Two Mates, One Heart

Chapter 3 Coming Home

**MIA'S POV - THREE YEARS LATER**

"Again!" Aunt Marie's voice cracked like a whip across the training field.

I gritted my teeth and threw myself back into the exercise. Fifty push-ups. Then a hundred-yard sprint. Then climb the rope hanging from the massive oak tree. Then back down for another fifty push-ups.

My muscles screamed in protest, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. If I stopped, I'd have time to think. And thinking led to remembering. And remembering led to pain.

So I pushed harder.

"Impressive!" Aunt Marie called when I finally finished, collapsing onto the grass. "You beat your own record by fifteen seconds."

I couldn't even answer. I just lay there, gasping for air, sweat soaking through my training clothes.

Aunt Marie sat down beside me, handing me a water bottle. She was Luna Sarah's younger sister, but she was nothing like the gentle Luna of Silverpaw Pack. Aunt Marie was tough as nails—a former warrior who ran the best tracking program in the region.

"You're pushing yourself too hard again," she said, not unkindly.

"I'm fine."

"You're going to hurt yourself."

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped, then immediately felt bad. "Sorry. I just... I need to be the best."

"Why? To prove something to your father? To Jake? To yourself?" Aunt Marie gave me a knowing look. "Mia, you've been here for almost three years. You've become an incredible tracker and fighter. You've made friends. You've found your strength. But you're still running from something."

She was right, of course. But I wasn't ready to admit it out loud.

I'd changed a lot in three years. I'd cut my long hair short and added blue streaks. I'd gained muscle from constant training. I'd learned to track a rabbit through a rainstorm and fight wolves twice my size. I'd become someone strong and capable and independent.

But I still woke up some nights with tears on my face, dreaming about green eyes and a boy who ran away.

"Luna Sarah called yesterday," Aunt Marie said casually.

My heart jumped. "Oh?"

"Silverpaw Pack needs a new Head Tracker. Their old one retired. Sarah thought you might be interested in the position."

Go home. Back to Silverpaw. Back to...

"No," I said quickly. "I'm not ready."

"Mia, you're the best tracker I've ever trained. You're ready for this position. More than ready."

"It's not about being ready! It's about..." I trailed off, unable to finish.

"It's about facing the past you ran away from," Aunt Marie said gently. "Sweetie, you can't hide here forever. At some point, you have to go home and deal with what happened."

"Jake left me," I whispered. The words still hurt after all this time. "He read my messages where I told him I loved him. And he left anyway."

"I know. And that was wrong of him. But Mia... he was just a kid. A scared, confused fifteen-year-old kid. People make mistakes."

"Three years is a long time to not even send one message."

"Maybe he thinks you hate him. Maybe he thinks you've moved on. Maybe he's too ashamed to reach out." Aunt Marie stood up and offered me her hand. "Or maybe you'll never know unless you go back and ask him yourself."

I let her pull me to my feet. My legs wobbled from exhaustion.

"Think about it," Aunt Marie said. "The position is yours if you want it. But whatever you decide, make sure you're deciding for the right reasons. Not because you're scared. Not because you're running away. But because it's what you truly want."

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of my small room in the Moonlight Pack house. Through my window, I could see the moon—not quite full, but bright enough to cast shadows.

Did I want to go home?

Part of me did. I missed my mom's cooking. I missed Lily, who was fifteen now and sending me excited messages about finding her own mate at the last Moon Festival. I even missed Luna Sarah's kind smile and gentle advice.

But going home meant seeing Jake. And Ryan.

I'd blocked out the mate bond connection as much as I could over the years. It was always there, like background noise, but I'd learned to ignore it. Sometimes, late at night, I'd feel Jake's emotions leak through—sadness, regret, loneliness. But I never reached out.

What would I even say?

And Ryan... patient, kind Ryan who said he'd wait for me. Had he waited? Or had he moved on and found someone else? Part of me hoped he had. He deserved happiness.

My phone buzzed with a text message. From Lily.

**Lily: MIA! Mom just told me Luna Sarah offered you the Head Tracker job! Are you coming home?! Please say yes please please please! I miss you so much!**

I smiled despite myself. Lily and I had stayed close through video calls and messages. She'd grown into a confident teenager with a mate named Chris who she absolutely adored.

**Me: I'm thinking about it. It's a big decision.**

**Lily: Well think faster! Also I have SO much to tell you. Like, so much drama has happened here. Jake came back last month from Alpha training!**

My heart stopped.

Jake was home.

