" So what movies are we planning on watching?" James asks as we sit down on my couch, cuddling up next to each other with blankets wrapped around us.

   " Well I wanted to start off with Annabelle, then watch Conjuring and Conjuring 2, then the original IT movie, then-" I began to list numerous horror movies that I had watched in the past.

   " Wow wow..." James says, cutting me off," I didn't know you were into horror movies?"

   I sheepishly nod, a light blush covering my face," Y-Yeah...my mom is a horror movie fanatic. She kinda rubbed off on me."

   " That's...pretty cool."

   " You think?" I ask as James nods in response. I smile up at James, snuggling into his side with his arm wrapped around me," So we'll start off with Annabelle?"

   " Sounds good." James replies. And with that, I went onto the family's Apple TV and scrolled through our purchased movies until I came upon Annabelle. I pressed play and snuggled even closer to James as we waited for the movie to play.

   " Just a random question," James begins as the movie continues to load," but why does your sister have a country accident while you and your parents don't?"

   I knew he asked sooner or later, I mean, it's pretty obvious." I didn't mean to offend you but-"

   " It's fine James. You'd be surprised how many people ask." I state, waving my hand up in dismissal," Well if you couldn't tell by now, I don't look a lot like my family."

   James nods as I continue," Well I'm adopted. I showed up on their doorstep butt-naked when I was ten years old. And from where I'm from, we don't really have accents." I say, trying not to go into detail on why I was naked on their doorstep," And for my parents, they were originally from California and moved to Texas after they had Roxy. So growing up, Roxy learned to talk in a country accent. It's not uncommon."

   " That makes sense..." James says to himself before turning back to me," But speaking of your parents, where are they?" 

   " They are having their annual date night." I reply.

   " Well that sounds nice," he comments," But the thing about you-" suddenly the movie began to play.

   " Look the movie started! We should be quiet and watch." I quickly state, stuffing popcorn into my mouth," Oh! James? Turn the lights off so the atmosphere and be more creepy..."

   " Alright love." He replies, shutting the light switch off before facing the movie once again. 

-----

   I had been okay during the first two movies -I had seen all of them before- but when the third movie came around, Conjuring 2, I was clinging to James' side for dear life. I don't know what it exactly was about that movie, but it always scared the living daylights out of me," Aww...is Noah scared?" James teasingly whispers into my ear, a smirk spread across his face.

   " Shut up...I'm not-" another jump scare happened in the movie -I hate jump scares, they always get me- causing me to bury my head in James' side.

   " You're not what?"

   " J-Just shut up and watch the movie..." I grumble.

   A deep chuckle escapes James," Don't worry love, I'll protect you." he comments, tightening his arm around me.

   " Whatever..." I grumble as I stare back at the screen; the worst part about this was that we were only half way through the movie!

-----

   " Awww....one more movie! Please..?" I begged as James carried me off the couch.

   " Noah, you were falling asleep during the movie. It's no fun if you're asleep." James replies, carrying me up the staircase with me STILL in his arms.

   " But I'm not-" as if on cue, I yawned," tired..."

   " Liar." James says, smirking at me as he continues to climb the stairs.

   " U-Umm, James? Aren't I, you know, heavy?" I ask once he reaches the second floor," I don't want you hurting yourself carrying me."

   " You? Heavy? Don't make me laugh Noah. You are as light as a feather. Which..is kinda scary...do you eat properly?" James replies. I nod, laying my head down on his shoulder.

   "The first one of the left." I answer, weakly pointing towards my bedroom door. He nods and walks over to my door, somehow opening it and walking in.

   " Nice glow-in-the-dark stickers." he comments, smiling up at my ceiling.

   " Thanks..." I reply, rubbing my sore eyelids as he un-tucks my bed sheets and lays me down, covering me back up after.

   " Goodnight love..." James says, kissing the top of my head before turning his back to me. As he began to leave, a sudden pang in my chest made me ache for his touch.

   " Don't let him leave, please." My wolf begged.

