Damon's P.O.V

Mates.

Goddess' greatest gift to her people, a life linked to another who was crafted for you as we are for them.

My eyes trail Will's spinning frame as he twirls around the open space that laid between his kitchen and living room. Dancing happily to the soft compilation of instruments, led by a single vocalist, a blend of sounds that came from his unique, black record player.

Will's eyes travel down as he smiles buoyantly at Sassy who was jumping around him as if showcasing her own dancing skills. The actions making him laugh as he danced with her, singing happily the words to a song I didn't know.

Mates. Someone who would bring more joy into your life than any other individual in any realm could and would provide you with the best life you could possibly experience.

Someone who would make you happy.

Will gave me that, happiness, unfiltered happiness that only grew with the time I spent with him.

I watch with my spirit light and my smile easy, at the way his face radiated unadulterated glee as he moved from side to side, my oversized shirt covering his body slowing down his fluid movements. But Will didn't seem to mind, didn't seem notice either as he raised his arms and closed his eyes. His lips parting here and there to fill in the words to the melody, his smile accompanying them as he continues swaying around the length of his apartment.

He was beautiful like this, at peace with himself and his surroundings. Not overthinking every square inch of his life as he claimed to have a 'disgusting' habit of doing. Beautiful in his most relaxed state, where he wasn't repeatedly scared or alert, but comfortable in a space that he knew to be safe... even if that space included me.

It was still taking a little time to get used to, the feeling of having someone trust me entirely, not a spec of fear in him directed to me. But I was trying to enjoy it, not question it.

Things tended to fall apart when you looked at them for too long.

Will opens his eyes then, training them on me as if feeling my gaze on him. His smile only grows as he continues to dance lazily, taking his time to come over to me with soft laughter. He holds his hand out and I immediately shake my head.

Damon Calderon shouldn't dance.

He raises a brow, gesturing to his outstretched hand once more, his hips still moving in that alluring way that seemed to be second nature for him. When I try to shake my head in refusal, Will takes hold of my hand and tugs me forward.

I let him.

He pulls us back to his little dancing spot, sliding across with a helpless fit of giggles as he turns back to face me, his clear, greenish-blue eyes alive and active as they find mine.

He intertwines the fingers for both our hands before he begins moving lazily, his movements mirrored in a less faltering manner by my stiff body. Will didn't tease, just kept smiling as we danced together or tried to.

We stay like that, close and moving calmly to the soft tunes the spinning record released in a strained melody. Sassy soon growing tired enough to make an escape to the small patio, either that or my presence was extremely unappreciated.

As the songs slowed and Will's energy began to dissipate, his fluid movements slowed as he brought himself into me. Wrapping his arms around my frame, linking his fingers at my back while his face rests gently to my chest. I slip into the feel of him with ease, resting my chin to the top of his head while my arms caged him into me as we swayed in the cloudy bliss that engulfed us at this moment.

Peace. I'd been experiencing a lot of peaceful moments ever since I shared with Will the things about myself that had a tendency of sending others running.

But Will wasn't like that, wasn't like them...because he stayed.

He stayed with me and continued to treat me the same way he always did, granted with a lot more questions and supportive hugs that went hand-in-hand with his spontaneous ones. Providing me with the peaceful moments which Will called 'Ironic States of Tranquility - The World's Bullshit uninvited'.

An extended, Will-like way o using more words to describe the same thing, peace. A state of ease I hadn't experienced in a long time, so long that I'd forgotten how it felt.

It'd been so long since I'd experienced it because there was never someone in my life like Will. Someone who didn't run from me because of the parts of myself which I couldn't control, but tried to help me build control over it. Someone who didn't hate the pieces of me that were undeniably engraved in me, but tried to understand them instead.

I've never had someone who liked all of me. The parts of me which were damaged by most standards as well as the parts of me that were protective by nature.

It felt strange... to be accepted.

Odd to not be rejected, different from experiencing condemnation... it was unfamiliar but somehow still managed to be the most comforting thing I had ever experienced in my entire life.

Before Will, there was always a fault to be found in me. From the things that I said to the things that I thought, this last year especially, no matter how hard I tried, they saw the Demon instead of Damon.

