Alistair

I cried myself to sleep.

I didn't mean to react as badly as I did, but the news of Bruno having another child, maybe even a boy broke me. I don't know why he keeps on having this power over me, but I swear I can't help myself.

I could barely hold myself together long enough to get the hell out of Lena's house. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry (once again).

Fuck him! Best wishes for his growing family. Mrs. Carrera is a lovely lady and a good teacher, nothing against her. But he can...

Anyway, my mate tried his best to comfort me yesterday but there's nothing to be done. It is what it is.

It didn't take long for people to pick up on something wrong at the breakfast table the next day. Momma knew it right away from my face alone. I look as if I just came from a funeral.

"No, momma. The dinner went fine. Everyone is lovely. It's just..." - I trailed off, trying to answer her question as to if something happened yesterday.

An ugly scowl dominates my face at the thought. I can't bring myself to enunciate, so I muttered under my breath.

"Bruno is having another child. His mate is pregnant. Maybe a boy." - I try to fight back tears that I don't mean to cry right now. I shouldn't be sad, this is a joyous occasion in a couple's life.

Momma rushed to hug me for a minute and then kissed my forehead, as she comforted me.

"I'm sorry, Ali." - Chris said in an empathizing tone.

"It's fine, Chris. He can have as many children as he wants." - I said in a sour mood. I didn't mean for this to be bothering so much, but it does. I wish I could be more detached about it.

"He can have a million children. None of them will ever be as special as the first one." - Elodie said, smiling at me. I blew her a kiss.

"Speaking of children–"

"Evan is pregnant already? Damn! Why don't you twist the knife on Lex's back?" - I cut Tristan off, shocked at his words. Both his parents looked at him surprised.

"No, you idiot! Evan has college plans. He is not pregnant!" - He exclaimed, peeved at me.

"What I was going to say is: when are you going to complete the bond, El? Are you waiting for your next birthday?" - He surprised her with the question, catching everyone off guard.

"It's none of your business, Tristan! Not everybody is a hoe like you!" - She snapped at him, angrily.

"Sure... haven't your mate famously slept with half the female students?" - He joked, which she did NOT take lightly.

"Fuck you, Tristan! Mind your damn business!" - She yelled at him, eyes glowing in rage.

This startled all the present at the dining room and her parents reprimanded her for cursing. Sophia told her son to leave her alone and no one can or should pressure a girl into doing something she's not prepared for.

Good one, Tris. Just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower.

Though I'm wondering the same thing privately, some things are better left unsaid. You can't just pop off everything that occurs to your brain like that.

But at least it distracted us from my news. So, small blessings.

We meet my mate and his sister to drive us to school while Evan shows up to take his mate.

"El, don't let him get to your head. Take your time. This isn't a race." - I told her when we were in the car as my mate was driving.

"Thanks, Ali. I just really hate what Tris said." - She spoke, irritated.

"It doesn't matter what your mate did before you, what matters is from now on. None of those other girls counted. Only you count. Just you can be his mate. It's you and him forever." - I told her with an encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Ali. You're the best." - She grinned back at me.

Though my mate and his sister don't know what Tristan said back in the guest dining room, they were nice enough not to pry. See Tristan, this is how you SHOULD behave.

My mate is greeted by Lex. Chris goes looking for Lisa. And Sasha goes on to find her classmates. Elodie quickly finds her mate, who notices her mood. She told him what Tristan said and he reassured her that he was wrong to ask and it wasn't his damn business.

"This is between you and I. And I'm not in any hurry. I want you to take your time until you feel comfortable and that you can trust me. This isn't supposed to be rushed. He only rushed because his mate's parents were going to ship him off to another country." - Roger said, taking a jab at Tris, though he isn't next to them to listen.

Elodie kissed her mate and soon enough, we're all inside the classroom.

"Who is it? Is it a football player?" - I asked Lena, skipping straight into the hot topic. I know she didn't want a footballer, but you know what they say...

"I don't know yet. I didn't..." - She trailed off, sounding distraught.

"Did you go around the junior classes? Maybe he's over there." - I spoke in a low tone.

"Not yet, but I really don't want it to be a junior." - She replied in a low tone.

"I'm sorry, cousin. I'm sure he's going to turn up soon enough. You'll see." - I reassured, trying to comfort her. But there are no guarantees in life.

