Brody had never given much thought to his mate, not since he had the entire fate of his pack thrust upon him unexpectedly. He had been focusing on his pack, on learning more, on worrying about his future as a leader. The last thoughts on his mind were about his future mate, that one person that was supposed to be made for you, that was supposed to complete you, that one person that would give meaning to your life. He did not, not even once, imagine that he would be standing face-to-face with his mate while at Alpha camp.
We can't be mates, he kept telling himself, there's no way, there's no way that we are mates.
Brody stared up at Nate with wide, shocked eyes. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea, and yet the thought of mate, mate, mate, was swimming around his mind and clouding every thought in his head.
His mate was supposed to be a petite brunette omega or maybe even a blonde beta who would be nice and kind, if he was lucky. His mate definitely wasn't supposed to be his very, very male best friend, who was also very much another Alpha.
He watched in confusion as Nate's shocked expression dropped off his face after a few seconds, being replaced by a wide smile. Brody wondered if Nate had gone crazy, why was he happy about this? This wasn't right, this must be a mistake. Brody didn't understand how this was even possible. There were no mistakes when it came to mates, not that he knew of anyway. It felt as if he was in a dream, a dream of some alternate reality where things were different, and if that was true then maybe a smile would have also graced Brody's lips at that exact moment, but it didn't. Brody's expression was the opposite of a smile, there was no happiness in his expression.
Nate spoke, 'I can't believe it,' His words weren't confused and shocked like Brody's would have been if he had been the one to say the words, instead, Nate's voice was filled with an almost wonder.
Brody just looked at him with wide emerald eyes.
'You feel it, don't you?' Nate smiled that thousand watt smile as he spoke. Nate seemed to be so wrapped up in his own head that he didn't even realise that Brody wasn't sharing his same enthusiasm for this apparent mate match.
Brody nodded tentatively. He felt it, he felt the connection the instant that their eyes met. It was so thick and real that the connection between them was almost like a tangible thing that joined them together. Brody's entire body was screaming at him to reach out and to touch Nate, wanting to feel the sparks that he had been told he would feel. To feel that connection between them deepen.
Nate seemed to have the same feelings, as Brody was suddenly wrapped inside of two large, muscular arms. Nate pressed their bodies together, bringing his head down to rest against the nook created where Brody's shoulder and collarbone met.
The stench of alcohol automatically flooded Brody's senses and he scrunched up his nose for an instant before the real scent of Nate hit him. He was suddenly able to smell Nate much more clearly than he ever had. Usually Nate smelt like, well, Nate, a scent unique to him, but now Nate smelled like so much more. He smelt like the most delicious blend of musk and flowery scents, and Brody felt at home surrounded by the beautiful smell. Nate seemed to have rediscovered Brody's scent also, with the way that he was sniffing Brody's neck.
Everywhere that Nate touched seemed to produce little sparks that instantly calmed Brody, and he felt utterly relaxed and safe in his hold. This scared Brody more, and he felt as if he had to fight against the calmness because it wasn't right.
But it is right, Brody thought, it's the most right thing that you have felt in your life.
Yet he pulled back, pushing Nate away from him, and taking a step back. He did it gently, he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, but there must have been a mistake. There was no other explanation.
Nate looked shocked and concerned, 'What's wrong?'
Brody shook his head, 'This isn't right,' he muttered under his breath, but Nate heard it.
'What?' Nate looked heartbroken, but Brody didn't focus on this. The image of Nate's shocked and hurt face was looked over as Brody's mind turned at a hundred miles a minute, that image filed in the back of Brody's mind.
'We can't be mates, it's a mistake,' Brody explained, taking another step backwards, almost tripping over his own feet. His hand unconsciously came up to rest on his neck where his family's names lay pressed in delicate ink against his skin. His mate's name was supposed to join that list one day.
'No,' Nate shook his head, stepping through the threshold into the room. 'There are no mistakes when it comes to mates.' Nate looked so serious about his words, like he didn't doubt them for one second.
Brody had to explain it to him. He wondered how Nate didn't already know all of this, 'There must be a mistake, two males being mates is like one in a thousand. A male Alpha having a male mate has never happened, let alone a male Alpha being mated to another male Alpha,' Brody explained using logic. He had to think logically, because the second that he stopped he knew that he could just jump into Nate's arms to feel that safe, warm feeling of being with his mate. Yet, Brody couldn't accept that.
Nate refused to believe what Brody was saying, 'Brody,' Nate said. 'I know you feel it, this connection we have. It's stronger than anything I have felt in my life. You can't tell me that this is a mistake.'
Brody felt like he was breaking his best friend's heart. He couldn't deny that they had some connection that had deepened, but he refused to believe that they were mates. Things like this didn't happen every day. Nate was destined for greatness, and Brody was just trying to keep his pack safe. They lead different lives, they were both Alpha's, it had to be a mistake. It had to.
