Counting Our Stars • Tyler Joseph •

Chapter 3

• Tyler •

A sweet scent filled the air around Tyler and it made his mouth water. Blood. And by the smell of it, it was nearby. His dark eyes flickered warily around as if he were waiting for something. A creature like him was lurking nearby as well, most likely scouting out the same prey he was. The creature was still a newborn by the faint human scent that still clung to him. A low growl came from behind him and the swishing of fur on the shrubs told Tyler that Liam was getting inpatient.

"Wait Liam. Not yet." He growled at the small gray wolf. They had a job to do and they had to be careful about how they approached the situation. Eager minds called for stupid mistakes.

"Tyler, the blood-sucker is distracted. We should attack him now." A whisper sounded beside him and he glanced at the younger teen girl, Lucy. She had only phased two months ago when she had turned sixteen just like everyone in their pack had done. Tyler gave her a warning glare and a brief flash of his exposed canines. "no." He growled menacingly before turning ti watch the newborn again. Just a few more moments and he would give the command.

Soon, to his surprise, a panicked cry for help sounded not too far away. "There's a human hurt!" Lucy cried in horror. A new scent filled his nose and a slender frame stood still, in frozen terror as she was unaware what she had stumbled upon. "Why is a human hanging around this side of town? Liam, Lucy, get rid of the vampire. I'll handle the human." tyler said, swiftly moving towards the girl.

The girl quickly turned towards him, a fearful look in her brown eyes. He forced her to look into his eyes as he forcefully compelled her to leave and forget everything she saw.

He always felt guilty for compelling fragile humans but sometimes it was necessary for accidental glimpses into a world they must remain unaware of.

• • •

Once he and the other wolves cleaned up the mess, the three headed home. "It's so weird to see you do that." lucy commented through their pack link. Tyler simply brushed it off. "It keeps us safe." He stated shortly as they ran through the thick undergrowth towards the pack house. It was nearly midnight by the time Tyler collapse onto his bed. He felt utterly exhausted but he knew he wouldn't sleep long. He hardly required many hours of sleep. The girl he had saved was on his mind anyway.

He couldn't figure out what was so intriguing about her.

The next morning, he headed for Ohio State. Yes, He was a senior in college. Supernatural creatures needed careers too. He was majoring in music education since he had a gift for playing instruments.

As he approached the door to the science lab, he caught a strong scent. He had learned to block out human scents over the years but this one hit him hard. Then he recognized it from the night before, the human girl he had rescued from getting ripped apart by a newborn vampire.

Of course Mr. Russo would pair him and the girl together. Being the polite gentleman that he was, he introduced himself.

Claire was her name. Such a beautiful name for a pitiful human.

Tyler sat far away from Claire, the pulsing beat of her heart and the steady stream of blood in her veins made him want to sink his teeth into her neck...No, that would be too much of an "accident" to clean up and explain to his father, who was the Alpha of their pack. He angrily tried his best to distract himself. His fingers gripped the edge of the tabletop, it was a miracle it didn't crumble in his hands. Images of Claire's blood in his mind kept taunting him.

"Tyler? Are you listening?" Claire's voice interrupted his graphic thoughts. His eyes traveled to her neck and then slowly up the curve of her jawline to her eyes. "Sorry, what were you saying?" He asked in a semi-bored tone to mask the pain he was in. His throat burned like fire.

"I asked if you are an only child or do you have any siblings?" Her question was a normal one considering they had to find some similarities between them.

"I have two younger brothers and a sister." Tyler replied, propping his elbow on the table to look at Claire more clearly. Her curly brown hair was pulled into a ponytail but a strand was loose and hanging in front of her eyes. "Do you have any siblings?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched her scribble some notes on a sheet of paper.

"I'm an only child." She answered simply.

"Is that lonely?" He asked curiously. She shook her head in response. A wave of fresh scent flowed into his direction and a fresh wave of venom flowed into his mouth, v causing him to grit his teeth in frustration. "Listen, I'm going to ask Russo to switch us." He said, trying his best to keep himself under control. Claire gave him a puzzled look. "But why?" She asked quietly. "It's better if you and I don't hang around each other." He admitted before he grabbed his bag and bolted for the door. He needed to get away and find some poor soul to quench his burning desire. He needed to distance himself from Claire or she would end up dead by sunset.