RAELYNN'S POV

Dating Colin was much easier and a lot more fun than I thought it would be. He's a really nice guy and he likes to play video games with me. At first he was confused as to how to play properly but he's a quick learner.

He's even learning to play softball just so he can be involved in that part of my life. At first Naal was adamant that it remain between me and him but I convinced him otherwise. Sure he's never happy when Colin comes but at least now he doesn't use his Beta command to force Colin to leave.

Going back to school after the incident with Josh was hard. Doctor Ewan was able to give him some medicine, salves and herbs that helped the swelling go down and made the bruises disappear but we both still knew what happened and he had the nerve to tell people at school that I was the one to initiate the kiss and I couldn't keep my hands off of him. He even went to the point of telling people that I was two-timing him with my crazy boyfriend, Luka, and that he attacked him in retaliation. The liar told people that he was able to get in a few hits when they "fought". Of course with the unnecessary bullying from last semester the girls believed him immediately and started to fawn over how "amazing" he was. Guys can be so petty. But I will deal with him soon.

"Are you excited for the big game tomorrow?" Willow asks after our dance practice is over. Yes that's correct, Willow Estella Garretson signed me up to join the spirit squad at our high school. The only good thing about it is that the girls on this team are much tougher and more influential than the ones that have been bothering us. So the bullying has pretty much come to an end and besides it's better that these girls tell them to stop before I have to. Willow and I both know if I were to get angry things wouldn't be pretty.

"I'm about as excited as I'll ever be." I tell her sarcastically. She rolls her eyes and takes her hair out of its ponytail.

"Of course you're not as excited as you should have been now that you have a boyfriend." I try to brush off her comment but I can't stop myself from smiling anyways. Colin Eden is my boyfriend. He's no Luka... but at least he's Colin.

"Boyfriend? Who has a boyfriend?" Francesca, the captain of our team, asks. She's a tall Italian girl with green eyes and dark brown hair. She has freckles all across her nose and cheeks that make her look younger than seventeen but her boobs would throw off her age estimate as well. I like her because she's caring and funny but sometimes she has a tendency of wanting to know everything about everyone. And in this case I would prefer if she'd just mind her own business, but I oblige and answer her question anyways.

"I do." I say happily. Frankie smiles at me and nudges my shoulder.

"Well aren't you a lucky girl?" She asks winking. I shrug and put on my shoes.

"I guess so. He's really cool." I tell her packing up my stuff. Some of the other team members linger around the dance room just talking to each other, while most of them are listening in on my conversation.

"So how old is he?" Another girl named Sarah asks. She's fifteen like me and has brown hair and brown eyes. She's about as normal as it gets but she can do a wicked back handspring. She has braces on but she said they will finally come off in May.

"He'll be 17 in March." The girls nod enthusiastically while some start to giggle.

"How long have you guys been together?" Another girl asks.

"About a month." I say crossing my arms. A few more girls join the conversation.

"Is he hot?" Frankie asks. A blush stains my cheeks and I rub at them to relax.

"Yes."

"Is he tall?" Someone else asks. Rolling my eyes I shrug.

"Yeah sorta."

"Is he a good kisser?" I can't keep track of who's asking me what question but I answer anyway.

"Yes he's a really good kisser."

"Does he have a brother?" I frown at that question. Why would that matter? Again the girls giggle.

"What's so funny?" I ask scowling. Frankie takes me by the shoulders and turns me to the door.

"Could that be him standing right there?" My eyes land on Colin as he's causally leaning on the door frame. His eyes take in my outfit, a tank top, shorts and dance shoes as he begins to walk into the room. He's wearing a navy hoodie and a white t-shirt with blue jeans. His build is getting bigger with his training and his hair is slightly longer. He looks like he could be any normal high schooler here... too bad he isn't normal.

"What are you doing here?" I ask walking to him. He smiles wide and pulls me into him by the waist with his left hand holding on my bum slightly. He doesn't even acknowledge anyone in the room when he hugs me close. As he always does now, he puts his face in my neck and inhales my scent.

"I thought I'd surprise you at school. I haven't seen you in four days and I missed you. Besides I finished training early." He pulls back from the crook of my neck and kisses me gently. I can't help blushing. He's so obvious.

"How did you get here?" I ask quietly. He gets a wicked look in his eye and leans down to nip at my lips again.