   " W-Wait!" I quickly shoot up on my bed, grabbing James' arm," D-Don't leave me...stay."

   " Love...I don't think-"

   " Please? I want you to stay." I begged, looking up at him with the best puppy-dog look I could muster.

   A sigh escapes James as a smile spreads across his face," You're lucky I brought an overnight bag." I smile and hug him," Alright alright...I'll go fetch my bag and I'll be back." I nod and watch as James exits my bedroom.

   " What was that about?" I ask, sitting up on my bed.

   " It's our bond. It's getting stronger to the point...I don't want mate to leave us..." My wolf answers, whining to me.

   " Is that bad or good..?"

   " Both in a way. Our bond is stronger with our mate, which is good. But it also means you guys can't leave each other for long periods of time." he replies.

   " Seriously?"

   " Yeah. And it'll be worse once we mate."

   I groan to myself, my cheeks slightly red at the mention of mating," Does his wolf feel this too? Or is it just us?"

   " Of course he feels it. It's probably why he agreed so easily." He replies," His wolf was the one who most likely suggested the idea of packing an overnight bag."

   "I guess you're right." I say as James re-enters my room with his bag in hand.

   " Why are you still up? I wanted you to sleep." James commented, dropping his bag at the foot of my bed.

   " I wanted to wait for you." I reply with a smile.

   " Thanks love..." he leans over and places a kiss on my forehead," I was planning on changing in here, but since you're still up I'll go use the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute."

   " Alright," I say as he smiles and grabs his over-night bag off the floor, carrying it to the bathroom across the hall," I better change as well..."

   I slowly crawl out of bed, stumbling blindly over to my dresser, since all the lights are shut off. I strip myself of my clothes, an exception of my boxers, before reaching into my dresser for a shirt," Noah. I was wondering if-" James shut himself up once he spotted me. Red dusted his cheeks as he turned away," S-Sorry."

   " I-It's fine...I-I didn't know you'd get dressed so fast..." I mumbled, wrapping my arms around myself to block James' view of my scarred upper body," I-I just need a shirt..."

   " Here," I turn around and caught the shirt James threw at me," Use mine."

   I felt my blood rush to my cheeks as I held the shirt close to my face, smelling James' scent on it," T-Thanks..." I turned my back to him and slipped the shirt on. It was HUGE on my small figure. The shirt reached my knees as part of the shirt revealed my bare shoulder, covered in fading scars," It's kinda big."

   " I think it looks cute on you." James says, a smirk plastered onto his face as he walked up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he places a kiss upon my lips," You should wear my shirt more often~" he purred.

   " What for?" I asked innocently, my hands placed on his chest as I looked up into his eyes.

   " I just think you look," He gently kisses me once more," stunning in them."

   I lean my head on his chest, feeling embarrassed by his compliment," Shall we head to bed love?" I nod my head in response as we walk towards my bed.

   I lay back on my bed, making room for James as I cover myself with my blankets. I close my eyes and wait for James to lay down with me. But he doesn't. I peek my one eye open to see James setting a pillow and blanket on the floor," What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up on my bed again," Lay in bed with me."

   " I...don't want to make you uncomfortable." I tilt my head in confusion as James sits down on the floor," And it's not that I don't want to, I just...I don't think I can trust my wolf around you like that."

   I felt my blood rush to my cheeks once again," O-Oh...well at least hold my hand then." He smiles and grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers together.

   " Better?" He asks, placing light kisses on my knuckles.

   " Y-Yeah..." I lay back on the bed, scooting as close as I could to the edge of the bed," Goodnight James..."

   " Night Noah." And with that, we both slowly drifted off to sleep, never letting go of each other's hands.

-----

   " J-Jacob...p-please..." I cried, falling to my knees as Jacob stands before me -shirtless- with his right hand raised in the air. My hand was gently placed over the red mark that began to form on my cheek, the place Jacob had hit me," W-Why..."

