Warning: I tried writing a bit of smut. Not sure how it turned out. But it was sort of necessary for this story. Please be gentle with your comments, lol.

No amount of secondhand information could have adequately prepared the newly mated couple for Bonnie's first heat. She and Tyler had been in the throes of pheromone-induced euphoria for the last six and a half hours. The heat was more than just the undeniable desire to copulate with one's mate. It stripped Bonnie and Tyler down to the most primitive versions of themselves. Primal urges and raw emotion had replaced rational thought and self-control. They realized early on that Bonnie possessed a hardy constitution commensurate with her werewolf heritage. They both felt empowered by that knowledge and decided not to restrain themselves.

Tyler had Bonnie bent over a dresser as he pumped into her dripping core mercilessly. He could tell that she was reaching the end of the heat's first phase because her pheromones no longer perfumed the air around them. Tyler felt grateful for the reprieve because sweat, bites, and bruises covered their exhausted bodies. He even had a collection of nasty scratches on his arms and back courtesy of Bonnie's surprisingly sharp fingernails. Her affinity for clawing at Tyler was one of the reasons that he decided to bend her over the dresser for their last go round. He also liked being able to watch her rounded backside move as she eagerly met each of his thrusts.

He pulled out of Bonnie only to bury his manhood inside of her in a single thrust. He leaned down so that his lips were beside her ear. He asked, "You like that?"

Bonnie's muscles felt weak and her knees threatened to buckle each time Tyler plundered her tender womb. Yet she was too close to another mind-blowing orgasm to consider tapping out now. Instead, she tightened her grip on the black lacquer dresser and let out a strangled moan. "I need you, please…"

Something snapped inside of Tyler when he heard that breathy plea fall from his mate's lips. He grabbed onto her hips only vaguely aware that he was adding to her growing collection of bruises. Tyler changed the angle of his thrusts to target that spot deep inside of Bonnie that drove her crazy. Then he settled into a rhythm that was desperate. "I know you do. I am going to take care of you. I promise, Bon."

The change of pace and angle caught Bonnie off guard. It felt as if every nerve ending in her body had come alive at the same time. Two pairs of amber eyes connected in the mirror as she moaned helplessly. She felt lightheaded for a moment as her blood pressure spiked. She whined, "Ty…"

"Are you mine?" he asked in a husky voice. He needed to hear her say it.

"Yes, I'm yours," she swore without a moment's hesitation.

Tyler grinned at Bonnie in the mirror for a second before giving her exactly what she needed. He watched with a perverse amount of pleasure as Bonnie fell apart in a matter of minutes.

She let out a choked sob of pleasure as she found her release. Her walls seized around Tyler like a vise grip.

The brunette hybrid thought that he would never grow tired of seeing that look of pure ecstasy on Bonnie's face. He gripped her hips tighter and chased his own climax now that he was certain that his mate was satisfied. Soon enough a growl disturbed the relative silence of the bedroom as he spilled inside of Bonnie.

Silence descended on the darkened bedroom as the couple struggled to catch their breath and regain their senses.

Tyler leaned forward and kissed the back of Bonnie's neck. He murmured, "Are you okay, Bon?"

She nodded weakly. "Yeah, I think so."

Tyler was as gentle as he could be when he finally pulled out of Bonnie.

However, she hissed in pain and clenched her thighs together. In a pitiful voice, she complained, "The lube did not help."

He easily gathered Bonnie in his arms and carried her over to the bed. Tyler turned on the lamp beside her bed and rested his hand against her leg. "Let me see, Bon."

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at him and quickly shook her head. "That's not happening."

He stroked her leg gently. "Come on, Bon. I just want to see if you are okay. I won't even touch you. I promise."

She bit her lip for a moment before slowly opening her legs for Tyler. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen every inch of her at this point. "How bad is it?"

Tyler winced in sympathy when he saw the reddened skin. "Shit. I am sorry, Bon. You look a little irritated down here."

Bonnie gingerly pulled herself up into a sitting position. She saw how his forehead creased with concern for her. She smiled tiredly at Tyler. "It's not as if you did that alone. I distinctly remember asking you not to be gentle with me. I enjoyed it."

Tyler found that Bonnie's attempt at reassuring him did little to ease his guilt. He asked, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

She frowned when she noticed that Tyler was truly upset. She took his hand and interlaced their fingers. "I am okay. It is nothing that a warm bath won't help. I promise…"

He searched their emerging bond trying to detect if Bonnie was being truthful. However, all he felt from her was a wave of contentment. Tyler slowly calmed down once he accepted that Bonnie was truly okay. "I'll go run a bath for you."

