LEON ADLER
"Are you going to be just fine?" My mom asks me as she runs her hand across my back, her voice calming me as she gives me a motherly smile.
Today is my birthday, which means that I'll have to make a big decision today that would change me forever in any form. My parents, who have been aware of my condition since I was a kid, makes sure that I'd be okay today; they have been waiting for this moment, too. Not only I would "meet" my mate, but I'm supposed to begin the Alpha training to prepare for the inevitable: Alpha role. A role that I would take over soon from my father once he steps down.
"I'm going to be just fine, mom." I tell her with a sigh, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. "A bit nervous, but I'm okay."
"Relax," my mom muses as she pinches my cheek, a thing she always does since I was a kid. The habit never really stops, even when I told her a couple of times. "You know that your father and I love you so much, right? And whatever your decision is, whatever it may be, we'd support you. We'd be beside you. Family, right?"
"Yeah, family."
She kisses my cheek before she proceeds to get out of my room. I take a look at myself in the mirror for the last time before I go out there and start getting showered with birthday wishes and "mate messages", which I don't want to hear.
My mind wanders to a dangerous area, to the person who makes this all complicated. Ethan Kennedy. The more I think about him, the louder my heart pounds. Is he even aware that it's my birthday today? Does he know that his life is about to change in a matter of hours?
Ethan Kennedy is something else. I know I've been saying I loathe him, but do I really hate him that much? Deep in my heart, I know I'm just being stupid. I've been looking for answers about how I got here; about how I was given the knowledge to know my mate as early as a kid. For some reason, my heart sinks at the thought of him. Ethan Kennedy is just a victim here as well, but why am I blaming for everything?
Am I really that stupid?
Sighing, I shut my eyes for a couple of sends and take a deep breath. I can't make a stupid decision today. If I make irrational decision today, many would suffer; not just me, not just my parents, not just Ethan, pretty much everyone.
But am I really ready to accept the fact that I have a male mate?
The answer is completely no. I'm not ready in any way or form. And to be honest, I'm not sure how long it would take for me to consider that it's all right to have a male mate. My parents said they would support me, and I couldn't care less about what others think. But I have dreams, too. As much as possible, I want to have my dreams while supporting my pack, while being an Alpha. Is that too much to ask?
If I choose and accept Ethan Kennedy as my mate, I'd lose a chance to have my own real family â a wife and my own pups. If I don't choose him, I'd have to bear the knowledge that he'd die because of me.
A knock on the door interrupts me from my thoughts.
"Alpha â "
"What did I tell everyone?" I interrupt the female attendant, turning around and facing her. She drops her head and I let out another sigh.
"Not to call you Alpha, but Leon. I apologize."
"That's all right."
"The Alpha and Luna request your presence." The attendant says as she clasps her hands in front of her, sporting a bright smile towards me. "Your party is about to start."
"Party, what am I? Twelve? That's just merely an event."
"An event to celebrate you turning 18." She grins, tucking a strand of her hair beneath her left ear. "Are you excited to meet your mate?"
"Tell my parents I'm coming down."
Good thing she didn't ask more questions because I wouldn't be able to tell her how I really feel. The attendant immediately moves out of my room without saying anything. I take another deep breath.
As every minute passes by, I grow tense. The day is becoming night, and the full moon is about to shine brightly across us in a couple of hours. I wish the day would stretch out a little longer just to delay what's about to happen tonight. A lot of people are expecting me to make a big boy decision, and everyone has been dying to know my mate.
Why wouldn't they be? They're supposed to be excited.
Fixing my hair one last time, even though there's nothing to fix about my hair, before I head outside to greet everyone, I pray to the Goddess to provide me strength to deal with this problem. Yes, I'm aware at the fact she assigned a male to be my mate, but I'm not supposed to abandon her. Otherwise, I'd end up as a rogue.
The moment I step outside, I'm greeted with a lot of birthday messages by the people I grew up with. Shane, who has him arm slung around his mate, waves at me. A smile breaks into my face and we both run towards each other, him ditching his mate for me. Shane grins at me and ruins my hair. I glare at him playfully.
