Summer rain sucked.

It wasn't cold, or refreshing. It didn't help you cool off from the heat that the summer was going to bring. All it seemed to do was make BlackCreek ten times more humid than it ever was. Unless you were a kid and having mud fights while trying to avoid any screaming adult that had to clean up after you, it wasn't fun.

Ah, those were the days though.

He had been worrying the past two days. Worrying because of two things: the first being that Shiro was barely even messaging him, and it was usually just to tell him that everything was okay, he was just busy. How someone who wasn't even the leader of that pack be kept busy for so many days absolutely baffled him. He didn't exactly like the look on his beta, Geo's face when he mentioned that he was really busy with Sakdah either. He seemed worried, or like there was something wrong.

The second thing he was worried about was this damn carnival being canceled. Considering it was the only thing that he had to be able to see him again, he didn't want it to get rained out. And with how difficult it was to get ahold of the guy, he wasn't even sure when he'd be able to ask him out next.

That charm was handy, though. Once he got Shiro to touch the other one in the box he had for him, he got that and put it on a chain. He wasn't exactly a necklace person, so he really just had it in his pocket wherever he went. He couldn't believe Shiro's reaction to it, though. He acted like he had never gotten any thoughtful gifts in his life.

He wanted to see more of that version of him. He wanted to see the real man behind the princely act. He wanted to be able to get to know him and see just why he was the way that he was. He wanted to have him in his arms again.

But today wasn't the day to be thinking about all of that. After trying to distract himself for two days straight and looking at his damn phone every two seconds to see if he finally got a reply from him, it was finally the day when the carnival came.

And it was bright and sunny that day! There were a few clouds in the sky, but no sign of rain anywhere. Sure, it might still happen, but there was enough chance for the carnival to set up anyway.

"Hold your horses, Jett," Blake stopped him. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's still getting ready."

"I thought your girls were easy to get ready in the morning?" he asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. It looked like he was ready too. He even had his belt with the huge buckle on it. That on some jeans with a buttoned shirt and a cowboy hat was Blake's style.

"So, what's the hold up?"

"Well," he chuckled. "The wife is the one that takes the longest out of all of us."

Jett groaned. There was always something that came to make him wait. He swore this was absolute torture. And, before anyone could say that he was just whining, he still barely talked to the guy throughout the week! This was the one chance he had to even talk to him.

"Why does everyone have to have families to get ready besides me?" he asked himself. Now he just had to sit around and be bored.

"You summoned me?" Alex popped up and put an arm around him. He was great at coming in when you'd least expect it. His new crush of the week, Geo, sure didn't like it.

"I though you were hungover with one of your flings?" Jett looked at him curiously. "Why are you up so early?"

"And miss out on the one guy that he can't get?" Blake laughed as he started to clean up the room they were in.

"Oh, I'm going to get him," Alex smirked. "If it's the last thing I do."

"You know he's not eighteen yet," Jett raised an eyebrow, "Right?"

"Wait, what?!" Alex's face completely dropped.

"I thought he was going to be the next Beta or somethin'," Blake said.

"He turns eighteen at the end of this week, if I remember correctly," Jett said. "Shiro told me that he had to wait until then to even request a date for him gaining his leadership."

"Fuck!" Alex said. It was funny watching him freak out at least. "He really is a puppy, then."

"Oh, man," Blake started laughing. "This is great! You know what this means?"

"What?" Jett asked him.

"This means that there's a chance that they could be mates," Blake kept laughing while he was talking. "And I swear if that happens, and he winds up in the same predicament as you, I'm gonna buy a lottery ticket or something!"

"The Moon Goddess would really have to be going batty to have something like that happen," Jett said. That would be a first in history of two alphas and two betas being mated to each other from different packs. And he wasn't just talking about the strength of the wolf, but the rank in which they had in their packs. That would be ridiculous.

"There's no way that's going to happen," Alex rolled his eyes. "Now, since you're still waiting for your wife to do her makeup, even though it's probably going to melt halfway through the day, how about Jett and I head out now and you guys catch up with us?"

"Sounds like a plan," Blake sighed. "Although now I'm going to be bored to tears waiting for her to get ready."

"We're a simple call away," Jett got up. He was ready to leave since dawn. It wasn't exactly easy to sleep when he had looked forward to this so much. "See you later, Blake!"

The carnival came a few times throughout the year, but it was the summer when it came the most. They were those small clumps of rides and tents that set up on parking lots usually. They weren't as grand as actual amusement parks, but they were perfect for BlackCreek. Everyone in the city loved them so much, they had designated lots for them to set up in.

He was pretty sure it was the Mayors doing. It was easy to see his family at the carnival every time one popped up.

"Where do you think they're going to be?" Alex asked. "Do we park near the east and wait until we recognize someone?"

"I'm going to try and send him a text first," Jett told him. He found a good parking spot and got out. It was humid as hell outside, but there was a breeze that helped it be tolerable. Jett missed the coolness of the forest already.

