Chapter Eight: Did He Just Laugh?

I couldn’t believe it, even as I watched him sleep. My body was humming with satisfaction and what I’m sure is love. I never in a million years imagined that I would ever be as happy as I am right now. I was lying in my mate’s arms - my true mate’s arms.

I have a fated mate.

I wish I could say I was only happy for myself, but I was happier for him more than myself. He did the impossible by marking me, which meant that he’s broken the spell on his family.

“Good morning baby doll,” his voice brought me out of thought. I was stunned to see him smiling down at me, like genuinely SMILING.

“YOU’RE SMILING!” I squealed.

“Yes, baby doll, I am. I have every reason to be happy right now,” he chuckled. It was the most mesmerizing sound I’d ever heard in my life.

I wiggled in excitement. “OH MY GODDESS! YOU’RE EVEN LAUGHING!”

“You’re a life changer,” he said before kissing me. The kiss deepened pretty quickly.

“You’d think after spending more than a day in here, we’d be tired,” I giggled.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he growled before nipping my ear.

I blushed. “That makes two of us.”

“You can’t get enough of yourself? And you call me kinky!” he teased.

I smacked him, hiding in his chest. “Mateo!”

“You’re too adorable,” he laughed.

“I can’t get used to you laughing. It’s such a sexy and unique laugh,” I smiled, caressing his cheek.

He smirked. “And it’s all because you’re my mate, my fated mate.”

“I was so confused when I went into heat yesterday,” I admitted as I frowned.

“I was angry. I thought that you had some other fated mate,” he admitted.

“And it turns out we’re each other’s fated mates,” I beamed.

“I never knew that a person could feel this happy. I used to think that this kind of happiness was a myth,” he said lowly. I knew that it was his vulnerability speaking.

“Well, now you know, and now you can smile and laugh like the rest of us,” I taunted.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it in front of other people,” he confessed.

“If you can do it with me, you can do it with everyone else,” I scolded.

“That sounds so wrong,” he chuckled.

“Who knew you have such a dirty mind?” I said as I giggled.

“Comes with the laugh,” he winked. I just shook my head at him.

“What about Odessa? Do you think it’s lifted?” I asked nervously.

“I don’t know, but I do think it has something to do with you being my mate. You are, after all, her direct descendant,” he pointed out.

“That makes sense. I guess the answer to that question, much like everything else in our lives, will be answered when the time is right,” I said.

“I can live with that. For now, I’m just happy that you’re here and you’re all mine,” he smiled.

Dear heavens! That smile is magnificent.

“Hold on!” I squealed as an idea hit me. I got out of bed, making him growl since I was naked. After last night/this morning, I don’t think I’ll ever mind being naked in front of him ever again.

“Oh hush and control your hormones,” I giggled.

“It’s kind of hard to, baby doll. That is your best outfit yet,” he stated, making me blush. With Mateo, you just never know what to expect.

“Smile for me,” I instructed, device in hand.

Yes, I actually wanted to take a photo of him.

He scowled. “Well now that you’re demanding it of me, I can’t.”

“You’re not serious! Do you have any idea how frustrating you are? I actually bought photo frames but I can’t hang them up because we don’t have pictures together,” I pouted, getting back to bed with the camera still in my hand.

“Is that why those random nails are sitting on the wall? I was beginning to think that you’re into some weird decor, but I wasn’t about to question it either,” he chuckled. I managed to get the perfect shot of him laughing, and that made me smile. Apparently, my smile is infectious because soon he was smiling too, and I got my second shot.

“Now it’s your turn,” he smirked, taking the camera from me.

“What? You can’t take photos of me like this!” I whined.

“And why not?” he asked as he casually snapped away.

“Because you look all sexy with your ‘just had sex look’. I probably look like I was chased by crazed baboons, in a jungle, during a freak storm that included a tornado,” I huffed. He burst out laughing and it was the kind of laugh that even had him in tears.

It honestly just made me smile seeing him like this.

“Fate blessed me with a mate who possesses a great sense of humor. You will always look beautiful, baby doll,” he said as he took more pictures while I blushed away.

I sighed. “What are you going to do with so many pictures of me anyway?”

“Perv over you, of course,” he teased, making me smack him.

“I’m kidding, but I am going to look at them every time I miss you. These are the best pictures of you that I will ever own,” he said confidently.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“This is the most perfect moment I will ever share with you. Right now, we are both elated and carefree. We both have no worries in the world. Right now, it’s just you and I,” he said before kissing me. I managed to grab the camera from him and capture a picture of us kissing. I can’t believe I got the angling right.

“This is my favorite one,” I said, blushing.

He sighed, wrapping his arms around me. “Mine too.”

We spent the next few minutes taking more pictures. He wasn’t kidding when he said we were carefree. I think for the first time in his life, Mateo just let it all go and lived in the moment.

We took different pictures - funny faces, pouting faces, kissing, sticking out our tongues, puffing our cheeks, laughing, smiling and just fooling around. No one would ever see him like this, and it made me feel even more special for owning that kind of privilege.

“I don’t think I want to ever leave this bed,” he mumbled into my neck, making me giggle.

“I know what you mean, but we’re the Alphas. We can’t hide forever,” I pointed out.

“Can’t we say we’re taking a honeymoon of some sorts?” he asked.

“No babe, we can’t,” I laughed.

“You don’t understand, baby doll, I genuinely don’t want to go anywhere,” he said seriously with a hint of fear. Now that we’re fully mated, it’s even easier to pick up on his emotions and the reason behind them.

