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"You really did hang it up," Mason murmured.

Kane quietly shut the door behind them. He followed Mason's eyes to the painting which hung over his desk. "Of course, I did."

Mason's expression was hard to read. He nodded slightly before shaking off his jacket and throwing it over the edge of Kane's desk chair. Mason then walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge. He nodded towards the pillows. "Interesting design choices you've made," he said with a slight smirk.

Kane glanced around his newly decorated room. It didn't even feel like his anymore. His bedspread had been replaced with a geometric pattern alternating between bright blues and dark greens. Pillows lined the top of his bed, in all colours, shapes and sizes. The lamp that Nora claimed would go with the painting really did compliment it, but it still didn't look right. The whole room looked off to him and he just couldn't place why.

"I just have a deeply rooted passion for throw pillows," Kane joked. He picked one up from the bed and tossed it at him. "Don't hate on my impeccable style."

Mason threw the pillow back at him and laughed. "Alright, I concede, you are a master decorator."

Kane sat down next to Mason and crossed his legs in front of him. The sudden silence between them seemed to make the mood heavier. Kane took a deep breath. There was so much he wanted to say, but instead he just looked at Mason. He watched the way his eyes seemed to shine as he looked at him. He noticed the way the blonde of his hair glowed under the low light. He wanted to reach out between them and offer his hand, but he knew that he couldn't. His fingers curled up into his palms at the frustration of it all.

"I want to tell you something," Mason whispered. He cast his eyes down at his hands.

Kane straightened his back. "What is it?" Kane thought of Adam's words. He's had a crush on you since day one. He wondered if this was the moment that Mason told him how he really felt. The anxiety of it all came crushing down on Kane and he felt his heart beat quicken. He caught his breath. "Tell me."

Mason shook his head. "It's silly."

Kane reached out and let his hand rest on Mason's knee. "It's not silly."

"Promise me that you won't be mad at her."

Kane was confused. He wasn't talking about them. His secret was about someone else, about a girl. Kane tried to keep the disappointment off of his face. It was only then that he realised how excited he had been. He felt his heart drop. Then, he wondered what this secret really was. "Did something happen when I was gone?" Kane asked.

Mason nodded slowly. "Nora, she, uh." He seemed to stop there, unsure if he should continue.

Kane motioned for him to go on.

Mason took a deep breath before he spoke. "Nora told me to stay away from you. She and Tyler were taking shots and I walked past them. She came up to me and said that I was distracting you from your duties as a Beta and a mate. She told me..." Mason trailed off.

It was then that Kane noticed the glassiness to Mason's eyes. He felt his breath catch in his throat. "What did she say?"

Mason shook his head. "It's stupid. She was drinking. She didn't mean it."

"What did she say?" Kane asked him. He couldn't stop looking at the tears forming in Mason's eyes.

Mason hopped up from the bed in one swift motion. Kane's hand fell to the bed. "She told me that you shouldn't be hanging out with me because I was a worthless omega."

Kane felt a spark of anger in his chest. "She had no right to say that to you. She-"

"Maybe she's right," Mason said. He started pacing back and forth. "You have these powerful Alpha and Beta friends and sometimes I don't know why you take any interest in me."

Kane stood. "Mason-" he tried to speak but Mason was still talking.

"Adam hates me. The pack's future Alpha despises me and it must be because I'm distracting you. I am, aren't I?"

"No, of course not!" Kane leapt forward and stopped Mason in his path. He grabbed him by the shoulders. "You are not a distraction. You are not worthless."

Tears fell down Mason's cheeks. "What Nora said-"

"Nora is jealous of you," Kane explained simply. "Adam doesn't hate you. You have to believe me when I say that every word she said to you was a lie."

Mason didn't seem to be listening. He shook his head as he spoke. "If you spent less time with me and more with Adam, then maybe he wouldn't be in the middle of some mental breakdown right now-"

"Mason." Kane said his name harshly.

Mason's eyes picked up. He bit at the edge of his lip.

"You're wrong," Kane told him with conviction. "I am not sure about a lot, but I know with absolute cast-iron certainty that you are not worthless. You are not the cause of any of the problems in my life. In fact, most days, seeing you is the only good part of my day."

Mason stared at him with unblinking eyes.

Kane guided Mason back towards the edge of the bed. They sat down. Kane grabbed Mason's hand in his own.

"Do you really mean that?" Mason asked in a whisper. He squeezed Kane's hand.

Kane nodded. "Yes. Mason, I am so thankful that I met you."

Kane's attention was suddenly swallowed up by the single tear that fell down Mason's cheek. He reached up and wiped it away. Kane felt a weight lift off his chest as he watched Mason's eyes clear. In that moment, all he cared about was Mason. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Mason's hand in slow circles. He glanced down at their hands and when he looked back up Mason caught his eye.

