Chapter 3 : Not a good idea

HARPER

~~~

I couldn't decide between screaming for help or just bolting out of the room.

Mason had shed his suit jacket, rolling the sleeves of his dark shirt up his forearms. He looked too large for the cramped, dingy motel room, radiating a cold, magnetic aura that made the walls feel like they were closing in on me.

When he suddenly took a step forward, the words forced out of my mouth.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked harshly, clutching the blanket up to my chest. "How did you find me? How did you even get into my room?"

Mason didn't look remorseful at all. A slow, infuriatingly handsome smirk spread across his face.

"You didn't exactly blend in. Your battered sedan sticks out like a sore thumb, and you're still carrying our scent, whether you like it or not."

He took a slow step toward the edge of my bed. "As for how I got in? Let's just say the receptionist was more than happy to hand over a spare key. All it took was a smile and a little white lie about being your boyfriend, coming to surprise you after a lovers' quarrel."

Ugh! He was so full of himself! It infuriated me.

"You lied to her," I spat, my skin prickling with a dangerous mixture of fury and a sudden, undeniable heat. "You broke into my room. That's trespassing. I could report you to the authorities."

He chuckled, his voice dropping into a low, velvety timbre that vibrated through my thin pyjamas.

"You could try. But we both know how that would end, Harper."

He kept moving, stalking toward me with the effortless, fluid grace of an apex predator. My inner wolf, completely traitorous, whined in absolute submission, practically begging me to throw the covers aside.

"My brothers think we should give you space until the twenty-four hours are up," Mason continued, his dark eyes locking onto mine as he stopped right at the bedside. "But I didn't want to wait. I needed to see you alone."

I scrambled backward until my spine hit the cheap, wooden headboard, refusing to let him tower over me completely.

"There is nothing to talk about alone, Mason. I already gave you my answer. I am not selling the lodge to you, and I am never becoming yours again."

"Never is a very long time," he whispered.

Before I could protest, the mattress dipped under his weight. He crawled onto the bed, hovering over me, trapping me between his powerful arms. The scent of his spicy aftershave washed over me in an intoxicating wave, so thick I could almost taste it.

The air between us charged with five years of pent-up resentment and a sudden, volcanic chemistry. My chest heaved, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as I stared up at him. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to scream at him.

But the goddess help me, I wanted him to touch me.

"Look at you," Mason murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips before tracing the burning flush on my neck. "You're furious. You're trembling. But your pulse is racing for me, Harper. Your wolf is screaming for mine."

"Shut up," I grounded out, my hands coming up to press against his broad chest. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and the heat radiating off his bare skin practically scorched my palms. "Don't flatter yourself. I hate you. I hate what you three did to me."

"I know," he said softly, and for a fraction of a second, a flash of genuine torment breached his cold, Alpha facade.

He reached down, his large, warm hand sliding up my thigh, the friction of his palm against the fabric of my pajamas sending a jolt of pure electricity straight to my core.

"We screwed up, Harper. Five years ago, we let the pack politics and our own arrogance ruin what was supposed to be ours. We let you think you were a joke to us. We let you leave."

His thumb trailed dangerously high up my inner thigh, making a soft gasp escape my lips. He leaned down, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin right beneath my jawline.

"We don't want to force you," he growled against my skin, his breath hot and devastatingly seductive. "We want to make amends. All three of us. We want to worship every single inch of this beautiful body. We want you back in our bed, Harper. Where you belong."

A throbbing aching heat coiled deep in my stomach. The pleasure of his lips tracking up my neck was so intense it made my eyes flutter shut. My hands gripped his shoulders, my fingers digging into the hard muscle.

For one agonizing moment, I almost surrender. I almost let him take me right here in this broken-down motel, to let the bond drown out all the pain.

NO!

The memory of Mrs. Gable's mocking laughter from earlier today flashed through my mind, followed by the agonizing memory of the day the triplets turned their backs on me in front of the entire pack.

They had broken me once. If I let them back in just because my body craved them, they would destroy what little self-esteem I had left.

Gathering every single ounce of willpower I possessed, I slammed my palms against his chest and shoved him back with all my might.

He didn't move far, but my sudden resistance caught him off guard, pushing him far enough for me to scramble out from under him, sliding off the opposite side of the bed.

I stood there, my chest heaving, my whole body tingling and screaming at me for breaking the contact.

"Get out," I choked out, my voice shaking but firm. "Get out of my room, Mason. Right now."

Mason slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. His eyes had bled entirely into a piercing, feral gold, his chest rising and falling as he fought his own beast for control. He looked at me, his gaze dark, heavy, and utterly possessive.

Then he stood up, smoothing down his shirt, a cold expression replacing the raging Alpha in the blink of an eye.

"We won't back off easily, Harper," he said, his voice calm, yet laced with a terrifying promise. "Ryder is already losing his mind waiting for you. Dallas is on the verge of losing control. And I am not a patient man."

He walked toward the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. He turned his head slightly, his golden eyes gleaming in the dark.

"We won't rest until you're ours again. Enjoy your night, Harper. The clock is ticking."

The door clicked shut behind him.

My knees finally gave out. I sank onto the cold carpet, my heart racing a million miles an hour. My skin still burned where his hands had touched me, and my wolf was howling at the door, mourning his departure.

I buried my face in my hands, a bitter tear slipping past my fingers. Five years. I had spent five years running, changing myself, trying to build a fortress around my heart.

And yet, with just a few words and a single touch, my restraint was ripped apart to shreds.

Maybe coming back wasn't such a good idea, but it was too late. I was trapped.