He Will Be Mine (New Horizon Book 1)

Reality Check: Tyler

When I wake up in the morning, I'm relieved to see that Aly is still snuggled up to me in the bed. I wouldn't have been surprised if she pulled one of her disappearing acts that always seem to happen whenever things get a little too personal and threaten the walls she puts up around herself. I'm grateful for all the time and attention she gives me, but I wish she would let me in more. I want her to see me as the serious contender for her heart that I feel like I am.

I don't get why she is still so stuck on Matt after all this time. He barely pays attention to her, and when he does, it seems to make him uncomfortable and get Jess all worked up. I am certain at this point that he is the other guy because of the way she laps up his scraps of affection like she is some sort of attention-starved puppy. She probably doesn't even know that I pay close enough attention to see how often her interest is fixed on him, even when he is ignoring her to be with Jess.

And last night, when she asked me to give him my sweatshirt, I hadn't even noticed that he had given his coat to Jess. She did, though. She noticed that right away because she was watching him instead of me. I'm not going to let him freeze while I have an extra sweatshirt, of course. But it still bothered me a little.

At least she stayed this time. She didn't want to talk about anything serious last night, and promised that we would talk about it today, which is why I am honestly shocked she is still here. She is wide awake and smiling at me when I wake up, and my heart soars to see her there looking at me like that.

I am also glad to see that she seems to be feeling a hundred percent better after she had another one of those pain attacks from whatever health condition she has that she won't tell me about. That scares the crap out of me every time, even though she seems completely unworried about it. I wish she would tell me why. I also wish I could somehow make it so that she doesn't have to suffer like that ever again.

None of that matters right this minute, though. Right this minute, I have my arms around this gorgeous woman who is giving me the sweetest, sexiest smile, and I can't fight the urge to kiss her. Or I should say try to.

She dodges my kiss, and it lands on her cheek instead.

"I have the worst after-drinking morning breath," she explains, her cheeks flushing.

"Don't care," I insist. If she thinks morning breath makes me want her less, she's crazy.

I grab her face to hold it in place and try again to plant a kiss on her lips, this time succeeding. Yeah, her breath is a little ripe, and so is mine probably, but it doesn't matter. I'm just happy she's here, and she's mine (sort of), and I love those lips.

She giggles and reaches up to play with my hair. I love the look in her eyes right now. Here, alone in my bedroom, she's all mine. Her attention is completely on me, and without Matt here to distract her, I can tell she is in this with me. She feels some of the same things I do. I can see it in her eyes and hear it in her sighs and feel it in the way her body conforms to mine as if we were custom-made for each other.

"Breakfast?" I ask her.

I know she understands I'm inviting her to the nearest campus dining hall for Sunday breakfast/brunch. We do this almost every week, unless she randomly disappears on me before I wake up, so I don't need to explain my request. I have no idea what time it is, but it doesn't matter because on Sundays, they serve the good stuff like pancakes and French toast until 1 p.m.

"Yes, please," she agrees happily, giving me a cheesy grin.

We roll out of bed and throw on only the bare minimum of necessary clothes, a shirt for me and pants for her. Then we shove our feet into the slippers we keep in my closet for this exact purpose, she throws her hair up into one of those delightfully messy rat-nest bun things, we toss on our coats on the way out the door, and we head out together to fill our bellies.

I love Sunday mornings with her because it feels so natural sitting together sharing a meal, her hanging out with my friends and me and fitting right in. I love the way she gives Theo flak when he deserves it (which is most of the time) and how she and Trevor get lost on these brainiac tangents that no one else understands. I do wish she would give herself more credit for how smart she is, though. She always shrugs it off and makes comments that lead me to believe she doesn't even realize that about herself. Makes me wonder what kinds of geniuses she grew up with that she thinks she's just some average Jane.

After we all get back from breakfast, Matt announces that he needs to study in the library and Meredith and Jessica take off shortly after him. I figure that Aly is going to head out soon, too, but she surprises me by telling me she is going to take another shower. Makes sense considering that she got distracted partway through showering last night and never really finished, although I figured she would just leave and shower back at her dorm. Guess she intends to stay awhile, though. Since Matt is gone, I might actually get some more quality time with her.

I decide not to disturb her shower this time and instead wait for her in my bed. I hope to be able to convince her to cuddle some more and possibly even talk to me like she said she would. Not going to lie, though, once she steps out of my bathroom in just a little towel, my mind starts to drift to some other things I would like to do with her.

