"Hold on to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave is stringing us along, just know you're not alone. 'Cause I'm going to make this place your home."
~Phillip Phillips, 'Home'

~~~

*Tharn's POV*

I drop the last box in the middle of the floor, gazing around at the dozens of other boxes filling the living room.

You would think it would've been obvious that — between the stuff at Type's dorm and my stuff from the pack house — we would have a lot of stuff.

But holy shit. You never really realize how much shit you truly have until you move.

"Do we really need all this stuff?" I call out. "I think we'd be fine throwing half of these boxes away."

Type rounds the corner, smirking. "You were the one who wanted to move," he points out. "You don't get to complain."

"He's right, you know," Techno chimes in as he walks out of our new kitchen, followed by Team and Champ. "Especially since you had your dad force half the pack to build you this home in under a week."

I grimace, knowing I can't argue against that. Zen has been fairly quiet recently, no attacks or threats for the past week. We're not stupid. Obviously, Zen is planning something, although we don't know what. Whoever Lhong has as a contact on the inside has vanished, so we don't know what's going on inside the Silver Sun Pack anymore.

It's unnerving, but we're not letting it stop us from living our lives. There's not much we can do besides sending our warriors to their pack, but there are too many wolves there that have nothing to do with this stupid war. If we attack, we risk hurting innocent wolves. All we can do is wait for Zen to make his next move. It sucks, but it's better than accidentally taking an innocent life.

In the meantime, I convinced my dad that Type and I needed a place of our own. Which actually wasn't too hard when they saw the state of their living room after Type and I.... you know.

Let's just say that I never want to piss off my mom again. The back of my head still stings, and it's been a whole week.

"Instead of whining, you could thank us for helping out," Team pipes in.

"You're right, you're right," I raise my hands in surrender. "Seriously, thank you guys for helping out. This would've taken Type and I five times as long to carry these boxes ourselves."

Champ looks around the room, brows furrowed. "Where's tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumbass?"

Right on cue, the back door slides open and in walks Thorn and Lhong . After Type got in anger out of his system, the nine of us — Tum and Tar included — started spending more time together. Not that we could really avoid it, since we've basically been forbidden to leave pack grounds until we hear from Zen.

"I told you guys," Thorn says to me. "You really should've requested a bigger house. Only one story? You're the next Alpha. You could've easily gotten a couple stories."

I shrug my shoulders. "It's not like we really need that much space. It's just me and Type here. My office will stay at the pack house. We have everything we need. Living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and spare room. Honestly, that's more than enough space."

"What are you going to do with the spare room?"

"Don't know yet. Maybe make it an office space for Type," I say, looking at my mate with a grin. Type smiles back, taking a liking to the idea of having a space of his own.

"Oh," Thorn frowns. "You're not making it a guest room? Where will I stay if I ever want to stay the night?"

"Exactly," Type snickers, making Thorn pout. Lhong chuckles and reaches over to squeeze Thorn's hand, who immediately brightens.

A knock at the door pulls our attention. I walk across the room and open the door, revealing two beaming faces.

"Tum, Tar!" I greet them with a smile. "I didn't know you were coming."

The two hold up several bags of food. "We brought lunch!" Tum announces. The rest of the guys quickly swarm over at the mention of food. I swat them away as Tum laughs and Tar pinkens from the attention.

"We'll get this set up in the kitchen," I say as I grab the bags of food. "Type, come help me."

The guys excitedly chatter as Type and I carry the bags to the kitchen and set them on the counter after kicking the kitchen door shut behind us. Luckily, we had already moved our furniture before moving the boxes, so we have a table so sit at. I thank the Moon that we put the boxes with kitchen stuff in here and not in the living room, because I really need a break from the headaches I call my friends.

Type bends over to open up one of the boxes, searching for plates and utensils. His jeans hug his ass perfectly, and I have to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from moaning at the sight.

But when his shirt starts sliding up, revealing some of his smooth skin, all hope is lost.

I round the table and make my way behind him, grabbing his hips firmly. Type stops his search, resting his hands on the side of the box and craning his next to look back at me.

