Chapter 2

Third Person's POV 

Ezra can feel Silas's eyes burning a hole in the side of his head as he walks from the buffet to his table. 

He knows his guardian's words without hearing them. “You promised you wouldn't do that while I was away with my mate. You knew Ian and I were looking forward to this. Why would you go against your word? I trusted you!…” 

Ezra drops down into his seat next to his brother. Grayson turns his head and looks at the young man sitting next to him, who has short dark hair that probably took way too long to style. 

“Are you okay?” Grayson asked through the link. 

Ezra took a deep breath and then slowly let it out before turning to look at his brother. 

“I let him down,” Ezra replied through the link.

Grayson frowns and looks down momentarily before looking at Silas.

“I don't think it's as bad as you think. It's not like we went off and did stupid stuff like humans do. We were looking for Nadja. He's only worried about you. He's your guardian, that's his job.” Grayson said through the link, and Ezra slowly turned his head, looked at his brother, and stared at him for a moment. 

“When did you get so serious on me?” Ezra asked out loud, and Grayson rolled his eyes before taking a bite of hash browns. 

Both boys look up when Coal drops heavily into the seat beside Grayson. The anger rolling off of him was palpable. The Alpha raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head, trying to get a good look at his future Beta's face.

“Something wrong?” Grayson asked, his curiosity piqued. 

The tri-brid with Alpha blood let out an exaggerated breath before his eyes moved to Grayson. 

“Oh, nothing, just my father's cocky ass always trying to prove a point on the training field. Which, of course, ends with me looking like an idiot and scraping my ass off the fucking ground after he's done!” Coal complained before shoveling a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. 

Lydia snorted as she sat beside her brother, lightly shoving him with her elbow. 

“You need to throw our father on his ass next time! Now that would be funny!” 

“Oh, would it?” Xavier's deep and loud voice startled the Beta female, and she jumped before slumping down into her seat, trying to hide from her father, who was sitting two tables away.

“I can still see you, Lydia!” Xavier smirked, and Theo giggled. 

“Where's Tate?” Grayson asked before shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth. 

“Sucking face with Chloe behind the pack house the last time I saw him,” Vivian said and then made a gagging gesture before bringing the bag of blood to her mouth. 

“You might think it's gross now, but wait until you're 18. You'll be dreaming about sucking face with your mate.” Lydia smirked.

Vivian looked at Lydia and then opened her mouth, placed her finger inside, and made a gagging motion, letting her sister know just how gross she thought that idea was. 

“Have you heard from Evelyn since she went home?” Ezra asked, and Grayson sighed. 

“No. I was thinking we should go over there after we're done training. I can talk to Evelyn, and you can go feed off that cute little Omega you like. What's his name?” Grayson teased.

“Dylan. And I don't necessarily like him. But his blood is sweet, and he's fun to play with.” Ezra said, his eyes flashing red when he briefly thought of that fun.

Ezra rapidly blinks his eyes after receiving an elbow to the ribs. The soon-to-be vampire King glares at his brother as he holds his side. 

“Stop thinking dirty thoughts while sitting next to me! I don't want to smell your arousal!” 

Ezra growled as he shoved Grayson, and the young Alpha laughed. 

“I'm pretty sure a human growls better than that!” Grayson said, and Ezra hissed at his brother before throwing a croissant at his head. 

Grayson quickly caught it after it bounced off his head. Grayson leaned towards Ezra, playfully growling as he took a bite of the croissant. Ezra groaned as he shoved his brother's head away. 

“You're an idiot!”

“You need to work on your growl!” Grayson flashed a smile at the glare he was receiving from Ezra. 

                                                   ~

Her lips were soft, her skin was warm, and she smelled like roses. Tate swallowed the soft moan that escaped Chloe. His hands wandered under her shirt as their tongues slowly danced. He felt Goosebumps rising on her skin as his fingers glided against her silky, smooth body. 

He hears her heart racing and feels her chest rapidly rising and falling against his chest. Her round, firm breast presses against his chest, and he groans, wishing they were someplace private so he can strip her of the annoying fabric that's shielding his eyes from her body. 

Tate has known Chloe since kindergarten. They were best friends as children.

Those platonic feelings of friendship began to evolve as they grew older. They kept those feelings to each other as long as they could until one day they were wrestling in the woods…

Chloe's laughter rang out as Tate tackled her, and then she shrieked as they tumbled down the hill together. The dizzying tumble ended at the bottom of the hill with Chloe on top of Tate. 