Bonnie said, "Thanks, Ty."

He kissed her softly and then headed into the bathroom. Tyler caught sight of his arms in the mirror and chuckled deeply. He could scarcely believe the depth of the scratches on his arms. It looked as if a wild animal had attacked him. He smirked as he considered the impulse that had spurred Bonnie to mark him. Tyler was glad that they didn't have a reason to leave the house for the next week. Bonnie could prove dangerous if another female approached him. It would seem that the wolf inside of her was closer to the surface than either of them had realized.

Tyler moved over to the tub and started a bath for Bonnie. Afterwards he leaned against the counter as he waited for the tub to fill. Bonnie's suggestion that they make love while in full control of their faculties had made perfect sense to him that afternoon. Since last night, they had been making decisions based on the biological imperatives dictated by their werewolf nature. For a short time that afternoon, Tyler and Bonnie had made love simply because it was what they wanted—rather than needed.

In hindsight, Tyler should have realized that having sex might prematurely trigger Bonnie's heat. Unfortunately, he was still learning the finer details of the mating process. He knew more than Bonnie did, but by no means was he an expert. The new couple did not realize their mistake until it was too late to change course. Something deep inside of Bonnie had awakened during her second orgasm. Tyler's head had been buried between her legs at the time, but he noticed the change immediately. The rush of pheromones from Bonnie had been so intense that he felt lightheaded for a few minutes. Tyler had never smelled anything so enticing in the whole of his life.

Bonnie walked into the bathroom and opened a glass paned cabinet that stood in the corner. She grabbed two fresh sets of towels and placed them on the counter. "That's enough water if you're planning to join me."

Tyler didn't need to be told twice. He turned off the faucet and climbed into the large jetted tub. Once he was seated, he held out a hand for Bonnie.

She cautiously climbed into the tub with Tyler's help. The she sat between his outstretched legs and sighed happily as the warm water soothed away the soreness.

He pulled Bonnie closer so that her back rested against his chest. He kissed her neck softly and asked, "Better?"

Bonnie nodded. "Much."

"Good," he replied quietly.

She began laughing as she traced a random pattern on Tyler's thigh.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"We are 0 for 2 tonight," she replied in amusement.

Tyler blinked in confusion and pried his mouth away from her neck for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

"The lube didn't work and I can't remember how many times we actually used condoms," she explained.

Bonnie's words hit him like an anvil to the head. He was certain that they hadn't used a condom on the last go round. Honestly, Tyler couldn't recall how many of the other times they had remembered to use protection. He would root through the trashcan beside Bonnie's bed to get an accurate count later. He groaned, "Shit. I'm sorry, Bon."

She shook her head and snuggled closer into the warmth of Tyler's body. Bonnie closed her eyes and said, "I am just as guilty here because I forgot, too. It didn't occur to me until a few minutes ago. Frankly, it was a little naïve of us to think that we would have the presence of mind to remember condoms. We weren't exactly ourselves this evening."

Tyler hummed in agreement. He had been with dozens of girls in the past but he had never been as rough with them as he had been with Bonnie. Normally, he was able to keep the more animalistic part of his personality hidden. He had never felt safe enough to let himself go completely. He hadn't even trusted himself with Caroline. Tyler had always been worried that he would hurt her accidentally. However, he had no such worries with Bonnie. "The next phase of your heat shouldn't be so intense. We'll be more careful."

Bonnie nodded in agreement but she wondered if the damage had already been done. They certainly had not used protection last night in the woods. Moreover, as Damon helpfully pointed out earlier, she was ovulating. Those factors coupled with the information she gleaned from the grimoire convinced Bonnie that she might have already conceived. However, she wasn't ready to have that conversation with Tyler. The water was warm and so was he. All she wanted to do was close her eyes for a few minutes.

Tyler didn't need Bonnie to clue him into her thought process. He was already thinking about the conversations he had with Gabe in the past. In the beginning, the information had just been interesting because it was about his heritage. Their conversations had taken on a different significance when Tyler began to realize he was drawn to Bonnie. Suddenly, finding a mate didn't sound so farfetched. He knew they would need to talk about this at some point but he didn't have the energy for it right now. Moreover, he needed to figure out Bonnie's mood first. It wasn't wise to irritate a hormonal female werewolf.

"A nap sounds like heaven right now," Bonnie said dreamily.

He chuckled quietly and said, "We need food and then we can sleep for as long as you want."

She frowned up at him. "I'm not hungry."

