『Chapter Forty-Nine』
『wisdom hybrid and protective hybrid』

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   As much as Bodie would hate to admit—not that he would hate to admit much—but coming back home to the Woodfords and talking about anything and everything that wasn't the current state of their lives with Klaus, was rather nice. For the first time in a while Bodie felt a sense of normality wash over him, like nothing in the world matters aside from the people that he made as his family, he wished that this were the moment that he lived in longer than anything else. This was something that he'd missed for a while without knowing, he missed being able to laugh and joke around without much worry.

   He felt as if all of this was something that he needed more than anything else, like his worries were something that no longer mattered to him or no longer existed. It was always an odd feeling whenever he was stressed or if he were worried that both Henry and Will could easily help him feel a lot more at ease. He loved the fact that the pair of them made everything a lot easier to deal with compared to when he's alone. He hoped that he could stay like this for the rest of his immortal life without having to worry about what outsiders might do to ruin this.

   Bodie wasn't sure what time it got to when they all decided to go to sleep, given that Henry had school in the morning which he hated. All that he knew was that it was early in the morning when they decided to fall asleep. The three of them were crammed into one bedroom, given that they were rather enjoying the conversation that they were having and didn't want to stop. It was Will that fell asleep first on Henry's desk, and then Henry fell asleep in his bed, which left Bodie to fall asleep at the foot of Henry's bed.

   Come morning, they were awoken by Henry's overly loud alarm which made all three almost shit themselves given the fact that the last thing that any of them expected was to hear a loud alarm clock going off. It didn't help that they were all still tired and desired to sleep longer which they attempted to after Henry switched his alarm off. However, given another half an hour, Henry's phone rang which woke them all up once more which made them all give up on trying to sleep longer.

   Caroline had called Henry which both Bodie and Will grinned at in their half-asleep state. The pair slowly left the room, leaving Henry to answer the phone though Henry just shot them both a look as if he hated the pair of them more than anything else. Both Bodie and Will made their way downstairs after getting washed, knowing that there was no way in hell that either of them were going back to sleep. Will rubbed his neck as if he'd pulled something when he was asleep, though seemed to relax a moment later as if there was nothing wrong.

   Bodie got three cups out for coffee which he then poured a fair enough of blood into them, knowing that it would be a little easier. Bodie was never a fan of mixing blood with his food or drink, but it was easier to do when he was lazy, and this was one of those moments. He gave Will a cup and he pulled a face as if this weren't the thing that he wanted to taste first thing in the morning but ultimately gulping down the entire cup.

   A few moments later, Henry came down dressed and took the cup. He pulled a face similar to the face his brother pulled before doing the same and gulping down the cup. There was this look of worry on his face—if Bodie chose to ignore the tiredness that was clear on his face also—which got both Will and Bodie's attention, making the pair straighten up slightly.

   "What is it?" Will asked. "Your face is wrinkled, and you look like your concentrating on doing a shit."

   Henry punched Will's arm at that and glared at him. "Caroline called and told me that Elena's sired to Damon."

   Bodie brought his cup to his lips, acting as if he'd noticed. He hadn't because he lacked an ability to care about most people in this town. "Oh really?"

   "Yeah." Henry said. "Stefan's going to convince Damon of it, and the pair of them want to know if there's a magical way to break it."

   Bodie rolled his eyes. "Why? Because Stefan doesn't understand when someone's no longer interested in him?" Henry gave him a look and Bodie held up his hands innocently. "I'm just saying with the way that he treated her when he was Klaus number one hater, he treated her like complete shit."

   "Really?" Henry asked. "That's your concern."

   "Vampires only bonds to their sire when they have feelings for them before they turn." Bodie told with a shrug. "You know, human feelings. Vampirism only heightens those emotions."

   Henry and Will gave him a look to which Bodie shrugged at slightly. "How do you know that?"

   Bodie pressed his lips together as if that were something that he didn't want to answer but he did anyway. "You realise the amount of people—male or female—that ended up sired to me after I turned them?"

