Liam
When I was born, my dad died.
With this information, you can see why it's tricky for me to celebrate my own birthday. It's a lot of emotional baggage for one simple kid.
My mom tried her best to not let it get to me. She always made sure I had something to celebrate ever since I was a child. She never let my birthday pass me by, though it hurt her deeply to be remembered of his passing.
Eventually, with time it hurt less and less but it never escaped me the sacrifice she makes every time she celebrates my birth.
My mom is a remarkable woman. A lesser person would blame me somehow. Because if it weren't for me, neither of us (me and her) would've survived.
You know the story already. And survivor's remorse is real.
But that is on April. And no, we haven't time jumped. It's January, Sunday before school returns.
There is also another day. Another date.
One very special to my mom.
She quietly celebrates it every single year since my father is gone. I'm talking about my dad's birthday, of course.
Yes, it's today.
I woke up next to my mate inside the guest room of the Alpha residence. Considering we're mated, his parents don't see any problem in me sleeping here alone with George.
Since we're on the last weekend of the winter break, he invited me over and I was happy to oblige. Plus, any time together with my mate is a win in my book.
George rolls over to my side of the bed and looks at me frowning.
"Good morning, mate. Are you okay?" - He asked me, sounding concerned.
"Morning, mate. I'm fine. Today is my father's birthday and it reminded me of my mom. I need to be there for her." - I replied and he looked at me guiltily.
"I'm sorry for your loss." - He kissed me gently on the cheek.
I smiled weakly at him. I don't mean to bring the mood down, but I can't escape this day. It is what it is. My dad is dead, has been for 18 years. I haven't known him, but my mom never forgot about him.
"Thanks, George. It's fine. I'm just gonna grab some breakfast and go to the pack house to talk to my mom, see what she wants to do today. Do you mind if I stay with her all day?" - I asked him, politely.
"Of course not! Do what you gotta do! Be there for her!" - He told me in an incisive tone. I smiled and kissed his forehead.
Some time later, we get downstairs for breakfast at the kitchen. The Alpha couple is setting up the table and Charlie is already there taking his seat.
We all greet each other and I bow my head to the Alpha.
"Did you sleep alright?" - Luna Tyler asked us.
"Yes, sir. It was great, thanks for having me." - I replied with a modest smile.
"You're always welcome, son." - He replied promptly and I lowered my head for a bit, a saddened expression taking over me.
Alpha, Luna and Charlie all looked at each other, not understanding my reaction.
"Is there something wrong, Liam?" - Alpha Stonehold asked me in a concerned tone.
"No, sir. Everything is fine. It's just that today is my father's birthday. I mean, it would've been." - I replied with a saddened tone.
They all breathed out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Please give my respects to your mom when you see her." - He said with a somber tone.
Luna Tyler serve up some hot pancakes and I grab myself some, pouring some syrup on top of it.
"Thank you sir, I will." - I replied to him before I stuffed my mouth.
The mood is uncomfortable and everyone is silent at the table, but I'm not gonna lie. It is what it is. I can't change it. Believe me, I really wish that I could.😓
Half an hour later, my mate dropped me off at the pack house - he had picked me up the day before - and I went straight to my mom's room.
When she opened the door, it looked like she's been crying. It instantly made me worried for her, though it's not exactly unexpected.
She always cries on this day.
"Did your have breakfast?" - I asked her in a concerned tone.
"Of course, whether I do or not I have to pay for it anyway." - She replied in a "duh" tone.
I'm telling you people here are stickler for rules, not that I blame them particularly. If we didn't have them, this place wouldn't be suitable for children to live.
Plus, let's not forget this is the house where foreign dignitaries stay when they visit. And where the Alpha and Beta work.
"Good. Do you want us to drive to dad's burial site? We can take the car and make it a day. Mother and son road trip." - I suggested it with an uplifting tone.
"Son, I'm not gonna spend 6 hours driving just to visit your father's tombstone. He lives on inside my heart. Plus, I work tomorrow and don't wanna arrive at the crack of dawn. Not to mention you have school tomorrow too." - She shot it down with a sour tone.
"It's fine, mom. No problem, so tell me a story about him. Just not anything involving how I was made." - I smirked, she frowned at this.
I snuggle to her side of the bed and lay my head on her lap. She caresses my head, messing with my hair like she used to do when I was little. I always liked having a long hairdo, especially for this reason. I'm such a mama's boy. And proud of it.
