Advice

Xander's POV

Xander watched Artemis storm away in anger, not knowing what he could say. How he could explain to her that she had got it completely wrong. That he did want to be with her with every fiber of his being.

That he had unknowingly developed romantic feelings for her ever since she had become an adult member of the pack. That he had gotten so used to having her around him, that the thought of her not being there was torturous.

How could he explain to her that he feared she would be disgusted by the fact that he felt this way instead of acting like the guardian he was meant to be. That he was doing this because he felt that being with him was going to hold her back.

Xander sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn't want to think about any of this. He wished that everything could just disappear and go back to the way things were before.

However, they couldn't and he knew that….

The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his thoughts and gave him the much needed distraction. Pulling it out from the back pocket of his jeans, he quickly looked at the caller ID before answering it.

"What's up Jas." He greeted his Beta.

Jason Matthews was the Beta of the Moonsan Pack and despite being twice Xander's age, the two had hit it off pretty well becoming close friends. Xander knew he could trust Jason with anything and ask for any advice.

"Nothing much. The boys and I were thinking of getting some drinks and I wanted to invite you. Unless you're busy with that thing…" Jason responded quickly, Xander hearing a few greetings on the other end.

"No, I can come. Do you mind if I bring someone with me?" Xander asked.

He wanted to talk to Jason and get some advice from him but wasn't keen on leaving Artemis alone with Jayce around. He knew the younger male had taken quite the liking to her and was worried he'd try something, persuading her to not break the mate bond.

"You're bringing that male?" Jason questioned, Xander knowing exactly who he was referring to.

"Yeah."

"Alright that's fine. Me and the boys can sniff him out. See if he's good enough for Artemis."

Xander smiled at the comment. "Thanks Jas."

"No problem kid." Jason paused for a second. "Oh yeah. Want me to ask Tina if she and the girls would go over to your house? They're planning a get together too but can't decide which house to go to."

"Give me a sec Jas…"

Xander would have normally said yes, knowing how much Artemis loved being with the other female wolves, but after what happened today, he wasn't sure if Artemis wanted to see them.

Walking over to Artemis's door, he knocked on it softly. "Artemis…"

"What?!" An angry voice snapped back.

"I'm leaving to have some drinks with Jason and the boys. I know you don't like being alone so I was wondering if you wanted to have Tina and the girls over." Xander asked in a gentle voice.

"No, I'm fine here alone." Artemis muttered through the door. "I hope you enjoy drinking your misery away."

Xander sighed, ignoring the jab. He walked back to the sitting room. "It's fine Jas. I think Artemis wants to be alone."

"Okay, guess the girls are coming over to my place." Jas muttered. "Anyway, what the hell did you say to her Xander?"

"What do you mean?"

"Boy, I've been married to Tina for close to twenty years. I can tell when a guy has screwed up."

"Okay, well I guess we'll be talking over drinks." Xander muttered. "See you soon."

"Sure…" Jas laughed before hanging up.

Xander stared at his phone sighing before placing it back in his pocket. He then went to the front door, locking it before he headed outside.

Taking a big sniff of the air, he used his wolf sense of smell to quickly track Jayce's whereabouts. He soon found a huge silver haired wolf lying by the banks of the lake, staring into the water. As Xander approached him, the wolf suddenly turned, growling.

"Easy… It's just me." Xander raised his hands.

The wolf transformed, morphing into a naked Jayce. Xander turned his head to let the other male put on his clothes, which were lying a few meters away from him.

"What do you want?" Jayce muttered, pulling his shirt on.

"I wanted to invite you out for drinks." Xander answered, turning back to face Jayce.

"What for? We're not exactly friends." Jayce said, placing the bandages he had used earlier into his pocket.

"I know that but Artemis wants some space and the other males of my pack want to meet you."

Xander decided not to mention the real reason why he wanted to take Jayce out for drinks. He knew the last part would give Jayce hope about a future with Artemis but he didn't care at that moment.

He was going to use any excuse to get the other wolf to leave with him.

Jayce sighed before he finally said, "Fine… I could use a drink anyway. Today has been such a mess."

Xander couldn't agree more. Today had been both the worst and best day of his life. He had found his mate with the help of the Goddess, but it was the worst possible person to have been mate bonded with.

***

Arriving at the bar, Xander spotted a huge man with a thick man beard sitting in the back of the dimly lit room with a few other men. He gave a quick wave to Grace, the owner, who was manning the bar counter. She nodded her head in greeting before turning back to the two vampire women sitting by the counter.

