A/N: Play Song when directed!

Third-Person POV

Meanwhile, at the Blue Galaxy pack...

Gentle reader, it is a known fact that for any member of the supernatural community, a mating bond is the most sacred thing. To disregard it or to reject it is to scorn the blessings of the gods and goddesses.

While Eric Girbaud chose to reject and kill Tauren Knox all because he wanted his chosen mate, Anissa Knox was blessed to have been accepted by one of the sons of the pack warriors. Still, she knew that her fears of having a family that was similar to the one she grew up with lingered in her mind. Even as she was currently getting dressed for her initial dinner with her destined mate's family for the first time, her mind was racing a mile per minute with so many questions and concerns that haunted her since laying her brother to rest.

What if Joel decides that I'm not good enough for him and wants to date someone with no baggage?

What happens when we have kids and one of them is an Omega?

Would Joel and I even last long to even talk about a proper mating ceremony, let alone a courtship?

Does Joel's parents even care that my brother was an Omega doomed to die?

Wouldn't it be easier if I decided to live a life of solitude and celibacy, wanting to live out my days as a human nun?

What would Tauren do if he was in my shoes?

"Anissa?"

Said female wolf snapped out of her reverie to face Elisse. "Sorry," she muttered as she began to fuss with the hemline of her dress- a simple, knee-length cocktail dress in dark-blue. "Pre-dinner jitters."

"I can tell," Elisse nodded. "Your foster mom called me over to see if you're okay. Clearly, that's not the case."

"You have no idea, Ellie." Anissa huffed a deep breath before deciding to brush her hair and style it into a neat English bun. "I know that Joel doesn't care about my past and his parents say that they know about my story regarding Tauren. But I can't help but worry if he decides that we're not a suitable match or we end up becoming just like my parents. And with how your brother broke my brother's heart, I'm not even sure if I'm even ready to be a future warrior's girlfriend, much less his wife."

"Oh, Anissa," Elisse breathed. "That's been bugging you?"

"All this time, ever since I found out that Joel Errie is my destined mate. Thank Artemis that he accepted me, but who can say that things might change? For all I know, we could just go our separate ways and reject each other- save ourselves the misery."

"But you know you can't do that," Elisse pointed out as she watched her best friend style her hair into the neat English bun. "Maybe it's time that you told Joel and his family all of this at dinner, see how they see things from their point of view."

"That's probably a good idea," Anissa replied. "I'm just scared, Ellie. Tauren was denied a lot of love in his life save for the one he got from me, you and your family, and everyone else who stood by his side. Eric Girbaud is a low-life of a bastard who should've been castrated at birth. Uh, no offense."

Elisse smiled ruefully. "None taken," she replied. "I'm inclined to agree. Now, take this dinner with the Errie family and let them know how you feel. If Joel wants to move things forward, then take it slow and steady. But if he decides to end things before either of you get hurt or things do turn sour, then count your blessings while you can and move on."

Anissa nodded as she began to touch up her lipstick. Time to place it all on the table, she thought to herself. After tonight, we'll see which path we're taking.

****************

At the Errie residence...

"It's such a pleasure to meet with you, Mr. and Mrs. Errie," Anissa said as she let Joel lead her inside the dining room of their spacious one-story ranch house. Sure enough, Joel- a strikingly handsome red-haired young man who was on the football team for the West Berkmar Saints- was ever a gentleman as he picked Anissa up in his modest sedan while greeting her foster parents and Elisse before the couple made their way to family dinner. "I hope I'm not imposing on either of you."

"Not at all, Anissa," Mrs. Errie, a florist and part-time preschool teacher, replied as she shook the teen's hand. "And feel free to call me Victoria and my husband Francis."

"Mrs. Errie, my mother may have been vicious towards my late brother, but she made sure that I addressed all my elders properly," Anissa stated. "So forgive me for being formal and all."

"But of course," Mr. Errie, the current Beta warrior and owner of a hardware store downtown, replied. "Your mother, despite her shortcomings, have taught you some common sense. Why don't we have a seat? My wife made an exquisite meal and it shouldn't be going to waste."

Soon, everyone (including Joel's younger sister Amberlynn, older brother Wyatt, and sister-in-law Tamara) were dining on lasagna, chef's salad, and dinner rolls while a triple-layered devil's food cake was waiting to be eaten. Conversation flowed like water as Anissa took in Joel's family life from the embarrassing moments (she chuckled at Mrs. Errie's anecdote of Joel being scared of clowns until he turned twelve) to the serious (another brother named Oliver was killed by a drunk driver when Joel was 10) to the heartwarming (Mrs. Errie invited Anissa for some cooking lessons).

