He was on cloud nine. Even with all the work that he did in his office, the kind that would bore him to tears but always needed to get done anyway, he could close his eyes and still be right back in that part of the forest.

That laughter. It was addicting. He had never heard something so purely joyful in his entire life. The man was amazing like that. It had taken him a little to get the real him out of the serious man that he had been, but once he did, he could tell why so many people still remembered him to this day. Even the way that he talked changed. Instead of always being respectful, or speaking like he was a royal prince, he talked like he was actually from this time and not the 1800s or something.

He also couldn't get over how easily he disappeared in that fog. He could hide in it and Jett wouldn't have a clue as to where he was. Then he would spring out of thin air and pounce on him. He had no clue just how happy the man could be just by doing that. It was as if Jett had brought out a completely new person.

"Jeez," Alex shook his head. "You're this happy, and you didn't even fuck him?"

"Fuck off," he glared at him. "Just because you're horny and can't get any doesn't mean that I have to be horny and try to force that on Shiro."

"I'm just saying, fuck!" Alex put a hand to his chest. Blake was laughing so hard he was about to fall off his chair.

"Aww man! Hit him where it hurts!"

"I think it's cute," Bree said, holding one of her babies in her arms. "Even though you gave me a damn heart attack when I woke up the other morning."

"Blame Alex for that," he said. "He was the one I told."

"What? Is this pick on Alex day or something?"

"I don't know," Blake snickered. "You still in the pound, Hound Dog?"

"Oh please," Alex rolled his eyes. "That guy won't let me touch him with a three-foot pole at the moment."

Jett shook his head at that. He understood his frustration though. He was just glad that it was going to be over soon. The first day of summer was just around the bend, and he was as excited as Blake when he got done dressing his daughters up in princess outfits.

"Maybe it's so that you can purify yourself from all the exes you've had," Bree said. "Have you told him about that yet?"

"Uhhh..."

"I'm going to take that as a no," Bree rolled her eyes. Blake just sat there, laughing still.

"Can we buy tickets to see that?" Blake asked. "I'd pay big money to see him give you an earful."

"Isn't this supposed to be about Jett?"

"You're the one who decided to bash on me for being happy that I actually got to spend time with my mate rather than just trying to fuck him," he crossed his arms.

"I just thought it was weird," Alex defended himself. "Like, you guys even spent the night in the same bed, and nothing happened?"

"I'm just glad I finally got to hold him," Jett shook his head. Sleeping with him in his arms was the most peaceful sleep he had in all of his life. His skin was smooth and strong. And there wasn't a single ounce of fat on his body. Everything about him made him want to hold him as tightly as possible. And it was the one time he actually let him.

He still couldn't get over that laugh though. It was something that he could still hear bounce off the trees, bringing joy to the forest around them. He could still see that blush, and the way that those dark eyes sparkled when he looked at him. He didn't want that day to ever end. It was better than any day in his entire life, even the day that his first nephew was born, the one who would take his place when they were old enough.

"I think we lost him, guys," Blake snapped him out of his thoughts. All of them were sitting in the living room, relaxing after a hard day's work. Blake was drinking a few beers, like he normally did after work. But now they were giving him all-knowing looks and smiles all around.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Because you're so in love, it's not even funny," Blake said. "I didn't think I'd ever see you like this."

Jett smiled. He couldn't believe just how fast he had fallen for the mysterious warrior. He had been waiting so long to find love just to have it pop up right in his face. There was still so much to figure out about each other but, at the moment, he was the happiest he had been his entire life.

His phone buzzed in his pocket before he could even think of replying to them. He smiled as soon as he saw who it was.

Shiro: I need to talk to you about something important.

He wondered what it was. Knowing Shiro, though, he wouldn't want to talk about it over the phone. As much as Jett was a little worried about what Shiro was going to say, he was excited to see him again.

Jett: Sure. Do you want to meet up in the same spot then?

