MASON
I sat in my office with my elbows resting on the my desk, but my mind wasn't on the papers in front of me, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on work and other things, my thoughts kept going back to Isobel. It was always about her. Somewhere along the line, unknowing to me, she had taken up a space in my heart and no matter how I tried to get rid of her, it just seemed difficult.
My mother's sudden behavior was suspicious, but that wasn't what made me worried. It was the way Isobel looked earlier. Her body looked so tense like she was hell bent of being closed off and her eyes showed just how uneasy she was. Something was bothering her, and for some reason, I cared so much about it. It was as though whatever was bothering her, had now began bothering me.
I sighed and pushed back my chair. I probablyjust needed to check on her. That was all, nothing more. It wasn't that serious.
When I got to Isobel's room, the door was slightly open, and for some reason, I felt my heart race and I hesitated for a moment before I walked inside.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she was looking down at her hands. She looked like a lost puppy and I felt my heart ache as I stared at her.
"Isobel," he said and my voice came outsofter than I expected.
She jerked her head up and her eyes were wide with shock, as if she hadn't even noticed my presence earlier. "Mason?"
I leaned against the doorframe and carefully took her in, studying everything about her. "Are you okay?"
She hesitated and then, she nodded ever so slowly. "I'm fine."
She wasn't. She was lying to me and I could see it in the way she held the bedsheet tightly and the way her breathing was a little bit rushed like she had a lot on her mind.
I straightened from the door frame and walked inside but I stopped just in front of her. "You're lying." I said plainly.
Isobel blinked at me and for a moment, she looked as if she wanted to argue with me, but then she sighed and her shoulders fell. "I just… I feel like I don't belong."
I took in a deep breath and without thinking, I took a seat beside her. This wasn't the plan at all. The plan was to avoid her with everything in me but somehow, I was sitting next to her.
"There are a lot of people who think I don't belong here either," I said sincerely while looking straight ahead, at nothing in particular. "Being Alpha doesn't mean I don't have doubts."
She turned to me, looking surprised. "But you look so sure of yourself."
I let out a short laugh. "That's the job." I glanced at her, and lowered my voice. "But I think you're stronger than you tell yourself."
She slightly parted her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. For a moment, we just sat there in silence that didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. We enjoyed the moment for a while before she broke the silence. "I never thanked you," she finally said, in a very low voice that if I wasn't paying attention, I would have missed it.
I furrowed my brows in confusion. "For what?"
"For standing up for me that day. If you hadn't, I'd have been long dead." She said, staring at me.
I looked into her eyes and I felt something in my chest that I couldn't explain. "I did." I simply said, and it wasn't because I wanted to be mysterious or I was being cocky. I honestly didn't know what to say.
She swallowed hard like she didn't know how to respond. Then, before either of us could say anything else, we heard footsteps.
We both turned toward the door just as a voice called out, "Isobel? Are you in here?"
The second I recognized the voice, I felt anger and irritation run through my veins. It was Quinn.
Isobel visibly panicked and I could tell that she didn't want her friend to see us together even though I didn't mind but I quickly acted and grabbed her wrist, pulled her up, and dragged her behind the long curtain near the window.
The space was so tight that my chest was pressed against hers, and we could feel each others breaths.
Isobel tensed up. "Mason—"
"Shh," I whispered, and my hand tightened around her wrist.
Through the small gap in the curtain, I saw Quinn walk into the room, and she narrowed her eyes as she looked around.
"I know you're here," she muttered, as she walked inside. "Why are you hiding?"
Isobel tensed against me, and her breaths became uneven. I could feel every movement, especially the way her chest rose and fell and the way she held my shirt as if she wanted to merge with me, and before I could realize what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around and her waist and pulled her closer.
Quinn looked around for the last time, and then she sighed in irritation. "She's not here, I wonder what she's up to," she muttered before she turned around and walked out, closing the door behind her.
I didn't move at first, neither did she. We just remained in the same position as if we were frozen. We were too close and her breaths fanned my chin. I could see the way she parted her lips as she sighed
For a second, I didn't want to move but then I cleared my throat, and forced himself to step back. She looked away immediately, and I couldn't help but notice that her cheeks were a bit red. I ran a hand down my face. What the hell just happened?
As much as I wanted to brush it off, I couldn't.
I came to check on her, to make sure she was okay. But now that I was standing in front of her, still feeling the heat of her body against mine, I realized something. I wanted more than just to protect her and that was dangerous.