"I know you haven't made your mind up yet, but I would never do you wrong. I've known it from the moment that we met, no doubt in my mind where you belong."
~Adele, 'Make You Feel My Love'

~~~

*Tharn's POV*

"Holy crap."

Type gapes at our surroundings, his eyes wide with awe. He looks around at the large hotel suite I reserved for us at the resort. I smile as I watch him, feeling glad and slightly relieved that he likes it.

"This is where we're staying?" He asks in disbelief, and I nod my head. "How can you afford this?"

"I'm the son of an Alpha. The next leader of our pack. If I want to spoil my mate, then I get to spoil my mate," I boast confidently. Type slowly nods his head, still in awe and I lean over to press a kiss to his temple. "Come on, let's put our bags away."

After we finish unpacking, I drag Type away from the suite and to the resort. He was reluctant to leave the luxurious room, but as soon as I mentioned getting food, he was practically skipping to the nearest restaurant.

I chose a place I knew Type would love. Their specialty items are all spicy foods, which are Type's favorites. I stick to raw fish, as the spicier meals upset my stomach.

Type munches happily on the meal I bought him, making my stomach roar with butterflies at the relaxed smile on his face. It's been a long time since I've seen Type look this happy and relaxed around me.

After we finish eating, I lead Type to our next destination. Upon our arrival, Type has the biggest smile on his face when we realizes what we're doing.

"Zip lining??" Type asks excitedly. His moon-shaped eyes are wide and bright with excitement, and I chuckle. "How'd you know I've always wanted to try this?"

"I'm your best friend," I feign offense. "Do you think I don't know what makes my mate happy? You were the one always dragging me along on crazy adventures when we were kids. Of course I know that you like this kind of stuff."

Type stares at me with a blank expression, but I can see the pinkening of his cheeks and the emotions swirling behind his eyes. He's touched, but is too shy to say anything. At least, to my face.

"Are you two here for zip lining?" The woman working the station asks.

"Yes, I have a reservation for two zip liners. My name is Tharn," I inform her. She scans the list on her clipboard with her finger until she lands on my name.

"Ah, yes! Two for a Mr. Tharn.... Now, who is going first?"

I nod towards Type, who beams at me joyfully. As the woman helps get him strapped into his harness, Type get barely hold still because he's so eager to fly through the sky. I chuckle at his childlike behavior, finding it absolutely adorable.

There's a brief moment where fear overtakes me as Type prepares to jump off the platform, and my wolf whines nervously. I want to climb up there and yank him back down to safety, but I don't dare. Not when Type has the biggest smile on that goofy face of his.

I will myself to stand still as Type takes a deep breath, throws another grin my way, then takes off into the sky. The zip line cable carries him with ease as he shoots away, shouting ecstatically the entire time. His laughter echoes through the atmosphere, filling my chest with joy at the pure sound.

"Okay, sir. You're up next," the zip line attendant says to me. I nod and climb up to the platform after getting secured into a harness. Another attendant meets me at the top of the platform and secures my harness to the cable.

"Okay, you're going to squat down low and allow your weight to sink you down into the harness. You don't want any slack on the line before you go," the attendant says, and I do as I'm told. "Okay, just keep your body relaxed, and I'm going to push you off the platform, got it?"

I look in the distance to where Type has landed on the other side, and smile widely. My wolf is eagerly yelping, excited to get back to our mate. I give the attendant a thumbs up to show him I'm ready, and he pushes me off the platform.

Instantly, I'm blown away. It literally feels like I'm flying through the air. It's the most exhilarating feeling, despite having a harness digging uncomfortably into my crotch. I hold onto the rope in front of my face and tilt my head back, watching the clouds zoom by. Peace and joy is all I can feel at this moment.

Nothing beats this feeling.

Or, so I thought.

Because as soon as my feet touch the ground, Type throws himself at me and wraps his arms around my neck, bringing me in a tight hug. Adrenaline is pumping through my system, heightened by the touch of my mate.

"That was amazing!" Type exclaims. "I can't believe I finally got to do that! And it's all thanks to you! It's your birthday, and you chose to bring me somewhere that you knew I would enjoy! You're just, so, ugh, I can't—" he cuts himself off my grabbing my face and slamming his lips against mine. My eyes widen in shock, from both the sudden kiss and the verbal affection. I smile against his lips before kissing him back. My tongue brushes against his bottom lip, making him shiver in my embrace.

I move to deepen the kiss when another employee clears his throat. Type pulls away and I fully expect him to look grossed out or ashamed over being caught kissing a guy.

But he doesn't.

He keeps his eyes on me, his cheeks flushed pink and a cute little grin on his lips. My heart soars, and I fight off the desire to scoop him in my arms and take him right there.

Instead of that, we remove our harnesses and I lead Type to our next location. We approach the arcade, and Type's eyes light up. We spend the next two hours playing games, and I would've liked to say that I let Type win, but honestly he kicked my ass at every game. Probably because he spent so much time playing video games with Thorn when we were younger.

Type was heartbroken when Thorn left to study abroad in high school. He didn't show it, but I knew he was deeply saddened over Thorn's departure. I understand Thorn's reasoning for leaving. Being the son of an Alpha puts a lot of pressure on you. Even if you're not next in line to lead. Thorn was constantly being looked at under scrutiny, and it wasn't good for his mental health. He decided to leave until he finished school so he could stay focused on his studies without all the distractions of the pack.

