Picture of Dylan O'Brien as Sam to the side.
Alpha Tyler Evans P.O.V.
I often find it sad that we can't see things through each other's eyes. We all agree on a feeling that a beautiful sunset gives us, but we don't truly know what that feeling is like for every person. We all agree on a feeling a certain song gives us, but we don't truly know what the lyrics mean to one another. We all agree on a feeling called love, but it's so magically unexplainable and different for each person, that no one will truly understand what it's like.
Loving Carter is, well, easy. There's never been a moment where I questioned falling in love with her. It's almost as if each day I gradually began to fall for her more and more. I look at her and I see my heart. I hold her and I have my whole world in my arms. I'm with her and suddenly I'm home.
I've thought about these things a lot lately, wanting desperately to know what my girl is feeling. She doesn't speak her emotions or wear them on her face, but, if you pay attention, you can see them in her eyes.
Lately, the words 'I love you' will come out of my mouth and I'll see a struggle in her eyes. She's fighting something, wanting to reply with something, but never does.
Before this whole Sam business came around, I'm positive that she was almost going to say it back. I could see the word form on her lips, but she didn't get the chance to voice it.
I'd never push her or hint for her to say it back. I'd never beg for her to reply or ask her how she truly felt. With everything that she's been through, I'm letting her go at her own pace - one step at a time. I thought that as long as she knew how I felt, as long as I told her that I loved her, that it would be alright.
It's just that recently... Not getting a response has killed me.
I know that she cares and with the way we've been progressing, she might say it back soon, it just sucks for the moment because I've heard her say that she loves that pup multiple times with the short time he's been here.
"He's the reason we're away from her right now."Benjamin growls.
"Calm down, we'll be back home soon."I tell him.
"This doesn't feel right."
I ignore his last comment, I know she's safe at home. Plus, I'd rather she not see her ex best friend be interrogated today. Sam refuses to speak a word to anyone until he gets to speak to my girl.
No mother fucking way will I let that happen. I've seen Sam get angry a couple times over the past few weeks. Some of my men tried to go in and ask him questions on which group of rogues he came from, when he was denied the ability to see Carter, he went rogue. His eyes turned red and he nearly shifted right then and there. If it weren't for the fact he was chained down with wolfsbane enlaced silver chains, they would've been torn to shreds.
There's no way in hell I would let my baby go in that room.
After arriving to the pack house and traveling down into the basement where our interrogation rooms are housed, I find Landon sitting on a tall stool outside of one of the rooms with one way glass. He's looking intensely at Sam as Aleks gives him medication and checks him over to make sure he's alright.
I've seen some of the other packs' interrogation rooms. They're barbaric. People are chained to stone walls in rusty old cells and are beaten to death until they confess whatever information they were holding.
We don't work like that. Just because we're half animal, doesn't mean we have to act like one all the time. Some Alphas have the audacity to actually wonder why humans hunt them... I think the answer is rather obvious. It may have to do with the fact that their men are being tortured constantly by supernatural beings that have an extreme advantage over the average human.
Or maybe that's just me.
"Has he said anything?"I ask Landon as I sit down next to him.
"Just the usual."He shrugs before mimicking the pup's voice, "I won't talk until I get to speak with Car."
"She's not going anywhere near him."I reply quickly.
"Ty, this is going to go on forever."He sighs. "Just let Carter talk some sense into him, that girl of yours has proven to be able to put up more of a fight than you let her."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I will never argue with you when you say that Carter is strong. I've basically watched her grow up and I've seen the pain that she held over her head every day. She's happy here, she's happy with you, but..."Landon scratches the back of his neck and looks down at the floor.
"But what?"I ask him impatiently, not exactly seeing where he's getting at.
"Whenever the chance has come up for Carter to prove her strength, to stand up for herself, to show you how really strong see can be... You shelter her. You hide her away from any situation where she could possibly do something for herself."He finishes.
"So it's wrong for me to protect the most important thing in my life?"I snap. "It's wrong for me to care about her more than I've cared about anyone in my entire life, it's wrong to keep the one I care about most away from harm. It's wrong for me to keep my mate safe from anything that could possibly hurt her because I'm terrified of seeing her lying unconscious in a hospital bed again?"
"Ty, I know how you feel-"
"You don't know how I fucking feel, Landon."I stand angrily. "You have a mate, a mate that loves you and has never come anywhere near death. Carter and Lee are too completely and utterly different people from two completely and utterly different situations. There's no way in hell you know how I feel. I'm terrified to leave her alone in our house because there are knives in the kitchen and I can't always hide them from her. I'm terrified to leave her alone for more than a day because I'm worried that she won't eat anything and become more sick than she already is. I'm terrified to ask her questions about her past because any word that I might say could act as a trigger for her. I'm terrified every time she takes a shower with music on because of what happened the first day we met. I'm terrified of losing the most important person in my life to suicide.