Brody blinked back tears, 'Two Alpha's cannot be mates,' Brody told him, his voice as strong as it would allow. 'Think clearly, we can't run both of our packs, the moon gods wouldn't leave an entire pack defenceless. This must be a mistake.'
Each and every word seemed to hit Nate like a slap in the face, and by the end of Brody's sentence his eyes were full with unshed tears and his face was full of hurt. 'How can you say that?' Nate asked in desperation. 'How can you tell your mate that what we have is wrong?'
'We are friends, nothing more!' Brody raised his voice. Even as the words left his mouth, he knew that there was no truth in them. He knew that he was lying, but he didn't see any other choice.
Nate met Brody's eyes, 'You know full well that we are more than that. We are mates, who cares if we are the first like us, that just makes us special, not bad, not wrong. We are both Alpha's, so what? I won't let anyone tear us apart because of that.'
Brody shook his head, 'You are drunk, you will wake up tomorrow and realise that we can't possibly be mates. This is some spell, some trick, some test. We are just friends!' Brody almost screamed at him, and he didn't scream at him because he was trying to get his point across, but because he was trying to speak over his own mind. The mind that was telling him to crash his body into Nate's, to thread his hands into his hair and to feel that full and total safely and completeness that he had felt when they had hugged just minutes before.
Brody expected Nate to yell back or to storm out of the room, he didn't expect Nate to crash his lips to Brody's in their first kiss.
Brody was taken aback, his entire body froze for a second, his muscles freezing up in shock under his pale skin, but then Nate's hands were on him. The warmth of Nate's strong hands and his body pressed up against his was reassuring. Where their lips touched felt like they were on fire, like they were the only thing that mattered in the entire would around them. A bomb could have gone off and Brody would only notice the soft lips which were pressed passionately against his own.
Brody closed his eyes, falling into the kiss and almost letting go of everything. His world boiled down to himself and Nate, and everything else was just an insignificant detail not even worth considering. He felt his reasons for this being wrong slipping aside as lust overcame him, and something else, something sweet and warm that pooled in his stomach that told him that this was real, that this was right and true and-
That was when a memory flashed before his eyes;
Brody was frozen in place, his entire body refused to move as he heard the screams. They wouldn't stop, it seemed that every second it was another ear piercing scream, another wolf lost, another child without a parent, and another wife without a husband. He stood in his living room, families were packed into the small area, children were crying in the corner and Brody wanted to go to them, to tell them that everything would be alright, but he knew that it wouldn't. Those rouges wouldn't stop.
'Brody!' Hunter screamed into his face, his twin's panicked bright green eyes meeting his. 'Brody, I need to go out there, I have to help.'
Brody shook his head, 'no, don't go!' he pled. Their father was already out there, he could already be gone, he couldn't lose Hunter too.
'I have to,' Hunter told him, and Brody saw a flash of the leader that Hunter really was. He may have had an air of nonchalance about him, but in rare moments Brody would see the qualities that made him believe that Hunter had been born first for a reason. 'If something happens to me, promise me that you will protect the pack above everything else.'
'Don't go!' was all that Brody could reply with.
'Promise me,' Hunter pled.
'I promise,' Brody muttered out, the words barley even making a sound, but his brother must have heard him as the taller twin ran out of the living room, through the front door and out into the hell that was the battleground out there. That was the last time that Brody would see his brother alive, the flash of Hunter's tattoo peeking out from the top of his shirt the last glimpse that Brody would ever catch of his only brother.
Brody shoved Nate off of him, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.
Thoughts bounced around Brody's mind; the pack comes first, the pack is what I have to focus on. This is a mistake, just a mistake. Nate doesn't know what he is doing, he doesn't understand what he would be giving up. We need female beta mates, there's no other way.
Nate looked guilty and hurt all at once, and it broke Brody's heat when he heard his broken voce, 'I-'
Brody cut him off abruptly, he couldn't listen to it, 'Get out.'
Nate shook his head, biting at his lip as tears welled up in his coffee coloured eyes, 'Brody, can't you feel it, we are meant-'
Brody blinked back tears, 'Get out now.'
Nate turned and ran, tears slipping from his eyes to his cheeks. He slammed the door closed behind him, the painted wood banging loudly and echoing throughout the room.
Brody collapsed on his bed, his face in his hands and the moon high above him, shining in through the window. He suddenly felt wholly alone in the little room of his.
He blinked tears from his eyes, but every time his eyes would dry up he would think of Nate and it would all come crumbling back down on him like a ton of bricks. He fell asleep with red, puffy eyes just before the sun came up, and when he dreamed, he dreamed of Nate. He dreamed of Nate's lips against his, and the way that Nate caressed his skin with his hands, causing those sparks to travel up and down his sides, and finally he dreamt of that hurt face, remembering that he was the one to make it so.