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EXCUSE THE MANY ERRORS
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~~~Tyler's POV~~~
"Does it hurt?"
"Seriously, Bo?"
"Just answer the question!"
"Fine. It really hurts."
"Really?"
"Nah, I'm just kidding."
Bo glared at me. "That's not at all funny," he growled.
"I'm sorry," I said sweetly, "Forgive me?" Bo rolled his eyes, but I saw the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile. I gave him a quick peck on the lips, and turned to Rhett. "Is Fae done yet?"
"Nope," he replied, "She's still in her room."
"I'll go get her," I sighed and let go of Bo's hands. "I'll be right back, boys." I walked out of the front hall of the pack house and as soon as I was completely sure Bo couldn't see me, my hand flew up to my neck.
Yesterday, Bo had asked if he could claim me as his mate.
Of course, I'd said yes. We'd been making out at the time, and I know it sounds seriously gross, but the whole "claiming" process seemed strangely erotic. He's sucked on my skin, like he was giving me a hicky or something. Then, he bit me.
Yes, bit me.
It'd scared the crap out of me and I'd cried out, more out of surprise than actual pain. However, Bo was convinced that I was swimming in a chasm of pain or something, which wasn't true. I mean, sure it was a bit tender, but Fae had assured me that was perfectly natural.
Thankfully, the claim mark was mostly on the back of my neck, and the way I'd done my hair was done for formal made it virtually impossible to see.
I hurried up the stairs and down the hallway until I stood outside Fae's bedroom. I knocked on the door quietly, and heard Fae tell me I could come in. I found her standing in front of the full length mirror.
"Hey Fae," I said, coming to stand next to her. "You nervous about tonight?" She and Rhett had been nominated as formal King and Queen. Though she'd never mentioned it, I could tell Fae had been surprised about the nomination.
"Kinda," she replied sheepishly, and she turned to look at me. "You look gorgeous!"
"Thanks," I said with a smile. Since we'd lost our original dresses the night Dot had been killed, we'd bought new ones. The catch; they were both pink. Mine was a dark magenta that went down to my knees. It was a shiny fabric that flowed, and it was strapless with a pretty beading pattern on the bodice. "You do too; definitely "Queen" material."
"Thanks, Ty." Fae really did look like a queen. Her dress was a full-length pale pink number. There was beading under her chest, with a sort of overskirt of a see-through pink fabric. Fae had piled her fiery locks on top of her head, with a few curls hanging down near her ears. I could already imagine the crown resting on her head.
"Rhett looks pretty handsome in his tux," I drawled, "Pretty damn handsome..." my voice trailed off, and I nodded towards the door.
"Alright!" Fae laughed, "Alright, I'm going!" She slipped into a pair of silver sparkly stilettos, not too different in style as my black ones, and she looped her arm in mine. Before we walked into the front hall where the boys were waiting, I stopped and pulled Fae back.
"Wait here!" I whispered.
"What?" hissed Fae, but I was already walking into the front hall.
"Gentlemen," I said loudly, gaining both boys' attention. "I present your future formal queen, Fae!"
Fae stepped into the room, her face almost the same color as her hair. I watched in delight as Rhett's jaw dropped in awe. "You... you look stunning," he said, his voice trailing off.
"Thanks," she replied, pulling self-consciously at the fabric of her dress. I caught Rhett's eye and pointed to the orchid corsage on my wrist that Bo had given me. He nodded in understanding and grabbed a plastic box off of a nearby table.
"This is for you, babe," Rhett stated as he pulled out Fae's corsage. It was a white rose surrounded by pretty little white flowers I didn't know the name of, and they were tied together with a baby blue ribbon. Rhett slipped it onto Fae's wrist, and she pulled it closer to her face to study it.
I felt someone wrap their arms around me, and I leaned back into Bo's chest. I looked up into his dark eyes and sighed. Ever since Dot's death, they always looked tinged with sorrow, and tonight was no different.
It had been a couple weeks since her murder, but Bo and Stark were still suffering. Stark had shut himself away for a couple days, only seeing Bo occasionally and leaving all Alpha duties to Anton. Even now, he rarely came out of his office.