Jett: Hey, we're at the carnival. You guys here yet?

Now to see if he was going to have to wait an eternity to get a reply or not. He still didn't know how an eighteen-year-old didn't use their phone that much. He swore every kid he saw was on their phones, even the ones who were entering the carnival right now.

"So, how old do you think we're going to be before he responds?" Alex joked.

"I'm going to call him nonstop like a damn madman if he doesn-!"

His phone went off before he could finish that sentence.

Shiro: By the South entrance.

How were they by the south entrance? That's where Jett was. He looked around to where the gates were though, and, sure enough, there he was. He was wearing some simple slacks and a long sleeve shirt which seemed crazy to wear in this heat. He swore he was never going to be able to even see his arms.

"Well, I'll be damned," Alex muttered. "The dude's sneakier than me."

Jett was just so happy to finally see him that moment. There was still so much to talk about, and so much to find out. He was walking through the parking lot to get to him when something almost made him stop in his tracks.

She was with him. That girlfriend of his. Her along with a few others. He recognized everyone from the party except for the other girl that was there. She was wearing ripped up jeans and a band shirt. Her hair was braided in the back to keep it off her neck. Meanwhile that girlfriend of his that he had seen cling to his arm was wearing a short blue dress and flats. She always had to look like she was going to some sort of party whenever he saw her. She was even wearing a huge hat to keep the sun off her.

He still hated her.

"Play it cool, dude."

"Why the hell is she here?!" he asked his friend. This was the one time that he could actually try and talk to Shiro, and it's going to be ruined by his damn girlfriend showing up.

Wait. Was that why he was so busy the past few days? Was he just trying to blow him off or something so that he could be with her?

"Geo said that they weren't together."

"Bullshit."

"Jett," Alex casually put an arm around his shoulder as they were walking. "I don't think you want to cause a scene in front of this many people."

Was that why he wanted to wait to be marked? He was trying to put off breaking up with her? Or was he just prolonging trying to reject him as his mate so that he could be with this human instead?

He stared into those dark eyes, trying to find answers in the mysterious void.

"Shiro," they heard the girl whisper as they got closer. "You didn't tell him yet?!"

Did she forget that werewolves had great hearing? Wait. Did she know about werewolves? Most humans in the town knew, but there were always the ones who had just moved in that were kept a little in the dark about it.

Now he could see some emotion in those dark brown eyes. They looked guilty as they moved from her to him. Jett wasn't having this, though. He didn't want anymore beating around the bush or mind games. Even if it was something bad, he'd much rather hear it now rather than later.

"Tell me what?" Jett asked before Shiro could say anything. He crossed his arms and looked at him.

"It's good to see you again," Shiro smiled. That mask was put on again. Jett hated just how many times he saw Shiro like this rather than who he really was. There was no need for all of this with him. He didn't have to represent his pack at a place like this.

"What haven't you told me?" he persisted. He wanted this out of the way already. He didn't care if this was going to ruin the day or not. It was already ruining his morning the fact that he wasn't telling him something.

And the fact that his girlfriend's here.

"I'm going to tell him if you don't," the girl crossed her arms too. She seemed really dramatic. It didn't seem like Shiro would date someone like her. Jett also didn't like the fact that she was on his side with all of this. It could be to tell him that he was rejecting him.

Oh, Moon Goddess, please let it not be that.

The rest of the people there with Shiro seemed a little awkward to have been put in this situation. The other girl watched them rather protectively. Jin shuffled a bit, and tried his best not to look worried. Geo, on the other hand, was in a defensive stance. Jett didn't like just how ready for battle this beta seemed to be.

Shiro looked in between both the girl and him, before finally cracking. His mask fell, along with his face as he looked down. It reminded him of when they were in the garden. He did that every time he gave him a compliment.

"There's been something that I've been neglecting to clear up for a little too long," Shiro started. Jett was surprised that he didn't tell his friends to go ahead of them. Was he going to try and reject him in front of all of them?

"And that is?"

"A rumor," Shiro explained. "That I was dating someone throughout my education."

Why did this guy always have to talk so sophisticated?

"Okay," the girl cut him off. "I'm going to cut in, since he's getting all shy about it." Then she put out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Tammy. I'm not dating him, I was the one trying to get him to call you, actually. And if you could please stop looking at me like you want to murder me, that would be great."

"Wait, what?" he was so confused now.

"We. Are. Not. Dating." She clarified. "Or anything of the sort, if you want to think like that. It was a dumb rumor in high school that we just never bothered to try and stop."

"And what was the arm clinging thing?" Alex asked. "I don't think that exactly helped your case."

"I just do that with friends," Tammy shrugged. "I used to do that with Geo all the time before he got in a relationship."

"You have no idea how annoying she is when she does that," Geo rolled his eyes. "Her voice get's ten times more aggravating."

