It seems like a dream.

No matter how prepared I was for it or how well raised I was by my loving parents, there is no amount of preparation that can truly get you ready for the mate bond.

It is as if suddenly I had the biggest crush on Carlisle and he is all I ever think about, the only thing on my mind right now. It is such a weird phenomenon that one truly needs to experience it in order for them to really understand it.

When I first kissed Carlisle the other day, I felt like I was tasting paradise. It was so great to be in his close contact, not to mention that he is an excellent kisser. I felt so good, fulfilled. I can only imagine what the bond completion is going to feel like.

Not that we are there yet, of course not. It’s far too soon to be thinking about this kind of intimacy between the two of us, but if he offered it to me, I would not say no. I have been waiting to experience this for all my life. It would be so special to get to do this with my mate, but I understand it’s too early in the relationship for him.

We have been mated for barely a week now.

As soon as Carlisle told me that his son was invited to a classmate's birthday party, I realized two things.

First, the birthday kid was probably the son or daughter of a warrior. Maybe Iris talked to the men and women of the force to persuade them to convince their kids to be nice to the new boy in town.

Second, it was a golden opportunity for me to take my mate for a night out in the town, a date if you will. In fact, I was very eager to have the chance to be with him outside of the pack house.

I need to make the most of our time together, to convince Carlisle that I am the man for him. I am the only one for him, which it's true.

But what I really am looking forward to is to prove to him that by my side is where he belongs. That not only his son is safe here, but so is he. I am the man of his dreams, his fated mate, there is nowhere in the world that would be better for him than right here.

It was easy enough to arrange for Mr. Michaels to drop Charlie off at the pack house after the party was over, so I took the time to take my mate to the local distillery. It not only fabricates its own wine, but it also imports several types as well.

It has been a while since I went there, it is not somewhere I like to go alone and not everybody likes wine, least of all expensive ones. I mean, expensive for the average man, not a thousand dollars bottle of wine - though they have that too, if you are up to it.

Carlisle and I sipped a variety of wines, but by the third or fourth glass he was already starting to speak a bit differently. It was then when I decided it was time to stick with water. I developed a tolerance for alcohol over the years, so it takes a lot more than three glasses to get me drunk.

I have been mateless for eleven years, that is a lot of drunken lonely nights. *sigh*

We talked about our personal lives, what it means to be an unmated werewolf and eventually he spoke about his experience as a single father though he made sure to point out that Richard’s parents were a Goddess send to him in the early stages of the pregnancy and throughout his son’s life. It is lost on him why their son turned out to be such a psychopath.

Carlisle takes such pride in being a father and even though the circumstances were horrible, he was led to believe it was his duty to raise the best kid he could and that nothing was Charlie’s fault, including the fact that his other father ignored him for all his life until now - when it’s convenient for him.

I had a blast on our date, to be honest. He told me he was surprised that I was so welcoming to him and that I didn’t judge him for having an unmated child. I replied to him that I had no business judging my mate, even if the circumstances were different.

‘‘You are my mate, there is no doubt in my mind that you’re the one for me.’’

I reassured him with a deep, penetrating gaze that had him swooning. We made out a lot. Oh the kisses were fantastic. How I longed to find my mate and be close to him. Honestly, I am not the least bit fazed about my mate having an unmated child. Not at all.

Of course, I do hope he is up to have one more with me, I am not going to lie. But that is not a discussion for now. I am just happy to have the chance to be with him uninterrupted. This date was excellent and I went to bed the happiest I have ever felt so far.

I had a cab drop my mate at the pack house, he was still well enough to go from there. His son is old enough to get into his room by himself, though I made sure to check with Michaels if everything went okay with the dropoff. I knew my mate wouldn’t sleep unless he checked in to see how Charlie was doing.

On Sunday, I went to the pack house and caught them leaving the dining room. I inquired about Charlie’s night out and he said it went fine. I understand it’s going to take a while for him to get his bearings in middle school. It’s a tough age getting into puberty but still not really a teenager.

I also asked my mate how he was doing and if he was hungover from last night.

“Not really, I guess the wine was so expensive that it didn’t give me a headache afterwards.” He replied in a joking tone, but there is some truth to that if you ask a wine expert.

“That’s good to hear.” I said, pleased with myself that everything went well.

