Getting back aboard the bus, I realized that someone was still there. I thought they had all gone out to eat before setup that night. Right as I was about to follow Cole into my room, I saw Ryder's door open from the corner of my eye and felt my breath hitch slightly.

Uh-oh, he's mad about something...

Cole turned, raising a brow at me. I glanced his way since Ryder didn't answer.

I'm gonna talk to him. I promise I won't do anything stupid again.

I saw a faint hint of doubt in his eyes, but then he gave a small smile and nodded before walking into my room. The door shut behind him a moment later, allowing me to return my attention to my bandmate.

"Uh...hey."

Ryder pursed his lips, anger flaring from him, which he tried, yet failed, to hide. Instead of talking out there, he sighed and turned around, walking back into his room. I stepped inside and shut his door, watching as he dropped down onto his small bed. I'd spent many days in it with him, letting our bodies sate the other's needs...but I had to put a final stop to that now. Cole was my mate, the one my wolf had chosen years ago, and now my human side wanted him just as much as my animal one did. It wasn't nearly as simple as my relationship had been with Ryder, in which we just wanted to breed without consequence. No. I wanted Cole for breeding, sure, but I also wanted to protect him, give him everything, and be the one he gave his whole self to. And I could feel that I was close to that. So close. So no matter how many times I had lain with Ryder, it was ending now.

"Ryder, I—"

"Don't. Just, shut up for a minute, Tanner."

My wolf wanted to growl at him for telling me to be quiet, but I could tell this was hard for him so I shut my mouth and bit my wolf's tongue. It was quiet for about four minutes before Ryder finally looked back up at me and began to speak. He seemed resigned, but at least his anger was mostly gone.

"Listen...Tanner. I...I thought we would eventually have something more..."

My cheeks heated slightly, but in my head, my wolf was scoffing. My wolf had what he wanted, and had always wanted, in the other room. Ryder had just been something to sate our needs until we could win over his true mate. Nothing more. However...to me, Ryder wasn't just a quick screw, even if it took me up until just now to realize that. His grin faltered, and my heart mirrored the slight gesture. I honestly felt terrible for leading him on for so long. I hadn't noticed he was becoming attached... and hell, I hadn't even known that sleeping with someone else while going after a different person was technically that bad.

"I'm not going to do something stupid like kick you out of the band, 'cause we both know you make it."

My eyes blinked several times, trying to keep tears from building up in them. I wasn't one to cry if I could help it, but I wasn't afraid to do so if appropriate.

"I also won't kick your friend off the bus, 'cause it's obvious just how much he means to you."

I was about to open my mouth to thank him when he held up a hand, stopping my words for a second time.

"However, if you start slacking with practice, I will take all the peanut butter out of the fridge and make the biggest damned peanut butter and jelly sandwich...then eat it all in front of you."

Oh damn, he was serious. And crazy.

"I-I'll keep working hard," I half-shouted, desperation in my voice at just the thought of lost peanut budder. Ryder chuckled and got up, grabbing me in a strong hug before shoving me toward the door.

"Go comfort your new boy toy... and if you ever hurt him, you little dork, the tennis balls will vanish, too."

My face paled, but I quickly pulled myself together as I stepped out into the hall, then turned back to face him. I didn't think he knew about my issue with tennis balls, but he'd evidently found the ones I'd hidden around his house before we left since that was the only explanation... darn.

"I-I'll never hurt him."

A stupid smile slid across my face, making Ryder flick my nose. I yipped a little, raising my hands to rub it as he rolled his eyes.

"You act like such a puppy sometimes. I have no idea why I ever let you top me."

That got a smirk from me as I winked and licked my lips.

"'Cause you loved it."

He wound up to punch me, but I ducked and bolted into my room, shutting and locking the door behind me as I heard a laugh coming from the hall.

"Butthead," I shouted, but got no response back.

~Cole~

Hearing the door slam brought my attention away from the book I was reading. It was a textbook, but come on... I was an English professor. Besides, it had some really good stories in it, too.

"How did things go?" I asked, silently noting that Tanner was grinning as he climbed into bed, nudging the book off my lap and onto the floor as he rolled over to give me his belly to rub even though he was still in his human form. Such. A. Dork. I reached down anyway, tugging his shirt up before rubbing his belly with a good amount of effort. He quickly began panting and stretched out, wiggling before his left leg began kicking at the blankets on the bed.

"You're such a dork," I grumbled, voicing my previously thought opinion. He moved in my lap and got up enough to nibble at my chin, now sitting more like a child on my legs.

