Chapter 27: You Made Me Love You

Harry

Yeah, I know. I caved.

I think it was true that the kiss from Rhiannon had triggered the mate bond within Aaron. I am starting to think that if I wanted to reject my mate, I probably should not have kissed him in the first place. That was the beginning of the end for me.

Of course, it was not just that. The truth is my mate is a wonderful person. He treated me with nothing but respect and showed me what it means to be mated to someone, even when that person rejected you.

It also doesn't hurt that I love his family, his mother who was wonderful to me from day one, his cute little sister, even his brother was kind to me. However, that is just a plus. The truth is Landon Barnett conquered me with his impossible charm, his devilish good looks and his respect for my process.

Had he pushed me into acceptance, trying to force my hand in any way, it would probably have the opposite effect. But his genius move was that he respected me every step of the way, no matter what I did to him.

Even when I came into his house after the shooting, he never had any expectations from my visit. He never presumed or demanded anything of me. He took what I gave him in my own time.

Even though there were moments inside his bedroom that any other boy would probably make a move on me, he respected my boundaries. He didn't give in to his desires until I was fully on board.

For the time that we have been mated, Landon was nothing short of an extraordinary mate. He didn't even throw the rejection in my face - not like Grayson did when I came here for the second time or Ares back at my pack. His respect for me never wavered.

I guess there is no other word for it. He made me love him. Slowly, gradually, he inched his way into my heart with love and respect. Who can resist a gentleman?

I guess it took my brother being rejected for me to look at things from another perspective. I know Landon was devastated by the rejection, I could feel it through our bond. But it's not the same as seeing what my brother has suffered.

Also, when we were talking back at home earlier today, everything came crashing down in a single realization that was staring right in my face. Why do I need to keep punishing him and myself?

I know he fucked up. I know what he did, there is no excuse for what my best friend had to go through, what my brother and so many of our members had to survive. But it is not about that.

I just cannot keep punishing myself in the process by withholding from being with my mate. I can't keep myself from thinking about him, longing for his kiss and touch.

It is much more painful to deny my true nature than to make him atone for his sins.

Granted, there is no atoning for the many lives lost. I am well aware of that. But he didn't start this war, nor did he ask to have his father taken away from him. I hate to excuse his behavior and I swear I am not, but he is not the only Alpha who took a life.

If I understood correctly, Rhiannon's mother was taken out by our pack. So what, is her life worth less than Jessica's? Would that murder make my mother love my father any less?

I do not know the circumstances in which that happened. But I guess my point with all this is: I need to get off my high horse and do my part to achieve what the Goddess intended with this mate pairing.

I need to accept my role in this chess match and work towards everlasting peace between our two packs. There are too many of us mated to their pack already.

Plus, you have to admit it. You cannot fight the moonlight. You can't fight the ancient power driving every cell of your body towards wanting to be with your mate. Jessica couldn't. My mother can't. As I am sure Luna Felicia loved her mate very much.

I am a werewolf. This is what I was born to do. He is who I was destined to be with. Stupid of me for thinking otherwise. Plus, I missed kissing him.

All I think about lately is getting him naked and having my way with him. Sue me!

"Don't say that if you don't really mean it, please!" Landon demanded in a saddened tone after I had told him that I accepted him as my mate.

"I do mean it. I'm tired of fighting this. I am ready to accept you as my mate." I reiterated, pitying him for the supplicant expression on his face.

Landon embraced me in a tight hug that almost swept me off my feet. I basked in his warmth until I realized he was sobbing. I parted from the hug to stare at him perplexed by this.

"Why are you crying, Landon?" I asked him in a concerned voice.

"Because I never thought this was going to happen for me! I thought you didn't want to be my mate and you'd never change your mind!" He replied in a desperate tone that was tearing me up inside. My heart broke for his sad tears that I just wanted to dry them with kisses.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you suffer. It took me a while to realize I was punishing you as well as me by not accepting you. Thanks for giving me the time to come around and always respecting me." I said, emotionally.

"You're welcome, mate." He smiled weakly.

"Now you said something about lunch. I'm hungry, I barely had any breakfast today, it was a very emotional journey when we realized why my brother was rejected." I said, moving to leave the bedroom.

"Oh. Why do you think your brother was rejected?" Landon quizzed me, curiously.

"Because he didn't believe in Rhiannon when she was telling him that she was his mate. I guess we all want our mates to believe in us even when we don't have any evidence to support the claim." I replied, starting to walk out of the guest wing towards the dining room next to Landon.