**Me: He's back?**

**Lily: Yep! He's the new Beta now. And Mia... he's different. Like, really different. He barely smiles and he's kind of scary? But Ryan says he asks about you sometimes.**

**Me: Ryan talks to Jake?**

**Lily: Oh yeah! They're like best friends now. It's weird but also kind of nice? Anyway, you should come home! We all miss you! Even Dad, though he'd never admit it.**

I doubted that last part, but the rest... Jake and Ryan were friends? How did that happen?

I lay awake for hours, my mind spinning with questions. Finally, as the sun started to rise, I made my decision.

I was going home.

Not because I was ready. Not because I'd forgiven Jake or figured out my feelings about Ryan. But because Aunt Marie was right—I couldn't run forever.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop being scared.

---

**JAKE'S POV**

"The supply shipment should arrive Tuesday," I told Alpha Marcus—my dad—as we reviewed pack business in his office. "I've already assigned warriors to guard the convoy."

"Good. And the training schedule for the new recruits?"

"Ryan's handling it. He's better with the younger wolves than I am."

Dad looked up from his papers, studying me with those sharp blue eyes that always saw too much. "You and Ryan have gotten close while you were away at training."

"He's my Beta Third. Of course we work closely together."

"I meant as friends, Jake."

I shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. "Ryan's a good guy. He's loyal, hardworking, and he doesn't complain."

"And he's your mate's other mate."

There it was. The thing we never talked about directly.

"Was," I corrected quietly. "Was my mate's other mate. I'm sure Mia has moved on by now."

"Have you?"

No. Never. Not even for one single day.

"I'm focused on my duties as Beta," I said instead of answering.

Dad sighed. "Son, you've been back for a month, and you haven't asked about Mia once. Don't you want to know how she is? Where she is?"

Yes. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know if she was happy, if she was healthy, if she ever thought about me. If she hated me.

"It's better if I don't," I said. "I made my choice three years ago. I have to live with it."

"Choices can be unmade, Jake."

"Not this one."

The truth was, I'd regretted leaving from the moment I arrived at Alpha training. For three years, I'd tortured myself with memories of Mia's face when I ran. Her messages that I'd read but never answered. The way I'd abandoned her when she needed me most.

I'd thrown myself into training to distract myself. I'd become stronger, faster, smarter. I'd learned everything there was to know about being a Beta. I'd become exactly what my father wanted me to be.

But I'd lost the one thing that mattered most.

When I'd come home last month and learned that Mia had left too, that she'd been gone almost as long as I had, it felt like the universe's way of punishing me. I'd run away, and so had she. We'd both been too cowardly to stay and fight for what we had.

"Luna Sarah has offered Mia the Head Tracker position," Dad said, watching my reaction carefully.

Every muscle in my body tensed. "What?"

"She's the best tracker in her age group. Sarah thinks she's ready for the responsibility."

"Is... is she taking it?"

"We don't know yet. Sarah's waiting for her answer."

The thought of Mia coming home made my heart race and my palms sweat. What would I even say to her? How could I possibly explain or apologize or make up for what I'd done?

"If she comes back," I said carefully, "I'll be professional. I won't cause problems."

"Jake—"

"I mean it. I won't mess things up for her again. If she wants to complete the mate bond with Ryan, I'll step aside. I'll reject the bond if that's what she wants."

Dad looked sad. "And what about what you want?"

I wanted Mia. I wanted her laugh and her smile and her terrible jokes. I wanted to hold her and tell her I was sorry. I wanted to be the mate she deserved instead of the coward who'd run away.

But wanting and deserving were two different things.

"What I want doesn't matter anymore," I said flatly. "I gave up that right when I left."

---

**RYAN'S POV**

I was beating the crap out of a practice dummy when Max Wilson found me.

"Dude, you're going to break that thing," Max observed, munching on a sandwich. "What'd it ever do to you?"

"Existing," I muttered, throwing another punch that made the dummy's head snap back.

"Tough day?"

"You could say that."

Max leaned against the training shed, watching me with those knowing eyes. Max had become my best friend over the past three years—one of the few wolves who didn't treat me like I was broken because my mate had run away.

"Luna Sarah told Jake about the Head Tracker position," Max said casually.

My fists froze mid-punch. "She told him? About Mia?"

"Yep. Figured he had a right to know."

I resumed punching, harder now. "What'd he say?"

"According to my sources"—Max had sources everywhere—"he went all stoic and Beta-like. Said he'd be professional. Said he wouldn't cause problems."