Will wasn't like that... no Will didn't see me like that, even knowing the things I'd done.

He didn't dismiss me with my actions laid out before him, didn't flee with the realization of what I was capable of, he didn't pivot between judgment and agreement.

Will promised to stay and try, facing the parts of me with a level of bravery I couldn't ever muster for myself. Taking on my burdens and shouldering them where I couldn't, he filled the emptiest sections of my soul with the matched parts of himself.

Will was perfect.

"Damon," Will whispers gently as we swayed gently.

"Hmm." I hum, pressing a kiss into his hair.

"We should take a trip," He says softly, the random suggestion making me from slightly, confusion parting my lips to question him but he beats me to it. "When everything is all better and there's nothing else to share or say, we should take a trip."

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go," I promise, not having to even consider it for a moment.

Will pulls back enough to bless me with the sight of his loving smile forcing color to his fulling cheeks. The sight making my heart lurch with joy, skin buzzing at the feel of him wrapped within my grasp as he looked up at me with a look I knew I was mirroring.

I meet his lips in a needed kiss, letting my lips caress his in a gentle caress that tried to express some of the pleasure his words sparked within me. Resting his palms against my chest, Will pushes onto his toes to meet my lips with equal intent that made me shiver.

"Need you," I whisper against his lips through our kiss, eyes still closed to keep me from waking from this dream. "More than anything else."

"More than anyone else," Will replies quickly, his lips meeting mine once more to seal our stolen words.

We stay like that, in our stolen moment of peace that was too kind to be real. Basking in our space where loving administrations healed aching wounds and forgotten bruises. 

Healing until there was nothing left to mend.

-----------

I wipe my thumb aimlessly across the already clear screen of my phone, trying to wipe away the pain that wasn't a tangible thing. But rather an invisible one which burned its way through me as I stared at the screen's transmission of words of longing and endless promises from my family. 

They were just as numerous as the ones I found when I first turned on my phone but were now more pleading for a single call like the one I'd made to dad. A seemingly eternal stream of pleads to do the same if not to return home, to come back and let them fix what had been broken all those months ago.

Three months were soon tumbling into four, a time that somehow felt both abiding and like an unfixed point in time. I knew this couldn't carry on for much longer, being without my family or pack for such a long time, not only for my mind as a wolf but for the tearing the separation encouraged each day within my soul.    

It was time to go home.

There was nothing standing within the way of returning beside my own fears and the final part of me I was yet to share with Will. My fears were easy to ignore, easy to snuff out with Will at my side. But that could only be done if Will came with me if he still chose to be with me after I shared with him the truth about what we were.

Mates.

The last piece to building the bridge over all the empty space that was first present when we met, the thing that should bring us together in a way I had only ever dreamed about.

It should be a happy thing, an easy thing to share yet I still found myself standing on uneasy footing when I considered the other possible reaction to the news that promised an ending the admission to violence should have.

He could take it all wrong, he could turn away from me and reject this if not everything else.

He could say no.

"You want cheese on top?" Will's voice drags my gaze away from my phone as I look across to him from my position on the couch. 

He waited with a block of cheese and grater in his hands hovering over a steaming plate of bolognese, an easy smile resting on his lips as he raised a brow.

"Yeah." I manage, returning a smile to cover the anxiety in me.

Will smile widens as he takes my permission to drown my spaghetti with cheese before doing the same with his own bowl. Putting alway the last ingredients and utensils, he grabs the two plates before walking his way over to me. Slipping them onto the small table before sinking down next to be on the couch, handing me a pair of knife and fork as he presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Smells good." I praise as I slip my hand around his waist to pull him in for a real kiss when he tries to pull away.

Will smiles against my lips as he kisses me back eagerly, his body pressing into mine slightly as we chased the sparks of pleasure which rocketed through us at the contact.

"Let's hope it tastes good too," He whispers against my lips, pecking me one last time and then another before pulling away to reach for his plate. He places it onto a pillow on his lips before he digs in, eyes hungry and hands moving quickly as he begins stuffing his face.

I chuckle lightly to myself before doing the same, releasing a heady groan as the food caresses my tastebuds in the most exciting way that made my skin tingle with joy. I catch Will smiling proudly from the corner of my eye and nod quickly with the mouthful of bolognese in my mouth. Trying to stress just how good this was without opening my mouth to stop myself from enjoying my mate's perfect cooking.

