"I'd love to extend a warm welcome to the new member of the family," my dad announced warmly, raising his glass. "To Bennett and Frankie Lacroix."

"To Bennett and Frankie," the rest of the table chorused, and everyone clinked their glasses together, before indulging in the feast spread out before us.

The small banquet hall was packed with some of our closest friends, family members, and pack members. Despite the threat of a rogue attack, we weren't going to let it stop us from celebrating a special occasion. My immediate family sat with Frankie and I on the podium overlooking the rest of the tables.

Of course, I felt it was appropriate to have hot dogs as the main course. After all, hot dogs are what brought Frankie and I together in the first place. Alongside my favourite food, they had a variety of other delicious culinary options. Mini pepperoni pizzas, wings, sausages, and pork ribs, plus some scrumptious sides.

Within the first ten minutes of eating, I had already shovelled 5 hot dogs into my stomach. I turned to Frankie, anxious to see how he was faring.

"How's your hot dog?" I asked Frankie, who was only halfway through his first, and tentatively sipping his drink.

"It's really good, Ben. Honest," he added quickly, noticing my disbelief.

"Are you sure? I can always request the kitchens to make something else."

"The food's good," he said quietly. "And I really like the mango smoothie, too."

"That's a relief. Oh, and do you know why we've got plenty of hot dogs?"

"Of course I do," he cracked a smile. "It's because of Ketchup."

"What?" I frowned in confusion.

"I named the hot dog you gave me Ketchup," he blushed. "I thought it was fitting. For a hot dog."

"I like that name. Maybe I should get one of my own and name it Mustard."

"Maybe we should buy their entire stock. Name one of them Relish, perhaps?"

"One of them can be Onions. And there can be a Sauerkraut, and Chili, and Worcestershire."

Frankie actually laughed, and it sounded like music to my ears. "Who puts Worcestershire sauce on hot dogs?"

"I do now," I grinned. "Hey, Joe, can you pass me the green jar just to your right? Yeah, that one. Thanks!"

After the amazing meal, it was time for dancing, socialization, and my favourite part - the open bar.

"I'm basically 18," I pleaded with my dad, who only shook his head.

"No, you're not," he said sternly. "You're still 17, and in this province, the legal drinking age is 18. No alcoholic drinks."

What my dad didn't understand was the power of siblings. Nic supplied me with a couple of beers throughout the night, and I admit, I did become slightly tipsy at some point. Just slightly.

When I wasn't drinking, I was introducing Frankie to the rest of the pack members. He seemed to be pretty okay with meeting new people, although I did pick up on how he shrunk into me when we spoke to certain people. Frankie was definitely pretty shy, and I tried my best to make him feel safe.

On the bright side, he was pretty fascinated by the open bar's mocktails, and loved to collect the mini umbrellas that came with the colourful drinks.

So overall, it was a pretty good welcome banquet.

-

By the time night rolled around, I was starting to feel exhausted, which was rather atypical of me. My head was pounding, and I felt like it was going to burst anytime soon. I downed a couple of painkillers and headed to our room, where Frankie was waiting for me.

"I really like your pack," Frankie said, his voice barely audible. "Everyone here's so nice. I can't tell if it's real or not."

"Yeah? That's good to hear. You know, it's going to be your home one day."

"Yes," he murmured. "I...I suppose it is."

There had been another pressing matter on the back of my mind, and I decided to try bringing it up.

"Frankie, I was wondering about your pack," I approached carefully. Almost immediately, Frankie's face went pale, and he averted his gaze from mine.

"When we met, you said you were from a pack. Yet when you spoke to my brother, you implied that you were a rogue. I'd like to get to know you, if you'd let me."

"I...I..." Frankie began, but he seemed to be absolutely petrified at the mention of my family. He began to shake, his eyes becoming glassy.

"Frankie?" I asked ever so gently. "Hey. It's okay. You don't have to tell me."

But whatever I said earlier seemed to have catalyzed some sort of mental breakdown.

"Frankie?" I repeated, and I felt panic settle inside of me.

What in the moons did I do? Did I just unknowingly trigger a panic attack? A heart attack? The Alpha in me just wanted to cuddle him and keep him safe in my arms, but I wasn't too sure how Frankie would react to that. I didn't know if we were at the hugging stage yet.

Within a few moments, Frankie shuddered and took a deep breath. He had definitely calmed down somewhat, but he still appeared to be worried.

"I'm sorry, Ben," he said weakly, a pained expression on his face. "I really don't want to talk about it right now. I just...can't. Can we please talk about something else? Please?"

"Yes, of course," I said, and that seemed to reassure him.

Frankie breathed a sigh of relief and scooted away from me. At that moment, a sharp pang of pain coursed through my head. For a few moments, stars clouded my vision, and I focused on trying not to pass out.

Stupid pills, work, I gritted my teeth, hoping for the impossible. I knew exactly what was going on, but unfortunately, there wasn't really anything I could do about the pain at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Frankie said miserably.

"Don't be, Hedgehog. It's not your fault."

"It's not yours, either."

We were silent for the next little while.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Frankie said eventually, in a small voice. "Can...can I sleep with you, Ben?"

The warmth that flooded through my chest was absolutely exhilarating. My pain eased temporarily, and all I was focused on was the fact that my mate finally wanted to sleep with me in our bed.

"Can we add some pillows between us, though? I don't think I'm ready for...you know..." Frankie continued nervously.

My heart dropped slightly, but I brushed my thoughts aside. If Frankie wasn't ready to sleep together fully, then I wasn't going to force him, despite my Alpha instincts telling me otherwise. Together, the two of us added some pillows to the king bed so that there was a wall of division separating his side from my side.

Frankie changed into his pyjamas and slipped under the sheets. He looked so tiny in our bed, so relaxed. I decided to join him on the bed after changing into my own pyjamas, albeit on my side. Even though Frankie was just out of my reach, I felt as if he were miles away.

It physically pained me, knowing he was so close, yet so far away.

Our mate belongs in our arms, the wolf inside me sniffed. Why isn't he where he supposed to be? Why?

He's not ready for that, I had to remind myself.

"Thank you, Bennett," his sweet voice met my ears. "Truly. You are the best mate a wolf could ever ask for. I don't deserve you."

That comment was almost enough for me to ignore the painful gap between us.