   "How'd you manage to break it?" Will asked.

   Bodie looked down. "I don't know. I told them to leave me alone and they did, or I killed them."

   "You killed those that were sired to you?" Henry looked horrified.

   Bodie just gave him a look as if Henry had forgotten exactly who he was. "Seriously? You know the kind of person that I am. I killed them because I'm a monster."

   Henry just rolled his eyes and looked as if he forgot exactly who he was talking to. "You're of no use."

   "I am of use, thank you." Bodie crossed his arms.

   As much as Bodie knew that he was useless at times, he knew that there were moments where he was useful. It just depended on whether or not he wanted help, whether he felt as if he'd get anything out of what he was giving the other. He knew that he seemed like an idiot to most, but that was the point, if no one came to him for information then he didn't have to deal with people, which means he can have some form of peace at least for a while. He thought himself rather smart for such a thing.

   "So, Elena had feelings for Damon before she turned?" Will asked. "Is that what you mean?"

   Bodie nodded. "Yeah."

   Henry got out his phone. "I need to tell Stefan and Caroline."

   Bodie reached over and placed a hand on Henry's arm. "I think it's best if they learn it at their own pace. Given that Stefan is pining after the girl that Elena is no longer, it's best if he learns it at his own pace."

   Henry looked at Bodie with this somewhat pained look. "But, Stefan needs to know. Elena was someone that he loved."

   "She was." Bodie agreed. "But she doesn't hold those feelings towards him anymore. He needs to respect that, you all do. She can't control who she falls for and forcing her to choose Stefan will only harm her more."

   Henry straightened. "But Stefan deserves to know."

   "He doesn't deserve anything when it comes to Elena anymore." Bodie stated. "You told me that during one of my break-ups with Klaus. She fell out of love with Stefan, he has to deal with that, and he has to figure out the sire-bond on his own. Promise me that you will not tell either Caroline or Stefan about any of this."

   Henry looked down and shifted as if this was the conversation that he didn't want to have with Bodie at all. For a moment, they were all sitting or standing in the kitchen in silence as if they hadn't had this painfully awkward conversation with one another, Bodie was going to repeat himself to Henry, though remained silent. Henry let out an annoyed groan. "Fine. Fine I won't. But for the record, Leo's been lying to you. He broke the hybrid sire-bond with you, he broke it when you were a werewolf for those two days before you broke into the Lockwood's."

   Bodie opened his mouth as if he intended to say something, but he snapped it shut. He didn't know why but there was a small part of him that felt somewhat hurt over that, the fact that Leo lied to him about breaking the sire-bond with him. It made him wonder how much Leo had been acting around Bodie, he knew that he'd ordered Leo to get out when he was in the Lockwood's—after Elena killed Connor—and the way that Leo complied.

   Bodie wondered whether the last few times that he'd seen Leo was an act. He knew that he was overthinking this, which was probably Henry's intention, but he knew that he needed to ask Leo about it to know why Leo lied to him. As much as he knew that he wasn't entitled to a reason, but he just didn't understand. He ended up just shaking his head slightly as if a way to clear his head, knowing that this wasn't the time or place to worry about such a thing. He sighed.

   "Go to school, Henry." Was all that Bodie found himself saying. He could feel the way that Henry glared at him like he was the worst person to ever exist but at the moment, Bodie didn't care. The one thing that he did care about was the fact that he managed to ruin something or anything that might have existed between both him and Leo. He knew that he already did when he turned Leo, but more so now more than ever if Leo lied to him.

   Henry just gave him a look, one that was almost smug as if he knew that this was going to be something that Bodie was going to overthink more than anything. And then he left after placing his chin on his brother's shoulder as if that were a way for him to hug his brother without committing to the full hug. "See you all later, hope I don't lose my sanity because the history teachers don't know basic history!"

   Will just shook his head as he smiled. "Don't kill anyone!"

