JUAN's POV

In unison, Hade and I said, "Mate," as we eyed the girl on the swings.

"What the actual fuck, Luise?” I questioned Luise, "What about Hade?!" virtually shouting the question in my brain.

"You have more than one mate. Get over it," Luise said casually, practically salivating over the girl.

Put an end to it! Two friends? What the f*ck, man!

"I'd like it if you could approach her and talk, Juan. Have a minute to chat?"

When I looked at Hade, I could see that he, too, was having a conversation with his wolf because his eyes were glassy. He chewed his lower lip, a telltale sign of extreme nervousness. I know I shouldn't condone it, but he was so adorable when he bit his lips. All I could think of was how badly I wanted to stop Luise.

I met the girl's doubtful gaze as she gazed at me. I would be perplexed if two men approached me and yelled, "mate," too.

"Alpha, Beta," the girl murmured in a voice as soft as velvet, and proceeded on showing us her neck in the pack's traditional display of submission to the alpha and beta. Luise's temper outbursts continued as she gave off a fearful expression, as if she'd done something wrong to end up on the Alpha's radar. After only one day with this guy, I want to throw myself into a giant shredder.

"What's your name?" I asked, trying to contain my Alpha voice so as not to frighten her anymore.

"Myrtle," she answered, but she avoided making direct eye contact with us.

I smiled as I thought, "Myrtle, what a lovely name."

“Why didn’t you attend the awakening today?” Hade asked her.

"Beta, I am seventeen years old.” She responded sheepishly, glancing at the pebbled ground and saying, "I'll be attending the next awakening."

She's only 17? Until she forms a mating relationship with us, she probably won't experience any attraction like we do.

I could feel Hade's eyes on me as he wondered aloud, "Do we tell her, or do we wait for her to feel the bond on her own?"

“Myrtle, I need to speak with you in my office tomorrow," I added, trying not to frighten her with the full disclosure.

"Okay, Alpha," she responded with a shaking voice.

"Don't worry, Myrtle, you're not in trouble.” Hade, noticing her distress, smiled slightly and tried to reassure her, "Just be there tomorrow."

She acknowledged my gesture with a nod and then left the park, leaving Hade and me alone.

"Really? Another mate? Where can I find Moon Goddess?" I told Hade.

He shrugged, obviously too preoccupied with his own thoughts to give me a proper response.

Once again, we embarked on the brief journey to my residence.

I invited Hade inside by opening the door for him. My room was soundproof, so we could have a private conversation there without worrying about anyone overhearing. My mother's voice called out as we prepared to ascend the stairs, "Is that you, Juan?"

My mother, unlike any other wolf I've ever met, couldn't identify me by scent since she was human.

"Yes, mom."

“Is it you in the house already? Did you finally find the one?” I could hear her voice coming from the kitchen. Then she finally revealed herself with a smile. "Who is she?"

She emerged from the kitchen with an apron in hand from preparing a special dish for today and noticed Hade and me ascending the stairs. She gave us a bewildered look. "You boys are supposed to be with your mates today, not each other! Since first grade, you two have never been apart. You guys need to go hang out with your friends instead of playing those stupid games upstairs," she said.

"Hey, Mrs. Wolvenhore," Hade said, but he left it up to me to break the news.

I stammered out, "Ma, um- um, well," as I tried to explain to her. WHAT IS UP WITH ME TODAY.

"Juan, baby, what is it?" she inquired, appearing concerned.

It seemed to me that there was no point in sugarcoating the truth, so I blurted it out. "Ma, Hade is my mate, and there is also another girl who is our mate."

Her face suddenly took on a look that I couldn't place. Did she hate the idea? Is she mad?

“You do what makes you happy, darling, and I couldn't be more delighted that Hade is your mate. He's the only one who could stand you," she replied sweetly.

At that, both Hade and I laughed out loud. Strangely, I'm already able to empathize with some of his feelings. Mom walked over and embraced us both. Because of her smaller stature, we had to stoop.

When I turned to look at Hade, he was beaming. He was so handsome while doing it and it made me grin wider. When Mom finally broke free, we both redirected our attention upward.

"Hey, no funny stuff up there, you two," Mom yelled as we went upstairs.

"Mom!" I screamed back at her. She was probably trying to embarrass me.

We entered my room holding each other’s hands.

Hade and I were sitting on my bed when he began talking. "What about Myrtle? Is tomorrow the day we inform her?”

The answer was an unqualified "no," but in the end I said, "Yep, I don't think I can go a whole year without my mate."

“How about the gang? Will they agree?” he questioned, his voice full of concern.

"Hey, I run the show around here. You're the Beta, I’m sure the pack will accept."

"Alright, we may take our time before the switch. What do you want to do?" he finally inquired.

"Ma has fixed us up a nice meal. After that, we'll be leaving."

He just nodded and slouched back on the bed, arms under his head. He had been to my room a million times, so he wasn't embarrassed about using it.

His stance afforded me a terrific view of his body. His toned body was pressing against his tight shirt. He was the Beta of the pack, therefore, he was powerful and frightening, but he was cute in my eyes. I was pleasantly ogling his physique when he spotted me. He looked away from me, his cheeks flushed from the attention, and I'm guessing he realized I was staring.

With his hair in disarray and his eyelids drooping, he looked positively heavenly in the soft evening light. I held his cheek in my palm and looked into his blue eyes, and I have never felt more at ease. I was sitting still, but his grin made my legs go weak. The immediate skin contact felt like currents of heat rushing through us, amazing.

"You look so beautiful Hadey," these words exited my mouth before I could even think about them, and I lie down on the bed next to him.

Too embarrassed to establish eye contact, his blush deepened, and he bit his lip again. I had known him for many years and considered him a close friend, but I had never seen him so embarrassed or exposed like this.

I carefully leaned in till our noses touched, my hand still cupped his face, and we locked gazes. In my mind, Luise was flipping like a top, and I could feel Hade's wolf nearby.

As things were about to heat up, Mom rang the doorbell.

The treachery was complete when my mother cockblocked me just as I was about to kiss my mate.