not as your Beta. Are you sure you want it broken?" Tyler's voice was firm enough to break me out of my reverie. At my silence, he bemoaned a slow, drawn-out echo of my name. That I cut kindly off before it got to where it was most sore. "I can't bear this pain of rejection anymore. He's been denying me all his life, the same way I've been chasing after him. I just haven't been listening but if I keep on forcing him my mark on him or his on me. I'll just end up making this worse than it's already turned out to be."

"Would you?" Tyler asked, "let him mark you."

I gave a salute, "Anything for love bruh."

"Alright, that's it." Tyler ran a hand through his grief-stricken face. "We're going to a bar and make a ceremony of. Whatever this is.

We all searched our pockets for wallets and phones, ready to hit it. "Sorry, bud." Evan placed a well-meaning hand over my shoulder and tried once more. "One last time man, a'yu sure?"

"I'm not, but what other choice do I have?" It shook me how at wit's end my voice sounded.

"You could fight." my Beta advised one strong fist punching into his open palm.

I had a moment of weakness where motivated by my selfish need to take what I still considered mine. I wanted to lie by agreeing to fight for my mate but these were my brothers. I'd also never been dishonest to them and wasn't about to start now. "He doesn't want me and besides what Jenna said got me thinking and more aware of myself and my ego, more so than ever."

"What does that witch bitch know!" Tyler's anger flared, "She's not only looking to sentence you to death but all of us too. Pleeease let me kill her."

"You know Jenna and of the soul, she sold to the moon's mistress in exchange for power. If she administers the ceremony, no one will die. You're not killing her either, not until my cousin is saved from her talons."

Evan and Greg exhaled with a tale on their facial features, Tyler as the Beta straightened and spoke what they must've all been sharing on their private line of mental communication. "Even if you get to live. Do you honestly believe your hold as a mateless Alpha on the syphon bonds that strengthen our pack's core will be adequate?" he rose a brow, "With all due respect Brady. Your mate is sentencing all of us to death, literal or not and you submitting to that half-breed sick witch is damning us all."

My laugh was full of mirth, "You think I don't know that? He doesn't want me Tyler, what other choice do I have? At least with Jenna handling this, I'll be able to retain some strength to benefit the core, even mateless. It'll be better than this, there's really no better choice."

"You could mark him." they all supplied in unison.

I felt sickened. "You mean force my mark on him?"

Tyler burbled on his words like a child caught in a poorly thought excuse, Evan and Greg's gazes ran away from mine. Until Tyler spoke for all of them with a small voice meant to rationalise a terrible option. "This is different. He's yours, the gods made it so."

A palm at the top of my disturbed forehead, I fought off a coming headache and laughed darkly, feeling no humour. "If that's the case, then how come lightning hasn't struck him? Five years! he's held on to this for five years. If that's the case then why aren't they intervening to set it all right?"

None of them had an answer.

"It's time to accept the situation for what it is with grace because if there was ever a time for the gods to intervene it's now, but they haven't. Malik is now in her clutches, the Oracle will soon join them, it's done. Now are we going to the bar or what?"

We left for the bar and found it bustling with laughter and life, which was the opposite of the currents I was under. My Alpha was fading with anguish, the heavy bout of rejection and concern over my state of wellbeing Tyler cranked up the subject again. "Don't do it, man."

His pressing on the sore spot felt out of hand - I understood where his Beta was coming from but I couldn't change much. I just hoped I could make him - all of them understand. "I have to." It was useless to hide the choke in my voice as I said this. "As much as it kills me to agree to it. I have to. I can't see myself living a lifetime being with someone who feels stifled by being with me you know? Forget about my ego, it just hurts my feelings. I'm human too fam." Our waiter brought us our third round of the Tennessee whiskey, we liked. After he left I lamented, "I did this to myself. I hurt him so badly he's had to deny himself a life and subject himself to the gods wrath. The sad thing is, I've been trying to pinpoint actual instances I failed him but I think my memory is failing me tremendously or I didn't even know what I was doing."

"I can think of one or two things, we all did," Evan said gaze flickering after our waiter's retreating back.

"Ok... Let's drink and bury the truth along with your divorce or break up tonight," Greg tilted his whiskey glass at me the way we did at werewolf funerals, "The truth is, we all contributed but you and my Beta. Y'all were worse on him than Ev and I."

Where my eyes held torment and anguish Tyler's held an unreadable faint shame, I knew all too well. "How?" he demanded.

Evan swiped a hand down his exhausted face. "Fuck if I know where to begin it was so long ago but I specifically remember how you used to sniff him in school." his smoky gaze flickered from the bar to me.

Greg choked on his drink, "Fuck yea, you used to sniff him out in school man. Don't tell me you forgot?" he considered me. "How have you forgotten? It landed you in detention that one time with that new counsellor everyone had a hard on for."

"Oh," Tyler chuckled to himself, but there was no humour. "Miss Fowler was a babe. Remember?"

That's what the problem was. I didn't particularly remember much but it didn't make it hurt any less as my circle of best friends continued to recount my sins and disheartening shortcomings towards my mate.

