===Tala's Point of View===
"Tala! Don't fall asleep on me now!" Tyler complains and I jolt upright from my previously slouched position on her bed.
"I'm awake." I reply, but I can feel the heaviness of my eyes every time I blink.
"Barely." She rolls her eyes and pops another piece of popcorn into her mouth.
"In my defense, it's almost one in the morning and I've had a really long day." She juts out her bottom lip and moves her bowl from her lap to the ground beside her.
"But this is the best part." She whines and this time I roll my eyes.
"You say that about every part in any movie we watch."
"I do not!" She defends, placing a hand over her heart and mustering up her most innocent and offended expression. I give her a look and she holds up her thumb and forefinger. "Okay, maybe I do that a little."
"No kidding." I mutter and she lightly hits me on the shoulder. I forgot she's a wolf so I can't get away with anything anymore.
"You're mean Tala." I lean back against my pillow and stare at the screen.
The two of us decided to camp out on the floor to have a mega movie marathon. That was almost seven hours ago. We each have a fuzzy blanket, popcorn, a few pillows scattered about the floor, and the lights are off to ensure a maximum movie experience. Ty lent me a pair of PJ's to sleep in since what I was wearing would have been uncomfortable and in my rush I forgot pajamas.
So far tonight, we've watched Letters to Juliet, Transformers, Brides Maids, and now we're in the middle of Thor. Chris Hemsworth, a.k.a. Thor, just walked out of the bathroom without a shirt on. I'm not really complaining because this guys got abs.
"Day-um, that boy is fine!" She has her eyes glues to the screen, watching as his muscles bulge slightly as he puts on a shirt.
"Amen." I answer, grabbing a second pillow and laying down with my head propped up on the two, soft squares.
I fight to keep my eyes open, but I'm tired and it doesn't last very long. Tyler hits me, on the face, with one of her pillows. It's wasn't a soft little tap either.
I sit up and shoot her and annoyed look. She pretends not to notice and keeps her attention focused on the screen.
"I can't take it anymore. I'm going to sleep. You can watch your movie, but when Thor almost dies, you're not allowed to cry." I keep my voice sounding as stern as possible and she reluctantly nods her head.
"Fine, but you're not allowed to snore." I scoff and stand up, grabbing my things needed to sleep.
"I do not snore, and even if I did, it's not something I can control." She waves a hand dismissively in my direction.
"Whatever. Now go to sleep." Gee, first she wouldn't let me and now she's all but carrying me to the bed. Same old Tyler though.
I trudge to her bed and throw myself and my things onto the mattress. My eyes automatically shut and I think about how lucky I am that all flights entering and leaving Montana were grounded for bad weather. This means I can sleep without worrying about a surprise visitor in the middle of the night. That would probably freak Tyler's parents out a little bit.
"Wake up sleeping beauty!" I groan and throw my arm over my face to block the sunlight hitting my face. "Oh no you don't." Seconds later, someone jumps onto the bed and bounces around so I can't fall back into the black oblivion, also known as sleep.
"Tyler, go away." She laughs a little too loudly and starts shaking me.
"It's already nine and we have lots to do today." I groan and pry my eyes open, squinting against the morning light.
"When you keep me up until the early hours of the morning, you're supposed to let me sleep." Tyler throws her head back and laughs again. I narrow my eyes specifically at her now and watch her closely. Something seems off about her this morning.
"You're funny, but seriously, you need to get up and move." She jumps hastily off the bed once she notices I'll get up and trips on her own two feet. Realization hits me and I sit up, crossing my arms over my chest.
"You stayed up all night, didn't you?" She nods, the movement slightly jerky.
"Yup."
"And you probably drank all the coffee in the house, correct?"
"Bingo!" She shouts and literally runs out of her room. I hear her downstairs for a few minutes before her not-so-quiet self comes racing back to her room. She thrusts a mug with, what a surprise, coffee in it at me. I peer over the rim to see the black drink, no milk or sugar added. "Drink up! I scheduled a day of pampering for us."
