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Chapter 30

"He what?" Lina shrieked. "He asked you on a date?" She screamed flabbergasted, with a huge smile on her face. My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"He did not ask me on a date, he just thought that I was serious when I told him we would be tied if he took me out to dinner," I explained to her.

Immediately after he told me to be ready by 7 I went and told Lina, not exactly sure what to do. She freaked out and jumped to conclusions, saying that Mason finally had the courage to ask me out and will soon reveal his undying love to me. I know, stupid. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at that. I explained to her that he's just trying to thank me for helping him but she said that I was being naive and dumb.

"That doesn't matter now, because you guys are going on a date," she squealed happily. I frowned at her and shook my head again.

"For the hundredth time, it's not a date," I exclaimed. She looked at me then crossed her arms against her chest, giving me a look saying that I was delusional.

"Ok, ok. I'll go along with that if it helps you sleep at night," Lina told me. I sighed and nodded my head, even though I knew she wasn't taking this seriously.

"Thanks," I breathed out. "Now can you help me pick something to wear?" I asked her looking at my closet, then back at her. Her eyes perked up in the excitement and she nodded her head urgently. I didn't know what to wear. I didn't know whether I should wear something casual or fancy, but then I thought about it, it's only dinner. I'm not going to a party.

Lina rushed to the closet and pulled out a lot of clothes that I never knew I had. She pulled out dresses, skirts, and tops. I looked at her with wide eyes as she threw random clothes on my bed, leading to a huge mountain of clothes resting on it.

"How about this?" Lina asked as she showed me a really tight dress that I once wore but never wore it again because of how much skin it showed. I shook my head, not wanting to wear it.

"No, I don't want a slutty outfit. I want something normal." I explained to her. She pouted and looked at the dress with a defeated look on her face like she wanted me to wear it so badly. She nodded her head and held something else in her hands.

"What about this?" She asked, showing me another dress with a huge smile on her face. I looked at the dress and shook my head. I didn't like it, it looked like it should be worn for wealthy parties.

"No, Lina. I'm going out to dinner, not to a high-class party. For all I know, he could be taking me out to McDonald's," I told her. She chuckled at my statement.

"Well, don't be sad if he does. McDonald's is delicious." she joked. I rolled my eyes but nodded my head. She placed the dress back on the bed and started looking for something else. I looked at the pile of clothes that were on my bed and wondered who was going to clean this mess? I silently scoffed. Of course me.

"I swear, if you say no to this one then I'm going to slap you." She threatened. I looked up at her to see her holding a skirt and a top. The skirt wasn't short nor too long. The top was cute, it had a design to it and I liked it going along with the skirt. I smiled at her and nodded my head. This was exactly what I wanted.

"That's nice," I told her. She gave me a sigh of relief but soon smiled.

"That's good because I was serious when I said I was going to slap you if you didn't like it." She claimed with a small smile on her face. I rolled my eyes at her which caused a chuckle to escape her lips.

"Wow. You're so nice," I said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

"That's what friends are for," she gushed. She handed me the skirt and the top, I looked at the clock to see that I had half an hour before it became 7 so I had to get ready fast. I went to the bathroom and changed into the clothes Lina handed over to me. I looked in the mirror and smiled. I'm not one to brag, but I looked good.

I decided to let my hair down. While I was brushing my hair I started to think of today, I was still surprised that Mason and I were going out to dinner. Some may call it a date but I'm seeing this as a thank-you dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. However, my wolf thought otherwise. She kept yelping out in joy as she repeatedly said that we were going on a date with our mate.

I told her it wasn't, but just like Lina, she disagreed. I sometimes felt bad for my wolf. It's not her fault that she can't be with her mate. It's just our circumstances that prevented her. Even though I didn't want to accept Mason, I couldn't deny the fact that his wolf and mine have a connection. Every werewolf has its own connection with their mate, even though the human sides of us may not want to remain with them.

Yes, Mason is hard to deal with and is the type of person I'd like to stay away from but my wolf kept telling me that he wasn't bad. Then he just needs time, that he already feels something for me. I didn't know whether I should listen to her words or not but I knew not to get too attached.

I knew Mason wasn't that bad, the rumors that surround other packs about him aren't exactly true. That's why I knew better than to trust a rumor. He's actually not that bad when he's not moody nor angry. The image of him smiling came into my head and I couldn't help but smile back. I wished that he was like that all the time, maybe then and there these feelings towards the mate bond might change and maybe our relationship too.

All I knew, for now, was to keep everything on the low. I didn't want to put myself in pain so I reminded myself to be careful, even though I knew that the mate bond was getting harder and harder to resist.

I sighed and started to apply some makeup. I didn't put on a lot because I wasn't really a makeup person, I just applied mascara and lipstick before looking in the mirror one more time and walked out. Lina was sitting on my bed in silence, looking dazed off. She snapped her head over to my direction and smiled when her eyes laid on me.

"Oh my God. You look beautiful," she gushed as she walked over to me. I smiled at her as her eyes ran over my body with excitement.