Charlie and his father are surprised to see a bunch of kids inside the living room with their parents. In fact, there are several families present today with kids between the ages of 12 and 13.

Naturally, Charlie recognized some of them from school. They all go to the same middle school, though probably they are not in the same grade as him.

“What are they doing here, Stephano?” Charlie quizzed me, intrigued by this. His father probably has already figured out the reason.

“Today is ‘blessing day’. These are all kids who had their consecration to the Moon this month and now they have come to be blessed by the Alpha. It's a right of passage for every single werewolf and the only way for them to be able to mindlink.” I explained to him, looking at all the families gathered from a short distance.

It's a very proud moment for a young werewolf, their consecration to the Moon Goddess, the first time in which you shift into a wolf on the first full moon after your 12th or 13th birthday.

It is said that this is the most auspicious day in our lives, the first of two milestones. The second being discovering your mate, of course.

“They say that the Moon Goddess chooses our mates on the day of our consecration, which means yours was already selected for you.” I told him, excitedly.

“Really?” He gaped at me in shock.

“Yeah. Now we just have to wait and see.” I confirmed, glancing at my mate by his side.

Charlie turned to his father with a curious look on his face.

“Daddy, why wasn't I blessed after my consecration? That was months ago!” He grilled him with a suspicious frown.

Oh damn! I did not think of that… *gasp*

My mate glared at me for bringing this up, but it's not my fault if today is blessing day. Children are curious. Though of course I know why Carlisle didn't bring Charlie to be blessed by Richard, his father.

“Because you're the son of an Alpha and Alpha's children don't need to be blessed by their fathers. You already are my blessing.” Carlisle explained to his son, doing a very good job of evading the issue.

At this, the kids all stare at Charlie, surprised to hear he's an Alpha's son. As were their parents inside the packed living room.

More families were arriving at the pack house as we speak, now crowding the foyer adjacent to the living room.

“So, I don't need to be blessed to be able to mindlink? Can I mindlink anyone I want?” He questioned his father, curiously.

My mate was squirming under this line of questioning, feeling embarrassed by the watchful crowd.

“No, you can't. You can only mind link people from this pack if you are blessed by their Alpha. That's why these kids are here. Every pack has an Alpha and only he can bless the pups.” Carlisle lectured, looking at the families getting restless.

“I understand. Can I be –”

Before he finished that sentence, Charlie sprinted from our side to greet a classmate of his who was just arriving at the ‘packed’ house.

“Clary!” He yelled in excitement at seeing the eleven year old girl, who by the way, he just saw yesterday at the birthday party he attended.

The two tweens smiled at each other like old friends and seemed excited to have met once again. Meanwhile, her parents approached me with a peculiar stare.

“What are you doing here? The Beta of the pack isn't required to come for the blessing.” Then I turned to the man. “Hi, Leo. How are you?” I greeted Iris and her mate, Clarissa's parents.

“Good morning, Stephano. I'm fine, thank you.” She rolled her eyes at me, sideways staring at my mate.

“Carlisle, this is Iris Carpenter, Delta of the pack, and this handsome man is her mate Leonard Morgenstern.” I introduced them to my mate and they exchanged pleasantries. Leonard also greeted me. Meanwhile, their daughter was talking to her new friend.

“You are Clarissa's parents. It's very nice to meet you, my son hasn't shut up about her all week.” Carlisle told the great looking couple, smiling at them.

“Our daughter hasn't shut up about him either, so it's mutual.” Leonard spoke in a humorous tone.

“You have a female Delta? That is so badass!” Carlisle commented to me in a low tone, not that there's any tone low enough for people around us not to hear it.

“I know, right? I almost got impeached when I announced her name but it was all worth it just to see her sulking face every morning.” I said, humorously. Iris was not a fan of my humor today.

“He's a third generation Beta, so he was never at any risk of getting impeached.” She informed my mate, who was looking baffled by my statement.

“Congratulations, Delta. I am sure your appointment was well deserved.” My mate cheered her on, sounding proud of her.

“You still didn't answer what are you doing here? Your daughter is 11 years old and her birthday was months ago, last time I checked.” I inquired, positively intrigued by this.