“Hey, we’re going to be okay. Things won’t change between us. Sure, we’re going to be busier, but I’m yours for as long as we’re both breathing. As much as I’d like to live in this moment forever, we have responsibilities and a pack to take care of. I promise I won’t let us get lost in everything. Heck, I’ll even go buy those costumes you wanted just to keep things alive,” I offered.

That seemed to do the trick.

“I very much like the sound of that,” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Good! Now let’s go and attend to the pack,” I said, only to have him hover over me.

“They can wait a few more hours,” he smirked before claiming my lips.

I was taken to the heavens and back and it was the best feeling in the world. We only got out of bed three hours later, only for him to continue in the shower. I swear, Alpha mates are problematic!

Your stamina is something else, and since we both have Alpha blood, well...

“Do we really have to go down?” he groaned for the millionth time.

“Yes we do! Now stop complaining,” I giggled.

We were dressed alike (with him having chosen our outfits). We were both dressed in gray sweat pants and I was in a black tank top, while he was in a black wife beater. I was in my black fluffy slippers, and he was in his black simple ones. He wouldn’t let me do anything to my hair, insisting that he liked it naturally drying into these unruly strands.

It was quarter past four in the afternoon by the time we decided to walk out of our room. We were hand in hand, smiling like the idiots we really are. We couldn’t hear anything or anyone though, and our Alpha senses kicked into high alert, until we walked onto the terrace and everyone jumped out of their hiding places.

“CONGRATULATIONS!”

The whole pack was there, including Balthazar, Boris and my brother. To say we were shocked would be an understatement. The whole backyard was decorated just like it had been when we had the barbeque. It looked so beautiful and everyone looked so happy. It’s like they all knew something that we didn’t.

Max stepped up to us. “We know that you guys broke the spell somehow, if that’s what you’re wondering. The whole pack felt the connection when you marked each other.”

“What was it like?” I questioned, frowning at the thought.

“I sure hope they weren’t feeling what we were feeling at that moment.” I linked Mateo.

“That makes you and me both baby doll,” my mate linked me back, making me giggle.

“I can’t really describe it to you, but it was amazing. It wasn’t what you’re thinking either, so get your dirty minds out of the gutter,” Max said as he mock glared at us.

“Hey, your mind would go there too if you were us,” Mateo said, struggling to hold in his laugh. Everyone looked at him wide-eyed as silence washed over the clearing.

“Did he just laugh?” one of the pack members finally pierced the silence.

“Told ya you could do it,” I smiled at him.

He nodded with a smile. “You did.”

“Oh my Moon Goddess! He’s smiling! Somebody please tell me that they see this too!” Alexa said in awe. It seemed like everyone was in the same state.

“Guys, your Alpha is actually going to smile and laugh a whole lot more now, so get used to it. Although, I think he’ll only be that way with us and not outsiders. He’ll be the tough Alpha outside pack territory. How does that sound?” I asked everyone. It took a while for my words to sink in before they all erupted with cheers.

“You’re an amazing Luna,” Mateo whispered in my ear, making me blush.

“You guys look so comfortable,” Anastasia complained.

Mateo raised an amused eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means Valentine had the whole pack dress up for this party and then the two of you show up in sweat pants and slippers,” Mark grumbled. Only then did I notice how formal everyone looked.

“Ah, too bad, so sad,” I laughed at them.

The party got underway from then on. Try as she may, Valentine failed to get her brother and I to go up and change into formal clothing. We were too comfortable. Mateo wouldn’t let go of me, not that I wanted him to.

As newly mated Alpha mates, the need to touch each other was stronger than most times, so I was either sitting on his lap as we laughed with everyone, or he was giving me a piggy back ride to wherever I needed to be.

The pack was definitely happy to see him like this.

“Let’s play hide and seek,” Max announced.

Valentine raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you? Three?”

The sun was setting beautifully as the night was slowly settling in.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” he asked her.

“No, but hide and seek with wolves is stupid! We’re going to scent each other out too quickly,” she pointed out. Just like I was, she was sitting on Orion’s lap and Alexa on Trey’s.

“Val’s got a point,” Alexa backed her up.

“Well, what else is there that we can play?” Max asked.

“How about absolutely nothing?” I suggested.

“Haha,” Max said, deadpan.

“Why do you want to play anything in any case? Aren’t you enjoying just sitting here in peace?” Orion asked him.

“I am, but I also want to make memories. This is the first time we’ve all seen our Alpha laugh and smile, and yet we won’t have any memories to match the moment,” Max argued. I guess I see what he was saying.

“We could play football, as cliché as it is,” Trey suggested.

“And we’ll stand here and support you,” Valentine smiled.

I jumped up. “I want to play.”

Mateo shook his head. “No can do, baby doll.”

“What? You afraid I’ll whoop your ass?” I smirked, causing an eruption of ‘ooohs’.

“Alright! Bring it on!” he challenged.

“I’m just glad I get to change out of these damn pants,” Sam said in relief, making us all laugh.

“Our Alphas are team captains,” Orion announced.

Those who were playing all moved off to change into more comfortable clothing. Mateo changed into basketball shorts, while I changed into yoga pants and we both changed into sneakers. Yes, we made out before actually going back outside. We couldn’t help it and by the time we made it back outside, everyone shared knowing looks since they were actually waiting for us.

“Alright! Our Alphas are going to pick teams and then we play. It’s as easy as that,” Orion announced once more.

