*Ryland’s POV*

"Joan, that's what we came to talk to you about," I say, sitting up straight. "You... you know that I already had a mate."

Joan hums thoughtfully. "Indeed. Mates are a gracious gift from our goddess. What a shame it is when one rejects such a wonderful gift."

My face flushes when Landon glances at me. I don't know why I feel so ashamed for him to know I was rejected. Landon had a mate too, so doesn't that mean he was also rejected?

"How is it possible that Landon and I are mates?" I lift my head and continue on. "We both already had mates, and I've never heard of wolves getting a second mate. Have you?"

Joan thinks on that for a moment before holding out both her hands. "Give me your hands," she instructs.

I place my hand in hers without a second thought, but Landon doesn't do the same.

"It's okay," I whisper, making him turn his crystal blue eyes to me. "I know we just met, but you can trust me."

Landon holds my gaze for a few seconds longer before releasing a breath and placing his hand in Joan's awaiting palm. Joan smiles warmly for a brief moment before it slips away, and her face goes blank. Her dark eyes turn completely white as the crescent mark on her forehead begins to glow the same color.

We both watch in amazement at the scene before us. I've heard of elders having a direct connection to the Moon, but I've never seen the power in action. Landon must not have either, because the wonder on his face mirrors mine.

Joan holds our hands tightly as the white light glows brighter. Tingles race up my arm from where she touches my palm. I see Landon chewing his bottom lip from the corner of my eye, and I offer him a small smile in an attempt to help him relax. He doesn't return the smile, but I can feel his nerves easing up.

The light dims, and Joan's white glowing eyes return to their normal dark brown color as the crescent mark does the same. Joan blinks a few times before refocusing on us and releasing our hands.

"Five years ago," Joan starts, "you both suffered the painful loss of your mate bonds. Your bonds broke at the exact same time, causing a phenomenon that I've only seen once before. Think of it like this," she stands from the table and grabs two balls of yarn from a nearby basket, and one red and one blue, along with a pair of scissors. She cuts a long string of yarn of each color and holds them up. "Landon, let us say the red string represents your former bond. Ryland, let's say the blue represents yours." 

Joan picks up the scissors and cuts both strings in half, and Landon winces. "When the bond was severed, your ends of the mate bond became frantic to feel attached to your mate again. Now, you both know the Moon has assigned a mate to each and every wolf. If that moment, your broken bonds were returned to the Moon at the exact same moment, and they collided." Joan brings Landon's red string to my blue string, and ties them together. "Our goddess felt your pain and brought your souls together, which immediately sought out the other free bond and latched on. Two broken spirits finding solace in one another. Thus, your new bond was formed."

The two of us stare of Joan, completely dumfounded.  Joan sighs and sets down her props.

"To summarize, your bonds were severed at the exact same time five years ago, which lead to the joining of your souls," Joan reiterates. "If your bonds had broken at different times, I don't believe they would have formed together. Your bonds would have been returned to the Moon and that would've been that. Our goddess felt your anguish and showed you mercy."

"Roman," I hear myself say without thinking, making Landon blink and look at me. "Does that mean he got another mate?"

Joan shakes her head. "The Moon does not show the same mercy to the one who rejects her gifts. You two did not choose to break your bonds, which is why you were shown mercy. That being said, if you were to reject this bond as well, you will not get another chance at having a mate."

My head snaps up at that. The possibility of being rejected again sends a flurry of panic into my chest, constricting my lungs. I close my eyes and play Kai's voice over and over in my head.

"You're okay. I'm here. Breathe. Come on, you can do it. In through your nose, and out though your mouth."

After following the breathing instructions, I'm able to reopen my eyes to see Landon focused on me. He studies me before turning back to Joan.

"Does this bond work the same as a normal bond?" Landon questions. "Like... if we were to reject each other, would it cause the same amount of pain?"

The wind gets knocked out of me, as if someone sucker punched me in the gut. I desperately grasp Landon's arm and look at him with panic-filled eyes.

"Please, don't reject me," I plead, my voice shaking. "I can't... just, please. Give me a chance. I can be a good mate. We can take things at your pace, move as slow as you need. Please. Don't reject me."

Pain fills Landon's ocean eyes. "But... I already had a mate..."

"Please," I beg again, tears filling my eyes. The look of pain on Landon's face increases as he watches me, pleading and trembling with watery eyes. "I promise that we can go at your pace. If you want to start out as friends, we can do that. Anything you need, anything."

"You'd be okay with that?" Landon asks skeptically. "Being friends?"

"Yes," I quickly nod my head. "Whatever you need."

Landon's eyes search my face as Joan watches us silently, though I can feel her eyes on me. Being friends might not be the ideal situation, but I've had enough loneliness to last a lifetime. I'm not losing this mate too.

"Okay," he finally says, lifting the crushing weight off my shoulders. "Friends."

"Friends," I nod my head in agreement and let go of his arm, my palm still tingling from where our skin touched. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Joan staring at me with an unreadable expression.

Before I can ask what she's thinking about, Landon speaks up. "Thank you for helping us, elder," he says politely as we stand.

Joan smiles at him, grabbing his hand and patting it softly. "Just Joan is fine, dear. You come back any time you need to talk. You may not be a member of the pack, but every wolf should be able to speak to an elder when they need help."

Shock crosses Landon's face before he smiles and nods. He glances at me before opening the door and walking towards the car. I start to follow behind him but I'm stopped when Joan gently holds onto my arm.

"Ryland," Joan whispers lowly. "There's something else you should know..."