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Chapter 34

Ryder gave me a nod and a soft smile, assuring me that things will go fine. I inhaled and took a step forward, ready to confront the girl who will either decline my offer or will save Ryder's ass from her protective mate. I slowly walked towards the group of girls that were at the end of the room, hoping and praying that they weren't going to judge me based on the rumors that spread like wildfire and accept to just have lunch together, just this once.

I stopped and looked back at Ryder, glaring at him at what he made me do today. He gave me a cheeky smile and waved his hands at me, telling me to go on and not chicken out. I huffed and continued walked towards the group of girls. Once I was in front of them I gave them a friendly smile, I brought my attention to the girl that was in the middle and inhaled.

"Hi Crystal! I'm Tiana!" I spoke and reached my hand out towards her. The girl frowned in confusion and looked towards her right.

"Shit, Tiana. That's not Crystal, she's the girl to your left." Ryder said through the mind link. My eyes widened and I mentally smacked my head and mentally whacked Ryder's head as well.

Great job at describing her to me, Ryder.

"Ugh...I'm Crystal." The girl that was next to the girl that I spoke to said in a soft voice. I gave her an apologetic smile and stepped backward.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I apologized. I reached out my hand for the second time but facing her this time. "I'm Tiana," I said for the second time. "I was hoping if I could talk to you?" The girl shyly shook my hand then looked at her friends who had confused expressions written on their faces. I placed my hand down to my side and Crystal tilted her head in confusion.

"You're one of the new pack members?" A girl from the group asked. I looked over at her and nodded my head.

"Yes, I am," I confirmed. The girl smiled and reached her hand towards me.

"It's nice to finally meet you. We never get new members and having one is quite refreshing. The name is Stella," she told me. I smiled at her kindness and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too. My name is- wait I already introduced myself." I said and shook her hand. The group started laughing and a smile crawled onto my lips. The other girls introduced themselves one by one and I couldn't help sighing out in relief. They seemed nice so I had nothing to worry about.

"So what could Crystal help you with?" Stella asked. She then placed her arms around her shoulder and Crystal squirmed in her place. "As you can see, our Crystal is a little shy." I nodded my head and looked over at her to see her blushing, she looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

I debated whether I should talk with her alone or in front of her friends, she did seem very shy so it looked like talking with her alone would be quite hard. I also wondered if I should tell them about what happened earlier today or just play along and ask if we could eat lunch together.

"I'm not shy," Crystal whispered. A couple of her friends rolled their eyes. Crystal looked up at me and played with the hem of her shirt.

"Don't listen to them," she pouted. "I'm not shy," she repeated. "I'm Crystal." She reached her hand out towards me and we shook hands for the second time, talk about awkward. Stella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Crystal, she already knew that." Crystal's eyes widened and she slowly nodded her head. "Oh. How do you know my name?" She asked.

"Well...it's a long story actually," I muttered. I decided that I wasn't going to lie to them and just be honest. They seemed cool so I wasn't worried, besides, I wasn't going to follow Ryder's plan. He screws up every time. I stepped closer to them and looked behind me to see Ryder looking at me confused. I gave him a small smile and he raised a brow.

"How're things going?" He asked in the mind link.

"They're nice, so I'm not lying to them," I answered. His eyes widened and he stepped closer to us but I gave him a warning look, telling him to stay away.

"What if she goes tells her mate? I'd be dead the second he finds out," he asked worriedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Whether or not she does, it's your problem, not mine. But I don't think she will." I told him. I looked back at the girls and gave them a smile.

"You see that dumbass over there," I said and pointed at Ryder. Ryder gulped and gave the girls a nervous smile, slowly backing away and turning his attention elsewhere. Crystal nodded her head, recognizing him.

"Yes, he was talking to me today. Who is he?" She asked. I inhaled and looked over at Crystal.

"Well, he got me into his shit." I started. I explained to her how he told her mate that I was her friend and that he wasn't asking her on a date but just telling her what I supposedly asked him to tell her. And that her mate expects to see me eating lunch with her today or else Ryder's funeral will have to be planned out. By the time I was finished the girls started laughing, Crystal looked a little confused but nodded her head.

"I don't mind hanging out with you," she said. I smiled at her and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. "And I won't tell my mate, not because of your friend, but because you're friendly." She smiled. The other girls nodded their heads and I thanked the Lord that they were the ones who were friendly and not stuck up b*tches.

"Thank you so much," I told her. "You're a lifesaver." Her smile widened and she looked down, blushing.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

"You're going to have to get used to that. She's always blushing and she's so shy," one of the girls spoke. Crystal looked over at her and stuck her tongue out at her.

"I'm not shy," she said out in annoyance and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Yeah, yeah. If that helps you sleep at night." The girl smirked. Crystal rolled her eyes and looked over at me.

"When do you want to meet up?" She asked.

"How about after an hour? We'll meet up over here." I suggested. She nodded her head in approval.

