Landon

I am very nervous.

I know I hold all the cards for today's negotiation with the Blood Moon pack, but somehow I get butterflies in my stomach over this meeting.

I don't know why exactly. They are coming here at my request. I mean, their Beta is. The Staedler boy is just a harmless plus one that I won't even have to deal with.

Still, I cannot shake this nervousness regarding this particular meeting.

I am prepared for this. I went over the talking points with Beta Carillon. I know what I want from them and I know what I can offer. I am good to go, eagerly.

Everything and everyone is ready to welcome them as soon as they arrive to our pack. My mom even told the kitchen staff to prepare a nice meal for our lunch together later on.

In all honesty, the only thing I am actually excited about the negotiations is asking them about starting a program to exchange unmated pack members between our towns.

I look forward to meeting their single folk, but I have a vested interest in this deal.

I hate this feeling of helplessness that comes with being unmated. And if I could be Alpha without a mate, I probably wouldn't be feeling like such a loser...

Besides, I am a little lonely. It's almost July now and the last time I saw a dick other than my own was in February. Damn, I miss college... No, the mated warriors I see occasionally in the locker room don't count.

Most of the people I know around my age are mated. I don't see many humans in my day to day life, least of all queer people like me. I don't mean to sound like college was a non stop orgy - it wasn't, not for me at least, but there were hundreds of horny people like myself in Austin.

Considering the vast majority of students were humans, the pool of possibilities for me were large. Here I am thinking I would be mated at this point. I need to see my friends...

A few of us get together once in a while to drink and commiserate. The few people left unmated in this town that are around my age. I love talking to Stavo, he is absolutely great, but there are things that he simply cannot relate to, therefore he can't understand.

"Good morning, family." I greeted my mom and siblings as I made my way inside the dining room.

"Good morning, son. Are you ready for our guests?" Mom replied in her usual chipper tone.

"I'm ready for a guest, yeah. The other one I delegated to Stavo." I replied in a matter of fact tone.

"I see. Here I thought you two would have some common ground to bond over." Mom winked at me, playfully reprehensible.

"No offense mom, but I highly doubt he's coming here to bond with me. After everything that happened, I wouldn't be surprised if he secretly comes in with a knife ready." I said in a snarky tone, frightening my siblings in the process.

"I have arranged for warriors to be stationed all around the pack house during their visit, though I highly doubt they would risk their lives by attempting anything of that nature here." Mom declared, irritated at me for bringing this up now.

"I can't believe you talk with Beta Carillon more frequently than I do." I sideways glared at her.

"That's because I have been Luna of this pack for more than two decades, having been mated to an Alpha since I was 17. I have the experience and political savvy to back up my play." She boasted, proudly.

My siblings and I stare at our mom in awe of her.

"Hats off to you, ma'am." I conceded, mimicking taking off a hat to her.

"Plus, I have known Javier since he was 10. He trusts my judgment." She stated, before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Touché, Luna." I can't argue with that, nor do I want to.

"Anyway, back to my original point, I'm glad Stavo can take him around town while I negotiate with Beta Wilmont. I'm very excited to put in motion the unmated exchange program." I said, giddy with excitement at the prospect.

"Well, you are definitely running out of options..." She commented, raising her eyebrows in concern for me.

"Thanks for reminding me, mother." I rolled my eyes, feeling annoyed.

After breakfast, I went to my office while I waited for my guest to arrive.

"Good morning, Regent. I cleared your schedule for the day because of your meeting. But since you're here, there are documents on your desk to be signed. Also, the Council is not very happy with the expense report from your revenge plan." Lourdes greeted me with her signature modest smile.

"Are you freaking kidding me? Would they rather I'd risk actual lives instead of sending drones? Well, they can go fuck themselves if they're waiting for an apology from me. It 's my pack. My money. My decision." I shouted, eyes glowing in anger.

She was taken aback by my angry disposition and lowered her head in submission, instinctively. I felt bad about the situation immediately.

"I'm sorry for yelling, Lourdes. I promise you this has nothing to do with you. If they want to talk to me, my door is open but I'll be dead before I apologize for a successful plan. Because of that action, they are coming here to discuss terms of surrender." I spoke, sounding determined.

