The morning sun fluttered through the half open curtains on the mahogany brown window, casting a glow across the end of the bed.

There were piles of clothes littered around the floor and sprawling out of various drawers, showcasing that an eighteen year old boy resided here.

A desk that sat under the window was spread out with various papers and pens as if work had been done late into the night before.

The bedroom door flew open in a haste and in came flying one of the boys, ready to disturb his friend.

"Guess what today is!"

A shaggy haired boy declared, nearly bursting with excitement as he bounced up and down on the end of Ryder's grand bed that was made out of willow tree bark.

Parker could hardly contain his excitement for today and the events that would follow. It was a big day and he couldn't wait to get started.

"Your birthday," Ryder said with a deadpan look and a roll of his eyes as he attempted to pull the covers over his eyes.

The sun was far too bright and he was exhausted.

Ryder knew today was a big deal to his friend but considering things for him at the moment, he just didn't have the energy to match Parker's enthusiasm.

Things had been quite down lately.

"You've basically said it every two minutes for the past few days. Give it a rest, bud. I can feel a headache forming," the brown haired boy continued as he rubbed his temples with his slender fingers.

Ryder began to sit up, attempting to regain consciousness after being rudely awoken by the birthday boy. He could hardly open his eyes fully and his head was already beginning to pound.

"Sorry, I am just so excited!" Parker replied, a little quieter with the same level of excitement as before.

Today he was, hopefully, going to meet his mate.

Nerves filled the pit of his stomach at the thought that perhaps he would get unlucky like Ryder but he squished those thoughts down in hope that things would be better for him.

"I know, I know. But couldn't you give me just a little longer to sleep?" Ryder huffed, shoving his buddy off the bed in annoyance.

He scratched his bare chest as he began to stretch his arms in order to properly wake up.

Parker got up and sat back down as if he was barely phased by the push. His friend hadn't shoved him nearly hard enough but it definitely came as a mild surprise.

"Today I find my mate. Can't you just be excited for me? Please?" The redhead boy asked with eyes wide with a plea.

"We all know who you are expecting," Ryder murmured out as he got up and shuffled over to his cupboards to find some clothes for the day.

It was clear he had lost this battle.

With a sigh, he resigned himself to fully waking up. He wouldn't be going back to bed anymore.  That ship had long sailed away.

Parker blushed, ignoring what his friend had said and continued with what he was originally going to say.

"I have organised for breakfast downstairs for everyone I thought maybe I could find her bright and early. No time like the present, you know?" He continued with a wide grin, looking quite satisfied with his plan.

Parker had been planning this for weeks with his mother. He was determined to get to spend as much time with his mate as possible. There really was no time like the present.

"Wow, you sure don't waste any time," grumbled Ryder as he headed into the bathroom to shower and then get dressed.

"Now get out while I get ready!" He shouted as he slammed the bathroom door closed.

"I'll see you down in twenty! Don't be late! Dress your best!" Parker yelled after him before trotting off and closing the door behind him in sheer glee.

***

As the two of them entered the dining hall, Ryder was greeted with mild disappointment in the air mixed with some light hopefulness.

"Good morning everyone," greeted Ryder with a grin to show everyone he was in high spirits today too.

Even if it was far from the truth of how he was really feeling inside.

At the thought that Parker could find his mate and get to share the news publicly without fear seemed to sting him a bit. He would never understand truly why Alisa was hesitant to be with him and even more hesitant for everyone to know.

Some things really were a complete mystery.

"Good morning, Prince Ryder!"

The chorus came from the breakfast table which always made him feel a tad uneasy. He couldn't wait to be Alpha but he often forgot what that really entailed.

Constant talking and pointing and expectations being set upon him. There would be no room for air or error.

The thoughts were stressful enough as is.

Especially when he remembered that they were all counting on him to finally give them a Luna again.

Ryder really was rather content with his father running the show for a while longer.

Perhaps in time, he would be able to meet the pack's expectations and maybe even exceed them.

But only time would tell.

In an effort to clear his head and steer his feelings into a more positive light, he nudged Parker.

"Where's Maya this morning?"

The whisper was barely audible but came with a clear teasing tone.