Mateo had an advantage over me in that he knew all the pack members who were playing and their strengths. Apparently, we were playing the werewolf version of football, which Max quickly explained to me.

As predicted, Mateo picked Orion first, and I picked Max first. From there it was anyone’s pick. My mate made it even more unfair by saying that Max wasn’t allowed to help me pick team members, so I just guessed.

“I get to use my powers!” I declared before anyone could say anything against it.

“That’s not fair!” Trey said. He was on Mateo’s team.

“You let your Alpha be unfair with me, so suck it up,” I smirked.

The game started and it was pretty intense, even with my powers. Mateo was on me like glue to paper so that the ball never got to me. Apparently, this was great entertainment since my brother was added onto my team and they got Balthazar to play. The man may be old, but don’t let that fool you. It was a physical and magical (literally) experience on that clearing.

In the end, it was a draw.

“I don’t know about everyone else, but I would just like to say that I am proud to be a member of this pack. We have freaking kickass Alphas!” Max shouted proudly. Everyone else cheered in agreement, making me hide my red cheeks in my mate’s chest.

“That is most definitely true. This has been the greatest day ever!” Valentine shouted. Again, everyone seemed to be in agreement.

“So, what now?” Sam asked.

“Now we party on into the night,” Alexa declared.

And party into the night is exactly what we did!

In fact, we partied well into Sunday morning, with the youth of the pack staying out late, while the adults left with the children. When we decided to call it a night, we left the place in the state it was in, promising ourselves that we would clean up later.

“Babe, I’m coming back okay? I need to talk to my brother,” I told Mateo.

“Alright baby doll! You’ll find me in our room. Don’t take too long,” he said before kissing me. The kiss deepened quickly, but I managed to pull away.

I went in search of Mark and wasn’t surprised to find him sitting outside still. He was looking up at the fading stars as the first streaks of the morning light shone through. It didn’t take a genius to know what he was thinking about. It was in his eyes, and I honestly wished there was something I could do for him.

“I just know that she’s beautiful, and that I’m going to love her with everything I am. I’m going to look at her the way he looks at you. I want that June. I want it so badly,” he ended in a whisper, not turning to look at me.

“I know you do,” I sighed, sitting next to him. He put his arm around me, pulling me into his side.

“I forgive him, by the way. I know that’s why you came to find me. You wanted to make sure that I didn’t still hate him for what he did to you, but now that he’s seen the light I can see that he loves you and that he was just frustrated before. He’s a great guy,” he smiled.

“Wow! You should tell him that, and it’s freaky how well you know me already by the way,” I pointed out.

“You’d be surprised to learn how easy it is to get to know you. If one pays enough attention, it’s not that hard. Plus, our wolves have a sibling bond already that binds us, so we’re a lot closer than we seem on the surface,” he replied.

“Look at you, being all smart,” I giggled, making him laugh.

“I wish I could rewind time and grow up with you. I wish our pasts had a whole lot more of these moments. I wish I could’ve been the big brother you look up to, but our messed-up father ruined everything,” he said angrily.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter. I love that I have you now, and I want to milk it for all it is right now. You’re my big brother and I’m proud of that fact. I couldn’t have asked for a better sibling,” I said lovingly as I hugged him.

“I’m proud to call you my little sister, June. You have no idea just how much! I love you, squirt,” he chuckled.

“I hate you,” I mumbled.

“You wish you could hate me,” he winked. I was about to reply when my mind was nudged by a strange feeling.

“June, if you can hear me right now, I need your help. Fay needs you and I know this is strange, but if you’re hearing this, then meet me at the North East border of your pack. Your guards haven’t spotted me yet, and I’d much rather they not. I know you have no reason to trust me, but please just trust me on this. There’s something important you need to know,” the voice said in urgency. Even though I knew who it was, something was telling me to go.

“What’s wrong?” Mark asked me, noting my sudden mood change.

“That’s what I need to go and find out. If Mateo comes looking for me, please ask him to trust me on this. I might be making the greatest mistake of my life, but I need to know,” I said before teleporting myself to the North East border of my pack, effectively not giving Mark a chance to stop me.

“You came!” he breathed in relief. The guards still hadn’t seen him yet.

“And I will kill you if you make me regret this,” I warned him.

“You won’t! I need your help, and with the information I have I think you should spare my life, as well as keep your mate from killing me, because he needs to hear this too,” he replied.

“Now you’re just asking for miracles,” I pointed out.

“I know, June, but you really need to listen to me,” he pleaded.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How did you find me in any case?”

“I overheard your parents saying that they did a good thing by running you off of the land. I asked my wolf if he knew anything about that, and he told me that I needed to find you, so I dropped everything and came looking for you. On my way here, I heard some conversations amongst rogues talking about a woman on Vistas who could control the elements, and that’s when I knew where to find you,” he explained. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t impressed by that, but I didn’t say anything.

“Look June, I’m sorry about everything, but I need you and you need the information I have. I’m pleading for the millionth time that you trust me on this. Please, Lee,” he begged.

That sparked something in my mind.

I looked at him incredulously. “Lee?”

“Things are not as they seem right now, and I need you to allow me to explain so that you can better understand,” he replied.

“Why did you just call me Lee?” I asked curiously.

“Because it’s the same name I called you on your birthday,” he said.

“No it isn’t!” I denied.

“Yes it is! I even told you that you could call me Jay,” he said, only adding to my confusion.

I shook my head. “No! I don’t understand what’s going on right now. I bumped into you that morning, but that was it!”

