Page 76 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
“Nothing.” He shrugs me off. “At least nothing you can help with.”
“Why not?”
“I just get down sometimes.”
“Yeah so does everyone.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t know what it’s like to be me, so don’t pretend you do.”
I feel like I’ve been slapped. Have I been pretending I have more in common with Mason than I thought? He’s one of the first people I’ve met who I can relate to.
“If you want me to go I’ll go. But I’d rather stay.”
“Well that’s just it, you’re not staying. Tomorrow you’ll be gone back to your pack, and you can hyperfixate on your mate without me getting in the way.”
Okay, now he’s being ridiculous.
“In the way? You’re… Mason, we’re friends. You could never be…” I stop and watch him wringing his hands together, then I reach out and grab them with mine. “Hey, just because I’m leaving tomorrow doesn’t mean we’re not going to stay friends.”
His teeth are chattering, a tear rolls down his cheek.
“You know I was so happy when you first arrived,” he says. “Finally, I thought, someone like me. For a second I even thought we could be mates, because you’re the only other gay wolf I’ve ever met. And I know you have your own shit going on, but you have no idea how lonely it’s been up here. And now you’re going.”
I shuffle my butt along our rock bench so that we’re sitting a little closer.
“I can relate to that, the loneliness, it’s—”
“But you have a mate.”
“Jasper’s not exactly great company.”
“But he loves you. Anyone with the most rudimentary gaydar could see that when he tackled that asshole last night. He’d do anything for you.”
“Anything but spend time with me.”
“I know,” he says, wiping his frozen tears away. “I know he’s a dick and it’s not perfect, but at least it’s something.”
I wrap my arm around him.
“There’s someone out there for you too.”
“Whatever.”
“Are you serious?!” I sit back and look at him like he’s being the most ridiculous person in the world, because he is. “You’re amazing. You’re friendly and clever and funny and super cute. Maybe they aren’t in your pack and maybe they hate winter sports, but there is a wolf out there somewhere who is going to be obsessed with you—like head over tail wildly obsessed with you. You don’t know that about yourself?”
He takes a breath and sits a little straighter. “Not really.”
“Okay, well you need to start learning that about yourself. Because you’re like, literally, the best. And if you think we’re not texting every day from now on you’re insane. We’re friends forever.”
He laughs and finally cracks a smile.
“And I’m hard to get rid of,” I joke. “Just ask Jasper.”
Mason’s laugh turns into a full-on cackle and I’m so relieved to see the light in my friend’s eyes return.
“You are pretty clingy,” he says, and I shove him, harder than I mean to, so he slips off the rock and falls into the snow.
“You little!”