The poor boy in question flushed bright red and mumbled something incoherently.

In the days after Ryder's birthday, he had finally learned the truth about his friend's lifelong feelings for the pessimistic she-wolf.

It was made abundantly clear in Parker's sheer relief for the fact that Maya had not been Ryder's mate. There had been no more denying the loud erratic heartbeats that the former boy had tried so hard to mask over the years.

He had almost everyone fooled up until that point. Now it was a badly kept secret that Ryder was surprised that Maya was yet to learn of.

It wasn't like any of their friends had been particularly tightlipped about it lately. It had been the centre of gossip for the past few weeks.

The only kind of action that had been happening lately. Everything was almost too quiet and peaceful - as if Ryder was expecting the other shoe to drop soon enough.

The calm before the storm.

Today was finally game day and yet Maya was one of the last to arrive to breakfast this morning.

There was still hope she would show, same as Alisa, because Ryder had reinforced the announcement about breakfast the night before.

While Parker was focused on the task at hand, the latter boy was desperate for a glimpse of his mate.

It had been far too long since he'd gotten to feel the fireworks when their eyes collided. Her clear avoidant tendencies weren't doing either of them any favours.

Ryder came to sit down beside his friend, and began piling his plate up with food to fuel his day.

Eating would be a good distraction for how he was feeling at this moment.

"It's not any of these girls," came Parker's hopeful whisper.

"Maybe it really is her."

"If you're lucky, the Moon Goddess will answer your plea," chuckled Ryder in reply as he began shovelling food into his mouth.

"What if it's Alisa instead? I-I mean there isn't anything wrong with her. I'll be happy with just having a mate at this point," commented Parker as he fiddled nervously with his fingers.

As soon as his ears picked up the sound of her name, Ryder began choking on his food.

'No. Mine.'

His wolf really knew when to make an unexpected appearance but he welcomed the familiar warmth of it whenever it happened.

Lately, his wolf only seemed to surface whenever their mate was in question.

Alisa was the key to unlocking his other half forever.

Another reason he was desperate to cement their bond but he understood he had to be patient even if it killed him.

Parker's eyes widened in shock at first before he began patting Ryder's back after he started visibly choking.

"You good, bro?"

Ryder nodded in silent response as he took a drink of juice to clear his throat.

Before anybody could ask what had just happened, in came the last two straggling she-wolves.

Saved by the bell.

"Well, what's going on in here?"

The sound of Maya's voice was filled with mild curiosity and a slight amount of teasing.

In a split second, Parker was up from the table and standing two feet from the girl.

If one didn't know better, one would assume they were both stunned into silence but underneath that, so much more was happening inside.

While Ryder couldn't be happier for his friend, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Alisa, who seemed blissfully unaware of what was happening around her.

As everyone began congratulating the two wolves, the sounds were being drowned out by the deafening beating of Ryder's heart.

"Uh, how'd you sleep?"

He asked in a whisper as he leaned over to Alisa.

"Fine," the grumbled reply came as she slowly grabbed food for her plate.

There was barely an inch or so between them but it made it even more obvious that he wasn't the only one struggling at the moment.

Her eyebrows were furrowed and her usually bright blue eyes looked darker than normal. The whites in her eyes were red and bloodshot, as if she too had been unable to sleep much.

They wouldn't be able to keep up this facade for much longer before it would show its toll to everyone, not just those who looked hard enough to find the stress markers.

For now, their secret remained safe.

Ryder pulled back, clearing his throat before he stood up to congratulate the new couple.

"You were right all along, Parker. Congratulations to you both."

Ryder commented casually as he forced his mouth to form a somewhat happy smile before leaning over to hug the pair.

"What's he talking about?"

Maya asked, almost shyly, which was a little out of character for her.

"I've always liked you," came Parker's soft reply.

Her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as he leaned over to place a kiss on her cheek.

'At least he's finally happy,' Ryder thought to himself.

He looked back over at Alisa, calculating his next steps on how to solve their clear predicament. It was going to take more than confessions and a mate bond to fix this.

Love usually found a way to win in the end and he was banking on it for all it's worth.