Fate’s Design

Us

Kelsey POV

Durian was probably the only one who knew I couldn’t be compelled. But just because he couldn’t literally make me do it didn’t mean I didn’t respect him as Alpha. I gave him grief all the time, but when it came down to it, I loved this pack and I did care about not making Durian and Crystal Run look bad. I wasn’t going to defy my Alpha in front of leaders of a neighboring pack. So I stood as straight as I could and looked Mason in the eye. This was it.

“I, Kelsey James of Crystal Run pack, daughter of the late Beta Cameron James…”

Mason POV

I braced myself for what was coming, but when she paused, I felt a small flicker of hope. Was she considering giving us a chance? I knew that her reluctance had to do with her own past a lot more than it did with me, and it broke my heart to know she was so hurt and guarded. She started to speak again and I prayed for her to change her mind and give this a shot.

“I…” Her eyes flashed to her wolf’s yellow for a moment, then back to their usual green. “Could we have a moment, please?” She asked suddenly.

Durian and Seth looked as surprised as I felt. I was barely containing the urge to pump a fist in the air and celebrate. It was too soon for that. She hadn’t accepted this yet. She hadn’t agreed to come home to our pack, to me. But she hadn’t rejected me. Not yet, anyway. I nodded at Seth.

“Link me if you need anything.” He said, stepping away with a polite nod.

Alpha Durian put a hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “Be the amazing woman I know you are, cousin. You deserve love and happiness.” He said before walking away as well.

I turned my focus back to Kelsey, unsure what to say or do.

Kelsey POV

Those deep blue eyes were gonna be my downfall. I just knew it. I couldn’t look into those eyes without wanting to just give in and give him everything. Not just my body, but my very soul. My deepest thoughts and fears and joys. My hopes. My past. Everything. Looking into those eyes had done me in. I knew now that I couldn’t reject Mason. Whatever would happen, would happen.

“Why do you want me?” I finally asked. “You know what I’ve done.”

“You’re my mate, my other half. Nothing you’ve done changes that.” He reached for my hand. I considered pulling away, but decided not to. He seemed to regain some of his confidence at that. He interlaced his fingers with mine, looking down at our joined hands. “Kelsey… I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen to me when we mark each other. But nothing is more important than my mate, than you. Nothing.” He said, looking into my eyes— actually, scratch that, all the way into my soul. Even with everything I’d been through, I had never felt so vulnerable and exposed. But at the same time, I felt safer than I ever had, like nothing could possibly hurt me now. So I looked back into those beautiful, mesmerizing depths.

“What about your pack?” I asked.

“What about them?”

“They’ll never forgive me for what happens to you because of this.”

“They’ll have to. You’re my Luna. So long as we complete the ceremony before anything happens to me, it falls to you to appoint the next Alpha if I die without an heir. As my Luna, you would hold my authority in my absence.”

“You don’t deserve this. You deserve a better mate.” I said quietly, looking away.

“Don’t ever say that.” He told me, tilting my chin up with his free hand to face him. “You’re exactly what I need. You’re my mate, Kelsey. Made just for me, to be my perfect complement in every way. Don’t ever doubt that.”

As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn’t. Not with the sincerity written all over his perfect face. “Ok.” I answered quietly with a small nod.

“So… I have to ask… earlier, with Caspian,” he said hesitantly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and letting his fingers linger longer than necessary for the task, making me blush both from the affectionate gesture and the reminder of earlier. “Was that because you wanted your mate or…”

He didn’t finish his thought, and he didn’t have to. I knew what he was asking. And I didn’t have it in me to lie to him. Somehow I just couldn’t. “Some of both, I guess. The other guys learned fast that if they let their wolves out when we were messing around, I was gonna kick some ass. But I felt safe with your wolf. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. That… felt really good.” I admitted. “I wouldn’t have wanted that with just anyone, necessarily, but it wasn’t because it was you, specifically, either.”

He tensed as I mentioned the others. But he knew what he was asking.

“I appreciate the honesty. Can I ask you something else?” He said, putting his arms around my waist and holding me close.

“Yeah… why not?” I answered, leaning my head against his chest. Whatever this was or wasn’t going to be, I couldn’t deny that his scent and his presence calmed me.

“Are you done with Alex and the others?” Pain and apprehension mingled with hope in his voice.

I thought for a moment. “I want to give us a try. But… if this doesn’t work, if you give up on me…”

“Kelsey, if you give us a chance, you won’t need a backup plan, I promise.”

Mason POV

For the second time that evening, I found myself celebrating what I had previously taken for granted. My mate was willing to stop her affair now that I’d found her. It was provisional, with the caveat that if we didn’t work out, she would go back to him, but she was at least willing to try. That had to count for something. Surely I could win her over now that she was giving me a chance to.

“You won’t regret this. You’ll see.” I told her, running my fingers through her hair. We heard music coming from the direction of the packhouse. The celebration was on. “We should probably get over there before anyone misses us.”

She looked up at me hesitantly. I wasn’t sure what made her so reluctant. As much as I wanted to believe she just wanted me to herself, I wasn’t a fool. She felt the pull of our bond, but it clearly didn’t mean she loved me. Me? I was gone. I had been waiting for this girl my whole life, and actively looking for her for the past few years. Even knowing what I knew, I couldn’t get enough of her. I desperately wanted to take her home right now and really get to know each other. Caspian might have been a bit of an ass about it, but he had the right idea.

“What is it?” I asked, smiling down at her beautiful face.

“Everybody is gonna see us.”

Well, if that wasn’t a stab to the heart. Was she embarrassed about finding her mate, or was it me in particular she didn’t want anyone to know about? “Why is that a bad thing?” I asked. I’m sure my hurt was evident, because she immediately looked guilty.

“I didn’t mean it like that… It’s just… people are gonna talk.”

“Let them talk. I’ll be right there by your side. And if anybody says something mean to my mate, they’ll have me to answer to.” I said decisively, and I absolutely meant it. Past or no past, nobody would get away with making my mate feel bad. Not if I had anything to say about it.

She laughed at that. She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. “I mean it. Come on. We can do this.” I said, taking her arm and putting it through mine as we walked towards the sounds of celebration.