"Okay, okay," Will says after a moment longer of me groaning and nodding. "You've done your fair share of being a supportive boyfriend. My ego is sustainably been replenished, you can stop now."

I smile helplessly in return, Will's face bright with happiness as he looked away from me while chuckling. 

We continue eating with little conversation carrying on, replaced by constant smiles. Will's knees brushing mine as he unconsciously brought himself closer to me as time carried on. Our bodies repeating that thing it did where it followed the invisible string that seemed to tug us together, circumstances be damned, close proximity was always a must factor between us whether we wanted it or not.

I always wanted Will close, needed him close.

"What do you want to watch?" Will asks as I stand and take both our empty plates. "Thanks," He mumbles mindlessly as he scrolls through the zoomed-in Netflix selections. 

I busy my hands with cleaning up the dishes he used to make dinner while he talks to himself, including me to be polite despite both of us knowing we always watched what he wanted to watch. A fact I didn't have a problem with, seeing as I didn't know ninety percent of the materials he enjoyed and had made it a goal to know them all.

"There's a couple of new stand-ups," He comments as he leans in a bit, eyes squinted as he tries to make out the name. "You liked the last one a lot."

The act making my chest contract as he zooms in the screen once more to make the wording as large as possible. I scrub at the dishes faster, wanting to help him immediately even knowing how he saddened when I did. 

"We can check Amazon Prime if not," He comments as he tosses his head back to glance at me. "There's a show called The Boys I've been hearing about, but it's supposed to be very explicit."

"Seeing violence isn't going to set me off," I inform Will, the words making him wince guilty. 

I smile to relax him, not wanting him to feel guilty for being considerate. I appreciated his caution whenever there was something even remotely violent around us, found it comforting in fact when he tried to cover my eyes when someone got killed in a show.

"Sorry," He mumbles, "I just wanted to check first."

I turn off the tap and dry my hands before returning to his side, slipping down next to him on the couch before pulling him to me. He comes easy as he looks at me worriedly, I smile once more as I take the remote from his hand to switch off the bright screen before taking his thin fingers in my hand.

"I know, I don't mind," I reply honestly as I look at him, his light green eyes darting between my own anxiously. "But I want to talk to you if that's okay with you."

"Like just talk or like... talk talk?" He asks skeptically, his body pressing itself closer to mine.

"Talk talk," I answer with a chuckle, his genuine question doing nothing but amusing me.

"We seem to have a lot to share," Will comments with a nervous smile, his eyes glancing down to our hands like they always did when we had conversations like these.

"This is the last one for me," I say honestly as I swipe my thumb over his skin, the action calming him a little as he looks up at me with wide eyes. "Last thing," I promise gently.

"I'll listen to the end," He reminds me as he tightens his grip on my fingers, eyes steeling themselves with determination as he looks at me.

I study Will one more time, letting my eyes take in every inch of his face as he stares at me. His gaze confident and patient as if he knew within himself that there was nothing that could be said that would pull us from one another. His jaw locking itself, shielding himself from the worst of what could be thrown at him, mind clearly set on carrying us through this.

We'd always make it to the other end.

"There's one thing about werewolves that I haven't shared with you," I start after releasing a steady breath, an attempt to keep myself in check while my heart banged against my ribcage. "I wanted you to have all the other pieces before I told you about this one, for you to make up your mind on everything on your own before I shared this."

"Thank you?" Will says unsurely, the wary words pulling a smile from the both of us. The easy action becoming enough to quell the suffocating tension in the room a fraction.

"I told you before werewolves are family creatures, ones that live off bonds and links that are formed instinctively. It's the reason why packs are both crucial and natural for us." Will nods easily at this, his quick understanding of my species making my chest swell with pride. "That kind of thinking runs through us for not only our packs but the ones we love, the ones we come to fall in love with."

Will's heart jumps at the statement, his body tensing for a moment before color began to fills his cheeks and highlight the tips of his ears in a clear display that the bare mention of the four-letter word was something that pleased him. 

"For werewolves," I say with a needed breath. "we have mates."

