The garden was one of the places that Shiro had always loved to go explore in when he was a kid. His grandfather taught him how to care for each of the plants that they had. He loved to learn everything he could. It was amazing to him back then just how much knowledge there was in the world, even about the things that he could not see. And learning it from his grandfather made it all the more special.

He wished he could ask him about what to do now. He wished he could ask someone for advice at the moment. There was nothing that could calm his heart or his thoughts and he absolutely hated it. He had learned to control so many things of himself; to be able to hide and distract. But he could not control himself with that scent in the air and the sound of him walking closer. He could not control the worry that he had about this situation. He still didn't know what he was going to say.

"This is a lovely garden," Jett was the first to speak, his voice low and calm. Shiro wished that he could hear that voice more often.

"It my great grandmothers," Shiro told him. "My grandfather learned how to garden from her. In turn he passed it down to my sister and I."

"Do you two take care of the garden by yourselves?" he asked. He was right next to him at this point. It took all that he had in him not to close the distance between them and hold him.

"No," Shiro shook his head. "Our gardeners help take care of this as well as the other plants that we have. This one is just special to us."

"You and your sister seem close," Jett said. "It reminds me a lot of me and my sister. Only, she was an absolute brat when we were younger."

Shiro smiled, allowing all his good childhood memories to come back to him.

"I was the one who tended to annoy my sister when we were little," he told him. It felt nice to talk about something that was so light. He never got to simply tell people stories. Conversations like these were rare for him.

"Ah," Jett chuckled. "So, you were the annoying little brother?"

"You could say that," he smiled. "I liked seeing people's reactions when they had different emotions."

"I just liked climbing," Jett said. "I swear I could spend days when I was little just climbing trees."

"I liked hiding in the fog," Shiro told him. "It was fun scaring people by jumping up from it."

"I'll bet," Jett said. He paused for a second, allowing a peaceful silence. Shiro knew he was looking at him, but he decided to keep his gaze forward towards the party that was going on without them. "You look great like this, by the way."

"Thank you," he looked down. Hopefully he could use the darkness to his benefit for the moment. He wasn't used to compliments like this. "It's to respect our ancestors who first formed our pack."

"I don't mean the kimonos," Jett said.

"What do you mean, then?" Shiro asked. He met his gaze for the first time since the man had first come to the party. Those orange eyes looked happy as they locked with his. He couldn't help but be mesmerized by them. They threatened to pull him closer.

"Relaxed," Jett said. "You look absolutely stunning when you're calm and looking out to your people."

Shiro didn't know what to say to that. He could always find something to say in every occasion. But this one left him speechless. Instead of waiting for a reply, though, Jett cupped his cheek with his hand to keep him from looking down again.

"Although, I will say," he smiled again. "You look pretty stunning like this too."

He shook his head, desperate to shake off that magical touch on his face. He had planned this out for a reason. He couldn't simply let himself fall deeper into his mate's trap. All it took was one kiss and he would melt again.

"I wanted to apologize," Shiro started, slowly finding the words. "For running away at the beginning of the week."

"I'm sorry too," Jett sighed. "I wasn't exactly thinking rationally then. I got caught up in the heat of the moment."

That moment really was heated. His mind loved to rebel against him by showing him the vivid memories every time he so much as thought about the man.

"I wanted to ask you something," Jett interrupted the silence. "Since we're finally able to talk."

"Ask me anything."

"Why did you hide it from me?" Jett asked. "How did you hide something like that from me? A bond as strong as ours seems to be impossible to hide."

"Our bond is strong?" he looked at him confused. All he knew was the effects of the curse that were raging through him.

"Can't you feel it?" Jett raised his brow. "That's the only reason why I jumped on you like I did."

"I felt it a bit when that happened," he admitted. "But I never concentrated on how strong it was. I thought that it simply got stronger the longer mates were together."

"It can start out strong," Jett told him. "Especially if it's two alphas."

That would explain why he wasn't able to hide it from him for so long. He was still upset with himself that it was only kept a secret for three days. It should have at least lasted a week or two. That would have given him enough time to figure out what to do.

