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When Jared resumed driving the last stretch of miles to the pride lands, Jensen pulled out his phone and sent a text to Matt and Felicia letting them know he was only a phone call or text away should they need him. A moment later his phone buzzed indicating he had received a response, followed quickly by another.

Felicia: Boss, we’ve got it covered.

Matt: We’ll see you on Monday. Go enjoy your time away.

Jensen couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips when he read their responses. 

Jared peered over at Jensen. “Something I should worry about?” he quipped, quirking an eyebrow up in amusement.

“What? No!” Jensen was horrified that Jared would think him capable of betraying him, not realizing that Jared was just teasing him.

Jared reached over to place a hand on Jensen’s thigh. “Relax, I was only joking with you.” He gave Jensen’s thigh a slight squeeze to emphasize his point. He knew where Jensen’s mind was going, and he wanted Jensen to know he trusted him. “I know you would never do anything to betray my trust.”

“Never,” Jensen said vehemently with a hard shake of his head. “I was texting Matt and Felicia to let them know that I’m still available if they needed me.” He felt the need to explain his actions to Jared even if Jared hadn’t actually asked him what he had been doing.

“And you owe me no explanation,” Jared assured Jensen before returning his attention to the road so he could focus on driving. They settled into a comfortable silence as he drove. At one point he reached over and pulled Jensen to him, letting Jensen settle his head on his shoulder, urging Jensen to tell him about growing up in the pride. He could just imagine how adorable Jensen had been as a kitten or cub as Jensen’s mother called him. “So, did you get yourself into trouble as a cub? Did your mother have to carry you by the scruff of your neck?”

Jensen turned his face to bury it into Jared’s shoulder, feeling his cheeks heat from embarrassment. “Maybe,” he whispered. His dame had done that on one occasion when he had tried to play with the older cubs. Fearing that he would be hurt, she had stepped in, pulled him away from the older cubs, and had carried him back to their home, softly growling her displeasure with his antics all the while. 

Jared let out a laugh at Jensen’s story. “That must have been adorable to see, even if you were being reprimanded.”

“Mom was not happy. The other cubs were twice my size, but I just wanted to practice my pouncing,” Jensen admitted. “I guess in that instance, I was like every other kid, human or were, just wanting to play. We were all just treated as regular cubs until we presented…” He let his voice fade off not wanting to go into any great detail about how the cubs were treated once they showed their designation - how omegas were treated as less than alphas or betas in his pride. 

Jared turned his head and kissed the top of Jensen’s head. ‘ No reason to dwell on the past ’. He understood how hard things had been for Jensen and he didn’t want to put more stress on him. He felt Jensen stiffen against him and then move away from him to sit up straight in the passenger seat. He was about to say something, to question what was wrong, when he heard Jensen speaking through their bond.

‘ Nearly there, alpha ’. Jensen needed to act as the proper omega once they crossed onto the pride lands. He had to remind himself that he couldn’t just reach out to Jared when he wanted to. That wasn’t allowed, especially by an omega. As his alpha, Jared would be the one to make the first move, to tell him what was expected of him. ‘ There will be others there to greet us when we arrive .’ He dropped his hands to his lap and set his eyes on them, not daring to look at Jared.

“Jensen?” Jared questioned not bothering with their bond this time. 

Without daring to look at Jared, Jensen quietly responded, “As my alpha, if you want to show me comfort or affection, it’s your right but I’m not allowed to seek it out from you unless we are in private.”

Jared suppressed the groan threatening to escape past his lips at hearing that. “Got it,” he pushed out from behind gritted teeth, already regretting not canceling their trip. Pulling up to the Ackles’ home, he saw Alan and Donna standing there, arm in arm, and also another couple standing there with them. He wasn’t sure who this couple was, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t like meeting them, or at least the man standing next to Alan. The woman who was with the unknown man was standing behind him with her hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed in submission. 

Putting the SUV into Park, Jared cut the engine and turned to Jensen. “I’m guessing I need to give you permission to get out or at the very least open the door for you.” 

“Yes, alpha,” Jensen whispered, letting himself slide into the role of an obedient and submissive omega that he was supposed to be portraying now that they were on the pride lands. 

Jared gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles bled white from the pressure of his grasp. Taking a steadying breath, he forced himself to let go of the steering wheel and get out of the SUV to walk around to Jensen’s door. Opening it, he held out his hand to Jensen as an invitation for Jensen to join him. “Who’s that with your parents?” he whispered, leaning into Jensen.

“The pride’s alpha leader and his omega mate,” Jensen responded and then went quiet as Jared led them over to those waiting for them. He felt Jared settle his large hand on the small of his back, but he remained stiff and still, waiting for the alphas to acknowledge him and the other omegas.

Jared stood there next to Jensen not sure what to do aside from protecting his omega from the unknown couple. He wasn’t thrilled to see the pride’s alpha leader standing there with Jensen’s parents. But he would at least be civil to the man and his mate or try to. 

“Jared, it’s good to see you,” Alan greeted, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over them. Letting go of his mate, he offered Jared his hand and then stepped back once their handshake had ended.

“Alan, Donna,” Jared acknowledged, “you’re both looking well. Thank you for inviting us to your home and for allowing me onto the pride lands.” The greeting felt forced, but it was the best he could do at the moment. He also noticed that although Donna smiled at him, she had remained quiet, not moving from her mate’s side. Normally she would have hugged him and Jensen by now. It also didn’t go unnoticed by him that no one had acknowledged Jensen’s presence. 

“Jared, I’d like to introduce you to our pride’s alpha leader,” Alan stated and turned to the man standing next to him. 

Jared regarded the man being introduced to him. The man appeared to be older than him but younger than Alan. The man had a grizzled look to him, having salt and pepper hair and a beard. Before he could say anything the man stepped forward, offering his hand and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Jeffrey Dean Morgan. But you can call me JD, like the rest of the pride calls me,” JD said as he extended a hand to Jared. Looking at Jared, he had a feeling that the human would balk at calling him alpha as most of the pride called him. Jared was human after all, and would most likely refuse to acknowledge his status as the pride’s alpha leader.  

Jared eyed the pride’s alpha. He didn’t want to shake the man’s hand. Not after what he had learned about the traditionalist and his ideas on the treatment of omegas - treating them like they were nothing more than chattel, having no say in their mating, and at times being forced into an unwanted mating. JD and a few of the other alphas were the reason Jensen had run from the pride. But he knew he had to keep the peace. He wouldn’t embarrass Jensen or Jensen’s parents by being rude. His own parents had raised him better than that. He stepped forward and accepted the offered handshake. “Jared Padalecki,” he said, doing his best to keep his tone friendly and handshake firm.

“So, you’re the human our wayward omega, Jensen, mated with.” JD smiled as he spoke. Breaking the handshake, he turned his attention to Jensen, and looked him up and down, nodding his head as if giving approval to what he saw, before turning his eyes back on Jared. “Nice to finally meet you. We’re glad to have Jensen back on our pride lands. It’s been too long. Hasn’t it Jensen?”

