Alpha-mates: Chapter-30
Alpha Mates
Chapter-30
1 year, 3 months and 14 days later
Tyres screeched as the car juddered to a stop when the Prius overtook the SUV abruptly and came to a sudden stop longitudinally in front of the other car. Jensen stepped out of the SUV, eyes wild and heaving slightly with shuddering breath from the adrenaline rush of the near-crash as he tried to glare at the figure emerging from the Prius. "Are you out of your friggin’ mind?" he demanded.
Jared just laughed as he stepped up to his mate and hemmed him in against the car to shrug cavalierly, “Probably,"
Jensen didn’t fight the proximity-proof that he wasn’t as angry as he was pretending to be- and just leaned back to rest comfortably against the warm metal of the SUV as he stared up at him as though he was crazy, “You wanted us to take separate cars this morning just to have a chance to give me a heart-attack?”
“You don't remember do you?" Jared asked, leaning down to steal a kiss.
Jensen opened his lips without protest even as he shook his head.
“Today marks exactly two years from the day you stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life."
Jensen’s left brow went up questioningly before he looked around the deserted road and smiled, "This the same spot?"
Jared nodded, "closest I can figure"
“That’s ... romantic,"
“Glad you think so,” The younger alpha blushed, continuing; “Hard to believe that it’s just been 2 years, isn't it? So much has happened.”
Jensen's eyes shadowed as he glanced away, “yeah"
"Hey, c’mon... none of that now!" Jared reprimanded, reaching out with his left hand to cup the alpha’s cheek and coaxing him to raise his head again. “I mean, sure... it was trying, and things seemed to be as bad as they could get at times, but it wasn't all bad. Besides, I didn’t bring you here to reminiscence. ... In fact, I brought you here because I wanted to tell you something."
Jensen eyes which had been resolutely staring at their shoes glanced back up at him at that.
"All this time, I have maintained that I did not have a choice...in- in mating you. ... and if I’m being honest, I don't- I cannot bring myself to regret it, because it was true at the time.... but now... now I'd like you to know that I do choose you.” He sank to his knees on the dewy asphalt before the older man could protest; hands fumbling in his pockets as he retrieved something from within their folds. "You had asked me when I’d first moved in with you- seems so long ago now, doesn’t it? But I had not been ready and you never forced me... or asked me again. So, now I’d like to ask if... if you’d still be interested...if you would like to... if you want to...” He closed his eyes and glanced heavenward for help before visibly steeling himself and trying again, “Will you marry me, Jensen?"
Green eyes softened as they gazed down into hopeful hazel, “Honestly? I’d thought you would never ask. ...So, yes. My answer is yes; of course I'll marry you, Jay. I’d be honoured to call you my husband."
Jared grinned as he slipped on the classic gold band on the Elder’s finger before surging up to claim a kiss. Jensen opened without protest, granting him ingress and Jared grabbed at the offer and licked into his fiancé’s mouth, tasting the faint hints of the morning’s coffee and something that was purely Jensen.
