Wild and Free

(Mason’s POV)

When our lips met it was like the entire world just fell away all at once. Every battle we’d endured, every lie we’d uncovered, and every scar that’d been inflicted on our skin was forgotten in that moment.

It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. Not like one of those kisses when you’re in eighth grade and you’ve never held hands with a girl before. No it was so different. So perfect. Like two puzzle pieces finally fitting together perfectly.

My hand rested below her ear, my thumb caressing the smooth surface of her cheek, the other hand rested lightly on her waist. Her arms found their way behind my neck, sending fire across my skin at every touch. We were pulled together until there was nothing left between us and we could feel each other’s heartbeats racing in our chests.

I didn’t think about anything but her. The moment that things changed between us hadn’t been when I found out she was my mate. It was right there, in that moment.

And I loved it. I loved how her small body melted into mine. I loved the feeling of her warm lips on mine. I loved how nothing else existed around us. And I loved how the only thing that drew us away was the need to regain oxygen before we both passed out.

After what felt like ages, Auden pulled away and looked at me. Our breaths were shallow and shaky. She ducked her head shyly, as if she didn’t believe what we had just done. For a second I was worried, but nothing in those bright blue eyes gave any indication that she regretted it.

The sunlight beamed, making her eyes and the necklace around her neck sparkle. Her head turned to the side, looking at the horizon where the sun had fully ascended above the treeline.

She bit her lip, “I’ve never done that before.”

I raised my eyebrows, trying not to appear as surprised as I was, “Never?”

After that I was surprised she hadn’t studied it or something, it was so amazing to me.

She shook her head, a pink blush creeping onto her cheeks. I’d never seen her blush like that before. I guess I could take pride in knowing that only I could make it happen to her.

“Well I thought it was perfect,” I told her. “But, you’re not allowed to do that thing anymore.”

She knit her brows, “Do what?”

I pointed to her mouth, taking my thumb and lightly touching her lower lip, releasing it from between her teeth, “That, the biting your lip. I forbid it.”

“Mason you can’t be serious,”

“Dead serious,” I said in a mock stern tone. “It’s just not fair to me. Either you stop or I’m going to have to leave the room whenever you do it or else…”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t seem to keep the smile off her face. I had a goal to try and make her smile more. She was breathtaking when she smiled.

“I think the others will be wondering where we got off to,” she said, looking back at the grounds.

“Or we could just stay here all day and forget about the others,” I said, playing with a strand of her brown hair.

“I’m already under your father’s watch, I don’t think that I should be away for the whole day with you or he’ll think I kidnapped you or something,” she said. “Those guards saw us but had no idea what we were doing. They could easily make up a story.”

“Ugh why do people have to just assume the worst about people they don’t know?” I asked no one.

She shrugged in response. I wanted to protest and stay where we were for longer but I knew that she was right.

“Fine,” I drawled, grudgingly grabbing the first aid kit and standing, holding my hand out for her to do the same. “After you, Madame,” I said with a fake bow.

She just laughed and curtsied before turning around and crawling down the ladder. I followed after in suit.

At the bottom she sighed contently next to me, “Ready?” she asked.

I nodded and took her hand, waiting for that weird feeling to come over me when she transported us. I couldn’t keep my eyes closed. We didn’t physically move but this bright white force surrounding us as we blinked to and from different areas. I remembered what she said about only being able to jump where she could see. I guess that’s where having enhanced senses came in handy.

In no time we were back on the edge of the courtyard again. I nearly fell over again at the heavy feeling returning when we stopped, but Auden grabbed my other hand to keep me up. I laughed, slightly embarrassed.

“Where would we find the others?” she asked, looking around at the vacant yard. Other than a few patrols, it was barren.

“I’m sure that Greyson is probably asleep because he never gets up before he has to. I’m not sure where everyone else would be,” I answered. “I can’t imagine that Holden and Cassie went home after being out that late,” I glanced down at my watch. “Or I guess early.”

She smiled at my joke.

“Are you tired?” I asked her.

“Surprisingly, no,” she said.

I narrowed my eyes at her, “I’m not sure if I believe that,” I told her, earning and eyeroll. “I’ll take you to Kenzie’s room. She’s a morning person so I’m sure she’ll be up. She can let you take a shower or something and maybe lend you some fresh clothes before brunch.”

She nodded smiled lightly before letting me lead her towards the pack house.

~*~

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

I rolled my eyes at my sister and her mate who stood in the doorway, smirks resting on both of their faces as they looked down at Auden’s hand, clasped in mine.

“Like you’re one to mock,” Auden said, gesturing to Holden’s messy hair and appearance. He was in just and tshirt and boxers and her in just a tank top and thin pajama shorts.

“Oh, ew gross, no we didn’t do anything like that,” Kenzie corrected quickly, catching on to what we were implying.

She stepped aside to show us the makeshift bed on the floor next to her big one. It was set up for someone to sleep in but wasn’t messy like my sister’s was.

“It doesn’t look like anyone slept there,” I told them.

Kenzie blushed a little, “I’m not lying, we didn’t do anything i swear. I made that bed for him but we were talking and fell asleep. When we woke up we were both just in the same bed… Okay that doesn’t sound right-”

Auden and I laughed at her stumbling as she reddened.

“It’s fine Kenzie,” Auden told her.

“We just came to see if you’d let her wash up and change. There’s not really clothes in the guest rooms,” I said.

My twin nodded, “Yeah totally.”