"Aww!" Alex went into a mocking tone. "Did the puppy not like to be held?"

"Puppy?" the other girl looked like she was on the verge of tears as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"Shut up, Miki," Geo gave her a stern look. "Before I tell them something you don't want them to know."

"You wouldn't dare," her eyes shrank as she glared at him.

Shiro was still looking down the whole time. Was he embarrassed by this whole thing? Jett just watched him as the rest of his friends rambled on about something he didn't really care about.

"Is it true?" he mind linked with him. Since he was an Alpha of his pack, he could still mind link with another werewolf from a different pack, even away from his territory. It's a bit more limited than mind linking with someone from his pack like Alex, but it could work.

"We've just been friends since I was a child," Shiro said, his shoulders tensing. "I didn't know when to tell you, or if you believed that we were or not. At least, I didn't know for a fact that you believed we were dating."

"So, you're not dating her?"

"No."

"And you haven't done anything like that with her?"

"I've known my preference for a long time," he seemed to almost stutter over those words when he told him. "I've never been interested in women."

Why did he seem ten times smaller when he was admitting that? Now he felt bad that he was even jealous. Shiro may have not told him that they weren't together, but how would he know that Jett thought they were?

"So," Alex said. "Miki and Tammy, right?"

"Yup!" Tammy went to hug the girl in jeans. "Absolute besties!"

"Come on," Geo motioned for everyone to go inside. "I'm absolutely starving."

They all walked in. It was morning, so it wasn't too busy yet. Jett was planning to be there the whole day, but the first thing he did was pull Shiro away from the crowd into a quiet corner. He still had his head down as they were walking.

"Shiro," Jett grabbed his shoulders. He missed the warmth that their touch left. "Look at me."

He might have had his hair up in a ponytail, but it was still easy for him to hide his face when he looked down. He listened to him, though, his gaze meeting his. His face was beat red and his eyes kept trying to pull away from him.

"You're embarrassed," Jett put a hand on his cheek. He hadn't seen the man blush. It was adorable.

"No," he shook his head, trying to get out of his hold. "I'm just..."

"Just what?"

"I haven't admitted to anyone what I was since I was thirteen," Shiro told him. He looked pained, as if it sparked a bad memory. Jett didn't want to see that. Not today when they were supposed to be happy. "I'm...I'm sorry that I didn't clear everything up at the party."

"We didn't have much time to talk at the party," Jett shook his head. Then he hugged him and pulled him as close as possible. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he sighed into him. It felt so good to have him be this close. "I'm sorry I didn't call you that much."

"Were you really that busy?"

"Unfortunately," those arms went around him as if he didn't have a care in the world. He could feel him relaxing into his hold. "It's been a stressful week so far."

"How can your father find so much work for you?" he asked. "I don't even have that much work, and I do it alone, besides Bree."

"I'd rather not talk about it," he buried his face in him.

Jett wished they could just stay like this forever. After working himself up so much thinking that he was going to get rejected, he wanted to keep ahold of him for as long as he could. He would never let go if he could get away with it.

"I still don't like her."

"Tammy?"

"Yes."

"Most people don't at first," Shiro chuckled. "She's a bit of a livewire and can be very frank when she wants to be. She's a good friend, though."

"As long as she doesn't cling onto you or hit on you, I'll be fine."

"There's probably one thing I should mention," Shiro was still chuckling. He liked hearing him laugh. The man rarely seemed to do it.

"And what's that?" he kissed the top of his head. He couldn't help it. It felt too nice having him this close to him for this long.

"She's a lesbian," he mind linked with him.

"Wait, what?" he pulled away to look at him. Shiro looked like he was enjoying telling him this.

"You'll have to keep that a secret for me," he told him. "She hasn't come out to her parents yet."

Jett looked over to the crowd of their friends. Geo and Alex were playing one of the games, and taking it a little too seriously in his opinion. All the while Jin was watching them, smiling, and Tammy and Miki were holding hands as Tammy pointed at one of the rides.

They were holding hands.

"So those two are...?"

"Yeah," Shiro looked over at them with a soft happiness shown on his face. "Miki's father has accepted her for who she is, but Tammy isn't sure what her parents are going to say. She was going to wait until she moved out to tell them."

"Well, if I had known that, that would have helped," Jett said.

"We tend to like to keep our relationships to ourselves," Shiro explained. "They don't really like everyone knowing."

"Does this mean that you're going to try and keep us a secret after you gain your title?"

"No," Shiro shook his head. "When I gain my title, I'd like to change my pack to be more open about relationships and things like that. It would be nice if people weren't so worried to admit what they are."

He had a feeling that there was more to it than that. There was a look in Shiro's face that made it seem more serious of an issue. But Jett wasn't going to push him on it. Not when he finally got to talk to him and have fun with him.

"Alright," Jett broke the hug. "Your secrets safe with me, I guess."