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
In the year and half (almost?) that had passed, things had finally settled down for the two businessmen... Chad had accepted the ‘escape’ Jared had offered a week after their meet, but Jared had only found out about it from Jensen- who had heard it from Elder Johansson- four days after the fact. The Quentin pack had not been keen on acknowledging that one of their own had been branded an omega, but Elder Johansson had insisted that they take responsibility for the deceased. Since omegas are rarely acknowledged by their family- and Chad had been disowned back when he’d refused to consent to a mate-ship right out of college- they’d contemplated cremating him and spreading the ashes in some unmarked corner of the cemetery. Jared had stepped in before his former friend’s body could be disrespected so blatantly and offered the spot he had initially reserved for himself back when his father had disowned him, but didn’t need any more. With Jensen’s help, they managed to give the beta-turned-omega a proper burial. There was hardly any attendance- very few keen on advertising their association with a man who had suffered such a spectacular psychotic break that he had attacked a Pack-Alpha’s family and earned omega-hood; but contrary to their expectation that no one would come, a few of the betas from Jared’s half of the company turned up to pay their respects to the man who had defied all odds to become the chief advisor in a successful company such as Padalecki Pvt. Ltd. They reminisced about how the diminutive beta consistently proved by example that their biology didn’t have to dictate what they achieved with their life and regretted not noticing how he had been slowly losing his grip on reality. Jared and Jensen thanked them for their kind words and didn’t breathe a word about the reasons behind Chad’s actions and how it had affected them personally, after all maligning the dead would not do anything but make them feel even worse. It was a quiet few days and Jared was keenly aware of the Chad-shaped hole in his life, but he’d had the opportunity to meet him one final time and that meeting had given him a chance at closure. It felt like every time Jared turned, there was some reminder of the deceased beta or something he wanted to share with the man. And though the situations were completely different; this was the first time he had lost someone who meant so much to him- sure, he’d lost his father a few months earlier but they had been estranged for years and his passing didn’t hit him as hard as Chad’s demise did and he found himself wondering how Jensen had held onto his sanity given that he lost not just his friend but his mate when Tracy had had that fatal accident. ... but then again, Jensen had ‘chosen’ to enter into a mate-ship with his corporate rival, so maybe he shouldn’t put too much stock into the state of the other man’s sanity.
Jensen was busy juggling pack-business with his responsibilities to their company, but the Alpha didn’t pressure him to move on before he was ready and he was grateful for the man’s patience. The Beta bill was successfully passed two months later, much to the jubilation of betas everywhere and it increased their workload in unexpected ways- transferring all the salary accounts of the betas employed in their company to their own names instead of their alpha’s, ensuring that their employees were not facing any backlash from their alphas because of the change and trying to implement equal division between the two genders in their functional teams. True, not all companies were doing the same, but they were the official ‘commercial partners’ of the Ackles’ Pack and this was something both alphas felt about very strongly. Chad’s salary account revealed a significant saving, and being the sole beneficiary, the money was Jared’s to do with as he pleased. But Jared didn’t want it and eventually they decided to invest it in a trust fund that would ensure its maintenance and utilize it to provide an annual cash reward to a deserving beta intern at their company under the aegis of the newly launched ‘Murray Award’. Now, watching the betas newfound confidence made up for all the late-nights he and Jensen had spent poring over their files to update them with the new standards established by the bill.
On a personal front, after discovering that Jensen ‘loved him’, Jared kept expecting the man to act on his words... he was feeling better physically, but was uncertain about how he would react to sexual intimacy after his attack and was understandably apprehensive of resuming the physical aspect of his relationship with his mate. ... but Jensen never ‘made a move’ so to speak and it took two months of waiting for the other shoe to drop before Jared realized that love and lust were not the same in the Pack Alpha’s books. Granted, the two months had been unbelievably busy for both of them what with all the changes they had to make to their company policies after the implementation of the beta-bill, but once things went back to a more sedate pace and things still didn’t change, Jared began to suspect that Jensen would accept spending the rest of his life in celibacy if that’s what Jared was comfortable with. The knowledge gave him the confidence to kiss the alpha one night and though things started to get slightly heated, Jensen pulled back before either of them could act on it. As frustrated as Jared was by the withdrawal, a tiny part of him -that he’d prefer to ignore- was also thankful for the reprieve.
Jared was childishly glad to discover that he hadn’t been the only one to require a cold shower that night.
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
He was brought back to the present when Jensen kissed him thoroughly before pulling back, “Okay, my turn,"
Jared could only watch as Jensen fumbled in his wallet for a few seconds before pulling out a delicate looking drawstring purse. "I don’t have a ring at hand, but I do have something for you if you like it,"
He just glanced quizzically at his mate once before carefully opening the pouch to reveal a slender gold chain with the quintessential interlocked double loops that signified an Alpha mate-ship. His eyes were wet when he looked up again.
"Yes?" The older man asked diffidently.