"So just imagine how I might feel when we're forced in situations that put her in harms way even more than she already is every single day..."I clear my throat. "I can't lose her, I've already come so close to losing her so many times in such a short time frame..."
"I'm sorry, Tyler."Landon apologizes in a quiet voice.
"I'm going to go get the pup's paper work."I say quickly. "There might be something in there that we missed when we looked it over the first time."
♡♡♡
After a few hours of silently looking over the pup's paperwork and three attempts at questioning him, we decide to take a break. I check my phone to make sure that I didn't miss any messages from Carter, but there was none.
"Has he said anything yet?"My mom sets down coffee on the table in front of Landon and I.
"Just the same thing over and over again."I answer her. "He wants to speak with Carter."
"Maybe you should let him."She replies. "The two of them have been through a lot together, Ty."
"I'm not going to put her through something like this."I quickly say. "I'm not going to make her interrogate her childhood best friend for serious crimes."
"Can I put this in perspective for you?"She asks, not waiting for a reply before continuing. "The last time the two of them saw each other, a handful of dead pack members were discovered. The kid might have gotten into some trouble, but I can't see him being involved in what we have going on - not with Carter by his side for so many years."
"But-"
"No buts, think about it. I'd suggest you do it quickly, preferably before dinner."She looks over at Landon. "Make sure you come over as well, don't forget your mate. Make sure Aleks comes as well, he's probably my favorite out of all of you. Oh, and I'd like Sam to come over, too."
"No one can really argue with Jennifer, Tyler."Landon smirks over at me.
They both had a point, but it was only 1:00 and I have no intention of forcing this situation to the extreme yet. There might be one other person that could convince him to talk.
After my mother left and Landon and I were left alone, I decided to go into the interrogation room myself.
"It's been a whole nine days since you've come to visit me, Mr. Alpha."The pup smirks with a smug look on his face. "Are you finally letting your mate off her leash and allowing her to do something for herself for once?"
"I don't think that's a very reasonable statement, Mr. Waters."I give him loosely cross my arms over my chest. "You don't know-"
"What? I don't know Carter the way you do, because that's not only an unreasonable statement, but also a load of bullshit."He quickly replies. "I've know her for ten years and you've know her since... August? I think I've got you beat there."
"I wasn't going to argue that."I shake my head. "I was going to say that you don't know what happens around here."
"As I've been told..."The pup rolls his eyes. "What are you trying to get at here, Mr. Alpha?"
"If you don't trust me about Carter's well being, you might trust the woman who raised her."I say, referring to her older sister.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again-"Sam begins his sentence but is soon interrupted.
"You won't talk with anyone except for me."Carter's small frame stood in the doorway. Her normal timid body language is replaced by confidence as she walks in the room.
I look back and see the pup smirking happily at the sight of her. The way his eyes trail up and down her body cause my wolf's anger to surface.
"Ty, can I speak with you for second?"She asks softly.
"Hi, Car."Sam smugly waves at her, only for her to roll her eyes in return before leaving the room and reply dryly, "Not now."
I follow my mate out and to a private room. She turns around and crosses her arms over her chest.
"What happened to no more lies?"Carter asks me quietly.
"Carter..."
"I'm not a child, Tyler. I can take care of myself, I can my my own choices. You can't control every tiny little thing that I do."She raises her voice slightly.
"I just wanted to protect you-"
"Protect me? From what?"I can tell she's getting angry, that she's upset.
"Carter, he could be involved in serious crimes. Especially since he was seen with the group of rogues that attacked the pack, that could've attacked you."I reply, referring to when Aiden and a small group of pack members were murdered, Carter being a whiteness that spoke with the leader, Nia. "I didn't want you to be potentially involved in putting your childhood best friend in jail-"
"We both know that's not the only reason."She runs a hand through her hair, speaking softly and sighing deeply. "What can I do to convince you that I would never leave you?"
Tell me that you love me.
"Baby, it's not you I don't trust."I reply. "It's him. I've seen him lose control over these past few weeks. I don't want him to hurt you. Not to mention the fact that he has deep feelings for you that won't just suddenly disappear. Carter you're beautiful and kind, smart and gentle. It's not hard to figure out why he feels so strongly."
"That doesn't matter."Carter shakes her head. "Tyler, I..."
She pauses and takes a deep breath. A sudden feeling of hope waves over me, but is soon demolished to a certain extent.
"Tyler, I feel strongly about you. You're my best friend. I'll only ever want to spend the rest of my life with you."She takes my large hand in her small ones. "I'm going to talk to him, he'll give up information after that, and then you and I would go home, our home, and continue on with our lives just like we've done this whole time."
"If I even see him think about trying something, I'm pulling you out of there."I wrap my arms around her waist. "And if I even see you shift uncomfortably once-"
"You're pulling me out of there."She finishes for me, standing on her tip toes to kiss my cheek. "You wouldn't be my alpha if you didn't threaten anything that comes near me."