"Thank you," I laughed. She looked up at me and I couldn't help thinking that she was happier than me. I snickered to myself. Of course, she is.

"Wow, how could my brother hold himself back?" She asked with a small smirk crawling into her lips. My eyes widened and a scowl was plastered on my face.

"Lina," I said warningly. She smiled up at me and placed her hands up in front of her as a sign of defeat.

"Ok, ok. Sorry," she muttered and then looked at the clock. I turned my attention to where her attention was and saw that I had about 10 minutes before 7. She smiled at me and started walking towards the door.

"Come on. I bet Mason is waiting," she said. I nodded my head and walked up to my drawer and wore a bracelet on my hand before walking up to her.

"Will Nick be looking over the pack while Mason is gone?" I asked wanting to make sure the pack wasn't in danger if the alpha left. Lina rolled her eyes at me.

"Yes, don't worry. Nick has everything under control like how he had when Mason was in other packs. I don't blame you though, it's a luna instinct." She explained and said the last part with a smirk on her face. I gave her a glare as a warning and she chuckled. I opened the door but before I could step a foot outside, Lina placed her hand on my shoulder.

I looked at her to see a sad expression on her face.

"Have fun, Tiana. And remember, let loose. You guys are mates, after all." She said with a sad smile on her face. I smiled back at her but didn't know why she looked sad. It then clicked in my head. She wants a mate, that's what she wants. I smiled again at her and started walking towards the stairs. I exhaled and shook my head. Unlike me, Lina wants one and I felt so bad for her. The only thing I could do right now is hope that hers will come along sooner than we think.

I slowly and hesitantly started making my way down the stairs, kind of nervous to see Mason. As I was halfway down the stairs I caught onto his scent. I inhaled and continued down the stairs. As I walked down I saw Mason right in front of me talking to the phone. He was wearing casual jeans and a normal shirt. He looked up at me and his eyes roamed over me before meeting my eyes.

"I'll call you tomorrow so we could decide on a day for the meeting," he said and remained silent as he listened to the person on the other end. "Ok. Thank you, Alpha Alex." He said before hanging up and turning his attention towards me.

"Hey," I said quietly looking at his face. He had a straight face on, not visible to any emotions.

"Hi," he greeted. "You ready?" He asked. I nodded my head, not trying to make this situation awkward than it already was.

"Yeah," I answered. He put his phone in his pocket and I gave myself a silent reminder that I had to buy one. I never bought one because I didn't see the necessary, especially since we have mind links but I thought about it, and I might need one to talk to someone from outside the pack.

Mason opened the door and we started walking out of the packhouse. We silently entered the car and Mason sat on the driver's seat. He started the car and drove off. He didn't say a single thing, I didn't say a single thing. I didn't want to say something then make him angry or pissed. So I decided to stay quiet.

We eventually made our way out of the pack and towards the city. I was wondering where he was taking me but I didn't ask. I looked outside of the window and leaned my head against the glass as I looked at the city lights that came into sight. I glanced at Mason to see him looking straight ahead with an emotionless face on.

What happened? Is there something wrong?

I didn't think about it much because knowing Mason, he always had an emotionless face on. Mason must have felt my stare because he turned to me for a second before looking ahead.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked. I shifted in my seat and glanced at him once again.

"No," I replied. He raised a brow.

"Is there something on my face?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and I couldn't miss that tiny smirk that was crawling onto his lips.

"No," I repeated.

"Then why were you looking at me like that?" He questioned. I looked down at my hands, not knowing what to reply.

"Is it bad if I just look at you?" I asked him. His smirk grew when I looked at him.

"No, but there must be a reason." He said. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I was wondering why you always wear a mask on your face," I told him quietly, in all honesty. This made him look at me with a surprised look on his face and his eyes turned a shade dark. I didn't know if I should have said that or not. He looked back at the road and didn't say a single word. The tension in the air was so thick that if I had a knife I would be able to cut right through it.

Silence roamed the air. Not a single sound was to be heard, only the sound of the car as it drove around the city.

"Sometimes, wearing a mask prevents someone from getting hurt, or hurting someone else." He said so softly that I barely caught on to. I looked over at him with wide eyes as he kept his stare on the road. I registered his words in my mind and as soon as I thought about it, he stopped the car in front of a place. Before I could say anything he spoke.

"We made it," he said quietly and turned over to me. I looked at him and then over at the place. I nodded. I decided to not ask him about what he said. I didn't want to set him into a bad mood, it's better to leave it be if he doesn't want to talk about it.

We silently got out of the car and walked up to the place. It was a diner that had 'James Diner' in big letters. We walked over to the place and Mason held the door open for me. I smiled at him.

"What a gentleman," I said with a hint of sarcasm in it. He smirked down at me.

"Why, thank you. It took you long enough to notice," he said jokingly. I rolled my eyes and walked into the dinner as he walked behind me. We went up to the man that was behind a counter, he looked at us and gave us a polite smile.

"Table for two?" He asked looking at us both. We nodded our heads and he told us to follow him. He leads us to a table and handed us the menus. We sat down and looked up at him.