Tyler kissed the top of her head. "Just trust me on this. You need calories to replace what we burned off. It can be something quick like sandwiches."

"Grilled cheese sandwiches?" she asked in a hopeful voice.

He chuckled softly. "I think we can handle that."

"I guess that I can eat something then," she murmured.

Tyler brought his arms around to hug Bonnie. He jokingly asked, "Have you always been this stubborn?"

Bonnie opened her mouth to reply when she saw the scratches on his arms. "Oh my God! Do those hurt?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Not really. And they are already healing."

Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. She said, "I can't believe that I did that to you, Tyler. I'm not sure what got into me."

Tyler chuckled softly and said, "I don't mind it. The scratches don't hurt, Bon. Besides, I wasn't exactly gentle with you either."

Bonnie looked down when she felt Tyler's fingers flutter over her left hip. Her eyes widened at the bruising. She shook her head in disbelief. She asked, "Is a heat always like this?"

He nodded. "Pretty much."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it.

Tyler decided now was the best time to bring up his idea. He figured that Bonnie would shoot him down, but talking to her about it was worthwhile. "I realize that you don't like vampire blood. I get it because I don't like it either. But sometimes it can be useful—like now. The scratches and bites on me will heal but you aren't so fortunate. I don't want you to be in pain when the next phase of your heat starts."

Bonnie looked over her shoulder and her eyes connected with Tyler's. She could hear the genuine concern in his voice and he was right. They hoped to be more lucid during the heat's second phase, but they had no evidence to suggest that. Bonnie's injuries would only become worse if they continued with this intensity all week. She saw the logic in taking Tyler's blood. She had consumed vampire blood in the past to heal. However, it felt different in this context. Somehow it felt more intimate.

He could practically see the wheels in Bonnie's head turning. He realized that she was at least considering his offer and that was more than he had hoped for at the outset. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You don't need to give me an answer now, Bon."

"Okay," she uttered in a quiet voice. She settled against him again and closed her eyes for a moment.

They sat there in silence for nearly twenty minutes before Tyler heard his phone ringing in the bedroom. He groaned and said, "I should answer that. I am actually expecting a call."

Bonnie was on the edge of sleep when Tyler began speaking. She blinked drowsily for a few seconds before sliding forward.

Tyler climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

She nodded and stifled a yawn. Bonnie considered waiting for Tyler to come back but the sandman had other plans. Ultimately, she decided a hot shower was the perfect way to get clean while staying awake. She knew Tyler was right about the importance of eating before falling asleep. They couldn't really predict when the next phase of her heat would begin.

Bonnie climbed out of the tub and let the water out. She padded over to the glass shower enclosure and made the water as hot as she could stand. Then the girl made quick work of showering. However, the frequent hisses of pain convinced her to accept Tyler's blood. There was no way that she would survive another six days of this without a werewolf's accelerated healing factor or Tyler's blood.

After Bonnie finished showering, she dried off and secured a towel around her body. She quietly walked into her bedroom unsure whether Tyler was still on the phone. However, she found her room empty. Bonnie noticed Tyler's towel at the top of the laundry hamper when she tossed her own towel on top.

She walked over to the dresser and pulled out a simple black nightgown. She pulled the flimsy cotton material over her head before she walked downstairs.

Bonnie was about to go into the kitchen when she heard Tyler's voice on the porch. The girl's curiosity encouraged her to go investigate. However, her growling stomach diverted her attention.

She opened the refrigerator and stared at the contents for several long minutes. Grilled cheese sandwiches had sounded good while she was in the bathtub. However, she was craving meat now. Bread and cheese just wasn't going to cut it.

Bonnie looked up when she heard Tyler walking towards the kitchen. Her lips curved up into a smile when she saw that he was shirtless. He was right that the scratches on his arm were already beginning to heal. Bonnie shook her head as if to dislodge a thought. "Hey. Is everything okay?"

He scratched at the back of his neck and said, "Yeah. I am sorry about ditching you like that. Did you have a good bath?"

Bonnie grabbed the ingredients for sandwiches and closed the refrigerator with her foot. She said, "I ended up taking a shower. I definitely would have fallen asleep in the tub."

He walked up behind Bonnie when she moved over to the counter. Tyler rested his hands on her hips and asked, "What are you making?"

"BLT sandwiches. Do you like those?" she asked suddenly. She hadn't considered what he might want to eat. Her desire for food had short-circuited her brain.

He chuckled and asked, "Who doesn't like bacon?"

"Right!" Bonnie said with widened eyes for emphasis. "I put cheese on my BLT sandwiches, too. Cheese and bacon are the two best things in the world."