"Isn't it a school day." She covers my lips with one finger and I allow my eyes to widen at her strange behavior. She never ceases to surprise me.
"Shhh! I was due for a day off anyways. Hailey will be fine for today." I roll my eyes and hop out of bed, setting the drink down on the bedside table.
"Let me get ready and we can do whatever."
"Yay!" She cheers before collapsing onto the spot I previously vacated. Soft snores reach my ears in less than five seconds and I chuckle.
She fell asleep on me which means she won't be up for another... eight hours if I had to guess. How do I know? This isn't our first sleepover or all-nighter to finish a product. It's good to know she hasn't changed at all.
I grab a change of clothes from my bag and exit the room to head towards the bathroom down the hall. Ty doesn't have her own bathroom, but it only bothers her when her brothers use up all the hot water and they do it on purpose just to bug her most of the time.
I only take about fifteen minutes to shower and get dressed. Tyler's makeup is in one of the bathroom drawers, but she doesn't care if I use it. If I would happen to ask for permission at this moment, she'd most likely throw something at me in her sleep.
So, I apply some green eye liner and mascara to my eyes before grabbing her foundation to cover up the dark bags under my eyes. Even though I got a good amount of sleep, it was restless. I kept tossing and turning and I couldn't find a comfortable position.
Finishing my light makeup, I change into my outfit and exit the bathroom. Turning out of the door, I bump into someone hard enough to make me stumble back a few steps. Their hands shoot out to steady me and I Iook up to see another familiar face.
"Chris!" I throw myself into the arms of Tyler's oldest brother and hug him.
"Hey! It's Shrimp!" He ruffles my wet hair and pulls away to hold me at arms length. "I haven't seen you in forever!" I laugh.
"It hasn't been that long." His blue eyes seem to sparkle and I take a small step back. "What are you th-" He suddenly darts forward and throws me over his shoulder. "Hey!"
"Can't get away from me now!" He exclaims, running down the stairs and with each step, my chin hits his back.
"Chris!" I whine, but there's a huge smile on my face.
He finally reaches his destination and sets me on my feet. The tile under my feet are cool and I'm now looking at the family's kitchen.
"So..." He drags out the word and I narrow my eyes at his behavior.
"Spit it out." He shoots me cheeky smile and brushes his brown hair from his eyes.
"You love me right?" I nod, getting an idea of where this is going. "And you know how I can't cook right?"
"You want breakfast." I state and he nods eagerly.
"You make the best food!" I shake my head in amusement and walk to the refrigerator.
"How do omelette's sound?" He fist pumps the air and takes a seat at the table.
"Amazing!" I laugh and grab the eggs and other ingredients I need.
Chris is twenty two and is home from studying to be a lawyer right now. He has the same brown hair as the rest of their family, but has pretty blue eyes which set him apart from most of his family. The only other person that has the same color eyes is his mom. Anyways, he's around six foot two and has a lean build, most likely from being a wolf.
Throughout breakfast, he keeps me smiling and joking around. I'd flip one of many omelets and he'd make a joke about someone or something I would know about. In the end, I make six egg, cheese, ham and bacon omelets.
Chris immediately takes three of them and I grab the others before he can. He eyes my plate of food, but I move to the other end of the table so he can't reach me. His face drops in disappointment at the distance I made and I laugh.
"Couldn't risk you eating my food."
"I was just looking." He replies, sounding almost innocent. I shake my head and take a bite of my eggs.
"There's nothing innocent about you." He snorts.
"You still have your dirty mind." I shoot him a look.
"You take things how you want. I don't have the dirtiest mind of the two of us and you know it." He shrugs and waves his fork in my direction.
"Yeah whatever."
We eat the rest of breakfast in silence, other than Tyler's loud snores from upstairs. The funny thing is, Ty only snores when she's exhausted. My assumption about her not getting up anytime soon is correct. My friend needs her sleep.
I turn my attention out the kitchen window to see dark clouds forming. Having lived here for most of my life, I know a storm is coming, but I have a feeling it's going to be a bad one. That sucks too because I wanted to go to the beach.
