Chapter 17

LEON ADLER

When the birds start chirping in the morning, as my eyes open, a small smile graces my lips as a hand is gently placed on my naked chest. The white curtains are closed, blocking the sunlight from coming fully through the windows, but it's enough to lighten up the whole room. I hoist myself slightly, earning a slight groan from my mate who's sleeping peacefully beside me, and see that our clothes are everywhere on the floor.

My underwear is surprisingly hanging on the top rail, but the socks, shirts and pants are on the floor, looking unhygienic. I resist the urge to laugh, remembering how messy we were last night. There was no second round, but there definitely was a lot of sucking and teasing.

I turn around and watch my sleeping mate. His eyes are closed gently, slightly twitching, and his lashes are quite long and beautiful. His reddish lips –and I can still see the bite mark I did on it near the edge– are parted. He clicks his tongue, then scratches his neck. I see the mark I placed last night, and I'm so happy to see it. Ethan is finally mine for eternity. We have bonded in this life and in the spirit world.

His eyes flutter open. I'm the first one he sees. A small smile plays on his lips. Ethan stretches his arm out and touches my cheek. I lean down and place my forehead against his, not breaking the eye contact. My heart beats faster than last night, which I never thought it was possible. My world is finally in front of me. I could get lost in his eyes, and they are telling me that he's as much whipped I am to him as him to me.

"Hi," I whisper meekly, as if I'm almost shy.

"Hi," he says back. "Why do I get the feeling that you've been watching me sleep?"

"I just woke up, and I've been watching you for about... 3 minutes."

"Please tell me I still look good when I'm sleeping,"

"It doesn't matter," I chuckle then pinch his cheek. "Even if you drool when you sleep, or your face or arms are full of sleep marks, or if even if your lips are parted as you sleep, or you snore loud, I'm going to love it. The snore part may annoy me, but I'm going to love it as much as I love every part of you. I love all of you."

Ethan doesn't say anything after those words left my mouth, though his eyes are still trained on me. I furrow my brows, racking my brain if I said something that might have offended him. I search for any discomfort or anger, but then he breaks into a huge smile, and my heart somersaults and my worry is thrown out the window. Ethan pulls himself up and kisses me gently on the lips.

"Sorry. Morning breath sucks."

"I don't care." I murmur, wanting more of the kiss.

So I kiss him again. He lets out a small gasp when I bite his lower lip and touch his groin, and I can feel him growing hard again, and so am I. I ravish him like he's my favorite meal, and when things are getting too hot, I'm pausing. I take a deep breath, focusing only in his eyes. He's probably a bit sore from last night, and when we do it again, I want us to be comfortable.

Ethan's knees are wobbly, and when our eyes meet, a small blush paints his cheeks and he heads straight to shower without looking back. The first-time sex is quite awkward for us, and even my wolf has become awkward. Perhaps I'm questioning my bed abilities? My performance? I'm not entirely sure. I take a deep breath and join him a few minutes, which shocks him. I strip off naked and help him lather himself with soap. His face is red, but he lets me wash him. Then I press my mouth on his, and he kisses me back, and it takes a lot of time for us to get out of the shower.

Today is pretty much normal. Not really.

There's a lot of congratulations from everyone. Of course, they'd know that we did the deed, that I marked him and he marked me already. Everyone can smell our mixed scent. Those congratulatory messages are enough to make Ethan go into hiding. He stays near the edge of the pack territory, and even there, the patrolling warriors are no exception; they tell him how happy they are that he's finally mated to me.

I give him a little space despite my wolf protesting that I should be with him at all times. But he needs his own zone, and he needs to think without me being around him constantly. So I stay with the other pack warriors, train them, and have a little chat with friends.

The Great Alpha and his mate did not stay last night, but they did leave a message for Ethan and his parents.

At noon, when every warrior is worn out from the training, I catch up with my dad to check the documents he's working on. I'm not the Alpha yet, so I'm exempted to do this stuff, but he does always encourage me to join him on pack meetings, decision makings, and sometimes, he lets me study the documents, then he would ask me what I'm going to do in that particular situation. The pack documents are mostly about allegiance, new applications for pack members, invitations from other packs, and reports from rogue or other mystical attacks. I even see one report about a certain vampire being on loose.

The night comes, and I haven't seen a bit of my mate after our morning shower, though I can feel his energy just around. I find comfort knowing that he's within pack territory, and that he's with the other pack warriors. I miss him so much.

I take over my dad's signing tasks and submerge myself with it, though I find myself frequently checking out the window to see if Ethan has come back. The half-moon is already on display but my mate is still nowhere in sight. My eyes are tired from reading, my left hand from signing, and my back kind of hurts.

