Chapter Four ~ Let Him Take Control

Tristan Cole

I pulled the car up to Freya's house. Tyler immediately jumped out of the car, quickly followed by Cassie. I called out to them before they could walk off,

“Hey, guys? Can I speak to you for a second?” They both turned around and gave me a questioning look. They nodded in unison, then stood in front of me. I rested my back against my car door and looked down at the ground. I rubbed the back of my neck as my nerves took over.

I cleared my throat before addressing them.

“So, how would you guys feel about me telling Freya our secret tonight after your graduation?” I asked them cautiously. 

I glanced up at them with a hopeful raised eyebrow, and Cassie answered immediately.

“I think we should've told her years ago, but you guys already know that. So, it's just up to you, Ty.” 

Cassie and I both eyed Tyler in anticipation of his answer. He gazed off into the distance with his brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought. After what seemed like an eternity, I sighed and rolled my eyes in frustration.

“Dude? Come on already,” I snapped at him in my authoritative voice, startling him a little.

“Okay, okay!” He snapped back, like a petulant child.

“Why now? I thought you were waiting until after her eighteenth birthday. What's changed?” He asked me honestly. 

He had a valid point, I was going to leave it until after her birthday, but I didn't think I could realistically wait that long.

“She's changing Ty, or I am. I'm not sure what's going on to be perfectly honest, but I nearly bit her today,” I replied as honestly as I could.

“What?” Cassie snapped at me.

“Oh Crap, what happened?” Tyler asked with concern.

“I don't really know exactly. I'm just finding it so hard to resist her lately. Her scent is so damn strong, I can barely control myself around her. I've had to hide out in the bathroom a few times, and when it’s been really bad, I’ve had to climb out of the window while she slept. It’s gotten that bad dude!”

I rubbed my forehead with my hand, and to my surprise, they both burst out laughing. 

“Guys, this is serious!” 

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest while I waited for them to sort themselves out.

“Sorry, T. Look I have always wanted to tell Freya, she's my best friend. When I found out that she had a crush on you, I knew instantly that she would be perfect for you. But I don't want you breaking her heart if you eventually find your... You know?” He said with a shrug. I looked at Tyler and nodded my head. 

I knew he was right, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Freya, but unless I told her soon, I’d end up hurting her physically and then I’d lose her forever.

“I know Tyler, I try not to think about that, because in my heart, I know that she’s the only woman for me. She is my forever.”

“Then if that's the case, I will support you and be there for you both when you tell her.” 

He smiled at me and I nodded back at him and said,

“Cool, thanks, Ty.” 

I stood away from the car and headed towards the house. I ruffled Tyler's hair as I rushed past him and he shouted out at me,

“Hey! You dick, I gotta redo it now.”

I let out a laugh as I turned back and watched Cassie and Tyler trying their best to sort out his messed-up hair. I then turned back around and made my way into Freya's house. I walked through the hallway and heard Freya call someone an asshole. I knew it couldn't be anything to do with me. I was sure she didn't know anything about our secret, but it didn't stop my heart from racing, or the panic from filling my mind.

 ***

Freya Rose

Tristan, Tyler and Cassie walked into the kitchen, so I put my phone back in my bag. I began pouring out five glasses of orange juice. 

“Hi, Mrs. Rose,” Tyler and Cassie greeted my mom. 

“How many times have I told you two? You are family, call me Eleanor,” she said while folding a tea towel. 

“Sorry, Eleanor,” they apologized while taking their seats at the other end of the dining table. Tristan sniggered as he picked up the plates of pancakes from the worktop. He walked over to us and placed them in the middle of the table. My mom followed over and sat in an empty seat to my right. Tristan came up to me and held my face between his hands and then softly kissed my lips. I slid my hand through his hair and pulled his face in closer, deepening the kiss. I heard Cassie whistle.

“Ewww that's gross, get a room will ya.” Tyler whined in disgust. 

I smiled into the kiss, pulled away, then laughed. Tristan leaned over the table, grabbed a piece of bacon and launched it at Tyler. I was stunned when Tyler caught the bacon with lightning reflexes. He smirked at Tristan as he took a bite out of it. 