Arms wrapped around him before he could even react. Jett held him as tightly as possible, causing nothing but sparks to fly all over his body.

"Can't you feel it, Shiro?" those words whispered into his ear was the most enticing sensation that he had ever felt. He never wanted to leave that hold, for he felt as if he found his peace through it.

He could feel it. It felt like they were being tied together with a rope as soft as silk, and as strong as steel. Wherever he felt his touch it was hot, as if they were being welded together. Shiro soon found his arms going around the man's neck, pulling himself closer. He enjoyed this warmth. It made him feel so cold when he was away from him. Jett buried his face into his neck, taking a deep breath. The sensation of that alone was enough for him to strengthen his hold on him.

"How were you able to hide something as amazing as this, Prince?"

"Prince?" his body was melting into him, and his mind was slowly turning into mush.

"Don't change the subject," Jett moved his nose gently across his skin, sending shivers up and down his spine. "You said I could ask you anything. I expect you to at least answer me."

"It's difficult to explain," he caved. "It's something that can only be done when you have complete control over the mind."

"Is that how you hide your scent, too?"

"Yes," he answered. He felt so tiny compared to the giant arms that were holding him. But it felt as though he was trapped in a warm cloud. It was so blissful.

"You're going to have to show me that trick," Jett said. "I miss your scent."

"Really?"

Jett hummed his reply, his lips lightly touching his skin. It was sending all kind of signals to the rest of his body. And it gave him a need to be as close as possible to him.

If only it was a better place. If only it were under any other circumstances. Shiro would have loved if he could simply be with his mate and bask in the joy that his other half would give him. He could see them growing together, creating a family as large as the stars in the sky. If it were any other circumstances, he would have loved to do that.

For now, he would just have to enjoy the thought of it.

"There's something that I wanted to tell you," Shiro moved away from him. The man reluctantly complied. He could see that his irises expanded since before they embraced. He was probably close to trying to mark him again.

"What is it?" Jett looked worried for a second. Shiro didn't quite know how he was going to react to what he had to say. But there was no other way.

"I don't want us to mark each other," Shiro told him.

"What?!" those eyes flashed with confusion and hurt. "What do you mean? Shiro, that's-!"

"Please, let me finish," Shiro stopped him. It hurt him to see that look on his face. It was a look that he had seen many times from the people of his own pack. "I wish to wait until I have gained my title."

"Wait," Jett took a deep breath. "Are you saying that you don't want to mark at all, or you want to do it after you've become Alpha of your pack?"

"I know the consequences of not marking a mate," he told him. "I wish to not deal with any political issues with my father right before my coronation."

"Do you have a date for it?" Jett asked.

"The first day of Summer," Shiro said. "My second turns eighteen next week. On that day, I can request for a date for the ceremony."

"That's cutting it pretty close, Shiro," Jett said. "That's only a few days before our thirty are up."

"I understand," he told him. He wished he could tell him how much he understood. He probably didn't feel any pain from the curse due to Shiro denying him so much. He and Hiroko were the only ones strong enough to take on their mate's pain from the curse. Hiroko had learnt it herself and had taught him for when the time had come.

The only thing they couldn't control was the cycle in which the curse goes through the body. Every thirty days, Hiroko would have to lock herself in a closed off room in the city and stay there until it took its course through her body.

Shiro didn't want to go through what his sister had. He wanted to free his sister from it, along with all the others who had this ailment. Doing a coronation on the first day of the season was said to bless the Alpha of the pack with long life and good luck with their pack's growth. Shiro had been planning this ever since he was thirteen.

"Alright," Jett snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'll wait on one condition."

"What's that?"

"I still need to be around you," Jett said. He grabbed his hands and held them. "I'm not saying that it has to be every day or anything. I just need you to be near so I don't wind up losing it and trying to look for you."

"Do you mean dates?" he asked. He could probably do that. Now that his studies for school were done with, he should be having plenty more extra time.

