Author's Note: So, people liked the last chapter. Now, for the good part. Chlerek. :D Maybe some lemons. Hopefully, things will work out. I just don't want to rush the relationship and have them jump right into bed (even though we all know we would want to if a naked Derek was waiting for you…a sturdy bed would be needed :D). Ooo, very bad. Naughty author. :D Chloe and Derek just don't feel like a "hop-into-bed" kind of couple, so I don't want to give them that rep. Still, lemons are on the way. Sometime.

Oh, on another note, someone who reviewed said that they didn't really like that Bride had kind of pushed Derek. I want to make clear why she did that. Bride pushed Derek because she had been on the receiving end of being kept in the dark and she didn't like it, in fact, she almost broke up with Vane permanently because of that. Bride has gotten to know Chloe a little bit and doesn't want her to go through the same thing she did. She doesn't want her become angry with Derek because he put off telling her about choosing her as his mate. I'm going to work that into the chapter, but I just wanted to clarify my intentions behind the scenario.

Forewarning…Derek may seem a little OOC in this chapter. This is for a good reason though. I think anyone would be if they had to tell the love of their life that they were your one and only for eternity and you had no idea if they returned your feelings. That would be understandably nerve-racking for anyone. So, try to be okay with the situation for right now. He will be back to his brooding, dark, intimidating self afterwards (but he'll still be very open with Chloe).

Hope ya'll like the chapter. Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease.

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Wish I did, but I don't.

Tattoos

Previously

She smiled at me. "That's good. But I know that you haven't told her yet and you need to."

I stared at her. I glanced over to Chloe to see confusion…and something else.

Well, shit.

Cpov

I wanted to know what the hell was going on. I kept hearing them talk about "telling her" and Derek kept avoiding talking to me about the "telling her" thing and what he's chosen. Has he chosen his mate? Who is she? Is it me? Oh, God, I hope so. I don't know what I would do if the man I loved wanted someone else. Does the "telling her" thing involve me? Is he supposed to tell me something? Or am I reading too much into this whole thing? Does this "whole thing" even involve me?

I was so confused…and hopeful. I glanced up at Derek. I found him staring at me. His green eyes focused entirely on me, resignation hidden within them. There was something else there, too. Hope, determination...and…fear. Fear…?

"Derek, I need to speak with you." Vane stood up, walking out the back door, taking Bride with him.

Derek nodded and stood up, following him out the back door, leaving me to wallow in my confusion.

DPOV

I followed Vane out the back door, curious as to what he wanted to tell me. I knew that it had to do with mates, but I wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to tell me.

Vane stopped when he reached the grass and turned to face me. I wasn't sure what Bride was out here for, though.

Sensing my curiosity, Bride spoke up first. "Derek, I'm sorry that I pushed you."

"Why did you push me?"

"I've been on the receiving end of being kept in the dark, and I didn't like it." She glanced at Vane, and he shrugged. "I understand why Vane did it. Because I'm human, he kept his life a secret. But Chloe isn't human. She's a supernatural. Just like you. I've gotten to know Chloe a little today and I can tell that she wouldn't like to be kept out of the loop. That's why I pushed you. I don't want her to become angry with you for keeping a secret. I almost lost Vane that way. I don't want the same to happen to you." She smiled, patted my arm and walked back in the house.

"She's right Derek. You shouldn't keep secrets from your mate. I almost lost Bride that way. You should tell Chloe as soon as possible."

I looked back at Vane. "If I do, and she rejects me, what am I supposed to do? I can't lose her. You must understand that."

"I do understand that Derek." A look passed through his eyes. "But I also know that the longer you put off telling her, the more upset she could become for not telling her." He shuddered. "Believe me, you don't want that to happen."

"I'm going to tell her…I just don't know what to do."

"Just tell her the truth. And when she accepts you, there is a ritual that you have to do."

"Okay. What is it?"

"So that a werewolf cannot take a mate without her consent, there are protection charms in place. The female has to go first in the ritual. The ritual for a Varulfur is different from all other werewolf breeds. You have to be sitting across from each other, in a place that you both feel at home. You have to ask her if she accepts you as her mate. That's part of the protection charm, the magic surrounding you will be able to tell if she is entering into the relationship willingly with no outside motive other than to be with you. Then you have to clasp each other's hands, left to left and right to right, and while doing that, you repeat these words to each other: "With you as my mate, I walk the path of the running wolf. I willingly accept this life and am proud of the bond we share. I gladly bind myself to you." Once you say those words to each other, matching tattoos will appear on your palms, signifying that you are mated to each other, telling others that you are taken. The tattoo will be of your family crest. Once you are bonded, your life-force will be joined with hers. She'll live as long as you. There is a draw-back to this. If one of you dies, the other will too."