Shiro: That would be best. How soon can you come?

Jett: Give me probably about a half hour.

"Looks like he misses you already," Alex said over his shoulder. He looked behind him to see that all of them had decided to try and get a peek at his phone.

"Do you all have to be this nosy?" he hid his phone from all of them by hiding the screen against his shirt.

"Hey, he's going to be my future brother-in-law!" Bree argued. "I get full rights to snoop."

"You get full rights to do nothing of the sort."

"I wonder what he wants to talk about," Blake said. "You think it's going to be good or bad news?"

"I don't know," Jett shook his head. "I'm just going to head over there before I start overthinking it."

He left them all with that, doing the same thing that he had done the night that they spent together. He carried a pair of shorts in his mouth as he ran through the trees. Hopefully this wouldn't be something too important. Jett really hoped that this was all just so that he could see him again. But there was something in his gut that was telling him otherwise. And he always trusted his gut.

He was surprised when he saw Shiro just outside of that shed to greet him. He honestly thought that he was going to be the first one there again. Usually, the man had a thousand things to do. He was hoping to get him out of the habit of overworking himself as soon as they were marked. It really didn't seem like he ever stopped.

Jett quickly changed in the cottage and came out. It was then that he felt the tension in the air and the serious look on his mate's face. Those dark eyes weren't the one's that he had seen last. They were serious, hiding his emotions as easily as breathing. Jett didn't like seeing Shiro this way. It meant that something was wrong.

"What happened?" Jett asked. He tried to get closer to him, but Shiro took a step back, motioning with his hand to give him space.

"I have news," he started. "News that you aren't going to like."

"What is it?" the longer this went on, the more worried he became about this. He didn't like not knowing what Shiro was feeling either. Him hiding everything made him all the more nervous.

"My ceremony has been moved," Shiro told him. His voice was quiet, yet as clear as can be. "It's not going to be on the first day of Summer."

"When is it going to be?" he asked cautiously. He was trying his best not to sound angry at the moment. He had waited long enough to have him in his arms. This was not their initial agreement.

"In two weeks," he answered. "During the full moon."

"Two weeks?!" he asked. "Shiro, we don't have time to wait that long! The curse is going to come within a few days after when your ceremony was supposed to be originally!"

"I understand," he looked at him with his princely eyes. That mask was on again. He hated that. Something must have happened in that pack house of his. "That is why I'm telling you this now rather than later."

"Shiro," Jett said. "What happened? Why can't you gain your title on the first day of Summer?" He swore if this was because of his father he was going to lose it.

"Something came up," Shiro told him.

"More enemies? Are the hunters back?"

"No," Shiro shook his head. "It's just an issue within my pack. I can't go into details."

"Why not?" Jett raised an eyebrow. "Shiro, how am I supposed to be okay with this if you won't tell me anything?"

"I can't," Shiro shook his head. "I'm sorry, I really can't."

Jett got close to him, grabbing him before he could try and back up some more. He grabbed his face and kissed him. He wanted that mask to be off. He wanted his true self to tell him this. He wanted to know why all of this was happening and what was going on in that pack.

"Shiro," he broke the kiss and held his face. He was trying to catch his breath, eyes wide in surprise. "Why won't you let me help you?"

"This isn't something that I need help on," he told him. Those eyes had stayed hard, but not like when they were fighting each other. They were hard like an Alpha's would be. "This is about my pack, Jett. I can't be selfish. I'm sorry."

"Selfish?" Jett let go of him and huffed a laugh. "Shiro, there's nothing selfish about this. If anything, it's selfish of you for not even giving me any explanation as to why we have to wait. It's selfish for keeping me in the dark about all the mysteries that you seem to have hovering around you. Do you remember that this curse affects us both, Shiro? I don't want to go through the pain that it causes."