Shane and I have been best friends since we were kids. Though he's a year older than me, he never really treated me as a kid. Probably because, at an early age, he knows I'm going to be his Alpha, and he's going to be my Beta.
We've shared secrets that only of us know. Shane knows how many times I stole chocolate bars at the convenience store across the town. I was, like, about 13 or 14 years old at that time. The shop owner caught us, and us having the ability of a wolf, ran as fast as we could. The store owner is a human, so he didn't catch us but I'm pretty sure we were wanted at that time; our faces were printed on a bond paper and plastered across the store's walls. Shane and I never dared to go back.
After all these years, this guy who I call my best friend has been on my side since we were small. He was present on all of my birthdays, my parents' wedding anniversaries. Every event in my life, he's there. And now that I'm turning 18, he's still here by my side. Anyone would be lucky to have this person on their side.
"Little shit, can't believe you're 18 now." Shane grins as he slings his arms around my neck, pulling me.
"Careful with your words, Shane. I'll be your Alpha soon." I chortle.
"I'll take my chances," Shane replies back. "But seriously, happy birthday, man. You're becoming an Alpha soon, and you get to know your mate later once the full moon is up. Don't be too excited to meet her."
Her. It's not a woman, Shane. It's a man.
"Kind of," a neutral answer is the safest.
"Kind of? Man, your life is about to change. I'm excited to meet this girl." Shane tells me as we walk across the sea of people who greet me. I reply with a smile. "Finally, I'll get to meet the person who would whip you so hard you're going to think it's all a fairy tale, and you won't wish for it to end."
If you only knew, Shane.
Despite his remarks about my mate, I remain quiet. The pressure is starting to build up, making me uncomfortable. It feels like my intestines are knotted, and I feel like vomiting. I calm myself, hoping that this gets over soon.
My father, who has been tending to the pack members asking if they're having fun, walks towards my direction with a huge smile on his face. He seems so proud of me, and that's helping me get through this.
"Full moon is up in a matter of hours," Dad says as he pats Shane's back. Shane gives him a salute before going back to his mate. "You're growing older now. Soon enough, you'll be taking over the role of an Alpha. How does that make you feel, knowing that you have to step up someday?"
"Excited, a little bit scared." I tell him honestly as I look around my surroundings. "I have so much to learn from you. The Alpha way, and honestly I'm really excited to lead these people."
"What about him?"
"I really don't know the answer to that, dad."
"You'll figure it out soon, son." Dad ruffles my head, which makes my eyes roll. After all these years, they still treat like a kid. I'm already growing up. "Your mother and I will stay here alongside you whenever you make big decisions, and if you need help, it's okay to ask for our help or opinions."
"Thanks, dad. I really appreciate it."
"Listen," he begins to whisper. "I know you don't like him as your mate because you'd love to have a big family, have your own pups. And I want that for you as well. But don't make a rash decision that you'd regret forever. I'm saying don't reject Ethan."
"I'll think about it, dad. I've got more hours left to make a decision."
"All right. Stay cool. I'm going to go up there within an hour, then I'll call you."
"Yeah, sure. Thanks, dad."
"On a second thought, let's not waste any more time. I'll start talking."
As the night comes, people start coming onto me to tell me their wishes. I have yet to make my speech; I'm just waiting for dad's go signal, and I'm going to be up there with him in the center. I'm also expected to spot my mate among the crowd, and let everyone know who my mate is.
I busy myself by mingling with other people, telling them how grateful I am to be respected and admitting that being an Alpha is a huge responsibility, but with their support, I may be able to come out of it alive and be a great leader. I keep throwing all the sincerest smile I can give, but internally, I'm already having a mental breakdown. Well, it's not worse, and I hope it doesn't escalate to the point where I'd lash out and tell everybody to back off.
My mother motions me to stand beside her, and as everyone sees my father walking up the stage, all the pack members head to the center to listen.