"When I was in high school, I dated this jock from 16 until I turned 18, we were inseparable. We really thought we were going to be mates!" - She started, like so many stories of teen wolves start.
"It's funny because before my birthday, I was so convinced that he's gonna be the one that I even managed to persuade my parents to let him sleep in my room..."
"Mom!" - I cried out with a disgusted look on my face. She slapped my arm lightly.
"To sleep, Liam! Only to sleep!" - She defended herself, outraged at the insinuation.🙄
"Anyway, when I woke up I rolled over to greet him... He slept on the floor by the way, my dad demanded it. And then bam! Nothing." - She startled me with her loud 'bam'.
"I cried my eyes out that day! I was so inconsolable! It took me almost an hour just to calm myself down and get through breakfast." - She continued, dramatically.
"My parents wished me happy birthday and all that jazz, but still I was a wreck. We went to school, Josh and me, and as soon as we arrived there... Bam!" - She startled me again.
"You found dad?" - I asked her, turning my head up to face her.
"No! My friends all consoled us for not being mated to each other. Everyone was gobsmacked at the news." - She replied, making me roll my eyes in frustration.
"It took me a while to find my mate, actually. He wasn't at school when I arrived. I went through the corridors, scoured everywhere for my mate and nothing..." - She creates a suspense.
"Funny enough, I was asked to accompany a girl friend of mine, Kara, to see her mate training during wrestling practice. I wasn't in the mood, to be honest. But she insisted she didn't want to go alone, so I went along for support." - She said with a smile forming in the corner of her mouth.
"I had barely stepped one foot inside the gym and then BAM! My eyes shone. Suddenly, all the boys stopped what they were doing and looked at me and another boy who was practicing, whose eyes glowed like never before." - She narrated with a wide smile, replaying the scene in her head.
"He came closer to me and he said that he secretly wished I was his mate. And that he always had a crush on me." - She spoke with a mischievous grin.
"Come on! Really? He said that?" - I'm gasping at the revelation.
"I swear, he did. He asked me out on a date that very day. But I took my time until completing the bond. So you take after me." - She bragged, grinning.
"Did you get strike by heat too?" - I asked her, with my eyebrows shot up.
"No, I didn't. But I was probably days away from it." - She admitted, confidently.
There was a brief silence that fell afterwards.
"Mom, do you think dad would've accepted me the way that I am? Even though I'm not warrior material and mated to a boy?" - I asked her, fearfully.
"What?" - She frowned in confusion at my question.
"Of course! He would have loved you! What are you on about? Your father was so open minded! He even had a queer friend who he defended with teeth and nails. Are you kidding me? He would've loved you, puppy! As much as I do." - She reassured me and kissed my forehead. I smiled at the thought.
We spent the day together, reminiscing on the stories about my dad. We cried some times, not gonna lie. But we also had lunch and I stayed over with her right until dinner.
It was melancholic, but necessary.
On Monday, my mate insisted on picking me up for school. Even though the pack house is in the opposite direction of the compound exit, he was adamant about it. I offered no objections.
We arrived together with Charlie and Junior - who took a seat on the back of the car, gracefully.
There's a small phenomenon that happens when school comes back from a long break.
Every senior student whose birthday was on the last two weeks gets mated today when they return to school.
It's curious to see the shining eyes and who'll be mated to whom. We greet his friends who wish us a happy new year and...
"You've completed the bond?" - George shouted at his friend, who blushed under his shocked gaze.
"So did you, I see." - Miriam replied, shyly. She wasn't seeing it, it's just an expression. Her mate mark isn't visible either. But we can scent it, as I've said before. No one can hide a fresh mate mark from a werewolf.
And up to a month from completing the bond, it's still very much fresh.
"Yeah, but I always wanted to. I never made a secret of it." - He smirked, glancing over at me. I blushed a little.
"I'm done running away from my fate. Jefferson Stockwell is my mate. There's nothing I can do about it, except for all the things I can do to him as a mate." - She replied, cryptically.
"Well, I'm happy if you're happy. Plus, you can't be on heat medicine forever." - George snickered.
As George, Justin, Miriam and Mia got caught up, Junior went looking for his mate. I took the opportunity to go greet my friend.
