Chapter 32

Dylan POV.

2 years ago...

"Come on in, my moms with Freddie seeing his school, so we're going to have to sort some food out for ourselves. I warn you though, we don't have much in." Me and Nick had just finished our first day of our sophomore year, and it had been a difficult day.

Lots of wolves turned 17 over summer break, and so as soon as school started many of them had began to find their mates. We've seen our fair share of adults getting claimed, but even lycan law states you can't claim someone under 16 if you discover them before hand. It's sparked a bit of panic amongst our year as most of us turn 16 at some point during the academic year.

"I can't believe those wolves are taking the Juniors as mates now, if we're not careful they will start taking us sophomores too." Nick absentmindedly stated while plopping himself down on my bed and unbuttoning his top button.

"They wouldn't dare, at least not until we turn 16." I threw my school bag to the floor and sighed as I found my seat next to Nick.

"Why else would we have learnt about the full mating process today?" I guess he did have a point with that one. It's not usually taught to the 10th grade.

"I hadn't thought about it really, I was to busy reeling from the fact they have to bite you in order for that stupid mark to appear." I shuddered dramatically causing a chuckle to leave my best friends lips. "I honestly find it a bit strange that more and more mutts are being paired with humans these days. A pairing between two wolves is becoming a rare occurrence." A frown made its way onto my face as I thought about that poor lad in the year above who was claimed today by the districts Gammas son.

"I heard the alpha has been trying to contact the alpha king over that, but since the Prince took over the crown, the royal family is becoming impossible to deal with." My head met his and I smiled smugly at his eavesdropping skills.

"And where did you hear a thing like that?" He could take a lashing if he was caught listening into wolf business. Anything is a punishable offense these days.

"I may have overheard the gamma talking to his friend about it after he claimed Ronnie." Ronnie was the 11th grader who was claimed, and if the gamma is talking about it in the open like that then it must be becoming a concern. "There's always a chance that a wolf and human could end up with a human child."

"Ahh, that makes sense. The lycans are scared for their species." He nodded his head and sighed, flopping onto his back while on my bed. I was deep in thought, we were 15, we'd all be turning 16 at some point this school year, so there was a chance we would end up being claimed ourselves. "What would you do?"

"Huh?" Oh yeah, he can't read my mind. I chuckled as a realized I hadn't made my thought process known.

"If you were claimed, what would you do?" He leaned up on his elbows and looked at my sat form. He frowned, deeply concentrating and trying to get his head around the thought.

"I honestly don't know. I suppose until we know what it feels like we can't really have an opinion. I'm guessing we'd just accept it eventually." Always the voice of reason, his morality got on my nerves sometimes. "What would you do?"

"I'd just never give my permission. If what Mrs Mathew's said is true, then they can't do anything without our consent." I shrugged while he looked skeptical, yeah I know it's probably not the best plan, but it's the only one I had.

"From what we've seen I think it would be difficult to deny the bond." Yeah, everyone always seems to get brainwashed as soon as they are claimed. Usually they are marked and mated within a couple of days.

"Honestly I think if I found myself in that situation I'd just kill myself." I watched my friends face drop at my words, as he sat himself back up.

"What?! Why would you say that?!" I shrugged with a frown as I thought about my dad and what had happened.

"I can't just forget easily what our town went through during the take over, those mutts are incapable of real love. I'd be damned if I ever let myself feel something for one of them." He sighed and looked at me while I looked at him with squinted eyes. I was deep in thought. This boy was my best friend, the platonic love I have for him couldn't be questioned, I'd probably die protecting him if I needed too.

"Why are you looking at me like that? He let out a nervous chuckle as he watched my movements.

If being claimed meant you had to be with the wolf who found you, then it stands to reason that eventually as a human you will give in to the mating process, and if that happens then...

"Do you want to have sex with me?" His eyes widened more than I'd ever seen them, he was shocked i suppose I would be too if he had just blurted it out the way I did.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Was I? Probably, did I mean it? Definitely.