Bo had been absent from school for a week, and I decided it would be best if I didn't stay with him. He needed time to mourn, and I was afraid he wouldn't be able to properly with me around.
"Are you guys ready for some photos?"
I smiled as Anton walked in, accompanied by Rhett's mom and dad. Stark wasn't there, but I honestly wasn't surprised.
After having us pose over and over, the parents were finally satisfied with their pictures. Just as we were getting ready to pile into the limo waiting for us outside, Stark walked into the room, camera in hand. "You guys have patience for one more picture?" he asked, and he raised his camera and sent us a weak smile.
"Of course," answered Bo, and I could tell he was surprised. According to Bo a couple days ago, he didn't think his dad even knew about the formal.
Bo and I did the stereotypical "Prom" pose, boy's hands on girl's hips, and Stark took a couple before shutting off his camera.
"You look great, guys, you really do," he said, shoving the camera in his pocket.
"Thanks," I said, a huge grin spreading across my face. Bo nodded in agreement, and I could tell that he was ecstatic that his dad was feeling well enough to come out and take pictures.
"Guys, we gotta get going," said Fae, but I could tell that she didn't want to pull Bo away from Stark.
Bo hesitated, and Stark said, "Go on and have fun. I'll be here when you get back." Bo nodded, and after an awkward pause, he pulled his dad into a bear hug. When they released each other, I could see the tears in Stark's eyes, though he was trying hard to hide them.
"I'll see you later, dad," said Bo, and he grabbed my hand and together, we walked outside behind Rhett and Fae to the limo.
*
"It looks amazing!" Fae squealed, and as I gazed around the gymnasium, I couldn't agree more. The formal committee's decorations were awesome; balloon pillars lined the walkway of the entrance, and tables with pink and purple table settings surrounded the large square reserved for the dance floor. Streamers hung from the rafters of the gym, creating a sort of magical atmosphere.
As we'd walked into the gym, a photographer snapped quick pictures of us, and then we were bombarded with the laser lights and loud, fun music. Instead of claiming a table, Fae and I dragged the boys to the dance floor.
Bo twirled me around to some terrible Ke$ha song about getting wasted or something, and I couldn't help but dissolve into giggles as we danced. Fae was grinding against Rhett, her arms draped around his neck. This went on for who knows how long, but by the time Bo and I separated from the gyrating mass, I was dying of thirst.
"Can you get me a drink?" I asked Bo as I fanned myself with my hand.
"Sure," he said, "and requests?"
"A liquid would be nice," I replied, and he laughed.
"I'll be right back with a liquid, then." Bo disappeared into the group of guys surrounding the buffet table, and I settled into an empty chair. A few seconds later, the song changed from Nicki Minaj's Turn Me On to Elton John's Your Song. Couples paired off, and they swayed along to the beautiful song.
As I chipped at the black nail polish on my fingers nails, a hand interrupted my eyesight. I looked up to see the hand extended belonged to Patrick. "May I have this dance?" he asked. I glanced over towards Bo, who was standing in line for punch and talking with Fletcher. Patrick sensed my hesitation and sighed. "I promise I'm not gonna do anything bad, Ty."
"Okay," I said, giving in, "One dance." I slipped my hand in Patrick's and he led me out to the dance floor where I placed my hands on his shoulders, and he placed his just above my hips, giving me enough comfort room which I appreciated.
I wasn't nervous about dancing with Patrick. In fact, I missed having him as a friend. No, I was more worried about Bo finding us together and possibly starting a fight or something.
Patrick seemed to read my mind. "Tyler, chill," he said, "I asked Bo if it was alright before I asked you to dance with me."
"And he said yes?" I asked, surprised.
"After much convincing, yes." Patrick looked down for a moment before speaking again. "I wanted to apologize for the way I acted. Bo's your mate, and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for giving him a chance. I guess I just missed Jane so much, and then you came along. I wasn't too keen on losing you."
