Finding His Mate (His Mate Book 1)

Chapter 6

SATURDAY

Ah, Saturdays. The best day of the week. You could sleep in until noon, and sometimes even later, without having to worry about school until the next day. Or in the case of this long weekend, the next couple of days.

I rolled myself out of bed and glanced at the clock. 12:36, it read.

"What a glorious morning!" I announced to the bedbugs, before stretching out my muscles. I was oddly cheerful this morning.

I ran through the checklist today. First, I had to do my three hours of pack training, followed by a bit of homework. This evening, I had my second-last activity planned for the two of us.

"Good afternoon, young man," my mom announced as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, placing the emphasis on the 'afternoon'."

"Yes," I agreed casually. "Lovely afternoon."

"It's already halfway through the day! How you sleep for that long, I have no idea."

"Don't worry, mom, it's a teenage phase," I said. "Anyway, I'm here now."

"We still have to discuss your birthday barbecue," she said, whipping out her list. "First and foremost, the menu."

"Okay. What did you want to know?"

"So, I've already spoken to the pack kitchens about your order. I just wanted to clarify one last time what you wanted. You've requested bison burgers and pork sausages to be served to the guests as the proteins. As for sides, you wanted corn, fruits, roasted vegetables, pasta salad, regular salad, and some hors d'oeuvres."

"Sounds about right."

"As for desserts and beverages, we have different types of pop, your birthday cake, ice cream, brownies, cookies, a waffle station, fondue, and candies."

"Pretty much. Oh, and don't forget to have iced tea. Plenty of iced tea."

"On it," she grinned at me. "Oh, look at my little boy, growing up so fast! Well, not so little anymore, since you're towering over me, but still! I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, mom," I said gently as she started to tear up. She blinked back her tears as I wrapped my arms around her. "Hey, that's it. Let it all out."

"It was just yesterday you were a little pup!" she sniffed.

"Tell me about it," I murmured, thinking of the good ole' days, when Liam and I were young pups ourselves. When I was younger, I thought time moved so painfully slowly. But now that I was nearly an adult, I was constantly worried about not having enough time. Everything just moved way too quickly.

"I remember planning your first birthday party, and now, I'm helping you plan your 18th! Oh, where has the time gone?"

"I appreciate all the effort you've put into my birthdays, mom. I love every single party you've ever hosted. Thank you for everything."

"I'm glad you liked them. Anything for my son."

"And I'm sure this 18th is going to be amazing as well," I patted her back. "No thanks to you."

"Well, I can't afford to cry right now, I still need to talk to the DJ about the whole setup." She pulled apart from my embrace, wiping her eyes dry. "Phew! I really needed that, Dylan. Anyway, I should probably get back to work planning the barbecue. Oh, and your friends are coming over later today, right?"

"Yeah. They should be here at around 6 this evening."

"Perfect! What do you guys want for dinner tonight? I can make you some food, or I can pick you up a pizza."