ISOBEL
The moment the words left my lips, I regret ever saying them. Mason's arm on my waist tightened, and he pressed his fingers a little firmly against my back. He didn't stop dancing, but I could feel the tension in the air and I swallowed nervously as I wondered if I had crossed a line.
He clenched his jaw and glared at me. "That's none of your business."
I stiffened. "It is my business," I said before I could stop myself. "He's my father."
He tightened his grip on my waist for a second before he regained composure and sighed deeply then he loosened his hold. "Exactly, and that means you wouldn't understand." He said in a low voice that made me wonder what exactly he didn't want to say.
I frowned, and I squeezed his hand. "Then make me understand."
He chuckled dryly and said seriously without and explanation. "No."
It was like he had already decided that he would never waste his time explaining to me. I couldn't help but wonder what he took me for.
I tried to ignore the ache in my chest and continued. "You hate him," I pressed on. "You've always hated him. Why?"
He slowed down for just a second and then he continued. "I said drop it."
Yes, he made it clear that he wouldn't give me an answer and the right thing to do was to stop but now I couldn't. The way he reacted only made me more curious.
From the little I knew about Mason, he wasn't the type to hold back his anger. He had insulted me, belittled me, and mocked me a lot of times but this was different. This wasn't just hatred, it was something deep and personal.
I didn't know what made me push further. Maybe it was frustration, or curiosity but I continued, "What did he do to you?" I asked, in a more quiet tone.
"You don't want to know," he said seriously.
I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Alpha Francis came to stand beside us.
We both turned to look at him and he suddenly clapped his hands. "It's time to switch partners," he said smoothly like he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I looked around, and just like he said, people were moving around and switching partners. The whole place was lively and filled with sounds of laughter but for some reason, I felt tense.
Alpha Francis turned to me and stretched out his hand towards me with a smirk on his face. "Shall we?"
I hesitated, but then I nodded and forced a small smile before I placed my hand in his. He lifted it to his lips and placed a light kiss at the back of it. His eyes moved to Mason, and his smirk widened.
"Excuse us, Mason," he said. "Go and find your new partner."
Mason didn't say a word but I couldn't help but notice how he clenched his jaw and how he balled his fist for just a second before he let them relax. It was obvious that he was annoyed but instead of arguing, he simply turned around and walked away.
Alpha Francis chuckled quietly as he watched Mason leave and then he turned back to me. "Now, where were we?"
He placed his hand on my waist, and I rested mine on his shoulder as we moved to the sound of the music. "I didn't know he was this possessive," he suddenly said in a light and teasing voice.
I felt my cheeks warm up as I heard him, but I quickly shook my head to deny it. "I doubt that. You're just overthinking." I said quickly before he'd make any more assumptions.
"You think so?" He slightly tilted his head, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes like he was enjoying every second of this.
I didn't answer. I just nodded and allowed him to talk, and only responded to his questions, but my mind was somewhere else and no matter how hard I tried to focus on what Alpha Francis was saying, I couldn't stop thinking about Mason.
I still didn't understand what he said earlier? Why wouldn't I want to know? Why wouldn't he just tell me the truth?
My eyes unconsciously shifted from Alpha Francis, and I began searching until I saw him. Mason was sitting at the bar, and he had a glass of wine in his hand, and the second I looked at him, our eyes met. It took me by surprise, making me freeze.
He wasn't just watching us, he was glaring at us like we were his enemies. The intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. He looked angry, but there was something else in his eyes that I couldn't understand. I didn't know if it was anger or jealousy.
"You have to be careful, darling," Alpha Francis said, and it brought back my attention to him. His hold on my waist tightened just a little bit, and when I looked up at him, I noticed that he was studying me with amusement in his eyes. "You'll fall down if you continue getting distracted."
I cleared my throat, ashamed that he noticed, and I apologized. "Sorry."
He hummed. "You don't have to apologize. It's quite entertaining to watch."
I frowned. "To watch what?"
He slightly leaned in and lowered his voice. "You crave him just as much as he craves you."
My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed. "That's not—" I tried to explain myself but before I could finish my sentence, the song ended.
Alpha Francis pulled back, and smiled as he lifted my hand and placed another kiss on it. "It was a pleasure, Isobel," he murmured before he released me and walked away.
I stood there, frozen, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I sighed slowly and turned my head, and instinctively searched for Mason but he was gone.