I nodded, memorizing the words. I was nervous. Would Chloe accept me? Shit! I don't know if I could handle it if she rejected me as her mate.

"Oh, and once you guys have had sex for the first time, for a Varulfur, the mate's name appears on the side of the other's left hand, in their eye color."

I nodded, anticipation flooding my veins. The very idea of Chloe naked…STOP! Focus.

"I'll send Chloe out." Vane said as walked back into the house.

A few minutes later, Chloe came outside…bundled up in my hoodie. I smiled at the sight. God, she looks great in my sweatshirt.

"What's going on Derek?" Chloe looked worried.

"I need to tell you something." I couldn't look at her as I said that.

"What?" I remained quiet, trying to think up a way to tell her without freaking her out.

"Derek, just tell me. You know that you can tell me anything." Chloe walked up and laid her hand on my arm, lending me silent support.

"I…You…We are…Shit." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to get the words out.

"We are shit?" Chloe asked, sounding amused.

"What! No!" I blew out a breath, my nerves getting the better of me.

"Derek, calm down. Just tell me what's going on."

I took a deep breath. "Chloe, you're my mate."

"What? Derek…" She sounded hesitant. I started pacing, trying to calm down.

"I knew it. I had hoped that I had a chance. I knew it. No one would want to be bonded with me."

"Derek! That's not what I was gonna say."

I stopped my pacing and looked at her in disbelief. "What were yo-"

"If you would shut up for a second, you could find out what I was gonna say." Chloe, my Chloe, glared at me.

I did what any man would do when the woman of their dreams glares at them. I shut my mouth.

"What I was going to say was that I don't believe you. Why would anyone choose me?" I started to protest. Again, she glared at me. "But, I'm glad that you did." She smiled at me. "Derek, I love you."

I was speechless. She loves me. I walked up to her and pulled her against me. I did, for once, what the wolf in me, and if I was being honest, what I wanted to do since I first met Chloe. I kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck trying to get closer. I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her up to gain better access. Our mouths slanted again and again, our tongues fighting for dominance. Electricity raced through my body everywhere we touched and fire ran through my blood from our fervent kisses.

CPOV

We broke apart. I didn't want to, but we had no choice. Breathing was a necessity.

We were both breathing heavily, trying to catch our breath.

"I love you, Chloe." Derek managed to gasp.

I smiled. I couldn't help it. Derek loves me. "I love you, too."

He smiled. He has a beautiful smile. "Um…Is that what all the mystery was? About you choosing something and needing to "tell her"?

"Yes. Vane and Bride have been telling me all day that I needed to tell you that you're my mate." He set me down on the ground.

"Oh." I smiled. "So…I'm your one and only?"

Derek nodded. "And if you accept me, I'll be your one and only."

"What do you mean "if"?" I was confused. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I love you and accept you."

He smiled. "You're right. You did. It's just that I'm still kind of stunned that you actually love me."

"Well, get used to it. I'm not going anywhere." I smiled and kissed him. As soon as our lips met, liquid fire ran through my body. The fire raced through my veins and pooled in my belly, making me want more. Derek pulled me even closer, lifting me up. When he did that, we aligned perfectly. I could feel him against the apex of my thighs, which only made me hotter. I grinded myself against him…seeking easement, wanting him. Derek growled, the vibrations rolling through my body, turning me on further.

He broke the kiss. "God, Chloe, you have no idea what you do to me."

I wriggled my hips, craving him. "I have a pretty good idea."

He growled again. "Chloe…as much as I don't want to, we need to stop."

"I know." He set me down and let go of me. As he did that, I remembered something. "Derek, Vane mentioned that there was a ritual that we needed to do?"

"Yeah. We need to find somewhere that we both feel at home."

"Oookay. Um…How about the forest? We both love the forest."

.

"That'll work. Let's go." He took my hand, leading me into the forest. We found a small clearing, just big enough for the two of us to stretch out in.

Derek sat down and gestured for me to do the same. "Kay, first off, I have to ask you a question."

I nodded, waiting.

"Chloe, do you accept me as your mate?"

"Yes." A green glow wrapped itself around me, making my skin tingle. After a few seconds, it disappeared. Weird.

"Give me your hands." He intertwined his fingers with mine, left to left, right to right. "Now repeat after me. 'With you as my mate, I walk the path of the running wolf.'"

I smiled. "With you as my mate, I walk the path of the running wolf."

"I willingly accept this life and am proud of the bond we share. I gladly bind myself to you."

"I willingly accept this life and am proud of the bond we share. I gladly bind myself to you." As I repeated the words, the palm of my right hand started to tingle.

Derek repeated the words to me. As he finished, my palm felt like it was burning. It wasn't painful, just really hot.