“If you let me explain, I promise you will understand everything. Like I said, everything isn’t as it seems right now. I have information for both you and Mateo, but June, you really do have to trust me,” he begged.

I could only stand there and stare at him in disbelief and confusion. Here was the one person on the face of the planet who I shouldn’t even be talking to, and yet his plea was getting to me. He wouldn’t risk coming to me of all people if he wasn’t serious.

The vulnerability in his voice was sincere and I knew that I could either be making the biggest mistake of my life, that could cost me almost everything, or I could choose to trust him.

Right at that moment, the strangest thing happened.

We both gasped for air, holding onto our chests as we both knelt in pain. When we looked back up at each other, our eyes were glowing. His scent changed and became a little rustic, like that of a rogue, before it changed again. I felt him somehow connect to me and suddenly had this crazy urge to protect him.

I heard a thunderous growl behind me and turned to find my mate standing there, furiously taking in the scene before him. Sam, Max, Trey, Orion and Mark were with him. Before any of them could take a step closer, Star growled.

“Touch him and I’ll kill you,” she snarled, taking us all by surprise. Even Mateo looked lost.

“What’s going on?” I asked her and Marissa.

“He’s being genuine and there’s something about this situation that we need to protect him from. He’s an asset to us, an important one at that. He’s beholds our greatest head start. One thing for sure is that he’s not going back to Litmus. He’s a part of this pack now,” Marissa replied.

“Did you just induct him without asking our mate about this?” I asked incredulously.

“Calm down, woman! I’ve just spoken to Zeus. Why do you think they look calmer now?” Star asked me. I looked to Mateo and, while he had a scowl on his face, I could tell that he wasn’t angry anymore.

“Lee?” his voice brought me out of my conversation. I turned to my new pack member.

“Welcome to Vistas,” I smiled before the growling took off behind me. I turned and growled right back at the idiots.

“YOU INDUCTED HIM INTO THE PACK?” Max shouted at me, immediately receiving a warning growl from Mateo.

“With good reason!” I argued.

“He almost ended your life, June! Why on earth would you trust anything he says?” my brother looked at me in disbelief. I noticed that my mate wasn’t saying anything.

“Because Marissa and Star trust him and I need to protect him! He’s got valuable information for me, and I need him right now. We need him to find out where we’re headed from this point on,” I explained. They looked at me like I was insane.

“Lay a finger on her, and I will kill you myself!” my mate finally spoke.

“I have no intentions of ever hurting her again, and neither am I capable. Whatever just happened right now just sealed that for me,” Jay replied.

“Good! Now, I’m tired and I’d really like my mate back now. Whatever this is, it will have to wait until she and I are fully rested because the fact that my wolf just became your guardian means there’s something big here going on,” Mateo said sternly.

“Guardian?” we all asked in shock.

“I’m not kidding about this! I’m not discussing it right now,” Mateo dismissed us all.

“I guess I’ll organize a room for him,” Orion said unsurely.

“You do that. No one interrupt my mate and I for the next ten hours. If you do, I swear I will retaliate! Pass on the message. Again, I’m not kidding about this!” Mateo said in his Alpha tone, making me purr. His eyes darkened instantly before he picked me up in his arms and started sprinting back to our room.

***

Mateo lay in bed, watching his mate sleep in his arms as his beast purred in satisfaction. Their legs were entangled and her arms were around his waist. Her golden locks were splayed across his bare chest as she slept with a content smile on her face. Her breathing was heavy, and from how comfortable she was, he was confident in that she was having good dreams.

He couldn’t help but smile, knowing that for once in his life, despite the dangers he was sure they were about to face, he had a reason to smile. He had never known happiness like this, being deprived of any from a young age. His mate was the light of his life, and he couldn’t have asked for anything more than that. He would spend the rest of his life living for her, and possibly their children.

The thought sent a feeling of warmth throughout his whole body. He’d never really thought of his legacy, but as he looked at his mate, he realized that he wanted nothing more than to see her belly swollen with a product of them both - his heir.

“This has to definitely count as stalking,” she mumbled sleepily, bringing him out of thought.

“I was merely admiring you. There’s a difference,” he argued with a smile.

“Good morning Mateo,” she giggled.

“Good evening, baby doll,” he chuckled.

“Evening?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“Yep! You slept through Monday, Tuesday and now it’s Wednesday evening,” he replied. She had been exhausted and he hadn’t wanted to wake her.

“I almost slept for three days straight and you didn’t wake me up? Where were you the entire time?” she questioned.

He raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I left?”

She blushed. “You stayed here with me the whole time?”

He chuckled. “There was no better place for me to be, baby doll.”

“I love you,” she smiled, making him still. It was the first time she was saying it to him.

“You what?” he whispered.

While his mating to Juniper was fated, he was still unsure about how his mate felt about him. She reacted to him much like any other female reacts to their own mate, but for someone as messed up as he is; he needed the reassurance in words. June immediately picked up on his disbelief and realized her mistake.

“Really? I’ve never told you before?” she giggled, straddling him. His reaction was instant as his hands went to her waist. He shook his head in response to her question.

“I love you Mateo Diego Santiago. I love you to the moon and back. I love you to the depths of the heavens. I love you with my mind. I love you my heart. I love you with my body. I love you with my spirit. I love you with my soul. I love your charming smile. I love your twinkling eyes. I love your protective arms. I love your strong legs. I love your broad shoulders. I love your chiseled chest. I love your skilled fingers. I love your messy hair,” she said as she ran her fingers past the different parts of his body.