"What do you think you're doing?" Type questions. I grind myself harshly against him, making him gasp and stumble a little.

"Just thinking about how the kitchen is probably going to be my favorite room," I answer him.

Type tilts his head quizzically and stands up, turning around to face me. "Why is that?"

"Because," I grab his hips and yank him to me, the collision of our hips making us both groan. "I can't wait for the day when I find you making breakfast in the morning, wearing next to the nothing as you sway your body around the kitchen. Hickeys littering your skin from the fun we no doubt had the night before. Goddess, I would fuck you so hard right here on this counter. And probably on the table too."

Type snorts. "Okay, first of all, why do you assume I'm the one making breakfast? We both know you're better at cooking. Second of all, there's no way in hell I'll be dancing around the kitchen in skimpy clothing. If I'm walking around in boxers in the morning, it's because I was too lazy to get changed. Not to seduce you."

"Who said anything about boxers? I was imagining a bit more.... lace."

Type face burns bright red and he hits my chest. "You asshole!"

I laugh loudly, hugging him to me despite how much he's squirming to get away. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I reassure him. "You know I would never make you do anything outside of your comfort zone."
Type relaxes in my hold, only to yelp a few seconds later when I hold him tighter and nip at his ear. "Still... that's not going to stop me from fucking you in every single corner of his house."

Type pulls back enough for me to see the sly grin on his face. "As long as you'll allow me to return the favor," he purrs.

My eyes glow at the promise, and I hungrily capture his lips with mine. Type moans into my mouth, throwing his arms around my neck and pulling me closer. My hands find his round ass and squeeze, causing more moans to spill from Type's mouth.

"Ah, shit," A voice grunts, making us jump and look towards the kitchen door. The guys are all standing there, jaws dropped and Techno glaring at us. "You two animals couldn't wait until we were gone?"

Type flushes and I smile sheepishly. "How long have you been standing there?" I ask.

"Long enough to hear that my brother takes it up the ass," Thorn grumbles, his face bright red. "I know you guys have sex — believe me — but I really didn't need that mental image."

Type cackles while I roll my eyes. "Get over it. The giver has to be the receiver at some point," I look between the various couples standing in the doorway. "You'll all find that out soon enough."

The reactions are absolutely hilarious, and I crack a wide smile. Lhong and Thorn both turn the darkest shade of red, Champ and Team simply smile and shrug, and Tum glances at Tar who squeaks and looks down at the ground.

Type elbows me in the side. "Stop teasing them," he whispers. "You're going to scare them off."

I laugh and press a kiss to Type's forehead before turning back to the embarrassed bunch. "Okay, okay, I'm done. Let's eat before the food gets too cold."

Thankfully, everyone relaxes at that and takes their places at the table. Type and I finish setting out the plates and food, and we dive into the meal that Tum and Tar brought.

***

"I don't know if I can do this," Type mumbles, peeking around the corner at the mass of wolves waiting in the large open area in the middle of the pack.

I rub his back soothingly. "What are you afraid of?"

Type stares at me as if that question was the dumbest thing he's ever heard. "Let's see... the pack being disgusted that their future Alpha is mated to a man, revolting at the idea of me becoming an Alpha alongside you, and just the general hate that any one of them can spew."

I smile tenderly at him, still rubbing his back in soothing circles. Today, we're making our official announcement that Type is not only my mate, but that he will be given all the power and responsibility of an Alpha once the title is passed down from my father.

It's long overdue, and I'm not waiting another day more. All I want is to scream for the world to hear that Type is my mate. My lover. My everything.

"Everything is going to be fine," I assure him. "This pack is your home. I'm not going to let anyone make you feel like it's any less. If anyone dares to say something bad about you, I'll rip them apart."

Type looks up at me, expecting to see a smile or any indication that I'm joking, but I stare back at him with a stern expression. His eyes glow when he realizes I would truly do anything for him, even if it means taking on the whole pack.

"I love you," he murmurs, leaning up to lightly peck my lips.

"Are you two ready?" My dad asks, making us jump as he appears out of thin fucking air.

I look to Type, who takes a deep breath and nods his head. My dad gestures for us to follow him out into the opening until we're in front of the large group of wolves.

"Good morning, Golden Moon Pack," my father's voice booms over the crowd. "I called this meeting for my son, your future Alpha and leader, to make an important announcement."

