Chapter Thirteen
It was two days later when Connor looked up from his laptop as a familiar scent reached him through the open office window. Davis was approaching the pack house.
His wolf stirred, recognizing his alpha.
Except Davis wasn’t his alpha anymore, was he?
Connor was Leyden’s mate now, alpha mate to his pack.
However, the formal transfer hadn’t happened yet, and until it did, part of Connor remained tethered to the territory he’d grown up in, the pack he’d served for since he’d first shifted.
“Davis is here,” Connor said quietly.
Leyden glanced up from the enforcer application he’d been reviewing. “I know. I invited him.”
Connor frowned. “Why?”
“To make it official.” Leyden set the folder aside, his expression gentle. “You can’t serve two packs, Connor. I know you’ve been the alpha mate since you arrived here, and normally the transfer would’ve been done then. But…”
“You were giving me time to adjust.” Connor’s eyes widened as Leyden’s intent flowed through their bond. Yet another example of Leyden putting his needs first.
Leyden shrugged. “I needed you to be sure that you had made the right decision by being here. But we do need to complete the formal transfer. Your wolf will feel more settled when he recognizes my pack as ours.”
Right. Of course. Connor had known this was coming, had agreed to mate Leyden understanding it meant leaving everything familiar behind. But knowing intellectually and feeling it in his gut were different things entirely.
His throat tightened.
The pack house door opened downstairs, and Matthew’s voice drifted up, greeting Davis. Heavy footsteps climbed the stairs -Davis moving with the confidence of an Alpha who’d never questioned his place in the world.
Connor stood as Davis entered the office, his best friend’s massive frame filling the doorway. Davis wore his usual jeans and T-shirt, but something in his expression carried weight, formality. This wasn’t a casual visit.
“Connor.” Davis crossed to him, and Connor accepted the brief shoulder clasp that served as greeting between them. “You look settled.”
“It’s not even been a week.”
“Long enough to know if it’s working.” Davis turned to Leyden, offering the same respectful nod he’d give any alpha on equal footing. “Leyden. Thanks for the invitation.”
“Thank you for coming.” Leyden stood, gesturing to the chairs facing the desk. “Please, sit.”
Davis settled his bulk into one of the chairs, and Connor reluctantly took the other. Leyden remained standing, leaning against the desk between them - close enough to Connor to offer support, far enough to give him space.
“I won’t drag this out,” Davis said, looking directly at Connor. “You know why I’m here.”
Connor swallowed hard. “The transfer.”
“The formal transfer of pack allegiance, yes.” Davis pulled a folded document from his pocket. “I’ve already signed the release papers. Once you and Leyden complete the ceremony, you’ll be officially recognized as a member of Leyden’s pack, no longer bound to mine.”
The words shouldn’t hurt. Connor had chosen this, had accepted Leyden’s claiming bite, had spent the past five days learning his mate’s rhythms and building something new. But hearing it stated so plainly - no longer bound to mine - felt like a fist around his lungs.
“I’d like to talk to Connor alone first,” Davis said to Leyden. “If you don’t mind.”
Leyden straightened. “Of course. I’ll be downstairs with Matthew.”
He left without argument, closing the office door behind him. Connor felt his absence immediately, the bond between them stretching as Leyden moved farther away. Not painful, but noticeable. A reminder that Connor was already tied to someone new now.
Davis waited until Leyden’s footsteps faded before speaking. “You’re scared.”
Not a question. Davis knew him too well for Connor to bother denying it.
“A bit, yeah,” Connor admitted.
“Want to tell me why?”
Connor stared at the floor, the polished hardwood that belonged to Leyden’s pack house, in Leyden’s territory, where Connor now lived. “This is it, isn’t it? Once we do the ceremony, I’m not part of your pack anymore. I’m not your beta. I’m just...gone.”
“You’re not gone.” Davis leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You’re my best friend. That doesn’t change because you mated into a different pack.”
“But everything else changes.” Connor forced himself to look up, meeting Davis’s steady gaze.
“I’ve been in your pack my whole life. My parents were part of your pack before they moved.
I shifted for the first time in your territory.
I fought beside you, protected our people, served as your second.
And now I’m walking away from all of that. ”
“You’re not walking away. You’re moving forward.
” Davis’s expression softened. “Connor, I’m proud of you.
Do you understand that? I never thought you’d find someone who understood you, who’d be willing to build a relationship at your pace.
And then you met Leyden, and fuck, man - he’s perfect for you. ”
Connor’s chest tightened. “What if I’m not perfect for him?”
“What do you mean?”
The question Connor had been avoiding, the fear that gnawed at him in quiet moments, spilled out.
“What if I never want sex? I thought I would’ve done by now, but it’s not happened even with the claiming bites.
What if weeks go by, months go by, and I still don’t feel desire for him? What if Leyden gets tired of waiting?”
Davis didn’t answer immediately. He sat back, studying Connor with the same careful attention he’d give any serious pack matter. “You think Leyden will abandon you.”
“I think he deserves someone who wants him the way he wants me.” Connor’s hands clenched into fists. “He’s been patient, understanding, better than I ever expected. But Davis, I can feel how much he wants me. Through the bond, I feel his arousal, his desire, and I can’t… I don’t…”
“You don’t feel it back.”
“Not the same way. Not yet.” Maybe not ever, though Connor couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud. “What if I’m fucked up in a way even a fated mate can’t fix?”
“Connor.” Davis’s voice carried absolute certainty. “You’re not fucked up. You’re the least fucked up wolf I know. You just experience attraction differently than most wolves, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Tell that to Leyden when he’s still waiting years from now.”
“Have you seen the way that man looks at you?” Davis shook his head. “I heard about how he introduced you to his pack. Leyden is devoted to you, Connor. Completely and utterly devoted. And it’s not about sex - it’s about finding his mate, his other half.”