"Look, I don't want my first time to be with some mutt who's decided to claim me like some object that belongs to him. I want it to be with someone actually I care about. Why shouldn't it be my best friend?" His head looked like it was about to explode at my reasoning. He couldn't argue with what I'd said.

"We can't, I can't, you know that Any form of contraception is forbidden, Dylan, What would you do if we got pregnant?" I frowned, I knew a guy who could help. He graduated last year, his job is to drive to and from the districts during trade. He tends to smuggle things in within reason.

"I can get a condom, maybe even the after pill!" I said with complete certainty in my words. "I can, and you know I can. No one has to know Nick, I don't see why we can't be each others first. If you don't want to though I'd understand." I couldn't force him into it. Maybe he didn't find me physically attractive. I mean he was boyish hot, I knew he was good looking for our age, and got a quite a few flirtatious glances, even from some lycans.

"It's not that I don't want too, you know if we are caught we will be lashed till we die, then we'd be forced to get married." My head snapped up to him and the certainty his voice held. I wasn't expecting him to say that. As my gaze met his a deep red hugh took over his cheeks and he coughed a very awkward cough. "It's just that I... erm... well if we get caught then we're both screwed, and you've already dealt with more than enough for a lifetime."

"No pun intended." I chuckled at his use of the word screwed. "We won't get caught, but it will be difficult to get the house to ourselves again, today is kind of a one off."

"My dad..." Oh yeah, that's perfect. He told me a couple of days ago about his dad. "He's been assigned pack house duty next month. We'll get two hours alone after school for a week."

This could work, was I really going to lose my virginity to Nick? I never thought about it before but it makes total sense. We'd shared everything so far, I couldn't see any problems with sharing this too. We were friends, we were already comfortable together, although we hadn't exactly seen each other naked before, topless yeah due to the public lashings we've both received in the past, but not completely naked.

"So next month then?" He nodded nervously as he looked at me.

"Next month then." We both sat there awkwardly as we waited for the other to ease the tension. Maybe we should start now. Share a kiss and test the feels a little bit.

"Should we like, hug? Or kiss?" I asked in an even more awkward fashion than asking for sex. We were both 15, we both knew the basics and sort of what to expect, and we both knew each other well, it was completely consensual on both parts, I thought it a good plan. Those mutts couldn't and wouldn't take everything after all.

"Ok..." We leaned in after Nicks short reply and let our lips connect, it was awkward, and wet, very wet, but it wasn't awful. It was just our first, it also marked the start of a 4 month friends with benefits situation. We had a good laugh about everything afterwards and remained really good friends. I couldn't have asked for better in all honesty. He was respectful and I was too. It brought us closer but we both knew nothing else would happen. Everything was completely platonic between us.

*
Present day...

My body radiated a horrendous amount of pain by the time I regained consciousness. It was extremely late at night, or perhaps very early in the morning, I knew this to be so because darkness was all that came through the window, the same window that my head was coincidently facing. I was still on my stomach, my horribly scarred back was covered with a large white sheet, I imagine it to be coated with antiseptic keeping my open wounds clean and creating the slightly soothing feeling that was coming from the cover.

A loud groan left my lips as I slowly lifted my head and moved my neck so that I was facing the opposite way, the ache in my neck was a very mild concern compared to everything else and just moving it slightly seemed to help ease it. I honestly didn't expect to be this bad, I thought I'd feel a bit better after a sleep, I assumed I'd felt the worst of the agony while the punishment was being given out... that was not the case.

The pain my body was emitting currently was off the scale, it screamed at me, yelling at me to end my misery. I felt like id been hit with a truck, and I could only imagine what I looked like. I glanced around a little bit and noticed the button that calls for help, and contemplated pressing it, all I wanted was a cold glass of water, I thought against it though, right now I was alone for the first time in a month and it was quiet, my need for peace and solitude outweighed my need for fluid. My throat felt scratchy and raw from all the screaming I'd done, and I honestly didn't even want to know what my forearms or my back looked like.

I was damaged... completely and physically destroyed.