Together: Cyrus POV

Everyone at the table was silent, probably processing my little display. I felt a tiny bit bad having shown that side of me, but something about hearing that waste of space talk about Leo had flipped a switch. Slowly, some of the conversations started back up. Leo offered me a bite of his burger, I think. I bit into it willingly, since the fries tasted good. Unfortunately, it was nothing like those. I scrunched my face up as the flavor of, what seemed like, burnt meat flooded my taste buds. I stuck my tongue out after forcing it down,

"How can you eat that?"

My reaction caused Leo and Josh to laugh, making the atmosphere more relaxed again. I felt a kiss on my cheek before Leo's voice sounded from behind me,

"It's okay, beautiful. We can get something after school. Just eat the fries."

I nodded and did exactly that. Lunch went on with me learning the names of a few of the warriors. I was surprised at how much my nap had helped with my migraine. The pain was no longer all-encompassing, rather it was more of a dull annoyance now. Easily ignored. Eventually, it was time for the next and final class, which Leo and I had together. We sat next to each other, our fingers interlaced in the middle of the aisle. He brought my hand to his lips, kissing it gently as the bell rang for class to start. Class was easy to follow, but it seemed to go on forever. By the time it ended, I was so ready to leave.

Leo and I walked out of the school with his arm around my waist. I savored the feeling, smiling to myself, thinking about what he said during lunch. When we stopped, I looked up and saw that we were at his car and he was holding the door open for me. I smiled at him and said 'thank you' as I slid in. He smiled back and closed the door. I put my seat belt on as I looked around. The interior was gray, and he had a touch screen display in the center where the radio would be. It looked like it was a stick shift, judging by the numbers on the gearshift. I'd never been in something so expensive. Every inch smelled like him. Like chocolate mint. The driver's side door opened and Leo got in, throwing his bag to the back. He turned to me,

"Alright baby, where do you want to eat?"

I smiled at the new pet name and shrugged,

"Anywhere they don't serve burgers."

He laughed and nodded before buckling up and turning the car on. We drove for a while before stopping in front of what looked like a cafe. He parked on the street before getting out and walking to my side of the car and opening the door for me. We walked in and, as we sat down in a booth, I looked around. It was more of an upscale cafe with warm lighting and atmosphere. A vampire waitress handed us our menus with a kind smile before walking away. I opened it and instantly felt guilty that Leo would have to pay. I closed the menu and slid it to the side, causing him to look up concerned,

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"You don't have to spend that much money on me. I can just hunt later."

He reached across the table, and I took his hand, but avoided his eye,

"You don't have to worry about that. What's mine is yours. Okay?"

I nodded but made no attempt to reach towards the menu. He squeezed my hand,

"Look at me, Cyrus."

Reluctantly, I met his eye and saw his affection for me as he spoke,

"Let me care for you. Please?"

I nodded again, more sincerely, and reached for the menu. He squeezed my hand again before letting it go to grasp his own menu,

"Thank you, beautiful."

I ended up ordering a chicken parmesan, that tasted pretty good. Leo got some sort of cheesy pasta that had bacon and peas. It was so good I kept stealing bites from his plate, which made him laugh. We talked about random things, and Leo double-checked to make sure that my migraine wasn't trying to come back. It was relaxing and comfortable. I'd never experienced anything like it. I was happy that I'd listened to my wolf and stayed. After we finished, we headed back to the car. I was buckling in when Leo asked,

"Where're you staying?"

What do I say? He'd already done so much and I didn't want to worry him, but I wasn't going to lie either. So, I didn't say anything. Apparently, that was enough for him to infer an answer. Leo gently lifted my lowered head 'til I was looking at his kind eyes,

"Baby, are you living in those woods."

It was meant to be a question, but he'd already figured out the answer, so it came out as a statement. I whispered 'yes' feeling ashamed of how much of a burden I was becoming to my mate. I wouldn't blame him if he decided I was too much trouble and rejected me. It hurt to think about losing the best thing to happen to me in years. I felt Leo's thumb gently rub across my cheek,

"Why are you crying?"

I hadn't realized I was, but I knew why. I didn't want him to catch a glimpse of how broken and useless his mate was. I sobbed quietly and covered my wet face with my hands. As I sniffled, I felt myself being lifted up before coming in contact with Leo's scent and body. I leaned into his chest, trying to calm down as he rubbed my back. It took a few minutes before I could speak, silent tears still falling,

"I-...No one has ever cared about me...or for me like you do. I don't deserve it. And I'm scared...that when you start to learn more about me...you'll regret ever being mated to me."

He didn't say anything at first, just continued to rub my back. After a minute or two, his hands moved to my hips, gently turning me 'til I was facing him. Stradling his lap. Tilting my chin up, he gently, but firmly, pressed his lips to mine. When he pulled away, he looked me directly in my eye with certainty and sincerity,

"Listen to me closely. I don't know your past. Not yet. When we cross that bridge, we will deal with it. Together. Regardless, I will never regret being your mate. You're my other half, and even though we've only known each other for a day, I don't want to think about a life without you. You're a part of me just as I'm a part of you, and you deserve every bit as much happiness and love that I have to give and more. You're beautiful and strong and I will continue to repeat myself until you believe me. You're everything I've ever wanted in a mate and more. Do you understand?"

More tears, thankful tears, rushed down my face as I nodded, afraid my voice wouldn't cooperate. He pulled me into his chest, running his fingers through my hair. We stayed like that until the tears finally stopped. I pulled back, and he wiped the partially dried tear trails from my face,

"Now, I'm going to give you two options, because I'm not going to let you sleep in the woods. The first one is, I can put us up in the B and B in town for the week and then you can meet the pack on the weekend so that you'll feel comfortable to move into the packhouse. The second option is, we go directly to the packhouse and I'll slowly introduce you throughout the week. Which do you prefer?"

I wanted to say the B and B, but that would just be delaying the inevitable. Eventually, I would be the Luna of his pack. I needed to feel comfortable there. Plus, it would be harder for Marren to track my scent. I dreaded having to eventually tell Leo about him, but I would have to. Just not tonight. I looked at him,

"The packhouse."

"Alright, my love. Is there anything you need to get from the woods?"

I looked down,

"No. Just me."

"Okay, love. We'll deal with that tomorrow. For now, let's go home and get some rest."

He got out the car, still holding me before placing me back in my seat and buckling me in. He looked at me sweetly and rubbed his thumb across my cheek before closing the door. Once he'd hopped in, we drove in a comfortably tired silence. As the grassy field turned to trees, I felt drowsy. I closed my eyes, focusing on Leo's scent as the sounds of the car lulled me to sleep.