Quentin

It's funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?

If I had never accompanied my mate to the trip back to his reservation for the holidays, Beck wouldn't have gone on a wolf run with Jude and me, consequently he wouldn't have been struck by heat which means he and I wouldn't have completed the bond.

Yes, one little trip made the entire difference in our lives, but mainly in mine. After all, Jude has already completed the bond three months ago. He is fine. He is not the one looked at with pity by our peers and occasionally our parents.

One apparent small decision made an impactful difference in my life and I am a better man because of it. Or at least a mated and marked man, which was the whole point. I needed to have that and I'd never be fulfilled if I hadn't.

Another impactful consequence of that trip: the late great Mrs. Becker. Yeah, I'm talking about Beck's grandmother by way of his father. She made a big difference in our lives.

If it wasn't for her, Beck would still be carrying my brother's twins. Yeah, she may have gotten him the wrong tea - to no fault of her own, of course - but it did its intended job in the end and that's what really matters.

I'm sure one could judge me for feeling relieved that my mate had to suffer an abortion, but I'm not. It's a travesty that he had to go through that and fortunately it was his decision, no one pressured him one way or the other.

But no, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sorry that Beck is no longer carrying my nephews, nieces or both. Not even remotely. I'm feeling relieved and thankful for the late great Mrs. Becker. That's the absolute truth.

Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?

If it weren't for her, Beck wouldn't have access to the proper health care that he needed at the time. If it weren't for her, we could be under the misconception that Beck would be carrying my baby only to find out later that it was Jude's all along.

Also, it was twins y'all. TWINS! It's too much for us high school teenagers to deal with now. So, sorry not sorry. Not even a little bit. Being an uncle shouldn't be in the cards for me when sharing a mate with my brother.

Of course, I would have loved if Jude and I were mated to separate people and our children would grow up together eventually. That's a lovely idea, but the point is beyond moot. That's not real to me anymore, if ever was one could say.

Now, back to reality, I do appreciate his grandmother for the fantastic woman that she was and I was fortunate enough to have gotten the chance to know her personally. It was only for one day but it was unforgettable, for more reasons than one.

It's January fifth, Beck left Ruckerford Falls with his mother to attend her funeral. Jude and I were unable to go with him this time because I got in my head that my father would do something against Beck for the way he behaved when we returned from the trip.

My father pretended to ban our mate from the pack and when he was about to leave our house, feeling destroyed, devastated, he walked back his statement which Beck took as the ruse it was intended all along.

Furious, Beck used his Enygma power to silence my dad, then he passed out. It was a very eventful day, so when my dad called Beck to his office yesterday I freaked out and got my brother and I into this mess we are now.

Why would I ever think my father, a 38 years old Alpha, would do anything to cause harm to our mate? What the hell was I thinking? Beck only acted in self defense, of sorts. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body and is not a threat to anybody, much less my dad.

I feel guilty for roping Jude into my mess. He didn't want to believe me, but when Beck found out about his grandma passing, he was in pain and we felt that. Essentially, it only added fuel to the fire and now we're both grounded by my dad.

He gave us an hour lecture yesterday after he arrived home and now we can only leave the house for school on Monday. It's a drag, I know. I miss my mate already and it has been only a day. Not even 24 hours since I last saw him, to be accurate.

We have been texting and he has kept me apprised of the latest developments. The funeral service was very beautiful, I've been told. I wish I was there, but I understand he needs to be with his family now. I respect that, obviously.

The day dragged out and the clock seemed to be running in half step. Both my parents were out for the day, so it was just Jude and I alone in the house. I did apologize to him for dragging him along in my craziness, but in true Jude fashion he didn't let me take the blame. He said that he thought the same as I did, once we felt Beck's pain.

Again, my father would never ever harm any teenager, much less our mate. He is not a violent man. He might be ruthless to his enemies, but other than that he is a respected leader, a beloved father and mate.

There is no scenario in which he'd exact revenge against Beck for an act that he caused. And he knows what he did, as I'm sure my mom had a very lengthy conversation with him about his attitude and the role as the head of the family and pack.

Now I'm all alone inside my room ruminating on my lonely heart and how I wish I was the one keeping Beck comforted in this moment of need. By that, I don't mean to oust my brother. We could both be there for him.

Something about him and I taking our turn with our mate at the same time - when he was in heat - made me less greedy about my mate and forced me to learn that the only way forward is sharing Beck. That's not a problem for me anymore.

Not to say that situation would ever repeat itself. Some things should be done in private and two at the time, at least when the people involved are related to each other.

After my parents arrived home, I was eager to hear about their day and be entertained with something other than TV. They were more than pleased to tell me all about their activities. Mom visited a pack member who just delivered a baby to see how she was doing and gave her a new mom care package.

My mom's role as Luna is to be the matriarch of the pack, offering her helping hand wherever is needed. And she's great at it, being loved and respected by everyone in our town. Dad told me about his meetings with allied Alphas and expressed his concern regarding the safety briefing he received from Beta Ashmore.

It's not like our pack is in danger of being attacked, but every once in a while we get some incursions in our territory, people testing out our weaknesses. When you're the top pack in the country, there's no place to go but down and there are werewolves who would love to exploit us for their advantage.

Fortunately, we have two hundred highly trained enforcers ready to chase away any enemy or anybody trying to enter our dominion. There are around the clock patrols over our border to that effect, to inhibit any wolf from coming in. At least, in wolf form.

While mom started dinner and dad helped her, I offered my aid too. Both my parents saw right through me and called me out on my suspicious behavior.

