Chapter One

Kane woke up to soft hands stroking his chest. He stirred awake after hours of deep sleep, his mind still foggy from the night before. The effects of the copious number of drinks he had early in the night were still plaguing his mind. He felt the headache behind his eyes, dull and for the moment, unmoveable. It would resolve itself soon enough he was sure, one of the benefits of a werewolves' metabolism.

Those hands were still moving, and Kane forced himself to open his tired eyes. He saw the celling first, the white paint hanging above him. The brightness of it sent a shot of pain through his eyes. He groaned and blinked against the intensity of the light.

"You really did drink too much, didn't you?" The soft voice came from close to his ear, the words no bigger than a whisper.

Flashes of Peyton's party the night before came to the forefront of his mind and he remembered sneaking off with Wyatt in the early hours of the morning, climbing through Wyatt's window and hazily ripping the clothes from each other's bodies like it was the first time they had ever explored each other's skin. It wasn't, for sure, since they had been secretly together for months. In his mind, Kane knew that they were dating, but Wyatt would never allow him to say that out loud. Kane wanted to roll his eyes at just the mere thought. Wyatt hated it when he called them a couple, or even when he implied it.

"I think I did," Kane mumbled. He blinked over at the white-haired boy lying in the bed next to him.

Wyatt's pale body was exposed, the blankets piled at his feet. He was wearing blue boxers and nothing else. Wyatt was looking up at him with a smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind that I woke you. It was getting late."

"What time is it?" Kane asked after suddenly remembering the importance of the day. "Are we late?"

Wyatt shook his head and smiled up at him. "As if I would ever let you be late for today."

Kane cupped Wyatt's cheek with his hand. "You're the best."

Wyatt shrugged. His hand was still moving on Kane's torso, his fingers lightly drawing across his skin. "I know of one way you can thank me." Wyatt's expression was innocent, but his words certainly were not.

Kane rolled so that he was on top of Wyatt, his naked body pressing against him. "Do you now?" Kane pressed his nose into Wyatt's neck, breathing in his scent. It was sweet, and smelt of innocence. Kane would know the smell anywhere, for it was the distinguishing scent of an omega. He pulled his face away from Wyatt's neck and looked down at his face. He saw him as much more than just an omega, but most people wouldn't. He hated the way some people looked down on people like Wyatt. Kane would never understand their ignorance.

Wyatt giggled. His bright, grey eyes widened in anticipation. Kane looked down at him and was filled with adoration. Wyatt made him feel alive, like the entire world disappeared around them.

"Stop teasing me," Wyatt whispered, "please."

Kane lowered his face down slowly, smiling at Wyatt between each tiny movement. Wyatt thought that it was hilarious and his adorable giggle filled Kane's ears. He finally reached Wyatt's lips and kissed him. It was deep and passionate and reminded Kane of their antics the night before. He knew that he was more than happy to repeat the last night's adventures.

Kane pulled back for a moment and stared down into Wyatt's big, grey eyes. "I love you, Wyatt."

Wyatt's expression changed. "What?" he asked. His voice was small, like usual, but there was something in his tone that caused Kane to freeze.

"I-"

"Don't say it again!" Wyatt said suddenly. Kane pulled away from Wyatt and sat up. He stared at Wyatt's face. He was disappointed. Wyatt sat up next to him, his hands fiddling in his lap. "I told you, we can't get emotional here. It's just sex."

Kane sighed. He grabbed the blanket from his side and pulled it over himself. He wanted to cry. He hated it, but his heart ached. He kept a straight face. "Why do you have to be like this?"

Wyatt shrugged. "We aren't mates, Kane."

Kane reached out and gently squeezed Wyatt's knee. "Why does that matter?"

Wyatt looked up at him with big eyes. He was surprised to see tears welling in them. "We have soul mates out there, Kane. We are already doing them wrong by sleeping around, we can't fall in love. Anyway, any love you feel for me is only going to be a tiny, trivial fraction of what you will feel for your real mate when he comes."

Kane didn't care about any of that. "Right now, in this bed, I love you."

Wyatt looked away. "You don't understand. Things will change the second you meet your mate."

Kane shook his head. "I don't believe that. I believe in what I feel now, for you."

Wyatt grabbed the hand on his knee and linked their fingers. "I know that you were disappointed when we both turned seventeen and realised we weren't mates. It would have been rare for us, a Beta and Omega to mate, and from the same pack too! I don't know what we were thinking. Anyway, we had hope and it was crushed. It's life and we have to move on."

Kane brought their linked hands up to his lips. He kissed Wyatt's skin. "I don't want to lose you."

Wyatt fell against Kane's chest, allowing Kane to wrap his arms around him. Kane heard the soft sound of Wyatt crying and felt the warm droplets against his bare chest. "I want to love you," Wyatt mumbled out, "but I will love my mate more."

