Chapter 26: We Found Love

Landon

After we got back home from the meet and greet, Rhiannon, Ares and I drank ourselves into a stupor. Having watched my friend rejecting her mate, it brought back some feelings and I ended up pitying that bastard Aaron.

Rhiannon drank because she was the second chance mate to a murderer, among other things, and Ares drank because he was still left unmated. In fact, now he is the only member from the lonely hearts club left unpaired. Poor guy, that's gotta hurt.

Not that I am in such a better place than him, being rejected. But I worry for his mental health, not going to lie. He is a warrior, sure. But warriors need love too. Though I am sure with his good looks, his bed probably won't stay empty for long.

Basically, the three of us were wrecked after that.

On the other hand, all the people who were taken to the Blood Moon pack got mated that day. I mean, except for Ares. I had some very happy pack members overjoyed with me for the idea. Though it took some arm twisting, the idea paid off in the end.

Honestly, that is what I wanted. For people of my pack to experience getting mated and not be precluded from happiness because of simple geography. It's ridiculous to think anyone could spend years unmated because we could not travel less than an hour away into another town, into another pack's territory.

I know of mates who live apart in different states but make it work. My best friend goes to college in a different city than his mate. They are both in Texas, but my point remains the same.

Anyway, all is well when it ends well. For them at least.

I am still rejected and we still don't know who shot me. I just hope to Goddess it wasn't Rhiannon's mate. I really do, for her sake.

Speaking of Rhiannon, I am yet to talk to her about how she is feeling over being mated to Aaron Staedler. More importantly, how her heart is these days.

I know it can be confusing being the second chance mate, considering no werewolf has ever been mated for a second time around. At least that we know of.

I have texted her, but since it's been only a couple of days, I figured I would give her some space and talk to her some time during the next weekend.

I know Ares is still reeling over being left behind in the mate pairings. Even though he is still very young, his family of overachievers somehow adds pressure on him to be mated as soon as possible.

But I know his father doesn't blame him one bit. You cannot rush destiny. Of this I agree with him wholeheartedly.

We can only wait until it's our turn. Goddess knows how many times I tried to get myself mated, only to be disappointed by various long, wasted trips.

Texas is a very large State. You have no idea how many miles I had to travel in hopes to find my mate. And now I know he was right next door all these years.

Unrechable to me.

Well, I am glad nobody else in my pack has to suffer because their mate is unreachable to them. Even if my regency were to end today, I am damn proud of being the one who ended a six decades old war. At least, officially.

I am not proud of the lives that were taken, it was an awful means to a gruesome end.

Nevertheless, I am beyond proud for getting my people mated last Saturday. Yes, even Rhiannon. If my brother ascends tomorrow, I would go out in a bang.

On Sunday, I had to report back the developments to my mother and Beta. I mean, Javier already gets reports from the warriors and Delta Saunders. But I needed to talk to him about the once and future Alpha being mated to one of our pack members.

This news is gonna send shockwaves throughout our little pack and beyond. Not only because of who her mate is, but he is the first person ever to be mated for a second time around.

My mother was gobsmacked when I told her about Rhiannon's mating. My whole family was, even my little sister.

So was Javier, obviously. If I hadn't witnessed Aaron's mate mark being healed right in front of me, I wouldn't believe it myself.

On Monday, I was back at training with the warriors. My health scare was completely healed, so I had to resume training weeks ago.

I took the opportunity to check in with Ares. Rhiannon wasn't present because she was on patrol. Our territory is patrolled 24/7 against invaders, threats in wolf form.

"How are you feeling, my friend?" I wondered, concerned about him.

"You mean about being the only loser without a mate? Great. Never better." He replied in a snarky tone.

The warriors present got uncomfortable at his outburst, including his father who is glaring at him from a distance.

"You're not a loser, Ares! Come on! You're 22 years old! There were people in their 30's mated on Saturday!" I countered, annoyed at him.

"Right. There were, yes. And now that there's no more unmated people available, what's my excuse?" He snapped back, clearly bothered.

I grunt in response. Truth is I don't have an answer for him. I can only base myself on what I know and his chances are a little bleak at the moment.