Jared nodded, still speechless at the gift.
“Not under duress this time, right?” Jensen checked, a teasing smile lurking at the corners of his lips.
“Idiot,” Jared mumbled as he pulled the alpha closer, ducking so that he could bury his face under his fiancé’s chin.
They stood on the empty road till the sound of an approaching vehicle jerked them out of the little bubble they had built and they jumped apart, grinning at each other like recalcitrant schoolchildren as they returned to their vehicles and parked them more appropriately; choosing to spend a few more minutes just enjoying the tranquillity of the morning in the newfound knowledge that their affection was returned before the increasing traffic had them setting back towards the Ackles’ estate.
“So... do you want a traditional wedding or y’know... just sign the paper and get it done with?” Jensen asked over breakfast, making Jared startle. They hadn’t spoken much since driving back, and Jared had assumed that they were both content to enjoy the companionable silence, so Jensen’s question was something from the left field for the taller alpha.
“I think your family would expect a traditional wedding, Jen.”
Jensen arched a brow knowingly, “So just signing the paper, huh?”
“Dude! I just said-”
“You told me what my family might want, Jay. I want to know what you want.”
“My uh... my side of the aisle’s gonna be pretty empty, if we opt for a formal wedding” He confessed.
“I’m sorry,” The alpha whispered. “I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.”
“I know,”
“But I do want whatever you are more comfortable with.”
“I’d rather not hurt your mom’s feelings... mine doesn’t acknowledge me, Jen. I don’t want to cause a rift between you and your family...”
“As much as I hate to bring it up, I have already had a traditional wedding, Sweetheart. Complete with the whole staying away from the bride for a fortnight before the wedding thing... So yeah, my family’s not going to feel robbed out of something they were expecting if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, if I know my mom, she assumes that we’re already married.”
“The Pack?”
“You are already my mate in their eyes, remember?”
Jared chuckled, “Yeah, that’s what Johansson hinged his Cornwell clause on.”
“Exactly,”
“What’re you saying?”
“This is something just for the two of us. I’m happy to go with whatever you choose.”
“We can seriously just sign and get it done with?” Jared asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Okay, then. Uh- how soon can we get it done?”
“We can go now, if you want.” Jensen smiled.
“Perks of being a Pack Alpha?” Jared teased; although he had to admit, this was one benefit he could get behind.
Jensen laughed at the reminder of his sarcastic definition of his duties as slid the pancake off the skillet and onto Jared’s plate before starting on his own. Once done with his batch, he poured syrup and sat down across from his fiancé at the granite kitchen-island and pointed his fork questioningly, “So when do you want to go?”
“Let’s go tomorrow. It’ll match with our mating date.”
“Hmmm, yeah okay. The lesser dates we have to remember the better, given our aging brains,”
Jared stared slack jawed for a moment before tossing his balled up tissue at the man, “I was trying to be romantic!”
“Uh huh,”
“We can go today, if you want...?” He offered.
Jensen glanced up, laughter dancing in his eyes as he regarded his nervous mate with pursed lips. Jared’s eyes widened as he caught the alpha’s expression, “You jerk!”
The Pack Alpha surrendered and guffawed, “Oh man... you should have seen the way you looked!”
“Idiot,” Jared grumbled fondly.
“Your idiot,”
A thrill wet up at his spine at Jensen’s use of the possessive pronoun and he bit his lip to curb the blush that was beginning to stain his face as he stared determinately at the pancake he was spearing. “Damn straight.”
Jensen reached out to squeeze his hand, “We’ll make it official tomorrow.”
Jared squeezed back, “Tomorrow... and then forever.”
Green eyes softened to the emerald tones Jared loved best as the Pack alpha echoed, “Forever.”
A/N- So that brings us to the end of this tale. Hope you've all enjoyed the journey as much as I loved writing it :-)
I do have a small time-stamp in mind for this, but that's going to be up sometime in April (at the earliest.)
