WARNING! There is smut this chapter.

Hey! Sorry for the late update. My schedule was thrown off track by the Easter holiday. There will definitely be a new update next week! I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.

Tyler slowly climbed the attic stairs as the sun began to rise. He was covered in dirt, grass, and the blood of particularly tasty deer. He had a figurative spring in his step. Running with his pack always left the hybrid in high spirits. However, he felt a different sort of satisfaction knowing that his mate was waiting on him. He had certainly missed Bonnie last night and she was never far from his mind. It had taken a few hours for him to shake the anxiety of leaving her alone. Tyler knew that Bonnie was capable of protecting herself. She was a powerful witch. She had also adapted admirably to her enhanced strength and senses since becoming a hybrid. Unfortunately, his instincts as a wolf did not care about logic.

As Tyler approached the bedroom, he could hear her heart thumping steadily just beyond the glass paned doors. Tyler also detected a slightly faster heartbeat that belonged to little Mari. He slipped into the bedroom without making a sound. He did not want to risk waking either Bennett witch. They had only gone to bed a couple hours ago. After his run, Tyler had spoken to Tori. His cousin was eager to tell him about how much she liked Bonnie. The two young women had spent the majority of the night talking to each other. She warned him off waking Bonnie up. Tori had raised her eyebrows a few times and did some weird gesture with her hand. It had been amusing but he understood her meaning. Werewolves were known to have overactive libidos for a few days following the full moon. She did not want him bothering Bonnie with his amorous intentions.

He stopped by the bed to watch Bonnie sleep for a few minutes. Her face looked so soft and relaxed. It was a welcomed departure. She had been stressed from the moment they realized Katherine had possessed Elena. It only grew worse as the problems stacked one on top of the other. He hoped that their friends had solved the Augustine problem. Having one less problem would certainly help take some weight off Bonnie's shoulders. Tyler longed for the days they shared locked away in her house. They were able to ignore the outside world and just focus on each other. The only downside had been the heat. Before this week, he never would have thought that he could tire of having sex. The heat had proved him wrong. After a couple hours, even he had some issues with friction burn. Fortunately, he was a hybrid so it healed in a manner of minutes.

He smiled seeing that Bonnie had decided to sleep in one of his t-shirts. She probably needed to have his scent close to her. It was gratifying to know that the bond they shared affected them equally. Tyler leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead.

Bonnie let out a little sigh in her sleep but otherwise did not stir.

Finally, he pried himself away from Bonnie's side. He collected some clean clothes and then went to get a much-needed shower.

He closed his eyes as the hot water washed over his body. Tyler wanted to climb into bed with Bonnie after his shower. Unfortunately, he still had duties as Alpha. The pack would gather for breakfast in about an hour and a half. He would take any opportunity he could to integrate Bonnie with his pack.

The hybrid used shampoo to lather his hair. As Tyler raked his blunt nails against his scalp, he thought about when Bonnie had scratched his head. He had lost track of time as they cuddled under the stars. He did not realize that such a simple act could be so arousing. Then again, everything between them deepened their connection because of the bond.

Tyler glanced down and groaned because he had a semi erection. He gripped himself and gave a few experimental strokes. His body responded immediately, there was no hope of this going down. It would not be as pleasurable as crawling between Bonnie's legs but he would have to make do for now. He would try to steal her away for a few minutes later.

He picked a particularly lewd memory of himself and Bonnie for inspiration. Tyler was so enthralled by his thoughts that he almost did not hear quiet footsteps approaching the bathroom. However, Bonnie's scent reached his nose and drew out an unexpected moan. He opened the shower door as his eyes turned gold and black.

Bonnie stood outside the glass-enclosed shower with a small grin on her face. She had shed her clothes before walking into the bathroom. She pouted playfully and said, "You were supposed to wake me up."

"C'mere."

She pretended to consider his command. Then she shook her head and teased, "I don't know, Ty. I don't think you need my help. It looks like you have things handled all on your own."