"Happy New Year, bitch!" - I hugged Seb as soon as I saw him, who was happy to see me.
"Happy New Year! How are you doing?" - He said in a chipper tone.
"Well, I'm gagged that you never told me you're a Stonehold. How could you not have said that to me?" - I frown in accusation.
"Because I'm not. I'm an Adams." - He rebuked in a duh tone.
"Sure, bitch. How was the rest of the year? Did you get any more 'D'?" - I asked him point blank.
"I wish! No, he hasn't texted me once. I think he's done with me. Moved on to greener pastures." - He replied with a sorrowed expression.
"I'm sorry, Seb. Maybe you'll get mated today." - I tried to comfort him.
"Goddess forbids! Only girls had birthdays in December. Are you kidding me?" - He snickered.
"Do you keep track of all the senior birthdays?" - I questioned him, gobsmacked.
"Of course! You never know when today is the day..." - He smirked. We walk towards the classroom but since I have the first few periods free, I go to the library instead.
LATER on...
"Congratulations to all the students who got mated today back to school. Remember, it's about the journey, not the destination." - The teacher told us with a happy mood.
We're all in class for the third period.
"Also, congratulations to Liam and George, Miriam and Jeff for completing the bond. May your union be happy." - She continued, putting the spot on us.
We blushed under the stares, though Jeff looked radiantly happy.
"When I was in high school, there was this girl who was very beautiful - still is - and she was very successful with the boys. However, there was this one boy who she kept pursuing but never got anything from him, Jack." - She told us, causing the class to glance at George.
"Even after Jack got mated, she still hit on him in front of Tyler, I might add. It drove him crazy at the time." - She continued, causing George to gasp.
"Anyway, one day this girl got mated to one of my friends. A stand up guy named Peter. When they discovered each other, eyes shining, he did the acceptance speech. They were in the middle of the school hall." - She told us, building up suspense.
"She looked at him, silently. She did not say anything back. We're all thinking: is she gonna reject him? What's gonna happen?" - She gestures as she tells the story with raised eyebrows.
"She came close to him, removed his shirt right then in the hall..." - She continued in a low tone.
A collective gasp can be heard by all the students.
"Then, she unzipped his pants and stretched his underwear, taking a look of the crown jewelry." - She spoke with a dreadful realization.
We're all gobsmacked at this. She did that to her own mate? Damn!
"Afterwards, she put him back together and accepted the bond. Peter was mortified. Let me tell you: her parents were not amused by this." - She snickered.
"But my point with this story is: Peter and Daisy are one of the happiest couples I know. It doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish that's important." - She concluded.
We all take a collective breath after that story.
"Is this the same Peter my dad saw his eyes shining before everyone?" - George asked, curiously.
"Yes, George. How did your dad know he was going to be mated when it wasn't even his birthday we'll never know." - She replied, still baffled.
"He did the same to me on the day that I got mated. It wasn't my birthday either." - George replied, contemplative looking at me. I blushed under his piercing gaze.
"Wait, are you talking about aunt Daisy and uncle Peter?" - Justin asked her, shocked. She's also an Underwood, his father's younger sister.
"Yes, Justin. I am." - She confirmed. He gasped.
2 WEEKS LATER.
The teacher entered the classroom like any other day, but as soon as she did, she went white like a ghost.
"Oh my Goddess!" - She shouted, looking at us shocked.
"What happened, Mrs. Stewart? Is your mate okay?" - I asked her, worriedly.
After she told us that day that she can feel when her mate encounters a fright, we're all a little spooked when she gets like this.
I mean, I find it very hard that this pack is going to be attacked. But you never know...🤔
"My mate is fine, Liam. It's not that. It's just..." - She trailed off, looking around the classroom.
"I'm sorry to be the one to say this, but someone here is pregnant." - She announced it, dropping the information like a bomb on all the students.
Patricia looked at Junior. Jeff stared at Miriam. George glanced over at me, devastated.
I'm floored. I'm utterly gobsmacked. Overwhelmed. How could I possibly have been this stupid to become a teen dad?😪
A|N: BAM!
You're not gonna believe the next chapter!
It's incredibly stuffed with reveal upon reveal you're gonna be at the edge of your seat.
Fun fact: I didn't know about this song (or band), I researched and found it because I needed the "daddy issues".
Next chapter is also called daddy issues (different song).
Love,
Léo.