"How do you think?" Colin tightens his grip on my bum and waist and kisses me much harder than before. With me starting school again and him training with the warriors and going on runs, we haven't spent much time together which means he likes to take advantage of any moment we have alone... even if we're not alone.

"Hi I'm Frankie. I'm the captain of the spirit squad." Colin thankfully disentangles himself from me when we hear her voice. Turning to face everyone else he puts his arm around my waist and smiles his usual charming smile before shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Colin." Frankie smiles wide and nods her head.

"Yeah Raelynn told us." I watch curiosity slither onto his face and I groan. Since he asked me to be his girlfriend I hadn't made it seem like such a big deal. While he was going around the pack making on obvious claim to me, I was just quiet. It's not that I don't want people to know, it's just I've never been public about my private life and I wasn't going to start now.

"Oh she did, did she?" The eagerness to his voice is so childish. Sighing I roll my eyes.

"I'm sure you heard everything you needed to hear." He laughs and kisses the top of my head.

"Yeah I did. I guess I have impeccable timing and yes I do have a brother, in fact I have two though they're only 7 and 10 right now." The girls sigh at him and smile. He's such a charmer. Taking his hand off my waist I throw on my sweatpants and hoodie and grab my bag.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Come on Willow." The girls all wave goodbye making no attempt to hide their obvious oogling of Colin and he just smiles.

"Have a good afternoon ladies." They squeal at his voice and simultaneously say goodbye. We leave the dance room and get a few feet away from the girls before Colin finally addresses me.

"You were talking about me?" He asks nipping my ear.

"Willow brought you up." I say nonchalantly. He laughs anyways and hugs me closer.

"Doesn't matter. Not only were you talking about me but you were complimenting me. I had no idea I was so hot! Or that I was a really good kisser. These are things that are good to know." He says sarcastically.

"Oh whatever! You're making this a bigger deal than it is." I tell him blushing. Colin stops walking and gently directs me to a wall. Holding my face in his hands he lightly kisses my hot cheeks and rests his forehead against mine.

"When I first met you I want intimidated by your strength and beauty. And when we finally spoke it was like I heard the most beautiful song being sung. When we touched my body burned for you and when we kissed I knew there was no one else I wanted to be with than you. When I finally gathered the courage and asked you to be my girlfriend it wasn't just because I wanted other males to know that you weren't available it was because I didn't know how I was going to continue living in this pack as just your friend." He stops talking to kiss me gently and I feel like my heart is going to explode.

"You are one of the most admirable girls I've ever met Raelynn. So trust me when I say that I care for you and everything you do. When you look at me I smile. When you blush because of me I preen. And whenever you say my name I feel like I can conquer the world. Hearing you speak so highly of me means more than you'll ever know even if it was meant as a joke." His eyes are so sincere that I kiss his lips softly ignoring the gagging noise Willow makes.

"Ok. You win." I tell him softly. Stepping back Colin opens his arms for me to walk into and I gladly join them. He's always been a sweetheart sure, but the things he just said, the fire and passion behind his words... it's so intense and endearing that I can't think straight.

We continue to walk down the hall when Colin stops walking and lets go of my waist. His body turns to a hallway behind us and he begins to growl low.

"What's going on? Colin what's wrong?" His eyes flash black and he charges down the hallway with Willow and I chasing after him. When I finally catch up I see him stalking towards a group of guys and guess who's in the middle of them? Josh. He must have heard something stupid Josh said.

"Do you have something to say about my girlfriend?" Colin barks out at them. The boys all turn to him and shrink away. Josh, the idiot, is still unknowingly making up more lies about what didn't happen between us and it seems to make Colin even more upset. Rushing to his side I pull him back and go onto the tips of my toes to put my face in his neck, hoping it will calm him down. Thankfully it does. He stops walking and his growls begin to lower, just as his hands grab onto my hips.

"I want to deal with him. He shouldn't be talking about you the way he is." Colin says slowly. His voice is low and sounds like he's moaning. I kiss his collarbone and pull away.

"I'll handle him." Leaving him and Willow behind I walk through the group of guys and straight up to Josh. My first thought is to knock him out but instead I calm my rage and talk to him.

"Is there a reason you keep spreading these rumours?" He looks at me, more like looks through me and laughs.

"Oh come on Raelynn they aren't rumours. You and I both know all of it to be true." I close my eyes at his idiotic words and smirk.