She catches me ogling her and drooling over how sexy she looks and shoots me a knowing smirk. Then she bends down and rifles around in her bag, producing some fresh clothes for today. I tend to let her decide when it's sexy time. Sometimes I can't help myself and let my hands wander because I know that gets her revved up, but mostly I wait for her to come to me. I know she is still hung up on Matt, and I don't want to give her the impression that I have expectations just because we hang out so much.

Once she is dressed, she climbs up on the bed and crawls over to me. I have my arm behind my head and use my hand to prop me up just enough that I have a good view of her. Even though I don't get the sense that she has any explicit intentions for me, the way she has her eyes focused on me as she makes her way over to me still makes my breath catch and my heart skip beats.

"Hey, you," she greets me softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," I return, reaching for her to pull her closer to me.

She decides to turn her body away from me and back up into me so we can spoon. I position my arm under her head and drape the other over her hip, letting my thumb claim a belt loop on her jeans.

"I want to tell you something, but I'm scared," she says suddenly in that same quiet voice.

My heart starts pounding in anticipation. I'm excited that she finally wants to open up to me about something. I need to handle this carefully, so she doesn't change her mind.

"Don't be scared," I try to reassure her. "No matter what it is, I'll still be here. I care about you too much to be scared off by words."

I hear her exhale through her nose as though she is amused. "It's not the words that are the issue. It's what they mean. What I have to tell you .... I don't know if you'll believe me or think I'm crazy."

"Aly, I know you. Not as well as I want to, but I know enough about you to know that you're not crazy, and I promise I'll believe you. Please, just trust me."

She doesn't say anything at first. She plays with the fingers of my hand on her jeans, silently debating with herself.

"Can I take a guess about what you want to tell me?" I offer. I'm assuming she is trying to come clean about her attraction to Matt, and I hope it will make it easier if I put it out there that I already know.

She giggles softly, turning her face toward my arm behind her head as if to hide. "I don't think you would guess it in a million years, but sure. You can try."

"I think the other guy you like is Matt," I declare brazenly. Now that it's out there, I can't take it back.

I panic a little because she doesn't say anything to that right away. I feel her tense against me, which tells me I must be right, but now I'm wondering if that was not the confession she intended to make today. I hope I didn't just screw up in a major way.

"It is," she admits softly. "I would ask how you know that, but I'm going to guess it's just that I'm not as discreet about it as I thought."

"You aren't," I agree. "But I might not have noticed if not for overhearing Matt telling Trevor about 'a girl' he kissed at that first party we went to together. You were the only person I saw with him that night. That was the big clue that helped me put it all together."

"Oh wow. You've known for a while, then."

"Suspected, at first. What helped me know for sure is that you're not as discreet as you think you are," I repeat what she said with a chuckle. I want her to know I'm not mad about it. "It's not my business, but I would love to know how you guys even know each other. He said something to Trevor about this starting years ago but now the girl is back in his life. How did you meet?"

She exhales forcefully, then sighs, before finally explaining, "In order for that to make much sense, I need to tell you the other thing. The thing I think you might find crazy."

"Okay, I'm listening." Be still my heart. Now I'm the one who is scared.

"Ugh. Okay, so, you know how in the movies we watched the other night, they were mates? And you said you wish that were real?"

"Of course. Are you going to tell me Matt is your mate?" I can't help but laugh. I know she must be going somewhere else with this. I just want to make her laugh and help her nerves a little.

She sighs again. "Yes, actually that is exactly what I was building up to. I was going to say mates are real, and not only do vampires have them, but werewolves do as well."

I can feel her go somewhat limp in my arms, like she just gave up. On what, I don't know.

"Okay, so ... Matt is a werewolf?"

I'm trying to keep my voice steady, so she doesn't sense how confused I am. I promised I would believe her, but I didn't know that this was what she was going to try to convince me of. If werewolves were real, and if Matt were a werewolf, I would have seen some evidence of it by now. I've lived with the guy for a little over three years now.

"I knew you would find this completely crazy," she says defeatedly.

"I don't," I argue. I mean, it's not completely crazy. "I am kind of psyched that you're telling me werewolves are a real thing. I don't know how you know that and I don't, though. Like why haven't I seen this already?"

"We tend to keep to ourselves, so most humans have no idea. Most werewolves live in isolated areas and do what they can not to reveal themselves to people they can't trust. In the past, when humans found out about us, they'd try to hunt us, capture us, make spectacles of us and turn us into science experiments, all outcomes we aim to avoid. I'm only telling you because I do trust you and I'm tired of lying about it. I need you to understand."

