honestly wasn't expecting anyone to come after making a fool of myself at the university, but when the door swung open and Cole stood there nearly completely naked, I had a feeling I was going to be dealing with some sort of trap. The man only had on a pair of boxers for god's sakes. Thankfully there was a glass door between us, or I'd be in big trouble again.

"H-Hi..." I stuttered, trying to force my eyes from dropping into dangerous territory.

"Shift."

"Wha...?"

Surprise slipped into my voice as my eyes widened.

"Shift. If you want to come in, you'll do everything I say without arguing."

I began to open my mouth to retort, but his glare told me that the order had already been given and if it wasn't followed, I left. Without another word, I tugged off my—well, his—clothing, and dropped down onto my paws.

"Sit."

Dun wanna.

Wait. I hadn't meant to say that. Darn, stupid wolf, I thought to myself as I watched Cole turn around without another word and slam the door in my face. Well, crap.

It was at least an hour later when the door opened again. I lifted my head and gave a quiet whine, but didn't move to get up from where I had laid down. He was still just wearing boxers, but I did my best to ignore that part as he walked out and knelt beside me.

"Stay."

His hands began moving over my wolf's body, touching its shoulders, legs, then running down its back. My wolf had dreamed about those hands on him but only in submissive strokes. What Cole was doing, though, was one hundred percent dominant. I kept telling my wolf to submit and cooed within my head that if he wanted his mate, he needed to do this without any protest. It took a few minutes, but I slowly managed to coax him to roll onto his side. I knew I wouldn't get him on his back, especially with how dominant Cole was being, but at least this was progress. Cole's hands wandered down near my abdomen, making me flinch and my wolf lift its upper lip slightly.

"Good boy."

The second he lifted his hands off of me, I sighed with relief and began getting up. A rumbling growl immediately had me dropping back down to my belly and rolling onto my side. Shit. This submitting thing is hard when I have to do it myself.

I watched him turn and open the screen door, then look down at me and nod.

"You may get up and follow me inside. You may not walk in front of me. If you do, you will be crated. If this rule is not to your liking, you may leave now."

I wanted to growl and throw a fit but dammit. He was in his boxers and I wanted to be near him. To say the least...Thus, I bit my tongue and waited for him to go inside before I quickly followed. Walking at someone's heels while in my wolf form, or at all in general, really sucked. We calmly managed to walk into the living room and...wait.

Wait a second...

What was that...on the floor...?

Was that...

Oh my gosh! Peanut budder!

I bolted for the deliciousness only to be grabbed by the scruff and thrown into a crate seconds later. Ah! I didn't even get a lick of the peanut budder. The steel door was latched shut as I turned and whined at Cole.

That wasn't fair. You tricked me.

"I didn't do anything. You disobeyed a direct command."

You put peanut budder on the floor.

He decided not to answer and instead went over and wiped up the smudge of yumminess that should've been in my belly right then.

Don't throw it away. You can't waste peanut budder. I shouted at him mentally. He ignored me, though, and promptly tossed the paper towel away, making my heart break into little tiny pieces.

Nooooooo!

~Cole~

I had no idea why I was humoring him. He obviously had no idea how to control himself around another alpha. Granted, he was definitely one, but that didn't mean he could suddenly take over my territory. When he was here, he should be acting as a beta. The second I put him in the dog crate, he began yowling like I was hurting him.

"What the hell is making all that..."

Rowin sauntered in from the hallway, but when he saw Tanner, his mouth froze and his eyes went wide.

"Holy shit! Tanner."

Tanner quickly turned his attention to Rowin and whined loudly while clawing at the latch to the cage. Of course that made Rowin look at me, but I just glared back at him.

"Why is he in there?" he asked, obviously confused.

"He didn't listen," I replied with a shrug.

"Dude. It's Tanner."

"Yeah? And he thinks he's the alpha of this territory all of a sudden. He needs to learn that I'm the one giving the orders in this area."

Rowin pursed his lips but ended up sighing in frustration. "Understood."

See! That's how it's supposed to be, I shouted into Tanner's mind.

I can do that, he replied eagerly.

You can't even follow me without running after a simple distraction.

So you did plan that distraction.

That's not the point.

Yeah, it is.

Dammit! He was incorrigible. Instead of instigating him further, I turned and walked away. Of course he was now throwing a temper tantrum in the crate, banging on the bars and stomping his feet so that it rattled loudly. Hmph. Ignoring him, I sauntered into the kitchen and began prepping for dinner. Macaroni and cheese with fish sticks seemed easy enough. Yeah... I wasn't a professional cook. At least I didn't use the instant cheese stuff. Pretty soon the macaroni was boiling and the fish sticks were in the oven. Even though it was gourmet, it still smelled pretty darn good. I could feel Tanner poking curiously at my mind, wanting to know what was cooking, but I ignored him until he finally began thinking to me.