Previous
Masterpost
TIME-STAMP
Chapter-30
1 year, 3 months and 14 days later
Tyres screeched as the car juddered to a stop when the Prius overtook the SUV abruptly and came to a sudden stop longitudinally in front of the other car. Jensen stepped out of the SUV, eyes wild and heaving slightly with shuddering breath from the adrenaline rush of the near-crash as he tried to glare at the figure emerging from the Prius. "Are you out of your friggin’ mind?" he demanded.
Jared just laughed as he stepped up to his mate and hemmed him in against the car to shrug cavalierly, “Probably,"
Jensen didn’t fight the proximity-proof that he wasn’t as angry as he was pretending to be- and just leaned back to rest comfortably against the warm metal of the SUV as he stared up at him as though he was crazy, “You wanted us to take separate cars this morning just to have a chance to give me a heart-attack?”
“You don't remember do you?" Jared asked, leaning down to steal a kiss.
Jensen opened his lips without protest even as he shook his head.
“Today marks exactly two years from the day you stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life."
Jensen’s left brow went up questioningly before he looked around the deserted road and smiled, "This the same spot?"
Jared nodded, "closest I can figure"
“That’s ... romantic,"
“Glad you think so,” The younger alpha blushed, continuing; “Hard to believe that it’s just been 2 years, isn't it? So much has happened.”
Jensen's eyes shadowed as he glanced away, “yeah"
"Hey, c’mon... none of that now!" Jared reprimanded, reaching out with his left hand to cup the alpha’s cheek and coaxing him to raise his head again. “I mean, sure... it was trying, and things seemed to be as bad as they could get at times, but it wasn't all bad. Besides, I didn’t bring you here to reminiscence. ... In fact, I brought you here because I wanted to tell you something."
Jensen eyes which had been resolutely staring at their shoes glanced back up at him at that.
"All this time, I have maintained that I did not have a choice...in- in mating you. ... and if I’m being honest, I don't- I cannot bring myself to regret it, because it was true at the time.... but now... now I'd like you to know that I do choose you.” He sank to his knees on the dewy asphalt before the older man could protest; hands fumbling in his pockets as he retrieved something from within their folds. "You had asked me when I’d first moved in with you- seems so long ago now, doesn’t it? But I had not been ready and you never forced me... or asked me again. So, now I’d like to ask if... if you’d still be interested...if you would like to... if you want to...” He closed his eyes and glanced heavenward for help before visibly steeling himself and trying again, “Will you marry me, Jensen?"
Green eyes softened as they gazed down into hopeful hazel, “Honestly? I’d thought you would never ask. ...So, yes. My answer is yes; of course I'll marry you, Jay. I’d be honoured to call you my husband."
Jared grinned as he slipped on the classic gold band on the Elder’s finger before surging up to claim a kiss. Jensen opened without protest, granting him ingress and Jared grabbed at the offer and licked into his fiancé’s mouth, tasting the faint hints of the morning’s coffee and something that was purely Jensen.