Lena starts to tear up and rushes out of the classroom. I feel for her. Even though I never heard about mates until a few months ago, I know this is a huge deal.

It's such a big deal that apparently it drove Bruno into becoming a rogue after he didn't find his mate. We all know the story that my grandfather told me back on Christmas day.

Bruno was so disappointed in not finding his mate back in high school that he turned away from the pack and ventured into being a rogue. That's when he met my mom and "fathered" me.

It turns out that his mate was already in college when he came of age. Sandra Lopez - Carrera is almost 2 years older than him, so she went to college still unmated.

It wasn't until Bruno came back to the pack that the two of them connected eventually. Because of the two year window for mates, that can happen to anyone. You're not guaranteed to find them in high school.

"Who is it?" - Chris asked curiously, sitting next to an intrigued Lisa.

"She hasn't discovered it yet." - I replied, mildly glaring at him.

"Can you imagine if it were Teddy?" - Chris joked, not that he liked it.

"You know I can hear you, right?" - Teddy glared daggers at him, several seats away from Chris in the classroom.

"I'm sure she'll find out eventually." - I said, feeling sorry for her.

"I forgot to ask you, Lisa. When is it your birthday? I need to know when we–"

Chris was interrupted by his eyes shining the brightest it ever shone.

Both he and Lisa got confused by the phenomenon, but at the door a girl also had her eyes shining the brightest it ever shined. I mind linked Chris to put on his sunglasses - because apparently people keep forgetting there are humans inside the classroom too.

Lisa cried out in horror at this. Lena also put on her sunglasses. Chris is baffled at this. Shocked. Horrified. Mesmerized. He has no words to express the sheer shock that he's feeling right now.

Lena, on the other hand, knows exactly what word to enunciate.

"MATE." - She declared in a husky, deep voice as she approached Chris' seat.

"MATE." - Chris was compelled to reply, also sounding raspy as his wolf was taking over him.

Lisa rushed out of the class crying desperate tears that she couldn't contain.

Chris just stood there, mummified. Too startled to do anything. Lena returned to her seat, as there's nothing for her to do now and the teacher entered the classroom.

Lisa wouldn't return until the second period, utterly destroyed.

But Christian was a wreck once he got over the initial shock.

I mean, the kid was bawling his eyes out. He was devastated.

"I'm so sorry, Chris." - I tried to comfort the crying boy before the second period started.

"Why couldn't I have Lisa? Why?" - He asked as if somehow any of us could answer that question. We will never know, unfortunately.

I guess this is exactly why adults discourage their kids from having unmated relationships. Because THIS could happen.

Ben and Lex consoled a destroyed looking Lisa as she is so devastated by this mate pairing. All the while, the newly mated girl is trying her best to give them space to process.

Also, she doesn't know if Christian is going to accept her as a mate or not.

Despite what I'm sure it's a very confusing morning for the human students, the REAL star crossed lovers had to pull through to attend the classes.

But even by lunch time, both of them were still trying to process everything.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I swear I wanted YOU." - Chris told her, sobbing while we walked towards the cafeteria.

"I wanted you too, believe me." - She replied also in tears.

There are no words that can comfort them now, unfortunately. Ironically, I'm kind of glad Lex "stole" Tris away from me when he did. Though I initially rejected my mate, being mated away from a relationship seems terrible.

However, I would be mated away from him, not the other way around. Anyway, I'm glad I was saved from that (thirsty) trap.

After a few minutes, we began eating. Though the now estranged couple seems to have lost their appetite.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" - I asked Chris, who looked distraught.

"About what?" - He asked me, a bit confused.

"Your mate! Are you going to accept or reject her?" - I asked him point blank and he got wide-eyed.

Lisa was shocked at my question, but it seems people here are forgetting he has to make a decision about Lena. Trust me, you can't evade your mate. I tried, so I know what I'm talking about.

"Should I reject her?" - He asked Lisa, still confused.

She is gobsmacked he is asking her that.

"I can't ask you to do that. It's not fair to either of you." - Lisa replied after a while of staring at Chris in shock. He lowered his head and wept.

"I'm so sorry, Lisa. If anyone can relate to you it's me. I know what you're going through." - Lex told her, empathizing. She smiled weakly at him. Yeah, he certainly knows a thing or two about being on the other side of having been mated away from a relationship.

Though in his case, he already knew he wasn't Tristan's mate. Lisa and Chris had high hopes.

