Leo liked his birthday. It was something everybody knew about him, but his mom loved his birthday.
This year, it was especially evident by the fact that it was currently 2pm on a Saturday and she had been up since 5am talking on the phone with what seemed like a hundred different people.
“Just move them. I really don't understand what's so difficult!” He heard her yell as he made his way downstairs. When she saw him, she put the phone to her chest and smiled at him. “My baby. Come here. Happy Birthday.”
It had always annoyed him when she would call him that. A baby. He would reply that he wasn't a baby, and then she would reply that he would always be her baby. He would just roll his eyes at her turned back, but this time, something about the words felt comforting.
When his arms wrapped around her shorter frame, she pulled him close to her, and he relished in the comfort of her warmth. She gave him one last squeeze, then let go with a pat to his arm, lifting the phone back to her ear.
“Who are you yelling at?” He asked in Spanish.
The annoyed face she had been wearing previously was on her face just as quickly as it had left. “Those damn caterers forgot the arepas, so I've been on the phone for hours with Steve trying to sort it out. I know you love those.” She replied in Spanish.
She sighed heavily. “One thing you'll learn now that you're a man is that the only way to deal with incompetent people is to do it yourself, because they will find every excuse under the sun not to.”
He smiled. “It doesn't matter, mamá.”
She placed a hand on his face and stroked his cheek in a warm gesture. “I know. But I want this day to be perfect. You deserve it. You deserve everything the world has to offer.”
“How many people are coming?” He asked, trying to shift the topic of conversation away from himself.
“A few, now stop asking.” She ushered him upstairs. “Go and try on your outfit now because I know you're going to leave it until the last minute.”
He said goodbye to her with a repressed eye roll and walked back to his room, closing the door behind him. He made his way to his bed and lifted the mattress, taking out the framed photo he had hidden beneath it.
He stared at his and Ximena’s youthful faces, his heart overcome with an emptiness he thought he had gotten used to after so many years.
“I miss you, Mena. I wish you were here to see this. You would’ve loved it.”
With one last look, he got up and placed the photo on his side table.
He opened his closet, scanning the contents inside. He spotted the black button-down shirt Mei had bought for him a week ago, with the claim that he dressed like he had nowhere exciting to be.
“What the fuck does that even mean?” He whispered to himself, then grabbed the shirt in resignation.
When he put it on, he glanced at himself in the mirror. The shirt was loose, with a few buttons open at his neck, and he was wearing white chinos to go with it — another unprecedented gift, this time from Amirah. His hair was the same as it always was, and he looked the same in general, but something about his entire outfit made him look… better?
He wondered what Ivan would think. The blond would probably tell him he looked like shit, but deep down he was definitely thinking about how hot he looked at that moment.
Leo smiled into the stillness of his room. As if that would ever happen.
“Wow.”
Leo jumped at the voice. He glanced behind him in the mirror and spotted his dad standing by the now open door, his big frame almost blocking the entire doorway.
“That's a nice shirt. I've never seen you wear it before.” He commented in Spanish.
Leo let out a breathy chuckle. “Yeah. Yeah, Mei got it for me. She thinks I don't have any nice clothes.”
His dad was silent for a few seconds, and then his neutral expression was replaced with a mischievous smile. “You two are pretty close, huh?”
The way he said 'close' suggested that he wasn't just talking about being super close friends.
“We're just friends, Papá.”
His dad shrugged nonchalantly, “I know, I know. But you're eighteen now. Soon you'll be running the pack, and you'll need to find a mate who's just as wonderful as mine.”
Leo smiled. When he was younger, he envisioned him and his mate, and the way his parents looked at one another would always come to mind. The perfect pair of mates.
His father continued, “I like Mei. Very nice girl. And she would make a great partner for you.” He shrugged. “Just saying.”
Leo gave his dad what he hope looked like a believable smile. “Yeah… she would.”
Maybe in some alternate version of reality.
His dad walked up to him and squeezed his shoulders. “You're going to be just like me someday, Leo. A great alpha. Greater than all the ones that have come before you.”
Leo could feel a pang in his chest. “Thanks.”
— — —
His mom had been grossly underestimating when she had claimed that she had invited just a few people. When he entered the pack hall, there were what looked like almost one hundred people distributed across dozens of tables and all staring up at him and his mom as they walked in.
His mom led him to a table close to the door where his dad, Amirah and her parents were already seated. As they made their way to their table, Leo found his other friend's eyes from across the hall. Theo was giving him a thumbs down, his mouth open in a boo, then his arm fell to clutch his ribs after a subsequent jab from Mei's elbow. Parker wasn't smiling, but his eyes were saying everything he wasn't. Mei was grinning proudly at him, and she pointed at her arms, where the shirt she had chosen was covering his own arms, and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled, shaking his head.