After a few seconds, the heat went away. We unclasped our hands and looked at the palms. There was a black tattoo on our right palms. It looked like a crest. It was a round shield and there was a wolf in the middle of it, holding a rosary in its mouth, and surrounding it was pictures representing the four elements in the North, South, East, and West directions.

"It's beautiful…but what is it?" I asked, looking at the beautiful mark.

"It's my family crest. Once a werewolf claims his mate, the crest appears on the right palm of the werewolf and his mate." I looked at Derek. "The mark is there to tell others that they are taken. Mated."

"Okay." I smiled at him. I'm Derek's and he's mine. "Anything else I need to know?"

" Um…your life-force is bound to mine and you'll live as long as me…which can be more than a thousand years. And if one of us dies, the other will too."

"Wow. Okay, then. Anything else?"

"Umm…uh…once we, uh, do it, your name will appear on the side of my left hand in your eye color and vice versa."

"Okay." I cleared my throat. "We should get back. I hate to say it, but I still have to practice and the others should be told about us being mates."

"Yeah. They need to. I'm just kind of worried about what Simon will say." I must have looked confused. "Simon's really into you, and I'm not sure how he'll take the news that your mine."

"Mine?" I arched an eyebrow.

His eyes widened. "I didn't mean that you are my property or anything…"

I smiled. "Derek, it's fine. I know what you meant. I know that werewolves get territorial and all, but I also know that you would never treat me like a piece of property. I am yours. But you are also mine."

He smiled, relieved. "Yes, you are mine, but you're right. I would never treat you like an object to be owned. And yes, I am yours. Always will be."

I kissed him. I broke apart before we could get carried away, and stood up. I looked at the mark again. It's so beautiful. I couldn't believe that Derek and I were finally together.

Derek stood up and I laced our fingers together, needing contact. He grinned at me. We walked back to the house, hand in hand. When we made it out of the trees, the others were outside, practicing again. As soon as Simon caught sight of us, he ran over, reaching for my hand, not noticing that I was holding Derek's.

Derek noticed the gesture and growled at Simon, making Simon's eyes go wide. I placed a hand on his stomach, silently telling him that I'd handle it. He quieted, but pulled me closer to his side. Simon finally noticed that I was holding Derek's hand. He looked up, disbelief clear in his eyes.

"Simon, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way. I know that you were hoping for something more, even after our botched date. But I just don't feel the same way about you. I love Derek and I'm his mate." I held up my right hand, showing him my mark.

Simon nodded. "I knew that we weren't going to work out. But a guy can hope." He smiled at Derek. "Congrats, bro. You've found someone that sees you and not the stereotype." He looked at me. "Friends?"

I smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He gave me a hug, shook hands with Derek, then took off towards Tori.

Vane looked over to us, staring. I waved at him. He noticed the mark and smiled at us. He whispered something to Bride, and she looked up, smiling at us. I shook my head, smiling, not believing the path my life had taken. I'm a 15 year old necromancer/demon hybrid that has been genetically modified, I was sent to a group home and escaped from mad scientists repeatedly, I witnessed a werewolf's Change, got into a fight with werewolves, reanimated a few corpses and killed Dr. Davidoff, got in a fight with Daimons, almost losing Derek, my best friends are a sorcerer and a witch/sorcerer hybrid, and just now found out that the man I love returns those feelings, that I'm his mate. And the last part was before lunch. My life is full of surprises. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Xypher motioned for me to come over to him. I kissed Derek's cheek and strode over to Xypher, ready to learn to control my powers.

As soon as I stood in front of Xypher, he was all business. "Okay Chloe, explain to me what your powers are."

"Well, I can control the elements, witch and sorcerer magic, telekinesis, flash travel and change into my animal form."

He nodded. "Can you change into your animal form without any problems?"

I nodded. "Yes, that was fairly easy to do, after the pain subsided."

"We'll work on your flash travel later. I know that you can do that fairly well. We're going to focus on controlling the elements and your magic."

I nodded, ready to learn.

"Look within yourself, search for the natural connection you have with the elements, feel the connection, know what it feels like to be connected to the elements."

I sat down on the grass, trying to calm down. I felt Derek walk up behind me, and I instantly relaxed. Shutting out all noises, I looked within myself, searching for that connection. I sifted through memories and thoughts, searching for the place where my power resided. I found the place where my necromancer energy was and encountered a wall, a wall that blocked me from going further in my mind. I pushed against it, trying to break it down. I put all my weight against it, pushing with my newfound strength. The wall crumbled and I felt a wave of energy wash over me. I gasped. I could feel the earth more clearly, the air was crisper. I could feel the sun's heat more intensely and I could feel the moisture in the air as it settled on my skin. After the wave subsided, I felt the strong connection between me and the elements. Although the connection caught me by surprise, it felt natural.

