Chapter 12: Eleven

Tobias

It was a few days later when Gill was finally released from the hospital, and since it was the weekend already, we decided to have the 'slumber party' at Holly's house, or rather, her parent's house since Holly lived at the pack house. Ivan had packed a bag for Gill and brought it to the hospital so we could leave right from there. I had offered for him to stay with my parents, but he declined, saying he would be busy at the shop so he would probably sleep on the couch in his office. Gill wasn't too happy about that and they bickered for about ten minutes before Gill gave up, realizing he would probably do a better job convincing a jar of mayonnaise than his father.

"OH MY GOD IT'S A PUPPY! TOBY LOOK A PUPPY!" I chuckled as he pressed his face against the window of my truck, cooing at the dog.

"You are too cute, I swear." He blushed and stuck his tongue out at me. I just took his hand, laced our fingers together, and kissed his knuckles.

"You know, I'm surprised I didn't realize you liked me before. You're constantly kissing my hand, or my cheek, or wherever and calling me cute."

"Yeah, I was kinda obvious about it, but then again, so were you." His eyes widened.

"What? I was super secretive. You had no idea I liked you until I told you at the hospital." I shook my head, laughing.

"Is that why you blush all the time?" He grumbled, and as if on cue, his cheeks turned a bright pink.

"Just drive, meanie-head." He pouted.

I had already linked the entire pack and told them to not shift anywhere near Holly's house. There were, however, two patrol wolves nearby since Holly's house was close to the border of the pack lands. They were well hidden among the trees, though. So no human would know they were there. I knew there would be a few warriors walking around in human form as well since we now knew there were hunters in the area. Even so, this was the safest place for Gill, other than the pack house, but since he still didn't know about us, that wasn't an option.

We reached Holly's shortly. I parked in the driveway and got out of the truck, going around to get Gill. I opened his door and he jumped into my arms, wrapping his legs around my waist. I laughed and held him with one hand on his butt while I grabbed his bag. I slipped it over my shoulder and then held him with both hands, shutting the door with my hip. He giggled and played with my hair.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'm just happy." I smiled at that and my wolf purred. I leaned and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.

"That makes me very happy." He smiled back and rubbed his nose against mine.

"Come on, lovebirds. Get your asses in here so I can kick them at Mario Kart!" Ajax yelled from the front door.  I just rolled my eyes and carried Gill into the house. Holly was already stuffing her face with popcorn.

"Gilly!" She shouted when she saw us.

"Hey, I'm here too yunnow." I said, feigning annoyance.

"Yeah, but he's cuter." I chuckled and nodded.

"I agree." He slid down my body and landed on the floor, shuffling toward Holly and sitting beside her.

"WAIT HE'S HERE I NEED TO SEE HIM!" I heard a voice from the kitchen. Jax's mate, Kayla came rushing in, a wide smile on her face. She sat beside Gill on the couch and they began chatting while I followed Jax into the kitchen.

"Did your dad tell you about the hunters they found?" I frowned and shook my head.

"No, he didn't. Do don't think he still wants to take my title, do you? Even though I found my mate? I mean, why else wouldn't he tell me." He shrugged.

"I don't know. But apparently there were a few of them setting up camp by the lake. He called the surrounding packs and they said they caught a few heading this way too. Do you know what they're after?" I looked hesitantly over at Gill who was giggling at something one of the girls said.

"I think they're after Gill. I mean, if they take the mate of the future alpha, our pack will get weaker. I don't know how they knew he was my mate. You and Holly were the only ones who knew when that one hurt Gill."

"I don't know, but I already told Holly and Kayla that if we have to run, they will have to keep an eye on him." I nodded and groaned.

"I fucking hate hunters. They call us the beasts, when they're the ones going around and hurting innocent people. Gill did nothing. And he's human for God's sake." Jax bit his lip and coughed. "What?"

"What if they were hired by another pack? That would explain why they would want to weaken us and go after a human. As for them knowing your mate, there might be someone spying on him. I think he definitely should stay on pack lands while we get this figured out." I nodded and agreed.