I smile down at her, smoothing down her hair and pressing my lips to the top of her head. "You're my everything."
Carter takes a shaky breath before looking up at me with her big green eyes. "You're mine."She says quietly.
She smiles at me and I smile back. I press my lips against hers, but the kiss is short lived because she pulls back.
"I have to go."She says.
"You don't have to-"
"Tyler."She gives me a look and I chuckle at her, trying to act as if I was only joking. The idea of her going in that room makes me sick.
"I'll just be outside the door..."I reply. "...while having a heart attack."
"You're a drama queen."She laughs before leaving the room.
♡♡♡
I watch Carter sit down in the chair across from Sam. Her small frame is slightly tense, I can tell she knows that we're watching her. She's also slightly uncomfortable, Sam's eyes are all over her.
"Are you okay?"The pup asks her. "He didn't do anything to you, did he-"
"What are you talking about?"Carter cuts him off. "I've said this hundreds of times since you've gotten here. Tyler would never do anything to hurt me."
"Car, you don't know these type of guys like I do. They're controlling and possessive and all they do is tie you down and hold you back from experiencing your life."He argues. "Cake, you've never had the chance to be free. You've always had someone trying to tell you what to do and how to live your life. This is your chance. It's five little words, I reject you Tyler Evans-"
"No, Sam."Carter says quickly, glancing towards the glass, knowing that I'm there. "I'd never reject Tyler. He's the reason that I'm sitting in front of you right now. He's the most important person in my life and I'm not going to give that up."
They both go quiet for a while. I tried to go and get my girl out of there but Landon prevented me from doing so. All of a sudden, Sam speaks again.
"Do you remember the first time I said that I loved you? It was at my dad and brother's funeral. We were sitting on the bench looking at the pond. You were crying and I held you and told you that I loved you and you said it back."He says. "That's was a hard year for both of us. Your dad died a few months later."
"Stop."Carter says quietly, I looked at her to confirm that the story was true. Tears were in her eyes from the fact that he brought up her father. "Stop remembering things. You're just bringing things up to piss Ty off so you can attempt to get me to hate him. Sammy, you were my best friend, my only friend, but things are different now. You're not the same kid and I'm not the same broken girl you tried to fix-"
"Car-"
"I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, Sammy, but you have to tell them what the hell is going on. This isn't just Tyler's pack anymore, it's mine, too. Do you know how hard it was to see that members from my pack were murdered by people you were rumored to be seen with? It was like losing a part of my family and we all know I don't have much of them left."Carter talks somewhat quickly, as if trying to get all the words out of her head before she subconsciously convinces herself to stop. "You got to talk to me, now you have to talk to them. That was the deal."
She stands and Sam flinches.
"Don't go."He pleads. "Please don't go, Cake. I can't lose you, too."
"I'll see you later."She replies quietly before attempting to leave the room.
"Do you love him?"He calls after her, but she only stops for a moment before continuing on her way out the door.
Sam stands, violently pulling at the chains that are restraining him. He screams and yells for her to come back, but she doesn't.
She soon comes around the corner and over to us, looking horrified. I immediately approach her take her hands in mine.
"I'm sorry. You know I would never reject you. Tyler, I-"She whispers as she speaks and pauses for a moment. Her eyes meet mine and I see the struggle again. "I care about you too much to ever even think about leaving you."
This is the first time anyone has brought up rejection, in a serious manner I mean. I've been told that the first time someone seriously brings up rejection to a pair of newly found mates, it's scary for both halves.
"I know, baby girl."I kiss the top of her head to calm her down. Anxiety is rolling off of her in waves and all I want to do is make sure that she's okay. I cup her face with my hands and look her in the eye. "It's okay. Are you okay?"
Carter nods and I kiss her nose. I knew I shouldn't have let her go inside that room.
"Let's go home."I tell her softly. Landon looks at me for information as we walk past him, "We'll leave interrogations for tomorrow."
He just nods silently. He's been through this before and knows his place.
Carter wraps her arm around my torso and I wrap one around her shoulders. "I'd never reject you."
"Baby, I know you wouldn't."I smooth down her hair. "I love you and I don't question how you feel about me either."
"I care about you so much, Ty."She says quietly, leaning into me. "You're the most important person in my life."
"You're mine, too."I kiss the top of her head. "I love you."
She looks up at me and presses her lips to mine, but doesn't say anything. Her silence is killing me, but I can't force her to say anything. I love her too much.
♡♡♡
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Also, thanks for all the birthday wishes on Tuesday. Most the people in my real life forgot so it was really nice to have c:
I hope you guys have all had a nice break so far and had some nice family time.
Also, FUCK YOU FINALS
I literally wanted to cry the entire beginning of the week. I'm so happy that they're over with. I'm trying to enjoy break but all I can think about is having to go back to hell in a few weeks.
Anyways...
I hope you guys enjoyed and comment your favorite part here ♡
Much love,
♡Aly