Mason slowly started leaning forwards. Kane knew what was about to happen. Mason was going to kiss him. In that moment, all he wanted was Mason. His brain told him to stop it, but the overwhelming feeling in his chest wouldn't let him. He started to move closer, to bring his lips to Masons, when Mason suddenly sat back. Kane looked at him with wide eyes. "What-" Kane started to say something, to ask why he stopped, but then Mason stood, ripping their linked hands apart.

"I'm sorry," Mason apologised quickly. His hands were suddenly over his face. "You must hate me now," he muttered, "oh I shouldn't have done that."

Kane stood and crossed the distance between them.

Mason stepped back. "Oh, you have a mate, I'm sorry, Kane."

"Mason, I-" Kane started to speak again but Mason cut him off.

"I don't know why I did that," Mason told him. He lifted his head from his hands. "It's just, every time I'm with you I just can't help but like you more and more and I just-"

Kane didn't waste any more time. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his hand behind Mason's neck, the top of his fingers just touching the base of his hair. He and Mason's gazes met, and he gave Mason a second to say no, but when he didn't say anything, Kane kissed him. Their lips met and Kane thought his heart might just beat out of his chest. He got lost in the kiss, his fingers tangling in Mason's hair. One of Mason's hands grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled him in closer.

When their lips parted, Kane rested his forehead on Mason's. Their lips were so close that they were sharing the same breath. Kane opened his eyes and saw that Mason was already looking at him with wide, bright eyes.

"That was...." Mason was lost for words. The happiness in Mason's face almost radiated off of him.

That kiss was different to any Kane had felt in his life. Even with Nora, and the bond's power between them, it didn't feel like that. With Mason, there was something there that every kiss he had experienced before had been lacking. He felt whole when he was with him and when their lips connected he felt like he found a piece of himself that he didn't know was missing. Even with all the problems that lingered in the back of his brain, when he stood there, looking into Mason's eyes, he suddenly saw that crystal clear vision that his friends had spoken so often about. It was just a glimpse, a snapshot into his future, but it was the most hope in the future he had ever felt. Mason was his future, he realised in that moment, the whole time it had been Mason.

Mason broke the silence. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Kane felt his eyes widen as the realisation hit him. There had been no pain. He hadn't even thought about the pain that he felt when he had tried to kiss Wyatt. That same force should have stopped him from kissing Mason, but it didn't.

"I kissed you," Kane whispered.

"I was there," Mason remarked with a laugh.

"I mean," Kane grabbed Mason's hands. "The bond let me kiss you."

Realisation crossed Mason's face. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Kane admitted. "Can I kiss you again?"

Mason shrugged. "To test the bond or because you actually want to kiss me?"

Kane used his hands to lever Mason closer to him. "The latter. Definitely the latter."

As they kissed, Kane felt a happiness he hadn't ever felt before. He wanted to scream from the rooftops. It was like all the puzzle pieces of his life had fallen slightly more into place.

Mason started walking back towards the bed, his steps slow. Their kiss did not break as they lowered themselves onto the bed. Kane was on top of Mason, leaning down over him to keep their kiss. He didn't ever want their lips to part.

It was Mason who pulled away, gasping for breath. Kane didn't realise how much he needed to breathe either. He laughed as he sucked air into his lungs. "Sorry, I didn't mean to suffocate you."

Mason smiled brightly. "It's okay," he said.

Kane lifted his hand and cupped Mason's cheek. "How is this possible?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'm so glad it is."

Just as Mason pulled Kane back down to him, the sound of a ringing phone sounded near their ears. Kane reached over and declined the call without even looking at the caller ID. He pushed the phone to the other end of the bed. It started ringing again.

"You should get that," Mason murmured around their kiss.

Kane shook his head. "You're more important."

When the phone rang for a third time, Kane sighed. He rolled over to the side of the bed and sat up. He saw that it was Violet calling. "Hello," he answered with worry in his voice. He hoped Adam hadn't done something stupid.

The first thing Kane heard was screaming. The high-pitched sound screeched through the phone and Kane's eyes widened. He recognised it instantly. Nora. He stood from the bed. "Violet! What's going on?"

"Kane, I don't know what's happening. You need to come to Amelia's now."

"What happened to Nora?" he asked, "Why is she screaming?"

The mate bond within him was scared, it had his whole body on edge. He could feel his hands shaking at the sound of her screams. She was in pain, and lots of it. He felt Mason's hand grip his shoulder. "What's going on?" he whispered into his ear.

Kane mouthed, "Nora's in trouble."

Violet screamed into the phone. "I don't know, we were watching a movie and she just started screaming. Please come here, I don't know what to do!"

"I'm coming okay, just look after her until I get there." Kane hung up the call. "Something's wrong with Nora," he told Mason, "I have to go to Amelia's."

"I'm coming with you," Mason said.

Kane didn't have time to argue. He grabbed Mason's hand. "Okay, let's go." 

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