The Dark Side of the Moon

T H I R T Y - S E V E N

"I'm in."

Cooper smirks and tackles me onto the bed. He hugs me while exclaiming how he's never had a partner in crime before and he's so excited to prank Grayson. I hug him back while a sudden wave of appreciation fills me. I've never felt like I belonged before, but staying at the pack house with Grayson, plotting pranks with Cooper, and watching how the other wolves come to my defense when I'm in danger- it makes me feel wanted. 

I've read plenty of books before, but I've never experienced anything like the emotions I read about. You read enough fiction, you start to question what's real and what's not. I've learned that love and true friendship are real, you just have to put down your book to find them.

I begin to tear up while reliving all of the emotional growth I've done. Cooper stiffens and immediately releases me from his hold to check on me. His eyes grow wide when he sees the tears falling from my eyes.

"Shit, shit, SHIT! Why are you upset? Fuck! Grayson's gonna kill me!" Cooper sits me up on the edge of the bed and rubs my arms up and down in an attempt to stop my tears. He continues to try to shush me, and the fear in his eyes makes me laugh.

"Why are you laughing? Shit, I don't understand girls!"

I wipe away my tears and smile at him. "They're happy tears. I've never had a friendship like ours and I'm just so grateful to have you as my friend."

His shoulders relax as his panicking ceases. He releases a breath and brushes his fingers through his messy brown curls. "If you want to keep me as your friend, you won't cry anymore. Goddess, that was scary. Can you imagine if Grayson walked in here and saw you crying? You'd be planning my funeral!"

"Stop being so dramatic." I gently push at his shoulder, but being the gay icon that he is, he dramatically falls off of the bed and pretends that I've hurt him.

"Ow! I'm injured!" He yells loudly, and thankfully no one in the house seems to hear or take him seriously. 

He eventually gets up from the floor and splays his body horizontally across the bed.

"Just wait until Grayson marks you. When he feels your emotions and can tell you're crying, you better have a good explanation before I'm minced meat."

I pause and look up from the white duvet. I've never heard that term before. Once he marks me? What does that even mean?

My face must be like an open book because Cooper's jaw drops as he sits up instantly and looks at me in disbelief.

"You don't know what marking is?" 

I shake my head no. Now I'm curious. Cooper seems to be shocked that I'm unaware of the term. He gets up off the bed and scurries to his door and opens it. He looks left, right, then left again while scanning for anyone who could be listening in to our conversation. Once he's satisfied that no one is around, he closes the door and sits down on the bed again.

"How did Grayson not tell you? It's pretty fucking important."

"What is it? Is it bad?" I begin having a minor anxiety attack. The way that Cooper is making such a big deal out of this concept of "marking" is making me extremely nervous.

"No! No, it's not a bad thing at all! It's just an important thing between wolves when they find their soulmate. It's an... intimate thing that you guys are probably ready for." Cooper lets out a big sigh and mumbles, "Grayson's gonna kill me."

I lean forward and place my hands on his shoulders to give him a little shake. I continue staring at him intensely until he spills.

"I'm only telling you because you know I can't keep secrets well, AND he should have told you weeks ago." He clears his throat and begins. "Basically, there are three major steps in a werewolf relationship. There's the meeting- when you make eye contact with the other and you instantly form the initial mate bond. Then, there's something called marking, then mating.