A/N: High R-rating. Dark content, with some sexual situations.

Chapter 3

Present day…

Ruby gazed out the window, finally coming out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. She had been here for five days now, and she wasn't happy. She didn't move, but waited. She heard the door open, and saw her brother, Lucas's, reflection in the dark window. She smiled, turning to face him. He gave her a hesitant smile.

"Ruby." She walked towards him, wrapping her arms around him. She felt him relax when she did this, his arms wrapping around her as well.

"I've missed you, little brother." She pulled back, her hands moving to his face. She surveyed him, seeing that he looked like their Dad, like Willard, the strong jaw, those dark eyes. But she could see Vivian as well, and for some reason, that didn't bother her. Not about Lucas. "You've grown up."

"Yeah, so have you." He smiled, pulling her into another hug. He missed his sister. "I can't believe you're back. I thought…I didn't think you were coming back." Ruby's smile faded, she walked over to her bed, sitting down.

"I didn't think I was coming back either, Luke." He walked over to the window, where she had been just moments before.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." He turned back to her, looking sad. "If I could have stopped them—"

"Luke, there was nothing you could do." Ruby shrugged. "I knew, in the back of my mind, that I would be coming back here one day." Luke pushed away from the window, walking around the room.

"But you shouldn't have been forced like this." Ruby gave him a small smile.

"It would have happened anyway. It doesn't matter." She patted the bed next to her. "Come tell me about you." He grinned, moving towards the bed and sitting down beside her.

"What do you want to know?" He asked, laying back on the bed, his arms supporting his head.

"Are you seeing anyone?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really…" Ruby studied him.

"What about Sophia? You mention her a lot when I called." He shrugged, looking away.

"She hasn't flipped yet."

"So? She's Matt's daughter, she flip." Lucas sat up.

"You think so?" Ruby nodded.

"Definitely." Ruby saw Lucas mouth curve into a small smile. She grinned, looking down at her brother. "You really like her, huh?" Lucas shrugged.

"There's just…something about her. I love being around her. She makes me smile, and she's got the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen—"

"You love her!" Ruby's grin was huge now. Lucas blushed.

"No I don't—"

"Yes, you do! You've got all the signs. Your eyes light up when you talk about her, which you do a lot, by the way. I'm happy for you, Luke." She ruffled his hair, still smiling. Lucas grabbed a pillow, covering his face. Ruby laughed.

"Ruby…were you really going to marry that human?" Lucas had thrown the pillow off, and was now watching her. Ruby looked away, shrugged.

"Yeah, Luke, I was."

"Did you love him?"

"I…I could have been happy with him." Lucas sat up, surveying her.

"That's not what I asked, Rub." She sighed, meeting his gaze.

"In a way, yes…but I gave my heart away a long time ago, and I never got it all back." She looked away, gazing out the window. Lucas wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his side. Ruby smiled, glancing up at him. "You've changed, Luke, grown up." Lucas smiled, shaking his head.

"Glad you finally noticed." She laughed, hugging him to her.

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After Lucas had left, she walked back over to the window, returning her gaze to the woods and lake that lay out there. The water was dark, the only light coming from the moon, which was reflected on it, forming a perfect circle. She sighed, thinking about what had happened that night when Maggie died. She had run, and never came back. She had left Wolf Lake, left her father, and Tyler.

She just couldn't take being there, knowing that Maggie was dead, her best friend, because of her. She knew Tyler would look for her, but she made sure he didn't find her. It had hurt, being away from him, feeling their connection fading day after day, but after seeing him kill those men…rip their throats out like they were just pieces of meat…she could never look at him again with out thinking about that. She had saved Tyler, and in turn, killed her best friend. The bullet that man was going to shoot was meant for Tyler, but she had stopped him, but she wasn't fast enough.

God, Ruby, you've made a mess of things, she thought. When she had run that night, she had run straight through another town, and kept going until she was dead on her feet. Then she had slept, food some food, and ran some more. Eventually she had found a place to stay, somewhere to work. And from then on, she moved around. But in that time…she had been so depressed; she had done drugs, basically anything she could get her hands on.

Finally, after almost a year of that, she had finally gotten her act together, cleaned up. She hadn't touched any since. She had found a good job, bought an apartment, and met John. At first she had ignored him, knowing she didn't want to get involved with anyone, especially a human, but…things happened. And she grew to like him. He made her laugh, and just made her happy. And when he had proposed…she didn't see why she shouldn't. She could see herself raising a family with him, spending her days with him. He was a good man.

But she knew, of course, that she could never love John like she loved Tyler. Tyler was truly her mate, the man she was supposed to be with. But things change, people change. Being away so long…she had lost her connection with Tyler. But she could feel it starting to form again…and that scared her. She knew Tyler was angry with her for leaving, but she also knew that he would take her back, because he still wanted her.