He growled deeply and asked, "Am I going to have to come out there to get you?"

Bonnie bit her bottom lip because his growl had hit her like a bolt of lightning. She felt a familiar warmth growing in the pit of her stomach. Part of the girl wanted to tease her mate more because she enjoyed seeing the predator within him rise to the surface. The predator claimed her body in way that was all consuming. However, Bonnie quickly realized that delaying the inevitable meant that she was teasing herself, too.

Tyler growled again but this time it was loud enough to echo off the bathroom's tiled walls.

Her token resistance collapsed under the weight of her own arousal. She stepped into the shower and pulled the glass door closed behind her.

He did not give Bonnie a moment to think. He lifted the girl off her feet and pressed her against the shower wall in a flash.

Bonnie dug her nails into Tyler's shoulders as she wrapped her legs around him.

Tyler hissed as she drew blood on her first try. He would never grow tired of Bonnie marking him when they made love. The marks were always temporary because of his enhanced healing factor. Nevertheless, the act seemed to deepen their connection in a way that he did not completely understand.

Bonnie gasped when the heel of Tyler's hand pressed against her mound. She whined softly, "Ty…"

He gave her a perfect look of innocence. Tyler kissed Bonnie's neck and allowed his fangs to graze her soft skin without breaking it. "I just want to make sure that you are ready for me."

Of course, Bonnie realized that Tyler was toying with her. He did not need the finger he had just slipped inside her core to determine just how ready she was for him. Tyler could smell her arousal as clear as she could. However, that knowledge did not stop a wanton moan from escaping her mouth. Her muscles clenched around his probing digit.

Tyler grinned triumphantly as he turned Bonnie into a panting collection of limbs. He ground the heel of his hand against her sensitive nub in time with his darting fingers. He murmured against her pulse point. "Are you ready for me, Bon?"

Bonnie was in no mood to be teased. She wanted Tyler inside her now but she figured that it was only right for him to get a little payback. However, there was no rule saying that she could not give him some incentive to end their little game prematurely. Bonnie bared her neck to Tyler and whispered, "Bite me."

The hybrid caught Bonnie's double meaning. He would have laughed but a desirous moan emerged first. The idea of feeding from Bonnie was too tempting to resist and she knew it. His tongue flicked across his mate's skin tasting her natural scent. Tyler had become aware of Bonnie's scent once he triggered the curse. He could not believe how the heady aroma had ever gone undetected. She smelled like rich soil, thunderstorms, and freshly bloomed lavender. He used to wonder if Bonnie tasted as good as she smelled. Tyler now knew that answer was a resounding 'yes'. Tyler sunk his fangs into Bonnie's neck. His eyes closed as her hot blood splashed against his tongue.

The sharp pain from the bite coupled with the euphoria that followed sent Bonnie over the edge. Her body convulsed and she dug her nails deeper into his shoulders. "Ty…"

Tyler removed his fangs from Bonnie carefully. He bit into his arm and offered it to her.

Bonnie shuddered but did not even consider turning him down. She latched onto his arm with a moan.

He bit into her neck again and drew more blood into his mouth. Tyler withdrew his fingers from Bonnie's core and replaced them with what she had wanted all along. He resisted the urge to pound into her. Instead, he took his time sinking into her heat inch by inch.

Bonnie mewled in pleasure when Tyler finally bottomed out.

Tyler pulled away from Bonnie's neck. Her blood stained his lips and chin. They stared at each other for several moments. The water rushing over them was the loudest sound in the bathroom. However, the constant beat of Bonnie's heart had his attention. He would never get over the fact that she belonged to him. Tyler had known his soul mate since before he was old enough to read. How was that even possible? Nevertheless, as he looked into Bonnie's eyes, he could not think of another person he would want to be bonded to forever.

"Ty," she complained.