I give Will a moment to take the information in while I release the shaky breath, Theo's mental pacing doing nothing to tame the oversensitized parts of my body that were fed by anxiety and worries.

"Mates," Will repeats prompting a quick nod from me. "Like soulmates?"

"Something along those lines but not entirely," I explain as I rack my mind for the best way of explaining this. "When Goddess is forming a wolf, she splits their soul in two and places the halves between two wolves only to be rejoined later on according to time. They reconnect and the split soul is rejoined and strengthened as they develop their bond."

Will's face crumples quickly, confusion clearly rippling from him as he works his mind to pull my words together in a way he could understand. I open my mouth to try it from another angel but he speaks first.

"Are you trying to tell me that, somewhere beyond these walls, there is another werewolf literally made for you?" He asks with a deep frown, his words clipped with a level of anger that challenged the ones I knew to form within me. But not nearly strong enough to completely cover the deep ripples of sadness that laid behind his words, the same sadness that shone through his narrowed eyes which dared me to hurt him.

As if it were possible to love this man, even more, he does this - Theo whispers with a tone as touched as I felt.

"No," I say unable to stop the way my lips tugged upwards into a smile. "No, there's no other wolf waiting out there for me."

"Oh, okay," Will says as his features relax and his body sags a bit while he nods to himself. After a moment, his mind pulls at the holes to bring the next question to the forefront of his mind sparking a small frown to form as he looks up at me. "Then what happened with you? Did something go wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong," I assure him as he studies me with clear worry. "I do have another half, they just aren't a werewolf." I finish as I lift Will's hand up to press a kiss to the inside of his palm.

Will's eyes follow the action, his mind visibly turning as he watches me kiss his hand once more before lowering them. His frown stays in place for a few moments, mouth opening repeatedly only to close and silence whatever possibilities sparked by. 

Then it clicks.

I catch the exact moment it clicks for Will, the precise second when he understood that he was my second half, my mate. His bright, aquatic eyes suddenly grew wide as his lips parted slightly, heart rate hitting a new high as he stared at me in shock. He seemed to unfreeze after a minute, eyes still wide as he began to fidget, stuttered words slipping from his lips.

"Are y-you saying that it's me?" Will asks as he touches his fingers to his chest, his body curling into itself in response. "I-I'm that s-second half?"

"Yes," I answer proudly.

As if shellshocked, Will continues to gape at me, his body unable to decide between staying still and fidgetting. Everything in me called for me to continuing talking, to share with him what this meant for us and our future, to tell him about this special thing between us that was the greatest blessing a wish could receive.

But I had to reign myself in, using Theo's neverending control to let him take this part in first before I carried on. It would do no good to overwhelm him when he was trying so hard to understand all parts of me.

 "We share a fucking soul?" Will blurts out after a few moments of silence. He closes his eyes then, groaning to himself as he takes a breath before trying again. "We share a soul?"

"It's really not as dramatic as it sounds," I promise with a chuckle, he shoots me a look that only makes me laugh more. "It really isn't, we just share a link... a bond, one that ties us together in a way we could never be with anyone else."

"And that doesn't scare you?" He asks hesitantly, his own fears surfacing for a moment.

"It's a gift," I reply, giving his hand a small squeeze as I reach for more information. "For wolves, mates are the greatest gift a wolf can have during their lifetime. All wolves have mates but not all werewolves find them." I explain, heart-squeezing at the thought of never having met Will. "If your other half dies, becomes a rogue or comes after you, you may live your entire life never meeting your mate. To actually find your mate, to wolves... it's true happiness."

Will's face softens at this, the term seeming to strike him in the way it always did when we shared those four words between us that meant more to us than anything else could. He nods his understanding at this, tensions seeping out of his muscles as he studies our tightly clasped hands.

"So does that mean our lives are like linked or something?" Will asks before he risks a nervous glance my way.

"In some ways, yes and no," I reply honestly as I weigh different scenarios in my mind. "It's different between us than it would be for other wolves and what I feel as a wolf is different from what you feel being a human."

"What do you mean?" 

"Well for wolves, if one mate is emotionally hurt, you can practically feel it as well. The bond links emotions between us, that allows me to tell when your happy, nervous and sad better than you would be able to, it's like a sixth sense." I explain, giving him a moment before continuing. "On the other end of things, if a mate bond is broken most wolves don't make it long after that."