A...Al...pha....

Yes, Tanner?

Can I...have something to eat?

When everyone else eats.

...when will that be?

When the food is done cooking.

Can't I have something now?

No.

Can I come out yet?

Raising my hand to my forehead, I sighed, then leaned against the counter.

What's wrong, Alpha? Rowin asked through our connection, no doubt feeling my frustration.

He's driving me crazy, I replied, sighing as I rubbed my fingers along my temples.

Tanner? he asked.

Yeah. He's an alpha, but he doesn't understand what that means. He thinks it just allows him to boss people around and get what he wants, even when he's in someone else's territory.

...and what exactly does he want here? He doesn't seem to have come back just to be bossed around.

My face heated up slightly as I turned back to the stove to stir the macaroni, biting my tongue on a response.

Holy shit...he wants you, Rowin shouted with excitement and humor into my mind.

H-He's...not getting me, I retorted, stuttering even in my thoughts.

Why? he questioned, honestly sounding confused.

Wh-What?

The look I gave him when I turned around told Rowin he had better watch his next words, though the look didn't seem to faze him at all.

Why don't you give it a try?

That definitely wasn't what I wanted to hear.

I-I'm an alpha, I shouted back into his mind.

Yeah? he replied blandly.

A-And he wants to top me, I growled back, actually baring my teeth as I thought the words.

Okay? Is he trying to control everything you do? Is he yelling at you when you try to be aggressive, or pinning you when you ignore him?

E-Err...no.

Then what's he doing that's got you so upset? Surely just wanting to mate you wouldn't get you this worked up.

I-I...h-he...he keeps finding ways to kiss me. A-And he called me his beta.

Ah, that would do it... but maybe he used the word beta because he doesn't understand? He seems like an alpha and his wolf is definitely the size of one, but does he understand how to actually be an alpha?

I highly doubt it, I mentally mumbled.

Then instead of punishing him for doing what his wolf urges but doesn't understand, why not try to get him to see you as an equal?

Wow... I hadn't thought about it like that before. It made sense, too.

I'll try. I'm not really used to dealing with another wolf on my own level in my territory, but you have a valid point.

Rowin grinned and walked over, patting me on the back before heading over to the sofa in the living room.

Can you let him out? I asked him as I turned to stir the macaroni again.

No. You put him in there, Alpha, you must be the one to release him.

Darn. He was right. I turned off the stove since the pasta looked like it was done and then strained it and added in some cheese. While that melted, I walked over to Tanner and undid the latch to the crate.

"You can come out, and you don't have to follow me or stay in your wolf form anymore. Go get dressed, I left the clothing you were wearing on the table by the door."

He faltered for a moment, and I could tell there was something on his mind.

C-Can you put on a shirt...please?

I was about to tell him no, but when he let me sense his feelings, I nearly stumbled backward. I could barely feel anything besides lust and hunger.

I-I'm not trying to be rude or perverted b-but please...?

Alright.

Tanner's wolf sagged with relief before he hopped out of the crate and padded over to the table where the clothes he was borrowing were. While he got dressed, I went to my room and did the same, even tugging on some loose-fitting jeans to go with the light brown sweater I pulled on. Surprisingly, when I came back into the kitchen to dish out dinner, Rowin had already done it. He grinned and handed me a big plate, then walked around me as Tanner came in and handed him one as well. We all ate in silence on the sofa, but as soon as I noticed Tanner was finished, I chanced a simple conversation.

"Um...do you want any help with your homework? If you're just starting college, then I'm sure you're taking Mr. Marly's class, and his first day homework is always ridiculous."

Tanner seemed honestly surprised at my question but relaxed a little when he realized I wasn't trying to press him to get in trouble again.

"U-Um...sure."

I smiled and hopped up, grabbing his and Rowin's plates, then setting them in the sink. When I was back in the living room, I nodded for Tanner to follow me to my room. I knew it might be a bit early to invite him to a private place, and he rightfully hesitated when coming inside, but after a few deep breaths, he got his wolf under control and joined me where I sat at my work desk against the wall. There was an extra chair he pulled out to use as I flipped through the textbook Mr. Marly used for his class.

"Alright, which pages does he have you doing tonight?"

Tanner reached over and flipped through the book between us on the desk.

"Here...to here," he said, turning the pages as he spoke.

"Damn, he really is an ass."

"Hehe, right? Your assignment is cake compared to what he's got us doing."

I smiled at that and got my notebook out, flipping it to a clean page before handing him a pencil and then grabbing one for myself.

