All Her Secrets

Talk - Tyler

A/N: Are y'all ready to meet Alpha Marcus Young? I am!!

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Why won't she look at us, Tyler? 

I don't know, Jax... 

Does she even recognize us?

Jax, I don't know. 

What if-

I DO NOT KNOW RIGHT NOW.

   Jackson whimpered as I internally yelled at him, backing down from my Alpha voice. I sighed and looked toward the door as Grace laughed at something Pigeon must've said. 

    Or, signed.

I'm sorry, Jax. I'm just-

Freaking out. I know. 

    Pushing off the wall and past Pigeon, my hand brushed her back and fire exploded from my fingertips- as though lightning had zapped me right there. Drawing a quick breath, I kept walking- out the door. I had to get away before I exploded on her. 

    As soon as the door was shut, I turned sharply and leaned against the wall beside it, my breathing heavy and hands shaking like mad. I closed my eyes, trying to reduce the amount my brain was having to take in at once. Pressing my fingertips- which were still buzzing- to the cold glass of the window, I managed to calm myself a bit. 

    Not that it was easy.

Jax?

Yeah, Tyler?

Has there ever been a mute Luna?

No... At least not of our pack. 

Shit. What am I going to do?

Well, I would start with maybe talking to your Dad.

Yeah. Yeah, Dad will know what the f**k's going on with me. 

... I could tell you what's going on with you, but it's better if your Dad tells you...

What?! Do you know?!

Well, I have an IDEA. Call Marcus. Now, Tyler. 

   Opening my eyes and blinking quickly, I came out of my conversation with Jackson in a mild daze. People looked at me for a moment before looking away quickly, probably thinking I was higher than Heaven.

I wish. 

    Because of our high metabolisms, werewolves had to be hard-pressed to get high or drunk, and getting addicted was out of the question. 

    Taking a moment to make sure I wouldn't fall on my face, I looked around at the other party-goers milling around. 

    Some kids were playing Spin the Bottle to my left, and another small group was passing around a joint on the lawn. Plenty of others just floating in twos and threes talking to whoever they came across. I knew most of the kids would be inside or by the bonfire in the back. 

    Pushing off the window, I decided to go sit in my truck while I talked to Dad. 

This is gonna be a hard conversation. 

Yeah, it is. 

This was your idea. 

I know.

   Looking to the sides, I crossed the street to where I'd parked and sliding to the passenger side after I locked the door. 

    Before I could even mentally prep myself for Linking to my Dad, I had another message come in. From Grace, a Delta who lived in the dorms. 

Hey, where did you go? 

   Sighing, I ignored her and shook my head. 

Deal with that later. Gotta talk to Dad.

   Quickly, I opened the Link to Dad and waited until he was paying attention.

Dad?

Yes, Tyler?

I-I have a problem.

What it is?

I... I met my Mate.

Well, that doesn't sound like much of a problem to me! Congrat-

No, Dad, it is... Ugh, this is hard to explain.

Is she already Marked?

No... But it's got something to do with the Casters. I thi-

Damn it! f*****g Casters, why can't they just mind their own fuckin business!

Dad, wait that's not the problem!

Well then spit it out, boy! 

She's mute. 

   I figured that she wasn't deaf, from how the boy at the lake spoke and she understood, even if she wasn't facing him. 

She's what?

Mute. She doesn't speak. 

    Dad remained silent for a moment. I rushed into the next part, trying to use his silence to my advantage.

She's also human. At least, I think she is.

Impossible. Wolves don't have human mates. It will kill her. How do you know that she's not using Caster magic to conceal herself? She's in our territory and everyone knows what we do to Rouges. 

    I brought up a picture of her amulet, a red crescent moon, bound in various metals, and sent it to him.

That's not a concealment charm. That's something I've never seen before. 

I- well, Jax and I were afraid of that. She's human. She doesn't smell like Caster, Wolf, Vamp, or ANYTHING. She's human. 

    Dad and I were both silent for a minute, and I knew he must be waking up Mom at this point. 

    Jackson chose this moment to tell me We should've done this in the morning... 

    Looking at my phone, I saw that it was nearly midnight. Damn. 

Tyler?

Yes?

We have much to discuss. In-person. Beta Michael is in Texas right now negotiating a peace treaty with a band of Rouges, but he will be back tomorrow. Sunday, I want you to meet me at Helena Regional at 9 AM. Can you do that?

Yes. 

Good. Anything else?

    Taking a leap of faith, I admitted one thing to my Dad that I could never admit to anyone else. 

Dad... I... I'm scared. This has never happened and I don't know her yet, but I know I can't lose her and she's human-

Tyler Blake Young. Stop that. Right now. 

But, Dad, she didn't even look at me! You said that the mate bond was immediate, and I just, I... I'm the heir to this Pack, our Pack, and my Mate is a human who didn't even seem to see me.

Son?

Yes?

Do not ever tell me you are scared of your Fate again. Do you understand? You- and you alone- have been chosen for this path with her by Nyx and the Fates. You. Not one of your brothers, not me, not any other wolf on this planet. You. Be worthy of this.

Be the son I raised. 

    My fist clenched and I swallowed, realizing that my Dad was right. 

Yes, Alpha. 

Good. I will talk to you on Sunday. I love you, Tyler. 

I love you too Dad. Tell Mom for me, okay?

I will. Goodnight.

Goodnight.

    After disconnecting from the Link, frustration coursed through my veins. Punching the dashboard helped for a minute, but once the frustration was gone, confusion took its place. Looking out the driver's side window, he saw that nothing had changed. Lights still spilled from the windows, and I could still hear the music coming from the mega speakers. 

I wonder if she's still in there...

Tyler, no.

   Before I got the chance to start an argument with Jackson, there was a tap on the window. Seeing Grace's wild curls silhouetted, I reached over and unlocked the door for her. Yanking it open, she placed her knee on the seat, clearly annoyed. "What's up, Gracie?" I smirked as I used her childhood nickname, earning an eye roll and a sigh. 

    "Why did you storm off like that, Ty? I've been looking for you all over the place. So has Jess. You ignored my Link. What's-" "I had to talk to my Dad." I interrupted her mini tirade, knowing she'd continue until she ran out of breath if I let her. 

    Biting her lip, she looked down before shaking her head and looking back at me, breaking the suddenly awkward silence with "So, Pigeon tells me you two had a class together last year? Anatomy?" 

SHE REMEMBERS US! 

Whoa, cool it, Jax.

    "Maybe. I hardly ever showed up. I took it in high school, remember?" I replied calmly like I couldn't care less. Grace's appraising eyes caught my little lie, but let it go, saying "Well, she recognized you." I nodded my head, telling her to take a seat. She jumped up, kneeling on the seat, and closing the door behind her.

    Grace had already found her Mate. Jessica came to us from another pack, a rejected Rouge from a small pack in Canada. 

Surely she'll understand. 

Right?