“You should’ve smelled me on her. I smell you all overher.” He jabbed his finger toward Lila, who was poking her head up from being a massive boulder. He breathed a sigh of relief, and he had to work had to keep on task. Everything in him screamed to ditch Stevens to get to Lila.
“Maybe I could’ve done better and noticed that she smelled like another shifter, but we were in a club. There were a whole lot of people there. You don’t think she would know how to make sure no shifter could sense she was yours?”
The other man’s jaw ticked with anger. “You’re an asshole. You ruined my life.”
“I know,” Mason said sincerely. “I had no idea, but I guess that’s not an excuse. I should’ve made better decisions with my life, and I didn’t. I take full responsibility for that. But you need to know that I would never,evercross that line. It’s not our way.” Mason wanted to point out that it sure sounded like Sydney had chosen to sleep with another shifter to make a point to her husband, but it wasn’t the right thing to say. Even if it did totally seem that way to him now that he had Keith in front of him.
“You’re a good-time fucker,” Keith spat. “You can’t keep it in your pants, and you go from town to town. I know your reputation. I did some digging up on you.”
“I’m different now,” Mason assured him, his eyes cutting toward Lila’s hiding spot.
Keith laughed dryly. “Sure. They all say that when it’s time to pay for their sins.”
“I don’t want to fight you. I don’t want either one of us to miss out on life because of this mistake. If you still love Sydney, you should be with her. I love Lila, and she’s my mate. She’s who I need to be with. If it’s any consolation, I will never leave Half Moon Key. This town is mine now.”
“Exile to this shithole? That’s what you’re suggesting for your penance?”
Mason had to work very hard to keep from growling at Keith for his insult to the best small town that had ever existed. It wasn’t the time to get all sensitive about it, though.
“If that’s how you wanna play it, yes. Let’s not forget that if anyone could have a bone to pick, it would be me. Youdidknow that Lila is mine. That’s why you took her. I’m willing to let that go and not rip you open to paint the woods with your blood if you walk away right now and accept that I will always live in Half Moon Key.”
Keith narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t harm your mate, and you haven’t made it official.”
“Yet. We were getting to that,” Mason snapped. “Me in Half Moon Key. Take it or accept that you’re already defeated.”
“But it’s what you want. It’s not much of a punishment.”
“You’ll never have to see me again. I’ll always be here.”
Keith considered this for a moment. “I hate you. I wanna rip you limb from limb for breaking my heart.”
“I didn’t break it. Sydney did. I didn’t know you even existed. If I had known, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Keith’s shoulders sagged. “You really didn’t know. I’ve been trying to hunt you down to kill you this whole time because I thought you had done it on purpose to sabotage my restaurant. That’s why I burned down Adrienne’s place.”
“Then you definitely owe her an apology.”
“Not a chance. She hired you in the first place. She can’t be too discerning if she was charmed by you.”
“Look, I know you’re hurting, but I can tell you this. One day, you might find your fated mate, and it will put all of this into perspective. You’ll be so happy you didn’t make things with Sydney official. Actually, you must have known there was something better out there because you never mated her.”
Keith looked away. “I knew the kind of woman she was. I just thought love would change her.”
“Maybe love would change her if you were the right person for her, but you are not. That means there is still hope for you yet. Don’t throw that away. Leave. Let me go on with my life, and you go on with yours.”
“This is turning into the weirdest fight I’ve ever been in,” Cohen grumbled. “My dick is getting cold. If no one is going to fight or die, can we just go back to our lives now?”
Keith considered this for a moment. “You’re going to stay here for the rest of your life?”
Mason nodded. “You’ve got my word. If I ever set foot in your town again, I’ll tell you. How’s that?”
“This isn’t a very satisfying revenge,” Keith said. “But you’re right. The best revenge would be to live a good life without her cheating ass.”
“Exactly.”
“You,” Keith pointed to Lila. “He’s your mate?”
“Apparently,” Lila answered, flinching slightly at all of the male nudity.