"I have a few things to do before it rains. Will you be okay by yourself?" Chris asks, standing up to put his plate in the sink.
"I'm good. If I really need something, I'll drag your sister out of bed." He laughs and rabs his keys from a hook on the wall.
"Good luck with that. If you need me, you have my number and I should be back in a couple hours."
"Have fun." I call after him as he walks from the room. I hear his short reply and then the sound of the front door being opened and shut.
One hour, thirty minutes, two snacks, five cans of hot chocolate, and a Castle DVD, I am thoroughly entertained.
It started raining about ten minutes ago and the large drops beat loudly against the windows. I have to turn up the volume on the TV to hear it clearly, seeing as the weather is as bad, if not worse, than I thought it'd be.
I settle myself back into their couch, a blanket spread over the lower half of my body. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I turn it on and wait for the many messages to load.
Forty two. Thiat's how many texts and calls I've gotten in the last twelve hours. Without even reading any of them, I go through and delete everything. The majority are from my mom and my brother. This surprises me.
Bo is my mate and he told me he loved me, but there aren't any texts from him. I don't know whether to feel happy or disappointed at this fact.
I jump when the house phone rings and I hop to my feet to get it before it goes to voice mail.
"Hello?"
"Tala?"
"Yeah." I answer, hearing Chris's voice on the other end.
"Listen, the rain is bad enough that I can't see more than a foot in front of me so I'm at a friend's house until it stops."
"That's a good idea."
"I thought so too." I switch the phone from one ear to the other and prop it on my shoulder.
"Well, I have a marathon running and you have your friend. I will see you after the storm." He chuckles.
"You're too eager to get rid of me."
"It's Castle!" I exclaim and this time he laughs obnoxiously loud.
"Wow, you and that show! Okay! I'll hang up now, but you better not eat from my stash!" I press the button to end the call without responding and hang the phone back up.
"Alright, now if I was Chris's stash of food, where would I put it?" I ponder the question for a few moments before going into the kitchen and opening up the pantry. On the highest shelf, there's an assortment of chocolate and snacks with Chris's name on it. If it was me, I wouldn't put everything where others could easily get them.
I shake my head slowly and reach up to grab a bag of Hershey kisses.
"His stupidity is in my favor." I tear open the new bag and unwrap a kiss to pop it into my mouth. The chocolate melt in my mouth and I groan. "I'm in freaking heaven right now!" Give me chocolate and everything in the world is perfect... at least for the being.
I ample back into the living room with my new snack just as my phone rings again. I jump over the back of the couch and grab it from where it was sitting on the coffee table.
The ring tone alone should have given away, but I was a little distracted with my candy to really hear it. Looking at the flashing screen, I debate with myself whether of not to actually answer. Hesitantly, I raise the device to my ear and press the button to answer it.
"Thank god you answered! Tala, I'm so sorry! Tell me where you are and I'll be there to explain everything!" I don't say anything, but the fact that I forgave my brother and he lies to me puts a hole in the trust I had for him. I thought he'd have more respect for me to tell me the truth. He of all people should know I hate liars more than anything.
I hang up without answering and put it back on the table. I don't turn it off in case someone else calls and it's important.
Great... now my good mood is ruined.
I sit down on the couch and draw my knees to my chest. Sighing loudly, I look up to the ceiling.
"You must really hate me to put me through this." I mutter to the god or goddess, whoever Is in charge up in that direction.
"Talking to yourself? I thought you'd gotten over that." I turn around to see Tyler leaning against the doorway to the living room. She has a small smirk on her face, but it doesn't reach her tired eyes.
"You shouldn't be talking. I thought you'd grow out of watching movies all night and passing out in the morning before we reached high school." She waves her hand in my direction.
"Blah." She takes a running jump to get over the couch in a similar fashion I had done to land next to me. "Now spill."
"About what?" I furrow my eyebrows at her, playing dumb.
"Cut the act. I know that was Barron and you look like you want to cry." Now that she pointed it out, I feel the drops start to fall from my eyes, but I think they're more like tears of frustration than anything else.