"You can't just say something like that so casually and not go into more detail," Will replies as he pulls himself practically onto me with evident concern. "You could die because of me?"

"No, I don't want you to think of it like that," I say sternly. "I don't want you to ever think you have to be with me out of obligation, I don't want it to be like that between us. You stay with me because you want to because you're happy with me as I am with you, not because you think that you have to. Never because of that."

"Okay," Will mumbles with a nod, shifting uncomfortably at my tone. He leans forward to kiss me briefly, the action meant to ease the quickly built tension in me and succeeding. "I understand."

"Good," I reply with a sigh, releasing one of his hands to wrap an arm around him and tug him completely into my lap. "We may be destined and all that lovely shit, but that doesn't mean you have to stay with me."

"But you do?" Will asks softly.

"No, wolves can reject one another for their own reasons and break the bond and the same can happen with us," I explain, needing him to know it went both ways though I'd never dream of it. "You can reject me and break our bond the same way I can to you."

"You keep saying bond," He comments as his fingertips brush the edges of the tattoo on my back that crept up my right shoulder. "I get the mate bit, the souls split to come together and how the bond links it, but what exactly is 'the bond'?"

"Think of it as an invisible rope between us." I start using the same words of explanation my old man once did with me. "You're at one end and I'm at the other. When mates meet, at the right time, it's like it's activated and it glows brightly. We don't see the light but we feel it between us, or at least a wolf would. 

So you're aware of one another and the bond grows from there, the closer you get the stronger the bond gets and the stronger the relationship becomes. When things are good, the rope grows more durable and gets even brighter, and equally, when things are bad, it strains and weakens some. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah kind of," He replies with a small smile. "So when we weren't talking, is that why it hurt so much to be apart?"

"Yes," I say ignoring the slight pang the memory caused. "When we fight or argue, when one of us is angry with the other or sad because of the other, it's like putting weight onto the bond that pulls at both of us making us feel the effect of it until we resolve the issue."

"And after it gets stronger because of it?" Will hazards unsurely. "Like when we made up, that's why we were closer after because it was stronger after the 'weight' was lifted."

"Exactly," I say with a grin. "It's a weird balance but it kind of continues to seesaw like that until a pair of wolves mate and complete the bond. It's where the two ends, in both of us, link and tie together. That's when you experience the best parts of being mates, everything is heightened and we share a mental link which gives us accesses to each other thoughts."

"Mind reading?" Will deadpans. "You'll be able to read my mind." I nod and he snorts a little before resting his head on my shoulder as he sinks into me. "You basically do that now anyway so that's nothing new, just levels the playing field."

I laugh at this, a snort pulling its way from me as well as I relish in the feel of mate in my arms. I press kisses to all the available skin I could reach and tug him closer when there's no more. The act pulling content groans from Will as he does the same, turning within my arms to kiss a path of my neck, the action sending bolts of electricity and joy up my spine.

"You like it." I acknowledge as he shifts from my neck to my jawlines, taking his time with these administrations as if every kiss was special to him. "Being mates, it doesn't frighten you."

Will pulls away enough to meet my eyes but no further, nodding in admission as he held himself close to me. His eyes track their way around my face as he brushes the skin he'd kissed only moments before with his fingers, his touch light but loving.

"I like that you're mine." He whispers, eyes following his fingers in an effort to not meet mine while he spoke. "I like that this is for us, no one else."

"I thought that would be the part that'd make you turn away," I admit making his eyes jump up to mine. "That level of commitment, I wouldn't be able to blame you if it was something you didn't want."

"Well, it is," Will retorts quickly, his gaze serious as he looked down at me. "I want you Damon and I'll take everything that comes with having you, because..." He smiles mischievously as he opens his lips, gesturing for me to finish for him.

"Because you're my happiness." I finish with an easy grin that he mirrors with a giggle.

"Exactly." He says lightly as he leans down enough to brush his lips to mine. "You are my happiness for as long as you'll have me and after, I'm all yours."