"Oh," I replied. "I accept your apology, Patrick. I really hope we can still be friends because I kinda miss my favorite math tutor. Quadratic formulas are killing me."
"Well you're in luck, because I'm kinda missing my favorite math pupil." I laughed, and Patrick pulled me into a hug.
"May I cut in?" Patrick released me into the arm of Bo.
"Thanks man," said Patrick, nodding at Bo.
"You're welcome," replied Bo, and Patrick smiled at me before walking away through the crowd. Bo watched him go and then looked down at me. "You want to finish up this song and then go drink some punch?"
"Sure," I replied, and I wrapped my arms around Bo's neck as he pulled me close against his chest. I laid my head on his should and closed my eyes as we swayed to the crooning of Elton John.
"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you're in the world."
As the piano faded, Bo slipped my hand into his and led me off of the dance floor to a table. I collapsed into a chair next to him and gladly accepted the red plastic cup full off punch.
I watched as the faculty advisor of the formal committee tapped on the microphone on the stage, successfully getting everyone's attention. "How's everyone's night so far?" He asked, and a loud cheer from the mass of students was his positive response.
"Great!" He said happily. "As you all know, since you voted on the way in, we've got some nominations for formal king and queen." More shouts sounded through the gym, which he let die down before continuing. "Can I please ask all nominations to come up here please, and then we'll announce the winners."
A murmur went through the crowd as the nominees hurried to the stage, and I caught sight of Rhett and Fae as they stood in their respective nomination groups. I grasped Bo's hand and said, "They better win. I hope they're gonna win! If they don't win, there's no justice in the world!"
"Relax, Ty," said Bo with a laugh. "It's not all about winning."
I gave him a pointed look. "Bo, I'm a girl. It is all about winning."
Before Bo could reply, the advisor was back at the microphone. He introduced each nominee, and I only cheered when he announced both Rhett and Fae's name. "Now is the moment of truth," the man said, "Can I get a drum roll please?"
Being the dork that I am, I banged my fists against the table until he held up his hand, signaling for us to stop. "So, your king and queen are... Fae Compton and Rhett Miller!" I let out in involuntary scream and immediately shoved my face into Bo's side in embarrassment.
A minute later, I heard chairs scrape back and looked up to see Fae and Rhett settle down across the table from us, crowns perched on their heads. "Looking good, Fae," Bo commented, and Fae rolled her eyes. However, her whole expression read elation.
"So what now?" asked Rhett? "The dance ends in half an hour."
Fae and I exchanged a look. "Then we better get dancing!"
*
The pitch black sky was alive with twinkly stars. I snuggled deeper into Bo's sweatshirt and exhaled, watching the vapor of my breath dissipate.
After the dance, we'd gone out for ice cream at friendly's and then headed back to the pack house. Rhett and Fae went to watch a movie, whereas Bo and I had opted to just go to sleep, since we were both exhausted. Bo had passed out almost immediately, but after about an hour of lying awake, I crawled out of bed and climbed on the section of roof outside Bo's window.
As I lay there, I let my mind wander to the things I'd experienced since my rescue from the hunters. Now that I sat down and thought about all of it, I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. I'd transformed from an uneducated, weak werewolf to a strong, independent one.
I'd defeated numerous threats, ranging from the hunters to rogues, and even my own doubts. Sure, I'd made a ton of stupid, selfish mistakes, but I'd learned from them.
What did I learn, exactly?
I learned that while I might've been a rogue for over half my life, it's not who I am anymore. I'm a member of a pack, with wonderful friends and an amazing mate. Rogue life isn't for me, though I guess it was enough for my parents. Now, I had a family, and I wouldn't give that up for the world.
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THAT WAS THE LAST CHAPTER HOLY CRAP!!! Next comes the Epilogue, and then we're done! Wahhhhh! I know, I'm sad too.
But, because I love you, I've posted the prologue to my next story, Faerie Dust. No, It's not werewolf but I think It's gonna be pretty damn good.... but that's just me haha. Go check it out.
sorry about not uploading for a while, but my life has been hell the last few weeks. I shall post the epilogue soon, promise.
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