   Bodie didn't say anything, knowing that he'd said more than enough as a whole about everything that was going on. He rubbed his eye and prayed that he was given enough mental strength to get through the day without his brain exploding with the need to overthink absolutely everything. He knew that he was going to need the strength in hopes that nothing bad happens or that he doesn't get pissed off, he was already at the point where he was close to ripping someone's head off.

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   Henry felt almost smug about everything going on in his life at the moment, as much as he knew that he promised Bodie that he'd keep what he knew a secret—he intended to keep it quiet like he promised—telling Bodie about Leo was almost refreshing. He'd been keeping that to himself for a while and it was rather nice for him to finally get it out, he wondered how the hell Bodie managed to keep his secret with killing Henrik for so long.

   He walked down the hallway of Mystic Falls High School, and he didn't know why but he knew who he was looking for. He didn't know why, but he found himself looking for Caroline. As much as he knew that she'd never like him the way that he likes her, he still saw her as a good friend for him to have. Caroline was like someone who fitted into his life with ease like a puzzle piece he was looking for. It was hard for him to get a full grasp on it, knowing that there was still a part of him that didn't really understand any of this.

   He'd felt love before, but this was different. This was someone that he was friends with someone that he cared about, the last thing that he wanted was for his feelings towards her to affect the relationship that they already had. As much as he knew that Caroline and Tyler were still something with each other, the last thing that he wanted was to get in between that at all. The best thing for him to do is to push his feelings aside and hope that they go away.

   When he found Caroline, she was with Bonnie. Elena was walking away from them and going towards Damon. He supposed that Stefan told Damon about what he assumed, though Bodie couldn't be so sure. He shook his head, the last thing that he wanted was to overthink any of that, he didn't need it on his mind. Henry forced a smile on his face as he walked towards both Bonnie and Caroline.

   By the time that he reached the two, Henry remembered the spell that Bonnie asked for. He reached into his bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Hey." He greeted just as he walked up.

   "Henry!" Bonnie's eyes lit up. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

   Henry found himself smiling. There was something so warming about being around Bonnie as if she were the light in the darkness. The warmness of the sun. The peace during the chaos. He was rather fond of Bonnie more than he'd like to admit, it was nice to be around a witch like her—to be around a person like her. "It's been a while. It's nice to see you." He smiled. He then showed the folded piece of paper in his hand. "I got your text for that spell you wanted, I'll have to give you a few of the grimoires I have if you're slowly getting back into magic."

   Bonnie took the piece of paper from him and opened it up slightly as if to double check if it was the right one. She then turned back to Henry and gave him a small hug. "Thank you so much. It's so good to have another witch in town."

   Henry found that it was rather hard not to smile around Bonnie. He could feel as his heartbeat went a little faster which Henry thought was rather strange, though didn't think much about. "Always glad to help someone. Especially you, Bonnie Bennett." He even liked the way that he said her name, like it was something worth saying over and over. He felt as if he could stay by Bonnie's side for as long as possible.

   "Henry," Caroline asked, "do you know if there's any way to break a sire bond?"

   Henry gave her a small look, knowing what this was about. "I tried to look when Tyler and Klaus' sire bond to see if there was any magical way, but there's not. I've checked multiple times in all of the grimoires that I own, I also checked in with my other witch contacts, and they've all said the same."

   She looked a little disappointed though was somewhat satisfied with the answer that Henry gave him. Though there was this look on her face as she looked between both Bonnie and Henry as if there was something that she knew that Henry didn't which made him confused.

   He shook his head slightly. "Wanna walk together to class?"

   "I have to talk to Tyler." Caroline stated.

   "I'll walk with you." Bonnie said.

   Henry found himself smiling as he then offered his arm to her. He wasn't sure as to why he did so, but he found himself feeling an odd way towards Bonnie.

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   Bodie knew that there was uncertain on what to do with himself. After his weird morning with Henry and Henry telling him about Leo, Bodie found himself trying to look for Leo. He tried to find him for the better part of the entire day, but he couldn't find him. He'd text Tyler asking him if he'd seen Leo at all and the fact that he needed to talk to him urgently, and the only response was the fact that he'd disappeared.