"Alright, let's go through whatever you don't understand?"

Tanner hesitated for a moment as he glanced away, then looked back up at me without answering.

"I know alphas don't like asking for help, but I also know you need it in some things. If you don't, at least go through each page with me and put my mind at ease? I am a teacher after all, and my student's success is the most important thing to me."

His eyes lowered back to the book again, but he didn't speak or appear to be reading.

"...is that all?" he whispered, making me have to focus to actually hear what he'd said.

"Huh?"

He lifted his head slightly and glanced at me with sad eyes.

"Is that all I am to you?"

I was about to say huh again when I realized what he'd meant. Damn. This really wasn't the time to get into this discussion. All I really wanted right then was to spend some time with someone I thought I had lost years ago.

"Tanner...I..."

"Cole. How can I get you to be my mate?"

My eyes narrowed on him as I opened my mouth to respond. Why did he have to keep coming back to this? If we were mates, I would be feeling it too since I was also a dominant wolf.

"Tanner. We've been over this several times, and I am not go—"

"That's not what I meant. Cole, listen to me, please? Just one more time? Then I'll leave if you want me to, I swear."

I held back a sigh and leaned against my hand as my elbow rested on my desk.

"Alright, talk."

He straightened in his chair and took a deep breath.

"I want to court you, fairly. Not as an alpha to a beta, or vice versus. I want to court Cole, the alpha, as Tanner the alpha."

That... sounded insane. Alphas didn't just court each other. And male ones at that. Not that gay wolves weren't unheard of, but it was extremely rare.

"I... Tanner, I... I've always seen you as a son."

He flinched at that but pursed his lips and replied, "I can be much more than that."

My mind was running a mile a minute as I straightened in my seat, trying to figure out a way to tell him that no, he couldn't, but everything started getting fuzzy when I felt a gentle hand rest upon my knee. Quiet took over the situation while we both waited for the other to speak or make a move. When nothing changed, Tanner took the initiative and leaned closer. I wanted to react, to stop this from going further than it ever should, but when he got even closer and pressed his lips to my cheek, my wolf actually relaxed a little, allowing me to do the same. Tanner leaned back immediately after the brief kiss and smiled sheepishly. Wow, who knew the kid could even show that emotion? He was always cocky, annoyed, or upset.

"Um..." he whispered, then lifted his hand and let it hover over the page for a moment before pointing to a specific spot.

"I-I need help here... and also a little bit on the last page. I don't really understand what he wants us to do."

The previous tension dissolved away as I leaned forward and began writing out how to handle each English question. We spent about an hour on it, but I didn't quite remember everything that happened since I drifted off some time around ten. I do remember the feeling of being lifted, then set down on something soft before being tucked in, but when I tried to open my eyes again to see who was doing it, they refused to obey.

~Tanner~

I knew I was supposed to be focusing on what he was helping me with, and I swear I was trying to, but each time he leaned a little closer or gave me that gorgeous smile, my mind was suddenly distracted by my heart. All I could think about was him. I think I made it through most of the homework without giving away my pathetic mindset, but when he fell asleep... it just got that much worse.

It will be so easy to mate him right now.

My wolf immediately began pushing me toward that idea, making my hand reach out and gently caress his cheek, pushing a soft lock of dark hair away of his handsome face to tuck behind his ear.

Why won't you be mine?

He shifted slightly at the thought I let slip into his mind but settled a moment later with a quiet sigh of breath.

Bah, I give up. For tonight, my wolf quickly reminded me. Right. For tonight. I'll have him sooner or later, but I want him to want me in return. That was where the snag really was in this nonexistent relationship. Well, at least he let me kiss him without a reprimand. Just thinking about that had me feeling warm inside as I got myself up and lifted Cole into my arms. With the motion a strong wave of his scent washed over me, freezing my body in place as I tried to control it.

Mine mine mine mine!

My wolf tried to make me sniff the air to get a stronger scent as it began to dissipate, but I kept my will strong as I laid Cole down in his bed and quickly covered him up.

Okay. Deep breaths, don't touch. Not yours yet.

My wolf tried to argue with me, but I thankfully had the stronger will right then, mainly because we were both tired. After a minute, I turned and dug through his closet to find a few extra blankets and a pillow. I was soon curled up on the blankets, trying to get to sleep, but it just wasn't working. Everything smelled like Cole, and I couldn't even touch him. I groaned quietly into my pillow and rolled over, glaring at the ceiling as Cole breathed quietly in bed besides me.

Patience.

That was what I needed to learn to keep my sanity intact. At some point during the night, I finally began to drift off, but not until I took ahold of Cole's right hand after his arm slid down from the bed. As soon as I had his hand snug in mine, I passed out cold.