   " Shut up Noah!" He hit me again, a small yelp coming from the she-wolf that stood behind him as I fell to the floor, more tears spilling out of my eyes," Don't you dare talk back to me!"

   " J-Jacob..." He kicked me again.

   "You're supposed to listen to me!" Another kick.

    " B-But-"

    " SHUT IT!" Another kick, and another, and another.   

   This wasn't the Jacob I fell in love with. This wasn't the caring and sweet Jacob that I loved. This was not my mate...I shouldn't even call the liar that anymore. This man before me was a monster...

    Jacob continued to kick me, littering my body in bruises. Blood splattered the floor as I coughed," I-I thought..I-I thought..." My arms shook as I tried to raise my body off the floor.

   " You thought what Noah?" He teased. An evil chuckle escaped Jacob, a chuckle that sounded so familiar it sent cold shivers down my spine,"You're supposed to listen to me! You are mine and you must obey me!'

   He kicked me in the gut, causing me to fall right back on the floor," I told you not to come here today..." Jacob stated, his tone cold and harsh. He grabbed me by my hair, lifting me up to his face," But you disobeyed me, you filthy mutt. I'll teach you to never disobey me again..."

   For hours it seemed, he continued to beat me senseless, just like my old alpha. No matter how much I pleaded, how much I cried, and begged, he refused to stop. He told me that this was my punishment for disobeying his orders.

   " You useless omega."

   " Weak."

   " Burden."

   " Mutt."

   " No one will ever love someone like you."

   " NO!" I cried, shooting up on my bed. I was drenched in sweat as my body shook like a leaf, tears streaming down my face," N-No...not again...n-no..." I pulled my knees to my chest, hugging them as I sobbed.

   I wanted the memories to go away.

   I wanted the nightmares to stop.

   I wanted to be happy and carefree.

   But his memory haunted me...could I ever be happy with someone?

   " Noah...?" James slowly rose up on the floor, rubbing his tired eyelids before looking back at me. His eye widen once he noticed my state," Noah! What's wrong? Are you alright?"

   " J-James...?" I slowly removed my face from my knees," S-Sorry...I d-didn't mean to wake you." I turned my head away, trying to wipe away my tears, but they kept falling.

   " What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did you have another nightmare?" He asked, his face filled with concern. He sat in front of me, placing both of his hands on the side of my face as he calmly wiped away my tears," You can tell me love...I'm here for you." 

   " D-Do you love me..?" I blurt out, looking straight into James' eyes.

   " Of course I-"

   " I mean...really. If I wasn't your mate, and we were just a normal couple, would you love...me..?" I ask, averting my gaze from his in fear.

  " Noah..darling," his right hand creases down my cheek lovingly," I would love you even if we weren't mates. I love you." 

   I smile as tears run down my face," Y-You mean it?" I ask as James nods in response, leaning down at and capturing my lips with his. 

   A smirk spreads across his face," Does that answer your question?" I smile up at James and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into another kiss,"...I'll take that as a yes."

   I laugh, my hand slightly covering my mouth to make sure I'm not too loud. I move over a bit on my bed to allow more room for James to sit. He adjusts his self on my pillows before reaching over at me, pulling and placing me right in between his legs with his arms secured around my waist, making there was no way to escape," Noah...I know you're not comfortable talking about your past but..." James trails off, unsure of how I will react to his question as he rubs his head comfortingly against my own, calming me down," Tell me about your nightmare."

   I shake my head shamefully, feeling salty tears make their way down my face," I-I can't..." I choke out, my breathing coming out in short gasps," Y-You'll hate m-me..."

   " Noah, love, I won't hate you. Calm down." James calmly says in my ear as I quietly sob; I wasn't ready. I couldn't tell him. I could tell James a little about my alpha, maybe even my parents, but I couldn't tell him about Jacob. I'm afraid. Afraid of how he'll see me." Noah, please. You can't keep shutting me out. I won't let you suffer alone anymore...please..." he begged, dropping his head on the crook of my neck, causing my body to freeze up.