"Fuck, Ruby." She murmured to herself, focusing on her reflection that was looking back at her in the dark window. She sighed, moving to sit on her bed. She knew she was staying here, staying in Wolf Lake. She couldn't leave again. She had a duty, being a white wolf. She needed to try and help her pack, help the others like Amanda, but who had a chance. She knew her life with John had just been a dream, not a reality. Never a reality. She was home now, back where, whether she liked it or not, she belonged.

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Ruby jerked awake, shooting straight up in bed, the covers falling into her lap. Something was wrong…someone was hurt, in pain. She pushed the sheets aside, walking quickly to her door and opening it. She walked out into the room, stopping when she saw Tyler asleep on the sofa. He jerked awake when she walked into the room, and was now standing in front of her.

"What's wrong?" He was looking her over for any signs of injury. She shook her head.

"It's not me…I just, something's wrong. I can feel someone in pain." She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had felt. She looked at Tyler. "Someone's trying to flip and it's not working. We have to find them." Tyler looked at her suspiciously. "I'm not lying, Tyler. Talk to my Dad." Tyler was quiet for a moment, staring off into nothing. He finally nodded.

"I know where. Let's go." He grabbed her hand, pulling her outside. He turned to her. "Flip, but stay next to me, Ruby." She narrowed her eyes.

"You think I won't help them?"

"I don't know, Ruby. You've been gone a long time." She ignored his remark, walking behind a bush to strip. She didn't need Tyler's stare as she flipped. She closed her eyes, letting the change take over. It took only a moment, and once she was done, she emerged from the bush, seeing Tyler's grey wolf waiting for her. They took off, Tyler in the lead while Ruby followed.

They made it to the hospital, where the girl was, rather quickly. Once inside, they both flipped back, slipping on the clothes that Vivian had waiting for them. Ruby followed her nose to the girl. She walked past Vivian and Willard, opening the door to be greeted by the sight that was so similar to what she had seen when her sister died. She froze for a moment, shocked, but got her bearings and nodded to Sherman, who was beside the girl's bed.

"I need to be alone with her." Sherman nodded, and left, shutting the door behind him. Ruby took a seat next to the shaking girl, taking her half-formed hand into her own. She closed her eyes, focusing with connection with the girl's beast. She immediately saw a light grey wolf in her mind. She locked eyes with the wolf, willing it to be human. The wolf changed into a human, the girl, who Ruby knew was named Megan.

"Megan, you have to let go. Let the change happen." The girl nodded, looking scared. "Just let go…" Ruby gasped, her eyes snapping open. She pushed her energy into the girl, giving her all that she had. Ruby's eyes were open, but she wasn't seeing what was in front of her. She saw a white room, and inside a wolf was pacing. Ruby connected eyes with the wolf. Stop pushing. Don't force this. Let it be, she spoke to the wolf. It nodded, and the room vanished. Ruby's eyelids started to fall, but just before she passed out, she saw the girl on the bed had been replaced with a light grey wolf.

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When Ruby woke up, her body felt like she had been hit by a truck. She groaned, trying to roll over, but found that an arm around her waist prevented that. Her eyes snapped open, staring at the arm. She knew that arm. She followed it up to its owner, Tyler, who was still asleep. Ruby sighed, trying to extract herself, but failing. They only way she was leaving was to wake Tyler up, and she didn't think she wanted to face him right now.

She closed her eyes, letting out a breath. She pushed back against Tyler, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him after being apart for so long. She inhaled his scent, all testosterone with a hint of pine, same as always. God, she missed this, missed being near him, feeling safe and protected in his arms, like nothing bad could happen. She bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't do this again.

She froze when she felt Tyler start to wake up, unsure what to do. Finally, she turned in his arms, lying her head back down on his arm, which was under her. She watched him, he watched her. His hair was sticking out, but still looked good. His eyes were a dark green, like they always were when he woke up. And his face was scruffy from his facial hair. He looked…good. Finally Ruby spoke.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly. He didn't say anything simply stared at her, watching. "Tyler—" She didn't get to finish her sentence, because his mouth covered hers. She sighed into his mouth, opening it to allow his tongue to meet with hers. God…she had missed this. He tasted so good…felt so good. She felt his hands slid under her tank top, felt him lift it over her head, their mouths separated for only a moment before meeting again.

"God, Tyler…" She cried out when his hands moved to cup her breast, teasing her nipples. She responded by running her hands over his chest, down his back, her hands sliding under his boxers to grip his bottom, pressing him down against her. They both groaned at the friction the movement caused. Tyler's right hand slid down her flat stomach, his rough palm gliding over her skin. His hand slipped under her panties, his fingers finding their way over her center.