"I hate that you can read me so well." I mutter before wiping the trail of salty tears running down my cheeks.
"It's in the job description." She jokes with a small smile, but it gets bigger when she notices the kisses. "He told you about the stash didn't he?" I nod and she laughs. "I always tell him not to tell people because then they'll go looking for it. I presume it didn't take long for you to find them?" I shake my head and manage a chuckle.
"He's really stupid sometimes."
"All the time."
"I don't have to live with him." I remark and she nods.
"Yeah and stop changing the subject." I pout as she tries to get us back on track. "What's bothering you."
"I'm starting to feel like I'm the bad guy here." She furrows her eyebrows in confusion.
"I'm not following." I sigh and lean back on the couch. Outside, lightning flashes shortly followed by grumbling thunder. So much for a sunny day.
"You don't think I overreacted do you?" Her eyes turn hard and she turns her shoulders to fully face me.
"I think you reacted as anyone would have." She pauses as a flash lights up the room and then more thunder. The storm is coming fast.
"Really?" She nods.
"Yes, now let it out." I roll my eyes.
"I think I'm okay. I've done enough crying already." She juts out her lower lip and I smirk. "What? Were you hoping to become doctor Phil for the afternoon?"
"Possibly, but as long as you're okay." I nod.
"I'm fine." Lie. Inside I feel like World War III is brewing. My mind says I'm right. My heart screams I'm wrong. I don't know which one to follow and it's starting to give me a headache.
I shake my head to stop the train of thought right here.
"So you finally woke up did you?" She chooses this moment to yawn and scratch the back of her knotted hair. I know... attractive.
"Nah, I came to check how you're doing." She stands up and cracks her back. "Off to bed again. Morning." She says before heading back to her "cave".
"Freak!" I call after her, feeling a laugh bubbling up in my throat.
"Bitch!" She replies instantly which brings a genuine smile to my face.
I turn my full attention back to my marathon and grab for Chris's candy. Setting it in my lap, I munch on my kisses and immerse myself in the world of Castle.
Not long after, the rain starts pouring and it echoes throughout the house in a steady rhythm. Thunder and lightning talk to each other in the dark sky, which only adds to the creepiness of the murder mystery show I'm still watching nearly two hours after Tyler went back to sleep.
"I lov-" The TV makes a weird popping sound in the middle of Castle's confession before going black. I stare blankly at the screen before losing it.
"No! That was the best part!" It turns into a whine just as the rest of the house loses power, leaving me in darkness. "Well this is just peachy!"
Pushing off from the comfortable couch, I pop my last Hershey kiss into my mouth and head for the kitchen. I throw away all of my trash and start searching for some candles and some matches. Too bad for me that things have been rearranged since I was here last so I have no idea where anything is.
After fifteen minutes of checking every cabinet, drawer and closet, I finally find what I'm looking for in the downstairs bathroom. I grab a bunch of candles and set them up around the living room and the kitchen. Lighting match after match, the rooms soon become bathed in a pale glow of the candle light.
I smile at my handy work and put away what I can.
Without power, anything that involves electricity is out. I didn't bring any books I feel like reading at the moment and Ty isn't really a reader. I obviously can't play a game by myself, unless it's solitaire, but I don't see that happening. I could-
A loud, frantic knock reaches my ears from the front door and I quickly peer out the window to see it raining cats and dogs. Frowning at the thought of anyone out in this type of weather, I hurry to the door and open the locks.
Without looking through the peephole, I open the door to the visitor. I immediately meet the purple eyes of the last person I expected to see.
Bo's thick, black hair is drenched and sticking to his face and neck. He's wearing a pair of basketball shorts and only the pair of shorts. I have to force my eyes to stay locked with his seeing as his nicely toned stomach is on display.
All of his exposed skin is pink from his body being hit with the cold rain water and I flick my eyes briefly to his feet to see he isn't wearing shoes. In the short time, I see they're slightly scratched up from running barefoot
He lifts his hand to brush a wet strand of hair off of his forehead. This breaks me out of my frozen state and I start to close the door. It's too soon. I can't talk to him yet.
