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~~~Tyler's POV~~~

My eyes fluttered open, and I frowned immediately. Who was laying on me? Then I remembered everything. I had been having one of my reoccurring nightmares, and Bo had woken me up. I asked him to stay with me.

Oh my God.

I had asked Bo to sleep with me and I barely knew him. I could feel my stomach pressed against his chest, and his arm was wrapped around me, pulling me tight to him. Bo was snoring quietly, and I was slightly comforted by the sound of his breathing.

I tried to move to get out of the bed, but Bo's grip was firm. I let out a sigh of frustration and tried again, but I still couldn't get out of his grasp. I reached up and wrapped my fingers around his wrist and lightly pulled at it.

"Damn," I cursed under my breath. Then I realized Bo wasn't snoring anymore. "Are you awake?" I felt the vibrations of his chuckles on my back, and I blushed deeply. I shoved my face into my pillow for a second, letting my cheeks return to their normal color.

I pulled myself from his arms and rolled out of bed. "I'm really sorry about making you stay last night," I said, running my hand self-consciously through my hair.

"Nah, I was fine," he replied, sitting up. The blankets fell off his chest and I noted that he wasn't wearing a shirt. I could see the definition of the muscles in his torso, probably due to the long hours of training.

Bo cleared his throat, and I realized he could me staring. Again. "Do you have nightmares a lot?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," I answered, and I sat back down on the bed with my knees pulled up to my chest.

"What are they about?" Bo asked, and I remained silent. I didn't know if I actually wanted to talk about my nightmares. "You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable."

I glanced up at him. Something about Bo made me feel safe and at ease. Besides, the boy had stayed with me all night, so he deserved to know why.

"Well, it's a memory," I said, looking down at my feet. "I wasn't the only werewolf that the hunters kept in their prisons." Bo made a sound, and I looked up to see him panicked. "I was the only one they kept alive," I explained, and he nodded seriously.

"There were times," I continued, "When I could hear the other werewolves being tortured. Some were girls and some were boys, but their screams all sounded the same after a while. On multiple occasions, the leader of the hunters, Drake, would bring them into my cell, and..." my voice trailed off. I wiped away the tears that were flowing silently from my eyes and drew a shaky breath.

"And he would kill them in front of me."

"Seriously?" he asked, stunned.

"Yep."

"And those are your nightmares?"

"Yep."

Before I could move, Bo had crossed the bed and enveloped me in a bear hug. At first, my body was stiff in surprise, but after a few seconds, I relaxed in his embrace. I don't know why, but having Bo holding me the way he was felt right, like that's where I belonged.

"That really sucks, Ty," he whispered into my hair.

"Ty," I echoed quietly. Ty; the nickname my parents used for me. The last time I had heard that name was the night I was kidnapped and my parents were slaughtered. The night that where the last thing I said to them was that I hated them. Fresh, hot tears started to trickle from my eyes, and I chuckled emotionlessly.

"What is it?" Bo asked, concern evident in his voice.

"My parents called me Ty all the time. They called me that on the night that they died," I said.

Bo pulled away, and I looked up to see him looking at me both apologetically and guiltily. "I had no idea, Tyler. I won't call you that again."

"Why?" I asked, "There are more good memories of that name than bad. I don't mind if you call me Ty."

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile, "I miss it." That was true. I missed the nickname that I had grown up with. Hearing Bo call me Ty made me feel like not everything from before I had been captured was lost to me. It sounded silly, but the name Ty made me feel a lot better.

"Alright!" Bo said with a large grin. "It looks like I've missed my first three classes of the school day. Since the day is almost half over anyways, what's say you to spending the day hanging out. There are a lot of things that have come out in the last three years that you really need to experience."

"Like what?" I asked, and I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Well, for one, the movie The Hangover."

"It sounds stupid," I stated matter-of-factly.

Bo gasped dramatically and slapped his hand over his heart. "You don't know what you're saying! I will prove to you that it is one of the best movies in the universe."

"Sounds good," I said with a laugh, but then I groaned in remembrance. "I have training today."

Bo shrugged. "No problem. I'll just join you and Anton."

"Won't he be pissed that you skipped school?" I asked.