"Of course he did." I hit the dummy so hard it almost fell over. "Saint Jake, always doing the right thing. Except when it comes to actually fighting for what he wants."

"Hey now, that's your friend you're talking about."

It was true. Somehow, over the past few years, Jake and I had become friends. When he came back from Alpha training, I'd expected him to hate me. Instead, he'd sought me out and apologized.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you that night," he'd said, looking genuinely ashamed. "None of it was your fault. You didn't choose to be Mia's mate any more than I did. And I... I'm sorry for leaving. For running. For everything."

We'd talked for hours that night. About Mia, about the mate bond, about our regrets. We'd both loved the same girl and both lost her. That created a weird kind of brotherhood between us.

But it didn't make the situation any less messed up.

"If Mia comes back," I said to Max, "everything's going to change."

"Probably. Change isn't always bad though."

"What if she doesn't want either of us anymore? What if she's moved on?"

Max shrugged. "Then you deal with it. But Ryan, man, you've been waiting for three years. Don't you think you deserve to at least try?"

That night, I lay in bed with my window open, staring at the stars. Somewhere out there, Mia was looking at the same sky. Did she ever think about me? Did she remember that I'd promised to wait for her?

I'd kept that promise. I hadn't dated anyone else or even looked at another girl. The mate bond made it impossible anyway—no one smelled right, no one felt right. They were all just... not Mia.

I'd filled my time by becoming the best warrior I could be. I'd studied, trained, pushed myself to be worthy of her if she ever came back.

And now maybe she was.

My wolf stirred inside me, hopeful for the first time in years. Our mate. Coming home.

"Don't get your hopes up," I warned him silently. "She might not want us anymore."

But hope was a stubborn thing. Once it took root, it was hard to kill.

---

**MIA'S POV**

The drive back to Silverpaw took six hours. Six hours to second-guess my decision about a hundred times.

I'd dressed carefully that morning—black pants, a purple top, leather jacket. My short hair with its new purple streaks (I'd changed the color from blue) was styled in a way that made me look older, more confident. My mom's jade bracelet still hung on my wrist.

I looked like a different person from the scared fifteen-year-old girl who'd left. I hoped I was a different person.

The pack gates came into view, and my heart started hammering. The guard on duty—Marcus, who used to give me candy when I was little—broke into a huge grin.

"Mia Chen! Is that really you?"

"Hey, Marcus." I managed a smile.

"Wow, look at you! All grown up and fierce-looking!" He leaned into my car window. "We heard you might be coming back. Welcome home, kid."

"Thanks. Are Alpha Marcus and Luna Sarah expecting me?"

"Yep, they're waiting at the pack house. Head on through."

The gates swung open, and I drove slowly through my old territory. Everything looked the same but also different. There were new houses, a new playground, fresh paint on the school building. Life had gone on without me.

I parked in front of the pack house, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. Through the windows, I could see Luna Sarah and Alpha Marcus waiting. Just them. No Jake. No Ryan.

I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed.

"Mia!" Luna Sarah rushed out before I'd even fully gotten out of my car. She wrapped me in a tight hug that smelled like home—vanilla and something floral. "Oh, sweetheart, it's so good to see you!"

"Hi, Luna Sarah."

"None of that formal stuff. You call me Sarah like you used to." She pulled back, studying my face with tears in her eyes. "Look at you. You're all grown up."

Alpha Marcus was next, giving me a fatherly hug. "Welcome home, Mia. We've missed you around here."

"Thank you for the opportunity, Alpha."

"Please, Marcus is fine. You're not a pup anymore—you're about to be Head Tracker." He smiled proudly. "That's quite an accomplishment for someone your age."

We went inside to his office, and I tried not to look around nervously for certain people. The office looked the same—big desk, leather chairs, walls covered in pack photos and maps.

"I won't keep you long," Marcus said, settling behind his desk. "I'm sure you want to see your family. But there are a few things we should discuss about the position."

For the next hour, we went over my new responsibilities. I'd be in charge of all tracking missions, training younger trackers, and coordinating with the warriors on patrol routes. It was a big job, but I was ready for it.

"You'll work closely with Jake and Ryan," Marcus added, watching my reaction. "Jake as Beta handles pack security, and Ryan leads the warrior training. The three of you will need to coordinate often."

There it was. The elephant in the room.

"That's fine," I said, keeping my voice level. "I can be professional."

Sarah and Marcus exchanged a look.

"Mia," Sarah said gently, "we haven't told the boys you're back yet. We thought you might want to... prepare yourself first."