Jensen bowed his head in submission. “Yes, alpha,” Jensen automatically responded. 

Seeing Jensen’s response had Jared’s hackles up. He hated seeing Jensen this way, submissive to anyone. He had only ever experienced Jensen’s submissiveness in their home and even then, he wasn’t comfortable with it. He knew it was Jensen’s nature to be this way but it didn’t sit well with him. Even when they were alone, Jensen had a tendency to show his submission to him, but the alpha wasn’t someone Jensen was mated to. While he didn’t like it, he understood it was Jensen’s way of showing respect to the pride’s alpha leader. Jared moved closer to Jensen, placing his arm around Jensen’s waist and pulling Jensen close to his body, clearly displaying his possessiveness over his mate. “I believe it’s only right for you to address me first since I’m Jensen’s alpha and mate before speaking with him, is it not?” His tone was bordering on cold as he spoke to JD. If they were going to play this game, he was going to establish himself as Jensen’s alpha before things went any further. He smirked when he saw JD’s jaw clenching in irritation. “I am recognized as his alpha and mate, am I not?” Jared inquired in a clipped tone. 

JD noticed the way Jared was barely containing his hostility toward him and the way that Jared was displaying his dominance over the omega he had claimed as his mate. He threw his hands up in supplication. Giving a short chuckle, he offered Jared a smile in an attempt to lighten the tension he’d just caused. “You’re right. My apologies.” Turning, he motioned for his own omega to join him. “This is my omega and mate, Hilarie.” He pulled her toward him, having her stand in front of him so he could proudly display her off. “Hilarie, this was the omega I was telling you about. Maybe you can get to know Jensen if his alpha permits it while he’s here.”

Not raising her eyes up from her clasped hands, Hilarie nodded. “It would be my pleasure, alpha.”

Jared gave JD a tight smile. “That’s a very kind offer, JD, but I don’t think we’ll be here long enough for that. We’re only here for the night. As it is, we should probably grab our bags and head inside. I’d like to visit with Alan and Donna before the party tonight. I know Jensen has been looking forward to spending some uninterrupted time with his sire and dame as well.” 

“Of course, I completely understand. We should let you get settled. We just wanted to welcome you to the pride,” JD said amicably and then turned to Alan. “We’ll see you tonight. I’m looking forward to celebrating your birthday.” 

“Yes, it should be a nice night,” Alan said as he watched JD walk away from his home with Hilarie following behind him. With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to his mate, Jared, and Jensen. “Now that’s over with, why don’t we go inside?”

“He’s joining us tonight?” Jared questioned in surprise. He wasn’t happy at hearing JD would be part of those attending the small birthday party being held for Alan.

“Yes, it would have been bad form not to invite our alpha. I was just as surprised as you are when JD announced he would be coming to the party. He doesn’t normally attend parties for us regular pride members,” Alan explained. “Normally he only attends parties for the alphas who are higher up in the pride’s order.”

“You should have said something,” Jared countered back before turning and stalking over to his SUV to grab their bags. 

“I’m sorry,” Jensen whispered when he joined Jared to help him. “If I had known I wouldn’t have asked to come here.”

Taking a deep breath, Jared turned to Jensen. “It’s not your fault. Let’s grab our stuff and go inside,” he said when he noticed that several people had come out of their homes to watch what had been taking place. Whatever else needed to be said between him and Jensen and Jensen’s parents would be said away from prying eyes.

“Of course, alpha,” Jensen whispered. Grabbing the bags containing the presents, he turned and hurried inside along with his mother leaving Jared and his sire alone outside. 

Jared shouldered the duffel bag containing his and Jensen’s combined belongings and followed Alan. Once behind closed doors, Jared turned to Alan. “Just when did JD notify you that he and his mate would be attending this party?”

“Hilarie isn’t coming tonight,” Alan corrected. “They have young cubs, so she’ll be staying home to care for them.”

“Who exactly is coming?” Jared questioned. He could feel his anger rising. He felt blindsided by the information that JD would be there tonight. Had he and Jensen been made aware of that, he most likely would have told Jensen they would have been staying home. No, it wouldn’t have been the way to handle things but he didn’t want JD near Jensen, not after what had been allowed to happen in the past. 

“JD informed me yesterday. I didn’t feel it would be that big of a problem for you. He’s our alpha, not yours, and it would have been a sign of disrespect for me to ask him not to attend.” Alan met Jared’s heated gaze with a steady stare of his own. “As for who else is attending, our friends Charlie and his mate Sheila, and Arthur and his mate Betty. Jensen knows them.” 

Jared could feel his concern for his mate rising. It didn’t sit well with him that JD would be there at the party and now two other couples would be there. Yes, he knew that with a party that meant others would be involved but being blindsided as he had been only served to put him on the defensive. “Everyone is mated, and Jensen has nothing to fear? I won’t allow anyone to hurt him, belittle him or treat him like anything other than my treasured mate,” Jared stated in a firm tone. 

“Jared, you need to understand that things are different here.”

Not wanting his alpha to fight with his sire, Jensen did the only thing he could think of. Stepping up behind Jared, he placed his hands on Jared’s hips and rested his head against Jared’s shoulder, purring softly in an attempt to diffuse Jared’s anger. ‘ Please, alpha, please let this go. It’s one night ’, he pushed through their bond as he let down his wall hoping to connect with Jared.

Jared had to hand it to Jensen, his omega knew how to calm him, and he did his best not to roll his eyes at the situation he now found himself in. He knew what Jensen was doing. His omega was attempting to smooth things over between himself and Jensen’s sire. “You’re right, Alan, things are different here.” Grabbing onto Jensen’s right hand, he gently tugged at Jensen to get him to stand next to him. “Why don’t we put our bags away?” 

“Yes, alpha,” Jensen whispered and then entwined his fingers with Jared’s, leading Jared past the living room, down a small hallway toward his childhood bedroom. He stood outside the bedroom giving both him and Jared a moment to ground themselves before pushing open the door and stepping inside to let Jared see his old bedroom. The room was spacious, nearly as large as his parents’ room. They had wanted him to be as comfortable as they were, knowing were-cats liked to have space to stretch out in. He surveyed the room and smiled, nothing had changed since he had left that night, running from an alpha he didn’t want to mate with. 

Jared entered Jensen’s bedroom and stopped short as he looked over Jensen’s shoulder. “Uhm Jensen, where’s your bed?” Jared asked, letting the duffel bag he had been carrying fall to the floor with a soft thud. The room looked like a typical bedroom minus an actual bed. 

Jensen turned to look at Jared, his brows were knitted together in confusion. Turning away from Jared, he pointed to the far wall. “Right there,” he said as he looked at the pile of pillows and blankets lining the floor. 

“Uhm, I think we’re going to have a problem because that’s not a bed, that’s a pile of... Wait, you have an actual bed at home,” Jared replied.

