Landon

"NO! NO! NO! I'M NOT GOING!"

"YES, YOU ARE!"

"NO, I AM NOT. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

"I CAN AND I WILL!"

I am at the Henderson's residence. Rhiannon and I are having a screaming match. I am trying to persuade her to go to the Blood Moon pack for the 'meet and greet' of our unmated people and she is blatantly refusing to go.

"Even if you could refuse to come along, you can't. I'm taking one hundred warriors with me. Do you seriously think I'll leave you behind?" I argued after a while. I am losing my patience as you can probably tell by all the yelling.

"If you're taking one hundred warriors, that means fifty are staying back to protect the pack. I can remain here with them." She rebuked, seriously annoyed at me.

"You could, but you won't. No unmated person is gonna be left behind." I stated with firm conviction.

"You can't make me meet these people!" She insisted adamantly.

"I don't care if you reject your mate. I don't care if you spit on his face. I care that you meet him." I snarled, angrily. I respect her resistance, I do. But not on my watch.

"They killed my mother!" She shouted at me, livid.

"They killed my father!" I shot back, gobsmacked that she used this argument against me of all people.

"And you can't even be mated to a Staedler. Count yourself lucky!" I continued, rolling my eyes. Harry's younger brother is a teenager who is out of her mating range, so there are no Staedlers left for her to be mated to.

"I don't feel so lucky." She rebuked me, aggravated.

"Imagine being mated to the only person on Earth who would reject you." I snapped back at her. She is not winning this argument with me. Any other person, sure. But not me. Aside from her being a straight woman and me being a gay man, we are pretty much evenly screwed by society.

We have both lost a parent, both of us are people of color, both from the same pack, near the same age. The main difference is that she can still be mated and live happily.

Of course I am aware I have male privilege; also, our financial situations are not the same. But my point is there is no argument that she can throw at me that is going to weaken my resolve. She is definitely coming with us.

"Please Landon, I don't want to meet any of these people." She spoke in a defeated tone.

"I'm so sorry you feel this way. I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do. But I can't let you skip this one." I spoke in a low tone.

"Why are you so hellbent on getting me mated?" She questioned me, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I want you to have the option. Even if you reject him, I don't want you to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life wondering." I insisted, looking determined.

"I appreciate that, but I still don't want to go." She declared, much to my chagrin.

"I understand that, but you're still going. No one is left behind." I stated. I don't feel good pushing her into something she doesn't want to do.

In fact, I hate that. But I love her too much to let her wonder about her mate for the rest of her life. I don't care who it is, she needs to meet him.

"At what time do we leave?" She asked me, sounding defeated.

"Your father has the itinerary. I put him in charge of getting you onto the bus. He'll be here shortly." I informed her, who got wide-eyed and shocked.

"You even roped my father into this?" She questioned me in an accusatory tone.

"Of course! Do you think I'm stupid? I need to make sure you're leaving with the motorcade to the Blood Moon pack." I replied, sassily.

I am not taking any chances, though no one fought this hard against making the trip. The others were more easily convinced. Ares practically jumped at the chance.

I left her house momentarily and drove back to mine. My mom is not happy about this trip, not that I can blame her. Last time I was there, someone shot me.

Someone who still has not been apprehended.

Beta Carillon argued against me making this trip too. He even volunteered to go in my stead, but I told him that as far as our pack is concerned, his presence is even more important here than mine.

I am a mere Regent. If I die, my brother will still ascend. But we need Javier's experience and wisdom to guide not only my brother but his choice of Beta.

I am expendable, he is not. Plus, I will not risk another father's life unless I have to. Not that I am taking many chances on this trip.

Aside from the whopping one hundred warriors that are traveling with me, drones will be launched, the pack house will be swept for bombs, and the whole area surrounding the manor is going to be crawling with warriors unlike never before.

Also, we are entering the pack house from the indoor garage. I am not taking any chances whatsoever. Not unless they come at us with a missile.

I also want to protect the unmated folks who are going with me. Because if I can't protect my own pack, what kind of Alpha am I?

I am the Regent, I know, but my point remains the same.

My mom is having lunch with me as if she was hosting a wake. She is terminally against me going on this trip and she has voiced her concerns plenty already.

Both my siblings are not so thrilled either, but I promised them all I'd be safe this time.

I personally feel joy in this particular trip. I know what it's like to be unmated, so if one person finds their mate out of the 15 people I am bringing, that's money well spent.