“I love your sexy laugh. I love your alluring voice. I love your plump lips. I love your hard headedness. I love your sexy body. I love your stubbornness. I love your powerful stance. I love your independence. I love your inquisitive intelligence. I love your untainted loyalty. I love your beast, dear Goddess do I love your beast! I love everything about you Mateo, but most of all, I love your broken and vulnerable heart. I love that despite your past, you were able to pick yourself up and love a whole pack of people,” she continued, only for the look on his face to falter. She knew then that she needed to explain herself.

“You dedicated yourself to protecting them, to providing for them. I know that you view yourself as a cold person, but in reality, it’s just you crying out for someone to see that you’re hurting. I know that I’m your mate and that I was made to love you, but I don’t just want to love you. I want to fix you. I want you to lean on me. You have kept everything to yourself for so long, and I don’t want you to anymore. I want you to be able to trust me, to open up to me. I want you to tell me all about where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go. I want us to have lots of children running around, but I want them to be born to a father who won’t have his own past and insecurities after him. Heck, I want them to trust you more than they trust me, despite me being their mother. I want you to know right now that I’m not going anywhere. I am yours, and you are mine, and from this point forward, we’re going to face the world together because that is how it’s meant to be. You never have to be alone again,” she finished off, wiping tears from his eyes that he didn’t realize that he’d shed.

He didn’t say anything in return, not trusting himself, and instead showed her how he felt about her. He made slow and sweet love to her, making sure to not only savor the moment, but to make sure she knew how he felt about her. She felt like she was floating, and she’d definitely felt his response to her words.

She didn’t doubt that he felt the same about her.

“I love you, baby doll,” he whispered, holding her close.

She snuggled into him. “I know you do babe. I just felt it.”

He kissed her forehead. “Good.”

“I’m hungry,” she whined. It was nearly three in the morning. Having slept for three days, they both weren’t tired and were definitely wide-awake.

“Let’s go and get you some food,” he chuckled.

She smiled as they got up. “I think I want that sushi now.”

“Anything for you,” he replied with a wink.

They got showered, just barely managing to not jump each other. They stepped out and got dressed in sweatpants and T-shirts. She grabbed one of his sweatshirts and threw it on, with him laughing at how it completely swallowed her as he grabbed one for himself. She pouted as they made their way to the garage. Everyone else in the house was still asleep, and rightfully so.

“JAY!” she shouted suddenly, smacking her head in remembrance. They were already on their way to the restaurant.

“Is fine and has even found his mate. We’ll see him later today,” he replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you so calm about him being here?”

“Because, like I said, I’m his guardian,” he replied.

He didn’t understand it, and for once Zeus didn’t have answers for him either, but the beast knew that it was their duty to protect the boy. The need to protect him actually came pretty close to the need to protect their mate. Quite frankly, they couldn’t wait to find out what on earth was going on.

June frowned. “Star says she and Marissa made it that way.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“She says while we’re powerful, we didn’t need the burden of also protecting him on our plate, so they passed the responsibility to the only other people they would trust with the task. Star seems to know why we need to keep him safe, because Marissa says she has no clue, but the damn wolf isn’t saying anything. She says everything will come into the light when the time is right,” she replied in frustration. Mateo smiled at how cute she was being.

“Don’t worry baby doll! Starlet knows what she’s doing; our wolves always do,” he reassured her, grabbing her hand as he drove to the restaurant.

“I guess, but it’s confusing you know? I mean I have an ugly scar on my body because of Jacob, and now I have to be the one to protect him. This is so frustrating,” she grumbled.

“Baby doll, like he said, he still has to talk to us, so please stop worrying. You’re kind of messing with my good mood,” he teased. Her eyes widened a little.

“I am? I’m so sorry babe! I didn’t mean to. I promise that from now on its only happiness and laughter in store for us,” she rambled.

“Just what I want to hear,” he chuckled as they reached their destination.

Despite it being three in the morning, the restaurant had people in it. Mateo couldn’t help but feel pride in being out with his mate. The last time they were here, he’d sworn her into the pack and that alone was the best thing he’d done. This time they were personally greeted by the chef.

“Alphas! What an honor to have you here, although it’s an odd time,” Stuart chuckled.

“We’ve been asleep for three days. We’ve had enough rest and now we’re hungry. My mate’s never had sushi before, so that’s on order. Baby doll, this is the chef and one of our pack members, Stuart Templeton. Stuart, this is your beautiful Luna: Juniper Evigan,” Mateo introduced a blushing June.

Stuart bowed in respect. “It’s lovely to officially meet you Luna June.”

“The honor is mine Stuart, especially since my mate raves about your sushi so much,” she joked.

“I do not!” Mateo denied.

“Yeah you do; more times than you realize actually! Whenever you’re hungry, it probably comes to your mind first before you settle for whatever you find in the house,” she taunted.

“How do you even know that?” he asked, genuinely confused by the accuracy. Stuart watched on with pride and amusement.

“Because babe, it’s you. If there’s one thing to know about you, it’s that when you love something, you love it wholeheartedly,” she teased. That elicited a laugh from Stuart, especially at the glare she received from Mateo.

“Well, I don’t mind making you a special platter right now. I just discovered a new recipe and would like to try it out with you guys if you don’t mind,” Stuart said.

“Is this your fancy way of killing us?” Mateo teased him. Juniper laughed when the poor man blushed.

“I would never betray my Alphas like that,” Stuart said in pride, despite his reddened cheeks.