The pack murmurs as my dad nods to me. I don't falter as I step forward, even with the hundreds of eyes locked on me. Type stays a few feet behind me, the nerves still swimming in his dark eyes.

"As many of you know, I have found my mate," I start off. A handful of wolves — mainly our friends and families — don't react to the announcement. But the rest of the pack becomes wide-eyed at the news. I turn around and latch onto Type's hand, pulling him forward to my side. "The Moon Goddess above gifted me with this man right here, and I couldn't ask for a better mate."

At that, the crowd falls deafly silent. Type's anxiety rolls off of him in waves at the uneasy silence.

'I knew it,' he says through our mind link. 'They hate that I'm a man. Why else would they be so quiet?'

'You don't know that,' I respond calmly. 'Maybe they're just shocked, but overall happy for us.'

"Our Luna is a guy?" One member of the pack shouts out, not bothering to hide his disgust.

'Told you,' Type says flatly.

"No," I answer loudly, causing a wave of confusion to wash over the pack. "Type will not be Luna. He will be given the title of Alpha, and will lead by my side."

And with that bomb dropped, the pack erupts in a mixture of shouted questions and angered exclamations. I hold my ground, refusing to waver despite their objections. Type shrinks behind me, and my heart clenches.

Amidst the shouting, I notice Puifai standing near the front of the crowd. Her jaw is dropped as she stares at my hand tightly clasped with Type's. She notices me staring and recovers, snapping her mouth shut and shaking her head. She leans over to the girl next to her.

"How sad that Tharn can't lead on his own. He has to beg his own Luna for help. Pathetic," Puifai scoffs lowly.

I plan on ignoring her since she was talking about me and not Type, but when I hear a loud growl from behind me, I whip my head around. A fiery anger burns through our bond, melting away Type's timid demeanor. He steps forward, his eyes glowing and canines elongating. The crowd falls silent as he gets closer to Puifai.

"What the fuck did you say about my mate?" Type growls. Puifai stammers, obviously not expecting Type to get so angry with her. He glares at her before straightening his back, standing tall. "The only reason I haven't thrown you out is because we were once friends. But say another word about Tharn and I won't hesitate to charge you with treason."

Type steps back, now addressing the entire pack that had fallen silent. "That being said, I don't care if you want to bad mouth me for being a man. I get it. I used to have the same stupid reservations. I hope that over time, I can prove myself to be an effective and strong Alpha." The crowd seems to split, with half of them relaxing and some even smiling, but the others are still guarded and defensive. "However," he starts again, much more serious. "I will not tolerate anyone talking shit about my mate. Tharn won't be any less of a leader with me by his side. The decision wasn't made because he's weak, or unable to lead on his own. Tharn chose me to lead with him because a good leader knows how to utilize the strengths of others, and Tharn knew I would be better as an Alpha than a Luna. If anyone still doubts my mate, say it to my face and I'll remind you how strong the both of us are."

With that, Type grabs my hand and storms off, pulling me behind him. I let him lead as my vision becomes blurred with unshed tears of love and pride. He drags me all the way to our house, slamming the door and locking it behind us.

Type stands facing the door with his back to me. I can feel his rage subsiding with each passing moment. I force myself to wait for him to speak first, even though everything within me wants to scoop him up and shower him with kisses.

After what feels like forever, Type slowly turns around, his eyes wide. "Holy shit," he breathes out. "I can't believe I just did that."

"I can't either," I chuckle. "But I'm so proud of you, baby. I knew you were strong enough to face them."

"B-But I just threatened them! All of them!" Type stammers. "What was I thinking?"

I pull him to me, pressing a long kiss to his forehead. He instantly relaxes in my hold, breathing in my scent to help calm him down.

"You were perfect," I tell him honestly. "They needed to know we're not going to be walked all over. I'm so fucking glad you're my mate, baby. I can't imagine anyone better."

Type looks at me hesitantly, searching for a lie that he's not going to find. Rather, he finds all the love I harvest for him, along with the insane amount of pride bursting in my chest.

His lips split into a large grin as he throws his arms around me. I chuckle and wrap my arms around his waist, lifting him off the ground as I hug him tightly to me.

~~~

Fun chapter, yaaayyyy

This story is getting closer to the end 😭 I'm going to miss this story but I'm sooooo excited to write about FighterTutor 🤤

Comment and vote!

See you next time!
-Gumbie