Owned By Her Triplet Bullies
(Bk 2) Chapter 43

Mason's POV

"Thank you so much. These twelve years have been the most incredible journey, and I look forward to the adventures that await us. I love you more than words can express." Those were the exact words I heard in Mum's voice as soon as I walked back inside. I regretted it immediately. I didn't believe she really meant those words after what I found out. Just what kind of love was that?

"It's Mason," a reporter called out loudly, drawing everyone's attention to the entrance where I was standing. The cameras flashed repeatedly as they took numerous pictures again. I heard hushed whispers as everyone stared at me. I was beginning to feel anxious once again. The tightening I felt on my chest earlier was beginning to resurface. I suddenly felt someone holding onto my hand tightly. I turned towards my side and Rachel was standing there with a smile.

"What are you doing?" I whispered trying to release my hand.

"Just act natural if you want this night to end well without any negative news about your family. Trust me, this will take their minds off whatever is happening," she replied. I glanced around the room and she was right. They were staring at us and wondering what was going on, forgetting about the fact that I had run away in the middle of a speech. If I didn't want them to ask me any questions about that, I have to play along even if it sends the wrong narrative.

"Fine," I muttered. She smiled and led me into the room.

"What is going on? Who is this young miss? Are you an item?" a reporter asked curiously.

"Why are we all here today?" Rachel asked, stopping in front of the reporter abruptly. He looked taken aback by her straightforward question.

"For the Alpha and Luna's anniversary," he replied.

"Exactly. Should you or should you not focus on what brought you here?" she inquired.

"We should...right?" he responded, turning towards his colleague.

"Anything else that happens here, you shouldn't concern yourself with that. Concentrate on the Alpha and Luna. Whatever relationship Mason and I have is completely private. We won't be answering any more questions. Have a lovely evening," she replied to him pulling me along.

I heard the reporter scoff. "Who does she think she is to speak to me that way?"

"A round of applause for the couples in love," Rachel said loudly as we both stood in the center of the room. The room erupted in a round of applause.

"We all felt that romantic moment didn't we?" she inquired.

"Yes!" Everyone cheered.

"I'm sure you did. Allow me to call the young couples into the dancefloor to have their first dance. I called them young because they are. They don't look older than twenty right?" she asked. Everyone laughed.

"To the dance floor. Hurry up," she gestured towards them. I avoided Mum's gaze on purpose as they made their way to the dancefloor. I didn't look at the gazes of our fathers either. I know their eyes must be filled with disappointment. It was one thing to know it but it was entirely different to see it for myself. I glanced around till my gaze fell on Lexi, our eyes met which meant she had been looking at me.

She quickly averted her gaze. She had called Rachel my girlfriend earlier, I could only imagine what she was thinking right now watching us like this. But she never cared right? And I didn't care either so it shouldn't be a problem. Rachel tugged at my hand making me tear my gaze away from Lexi's direction.

"Let's dance," she said with a smile.

"What are you planning on doing?" I asked.

"Creating an entirely new story," she replied, pulling me along. We joined my parents on the dance floor. She placed my hand on her waist and wrapped her hands behind my neck. She stared into my eyes with a smile. I looked away from her.

"Why aren't you looking into my eyes? You know we need to make this real for the reporters to actually buy it right? Or are you scared?" she asked.

"Why would I be scared of you?" I replied as we gently swayed to the slow music.

"I never said you were scared of me but I can tell you are avoiding my gaze because you are scared of falling in love with me," she replied.

"You seem overly confident in yourself," I said.

"That I am. Men love confident women, don't they? A woman who knows what she wants," she inquired.

"I don't know. Do they?" I asked as people began to join us on the dance floor. The music got faster and it got to the part where I had to twirl her around. I twirled her around and she went into Father Julian's arms and Mum came into mine. Just great. "Are you okay? Why did you bolt like that?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I had to use the bathroom. I can deliver the speech later if what happened has disappointed you all," I replied.

"What are you saying, Mason? Nobody cares about the speech. We are only worried about you and I can still tell when you are lying," she said.

"Right," I replied sarcastically.

"You don't have to worry about anything anymore. Mady took care of it. Are you sure what happened isn't about what you found out earlier?" she asked, staring at me intently. I twirled her around getting tired of the conversation already. She went into another person's arms and I got another partner. Mady. I sighed. Was the universe conspiring against me today?

"You don't get to give me that look. Where were you?" she asked sternly.

"I had to use the bathroom," I lied.

"You could have at least done something or given me a hint. You left everywhere in chaos leaving me to clean the mess without a heads-up," she complained.

"But you cleaned up great though," I replied. She smacked my arm lightly.

"You gave me such a fright. Never do that again," she said. I nodded.

"I was so scared that when Father Cole called, I told him what happened..."

"You told him?" I asked in surprise.

"He called to inform me that he wouldn't be able to make it to the party just at the time you went missing. I had no other choice but to tell him," she replied. "Stop exaggerating Mady. I wasn't missing," I replied.

"What else would you have done if you were in my shoes? Anyway, he wants to speak with you later," she said. I sighed.

"This night would have been a disaster if Rachel wasn't here. She brought you back and also gave the curious reporters something to talk about," she declared. I frowned.

"What? Rachel didn't...," We were dancing without concentrating, I had no idea it was time to switch partners again till it happened. She seemed to have slipped when she was twirling and fell into my arms, hugging me in the process. The first thing I noticed about my partner was her familiar and pleasant scent. Roses. I immediately recognized who it was without looking at her face. She pulled away, her hair gently brushing my face. I felt her smooth bareback with my hands.

"Please remove your hands from my back," she whispered with her eyes closed. She looked like she was holding her breath. I quickly moved my hand downwards and placed them on her waist.

"Better?" I asked. My hands must be cold since I've been outside for a long time. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. She nodded slowly, opening her eyes. She looked different today. I didn't realize this earlier due to the state I was in. The gentle light from above bathed Lexi's face, I couldn't help but be surprised by her beauty. This was the first time a girl looked attractive to me. It wasn't just about the looks, her eyes held a glimmer of enchantment and her hair cascaded in waves around her shoulders, framing her face like a halo.

I see her almost every day but it felt like I was really seeing her today. We stared into each other's eyes without looking away as we slowly danced. It was as if the world faded away, and in that moment, we found ourselves entranced in our own world. My heart thumped in my chest. My grip on her waist tightened. What was going on? My heart was beating so fast but it wasn't due to anxiety or fear that I couldn't control earlier. It was a different feeling, one I couldn't quite decipher.

"Mate!" Lyall growled repeatedly in my head. I tried my hardest to calm him down. We were only mates for namesake. We aren't actually mates in the true sense and I don't think we ever will be.

"Mason, your eyes," she gasped in shock.