Now it's my turn to get all quiet and hesitant. Did she just tell me that she's a werewolf too? First Matt, now her? Wait, am I just accepting that werewolves are real? Yeah, I think I am. Now that I think of it, what Aly says makes sense. We picked her up from a place that matches that description. Oh geez, and I called it a cult. I'm such a d**k.

"Will you please say something?" she pleads. I guess I have been quiet longer than I realized.

"Aly, I'm so sorry I called your werewolf thingy a cult," I finally find the words to tell her.

She laughs, and I can't help but join in.

"It's okay, Tyler," she reassures me. "The way I described it did sound exactly like that. It's not at all, though. Werewolves live in packs, and we take care of our own. So, yeah, we have a culture and beliefs a bit different from humans, and we live close together and support each other, but it's not a cult. I promise."

"So, Matt is part of your, uh, pack thing? Is that how you met?" It would make sense. I remember him telling us that his whole family used to meet up right around where she lives.

She laughs again, and I can't help but blush. I can't tell if she's laughing at me, or just releasing the pent-up nervous energy from before.

"I forgot to address that. No, Matt is not a werewolf. He's human. He is my mate, though. It's rare for werewolves to be paired with humans, but it does happen."

I'm trying so hard to not be confused by everything she is telling me, but it feels like the more she explains, the more lost I am. Well, I understand the pack thing. I'm glad it's not a cult. But I'm so confused about this thing with Matt.

"How can he be your mate and then go get engaged to someone else? That makes no sense."

She sighs. "I know. I hate that. It's just that ... So, you remember from the movie how there is this special attraction between mates, and once they meet, they start getting close and kind of attached to each other?"

"I do. That's the part that's so cool about it all. Imagine there being someone just for you who can't help falling for you." Realization sinks in, and my heart falls. I think I finally get it. "But I guess you don't have to imagine it, do you."

"Yeah," she agrees softly. "It is pretty much like that. There's what we call a mate bond between mates that will pull them together. For two werewolves, it's easy. They can sniff each other out and recognize that they're mates on sight, especially if they touch. When one mate is a human, though, it gets challenging and complicated. A human doesn't know about mates and the pull isn't as strong for them. Their senses are duller than a werewolf's, so they can't sniff out their mate's scent, either."

"So, you know you and Matt are mates, but he doesn't."

"Exactly. He knows there's something, though, but he's fighting it. Anyway, let me go back and answer your earlier question. How did I meet Matt? The short answer is I smelled him."

"You smelled him?" That makes me laugh. If only Matt knew about all this, I would have to use that against him. He's so stinky Aly sniffed her way into his life.

"I did. Five years ago, when he was riding in the back of a car driving by my pack's territory. The window was open, and I got smacked in the face with his scent and immediately knew I had found my mate. Werewolves have good noses, but the only scent that will hit one like that is the scent of their mate. As soon as I smelled it, I took off running, trying to catch the car before it drove away. I failed, but apparently Matt saw me. He developed 'a crush' in his words, but really it was the pull of the mate bond. Even as a human, he felt drawn to me on sight. So, we didn't really know each other before you guys broke down and needed me to give you a ride, but we both recognized each other from that incident a few years ago."

"And since you guys didn't really meet, he moved on with his life and met someone else," I finish for her as the dots connect in my mind.

"Exactly. That was a giant slap in the face to discover that tidbit mere minutes after I was so elated to see that my mate had finally come back to me."

"I bet," I say.

I want to say more, but I don't know how to phrase it. I have so many questions. I guess I'll start with the one that might break me in two depending on what she says.

"So, what are you really doing here, Aly?" I ask her softly, dreading her response. "If Matt is your mate, I'm assuming he has something to do with it."

"He does. I'm going to come completely clean here, Tyler, and I hope you can forgive the little lies I have had to tell you here and there. I can't tell people what I am until I know it won't put me and my pack in danger. I had to lie. There was no way around it. And all this stuff with Matt only makes sense if you know what I am."

"I get that, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I was ready for the truth when we first met. I might have been, though. Hard to say. I've always been kind of into the supernatural, so, I'm not like scared of it, or anything. I can't help feeling like this is a little surreal, though, like maybe it's just a dream and when I wake up, it all goes away, and it's just another boring day in a world of only humans."

She giggles at that, and that makes me smile. I know when she leaves my head is going to be spinning and it's going to take me some time to process this all, but right now I'm glad she is relaxing and opening up to me. I'm also praying she doesn't break my heart into a thousand pieces when I find out this whole thing with me isn't what I think it is.

