Landon

Damn, Ares!

I could say that I was offended when he said: 'You could take this to Alpha Barnett for all I care'. But I am not. If there is one language universally known is the simple truth: don't fuck with my mate.

We were inside the training center. I was doing my mandatory session with Delta Saunders when we picked up some chatter coming from the entrance. Ares was outside of my peripheral vision, but I knew he was upset even before that happened.

I guess he must've picked up on something through his mate bond.

Well, I don't know exactly what happened and I am not gonna ask, but if Ares said the words: 'You threatened my mate', I don't need to hear anything else. As far as I am concerned, the case is closed.

What is not so closed off however is my willingness to bottom for my mate.

I know, right? It's like who am I?

Well, you know what they say about trying new things... you just might like it.

However, we always switch it up. He likes to bottom as well. So now instead of a battle of the tops, it's a battle of the bottoms. *chuckle*

Life is nothing but a constant learning curve, am I right? We have completed the bond for exactly a week now and it has been a wonderful parade of love sessions between my mate and me.

I should make the most of it because my mate is only 2 weeks away from returning to Houston. That pesky education is getting in the way of my sex life.

I know we are in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, so discussions and arguments are bound to happen soon, but right now we are in a state of bliss.

Honestly, after everything I had to endure this year, I freaking deserve some bliss. I've earned it, goddammit!

In other news, Rhiannon has been texting her mate and Aaron seems to have taken a turn for the better.

I hope he turns it around because I know this situation is not ideal for her. I am sure she wants her mate by her side. If anything, on this I can speak with authority:

There is nothing worse than being rejected by your mate. No, my father's situation doesn't count. Death can't be compared to anything. It's a beast of its own.

And even if you are the one rejecting, your body and your wolf react the same way. Goddess only knows the toll it takes on you.

I was miserable when I was away from Harry and I am not ashamed to admit it. I really was. Even more so after everything we did when he stayed in my house after the shooting.

My goodness, the shooting. When warriors saw me inside the locker room this week they gasped at the absence of my bullet scar.

It's not like the men take notice of my bare body, but that scar wasn't exactly conspicuous. As soon as other people saw me disrobing inside, they noticed the notable absence.

Not that they asked me about it. I am not close with the majority of the warriors, so they aren't gonna pry into my personal business. I am sure they all thought the same thing, which is the truth: it healed once I completed the bond.

But that doesn't mean I forgot about it. Trust me, I will never forget about my shooting and I still hope Beta Wilmont finds the culprit.

Last Tuesday, I took some time off from my schedule to check in with Gustavo. I was yet to tell him about my bond completion and I know how much he wanted this for me.

He can finally stop dancing around this issue between us. Now that we are both mated and marked.

"Congratulations, Lan!" He greeted me with a big smile as he opened the door of his house for me. I walked inside and we sat on the couch in the living room.

"Thanks, Stavo! It has been such a long time coming..." I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So how was it? Who won the top war?" He snickered. Evidently, we were alone in the house. His parents were working and Grayson lived with his parents during Summer vacation.

I snorted at his question, but it was predictable he'd ask me that considering our last conversation.

"It's complicated. We both took turns and we both loved it." I replied as honestly as I could.

"Wow! I told you, didn't I?" He boasted, smugly.

"Yeah, you did. Kudos to you, my friend!" - I conceded. - "Thanks for the advice, by the way. I needed to hear it and get off my high horse."

"You're very welcome!" He smiled contently.

"I was so nervous going in that I almost forgot to enjoy it. But my mate... hot damn! I always considered myself a good top, but Harry is fantastic!" - I raved, in awe of him.

"You don't say..." Gustavo seemed surprised by this information.

"Oh yeah... he came at me with everything he had. At one moment, there were multiple organs of his in contact with me at the same time." I teased, genuinely impressed by my mate.

"Damn! Way to go, Harrison!" He said, humorously.

"Indeed. And how are you? Enjoying the last weeks of your vacation? How is Gray?" I inquired, turning my attention to him.

"Oh don't remind me! It goes so fast..." He sighed at the thought of returning to college.

"We're great. Gray is fine. It's good to have this time off to enjoy ourselves and our families. All is well." He replied with some enthusiasm.

"That's great to hear, Stavo. I'm so glad that both of us can finally be in the same place again. At least, now we can talk more openly about our mates." I recognized, feeling relieved.