   Which, of course, lead Bodie back to Will, knowing that if anyone could track a wandering hybrid, it would be Will. Will was good at locator spells, so he hoped that he'd be of use. Though, the one thing that Bodie hadn't expected was when Will just gave him a look as if he'd said something wrong and for a moment, Bodie thought he did.

   "What's that look for?" Bodie asked.

   Will sighed and somewhat shook his head. "Have you thought that if you can't find Leo, maybe he doesn't want to be found?"

   Bodie crossed his arms and gave him a look. "I just want to know why he lied to be, William. I thought that we were on good terms—or at least, okay terms. I get that he's going to be pissed off over the fact that he's a hybrid, but that doesn't mean lying to me."

   "Does it matter if he lied to you?" Will asked. "I mean, you turned him against his will, and he loved magic, it was a big part of him and who he was. And you took that away from him when you turned him. He wasn't like Henry and I, and you knew that, you know what happens to a witch if they're turned into a vampire. You took away his magic, whether you meant to or not, and he's angry about it."

   "I know that." Bodie said. "He told me that."

   "And yet you still turned him." Will defend. "He's hurt, Bodie. And now that he hasn't got that sire-bond going on, he doesn't feel loyalty to you, meaning he can distance himself from you no matter what."

   Bodie opened his mouth and went to say something, but Will glared at him harshly, one that a parent would give their misbehaving child, and Bodie snapped his mouth shut and rolled his eyes. He turned back towards the front door. "Going out for drinks, want to come?"

   Will rolled his eyes and stood up. "Sure. Grill?"

   "Of course." Bodie responded. "Can we get food as well? Fancy something with taste."

   Will just gave him a look. "Why the fuck are you asking me?"

   Bodie shrugged.

   It hadn't taken the pair of them long to get to the Mystic Grill, the pair of them hadn't talked on the way there, feeling as if there was nothing big to talk about. The one thing that Bodie liked about spending time with Will was the fact that he didn't have to worry about having a conversation with him, that the pair of them could exist in one space together for how ever long and be fine with it. It was something that was rather relaxing in its own way.

   It'd taken them roughly ten minutes to get to the Grill, they'd got settled into a booth, ordered food and drinks before talking about minor things that weren't really important but was somewhat worth a conversation as a whole. Throughout their time talking, Bodie couldn't help but feel as if there was something wrong, that there was something that he was missing to some degree, like there was someone watching him.

   He tried to look round, to see if there was a chance that Klaus was here and wanted to fight him for whatever reason, but when he noticed that Klaus wasn't here, he found himself relaxing. But that feeling as if something was off, though the more that he thought about it, the more that he realised that it was that familiar feeling of being drawn to someone, someone that was family. He knew that there was a chance that it was Hayley but that was too weird. She'd be too far down the line if there was ever a possibility of his sister living after his family was killed.

   He dismissed the feeling as much as he could, though the more that he felt the feeling, the more that he wondered whether or not there was a chance that his sister or someone in his family managed to come back. Though he knew that it was crazy, that he was letting this weird feeling take control over him and everything. He shook his head slightly and rubbed his eye.

   "Bodie, is everything okay?" Will asked.

   Bodie looked towards Will, who seemed concerned more than anything at Bodie's behaviour. "Yeah, I'm good. Just a weird feeling that's been bugging me for a while."

   "What weird feeling?" Will asked, straightening his back.

   He shrugged. "Do you remember when I first turned you, that I explained everything with my family and their death?" Will nodded. "And that after a few years of me being turned into what I am, that whenever I turned into a werewolf, I'd wake further and further away from where I was staying?"

   Will nodded. "Yeah. You still do it."

   "I was thinking back to a conversation that I heard my father and Ansel had with one another, that every full moon, he gets closer and closer away from our village and closer to Klaus. Like he the pull of his blood got him closer to Klaus if that makes sense." Bodie explained. "I think that's been going on for a while, but I don't understand any of it. Mainly because all of my family is dead, I don't have children—" he doesn't think so, though the amount of times that he'd woken up after shifting in another town would say otherwise, "—and the more that I think about it, the more that I realise that I don't remember seeing my sister's body among the rest of my family."