"Ares, stop distracting the Regent. He came here to train, not to wallow in self pity. If you're not gonna train, go home! This is a workplace, not a bar!" Delta Saunders reprimanded him in a stern tone.

We both gasped at his words and I mumbled an apology to Ares before going on to my training. My poor friend.

I spend two hours performing various exercises and combat training before I am drenched in sweat, tired from the grueling regiment.

I made my way towards the male locker room to take a shower, but when I entered it I found Ares crying near the lockers.

"I'm so sorry, my friend. Please, you have to believe you're getting mated too. Don't be discouraged " I tried to console him.

"It's fine, Lan. I just don't know why even the murderer got a second chance mate, a real gift from the Goddess, and I can't get one!" He cried out, revolted by this fact.

"You will be mated, Ares. But right now you have to be patient." I argued in a meek tone.

"You're probably right. I'm sorry for being so in my head about it. I just really thought my mate was from their pack, you know?" He said, drying his tears.

"Yeah, I know. I thought so too. But have faith, my friend. Your time will come. The Goddess can't be rushed." I comforted him in a playful tone.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower because I reek." I snickered.

"Yeah, you do. I actually came in to shower too. I have patrol after lunch break." He said, already taking his shirt off.

I drooled seeing his ripped abs, before I turned away from him and concentrated on myself. I cannot be distracted right now with this gorgeous specimen.

We entered the shower area and I tried very hard to force myself not to look at him, but curiosity got the better of me and I am glad it did because... HOT DAMN!

My goodness, Ares! You are going to make someone very happy one day. His body looks sculpted by the gods. Damn, boy!

"I can smell you thirsting after me!" He caught me off guard, laughing at my expense. Werewolves and their acute sense of smell...

"Sorry, but I'm only half human and you are clearly an Adonis!" I apologized, starting the shower and letting the water caress my body.

Ares laughed it off.

"You're not so bad yourself. If only you weren't mated..." He winked at me.

"You mean rejected, right?" I rebuked, annoyed.

"He's gonna come around, Lan. You'll see!" He cheered me up, showering a few feet away.

"Sure, sure." I rolled my eyes. I know he means well, but I am not in a hopeful place right now.

Harry had every chance to be with me so far. If he wanted me, I was available. I practically begged him to come here, to be with me.

But he refused to come, so it is what it is.

On Tuesday, I woke up and I did my morning routine. After breakfast, I went straight to my office.

I was distracted by work when I got a text message from Harry saying he was coming here with his brother.

His brother? Really? Damn! I figured he would come after his mate soon but I didn't realize it would be this soon. I need to warn my mother first.

After I talked to mom, I warned the warriors on duty that he would come here. I also told them not to leave him alone inside the house. I mean, not to follow him around like a criminal but to be watchful of his whereabouts.

I am pretty sure he is not coming here for any revenge against me because that would be a suicide mission, but you never know what is in someone's head.

Aside from that, all I had to do was to warn my friend he was coming. She was working at the moment, so I had to wait until her shift ends. I am not going to distract her in the middle of patrolling, that is how people get killed and I don't want that in my conscience.

I already have plenty of deaths to atone for.

"So you never believed I had anything to do with that mating stunt, huh?" I smirked a boastful grin while my mate and I entered my office. He greeted Lourdes first as we walked past her.

Aaron went along with my mother - and a warrior - as she was setting him in a guest room to wait for his mate. It's going to take a while for her to get here, if she comes.

"Of course, Landon. Why would you do something so hurtful? You're not a psychopath. You only acted the way you did because you thought that's what it would take for the pack war to be over." Harry replied in a matter of fact tone.

I swooned at his response. He nailed it in the head. That is exactly why I did what I did. If I only wanted revenge, I could have Aaron killed easily and much faster. But that's not why I took my time getting my revenge plan on. I mean, it was Javier who convinced me not to, but my point remains the same.

"You're absolutely right. Thanks for believing in me, it means a lot." I melted. I could not be happier right now.

"I believe in you." He stated, looking deep into my eyes.

"I know. Thanks, mate." I spoke, a little confused as to why he is repeating that.