The words stroke at the wolf in me that craved possession and thrived off it, only growing more demanding when my mate was giving himself to me so freely. I kiss him hungrily, taking his lips in a rough kiss as all the fears that had lived in me from the moment we met came tumbling down. 

Stresses replaced by relief, worries tamed with the presence of this reality. One which was true and real, better than what I'd allowed myself to hopeful and stronger than what I deserved. I let my lips caress Will's pulling him closer to me as he kissed me back with equal vigor, grip tight and movements punishing as we melted into one another.

Each strength illuminating the line between us as its fibers grew stronger.

"Ready for bed?" I ask, only to release a groan at the way Will wiggled his brows in response. "You're insatiable."

"Only for you." He replies with a cheeky grin, wrapping his arms around my neck he looks at me. "And yes I am, my perfect mate."

My heart swells at the words, the unexpected use of them making every part of me buzz with an unfamiliar level of bliss that spread through me without notice. My heart all but collapses within my chest as I stare at Will, his wide grin falling slightly as he watches me, not possibly understanding the weight of his words or what it meant to me to hear him say it with such eagerness.

He couldn't possibly understand how his acceptance of everything there was to me pulled together all the torn parts of my life I always thought to be never mendable.

"Should I not say it like that?" Will asks with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disrespec-"

"It's not disrespectful and there's nothing wrong with what you said," I say quickly, cutting him off before he could complete such a horrible thought. "I was just surprised that you're taking it in so well, just happy that you... it's hard to explain."

"You like me calling you my mate?" He guesses and I nod without a second thought. "Then I'll just have to do it more often, mate."

There was no other option but to smile.

Will returned it, along with one of his intoxicating giggles that had me heart soaring all over again. Standing, Will wrapped his legs around my waist without hesitation, smiling the way he always did when I carried him around as if it was an unwanted task or hardship to do so.

I take us to my bed, setting him down before climbing in after him. We disregard our shirts and leave the sweatpants on as we slip under the covers before finding one another again. Will's skin was soft against mine, smooth were I had scars but just as warm as we shifted until there was no spoon left between us.

 "I know we say it in our way, like all the time," Will says with a chuckle, taking a break from kissing the arm I had against his chest. "But I want to like say it, e-even if it's just once."

"Say what?" I ask genuinely confused.

Silence blankets us for a long moment but I wait it out, not knowing what he was even talking about for me to try and figure it out.

"I love you," Will whispers softly as if scared to even utter the words. He clears his throat then and speaks again. "I love you, Damon, like a lot and I just wanted to say that."

I slip my hand from around him making him look back with fear, it doesn't last for long as I pull him back for me to hover over him. Letting myself sink between his legs as I rest my arms on either side of his head, needing to see him at this moment, despite the clear distress that showed in his eyes.

"Will," I start pushing the hair from his face with a shaking smile. "I love you too."

Will releases his held breath, his body visibly relaxing enough to give way for a hidden smile that rested just beyond. I could hear his heart racing, hear mine carrying on beside his in perfect harmony as he met my gaze head-on. 

"Like a lot." I finish making him burst out with laughter before he tugs me down. 

Will hugs me tightly, wrapping his arms around my neck as he challenges me to rest my weight onto him as I hug him back. He takes it all, laughing joyfully in a rich sound that blessed my ears as he held me to him. Our bodies close enough for our raging hearts to beat against one another while a firework display worth of emotions ricocheted between us.

"Like a ridiculous amount," I mumble against Will when his laughter was about to die down making his grip tighten as it kickstarted again as I'd hoped. 

Will pulls me to him for a kiss, his laughter making it an impossible task but he seemed determined to give me one within this moment. We laugh through the kiss, bond tugging us closer together as we slipped into this perfect space in time that Goddess was awarding us. 

A perfect space just for us...

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Yeah, this is my favorite book I've written so far (05/10/10).

Thoughts????

I can't lie, this couple actually embodies the word mates in a way I didn't expect them to and it just makes me so happy to write about them.

Vote and comment if you liked the chapter, book or couple.

I couldn't find a song that suited this chapter so I'm lowkey salty right now

Lowkey surprised, I'm meeting my schedule dates - will upload expected upload dates for October on Insta and on Forever Ever Tales for readers without Insta.

Until next time, 

Byeeeeeeeeeeeee Humanssssss