"Probably."

~~~Bo's POV~~~

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wipe the dopey smile off of my face.

It had first appeared when I had seen Anton's face when he came to find both Tyler and I waiting for him for a training session. His face had almost gotten as red as his hair. Anton hadn't made a comment, but he wouldn't let me train with them. Instead, he let me watch as he taught her skills and techniques.

Anton had been right. Tyler was fierce. I could tell that she had a force driving her to fight back against her opponent, and even if she was pinned on her back, Tyler wouldn't give up. I could only guess that

she fought so hard because when she had been in captivity, they hadn't given her the chance to fight.

After about three hours of training in her wolf form, Anton had Tyler shift back and they went on a timed run. I had stayed back at the house because as much as I wanted to be with her, I didn't want to distract her from her training. There was still the fact that she had a month to prove herself, and I wasn't about to get in the way of my father accepting her into the pack.

After they had gotten back, Tyler had taken a quick shower and we had settled in the living room. After watching The Hangover, which I had gotten Tyler to admit as being the funniest movie she'd ever seen, we had eaten a late lunch. Pretty soon, the pack members started coming home from work and school.

When Fae had gotten home, she immediately dragged Tyler away from me so that they could have some "girl time". It was good to know that even though she wasn't a part of the pack, my mate had made a couple friends. Fae was a tough warrior, and not to mention the next Beta, so it was somewhat comforting that she was one of the wolves to try with Tyler.

Now I was lying in my bed and tossing up a ball and catching it, my mind revolving around Tyler. When we had eaten dinner in the dining room with the whole pack, I would occasionally glance over at her.

Even though I could feel her nerves, she didn't show them on the outside. Sometimes, I would catch her smiling, or even laughing, which made that dumb dopey grin make its reappearance.

I was so out of it that I almost missed the knocking on my door.

"Who is it?" I called.

"It's Dot," a voice replied, "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah," I answered, and I sat up. My little sister opened the door quietly and it clicked shut behind her. Without a word, she climbed onto the end of my bed and folded her legs underneath her. Dot stared at me for a moment, her eyes thoughtful.

After a few weird moments, I arched an eyebrow. "Did you want something?"

"What's going on between you and Tyler?" she asked bluntly, her expression unchanged.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice giving everything away.

"I'm not stupid, Bo," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Nothing's going on between us," I said firmly, and my wolf barked at me for lying about my mate.

"Seriously?" said Dot incredulously. "When I got home from school, I found you two sitting on the couch and watching TV. Her head was on your shoulder, and I could see how you feel about her all over your face."

I blushed at the memory. I was showing Tyler this thing on the TV, and she rested her head on my shoulder. It took all my will power not to bend down my head and kiss her.

"She was tired and using me as a pillow," I stammered. I know; really bad excuse.

"Bullshit," Dot said bluntly. "And when she was knocked out, you wouldn't leave her bedside. You had only just met the girl!"

"Why do you care so much, Dot?" I asked defensively.

"Because she's my friend and you're my big brother!" She cried. I felt guilty keeping this from Dot; we had been sharing everything with each other since Mom died, and I could tell I was hurting her. I just didn't want to risk anything.

I remained silent, and Dot crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask Tyler." She started to get up, and I panicked. Asking Tyler would make her suspicious; I knew that if Tyler asked me, I wouldn't be able to lie to her.

"Dot, wait," I said, defeated. "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone. None of your friends, including Tyler." Dot nodded vigorously. "I mean it, Dot!" She rolled her eyes, but then frowned as she realized something.

"Wait," she said confused, "Doesn't she already know?" I shook my head sadly. "Do you have a crush on her or something?"

"It's..." I searched for the right word, "It's a lot deeper than a crush."

Dot gasped. "Is she your-"

"Mate," I said, finishing her sentence.

"Oh my God!" She squealed. "This is so awesome! You guys are perfect together and I can't wait to tell everyone!"

"Dot," I said, but she was still chattering about how everyone would react. "Dot!" I yelled, getting her attention.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"You can't tell anyone, remember?"

Dot groaned. "But why? I mean, does Dad even know?"

"Yeah," I answered, "And he's the one who told me not to tell anyone, especially Tyler."

"Why?" she repeated.

"Because," I said with a sigh, "She's just learning and getting used to the idea of a pack and Alpha. Dumping the fact that she has a mate on her would just freak her out. He said Tyler needed time."

Dot scrunched up her nose. "That's stupid."

Tell me about it, whined my wolf.

"Yeah, I know, Dot," I replied. "But that's the way it needs to be so you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise," she said automatically.

"Pinkie swear?" I asked, smiling at her. I held out my pinkie, and after a moment, she laughed and wrapped hers around mine.

"Pinkie swear," Dot confirmed. I pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head lightly. She squirmed out of my grasp and made a face. "It's getting late," she said, and she bounced off of my

bed. "I'm going to sleep."

"Alright," I replied, "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Dot added with a giggle, and then she walked out of my room. I glanced at my alarm clock and realized it was well past ten. I changed into a pair of maroon flannel pajama pants and flicked off my light.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

***

Knock.

My eyes twitched open and I glanced sleepily at my bedroom door.

Knock.

I groaned. "Come in," I called.

The door opened and shut, and I heard feet padding across my carpeted floor.

"Bo," said a hoarse voice, which I immediately recognized as Tyler's.

"Yeah?" I asked, more alert.

"I had a nightmare again. Can I sleep in here?"

Yes! screamed my wolf. Yes, you absolutely can!

"Yeah, sure," I said, trying to make my voice sound as relaxed as possible, and I moved over. She slipped underneath my covers and I found her back facing me.

After a moment, Tyler said, "I swear this isn't going to happen every night."

"Its fine, Ty," I said reassuringly.

That damn dopey smile had returned stronger than ever.

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So I got to update today!!! And, i tried to make the chapter longer. I wasn't actually going to include the last part between Tyler and Bo, but it just popped into my head spur of the moment, and I liked it, so i wroted it!!!

Did anyone else notice that I've had almost three hundred read since my last update, which was yesterday???? AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! That honestly made my day!!!! Thank you guys so much for reading a commenting. It means a lot to me :)

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