___________________

Chapter 43

I snapped my eyes open once those words escaped his mouth. My face felt hot and my breathing rate increased, I slowly looked up at Mason to see him looking at me with wide eyes. He stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand, making the pain decrease only a little bit.

"Heat?" He gulped. I whined as the wave of pain overcame me, making me want to close my eyes and fall into the darkness, but I keep my eyes open so I could see what was going on.

"Yes, she hasn't been marked by her mate. Meaning, that if her mate doesn't mark her, then her body will force her mate to mark her, or else she'll have to go through this pain for a couple of days until it completely goes away," Sam explained, stepping a few steps back. He placed his palm against his nose and closed his eyes for a second before opening them.

"Her scent is too strong, it will attract unmated males so you have to keep her away from them. A touch of a male who is not her mate will only bring pain to her, but the touch of her mate will soothe and comfort her," Sam continued to explain.

Mason's eyes were wide as he stared at me, his eyes absorbed me and I could've felt the pain vanish for a split second before it reappeared. I let out a scream as the pain took over my body. Sam took another step and Mason snapped his eyes at him before growling.

"Get out of here," he growled softly, not trying to be rude. Sam nodded his head and immediately ran out of the room. Mason stepped closer to me and tightened his grip on me, making me whine. Mason wiped the tears off my cheeks and caressed them softly.

"Mason," I whined. "It hurts."

My vision blurred as more painful tears fell down my cheek. He immediately wiped them away and kissed my cheek, making the pain lessen.

"Shh," he whispered. "I know. I'm going to take the pain away." And with that he carried me bridal style, making me snuggle deeper into his arms to lessen the pain. He walked out of the medical room and towards his room. Thankfully, in his arms the pain decreased, but not fully, making me whine every once in a while.

I knew what heat was. Every female who met their mate and wasn't marked in the couple of months they met in would feel this pain. I always feared this but never really thought about it. It was always in the back of my mind though. This was a way your bodies are forcing you to get marked. And I didn't like that. The pain would fully disappear once I'm marked, but if I don't, then it would eventually go away after a couple of days before coming back after months.

I let out a shaky breath as Mason slowly opened his bedroom door, then walked us inside. He softly placed me on his bed, which made me snuggle deeper into the sheets because of his scent. His scent was everywhere, in the room and on the bed, making me happy. His scent brought me comfort.

I let out a pained whine as the pain came back. Immediately, Mason was next to me on his bed, holding me in his arms. I closed my eyes, liking the feeling of his arms around me. I was about to fall asleep when a wave of pain crashed into my body, making my body hot and I scream out.

Mason's arms tightened around me and he was whispering comfortable words into my ear. I let out another whine and tightened my grip on his arm.

"Shhhh," he whispered before kissing my neck. "I'll take the pain. I won't make you go through this pain."

My eyes immediately snapped open as he continued to kiss my neck, making a moan escape my lips.

"You smell so good," he groaned before nibbling on my sweet spot. I let out a shaky breath and gripped tighter on his arm.

"Mason," I breathed out. "What are you doing?"

"I should be asking you that," he whispered. "What are you doing to me? I can't seem to get you out of my head. I think I'm going crazy." He then continued to leave sweet kisses on my neck, making an unconscious moan to escape my mouth.

I knew what he was about to do, and even though I wanted him to do it, another part of me didn't want it. Because this was like forcing him, and I didn't want to force him. I wanted him to do it of his own will, not because I was in pain.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I mean, are you going to mark me?"

He let out a growl, making his chest rumble.

"Yes, I'm going to mark you," he whispered into my ear huskily, making me shiver. His words made my eyes widen and I immediately shook my head.

"D-don't," I breathed out. His arms around me tightened and he went stiff.

"Don't? What are you talking about?" He questioned.

"Don't mark me," I whispered. Immediately, I was turned around to look into his eyes. His eyes were full of worry and lust.

"Why? Don't you want this pain to go away?" He asked. I nodded my head then gripped onto his shirt.

"I want to, but I don't want you marking me. I don't want you marking me because my body is forcing you to. I want you to mark me when you want to, not when I'm forcing you to," I answered as a tear fell out of my eyes. He immediately wiped it away and caressed my cheek.

"Your body isn't forcing-."

"It is," I stopped him. "Please. Marking is supposed to happen when we both are ready and want it. And I don't want you marking me now." I knew I was being stupid. It was like I'm asking for this pain, but I didn't want him to mark me like this. I wanted him to mark me when we fully discover our feeling and confess them to one another.

I wanted us to be ready.

"But the pain won't go away for a couple of days," Mason argued. I shook my head.

"When you're with me the pain goes away. Just stay close to me, don't leave me," I whispered. Mason's arms tightened around me and he nodded his head before sighing.

"If that's what you want then I'm not going to force you," he whispered. I gave him a shaky smile but immediately dropped it when the pain came back. I tightened my hands around him and stiffened. Mason noticed and pulled his face closer to mine before kissing me.

