Love Rising

Secrets Revealed PT.2

Micah POV:

I had to run, I had to get away from them. Everyone was looking at me and waiting for me to say something,but I couldn't. My mind was hazy,my mouth was dry like I had swallowed a bunch of cottonballs. I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave. I do feel bad about yelling at Dylan and Alex though. I don't like to yell at anyone, but to be fair, I thought my brain was melting with that information. After running from the training grounds, and through the woods for a bit, I found myself in front of my house. Walking up the steps, I stopped at the front door, I need to get inside before my parents spot me and ask why I'm home early or why I didn't go to Marie's house like I planned. As quickly as I could, I twisted the knob and rushed inside. I tried to be as quiet as possible, turning to carefully shut the door. I feel like I have succeeded until I turned around and came face to face with my brother and my dad (the ex-beta). "Is there a reason you are trying to sneak into the house?" My dad asked me that while crossing his arms. He may be retired but he could still rip, someone's head off if he wanted to. My father stood at 6'7, intimidating, and was still as muscled now as he was in his prime. He was a couple inches taller than the ex-Gamma and Alpha. I always wondered if we would be as tall as him, but obviously not..Dylan and I were about the same height of 6'1/6'2. Remembering that he was still waiting for me to answer," No dad, I was just trying to see if I could ever be as silent as a tracker." I didn't sound so sure at the end but maybe he bought it and wouldn't ask me any questions. I should've known better though. He raises his brow at me and says," A tracker not only has to be silent, but their sense of smell can detect how many people are in a house and based on the scent, where they are in the house as well. Now cut the crap and tell the truth." Damn, he's good! I should've thought this through first so I could have come up with a better lie. Maybe he will accept the half-truth? I just don't really want to tell him anything right now and I know Dylan hasn't told him because dad would've already said something. "Honestly dad, I just had a rough day at training and I didn't feel like talking about it so I decided to sneak in." I made sure to say it as seriously as possible and keep eye contact. My dad walks up to me, grabs my shoulders and says,"I understand. We don't need to talk about it till you're ready, but if you want pointers, then come to your old man. I'd be happy to help you." He slapped my shoulders and walked away, leaving me flabbergasted about what he just said. On the other hand, Dylan was still standing in front of me, he didn't follow after my dad like he normally would. He jerked his head towards the stairs. I knew that he probably wanted to talk to me about what happened today. I defeatedly hung my head as I walked up the stairs to my room. There was no point trying to escape this conversation, but maybe Dylan could help me understand everything better. Maybe he could actually be my brother again instead of the Beta. He was my best friend until a few years ago, when he started training for the Beta position from our father. I don't blame him for anything at all, I knew that he had responsibilities. Sometimes, I just miss talking to my brother.

Dylan followed me to my room and once we were inside he shut the door and locked it. All the rooms in the house were sound proof once the doors were closed. Wolves have excellent hearing, so its nice to be able to have privacy this way.

I sat on the bed and waited for him to say something,but he just looked at me like he was trying to find the words or trying to figure out how to approach the conversation. I could tell that he was nervous..but he finally decided to speak. "You weren't supposed to find out like that. I can understand if you are upset. To be honest, when I found out, I was pissed. I didn't think that Alex deserved you as a mate, but he's one of my best friends and I know everything about him. When he came to me on his 18th birthday and told me that you were his mate, I wanted to hate him. I wanted to hate him for everything that he has ever done because he wasn't pure..he didn't save himself for his mate and I know that there are other people that haven't either. I think I really just got mad because I knew that you were going to save yourself for your mate, but another reason I can't get mad at Alex is because it would also make me a hypocrite as well. I didn't save myself either....not like everyone thinks I have." I felt like I should've been more shocked than I actually was..I mean Marie had told me for a long time that she also thought the 3 of them were man whores and her brother was the leader of the whores. She also told me why Alex never stayed pure and I didn't see anything wrong with it then and I don't now. Everyone keeping it a secret from me was the biggest issue..that and I was afraid to tell my parents. "Do you think that mom and dad would be okay with me being mated to Alex? I never planned on being with a guy, I always thought that I would end up with a girl even though I was slightly attracted to men..I'm actually shocked that I didn't get paired to Marie. OMG Marie! What am I going to tell her?! I know that she has had feelings for me and I didn't want to act on anything until we were 18. She is going to hate me and Alex.." At this point Dylan was glaring at me and starting slowly walking towards me. "Mom and Dad already know or I should say they have always had a hunch that you didn't like women as much as you do men. They aren't bothered by it at all. As for Marie, Alex linked me before you got home that he was already talking to her about it because she was asking so many questions. He told me that she doesn't hate either of you, she actually feels bad about the situation. Did..did you maybe have feelings for her too?" I'm honestly shocked that my parents didn't care, they always came off as old-fashioned. I always thought that I would end up disappointing them, but I'm relieved that they are actually okay with it. "I'm glad that he is talking to her about it. I'm surprised that she didn't know. Alex tells her everything, they don't keep secrets from each other. To answer your question though, no, I never had feelings for her..When I was younger I wished that I did because I felt like something was wrong with me. I'm just happy that she's my best friend.. Why do you ask? Why would he ask something like that? He never asks me about things like that. It wouldn't surprise me though if he had a crush on her, because most unmated males do..some unmated females too. There's just something about Marie that attracts people, and I don't mean her physical looks, even though she is very beautiful, it's something in her, like an aura or something.