His words hit Kane like a stab to the chest. He felt his heart bleeding out through his skin and he had to harden his face to keep from crying. He loved Wyatt, but they couldn't be mates. They were dancing with fire, they had been since the day of his seventeenth birthday when he opened his front door and saw Wyatt. He had felt nothing. He had been hoping and praying that he would feel a bond, but instead he felt like his world had crumbled around him. He felt just like he did now.

After a few minutes, Wyatt pulled himself together. He wiped the tears from his pale cheeks and sighed. "We need to get ready."

Kane had already glanced at his phone. They had heaps of time. He didn't remind Wyatt of that though. Instead, he nodded.

Soon enough they were walking down the street, side by side. Kane kept looking over at Wyatt's hand. He wanted to grab it and pull the other boy closer to him. He couldn't, however. It wasn't just the stigma that stopped him. Unmated couples were more than frowned upon. Kane hated the stereotype, like someone was inherently a bad person for cheating on someone who they had never met, whose name they wouldn't know for years. That was just one part of it.

The other one was that Wyatt was a boy. Gay mates were common, for Omega's, but with Beta's it's uncommon. It's one more thing that he didn't want to face. Everyone would ask him how he planned to have children. Beta's were expected to carry on their gene pool. Without Beta's the pack would crumble. Kane had no interest in the casual chats with his extended family members about surrogacy. He had just finished high school, he had much better things to do with his time. He was grateful however, that his brother and parents knew he was gay, and weren't hassling him in the slightest.

Kane nodded towards the woods to their side.

"Shortcut?" Wyatt asked.

"More like the long way," he corrected.

Wyatt looked down at his suit. "We will get dirty. We should just stick with the path."

Kane took his hand and ran into the woods. Wyatt laughed and followed after him, their hands propelling him forwards. Kane stopped running when they were behind the line of trees.

"This is the fun way."

"In suits?" Wyatt asked.

Kane shrugged. He looked down at the dark suit and blue tie he was wearing. "We will be careful."

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "That sounds like a lie."

Kane laughed. He nudged Wyatt. "You know me too well."

Kane led him through the woods, but he did follow a small path. Normally he would just walk in the direction he wanted to go, but instead he allowed better judgement to take over. It was an important day. They wandered through the woods, the sounds of singing birds loud in their ears.

Kane stopped midstride. From the elevated land they were standing on, he could just see the fence in the distance. "It doesn't look good."

Wyatt was too short to see. He stood on his toes. "What do you mean? Are you talking about the wall?"

Kane nodded. "It looks more broken than ever." The fence was wire and stood tall high up in the sky. It surrounded their entire town, all except the main road that ran through town. It was a necessity in their state, where rouges were common and happy to leave blood in their wake as they made their way from town to town. Kane looked at the broken wire, the fence half falling over. He didn't understand why his uncle hadn't gotten it fixed months ago. He sighed, the alpha knows what he is doing.

He loved their tiny town, Burlington, but the buildings were older than time and their fence wasn't the worst kept object in town. He kept reminding himself that the Alpha would make improvements to the town when he saw fit. Right now, he was probably more preoccupied with more important things.

"It's never been broken this long," Wyatt mumbled. "What if something happens?"

Kane wrapped an arm around Wyatt. He felt protective of the boy. He was an omega, weak by design. If there was a rouge attack, those like him would be the first to get hurt. The mere thought of someone touching Wyatt made Kane want to punch the closest tree.

"Alpha will protect us. You don't need to worry." He believed his words. The Alpha's job was to protect them. He had done it since before Kane had been born and he wasn't going to doubt him now.

Wyatt nodded. "You're right."

Kane could see their destination the moment they stepped out from behind the trees. Where a large, bare field once sat, a huge white tent had been erected, chairs and tables placed under the shade. Out in the open was a stage and rows and rows of chairs. Each chair was white with a light blue ribbon around the back. Kane couldn't stop smiling as they walked towards it.

Kane stood at the edge of the tent, peering at the hundreds of people sprawled out inside. Everyone was in high spirits. Everywhere he looked, he saw smiles and laughs. This wasn't an everyday event. Everyone had pulled out their best outfits for today. Women wore long gowns and the men wore suits and ties. Even the children were dressed their best.

"You're here!" A girl's voice was loud in his ear. He smiled at Amelia. "Finally."

"Of course, I'm here," Kane said. "You think that I'd miss this?"

Amelia was dressed in a floral gown that touched the floor. Her dark hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. "Adam has been asking for you for the past hour."

Kane sighed. His detour through the woods must have taken longer than previously thought. "Where is he?"

Amelia pointed towards the back of the tent. "There's a small room back there."

Kane clapped Wyatt on the back. "I'll find you guys after the ceremony," he said.

Kane had to walk through the masses of people to reach the other side of the tent. It didn't take long before he ran into his brother and cousin. Heath and Peyton were walking suspiciously fast, something hidden behind Peyton's back.

"What do you have there?" Kane asked them loudly.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "None of your business," she whispered back.

Heath nudged her. "It's not a prank," he assured his brother.