"The only truth there is, is that I'm going to kick your ass. I've had enough of your lies and now it's payback time." The guys all "ooh" together as I step up to Josh letting my anger control me.

"You're going to regret ever saying anything about me in the first place." I knee him in the gut and elbow him to the nose. He keels over in pain and I use my finger to push him to the ground. "You say anything else about me and you won't be walking for a week." Clenching my fists I grunt and look at all of the other guys. Cocking my head to the side they all scatter in different directions leaving Josh on the floor. A pair of arms snake around my waist and I lean back against Colin.

"You have no idea how hot that was." He kisses my neck and I shake my head.

"Let's just go home." He laughs and takes my hand leading me and Willow out of this crappy place called school.

***

"I'm nervous. I never get nervous but for some reason I am so nervous." Willow has been pacing the dance room for ten minutes and she hasn't let up once.

"Willow I don't know why you're acting like this but you need to calm down. We were supposed to be in the gym five minutes ago." Maybe I'm a bad friend but I don't really care for her overreacting right now. I just want to get this over with so I can go home and train with Naal. We haven't had any private training sessions in a while and I feel like I'm getting rusty.

"You're right. You're so right. I'm fine. I'm fine." She stops pacing and looks at herself in the mirror. She looks great. Her hair is up in a high ponytail, there's glitter on her lids, cheeks and lips and her uniform makes her chest look bigger than it is. She should be happy.

"Let's go please." I tell her already dreading this dance. I get up from my position on the floor and walk to the door. In seconds she's right behind me chanting something about confidence to herself.

When we get to the gym it's almost filled with students. Today is supposed to be some rivalry basketball game between our school and another high school called James McAdams High. Apparently our school was undefeated for a while and then their school showed up and defeated us and it's been back and forth ever since. I've personally never had an interest in basketball, I'm a softball girl.

"Alright girls, we go on during half time and throughout two of the time outs. Be energetic, be sexy and have fun!" Frankie says cheerily. I still can't believe I'm doing this.

The boys from each team start coming in to the gym to their own music and the crowd is either booing or hollering. I'm about to tell Willow this is the weirdest thing I've ever done but when I look at her all I see is a dreamy look on her face. Following her eyes I land on a tall player with a nice build, long red hair pulled back into a messy manbun, blue eyes and pale skin. Like Frankie he has freckles but it's all over his body and from the looks of him I can tell he's not human. Call it a hunch, as Willow would say, but I'm pretty sure that boy is a wolf, and by his height, stature and presence he's got to be an Alpha in training.

"Willow are you ok?" I touch her arm and she snaps out of it. Her eyes are still glued to him but her body is now angled towards me.

"Have you ever seen a more perfect specimen?" Yes your brother, I think to myself.

"Do you know him?" Because with the way she's drooling you'd think she does.

"No but there's something about him that's calling to my wolf." She says absently walking towards him. I pull her back and loop my arm in hers.

"Well talk to him later. They have to warm up." I literally pull her all the way to the girls and turn her body away from the boy so she can focus again. By the time the game has started I've caught her staring at him twenty-eight times. And I don't think he's noticed her once. When half time finally comes we walk to the middle of the gym and get into formation. But as the music starts and we begin the routine it seems all eyes are on Willow because she was dancing and tumbling like nothing I've ever seen before. You would have never guessed she was nervous at all.

With a shake here and a jump there the dance is over and the crowd is going crazy. I mean these people are on their feet cheering. Even some of the players are clapping as well. We all head to the girls change room to grab some refreshments and catch our breath. Poor Willow looks like she's on the brink of death.

"Are you ok? You really worked it out there." We're sitting on a bench in a far corner from the girls and Willow has her head resting on my shoulder.

"You'd think, with everything I am... that I'd have better stamina." I laugh at her and hand her some water.

"If I remember correctly you never cared to train. Which would explain why you're huffing and puffing like you ran a marathon or something." She tries to bump my shoulder but she ends up slouching on me.

"What... ever." We both laugh and continue to enjoy our rest. Until someone knocks on the door. Frankie leaves to go see who it is and when she comes back she has a huge smile on her face.

"Willow you have a visitor." I try to get her to sit up but then I hear her snoring and sigh. I rest her head against the wall and go to the door myself. Surprisingly it's the boy Willow's been watching. He looks disappointed and surprised to see me.

"Oh. I – uh. I was looking for the other girl." His cheeks are red but I'm not sure if he's blushing or if it's from playing.

