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Thanks to Novelty for the new cover!!!!!!!! I was originally going to put it on the side, but i loved it soooo much that i made it my new cover!!!! Keep making 'em guys :)

Pic on the Side is Jerod =========>

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~~~Tyler's POV~~~

The man had pale skin and long, light blond hair that was slicked back from his face, and he looked to be in his mid to late twenties, and I'll admit he wasn't terrible looking. His hands were shoved into the pockets of a pair of black denim pants, and his mouth was fixed in a creepy smirk.

I instantly sensed he was a werewolf. All werewolves have a particular scent, different from humans; sort of woodsy.

"Who are you sweetheart?" the man asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," I snapped, tensing my already stiff body.

The man's laughter was unnerving. "Aren't you feisty!" I was silent, and he sighed. "My name's Jerod, babe." He looked at me expectantly, and when I didn't say anything, the man ran his hand through his hair. "C'mon. I told you my name, so it's only fair you tell me yours." His voice had changed from cocky to annoyed and impatient.

The man took a menacing step towards me, and I couldn't help but blurt out my name. "Tyler," he said thoughtfully, "That's not something you hear every day."

"Yep," I quipped, and then I tried to rush past him in the doorway. Jerod stuck out his arm blocking my path.

"Where you going, beautiful?" He asked, and I flinched at the sleeze in his voice.

"I've get to leave," I stated quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh, no," Jerod said with a short laugh, "Not before you answer some questions." Before I could protest, he gripped my arm tightly and dragged me to the couch. He pushed me back and I landed on the cracked, leather cushion of the couch. Then Jerod dropped onto the loveseat opposite me, completely ignoring the giant blood stain he was sitting in.

"So, would you like to tell me what you're doing in my house?" I stayed silent, and Jerod frowned at me. "You'd be better off answering me, Tyler."

"I used to live here," I said cautiously, "I lived here until I was fourteen."

"Did you move or something?" he asked, and I shook my head. "Well then why did you leave?"

"I was captured by hunters," I replied without thinking. Why am I telling him this?

Jerod gave me a strange look and then glanced at the bloodstains on the floor and where he was sitting. His mouth curved into a twisted smile and he pointed to the bloodstains. "Your parents?" My jaw dropped involuntarily at his insensitivity. Jerod seemed to take this as a yes, and I watched, dumbstruck, as he seemed to "snuggle" down against the blood stain.

"You know, there isn't a pack in this area," commented Jerod. I looked at him confusedly; what was he getting at. "If you lived here, you wouldn't be part of a pack."

"How do you know I'm part of a pack?"

"I can smell it on you," stated Jerod matter-of-factly. "I can also tell that you just joined."

"So?" I snapped. Jerod was digging way too much in my personal life, even though we had just met.

"So," said Jared, looking a bit stunned from my sudden intensity, "You missed out."

"I missed out on what, exactly?"

"On being free."

"What do you mean?" I asked, all hostility and caution gone; replaced with complete curiosity.

"Well," said Jerod, feigning modesty, "Speaking as a rogue myself, I enjoy not answering to anyone but myself."

"You're a rogue?" I asked, and as soon as the question escaped my lips, I felt incredibly stupid. Of course he was a rogue! There were no packs around here, so what else could he be.

"Yes, I am," he said proudly. "And you should've stayed a rogue, too."

"Why?" I questioned, intrigued.

"Think about it; you have total freedom! You answer to no one, and you don't have to follow any rules. You're your own Alpha!" said Jerod excitedly. "Who wouldn't want that?

Jerod's words made me think about my parents. Obviously, they didn't want to be part of a pack life, and they didn't want that for me either. Why they wanted the rogue life, I didn't know, but now, I really wanted to find out. I never thought the idea of being a rogue would sound good to me, but surprisingly, I felt like I was getting sucked into the idea.

"You know," Jerod's voice penetrated my cloud of thoughts, "You don't have to stay in the pack you're in."

"What?" I asked, shocked and confused.

"Yeah, you can still go rogue." Seeing that I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, Jerod started to explain further. "You can rescind your membership to the pack and go rogue. You just go to your Alpha and tell him you don't want to be a part of the pack anymore."

"Is it that simple?" I blurted.

"Well," said Jerod, cocking his head to the side, "you aren't allowed on their territory."

Oh. The thought of not being able to see Dot, or Patrick, or Fae again made me feel sick to my stomach. The thought of not seeing Bo ever again never entered my mind because I didn't want it to. I didn't want to know what a thought like that would feel like.

