(edited)

After the meeting, Easton and Duncan were now sitting in the office opposite each other with Turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich remained on the table, two for each of them. Easton sipped on the orange juice while Duncan's sandwich and juice continued to be untouched. "What is it?" Easton said, taking a bite of his tuna salad. "Aziel can feel his beta is not so pleased. I can't know what exactly it is like a mate but I know when my best friend's not his usual self"

Duncan rolled his fork through the salad and put it down making a *clink* sound when it touched the salad bowl. "Arion met Ezra yesterday" Duncan stated in a very low voice.

"And?" Easton was done with his sandwich and now grabbed the towel from his left and wiped his hands and mouth.

"And?" Duncan was confused as to why wasn't Easton reacting to his brother meeting a wolf, who was indeed his brother's mate but horny. "You exactly know how Arion is? Something might have happened if he could have jumped Ezra. He is one horny beast"

Bitch, what?

"What?"

That is you.

"You are ten times than I am"

"I know you both are" Easton gulped down the remaining juice and stared at his beta. "And you wouldn't hurt your own mate, Duncan. And if you tried to Ezra is enough capable of taking you down. I trust my brother"

"Should I be happy that you thought I wouldn't hurt my mate or sad that you trust Ezra and not me?"

"You are wise to choose" Easton stated before getting up from the table.

"Easton you-" Duncan came on to his best friend to slap him on the head. Easton dodges it with a grin and hits Duncan in the gut. "Ahhh" Duncan caught his stomach, bending down.

"You are still bad at reflexes" Easton shakes his head. "Come on, we got training to do and you are instructing 'cause you didn't have breakfast," Easton said cheekily slipping off from the room.

"W-what? You didn't tell me that earlier?" Duncan stomped his way to the pack ground. If only he had known that there would be training, he would've had full of his lunch so that he wouldn't have to do any.

"Ughh!! why me?"

"It's a punishment for pouncing on my brother"

"But I did not!"

"Yeah, but thought of it, didn't you?" Easton had a smirk sitting on his plump lips. Duncan pulled on his hair unable to reply. "Come on now"

"Yeah I'm coming, you fox"

*growl*

"G-guys!" Duncan ran to the ground in a flash of light.

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"Twenty laps first" Easton announce clapping his hands to attract the attention of the pack. The training mostly consisted of adults male and females. The teenagers were back in school and wouldn't be out for the next two hours. They will have to join the evening session with Blake and Easton in lead.

Duncan guided the pack forward through woods in their wolf forms. Arion was a fast and strong wolf compared to any other but then again you couldn't expect any less from a dominant beta of a pack. Both Duncan and his wolf had similar personalities but Arion was strict on pack matters, so he knows when to put people in line.

*Ping*

"Easton, did you put the mattress out in the sun?"

"I did"

"As expected from Mr. Perfectionist" It took Easton by surprise watching Ezra speaking to him casually and not in the one-word texts. Even the last conversation they had was about Easton picking him up from the station when he was back from a cultural trip which was almost a year ago. He was actually happy that his younger brother was showing more of his emotions. "He did meet Arion, huh?" Easton texting off the reply.

"How do you tolerate this brat, Easton? He won't shut up and he even came without a uniform today, I don't even know if he noticed that" This made Easton laugh out loud properly attracting few glances from the children and women who sat doing chores.

"You will know once you get your mate" Easton texted away watching Duncan run in his human form now with a grin on his face. Idiot.

"Mine wouldn't be an idiot"

"Idiotic than mine"

"You bet?"

"Oh, yeah!" Easton was excited to win this bet or he already has won knowing exactly how stupid is Ezra's mate.

The pack was now back from running the laps. "Now we play tag" Easton states making a series of expressions pass across the crowd.

"We never did that before, alpha"

"But now we do, Bixon"

"Isn't it a vampire game, alpha"

"Exactly! When in Rome, do as the Romans do" Easton hinted as a few of them observed the words and nodded their approval while the others stared blankly. "As discussed in the morning, we have no idea who the person is that attacked last night but we do know it could be one or more from the options we know, a vampire, witch, or an elf. Could also be a warlock but we got the best ones on our side. Now, do I make any sense?"

"Yes, alpha" they agreed in unison.

"Great, let's begin"

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After two hours of the game, Easton was drenched in sweat and had a heavy breath like everyone else but one thing that was static was the smile that sat each of their lips including Easton's. It was weird for someone like Easton Knight to smile beside his personal time with his family but this sight was very pleasant indeed. "What a game!" Duncan dropped on the bench where Easton was wiping his sweat off. The crowd was now dispersed and was leaving to their rooms. "How can you be so good at some game who never played?"

"Who said I never played?"

"You did? How? When?" Duncan sat up, all his tiredness gone.

"Not telling you," Easton said walking off to the packhouse.