There's a photo of a 6-year-old me and my parents.

I grab the frame and study the photo. I'm on my dad's shoulders, and I have a huge smile plastered on my face with a huge cotton candy in my hand. My mom is laughing along with me. I can see how young they are in this photo. I barely remember where this picture was taken, but I believe it's just a weekend vacation. We are on a beach, and there's a lot of people in their undies walking around in the background. Florida, maybe?

Then his scent is gone.

I panic. I hastily get up, turning the chair over in the process. When I open the door, Ethan is already there. I put a hand on my chest and sigh in relief. I hug him and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

"Why would you do that?" I murmur, tightening my arms around him.

"Just wanted to give you a little scare," he chuckles while pulling away.

"Please don't do that. I was really worried."

"Sorry," Ethan holds my hand and places a gentle kiss at the back. "Sorry if I wasn't around much today. I was thinking. I was not thinking... okay, I wasn't thinking about the sex. It's amazing. And I was shy because it was my first time, and I really didn't know how to act. Today, I was thinking of this certain boy..."

"It better be me," I growl. I pull him gently and close the door behind him.

"Idiot, it's a kid." Ethan replies, then flicks his index finger on my head. I yelp. "It's a boy named Edward. He's in the pack. I learned today that he doesn't have parents and that he is staying with the Smiths. And... I feel like... um, we had connections, you know."

Edward. I know Edward. He's a newcomer. He was a rogue and nobody really knew where he was from. He was found by a pack warrior wandering around the pack area. He had ragged clothes, his shoes were missing, and his lip was busted.

"Yeah. The Smiths took him in. And what is this connection?" I ask.

"I'm not really sure," he replies. "I just met him yesterday. But do you think that... maybe... it's not a coincidence that I met him. I mean, we're in the same pack. But I was wondering if we're meant to, you know, adopt him. I don't know. It's just... I saw a lot of myself in him."

"I haven't really met the kid yet, and adoption? It's a big step."

"I know. That's why I was thinking a lot today. I needed alone time." He touches my cheeks. "Thanks for giving that to me. I know you were anxious."

"I just wanted you to be comfortable."

"Thank you,"

He tiptoes and presses his mouth on me. I pull him again, closing the gap between us, our bodies pressing as our lips dance with each other. He runs his fingers through my hair, and I rest my hands on his hips. He kneels in front of me, kissing my clothed, growing member before taking my pants off. He then takes me into his mouth.

The next day, when I wake up, Ethan is not by my side. I rush to the restroom, splash my face with cold water, brush my teeth, and throw clothes on. Because last night, it got a little more intense.

Ethan is cooking breakfast with his mom. He sees me and waves, mouthing good morning. Ethan's mom grabs a set of plates and places them on the table. She seems really happy. Her hair is in a small bun on top, though there's a lot of strands of hair in front of her face. It suits her well.

They have prepared steaks, eggs, bacons, and fried chickens. They have cooked a lot. It's our typical morning breakfast meal. Normally, there are people who are in charge of cooking meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I guess they have their break today. Almost everyone in the house comes to the kitchen to grab a plate, which makes Elena so happy.

Ethan stands beside me and we watch everyone get along. He nudges me before giving me a plate of my own, complete with all the food they cooked. I kiss his forehead, making him blush, before I take the plate and grab a bite with my hand. The room is filled with chatters, and it's a little chaotic. Elena is rushing back and forth, giving plates and food to other people who haven't had their morning food yet, and Ethan is trying to calm her down. Elena is so excited that she just brushes her son off before talking with her husband, who claims she's been going like a machine ever since they woke up.

A little later in the afternoon, Ethan joins in our training. Shirtless and sweaty, my eyes keep going in his direction. He's currently trained by Shane. Shane has been going on too easy on my mate, afraid that he'd snap like a twig, but Ethan notices this behavior and gives him a scowl that's too evident –too evident that he's pissed, so Shane takes it up to the next level of training. A little distracted, I get punched by my sparring partner, knocking me backwards. Almost everyone's head switches to my direction, and I give them a slight glare. I touch my nose, noticing a little blood. My eyes meet Shane and he has a grin tugged on his lips, and I give him the bird.

"Sorry, Leon." Glenn, my sparring partner, says. There's guilt on his face.

"That was it? You're going too easy. Punch hard." I say. From the corner of my eyes, I see my mate hiding a smile. "And let's see if you're going to have another opportunity to punch me in the face."