“Clarissa shifted last Tuesday night. It happened all of the sudden, it freaked us out. I thought it was impossible to shift on a random evening.” Leonard informed me, sounding perplexed by this event.

“Oh my Goddess! She had her consecration last Tuesday? It wasn't even the full moon!” I gasped in shock at this information.

There is a ritual to the consecration. You have to be of a certain age and it always happens on the first night of the full moon after your birthday. Of course, there are exceptions but I never heard of one such as this.

“I know, right? My baby isn't even 12 yet.” Iris muttered, looking at her daughter entertained by Charlie, not too far from us.

“My son didn't wait until 12 either. It was a surprise that I wasn't prepared for in any way. Boys never shift that young…” Carlisle chimed in, trying to sympathize with a worried Iris.

“Thank you, Carlisle. I'm sure that must have been scary for you both.” She said, moments before Charlie and Clarissa approached us.

“Daddy, can I be blessed too? I want to do it with Clary.” He pleaded, expectantly.

“Boys are not allowed in the room with girls, they get blessed separately.” He tried to throw him off. As if…

“Daddy! I wanna be blessed like Clary! Why can't I be blessed? If Alpha dad didn't want to bless me, maybe this Alpha will want me.” The child spoke in an emotional tone, breaking our hearts with his vulnerability.

Carlisle rushed to hug his son and reassure him that he is very wanted and that his other father doesn't know what he's missing. The scene was bringing me to tears.

“I think it's too soon for you to be blessed here, but if you want it, I am not going to stop you.” He finally surrendered to the pup.

Charlie celebrated the news with his friend.

“I didn't expect them to hit it off like that.” Iris commented, baffled by her daughter's closeness with Charlie.

“Me neither. Do you think her consecration happening on the day that she met him has any relation to it?” I wondered, puzzled by the coincidence.

Iris and Leonard both stared at me for a moment, not linking the two facts until now.

“Of course not, why would it be related?” Iris looked at me like I was talking crazy.

“I don't know, it popped in my head just now.” I replied, seeing her bothered by the implication.

At this, Linda showed up to start collecting the kids to go to the ballroom. A spacious room with plenty of space for shifting. Oh yeah, you have to shift before the Alpha. It's your wolf that gets blessed in reality.

One by one, family by family, they take their kids to meet with Phillip who asks them to swear loyalty to the pack and its one true Alpha.

Charlie is excited to wait for his turn. It's a long wait, but there are three or four spaces cleared for the blessings. After Phillip commands the pup to shift and welcomes it to the pack, he moves on to another room leaving the young wolf to his parents.

They have to get the child clothes for them to wear after they shift back into a human. It's a whole process.

“I guess I have to get my son a change of clothes. He hasn't even shifted since his consecration.” Carlisle declared, feeling uneasy.

“It's just like riding a bike, mate. I'm sure he’ll do great. You can get blessed too if you want. Just in case you wish to sever the bond with your original pack. You are free to do so, no pressure.” I told him, faking detachment but very excited at the prospect.

Charlie was surprised to hear this.

“Old people can get blessed too?” He questioned me, baffled by the discovery. The adults laughed at his phrasing.

“Your father is not old, but yeah… Anyone can be blessed by the Alpha at any age. Just as long as they commit to the pack.” I explained to him, containing my laughter.

“I'm not sure if I am ready to commit just yet.” Carlisle shot me down, uncomfortably.

“Pretty sure you are already committed to this pack. Unless you have another mate lying around.” Iris interjected, teasingly.

“Iris!” I reprimanded her with a death glare. Carlisle was blushing from the attention he was receiving by the people around us, witnessing this awkward conversation.

“It's fine, mate. You don't have to make a decision today. Just know that it's available to you whenever you want.” I tried to put him at ease.

“You do know it's the only way to escape your Alpha's command over you, right?” She warned my mate with a frightful undertone.

“Iris!” I raised my voice, angrily.

“I know, thanks for the information. Please excuse me.” Carlisle thanked her, awkwardly. He left for the guest wing immediately.

While I fulminated the acting Beta for her intrusion, I couldn't help but acknowledge that she was right. The only way to escape an Alpha's command is to commit to another one.

I am his mate. There is no one else for him other than me. If ever there was a reason to commit to this pack, this is it. We are linked for life. There is no force on Earth that can sever our connection.