"What? Easton I'm going to kill you" he followed the alpha with curious ears and an itching hand to beat the hell out of Easton.

"Yeah, since middle school"

"You just wait"

"Sure"

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Duncan had a permanent smile plastered when he saw Ezra jumping on his toes and sprinting towards. His smile slowly dropped when Ezra's usual smell was replaced by someone else. Some other male-dominant beta wolf. His eyes shifted from place to place across the school grounds and stops when he finds a beta getting inside Easton's car. Arion growled loudly in anger drawing dangerous attention. Ezra, who jumping towards his best friend, stopped mid-track, startled and watching Duncan behave like nothing usual. He followed his line of sight to see him staring at Zander who was now sitting in the back seat of his brother's car. He hesitantly looked at Duncan who was still looking at the other beta.

Many things crossed his mind but the first one was "Did Duncan found his mate? Was it Zander?" It was like a pile of stones fell on his shoulders and it was impossible to walk any further. He stood still at a distance of a meter and just watched Duncan as he hawked the car as it left the parking. He gulped down whatever thoughts he was having and finally walked to the beta. "Hi," he said as cheerfully as possible. "you here to pick me up?" he continued without looking the other in the eyes but the shoes.

"Yes" was the only response Duncan can make as he walked to the door and got in. Ezra was taken aback by the odd behavior but did not complain as he got inside the car.

Silence remained in the vehicle with Duncan driving with a scowl and Ezra shuffling in his seat.

"Unexpected showers to be seen in the woods of California in the evening. We suggest you carry an umbrella just in case........" the radio went on which Duncan slammed shut.

"Where are we going?" Ezra was trying his best to lessen the tension in the car. He didn't even know the reason behind the attitude Duncan was sprouting but it was enough to trigger him out. Is Zander really Duncan's mate? Then why is he with Ezra now and not with his mate? The questions wouldn't stop popping in Erza's head.

"Home" Again, one word.

"You know today Blake was trying to the math test from me and got caught"

"hmm"

Ezra gathered up all the courage and asked away the question that was pestering him. "W-why are you angry?"

"Nothing"

"You are. Tell me, Duncan. Why are you angry? Am I not your best friend"

*Screech.................................................................*

"Shut up!"

Ezra flinched at the new voice that took over Duncan's jolly ones. He knew it right away, it was Arion. Ezra was struck by the overwhelming emotions with Duncan acting weird, him finding his mate, and now his favorite Arion shouting at him. Tears sting his eyes as he looked hurtfully at the beta. He gulped down the lump forming in his throat and unbuckled his seat belt. "S-sorry" he said before dashing out of the car.

Duncan sat there shocked at his own attitude and tone.

"Why did you shout?"

What is he doing smelling like the other wolf?

"You should have asked then"

Did you ask?

"Ughh"

It started with a drizzle but now it was pouring quite hard. Ezra kept walking as his salty drops mixed with the freshwater from above. He didn't even know where he was walking off to, but he didn't want to stop. It confused him as to what hurt him the most, Duncan's rude behavior or him finding his mate? Maybe he will act the same now that he found his significant other. Maybe he will not care to talk to him. He wept as his legs went ahead on the slippery empty road.

The thunders and storms were louder enough, not to hear any other sound. Ezra folded his arms together and bowed his head down and kept walking. He didn't care if Duncan was long gone. He was also unaware of the fact that he was been followed, that someone was watching his every step. Oblivious that he was been stalked. He sniffed and rubbed his red nose, which wasn't even visible under the dark cloudly path with forest on either side.

*shuffle*

*splash*

A red pair of eyes were ready to away the young alpha. They straightened their posture to drag the young man away for some fresh blood. Steps after steps were taken in order to pull the boy in.

Innocent to any of the happening Ezra chose a path that wasn't familiar to him. He walked and walked unconsciously. His pace halted by his waist was grabbed from the back and his mouth got attached to a pair of lips. A gasp left his mouth as his eyes widen in shock. His hands stayed in the air in an attacking position but he did not attack. 'Cause they were the pair of lips he desired for. He secretly longed for.

Duncan was defeated by every subconsciousness as his mate bond won. He had to lose his everything in order to claim his mate six hours ahead of time. He claimed Ezra's lips slowly until the alpha got settled in and started to return the touch with passion. He sucked on his mate's upper gaining a whimper from the alpha. He continued sucking on the lower lip as his hands hugged the younger one's waist. With rain soaking their bodies, Ezra's hands traveled from the air to the beta's shoulders. Duncan lifted Ezra off the ground as Ezra fold his legs around the other one's waist. The alpha was pushed to the tree on the other side of the road as the kiss deepened. Ezra tilted his head to the opening his lips for the older one to claim. There was no fight for dominance as their tongues got overlapped. Moans and groans filled over the rain sounds.

Both of them parted to breathe in some air as Ezra looked at his mate with red puffy eyes and a very red face. "So, you are my mate"

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