"No, Landon. I mean, I believe that you only acted the way you did because you felt you had no other choice to stop this war. I believe you are not a bad person, just caught in a terrible situation. I believe you had no intention of ever going this far, but you couldn't let your father's death be unanswered. I believe you didn't mean to kill any children and you thought the poison wouldn't harm non-shifters because you designed the attack specifically to target adult werewolves." He blurted, leading up to something.

"I believe you meant to kill Aaron and not Jessica. I believe you thought you were ending the war. I believe you acted horribly so that maybe no other son would be without his father. I know this because you could have targeted my dad, but you didn't. You specifically left my nuclear family unscathed, except maybe for Aaron." He continued and I gasped at his words. I am perplexed to find out where he is going with this, but I have to let him finish his rant.

"I believe that in some twisted way, all this happened so that we would finally meet each other and get mated. We would never have met if not for the events that took place. However horrible they might be, it's what got me to your doorstep." He concluded, looking at me with an intense stare. I can tell he made some sort of realization, but I cannot figure out what it is.

He took a big inhale of my scent, catching his breath. I am too baffled to say anything. I am gobsmacked at all this and I still don't know exactly why he came...

"I guess my point with all this is..." - He looked at me so deeply that it got me flustered.

Harry plunged into a deep kiss that lasted for a while. I basked in my mate's kiss. I've missed this. Any contact with his skin and my wolf is howling inside my chest, contently.

"You were saying..." I spoke after he parted from my lips. I need to know his point.

"I'm saying that–"

He is interrupted by a knock on the door. Instinctively, both of us looked at the closed door to wonder who it was.

"I'm sorry. I already had an appointment with my Beta. Can we pick this up later? Your room is still available, you know where it is." I was forced to dismiss him, begrudgingly.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry to disturb your work." He apologized, flustered.

"You never disturb me. Make yourself at home, I'll find you once I'm done with him." I said, just before opening the door. Javier was surprised to see him inside. And I know he could scent Harry on me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here, Harrison. I can come back later." Javier blushed, feeling like he interrupted us.

"I'm the one who apologizes for keeping the Regent from his duties. Carry on, Beta." Harry said, leaving the office blushing.

Javier looked at me a little confused. He entered my office and we closed the door.

"Sorry, I didn't know he was here." He apologized, like the polite man that he is.

"It was a surprise for me too, Beta. He came in with his brother, who's now waiting for his mate. Though I'm not so sure she'll come meet with him." I explained, taking my seat behind my desk. Javier took a seat across from me.

"Wow. Aaron Staedler is here? That was fast!" He commented, baffled.

"It really was. I got a text from Harry saying they were coming less than an hour ago, that's why I didn't warn you." I explained, humbly.

"It's fine, Regent. I don't think he's a threat anymore, honestly. Unless he was the one who shot you, in that case a reckoning is coming at some point." He said with a worried frown. Honestly, I feel the same way.

"I really hope he isn't, but I worry about the delay in finding the culprit. I'm starting to think they're not gonna find out who it was." I commented, feeling disappointed.

"I worry about it too, trust me. I have been following the investigation, but they're stuck because there aren't a lot of cameras in that area from where the shot came. They looked everywhere but the pack house is located in a residential area." Javier informed me, concerned.

"I understand, Beta. Anyway, let's focus on our pack and hope for the best." I said, a little disappointed. After all this time, I had a feeling the investigation was not progressing.

Javier and I carried on with our meeting talking about the pack, reporting on the issues we have. Being Regent and Beta, we work closely because he needs to always be apprised of any development and I need to be aware of any safety issue.

After we broke for lunch, I said goodbye to him - he eats in his own house - and walked towards my mate's guest room. I am curious to find out what was the point of all that rant, though I am already elated that he believed in me.

I knocked at his door and he opened for me, smiling.

"Hi. I came to take you to lunch, but I need to know what your point was before I break out in hives." I snickered and he laughed.

"Right. I was being stupid rejecting you for what you did. In reality, I was just punishing you for taking a stand. Granted, it was a horrible stand, but the mate bond wasn't created as a punishment for us. Withholding my acceptance from you is not the way to go about it." He said and I could barely catch my breath from the revelation.

"What do you mean by that?" I could not contain my smile, already in anticipation of his response.

"I accept you as my mate."

A|N: BOOM!

I do love when a song matches the theme of the chapter perfectly.

Love,

Léo.