"I love you."

My eyes rolled, but I didn't shove him off my lap like I normally would have before. He wasn't trying to be perverted or rude, just letting his wolf out a bit to show some affection. Nipping at another wolf's muzzle was a way to show submission, so I just smiled and returned the gesture with a lick. Both of us were enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and attention when we heard the bus start up.

"Are we heading to the stadium now?" I asked quietly. Tanner nodded before nudging me onto my back, making my wolf bristle slightly. When he began nuzzling and licking at my face and chest, my wolf slowly relaxed. He finally seemed to understand that rushing into sex wasn't going to get me to drop my pants. This, though, this I could get into. I loved him, even though it had taken me awhile to figure out. He was still growing in both body and mind, too, so I knew he was going to make mistakes. The thing that had me returning his licks and wrapping my arms around him was that he was willing to apologize and learn from the mistakes he made. He didn't make stupid excuses or lie just to get me into his bed.

After a few minutes of letting our wolves share affections, we pulled them back into our minds and let our lips finally meet. I could feel Tanner want to take it further, especially if the thing poking me from his pants was any indication, but he slowed himself down and reined in his libido. I rewarded him by opening my mouth, making him growl as his tongue greedily explored it, then twined together with my own so we could taste each other. After fifteen minutes, I was surprised when Tanner actually pulled away and grinned.

"Time to go set up and practice."

Oh...the bus had stopped. My face burned as he got up and began tossing stuff out of his dresser. After a few minutes, he found enough stuff for an outfit and tossed off the one he was currently wearing.

Okay...yummy.

What? I could look if I wanted to. He was courting me, after all. Might as well get a look at the goods... Okay, my teacher's mind chastised me for thinking about my former student that way, and the father in me, who rescued him from beneath that frozen tree, also wasn't too happy, but that was then. Right now? With all of that behind me, I couldn't help but think that he had a seriously nice body and was definitely not a pup any longer. The scar on his leg reminded me of my bad eye, too, making me think that we both had injuries that were permanent...but we had moved on and made the best of the bad situation.

"Hey, I've finished changing. You can stop staring, love."

"H-Huh...?"

I was completely spaced out until he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips, snapping me back to myself so that I blinked a few times.

"While I'm delighted that you literally just drooled over me, I've gotta go."

I waited for him to turn and leave but then...then the puppy eyes came.

Oh god. I remember now. He wants me to come.

"Please, Coleeeeeee?" Tanner begged immediately, making his eyes somehow grow a fraction wider. Those eyes... It felt like I was staring into the sky every time mine locked with them.

"Pleaseeee?"

His bum wiggled a little in anticipation since he didn't have his tail out right now, showing that he was still definitely a puppy in some aspects.

"Alright, you spoiled fuzzbag."

He chuckled as I grumbled and got myself out of his bed. Before I could contemplate if I wanted to change or not, there was a hand in mine, tugging me through the bus and down the steps. The first thing I noticed was the gigantic—and I do mean gigantic—stadium that we were parked behind. It was obviously an off-limits area since there was a gate closing us in with barbed wire overtop. Geez...security much? Was it that much of a risk to be in a band? I guess there were those crazy fan-girls... Just the thought of one of them hanging onto my Tanner made me grumble beneath my breath.

Mine!

"Hey, Cole. You coming?"

I snapped out of my daze and quickly ran after Tanner. Darn daydreaming at the wrong times. As I walked through the door, a red lanyard with a tag on it was tugged around my neck playfully by Tanner. The badge had VIP written on it, then Cole printed in black ink on the bottom. Wait a second...

"You did this ahead of time?"

He grinned sheepishly, and I punched him lightly in the arm. Tanner couldn't even pretend to be hurt since his grin returned seconds later. The rest of the group was already working on setting up, so when Tanner ran ahead to help, I joined in. It actually felt pretty good to put my muscles to use, and heck, when I stripped off my shirt halfway through moving things, I couldn't help but smirk as I caught Tanner eyeing me several times. A few of the stadium workers, who were helping work the lighting, also took a few glances, but after glares from Tanner, they all quickly got back to work.

By the time everything was set up and they had practiced a few songs to be sure the equipment was working correctly, Tanner was a frustrated ball of adorable fuzz. Not that he'd shifted, but I could see his wolf pouting about people looking at me while we were working. Now that everything was finally done and we were heading back, I had a jealous were-pup with an arm wrapped around my waist. Normally I'd grumble about the physical contact that obviously showed me as the underdog, but I just wasn't feeling aggressive right now. Heck, I wasn't really feeling any kind of confrontational. My focus was more on Tanner's bare chest as much as his was on mine.