"Wait." He grabs the door in his hand and forces it open, more than the first time.
"What do you want Bo?" I ask, sounding tired all of a sudden. As much as I want to throw myself into his arms, I won't.
"I want the chance to talk." He takes a step towards me, but I mirror his movement in the opposite direction. His eyes flash with hurt, making me feel momentarily guilty before remembering we're in this situation because of him.
"I'm not ready to talk."
"Then listen." He forces his way into the house and shuts the door, leaving the two of us inside. My eyes adjust quickly to the dim light and I see him hesitate before reaching for me. I pull away when he grasps my hand, but he grips it tighter the second time he gets a hold of it. It doesn't hurt, but the contact between us is making it difficult for me to think.
"Bo." He silences me with his free hand against my mouth.
"No. I need to talk first before you say anything." Determination burns in his eyes and he slowly retracts his hand from my face. The muscles in his chest contract with the movement and I allow my eyes a moment to take in his muscled form.
He doesn't say anything yet, but leads me down the hall until he finds the living room. He literally sits me on the couch and kneels in front of me. His purple eyes are burning in the pale light, and the candle light is illuminating parts of his face. I try to keep my breathing steady, but my heart's rapid tempo gives away my nerves.
"I wasn't home when your court case was taking place. I knew to a point that we were getting a new member to the pack, but that was all I was told. I had no idea that it's be such an amazing girl that changed my life from the first moment I saw her." He never one looks away from my eyes.
"James told me on the first day what he had done to get you here. I wasn't proud of what he did, but I was glad he did it. I may never have found you if the court put you with your dad. Yes, I am ashamed to think like this, but most of me doesn't care. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy. You could be in my arms or simply holding my hand as we are now." I realize this is true and, almost reluctantly, pull my hand from his grasp. He sighs.
"I just don't understand why you pull away. I promise I'll never leave you or hurt you intentionally." A drop of water drips down the side of his face until it finally drips off his jaw. "What I said at the airport wasn't a lie." Butterflies erupt in my stomach, much to my pleasure and opposition to it. "I love you and nothing will ever change my mind."
"Before you came into my life, I was still emotionally mourning for the family I couldn't save. Then I did meet you and I fell in love with your stubborn ways, your cheesy jokes, and your beautiful smile." My breathing starts to pick up, much to my embarrassment. "I love the sound of your laugh and I even love that you hate mornings. It make you who you are."
"Bo..." He quickly shushes me.
"I'm not finished yet." I press my quivering lips together and he continues. "I don't blame you for being upset, but it isn't with me. I would have told you if you asked me, no matter what my alpha had ordered, but you never did. James didn't want you as mad as he figured you'd be so close after shifting. Our emotions are dangerous when not taught how to control them. So be mad at him, be fucking angry at the world, but I hate that you're upset with me." His eyes soften to show the hurt he feels.
"I love you. I'll say it every day until you believe me, but I love you." He leans forward so our noses are almost touching.
Inside me, my wolf is practically throwing a party and is pushing me to forgive him and jump his bones. I'm not exaggerating either. The only thing she thinks about is mating, but I don't think I'm ready for that. No, I'm not a virgin, but this is for life and forever. It's different.
He must see the indecision in my eyes and sits back on his heels. He releases a large breath of air and slowly stands back to his feet. Lightning strikes, leaving my mate in complete shadow before his features appear once again.
"I'm staying with your brother at your house. When you're ready to talk, I'll listen." He quickly bends over to brush a kiss over my forehead before striding from the room. I see the sadness in his eyes before he's able to hide it.
Guilt and panic builds up inside me as I watch his retreating figure until he's out of sight. I imagine him pausing at the front door before leaving the way he came in.
"Am I doing the right thing?" I ask myself out loud, slowly letting my feet sink to the floor. Inside, my wolf is crying. I don't blame her because I feel the same way.
Why am I so stupid?
He's trying to fix things between us, but I had pretty much refused to talk to him. He admitted his undying love for me and I just stared at him.