This journey means to me as if I was the one traveling to meet my potential mate. It's a point of pride for me, it really is.

There is a gentleman who works at a factory on the edge of our town. He is 30 years old and still unmated. When I told him about this trip, he wept on my shoulders.

He had given up on finding his mate. I cried as well hearing him speak. He had to convince his boss to give him the day off, but we have provided him with the perfect cover story.

A funeral. Whose? Never mind. An important person we made up.

"Mom, stop looking at me like it's the last time you'll see me. It's freaking me out!" I complained, disturbed by her troubling gaze.

"What if the shooter tries again? You're giving them the perfect opportunity!" She snapped at me, angrily.

"I swear, I'll be protected this time. I'm not taking any chances, I promise!" I reiterated, pleadingly.

"I don't want someone to shoot my baby!" She cried out, misty eyed.

"I don't want to be shot either, mom! I don't have any death wish. I will come back to you, I promise!" I got up from my seat to hug her.

All of us were emotional during this particular lunch, even my brother and sister.

Of course I am scared to go and face another possible shooting. I am still traumatized by the first one. But I cannot miss the chance of seeing my people's faces when they get mated.

I know it's selfish of me. I could send Gustavo or any other person with them. But selfishly, I also would like to see my mate again.

Yes, I know he rejected me. Trust me, it's not something I'll ever forget. But what can I say? I miss him! Badly! My wolf is crying inside my chest at the lack of contact with our mate.

We charted two buses for the trip. The unmated people were spread between the two, warriors filling out the rest of the seats.

Several cars also made the trip, but an advance team has already been sent to prepare for our arrival.

Every precaution has been taken. All the area surrounding their pack house is being monitored both on the ground and above in the sky.

Delta Saunders came into the living room to tell me my entourage was ready for departure. He greeted my mom, who hugged me tightly as if I was going to Afghanistan.

"How is your son managing his expectations, Delta?" I inquired as we walked out of the pack house together.

"He already asked me for a day off to complete the bond, Regent." He replied, making me gasp in shock.

Damn, Ares! Calm down, boy! Get to know him first!

"Of course he did. Because he couldn't possibly date like normal people." I commented, breathing out a sigh.

"I think he's a little too eager. His brother and sister already have families of their own." He commented, explaining his son's behavior. Ares is the youngest of three. All mated. One lawyer and one judge's clerk.

"I get that, but he's only 22. He can afford to wait. There's no rush." I argued, taken aback.

"Waiting is not my son's forte, Regent." He snickered.

"Yeah, I can relate. But now that's all I can do..." I sighed, thinking about my own fate.

He gave me a pity stare then we finally got into the motorcade towards our destination. The trip was short, so we reached their pack house in under one hour.

There were protocols for the people to get off the bus. They couldn't park inside the garage, so they parked in front of the pack house. Warriors got down first and formed a protective shield for the members to go through.

Inside, the Alpha and Luna welcomed them to their home and waited for everyone to arrive. Most of the warriors would stay outside, monitoring the drones, canvassing the neighborhood.

There was no need for extra security inside the pack house, apart from my protection detail, of course.

My car was parked in the garage, where I was welcomed by Beta Wilmont. He escorted me and some warriors to the entrance hall of the pack house.

It's all very formal, like a foreign authority was visiting. I felt like I was the president with this much security.

Finally, we met with the Alpha couple who greeted me cordially.

"Welcome to the Blood Moon pack, everyone. I'm sure I speak for Regent Barnett when I say this meeting was decades in the making. I'm so proud to welcome you all into our home. I hope everyone finds what they are looking for here." Alpha Staedler spoke, grinning proudly.

I can relate to the feeling. I am so proud of this. Whichever way it goes, this is my most proud accomplishment as Regent of my pack so far.

"There's a ballroom not far from here, where people have been waiting for your arrival. If you could please follow me inside." Luna spoke, smiling at all of us.

I motioned for my entourage to follow her. Everyone is looking nervous. Ares is sweating like a pig. Rhiannon is dreading the whole thing.

"Rhiannon, I promise you won't regret meeting your mate. Even if you reject him. I don't regret meeting mine, despite everything." I told her, getting wide-eyed stares from everyone.

"I'm not rejecting anyone. Are you kidding me?" Ares frowned at my statement. He looked very nervous, but excited.