   "What are you saying?" Will asked, confused. "That you think your sister managed to escape Mikael—a newly turned Original Vampire with the same strengths as you and the others—and had. . .what exactly?"

   Bodie leaned his head down on the table. "Possibly a child?"

   "How would she even escape?" Will asked. "Realistically, if both your parents and your baby brother were killed, what makes you think that Ingrid survived? She would've died if Mikael saw her, which is likely."

   Bodie sighed. "I don't know. I know that it doesn't make sense, but what doesn't make sense is the fact that for ages, I've felt drawn to someone, like family is calling out to family every time I turn into a werewolf." Bodie leaned in. "I felt it for the past thousand years, William. And I feel it now."

   Will tilted his head as if there was a part of him that didn't believe Bodie at all with everything that he's said. There was that look on Will's face which made Bodie feel as if he was going insane and he hated that more than anything else. He knew that he sounded insane, but a thousand years of this nagging in the back of his mind was finally pissing him off in a way that he doesn't understand.

   "Not only that, but I feel that call of my own blood at least a state or two away." Bodie insisted. "But it's worse here."

   Will looked as if he were about to say something and there was a small part of Bodie that wished that Will would say that he'd help, but it was then that he heard Hayley's voice. ". . .or they end up challenging each other for dominance. Kim is challenging your position as alpha, you need to put her in her place now."

   "Fuck's sake, you're really out of it." William muttered. "What is it?"

   "Hayley and Tyler are here." Bodie stated. "I'm assuming that there's hybrid trouble. With the unsired ones."

   Will leaned his head against his hand and rubbed his face. "You have an issue with getting involved in other people's business."

   "Blame my father for teaching me that its okay to do such a thing." Bodie stated as he shuffled out of the booth. He found himself at both Hayley and Tyler's booth who weren't that far away from either himself or Will. "Don't mean to interrupt, but if you're having werewolf troubles, maybe I could be of use, you know, given that out of the three of us, I'm the only one that's been in a pack."

   Will—who had followed Bodie—tutted. "Stop being rude, you ignorant twat."

   "I was just telling Ty that if he doesn't put Kim in her place, she'll challenge his place as alpha." Hayley stated. "Is that not current."

   "Oh, it is." Bodie admitted. "Though, normally it's a fight. At least that was what I was told."

   Tyler gave Bodie a look. "Do you mind? I need to do this now."

   Bodie nodded and moved, allowing Tyler to get up and walk over to Kim, and presumably the other hybrid they was trying to remove the sire bond from. However, the one thing that Bodie didn't expect to see was the fact that Leo was there. Will seemed to notice that Leo was there as well and pulled Bodie into the booth Tyler and Hayley was in.

   Bodie watched as Tyler picked up the pool ball that Adrian just shot. "Long day tomorrow, Adrian." Adrian straightened up. "You want it to go better than today, you need to get some rest."

   Kimberly took a step towards Tyler, staring at him. "Who do you think you are?" She picked up the pool stick on the table.

   "The guy telling you to call it a night." Tyler stated.

   For a moment, they just stared each other down and Bodie was somewhat hoping for a fight. Within the next moment, Kimberly went to attack Tyler, though grabbed hold of it and ripped it out of her hands. "This could get a lot uglier right now, but I won't let it. Challenge me again, this conversation will end differently, you understand?"

   Kimberly just looked at Tyler. "Fine. Whatever you say."

   "Finish your drink and get Adrian back to the stables." Tyler instructed. "We'll meet you there." He pushed Kim away and walked off.

   When Tyler got back to Bodie and Will, Bodie found himself smiling smugly. He knew that this wasn't the end of it, he knew that there was more. And yet, he found that he didn't want to say anything about it. Tyler walked passed the table that Bodie was sat at and walked out of the Grill with Hayley behind him, Bodie and Will shared a look with one another as if the pair of them knew that something was going to happen and followed after the pair.