"I agree with you, Regent." She stated, surprising me. Legitimately, I gasped in shock.

"Really?" I double checked, wide eyed.

"Why should you send dozens of warriors that they would see coming a mile away instead of surprising them with an attack no one could've predicted. If you ask me, you acted wisely instead of playing into their hands like they thought you would. Good for you." She argued, freaking me out a bit.

I am so used to her judging stare after these few months together that this is a win in its own right. Though she is old enough to be my sister, sometimes she acts like a mom.

"Thank you, Lourdes. That means the world to me. In fact, it means much more than some bureaucrat council person. I would work for free for the rest of my life to pay off this debt if I have to." I declared, boastfully.

I don't really need the money. That is not why I want to be Alpha of this pack.

"Sorry, Regent. But it's gonna be up to your brother in a year or two." She said, feeling sorry for me. I was riding such a high, but I guess there is no escaping the harrowing truth.

"I know, Lourdes. I meant it as a figure of speech. Like I said, it's my decision and I stand by it. If they want to debate my success, my door is always open. Please excuse me." I said, walking towards my office.

Some time later, she came in to tell me they had arrived. As I made my way towards the conference room located inside the pack house, I noticed all the extra warriors stationed around the place. My mom wasn't kidding when she said she got extra security for today.

There were also two warriors stationed inside the conference room. I greeted Beta Wilmont cordially and we spent a few hours going over my demands for the truce. Javier acted as a buffer when the discussion turned heated, but overall I got everything that I wanted. Just like I knew I would.

I also made some concessions to please their leadership. I knew I had to do it going into the discussion. But I don't mind it as long as we can broker a long withstanding peace. I don't want another son to ever have to lose a father to this ridiculous feud, that's the Goddess' honest truth.

"Beta, you are cordially invited to have lunch with us. My mom had a special meal prepared in your honor." I told him at the end of the negotiations.

"Thank you, Regent. I'll gladly take you up on it. But I'm afraid I must wait for my companion to return. He must be hungry too, at this point." He replied politely.

"Of course, let's go to the entrance hall and wait for him. I'm sure he and my son are on their way back by now." Javier suggested in a cordial tone.

As we walked towards the entrance, Lourdes caught me midway and told me there was a phone call I had to take in my office. I didn't want to be disturbed, but since we had to wait for them to be back anyway, I went along with her.

SOME TIME LATER, we are inside the dining room and I can barely believe I just found my mate. Right here inside my home.

"I agree with you, Beta. The Goddess probably thought to end this feud by pairing the unlikeliest of mates. It's the only reason I can think of, to not be paired with an omega." - I argued, trying to ignore the [other] elephant in the room.

"Hey, I would like to have a family too! I'm just as surprised by this pairing as you are!" Harry spoke, glaring at me.

"There are ways for both of you to get what you want. It might be more complicated, but it's not the end of the world. Humans have been doing it for decades now." Mom chimed in, trying to defuse the tension lingering in the air.

"You're right, mom. It's not an unsolvable problem." I agreed, breathing out a sigh.

"I think the unsolvable problem is the fact that I am mated to a murderer." Harry stated and literally everyone gasped in shock at his comment.

"Harry!" Beta Wilmont glared daggers at him, reprehensibly.

"What? He's not gonna kill his own mate..." He said in a 'duh' tone, looking at his Beta.

"I didn't kill anyone. I'm not a murderer. I only acted after my father was taken violently and needlessly." I said through gritted teeth.

"Tell that to my ten year old cousin who died holding my aunt's arm, coughing up blood in the middle of the town square." He rebuked, causing those who were present to get queasy, especially my young sister.

"They told me the product would be harmless to children who don't shift yet." I countered, getting angry at this line of conversation.

"I think we are getting sidetracked here. This is not the moment or the place to discuss such matters. What is done is done. What you two should be doing is discussing the future of your packs." Mom interjected, looking at the both of us with a pleading gaze.

"I'm sorry for the graphic details, ma'am. I didn't mean to upset your children." He apologized, remorsefully.