Then it came time for talk of Tauren and the mating bond that Anissa was sharing with Joel. "So Anissa, you and Joel have been taking things slow, right?" Mr. Errie asked as everyone soon retired to the living room to let the dinner digest before dessert and coffee.

Anissa nodded. "It's been a minute since we addressed things," she replied. "Especially after laying my brother to rest at the royal palace in Montana."

"Tamara and I saw the funeral on TV when it aired," Wyatt commented. "Your brother was quite a looker after Aurora healed him from being shredded by your old pack- the ones loyal to the new Alpha and Beta in Stillwater."

"I know. My dreams are still haunted from when the pack warriors told me of his body that was found in South Tullahoma." Anissa closed her eyes and steeled away the images of her brother's battered and decapitated body.

"How  are you coping with things now?" Amberlynn wanted to know.

Anissa opened her eyes and faced her hosts, Joel rubbing her hands. "It's hard, but I gotta carry on for my brother's sake," she replied. "He wanted me to be happy and marry someone who would love me for me."

"And Joel will be the perfect mate for you," Mrs. Errie assured him. "Like we said when we first met you, our family is based on total loyalty for one another and no one gets forgotten or left behind. Favoritism is not something that's allowed here."

"Try telling that to my parents, who would've made the family on Ordinary People look like nuns," Anissa could help but snort. "Back to the matter at hand, my fears of the mating bond Joel and I share are still lingering. I don't want us to end up like my parents where we love one kid and hate another because of one's status. Tauren paid a lethal price because he was an Omega despite him being the direct descendant of Horus and Artemis."

To Joel, "I need to know where you stand because I would rather be rejected now and be good friends than for us to become bad parents or toxic lovers. If you think that we'd be better off separate, then just let me down easy and send me on my way. I won't think less of you. But if you decide to let me in- if you ask me to, I can learn to love you as you love me. I'm not saying that I don't feel anything for you. It's just that I can't deal with any more poison after what Tauren went through. Unlike him, I can't accept being heartbroken or being toyed with. Tauren embraced his rejection from everyone with a smile on his lips before embracing death as if greeting an old friend. If that happens to me, I would just fall apart."

The room fell silent after her confession, save for a nightbird that chirped from outside.

Joel took a deep breath, standing to his feet and heading for the stereo. "Listen," was all he said before he pressed play.

Play Song in Media: "Try" by P!nk

The familiar melody from "Try" by P!nk began playing from the speakers. Anissa closed her eyes as she took in the first few verses. Her mind flashed to the moments when she would spend her free time bandaging Tauren's wounds after confronting her parents and Trenton for using him as a punching bag for the day. She remembered the times when she and Elisse prayed for Tauren's health when they were at her grandparents in Ada, far away from the Omega when he was doomed to be beaten and starved for days on end. She thought of the day when she saw his lifeless body that was shredded while his bloated faced haunted her minds and dreams even after laying his now-whole body in the vaults of the Deveraux royal cemetery in Alhambra, Montana.

"Where there is desire, there is going to be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns doesn't mean you're going to die. You gotta get up and try, try, try," the female singer blared through the speakers. "You gotta get up and try, try, try."

"That's all you can do, Anissa," Joel said as his father turned down the music and she soon faced her soulmate. "Things might not be perfect between us sometimes, but we can at least have good days as well. The moment I met you, my wolf Enix and I knew that you were the one for us. I wanna make sure that you're loved and treasured. I want you to be the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing when it's time for bed. And when we do start a family, I promise that our kids will be love equally no matter if they're Betas or Omegas. Hell, if they have no wolf, we'll love them all the same. The only thing to be afraid of is that things won't be if you don't allow yourself the chance to try. We might burn sometimes, but we can come out stronger. I love you, Anissa Knox, and I will never reject you because of the past. You're nothing like your parents. If I know better, you are like what your late brother could've been. Heaven couldn't wait for him as his time was up. Tauren would want you to be happy, as you mentioned. Don't you think so?"

Anissa nodded as the tears began to fall. "I do," she said.

"Then let me be the mate that you need," Joel said as his face was now wet with tears as was everyone else's. "You and I can learn to love each other, but I want you to take the next step with me. I, Joel Errie, accept you, Anissa Knox, as my chosen mate and Beta wife."

Anissa took a deep breath, her wolf at peace. "I, Anissa Knox...accept you, Joel Errie, as my chosen mate and Beta husband," she sobbed as she let him wrap her in a loving embrace while P!nk finished her song. And as she felt the mating bond being sealed, she knew that her brother was watching her.

Love...such a novelty yet a wonderful masterpiece.

If y'all aren't sobbing and grabbing the tissues after reading this chapter, then something must be wrong with you! Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about Elisse and her newly-discovered mate! Thankfully, that's coming up in the next chapter! And you won't believe who it is! Don't go anywhere!

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