What is it with these boys and their lightning reflexes? Must be a family thing.

“Bro, you're just jealous cos you’re not getting any,” Tristan mocked then pulled out the chair to my left and sat down. 

“How do you know I'm not getting any, hmmm?” Tyler replied as he lifted one eyebrow and then flashed Cassie a sideways glance. 

Cassie immediately choked, and orange juice shot out of her mouth, covering the table. She quickly raised her hands up to her mouth and tried to stop any more escaping. Tyler patted her on the back, and she managed to swallow the juice that was still left in her mouth. She then began to cough a little as she tried to clear her throat. 

Once Cassie had stopped choking, she looked up and saw, that me, my mom, and Tristan had stopped eating and were sat there staring at her with wide eyes. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head in embarrassment. My mom laughed as she stood up. She smiled at Tyler and then walked around the back of me, and with her spare hand gave my shoulder a slight squeeze. 

“I'll give you guys some space. I’ve got to pick up some last-minute things from the store anyway,” she said in a calming voice, she then turned and walked out of the room.

Tyler was the first one to break the awkward silence that weighed heavy on the room,

“I... well, we... um,” he stuttered when he realized that he'd opened up a can of worms, that he was now struggling to explain. 

He looked at me and then at Tristan, before lowering his eyes to the table and letting out a defeated sigh. Cassie dropped her hands away from her face and turned to look at Tyler. She cupped his chin in her hand and pulled his face up towards hers, then out of nowhere, she kissed him. 

“Oh my God!” I squealed. “You two?” I questioned while pointing a suspecting finger at the both of them. They each turned to look at me and nodded. 

“I am so happy for you guys!” I squealed again with excitement. 

They both exhaled with relief, as Tyler looped his fingers with Cassie's. My brow then furrowed as I asked them, 

“Wait, how long?” I paused and squinted my eyes at them then asked, “and why didn't you tell me?” 

They gave each other a questioning look. Then their faces began changing expressions like they were having an in-depth conversation, but they weren't speaking any words. Tristan scowled at them for some unknown reason to me. 

I didn't have a problem with them being together, in fact, I thought it was amazing. Two of the people I loved the most in this world had found each other and had fallen in love. I was a bit worried just in case it didn't work out. Because, that would make it very awkward for me as their friend, but I wasn’t that selfish to let my worries come in between two people's happiness. My problem with the whole thing was that they had hidden it from me, but why? We were best friends and had been since we were ten years old. Why wouldn't they tell me? Did they think I wouldn't approve? I needed to know why they hadn't told me.

“Hey!!” I shouted and clicked my fingers at them in annoyance. 

They both stopped their weird mime act thing, then turned to look at me. Tristan growled at them and shot them both a thunderous look. They instantly made this strange whimpering sound like dogs, then lowered their heads in some sort of weird bow of respect. 

What the hell was that? I thought to myself.

With their heads down they carried on staring at the table. Tristan huffed through his nose, looked away from them, then carried on eating his breakfast. I suspiciously watched the three of them and I felt utterly confused with their behavior. I skidded my chair out with the backs of my legs and stood up. I then bent over slightly and slammed my hands down onto the table with a loud bang. All of them looked up at me in shock. 

“What the hell is going on with you three today?” I shouted angrily. 

Not one of them tried to answer me, they just all kept staring at me with worried looks on their faces. 

“No one's going to say anything huh?” I asked them, then paused for a response. “Fine, I'll go, first shall I? Why didn't you guys tell me that you were dating?” I asked as I looked directly at Cassie and Tyler. 

I sat back down while I waited for one of them to answer me. They looked at each other, then at Tristan, then back at me. 

“Well, we only got together a few weeks back Frey,” Cassie answered in a low voice, “Tyler came around to my house to wish me a happy eighteenth and...” 

She raised her eyebrows and stared wide-eyed at Tristan. Tristan closed his eyes, pressed his lips flat together, and then nodded as if he now understood clearly what was going on. 

More weird behavior! I thought to myself. What the hell is going on? 

Tyler decided to help Cassie out and carried on the story where she'd left off,

“One thing led to another, and here we are.” 