"You're not getting out of being grounded, though we appreciate this interest in our lives and the help you're giving." - Dad warned me with a smirk while I peeled some vegetables.

"My mate is in another town, dad. What do I care about leaving the house? Where would I go if he's not here?" - I rolled my eyes, annoyed at his accusation.

My mom felt bad for me and looked at my father reprehensibly, calling him out for empathy at my situation. It's not that big of a deal to spend some time apart from my mate, but I don't appreciate being treated like a weasel. It's not always about an angle.

"You're right, son. I shouldn't have said that. It's great that you're here with us, your mother and I appreciate that." - Dad retracted, looking at me remorsefully.

It's kind of funny how married couples work. Most of the time my mom is checking my dad for his attitude and behavior. He is a much better man because of her, that's a fact. In fact, she was the one who turned my dad into accepting my brother when he came out to them.

My dad wasn't a fan of having a queer son and it was clear to see from the beginning. But my mom, the ever wise woman that she is, worked on him until he was in a place of tolerance and acceptance.

By now, you do know her best friend is a male omega who is mated to the Deputy Mayor of Ruckerford Falls. Which means that she was always accepting and tolerant of LGBT+ people. She is an ally and wasn't about to let her own son feel anything other than acceptance.

I love my mom, y'all. I really do.

Within a couple of hours, the Atwood family was having dinner. Jude got stuck with doing the dishes since he didn't help with the cooking. Meanwhile, I facetimed my mate to see how he was doing. I missed him already.

On Saturday, I woke up later than usual but so did my parents. The breakfast is always everyone for themselves on weekends, so I'm glad for them to have time to rest. The one advantage of being Alpha is that my dad doesn't work on weekends, save from an emergency.

Of course, if needed he is always reachable to any pack member. But most people just carry on with their lives and never even talk to the Alpha except on festive occasions. Or if they need something that only he can do, of course.

I texted Dragon to see how he was doing and told him I was grounded at home. I have his car that he let me borrow, but he told me I could drive him to school on Monday and return it to him then. He wasn't in need of it since Kingsley also had one.

I'm yet to see two people getting along better than those two. Jalensky and Kingsley have been inseparable since they were mated and really hit it off. Even the Dragomirs like Kingsley now and they don't like anyone from school except for me.

If you factor in the fact that they expected their son to be mated to a female, it's a near miracle for their relationship. It's different for the Hudsons, who already expected their son to have a male mate. Kingsley's sexuality was never hidden or an issue for them.

And to be honest, Dragon is a catch as far as mates are concerned. Not only because he's rich, he treats Kingsley like a prince with lavish trips and expensive presents, but he worships the ground in which his mate walks. He treats him with respect, love and deference.

It's really endearing to see how they are together and my best friend could not have been happier since he was mated. I'm telling you, he's a different man now. So devoted to Kingsley.

"Hi." - Beck greets me as I open the door for him. It's late afternoon on Saturday.

I smiled wide at seeing him, feeling genuine happiness before his presence in my house. I let him in, closing the door behind him.

"Hi, mate. I've missed you so much. How is your family doing?" - I asked, feeling my heart flutter.

Beck walked to the living room, past the kitchen. He greeted my parents as he did. My brother came downstairs in a hurry, hugging our mate as soon as he could. I sat on the couch, waiting for them to have their moment together.

Beck and Jude joined me on the couch where he told us all about his trip and how his grandmother's funeral took place. There are a few traditions that his people do on such occasions and we were surprised to hear about it.

My parents expressed their sentiments to him for the loss, in the end I hugged him for comfort.

Beck talked to us for a long time, sharing with us his fears and how big of an impact in his life his grandmother was. He told us some stories of her as he grew up, including his difficult coming out to his father. Jude already knew about it since they dated before me.

I wasn't aware how big of a role she had on him growing up and how she was always a safe haven for him as a child of an overbearing father. I was raised by a stern Alpha, but I never once felt unsafe in his company. He probably gives the harshest lectures, but that's about it.

Beck told us his father slapped him when he came out and I cringed. He genuinely thought his son would get a female mate - which he literally told us when we met him last year. At least, he is consistent.

Later at night, Beck pulled me aside and went to my room with me. This surprised me, to be honest.

"I know the reason you are grounded is partially my fault–"

"It isn't." - I cut him off, speaking to him with conviction. - "It is not your fault at all. I was the one who jumped to conclusions I should have never even thought of. That's on me, not you. If you came here out of remorse–"

"I didn't." - It was his time to interrupt me. He smiled, before kissing me.

"I'm here because I want to, mate. I want you, preferably now. I've missed you and your strong arms so much. I feel like pudding when you take me into your arms. I just melt and that's what I want tonight. Is that okay?" - He propositioned me in a vulnerable tone and expression on his face.

I could see the pain behind the smile. I could feel how much he missed her and how bad this death is taking its toll on him. I could also feel he was gunning for me tonight. It was so strong, my knees weakened for a moment.

"Always. I'll always be here for you, mate. And if you want me, you got me." - I told him, holding him in my arms next.

Oh how I wanted this tonight, not even gonna pretend otherwise. If you're not here, Beck, life seems to lose its meaning. I'm so in love with you already, you could ask me for the Moon and I would study to become an astronaut just for you.

I do love to make him mine, over and over again. Now if you please excuse me, this promises to be a long night. *naughty grin*

https://youtu.be/HrraVDcor_s

A|N: I love how this came about.

I wanted to include something from 'Menudo' in my book for so long, but never had the chance.

This was a lucky break because initially I had a different song in mind. But I love that it wrote itself this way. Next is "Rise".

Love,

Léo.