"What should we tell his dad? Do you think he would really let Gill, his only son, stay with me, a boy he just met, for however long? I mean, it could take months to get rid of them all. You know how they work. It's never just a few of them. They come in swarms. That camp that was found is probably one of dozens." And of course, as if on cue, I felt someone try to reach me through the pack link.

"Hunters near the east border. At least four. Just spotted them, but they don't see me yet. Waiting for backup before I attack."  It was one of the patrol wolves near the house.

"Shit!" I growled and headed toward Gill on the couch. I put a calm look on my face so I wouldn't scare him.  "Hey, love. Jax and I are gonna run and get food. We'll be back soon, okay?" He nodded and stood to pull me into a hug.

"Drive carefully," he said as he pulled away. "And nothing with pickles. I'm allergic to cucumbers, remember?"

"Of course, love." I kissed him softly before heading out the door, Jax right behind me.

We waited until we reached the trees before stripping and shifting. We expertly sprinted through the woods, dodging stray branches, logs, or anything in the way. We slowed when we grew closer to the border and I saw Noah, the wolf who had linked us. He jerked his head toward a nearby clearing where we saw a small group of hunters, dressed in similar clothing to the one who hurt Gill, except their faces weren't covered. It looked like they were tracking pawprints.

"Okay, I'll take the two on the left, Jax, you take the right. Noah, scout the area and make sure there aren't more."  They both nodded their heads. I crouched low to the ground and crawled along the edge of the clearing, making sure I was hidden among the trees.

"On my count." I stated, getting ready to pounce. "One...two...THREE!"  Jax and I jumped into the clearing, making the hunters jump. One of the two I was fighting pulled a gun from his holster and aimed it at me. I quickly jerked my body to the side, missing a bullet. I wasted no time leaping onto the one with the gun. I easily gained control over his flailing limbs and quickly ripped out his throat with my teeth. I spun around just in time as the other one tried to stab my side with a dagger, I had no doubt was made of silver. Wounds normally healed completely within minutes, but with silver, it took hours, if it did heal. The silver acted like poison when it touched the blood of a werewolf. We could touch silver with our bare hands, or paws, as much as we wanted, but if it entered our body, it could kill us.

I clamped down on the arm that was holding the dagger, making him drop it instantly. I shook my head while biting down harder, ignoring the screams of agony coming from him. I could feel his flesh tearing and I gave his arm one more tug before it ripped clean off of him. I took the opportunity of him being in shock to crush his throat, killing him instantly. I looked up just in time to see Jax kill his last hunter.

"This area is clear. No hunters in this location." Noah said through the link. I nodded at him as he entered the clearing. I shifted back and stretched my muscles. I cringed at the horrible taste of blood in my mouth.

"You good, Jax?" He shifted and nodded at me.

"Now let's get to the lake and get cleaned up." I nodded and said goodbye to Noah, who was still in wolf form. He just barked and hurried away, back to the border to patrol. When Jax and I reached the water, we instantly jumped in and scrubbed ourselves clean of blood and dirt. There was a small shed by the lake filled with hygiene products, specifically for this reason, to clean up from a fight. Jax got out of the water and headed to the shed. He soon tossed me a bottle of body wash and grabbed one for himself as well. We quickly washed up and I found a couple tooth brushes and some toothpaste in the shed, so we brushed our teeth and shifted back into wolf form to sprint back toward Holly's house.

"Hunters are dealt with. I'm gonna go get food so it doesn't seem weird." Jax linked to both Holly and I. He shifted back and pulled on the clothes he had left before. He gave me a wave and jogged to the front of the house. I stretched and stepped forward toward my clothes before I felt something sharp snap against my leg. I yelped loudly in pain and glared at my foot. A bear trap. Thankfully, it wasn't made of silver.