"Hey, you guys want a snack before bed, or ya just gonna go crash for the night?"

We both turned to see that Ryder had shouted that while the other two bandmates sauntered off. Tanner glanced at me, but I just yawned, answering his question silently.

"Nah. We're gonna head to sleep. Thanks, though," Tanner shouted back before turning me around and all but ushering me up the stairs once we were outside by the bus. I thought I was going to be eager to get to sleep, but as we walked into his room and the door was locked behind him, I couldn't help but stare at Tanner. He looked tired too but not quite to the point of falling asleep yet. When he noticed me staring, even that little hint of tiredness vanished in a flash.

I tried to look uninterested, but the blush on my cheeks obviously gave me away. Tan was behind me in seconds, his hands gently resting on my waist. My body warmed as it involuntarily leaned back against his firm chest. I was tired and my wolf had more of a say in my actions than I normally allowed, which is probably why, when Tanner began to sway me back and forth slowly along with his hips, I didn't mind at all. I also didn't pull away when he began to nuzzle my neck and lick the salty skin there. My face burned with the knowledge that I was sweaty from working and he was likely tasting that, but he didn't seem to care in the least.

"Mmmm, Cole..."

His husky voice was muffled against my neck, but I could easily hear what he said, and, just the sound of my name on his lips right that moment made my body lean farther into his. Tanner took the hint of acceptance and pushed a little farther, moving his hands slowly around my waist so that my backside was comfortably pressed against his abdomen as we continued to sway back and forth.

"Mmn, Tanner..."

A slight jerk of his hips against me made a quiet moan slip from my lips, having completely caught me off guard. He backed off a little after that to try to get us moving again, but I hadn't missed the very obvious stiffness in his tight pants. I might be a bit too tired to think straight, but I felt like being a little mischievous. Thus, when he tried to sway us back and forth again, I chuckled quietly and reached behind me, grabbing him right between the legs. He jumped, yelping, but then was back with a bright red blush, growling as he nipped and tugged at my neck with his teeth. For some reason, I wasn't letting go of the stiffening object in my hand, even as Tanner's growls got louder and he began leaning into me. I turned just as his weight forced me down, my back hitting the blankets, yet still I didn't release him.

"Cole..."

He had to climb into bed to keep from having his junk pulled painfully, but I didn't think he minded as he leaned over me on his hands and knees. The way he was panting now told me that his wolf was just beneath the surface, making my own nudge its way closer.

"Cole, I... your hand."

It was clear that his control was slipping as his eyes dilated with hunger. For me. Ever since he'd come back, it was always about me. He had never done anything for himself. He'd said even this band was for me, to impress me and eventually give me what I wanted. Money, a home, my old life back... or at least something close to it. Was that what I wanted, though? To have my old quiet life back? Tanner was trying to show me something new. Trying to give me a love I'd never had. There was no doubt now that he was my mate. I had finally accepted what my wolf had seen for a long while now.

"Tanner..."

My whisper was answered by a feral growl, but I knew it wasn't anything close to aggression. His wolf took partial control over his human body and leaned down to lick my face relentlessly as he carefully got his hips lowered onto me. After a minute, Tanner took control back and groaned as he meshed our mouths together and began moving against me. Lightning shot through every single cell in my body as I arched into his, pleasing him by the blatant act of submission.

"Tannerrr."

Another growl was his response as his hands began to fumble with his pants. I was sure he was cursing his band's wardrobe since he was grunting and, from what I could hear, shredding his pants to get them off faster. Thankfully he was the complete opposite with mine. His fingers gently untucked the button on my jeans, then tugged the zipper down, freeing me from the painful constriction. He gave a few quick tugs to get my pants and boxers completely off, but his main focus was on my blatantly obvious stiffness. He had leaned back so he could get closer but then shocked me into a loud groan when his mouth suddenly took me in.

My wolf flared up, forcing a snarl from my lips as Tanner sucked with contentment. Having a male werewolf near another's most personal part of their body never bid well normally. However, when I felt his left hand gently begin to caress the sensitive inside of my leg, I tried to relax my inner wolf. It took several mental whispers, telling him that it was okay, that Tanner was only trying to bring us pleasure, before the animal in me finally withdrew his aggression. With my wolf backed down, I was able to focus more intently on Tanner's mouth, which was now bobbing up and down along my length. It took little time after that before I was arching into his mouth, releasing as I shuddered with pure pleasure. I let my body enjoy the ride and finally came back to myself a minute later with a deliriously happy grin on my face. Tanner was right there, too, kissing my cheek before running a thumb gently along it.