“Oh,” Jensen breathed out as he began to understand what the issue was. “On the pride lands, many of us sleep in our cat form. So, I have my nest,” he explained as he swept a hand toward what Jared saw as a pile of pillows and blankets. Turning to Jared, he saw the look of confusion on Jared’s face and rushed to explain this to his mate. “In the human world, it would have been difficult to explain to someone why I didn’t have an actual bed. To make it easier to fit in living with humans, I have a bed at home but on the pride lands, I don’t. Is that… is that gonna be a problem for you?” He ran his hand along the back of his neck while eyeing his nest. He hadn’t considered Jared’s needs when returning to his childhood home or how different things would be for not only him but also for Jared. He turned back to Jared with a sad smile on his face as he looked up into his mate’s eyes. “Maybe I can see if there’s an available hotel room in town. We can stay there instead of here,” he offered, sweeping his hand out over his room.

Jared smiled at Jensen and shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I wanted to know what it was like for you living in the pride and this is just another aspect of your life.” He pressed himself against Jensen. “Besides, it might be fun to breed you in your nest,” he husked into Jensen’s ear, watching as Jensen's face began to flush from embarrassment and arousal. 

“Jared…” Jensen looked down at his hands and then gasped when he felt Jared’s hands on his hips, turning him so they were standing chest to chest. He felt Jared’s hands move from his hips and he looked up into Jared’s eyes when Jared cupped his face, pulling him in for a heated kiss, one that left him panting for breath when they broke apart. “We should… we shouldn’t…” He wasn’t sure what he was trying to say to Jared. 

“Jared, do you and Jensen need anything?” Donna called out as she approached Jensen’s room.

Jared pulled away from Jensen, the mood broken for them, as Donna appeared in the doorway of Jensen’s room. “No, we’re fine. Thank you.”  

“Good, I’m glad everything is to your liking. Dinner will be in about an hour or so. Our guests will be arriving beforehand. I was hoping that I could have Jensen help me.”

“Of course, that shouldn’t be a problem. Let us just finish up in here and then Jensen will be out.”

“Thank you,” Donna said and then retreated to the kitchen. 

“Finish up?” Jensen asked in confusion. 

“Yes,” Jared confirmed, pulling Jensen back into his arms. He kissed along Jensen’s neck, stopping to lick over his claiming bite. “Just remember you’re mine.” 

“Yes, Jared, always.” Jensen melted into Jared’s arms enjoying the feel of Jared’s body against his and Jared’s lick to his claiming bite. “I love you,” he murmured, resting his head against Jared’s shoulder. He took a moment to take in the feeling of love coming from Jared over their bond before he pulled away. “I should help my mother.”

“I’m going to unpack while you do that. Do you want to give your parents their gifts now?”

Jensen shook his head and then met Jared’s multicolored eyes. “No, those will be given to them after dinner.”

Jared sighed and his shoulders sagged in defeat. “Let me guess, they have to be given by me.”

“Yes, it's the way things are done. I’m sorry you’re not happy about any of this.” Jensen bit his bottom lip, waiting for Jared to say something.

Jared rolled his eyes but remained quiet about his feelings on the situation they were currently in. He wasn’t about to rock the boat. They just needed to get through the night and then they’d be leaving the following day. He would remain quiet on the subject of how omegas were treated; he didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do to change it. He could do this for Jensen. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s just one night. We’ll get through this together, right?” 

“Yes,” Jensen agreed, pulling away from Jared so he could help his mother. Turning away from Jared, he disappeared from the room leaving Jared to unpack while he went in search of his mother. Finding her in the kitchen, he stood in the doorway for a moment before offering his help to her. “Mom, what can I help you with?” 

Donna turned slightly, not leaving the stove or the pot she was stirring to regard her cub. “Would you set the table?”

“Sure,” Jensen responded before turning and walking out of the kitchen to do as his mother had requested. Making his way into the adjoining dining room, he smiled as he stood for a moment, remembering all the family meals he had shared at the dining table with his parents. He recalled his tenth birthday; just he and his parents sitting at the table, a cake with ten burning candles on the table, the sounds of his parents singing Happy Birthday to him, and him blowing out the candles. The memory was replaced with one of him showing his report card to his parents; them beaming at him with pride at his high marks. That shifted to the night he had sat there at the age of sixteen, his stomach in knots, as he tried to work up the courage to tell his parents that when he took a mate, that mate would be male. 

To his surprise, his parents had just embraced him, murmuring how they loved him no matter who he chose to mate with. There were so many memories tied to that room and that table. He felt a pang of sadness hit him when he realized how much he missed his parents, how he missed being back in his childhood home with his parents, and how much he wanted to share that with Jared. Pushing aside his longing and those thoughts, he set about setting the table for their dinner. When he was done, he felt a large hand on his hip and the comforting warmth of Jared’s body against his. “Jared,” he murmured softly, turning around to place his head against Jared’s shoulder. 

“I could feel your happiness mixed with longing through our bond,” Jared said, kissing the side of Jensen’s head, and encircling Jensen in his arms. 

“Just remembering the past.” Jensen didn’t need to say more, knowing that Jared understood what he was feeling. They pulled apart when they heard a knock at the front door and Alan greeting whoever was at the door. 

Hearing a cacophony of voices and then Alan calling for him, Jared kissed Jensen before joining Alan in the living room where he was introduced to Charlie and his mate Sheila, and Arthur and his mate Betty. He listened with a smile on his face as the alphas welcomed him to the pride and congratulated him on his mating with his omega. He answered various questions on what he did for a living, explaining to their shock that both he and Jensen owned their own businesses. 

“You allow your omega out of the house without you?” Charlie asked.

“Well, Jensen was living on his own when I met him. He is more than capable of taking care of himself,” Jared responded, making sure to keep his growing irritation out of his voice. He kept repeating to himself that this wasn’t the life he and Jensen lived and that after tomorrow they would be home. 

“Still, you didn’t put your foot down and rein in your omega? You didn’t tell him that his place is in your home, that his job is to take care of you?” Arthur questioned.

“No, that’s not the type of relationship we have.” Jared gave the two alphas a tight smile before continuing. “Jensen is my omega and he knows what his responsibilities to me are. He takes very good care of me and our home,” he added, hoping that would end any further critique of their life and what he allowed Jensen to do or not do. Thankfully, that answer seemed to satisfy the alphas, moving the conversation on to another topic that he absentmindedly listened to, watching as Jensen made his way into the room. He turned his attention back to Alan when his name was called, smiling and nodding in response to what the alpha was saying

With Jared being introduced to the two couples by his sire and his dame putting the last of their dinner together, Jensen was the only one left to answer the door when someone knocked on it. Pulling open the front door, his eyes widened at the sight before him. Standing in front of him was the pride’s alpha, JD along with another alpha he had hoped never to see again, Mark Pellegrino. He had to force himself not to turn and run. Stepping aside, he allowed the two alphas to enter. Closing the door, he hoped that the alphas had moved into the living room to join the others. He leaned his head against the door as he tried to compose himself. He just needed to make it through the night and not act as if anything was wrong. He didn’t want a fight breaking out between Jared and Mark, and he knew it would if Jared discovered who Mark was and what he had done, or had attempted to do. He knew that if Jared found out that Mark was the alpha that had tried to force him into a mating, things wouldn’t end well for anyone.  

