Chapter 69: Dinner.

John’s pov.

When her scent went into my nose… when Titan perked up with the one word I never thought I’d hear him say again…

I thought my heart was about to stop beating.

Mate. Bella, she’s my mate.

My second chance mate… I couldn’t care less that she was my second chance. I didn’t want anyone else but her. And now that I have her… I’ll never let her go.

“Megan! Come eat, please! Teeran will come and eat with us as well so don’t worry about her leaving she’s staying!” Bella called out, Megan’s head popping out from her door, grinning wickedly as she spotted me sitting at the kitchen table.

I stood up, crouching down to her level with my arms spread out, waiting for her.

She giggled uncontrollably as she ran up to me, throwing herself into my arms.

I wrapped her up, hugging her tightly.

My heart clenched in my chest at the way she responded to me.

So innocently, so child-like.

She didn’t know her father was a horrible man, but somehow she knew she could count on me to always be there when she needed me.

“How was your day?” I asked her quietly, pulling her back to look at her face, so much like her mothers.

“It was okay,” she shrugged, looking behind her as Teeran came out of her room, “we played a lot today and even went outside to play and had lots and lots of chicken.”

I laughed slightly, wondering why she had so much chicken but brushed it off and stood to greet Teeran who was standing there expectant.

“John, nice to meet you. I don’t think we’ve officially met yet,” I said with a small smile, shaking her hand.

She looked me up and down with a smirk, looking over at Bella who was blushing.

“No, we haven’t. But I’ve heard plenty about you,” she chuckled before walking away and sitting down at the kitchen table beside Megan, digging into their food together.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I mumbled, sitting beside Bella who tensed slightly at my words.

“Nothing,” she mumbled back, avoiding eye contact with me as she ate her food.

“We are mates, you shouldn’t keep secrets from your mate,” I teased her, earning a gasp from Megan and Teeran, my own body tensing up as I realized my mistake.

“Mates!?” Teeran said in shock, her eyes darting from me to Bella and then back to me again.

“What a mate!?” Megan asked curiously.

“Hun… John and I… we’re second chance mates. A mate is somebody you cherish and love forever. Somebody to spend the rest of your life with… hun, John and I are in love,” Bella said calmly, my heartbeat racing in my chest at her words. We’re in love…

She squeezed my leg under the table, not helping my raging heart to calm down.

“You and John… are married?” She asked with her head tilted, making me and Bella burst out into laughter.

“They aren’t married, Megan. But one day they will be, think of them as boyfriend and girlfriend!” Teeran explained, making Megan nod her head in understanding.

“Ohhh! Boyfriend and girlfriend! Got it!” She giggled while winking at me, making me groan and place my head into my hands.

“Okay! Enough of that… I actually was going to tell you guys when we were done eating but John just had to give away the surprise!” Bella said while glaring at me slightly, “I want you guys to help me plan our mating ceremony… We'll have to hold a ceremony for John to become alpha beside me and the pack will need to know so that’s basically when we’ll just do the announcement as well. All the surrounding packs will need to be invited along with the kingdom… not only that but we’ll have to figure out if we want to mark each other in front of everyone or in private.”

“In private,” I blurted out without thinking, knowing it’s not traditional but wanting to keep that personal… because it feels like it would be more intimate for us to mate and then mark each other in private, “I know you usually mark in front of the pack, but I want to do this alone, together. I want that intimacy, I want that closeness between us. We deserve it.”

Bella smiled and nodded her head, “very well. We will do it together, in private. About everything else, I want you to be in charge of decorating,” she said while pointing at Teeran, making me laugh at the look on her face.

“Me!? I’m horrible at decorating! Please, for your sake pick someone else! I cannot ruin your mating ceremony!” Teeran shrieked, looking terrified at the idea.

“Okay, okay. Fine. I'll get the omegas to do it, they’ve always had a great eye for detail,” Bella chuckled, shaking her head at Teeran.

“Fucking thank god!” Teeran sighed, earning a kick from Bella.

“Language! Not around Megan!” She mumbled, glaring at Teeran, making her chuckle nervously.

“Sorryyy,” she winced, picking up her plate and walking it to the sink, “if anyone else is fine bring me the dishes so I can start washing them!”

“Teeran you don’t have to do that… I can do it myself before I go to bed, okay?” Bella said, placing her hand into Teeran's arm as she placed her plate beside the sink.

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t offer!” She laughed before heading towards the door, “it’s been a long couple of weeks and I need about fourteen hours of sleep. I’ll talk to you guys soon, bye!”

With that she closed the door behind her, leaving us alone with Megan.

“I’m tired too, I want to go to bed now, mommy,” she said with a massive yawn, Bella smiling sadly as she picked her up.

“Let’s get you to bed then, you’ll wait for me?” She said, looking at me hopefully.

“Of course. There’s no place I’d rather be,” I replied honestly, because there really isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.

I watched them walk to Megan’s room, the door closing behind them.

I got up from the kitchen table, placing my pants into the sink before I started to wash the dishes.

Humming as I placed them to dry.

I looked around, not noticing anything else that needed done, so I decided to sit down on the couch and wait for Bella to come back…