ISOBEL
The moment I heard the words, my heart skipped a beat.
"Alpha Mason is back!"
I wasn't sure if I was happy or tensed that he was back because I couldn't understand it and I unconsciously turned my head toward the direction of the voice, but I didn't move from my spot.
Beside me, Quinn used my distraction as an excuse to avoid me and go away. Before I could realize what was going on, she was already at the far end of the hallway before I could call her back.
I sighed deeply. Mason was back. Why was he back so soon?
I wanted to focus on him but my mind was still on Quinn and the way she had been acting. She was avoiding me and lying to me like she was hiding something.
I shook my head to brush off the thoughts of Quinn and then the thoughts of Mason came back to me. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, a part of me had been waiting for him to come back. I had told myself that it didn't matter if he came to see me or not but that was a lie.
Either way, I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to look for him. If he wanted to talk, he would come to me but what if he didn't?
Then I would be sure that nothing can ever happen between us as it should be. I sighed and headed back to my room to rest.
I had just entered into my room when I heard a knock on the door. I froze, and I felt my heart beating loudly in expectation, and for a moment, I just looked at the door, afraid to move.
Then I forced myself to calm down and walked to open the door. Just as I opened the door, I saw the person I expected to see, standing before me.
He was tall, ans his broad frame covered the doorway, he stared at me and as usual, his face was blank and I couldn't tell what was going on in his head.
He looked tired, even though he tried to hide it and it was obvious that he was tired from the trip but even at that, it didn't change how intimidating his presence felt.
He lazily studied me with his dark eyes, and took in every bit of me like he was looking for something.
I swallowed nervously as I was suddenly feeling hot under his intense eyes. "You're back."
His lips twitched, like he wanted to smile, but he held it back. "You sound surprised. Did you not want me to come back?"
"I didn't know when you'd come back," I said sincerely. "So I wasn't expecting you."
He narrowed his eyes for a second before he asked, "Did anything happen while I was away?"
The question caught me off guard. Did suspect something? Why was he asking? Did he hear something?
I hesitated for a second. For a moment, I wanted to tell him everything but something made me pause, and before I could decide what to do, Mason took a step forward to come inside and he quietly shut the door behind him.
My breath got stuck in my throat as he crowded my space. He didn't move any closer, but his presence was intimidating. His eyes were sharp, as he looked at me closely like he was trying to find out what had changed about me.
I coughed to clear the awkwardness and forced myself to speak. "How did your meeting go?"
His expression didn't change even as he answered me. "It went as expected."
I frowned, not because I was angry but because I wanted to shift the attention from me. "Is that all you have to say?"
Mason didn't answer immediately. I noticed how he clenched his jaw, and for the first time, he looked away. In that moment, I could tell that something was wrong.
I wasn't sure why, but I could feel it. There was something he wasn't telling me. I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling brave like we hadn't been fighting. "Mason."
He sighed and finally looked up to meet my eyes again. "What?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you hiding something?"
His face remained blank, but I noticed that his shoulders were stiff. "You're the one who hesitated when I asked if anything happened while I was not around, maybe you're the one hiding something."
I spaused. He knew how to play this game. He was right, I hesitated, but it was only because I didn't know how to explain it.
Mason took a step closer to me. "So, Isobel. Did you miss me?"
What? Why was he asking me that? I didn't expect it one bit.
His voice was low like he wanted to tease me, but there was something else in it that I didn't understand.
I wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or if the tension between us was just there, and it was growing no matter how much we tried to ignore it. I opened my mouth to talk but I closed it again.
Mason took another step forward, and stopped closed to me. Not close enough to touch, but close enough to feel the warmth from his body.
I swallowed nervously. "Why are you asking me that?"
He slightly tilted his head to the side. "Why are you avoiding the question?"
I hated how he always made me feel like I was the one playing games, when in reality, he was the one who wouldn't just say what he was thinking. I didn't know what came over me but at that moment, I felt brave so I lifted my chin in defiance and threw his question back at him. "Did you miss me?"
Something changed in his eyes, but he didn't answer me. Instead, he slightly raised his hand like he was about to touch me but then he stopped himself.
His clenched his fist, and he sighed deeply, like he was trying to control himself and hold back. I looked at him, unable to understand what was going on in his head.
I could feel my heart racing and in that moment, I felt strange and suddenly, the glass of water on my table shook slightly.
Mason's eyes darted toward it, and for a second, I thought he would say something about it but he took a step back.