“Little omega,” a male voice said to him from behind. The voice was dripping with lust and sarcasm and Jensen knew who the voice belonged to. He stiffened. He’d hoped that with the party being kept small and knowing how his father felt about Pellegrino, there wouldn’t have been a reason for him to see the alpha while he and Jared were visiting with his parents. Before he was able to respond he heard another voice, that of the pride’s alpha leader. He turned to face the alpha, making sure to display his claiming bite. “Alpha,” he responded in a quiet voice. 

“Jensen,” JD said as he approached. “It was good of you to come to your father’s party. To finally return to your pride.”

“Yes, it was,” Mark said as he came to stand in front of Jensen, next to JD. “You’re back where you belong, omega”

Looking up, searching for Jensen, Jared saw him speaking to JD and another man. Instantly his hackles were raised at seeing his mate cornered by two alphas. Excusing himself from the conversation, he made his way over to his mate. “Jensen,” he said as he placed a hand on Jensen’s wrist, pulling Jensen toward him. He had caught Mark’s words and wasn’t thrilled by them. He forced a smile onto his face and extended a hand to the men. “I’m Jared, Jensen’s husband, and alpha,” he stated as he looked at the older blond alpha. His lips were set in a thin line and his eyes narrowed as they ticked from one man to the other. 

“Alpha Mark Pellegrino,” Mark stated, offering his hand to Jared. He watched as Jared slowly accepted his hand, shaking it briefly before breaking contact and moving to swing an arm around Jensen’s waist. Jared was clearly showing his dominance over the omega. “So, you’re the human our omega mated with.”

Our omega? Jared repeated the words in his head but refused to rise to the alpha’s taunt. “Well, since Jensen left the pride, I don’t think the pride can lay claim to him.”

“Jared, it’s nice to have you on the pride lands. I hope you’re enjoying your stay,” JD interjected. “And yes, you’re correct. This pride has no claim to the omega, but you do as his recognized alpha mate.”

Before Jared could respond to that, Alan joined their group, clearly surprised to see Mark in his home. “Mark, what are you doing here?” He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure at seeing Pellegrino in his home.

“I invited him,” JD admitted with a smirk on his face. “Hope that’s not gonna be a problem.”

“Of course not,” Alan responded coolly. “Jensen, would you set another plate for Mark?” 

Jensen looked at Alan, his sire, in astonishment at what he had just heard and then at Jared for permission.

Jared pressed a kiss to the side of Jensen’s. “Please do as your sire requested.” 

“Yes, alpha,” Jensen murmured before making his way into the kitchen to grab another place setting. He met his mother’s questioning eyes. “Pellegrino’s here.”

Wordlessly Donna nodded in understanding and returned to pulling out the dinner she had prepared. A moment later she turned back to Jensen. “Does Jared know about Mark?”

“No, and I don’t want him to know. It’s best if we keep things between us. I don’t want tonight to be ruined for Dad and I don’t want Jared’s time on the pride lands to be tainted.”

“If you think that’s best…” 

“I do,” Jensen answered, cutting off whatever else his mother was about to say. He turned away from her and walked into the dining room to set down the plate and silverware and add another chair for Mark. He returned to the kitchen to offer his mother help in serving dinner, carrying out the roast she had prepared and setting it down on a trivet. He was then joined by his mother who carried out the roasted vegetables.

“Would you go get the salad while I let your sire know that dinner is ready?”

“Yes, Mom.” Jensen disappeared into the kitchen while his mother sought out her mate. When he returned, he found that everyone was seated except his sire who was standing at the head of the table. Placing the salad on the table, he quickly took his seat between Jared and his mother.

“I would like to thank everyone for joining us tonight to celebrate my birthday. I would like to especially thank our pack alpha leader, JD, for allowing our cub Jensen and his human alpha mate to visit with us. It means so much to me to have my family together. It’s the best present I could have on my birthday.” He offered a warm smile to his friends and family and then clapped his hands together. “I hope everyone is hungry. My mate has prepared a delicious meal for us tonight.” Taking his seat, he urged everyone to begin plating their food.

Seeing that the alphas loaded food onto their plates first before placing food on their mate’s plates, Jared forced himself to follow suit. He hated it but he did it to keep the peace, not wanting to upset Alan or Jensen by refusing to act like the other alphas. When he was done loading their plates, he reached out to run his fingers against Jensen’s cheek. He felt the need to show his mate how he was cherished. Feeling Jensen leaning into his touch, he didn’t stop with the soft caress, pulling Jensen in for a kiss on his cheek before pulling away to eat his dinner. He briefly caught Alan’s eye to see that Alan had an approving smile on his face. 

“Jared, is that the way you treat your omega around others?” Mark questioned. “A show of affection is not usually done around others.”

“How I treat my mate is how I see fit. I see no problem showing Jensen or anyone else how cherished he is.” Jared glared at Mark before continuing on. “I understand that omegas are treated differently here in the pride but I’m not part of this pride and neither is Jensen. But if it makes others uncomfortable, I’ll do my best to keep my show of affection toward my mate to a minimum while we’re here.” 

“Point taken, and I appreciate your consideration,” JD spoke up, giving Mark a pointed glare. “Why don’t we enjoy this delicious meal that was prepared for us?” With his words being spoken, and as the pack alpha, Mark backed down from anything else he was about to say. 

A comfortable silence settled over the table, only to be broken when someone complimented Alan on his mate’s splendid cooking or asked for one of the dishes to be passed to them. When everyone had finished eating, the alphas returned to the living room followed by their omegas while Jensen stayed behind to help his mother clean the dining room and kitchen before everyone was called back in to celebrate Alan’s birthday. 

Knowing that he would be the one to present Alan with the presents Jensen had picked out, Jared fetched them from Jensen’s room, bringing them into the dining room and setting them aside until it was time to give them to Alan. He watched as Jensen carried out the cake and set it down in front of his sire before moving to join Jared. Linking his fingers with Jensen’s, they stood together as the group sang happy birthday and then sat to eat cake while Alan opened the gifts his friends had given him. 

When it was his turn, Jared stood, gaining everyone’s attention. “I’d like to start by thanking everyone for allowing me to accompany Jensen onto the pride lands and for making me feel so welcomed. I know how special it is to be here.” He forced himself to flash a dimpled smile at JD. “With that being said, I’d like to present my father-in-law, as Alan would be referred to in the human world, with our gifts.” After sliding the gifts toward Alan, Jared reclaimed his seat and placed his hand on Jensen’s thigh, watching while Alan opened the gifts. He listened as everyone gushed over their gifts. “There’s also one for you, Donna, to thank you for your hospitality.” He waited for Alan’s permission before handing the gift to Donna. 

