𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒇𝒊𝒂 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒔(𝑴𝒙𝑴)

~25~

"No"

Is he serious?

"Please Bruce"

"It's not safe for you"

"Nowhere but here is safe for me when it comes to you" I huffed and crossed my arms, glaring at him.

It's been a month since I was brought to this mansion and my stay has been nice. Bruce became all too affectionate with me and would sometimes snatch me away from the kitchen or anywhere else for some.... alone time. It's nice that my mate and I are close but I can't stay in this mansion forever as much as I want to. I have a cafe to run and I haven't heard from Esme or Mason in a long time.

"And that's why you should stay here"

"You're an asshole"

"If that's what I have to be to keep you safe"

Bruce looked up from the papers he was looking through, walked to me and pulled me flush against him. His arms snaked around my waist and stayed there. His scent calmed me, even though I was angry at him. I hummed in satisfaction and snuggled deeper, inhaling his honey and whiskey scent.

"I don't understand why I can't leave? You know where the café is" I mumbled into his chest. He buried his nose in my hair and hugged me tighter.

"We'll watch a movie tonight, okay?" I sighed and nodded. He clearly wants to end the conversation and I'll respect that.

But I will leave this mansion. I just need someone to help me

"No" Lucas said after my umpteenth plea

"Why?!" I practically screamed.

He sighed and placed his phone down, giving me his attention. "If you leave, I die. Hell, everyone dies. You don't understand how unhinged he is"

"He doesn't have to know. I need to go back home" I grabbed his arm and gave my best impression of puppy dog eyes.

"It's my life on the line here Beryl, please don't make me do this" he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Then at least help me change his mind" I whined. Of he's not going to listen to me then he can at least listen to Lucas.

"What about Kyle?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the alpha's name. So much for a friend. Turns out he and his boss share the same mind. He didn't even bother listening but instead tricked me into a bake–off. I don't even know how that was possible. One minute I'm talking to him, the next I end up baking for the whole day.

"Will you help me? He needs to know that I can take care of myself"

Lucas glared at me and banged his head on the table before raising it and sighing.

"Fine, let's go. But if I die I'm haunting you forever"

•
•
•

After hours of intense debating Bruce finally let me leave the mansion. The veins bulging in his neck and his tight fist were proof enough that he didn't like the idea of me leaving

"I'll be fine. You have Lucas to look out for me" The downside to this was that he made Lucas my bodyguard and the beta in question wasn't happy about it. Bruce turned to the beta and fixed him a glare which made him straighten up. Lucas might be angry at me but he wouldn't dare make his boss angry.

"If anything happens to him....." Lucas shivered slightly and nodded, going over to sit in the car. I rolled my eyes and stood forward, leaning over and placed a kiss on his cheek. Over his shoulder the blond bitch glared at me with her arms crossed. I smiled kissed his cheek again, staring at her while my lips still lingered on his cheek. I pulled away and looked at my mate who had a dark glint in his eyes.

"I take back what I said... you can't leave" he mumbled leaning forward to hug me. Of course he changes his mind now that I'm ready to leave.

"You can't just change your mind"

He stiffened a sigh and pulled away. I got into the car and turned to Lucas who was grumbling in his seat.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah whatever"

Mason's POV

"I'm sorry for saying that" Damien blurted the moment we got into my apartment. Truth be told I was hurt by what he said. I would never open my legs for anyone and that was even the first time I went to any club for a lay. I rolled my eyes and removed my jacket, placing it on the chair before turning to face him

"Are you just going to stand there?" He hesitated before stepping in and looked awkwardly around. His eyes darted to the counter where he fucked me senseless some weeks ago. I nearly blushed at the memory but quickly covered it with a cough. I cleared my throat and gestured for him to sit. We sat in silence for some minutes before Damien decided to speak up.

"Anna was my first. I thought of her as my mate. We were very close.... then Father found out. He killed her" Damien choked out the last part. I felt bad for telling him to explain it. I didn't want to pressure him to remember past memories that brought up unpleasant feelings. Yes I do want to know the truth and I'm still very much angry at him but I don't want him to have a mental breakdown because of it. I stood up and walked over to him and hesitated before wrapping my arms around him.

"You don't have to tell me if it's hard for you" I whispered rubbing his arms. His arms wrapped around my waist and hugged me tight. With a sigh he pulled away and looked up at me, his arms still around my waist.

"You need to know the truth. I found out you were my mate the first time I saw you during Beryl's party, but I was scared..... terrified that you'd also die like how Anna did"

I was bursting with questions. I wanted to ask if he ever thought of telling me or if he thought of leaving me in the dark and marrying that elite girl. I wanted to ask these questions so bad but I could see that Damien was having a hard time holding himself together.

"I'm so sorry Mason. I'm so sorry" he mumbled over and over again. I didn't want to forgive him yet but... but I don't know what to do

"You can stay over and leave in the morning" His eyes filled with tears as he looked up to me. I raised my hand to wipe away the tears threatening to fall. I've never seen him look so broken. It hurt my heart seeing him like this

"Let's just go to bed, okay?" He nodded and got up, looking like someone kicked his puppy.

What do I do now?

A/N

Thanks for reading 🦋