Chris ignored his mate for the rest of the time he had left at school. She didn't pursue him either. However, I privately congratulated her on finding her mate.

For all her flaws, she's not at fault here. She doesn't have the power to pick her own mate - or even thought it was possible for him to be mated to her. And though she is cautiously optimistic, I can tell secretly she's radiating in joy.

I would be too if I was mated to a hot, handsome, well mannered, polite, understanding and generally a stand up guy.

Oh wait, I did. I love you, Ben Livingstone.😍

As soon as Chris got home, he rushed to tell his mom about the late developments and cried all over again in her arms. I think it's gonna take a while for him to get over being broken up with Lisa.

By dinner time, there wasn't any other topic on everybody's - except for the other boarders - lips.

"Congratulations, son. I know it's not what you wanted. But a mate is a mate. And there's a reason teenagers shouldn't date before mated. You almost always never get it right." - Gabriel spoke with a condescending tone.

"Except for me." - Elodie boasted with a smug grin.

Chris, her parents glared at her. Not the time to boast, El.

"You were lucky, El. But that was one in a million. See the people in this table, none of them had a clue of who their mates were. Most of us still don't." - He said, reprehensibly.

"I know, pappa. I'm sorry, brother. Lisa would have been a great mate. But Lena is just as beautiful." - She tried to make amends.

"I don't care if she's Miss America. She ain't Lisa." - He rebuked, annoyed.

It's difficult to come back from that. But Gabe has a point. We never know...

"I can't believe our children were mated into this pack. I mean, imagine if we never had migrated here." - Momma commented after a while of uncomfortable silence.

"I know, right? What a coincidence!" - Allison agreed, sounding cheerful.

"To Chris and his mate. May they live long and happily ever after." - Gabe raised his glass, but his son wasn't ready to celebrate just yet. He got up from the table and left abruptly.

Still, we all cheered for them. It is what it is. You can't escape the mate bond. You can't fight the moonlight. Or avoid your Goddess given soulmate, once you find them.

The next morning, Chris was not looking any better than the day before. He took his breakfast quietly and we didn't want to bother him. We just carried out our business as usual.

Except nothing will ever be the same again for him.

His mate was talking to a friend when we arrived and he sought her out.

"Good morning. Can I talk to you for a minute?" - He asked her in a somber tone.

Lena looked at him, without knowing what he wanted to talk to her. But she agreed. They walked to another corner of the yard, but nowhere is too far (in this scenario) from my wolf hearing. And I'm itching to find out where this is going.

"First of all, I'm sorry for ignoring you yesterday. I had a lot on my mind." - He started, humbly.

"It's fine, Chris. I understand I'm not who you wanted for a mate." - She replied, saddened.

He looked at her with a different set of eyes for the first time in his life. She may not be who he wanted, sure. But she is his mate. And now he could feel what she felt.

"I don't ever want you to feel like second best." - He stated, gently.

"Yes, I had a different mate in mind. But you are a beautiful, compassionate, driven girl who showed me your true colors when it really counted. And I do appreciate that. It's not lost on me that you sucked your pride and talked me up to Lisa, even if you wanted me for yourself. That takes true character." - He argued and I could see her eyes glistening at his words.

"You are my mate. We are who we are. And I couldn't have been mated to a more feisty girl who I have no doubt will make me very happy." - He concluded and she wept, overcome with emotions.

He raised his arm and gently dried her tears.

"I, Christian Williams, accept you Selena Carrera as my mate."

She took a big breath of his scent and her eyes were glistening with joy.

"I, Selena Carrera, accept you Christian Williams as my mate."

I too am tearing up with happiness right now. I feel for Chris, I do.

But like his father said, there isn't a choice to be made. Someone else chose for us.

There's no connection on Earth like the mate bond. There's no other person in the world for you but your mate. It's great that he accepted his fate. Because you can't outrun it.

I look at my own mate beside me, feeling what I'm feeling. Truly, there's nothing like him and me.🥰

https://youtu.be/VszGNw6NYHs

A|N: Sorry, people. If you read Topping the Alpha, the writing was on the wall for this pairing (in both books the person who the omega kisses when in heat turns out to be their mate).

Fun fact: this song, like so many others, I discovered watching a TV show (GREEK) long ago. It felt perfect for this chapter.

Love,

Léo.