“Seems you know how to put us to shame,” Charlie commented.

Jared looked at the alpha in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“We don’t typically give our omegas gifts for doing what is expected of them,” Mark added.

“In the human world, it’s customary to thank the hostess. I meant no disrespect.” 

“Seems things are vastly different between our two worlds, and it was a nice insight into how you honor those who invite you into your home,” JD interjected, ending any further discussion on that subject. “Those were fine gifts you presented. Very thoughtful.”

“Yes, Jensen always puts a lot of thought into whatever he does.” Jared didn’t bother listening to the murmurs of conversation going on around him. He focused his attention on Jensen, wanting to make sure his mate was comfortable and happy. He saw the slight blush on Jensen’s cheeks and fought the desire to pull Jensen in for a kiss. He settled on giving Jensen’s thigh another light squeeze before turning his attention to the cake he had been served, thankful the rest of the night passed pleasantly.  

“Well, that was a very interesting if not enlightening night,” Jared said as he pulled Jensen into his arms. It had taken him a while to find a comfortable position to settle into once they had retired for the night. Sleeping in Jensen’s nest would be another interesting aspect of his time on the pride land, he mused as he stroked his hand down Jensen’s back. 

“I’m sorry it wasn’t as pleasant as I had hoped. Next time, I promise I’ll tell my parents we’re unable to attend.”

“No, we’ll just have to plan better. I now understand a little more about how things are handled within the pride. And while it doesn’t make me happy to see how omegas are treated, I know how happy you are to be here today. I know it’s not easy for you to be separated from your pride.”

Jensen turned his face so he was now able to look up at Jared. “It’s not so much the pride I miss as it’s my family. I didn’t have a lot of friends when I left. Omegas don’t have friends in a pride run by a traditionalist. We have our family and then our mate. We take care of our alpha and our cubs. That’s what life is like in this pride.”

“Tell me about Mark.” Jared felt Jensen stiffen in his arms making him wonder about the alpha. “Your father didn’t seem thrilled to see him.”

“He’s JD’s second in command,” Jensen stated quietly. “He’s just not a very nice person.” Not wanting to speak further on the subject, he burrowed himself into his nest, pulling Jared closer to him.

Sensing that Jensen didn’t want to talk any further, Jared decided to let things go for the night. He lay there for a time looking up at the darkened ceiling until he heard soft, even breaths coming from Jensen, letting him know that his mate had fallen asleep. Curling himself protectively around Jensen, he was relaxed enough to where he was able to drift off to sleep.

The next morning, Jared slipped quietly from Jensen’s nest, not wanting to wake his mate. Remembering that Alan and Donna were meeting another alpha and his mate for coffee, he changed into his track pants, t-shirt, and running shoes. He needed to run, wanting to rid himself of some of the stress he had built up from yesterday. He hoped that by taking a run through the pride lands he would see another side to everything he had experienced the night before at the party. With a fond look at his sleeping mate, he made his way out of the bedroom, stopping at the front door for a moment of debate with himself. Did he wake Jensen to let him know he was going for a run or did he just leave the door unlocked? Thinking that his mate needed to sleep a little longer, he opted to leave the door unlocked while he went for his morning run. 

Reaching out, Jensen’s hand met the empty and cold side of where Jared had been sleeping. He was torn between rolling over and going back to sleep and forcing himself up from his nest to make coffee for himself and find where Jared had disappeared to. With the tempting thought of coffee, he made his way from his bedroom into the kitchen. “Jared?” he called out only to be met with silence. He recalled his sire telling them last night before he and Jared had turned in for the night that they would be having coffee with another mated pair who hadn’t been able to attend the party. That still didn’t explain where Jared had disappeared to, he thought to himself as he made his way back to his room. Rummaging through their bag, he noticed that Jared’s running shoes were missing; Jared had been stressed yesterday and had most likely gone for a run. 

Wanting to make sure the dining room had been fully picked up, Jensen made his way there. He would make himself coffee and have breakfast ready for when Jared returned once he knew there wasn’t anything for his mother to deal with when she and his sire got back from their time away. He smiled as he remembered the night before, how happy both his parents had been with the gifts he had picked out for them. The light in his mother’s eyes when she had opened her gift would be something he would cherish. He was hit with another pang of longing. He wanted to spend more time with his parents. Maybe before he and Jared had to leave, Jared would permit him to spend some time with his parents; allowing them to change into their cat forms and bond as a family. It had been years since he had been able to feel that closeness with his parents.

Jensen stiffened, his body going rigid as he heard movement behind him. He had been alone. His parents were having coffee with friends and Jared was out for a run. Now that his instincts had kicked in, his inner cat warned him of danger. Before he could shift into his smaller and faster cat form, he felt a large hand on the back of his neck. The hand was calloused, not soft like Jared’s. It wasn’t his alpha. His mind screamed and his cat hissed at the violation of being touched by someone who wasn’t his alpha, who wasn’t his mate. He felt the grip on him tighten, fingers digging into the tender flesh of his neck. 

“Little omega,” the voice growled out against his ear. He knew that voice. He shuddered involuntarily at the sound of it as the voice pulled a memory to the surface of his mind. It was the voice of Mark Pellegrino, the alpha who had tried to force a mating with him. How had the alpha gained entrance into his family’s home? 

“You’re mine. You were always meant to be,” Pellegrino hissed out. 

Jared ! Jensen’s mind screamed. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. At first, all he could hear was the rush of blood in his ears but then Mark’s voice intruded on that. He tried to struggle out of Pellegrino’s grip but the alpha only dug his fingers into him causing him to cry out in pain.

“I waited for you to be alone. Watched as your sire and dame left. Watched as that useless human left. I was just about to search for you. I was planning on taking you in your nest. We don’t have much time.” Mark forced Jensen toward the dining room table. “Guess this will have to do,” he chuckled darkly.

Jensen felt himself being guided toward the dining room table. He was being forced to it, his feet shuffling as the larger alpha pressed against him. He was helpless to fight against the alpha as fear overtook him. His hips hit against the table and he found himself being bent over the table. His feet were kicked apart, and his chest made contact with the smooth wood. His hands shot out, stopping him from hitting his face against the hardwood of the table. His fingers scratched over the smooth surface as he tried to gain purchase, hoping he could gain some leverage to right himself. 

“Be still!” Pellegrino commanded.

Jensen fought against the command, one coming from an alpha. “Not my alpha,” he grunted and felt Pellegrino’s body blanket his own in an unwanted touch. Frantically, he tore down the wall between himself and Jared, screaming for Jared. ‘ Jared, help! Need you! ’ He didn’t stop the fear that flooded out through his bond with Jared. 

“Not yet!” Pellegrino said as he ground his cock against Jensen’s ass. “Seems I need to rectify that. Make you aware of your place, beneath me, taking my knot as your alpha. Taking what I give you, whenever I see fit. I’ll knot you whenever I want, and you’ll be the grateful little bitch that you’re meant to be.” 