For the longest time since he got mated to Grayson, we didn't talk about it. It was this taboo subject between us.

He tried to preserve me by not over-sharing, but in reality, he didn't share anything about their relationship. It was a weird time between us after he got mated to Gray. I wanted to keep things normal between us, but it was nearly impossible.

Especially because I remained unmated for so long. We lost a bit of touch because of that, but I was still close to him and was glad he went to the same college as me. At least then, it was just him and me.

I was so relieved to have a friend at UT when I arrived for my freshman year. But in that multitude of people, most of all humans, I didn't feel so alone anymore. Not like I was back in my senior year of high school.

This is why I was so happy to have found new friends when I was forced to drop out of college and move back home after my father was killed. In fact, the 'Lonely Hearts Club' members are what kept me from going into despair.

I craved someone to relate to my unmated 'loser' status and I found half a dozen of them. These people are the ones who kept me grounded, hopeful and offered me a warm embrace when I needed one.

I love Gustavo with all my heart, he is my brother and forever will be.

But I am also thankful for my other friends who could relate to me when I felt the loneliest. I guess we all crave that relatability. We need people who are going through the same issues as us because they are the ones who can truly understand.

No matter how empathic Gustavo was, he couldn't comprehend what the lack of a mate was doing to me. That is without considering the whole 'precluded from Alpha' situation.

Anyway, I am glad that we are both finally on the same page now. At last.

"Yeah, I agree with you. I felt so bad for you for the longest time. I felt like I robbed you of your true mate, even though it wasn't my choice to be with him." He acknowledged with a sorrowful tone.

"It's fine, Stavo. He wasn't my true mate after all. It was impossible for me to fathom that my mate would be so close, yet so far away from me." I told him, not wanting him to feel bad. He was absolutely blameless in all of it.

"Yeah, who would've thought that we'd have an authentic 'Romeo and Juliet' situation here in Regency Falls?" He snickered.

"Don't even joke about it! I need my mate alive and away from any poison." I commented, referencing how they died in the famous story.

Gustavo and I talked for a while before I had to return home. I am so glad to have this time with him, to have my friend here. But I am especially grateful to lose the awkwardness between us.

There is no room for that in our friendship. There never should have been.

It's Thursday evening and Spencer joined us for dinner for the first time since last Friday. Harry is ecstatic at seeing him in the dining room again.

"I'm so glad you're well, Spence. I'm happy you're here with us once again. I missed you!" He said, looking at him with a wide smile.

"It's good to be back, Harry. I didn't miss the unmarked heat." He said, breathing out an uncomfortable sigh.

"I'm sure it's gonna be your last." Harry winked at him with a mischievous grin. Spencer blushed, slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm happy to see you well, Spencer." Mom chimed in with a pleased smile.

"Thank you, Luna. It's good to be back." He replied, contently.

"How was the visit today with Ares?" Harry inquired as we started to eat dinner. My eyes already widened before he could answer that.

"It was great, we had a lovely lunch and made a plan for a date tomorrow night." He replied, clearly ignoring the commotion between Ares and another warrior upon his arrival. In that case, I am not gonna be the one who comments on it.

"Glad to hear it, Spence." Harry said, joyfully. Spencer gave me a poignant look but I kept my expression as blank as I could. I am not the one who is going to bring unnecessary drama unless the issue arrives at my door.

However, later that night, my mate asked me point blank why I was a little weird during dinner. I told him that there was a minor altercation today between Ares and another warrior but avoided mentioning Spencer's name.

On Friday, I was surprised by the news that Aaron was coming to visit me at his father's request. Back when we negotiated the terms of capitulation between our two packs, there was a clause stipulating that both Alphas would meet at least once every two months to check in and discuss the cooperation.

I expected Alpha Staedler to arrive but got stuck with his understudy. I guess it could be worse. At least he was already cleared as a suspect in my shooting - or so he says.

"Welcome back to our pack, Aaron. I'm gonna try not to take it personally that your father sent you instead of coming here himself. Does he have other priorities than to keep the peace with his longest standing enemy?" I greeted him with a snarky tone, peeved.

I wouldn't make such an issue as Regent, but I am Alpha now. I deserve respect and consideration, not the junior league.