"I was just curious, I didn't want things to get weird if you did have feelings for her.. " um, what? Get weird? "Dylan, Why would things get weird if I did have feelings for Marie? Because of Alex? Dylan grabbed my computer chair and brought it beside my bed, then he sat down, just looking at me for a second before saying,"I have a secret, Micah, and I'm going to tell you because I trust you and I think I should be honest with you after everything you have heard today. You can't tell anyone though. The only people that know are Alex, and fixing to be you. DO you understand?" I nodded my head at him so he could continue,"You know how Alex and I were born like a week apart..kind of like how you and Marie are 2 weeks and a couple apart?" Again I just nodded my head. "I also found my mate the day of my birthday..but there is a bit of an issue,or I should say a complication." A complication? "How could there be a complication when you found your mate? Did she not want you? Did you not want her? Did she reject you or vice versa?" I know I'm bombarding him with questions, but I really want to know what is going on. "Micah, things are complicated because she is still under age and when she does become of age and finds out everything has already been decided for her, she will have no choice but to reject me. I don't even have a say so and it's bad because I already love my mate. I've had to sit back and watch her become this sexy, powerful goddess and I won't even be able to touch her or tell her how I feel. I'm barely allowed to talk to her right now and, even then, it has to be casual." I watched my brother lower his eyes to the floor and start sniffling. I'm at a loss right now because we are told that mates are sacred, they are a gift from the goddess and that we aren't supposed to reject each other without actual cause. Once that happens, you may not get a second chance mate. "There has to be something that we can do, Dylan. You've already started to develop a bond on your end. If she is forced to reject you, then it will weaken you..might even kill you. We can't let this happen. How long do we have before her 18th?" Dylan looks up at me and says,"2 weeks." "Thats so weird because Marie turns 18..OMG! Dylan! Is Marie your mate? Is that why you asked me if I had feelings for her and didn't want things to get weird?" Dylan looks up at me and says,"Yes, Marie is my mate..and of course that's why I asked.. I needed to know if you have feelings for her and I don't want it to get weird because she is going to be forced to reject me and I don't want you to be upset about it." I'm actually happy that they are mates but I'm pissed off at the same time because I don't understand why anyone would make her reject my brother. "Who is going to make her reject you and why? I need to know this so I can at least try to help..Tell me what's going on." Dylan gets up from the chair and sits on the bed next to me. "Alpha Braxton got a call from the council about 6 months ago, and they told him that one of the council elders who is also a seer, saw a vision of the future. She said that his son wouldn't have a mate and it would make him go mad, that he would need to have a strong female luna by his side to prepare. Alpha Braxton didn't understand at first. He questioned as to why his son wouldn't have a mate and why a seer on the council would have a vision about his son and pack. The council wasn't sure how to answer but said that our pack is one of the strongest and has the best records and that maybe something was going to happen in the future that we must prepare for. As for Michael's mate, they think that maybe she dies in the future before he ever gets to meet her or right after they meet. They weren't sure, they were just guessing at that point. Alpha Braxton decided that he would listen to the council and started looking for a suitable mate for Michael. He saw Marie training with her dad and brother one day while he was walking in the woods, and started to secretly watch them every day. He decided then that Marie would be best for Michael. He asked me and Alex to meet in his office one day after training and told us what the council said. Of course, we were trying to be supportive until he said he wanted Marie to be with his son. We both flipped out and he didn't understand why it was a big deal. I told him that Marie was to be