   Will gave him a look as if he knew that Bodie knew something but hadn't said anything. The Heretic just shook his head as if that were meant to guilt Bodie into sharing what he knew, but Bodie found himself smiling more, completely forgetting about his earlier issue. He knew that he wanted some form of drama, and it's been a long time since he's been involved in anything werewolf based. He was almost longing for that werewolf space that he was once used to.

   Tyler seemed to notice that both Will and Henry had followed him and Hayley and tuned to face the two. "Do you mind?"

   Bodie rose his hands innocently as if he'd done nothing wrong. "I'm not here to ruin anything that you've got going on, but if one needs werewolf advice then maybe I can be of use." He somewhat smiled then. "Or pack things."

   "I wasn't aware that the Original Hybrid was part of any pack." Hayley commented.

   "The North-East Atlantic pack, wolfette." Bodie shot back. "For over twenty years I spent time in a pack before Mikael killed them."

   "That old vampire hunter?" Tyler asked. "Klaus' father?"

   "The one and only." Bodie said.

   Tyler just shook his head slightly then as if this weren't the conversation that he wanted to have. Bodie just found it rather amusing as a whole and as much as he knew that he shouldn't, that this was serious to Tyler in order to go against Klaus, Bodie just couldn't help but feel as if he was going to laugh and joke about anything and everything about the situation.

   Hayley looked down to her phone as it buzzed, which stopped Bodie from saying anything. "I have to go, Ty. I'll meet you tomorrow."

   Without saying anything Hayley left, leaving Tyler with both Will and Bodie. Tyler didn't seem pleased with being left with the pair of them though dealt with them as if he had nothing else to do at all.

   Bodie was going to say something once more, only to have both Elena and Henry come running towards the three of them. Elena looked exhausted from the running while Henry looked as if it was just a simple work out for him. "Caroline was taken by your hybrids, Tyler." That was Henry.

   That was something that seemed to catch Tyler's attention more than anything. "What?"

   "Henry managed to chase them into the woods before loosing them." Elena told.

   Tyler looked as if he was ready to yell at someone and Bodie found himself smiling to himself, knowing that he was more than ready for anything that was bound to happen. Werewolf drama was Bodie's favourite thing, and he'd missed it more than anything, werewolf drama was like drama with a dysfunctional family, it was something that Bodie found that he somewhat thrived in when it comes to it.

   "Werewolf drama." Bodie whispered to Will. He will admit, he was far more excited about this than anything else that was going on in his life, as if this were all that mattered to him.

   "You need friends." Will stated.

   Bodie just stared at him in some form of shock as if he couldn't believe that Will would say that to him. "I have friends!"

   "You lost your friends, Bodie." Will muttered.

   "Wow." Bodie said. "Can't believe that you said that."

   "Bodie," Henry cut in, "stay focused, please."

   It was then that Bodie snapped into focus about everything around him only to notice that Elena, Henry, and Tyler were just staring at him as if he was the issue. Bodie wasn't the issue. "I am focused! If Caroline and Kim were in the woods, then let's go."

   With that, the five of them made their way to the woods, using their vamp speed. When they got about halfway through the woods, they slowed down to check their phones, and by them, it was Elena and Tyler. Tyler was on the phone to Hayley and essentially explained the entire situation that he was told to her.

   "I get it, Hayley. I'll find them and get them in line." Tyler was saying.

   "Bonnie says no luck with the locator spell." Elena told.

   "They've gotta be here." Tyler stated. "They're not dumb enough to get caught by Klaus in town."

   Elena stopped walking then. "Well, what do they want with Caroline?"

   "Kim's trying to prove she's the alpha." Tyler told. "If I can make her submit, the pack will fall in line. We can finally get them free of Klaus. You'd think they'd play along with how much they hate him."

   "But Adrian doesn't, does he?" Elena asked. "I mean, he's still sired to Klaus."