"Today, we are gathered here because of a special occasion." My dad begins as he clasps his hands together, looking at the crowd in front of him. "I'm not going to delay this further. One, over the past few months, I've been in contact with the packs to secure alliance. It wasn't easy as there were lots of negotiations. I'm not going to lie, a lot of packs have refused our request and partnership. But that's not a complete loss to us. Because we just won big time. A few days ago, I received a response from this pack that they approve of the alliance. They are not just any pack. It's the Blue Sky Pack where the Great Alpha leads them."
With that announcement, everyone cheers, clapping their hands loudly. Dad has a proud look on his face, an indication he knows he hasn't let his pack down.
"For some people who don't know, the Great Alpha is Cloud Lylson." Dad continues as he makes motion gestures for the noise to be toned down. "The pack also includes the Great Beta, and the Guardian of the Werewolves. One of these days, they're going to visit here and I want everyone to be as respective. We don't want to ruin their impression of us. Can I expect that from all of you?"
"Yes, Alpha!" The crowd chants.
"Good, but that's not the only thing I want to celebrate tonight." Dad looks at me and gives me a smile. "I also want to celebrate my son's 18th birthday. The full moon is up. This early, but I'm not complaining. That only proves that even the Goddess is as just as excited as me to finally introduce you officially the next Alpha in line. My successor."
My dad motions me to the center, my mom gently pushing me forward. I look at her one more time before I head to the center with my dad. I smile widely my face is starting to get hurt as I look onto the crowd cheering for me and my dad.
For a moment, I look at the faces of my people. They are full of happiness, indicating that my father has done a great job in protecting this pack. And now, they are looking up at me with hopes that I could surpass my father and ancestors. As the full moon shines on me, I take a deep breath and shut my eyes for a couple of seconds. When I open them, my parents are looking at me, and that's enough for me to say my speech.
"As the future Alpha of this pack, I promise that I won't let anyone down." I tell them. "My father, and the pack's prior Alphas, have done a great job leading this pack. It took generations to build the peace we have; it also took generations to get where we are. I'm not going to uplift myself here and tell you all good things. When I become an Alpha, I'll have lapses, and I'll definitely make mistakes. But as we move forward, it's going to be a great deal that we help each other out and strengthen the foundation that keeps this pack alive. We're on the road to make our home even better. And I'm not going to do this alone because..."
My eyes search for a specific face in the crowd.
I've only realized that my heart has been beating erratically. And the fact that I don't see his face among the crowd is making this all difficult. I'm totally at lost for words as I try to locate him.
"I'm not going to do this alone because... my mate is not here." I turn to look at my parents, and my dad gives me a disapproving look. "No, dad. My mate is not really here. Ethan isn't here."
As soon as his name slips out of my mouth, everyone gasps. Dad goes to the center again and squint his eyes, attempting to look for Ethan. He looks at my mom, then to me, as we try to decipher why Ethan Kennedy isn't at the event. We all know that this is important, and all errands are cancelled â of course with the exception of security duty.
Dad calls one of the pack warriors and asks to look for Ethan in his home. The pack warrior scurries as my dad turns his back. Meanwhile, my best friend Shane, is looking at me with wide eyes. He motions for me. I walk towards him.
"Dude, did I hear you correctly, your mate is Ethan?"
"Yes, Shane. You heard it correctly. My mate is Ethan Kennedy."
"Man..."
"Don't."
"Um, don't what? I just want to congratulate you. Ethan ain't that bad." Shane says as he runs a hand through his hair. "Speaking of, I haven't really seen him today. Where's that kid anyway?"
"Come on, let's go to his house. I want to find out what's going on."
My dad asks me where I'm going, and I simply tell him that I'm going to Ethan's house to ask why he's not present at this special event. Dad required everyone to attend here, and before he gets pissed, I have to know the reason why.
Both Shane and I run after the pack warrior who has been tasked to look for Ethan in his house. Ethan's house or apartment is not really that far. He just lives in a single studio room by himself provided by dad. Ever since, he has been living alone. Good Goddess, imagine living on your own without having company.