"I guess it's true. I understand now what your brother meant by saying he didn't act like you did. You never once thought I could have acted maliciously. It's funny how we take things for granted. I didn't even stop to consider you had no reason to defend me to him, but you did. And I didn't even thank you." He commented, deep in thought.

"No need to thank me, mate. Plus, it would be the stupidest revenge plan ever. No one in their right mind would ever believe you'd plan for my brother to get a fake second chance mate. It's bonkers." I laughed it off. Landon laughs at this too.

"You can say that again." Rhiannon interjected once we reached downstairs. She looked pissed off.

"Hi, Ri. What are you doing here?" Landon questioned her, surprised by her presence. But even I know why she is in the pack house right now. That much is obvious.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? Didn't my mate come here to see me? The better question should be why didn't YOU tell me about it?" She challenged him, irritated. Landon was taken aback by her tone and irritation directed at him.

"I meant to, once you were done with your shift. I'm sorry I got distracted. Wait, how do you know Aaron is here to see you?" Landon questioned her, suspiciously.

"You're not my only friend, Landon. Thankfully, I know people who have my best interest at heart." She jabbed at him, annoyed. I gulped from the second hand embarrassment.

"OK, I'm sorry I was late in telling you about his arrival, but please don't ever say that. You know I love you. I thought your shift ended at one." He defended himself, full of sorrow.

"No, Regent. Patrol shifts go for 4 hours straight so that warriors are always at their best. My shift ended at noon and I was going home for lunch when I got a mind link warning me about my mate's presence at the pack house, so I came straight here. I was just surprised as to why my good friend didn't tell me about it." She complained, clearly annoyed at him.

"I was going to. I'm really sorry. I didn't even know if you wanted to talk to him." Landon said, looking at her remorsefully.

"I wanted to have the choice presented to me!" She shouted, aggravated.

Oh my goodness, this is so awkward. And she didn't even see my brother yet.

"Good afternoon, Rhiannon. Thank you for coming here. I'm sorry for distracting your friend so much that he couldn't fulfill his duty to you. I came here unannounced and dropped a bomb on him. Please accept my deepest apologies, it was my fault." I interjected, repenting for my part in it before this escalated any further.

She turned to face me and softened her expression to a less angry one.

"It's fine, Harrison. It's not that big of a deal. It was an honest mistake." She told me, much calmer after my 'mea culpa'.

"Since you're here, can I invite you to have lunch with us?" Landon saw an opening and ran with it.

"Well, I spent the last four hours in wolf form patrolling our territory, so I'm fucking starving." She said in a playful tone.

"Please, be my guest. Again, I'm sorry for the delay in communication. I really thought your shift went till 1 p.m." Landon said, gesturing for her to walk towards the dining room with us.

"I guess it's a good thing that you are the Regent and not the Beta then." She teased him, low key taking a jab at his lack of knowledge.

"I promise that I won't make the same mistake again." Landon pledged, blushing uncomfortably.

"I can't believe one of the warriors on duty blabbed their mouth to you. Warriors are such gossip!" Landon snickered, still surprised by this information having leaked.

"What we are is a family. We take care of each other." She said in a fierce tone, defensively.

"I've been meaning to ask, how did your father react to the news?" Landon inquired as we walked.

"Honestly, it took him a while to comprehend. He didn't fully grasp the situation until I told him about the mark healing." She replied, sounding baffled by this event.

"Yeah, I can understand that. I was there and it took me a while to grasp." He agreed in a slight humorous tone.

"Tell me about it." I muttered, also still surprised by this occurrence.

When we entered the dining room, we were surprised to see not only the Barnetts there, but Aaron was already sitting by the table, ready to eat. When he saw that Rhiannon was here too, he immediately got up from his seat, ecstatically.

"You're here!" He grinned wide at seeing her.

"This is my pack. I'm confused as to what you're doing here!" She jabbed at him, not amused by his presence. The room got uncomfortable fast.

Aaron gasped in shock at her comeback, sitting back down feeling disheartened.

"I came here to see you. I need to apologize for not believing in you. I'm really sorry, mate." He spoke, remorsefully.

All of us gulped from this awkwardness, but I took my seat at the table as I was hungry too. Landon and Rhiannon did the same, though she made a point to sit as far away from my brother as possible. She greeted the Barnett family and I did the same.

