universe, or allow the way she was now draped over him.

I screamed for them to stop as they began touching each other. Pleading for Mason to remember I was the one he loved. I also tried calling for my wolf to return. Nothing made a difference as Mason finally crushed his mouth against Amber’s, and kissed her—all as I lay helpless to do anything.

My heart shattered. I was in hell, and all I wanted was for it to end.

“This is how it should be. Why fight it?” A third figure entered the scene, but I didn’t look up, I didn’t care who it was. I felt defeated, and there was no escaping.

“Let me go,” I whispered, to no one in general. I sent the plea out into the universe, not sure whether anyone was listening. Still I remained stuck, without my wolf, the reluctant audience to unbridled passion.

A new emotion stirred, pushing itself to the forefront—fury, and with it came incredible power. This was my dream, mine to control, and I refused to remain trapped and weak.

“Let me go!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, and with everything I had, I surged to my feet. It broke the spell, and I found myself sitting up in bed with the sheet twisted around my body. Sweat dripped from me, causing some of my hair to cling to my face. My breathing was ragged. My chest heaved in the effort to calm and still my racing heartbeat, I couldn’t help but break down and sob.

Even knowing it was a nightmare, it had been so real—terrifyingly real. It was as if all the insecurities and fears I’d been ignoring had held a meeting and decided to come torment me. I suddenly felt the need to see Mason, to have him hold me in his arms.

Driven by that desire, I stood from my bed, my legs shaky from exhaustion, and my first few steps were stumbles. I staggered, the adrenaline still coursing through my body causing it to react as though I was a newly born foal.

Making it to the bathroom, I flipped on the light switch and recoiled from the reflection in the mirror. I looked like a mess—blood shot eyes puffy from crying, and black bags causing me to take on a haunted look. My appearance scared me.

I bent forward and turned on the faucet. Cupping the cool liquid in my hand, I began splashing it onto my face. It helped revitalize and soothe me a little, and once I was finished, I stood there quietly. My stomach rolled as images from the dream flashed, and for the second time that day I bent over the toilet bowl and purged. My body tensed as my muscles began trembling from the constant heaving, and I let the tears fall.

Mason,
I thought, praying our connection would work this time. Slumping down onto the floor, I let myself topple, and closed my eyes.

He’d come. He always came.

So I waited.

Chapter Eleven

The throb in my temples woke me up, and a sense of relief swept through me. Instead of feeling the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, my body was sprawled over my bed, my face buried under a pile of pillows.

I sat up slowly, the room spinning, and gripping my head, I looked around. My eyes were sensitive to the light, and for a moment it felt like I was suffering from the world’s worst hangover.

Mason was nowhere to be found, but a tell-tale piece of paper folded on my bedside table told me he’d been here. I couldn’t remember much of him answering my call, but I hoped the sleep I’d gotten had done the trick and put an end to the sickness.

I groaned, wincing as the noise made my headache pound further, making it feel as if a herd of elephants were in the midst of an angry stampede. I quickly grabbed two tablets from my nightstand and swallowed them with a drink of water. I hoped the pain medication would begin working its magic, and I settled in to read the note, and smiled.

Just three small words—I love you—but they made all the difference.

I gingerly got up from the bed, and making sure I looked presentable, slipped from the room to go look for Mason. I knew he was somewhere here—the trick was finding him.

His bedroom was empty, so I headed toward his office. He did most of his business there, both for the Pack and his own computer company, and I was hoping he had some updates on the Amber situation.

Speaking of the she-devil, curiosity flared as I spied Wade and Amber coming down the hallway from the opposite direction. I hadn’t realized the two of them knew each other, and I wondered if this was something the young wolf was doing to help with the investigation. The more people that got involved, the scarier it was in my mind because the last thing I wanted was for Amber to get her treacherous claws into him.

They seemed to be arguing, and as Wade saw me approaching, a look of immense relief crossed his face. I glanced at Amber, and the moment she recognized me coming toward her, she instantly stopped. Looking at Wade once more, and seeing him shake his head at her, she turned around and fled back in the direction she’d come from.

“That is one stubborn female. Nothing I said would shut her up!” the young wolf commented as I came to stand by him.

Looking around him at Amber’s retreating figure, I shook my head. “Let me guess, she was trying to get you to do something for her, right? Trust me, Wade, stay away from her. She’s nothing but trouble, and you don’t want to get involved.”

“I know. Mason’s already warned me, so I knew there was a possibility she’d try to corner me, but she was relentless.”

“What did she want?”

“She asked me to get her in to see Mason. He’s refused to meet with her, and she’s trying everything she can to convince others to help. I saw her talking with Nathan, but he just blew her off, and he’s not the only one either. I’m pretty sure she’s working on Eric also.”

“You going to see him now?” I asked.

“Yeah, I figured if I couldn’t stop her, the door being slammed in her face would.” He grinned. “You know, I don’t believe in violence toward women. Only weak men lash out, but I’m telling you, Darcy….” Wade swore under his breath, dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“She has the same effect on everyone. You did good to keep your cool, don’t let her get under your skin.” I noticed we’d arrived at the office, and knocked on the door.

After we announced ourselves, Daniel swung the door open, and we found Mason sitting behind his desk with the phone pressed against his ear. He looked like he was receiving news that annoyed him as he tapped his pen rapidly against the surface. I raised my eyebrow at Daniel, and he shook his head in answer.

“I don’t care how it looks, I don’t want her here. She’s been harassing some of my pack, and I won’t stand for it.” He paused, listening to the person on the other end of the call, and their response caused him to push himself up out of his chair to his feet. “Fine, she stays, but if she doesn’t stop, I’m going to lock her in the basement—screw civility.” Grunting his goodbye, Mason hung up, and scrubbing his face with his hands, acknowledged us standing there.

“Hey,” I said, wishing there was something more I could do to help him.

Moving around the desk, he pulled me into a quick embrace, and slapped Wade on the back as a greeting.

“I guess you already know about Amber. I caught her outside with Wade just now, and he was explaining what’s been happening. He was just coming here to tell you about it.”

Mason glanced over at Wade, and signaled for him to take a seat on one of the sofas. “Looks like we need to talk then.” He sighed, and I watched Wade join Daniel.

“You look tired. You need to sleep.” I traced the skin under Mason’s eyes, noting the dark circles there. I was starting to get really worried about him. He looked worn out, and that meant something, seeing how he was used to working under pressure.

“I can sleep when she’s gone.” Realizing his response was a little gruff, Mason bent slightly so he could look me in the face. “But enough of that, why are you up? You know you need your rest.”

“I woke up and saw you weren’t there, so I wanted to come and say hello. Thanks for helping me back into bed … and for the note.”

“You’re very welcome—now get back there.”

I opened my mouth to protest, to assure him I was starting to feel better, but the look of determination and protectiveness on his face told me I’d be wasting my time.

Turning me around, Mason excused himself from the others, and with a watchful eye, walked me to my room.

“There’s no need to escort me, I know my way.” I smiled, leaning against him. The trip back and forth had begun to wear me out, and I took hold of his arm to steady myself. Stifling a yawn, I was ready to take another nap.

“I know. I just wanted to spend a few extra minutes with you.”