"I love you, Cole."

His need pressed against my waist once more, silently asking if it was okay. My old, hesitant self screamed no, but the new me, the one who was beginning to think that this was exactly where I needed to be, and who I needed to be with, spurred me on.

"I...love you, too. Tanner."

The huge sigh of relief he gave made me almost chuckle, but I was glad we had finally cleared everything up. In fact, I think a certain pup's body had silently promised me something, and I kinda wanted it... With a devious smirk, I wrapped my arms up and around his neck, pulling him down to kiss me as my legs did the same, looping around his waist so that our hips ground together. It didn't take Tanner long to figure out that I was giving him the green light he'd been begging for over the last months. I thought he might at least have some type of thing to not make it hurt but he immediately began moving against me while his hands traveled down along my torso, then waist, before finally lifting up my backside and claiming his target in seconds.

~Tanner~

"Tanner?"

There was a soft knock at my door, but I definitely didn't want to get up. Especially not with my mate snug in my arms, sound asleep like a newborn pup. Just the thought of what had happened last night made my heart swell with pride and my wolf preen about his dominance. Granted, I would never try to dominate Cole like a wolf might, I'd learned that lesson. He was an equal, and my wolf would just have to get used to that. I intended to split the alpha title with him when we finally establish our own pack... wherever we eventually ended up settling down.

"Tanner? We need to go do sound checks. Get up."

I groaned and rolled over, glancing at the clock on my desk. Oh shit! It was already getting close to four? I quickly got up and yanked on some pants, hopping around until I had them on, then pulled on a shirt. My hair was likely a mess, but for some reason, my fans seemed to like it that way, so I didn't bother looking in the mirror. Instead, I started for the door... only to turn and look at Cole as he slept.

"Tanner?"

Ryder's shout made me jump, and I quickly replied, "I'll be in there in a minute."

He grumbled behind the door but stomped off, satisfied with my answer for the moment. With that, I walked back over to my bed and climbed in, then gently tugged Cole into my arms. My fingers brushed against the scar I'd left near his damaged eye, making my heart constrict slightly before I hugged him tightly to my own chest.

"I'll protect you forever. Nothing will ever hurt you again, especially not me."

I felt him move slightly and relaxed my hold just enough so that he could look up at me.

"Hey there..." he whispered up at me, giving me the most adorable sniff before nuzzling back against my chest and yawning. His eyes closed right after he'd completed the gesture, making my heart thump hard in my chest.

Aw man, I wanna stay in bed with him all day.

"Cole," I whispered quietly with a small smile. His eyes fluttered back open, but I could tell he wasn't quite there. So, seeing an opportunity, I leaned a little closer and stole a kiss.

"I need to go do sound checks for the show tonight. I'll come get you when we're about to go on?"

He gave a quiet mumble before passing out cold again. If I wasn't the main vocalist, I would say screw the show and stay there. Too bad. Instead, I reluctantly tucked my love back in, being sure that he was extra comfortable, before shutting the door to our room and running off to work.

It was about two hours later when I finally returned to find Cole having just come out of the shower. My wolf gave a horny "Woof!" at seeing its mate completely naked, but I shoved him back to keep us from making trouble. If I got Cole in bed now, then I wouldn't give a damn about the show tonight, and I had promised Ryder that I would take the band seriously. But oh my god, I'm still going to drool. A finger nudged my jaw up after a second, effectively closing my mouth.

"You're drooling, Tan. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

He turned around to dig through my things, limping slightly. Super huge ego boost right there. When he pulled on a pair of my more comfortable jeans and one of our band shirts, I nearly stripped him back down to have my way with his delicious body. Err! Mind out of the gutter. There's time for that later.

Cole chuckled and walked past, my scent mixing with his from my clothing on him. I followed like a lost puppy, stealing his hand and entwining our fingers when we got off the bus and headed inside. I could already hear the crowd roaring in the stadium portion of the building, and I needed to get in there, but first... Whirling Cole around right as we got to the edge of the backstage curtain, I hugged him tightly and pressed a kiss to his soft lips.

"For luck," I whispered, making him blush. He leaned up on his toes to return the gesture, making my face turn red.

"Then another would be double the amount, hm?"

I was about to lean in for a quick makeout session, but Ryder yelled at me that they were going to be starting soon. Darn it! Giving a small pout, I let Cole go and stepped back to keep myself from pulling him right back against me.

