darkangel_0410 | Mine, chapter 15 (Reply)

A/N: Sorry this took a little bit to write; I wanted it to go in a completely different direction and the muses wanted something else. Once we talked it out, it was all good. Hope you like, peeps.

A/N2: Thanks again to everyone for the reviews/favorites/alerts. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so much. candy_belle, hope you like this chapter as much as the last, and I'm starting the new MMG one shot in a little bit. Special thanks to: energy_purple, I hope this week goes better then the last one for you and enjoy the new chapter. The muses love your feedback and they're still strutting around from the last one.

Justin sat on the ground, watching as the weervolven chased each other around, rough housing. Randy made his way through the pack, stopping to “talk” to everyone that was there.

“An Alpha's job is never done,” Chris said, going over to stand next the newborns. “They'll be going hunting after this,” he continued, looking over at Alex who was talking to Mike and Riley. “It's another chance for the pack to bond.”

Alex stood up and after petting Mike and Riley, headed back over to his mate and the newest members of the pack.

“What are we up to for the rest of the night?” Alex asked, resting his hand on Chris's lower back. Chris smirked but before he could say anything Randy trotted over to them.

Chris and Alex crouched down so they were even with Randy when he came over to talk to them. He rubbed his muzzle against both their cheeks before turning to do the same with Evan.

Evan tensed up a little, but relaxed once he realized what was going on. Randy turned to Justin and nuzzled his neck before lightly biting it. Justin was unable to stop the shiver of desire but he managed to stop himself from completely losing it.

Sabin, can you guys watch Justin and Evan for the night? Randy asked, looking slightly apologetic. I know you usually go hunting, but maybe you could bring them with you?

Justin and Evan both looked shock; Alex guessed that they didn't know they'd be able to hear Randy talking to them. What's wrong guys, a little freaked? Alex snickered.

This time Justin just rolled his eyes and Evan glared at him.

“Yeah, it's not a problem,” Chris assured their Alpha. “Don't know what we're doing yet, but keeping track of them is no big deal.”

“I feel like we're two,” Evan mumbled, looking down at the grass. “I know,” Justin sighed. “Wonder when we can be trusted by ourselves.”

“Probably not for a while yet,” Alex said cheerfully as he laid down in the grass. “Newborns usually stay with their Makers for years before they can go out on their own.”

I'll come by in the morning, Randy told Chris, ignoring the other three for now. I need to talk to Justin.

Talk, fuck his brains out, whatever, Chris teased. Randy playfully snapped at him before getting serious again.

I need to talk to you soon -and everyone else, Randy said. Matt had some news that you guys should know.

Is everything alright? Chris asked, running a hand through Randy's fur.

Yeah, I know we can handle this, Randy told him his vice firm. But we will need to discuss strategy. It'll hold for a couple days, though.

Chris nodded and stood up. If his Alpha said they could handle it, he believed him. Besides, Chris had a good idea what the problem might be.

I'm going to come for you in the morning, Randy assured Justin. But I need to do this first. He nuzzled Justin again before running over to the pack.

The vampires watched as Randy howled, starting the hunt and led them into the trees, Ted on his right and The Three ranging behind him.

Justin knew that the pack would always come first, but he still wanted Randy with everything that he was.

The next morning, Chris was sitting on the front porch when Evan wandered out of the house. Chris hoped John would get his ass into gear soon, Evan was started to look a little ragged around the edges and Chris knew it was only a matter of time before one of them snapped.

“Where is everyone?” Evan asked as he leaned against the railing. He looked around the front yard, not even sure what he was looking for.

“Alex went to drop Justin off at Randy's,” Chris said, smiling a little. “I'm sure everyone else will be by at some point.”

“Can I ask you something?” Evan said, a little hesitant. “Of course.” Chris assured him, curious.

“Justin. He's mated to Randy, isn't he?” “Yes,” Chris answered, smirking to himself. He could almost guarantee he knew where this conversation was going.

Alex broke through the trees, running full out for the house, a black streak on one side of him and a brown one on the other. Evan looked over as the three of them closed in on the porch.

Alex touched the steps just seconds before the other two. “Ha! I knew I could beat you two.”

I can't believe he beat us, Jay said mournfully. I'm never going to hear the end of this.

Jeff laughed, looking over his shoulder for his brother. Matt? Jeff called, tensing up when he realized he wasn't right behind him. Where are you?

I'm right here, Jeffro, Matt reassured him, walking with Adam. He broke the trees and waved to his brother.

Jeff barked happily and turned back to everyone else. Jay Changed back and sprawled out, leaning his weight on his elbows. Jeff laid down next to Jay, his eyes keeping track of where everyone was.

“How do you know when you're mated to someone?” Evan asked suddenly, looking at Chris.

He tried to look serious, but it was hard when he could feel Alex's amusement through their bond and on top of that, both Alex and Jay were laughing hysterically. Jay was doubled over, tears streaming down his face.

Holy fuck, I hope I get to see it when John finally gets his ass into gear, Alex told him gleefully. Evan's already figured out what's going on and he's going to be pissed when he sees Cena again.

Adam and Matt walked up to them, arranging themselves around everyone else. Alex was sitting on the step below Chris, in between his legs.

“Well, for me, as soon as Alex was any where near me, I felt it,” Chris answered, resting his hand on the back of Alex's neck. “Even before I saw him, I knew someone was following me. I wasn't scared, though; I kept staying behind and walking around by myself so I could get a look at whoever it was.