"Thanks, I guess. You can go home now." She spoke, breaking his heart all over again. It was uncomfortable to witness.

"I really mean it. I promise you that will never happen again." He reiterated, voice filled with sorrow.

She raised a suspicious eyebrow at his statement, but said nothing. All of us start serving ourselves some food, except for the little girl who is already eating.

"Landon, have you been crying?" His mother asked him after a long while of us eating in silence. At this, the whole table turned to look at him closely.

"It was nothing, I was just a little emotional after my mate's arrival." He brushed it off, blushing under the collective attention.

Everyone turned to look at me as he said that and I blushed as well.

After lunch was over, there was an uncomfortable staring contest between the newly mated couple. As in he would long for her and she would glare daggers at him. Luna left with her daughter and Clark went about his day.

"Thanks for lunch, mate. It was delicious. I can see I'm gonna be very happy living here." I said, causing the (other) mates to stare at me baffled.

"What?" Rhiannon and Aaron both gaped in shock at my statement.

"Right. I decided to accept my mate after all." I elaborated, blushing under their intense gaze. Meanwhile, my mate is grinning the widest I have ever seen from him so far.

"Wow. Now I understand what you meant when you said he dropped a bomb. What made you decide?" Rhiannon couldn't help herself from asking me, looking intrigued.

"Seeing you reject my brother, actually." I replied without missing a beat.

Both she and Aaron gulped from the awkward truth bomb.

"If my mate was as broken as I saw my brother last Saturday, I knew I should probably rethink my choices." I continued, causing Aaron to blush intensely in embarrassment.

"You can shut up now, Harry." He glared at me, very uncomfortable by this 'revelation'.

"Whatever got you to accept me, I'm grateful." Landon spoke, appreciative. He looked smitten by me, which only made me swoon.

"You got through to me, Landon. You have been nothing but a stand up guy throughout the whole time we've been mated. I'm genuinely in awe of you. I can see you'll make a formidable Alpha. Your father would be very proud of you." I complimented him, who got emotional by my words.

Landon got up from his seat at the table and moved to kiss me. I welcomed my mate's kiss, even if we had a small audience. After we parted lips, he went back to his seat. The maid began clearing the table, which I guess was a sign for us to leave the dining hall.

The four of us stood up and started walking out of the room.

"He would be very proud of you, Lan. Harrison is right." Rhiannon agreed, smiling proudly at him.

"Thanks, Ri. It means the world to me." He smiled at her as we walked.

"I still can't believe I'm mated to his murderer." She declared in a deep somber tone. My brother hung his head at her words, though she spoke the truth.

"I regret it every single day, mate. Trust me!" Aaron spoke, remorsefully.

As we walked out of the dining room, Rhiannon pulled Aaron aside, pushed him to a wall and got into his face threateningly.

"Did you shoot Landon?" She asked him point blank and we were all taken aback by the question.

"What?! NO!" He replied, literally backed into a wall.

"If you're lying, we will find out eventually. It's better to admit now and face the consequences!" She insisted, staring at him very intensely.

"I swear on my mate's life. I didn't shoot your precious Alpha! I wasn't even in the area when that happened, you can check with my in-laws. Lucas already has!" He defended himself, desperately trying to convince her.

Rhiannon glared daggers at her mate, but then let him go from the wall. Damn, she is so fierce. I can see the warrior in her.

All of us were extremely uncomfortable by this whole interaction, but I guess now we know. I am glad it wasn't my brother.

But the question still remains, who was it?

A|N: If you're reading my 7th novel - thank you very much - or even if you're just reading this after already having read "The Rogue's Mate", you know I just wrote a mate's rejection story line in my last novel.

My challenge for this one was to approach it in a completely different way than before.

Like I always say, I don't like to repeat story lines of my previous books. I don't even like repeating ideas from other werewolf novels, though some themes are universal.

With that being said, I am really proud of myself for having successfully achieved this goal.

Their mating journey in this book was completely different than my last one, which already was different from "The Refugee's Mate". This is what I wanted to accomplish from the start. I didn't want to make it so obvious.

Their journey was tortuous but fulfilling and that's why I keep coming back to write more omegaverse novels. As long as I can come up with fresh ideas for my stories. That's what excites me as a writer.

Truth be told, I didn't know I had it in me after writing an 80 chapters book - a personal record - but here we go.

I'm so excited for all of you who are embarking on this journey with me. Buckle up!

Love,

Léo.