Jensen felt Pellegrino’s free hand raking over his ass, his fingers grabbing hold of the waistband of his sleep pants and pulling them down, revealing his flesh to him. “No, please,” he begged. Jared! his mind screamed. Jared would never forgive him. Jared would leave him, breaking their bond, leaving him mateless. “Claimed.” 

“No, not by me. But you will be. I don’t care if the pride accepted your mating to some worthless human. I don’t,” Pellegrino grunted into his ear and then licked his earlobe causing him to shudder with revulsion. Pellegrino was the last person he wanted to touch him let alone lick him. This was wrong. Only Jared, his mate, should be touching him. 

Jensen heard the sound of Pellegrino opening his own pants. He felt the touch of the alpha’s bare skin against his. His stomach roiled at that realization and bile rose in his throat. The alpha meant to lay claim to him, even though he had a true mate. He had a claiming bite. One that had been accepted by his pride. How could this be happening? He mewled at the thought of what was going to happen. He was about to betray his true mate. It didn’t matter that he didn’t want this, it was still a betrayal. How could he ever apologize to Jared? The sound of movement caught him off guard and then Pellegrino’s body was no longer pressed against his. He heard scuffling and then yelling. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Get the fuck off him!” Jared’s voice, full of white-hot fury, yelled out. He had felt Jensen’s utter terror while out on his run and had turned back, overcome with the need to get to his mate when he had been hit with Jensen’s cries for him through their ability to mindspeak with each other. He felt it the moment Jensen had ripped down the wall in a panic.

Hearing Jared’s voice, the anger in it had Jensen shaking. He dared to look over his shoulder as he felt the release of Pellegrino’s fingers from his neck. He saw Jared standing there and Jared’s eyes were dark with anger. His chest was heaving and his nostrils were flaring as rage coursed through his muscular body. He watched as Jared advanced on Pellegrino, and then Jared’s fist was connecting with the alpha’s face. He heard the crack of bone as Jared’s fist connected with Pellegrino’s nose, breaking it.

Mark reeled forward, losing his balance and dropping to his knees with the blow to his face. Instinctively his hands shot up to his face in an attempt to cover himself from further hits and then felt the rush of warm blood from his nose. “You broke my nose! You’ll pay for this!” He barely had time to cup his hand to his nose to try to stop the bleeding when he felt himself being hauled up onto his feet. 

“You fucking touch my mated omega again and I’ll do a lot worse than break your nose. I will kill you!” Jared bellowed at the now cowering alpha. Reaching down, he grabbed the alpha by his shirt and dragged him to the front door. Opening it, he paused for a moment and then leaned in to whisper into Pellegrino’s ear. “You ever so much as look at Jensen and I will rip you apart. You might be an alpha were-cat, but you’re still a piece of shit excuse for one. What do you think will happen when I tell your pride what you tried to do to another’s mated omega?” He looked the alpha in the eyes and saw fear reflected in them. “They will be informed of your actions,” Jared said as he pushed Pellegrino out the door. He watched as the alpha stumbled backward, falling on his ass. He heard the alpha screaming, “Fucking human!” as he slammed the door shut. 

Closing his eyes and leaning his head against the cool wood of the door, Jared took a few deep breaths. He knew he needed to calm down before he went to Jensen. He didn’t need Jensen latching on to his anger. He knew Jensen was already upset. He could feel the fear rolling off of Jensen, even from the other side of the room where he was standing. He heard the strangled mewl that had escaped Jensen’s lips and he was moving toward him before he even knew what he was doing. 

With everything that had happened, Jensen fell to the floor, his legs having given out. He curled in on himself, tear tracks trailing down his cheeks. Jared had stopped Pellegrino, but Jared hadn’t touched him. The only thing he could think was that Jared no longer wanted him now that another alpha had put his hands on him. Someone other than his mate had seen him in a state of being undressed. “Jar… Jared,” he called out and then mewled in fear that Jared wouldn’t answer him or worse, that Jared had left him. 

When he made his way into the dining room Jared found Jensen, still half-dressed, slumped on the floor. Jensen’s eyes were closed, and tears were staining his cheeks as he rocked back and forth. He heard Jensen speaking, whispering to him. “Jared, please forgive me. Please don’t break our mating bond,” and his heart shattered at hearing those words. Jensen blamed himself for what was clearly not his fault. His mate thought he was going to leave him, that he was willing to break their mating. Dropping to his knees next to Jensen, he gently placed a hand on Jensen’s arm and felt his mate flinch at his touch. “Jensen,” he said softly, hoping not to scare Jensen any more than he already was. “I would never break our bond. I would never leave you. We’re married,” he said softly, trying to calm his mate.

Jensen’s green eyes snapped open, and he looked into Jared’s multicolored eyes searching for forgiveness. “Please forgive me, alpha. I’m sorry,” Jensen pleaded.

“Jensen, it’s not your fault. I saw what he was doing when I came in. I saw what he was... what he was about to do to you.” He looked away from Jensen, not wanting Jensen to see the anger that was directed at Pellegrino in his eyes. When he looked back at Jensen, he saw fear etched onto Jensen’s face and then pulled the trembling omega into his arms. “I’m not angry with you. I know you didn’t want… want him touching you.” He could feel his anger flare up at those words. “Did he hurt you?” he asked in a tight voice. What if Pellegrino had managed to harm Jensen? What if Pellegrino had already… Jensen’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“No. You stopped him. He wanted to...” Jensen let his words drift off as he felt Jared tense. “I don’t know how he got in. I didn’t let him in. Please believe me. I only want you.” His words rushed out as he tried to explain this to Jared and then he felt Jared brushing away his tears. 

“It’s my fault,” Jared said weakly. “I went for a run. I didn’t want to wake you, so I left the door unlocked.” He felt his rage return, but this time it was directed at himself. He was the cause of this. He had left Jensen asleep and unprotected. He felt Jensen reach out to him and Jensen’s fingers caressing his face. He brought his hands to Jensen’s, taking Jensen’s hands in his and he kissed Jensen’s open palms. “I’m sorry,” he said, feeling defeated at not having protected Jensen. He extracted himself from Jensen and stood up, pulling Jensen to his feet with him, and then helped Jensen redress. He ran his hands over Jensen’s body, needing to make sure that Jensen wasn’t injured and keeping it from him. Finding him unharmed, Jared pulled Jensen to him, needing to comfort Jensen, to calm Jensen, and himself. He kissed Jensen’s lips chastely. Feeling the need to claim Jensen as his omega, he knew he would be mating Jensen but now was not the time. Not after what had just happened. His mind started turning, running over what Jensen had told him about an alpha trying to force a mating on him. He pulled away from Jensen, but did not break physical contact with him. “Was Pellegrino the alpha? Was he the one who tried to force you into a mating?” He watched as Jensen looked away from him and knew the answer was yes. “I’m really gonna fuck kill him, but first I’m going to rip his balls off!”