"I know, Ares. Please remember they're not gonna wanna complete the bond right away. Introduce yourself first." I warned him, raising my eyebrows.

"Very funny, Landon. How is the bond completing with your mate?" He jabbed at me in a snarky tone.

"Low blow, dude." I growled at him, causing Harry's parents and everyone else to get uncomfortable.

We walked the large corridor as I got reacquainted with the mansion. I haven't seen Harry yet, so I imagine he is in the ballroom.

Looking at the people taking the steps, it would seem like they're walking to a slaughter, all nervous wrecks.

It didn't look like they were going to potentially meet their mates.

By the time the Alpha couple stopped in front of an open door, there were already people with shining eyes.

"Oh my Goddess!"

Half a dozen people gasped at the same time. Everyone else was gobsmacked at the scene.

Slowly, they entered the ballroom to be introduced to their mates. Ares clung to me in a sudden move, grabbing my arm as if he was terrified.

"What if I don't like my mate? What if he's ugly? What if he's not even an omega? What if I'm mated to a woman?" He babbled nervously.

Ares was shaking like a leaf. By looking at him, you wouldn't imagine this is a person trained to face dangers or fight enemies.

"Ares, you're not gonna be mated to a woman. Come on! Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm not mated to an omega and you don't see me complaining." I reassured him, trying to calm him down.

Rhiannon is also frozen in place, not entering the room.

"Rhiannon, it's fine. Take your time. Go at your own pace." I spoke in a soothing tone.

"Great. Can I go home now?" She snapped back at me.

"Don't make me command your father to drag you inside the ballroom. You know I will." I glared at her, embarrassed for the both of us.

She literally growled at me. Not that it intimidated me in any way.

Ares and I started walking into the room together. He still clung to me for dear life, Rhiannon walked next to us, slowly dragging her feet.

When we entered the place, there were a lot of people getting acquainted. Newly mated couples are already talking to each other, a few eyeballs still shining mesmerized at the discovery.

A surprisingly frightened Ares looked around, frantically searching for his mate. Rhiannon just stood there next to us, wide-eyed as if she was waiting for an apocalypse.

After a few moments, Harry came to see us and he stared baffled as a very hot blonde boy stood perhaps too close to me.

"He's my friend, Ares." I explained to him, catching him staring at us together.

"Hi. Welcome to the Blood Moon pack. I'm Harry Staedler, there's some refreshments on the counter over there and some food, if you're hungry." He introduced himself to them, pointing at the finger food and juices available on a corner.

"Is there someone missing from the event?" Ares questioned my mate point blank.

"No, every unmated person from my pack is here." He replied, demonstrating the fairly crowded place. There's got to be at least 30 people inside this ballroom.

"Then my mate isn't here!" Ares cried out, louder than I would have preferred.

It's the thing with werewolves. We get mated by the scent. If these are the only people present, chances are you should already be mated by now. As soon as you entered the room, in fact.

Ares cried on my shoulder. His outburst disrupted the entire room and made everyone stare at us. Though most of the present could relate to him, at least until right this moment.

"Why Landon? Why can't I find my mate? Am I so horrible that the Goddess refused to pair me? Why keep punishing me?" He cried out, revolted.

His heartbreaking statement made me tear up immediately. Though I'm technically mated, it's still relatable to me.

"Excuse-me, Harry. I need to take him for some water." I blushed before my mate, while my friend cried on my shoulder.

"I don't want water, I want my mate! Why isn't he here?!" He shouted, crying uncontrollably.

With some resistance, I dragged my inconsolable friend away from the ballroom. Rhiannon and Harry accompanied me.

"Thanks for making me come here, Landon. It was totally worth the humiliation of not finding my mate even in this horrible pack!" She cried out, making my mate uncomfortable by her outburst.

We barely made it to the living room. Ares is bawling his eyes out. I'm deeply emotional over him and Rhiannon is holding back tears.

"I'm sorry, Ri. I swear I had the best intention. Are you feeling better now that you know?" I asked her, hopeful.

"I'm feeling worse! Now I know for sure my mate isn't anywhere!" Ares interjected. He cried some more.

I feel for them, I really do. But at least for the people inside the ballroom, no more lonely nights.

https://youtu.be/-T_ZkacL9A0

A|N: Hang in there.

It gets much worse in the next chapter.

Tick, tock... a bomb is coming unlike I never dropped before.

Love,

Léo.