"Well don't just sit there." I jump and spin around to see Tyler looking at me expectantly. "Go after him."
In a split second, I jump up and sprint to the door. Throwing it open, I take off at a run, knowing she'll shut the door behind me.
The gravel presses into my bare feet, but I barely feel it. The rain soaks me to the bone in seconds, but I don't care. All that matters is the man I love. He doesn't know it, but I love him too.
Guessing the route to get back to my house, I try to catch up to him. A few turns later, a figure becomes visible through the thick sheet of falling water. My heartbeat picks up even more, and I push myself to go faster.
"Bo!" I scream and he stops, turning around. He opens his arms in time to catch me. Our wet bodies press together, sharing the body heat the rain is sucking from us at the same time.
"What are you doing?" He sets me lightly on my feet before framing my face with both of his hands, oblivious to the fact that we're standing in a puddle.
"Something I should have done a long time ago." I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his face down to meet mine.
Our lips collide in a fiery passion and his hands move to pull me closer to him. My eyes involuntarily shut at the amazing sensations wracking my body with the single kiss. Flush against one another, I feel the taught muscles in his stomach as he presses his hands into my lower back to bring me impossibly closer.
He nips my bottom lip with his teeth before sucking it into his mouth. I moan at the strange feelings and he then thrusts his tongue into my mouth. My hands tangle themselves in his shaggy hair and I give a small tug. He growls softly, the rumbling traveling straight into my body.
His hands slowly travel lower until he's able to grasp my thighs. He swiftly picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist.
Upon noticing my burning lungs, I pull back to take in some much needed air. Bo doesn't stop though. His lips never leave my skin as he kisses across my jaw and down my neck. My head falls to the side and he latches onto a section of skin over my pulse.
He releases my skin to move back up to my face. We connect at the lips once again, and I feel my back being pressed against something flat.
I open my eyes to see his face less than an inch from my own. Drops of water are dripping the sides of his face and off the tip of his nose. His skin is flushed pink and his eyes are sparkling brighter than I've ever seen it before.
"Do you really?" I cock my head to the side in question. "You keep mumbling that you love me." Oh. I didn't realize I'd said anything, but I also didn't know he'd carried me all the way back to my house while our lips were locked.
"It took me long enough to realize it." I joke and he silences the rest of my words with another kiss. Pushing him away, I unwrap my legs from around him and place them back on the cold ground.
"No." He pulls me back to him and I see his eyes turn a darker shade of purple. "No more pulling away from me." His last word is accompanied by a growl. I feel my own eyes change color from want. I roughly grab his head and pull him in for another kiss. He lets me have most of the control and I feel a small smile on his lips.
"I'm not running anymore. I was just going to suggest we go inside." I purr and trail a hand down his chest.
Quicker than I can blink, he has me scooped up in his arms and is running through my house. He finds my bedroom easily and tosses me onto the bed, wet clothes and all. I prop myself up on my elbows and watch as he locks my door and turns back to me. His eyes are now completely black.
"Do you really love me?" He asks, slowly approaching my bed. I brush a piece of wet hair behind my ear.
"Yes." He stops right next to the bed as a flash of lightning illuminates the sky as well as his beautiful features.
Feeling my wolf's emotions start to take over, my hands find their way to the hem of my shirt. His eyes follow my every movement with a raw hunger burning in their depths.
He jumps onto the bed and straddles my legs. Keeping the majority of his weight off of me, he leans in and placese his mouth next to my ear.
"I've been waiting to do this since the first day I met you." He murmurs these words before crashing his lips to mine once again.
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Hola! It's been a little while, but my computer has been acting up. But it's all good now!
Sooooooo...... Did anyone expect this to end the way it does :)
I bet not!!!!!
So I'm thinking we're getting close to the end of the book! Idk how many more chapters exactly, but I'm seeing the end coming soon :(
But let's not think about this right now. Tala and Bo are together now! They love each other! AWWWWWWW!!! <3 <3 <3
Until the next chapter :D
Kristen <3