Happy now? ;)

- Sian

"Mum, what does it feel like to make a bond with a mate?" twelve-year-old Sam asked, running his fingers along the silk at the hem of her duvet.

His mother looked up from sewing a hole in his jumper for the third time that week.

"Why sweetie?" she replied, patting the empty spot next to her.

Sam climbed on the bed and tried to snuggle into her side, but his mother lightly shoved him away, waving the needle in front of his face to warn him that it was sharp.

"I um..." Sam shrugged, sinking against the cushions. "What did it feel like for you and dad?"

Sam's mother stopped to think, and she smiled for the first time in a while, her eyes glazing over from a memory Sam assumed was a nice one.

"When you find your mate, you'll think you're prepared for the emotions, but you're not. Loving someone who shares your soul compares to no other feeling. Do you hear me, Sammy? It's the most wonderful thing any wolf can live through. A mate fills a hole you never knew was there. No werewolf is complete without someone to love more than their own wolf. When that day comes for you my son, you'll be able to answer me your question. I'll look forward to hearing all about it."

Sam's mother patted his leg, then told him to go and play with Hunter because dinner wouldn't be ready for another hour.

Young Sam left his house, running through the woods towards the Rayson's cabin, wanting to ask Hunter if his parents had talked about their bond. Excitement filled him, satisfying his heart at the thought of having a best friend for life, a mate.

Now, eighteen-year-old Sam stared into the eyes of William Jones, a human who was taking his soul and replacing it with his. Sam's mother was right; he couldn't compare it to the emotions that were so familiar to him.

For twenty years he has loved William or thought he did. He now knew for sure that the love he felt was just a tiny fragment of the love he embraced while the bond connected, and they sat together on the bed.

It took less than thirty seconds after William heard Sam's voice in his thoughts for the Beta wolf to hear the human's too. For Sam, it was normal to hear someone else's voice occasionally. For the human, it was alien and very unusual.

"What is happening?" William whispered, unable to blink or force his gaze from Sam's eyes. He could almost hear Flora's voice saying the eyes were the gateway to the soul. He never really understood what she meant, until now.

Sam's eyes were no longer blue; they were beautiful shades of blue. Sapphire, Cyan, dark blue, light blue, turquoise, and teal. They were aquariums of their own, filled with life and wonder. He could see every emotion Sam has ever felt and the intensity of those feelings. Most of all, he could see the love, and realised that it has always been there, he just chose not to acknowledge it, or maybe he didn't want to recognise the emotion that belonged to him.

"After all this time," Sam whispered, reaching forwards to touch William's cheek with the back of his fingers. "It wasn't me who had to prove themselves as a worthy mate. It was you."

The tightness in William's chest mellowed, but the way he viewed Sam didn't. The Beta wolf stood out against the other people in the room, seeming much brighter and drawing in his attention like a magpie to something shiny.

"W-What happened?" the human asked again, too afraid to say his conclusion out loud.

"You connected a bond," Jacota said, watching their auras change to the same colour and blend.

Hunter's eyebrows raised high, his mouth opened, and his eyes widened. For years he has been telling his Beta wolf to get over his feelings for William, not understand why they were so strong, and why Sam wasn't able to get rid of them, even after William dated other people and showed no interest. Now, Sam's infinite love made sense.

"We're mates?" William breathed, and Sam's heart exploded with astonished bliss. He has waited so long for those words to come from the human's mouth.

"We're mates," he confirmed, looking up at Scott who chuckled, wiping away a joyful tear.

"It's about damn time, don't you think?" he said, not knowing if he should run and tell the entire world, or stay to see how his son handles the news.

"You think?" Sam shook his head, barely believing his own feelings. "I don't know if it happened at the worst time or the best time." He wanted to engulf the human in the tightest hug, but William looked like someone had told him the secrets of the universe, and proved them. Also, he didn't want to make him uncomfortable because of his injured leg.

"Mates?" Hunter said, and Jacota squeezed his arm to shush him. The moment was about Sam and William. They shouldn't interrupt them, mainly when Sam was on the brink of having the happiest meltdown of his life. The skin around his eyes grew hot and pink. Jacota could feel an outburst rising from the Beta wolf.