The sound of movement and someone gasping from behind them had Jared and Jensen turning in the direction of the front door. They saw a startled Alan and Donna standing there, watching them.

“Jensen?” Donna said as she stepped forward, only to stop as Alan caught her arm. 

“Jared?” Alan questioned as he looked at Jensen and Jared. He could see that Jared was clearly in a rage over something and that Jensen was also upset. 

“Your son was attacked in your home by Pellegrino,” Jared said, his voice dripping with anger. 

“No . . .” Donna said, shaking her head in disbelief. “The alpha knows Jensen is mated.” She turned to look at her alpha. “How could he do this to our cub? To another’s mated omega?”

“I’m going to kill that alpha,” Jared said in a steely tone. 

“You’ll have to get in line,” Alan barked out, his features colored with anger. His hands clenched into fists at the thought of an alpha doing that to his omega son, to any omega, was sickening. But what made it worse was that Jensen was mated. Their pride knew that. Their pride’s alpha leader had accepted Jensen as a mated omega. Even though Jared was human, he was recognized as Jensen’s alpha. JD had been informed of their bond, that Jared was Jensen’s true alpha. How could this have happened?

“What do we do?” Donna asked, looking to her mate for answers.

“We call JD, that’s what we do. He needs to be informed of this. Pellegrino’s not going to get away with this, not again.” Alan picked up the phone, dialed JD’s number, and waited for his call to be picked up.

“Why did you let him in last night?” Jared asked in confusion. Looking at Jensen, he knew he needed more answers. “Why didn’t you say anything, Jensen?”

Jensen turned his tear-stained face up to look at Jared. “I didn’t want to cause a fight. I didn’t want to ruin my sire’s birthday. I had hoped we could just get through things and go home. That you never needed to know…” 

Seeing how distraught Jensen was becoming, Jared pulled Jensen into his arms. “I understand. You only wanted everyone to be happy.” 

“I’m sorry. I should have told you…” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Pellegrino…”

“JD will be here shortly,” Alan cut in, stopping Jared from saying anything further. 

“I’m going to take Jensen back to the bedroom to change. Make sure your alpha leader doesn’t leave without me speaking to him.” Without giving anyone a chance to respond, Jared guided Jensen out of the dining room and back to his bedroom, not letting go of his mate until they were safely behind closed doors. He made short work of cleaning himself up, not wanting to be away from Jensen too long. Once he was dressed, he helped Jensen out of sleep pants, balled them up, and tossed them away. Pellegrino had touched them and there was no way he would allow the clothing to touch Jensen’s skin again. “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?” he questioned as he helped Jensen dress. Even though Jensen was capable of dressing himself, he felt the need to be close to his mate, to do whatever he could to keep Jensen close to him so he felt he was protecting Jensen.

Jensen could hear the anger behind Jared’s caring words. He could feel it through their bond but knew it wasn’t directed at him. Jared’s anger was directed at himself, feeling he hadn’t protected his omega, and also at Pellegrino for what the alpha had tried to do. He could also see how angry Jared was; his hands were curled into tight fists, and he was breathing heavily. “Yes, alpha, I’m sure.” Taking a chance, he leaned into Jared, circled his arms around Jared’s neck, and pressed himself closer to Jared, purring softly as he did, hoping to ease some of Jared’s anger. 

Jared smiled and buried his nose in the crock of Jensen’s neck, knowing what Jensen was trying to do; soothe his frayed nerves and calm his anger. “I love you.” He kissed over his claiming bite and then bit down over it to reaffirm his mating with Jensen, wanting Jensen to know Jensen was his omega and he would never break their bond. A knock at the door forced Jared to pull away from Jensen. “Yes?”

“Jared, JD is here,” Alan called through the closed door.

“We’ll be out in a moment,” Jared called back. He pulled Jensen back into his arms. “You’re mine, make no mistake about that. I will always love you. I will always want you and I will do anything to protect you,” he said and then led Jensen out of the bedroom and into the living room where everyone had gathered. Angrily he eyed JD. “I thought my mate was safe here. I thought our mating had been recognized by your pride and by you!”

“Whoa, there.” JD raised his hands out in front of himself as if to protect himself from Jared’s anger. “I’m sorry about this. Mark got a little carried away…”

“A little carried away? No, Pellegrino attacked a mated omega! He attacked my omega!” Jared bellowed. He wasn’t about to let JD make light of the situation. Pellegrino would pay for what he’d done, for what he had tried to do.

“And I’m sorry about that. He knows Jensen is mated…”

“And this isn’t the first time Pellegrino has gotten carried away, has it?” Letting go of Jensen, Jared positioned himself so he was standing between JD and his mate and then took a few steps forward, coming to stand right in front of the alpha. “Make no mistake, if Pellegrino ever comes around Jensen again, if he ever tries to force himself on my omega, I won’t stop at breaking his nose. I will kill him!” Jared bellowed. “I don’t know, nor do I care how you run things here in the pride, but in my world, Pellegrino would be behind bars. If he had been lucky enough to make it there.”

JD saw the flash of anger in Jared’s eyes. At that moment, he recognized how much Jensen meant to Jared and he had no doubt that Jared would make good on his words. “Mark will be punished. You have my word on that.” Taking a deep breath, he measured his words carefully. “Mark will never be allowed near Jensen again. He will never bother the Ackles again. I will personally see that Mark pays for what he’s done.”

Jared held up his hand, stopping JD from saying anything more. “Punished how? Because this wasn’t the first time Pellegrino tried to force Jensen into a mating.” He saw the look of surprise cross JD’s face before the alpha quickly schooled his features. “He’s the alpha that tried to force Jensen into a mating. He’s the reason Jensen had to leave the pride. Yeah, I know about that.” He couldn’t hide the smirk on his face or the snark in his voice, and was about to say more before Alan interrupted.  

“Whatever you feel is right will be fine with us,” Alan interjected, attempting to smooth things over before they escalated. The last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out between Jared and JD. He wasn’t sure the alpha would actually be able to win against Jared, not with how angry Jared was. “Jared is clearly upset, as we all are over what has happened. I think we all need time to calm down. I’m sure you can understand how Jared feels at the moment. Surely, you’d be angry if this were your mate this had happened to”

“Yes, you’re right. We all need to calm down. Jared, I understand how upset you are. I wouldn’t appreciate another alpha touching my omega. You also need to understand that I’m the leader of this pride and how I feel I want to handle things is at my discretion, not yours. I’m going to handle this situation in my own way,” JD confirmed with a nod of his head. Squaring his shoulders, he eyed Jared. He could see that his answers weren’t satisfying the human and he wasn’t about to answer any more of Jared’s questions. “I’ll be on my way.”

“Of course, let me show you out,” Alan offered, walking JD to the door and shaking hands with the other alpha. “That’s it?” He heard Jared asking as he returned to his mate, his cub, and Jared. “You need to let our alpha handle this situation.”