"Good luck, Tan."

Cole's smile was all the luck I needed as I turned and ran out onto the stage. There was one other small curtain in front of us, allowing me to get my headset fitted without everyone seeing me stumbling about as I got in place at the same time. Right as I stopped moving our band was announced over the loud speaker and the crowd rumbled with new fervor as the curtain quickly rose.

The concert took most of my focus as we went through several of our original popular songs, but when we got toward the end, I had a certain cover I wanted to sing for a very special person. So I motioned for the crowd to quiet down, then spoke.

"This is our last song, and it's a cover for the most important person in my life..."

My face blushed slightly, and that immediately got the crowd cheering as we started up the song. Everyone definitely knew it, and soon they were singing along, especially when we got to the chorus.

"Show me how you intend to stand beside me. I'll show you how I'll do the same. We'll stand together, through the hard times and the easy. I'll give it all away in the hopes that you'll stay. So we'll stand together now, and forever."

I glanced at Cole from the corner of my eye and couldn't resist turning my head slightly to smile at him. His right hand was pressed over his mouth, and even though he was standing in the shadows, I could still sense that he was blushing profusely. I'd chosen this song specifically because I'd heard it as his ringtone during the time I'd spent with him when I was younger. It was the first song I'd learned completely with Ryder's help, and I was so glad that I could get Cole to look so surprised by hearing it now. When the song finally died down, the crowd cheered for a good ten minutes before everyone finally calmed down.

Ryder did a promotion thing where he'd sold a few VIP tickets to sit close to the stage and gave those people the privilege of asking us a few questions before we left. So once the crowd was quiet, I nodded toward a girl who was waving her hand behind one of the tables. They each had a microphone so that their comments could be heard by the whole arena. The first few questions were simple and directed toward my other bandmates, but when I called on a young redheaded girl, her questions actually caught me a bit off guard.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Tanner?"

The stadium went up in screams as I glanced sideways to Cole just behind the stage curtains before looking back at the girl.

"Um..."

What were we exactly? I knew we were mates, but had he finally accepted it completely? We'd had sex last night, but had we officially said that we were dating? Did we have to say that? In my mental confusion, I heard the girl's voice again and blushed.

"Is she behind that curtain you keep looking at?"

The stadium roared again, making me glance back over at Cole, who was now slowly backing away in fear. Did he not want to be known as my boyfriend? That thought made my stomach twist into knots as I turned back to face the audience. They were all staring intently at either me or the curtain. Darn it.

"I-I..."

My eyes glanced down at the floor, then looked out into the crowd.

"I have someone who is very important to me, but I'm unsure if that person understands that I want to date them honestly."

I pushed my fingers through my hair and sighed, stressed. My eyes caught Cole hesitating a little ways behind the curtain, and I slowly turned to face him, getting a loud cheer from the crowd who figured the girl's guess was correct.

"I'm sorry that I'm a goof sometimes and don't understand some things that should be obvious..."

The crowd laughed, making me smile as I continued talking into the mic.

"But I love you more than anything. You're everything to me, and I want to be a couple. I want to be your king, your lover, your everything..."

As my words trailed off, the audience slowly began to chant. "Come out! Come out! Come out!"

Cole looked panicked as he hugged himself in confusion. I hadn't meant to put him on the spot and was just turning back to the crowd to tell them to calm down when their cheers erupted in a deafening roar. I whirled around in time to see Cole running full-on at me and just barely managed to catch him in my arms.

I immediately nuzzled into his soft hair, mumbling quietly, "I'm so sorry for this. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

He was blushing so badly that even his ears were bright red. So cute.

"Hey... Cole?" I whispered as I leaned my head back just enough so that he could look up... then when he did, I kissed him right in front of everyone. The sheer volume of awws and cheers were enormous, and I was pretty sure cameras were flashing like crazy all around us, but I didn't care. Soon Cole even relaxed in my arms, making me grin against his lips.

"You're such a pup."

That got me chuckling as he tucked his head against my chest, then, surprisingly, reached out and grabbed a mic from the stand in front of me. Everyone in the crowd immediately quieted down as they waited for him to speak.

"Th-this guy's mine...s-so don't touch."

As the noise rose to a deafening volume with excitement, I moved in a blur and grabbed the mic out of Cole's hands, switched it off, then tossed it somewhere over my shoulder... right before I grabbed him and did the same, but this time to carry his butt offstage. There was no way I was gonna let him get away with being that cute in front of anyone but me.

-End

(I will start putting book 2 back up in a few days, thank you for reading :3 )