As soon as Ethan's house comes into view, where the pack warrior is circling Ethan's apartment while calling his name. I look at the moon, shining brightly above us. I tell the pack warrior that I'll be the one to handle this; he just nods and runs back to the center.
"Ethan!" I take a sniff and sure enough, I smell him. My heart suddenly aches. Now that I've turned 18, his scent becomes much more evident. "Hey, Ethan!" I turn the know and get surprised to know that it's unlocked.
Shane and I look at each other, then he nods.
Upon entering the room, his scent becomes stronger that my wolf, Apollo, growls. He has been pretty much quiet about everything lately, not until today. Ethan doesn't have much stuff in his room. There's a bed placed on the corner of the room. Beside is bed is 2 drawers, the top section is pulled open.
"He's not here," Shane says as he looks back at me after checking the bathroom located on the left side of this apartment. "But his smell is here."
Curiously, I head straight to the opened drawer and look inside. There's a notebook, wrapped in a red handkerchief, lying on top of unfolded clothes. I grab the notebook and open it.
Ethan Kennedy has a great handwriting.
I flip pages after pages until I come across a long note that got me very curious. Slowly, I read the entire note, which makes my heart racing. No, it can't be. Once I'm done reading the note, I look at Shane, then bolt outside Ethan's house back to the event. My best friend tells me to wait for him, but I completely ignore him. When I reach the crowd, I ask them where dad is and they point out to the Elder's hut.
With the notebook in my hand, I get inside the Elder's hut without any hesitation. My dad, seeing me enter without permission, glares at me.
"Dad... Ethan knows."
"What? What do you mean Ethan knows?"
"I found this notebook. It's Ethan's." I tell him, catching my breath. "From day one, dad, he knows that he's my mate. It's also stated here his ability."
The leader of the Elders named Coco takes the notebook and reads Ethan's note. In the note, it says:
I've been trying to survive since I was a kid. I remember how my parents got killed by a bunch of rogues, even though I was just a baby. I really don't know why I remember those images vividly, but I do. And every night, I would have a nightmare about it. At a young age, I discovered that I have the ability to turn off my scent. I also discovered that I have the ability to remember almost everything. Back in the day where my parents were killed, before my mother died and before putting me in the trunk, I remember her words to me. She loved me, and that I should take care of myself. My dad told me that I have a great danger following me, and he also told me that our lineage is special.
I don't know what makes us special â what made me special. Hours later, I was found by the Alpha of Crescent Pack. When I turned 3 years old, I realized that Leon Adler is destined to be my mate.
I wish I could tell him, but I'm not sure if he's supposed to know. After all, 18 is the right age for a regular werewolf to meet their respective mate. But I'm glad I didn't tell him. He looks like he doesn't want me as a mate, and that's okay. When I was growing up, I realized that I'm bringing an impending danger, and I can't bring it to this pack. So I know it's a sign that Leon doesn't want me; it makes everything easier for me to make decisions without having to think heavy consequences.
On his 18th birthday, I'm not going to let him reject me. To protect both of us. But this will remain undisclosed. I know, as an Alpha, he has the power to ignore the mating bond. The pull. And I'm glad he does, because I won't be coming back.
This is the only way I could think of to protect him and the Crescent Pack â the pack that took me into safety. This is the only way I can pay them. I can't mate with Leon Adler, and he's better off without me. To protect him and my family, I have to get out of here. I wish Leon would find a perfect person to start a family with. I'd be really happy for him. I wish I could stay and be his mate, but unfortunately, this is not possible.
It left me only one option to protect the people I care. I have to get out of here, and never return. To Leon Adler... I hope you become the happiest Alpha. Maybe in another life, we'd end up together without any complications. Just us. Ethan and Adler.
********
Author's Note: Hello guys! Here's Chapter 2 for you all. I hope it didn't take too long. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did when I was writing this chapter.
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