I thought about it for a second then replied,

“It still doesn't make any sense. You guys never seemed to like each other like that. In fact, I'm pretty sure you...” I paused and pointed my finger at Tyler then continued, “had a huge crush on Amber Wade!” 

His eyes grew wide in shock at the fact that I'd just blurted out his most precious secret. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Cassie shot up from the table and screamed at me,

“Well Amber fucking Wade isn't his mate, is she? I am!” 

Her words dripped with pure jealousy and dominance. Tyler gasped, and Tristan slammed his fist down onto the table, the sound of it made me jump back in my chair. Cassie instantly lowered her head down and then showed her neck to Tristan again. 

“You've said enough. Go and wait in the damn car!” Tristan growled at them both. 

He stood up and pointed towards the door. Tyler slowly got up, and they both looked over at me with a mix of apology and guilt written all over their faces. 

“Freya, I...” Tyler began to speak.

“Now!” Tristan barked. 

They both nodded at him in compliance and quickly scurried out of the room. 

I was in complete shock. I'd never seen Tristan get that angry before, and I didn't know what to make of what I'd just witnessed. Tristan and Tyler have always had arguments, but it was just silly sibling fights and mostly ended up with Tyler in a headlock and Tristan tickling him or messing up his hair. But this was different, Tristan was dominating and stern. I couldn't believe that Tyler had just bowed down to him like that. He'd usually put up some sort of a fight, but he just treated Tristan like he was a king, or some shit. 

What is up with that?

Tristan sat back down while letting out a frustrated sigh. He rubbed his hand down his face and then placed one of his elbows on the table. He rested the side of his face on his open palm and just stared at me. He furrowed his brow seeming to try and work out what I was thinking. 

What am I thinking? I don't even know myself right now. 

All I want to know was why my best friends felt like they needed to hide their relationship from me. I was also wondering what the hell just happened between my boyfriend and my friends. 

Why did Tristan get so angry? Why did Cassie and Tyler bow their heads to him? 

Those were just a few things I want answers to, and I was determined to get them out of Tristan.

“So?” I asked him as I sat further back in my chair, firmly folded my arms and raised my eyebrow at him. 

He huffed at me then closed his eyes. I ignored his childish reaction and asked,

“What was all that about?”

“What was all what about baby?” He asked casually while sitting back up in his chair. 

I took in a deep breath and told him,

“Well, I get that they’re dating, and I get that they got together on Cassie's birthday. What I don't know is how or why they started dating in the first place, but that's a question I can ask them later.” I took in a deep breath, and then began my rant raising one finger with each point, “this is what I don't get. One. Why did it look like Tyler and Cassie were having a conversation, but they weren't actually speaking any words? Two. Why did they whimper and bow their heads to you? And three. What did Cassie mean when she said Amber wasn't Tyler's mate, and that she was?” I stared at Tristan waiting for his answers. 

He didn't answer me, instead he stood up and walked over to me. He pulled my chair out from under the table, picked it up and turned it around to face him. He then set it back down onto the floor, all while I was still sitting in it, and I was utterly amazed by his sheer strength. He knelt down in front of me and took both my hands into his. With a soft sigh, he looked lovingly into my eyes.

“Baby, we have been together a long time now. Believe me when I tell you that I love you more than anything else in this whole, entire world.” 

He placed a soft lingering kiss on the back of my hand, and then continued, 

“There are things about me and my family that you don't know.” He paused again to see my reaction. I stayed quiet and squeezed his hands prompting him to continue. “You're going to think I'm crazy when I tell you this, but I think it's about time you knew the whole truth,” he said as he stood up and picked me up bridal style. I relaxed and put my arms around his neck. “I think we should talk somewhere a little more private,” he whispered into my ear and kissed my cheek. 

I wanted to argue with him and yell at him, just to tell me already, but I didn't want him to back out of it. I needed answers for all of this strange behavior, so I let him take control. 

 ***

He walked me up the stairs and into my bedroom, then gently set me down on the bed. He climbed on to the bed beside me and turned his body to face me. He began to speak in his usual low and husky voice,

“Right, here we go,” he sighed and then blew a bit of his hair out of his face. “I will answer your questions one by one. If you have any more questions afterwards, then you can ask them once I'm finished, is that understood?” He said firmly. 