"Yeah her name's Willow. She's a little busy right now. Can I help you?" He looks behind me towards the door before he says anything.

"I just wanted to talk to her. Will she be staying after the game?" I shrug. I was planning on leaving but I guess that won't be happening.

"Sure I think so. Um... what's your name?" He smiles lightly at my question.

"Tobias McCullough." I nod and step a little closer to him. I can see Colin in the bleachers watching our conversation with a curious expression on his face but he has nothing to worry about.

"And what pack are you from?" His eyes widen at my question but then his nostrils flare and he eyes my wearily.

"New Moon. You?" I look around to make sure no one is listening and catch a glimpse of Colin making his way down the bleachers.

"Dark Moon. You an Alpha?" I ask bluntly. He nods and pulls me to the side.

"In training. My ceremony is next year." I smile and touch his arm, it's a sign of acceptance and acknowledgement for Alphas.

"Congratulations." He beams at that and looks at the change room door again.

"From what I could see and smell I'm pretty sure she hasn't been claimed yet." My eyebrow raises at his statement and I cross my arms.

"And what's it to you Tobias?" Now he blushes at my question and he looks away.

"I can't explain it but there's just something about her that has my wolf interested."

"She said the same thing." His eyes light up and he grabs my arms.

"Did she really?" I smile happily and nod my head.

"Yup. I thought it was weird but I've heard about wolves that choose their mates before the human acknowledges it. Maybe that's the case for you." He's still gripping my arms as I say this and Colin comes barrelling towards us in my "defense".

"Get your hands off of my girlfriend." He snarls out the words at Tobias and thankfully he doesn't take it as a challenge. He merely lets go. Good thing, no matter how strong Colin is I know Tobias would be difficult to beat.

"I apologize. I can smell your scent on her and I wasn't trying anything. I was just... excited." He looks a little dazed as he says this and I know he must be speaking with his wolf.

"Hey don't worry Colin he's interested in Willow." I tell him resting my hand on his chest. He calms down almost instantly and grimaces.

"I'm sorry. I just saw you two move into the corner and his hand was on you."

"Uh huh." He smiles sheepishly and the whistle blows for the game to start up again. Tobias shakes his head and grins at me.

"Please be sure to stay after. I'd like to meet her." Smiling back I give him my hand.

"Deal." He shakes it and runs back to the court. Now with Colin and I alone in a corner I already know what's on his mind.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. Not right now. I need to tell Willow what just happened." I slip past him and head towards the change room but he stops me by grabbing my hips and pulling me against him.

"Just a few seconds. I haven't seen you all day."

"You watched me perform." I say trying to pull away.

"Yes, but I couldn't touch you." He replies with his arm still wrapped around me.

"You're such a horny wolf." Crossing my arms I pout and let him have his way.

"I won't deny that." Turning me around he walks me back into the wall under the bleachers and begins to kiss me slowly. His hands stay at my waist pulling me into his pelvis every few seconds and I choose to relax my mind and body and just enjoy his touch. I never knew a relationship with a wolf would always be so intimate but I find I'm slowly growing used to it. When we pull back to catch our breath the girls are already leaving the change room to do another routine.

"Ok now I need to go." He sighs and lets go of my waist. He always gets like this when we have to stop.

"Oh come on. There's always later." I whisper in his ear. I watch in amusement as he struggles against his wolf and skip off to the girls. I find Willow standing near the door staring at Tobias again.

"He wanted to meet you." I tease her. Her eyes widen and she gasps.

"Seriously?" I nod and tell her everything we talked about. By the time I'm finished Willow is practically jumping.

"Oh my gosh! I knew I wasn't crazy. I just knew there was something about him! I can't believe this! I'm so excited! How do I look? Do I look ok? What about my breath? Does it smell fine? Oh my Goddess I'm sweating." I know it's probably not right to laugh at her but I do it anyways because I've never seen her squirm like this before and it's quite amusing to watch. Who would have thought Willow, a bossy, self-centered and obnoxious girl, would get so weak at the knees because of a boy?

Thirty minutes later the game is over and Tobias' school wins again. I don't really care for the rivalry so I cheer for him and so does Willow. Way to show school spirit right? I spot Tobias heading into a change room and I tell him we'll wait for him out front. There's no need to yell since he can just adjust his hearing. When he nods I leave with Willow to get freshened up.

