"Wow..."
A sudden realization dawned on Marley, snapping her out of the daze. She immediately pulled away, earning a small whimper from the wolf. For a second she thought of running off, but the words Eden had said a few minutes ago stopped her.
"Wait. You are a... no no no no." Marley's head fell into her hands. She slumped down on the ground, her shaky legs no longer able to support her weight.
Her brain refused to accept what she was seeing. It seemed too... unreal.
She took a small glance at the wolf and found its sharp eyes already on her.
"How?" Marley shook her head and looked down, her thoughts still buffering. She heard the similar snaps like before, which she now discerned was Eden's body—or bones—reshaping itself.
A hand landed on her shoulder shooting familiar tingles through her body. She looked up and found a smiling Eden, the human one. He was on his knees to meet her eyes.
"At least, you didn't pass out." His lips spread into a wide grin.
Marley could only look at him in bewilderment, her mind too worked up to come up with words.
It took a whole minute for her to realize that the man in front of her was butt naked. She immediately pulled herself away from him and was back on her legs. She stood with her back facing him. Her cheeks were already heating up.
"Wha—"
"Put on your clothes," Marley mumbled, cutting off Eden.
He laughed, but followed her order and started to gather his discarded clothes.
"I just turned into a wolf and that's what you care about?" He teased her, pulling up his jeans.
"Exactly, let's seeing you turning into a wolf be the only biggest highlight of my day. I don't need another," Marley retorted, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"But you already saw me naked. So how was it? Did you li—"
"No, I didn't see you nak—without clothes." Marley thought her face couldn't get any hotter, but she was wrong. "Now please be quite." She fought the urge to say shut up. By then her brain had started functioning, and it concluded not to anger the guy who could turn into a giant wolf.
Eden walked to her and turned her around by her shoulders. He smiled seeing her flushed cheeks.
"I know it's too much to process. I can explain it all. You can come with me to the pack house." His tone was laced with concern and he patted her shoulder soothingly.
"Pack house?" Her brows furrowed.
"Well, you know wolves live in packs."
She was still trying to come with the logical explanation about what she had just witnessed but a large part of her brain knew it was all true.
Eden was a werewolf and he lived in a pack. It sounded hysterical in her head. But if he lived in a pack, it meant there were more like him. What surprised her more was why she wasn't hyperventilating.
"Yeah... um... I just want to go home," Marley refused, looking down to her feet. What she had learned up until now was enough for the day.
Eden nodded, not wanting to push her. He had already been too abrupt and now it was time to give her space.
The ride back to her house was in comfortable silence. Eden managed to not let out some snobby remarks, while Marley—even though her present state excused her for her silence—was never the one to make small talks.
About 40 minutes later, they stopped in front of her house. As she began to step out of the car, Eden grabbed her hand, making her turn around.
"You have to promise me something," he said seriously.
Marley already knew what he wanted. "I know. I won't tell anyone." Besides, nobody would believe her.
His lips twitched into a smile. "By the way, here's your phone," he added, handing back her cell phone.
Marley hopped out of the car and headed for her front door. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted her bicycle leaning against the wall of the lawn. A smile broke out on her face and she turned around.
She found Eden already watching her, making her smile drop. Blushing, she turned back to unlock the main door. All the while she could Eden's laugh, which then got muffled by his car's rumbling engine.
His gaze always made her insides fuzzy.
Once inside the comfort of her new home, Marley sprawled on the couch and tried to relaxed. She closed her eyes and her mind ran free.
A minute later, her thoughts took a wild turn. She knew—more like believed—Eden wouldn't hurt her but he could hurt others. Was he hurting, or even worse, killing others?
The closest she got to know about the werewolves were from movies or stories. They were either ferocious beasts who killed for pleasure and food, or shirtless models. She didn't know what to expect from Eden. She desperately hoped for the latter.
Marley rubbed her forehead to stop the oncoming headache, and took a deep breath. She reminded herself to be open minded. Eden had just revealed his biggest secret. She shouldn't be accusing him of things that he most likely didn't do.
Then another stream of questions struck her like a hammer. Why her? Why would he tell her? If he wanted to keep it a secret then why tell anyone outside his so called 'pack'? Didn't that risk the secrecy of their existence?... Her mind went on overdrive. More questions started swarming around, and her temples throbbed.
Marley let out a tired sigh, before putting an end to her overthinking. If she went on like this, she'd go crazy. And who knows, maybe, this would turn out to be a crazy dream after all?
Marley was lying on her bed when her phone blinked.
Sexy beast: Hey, how you holding up?
Marley needed no hint to know who this person was. She almost rolled her eyes at the contact name, but it was hard to miss the irony.
You: Eden?
Sexy beast: Yup.
You: You took my number without asking.
Eden: Yup.
Marley groaned. The boy—no, the werewolf—had no basic decency. No wonder he was a half dog.
Eden: I was thinking to take you to the pack house. Want to come?
Marley's hands shook a little as she thought about all the possible dangers of going to the wolves' den itself. Her yes could either lead her to an early grave or it could enlighten her with the knowledge of the mysterious world that only a few knew about.
She could feel her curiosity rising, but ultimately, it was her trust in Eden that made up her mind.
You: Okay
Marley cursed herself again for being so naive.
Eden: See you at 7. Good night and dream about me.
******
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Weres
Loup-garou"I won't mind ripping out any guy's heart who so much as look at you in a more than friendly way. You are mine." He turned his head towards her and Marley could see his brown eyes turning gold. "Mine only." ********* The life...