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
In the year and half (almost?) that had passed, things had finally settled down for the two businessmen... Chad had accepted the ‘escape’ Jared had offered a week after their meet, but Jared had only found out about it from Jensen- who had heard it from Elder Johansson- four days after the fact. The Quentin pack had not been keen on acknowledging that one of their own had been branded an omega, but Elder Johansson had insisted that they take responsibility for the deceased. Since omegas are rarely acknowledged by their family- and Chad had been disowned back when he’d refused to consent to a mate-ship right out of college- they’d contemplated cremating him and spreading the ashes in some unmarked corner of the cemetery. Jared had stepped in before his former friend’s body could be disrespected so blatantly and offered the spot he had initially reserved for himself back when his father had disowned him, but didn’t need any more. With Jensen’s help, they managed to give the beta-turned-omega a proper burial. There was hardly any attendance- very few keen on advertising their association with a man who had suffered such a spectacular psychotic break that he had attacked a Pack-Alpha’s family and earned omega-hood; but contrary to their expectation that no one would come, a few of the betas from Jared’s half of the company turned up to pay their respects to the man who had defied all odds to become the chief advisor in a successful company such as Padalecki Pvt. Ltd. They reminisced about how the diminutive beta consistently proved by example that their biology didn’t have to dictate what they achieved with their life and regretted not noticing how he had been slowly losing his grip on reality. Jared and Jensen thanked them for their kind words and didn’t breathe a word about the reasons behind Chad’s actions and how it had affected them personally, after all maligning the dead would not do anything but make them feel even worse. It was a quiet few days and Jared was keenly aware of the Chad-shaped hole in his life, but he’d had the opportunity to meet him one final time and that meeting had given him a chance at closure. It felt like every time Jared turned, there was some reminder of the deceased beta or something he wanted to share with the man. And though the situations were completely different; this was the first time he had lost someone who meant so much to him- sure, he’d lost his father a few months earlier but they had been estranged for years and his passing didn’t hit him as hard as Chad’s demise did and he found himself wondering how Jensen had held onto his sanity given that he lost not just his friend but his mate when Tracy had had that fatal accident. ... but then again, Jensen had ‘chosen’ to enter into a mate-ship with his corporate rival, so maybe he shouldn’t put too much stock into the state of the other man’s sanity.
Jensen was busy juggling pack-business with his responsibilities to their company, but the Alpha didn’t pressure him to move on before he was ready and he was grateful for the man’s patience. The Beta bill was successfully passed two months later, much to the jubilation of betas everywhere and it increased their workload in unexpected ways- transferring all the salary accounts of the betas employed in their company to their own names instead of their alpha’s, ensuring that their employees were not facing any backlash from their alphas because of the change and trying to implement equal division between the two genders in their functional teams. True, not all companies were doing the same, but they were the official ‘commercial partners’ of the Ackles’ Pack and this was something both alphas felt about very strongly. Chad’s salary account revealed a significant saving, and being the sole beneficiary, the money was Jared’s to do with as he pleased. But Jared didn’t want it and eventually they decided to invest it in a trust fund that would ensure its maintenance and utilize it to provide an annual cash reward to a deserving beta intern at their company under the aegis of the newly launched ‘Murray Award’. Now, watching the betas newfound confidence made up for all the late-nights he and Jensen had spent poring over their files to update them with the new standards established by the bill.
On a personal front, after discovering that Jensen ‘loved him’, Jared kept expecting the man to act on his words... he was feeling better physically, but was uncertain about how he would react to sexual intimacy after his attack and was understandably apprehensive of resuming the physical aspect of his relationship with his mate. ... but Jensen never ‘made a move’ so to speak and it took two months of waiting for the other shoe to drop before Jared realized that love and lust were not the same in the Pack Alpha’s books. Granted, the two months had been unbelievably busy for both of them what with all the changes they had to make to their company policies after the implementation of the beta-bill, but once things went back to a more sedate pace and things still didn’t change, Jared began to suspect that Jensen would accept spending the rest of his life in celibacy if that’s what Jared was comfortable with. The knowledge gave him the confidence to kiss the alpha one night and though things started to get slightly heated, Jensen pulled back before either of them could act on it. As frustrated as Jared was by the withdrawal, a tiny part of him -that he’d prefer to ignore- was also thankful for the reprieve.
Jared was childishly glad to discover that he hadn’t been the only one to require a cold shower that night.
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
He was brought back to the present when Jensen kissed him thoroughly before pulling back, “Okay, my turn,"
Jared could only watch as Jensen fumbled in his wallet for a few seconds before pulling out a delicate looking drawstring purse. "I don’t have a ring at hand, but I do have something for you if you like it,"
He just glanced quizzically at his mate once before carefully opening the pouch to reveal a slender gold chain with the quintessential interlocked double loops that signified an Alpha mate-ship. His eyes were wet when he looked up again.
"Yes?" The older man asked diffidently.