“Holden go grab your pants man,” I laughed. “I’ll take you to my room and lend you something to wear too.”

He chuckled embarrassedly, “Thanks.”

He went into his mates room and get redressed in what he’d been wearing the last time I saw him.

I turned to the girls, “We’ll meet you guys for brunch in a little while?”

Kenzie shot me a look, “We’re girls do you seriously think it’ll just be a little while?”

Auden smiled, shaking her head behind Kenzie.

“Okay good point. We’ll walk slow. Um, just mindlink me when you’re done,” I said. “If you ever get done,” I muttered, turning to walk away.

“Heard that!” Kenzie yelled from her door before it closed.

I mentally shook my head at them both. Girls.

Holden and I turned around and I showed him the way to the wing where my room was.

“Hey can you mindlink Riley for me?” He asked, when I opened the door.

“Sure what for?”

“Cassie went with him last night after we left the kitchens, I want to know how they ended up last night,” he explained.

I shot him a look, one eyebrow raised, “Oh, really?”

He laughed at my insinuation, “Oh god no, Cassie is in no way brave enough to go there just yet. God why are you so suggestive this morning? Did you and Auden do something last night?”

I glared at him, “No. Jeez is that just the topic today?”

“Apparently so,” he laughed, plopping himself on the couch near the window.

I rolled my eyes and went into the closet, grabbing a pair of black jeans and a grey long sleeve dress shirt for me and some khakis and a navy polo for Holden.

Coming back into the room, I threw the clothes at him. They landed over his head and I laughed as he pushed them aside and glared at me.

“Is breakfast here like a formal thing?” he asked, eyeing the slightly nicer clothes, contrary to what we’d normally wear.

I shrugged, stripping the shirt from last night off and throwing it in the hamper, “Since we had a hard day and late night my father called for a brunch for this morning. Brunch in our family is usually a nicer thing, just something that my mother like to do,” I told him, recalling our former weekend tradition.

“Sounds nice,” he replied, doing the same as me and changing.

“Yeah we sort of stopped doing it after she died so I was surprised when he suggested it,”

“Who’ll be there?”

“It’ll be my father, Kenzie, and I along with William, Angela, and then Riley, Greyson, you and Cassie, and Auden. Ben and Chris might be there was well.” I told him.

“And I assume the rest of the pack is just eating breakfast now?”

I nodded in reply.

“It’s like 9:15 now, by the time everyone’s ready it’ll be around 10 so we’ve got some time to kill,” I glanced at my watch quickly.

Before he could open his mouth to reply, Greyson burst through the door, “Morning losers. What did I miss?”

“Mason made out with Auden last night,” Holden told him, earning my burning glare.

“Way to go May!” Greyson walked over to me and clapped me on my bare back, making me wince.

“Holden what the fuck, who told you that we made out?” I ignored the idiot blonde next to me.

He shrugged, “You did just now,” he smirked. “And Kenzie got a vision last night and was like screaming when she saw it was you guys together,” he said, a smug look on his face.

“I’m going to kill her,” I muttered under my breath.

“So you admit you guys made out?” He asked incredulously.

“We kissed sure but we didn’t make out,” I told him running a hand down my face. “Goddess this is like what teenage girls talk about at slumber parties can we change the freaking subject?”

They both just laughed at me.

“Oh shut up you slept with my sister,” I fired back or Holden.

Greyson’s jaw dropped, “Holden, well done my man!”

“Not that way! We slept. That’s all. Nothing else.”

Greyson ignored his protests. “So Auden forgave you for the whole TS thing?” he asked, sitting down in the spot to the right of where Holden had been sitting.

I nodded, “We worked it out. I think things are going to be better now.”

“I feel like she’s relieved,” Holden said. “You know, because everything is out in the open now?”

“She’s probably exhausted,” Greyson added. “After the fight and being kept in the cells, and then the trial, then whatever the hell you guys did last night. And now brunch? I’d be overwhelmed.”

“I asked her if she was tired and she said that she wasn’t,” I shrugged.

Holden scoffed, sitting down now wearing the clothes I’d lent him, “She’s totally lying. That’s just what Auden does. But don’t worry, as long as there are other people there, she’ll put on a brave face. She’ll rest when it’s all over.”

I finished dressing just as Riley came into the room. He was dressed in black pants and a burgundy coloured shirt, his hands in his pockets.

“Morning gentleman,” he greeted us. “And Greyson.”

Holden and I smirked while Greyson just glared at Riley.

“How was your night with your lovely mate?” I asked him.

“Not all that great,” he admitted. “We were just watching a movie and she fell asleep. I was going to let her stay on the bed and take the couch myself but she woke up screaming before I could even finish changing. I guess she had some sort of nightmare.”

“Is she alright?” Holden asked, leaning forward, worried about his fellow human friend.

Riley scratched his head, “I think the fight rattled her. She gave me a fright but once I calmed her down she was alright. I took her over your sister’s room before I came here. What about you all?”

“Kenzie and Holden slept together and Mason and Auden made out,” Greyson said, nonchalantly.

“Not true.”

“Dude what the hell?”

Holden and I said at the same time.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Riley shook his head, rubbing his temple. “Are you guys ready for brunch?”

We all nodded.

“Just waiting for the girls to call us,” I said.

“Well we’re going to be here for a while…”

~~AUTHOR’S NOTE~~

Hope you enjoyed!

As always comment, don’t hate and read on!

~your Cheshire Cat loving friend