He takes another couple of jabs but none of them hit me. I see an opportunity to smack him down but decide against it. Let him have his fun. He takes another jab, punching straight but I duck immediately. Glenn's stance is wrong; his knees are stretched straight, his arms are pulled and positioned near his neck, giving his enemy to strike him down on the face and on the side. When he throws another punch, I kick him on the shin and he falls to the ground. Glenn yelps.

I hear Shane muttering that I'm a show-off to my mate. Ethan lets out a slow whistle. I throw another bird on my Beta before offering my hand to my sparring partner. I tell him his mistakes and he just nods his head as he listens to me. Meanwhile, my mate is back at training with Shane who is telling him how he should focus on his enemies and be wary of his surroundings. They throw a couple of punches at each other, and Ethan is able to block a few of them. He flinches but the determination in his face never fades away. I let Glenn leave and just watch my mate as he trains.

His muscle from his arms are starting to turn into a shade of red from constant punching. His body is sweaty, and his chest heaves up and down. His lips are slightly parted, and his eyes are trained hard on Shane. I smile and leave them for a while.

The night comes. Dad gathers everyone and announces that in 3 days, there'll be a full moon. Another batch of pack warriors are going to be announced and together with the newcomers and first runners, a group of children who will have their first transform into their wolf.

The news excites everyone. There's a round of applause.

The same night, Ethan enters my room with an exhausted face. He takes a shower and only puts on a boxer after his 15-minute bath. I pat the bed beside me and he gladly takes the spot, puts his arm on top of my bare chest, and rests his head on my shoulder.

We stay like that for a while, not uttering any words. Silence fills up the room. I lay down and look at my mate. He smiles at me before touching my cheek, pressing his mouth on mine before pulling away. A good night kiss. I touch his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, and his jaws. I admire every part of him.

It takes us hours before we completely fall asleep, but we don't mind. It's us having a moment. It's us just watching each other as we laugh even though there are no jokes being thrown. Us is enough.

The next morning, I wake up early than my mate. But when I start to push my legs out and onto the floor, he wakes up, groaning. He mumbles something about morning being too good, and I chuckle as I pull myself up and head straight to the bathroom. He joins me a bit later. We brush our teeth together.

Ethan joins his parents in the afternoon, and as usual, I train with the pack warriors with the first turners joining us. The only training they are doing is focusing on their energy to allow them to have better control of their wolf as they turn. It's the awakening, and it's a bit hard to control them when they don't get immediate connection with their human host, and sometimes, it takes an Alpha before they can be subdued. That's why the Alpha has an important role as he guides the first turners.

"It's your task," my dad tells me as I watch the pack warriors have lunch.

"What?" I ask, deeply confused.

"To lead the first turners," he pats my back and grins. "You've brought your mate home, and you accepted him and yourself. That means you've grown so much, and it's finally the right time that you co-lead with me. As an Alpha-in-training."

"Are you serious? What if I can't lead them?"

"You've got so much doubt on yourself, son." My dad replies back, watching the little kids playing on the field. "And it's all right. I was at that point, too. But I'm going to tell you what my dad told me: you are born for this. You've got Alpha blood in you. You've got leadership. They will follow you, and I'll be there in every step that you will take."

"Do you think that I'm ready?"

"No," he chuckles. I frown. "I wasn't ready when I took over the pack, but you will be once you're there. I have always believed that everyone is not 100% ready even though they claim that they are. You'll only know you're ready once you're there, in this position, looking at your comrades and the people that matter to you."

"Also, I want you to take over as soon as possible because your mother and I haven't been really spending time with each other. I mean, she's there, always there, but I'm always doing this and that. It's time that I turn my attention fully on her. Have a little vacation and possibly, make a brother or sister for you."

"Dad, that's gross. Please don't... don't talk to me about that." My dad laughs real hard. "And besides, aren't you too old to care for an infant? I can't babysit if I'm leading the pack."

"That's offending!" Dad flicks my forehead while laughing still. "I took care of you even though my leading of the pack was driving me insane, and it took the effort of your mom and mine to calm you down because you were a real pain in the ass when you were a child. Did you know you used to eat what's on the floor –"

"Okay, okay, dad, stop. I've heard enough." I reply. "Thank you."

He sighs. "Ah, I can't believe you're grown up. Let's go. Your mom is waiting for us in the foyer, said she cooked your favorite."

"I'll be there. I'll just go grab Ethan." He pats me on the back again before going.

I look at the moon already showing up in the sky despite the fact that it's still 5 in the afternoon and smile to myself. Finally, everything is clicking into place, just like as it should have already been.