Chapter 33: Sacrifice

Harry

I don't mean to sound ungrateful to the Moon Goddess, but if I were mated to an Omega, we wouldn't need to be having this conversation.

I am not saying all Omegas are exclusively bottoms, but they are very good at it. Or so I heard.

Anyway, now Landon and I have to reach some sort of compromise. But the negotiations are not advancing as of now. We talked a lot about our preferences in bed and how we'd like to go about it, but we get stuck on who gets to top who.

I don't want to be the one to give in to the Alpha. I am an Alpha werewolf by birth, so no pulling rank on me. Sorry pal, there is no ranking inside the bedroom.

I am sure Spencer won't have that problem with Ares, though I am not aware if their talks have gone this far. What I do know is that they seemed very entertained last night at the bar, entangled with each other.

I woke up next to my mate and the first order of business was to follow through on Felicia's suggestion to move my things to Landon's room. It seems ridiculous that I have to walk all the way from the Alpha wing to the guest one for a change of clothes.

There is no walk of shame needed if you are not doing anything shameful. We queer people let go of that after Stonewall. Though I am sure werewolves are much more evolved about sexuality and gender than humans.

But that is just how we roll. We are evolved creatures.

After I returned from the guest wing with my stuff, Landon was already up and getting dressed to start the day. He smiled when he saw I had brought in my belongings and offered some space in his closet to accommodate me.

I don't want to do that now because of the breakfast schedule, but as soon as I get back from the dining hall, I will arrange my stuff. I am his mate. There is no turning back from this, even if we have to get a mediator for our sex life.

That was a joke, by the way. I am not talking to anyone about this except maybe with Spencer. And the jury is still out on that.

Honestly, he seems to be getting along so well with Ares that I am still baffled by how the stars have aligned for their union. I feel a bit jealous of him, even though I shouldn't. I guess some part of me was hoping they would struggle to connect.

I know it's horrible to wish this upon my best friend and I don't want him to struggle. I just really thought they would, there is a difference.

We get downstairs for breakfast holding hands and I feel like all is right in the world. By his side is where I want to be, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

"Good morning, Barnetts. Morning, Spence. How was your date last night? I didn't see you come in." I greeted the people present with a cordial smile.

Felicia, Clark and Ella greet me back. Landon also exchanged pleasantries with them and Spencer, who bowed his head to him.

"Good morning, Harry. It was wonderful. Ares is actually a teddy bear for such an imponent guy. He's been wonderful to get to know, honestly." He replied, swooning.

"That's great to hear, Spencer. He really is a wonderful guy." Landon chimed in, smiling wide in contentment.

"I'm happy to hear you two are getting along so well, my friend. You deserve all the happiness in the world." I said with an encouraging grin.

"And what are you two going to do on this hot summer day?" Luna asked, smiling at her son and me.

We looked at each other puzzled, not knowing the answer to that.

"I thought I'd take Harry for some shopping in case he needs something to get better settled here." Landon suggested, glancing at me.

"Sure, mate. That sounds nice." - I replied without much thought. - "I need to get settled in Landon's room first now that I vacated my guest bedroom. But after I'm done with that, we can go shopping." I sounded content at the suggestion.

Luna Felicia smiled at the information and so did my mate. I know he wants us to take the next step. I want that too. Though I am sure he feels an extra pressure being the Alpha.

After breakfast, I returned to Landon's bedroom and spent some time getting everything together. I still have to go home and pick up more clothes, but for now I am good to cohabitate with my mate.

Landon helped me before we both changed our clothes to go shopping. We walked together to the indoor garage and left towards downtown in his car.

We had a nice time as he took me to several local shops. I didn't know exactly what to buy, but he was very patient with me, which allowed us to go sightseeing.

I took the chance to buy myself some new clothes, a couple of trinkets for our bedroom and ended up having a scoop of ice cream.

It was so fun to just spend time with my mate without any pressure or agenda. We haven't had that type of fun yet and it feels so good, I cannot lie.

My life basically consisted of two periods. Before I turned 18, it was a good, sheltered infancy, coupled with an enerving teen years when I was apprehensive about finding my mate.

Then after I turned 18, it was all about where my mate was that I hadn't discovered him yet. Basically, I've been holding my breath for almost 21 years. I know we shouldn't let our lives be defined by the person who we are with.

I am not advocating for that. I had my fun, did my part, got my education and I am still working towards that goal. I didn't stop my life because I didn't find my mate.

But there was always that sense of 'what if' that troubled my mind. Since practically everyone I knew was mated, I couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with me for not getting one.

That's why I could relate to the unmated people in my pack and also why I was so successful in getting them to accept to meet the Regency Falls folk.

When Ares cried on my mate's shoulder over not being paired that fateful Saturday, I looked at him as if I were the one crying.

His suffering was incredibly relatable to me. I cried on my friends' shoulders plenty before. Goddess only knows how much Spencer had to hear me crying about it, even if he couldn't relate to me. He was happily mated by the age of 18.

Anyway, I guess my point with all this is:

I am happy to have my life together at this moment. I am glad to start my journey now that I, too, am happily mated. Regardless of who my mate is and what he has done, I deserve happiness.

I deserve bond completing sex, if I may be so blunt. I need to know what the fuss is about. Goddess, I really want the sex... *drools thinking of Landon naked*

"So, how was the shopping?" Spencer inquired, curiously. We are inside the dining hall as the maid starts serving lunch. The Barnetts are all present, naturally.

"It was great. I had already been downtown last time I stayed here, but being accompanied by a local resident has its advantages." I replied, feeling prideful.

"I'm sure it has. I'm glad to hear, my friend." He smiled at me.

"And what are you doing today? Is Ares coming over?" I asked him, noticing that he wasn't looking that enthusiastic.

"Unfortunately he works until 6 p.m. today. But we'll see each other tonight. We're going out." He answered, now grinning at the prospect.

"Ares is working a 12 hour shift and then he's taking you out? Damn, Ares sure makes us feel like old people even though I'm younger than him." Landon snickered.

"He's only taking me to have dinner with his parents and siblings. It's not like we're going clubbing." Spencer downplayed it, blushing a bit.

"You're meeting the Saunders family already? How cool!" Landon sounded surprised by this information and so was I.

"I am, though I am feeling excited and nervous about the meeting. I don't know how they feel about Ares being a second chance mate or how they're gonna react to meeting me." Spencer admitted, apprehensively.

"They're gonna love you, Spence! You're a wonderful guy!" I reassured him in an uplifting tone. He smiled at me.

"Thanks, Harry. I still can't believe I have a second mate, least of all from this pack." He confessed, nervously glancing at my mate. Landon gulped at the insinuation behind his words.

"Tell me about it, my friend. I guess the Goddess didn't want to play around. It's like she's telling me: 'Oh yeah bitch, you don't want to accept your mate? Well, I'm gonna mate your brother and your best friend to this pack too. You're gonna submit to my will come hell or high water'." I said in a joking tone.

Landon, Felicia, Clark and Spencer laughed at my comment. Ella giggled too.

"Funny enough, it just never crossed my mind rejecting Ares. It was shocking for sure. But I don't have it in me to reject a mate. Even one who I never thought I'd get." Spencer spoke, thoughtfully.

"Yeah, considering how hot and ridiculously handsome your mate is, I can see why it was a huge sacrifice for you." I said, humorously. Everybody laughed at this remark, including Spencer who got flustered.

A|N: This song/theme was a happy accident.

This chapter was supposed to be simply called 'Goodies', but I had to split it into two for technical reasons.

So next comes the chapter aptly titled 'Goodies'. It's gonna get hot in here.

Love,

Léo.