“That’s lovely to know Stuart. We’d love to be your testers, on the condition we get to watch you make it, and not because I don’t trust you, but because I’ve never seen sushi being made before,” June replied excitedly. Mateo only shook his head with a smile.

“Of course! I’ll just set up at that station,” Stuart said with the same excitement before running off to the kitchen.

“I’ve known that man almost my whole life and I’ve never seen the smile on his face like the one you just put there,” Mateo informed as they headed to the stools at the sushi station.

“It’s the Luna effect,” she smiled.

“Speaking of the Luna effect, I never complimented you on how you handled the situation with Rose. I hear she hasn’t stopped talking about you since, and she’s kept the rose you gave her, despite it already being dead,” he told her. She frowned for a second before it came to her.

“Rose! Oh she’s so adorable!” she cooed.

“I wish she was stable,” he confessed.

Of all his pack members, Mateo felt like he’d failed that little girl more than anyone.

“What do you mean?” June asked, picking up on his mood change.

“Her parents were murdered right in front of her, and she couldn’t do anything but sit there and cry. No one knew and we only found out days later. She was found in the same position we assume she’d been in since she’d witnessed the murder. Her eyes were red and blank, and she wasn’t crying anymore. No one knows what happened and who killed her parents. They didn’t really like being in the pack, so they lived close to the borders of the pack. For all we know, they were murdered by rogues who came in and out. We’re not sure, but I failed that little girl,” Mateo ended in a low tone.

June gasped and hugged him. While she’d seen the little girl, she would’ve never guessed that that was the story behind her. She could also tell that Rose’s story was also one of the reasons why her mate was so set on protecting his pack.

“How long ago was this?” she asked.

“It was about five years ago. She was four at the time. Back then, our defense system wasn’t as solid since I’d only been Alpha for three years, but after that attack, I vowed to get it right in her honor,” he replied.

She frowned. “What happened to her?”

“Well, no one got the story out of her because her mind has shut that part of her life out. She lives at the psych ward now because Pete evaluates her every day. There’s something about her that’s different, but we can’t explain it. Mama Deo herself couldn’t figure it out, but apparently it’s magical,” he explained.

“You’re keeping her in a psych ward and you wonder why she’s like this? What’s wrong with you people?” she surprised him by asking.

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Mateo, you people are treating that little girl like an experiment. It’s no wonder her mind won’t open itself up to you. She’s trapped in more ways than one,” she explained. She couldn’t believe that none of them noticed this.

“I didn’t think about it like that,” he admitted before Stuart came back, cutting their conversation short.

Despite the conversation they’d just had, Mateo smiled to himself seeing the amount of joy on his mate’s face as she watched Stuart prepare their meal. She was so enticed by everything and she was actually paying attention to what the chef was telling them. When they tasted the new creation, they were both beyond impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it. They recommended that he definitely add it to his menu.

Leaving the restaurant satisfied, they headed back to the house. When they arrived, everyone in the house was still asleep as it was only after four. Feeling spontaneous, June suggested they watch a movie.

Mateo couldn’t even remember the last time he’d sat down to watch TV, let alone a movie, which is probably one of the reasons why he agreed to the idea. They watched two movies, which is how Max found them in the lounge - cuddled on the couch with no care in the world.

“They’re alive!” he teased as he sat on the other couch.

“You thought we were dead?” June asked in mock hurt.

“Yeah, yeah! What are you even doing up this early?” Max asked.

“What does it look like?” Mateo asked at the obviousness of the situation.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Max groaned, making them laugh.

“We went out for sushi and then came back and decided to watch movies. We’ve been up since last night,” June replied.

Max raised an amused eyebrow. “You went out for sushi before seven in the morning?”

“Yep!” they said proudly as they nodded.

“You people are weird,” he said as he shook his head before Orion, Valentine, Trey, Alexa and Sam entered the lounge.

“The happy couple is alive,” Sam chuckled.

“Seriously people, is it that hard to believe?” June mumbled.

“You were MIA for three days, not that we’d like to know what the two of you were up to,” Valentine said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“It wasn’t even like that. June was asleep since Sunday. She only woke up last night,” Mateo defended.

“Geez Matt! Talk about rocking a girl’s world,” Orion taunted. June blushed and hid in Mateo’s neck while everyone laughed at her.

“I see our other happy couple also hasn’t resurfaced,” Trey commented.

June frowned. “Who?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Alexa asked in disbelief.

“I didn’t exactly tell her,” Mateo jumped in.

“Tell me what?” June asked.

“That I found my mate,” a new voice joined them. June and Mateo turned and gasped at what they saw.

“What?” Jacob asked.

“She’s your mate? And have you seen her eyes?” June asked.

“What about my eyes?” Anastasia panicked.

“They changed color,” Mateo replied.

“What are you on about?” Valentine asked her brother.

“Are you guys not seeing this?” June asked.

“Seeing what?” Alexa asked.

“Anastasia’s eyes are bright blue,” June informed them.

“No, they’re as hazel as we’ve always known them,” Max corrected.

“They’re blue,” Mateo argued.

“The two of you are the only ones seeing blue,” Orion pointed out.

“That’s freaky,” Anastasia said, sitting down. Jacob sat beside her.

“How are you fitting in?” June asked Jacob.

“I’m cool with everyone in the house now. My brother won’t stop calling though,” he replied.

“Why exactly did you come to us?” Mateo finally asked the question everyone was itching to know the answer to.