When he finally sat down, the chatter in the room grew back to the volume it had been before they had entered. From here, he had the perfect opportunity to examine the massive hall.
The entire room was brightly lit with high, warm ceiling lights and chandeliers that appeared even brighter against the dark backdrop of night sky peeking through long uncovered windows.
The entire hall was enveloped in an array of gold and black — black tablecloths, gold balloons and streamers, black and gold centrepieces and other decorations.
From the corner of his eye, he could see his dad talking to Amirah's mom. He turned to see them both nodding, then watched as his dad lifted from his seat, stood up and grabbed a discarded wine glass on the table. He lightly tapped a fork to his raised wine glass, causing the room to quiet and every eye to focus on him.
He gave Leo a quick glance before turning back to the full room. “Before I begin, I know that everyone is probably hungry, so don't worry, I won't make this too long. However, I can't promise anything about my sister.”
There were a few chuckles in the hall, and Aunt Itzel shook her head with an amused smile.
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“And unfortunately for those that don't speak Spanish, my speech won't be in English.” His dad added, then continued in Spanish.
“I've always known Leo would make a good Alpha. As a child he was very… naughty. Always wanting to explore places he shouldn't and trying risky things just to experiment. We thought that he was reckless, but now let's just call it adventurous."
“I honestly thought he wasn’t ready at first, but he has spent the last two years making me eat my words. I know without a doubt that he's going to be a fantastic leader of this pack.” His dad turned to him, “I love you.” He raised his wine glass in the air. “To Leo.”
A chorus of voices said his name and drank the contents of their glasses quickly. There was a murmur of voices, and then Aunt Itzel stood up next.
“Leonardo. Me and your uncle Mario have been impressed by you since the day you were born. I'm so, so proud of everything you have accomplished, and I can't wait to see how much more you grow from this point.”
She wiped at her eyes with a tissue and turned back to the other tables. “You know, and after we lost… it was really hard, but Leo was always checking up on us, trying to be strong when he had also just lost a cousin. He makes things better; that's just who he is.”
She turned back to him, her eyes meeting his. “And I know whoever your mate is, she'll be just as perfect as you are.”
The guilt Leo kept trying to ignore flooded his heart like a tsunami. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Was he still perfect when he was keeping such a big secret from everyone, and especially from his parents? Would he still be a good alpha if his mate were a man? He wanted to stop his aunt and tell the entire hall that he was a lot more flawed than they would let themselves admit, but he knew that he couldn't.
‘Gracias,’ he mouthed to her, pushing down the lump that had begun to form in his throat. One down, so many more to go.
— — —
After the speeches, Leo found his friends huddled around a long table of finger foods.
“Come on, you just ate dinner.” He could hear Mei scolding as she pointed at Theo's side plate, which was piled high with spring rolls.
“This is my midnight snack.”
“At least leave one for the rest of the guests.” Leo said as he approached them.
They all turned to him, and Theo bowed. “Does His Royal Highness finally have time for us?”
Leo gave him the middle finger, which he returned dutifully. They settled back into the conversation they were having before, and Leo retreated to get a plate from another table.
A few minutes later he heard a pair of footsteps approaching. He turned and found Parker walking towards him
“Hey.”
“Hey,”
The dark-haired boy gave him a nod. “People been hounding you about finding your mate?”
Leo nodded and blew out a breath. “Like you wouldn't believe.”
Parker gave a slight smile. ”We're all just excited, but you'll see, tomorrow you'll be old news and everyone will have already forgotten.”
Then I don't think you know my parents very well. He wanted to say, but he remained silent. He knew that Parker was just trying to comfort him. That was just the kind of person he was.
Parker opened his mouth to say something else but paused and let out a quick, subtle whistle, gesturing his head to the space behind Leo. Leo turned around and spotted his Uncle Benito and Aunt Valentina walking towards where they were all gathered.
When they finally reached him, they both wrapped him in warm hugs, and he quickly introduced them to his friends, ignoring the side-eye his aunt gave Mei when she saw the line of shiny piercings crawling down the side of her ears.
“Oh, look how much you've grown. You used to be so tiny. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.” Aunt Valentina said in Spanish.
Leo smiled awkwardly. He had heard the story a million times, all versions narrated so differently by each person that told it to him that now it just felt fictional.
He was hoping he could slip away, but he didn't want to appear rude, so he stifled the sigh he was itching to release.