my future mate and beta female. He laughed it off and said that he was going to alpha order Marie to reject me on her birthday and then he tried to alpha order me too, but it didn't work for some reason. He thinks that it has and I've been trying to keep up the facade until I can find a way to make sure that doesn't happen. What's worse is that Michael doesn't know. He doesn't know what the alpha is up to and neither does anyone else. Me and Alex have been secretly trying to find a way out of it." I couldn't help but look at Dylan in shock. I can't believe the alpha would do something like that, to not just my brother but to Marie too. Her parents are his best friends and so are our parents as well. I get he is trying to look out for Michael, but that is just wrong. He shouldn't be allowed to force two people together. "Dylan, why don't we tell Michael about the plan? He might be able to help..He could tell his dad that he isn't interested in Marie. Or maybe we could tell Marie's parents..you know that would flip s**t if they found out." Dylan just shakes his head at me,"You don't understand Micah, he could easily just alpha order everyone and then nothing would happen. Even if we told Michael, he's not the one in charge, his father is and could easily order him as well. Alex thought of this already and, oddly, the alpha order didn't work on him either. We have been looking into why but have no answers so far. We were going to tell Michael earlier about the situation, but that didn't happen after we all got into it. He told us on the field that he always had a crush on Marie and that he prays that she is his mate and started talking about her body. Alex and I growled at him at the same time and started yelling at him. I do regret it because he doesn't know, so it's not like he knows to not mention it. We still plan on telling him about it and hope that he will be on our side." I thought forsure that my day had been upsetting but it turns out I was wrong. After hearing everything that Dylan had said, I felt terrible. He has so much going on right now, but I need to help him. I can't allow him to lose his mate. I can tell that he already loves Marie. Speaking of Marie, I need to go to her house tonight. I need to talk to her but I also need to talk to Alex. Hmm, I actually have an idea! "Dylan, I have an idea! You might not like it, but it could work! What if we told Marie? She has a right to know just like anyone else, especially if someone is trying to make a decision for her! If we told her, then she could talk to you freely and she would start to develop feelings as well. If she already knows before her birthday, then she can immediately accept the bond before Alpha Braxton makes her reject you! What do you think?" Dylan actually looks at me with hopeful eyes then says," Its against the rules to tell her though, she is underage. How do we get around that? I'm not saying that I'm against your plan, but we need to figure this out." I can't help but smile because, for the first time, I feel super smart about the pack rules. "Actually, the rules state that the mate can't tell the other person and whoever they tell needs to be sworn to secrecy with the Alpha present! You already told me without the alpha here, so I could tell her for you, but you will be there when I do. I mean, just like earlier, I didn't hear it from Alex..Michael is the one that said it. Granted, I was hiding in the tree ease dropping on y'all but I still heard it from someone else. This plan could work. The only thing I would worry about if I were you is telling Marie that she wouldn't be your first. She might be super angry about that, but who knows, Marie thought everyone that hung out with Alex was a man w***e. She might give you the benefit of the doubt." Dylan gives me a huge smile and then wraps me in a bear hug. I can tell that he is so happy that we finally have a plan. As much as I love my brother though, I'm completely crushed in his hug and can't breathe. Before I know it, he lets go and I fall to the floor with a thud, gasping for air. I look up to see that his eyes are fogged over, so I know that he must be mind linking with someone. Once he was done, he explained that he had told Alex that we had found a possible solution. We just need to come up with a plan on when to tell Marie. But I think I have an idea for that as well..