"Ok, that sounds good." She smiled. "I need to go see John, for now, I have to tell him that I'm meeting a friend for lunch." She said and gave me a wink. I laughed and nodded my head.

"Ok. Also thanks for understanding," I said and smiled at the girls.

"Oh, it's no big deal. And maybe if you want, we can become real friends?" She asked nervously. I gave her a heartwarming smile and nodded my head.

"That sounds nice. I do need to make more friends around here," I told them. They all gave me friendly smiles and nodded their heads.

"That's great," Stella squealed. "You seem really cool to be friends with."

"Thanks," I said. I was actually surprised at how friendly they were. Ryder was lucky that they were nice or I would have begun digging his grave.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Crystal spoke. "Goodbye!" I waved at her and she smiled at us. And with that, she turned around and walked away. I looked at the rest and took a step backward.

"I need to go. It was nice meeting you guys," I said.

"It was nice meeting you too, we should have talked with you sooner." A girl from the group said. I smiled at her and nodded my head in agreement.

"You're right. We should hang out and get to know each other better." I suggest. They nodded their heads and I looked back to see Ryder waiting impatiently. I looked back at them gave them a small wave.

"I'll see you guys around." And with that, I turned around and walked towards Ryder. Ryder's eyes widened as he saw me and speed-walked towards me. I gave him a smile which caused his face to relax.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"It actually went pretty good. Be thankful that they understood our situation. Because if they didn't, then I wasn't going to continue what you got me into," I replied and placed my hand on my hip. Ryder's face broke out into a smile and he engulfed me in a bear hug, suffocating me from his tight grip.

"Thank you, Tiana. You saved my ass. I don't know what I could do to repay you," he breathed out. I pulled away from the hug and inhaled.

"We'll talk about that later, you owe me big time." I crossed my arms against my chest and gave him a stern look. He let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm starting to believe that you're planning my death ceremony," he said in a soft tone. I smirked up at him and nodded my head.

"Oh trust me, I am."

I was walking through the hall, making my way towards the living room to meet up with Crystal. I was slightly nervous to see what her mate was going to do, but I tried not to think of it too much, overthinking isn't healthy for my state of mind, because when I do, then I get overwhelmed with stupid scenarios that might lead me to lose my sanity.

I inhaled and continued walking. My eyes lit up when Mason's scent hit me. I looked up to see Mason walking towards me. As soon as he was in front of me I gave him a soft smile.

"Hey," I whispered. He returned the smile but it didn't really reach his eyes.

"Tiana, where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to meet up with someone. We're eating lunch together," I replied. Mason frowned and he stepped closer to me, his face holding a confused expression.

"Who?" He asked, his eyes turning a shade darker. A smirk crawled onto my lips and I tilted my head.

"Why do you want to know?" I questioned. Mason's frown grew and he took a step closer.

"Because I want to. Is there a problem?" He questioned. My smirk grew and I crossed my arms against my chest, then shook my head.

"No, not at all. But what would you say if that person I'm going to eat lunch with is a boy?" I raised a brow. A low growl emerged from Mason's chest and his eyes turned pitch black.

"I would say to cancel it because that idea doesn't please my wolf. And he's this close to grabbing you and throwing you over my shoulder so you won't accompany your friend." Mason answered. My smirk fell and I looked at him with wide eyes. I felt my cheeks burn and my heartbeat slightly increase. His response took me off guard but I wondered if what he said truly was only his wolf's intentions.

I mentally shook my head and brought my attention back at him.

"Your wolf huh? You sure it's not you who doesn't approve the idea?" I asked.

Mason looked taken back.

"I..." He cleared his throat and looked away for a split second then brought his attention back at me. "Yeah, I'm sure." His face went hard. I slowly nodded my head, a little disappointed. I mentally scoffed at myself, not liking the way I feel.

"Ok. Well, I have to go. Don't want to be late." I said and turned away, wanting to get away from him. These past few days felt different, I felt like the tension between Mason and I was slowly fading and I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but all I knew that I was feeling something towards him. And I couldn't deny it anymore, no matter how much I disliked the idea.

Before I could step another step forward I felt him grab my hand, and pull me towards him. I looked at him, then down to the grip he had on my hand.

"You didn't answer my question," he whispered. I gulped at how close our faces were. His breath was fanning my face.

"Question?"

"Yeah... Who are you accompanying?" He asked again.

"Oh, I'm having lunch with a new friend. Her name is Crystal," I answered his question. Mason nodded his head, a smirk growing onto his lips. His face moved closer to mine and his nose softly rubbed against my cheek. I closed my eyes and he softly dug his nose into my hair, inhaling my scent. I don't know what happened to us but I was too caught up in the moment. I felt like there was something pulling me towards him, preventing me from escaping. I inhaled when his breath fanned my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"Have fun, Tiana," Mason whispered in my ear then pulled away. I opened my eyes, looking at him with a bit of shock. Mason looked into my eyes and I nodded my head.

"Thanks," I whispered. I pulled away and exhaled, immediately turning around and walking away.

