Harry

My birthday turned out to be much more eventful than I thought it would be.

Two couples said the acceptance speech.

My parents had to comfort my brother who is still rejected by his mate and Rhiannon was confronted by her own harrowing decision in light of Ares' acceptance of his mate, even if Spencer didn't believe him initially that he was, in fact, his second chance mate, his precious treasure from the Moon Goddess.

To be perfectly honest, I was surprised by how quickly things turned around for Spencer. In a matter of minutes he went from 'get off of me, you freak' to 'I accept you as my mate'.

I guess once it became clear that Ares wasn't lying - but then again, who would lie about being someone's second chance mate? - my best friend saw him for what he truly was: his mate.

Spencer is not one to reject a mate.

I don't like to gossip, but between him finding Kevin back in high school and them completing the bond it took about a week.

Yes, he already knew of Kevin back then. But still, a week. Not that I judge him for it, far from me. If you know, you know.

As we now know that Ares could not fake a mate bond any more than the rest of us could. And to be honest, he wouldn't have waited four years to do so even if he could.

Some things really cannot be faked. Or rushed. It happens when it does. But when it finally does happen, you count yourself lucky that it did.

I also take Ares' point about not having waited four years to be mated only to reject his mate because he didn't believe something so incredible it only happened once before in werewolf history.

Good one, Ares. I am with you on this. If you're too busy judging your mate, then you're not enjoying his company.

On the other hand, Spencer is NOT Aaron. So Rhiannon's reaction is more justifiable than Ares, if you ask me. But I may be biased.

Aaron is a prick and Spencer is an angel.

All the parents stayed inside the dining room having coffee, while the young adults went to the living room before we called it a night.

"I still can't believe you're mated to another warrior, Spence. Clearly you have a type." I poked fun at him and he frowned.

"I am an Omega. We are naturally attracted to muscles. It's not my fault if the Goddess selected the most handsome man of Regency Falls for me. No offense, Alpha." He shot back, humorously.

"Non taken." Landon replied, glancing at Ares who is practically floating right now as he sits on the couch.

"Yes, you're right. It's not that surprising if you think about it." I conceded.

"What's surprising is your brother's second mate, who is nothing like his first one." He commented, glancing at Aaron who gasped. Rhiannon was taken aback by the comment too.

"Yeah, I still don't know why she was mated to him." I remarked, a bit uncomfortable.

"She? Why? Because I'm black?" Rhiannon snapped at me angrily. Aaron glared at me.

"NO! Because you're awesome!" I replied, completely taken aback by her accusatory tone.

Rhiannon stared at me suspiciously.

"I swear to Goddess that was NOT what I meant at all!" I exclaimed, defensively.

Landon put his hand over my shoulder as he was sitting next to me on the other couch and then turned my head to face him.

"We believe you, Harry. All of us here know Rhiannon is too good for your brother." Landon stated, making people gasp in shock. Though I agree with him 100%.

"Thank you, Alpha. Like I don't have enough insecurities." Aaron spoke, feeling hurt.

"You are a straight white cis man who up until a few months ago, never had to face any difficulty in your life. What could you possibly have to be insecure about?" I challenged him, raising my eyebrows in suspicion.

Sorry, brother. But I am not joining your pity party. You grew up like a prince, got mated at 18 and ascended to a job that you were born to have. I am struggling to see what insecurity you are speaking of.

Aaron was gobsmacked by my words, but I said what I said.

"I know she's too good for me. I know I don't deserve a second chance mate, alright? I'm sure the only reason why the Goddess even paired me with another person is because of my birthright. You don't need to call me out on it because I know!" He said, misty eyed.

His mate glanced at him with a sorrowful expression. All of us are feeling his vulnerability.

"Knowing about it is the first step to addressing the problem, Aaron. You need to think of others before yourself. Being Alpha is not about power, it's about service. You have to think of your pack first, starting with your mate but not only her, all five thousand of them." I lectured him, sternly.

"You don't need to lecture me on what it takes to be an Alpha." He glared at me.

"Yes, I do. Because if you knew what it took, you'd still be one." I rebuked, setting him off.

"It's not my fault your mate killed mine, fucker!" He shouted at me.

"It is your fault! Because you set that in motion by killing his father!" I countered, angrily.

Aaron and I were about to go at each other's throats when our parents came into the living room, accompanied by Luna Felicia and Beta Javier. All looking worried about our outburst.

