Hopping.

Tanner and Jess stir awake almost at once, as if even in sleep, their bond refuses to let one exist without the other.

The room is quiet now, save for the steady rhythm of their breathing, a stark contrast to the wild chaos of the night before.

Sunlight has crept through the curtains, casting its golden light across their tangled forms. It must be midday by now, maybe even later.

Tanner's chest is pressed against Jess's back, his lips hovering just above the freshly marked skin on Jess's neck.

His arms tighten around him protectively, instinctively, almost as if he fears the connection could be undone. As if the bond between them might slip away in an instant.

"I marked you," Tanner's voice comes out hoarse, raw from the night, a quiet reminder of what just transpired.

Jess doesn't respond immediately. His fingers trace the sheets, soft and slow, as if he is still coming to terms with the reality of it all.

Then his hand lifts, fingers brushing over the side of his neck. He can feel the throb of the mark, faint but warm beneath his touch. An undeniable reminder that things will never be the same again.

"I know," Jess murmurs quietly, his voice thick with unspoken thoughts.

Tanner's breath hitches. His heart hammers against his chest as he leans in, pressing a soft, reverent kiss beside the mark, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary.

"I'll spend the rest of my life proving I deserve it," Tanner whispers against his skin, his words full of raw emotion.

Jess chuckles softly, but there's no real amusement behind it.

"I can't believe this. Don't get me wrong but... I mean, even if I lived millions of years, I would have never thought younger Alpha Hale would ever dare touch a man... let alone touch one. Not even look at one with that simplest thought in his mind."

Tanner flinches. A flicker of something_ guilt, or maybe fear, passes through his eyes.

The reaction vanishes almost instantly, but Jess catches it. He sees it. Feels the tension ripple through Tanner's body.

"I'm not touching just a man," Tanner's voice drops to a low murmur, his grip on Jess tightening. "I'm touching you. Claimed you... the person I've always dreamed of."

The words should make Jess happy. They should fill him with warmth. But for some reason, they don't.

Maybe it's because of Tanner's reaction, because he hesitated.

Tanner's fingers caress his face lightly, his eyes never leaving Jess's face. He then leans in, his lips brushing Jess's with a quiet reverence.

But he doesn't pull away. He moves his lips against Jess's, gentle, a soft coaxing, tasting the edges of a memory he's already craving again.

His fingers find Jess's waist and tighten, drawing him closer. He slips his tongue into Jess's mouth without warning, as if his control frays with every breath he takes.

His body warms, flush spreading beneath his skin, breath hitching when Jess answers the kiss. He shifts, one leg sliding between Jess's, needing to be closer, needing to feel.

A quiet, almost desperate sound escapes him, low and muffled against Jess's mouth, as his hands roam more boldly.

One slides up Jess's back, the other down, slipping beneath the sheets, gripping him.

His breath grows heavier, harsher, filling the small space between them.

His lips leave Jess's mouth only to kiss down his jaw, his neck, until he finds that mark, the one that makes Jess tremble, and his mouth lingers there.

His hips press forward with a slow, unthinking urgency. The world narrows to this moment, to Jess, to the unbearable need blooming in his whole body.

At that moment the phone rings, but Tanner hears the sound, sounding from far, distant, like it belongs to another world.

But It's right there on the bedside table, yet Tanner doesn't move. He only pulls Jess tighter, his hand sliding down, slipping beneath the sheets. His body screams with need.

"Can I please...?" he breathes, the words breaking against Jess's throat, raw, reverent, desperate.

He finds his way between Jess's legs, his body shifting, slotting between them like he belongs there, like he remembers exactly how it felt to be there.

The phone rings again. This time he hears it, but he ignores it. Jess clings to him, nails digging lightly into his back, holding on like permission.

Jess breathes his name, voice husky, need bleeding into every syllable.

It drives Tanner out of control, completely.

But the phone rings again.

Tanner groans, forehead falling to Jess's shoulder, reluctant, aching. He reaches blindly for the phone, intending to put off the phone, only to see the name.

Dad.

And his father never calls unless it's necessary. But still he hesitates to pick up,

"Pick it up," Jess says, his voice a whisper.

Hesitantly, he presses the green button,

"Dad?" Tanner answers, his tone barely masking his annoyance.

"I know, I know," his father, the former Alpha Marreck, says, his voice full of authority. "But you two need to remember you're the leaders now. Something's come up, and you're needed at the pack house. Right now. It's bad."

The call ends abruptly, and Tanner's mood sours further. He tosses the phone back onto the bedside table with an irritated sigh.

"What is it?" Jess asks, sensing the change in him.

"Duties call," he mutters, his tone heavy with responsibility. "Apparently something's come up at the pack house. They need us there."

Jess sits up. "Me too?"

Tanner nods, hesitantly moving to get out of bed. "Yeah. They want both of us."

Jess feels a wave of uneasiness wash over him.

"But... how am I supposed to go like this?" he asks, wondering if Tanner has now decided to face everyone with him like this, to stand before the authorities and say, 'Look, I'm mated to a man. I loved him even before this bond, and now that I've found him, I'm not letting him go. Not for you, not for anyone, not for anything.'

But instead of responding, Tanner gets off the bed and walks toward the drawer.

Jess watches him, a genuine smile tugging at his lips. For some reason, he feels truly happy to have a man now, one who's loved him all his life and accepted him as he is. And now they will fight together for their freedom.

But Jess's smile fades when Tanner pulls out several beautiful dresses, along with a black wig. Same style but different color.

Jess freezes, his heart sinking. Why does Tanner have all this?

"We should change your hair color," Tanner says, holding up the wig. "Pink makes you look like a bad girl. Not really the look for a Luna. Black would suit you better..."

Before he can finish, Jess interrupts.

"Why do you have all that? Did you buy these before we even met? Because since we met, we've been together, and I've not seen you go for them or order them."

"I've had them for a while," Tanner says, his tone unreadable. "I knew I'd find you one day."

Jess feels a spike of anger. "Find me one day and make me cross-dress?! This is what you've been planning all along?!"

Tanner's expression shifts, confused. "Why does it make you angry? I found you in a dress! You did it on your own. Had anyone asked you to dress in it?"

"No, no one asked me to," Jess snaps. "But I did it for a reason, because I knew when the pack found me, they would still condemn me for what happened years ago. I didn't like it. I didn't want it! But you... before you even saw me in a dress, you bought these?!"

"Come on, we don't have time for this now," Tanner says, his voice hurried as he holds out the black dress. "We're needed at the pack house now."

Jess refuses to take it. "I'm not wearing it."

"So what now? You want to go like this? As a guy? Jess, come on, you know the situation we're in."

"Oh I know more than anyone else. But I would've dressed up this morning and gone with you in a dress if you hadn't shown me that you've been planning this all along. It feels like you never planned to make the pack accept us, or to leave if they don't and be with me as I am. But this... it's like you want me to live like this forever!"

The pain in Jess's voice is undeniable. Just when he thought things were getting better, when he thought Tanner had accepted him, he's faced with this realization.

Tanner steps forward, his voice low and almost mechanical. "Jess, we only have two options. Just two. As we're already married, you'll have to choose one of them, because there's no other option."

Jess doesn't respond. He just stares at Tanner, his heart heavy with uncertainty, a glimmer of hope still lingering in his chest.

But as the weight of Tanner's words settles on him, all he can do is wait for the truth to reveal itself.

Deep down, he hopes that the love Tanner confessed last night finds a way to break through those two options he is talking about.