He grinned at Bonnie and nuzzled her neck. "I'm sorry. I was just appreciating how beautiful you are."

Bonnie blinked in surprise. She smiled at him. "That is so sweet but we are going to have a misunderstanding if you don't finish what you started."

He huffed out a laugh. Tyler kissed Bonnie and then changed positions slightly. Even though her healing had enhanced greatly since becoming a hybrid, he did not want to take the chance of her falling awkwardly in the shower. He made sure that one of her feet was planted on the floor firmly. Meanwhile, her other leg was still curled around his hip.

Bonnie did not understand the change in position until Tyler started moving again. She was 90% sure she saw stars when he withdrew only to impale her again in one smooth move. Bonnie was immensely grateful that she had cast the silencing spell before joining Tyler in the bathroom. She would be mortified if the rest of the pack could hear her right now. Her mind went blank as Tyler ravaged her body. It felt as if he had broken her down to a collection of muscles and nerves that all led to the same place.

Tyler knew that it would not take long for both of them to climax. They were already teetering on the edge. Besides, being limited to having sex once a day had left them both incredibly needy.

The intensity was almost too much for Bonnie to handle. As predicted, she flew apart after only a few minutes. She vaguely wondered who had screamed then she hazily realized that it had been her. She weakly held onto Tyler as he tried to catch up with her. Bonnie trembled as aftershocks reverberated through her entire body.

Tyler bit the other side of Bonnie's neck as she clamped down on him. He growled deeply as he tumbled over the edge.

Bonnie slowly lowered her leg to the ground but she felt unsteady. Fortunately, Tyler was there to keep her upright. She buried her face against his chest while trying to pull herself together.

Tyler kissed the top of Bonnie's head and murmured, "I am glad that you decided to join me."

"So am I," she replied. Bonnie looked up at him. "How was your run with the pack?"

"It was great."

She eyed him skeptically. "How many innocent woodland creatures did you kill?"

He chuckled and kissed her softly. "You don't want to know, Bon."

She huffed and said, "I guess it is the circle of life and all that."

He carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair.

She scrunched up her nose. "Do all werewolves hunt during the full moon?"

"No." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Most werewolves crave meat but I have met others that prefer plants and berries."

The green-eyed girl gave a sigh of relief. "Well, that is good news."

He lifted an eyebrow. "You seemed to like that brisket that Ruby sent over to your house. Have you suddenly become a vegetarian?"

She laughed. "No, I am not a vegetarian. You are going to think that I sound ridiculous."

"No, I won't."

"I don't mind eating meat but I would feel guilty for eating Bambi," she confessed.

Tyler smiled wryly and then kissed her softly. He remembered how excited Bonnie was to find deer that day in the woods before Klaus ruined the moment.

Bonnie studied his face and her cheeks heated up with embarrassment. "I told you that it was going to sound ridiculous."

"It doesn't sound ridiculous," he promised. "It sounds compassionate and loving. Mostly it just sounds like you, Bon."

She rolled her eyes fondly and said, "Okay your sweetness is making me nauseous. We need to finish showering."

Tyler chuckled as Bonnie used her shoulder to move him out of her way. He watched as she hogged the shower spray for herself. He said, "I am sure this has nothing to do with the fact that you can smell the bacon cooking downstairs."

She smiled at him over her shoulder innocently. "Oh, really? I hadn't smelled it. You know I am still getting used to my enhanced sense of smell."

He popped Bonnie on the butt and mouthed at her neck. "Uh huh…"

She giggled and swatted at Tyler. "Stop it. There is bacon cooking."

Tyler grinned and then left Bonnie alone so that she could get clean. It was better this way because he could ogle her curves unabashedly.

Bonnie finished showering and then stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her body and moved over to the sink.

He started washing up and asked, "Did you talk to Damon last night?"

Bonnie stopped brushing her teeth and looked at Tyler in the mirror. She asked, "Why do you ask?"