"BOYS!" - Dad shouted, grabbing our attention. - "If you're both done embarrassing yourselves in front of all these nice people, we're ready to go home." He glared at us fiercely.

"Sorry, dad." I apologized, mortified. I got up from the couch and hugged my parents.

Aaron got up to go with them, but he said his goodbyes before he left.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay in your house, Luna." He told Felicia, who told him it was her pleasure.

Aaron turned to his mate.

"It was nice seeing you. I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you." He humbled himself. Rhiannon stood up and hugged him for a while, surprising all of us. She whispered something in his ear while she did it.

My parents said goodbye to the rest of those present and they left with Aaron and my other siblings. I stayed behind, though that was not surprising considering my mate is here. Felicia and Javier saw them out.

A few minutes later, I apologized to my mate for the fighting and for the things said.

"I'm sorry. My brother has a way of setting me off like no one else. I apologize for my outburst, I just can't control myself around him." I said, remorsefully.

"I understand, Harry. I just genuinely hope he rises to the occasion because his pack is gonna need him one day." Landon told me with a pained expression.

"You're right. I guess I do understand why my brother was mated to a much better person than him." I said after a moment to ponder over it.

"Please stop saying I'm better than him. I'm not Wonder Woman, I'm just a girl doing the best that she can. If you keep putting him down, he'll never grow up to show his true capacity." Rhiannon interjected, annoyed at me.

This is the first time she defended him, to the best of my knowledge.

"You may be right. But what I was going to say is: Aaron needs someone who lifts him up, who makes him a better person, a better Alpha. I thought that person was Jessica, but he needs more than just a sweet person. He also needs someone to call him on his bullshit." I told her with conviction.

"All mates are supposed to make each other better. Not just him and me." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Of course they are. But some of us need a special type of mate to get us to where we need to be. And I think you were chosen particularly for that reason. Unlike me, who was chosen because of my last name." I argued, convincingly.

Landon glanced at me. Rhiannon seemed a little peeved, but didn't want to continue arguing.

"Even if you were chosen for me to stop the pack war, I still wouldn't want any other mate." He spoke and I melted.

"You say that now, but when your best friend's mate gets pregnant, you're gonna wish I were an Omega to give you an heir." I admitted, causing him, Grayson and Gustavo to gasp.

"I'm sure we can make some arrangements for that to happen. It's not the end of the world, mate. I still wouldn't trade you for no Omega. No offense, boys." Landon stated, glancing over at Grayson and Spencer.

"Non taken." Spencer smiled at us, pleased.

"I don't deserve you, Landon Barnett." I swooned at him, completely smitten.

"You can say that again..." Grayson rolled his eyes and I growled at him.

"I think it's time to call it a night before the roommates start to bicker." - Gustavo said, worriedly.

"You're probably right. It was nice seeing you, Stavo. Thanks for coming." Landon smiled at him.

"Always, Lan." He said, before making his way out of the living room towards the front door.

"Happy birthday, Harrison." Gustavo said, trying for a smile.

"Thanks, Carillon." I replied, politely.

"I'm going home too. I'm tired after all this commotion." Rhiannon said, getting up from the couch. She too wished me a happy birthday and went on her way.

Ares and Spencer glanced at each other.

"If you want, I can ask Luna's permission for you to stay overnight. You can stay in my guest room." I told my best friend before it got awkward.

"Are you sure she won't mind?" Spencer raised an eyebrow in question.

"Of course not. Stay as long as you want." Landon told him with a welcoming smile.

"Thanks, Alpha. I really appreciate it." Spencer thanked him, smiling in content.

"Good night, Ares. We'll leave you two alone." I said, readying to go to bed.

"Happy birthday, Harrison." He winked at me.

I went back to my guest room to change clothes while Spencer talked to his mate. I brushed my teeth and got into shorts and a shirt. Afterwards, I walked to my mate's room. He too was already changed and ready to sleep.

"Thanks for the dinner party. It was awesome, despite the emotional roller coaster and the surprise mating." I told Landon, getting on the bed with him.

"You're welcome, Harry. I'm so glad I could share it with you." He said and I swooned.

"I'm the one who's happy I could spend my first birthday being mated with my friends and family. It's been a dream of mine for quite some time." I admitted, appreciative of him.

We kissed each other tenderly. We are so enraptured by our presence, our company. It feels like we have been together forever. I feel so comfortable around him, it's uncanny.