"It's not?" Kane asked, his eyebrow raised at his brother.

Kane didn't believe them. Those two had been knee deep in pranks since the moment they had been born. They were both fifteen, cousins, best friends and partners in crime. They were risk takers. Well, Peyton was. She was constantly pushing the boundaries with her parents, the Alpha and Luna of the pack. Her party the night before had been wild. No one would have guessed Peyton was her parent's daughter based on her personality, but her looks were a different story. Her looks were a pure mixture of her parents. She was like her mother, with her bright green eyes and lightly tanned skin but her hair was all the Alpha's, dark and thick.

While Peyton was the rebel of the two cousins, Heath, on the other hand, was just always up for a good time. Kane had never seen the boy have any interest in pack matters, instead he was always with Peyton and their friends, causing trouble and having fun. Kane didn't blame him, he himself wasn't exactly one to keep up with all pack events. It probably didn't help that Peyton was an alpha, and therefore had whatever level of influence she wanted over Heath, not that she had to use it.

Heath started to shake his head, but changed his mind mid-movement. Instead he nodded. "Okay, so it might be a prank, but it's a good one! Peyton and I had the idea this morning."

Kane raised an eyebrow at his brother. He saw so much of himself in Heath. Yes, they shared the same tanned skin, sharp jawlines and coffee coloured eyes, but there was more than that. They shared a spontaneity that he didn't find in many people. Heath lived in the moment, just as Kane did. The future wasn't something that either of them payed much attention to, and Kane wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Kane considered their cautious eyes. He found it comical that they looked at him like he was going to stop them. He was always in on their pranks on Adam, what would make today any different? "Go along, just don't ruin the ceremony."

Peyton nodded, her smile brightened. "Will do."

Kane watched them walk away, the object behind Peyton's back still hidden from his sight. He smiled as he followed their movements with his eyes. He lost them in the sea of people after a few moments. His thoughts reminded him of Adam, and so he walked quickly towards the back room. Kane found the room quite easily, and he knocked on the door.

"That better be Kane," Adam said through the door.

"It's me," Kane called back.

Adam opened the door. The smell hit Kane first. Alpha. Kane had never gotten used to the way it hit his nose every time he was in the same room was Adam. It hit his senses like a truck and it took him a few seconds to get his wits about him.

"Where have you been?" Adam asked.

Kane resisted the urge to look down at his feet. He knew how much Adam hated that. It was ingrained in beta's and omega's, but Adam always insisted that he be treated like everyone else. Kane loved that about him.

"In the woods with Wyatt," he explained. He wasn't sure if Adam was upset with him, and the uncertainty sent a bad feeling down his spine. He didn't like the idea of disappointing him. He looked Adam in the eye. "I'm sorry."

Adam patted him on the arm. His expression was soft. "You don't have to apologise. You're here now."

Kane motioned towards Adam. "Are you okay? Amelia said you were asking for me."

Adam walked further into the room. Kane looked around. It was a small makeshift space with a few chairs and tables and a standalone mirror to the side. Adam sat down on one of the chairs and motioned for Kane to join him.

Kane sat down. "You don't have cold feet, do you?"

Adam laughed. Kane felt at ease as he watched Adam's bright green eyes light up. "Of course, I don't."

Kane looked at Adam's tightly fitted suit with his navy tie. "So, what do you need me for? It's obviously not a wardrobe problem."

Adam straightened his tie. He smiled up at Kane. "There's no problem at all. I just want you with me because I'm about to embark on the biggest, most exciting journey of my life and I want my best friend and cousin by my side."

Kane felt a surge of happiness for Adam. "I'll always be by your side."

Adam smiled widely. "My mating ceremony is in less than an hour. I can't believe that we just finished high school a few months ago and suddenly I've found my mate and I'm about to start a whole new life with her."

"I can."

Adam titled his head.

"You and Violet didn't just meet two months ago, you were friends first and you two are perfect for each other. The Moon God's knew what they were doing when they matched you two up," Kane told him. "You two got the best of both worlds, great friends for years and then mates at seventeen. We all knew that you two would end up together."

Adam's smile widened. "I love her so much, Kane. You have no idea."

Kane shrugged. He really didn't have any idea. He knew love in the way that he thought he loved Wyatt, but he didn't know love in the way that his friends had described their mates. He didn't know love in the way that his parents loved each other. For the first time, he wanted to know.

"Are you worried about finding your mate?" he asked.

Kane shook his head. He wasn't worried about that. He hadn't really given his mate much thought since he found out that Wyatt wasn't his. This was the first moment in a long time where he actually thought about how his mate's arrival would affect his life.

Adam didn't seem to believe him. "I only found mine so early because Alpha's almost always mate within their own pack. I'm lucky. You've got years before you'll need to worry."

Kane didn't correct him. Instead he nodded. "You're right." Kane sat back in his chair and for the first time, in a long time, he imagined meeting his true mate and suddenly he didn't feel so bad about what happened with Wyatt that morning.

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