   "Being sired doesn't mean you feel differently about someone." Tyler told. "I hated Klaus, but I still did everything he said." Elena looked as if she was trying to figure something out. "The bond affects how you act, not how you feel."

   Bodie found himself smiling though that smiled faded when they all heard Caroline yelling in pain in the distance. "Caroline."

   The five of them ran into the direction that the yell came from. Bodie noticed the determination within Henry's face though there was some hesitation as if there had been a change of heart in some way. Bodie wanted to comment at it, but he knew that now wasn't the time or place to do such a thing. As much as he knew that he had no use here, that there was a chance that neither Tyler nor Elena needed his help, he still wanted to offer it. Not only that, but he knew his presence alone might be enough, who would want to fight against the Original Hybrid knowing that they won't win?

   The five made their way towards the abandoned barn that both Hayley and Tyler was using to break the sire bond of hybrids. It was inside that they heard the way that Caroline yelled out in pain, Bodie noticed how both Tyler and Henry instantly ran into the barn without a second thought with Elena right behind the pair of them. For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not he should follow after them.

   "Stop!" Tyler yelled. "Stop it, Kim. Caroline's with us, we're all on the same team."

   Will looked back at Bodie and Bodie found himself rolling his eyes as he walked into the barn after them.

   "She's on your team, not mine." Kim stated just as Bodie walked in.

   Bodie, being almost as annoyed at the world like Klaus, found himself rushing over to Kim, grabbing her by the neck as the other hybrids came into the barn to grab hold of Tyler and such. At such an act, Tyler snapped at Bodie. "Bodie, put her down!"

   Bodie tilted his head, grinning. "I could hurt you, Kim, because I am exactly like Klaus, I told you that nothing is holding me back from being like him." He then looked back to Tyler. "A true alpha, protects their own, even when challenged, who do you think will protect you the most? Tyler or Kim?"

   "Let her go!" Tyler instructed.

   Bodie rose an eyebrow. "What was that, Tyler? You want me to spare her?"

   "Put her down and back off." Tyler repeated.

   Bodie shrugged and released Kim. "As you wish."

   He knew by the look on Henry's face that there was a chance that he shouldn't have done this, but he found that he very much didn't care as much as he knew that he should. There was a small part o of him that would have wanted to continue, be the one to challenge, but he knew that he wasn't responsible enough to do such a thing. He wasn't responsible enough to look out for anyone that he didn't see as his own family.

   "An alpha looks out for their pack." Bodie stated.

   Bodie found himself walking out of the barn, a hybrid went to stop him, but Bodie jerked forward as if he were about to fight them which made the hybrid stumble back a little which made him grin. He left the barn and he felt Will's presence behind him as they made their way back into the woods, leaving the others behind to do whatever they wanted.

   "You're a complete and utter ass, you know thar, right?" Will asked after a moment.

   "I'm aware, thank you, William." Bodie said.

   Will shook his head. "One day, you're going to be the death of me with the amount of random shit you pull."

   Bodie found himself going stiff at that. Of course, he'd thought about the death of Henry and Will on occasions, but even still. The last thing that Bodie expected was that there was a chance that Will would die because of him, of course there was always that chance with anyone that got close to him, but this was Will. Will who Bodie actually liked, Will who was Bodie's brother despite there being no shared blood between them. Will was his brother and his best friend, the one thing that Bodie wouldn't want is for Will to die because of him.

   "Please, you know that no matter what I would find a way to protect you from my stupid shit." Bodie found himself saying. As much as he knew that he didn't fully trust himself to save those that he did truly care about, he knew that he would try no matter what when it came to both Henry and Will, they were the two that stuck with him through thick and thin. He'd forgiven Will for going with Klaus, knowing that Will done it for his own protection, why would he blame Will for that?

   "I know that you will." Will said. "Continue with this shit, though, Bode, it might just ruin you."

   "I am already ruined." Bodie stated. "Or have you forgotten my position already?"

   "You're so dramatic, Erikson." Will muttered.

   "Better dramatic than nothing at all." Bodie said.