“Once I did see him, I could barely keep my hands to myself. I wanted to drag him onto the floor and fuck him into nest week -and that was before he even said anything to me,” Chris hesitated; he disliked talking about it but he figured Evan needed to understand that mating wasn't just about sex.

“The moment I saw him leaning against the wall and he looked over at me and our eyes met, I just knew that he was it for me and I knew he was meant for me, that we would be always be a part of each other. Everything changed in that second and I've never regretted it.”

Evan nodded seriously and wondered how in the hell this had happened to him. Forget everything else that had happened so far, he couldn't be mated to a werewolf. He just couldn't. Forever didn't happen any more; he had the proof of that with his own parents. Maybe it worked out fine for his new -he started to think 'friends' but something insisted that these weren't friends, that they wouldn't run out on him like all his other friends had. This was his family, his pack and they would never leave him behind. They would never trade him in for someone younger and cuter and better in bed.

He shoved that last thought aside viciously, this was not the time or place to think about his ex boyfriend. He needed to do something about this thing he had for John. Even his name had Evan's heart skipping a beat.

“What if it's a mistake?” Evan asked desperately, his voice cracking. “I mean, what if whoever's mated to whoever else isn't what that person needs? Or should even want?”

“Evan, look at me,” Adam said quietly, waiting for the newborn to look over before he went on. “Mating isn't a choice or even a decision you can make. It's not like a marriage or living with somebody. Mating is forever; it's a tie that goes down to your soul. He was chosen for you and that's it for you -for both of you.

“You can fight the mating, but it's not a good idea. I fought my mating for six months,” Adam told him, running his hand up and down jay's back when he came to sit next to him.

“For six months, I got angrier and angrier, my temper was short; I fought constantly with everyone. And I couldn't stand to be touched by anyone -and by the end of the six months, I didn't even want to be around anyone except for Jay.

“I was snapping at people -including my own Alpha. I was getting punished every other day for being disrespectful and I failed out school. I had no one to turn to, to talk to. My old pack wanted nothing to do with the mating. My father had been the one to tell me to fight it and even when he saw how miserable I was, he encouraged it. It wasn't hard to convince me; I believed that my father knew what was best.

“I felt alone and desperate and I missed my best friend. I missed being around him, I missed the sound of his voice and that stupid face he made when he was pissed. Hell, I even missed the way he would whine when he got tired.”

“I don't whine,” Jay murmured, nuzzling Adam's neck. Adam curled an arm around Jay, holding him against his side. He never took his eyes off of Evan though; he wanted to make sure that the newborn understood what he was saying was nothing but the truth. A truth he couldn't escape, no matter how much he might want to.

“Even worse then all that; worse then they way I felt, the way I was treating everyone, was the way it was affecting Jay. He got more and more depressed, he stopped laughing, stopped talking to people. He stopped being Jay. I watched as it got worse and worse. He wouldn't eat or play or do anything. He dropped out of school 'cause he stopped caring enough to get up in the morning.”

“I didn't want anything if I couldn't have you,” Jay remembered, and there was an old pain buried in his voice. Adam pulled Jay onto his lap and folded him into his embrace, resting his head on the top of Jay's. Jay sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself be coddled for once.

“And then one day when Jay actually went outside, I was there skulking around the outside of Jay's place, trying to get as close as I could to him with actually being with him. I followed him; thought I was being slick, keeping down wind and out of sight so he wouldn't know I was there.”

“I knew you were there.” Jay told him, rubbing his cheek against Adam's chest. “Of course you did, Angel,” Adam said, an amused fondness and love in his voice.

“He ran into an old friend of ours, Jesse,” and now there was a deep regret in Adam's voice, a sorrow that had never gone away. “Jesse moved away a few years before that and he had come back to visit. He didn't know about the mating, didn't know how volatile I had become. He did what any pack-mate and friend would do: when he was how upset Jay was, he hugged him.

“That's it. Just a hug and I think he might have patted Jay's back. I don't remember that part of it, to be honest. I saw someone else put his hands on Jay, on what was mine and I snapped. I completely lost it.

“I went after him and the only thing I can remember is Jay, crying and putting his hand on my shoulder. I looked down at him and I couldn't fight it any more. I hugged him and told him I was done fighting this, that I couldn't stay away from him any more.

“But it was too late for Jesse; he died a couple days later. I killed him. I lost control and injured him so badly that he couldn't recover from it. I was exiled from the pack, I was lucky they didn't kill me -or Jay since we had been mated by the time our old Alpha passed the sentence. I think they thought it would be more of a punishment that way, to be without a pack is the worst thing imaginable for most wolves.

“But even without the pack, I didn't care too much; I had Jay with me, finally and it was enough. We got lucky, luckier then I deserved. We ran into Randy's dad in Virginia and he spoke to Vince -the old Alpha- and we got admitted to the pack.

“Not a day goes by where I don't think of Jesse. It's my burden and the price I paid for fighting the mating. But even with the guilt over it and the regret, I would do it again -in a heartbeat. For Jay, I would do worse then that and not even think twice about it.

“He was meant for you, Evan, and there's no getting around that. The faster you deal with that and accept it, the better for you -and him.”

Evan nodded, his mouth dry. He was already drawn to John, that much he couldn't deny. And as he watched Adam comfort Jay, watched Chris exchange a look with Alex and then lean in give him a quick kiss, he realized that this was always what he had wanted. Someone to love him no matter what happened.

But did John want the same thing? Maybe he didn't even want Evan for a mate.

Evan took a deep breath -unnecessary, but it made him feel calmer. He decided to wait and talk to John before he completely panicked. They just needed to talk and then everything would work itself out, he hoped.