The Mermaid's Love was the only bar in the town, a regular afterwork go-to for the lumberjacks living in the area. And seeing as it was a Friday, the place was packed with all kinds of people, both human and supernatural.

The smell of spices, smoke, sweat and heavy perfume filled Xander's nose as he and Jacye walked through the crowded room, heading to the back where the other wolves of his pack were drinking and playing a game of cards.

Grabbing a seat next to the bearded man, he quickly greeted his pack, "Hey everyone."

A few responded with similar greetings, while others nodded their heads or lifted their hand in acknowledgement.

"So, is this him?" The bearded man nodded towards Jayce.

Xander looked at Jayce who was currently measuring up the males around the two tables. "Yes, Jas. That's Jayce Tasis."

"Louis's little brother?" Jas raised a bushy eyebrow. "Well, looking closely you do see a likeness."

"Yeah. Turns out he's the new pack leader." Xander explained as he took the cold mug of beer from Jas.

Jas smiled. "Ah…. That explains a lot about the quietness on the border these last few months."

"He was going to announce it during the next leaders meeting but then you know…"

"Yeah. By the way, how is Artemis doing? She must have gotten a huge scare when she saw him and the whole mate bond thing on top of it."

"She's fine now that we've cleared it up and she's making her decision."

""But…" Jas looked sharply at Xander, the older man quickly picking up something was wrong.

"She's thinking of keeping the mate bond." Xander sighed into his mug of beer.

Jas rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's a problem. Any wolf would be glad to have a mate bond and 90% keep it. The only reason we had that whole meeting was because you wanted to have the pack's permission so you could make your own choice. And now that she's thinking of going through with it, you have a problem… Is it because Jayce is her other mate?"

While having more than one mate was a very rare thing with mate bonds, it did happen. Mostly because the Goddess wanted to unite two packs under a marriage alliance.

"No, it's not that. She's fine with him now that everything is cleared up and he doesn't seem to be like his brother…" Xander paused for a second.

"So, what's the problem then?"

"I don't think it's right for me to be her mate. I'm too old for her."

"I still don't see the problem. So, you have a six year gap. But if she's okay with it then I don't see why you would think you're too old for her. Some women like older men." Jas paused for a second, standing up. "Hey Grace! Could you come here for a second please."

The middle aged looking vampire quickly handed a couple their drinks before walking over to Xander and Jason.

"What's up Jas?" Grace asked, pulling out a small notebook from her apron. "Need more drinks and food?"

"Yeah, the usual but add one more for Jayce over there."

Grace looked over to where Jas was nodding, Jayce now sitting at the other table watching a game of cards being played. "Is that Zayle's second kid?"

"Yeah. Recently took over from his brother." Jas answered. "Anyway, what's your opinion on age gaps?"

Grace tilted her head in confusion before looking at Xander and smiling widely. "So, the wolf finally figured he liked little Artemis like a lover would."

Xander glared at the vampire about to retort the remark when Jason raised his hand asking for his patience.

"Just answer the question, Grace."

"Alright." Grace pouted, her fun being ruined. "I think it's fine if both parties in question are happy. And seeing as Lucas and I have a fifty year gap, yours is nothing Xander. Now, let me go get those snacks and drinks."

After she left, Jason turned back to Xander. "See… Your worries are nothing. Plus age is just a number for beings like us. I know your parents died young and our pack has a lot of younger wolves, but look at David. He's a two hundred year old wolf. I'm sure he's seen mate bonds with bigger age gaps."

"I guess…"

"Look, do you remember the story behind mate bonds?"

"Of course. Everyone knows it." Xander rolled his eyes. "Two wolves from different packs fell in love but couldn't become mates because they were from different packs. So, on a full moon they prayed to the Goddess to help them. However, they got caught and were killed by a rival wolf. The Goddess seeing this created a mate bond so wolves like those two would be able to love without any problems."

"Yes…And mate bonds are always known as a blessing from the Goddess. They're also her way of helping wolves find love, especially when wolves are trying to deny it." Jason looked at Xander seriously. "You and Jayce got mate bonded with Artemis because the Goddess believes the two of you complete her. And while I can understand why you would want to break the bond, I won't support you if you're going to do it because of something stupid like this…"

"..."

"Look, it's a lot to think about. It's only been a day after all. But why don't you three do this. You and Jayce court Artemis like you would a normal girl during her last week here. When she leaves for college, let yourselves stew and see if you can live without each other, maybe even try dating other people."

Xander growled, upset at the sudden thought of being with another male. It had taken him a while to get used to Jayce…

"See… Just think about it okay."

"Fine…" Xander sighed.