"And you won't," Shiro said. The way he said it made it seem like a promise. Jett looked at him confused for a second.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Is it just magically going to go away? If we wait on this, I'm going to be the first in my pack for three generations to get this damn curse, Shiro."

"You won't feel anything," he told him, his eyes held an emotion that he wasn't sure of at the moment. But he spoke the truth, he knew that for sure. "By the time the thirty days are up for you, you have my word that you won't feel the affects of the curse at all."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Leave that to me," Shiro said, his eyes grew soft as he took a deep breath. "I know I've already caused you much strife through this. I can't promise you that things will change, for I don't know what the future holds. But I will protect you from the consequences in which I have caused. If you'll still have me."

"If I'll still have you?" his heart broke when he heard him say that. "Do you think I'm going to reject you because of this?"

"I don't know," he said honestly, his head downcast. "However, if you do, I will understand."

How did he think that Jett could reject him? He looked so sad when he said it, and his shoulders looked as though they carried the weight of the world on them. He wanted to help him. Shiro talked about protecting him, but it felt like it should be the other way around. What had his father done to him?

"I'm not going to reject you," Jett said. That would hurt him too much to do. As much as he wished he knew what the hell was going on in that pack, he wasn't going to give him the ultimatum of marking or rejection. After what happened the other day, he realized just how much he needed him.

Shiro looked up at him, meeting his eyes. He must have really thought that Jett would have rejected him. Why would he think that he was so cold-hearted as to do something like that? Those dark brown eyes shimmered with small hints of tears in them. He wished he could wipe them all away. He wished he could hold him like he did when they were there last.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I need to go now. There's many things that I need to take care of."

"Wait-"

"I wouldn't suggest staying here for long, or adventuring past this shed," Shiro interrupted him, turning around to face the trees. "The patrols are out tonight, and they aren't going to like seeing an alpha wolf on our territory."

"Shiro, wai-!"

He shifted before he could get another word in. He still had so many questions. Why was their patrol out? What things did he have to do? What had stopped his ceremony from happening the day of?

But he couldn't get any answers. Instead, he watched as the brown wolf disappeared in the fog. And he was left alone with more questions than he had answers. Just when he thought he was getting somewhere with the man, he winds up getting pushed three steps back.

Sighing, he shifted into his wolf and headed for home, replaying everything that had happened in his head. Something was very off about this. Shiro thought that he was going to reject him, but he failed to realize that Jett knew this wasn't his choice. He knew the true enemy here. And he was now on a mission to take him down. If Shiro didn't want help directly, he'd do it on his own means.

"Alex," he contacted his Beta as he ran for home. "We're upping our investigation on the Reverence Pack."

"What happened?"

"His coronation ceremony got moved two more weeks," he said. "He wouldn't tell me why, and said that he didn't need help when I asked. Something's not right."

"That's gotta be Sakdah's doing," Alex said. "Does this mean that you're going to have to deal with the curse?"

"I don't know," he said, remembering just what Shiro had said about it. There was no way that he could stop the curses affects from getting to him. That just wasn't possible. That curse was fool proof. "All I know is that we're getting to the bottom of this. I'm not stopping until he's mine."

"I hear you loud and clear."

He was going to have to call Roger and Nir. Something was going to happen on the first day of Summer, something other than what was supposed to happen. The fact that Sakdah had successfully lengthened his reign angered him to no end. He used that anger to race back to his home. But, at the same time, he didn't want to go home. He wanted to clear his head as he ran, to try and make sense of this all. These mysteries were like the trees that covered the forest. They were never ending.

But he would find the end. He would solve every mystery that they had, and find those answers. He would fight until the bitter end. Because something was keeping his mate from him. Something was keeping that man with the beautiful laugh that was contagious and those eyes that sparkled with happiness from him. Putting in its place a prince who does nothing but hide and remain aloof.

What was first just a hunch was now a mission in which he would see to the end. He would do anything to have that man back in his arms again.

He was getting his mate, no matter what.