Tyler smirked and pressed a kiss to the back of her head. "Sounds like a plan to me. Can I do anything?"

Bonnie said, "Uh, you can turn on the oven. I like to cook my bacon in the oven. It makes the strips crispy."

He walked to the other side of the kitchen and turned on the wall oven.

"Oh! While you are over there can you grab the baking sheets from that cabinet?"

"This one?" he asked. Tyler opened the cabinet and spotted the aforementioned sheets. He brought them over to Bonnie.

Bonnie sliced open two packs of bacon and began arranging the strips in neat rows.

Tyler said, "Uh, you're probably wondering why I took the phone call out on the porch."

She glanced at him and said, "It crossed my mind for a minute. I figured you just didn't want to risk anyone overhearing me in the background."

The hybrid knew that Bonnie was giving him a way out, but he found himself wanting to tell her anyway. Frankly, he had wanted to tell her the truth for a while. However, he had worried that it would put Bonnie in an awkward position with their friends. "I was talking to a friend that doesn't live here in Mystic Falls."

Bonnie noticed Tyler's strange tone of voice and turned to look at him. "Is this a friend from Whitmore or someone from the dive you took me to today?"

He huffed out a laugh because Bonnie had always been the observant type. Tyler said, "A friend from the bar. You met her actually. She's the woman that brought our food to the table."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember the friendly older woman's name. She asked, "Ruby?"

Tyler picked up the two baking sheets and put them into the oven. He said, "Uh, yeah. Her name is Ruby. She actually owns the place."

Bonnie washed her hands in the sink and then turned around to look at Tyler. He was being weird and she couldn't figure out why. "Ruby is your girlfriend and she is on the way over here to fight me for you."

Tyler barked a loud laugh and asked, "What?"

"Well, if that isn't the case then whatever you have to tell me can't be that bad," she replied with a grin.

Tyler walked over to Bonnie and gently pulled her into his arms. He said, "Ruby is definitely not my girlfriend. She is my beta."

Bonnie knew what the Greek letter meant but she was a little lost without context. "What is a beta?"

"I am the alpha of a pack that is based nearby. Ruby is my beta. She is like my second-in-command. She is also an advisor since I am such a young alpha."

She blinked in surprise. "You have a pack. Why didn't you tell anyone, Ty?"

He let out a long breath and said, "I don't want you to be offended but I try to keep my pack well away from Mystic Falls. Innocent people end up dead around our group of friends. I know that things have been quiet around here lately but we both know that can change at any moment. I'm responsible for my pack's safety. I won't have them mixed up in Mystic Fall's insanity."

Bonnie was still in shock but she understood his reasoning. She said, "I get why you want to protect your pack, Ty. My grams died because she helped me with the spell that kept the tomb sealed. I asked my mom for help with the coffins and she was killed for her trouble. I regret ever asking her to come here. I know that being a vampire is better than being dead but it wasn't what she wanted. Silas killed my dad in front of the entire town. The people we love are not safe here."

Tyler relaxed when he realized that Bonnie wasn't angry with him. He said, "I lost both of my parents, my uncle, and my first pack. I can't go through that again."

A wave of guilt washed over Bonnie as she remembered her role in Richard and Mason's deaths. She shook her head. "Will you tell me about your pack? I promise that I won't tell anyone else."

"You really want to know about my pack?"

She wrapped arms around his neck and nodded. "Of course I do. They are your family. It is obvious how important they are to you."

"Well, you met Ruby," Tyler said as he lifted Bonnie up onto the counter.

Bonnie winced in pain.

He frowned and said, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

She smiled at him. "I'm just a little sore. I thought about what you said. Maybe it would be a good idea for me to have a little of your blood."

Tyler hadn't expected Bonnie to agree so freely. He figured there would be more convincing involved. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure."

The hybrid bit into his wrist immediately and offered it to her. He didn't want to give Bonnie the opportunity to change her mind.

Bonne tentatively grasped Tyler's arm and brought his bleeding wrist to her mouth. She blanched at the idea of tasting blood. Yet the first drop on her tongue was like ambrosia. Bonnie lapped at the blood pouring from his wrist until the wound closed. She pulled back with a sheepish smile. "Uh, thank you…"

He swallowed thickly and nodded. "You're welcome."

The girl hopped down from the counter and cleared her throat. "You can tell me more about Ruby and the rest of the pack while I toast the bread for our sandwiches."

Tyler was still little dazed so he nodded despite the fact that Bonnie had turned away from him.