"Chloe? Are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see Derek crouched in front of me, worry lining his face.

I smiled. "I'm fine, Der."

"You're sure?" He still looked worried.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Der. I'm sure." I leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. "I just made the connection between me and the elements. It surprised me, that's all."

Tori noticed our short kiss. "Chloe, explain that gesture of affection."

I looked at her. "What's to explain? Derek and I are mates." I held up my hand, showing her the mark.

I could have sworn that her eyes were about to fall out of her head. "What is that!"

I smiled. "It's Derek's family crest, my mark, signifying that we are a mated pair."

"…Okay…" Then she smiled, rather mischievously. "What is your dad gonna say about wolf-boy?"

Leave it to Tori to point out a rather obvious obstacle. I totally forgot about my dad. "I'll deal with him later." I stood up and looked at Xypher. "Now what?"

"You've made the connection. The next step is to practice control over the elements."

I nodded, waiting.

"Let's start with fire. Picture holding a ball of fire in the palm of your hand, with complete control over it. After that, you should be able to control the other elements without much problem."

I nodded, concentrating. I cupped my hands together and pictured a ball of fire. Nothing happened for a few minutes. I focused harder and felt my palms warm up. All of a sudden a small blue flame erupted in my palm. I could feel some of the heat from it, but it didn't burn me. The flame grew until it covered my hand. I focused a little harder and the flame grew until it covered my whole body in blue flames. I cut off the "power supply" and the flames quit. I conjured up a ball of fire in the palm of my hand and made it grow larger. I looked around and found a stick laying about ten feet away. I threw the fireball at the stick, watching it change from blue to red and orange. It crashed against the stick, setting it ablaze.

"Wow. That's pretty cool." Tori spoke from my right. I glanced at her, smiling.

I focused and thought of water. I cupped my hands and felt my palms cool. Water pooled in my hands. I focused a little harder and turned it into a ball of water. I threw it at the flaming stick and the fire went out.

I looked at the others. Simon stood there, gaping at me, and Tori was smirking. Derek looked proud and gave me a half-smile. I smiled back and looked over to Xypher. He looked kind of impressed, and Vane and Bride were smiling at me.

"So…what can I do with air and earth?" I asked, looking at Xypher.

"Create a breeze or a small earthquake and many more things, depending on how energetic you are that day."

I nodded and focused again, determined to master my new powers. I focused on air. I felt the breeze against my skin and focused on making it stronger. The wind picked up and caressed my face. I opened my eyes to see Simon and Tori fighting to stay on there feet, and Derek swaying the wind. I smiled and stopped my created "breeze", clearing my mind. I refocused, this time on earth. I could feel the ground beneath my feet shake a little. I focused on making a hole in the ground in front of me. A small hole formed. I focused a little harder and the hole grew wider. I filled the hole back in and glanced around.

"I cannot believe that I just did that." I smiled. All of a sudden, I felt exhausted. "Hey. Xypher? Am I done for the day? I'm exhausted."

He nodded. "Yes, you've learned enough for one day."

I nodded. The action made me dizzy and I would have fell over if Derek hadn't caught me.

"Chloe?" I opened my eyes to see Derek's worried face hovering above mine.

"Der, calm down." I tried for a smile. "I'm just tired. It'll get easier the more I practice."

He picked me up and carried me into the house, cursing Xypher for making me practice. I passed out listening to him think up creative ways for dismembering Xypher.

DPOV

Chloe almost fell over with exhaustion. I caught her, my anger rising at Xypher. He had made her push herself to master some of her powers. Yes, she needed to learn, but that didn't mean that she needed to learn it all in one day. I wanted to kill him.

"Der, calm down." Chloe tried for a smile, but she was too exhausted to. "I'm just tired. It'll get easier the more I practice." Worry warring with anger, I cradled Chloe to me.

Mmhmm. Sure it will. Oh great, now my inner voice is sarcastic. I picked Chloe up, carrying her into the house. She passed out, causing me to continue muttering ways of dismembering Xypher. He is so dead.

I laid Chloe on the couch, covering her with a blanket. I got her a glass of water for when she woke up and sat down next to her sleeping form, listening to her even breathing and heartbeat, reassuring myself that she'd be okay, that she just overdid it a little today. I had just calmed down enough to think clearly when someone I did not want to talk to flashed into the living room, furious and glaring at me.

Chloe's dad. Well, shit.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Something weird about the chapter? Something need improving? Anything you like? Review please! Please please please review!

If there's anything that you'd like to see, please tell me. I'll try to work it in. :D

Sorry, for no lemons in this chapter. They are coming. I swear. Just at a kind of glacial pace for right now. This sucks, yes, I know.

Again, please review. Pwetty pwease with a cherry on top?