"That sounds like a good start," Jett smiled. "Maybe I could get you to have that bashful look more often if we do that."

"What bashful look?"

"The one you had when I told you how stunning you look," he told him. "You should wear your hair down more often, by the way."

"Thank you," he looked down again. The things that this man was doing to him just wasn't fair. He still wanted to be held by him.

Coming to this agreement helped ease the curse tremendously. Shiro felt lighter than he had in a while. It was good that he had been able to accept him at least. He wasn't sure if he was going to be upset that he wanted to wait until he gained leadership.

"By the way," Jett let go of one of his hands and reached for something in his pocked. "You dropped this when you ran the other day."

In the palm of his hand, he held a leather necklace. It didn't take long for Shiro to recognize it by the gem that was on it. He had completely forgotten about his gift from his friends until that moment. Shiro gently took it from him and inspected it. He had it on last when he was at school before his finals. He supposed the gem on it had done its job a little too well that day.

"You fixed it?" Shiro asked. He had felt the leather strap tear when he shifted. There was no way it stayed this well intact after that.

"Well, I was first hoping to give it to you on Wednesday, so that I could apologize to you then," Jett explained. "But, since you sent the invitation and I had a little more time, I figured I should probably get it fixed for you."

"Thank you for your kindness," Shiro smiled. He really did love this gift, even if the night itself wasn't so great.

"There's one last thing, Prince," Jett smirked. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small box.

"What is this?"

"A late birthday present," Jett smiled. "A Prince should get some gifts for his birthday."

"Are you going to keep calling me that?" No one had really referred to him as that, or said anything of the sort. To have someone call him that now was strange. What was stranger, though, was the happy feeling that it gave him when he heard it from the man.

"Yes," Jett laughed. He had such a nice laugh. It was the kind that made him feel as light as air just by hearing it.

"Why?"

"Because you act like one," he answered. "Now open the thing up already."

Shiro opened the box to see two red stones in the shape of a heart. Metal wrapped around it in an intricate design and then finished with a small loop at the top to connect it to a necklace.

"What is it?" It looked as if there was some kind of magical element to it. There was always a way in which gemstones shined that told you whether they had been charmed or not.

"You catch on quickly," Jett said, grabbing one. "They're scent charms."

"Scent charms?"

"They hold the scent of whoever they first touch," Jett said. "It's said to last longer than the person's life as well. I figured since we were both going to be leading different packs, it would be something to keep us together when we had to be apart."

"You thought about that?" he hadn't even thought about that. He was so focused on gaining his title that he didn't think about the pain of being away from his mate while they were finally marked.

"Of course," Jett said. "Did you think I was going to try and stop you from leading your pack?"

"No," he shook his head. Jett grabbed his face again and forced him to look at him.

"Liar," he smiled. "Shiro, I'm not going to stop you from something that you've been training your whole life for."

Shiro didn't know what to say. He was left speechless again. This man was the only one who knew how to. Instead of talking, Shiro found himself hugging Jett. It was the first time he had hugged him first.

"Thank you," he didn't know how relieved he was going to be at hearing that. He knew that it was one thing that weighed him down, but he hadn't known just how worried he was about it.

"Don't thank me yet," Jett laughed again. "You're still going to have to meet my pack sometime soon. And my sister is a force to be reckoned with."

"I'm sure I've dealt with worse," he thought back to Tammy. He didn't think anyone could be as bossy as her.

"That's a bold statement, Prince," Jett said. This time he broke away from the hug. "Come on, they're probably looking for us somewhere anyway."

Shiro nodded and followed him back to the party. He basked in the weightless feeling that he had at the moment. For once in his life, he felt like he didn't have to be serious all the time. He felt like he could be free, even if he did have to put on an act for the crowds that they were going to go into.

Then, Shiro couldn't help but laugh. The first people he saw just at the edge of the garden was an annoyed Geo and a rather curious man that Shiro had learned to be Jett's second.

He had a feeling this was going to be an interesting story for Geo to tell him later.