Gill

I stepped away from the two girls arguing over who was hotter, Thor or Captain America. I opened the slider door in the back of the house and stepped into the large backyard. It was pretty typical, a large patio, a grill, a picnic table, and a small pool in the grass. The kind that comes in a box and you fill yourself. The only thing that was slightly unusual, however, was the fact that it was surrounded by tall trees, seeming to never end. I suddenly heard a loud yelp and I jumped to my feet. I hesitantly walked over to the trees. I heard some whining and staggered steps before a huge silver wolf stepped out from behind a tree. The thing was massive, its head reaching my chest. I almost screamed, but then I heard it whimper again. That was when I noticed the large bear trap attached to its right leg, dripping with blood.

"Oh, no! You poor thing!" I stepped closer to it with my hands up so he knew I wouldn't hurt him, though he didn't seem cautious at all. In fact, he hobbled closer and plopped at my feet. I smiled and sat on the ground beside him. Wait... "Hey, I know you! You're the wolf I saw in my house! You saved me! I knew it wasn't a dream!" He nuzzled his big head into my lap and I ran my fingers through his fur. "You're a really pretty wolf." As if he understood what I was saying, he gave me a big grin and licked my cheek before whimpering again.  "Here, let me see if I can get this off of you." The wolf lifted his paw into my lap carefully.  "You're pretty smart, yunnow that?" Another large grin. I studied the trap carefully before spotting a small latch at the side. I played with it, careful not to hurt the wolf, and watched as it snapped open, freeing his leg. The gashes were deep, and pouring with blood. I ripped part of my shirt at the bottom and wrapped it around his leg like a bandage. "There! Good as new!" He yipped happily and licked my face again. I continued to run my fingers through his fur.  "Next time try to avoid the traps, alright?" I could've sworn I saw him roll his eyes.

"Gill!" I heard Holly call.

"I gotta go. You take care of yourself. Visit me sometime!" The wolf stood, and I did as well. I was about to leave, but I felt his nose nudge my side. I turned back to him and he nuzzled his face into my chest. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug. I kissed his head softly before pulling away. I hurried back to the house.

"There you are! Where did you go? And why are your hands covered in blood? And what happened to your shirt?" She sounded panicked.

"There was this huge silver wolf and he got his leg trapped in a bear trap. I took it off him and bandaged him up using a piece of my shirt." She eyed me curiously. "Okay, fine. But get back inside, there might be more around here."

"He was nice though! He kept licking and nuzzling me." She rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't mean they're all like that." I was about to reply, but Jax's booming voice interrupted me.

"I COME WITH GIFTS. IN THE FORM OF TACO BELL!" I followed Holly back into the house and jumped into Tobias' open arms. He chuckled and kissed my head. He looked down and frowned at my bloody hands, which ruined his tee shirt.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I ruined your shirt... I should go wash up."

"What happened? Are you hurt?" I shook my head and told him about the wolf. He nodded along and led me down the hall to the bathroom. I quickly scrubbed the blood off of my hands. When I turned, I saw that Tobias had removed his shirt and my face instantly went red.

"You should probably take yours off too. It's ripped and covered in blood as well." My face grew darker as I hesitantly pulled my shirt over my head, trying my best to hide my body. Tobias was tan and muscular and completely drool worthy, while I was pasty white, covered in freckles, and the size of a toothpick.  "Hey, don't hide. You're beautiful." His arms wrapped around my waist and he pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder. He kissed up my neck, nipping at my skin lightly. I could feel my face getting warmer and my breath growing heavier. When he reached the spot where my neck and shoulder met, he bit down gently and I whimpered in pleasure. He pulled away and I was about to apologize for the embarrassing noises I was making, but couldn't as he smashed his mouth onto mine. His lips moved rapidly against mine, and I somehow managed to keep up. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and I moaned into his mouth. He took the opportunity to let his tongue invade and rub against mine. He had me whining and whimpering as he gripped me tighter before lifting me and setting me onto the sink. My hands pressed against his hard chest and I was about to pull him closer when I heard a throat clearing from the door. I shrieked and jumped off the counter, hiding behind Tobias.

"You might want to hurry before Jax eats all your food. And put shirts on." Holly said, rolling her eyes. "Nice hickey, Gill!" She laughed, staring at my neck as I peeked around Tobias. I jumped back and looked at the mirror, blushing when I saw the dark red mark left on my skin.