-

After speaking to Dylan about the new plan, I headed to Marie's house. She lives 10 mins from me through the woods. Coming out of the tree line I could see Marie and her brother Alex talking on the front porch. I stayed near a tree to watch for a little longer..I'm not interested in what they are talking about,I'm more just watching Alex. The way he stands, he has a perfect posture,his dirty blonde hair is messy as usual, bulging muscles peaking from the sleeves of his t-shirt. I know Alex is ripped. I've seen him loads of times with no shirt but this time is different, staring at him is different. I wonder if it's because I know that he is my mate. Maybe that made me start looking at him a little differently. As I'm watching them, I see Alex freeze and slightly sniff the air before spotting me in the tree line. I figured since I got caught that I might as well walk over to them. By the time I have made it up to the walkway, Alex ducks into the house as Marie turns around to greet me. I couldn't help but frown since Alex decided to ignore me. I've got to talk to him after I talk to Marie. My best friend, she always smiles at me, no matter what she is going through. Her smiling always makes me feel better. "How are you feeling Micah?" I shrug my shoulders and say,"I'm alright actually, after talking to my brother for a little bit, I felt a lot better. He gave me a better understanding of everything that is going on." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I thought you and Dylan didn't hardly speak anymore? What changed with that?" One of the best things about Marie is that she listens, she always listened to me complain about how my brother quit talking to me. "Well, he knew that I was upset and he is friends with your brother after all. He also apologized to me, he took training too seriously and wants us to be like before. He also gave me some advice and we talked for awhile. It felt nice to talk to him again." Marie gave me a hug," That's great to hear Micah. I'm glad that he apologized to you. But he had better realize that I'm the best friend and he is just the older brother. He can't talk like we can! I'll fight him for my best friend." We both started laughing. "I'm sure you could take him in a fight Marie, but no worries, I've already told him that you are my best friend." Marie winks at me then proceeds to grab my hand so we can go out back to sit on the old swing set and talk. Once we sat on the swings, Marie instantly asked about what my brother had told me. I knew she was going to ask me, but I didn't think she would ask this quickly. I know with Marie you have to jump into it instead of beating around the bush. She doesn't like people who do that. "Before I say anything to you, I need you to promise me that you won't get mad and you will keep an open mind about everything that I say and I need you to know that everything I'm telling you is the truth..You know that I would never lie to you."

Marie's POV:

After Micah looked at me and said that, I knew whatever he was about to say was serious and that I needed to be serious. Micah is right, he has never lied to me before and he knows I hate it when people try to put off whatever they are about to say. "I promise that I will keep an open mind and I know that you would never lie to me. I can't promise that I won't be mad,but I won't be mad at you..That much I can promise." Micah looks at me for a minute then nods his head. He knows that is the best he is going to get from me. I mean, I can't promise not to be mad, but I know that I can't be mad at him for whatever he is going to tell me. Micah talks me through the moment he found out Alex was his mate, to his bedroom with Dylan, up until this very second. I can tell when he is talking that he is leaving some things out because he gets really into the story, then stops and moves on to something else. he must be waiting for something. "So let me get this straight, Dylan had already known that Alex was your mate and Alex knew who Dylan's mate was because he told him and now Dylan told you as well..and that's not breaking any rules because everything was by the book except for Dylan telling you because the Alpha wasn't there to witness and swear you to secrecy.." WOW, I feel like i just watched a drama show with all the he said/she said crap. "If Dylan found his mate then why isn't he with her right now? I mean is she under age too?" Just as Micah was about to answer, Alex and Dylan both came from around the side of the house and walked towards us. At this moment, I felt like whatever Micah had told me a minute ago was about to get much more complicated. "I'm not allowed to be with my mate, I can't lay claim on her because the alpha has decided that my mate is better suited for his son. She will be forced to reject me when she turns 18,"says Dylan. I'm a little awestruck that he spoke that much to me and I'm also very pissed off. "WHO THE HELL would keep mates from being together?! Whoever she is would probably be pissed off just like I am right now, even hearing about it. Mates are sacred. You can't force someone to be with someone else.The alpha will get us all punished by the moon goddess for doing such a thing!" I could see Dylan slightly smirking before saying,"He thinks he is doing what's best for Michael, something is going to happen in the future..we don't know when or why it happens but it will and our pack will fall if Michael doesn't have a strong mate to lead and fight beside him." So many questions are going through my head right now. "Everyone has a mate, what happens to Michaels mate? Why did the alpha pick your mate?" Micah and Alex both looked at Dylan waiting for him to answer me. I started feeling funny like something was amiss.The more important question I should have asked was, why they came to tell me like there was something I could do about it. That question led me to my next one, "Dylan, who is your mate?"