She gasped, breaking her mouth off of his when she felt one of his fingers enter her. She met his golden eyes with her own, arching her hips off the bed to meet his hand. He stopped his ministrations, watching her.

"Did he touch you like this, Ruby?" His voice can out a half-growl. Ruby froze, staring up at Tyler. She looked away. His hand moved up to grip her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Did he, Ruby?" After a moment, she nodded. She grimaced when he growled loudly; more than angry someone had touched his mate like this.

Ruby tried to push him off, but he didn't move, instead his face moved to her neck. Her breathing was getting frantic at having Tyler so close to her neck, where he could easily rip out her throat in his anger. She gasped when she felt his tongue on her neck; felt him licking the bite mark on her neck, his mark. He had felt her tense, was trying to sooth her. He wasn't going to hurt her, he would never hurt her.

He lifted his face, meeting her eyes again before ripping her panties off. She gasped at this, watching as he quickly removed his own boxers. She felt his hands on her inner thighs, pulling her open for him. She let him, her legs on either side of Tyler's hips. She felt the tip of him at her entrance, waiting. She watched him, watched his eyes dilate as he swerved from human to wolf and back again. She nodded.

"Oh, God!" She cried out as he entered her, her legs wrapping around his back. He set a fast pace at first, sliding in and out of her quickly. After a few minutes, he slowed down, lingering longer inside of her before pulling out almost all the way before entering her again. Her hands gripped his back, digging her nails into him. She brought her face to his neck, licking the spot where her mark was. She bit the spot, digging her teeth into him, tasting blood. He growled, his pace faltering when she did this.

"Ruby…" His voice was all growl, barely human. She could feel the ball building in her, felt it tighten, so close…she pulled her face back, meeting his eyes once before forcing his head down to her neck. She pushed her hips off the bed, meeting his halfway. He groaned, his tongue licking her neck. She felt so hot, she pushed her hips up one more time…and she was gone. She cried out, her nails digging into his back as she came. She felt him come inside of her, heard his growl, felt his teeth sink into her shoulder.

Tyler was lying on top of her now, his weight felt right on her, safe. She brought her right hand up, threading it through his hair, toying with it. She groaned when he pulled out of her, turning on his side. He pulled her against him; wrapping is arm around her waist, pulling her as tightly as he could against his body. She sighed, closing her eyes.

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When Ruby woke up later, she felt hot. She was sweating, and Tyler's body and arm wrapped around her were smothering. She pulled away from him, getting off the bed. She walked out of the room, into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her flushed cheeks. What was wrong with her? She turned the sink on, splashing water onto her face. She turned the water off, and didn't even bother drying her face before walking out into the hallway. She opened the front door, sighing when she felt the cool air hit her overheated body.

You need to run, her mind told her. She agreed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the change. It took only a matter of seconds before she was in her wolf form. But she was still hot, and took off running before she could even think about it. She loved the feeling of the cool air hitting her as she ran. She ran until she grew thirsty, and stopped at a small stream to drink.

Her muzzle was in the cold water when she heard a noise. She lifted her head, ears perking to listen more closely. She waited, but didn't hear anything. Finally, she shrugged it off and bent down for another drink. Just as she was about to lift her head, a wolf she had never seen before emerged from behind some trees. Ruby froze. She didn't know who this was, but she knew this wasn't good.

She started backing up slowly, watching as the other wolf mimicked her movements. She froze, preparing to make a run for it when another wolf emerged from the woods, this one dark grey. Tyler. He didn't turn to her, but stayed watching the other wolf.

Did he touch you? Tyler's voice spoke in her ear.

No. I'm fine. She heard a low growl make its way out of Tyler's throat. The other wolf waited a moment, then left, probably deciding he wasn't a match. Ruby sighed in relief, watching as Tyler made his way over to her. He brushed his muzzle against hers, his pelt rubbing along hers. She licked his face softly.

Ruby…you're in heat. Ruby froze. What? Shit…she was in heat? She backed away from Tyler, sitting down quickly. She heard Tyler's laugh in her head.

What? We've been together when you've been in heat before.

Not when we were…in this form. I don't want pups right now. She saw Tyler's eyes darken at that idea. She knew he would like nothing better then to have her carrying his pups in her belly.

Why not, Ruby? He started walking towards her, circling her. She remained seated, waiting for a moment when she could run. Once he was the furthest away, Ruby tried running, but she only got about a foot before she felt his teeth in her neck. She froze, her body starting to respond with being so close to him. She felt Tyler's growl run through her as he smelled her arousal. The idea of letting him mounting her right now was becoming more and more to her liking.