Tate's chest shook as he laughed, his arms wrapped around Chloe. Her breath fanned his neck as she laughed. The warm breath against his neck caused Tate to freeze and he closed his eyes. His heart raced with each warm breath fanning his neck. Her breath smelt like cinnamon, and he wondered if her kiss would taste like it, too.

Chloe pulled her head back as she continued to laugh. Her eyes twinkled as she looked down at Tate, causing his heart to skip a beat. Chloe's laughter ceased, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the way Tate looked at her. 

His eyes moved across her face, taking in her beauty. Her breath hitched when his hand lifted towards her face and tucked the hair behind her ear before trailing his fingers along her face. 

At 16, he wished he knew what the Moon Goddess had planned for him. The feelings he felt for Chloe were undeniable. She had to be the one! Everything in his heart told him she was. 

Chloe's eyes go to Tate's lips when his tongue darts out and licks them. 

Her breath stutters when his thumb glides across her bottom lip and gently pulls down. 

“Tate,” She whispered so quietly, so breathlessly. 

The Alpha bear responded with his head lifting off the ground. Chloe's heart felt like it would beat out of her chest as his lips came closer. 

Lips she had so many times dreamed of tasting lightly brushed against hers, and her eyes closed. Chloe's hand goes to the back of Tate's head, gripping it as she closes the distance and presses their lips together. 

Tate moaned when his tongue slid into her mouth and finally tasted her kiss. It was even better than he dreamed it would be. The Alpha bear rolled them, pressing her against the ground as he deepened the kiss. 

The submissive Delta 1 was left breathless and dazed. After she snapped out of it, she shoved Tate off of her and stood up, brushing herself off. 

“We can't do this! I'm saving myself for my mate! I can't do this with you!” Chloe said, bringing her hands to her lips with mixed feelings. She loved everything about that kiss and wanted more. But she hated herself for giving her first kiss away to someone who might not even be her mate.

“I think you are my mate. You have to be! I know you feel it, too!” Tate said, reaching for Chloe's arm, but she pulled back. Chloe exhaled as she turned for a moment and then turned back to face him. 

“We're only 16! How would we ever know who our mate is?” 

“What else would this be? Don't you feel it?” Tate sighs as he grabs her hand and places it against his chest, over his heart. 

Chloe's eyes closed. She felt his heart beating against her hand, and her eyes filled with tears. 

“There's something there between us. I feel a pull to you. It has to be the bond. I think about you all the time! I've dreamed of kissing you for so long!” he said, and Chloe struggled harder not to cry. She failed, and tears fell when she opened her eyes.

“I love you, Chloe! I have for so long now. We have to be mates! You consume my every thought!

I look forward to seeing you each morning, and you're the last thought before I go to sleep.” Chloe drops her forehead against Tate's chest, her shoulders shaking as she cries. 

“And what if we're not?”

“We are!”

“But if we're not?”

“Then I'll reject my given mate and take you as my claimed mate,” Tate said, and Chloe's head snapped up as she sucked a breath in. Her wide eyes looked at Tate, and then she shook her head. 

“No!... You can't reject your mate! You can't reject the one the Moon Goddess made for you. You and I both know how strong the pull is to a mate. We're surrounded by mates. We learn about it from our parents, family, and in school! You and I both know if I'm not your mate and it turns out to be someone else, you'll never be able to walk away from them.”

“I can, and I will!”

“I won't!” Chloe said, and it felt like someone punched him in the gut and knocked the wind from his lungs.

“And I won't let you either. It's unfair to them, and it goes against our Goddess.”...

Afterward, things returned to as normal as they could between Chloe and Tate. The awkwardness disappeared after a few months, and things seemed to return to normal. 

It wasn't until they were 17 that those feelings became stronger and harder to resist, especially when those around them began speculating that they were mates. 

Everyone swore they were going to be mates, even their parents, with the exception of Xavier and Theo. Xavier was skeptical and wanted his son to wait. Theo was scared his son would end up hurt, and so would the Delta. 

Damien was already planning their celebration for the moment they found out they were mates, months before they even turned 18. 

It made it much harder for them to resist their feelings and easier for them to let go and embrace each other… Two months after they turned 17, they finally caved. 

And now here they are, wrapped in each other's kisses, praying that in three months, they will find out they're mates.