We drift off to sleep after some kissing. It's funny how we kind of feel like an old married couple instead of horny men, barely out of our teens.

I woke up after another great night of sleep.

I don't even feel older now that I am 21, except that I finally reached legal drinking age.

Landon wakes me up with a kiss that starts off my day great. We smiled at each other contently.

Without much fuss, I went back to my room to find Spencer sleeping peacefully. I wouldn't wanna wake him up, but there is a schedule for breakfast.

I brushed my teeth, changed clothes and woke the sleepy guy. He yawned lazily.

"At what time did you and Ares say goodbye to each other last night?" I inquired, seeing his sleepy state.

"I think it was about two in the morning." He replied, yawning.

"Damn, boy! You certainly don't waste any time, do you?" I snickered, surprised.

"We just talked, I'll have you know! I'm not a hoe!" He defended himself, a little peeved.

"Spence, even if you had spent the entire evening kissing him, who am I to judge you? He is your mate! I support you and your decision." I assured him with a modest smile.

"To be honest, I was a little intrigued by you accepting him so fast. I thought you were gonna make him sweat a little." I said with a mischievous grin.

Spencer was surprised by my words. His expression was of shock.

"I don't have it in me to reject a mate. If for some reason the Goddess saw fit to pair me for a second time, who am I to question her judgment? We're all her subjects." He explained, wisely.

"Good for you, my friend. You're absolutely right. Who are we to question her ways?" I agreed. Damn, what a wise friend I have. And he is only 20 years old.

He got up from the bed and proceeded to do his morning rituals while I went ahead towards the dining room. I didn't want to be late.

I greeted all the Barnetts before I took my seat next to my mate.

"Thank you for being so welcoming to my friend and family, Luna. Your generosity is a credit to how fantastic a Luna you are. It's no wonder Landon is a wonderful man, I know who he takes after." I complimented her, who smiled wide.

"Thank you for your kind words, Harry. But Landon takes after his father, not me. He too was a wonderful man." She corrected me, graciously.

"Of course, ma'am. I'm sure you're right. I only heard great things about him." I conceded.

Spencer entered the dining room apologizing for the late arrival. He bowed his head to Landon.

"It's not a problem, sweetie. We just started to eat." Luna Felicia smiled at him.

"Luna, if I may be so bold, with whom do I talk about renting a room in your pack house? I know I'm not a member of your pack–"

Spencer surprised me the most so far.

"You can talk to Lourdes, the pack secretary, about the documentation you need to provide and she'll inform you about the rent and the house rules, but I'm sure they are the same as the Blood Moon pack house." Luna cut him off in a cordial tone.

"You're already moving in here? Damn, you're fast!" I gasped in shock. And I wasn't alone.

"I only have one month to get to know my mate before I'm back to college. If I don't make the most of it now, then when?" He snapped at me, defensively.

I guess he is right. There is no time to waste because when he returns, so will I.

"I guess you're right. Though we haven't even talked about what it's gonna be like when I return to college. You're okay with that, right?" I asked my mate, apprehensively.

Landon was taken aback by my question.

"Am I okay with you going back to college? Yes, I have to be. I wouldn't be a good partner if I got in the way of your education, especially if you're gonna become a doctor." He said with a hint of pride.

"Thanks, mate. Besides, your mom is a wonderful Luna, so the pack will be well cared for." I said, glancing at her.

After breakfast, we walked out of the dining room only to find Ares entering the pack house with a smile on his face.

"Again? Don't you have a job?" I gasped in shock, though Spencer glared at me.

"Good morning. Yes I do, but my shift doesn't start until noon. Do I have your permission to speak to my mate or do I need to book a time?" He smirked.

Spencer was already smitten by his presence and comeback.

"By all means, who am I to stand in the way of mates?" I conceded, giving way for them to go to the living room together.

"I guess you have to work now because your shift doesn't start at noon." I told Landon, not before Ares felt the sting.

"He doesn't have to patrol the territory in wolf form for four hours." He frowned at me before going along with his mate.

"Yes, I do. If you need me, you know where to find me." He replied with a twinkle in his eyes, then he kissed me goodbye.

Man, what a difference a day makes!

My best friend is moving into Regency Falls. Rhiannon gave her mate their first hug. My mate is now the legitimate Alpha of his pack. Everything is moving so fast and yet, there is so much room to grow.

I guess love does lift us where we belong.

https://youtu.be/bjrOcrisGyI