"Okay, so when you guys showed up, I saw an opening to get close to Matt and I took it," she continues to explain. "You were probably wondering about that, so I might as well just come out and say it. Yes, I wanted to go camping with you guys for the sole purpose of finding out more about my mate."

I was afraid of that. I don't say anything, though. I can tell she isn't finished yet. She goes on to tell me how she tried to avoid getting close to me because Matt was the only one she was interested in. She reveals that her father is only giving her a year starting the day we met her to convince him to accept her, the real her, and come back to live with her pack. She is making it painfully apparent that she intends to convince Matt to leave Jess, and she used me to get information so she would know how to stay close to him. She doesn't say that, but I'm not an i***t. I can read between the lines. It's everything I can do to not just start sobbing.

Finally, she stops talking and flips around to face me. I can't hide my feelings from her now that she's in my face looking at them. I'm sure she sees the tears pooling in my eyes, too. She takes her hand and reaches up to touch my face, gently stroking my cheek. I close my eyes because I can't bear to let her see how much it hurts. I don't know why she is even bothering.

"But guess what happened, Ty?" she asks me, her voice gentle and soothing. "I ended up meeting this guy I really like, and ever since the day I met him, I have been questioning my certainty that the only person for me is my fated mate, the one carefully selected for me by the Moon Goddess."

She pauses, pursing her lips to think about something. I'm holding my breath at this point, hoping she will tell me I have it all wrong.

"I'll tell you more about her later," she promises, and then continues, "but anyway, point is, I didn't mean to, but I started falling for someone else. I can't seem to kick my attachment to Matt, that pesky mate bond constantly pulling me his way, but I'm not certain about him anymore. I really, really like you, Tyler. You've been the bright spot in this whole mess. I love spending time with you, and sometimes, I wish you were my mate instead of him. I only wish you knew how profound it is that I am even thinking that way, considering that I have a mate and we kind of like each other."

I smile at her, leaning my face on her hand. It does feel good to know that what we have isn't fake. I am conflicted, though, because from what she is telling me, the way that mate bond works is pretty powerful. That means that I could just be spending all this time getting close to her, only for her to still choose him in the end. It feels kind of hopeless to have to compete with that.

I've already been seeing it in action for months now. It doesn't seem to matter that I'm the one she texts all day, every day. I'm the one who goes out of my way to see her as much as I can. I memorize every little scrap of information about her that I can, I cherish every interaction we have. But it doesn't matter. If Matt and I are both in the same room with her, she's looking at him, or she's interacting with me to put on a performance for him.

I know she is telling me all this because she wants me to understand, but I think the problem is that I am beginning to understand perfectly. I'm not just up against another guy who is already taken, giving me the advantage. I am up against some supernatural force of werewolf nature that it is hopeless to fight against. I'm just glad I finally understand it. It makes perfect sense now.

I kiss her on the forehead and mull over what I want to say. She seems to be waiting for a response from me, and as she waits, she searches my face for hints of how I'm taking it all. Eventually, she starts leaning in for a kiss, and I stop her. I don't want to, but I feel I have to.

"Aly, I want you to know how very much I appreciate you opening up to me like this. You can trust me to keep your secret. I do believe you, and I don't think you're crazy."

She smiles and looks relieved. "Thank you, Tyler. You're the best."

I smile back at her. I wish her words were true. I wish she did think I was the best and could just pick me already.

I push forward with what I feel I need to say to her, hoping she understands.

"I don't want you to feel like I'm rejecting you because I'm not. I do care about you, so much, and you being a werewolf doesn't change any of that. But I do feel like I need a little time to process this all, mostly the stuff about you and Matt. It's so different than what I thought was going on."

"Yeah," she says, and I can hear the ache in her voice. "I get that. I can give you that. But just know that I'm only a text away, and you can ask me about anything if you want to know more. I would prefer in person, but we can talk on the phone if you'd rather."

Now I can hear that she is forcing herself to be strong. I hate that this is so hard.

"Thanks, Aly. I promise after I think about it some more, we'll get together and talk it through."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she says, smiling bravely.

Then she rolls away from me, gathers her stuff, and leaves my room. I don't go with her to walk her to her dorm like I usually do. I don't text her after to say something sweet about the time we shared. Not this time.

I need to think. I need to scream, and cry, and punch something. After a bit of lying numbly in my bed, I get up and shower, then head to the gym.