"We will be back after a moment to take your orders," he said before giving us another smile and soon walked off. I looked around the place to find it nice. I would never have expected Mason to come to a place like this. Was this his first time coming here?

Like reading my mind, he spoke.

"I come here often, the food is good and it's calm over here. They don't get many customers so it's always quiet," Mason explained as he looked down at the menu. I looked at him and nodded my head, even though he wasn't looking at me.

"This seems like a nice place," I said. He nodded his head.

"Yeah, it is." He glanced at me before looking down at the menu.

"So, I'm guessing you like quiet," I said. He looked up at me and nodded his head.

"Yes, I do." He said. "What about you?" Mason asked me. I shrugged my shoulder not really sure.

"It depends, actually. There are times were quiet is boring and there are times where I wish I had some peace and quiet." I stated. He gave me a small smile, which surprised me a bit.

"Boring? What do you see as fun?" He asked me. I smiled at the question.

"Hmm. Well, talking is fun. Playing is fun, beating Adam on a game of chess is fun and watching a marathon of 'The Vampire Diaries' is fun," I said with a smile on my face. He laughed and I watched him in amazement.

"Vampires?" He questioned. "That's fun? Watching them is fun?" He questioned, looking at me with amusement written all over his face. I nodded my head.

"Yes, it is. You should try it sometime. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster," I suggested. And when those words left my mouth he laughed again. I couldn't break my stare away from his laughing state. I couldn't deny the fact that he was beautiful when he laughed, not when he wore a mask on his face. No. When he just let loose.

"You? Want me? To watch a girl series?" He asked. I furrowed my brows and shook my head.

"It's not a girl's series. Lots of men watch it," I told him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Even though," he said.

I smirked at him.

"One of these days I'm going to force you to watch one episode, and when you do. You'll want more," I stated. He raised a brow at me in amusement.

"We'll see about that," he said lowly with a small smile on his face. I smiled back and looked down at the menu.

Who knew that Mason and I would be sitting in a dinner, looking like decent people. Not bickering at each other and talking about a series that I adored. Yes, this was surprising but I liked it. It was a change. And sometimes, change is good.

Not long after that a waiter came up to us and asked for our orders. We gave him our order and he walked away. Mason and I had small talks, here and there. He looked looser than when we first came here, and I was thankful for that. I didn't want to have dinner with a stiff Mason.

I then remembered the phone call he was having before we came here. Who was Alpha Alex? I looked at him and debated whether I should ask him or not. But of course, my stupid mouth has a mind of its own.

"If you don't mind me asking, who's Alpha Alex?" I asked. He looked up at me.

"He's an Alpha of a pack, he's the same Alpha that requested to have a meeting with me because of the vampire problem in the letter. We were discussing when to arrange the meeting," Mason explained. I nodded my head as I listened to him.

"Do you think we are in some kind of threat?" I asked him. He frowned and shook his head.

"I don't really know, but it's better to be safe than sorry." He stated.

"True, we should be ready for anything." I agreed with him.

After a while, our food came and I didn't hesitate to dig in. Not caring if I looked like a pig in front of Mason's eyes. He was right, their food is good. I heard a quiet chuckle and I looked up to see Mason looking at me with amusement in his eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Usually, girls like to eat politely in front of a man," he stated. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh, well sorry to break it down to you. But I'm not like all the other girls," I told him. His face brightened and he gave me a small smile.

"I know, and I like it." He said before handing me a napkin and pointed to the side of his lips. I felt my face heat up and I immediately took the napkin from him and wiped my lips. He looked down at his food and ate. I stared at him for a moment before looking back down and eating my food.

Once we were done eating, Mason looked up at me.

"Ready to go?" He asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes," I answered. Mason left the money on the table and got up. I got up and we walked side by side towards the exit. The man at the counter gave us a smile and I returned it politely. I smiled when Mason held the door open for me for the second time today.

"A gentleman you are," I said, amusement laced in my voice. His eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Well, it's nice to know that you noticed it." He played along. I laughed and walked out of the dinner. We eventually entered the car in comfortable silence and started making our way back to the pack. I glanced at Mason to see him looking good, better than how he was when we first came here. I looked away before he caught me staring at him.

My wolf was happy. More than happy. She was so happy that we had a moment like this, with her mate. She kept yelping out in joy and I couldn't stop the smile from crawling onto my face. I was happy as well, because of the dinner and because of my wolf's joy. I couldn't disagree that this was a nice night.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked. I looked over at him to see him glance at me and then turn his attention back at the road.

"I'm smiling because my wolf is happy," I told him, in all honesty. He glanced at me with a surprised expression on his face but it soon disappeared and turned into a small smile. He looked back at the road and spoke.

"My wolf is happy too," he said softly. I looked at him and my heart was starting to beat faster than it should have been. We were now out of the city and on the road towards our pack. Trees surrounded us as the air blew softly, singing a soft melody. Mason glanced at me and my eyes widened when he stopped the car on the side of the road and then brought his attention towards me.