"Good morning, Alpha. My father is trying to give me some responsibilities, trying to ease my way back into leadership. Please don't take this as any sign of disrespect to you or the high position you hold. It was more about me than you, if I may be frank." He replied, respectfully.

"I understand, Aaron. Please, follow me to my office. Can I get you some coffee or juice?" I offered, politely.

"No, thank you. We can just go dive right in." He replied, walking by my side towards the office. My mother wasn't there because she already had an appointment of her own, but Harry was beside me.

"Congratulations on completing the bond, brother. You deserve happiness." He cheered in a serene tone.

"Thank you, Aaron. How is everyone back in our pack?" He inquired as we walked.

"Mom and dad are doing well. Lucas is still actively looking for the shooter and he's not gonna stop until he does. Everybody else seems to be moving on with their lives." He informed us in a somber tone.

"That's good to hear. I'll leave you to your meeting. Lunch later?" Harry said as we reached my office.

"Sure, Harry. I'd love to have lunch with you." He said, faking enthusiasm.

Harry walked away and we entered my office for the meeting. Aaron behaved very much like an Alpha, in a respectful manner. He never raised his voice, he listened to all I had to say and responded accordingly.

He really was prepared for the meeting, which was a nice surprise. He also brought some concerns of his own to my attention - as any Alpha would - and it was nice to have that time talking like leaders.

It's amazing what we can achieve when we aren't at each other's throats.

Later, he stayed for lunch with my family like he said he would. At this point, my mom had returned from her appointment.

"Are you going to visit Rhiannon while you're here?" Harry asked his brother, who got wide-eyed at the mention of her name.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, but that's not why I came. Unlike last time..." He responded with a saddened tone.

"I'm sure she'd love to hear from you." Harry insisted, seeing the state he was in at the mention of her name.

"We have been texting lately. I'm trying to become a better man so I can deserve her." He said, sounding resigned.

"It's me. Your mate is here in the pack house for a meeting. I just thought you should know." I mind-linked Rhiannon. I didn't want her to bite my head off like last time, though he didn't come here to see her this time around.

"The meeting started two hours ago. But thanks for the notification." She replied in a snarky tone. Damn, these warriors are such gossip! They already told her Aaron was here? It's like a network of spies.

"That's great, Aaron. I really mean that." Harry was pleased to hear it.

"Spencer, I'm sure your parents miss you. Have you tried to book a visit to introduce them to your hot new mate? Your dad is just about to make a doctor's appointment to check on Landon's injury just to see you." He snickered.

"Yes, I will bring Ares to visit my parents. I'm waiting for their schedules to align so they can both be present. You know how doctors are." Spencer said, mildly glaring at him.

"There's no more injury. It healed completely once we completed the bond." Harry informed him, surprising the people present.

"Wow!" He, Spencer, mom, and even Clark all gasped.

"I guess love really is the most powerful thing in the world." Aaron said, humorously.

"Not so powerful as to make me forgive whoever shot my mate!" Harry said in an angry tone, glancing at his brother.

"Stop looking at me like that. I was already cleared of his shooting." Aaron defended himself, peeved.

"Right. So you say..." He rolled his eyes.

"Call Lucas if you don't believe me! He has narrowed down to three or four suspects at this point and I'm not one of them or I wouldn't be here." Aaron informed us, surprising me the most so far. He didn't reveal that in our meeting.

"I believe you, Mr. Staedler." I said, trying to defuse the awkward vibe between the two brothers.

"It's good that he was able to narrow it down to limit the suspects. I can't even begin to know how he excluded the thousands of people who lost loved ones on that fateful day." Harry pointed out, making me uncomfortable.

"Are you kidding me? He even cleared his parents and they didn't lose any family!" - Aaron scoffed. - "I mean if you don't count in-laws..."

"We're getting sidetracked here. The important thing is that my son is healthy, happy, and thriving. I'm so glad you could join us for lunch, Aaron. You're always entertaining." Mom interjected with her signature smile.

"It was my pleasure, Luna." He smiled at her cheekily.

Family, am I right?

We left the dining room together and were walking towards the entrance hall when Aaron was gobsmacked at seeing his mate casually waiting for him in front of the living room.

https://youtu.be/wBl2QGAIx1s

A|N: I came across this song listening to a movie soundtrack playlist on Spotify.

Gotta love the classics.

Love,

Léo.