Two: Mason Crescent

Two 

Mason Crescent 

"I don't think it's a good idea." My younger sister Brooklyn was a tiny, blond thing but you wouldn't know it by looking at her right then. At that moment, her blue eyes were blazing at me with fury.  

"Why not?" Brooklyn demanded. "You know Mia. She's my best friend. She's extremely capable and she---" 

"I've offered her the job before," I said, "she wouldn't take it. She said she'd rather get run over by a bus then work for me. What could have possibly changed since the last time that I asked?" 

Brooklyn grinned. "She's pregnant." 

I stilled at her words. "Pregnant?" 

Brooklyn nodded. "She thinks it happened at Meredith's bachelorette party. You know, in Vegas? And the two of you disappeared and well…" 

I knew what the and well was. Because I hadn't told Brooklyn why I had been so hard on her little friend ever since I met her. Once I told her the truth, that would completely change their dynamic. But if Mia was pregnant, the child was definitely mine. Because while I couldn't totally remember Vegas, I did remember waking up in Mia's bed that morning after taking her to her room when she'd gotten so drunk, she could barely stand. 

And I had maybe been drunk too. 

And there was the small detail that Mia Conner was my mate. I was the alpha of the Crescent wolf pack. My father had given up his position to me when I turned twenty-one, and now at twenty-seven, I was the CEO of our family's company. When I had met Mia several years ago when she'd been in college with my sister, I had known right away that she was my mate. 

I'd shook her hand and seen a flash of the two of us together, getting married, and Mia with a baby in her arms. My wolf had growled when he'd seen her. But Mia had been only eighteen at the time, and we'd been dealing with a war. 

There was a rival wolf pack, Carina, that had kidnapped my other sister Meredith against her will the previous summer in an attempt to try and force me to give up power. I'd refused and my best friend and my beta, Owen, had gone undercover to rescue her which was how they'd gotten together. It hadn't been safe to reveal who I was to Mia then. 

But now… 

"What exactly are you insinuating, Brooklyn?" I said. 

Brooklyn rolled her eyes. "Please, you haven't been subtle about anything. I know, Mason. I've known since the two of you met back on my move-in day freshman year. She's your mate. And the packs future Luna. And she's having your baby. You need to step up and tell her." 

I sighed, and ran a hand through my short, brown hair. "She hates me." 

"She doesn't hate you," said Brooklyn, "she doesn't know you. Give her this job. She'll get to see the real Mason Crescent and you can work on making her fall in love with you. By Summer, you'll be having a June wedding." 

I growled a little, and stroked my chin.

"So," said Brooklyn, "what will it be?" 

Mia was pregnant. With my baby. And she didn't even know that she was my mate. "She's human. She wasn't born into being a werewolf. What if she doesn't want to be my mate? She could always reject me…and considering how dangerous it is for humans with werewolves---" 

Brooklyn glared at me. "Oh, come on Mason. Don't be an idiot. You're not going to reject her. If anyone can win her over, it's you. You're rich, charming, and handsome. The whole package. There's no reason that she wouldn't want you." 

"If I'm with her, she'll always be a target. She won't be able to protect herself." 

"You can teach her," said Brooklyn, "you're an excellent fighter." 

"It won't be enough," I said, "and I don't want her to end up like our mother." 

"But she's your mate. Our Luna. And she's going to be having your child." 

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Brooklyn. The best thing that I can do for Mia is to let her go. She won't be safe here." 

Brooklyn growled at him, and her eyes glowed yellow. "You are being impossible." 

"Am I?" I said. "Think of it, Brooklyn. If I tell Mia that she's my mate, she's going to know that you're a werewolf too. It will destroy everything. No, it's better that she doesn't know who she is." 

"You're really going to let your child grow up without you?" Brooklyn asked. "She won't be able to survive on her own. And your child is going to be a werewolf, too. The future alpha of this pack. Think of how dangerous it will be for that kid to grow up without their family." 

"It will be fine," I said, "I'll make sure that Mia is taken care of." 

"How exactly are you planning on doing that?" Brooklyn said. 

I ran a hand through my hair. "I don't know, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that she is taken care of. She just won't be with me. It's for the best." 

"You're unbelievable," said Brooklyn, "and by the way, I finally got funding for my new app. So, consider this my resignation. If you aren't going to do what's right for Mia and your child, then I am going to do what's right for me and never see you again." 

"Mia, you don't know what you're saying." 

"I know exactly what I'm saying." Brooklyn stormed from my office, and left me alone.