HADE's POV

My best buddy, who I now know as my partner, kissed the crown of my head. Every time he does this, it makes me feel warm. It makes me feel so excited.

Holland's soothing voice in my thoughts said, "Mate kissed us, Mate likes us, Mate Hadeth," and I felt a smile spread across my face.

This may not be too horrible. In my opinion, Juan likes me. They'll accept me as much as they take their alpha. But what if he decides he doesn't want to commit to a man? What if he turns his back on me? All these questions swirled in my thoughts, and before I realized it, I was bawling into my mate's chest again.

Being close to Juan calmed me down. Somehow, we emanated the aroma of a roaring fire. When he saw that I was crying, he put his arms around me and rubbed my back until I stopped shaking.

I just needed to have a conversation with Juan. His voice was like music to my ears, and I pleaded with him, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Juan, please don't reject me… I want t-- I want to have a mate."

Juan's lips distorted into a pout for a second as he cleared his throat. "Never. I would never do that, Hadey." he murmured in that deep voice. His dark brown eyes had a hint of possessiveness. “Listen, I get that this is shocking, but I can assure you that I will not simply reject my mate, and I hope you won't either.”

"We'll figure this out," I murmured, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

He used his thumbs to wipe away some of the tears. I looked pathetic, crying in front of him like this, but for some reason, I felt he wouldn't criticize me.

I looked directly into his chocolate brown eyes, which had gone unnoticed. They still seemed so emotional now that I longed to be submerged in them. I'm almost sure he saw me staring as his lips contorted into that horrible, crooked smile I find so attractive now.

"It's time to get going.” I nodded and followed Juan outside the storage room, unconsciously linking my hand to his. "The first shift will start in a few hours," he said.

Since we had been in the basement for so long, the ballroom was deserted. We were ready to exit the ballroom when we were interrupted by someone clearing his throat, we turned around to see my dad.

My father looked at us in bewilderment as we turned around with our hands still clasped. He cocked an eyebrow and said, "Are you boys, mates?" with a sense of serenity in his voice.

“Yes, Uncle Edward.” Juan answered, "I don't know how, but we are," and gave me a comforting hand squeeze.

Father appeared to be considering the implications of this news before breaking his silence. "Very well, this is unusual, but the moon goddess always has a plan for us. I need to see you in my office after tonight's shift, Juan. You'll be taking over your father's tasks soon, son."

Dad smiled at us. He was presumably glad that I found my Mate, despite his stern exterior. He had probably already mind-linked Mom to tell her about us.

Juan indicated that we could leave by nodding, so we did. I had no concerns that my father would reject me. He was not a conventional thinker and accepted the will of the moon goddess.

We left the enormous ballroom and returned to Juan's place to take it all in. We were greeted with curious glances as we strolled through the streets that make up our pack's territory. Still, no one dared to hold them for long out of respect for the Alpha and the Beta.

When they expected us to return with the Luna and the Beta female, I could tell they were staring at us because we held hands. It didn't matter that I was the Beta, the second-best warrior in the pack, I still felt insignificant in front of everyone's critical gaze.

I gave Juan a teasing scowl, which quickly turned into a blush, and he responded by pulling me closer and placing his hand on my waist.

"Aww, is little mate blushing from me?" inquired Juan, his signature sneer etched over his forehead.

"Your mom's blushing," I shot back before giving him a little smack in the gut.

I felt an overwhelming want to touch his abs, much to Holland's chagrin, but restrained myself.

He laughed at this, and we proceeded to his residence. As we crossed the park, the intoxicating scent of candy met our nostrils.

Like the aroma of a potential partner, it was beckoning to us.

"Mate!" yelled Holland into my thoughts.

"What? Mate? But we have Juan already, don’t we?” I asked, but he ignored me and kept barking at me to keep going.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked over at Juan, standing still while his nose scrunched at the aroma. I tried to read the response in his eyes.

When our gazes connected, we communicated effortlessly. Since most children were already home for the night because of the first shift, we followed the pleasant aroma into a nearly deserted park.

The source of the enticing aroma was a girl I saw sitting on the swings. She had brown hair tied in a French tail, green eyes that were fixed on the book on her lap, and a dress with shimmering sequins at the bottom.

Holland's voice said, "Mate, she's mate Hadeth," and I found myself paralyzed.

"What about Juan then?"

"He's mate, too."

"What? How?" Holland disregarded my question.

When she saw us staring, the girl broke into a radiant smile. Since she didn't attend the event, she obviously has yet to turn 18.

Once, I glanced at Juan, who seemed just as perplexed as I did, but I still knew she was his mate.

We both said, "Mate," in unison.
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