Tyler met her gaze. He lifted an eyebrow at her curious response. "I figured that Damon would be the one to tell you how everything went at Whitmore last night. Did something happen?"

"Oh! Well, it was a success. The hex bags worked like a charm. They found the Augustine Vampires, including Enzo, and killed them. They also collected as much of the group's research as they could find."

"Well, that's good news. What else happened?"

Bonnie finished brushing her teeth and then leaned against the counter. "Nothing bad happened—not really. It was just some typical Salvatore brother drama."

"About Elena?" he asked tentatively.

She shook her head. "Stefan was keeping a very big secret from Damon, for good reason. Anyway, Enzo learned about the secret somehow and let the cat out of the bag last night. At last count, Damon has snapped Stefan's neck six times. He will probably keep doing that for the next couple of days."

"You're worried about him," he commented.

Bonnie nodded and bit her lip. "Damon doesn't do emotions well. He certainly isn't good with guilt and regret."

Tyler turned off the water and stepped out the shower. He stood on the bathmat and dried off with a towel. "Do you want to go see him today? Maybe we could get Damon to meet somewhere for lunch."

"You are being incredibly understanding," she replied. "Most guys would become insanely jealous."

He chuckled. "You have convinced me that you are not interested in Damon romantically. Besides, he might as well be your uncle."

"Ack! Don't say that," Bonnie said with distaste.

Tyler smirked and finished drying off. Afterwards, he pulled on his boxers and pants. "Bennett witches are irresistible, Bon. I should know, I happen to be mated to the best one of all."

Bonnie walked across the room and leaned up to kiss him. She murmured, "Flattery."

He smiled at her. "So, lunch with your homicidal bestie this afternoon?"

"I would like that but he might still be avoiding me," she complained.

Tyler was surprised to learn that Damon was avoiding Bonnie. It was not an encouraging sign. "What is this secret that Stefan kept from Damon?"

"I can't really tell you everything. Just know that Damon did something terrible once upon a time…"

He snorted, "Sounds about right."

Bonnie glared up at Tyler.

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

"Anyway, Damon did something terrible. Stefan decided to protect their niece by faking her death. I completely understand why he made that choice. I would have done the same thing. Damon was unhinged, homicidal, and selfish when the girl was born. He might have killed her just to hurt Stefan. Damon is smart enough to know that his brother made the right decision. He is just…being petulant."

Tyler said, "Well, you are probably the only person capable of convincing Damon to pull his head out of his ass."

"I hope so," she murmured. "I should go get dressed. I didn't bring any clothes in here with me."

He nodded and said, "Go ahead. I am going to check my phone to see if Matt left any messages for me."

Bonnie smiled at Tyler and then headed back to the bedroom for clean clothes.

Tyler pulled on his shirt and tossed his towel in the hamper. He walked into the living room and grabbed his phone from the coffee table. Then he sat on the couch and allowed his muscles to relax. His muscles were always tense after a shift. As he predicted, he had several messages from Matt. Tyler figured that he would have updated him on the situation. He trusted his friend would have a less biased assessment than Bonnie did. She had a definite soft spot for Damon. While Matt had details on what happened last night, he was regrettably in the dark about what occurred twenty years ago. Both Salvatore brothers were being uncharacteristically tight lipped about it. Tyler just hoped that it was not something that would come back to bite them in the ass.

Bonnie emerged from the bedroom wearing a purple hued paisley dress. She had taken the time to style her hair in a simple French braid.

He pulled Bonnie onto his lap before she could sit beside him. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I am okay."

He slid his hand onto her stomach. "Have you felt anything since that afternoon in the woods?"

She smiled at Tyler and nodded. "I don't really know how to explain it. It is like this constant thrum of magic. It is faint. I probably wouldn't even notice it if the magic wasn't so different from my own."

"Is that normal?" he asked. His lips twitched into a genuine smile.