Still, the idea of freedom appealed to me. There were times when I was at the pack house where I felt like I didn't fit there. Everyone knew everyone in the pack house, and I felt somewhat like alone. I mean, Dot and Patrick hung out with me sometimes, but they did have other friends who I didn't know.

Maybe my parents had it right. Did I really belong in a pack when I had been raised as a rogue? I'd never considered another option other than joining the pack, let alone known about any such option.

"Once a rogue, always a rogue, Tyler," stated Jerod, as if he had read my mind.

"No," I said shrilly, shaking my head. "No, I'm a member of a pack now." None of what I just said was convincing, and I could tell that Jerod knew that.

"Think about it, Tyler," said Jerod casually, and he stood up. "I can give you more answers if you want them. Just be here again tomorrow." He started walking towards the back door when he stopped, and without turning around, Jerod called back to me. "Maybe I'll tell you about your parents."

"What?" I exclaimed. "You knew my parents?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Jerod said ignorantly. "You'll never know if you don't come tomorrow!"

"Wait!" I cried, and I jumped off the couch, but I was too late; Jerod disappeared out the door. He probably headed out into the woods, effectively leaving me confused and curious. And, he also left me with a giant question.

Did I make the right choice in joining a pack?

***

"I'll get a hot chocolate, thanks," I said to the waitress. She nodded, and after getting Anton's drink order of Coke, she turned and sauntered away. I glanced at the menu without really reading it, already knowing what I was going to get.

I had left the house as soon as I had collect myself after my conversation with Jerod, and Anton had taken me to a diner in my old town for a late lunch. I had been to this diner a million times with my mom, and being back here reminded me off happy memories.

After a few minutes, the waitress brought out our drinks I had been to this diner a million times with my mom, and being back here reminded me off happy memories.

After a few minutes, the waitress brought out our drinks and asked us what we wanted to eat. "Can I just spaghetti and meatballs with extra meatballs?" The waitress nodded and then turned to Anton.

"I'll get the same thing, please," he said, and he placed the menus in her outstretched hands. The waitress told us the food would be right out and she walked over to another table near us. Anton was reading some newspaper he picked up at the front of the diner, and I suddenly felt compelled to ask him about rogues.

"Anton," I said.

"Hmm?" he replied, not looking up from the newspaper.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"About what?"

I paused. "Rogues."

Instead of being shocked, like I thought he would be, Anton sighed and folded the newspaper up. He leaned back against the booth and looked at me for a moment. "I thought this might happen; what with you returning home and all. And you have a right to know, so ask away."

I was silent for a minute, taken aback by his openness. "Um, okay," I stammered, "I guess I just want to know why you chose to be in a pack, and not be a rogue."

Anton thought for a moment, and then leaned forward so that his forearms rested against the table. "A pack isn't just a group of people who live in a gigantic house together. We are a family who protect each other, despite not being related by blood. There is a sense of unity in a pack that is sacred."

The way he talked about a pack made it seem like the ideal. However, I still wanted to know his opinion about the other option. "What about rogues?" I asked.

Anton frowned. "Rogues are chaos. There is no brotherhood between them, and they answer to no one but themselves. That kind of recklessness is extremely dangerous to them and others around them. They are almost always excessively brutal and not trustworthy."

I nodded, noting that his definition of a rogue sounded much harsher and disapproving than Jerod's.

"I grew up in the same pack I am in today, and so I've had the privilege of growing up with a very large family. I would never choose something different for myself, and I'll be damned if Fae goes rogue!" The intensity in Anton's voice freaked me out a bit, and I stayed silent.

"Here y'all go!" I jumped as the waitress set my plate down in front of me. "You guys enjoy and holler if you need anything, okay?" Anton nodded and the waitress walked away, back towards the kitchen. As Anton dug into his food, I absentmindedly twirled my fork in the spaghetti noodles.

Listening to Anton gave me some insight, but I still felt like my knowledge of all things werewolf was extremely lacking. I needed answers, and I felt like Jerod was the way I would get them. I had no idea whether I wanted to go rogue again, but I felt like I needed all the facts.

Plus, Jerod had said something about my parents, and if he could explain to me why they had done what they had done, it would help me understand a lot of things. I would know why my parents had kept me in the dark, and maybe, it would help me figure out what the hell I was doing and what decisions I should make.

Today, a lot of new information had been shown to me, and that new information had only formed a lot more questions than I already had. I needed answers... badly.

One way or another, I would find a way to get back to the house tomorrow.

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I'm tired... so i didn't proof-read... sorry....

I don't have much to say. *insert long yawn here* G'night

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