Jared nodded, still speechless at the gift.
“Not under duress this time, right?” Jensen checked, a teasing smile lurking at the corners of his lips.
“Idiot,” Jared mumbled as he pulled the alpha closer, ducking so that he could bury his face under his fiancé’s chin.
They stood on the empty road till the sound of an approaching vehicle jerked them out of the little bubble they had built and they jumped apart, grinning at each other like recalcitrant schoolchildren as they returned to their vehicles and parked them more appropriately; choosing to spend a few more minutes just enjoying the tranquillity of the morning in the newfound knowledge that their affection was returned before the increasing traffic had them setting back towards the Ackles’ estate.
“So... do you want a traditional wedding or y’know... just sign the paper and get it done with?” Jensen asked over breakfast, making Jared startle. They hadn’t spoken much since driving back, and Jared had assumed that they were both content to enjoy the companionable silence, so Jensen’s question was something from the left field for the taller alpha.
“I think your family would expect a traditional wedding, Jen.”
Jensen arched a brow knowingly, “So just signing the paper, huh?”
“Dude! I just said-”
“You told me what my family might want, Jay. I want to know what you want.”
“My uh... my side of the aisle’s gonna be pretty empty, if we opt for a formal wedding” He confessed.
“I’m sorry,” The alpha whispered. “I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.”
“I know,”
“But I do want whatever you are more comfortable with.”
“I’d rather not hurt your mom’s feelings... mine doesn’t acknowledge me, Jen. I don’t want to cause a rift between you and your family...”
“As much as I hate to bring it up, I have already had a traditional wedding, Sweetheart. Complete with the whole staying away from the bride for a fortnight before the wedding thing... So yeah, my family’s not going to feel robbed out of something they were expecting if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, if I know my mom, she assumes that we’re already married.”
“The Pack?”
“You are already my mate in their eyes, remember?”
Jared chuckled, “Yeah, that’s what Johansson hinged his Cornwell clause on.”
“Exactly,”
“What’re you saying?”
“This is something just for the two of us. I’m happy to go with whatever you choose.”
“We can seriously just sign and get it done with?” Jared asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Okay, then. Uh- how soon can we get it done?”
“We can go now, if you want.” Jensen smiled.
“Perks of being a Pack Alpha?” Jared teased; although he had to admit, this was one benefit he could get behind.
Jensen laughed at the reminder of his sarcastic definition of his duties as slid the pancake off the skillet and onto Jared’s plate before starting on his own. Once done with his batch, he poured syrup and sat down across from his fiancé at the granite kitchen-island and pointed his fork questioningly, “So when do you want to go?”
“Let’s go tomorrow. It’ll match with our mating date.”
“Hmmm, yeah okay. The lesser dates we have to remember the better, given our aging brains,”
Jared stared slack jawed for a moment before tossing his balled up tissue at the man, “I was trying to be romantic!”
“Uh huh,”
“We can go today, if you want...?” He offered.
Jensen glanced up, laughter dancing in his eyes as he regarded his nervous mate with pursed lips. Jared’s eyes widened as he caught the alpha’s expression, “You jerk!”
The Pack Alpha surrendered and guffawed, “Oh man... you should have seen the way you looked!”
“Idiot,” Jared grumbled fondly.
“Your idiot,”
A thrill wet up at his spine at Jensen’s use of the possessive pronoun and he bit his lip to curb the blush that was beginning to stain his face as he stared determinately at the pancake he was spearing. “Damn straight.”
Jensen reached out to squeeze his hand, “We’ll make it official tomorrow.”
Jared squeezed back, “Tomorrow... and then forever.”
Green eyes softened to the emerald tones Jared loved best as the Pack alpha echoed, “Forever.”
A/N- So that brings us to the end of this tale. Hope you've all enjoyed the journey as much as I loved writing it :-)
I do have a small time-stamp in mind for this, but that's going to be up sometime in April (at the earliest.)
Previous
Masterpost
TIME-STAMP