Jared squared his jaw, narrowed his eyes, and took a step closer to Alan. “If he had handled it the first time around, this wouldn’t have happened today. Jensen wouldn’t have been attacked, again .”

‘ Alpha, please… ’ Jensen’s silent pleas to Jared went unanswered. He looked at his sire and his mate, two people he loved, who looked like they were about to come to blows over him. He didn’t want that to happen. “Please don’t fight,” he finally said aloud. “Not over me. I’m not worth it.”

Hearing Jensen’s plea, Jared turned to look at his mate. He saw the uncertainty on Jensen’s face and his heart broke. “You are more than worth it. You’re my husband, my mate, and the man I love,” he assured Jensen, closing the distance between them and pulling Jensen into his arms. “I’d do anything for you.” He rested his forehead against Jensen’s, breathing in Jensen’s sweet scent. He could feel Jensen’s turmoil over everything that had happened, how Jensen wanted him to calm down, how Jensen didn’t want a fight to erupt between those he loved. He needed to back down. He wasn’t going to make things any better if he fought with Alan. “I think it’s best if I take Jensen home,” Jared said in an even tone, attempting to keep his anger at bay. He wasn’t angry with Jensen’s parents. He was angry with himself for not thinking things through, for leaving the door unlocked and Jensen unprotected. And he was furious with the alpha that had attempted to break their bond and take his mate away from him. It never would have worked, Pellegrino’s attempt at claiming Jensen, but just the idea that Pellegrino would have tried had Jared actually considered murdering the bastard. “Why don’t I give you some time with your parents before we leave,” he suggested, knowing at that moment that was what Jensen needed.

“Thank you.” Jensen kissed Jared and then let go of his mate to walk toward his sire who had been joined by his dame. He and his parents stood huddled together, arms around each other until Jared had walked out of the living room.

“Little cub, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would happen…” Donna started to say tearfully until Jensen cut her off.

“It’s not your fault, Mom. No one thought he would show his face here.”

“As your sire, I should have insisted that he leave.”

“And what? Show disrespect to the pack’s leader by asking his second-in-command to leave your home in front of the others?” Jensen pointed out. “It would only have caused more of an issue had you done that.” 

“Still, as your sire, I should have protected you more.”

“You’ve protected me my entire life. I have an alpha who protects me but neither you nor Jared can protect me all the time. And no one should have to protect me from an alpha who knows I’ve been claimed.”

Upon hearing Jensen’s words and being overcome with emotion, Alan only pulled his mate and cub closer to him.

The ringing of the phone broke them apart. Reluctantly, Alan let go of his mate and cub to answer the phone. “Hello?” He went silent as he listened to the caller. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, glancing over at Donna and Jensen. “Yes, that is extremely interesting news. I’ll let my mate, cub, and his alpha know of this development. Thank you for calling,” he said, ending the call.

“Alan?”

Jensen looked at his mother and then at his father in confusion. He could tell by the astonished look on his sire’s face that something unexpected had happened. “Dad?”

“Jared, would you join us?” Alan called out and then held up his hand, stopping Donna and Jensen from asking further questions, waiting for Jared to appear.

“Alan, is something wrong…” Jared started to question only to stop when Alan cut in.

“That was Charlie on the phone. He called to let me know that Pellegrino has been stripped of his title as second in command of the pack by JD. He didn’t go into any real details, but he said JD made the decision based on the welfare of the pack. He made it known that Pellegrino tried to break the bond between a mated pair and while he wasn’t forcing Pellegrino to leave the pride, he wouldn’t risk our safety by keeping him as his second. For the moment, justice has been served.”

Jensen felt Jared’s arms encircling his waist and leaned into the strong feel of Jared’s body against his. “It’s as good as one could hope for. Others were made aware of what Pellegrino tried to do. No one will trust him now.” He turned in Jared’s arms so they were facing each other. “It’s done.”

“Well, thankfully this is over,” Donna murmured.

“And you’re happy with this outcome?” Jared questioned, searching Jensen’s face for an answer.

“Yes, it’s the worst possible thing that could happen within the pride. He has no standing in the pride.”    

Jared nodded, trying to make sense of pride justice. “So, he still gets to live here but he’s basically looked upon as a criminal.”

“Yes, it’s tantamount to being shunned. No alpha will trust him with their mate and no beta or omega will want him as a mate,” Alan explained. “He’s essentially in a jail of his own making.” 

A smile brightened Jared’s face. “Good, he deserves it.” He left his comment as that, not wanting to push the issue any further. Pellegrino had been dealt with and while he didn’t have a great working knowledge of the pride and their form of justice, Jensen, Donna, and Alan seemed happy with the outcome. He just wished this had happened the first time Pellegrino had attacked Jensen. If it had, they wouldn’t have been dealing with the fallout of today’s incident. “Well, our things are packed. Are you about ready to head home?”

“Yes, alpha,” Jensen said softly.

Letting go of his mate, Jared disappeared from the living room only to reappear a few minutes later with their bag and jackets. He placed their bag by the door, handed Jensen his jacket, and then turned to Alan and Donna. “I’m sorry if I came across as uncaring in regard to the way you handle things in the pride. I’m still trying to learn and it’s not always easy. But I won’t apologize for loving Jensen or doing whatever I can to protect him.”

“That is how a good and caring alpha should be,” Donna responded, stepping forward to hug Jared. “You love Jensen and have always done right by our cub. That’s all we’ve ever wanted in a mate for Jensen.”

Alan extended his hand, shaking Jared’s and then pulling Jared in for a hearty hug. “Never apologize for loving your mate.”

“Maybe we can visit again, something where it’s just the four of us?” Jared suggested as he slipped his arm around Jensen’s waist, drawing Jensen in closer to him. 

“We’d like that,” Alan confirmed, mimicking Jared’s actions with his own mate. 

“Call me when you get home. Just so I know you’re both safe,” Donna directed to Jensen with a wistful smile. 

“Of course,” Jensen acknowledged, breaking away from Jared to hug his parents. “I love you.” 

“We love you both,” Alan and Donna responded in unison, walking behind the mated pair to stop at their front door, watching as Jared and Jensen climbed into their vehicle. 

Jared led Jensen out of the house and to their SUV, only stopping to pick up their bag. He tossed their bag into the back of the SUV and then held the door open so Jensen could climb into the passenger’s seat and get situated for the drive home. He leaned in and kissed Jensen’s cheek before shutting the door and taking his place behind the wheel. Starting the engine, he along with Jensen turned to wave goodbye to Alan and Donna before pulling out of the driveway. Once on the road, he extended his arm, pulling Jensen closer to his body, happy to have Jensen with him. “Love you.” 

Jensen turned his face toward Jared with a happy smile on his face. “Love you, too.” He rested his head against Jared’s shoulder, closed his eyes, and let the movement of the SUV lull him to sleep. 

With Jensen tucked safely against him, Jared gave a contented sigh. Jensen was safe. Jensen was his and he would never allow anyone, human or were, to try to come between them. This was his silent vow to his cherished mate.