"I wonder what he smells like." Willow says as we wait on the steps for Tobias. Colin has me under his arm and Willow is pacing again.

"He smelt like sweat from what I remember." Willow shoots me a look and I throw my hands up in surrender. This pissy Willow is one I'm used to.

"Hi." We all turn to the doors to see Tobias standing there with his gym bag hiked on his shoulder. Willow smiles softly and walks up towards him.

"Hi. I'm young Alpha Willow Garretson." She places her hair behind her ear and stands with her hands behind her back.

"I'm young Alpha Tobias McCullough." They're just staring at each other like idiots so I stand up and take Colin with me. They need some privacy.

"And where are we going?" Colin asks. I move us to a nearby tree and grab him by the shirt.

"If I remember correctly it's later now." Smirking Colin pulls me into him and kisses me fiercely.

***

"And he's so smart and charming and good looking. And he's strong and well-trained and respectful. And he's kind and funny and charismatic. And he's so sweet and cute and tall. And–"

"Oh sweetheart we get the point." Gannon says at the dinner table. Apparently things went really well with Willow and Tobias because she hasn't stopped talking about him since.

"Oh but you guys don't get it. It's like my wolf knew before I did you know? She wanted me to go to him! It was the most intense feeling ever. And he felt the same way right Lynn?" Everyone looks at me and I stop eating.

"Yeah. He was all weird and dopey even before he met her. He said there was something about Willow that had his wolf interested."

"The same thing happened with my wolf when it came to choosing your father Willow." Kiera says smiling. Willow beams at her mom but Gannon still doesn't look convinced. He's a dad.

"I asked him to meet you guys next month. He said he wouldn't ask me out until he had yours and Luka's permission." I hear the hesitation in her voice when she says this and I know she's worried about what they will say. Luka has been silent this entire time but he smiles a little.

"He sounds like an ok guy so far. I'd like to meet him." Luka says calmly. Gannon sighs at that and nods his head.

"I appreciate his humility and discipline in wanting to meet us first. I will allow him that... so I will grant him permission onto our property." Even though he seems apprehensive about the whole thing Willow jumps up from her seat and rushes to her father's arms. She must really like this guy.

"Rae can you help me clear up the table?" At the sound of Luka's voice my entire body tenses up.

Those are the first words he's spoken to me since I started to date Colin. I shouldn't relish in the fact that he still calls me by my nickname. I shouldn't inwardly sigh at the sound of his husky voice. I shouldn't be dancing within at the thought that he might be finally talking to me like he used to. I really shouldn't be enjoying the fact that we are going to be alone in close proximity especially now that I have a boyfriend. But I do. And I'm so ashamed of myself for it.

"Sure." Keeping my cool I stand up and start gathering the plates. Abrielle collects the cups like she always does and Willow runs upstairs probably to write in her diary and yes I have read it many times before. I follow Luka into the kitchen and start to scrap the excess food into the garbage. Neither of us has spoken a word to each other and the silence creates an uncomfortable itch around my neck.

"Lynn! Colin is here." I stop scraping the plate and look up in time to see Colin walk into the kitchen.

"I think you need a phone Lynn." He says taking the plate from my hands. He kisses me softly before acknowledging Luka. "Good evening Alpha." Luka nods at him but doesn't say a word; instead he continues to wash the cups with his body angled towards us to keep an eye.

"Why do I need a phone?" I ask bringing the plates to the dishwasher.

"So I can call you at night." He says seductively. I blush and bite my lip surprised that Luka still hasn't reacted.

"Oh. Well I can ask my father I guess." He smiles wide and nuzzles my neck. I feel his hands go around my waist and I hear a low growl that isn't coming from Colin. Finally.

"Why does it feel like I haven't touched you in days?" Colin asks pushing me against a counter. He literally has no shame as his hands run up and down my sides. Turning my head I see a bit of Luka from behind Colin's head and he doesn't look happy. Serves him right.

"Colin not here." I tell him pushing him back a bit. He pouts and lets me go.

"You're right. I apologize Alpha for my lack of control." He says as his hand traces patterns on my hip. Luka nods stiffly again and Colin frowns even deeper but I keep him focused on me instead.

"Let's go ask my dad about that phone ok?" I say pushing him towards the living room. Colin follows but I know he can sense, if not feel, Luka's hostility and he has no idea why.

To be honest, neither do I.

PICTURE OF COLIN ABOVE!!!