I gasped as his lips moved against mine, making the pain go away. I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him impossibly closer to me. His arms tightened on my waist as he rubbed the exposed skin. I let out a shaky break and he lingered soft kissed onto my lips. Once he pulled away I opened my eyes, staring into his dark ones.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead, making me sigh.

"I can't control myself when I'm around you," he whispered, making me shiver. I placed my cheek against his chest, hearing his fast heartbeats. "You make me go crazy."

That made a smile appear on my face. He started playing with my hair, tugging on a few strands softly and massaging my back and neck. I let out a soft moan as I closed my eyes. He kissed my forehead again and whispered into my ear.

"Sleep. I'll be watching over you."

I nodded my head and smiled as I felt the pain go away. I sighed out as Mason rubbed his fingers over my back, making me comfortable. He kissed my cheeks one more time before I welcomed the darkness.

I snapped my eyes open as I felt my body float in its own sweat. I looked around to see I was in Mason's room. I let out a breath once I remembered everything. I clenched my fist as I felt the wave of pain wash over me once again. I looked around the room but stopped once I felt an arm wrapped around my waist tighten and pull me closer to a hard body.

My eyes widened once I realized that Mason was behind me, sleeping and holding me. I looked out the window to see it was dark. I frowned. How long was I asleep? Mason pulled me closer to him, making the pain go away. I let out a sigh as his steady breaths fanned my neck. I smiled softly.

Who knew Mason had a side like this to him. So sweet. I just wanted to cuddle with him like a teddy bear. I slowly turned around so I could face him, I just loved this side of him. A side where he doesn't care to show me his true self. I stared at his sleeping form and a small smile crawled onto my face. His face was so relaxed that it made me want to kiss him.

I was so grateful for him. He was taking care of me and didn't force me to mark me. My eyes went down to his lips and I had the urge to lean in and kiss them. I let out a shaky breath and leaned in. I placed a small kiss on his lips and pulled away before he woke up. I bit my lips so I wouldn't attack him with kisses. The pull was too strong.

I let my eyes roam down his body and my eyes widened once I saw him shirtless. I bit my lip even harder.

Goodness, my hormones are acting up.

I had the urge to run my hand over his bare chest but I tamed myself. This was not the time. I brought my eyes back to his face then widened them in shock. Mason's eyes were wide open and a small smirk was plastered onto his face.

"Like what you see?" He whispered. I gulped and I felt my cheeks heat up.

Yes, a lot.

I bit my lip as I stared into his eyes. His eyes pulled away from mine and looked down to my lips before looking back at me. His eyes darkened with lust and he pulled me closer against his chest. I let out a shaky breath as his thumb traced my lips. He pulled himself up and hovered over me. I stared up at him and he brought his head to the crook of my neck before inhaling my scent.

"You smell so good," he whispered, making me shiver. He placed a kiss on my neck before looking into my eyes. He leaned closer and placed his lips onto mine. I closed my eyes as he pulled away then placed a soft, gentle kiss back on my lips. I let out a breath as he pulled away. I opened my eyes to stare at his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned. I let out a breath and nodded my head softly.

"I'm feeling a little better," I answered. The pain would go away and come back, but when I was in his arms it would fully disappear.

"That's good," Mason whispered before kissing me again. Once he pulled away I looked into his eyes.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked him.

"For about more than 12 hours," he replied. My eyes widened and he caressed my cheek softly. "You were tired."

I nodded my head and cleared my throat.

"Mason?" I whispered. He raised a brow at me.

"Hmm?" He questioned.

"I'm thirsty and hungry," I told him. He smiled down at me and sat up.

"I'll go make you something. Will you be ok alone?" Mason asked. I smiled at him and nodded my head.

"Ok, I'll be quick."

He got up and tugged a shirt on before looking at me. He walked closer to me and brought the sheets up to my neck. I smiled at that action, I felt like he was taking care of a kid. He looked down at me and his eyes lit up.

"If you need me, scream," he whispered. I nodded my head and he kissed my lips one more time before walking out of the room. I closed my eyes shut as I felt the pain make its appearance. I gripped onto his sheets and inhaled his scent to try to calm myself down. Thankfully, that made the pain decrease.

I snuggled deeper into the bed and inhaled his scent. His scent brought me comfort. I let out a breath but whined when the pain hit me. I breathed in and out, trying to tame myself.

My face grew hot and my body started shaking with pain. My fist tightened against the sheets and I let out another whine.

Breath, Tiana.

I inhaled and opened my eyes once the door opened. Thankfully, Mason came walking in with a tray in his hands. Once he saw my sight he immediately placed the tray on his desk and came up to me.

"Mason," I whispered.

He pulled me to his body and I let out a sigh as the pain slowly disappeared.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he whispered. I nodded my head and snuggled my face deeper into his chest as he rubbed my back.

"It hurts when you're not with me," I told him. He nodded his head and his grip on me tightened.

"I'm not going to leave you anytime soon," he whispered into my ear. A smile crawled onto my lips and I looked up at him.

"Promise?" I spoke. He smiled down at me and kissed my lips before pulling away.

"I promise."

________________________________