"It's fine, Mr. Staedler. I understand both of you have a lot to overcome with all the bad blood between our families. But the Goddess mated you two for a reason." Mom argued in a soft tone.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You are probably right. But I can't get past everything that happened. It still hurts too much." He responded, lowering his head for a moment. I could see - and feel - his pain. Now more than ever.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him, worriedly. I couldn't mask the desperation in my tone even if I wanted to. I have a dreadful feeling where this is going...

"I don't know what to say to you. I didn't expect this to happen. I didn't even want to come here, my father was the one who insisted." He replied, stuttering in nervousness.

"You don't have to make any decision just yet, Harrison. Take your time, enjoy the rest of your lunch." Mom intervened, trying to avoid what I so desperately wanted to avoid as well.

He tried to eat, but couldn't anymore. I could see how this mating was eating him inside. I am not exactly thrilled myself. I never expected to be mated to him either.

"When we were in high school, all of us expected Landon to get mated to his boyfriend. The two of them were perfect together. He is an omega, comes from a great family, all of us were shocked after Landon's birthday and they didn't get paired with each other." Gustavo chimed in, tempered.

"Little did we know later on, that not only this person didn't get mated to the ascending Alpha, but he was in fact mated to his best friend." He continued, shocking Harry - and Lucas - with the story.

"We had no idea this would happen. We could have let it destroy our friendship, but instead we learned our lesson and I accepted my mate. There was no other choice to be made and we only grew from this terrible situation." Gustavo concluded, his voice was a little emotional from having to retell this tale.

He is absolutely right. We could have let that destroy our friendship, but we persevered instead. It's not up to us to understand the ways of the Goddess.

"I understand what you're trying to say, Carillon. And I had no idea about Grayson... But it's not the same. What happened to you happens in almost every pack, that's why teenagers shouldn't date before mating. But we never listen..." Harry said with a voice wrought with emotions.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, Luna. Thanks for having us." He declared, getting up from the table.

"That's it? You're not even gonna fight for us?" I stood up to confront him, desperately. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

"I can't be mated to my family's..." He trailed off, staring at me overwhelmed with emotions.

"I didn't ask for this either! I never asked for any of this!" I exclaimed, now sobbing.

He stared at me for a silent minute, then motioned Beta Wilmont to go with him.

"Please don't do this, mate! I've been waiting years to find you! Don't reject our connection, I beg of you!" I pleaded with him before he left the dining room.

He walked silently with his companion, avoiding my gaze. I stood there, crying. But before he left, he dealt the final blow.

"I'm sorry but I have no other choice... I REJECT YOU AS MY MATE." He declared in tears, before exiting the place and leaving me in shambles. Beta Carillon accompanied them to the garage, looking dreadful because of my rejection.

My mom had my siblings and everyone else clear the dining room. She hugged me for the longest time, comforting me.

"Why mom? Why did this have to happen to me? Why mate me to a person who doesn't want me? I don't deserve this. I did nothing wrong!" I cried out, desperately.

"You're right. You don't deserve this, son. You didn't ask for any of this to happen. I'm so sorry." She tried to console me, not that anything she said could comfort me.

I spent so much time dreaming of finding my mate, but I never could have anticipated this would happen. Not in a million years.

I bawled my eyes out in never ending tears that didn't seem to stop.

Eventually, my mom took me back to my room and left me there to rest.

I was so hopeful, looking forward to finding my mate - even if he was from that pack. But I never could've imagined this would be my fate. If before I was Regent for the lack of mate, now it is even worse. Much worse.

Now I am the reject. I still cannot be Alpha, now more so than ever before.

Crying alone in my bedroom, I never felt so lonely. Before I had a shimmer of hope, now I know I am destined to be forever alone, untethered, unaccompanied, mateless for the rest of my miserable life.

I may have brought their pack to heel, but it feels like they defeated me.

No matter what I do, I will always be on my own.

A|N: BOOM!

This was my absolute favorite drama show growing up (Dawson's Creek). This scene is so pivotal for the show. I remember loving when I first watched it. It's also the first contact I ever had with this song, way before I watched "Les Miserables".

Love,

Léo.