“So where's the lucky girl?” His uncle asked, giving him a firm clap on the arm.
Leo paused, his eyes widening slightly. “Uh…..”
His uncle grimaced and gave Leo a knowing nod. “You haven't found your mate yet. I'm sure whoever she is, she'll be just perfect for you.”
His uncle clasped his shoulder and leaned in, his voice lowering. “And I was a bit of a ladies’ man when I was your age. I know you don't believe me, but I had girls asking me out left and right. We should talk, and I can give you my tips on wooing women.”
The image of him wooing Ivan popped into his mind, and he shook his head. Ivan probably wouldn't appreciate being wooed. Maybe he should do it just to mess with him.
His aunt clicked her teeth. “Don't listen to him. I did most of the pursuing in our relationship, and he knows it.”
From behind his aunt and uncle, Theo was making kissing gestures to him, and the rest of his friends were all doing terrible jobs at hiding their own amusement. Even Parker's lips were lifted in a smile. He definitely needed new friends.
His aunt grinned. “Oh, we're all so excited! I know she'll be perfect for you.”
Leo rubbed at his neck, the room becoming uncomfortably warm. “Yeah, that's… That's the hope.”
A hope that would seemingly never become a reality. Not for now anyway.
How many people was he disappointing by being Ivan's mate?
When they eventually left, he joined his friends again at the table, listening to and occasionally joining in their arguments.
After an hour, Leo could feel himself getting restless. He ran a hand through his hair, his bouncing leg catching Amirah’s attention from next to him. Their eyes met, and he leaned in closer and whispered to her. “I need to go check on something. I'll be back.”
She nodded, her eyes watching him with a concerned frown. He pushed off the table he had been leaning on — ignoring the questioning gaze of the rest of his friends — and walked the length of the hall, slipping out of a door on his right.
As soon as he stepped outside, he welcomed the cool fall air as it brushed his face. He placed his freezing hands in his pockets and blew out a wisp of white vapour, scanning the area outside the hall for any signs of life.
It was dark and mostly abandoned, but in the distance he could see a man he didn't recognise — probably a distant family member — who was leaning onto a marble column and talking softly on the phone, a cigarette nestled between his fingers.
Leo's chest grew tight, the urge to light one himself overcoming his entire being. He flexed his itching fingers, trying to distract himself from the want. The need.
He reached into his pockets for his own cigarettes before realising that he had left them at home for this exact reason. His mom would undoubtedly be able to smell if he smoked. But if he didn't smoke, he would go insane.
He took out his phone in an attempt to distract himself and found himself going to his and Ivan's chat on instinct.
Would this be a good idea? It was late, nearing midnight, and the other boy was probably asleep. And even if he was awake, what reason would they have for talking anyway?
He was about to put his phone back into his pocket when he felt his phone vibrate in his hands. He quickly checked his phone, buzzing from excitement he couldn't quite place.
Güero: Just found out it was your birthday. Why didn't you tell me?
23:46
Me: Would you have gotten me a gift?
23:46
Güero: I would have considered it.
23:47
Leo smiled down at his phone, glancing up into the night as the tension he had been feeling all night dispelled from his body. He probably looked like a fool, and he didn't even care.
They had both been busy all week with school and training, preventing any chance they had at meeting aside from brief glances in the hallways. So this tiny visage of interaction sent a rush through him of a feeling he was unable to name. A feeling he wanted to dispel from his heart, because this party had reminded him that the pack would always be his first and foremost priority.
Me: Why are you awake so late
23:47
Leo sent the message in an attempt to manoeuvre the topic from something into a conversation he could have been having with any random stranger. Into nothing.
Güero: This is early. I'll probably end up going to sleep at 3 anyways.
23:47
Me: Why?
23:48
Güero: Just can't sleep most nights.
23:48
Huh. Leo hadn't known that. He had been wondering why he had been awake at 3am the day he had apologised, but he had figured it was a one-time occurrence.
Me: Like insomnia?
23:49
Güero: I guess. How's your party?
23:49
Me: The decor is nice. Everyone's having fun.
23:49
Güero: Are you?
23:49
Me: I am right now
23:50
Leo sent the message before he realised what he was doing. Definitely not something he would say to any random stranger.
His heart fell, and he scrambled to try and delete it, but it was too late. Ivan had already seen it. He watched the typing icon at the bottom of his screen appear and disappear several times, and then there was nothing for a few seconds. He figured Ivan would never reply, but then, with his heart pounding in his chest, Ivan finally answered.
Güero: Happy Birthday
23:52