Bonnie's expression sobered. "I don't really know. Grams neglected to mention magic when she gave me the birds and the bees talk. There are some passages in Grandma Amelia's grimoire but I skipped those. I didn't think they would be relative to me…"

Tyler understood how hard it was to figure out the supernatural thing alone. "Maybe you could talk to Elodie."

"Maybe." She hedged, "Or I could just wait until we get Lucy back. It doesn't feel like there is anything wrong."

He should not have been surprised at Bonnie's hesitation. It was obvious that she was not ready to trust Elodie just yet. He did not necessarily blame her for being cautious. However, part of him could not help feeling anxious.

Bonnie did not need the bond to detect Tyler's wariness. She wished that there was a way to reassure him. If Bonnie truly thought there was cause for concern she would bite the bullet and call Abby. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

Tyler was confused when Bonnie abruptly stood up and then straddled him. He said, "Not that I am complaining, but…"

She laughed softly. "Get your mind of the gutter, Ty. I want to try something. I was thinking that I wish you could what I feel."

"Okay. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I have telepathy and vampires have a version of that. I think if we work together…"

"Oh," he said. "I have used that ability on humans enough to be good at it but getting into a witch's mind will be more difficult-if not impossible."

Bonnie said, "It is okay. I can make it easier for you by opening my mind to you. Do you want to try?"

"Yes," he replied quickly. He moved his fingers up to Bonnie's temples. Tyler closed his eyes and tried enter Bonnie's mind.

She relaxed and tried to lower the walls that normally protected her mind against intrusion. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. She moved her fingers to Tyler's temples and focused on their bond.

Ten minutes later, Tyler was beginning to think this was a lost cause. Just as he was about to retreat from her mind he felt it. He did not need Bonnie to tell him that he had reached the right spot. Tyler felt a small burst of magic but it did not belong to Bonnie. He felt the spark tickling his fingertips. It felt happy, bright, and curious about his presence.

Bonnie was practically giddy. She had to remember to remain calm or she would sever the connection. The couple sat there for several minutes reveling in the experience.

Tyler slowly pulled back and kissed Bonnie passionately. Afterwards, he took her face in his hands. "That is the most amazing thing I have ever felt. Is that what you have been feeling?"

"Yes, but it was different, more active, with you here," she explained.

"Yeah?"

She nodded happily.

Tyler kissed Bonnie again. Then he rested his forehead against hers.

They snapped apart when Mari started crying from the bedroom.

Bonnie blinked a few times before her brain connected with the sound. She said, "I should go check on her."

Tyler nodded. "She has good timing. Breakfast should be ready soon."

"Will you wait for us?" she asked.

"Yeah. Take your time. Breakfast doesn't start without me," he said as a matter of fact.

No one would eat before the Alpha joined them. It was a matter of respect and tradition. Some alphas liked to draw it out to show dominance. However, Tyler did not believe in playing such games. He knew how to be a leader without violence or intimidation. Richard and Klaus had a surprising number of things in common. Their most troubling attributes were ruling by fear and intimidation. Tyler never wanted to be that type of father or Alpha.

Lately, Tyler found himself wondering what type of father he would be. The thoughts began shortly after the night he bit Bonnie. Tyler certainly did not plan to father a child during Bonnie's first heat cycle. However, he knew it was a possibility. The trouble was Tyler did not have any good role models. His father had always been busy. When Richard did spend time around the house he was overbearing and hypercritical.

Tyler could not even find good examples amongst his friends. Matt and Vicki's father had been MIA for as long as Tyler could remember. Bonnie's father had ceded his responsibilities as a father to Sheila after Abby left him. Bill Forbes had abandoned Caroline after he divorced her mother. Even Grayson Gilbert had devoted more time to his work than to his family. Miranda often attended school functions alone.

The good news was that several of the men in his pack were fathers. From outward appearances, they seemed to be good fathers. Tyler hoped that he could learn something useful from them. He could not stop thinking about feeling the baby's magic. It made this all feel more real.