Her body was on fire, and she knew the only way it was going to stop was for her to be with Tyler. She let out a low growl in her throat, lowering her front paws to the ground. Her butt was sticking up in the air, and she knew Tyler was only moments away from mounting her. She felt his front paws wrap around her stomach, felt his groin touch hers then— he was gone. She cried out, turning to see what he was doing. She saw him changing forms. He now stood behind her, human.

Change for me, Ruby. She felt his voice in her head. She closed her eyes, letting the change wash over her. She opened her eyes after a moment, now human. Before she could do anything, Tyler had her pinned to a tree, her legs around his waist. He was inside of her, moving in and out faster than she thought possible. She felt her back dig into the bark of the tree, knew there would be cuts and bruises, but she didn't care. All she cared about in this moment was the man in front of her.

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They had stayed out there in the woods for hours. Mating with each other in every way possible, except, of course, in their wolf form. Finally, when the sun had started to rise, they had made their way back to the cabin. Tyler, after looking in the fridge and seeing only a bottle of juice, said he was going to go get some food for them and left Ruby alone in the cabin.

She had decided to take a bath, and was now turning the water off, sighing in pleasure as she sank into the hot water. There were no bubbles in the water, that's how she always took her baths. She loved to sink under and stare up at the ceiling through the water and just think. She washed her hair quickly, then set to shave her legs. She grabbed a razor from the side of the tub where she had set it earlier, and, after lathering her left leg, started sliding the razor along her skin, rinsing it off ever once in a while.

She was on her right leg when she winced, feeling the razor cut her skin. She sighed, seeing blood start to slide down her leg freely. Why was it that they always bled so much? She finished shaving and rinsing her leg off. She slid back under the water, which was now swirling with her blood. She opened her eyes, gazing up at the ceiling.

She heard the door burst open a minute later, felt a pair of arms grab her own and pull her out of the water. She gasped, trying to cover herself up. She looked up and saw—

Tyler.

He grabbed her wrists, looking over both of them carefully, when he didn't see anything, he turned his gaze to her inner thighs. He made a move to touch them when Ruby stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She finally choked out, still shocked from being dragged out of her silence.

"You're bleeding, why are you bleeding?" He ignored her, asking her a question instead. She lifted her leg, showing him her cut.

"I cut myself shaving, that's all." She said softly, watching him. He visibly relaxed, his eyes closing. She waited for him to open his eyes before speaking. "You thought…you thought I slit my wrists?" He met her eyes, nodded.

"I…" she shut her mouth, not sure what to say, finally she settled with, "Well, I didn't." Tyler nodded.

"I can see that." He helped her stand, and grabbed a towel from the rack. She stood there, letting him dry her off. He was careful of her cut on her leg. Once she was dry, he wrapped the towel around her, moving to leave. She stopped him with a hand on his arm. He turned around.

"Tyler, I wouldn't…" she trailed off, looking away. "I was in a bad place before…I won't go back there again. I'm fine." He watched her for a moment, nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head, sighing.

"I know…but I can't lose you, Ruby. Not again." She didn't say anything, just let him hold her.

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They had finished eating and were now getting into bed. Ruby turned to face Tyler, watching him get settled into the bed.

"Why did you stop?" She asked softly. He turned towards her.

"Stop what?" He asked. She met his eyes.

"You know what. I was more than willing, you know that. Why didn't you just do it?" Tyler didn't say anything, just stared at her. "Well?"

"Because I know that it was just the heat, and I know you wouldn't normally do that." He finally spoke, "I won't take advantage of you like that."

"It's not like we haven't had sex before."

"It's not the same, Ruby." He spoke, "if we had done that…there's a good chance you would be pregnant right now." She looked away, up at the ceiling.

"And you don't want that?" She finally asked, her gaze remaining on the ceiling. He turned her face towards him with his hand, his eyes fierce.

"You know I do, Ruby." He brushed a hand down her cheek. "You know there's nothing I want more than to have your belly full of my pups, but I know you aren't ready, and I'm not going to force you." She placed a kiss on his palm.

"Thank you." He leaned over, kissing her softly on the lips. She pulled back. "What if I said I didn't want children?" Tyler froze, not saying anything. She grinned, laughing. "I'm kidding, Tyler, God, the look on your face…" Her laughter was cut off by his mouth. After a minute he pulled back.

"You better be kidding, Ruby." He spoke, rubbing the side of his face against hers. "Because you know sooner or later I'm going to have my way." Ruby nodded, sighing in pleasure as his mouth made its way down her neck.

"That I'm sure of."

TBC…

Reviews please! I love to hear what people think.