"It was terrible man, some humans in school started to think that he actually smelled because of you," Evan said in a solemn voice that wasn't meant to shame but only makes me see. "Dude, the home economics faculty took to giving him after school lessons on personal grooming. To help with his odour problem, you made everyone believe he had."

My Beta cursed under his breath with the mount of someone who'd just had a light bolt moment.

"We're werewolves sniffing out our kind is not abnormal!" I defended.

"Yo Brady," Greg faced me "It was in the way you did it. Whenever you stepped into a room, hallway or whatever space. You'd blatantly sniff out the air and announce, with conviction that Malik had been there. Ninety- nine percent of the time, he'd been there, dude you could pick him out by scent. Tell me that doesn't imply someone reeks?"

"No, it doesn't," I said, feeling the torment seep deeper into my veins to make sure I knew I'd done this to myself. That I only had myself to blame for my rejection. "It doesn't and besides why just take my word for it? I'm sure everyone had noses too, to know the truth."

Evan's distracted eyes pulled away from the waiter's ass as he leaned over the table to me and said. "They didn't, in fact, the basketball captain asked you what your intentions were because he'd smelled him. Bruh, he and a bunch of other jocks had literally gone up to Malik, to smell him and figure out what the issue was with your proclamations. Obviously, there was nothing to it and I guess the Alpha in you felt challenged to prove your viewpoint. So you upped the torment entrée and you didn't even do the dirty work. The jocks did and it was high school, nobody was thinking."

My excuse for this was weak at best, so I kept quiet and threw all my glass contents down my throat. Our table sat back in silence, guilt and regret palatable in the air. They felt as much responsibility for the tragedy as I did. Their job was to enforce the law at my command, shield me and anticipate any ill omens to befall the pack on my behalf. The fact that they hadn't detected the most pivotal one put them all on edge. Nothing was their fault though, the burden fell on me with abundance because deep within me, I think I always knew. By the time I turned eighteen I felt made - even worse than the previous years I felt a pull towards Malik I deducted to be simply lust and carnal desire after a pretty boy with a body I just wanted to bang into. By all appearances he was mated, there wasn't much I could do about that.

Tyler broke the silence, eyebrows raised, eyes full of unspoken shame and the effects of whiskey. "Well, we all definitely missed the sign there because all I could smell on him was a raspberry or peach lotion, but you insisted and we all went along with it because we were dicks."

Evan leaned back, "It can't be all our fault. He reacted far too easily to all taunts., I mean why the fuck would someone make it a big deal if they knew whatever the rumour was, wasn't true."

"Exactly and maybe that's the problem, we expected too much of him." I said, "You know most guys don't even let these things get to them, least of all a Beta."

"It's not a stretch to expect a werewolf to act like a werewolf," Evan responded distractedly, gaze flickering back to the bar. "Fact is Malik was too sensitive."

I followed his gaze, to our bleached blonde waiter who was serving a rowdy customer, Evan's brows furrowed after having trekked our friend's gaze as well.

Tyler chuckled fidgeting with the whiskey bottle, "...And he always carried himself as if he was better than us." he raised a hand and snapped his fingers up for our waiter's attention then snorted a humorous chuckle. That seemed to be the first of his to carry any legit humour all night. "It's like he knew even before he hit the pivotal puberty age that he was your equal and above the rest of us."

"Looking back in retrospect everything does make sense now. I'm shocked we never knew."

"Oh but I think we did, we never messed around with him when Brady was not around," Evan said his exhausted gaze side flicking back to our waiter.

Greg and I met gazes with Tyler who was just as puzzled over Evan's distraction all night.

"Ok dude, what the fuck?" Tyler spat, glass hitting the table.

Evan startled, eyes ready to defend. "What?"

"You've been doing that with your eyes and focus all night. In fact, you do that every time we come here." Tyler's brows pinched with a point, "Did that kid steal your money or something?"

Evan scoffed and instantly lifted a pheromone shield to mask his scent from us. "You know what, it's been good." he grabbed his wallet and fished out a few bills, "I'm tired. I'm going home for the night." Then he rose from the chair running for the door and despite my doubts, I activated our mind link and instructed him to come back and fess up whatever he was hiding from the brotherhood.

He froze, pivoted and after a remarkable suspended time he spoke as though to announce, "The waiter is human."

"No shit Sherlock." Tyler feigned surprise. "I am so shocked, did you two know?"

Evan sat down with great reluctance and spoke, gaze everywhere but us. "I'm as straight as they come but that's the least of my concerns because that kid over there. Is nineteen, placing him exactly five years under my twenty-four."

No response.

Our friend's gaze side flicked to the blonde again before it came back to us. "C'mon, say something, we're all Lawyers by profession here. His age and especially his image is not good for my profile when I run for the DA."

"Oh shit!" Greg and I said at the same time as Tyler lamented a, "Not you too?" with his tattooed fingers buried into his hair.

Evan inhaled air audibly, attacked the back of his neck - one of his nervous tales - and finally looked me in the eyes to confirm what we had already assumed. "He's my mate."

The silence that followed was cackling because it was impossible.