   " Tell him." My wolf stated firmly," Tell him about Jacob, our alpha, everything. He deserves to know."

   " I c-can't-"

   " No. You refuse to. You can't bottle up all your pain anymore, not with James around." He says," So just...tell him. Don't you see how much he cares for you?"

   I turn my head to the side, seeing my mate still the same spot as he was before. I tried my best to relax in his grip, but James still held onto me tightly, as if afraid he'll lose me," Alright...I'll tell him..."  I let out a shaky sigh," J-James...?"

   He raises his head off my shoulder," Yes love?"

   " I-I..." I look down at my lap, trying to form a single sentence," I-I want...I-I want..." I could feel my body begin to shake.

   " Shhh....it's okay love, take deep breaths," James states, kissing my neck tenderly to help calm my nerves. I inhale a deep breath before releasing it, leaning back on James' chest," It's fine if you don't want to tell me. I'll understand."

   " I-I want to...I have too..." I mumbled the last part. I took another deep breath before continuing," The nightmare...it was about...m-my ex-boyfriend."

   I could feel his grip tighten around me," B-But before I could tell you about the nightmare, I need to explain how we ended up together...." I felt myself grow more nervous but continued," Y-You see...I was only 15 when I met Jacob, while he was 18. H-He said...he said I was his mate."

   " He said that to you?" James questioned, his voice dangerously low. I try to speak, but there was a lump in my throat, so all I could do was nod," That bastard..."

   I nuzzled my head into his chest and neck, the same calming gesture I had done to Adam. James let out a sigh, nuzzling his head into my hair to help calm himself down," You can continue love." 

   I nodded, adjusting my position against James to where I'm cradled in his arms, my face pressed against his chest," Since I was so young, I decided to...a-accept him as my mate..."

   " He didn't mark you, right?" James quickly asked, worry swimming in his eyes.

   I shook my head," I wanted to wait until I was 18 so I could be able to feel the same way he did for me. T-There was some close calls in the past...but it never got far..." I reply, tracing circles on James chest subconsciously," Either way, we were together for...two? Maybe one and half years...a-and umm...we broke up."

   " Why? What happened?" James pestered as I remained silent," You can't shut me out yet. You still haven't told me what your nightmare was about."

   " Fine fine..." I say, adjusting my position a bit," S-So one day I got a text from Jacob saying he was sick and he didn't want me going over to his house. But I didn't listen and decided to surprise him. B-But when I-I got there..." I tried to hold back my tears, but they began to fall before I could stop them.

   " Shhh...you're fine Noah, I'm right here. You can tell me." James cooed," You can do this."

   I nodded, trying my best to wipe my tears away," W-When I got there, I-I found him....I-I found him making out with a s-she-wolf." I cupped my hands over my mouth to muffle my sobs; it was hard to relive my past memories, but telling someone about them was just as painful. James kissed my tears away, whispering sweet nothings into my ear to calm me down once more. He asked if there was any more, and I only nodded in response. I took a deep breath before continuing," W-When I confronted him about this...h-he hit me. I-I-I tried to stand up f-for myself, b-but he kept kicking a-and kicking, saying a-awful things to me a-as I laid on t-the floor bloody a-and bruised."

   I dug my face into James' chest, muffling my sobs as I clung to his t-shirt. James grip on me tightened," He did that to you?" I could hardly recognize his voice by how low it was," That sick bastard. Tricking you into thinking he was your mate, then beating you? When I get my hands on him..."

   " N-No..!" I cried, sitting up to where I was face to face with him," Y-You can't...h-he skipped town after we broke up. N-No one has seen him since."

   James sighed, dropping his head back against my wall," Are you seriously forgiving him? He beat you! You can't possibly be protecting him!?" James protest, tightly holding me against him.

   " I-It's not that..! I-I..." tears began to fall down my cheeks," I-I just don't want to i-involve you in my past..." 