"I think it looks sexy on you." Tobias whispered, lightly nipping at the mark from behind. I shoved him back and shuffled out the door. I quickly found my bag and tug a new shirt over my head. Tobias remained shirtless, probably trying to tease me. Kayla tossed me a taco when I entered the kitchen and I eagerly opened the wrapper and took a big bite.  I sat next to Tobias and he set a large cup in front of me. I took a sip and was pleased to discover that it was Mountain Dew Baja Blast. That stuff was like crack and I was addicted.

"This sucks. I'm a third wheel." Holly pouted, glaring at all of us.

"More like a fifth wheel, actually." Jax commented, receiving a face full of lettuce.

"I'm sure you'll find someone soon. They're out there somewhere." Tobias offered a supportive smile. She sighed.

"I know, but being lonely sucks. Especially when all of your friends are totally in love." I blushed and took another bite of my taco to hide my smile. "At least you guys are adorable." She said to Toby and I. "Those two are just irritating." She glared at Jax and Kayla, who were rubbing noses.

"Why don't we go out and find you a man?" Kayla wiggled her eyebrows and nudged Holly in the shoulder.

"Because I wanna just hang out in my pajamas and cry at romcoms with my besties." And after dinner, we did exactly that. Well, it was mainly Holly and I doing the crying. I was falling apart into Tobias' arms while Holly embraced her pillow as if it were the man of her dreams.

Tobias

Holding Gill while he slept was honestly the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. He fit so perfectly in my arms and he was somehow even more beautiful while his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks.

"When do you think you're gonna tell him?" Holly asked from her spot on the couch. We were the only two awake.

"I don't know. I want to, so bad. I'm just worried he'll be afraid, yunnow?" She rolled her eyes.

"Seriously? He's seen you as a wolf twice, one of which he was hugging you and all that cute shit. The other when you literally saved his life. Plus, you two were literally handpicked for each other by the Goddess. Nothing can keep the two of you apart, not even the fact that you can sprout fur and howl at the moon."

"You know we don't actually do that."

"Not my point, Toby. Tell him when you're ready, but I know he'll love you no matter what." I smiled and looked down at my sleeping beauty.

"I've known him for a week and honestly, I can't live without him. He's just... God I love him so much. He makes me feel like I could be something I never imagined I could be. I told him about my aunt and uncle, you know." I looked back at her and saw that she was gaping at me, eyes wide open.

"What all did you say?"

"Everything. Minus the way they died, of course. That will come when I tell him about wolves. But yeah, I told him everything. How they got me to love music so much and how I stopped once they died."

"What did he say?"

"He thinks I should start playing again, and that I should sign up for a music class next semester." She smiled widely at me.

"Honestly, Toby? I've known you since we were still pooping in diapers and drinking nasty shit from our moms' tits, and other than seeing you with Gill, there is only one other time I have ever seen you so happy. And that was when you were playing." I nodded and looked back to Gill.

"Honestly, I think I can do anything if he's by my side." I kissed the top of his head lightly.

"Have you asked him out yet?"

"Yes, I asked him on a date while he was in the hospital."

"No, I mean like ask him to be your boyfriend." I frowned and looked back up at her.

"I thought he would already be my boyfriend if we're going on a date..." She rolled her eyes.

"Boys are so stupid... No, you need to ask him. Like officially. Do something adorable and cheesy that will probably make him cry. It will be physically impossible for him to say no."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"A couple. Don't you think he should know about you first though?" I sighed and nodded. Starting a relationship with secrets was never a good idea.

"You're right. How about we do all of it tomorrow? I'll take him on the most amazing date ever, then take him to the lake and tell him, then I can show him the pack house and ask him to be my boyfriend." She squealed and clapped her hands.

"I've always wished you or Jax were gay! It's just so FUCKING CUTE!" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. We're adorable. Now shut up, it's late and we should get some sleep. I have a big day tomorrow." She quieted down her giggling and nodded.

"Okay. Goodnight, loverboy. See you in the morning!" I mumbled a goodnight before tightening my hold on Gill and nuzzling closer to him, falling asleep to the sound of his soft snores.