Said waiter stopped by our table with a bill folder in his small hands standing right next to Evan, who looked visibly uncomfortable. "Sorry to disturb but my shift finishes in five minutes, no worries though. I'll leave you with Rosie over there to look after you. So if you'd like you can settle your bill with her...or me." he pursed his glossed lips together.

He was the complete and utter opposite of Evan. "We'll settle with you," I said flicking a black card for the bill from my wallet, and cash for his tip. Greg and Tyler chipped in to extend his tip to three times the amount of the bill. "The cash is a gratuity to you," I explained to his surprised expression.

Evan was just a log standing next to his oblivious mate.

"Well hello hello cash money." he fixed us all his gracious gaze, but when it fell on Evan. The young waiter's cheeks caught a pretty blush. In a vibrant colour that left his attraction to no imagination. His eyes never left Evan's "Thank you, handsome men, do you have a phone I can put my number in?" he flicked a lock of neck length blonde hair behind his pierced ear. "So that you can call me to serve you next when you come in. For your drinks." he chortled a flirt wrapped in a believable excuse, we all reacted to on the mind link.

"We'll call the admin," Evan spoke with a dismissive tone and gesture.

His mate tried to mask his embarrassment before he walked away. "Oh. Well, thank you anyway."

After he left, Greg popped the bottle open and poured everyone three fingers, "Since it's a good night for burying ugly truths how 'bout we share secrets too. Let's toast to the moon and hear out Tyler next, he's been hiding things from us. Isn't that right playa playa?"

"Fucking hell!" Tyler leapt out of his chair and I gave him the same instruction on the mind link.

He came back clung his glass to the toast, made a show of grunting into his seat. Gulped the drink in one go, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then finally surprised us all when he pointed at each of us with every sentence. "Whilst you were busy hiding from your human mate. Dealing with your selfish reluctant mate. And you enjoying your newly marital life. Me? I was out sick at the revelation of my joke of a mate." he took a swig from the bottle and lowered his voice "My mate who is both evil incarnate and...." he finished with a mumble.

We laughed, it wasn't often that Tyler seemed misplaced or timid "Say what? What was that last part, we couldn't hear you."

Just then, we smelt a witch that had recently entered through the doors marching toward us. Tyler gasped, falling deeper into his seat with recognition and dread which made us interested in the witch. Tall umber skinned with a nose piercing, she was not only a witch she pretty scary for anyone. "Hmm," I mussed his words over. "Joke of a mate, evil incarnate. Is she your mate bud?"

The witch was the one to answer when she approached with a sneer, "Suicide before I become some dog's plaything."

"You wish witch," Tyler spat, made clear. "She's not my mate."

"What I am however is a messenger from the Matron." She swiped out a letter and passed it to my Beta.

"What's in here?" he asked, not bothering to open the letter under influence.

"Just a tiny document telling you when and where to be, so your Alpha could be cut in half." her lips stretched, "Don't look so shocked. Your Oracle sought the knowledge we already knew. The gods have parted the way for it to happen, deal with it. Anyway, I also know this one's mate." she pointed at Tyler.

He growled.

She laughed.

"Who's your mate?" we asked.

"Doesn't matter." Tyler dismissed.

"Want me to tell you?" she played with her nose piercing. "One word. Trans!" She said mockingly loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear. Including Evan's mate who had rounded up to the door ready to leave, but we had gotten too distracted to really notice as we all faced our friend.

"A lie to get to me, I know what you're doing. Did he send you?" When she folded her hands with no response he knuckled on the tabletop as he turned to us and spoke. "Trans I could handle. Actually, I'd welcome that but ugh you know what fuck this shit I'm outta here." he started gathering himself and pointed at her, "You. You're coming with me."

The girl swiped a bottle from our table, refused him and cackled, "What. Too shy to tell your Alpha your mate is a guy he knows or too embarrassed to tell your friends he's a witch?"

Before he could answer or we could react Evan's mate had fully stormed back to us, pretty eyes narrowed on our table and slapped the gratuity on top of it. "I collected this back from everyone I shared it with in the back. Take it, I knew this tip was too good to be true. I know the rumours people spread about me but just because I'm a walking gay stereotype that likes to put on makeup and heels does not mean I want to be a girl or am a girl. There keep your money...it's not funny...you're not funny."

The witch giggled, hands up in the universal sign of surrender and ducked out, leaving us with the angered waiter. Who'd also turned a heel ready to leave when Evan caught him by his arm and said: "We weren't talking about you, Tyler here was talking about his partner." he winked at Tyler. "His male partner."

"So that wasn't a homophobic slash transphobic attack on me?"

"No we aren't homophobic, or transphobic," I said, watching Evan drop his mate's arm.

"So I just embarrassed myself for no reason?"

"Yes, no worries though. Obviously now you've heard about Tyler. This is Brady and he's about to be divorced or married to a dude."

We all fixed our heads to Greg's unravelling mouth, but he seemed unbothered as he continued. "Here take the money, and please give your number to my friend Evan. He thinks you're pretty handsome and he'd like to take you out for a movie this weekend. Simba will be in theatres by then. Please say yes."