It’s Just Nature

Chapter 6 - Wild Night

My face transformed from an expression of hurt to a mask of calmness. I didn’t want someone to think that I was an emotional mess, even if we were strangers. With a deep breath I turned to the passenger side window. The Mysterious Good-Looking Free Food Rich stranger was there. Our eyes met and he had an apologetic look on his face.

“Unlock the door,” he mouthed, pointing at it.

The ignition was still on and the engine was running. I could just drive away and not look back. I pondered at that, before I took into the thought that I had probably distressed this guy with my sudden exit. Switching the entire car off, I pulled at the keys and unlocked the car. At the sign of the lights that indicated that I had unlocked the car, mysterious stranger hopped in.

“Sorry that I overwhelmed you with that sudden proposition,” he apologised immediately as he sat in the seat.

Overwhelmed, what a overdramatic way to describe my abrupt leave, I rolled my eyes at his melodramaticness and at the fact that he couldn’t just assume everything! “I didn’t walk out because of your sudden proposition, I walked out because you said mate,” I angrily snapped with my voice cracking at mate.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I quickly registered at what I had just said. I had voiced my feelings to a complete stranger, even if it was out of anger. I expected him to leave, I mean I had just snapped at him. But he didn’t, instead he asked, “Are you okay?”

I looked at him, he actually cared but then his proposition popped into my mind. This ‘caring’ was probably to passively persuade me to accept. “I’m perfectly fine,” I huffed.

“My concern for you has nothing to do with that offer,” he assured as if he read my mind.

From those words, I couldn’t put up this mask any longer as the emotions were threatening to break the surface. I finally broke, giving into the sadness. Tears silently slid down my cheeks and I quickly wiped them away. He noticed them and took my hand, sending those weird sensations of electric tingles through my skin again. He stared at me intently his eyes shifting into a yellow colour. He is just like me, a werewolf. His scent was masked by something strange but I definitely picked up that he was a creature of the moon. I had to make sure that he was one of my kind before recounting the recent events. I felt like I trusted him as I told the story.

When I finished, he looked at me in a different way which I couldn’t figure out if it was better or worse. “I’m sorry,” he apologised again.

“You wouldn’t have known,” I reassured.

“Yeah,” he responded distantly.

We both stared into the clear night sky, gazing at all the stars that filled the night sky. I suddenly was aware of the fact that I didn’t know this stranger’s name even though I had told him of my recent heartbreak. “What is your name? I just realised I don’t know it,” I asked.

“Mason, Mason Beckett,” he introduced. “What’s yours?”

“Claire Lykos,” I answered. “Mason is a better name than what I’ve been calling you.” The moment I blurted that out, I instantly regretted it.

He quirked up his eyebrow, spotting the handle to tease me. “What have you been calling me?” He questioned, his flirtatious tone returning.

“Umm... Mysterious Good-Looking Free Food Rich stranger,” I hesitated for a moment before responding.

“You think I’m good-looking?” Mason asked, devilishly smirking at my answer.

“No! Well.. I mean yes, I suppose you’re good looking,” I quickly stuttered out, regretting about saying anything at all. Oh how topics change so fast.

“I suppose you’re good looking too,” he flirted, smoothly as possible. I blushed at those words. Then completely out of nowhere, he started to lean closer, and closer. I suddenly became aware of the situation that was closing in. Mason was pushing his luck and I had no way to escape it. My reflex kicked in and a loud nose rang through the air.

“b***h!” Mason shouted as a response. I saw for a split second that his eyes had changed to a glowing red instead of a normal yellow. “Why did you do that?!” He held his stinging red cheek.

“Just because I think you’re good looking and am experiencing a bad day, that does not mean that you have the authority to kiss me!” I yelled at him. What a sudden turn of events.

“But that also doesn’t give you the right to slap me!” He argued back.

“It was a reflex or would you rather be punched?” I countered. “Now please get out before I have to actually do punch you!”

He stubbornly obeyed and stepped out of the car, slamming the door. He eyed me with a look that read this isn’t over. I immaturly poked my tounge out at him while flipping him off, he returned the gestures before walking away. What a night, I thought as I turned on the ignition and reversed out of the car park, making sure to check behind me. I drove home, thinking about Mason who I thought was a nice guy but turned to have a bigger ego than my appetite. I frowned at the thought, we actually had a good conversation, I trusted him.

When I arrived home I parked in front of the garage. I noticed that Serena’s car was there and I concluded that she was definitely with Ethan, at somewhere romantic. I stopped my wandering thoughts, not wanting to become a sudden sobbing mess in the driveway. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the door, unlocking it with a key underneath the nearby frog pot.

As I entered the house I felt something was off. My werewolf nose picked up that my mother wasn’t home, it also sniffed out another werewolf scent. Realisation came to me as I was suddenly aware that I was alone with a possible intruder.