He'd never been so authoritative with me before and to be honest it was kind of a turn on. I blushed and nodded my head in compliance. 

“Good!” He said with a sexy smirk on his face. 

I guess he liked it when I obeyed him. 

I'll have to remember that for later. 

“Right. Tyler and Cassie were having a silent conversation. Well sort of, they were speaking to each other through a mind link,” he stated. 

I furrowed my brow in confusion and began to ask,

“what?” 

He quickly placed his finger on my lips and said in a firm voice,

“What did I say, baby? Wait until I have finished and then you can ask me more questions.”

“Ok,” I replied while crossing my legs and placing my hands in my lap. 

“They whimpered and bowed their heads to me because I am their future Alpha,” he explained. 

I gasped and put my hand over my mouth, I sat there wide-eyed just staring at him. I couldn't control myself and I burst out laughing, he growled at me and I noticed how angry his face had become, so I immediately stopped. 

He is serious, are you kidding me? 

Does he mean like a werewolf Alpha? No, he couldn't possibly, I scoffed at the idea.

Maybe he means like some sort of group, club or game or something.

Yeah that's got to be it surely? I mean werewolves aren't even real right?

Tristan put his hand on my knee, I guess he wanted to continue but he could see that I was deep in thought. I put my hand on top of his and said,

“Go ahead.”

“I didn't know it until today, but Tyler and Cassie are mates. There is no other bond like it on this earth. You and your mate are two halves of the same person,” he said in a low and sweet voice then paused for a moment.

He pulled my hand up into the air so that my palm was facing him, he then held his own palm up facing mine. There was a short distance between them as he carried on speaking, “when you meet your mate you both become whole.” 

He slowly moved his hand towards mine as he spoke until our palms were touching. He then entangled his fingers with mine, symbolizing whole. 

“Once you find your mate, they’re yours for life. You will do everything you can to make them happy, and whatever it takes to keep them safe. Your life isn't worth living without your mate.” 

He turned my hand around and kissed the back of it, before letting it go. My heart swelled up at the way he was describing the concept of mates to me. 

That's exactly how I feel about him. 

He reached forward and pushed my hair behind my shoulders, and then slid his hand down my neck, making me shiver as the heat from his fingers brushed over my skin. I closed my eyes and let out a low moan, he chuckled as he picked up my locket and then opened it. He brushed his thumb over the picture of me and smiled to himself. I reached my hand up to touch his face as a small tear fell down his cheek and I asked him with concern, 

“Baby what's wrong?” 

He shut my locket and brought his hand up to meet mine that was still placed upon his cheek. He closed his eyes and rubbed his gorgeous face into my hand, I smiled as he left a soft kiss on my palm.

“I'm scared that you will freak out and not love me anymore when I tell you what I am,” he said softly as he pulled my hand away from his face and dropped his head down. 

I got up onto my knees and crawled towards him, then lifted his face up to meet mine. I placed a delicate kiss on his soft lips, and he let out a low sigh as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“I love you always, forever be mine,” I whispered our promise into his ear. 

“I love you, baby,” he replied as he stroked my hair. 

I sat back up and clutched his face within my hands.

“Whatever it is, I love you more than words can describe. I trust you and I know you will never hurt me. I know you will always love me and keep me safe.” 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I opened my heart up to him, and it was hard to finish what I was saying before I cried my eyes out. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. 

“I am hurt that you didn't feel like you could trust me with the truth earlier, and that Tyler and Cassie are a part of it, or at least know about it. But I am sure you all have your reasons for not telling me,” I said as tears began to fall down my face. Tristan delicately brushed them away with his thumbs. “I know you were probably trying to protect me,” I paused while Tristan nodded in agreement, I then continued, “and I'm sad that you have to tell me this way, but I love you baby and I will always be here for you. So please whatever it is, just tell me,” I begged him. 

He suddenly sat back, and my hands slipped away from his face making them fall into my lap. I watched as tears fell down his cheeks, I'd never seen him cry like that before, and my heart broke for him. He took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then exhaled and said in a breathy voice,

“Freya, I'm a werewolf.”