I was in a state of shock, not knowing what exactly happened back there. My wolf however wasn't, instead, she was yelping out in pleasure at the little moment we had back there. I shook my head and forced those thoughts aside, I needed to focus right now, I'll think about this later.

I walked down the stairs and towards the living room, reading to enter the room to meet up with Crystal. I opened the door and walked in, seeing many pack members. Some looked at me and some didn't, I breathed out and looked around, trying to find Crystal.

"Tiana."

I snapped my head towards the source of the voice and smiled when I saw Crystal walking towards me. I walked up to her and we gave each other a quick hug. My smile dropped when I saw Mr. Buff Guy walking towards us with a frown plastered on his face. He carefully looked between us, and his stare lingered on me. I looked down at the ground, kind of nervous from his presence.

"So, this is your friend, Crystal?" He asked her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Crystal looked at me and smiled, nodding her head.

"Yes, she is, John." She answered. John, or should I say, Mr. Buff Guy, slowly nodded his head and gave me a hard look.

"How did you meet her?" he asked. I raised a brow at him, not liking the tone he had when he said 'her'. It was like it burned his tongue.

"Umm..excuse me, but I have a name. It's Tiana," I said and crossed my arms. His eyes hardened and he glared at me.

"Your name isn't important," he claimed then looked back at Crystal, waiting for her to answer his question. Crystal gave me an apologetic smile and looked back at her mate.

"We meet..ugh..yesterday, and she invited me to have lunch together. So we could get to know each other more," Crystal replied. I nodded my head and looked at her mate. He didn't say anything but gave me a warning look. I raised a brow at him, not liking his attitude towards me.

It looked like Mr. Buff Guy over her and me, will become great, great friends.

Note the sarcasm.

It didn't look like he was fond of me, he kept glaring at me and it was like he wanted to take his mate away from me. I looked back at Crystal and smiled.

"Well, if you don't mind me, John. I'm going to steal your mate for a while." I gave him a slight smirk and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards me.

"I'll see you later," Crystal said to her mate and waved at him. John didn't look so happy that I was taking his mate away from him. He glared at me like I was a man, trying to flirt with his girl. I smirked up at him.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that. I'm not going to hit on her, we're friends. Remember?" I said in a duh tone. Crystal let out a laugh and Mr. Buff Guy didn't look happy at all, in fact, his frown deepened.

"I'm sorry," Crystal whispered to me. "He's always so stiff. You're going to have to get used to that." I nodded my head at her.

"I could tell."

We took a step back and she smiled up at her mate.

"Bye, John."

John gave her a kiss on her cheek, and you wouldn't guess what he gave me. Take a guess, a wild guess. He gave me a glare. Surprising right?

I smiled sweetly at him and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Bye," I told him. We turned around and walked away.

"Your mate looks at me like I'm about to kidnap you any minute and run off with you," I told Crystal, shaking my head. Crystal gives me a soft smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"He's like that, been like that ever since I meet him. He doesn't really socialize that much," Crystal said then ate her fries. I nodded my head.

"How did you meet him?" I questioned then took a bite from my Macaroni and cheese. We were outside the packhouse, sitting on the grass. We decided on eating outside, because the inside was quite boring, and because there were lots of people.

"I met him when I turned 18. He's one of the pack warriors and one day, while I was walking, I caught onto his scent and then we met," she explained. I nodded my head and knew why he was so buff and tall. He was a pack warrior.

"What about you? Do you have a mate?" She asked, then looked down to the ground hesitantly. I raised a brow at her and she looked back up at me. "I heard a couple of rumors here and there. But I know better than to believe them."

I nodded my head, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Well, it depends on what kind of rumors you heard. There are some that are right, and there are some that are wrong. If it's about me going out with Mason yesterday then it's right, and if it's about me trying to seduce him then it's wrong." I explained.

"Wait, so you actually went out with him yesterday? And why did you call him by his first name?" She asked.

"Ugh...well, it's because he's my mate." I hesitantly told her. I didn't really know if I should have told her or not, it wasn't like I was trying to keep it a secret, but Mason and I weren't all lovey-dovey and if the whole pack found out then they would start treating me like the Luna. And start expecting me to be a Luna.

Her eyes widened and she coughed on her fries. I gave her back a pat and handed her water. She gulped it down then inhaled and looked at me shocked.

"You're our Luna?" She asked. "How come the pack doesn't know? The rumors that are floating around are making you look so bad. If they knew then they would give you more respect!"

I nodded my head, understanding what she meant.

"It's just that, Mason and I, we don't have a strong relationship. We meet over two months ago and we barely get along. It's too confusing," I sighed out.

"And why aren't you guys getting along? You're mates for goodness sake. Soul mates!" She asked, shocked. I rubbed my face and shook my head.

"I..I...I don't know. I have this secret, and when I first met him, he didn't approve of me, even though I didn't approve of him too. I have my reasons, but I won't deny it. I do have feelings for him, these past few days we've been getting closer to each other and it's making me so confused." I told her and ran a hand through my hair.