~Mason~
I saw my reflection in the mirror behind Dimitri’s head. People had always said that the resemblance between me and my brother was uncanny, everything except our way of leadership. They would laugh and point out his many strengths whilst mentioning how I could never relate. He was strong, powerful, feared and respected all at once, and wherever we went, I was his brother.
“Mase,” Graham said.
I shrugged off the hand he had placed on my shoulder and turned back to Dimitri, who wore a smug smile.
“You don’t have to live in his shadow, you know. Kade Stark doesn’t need to be the biggest and baddest. I can help you see to that,” he said quietly.
“Let me get you a proper drink,” I said and threw my arm around his shoulder.
Dimitri laughed, his chest bobbing as the dark laughter peeled out of him. It seemed like his new lady friend wasn’t quite used to this. Something was causing her unease, but whatever it was, it would have to wait. For now, I was happy she looked after Sebastian to ensure he didn’t take anything.
I raided Riley’s cabinet and found a bottle of Glen McKenna scotch, something he’d never share with someone he didn’t want to impress. I popped it open and poured each of us a glass as we sunk down into the old elater couches. Clouds of dust rose around us, and he waved his hand in annoyance as he coughed.
“This place is a shit hole if I ever saw one,” he spat.
“I thought you liked your new home,” I said and turned the glass in my hand. The liquid on my tongue was like a beautiful woman. After the first taste, you wanted more, and though it didn’t last forever, you’d never forget the feeling.
“Please, this is just a stepping stone onto bigger things,” he sat and leaned his arms on his knees. He turned the glass and took a sip. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Oh, sweet mother,” he moaned and looked into the glass filled with liquid gold.
“Bigger things such as?” I asked.
He raised a brow and seared my face.
“Don’t you think I know why you’re here, Mason? We escaped from your little dungeon, and now you want us back before we spill any information to the wrong person,” he said. His lips pulled up, exposing the gold tooth in the back of his mouth.
I tossed one leg over the other and relaxed on the couch.
“Have you?” I asked him.
“I have not. Your secrets are safe for now, but how much longer it stays that way is up to you. What are you willing to do to ensure that what I know never sees the light of day? It is, after all, your brother’s mate we are talking about,” he was glum, too glum for my liking. He already had something in mind for me to do for him.
“What do you suggest?” I asked.
Everyone was keeping themselves occupied outside. Graham hadn’t stepped in, for which I was grateful, but it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for us.
“Help me get my pack back,” he said.
You could see on his face how dark his thoughts were getting, how many times he was replaying all that he’d lost over the past year. I knew he blamed my brother for the losses he’d endured, but it seemed he was separating me from Kade and my pack.
“Your pack?” I asked.
He leaned back and gulped down what was left in his glass. I reached over and poured him another glass before leaning back and listening to his plan.
Dimitri scoffed. His head tilted to the side, and he looked at me, torn about how to play his cards right.
“I want Sebastian back on the throne. He deserves that title. It is his birthright,” he said.
“You as well. I know that leadership isn’t a birthright; it is something you earn, and by how easy it was to get your people to stand in line before us, it shows me just how underserving he is.” Dimitri scowled, and a low growl rumbled from his chest.
“He may be a punk; his father didn’t raise him as he should’ve, but I will be by his side, and with me there as I was for his father, the pack will grow strong under the leadership. It can never hurt to have another powerful pack in your midst, Mason. Maybe one day, the title can be passed on.” His eyes bored into mine as he spoke. The front of his hair fell, covering his eyes, and he looked mighty determined to see this through.
“Passed on how? Are you offering me Sebastian’s title?” I asked and leaned forward. I put the glass down and watched for a reaction.
“If you help me, I can see to it that you take your rightful place as leader of a pack that isn’t shadowed by your brother.”
“How does Riley play into your plan?” I asked.
I heard the footsteps outside, circling the door. They were getting closer and antsy about why it was closed and what was happening. I heard Graham talking to Rily, keeping him away, but he wouldn’t manage to keep him away for much longer. Riley was getting impatient to know what I was hiding.
“Riley is a much too dum pawn in this game. I needed him and his pack for numbers, but with you on my side, I can leave him here to his lowlife drugs and booze. What do you say, Mason, work with me and become the great man you were meant to be or go back to your brother and live forever under his shadow as the great Alpha Kade’s brother.” He was salivating, his fingers gripped tighter around the glass, and his eyes brimmed with victory.
“My own pack?” I asked.
Dimitri nodded and smiled.