   " Noah...I'm your mate," he leans down and presses his lips onto mine gently before pulling away with a loving look in his chocolate brown eyes as he wiped away the remaining tears on my face," Like you said, being your mate makes me involved in any of your problems, past, present, and future."

   A laugh escapes me, a small smile now upon my lips with a light blush covering my face as I stare up at James," How dare you use my words against me..." I grumble, looking at him with the same loving look. James smiles down at me before capturing my lips with his again, his hands roaming through my hair as mine remained placed on his chest.

   His tongue began to poke through my lips, licking the bottom of my mouth for entrance. I smirked and denied him, just to tease James more. In return he bites my bottom lip gently, causing me to gasp in response. He takes this opportunity to stick his tongue in my mouth, exploring every inch of it. 

   I moan into James' mouth as his hands roam my body, finding their way under my shirt. We pull away for air, leaning on each other's foreheads as we gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. My hands reached up and cupped James' face, tracing my fingers down his cheeks, memorizing every detail of his face like it's the first time I'm seeing it, or the last," I love you..." I say, a dazed look upon my face.

   James smiles before capturing my lips once more, giving me a gentle kiss. He slowly lowered me down on my bed, pressing me down on my sheets as his lips trailed down my jawline. My hands were now tangled in his brown hair, moaning as James lowered his head more, biting and sucking on my skin. James slipped his hands underneath my shirt once more, slowly pulling my shirt up and off me as his kissed my collarbones," J-James, wait." he stopped, hovering over my body with a worried look.

   " What's wrong?" James asked, concern written all over his face.

   " I-I..." I subconsciously cover my bare chest," I-I don't want you to see them..."

   " See what?" He gently uncovered my arms, now having a full view of my scarred body. Tears leaked from my eyes as I turned my gaze away from his; he was going to hate me. I'm ruined, tainted, damaged," Don't cry love...You are beautiful."

   " L-Look at me James," I say, gesturing towards my scars," I-I'm the complete opposite of beautiful...h-how can you love...this?!"

   I covered my face with my hands, letting quiet sobs escape me," Y-You can't...y-you just can't...I-I'm damaged..."

   A growl rumbled in James' chest before he ripped my hands off my face," Don't you ever say that about yourself." He scolds, an angered expression upon his face while his eyes held so many emotions. I stared at James with teary eyes, shocked. His expression softened as a sigh escapes him," Noah...you are beautiful in my eyes. Your scars just show how strong you are to me...." He leaned down my towards my bare chest -with my hands still in his grasp- and placed a gentle kiss on one of my many scars.

   " J-James..." I protested, struggling weakly to get out of his grip. But my efforts were futile. James began to place a kiss on every scar on my body, leaving a fiery sensation on my skin," J-James please-"

   James placed his lips on top of mine, silencing me. He freed my hands from his grip and cupped my face with them, rubbing soothing circles with his thumbs as he continued to kiss me in a loving manner. My hands slowly reached up and wrapped themselves around James' neck, pulling him closer to me," Let me love you, Noah..." James breathed as we pulled away, his lips ghosting my skin.

   " I-I will..." I respond, pulling James head away to stare him directly in the eyes," B-But I'm not ready..."

   James closes his eyes, exhaling long breath that had been held in. For a moment I started to worry, but he then began to nod," I understand love," James say, opening his eyes and smiling down at me," I'll wait till you're ready."

   I smile up at James and pull him down, kissing him one last time," Thank you." I reply, my hands trailing from his neck to his shoulders, holding them there as I stared up at James with a slight smile dancing upon my lips," Let's get some sleep aye?"

   He nodded and got off me, allowing me to lay back under the covers. James gets off the bed, about to lay back down on the floor before I catch his wrist," This time, you sleep on the bed." James smiles back at me before laying down next to me, covering himself up," Better than the floor?"

   James chuckles and nods his head, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest," Better than the floor." He replies, kissing the top of my head," Goodnight love."

   I place my head against his chest, the sound of James' heartbeat soothing me," Goodnight...James..." I say before quickly falling asleep in James' arms.