“It’s a long story, but I guess you guys deserve to know. June, I know you’re wondering about your birthday more than anything, so I’ll start there. Your parents have naively decided to trust my brother, but they know nothing about him. Mateo would know exactly what I’m talking about in this regard. My brother is the true definition of evil, but I’ve never known who he’s working with. I know for a fact though, that he’s working with powerful witches,” Jacob said.

“Why doesn’t that sound the least bit shocking?” Mark said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Right? Anyway, two days before June’s birthday, I was summoned by him, before he knocked me out. When I woke up, I wasn’t in my own body, and was instead in his. He was in mine. Whatever had been done enabled me to access his memories while keeping my own conscience. When something else was required of me though, a part of Royce acted on my part, even though it was me in his body. It’s complicated to understand and explain without sounding insane. When you say you bumped into me, you really bumped into him. Since you were headed to my gran’s place, he linked me and Alpha ordered me to entertain you. What I didn’t expect, was for his Alpha order to not work on me the moment I opened the door. I was genuine with you the entire time and I really did want you to have the best birthday, despite our history. As I’ve apologized before, I will apologize again for that day. Your parents had Alpha ordered me into killing you, and so my wolf was only obeying their orders,” Jacob continued, staring at June. Mateo’s anger towards Gail and Dayton was simmering.

“I already forgave you for that day Jay, but I still don’t understand,” June admitted.

“When we were at the club and you told me to stay behind, I was unsettled the entire time. After fifteen minutes like I’d promised, I decided to go looking for you. I watched you get chased off the territory, but before I could do anything, I passed out. When I woke up again, I was back in my own body. I was relieved at first, until I was horrified to learn that whatever events I’d experienced within the past three days, my brother was now in possession of in his memories, despite them being my memories,” he explained. Everyone was confused, but Mateo and Juniper knew what that meant.

“He knows about her powers,” Mateo said knowingly, to which Jacob nodded.

“Wait, so it was really you telling me that you didn’t want to be Alpha?” June asked.

“Yep! After that day, I hated your parents and they knew it, which is why they more than welcomed the thought of my brother taking over. There’s too much going on there that isn’t known by a lot of people. My brother is planning some sort of hostile take-over, and you’re the person he’s coming after as soon as he’s got rid of your parents,” Jacob replied.

“So where does Fay fit into all of this?” June asked warily.

“Royce has Eddy fooled by saying that Fay is his second chance mate. It’s not possible because Royce’s first mate is still very much alive. She didn’t die in the attack as was initially thought. He’s keeping Fay prisoner to get to you. He doesn’t know that you’re here since Mateo told him that you’d found your mate and that you’re in Argentina. He’s going to somehow use Fay to lure you out. I’m not sure how, but she’s in great danger,” Jacob said gravely.

“She didn’t do anything to deserve this,” June sniffed while Mateo held her.

“Mateo, Royce is behind the useless attacks that you’ve been investigating. There’s a reason why none of them make sense. It’s because they’re not meant to make sense. They were just meant to throw you off because he knows that you have a great sense of loyalty and protection, so he used it against you,” Jacob told him. Mateo had already figured that out from the information he’d already been told.

“Are these the attacks with the vampires as well?” Orion was the one to ask.

“Those I don’t know about. I only know about the instances like the kidnappings of the women and children,” Jacob responded.

“Your brother is a psycho!” Valentine said lowly. She’d also been crying.

“It’s a good thing they’re not related,” Balthazar announced as he, Mark and Boris walked in.

“They’re not?”

“We’re not?”

Everyone asked, with Jacob asking the latter.

“No, they’re not. Jacob here was left on the doorstep of the pack house and Royce’s parents took him in, hence Royce’s hatred for him. With Jacob in the picture, it ruined everything for Royce, so he took his revenge on everyone by having them all killed, hence why he was conveniently not there, except Jacob is the one person who made it out alive. Everything that Jacob has just told you is indeed true. He still has whatever magic they used on him, but it can’t find its way home because Marissa is blocking it with her own magic. In fact, she’s almost taken it apart altogether,” Boris explained.

“So, who are Jay’s parents?” Anastasia asked.

“At the moment, we don’t know, but the answer lies with a very stubborn Starlet. It is the very reason why Zeus is suddenly Jacob’s guardian,” Balthazar replied.

“Does anything get past you guys?” Mateo asked amusedly.

Balthazar and Boris smirked. “Nope!”

“Royce’s inauguration is next week. Do you know anything about any plans being made for that night?” Anastasia asked her mate.

“The plans for that were well hidden from me, but I did get a few things here and there. From Royce’s memories, I gathered that he plans to attack Mateo and the Alphas during that time, which will allow him to then have full control over them. It will be a full moon that night and whoever he’s working with plans to turn the moon red for some reason,” Jacob replied.

“The Conversion of Souls spell!” Balthazar said in disbelief.

“The what, now?” everyone asked, Boris included this time round.

“I know who he’s working with. He’s working with Odessa because Naturalist witches are the only ones who can turn a full moon red, and it would be for one reason only. They’re planning to remove all the Alpha’s bloodlines and turn the Alphas into Omegas. With no Alpha bloodlines, it would mean that Royce is the only Alpha in existence, making him basically the king of all werewolves,” Balthazar explained.

“Can he even do that?” Alexa asked, wide-eyed. That was the common reaction in the room.

Balthazar nodded. “With Odessa on his side, he can.”

“Can’t June do something?” Max asked.

“If she, Starlet and Marissa work together, then we may be able to come up with a counter plan, but it will take time to put together,” Balthazar replied.