"Prepare myself?"

"For seeing them again. For dealing with the mate bond. For all the complicated feelings that are going to come up." She reached across the desk and squeezed my hand. "Honey, I know the past three years have been hard. But you're home now. And eventually, you're going to have to face what you've been running from."

She was right. I knew she was right.

"Can I have tonight?" I asked quietly. "To see my family and settle in? I'll deal with Jake and Ryan tomorrow."

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

As I drove to my parents' house, my phone exploded with messages from Lily.

**Lily: MOM JUST TOLD ME YOU'RE HERE!!!**

**Lily: WHERE ARE YOU**

**Lily: COME HOME RIGHT NOW**

**Lily: I'M DYING I MISS YOU SO MUCH**

I smiled despite my nervousness. At least one person was happy I was back.

My childhood home looked exactly the same—a two-story house with blue shutters and Mom's flower garden out front. Before I could even get out of the car, the front door burst open and Lily came flying out.

"MIA!"

She crashed into me with such force we almost fell over. At fifteen, Lily had grown tall and beautiful, with long black hair and our mom's delicate features.

"I can't believe you're really here!" Lily squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. "Three years! Three whole years! Do you know how much I missed you?"

"I missed you too, Lily."

Mom appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw me. "Mia. My baby girl."

I hugged her, breathing in the familiar scent of her cooking. "Hi, Mom."

"You look so different. So grown up." She cupped my face. "But still my beautiful daughter."

Dad appeared behind her. Tom Chen looked older, more gray in his hair. He stood stiff and awkward, like he didn't know how to greet me.

"Mia," he said with a nod. "Welcome back."

That was it. No hug, no smile. Just a polite welcome like I was a stranger.

Some things never changed.

Dinner was awkward. Mom had cooked all my favorites, but I could barely eat with Dad's disapproving silence hanging over everything. Lily chattered enough for everyone, telling me about school and her mate Chris and all the pack gossip I'd missed.

"Jake came back last month," Lily said, and the table went quiet. "He's really different, Mia. All serious and kind of scary. Nothing like how he used to be."

"People change," I said quietly.

"And Ryan—oh my gosh, Ryan is so handsome now! Like, all the unmated girls are totally in love with him. But he never pays attention to any of them. He's always working or training or hanging out with Jake."

The thought of Ryan and Jake being friends was still strange to me.

"That's nice," I managed to say.

"Are you going to talk to them?" Lily asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Are you guys going to, like, try the mate bond thing again?"

"Lily, that's none of your business," Mom said gently.

"I'm just asking! I mean, it's been three years. Maybe things are different now. Maybe—"

"Maybe we should change the subject," Dad interrupted coldly. "Mia just got home. Let her eat in peace."

After dinner, I helped Mom with the dishes while Lily went to call Chris.

"Your father is trying," Mom said quietly as we washed plates. "He really is."

"Trying to what? Accept me?"

"He's set in his ways. Traditional. But he was happy when he heard you got the Head Tracker position. He told me he was proud, even if he can't say it to your face."

That was something, I supposed.

"Mom... do you think I'm making a mistake coming back here?"

She dried her hands and turned to face me fully. "I think you're being very brave. It would have been easier to stay away. But you came home anyway. That takes courage."

"I'm terrified," I admitted.

"Of seeing Jake and Ryan?"

"Of feeling everything again. Of getting hurt again." I swallowed hard. "Of finding out they've moved on and I came back for nothing."

Mom pulled me into a hug. "Whatever happens, you're not alone. You have me, Lily, Luna Sarah, this whole pack. And Mia? You're so much stronger than you think. You're going to be okay."

I wanted to believe her.

That night, lying in my old bed, I stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars Lily and I had stuck on the ceiling years ago. Through the thin wall, I could hear Lily video-chatting with Chris, her happy laughter drifting through.

I closed my eyes and, for the first time in three years, I opened up the mate bond just a little bit.

Immediately, I felt them. Both of them.

Jake was close—probably at the pack house. His emotions hit me like a wave: guilt, longing, fear, hope. So much pain it made my chest ache.

Ryan was farther away, maybe out on patrol. His emotions were different but just as intense: anticipation, nervousness, desperate hope.

They both felt me reach out through the bond. I knew because their emotions spiked, becoming sharper, more focused.

I quickly shut the bond down again, my heart racing.

Tomorrow. I'd face them tomorrow.

But tonight, I let myself cry into my pillow—for the girl I used to be, for the time we'd lost, for everything that was broken and might never be fixed.

---