“He says that.” Connor’s throat felt tight. “But wanting and doing are different things. What if his wolf can’t handle it? What if biology wins and he needs more than I can give?”
Davis stood, moving to the window that overlooked Leyden’s territory. “Did you want me to promise it’ll work out? That Leyden will wait forever without complaint, or that you’ll eventually feel sexual desire, that everything will be perfect?”
Connor said nothing.
“I can’t promise that,” Davis continued.
“No one can. Relationships are messy, complicated, and they require work even when both people are perfectly matched. But I can tell you this. Before you, Leyden challenged his old alpha for this pack, giving that old wolf honor and dignity in his submission. He built something strong enough that when half his enforcers turned on him, the rest of the pack stayed loyal. That man knows how to fight for what matters to him.”
Davis turned from the window, meeting Connor’s gaze.
“And you matter to him. More than casual sex, more than what other people think, more than his own comfort. So yeah, maybe it’ll be hard sometimes.
Maybe there will be moments when he struggles with wanting something you’re not ready to give.
But he chose you, Connor. Knowing everything about you, he still chose you. ”
Connor’s eyes burned. “I’m worried sick I’m going to disappoint him.”
“You probably will at some point.” Davis crossed back to his chair.
“And he’ll probably disappoint you too, because that’s what people do.
Mates don’t come with a guarantee of a perfect life, but they always have a good one.
If you’re both willing to work through your issues, to communicate, to compromise, and to care about each other’s needs - that’s what makes a mating work. Not perfect compatibility. Effort.”
The tightness in Connor’s chest eased slightly. Not gone, but manageable.
“There’s a part of me that’s scared with how well it’s already going,” Connor admitted quietly. “This is everything I never thought I’d have. What if I fuck it up?”
“Then you fix it. Talk to Leyden, work it out together.” Davis smiled, showing his teeth. “You’re not alone anymore, Connor. You’ve got a mate who understands you, a pack that respects you, and a best friend who’s one territory over if you need him.”
Connor managed a small smile. “You’ll visit?”
“Probably enough to annoy the crap out of your young Alpha.” Davis stood again, offering his hand. “Ready to make this official?”
No. Yes. Connor didn’t know. But he’d chosen this path when he accepted Leyden’s claiming bite, and he wouldn’t turn back now.
Connor took Davis’s hand, letting his friend pull him to his feet. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
/~/~/~/~/
It was just a simple ceremony in the office - Connor and Davis facing each other, Leyden standing to the side as witness.
Davis held both of Connor’s hands, his grip firm and steady. “Connor, you have served my pack with loyalty, strength, and honor. You have been loyal since your first shift and grew into one of our finest warriors. I release you from your bond to my pack with gratitude and respect.”
Connor’s wolf stirred, sensing the shift coming.
“Do you accept this release?” Davis asked.
“I do.” Connor’s voice remained steady despite the emotion churning through him.
Davis squeezed his hands once, then let go. The absence of touch felt symbolic - connection breaking, pack bonds dissolving.
Leyden stepped forward, and Connor turned to face his mate. Leyden’s pale gray eyes held warmth, certainty, and absolute confidence in what they were doing.
“Connor,” Leyden said, his alpha voice filling the room. “I offer you a place in my pack. Not as enforcer, not as subordinate, but as alpha mate - my equal, my partner, my mate. Do you accept?”
Through their bond, Connor felt Leyden’s devotion, his commitment, his unwavering faith that they would build something strong together.
“I accept.”
The shift happened immediately. Connor’s wolf recognized Leyden’s authority, accepted it, welcomed it. The pack bonds that had connected Connor to Davis’s territory his entire life dissolved like morning mist, replaced by new ties to Leyden’s pack, Leyden’s land, Leyden’s wolves.
Connor swayed slightly, and Leyden caught his elbow, steadying him.
“You all right?” Leyden murmured.
Connor nodded. The disorientation faded quickly, replaced by certainty. This was his pack now. Leyden was his alpha. And Connor belonged here.
Davis cleared his throat. “Well. That’s done, then.”
Connor turned to his best friend, seeing the emotion Davis tried to hide behind his alpha mask. They’d been through everything together - first shifts, pack challenges, years of friendship that had shaped who Connor became.
And now Connor was moving on.
“Come here,” Davis said gruffly.
Connor stepped forward, and Davis pulled him into a tight hug. Connor tensed for only a second before relaxing into it, letting his friend hold him the way Davis had done a handful of times over the years - moments when Connor’s walls came down enough to accept physical comfort.
“You call if you need anything,” Davis said against Connor’s shoulder. “Anything at all.”
“I will.”
“And visit. There’ll be a lot of disappointed people if you don’t.”
“I’ll visit.”
Davis pulled back, gripping Connor’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you. You know that, right?”
Connor’s throat closed up. He nodded.
“Good.” Davis released him, stepping back and clearing his throat roughly. “Right. I should get going. I’ll arrange to have your house packed up and your stuff sent here for you and yeah…you’ll be missed.”
He shook Leyden’s hand, said something Connor didn’t quite catch about taking care of his mate, and then headed for the door. Connor watched him go, feeling the finality of it settle over him.
His old life, his old pack…gone.
Leyden’s hand found his, fingers threading through Connor’s. “You okay?”
Connor looked at his mate, at the man who’d upended his entire existence in the span of a week. Who’d been patient, understanding, devoted. Who’d chosen Connor knowing exactly what he was getting.
“Yeah,” Connor said quietly. “I think I am.”
And through their bond, he felt Leyden’s relief, his affection, his absolute certainty that they’d made the right choice.
Connor squeezed his mate’s hand and chose to believe him.