“What is the plan for the inauguration in any case?” Alexa asked.

Mateo sighed. “It will have to be discussed together with the other plan.”

“There’s a lot of planning going around,” Sam noted.

“What about Royce? Do you think he knows where Jacob is?” Orion asked.

“I doubt that he does. I left unnoticed and if I’m being protected by Marissa, then perhaps he doesn’t,” Jacob spoke up.

“But the fact that you’re being protected by Marissa might be his biggest clue,” June pointed out.

“That is a good point,” Mateo agreed with his mate.

“For now he’s safe regardless,” Boris said.

“Alright! What about the spell June still has to perform on the vampire covens?” Trey asked.

“She’s not ready for that, but she’s almost there,” Balthazar was the one to reply.

“Are we planning on obtaining information about her family during the inauguration?” Valentine asked. They’d all forgotten about that.

“It is worth a shot,” Mateo said as he nodded. He didn’t miss the indecision on Balthazar’s face at the suggestion.

“Can we do all planning tomorrow? Can I still pretend that my life is perfect right now?” June pleaded. They all understood where she was coming from.

“That’s fine, baby doll. I think we all just need one more day to be one with ourselves before we dive into anything,” Mateo told her. Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that.

“Well then, enjoy your free day. We’re going to find out more about that spell,” Balthazar announced as he and Boris stood up.

When they’d left, everyone stayed behind just casually talking about random things. They were all happy that they could now talk to Mateo without feeling as intimidated as they used to, although they still had the wariness. Mateo got an idea as he was sitting there.

“Val?” he linked his sister, not moving his attention away from the group.

“Yes?” she replied, also maintaining her attention on everyone else.

“I need your help,” he replied.

“With what?” she asked excitedly.

“I want to take June out on a date,” he informed her. He jumped slightly at the squealing in his head.

“Babe, are you okay?” June asked him.

“Yeah,” he managed to smile at her before shooting his sister a glare.

“Of course! I’ll help you with anything!” Valentine replied via link.

“Good! Please take June shopping with you. You can even go and have like massages and stuff women like. I’ll take her out tonight, so you have to make sure that she’s ready by then,” he instructed. The gang was oblivious to the siblings.

“I promise I’ll make sure she is!” she replied enthusiastically before Maya walked in with Dante.

“Where have you guys been?” Orion asked them.

Maya shrugged. “I was showing Dante where I grew up and all.”

“It’s quite the impressive place you’ve got here,” Dante commented. Mateo nodded gracefully at the compliment.

“How about the girls go out for a day at the spa?” Valentine suggested. The other girls seemed hooked onto the idea.

“Noooo,” June whined, holding onto Mateo tighter.

“Why not?” Max chuckled at the sight of his best friend.

“Because I want to stay with my mate,” she mumbled into his chest.

“Baby doll, a day at the spa doesn’t sound bad at all,” Mateo said, running his fingers through her hair. He smiled to himself when she shivered slightly.

“But, but - okay,” she whispered. Everyone seemed a little confused by her behavior.

Mateo stood up and took her to their room. As soon as the door was closed, he kissed her passionately. He’d also managed to pick up on her emotions, which is how he knew that she was just scared. He kissed her with all he had and they both pulled away breathless.

“What was that for?” she asked, flushed.

“I love you baby doll, and don’t you ever forget that. For as long as I’m breathing, you’re my number one priority and you will always be safe. Go and enjoy your day with the girls. I want you to physically unwind, and time with the girls may do you good emotionally too. I promise that I’ll be here when you come back,” he told her while lovingly looking into her eyes so that she couldn’t miss the emotion.

She tearfully smiled. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I ask myself that question every day,” he smirked. He didn’t expect to be smacked.

“Hey! I think I’m very deserving of you!” she pouted. He realized his mistake then.

“Baby doll, I meant I ask myself what I did to deserve you,” he chuckled.

“Oh,” she blushed, making him laugh harder.

“Now, are you going to be a good sport?” he asked.

“If your card is involved,” she winked.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, baby doll,” he returned the wink.

While she went to get changed, he walked over to the window. Looking out, he watched as his pack members were going about their day, oblivious to the looming dangers. He vowed to himself yet again, to protect them with all he has.

He vowed to make it out of the danger unharmed so that he could continue being a strong leader, but most importantly, so that he could still be the mate his mate could be proud of. He didn’t even realize that she’d come out of the closet until her arms went around his waist.

“You don’t know how lucky you are. Those people love you with all they are and they’re proud to have you as their Alpha. They don’t know how lucky they are that you vow over and over again to protect them, even though you’re already the best Alpha out there. You don’t know how lucky you are that you’re the Alpha that broke the curse. I don’t know how lucky I am that I have a mate who is so dedicated to being the best for me, even when I love him just the way he is,” she said, kissing his back. He turned so that he could put his arms around her.

“Looks like we all don’t know how lucky we are,” he commented.

“It would seem so, but that’s the beauty of it. We get to appreciate it all the more when we’re threatened,” she smiled.

“True! Fate blessed me with a loving, caring, beautiful, powerful and intelligent mate. What a lucky man I am,” he smiled, making her blush.

“I’m going to leave now before this goes anywhere,” she giggled.

“Alright, baby doll. I love you,” he chuckled. She stood on her toes and kissed him deeply.

“I love you even more, Alpha Mateo,” she purred before dashing out of the room.

“Tease,” he grumbled in their mind-link.

“Only for you, babe!” she giggled in reply.