Landon

This is heaven to me.

Being this close to my mate, just enjoying ourselves. This is exactly why I wanted a mate so badly. It's not because without him I couldn't be Alpha, I mean... mostly not.

It's not because without a mate I couldn't start a family. There's no rush for that.

What I really wanted more than anything else was to spend time with him, cuddling and being close. Of course I also wanted the amazing sex like I'm having with Harry. That's a given.

But more than anything else, him being close to me while we're lying on bed watching Netflix is my new happy place. That's the Goddess honest truth.

After the events of Saturday, we returned to Regency Falls and there was a lot to unpack. My family and Beta Carillon required me to explain to them exactly what happened.

After that, it was just another weekend. Now that I only have one week left with my mate here by my side, I'm definitely making the most of our time together. And then some.

The kissing was fantastic. The sex was mind blowing. The cuddles were heartwarming. Now, it's Monday morning and I'm ready to face another week totally reinvigorated.

In fact, this is probably the happiest I've ever been - if you discount the fact that I lost my father 6 months ago today. I see my mom trying to put on a brave face for her family, but I know how much his absence pains her.

I can tell even when she tries so hard to disguise. I know she had to hold the fort for Clark, Ella and me. I really appreciate my mom more than ever. Just by watching what Ares just had gone through with his mate's life on the line, I can really understand what that probably was like for her.

My father's senseless death still haunts me. I miss him dearly for he was a great dad, besides leader and mate. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of pain my mom had to withstand after he was gone.

I do feel for her, now that I'm mated I can appreciate her (struggle) even better.

Harry and I arrive in the dining hall for breakfast where my mom, Clark, Ella and Spencer are getting themselves settled. We greet them all as I turn to her.

"Mom, I know what today is and if you want, I can take the afternoon for us to go together to the cemetery." - I told her in a low tone, not to disturb my little sister. But Clark is already a shifter, so he heard it too.

"Thank you, Lan. But I like to go by myself. However, you and your brother should definitely go pay your respects." - She replied, saddened.

"If that's how you prefer, sure. We'll go together after lunch. Is that okay, Clark?" - I asked my brother, who was surprised by the suggestion.

"Sure, it's fine." - He replied, a bit nonchalant. I think he's still in denial sometimes about dad's death.

Harry gently touched my hand and asked me if I wanted him to accompany me. I said I was fine to go with my brother, that he didn't need to bother himself.

"It's not a bother, mate." - He smiled at me and I swooned.

"You can take your sister too. She's old enough to visit your father's grave." - Mom suggested, surprising me. I guess she is also entitled to her own grief. I'm sure she misses dad just like the rest of us.

"It's a family date." - I said, contently.

Spencer is eating in silence out of respect for the theme and conversation, so I decided to lighten up the mood and include him.

"So, how are you planning to spend your final week in Regency Falls? Lots of local dates with your warrior?" - I inquired him in a chipper tone.

"As many as his schedule permits, Alpha. We just had a great weekend." - He replied, breathing out a sigh at the thought of his mate.

"Good for you, Spencer. Goddess knows how insufferable he's gonna be once you're gone." - I snickered, to which my mom went:

"Right... It's Ares who is gonna be insufferable after his mate goes to college." - She rolled her eyes in a mocking tone and everybody laughed at my expense. Even Ella couldn't resist it.

"Hey! It's not my fault I love my mate so much..." - I melted to Harry, who kissed my cheek.

"Am I hearing my name being called out here?" - Ares entered the dining room, much to our surprised faces, especially Spencer's.

"Ares, don't you have a job to go to? You know, defending our territory?" - I asked, shocked to see him here at this hour.

"I couldn't let my mate's last week of vacation go by without my presence, so I cashed in on some vacation days. Now I'm all his." - He replied, grinning at the sight of Spencer who smiles widely at seeing his mate in front of him.

"Wow. It must be nice having your father for a boss." - I snickered. Ares glared at me.

"Yes, because my father is notoriously a softie when it comes to me and my career." - He shot back, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Well, good for you my friend." - I said, surprised by this stunt. It's actually a great idea all things considered.

"Can't you go on vacation too?" - Harry asked me and I snorted. He glared at me, but I couldn't help it. It was stronger than me.

"Harry, I've been on the job for literally 6 months now. There's not enough time for me to have any vacation days. Ares has been a warrior for four years now. His case is totally different from mine." - I explained to him, still laughing at the proposition.

He was not so pleased by my explanation, while Spencer is enchanted by Ares' romantic play.

"Are you sure you're not gonna get in trouble with your dad? You already took your sick days because of my trial." - Spencer double checked, a bit worried about his mate's job.

"Positive. You are my priority now, mate. I'm all yours." - Ares stated and Spencer melted before his mate. I, on the other hand, felt the need to clear the air.

"OK, just to be clear, you are also my priority, mate. But if I ask for time off this soon without having even properly ascended yet, the Wolf Council might think I'm slacking just because I'm already bonded. I don't want to give them any reason to cause me trouble. It's bad enough I'm a queer Alpha not mated to an omega." - I tried to justify myself to Harry, but he's much sadder now than before.

"I'm sorry I can't give you an heir." - He apologized in a sorrowful tone and it broke my heart.

"It's not your fault, Harry! It's the Goddess who paired you with me and I have absolutely no regrets. I don't care what I have to do, but you are my mate and I thank Goddess every day that you are." - I reassured him with a loving gaze.

He smiled at me weakly, then I kissed him for a minute. After a while to recompose ourselves from that, we finished our breakfast. Ares is waiting for his mate by his side while the rest of us prepare to exit the room.

"I'm sorry I can't take time away from my job right now, but I promise you it's not because you're not my priority." - I assured my mate, who looked at me sweetly.

"I get it, mate. It 's fine. I understand you take this position very seriously and you should. You're the Alpha. It'd be weird if you could be absent from your duties for a week without just cause. I'll be here anyway. It's not like there's much else to do in this town during the day." - Harry tranquilized me in a humorous tone.

"I love you." - I declared, kissing him before we left the dining room.

"I love you too." - He repeated back to me, tenderly.

I feel guilty about not being able to spend more time with him, but we're making the most of our final days together. There's no doubt in my mind that I belong to Harry and my happiness is tied to him as my mate, regardless of his breed.

And I do thank Goddess every day I found him.

https://youtu.be/7KVxjQUCyn0

A|N: It's amazing how this song relates perfectly to this chapter. It's one of the best matches of the entire book so far.

Ironically, this chapter wasn't supposed to end here and this song wasn't even considered for the title originally.

It's my dilemma as a writer, sometimes I finish with just under the 15.000 characters I'm allowed. Other times I end up over writing it, then I get stuck trying to edit it down.

[Wattpad doesn't limit the amount of words I can write, but I post my novel on another platform which does.]

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I had to cut down the chapter in half. And it worked wonderfully to match this song. I'm a huge Mariah fan. Hers was the first album I ever bought with my first steady paycheck. In fact, I bought two at the same time.

Love,

Léo.