Sam sat back, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Somebody, please pinch me," he said, looking around.

"I'll slap you?" Hunter smirked, and Jacota pinched the skin between his finger and thumb. Hunter jumped and crossed his arms, getting the hint to be quiet.

"I am dreaming. I must be." Sam looked down to William. He has dreamt many times that he connected a bond with him, and this was very real.

"I don't know how to feel," William whispered, now thinking about Beth being shot in the head. Though he saved Sam, knowing fine well that he wanted the Beta wolf to survive over his girlfriend. "Why now?" He watched how Sam took his hand and held his fingers against his heart, which was beating very fast. Sam's grip trembled, and William couldn't help thinking about how pleasant it felt to touch his skin.

"You proved yourself," Sam said, taking deep breaths to stop himself from crying. "Lunar love was waiting for you to prove that I meant something more than just a friend. You proved that yesterday, by risking your life to save mine. You could have chosen your girlfriend, but you chose me instead." A tear escaped his eye, rolling slowly down his cheek and under his chin.

"Because we're mates," William said, trying to sit up, but finding it too painful. "T-That's why you liked me so much for all these years?"

"Yes, I guess so. I just didn't know it was the bond." Sam shuffled closer, surprised that he hasn't freaked out. "I like you because you're funny and smart, and kind. You used to have ambitions and dreams. It wasn't just the bond that made me like you; it was who you used to be."

William knows he has lost himself. His real personality derailed months ago.

He stayed as still as he could, thinking about his past relationships and how Sam had to watch him kiss someone else, and trying to love another person.

"I've been so selfish."

"No, no, no." Sam shook his head with a frown. "Selfish is not the right word. You've been careless with my friendship, but how were you supposed to know that we would be mates?" He started to feel William's guilt, and it tore a hole in his heart. "I don't care about any of the past now. You've been through something traumatic, and we should talk about that later."

William felt like he was going to wake up at any moment, and realise none of what just happened was real, and if that were to happen, he would feel very disappointed.

"Couldn't the bond have waited a day or two?" he slowly lifted his hands and rubbed his eyes. His leg throbbed and felt weak, yet numb from the operation.

"This is very sudden," Scott agreed, squeezing his son's shoulders. "Would you like us to give you some space, so you both can talk?" he asked when Sam wiped away another tear.

"Yes please."

Scott turned and guided Hunter and Jacota out of the room too. When the door shut behind them, the room fell silent, but it wasn't awkward. It felt peaceful and soothing.

Sam watched William haul himself into the seated position and land his back heavily against the cushions. The human was exhausted, sore, and stuffed with medicine.

"Are you okay?" He didn't know what else to say.

"I don't know," William whispered. "I just... I can't believe it."

"Me neither."

"I can't believe any of it. Yesterday I was hungover, and feeling bad because you were angry at me. Today, I'm recovering from bullet wounds and connecting a bond with you." William shook his head, and the corners of his eyes glistened with tears.

Sam was still trying to control his own overwhelmed emotions and thought that if he didn't get a hold of himself, they would end up crying together. So he shifted into his wolf and let out a quiet whimper.

William watched him move closer and push his head against his shoulder. The black fur tickled his skin, and Will buried a hand in the fur around Sam's neck.

"Would you like me to switch off our mind-link for now? Or at least until you're used to the bond?" He heard Sam's voice echoing loudly in the back of his mind.

"No," William said out loud, and Sam lifted his head from his shoulder, tilting his head like a dog listening for commands. "It's nice being able to talk to you in your wolf form, for once."

Sam wanted to howl with happiness and excitement. Instead, he curled up next to the human and gently rested his head on his good leg. He closed his eyes when William's fingers gently stroked from his head to his nose, and back again. His mother used to do that to calm him down. When he was little, much like Hunter, he found it hard to shift back into his human form after being a bouncy puppy for hours.

Years later, the motion of being stroked on his nozzle still relaxed him. It had an even better effect when William Jones did it, the human he has always been in love with, his best friend, and now, his mate.