Whenever he finally returns, I'm sure he'll be glad to see that Type has been brushing up on his video game skills.

We grab some ice cream after video games and dinner before heading back to the hotel. Type throws himself on the large bed, feeling completely spent. I grin and shake my bed before grabbing a towel and hopping in the shower. After I'm finished, I quickly dry off and put on a white tank top and a pair of blue plaid boxers. When I emerge from the bathroom, I see Type still laying on the bed, eyes closed as he drifts to sleep. I grab a clean towel and throw it at his face, effectively waking him up and earning a scowl.

"Don't fall asleep without taking a shower," I scold playfully. "You're all sweaty and you'll stink up the bed."

"Asshole," Type snaps, trying to look mad but his secretive smile gives him away. He snatches the towel and heads into the bathroom. Once I hear the sound of his shower running, I lean back on the couch at the foot of the bed.

Today was amazing. I can't remember the last time I heard Type laugh that loudly, or seen him jump around like an excited little kid.

I'm sitting there, so lost in my thoughts and smiling like an idiot that I don't notice Type come out of the bathroom. His hand touches my shoulder and I jump a little in surprise. He's standing over me with amusement in his eyes.

"Did I scare you?" Type chuckles softly. I slowly shake my head, and my eyes wander his body. He's wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, and there are a few stray drops of water making their way down his toned chest. A drop of water catches on his nipple, and I have to bite my lip to keep myself from licking it away.

Type leans down closer to me, and I close my eyes and breathe him in. The scent of his hair relaxes my muscles as the freshly washed aroma drifts into my nose. I lean in closer to his neck and inhale his natural scent, making my wolf howl with delight.

"Tharn," Type breathes out a laugh. "Fuck, I can smell your arousal."

I look up at him, unabashed. "Is that a bad thing?"

Type squirms a little and his cheeks flush. "We haven't— I mean, we've never done stuff like that when we're not in heat."

I tilt my head to the side. I'm pretty sure we weren't in heat during that round at the pack house, after I pulled Type away from Puifai. Does he not realize that?

"The party at the pack house," I say, making him look up at me. "We weren't in heat then."

Type's dark brows knit together quizzically. "But... I still felt the affects of the heat. I still wanted... if that wasn't the heat, then what was it?"

I chuckle softly and pull Type down to me so that he's sitting on my lap. "It's called, being attracted to your mate," I explain with a warm smile. "It's called, wanting to be with your mate in the intimate way mates should be. It's normal, Type."

Type chews on his bottom lip, looking down at his lap. Sighing, I place my fingers under his chin and tilt his head back up to meet my gaze. His dark eyes search mine, and I can see the mix of emotions swirling in him.

"It's okay, Type," I murmur. "It's okay."

Leaning forward, I press my lips softly against Type's. He remains still for a few seconds as I work my lips against his until he finally relaxes into the kiss. I sigh contentedly as he melts into the kiss, wrapping his arms around my neck. Our tongues slowly swirl together, as if getting reacquainted with each other. His hands find their way into my hair, and he buries his fingers into the dark locks. I groan when he lightly tugs on my hair, the slight pain sending a jolt to my groin.

I capture his bottom lip with my teeth and give him a tug, eliciting a moan from Type's mouth. I trail my lips down his jawline and throat, licking and suckling on every inch of skin I can reach. My ears drink in every one of Type's melodic sounds as I worship his body.

My lips latch onto the nipple I had been eyeing earlier, finally getting to run my tongue over the pink bud and the drop of water that had been there. Type whines needily and clutches my shoulders.

"Tharn..." Type moans. My cock aches from hearing Type moan my name, and I move onto the other nipple in pursuit of hearing that beautiful sound more often.

"Tharn," Type says more firmly, and this time I can hear the hesitation in his voice. I pull back instantly and look at his face, flushed with pleasure but also laced with nerves.

"It's okay," I reassure him softly. "We don't have to do anything tonight. I didn't plan this trip just to get laid. Spending time with you and making you happy is the most important thing to me."

Type's eyes glow at that, but there's still some doubt there. "Are you sure? I feel bad..."

"Type," I cut him off abruptly. "The last thing I want is for you to force yourself to do something you don't want to. When we do have sex without being in heat, I want it to be because you want to."

Type nods slowly and his tense muscles relax a bit. I smile at him and reach up to brush his black hair away from his face.

"Besides," I say. "I'm way too sore from that fucking harness anyway."

Type laughs loudly at that, and he fully relaxes in my lap. "Oh my god, I'm glad it's not just me. Yeah, it was a lot of fun, but holy shit I'm so fucking sore."

I laugh along side him before nudging him with my shoulder. "Come on, let's get some sleep. I have more stuff planned for us tomorrow."

Type nods his head with a grin, and I scoop him up in my arms as I stand up. Type squeals — although he would never admit to that — as I lift him up and carry him to the bed. I gently set him down on the soft mattress before walking to the other side of the bed as he crawls under the covers.

I slide in next to him and pull him to my chest. Type doesn't object and lays his head on my chest, our legs tangling together under the sheets. We say goodnight and I press a chaste kiss to his forehead before settling into the cloud-like mattress.

The last thing I hear before falling asleep is Type's whispered words.

"Thank you, Tharn."

~~~

THE FLUFF 🥺

I love them so much

How are you guys doing? Staying healthy?
My state is on lockdown. We're not allowed to leave our homes unless we're receiving or providing essential services

Remember to comment/vote! Thanks, loves!
-Gumbie