"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.

"Marking is when each werewolf, but in your and Grayson's case- just him, bites the neck of the other to seal the bond and claim their mate permanently."

I'm up and stumbling off of the bed before Cooper can even finish the sentence. BITE? Grayson is supposed to BITE MY NECK? Oh no, no, no, NO! He has sharp canines! I'll probably die from blood loss if his teeth don't break my neck first! Has Cooper seen the size of Grayson?! He could crush me like a bug in two seconds! I don't need anyone biting me like a freaking vampire! I pace back and forth across the expanse of Cooper's bedroom as I internally- and externally- freak out.

"This is exactly why Grayson hasn't told you, I know it is! He's afraid of how you'll react. It's an important part of werewolf culture. Look, Axel did it to me, see?" Cooper leans his head to the side and points to the crook of his neck. I lean in and squint, initially not seeing anything. Then, I gasp and trace my finger along the light silver scar. It's a huge bite mark taking up a large portion of his neck!

Cooper bites his lip and backs away from my touch.

"Sorry! Does it hurt?" I apologize, hoping I didn't do anything to cause him harm. It looks like the bite must have been pretty painful. Why would he let Axel do that to him?

"It doesn't hurt. The opposite, in fact." Cooper's face turns bright red at the mention of the mark, and that's where I grow confused.

"What do you mean?"

He shakes his head and buries his face in his hands as he exhales loudly.

"I should not be the one explaining this. This is so fucking awkward." He takes his face out of his hands and looks at me. Pointing right at my face, he seriously says, "You can't laugh. Everything I'm telling you is completely true for werewolves, okay?"

I nod my head, urging him to continue.

"Alright. The marking, or the biting of the neck, actually feels good. It's a little painful at first, but it becomes pleasurable after a few seconds. The reason is because it's linking your mind with your mate's mind. It allows your emotions to be intertwined. I can feel Axel's emotions all of the time, and he can feel mine. If you kept touching my mark..."

My jaw drops as the pieces fit together. Does he get turned on by touching the mark? That's such a strange place to-

My hand flies to my face as I realize that Grayson has been kissing my neck and nuzzling his face there ever since I've known him. I thought he just found it comfortable, but maybe it's his werewolf side wanting to mark me! Holy crap!

My heart begins picking up speed as my breath releases in heavy pants. If I let Grayson mark me, he'll be able to know how I feel all of the time. I'll be able to read his emotions! He's angry all of the time, so does that mean that I'll feel that? How would that even work? And since I'm a human, would it even be the same for us?

Wow, I can't even believe I'm considering letting his canines get anywhere near my neck! Am I crazy? I do trust Grayson, but can I trust his werewolf side too?

"I see that you're freaking out. Take a deep breath. All you need to do is gently bring it up to Grayson and talk about it. He wouldn't want to push you into doing this, so he's probably held off on telling you. He's been really clingy lately, right?"

I nod my head to Cooper's questions as my eyes dart around the room as I think. He has been wanting to check in on me all day today. He didn't want me studying alone with Cooper and he checked in on us a few times while we were in the kitchen reading Psychology notes.

"The clingy nature," Cooper continues, "is him being overly protective and wanting to mark you. You almost died, Thea. He needs to feel emotionally close to you. I'm surprised he left you alone at all. Something similar happened to me before Axel marked me, and he didn't react as well as Grayson..." Cooper smiles thinking back longingly on the memory.

I swallow, my throat thick from worry and apprehension. I really do need to bring this up with Grayson. I can't believe he didn't tell me about this. This seems like an important step in our relationship, and his lack of trust in me is honestly upsetting. Of course I'm going to freak out, but I would have liked to be educated in the world of werewolves by my werewolf boyfriend instead of my werewolf best friend- wow, never thought that sentence would ever be formed in my mind. I guess I'll have to be the one to talk about it first.

"Wait, wasn't there one other thing in the mating process? You said meeting, marking, what was the third?"

"Sex, Thea."

My cheeks burn bright pink.

~~~

Cooper and I decide that we're done with the serious conversations. I've agreed to bring it up with Grayson the next time we have a moment alone. While I'm waiting for Grayson to finish his Alpha duties, we plan out the details of the brilliant prank we're going to play on Grayson. Cooper needs to purchase some materials before we can do it, so unfortunately today isn't the prank day. However, I have nervous tingles erupting through me just thinking about this evil plan. Grayson's gonna freak!

Cooper is going on about my part of the prank when he tilts his head to the side and quickly stands to his feet. He speeds across the room and haphazardly shoves the book in a random drawer before sitting down next to me once again. I raise in eyebrow, but when I see the door open not a second later, I see now that Cooper had to hide the book before Grayson saw it.

My eyes are locked on Grayson's as his large form passes through the doorway. I barely even notice that Axel walks in behind him and heads straight for Cooper. Grayson immediately hugs me, and I return the affection. He sighs in relief as he places his nose in my neck and sniffs me. I stiffen instantly, remembering the conversation I just had with Cooper about marking mates on the neck. As if he senses something wrong, Grayson pulls back.

"What's wrong?" His concern for me is immediate, but I definitely cannot be honest with him right now. I'm not having the serious marking talk in Cooper's bedroom with Cooper and Axel as an audience. Nope. I'll wait. I quickly make up the first lie I can think of.

"I'm just worried that my mom wants me home soon. I don't want her to be too angry with me. I haven't been home in almost three days..." It's true that I'm concerned about her, and I decide that it's time to finally face her. I've been avoiding going home all day. I should have gone straight home after I woke up from my extremely long slumber, but I wimped out and spent the day with Grayson and Cooper. At least I got some homework done...

"Why can't you just stay here? I don't want you to leave." His lip pouts out and it makes me laugh. Strangely, I don't want to leave either. I've never had a boyfriend before- is it weird that I always want to be around him? I want to spend every free minute with him, and when I'm not with him, I'm thinking about him. Studying became a challenge when all I thought about was Grayson's beautiful eyes, his hugs, his kind nature... Yeah, I've fallen hard for him.

"I don't want to leave either, but I need to go home. My mom needs help around the house and she probably needs me to watch Evie. You know how her work schedule is..." I give him a little pout of my own to which his eyes rest on my lips. He leans in and kisses me until my pout disappears.

"I can't say no to you, so fine. Just know I'm not happy about this."

I give him a sad smile while we share a similar look of dread for our time apart. I turn to say goodbye to Cooper, but he and Axel are stuck in a lip-lock. It grows more heated by the second, and when Axel grips Cooper tighter against his body and begins grinding on him, Grayson covers my eyes with his palm and quickly walks out of the room. He slams the door behind him and groans while I laugh through the awkwardness. Guess I know what those two are gonna be up to...

Reluctantly, Grayson drives me home. I physically feel fine, but mentally and emotionally I'm not looking forward to being apart from him.

When his car is eventually parked in my driveway, I don't make any attempts to leave. I simply sit still and soak up the last few moments I have with Grayson. I turn my head to look at him only to find him already staring at me. He looks my body up and down like he's ravenous and I'm his favorite dessert. Just his look causes an unfamiliar yet much appreciated warmth straight to my core. I tighten my thighs together as I attempt to tame the fire with friction.

Grayson inhales the air deeply. His eyes turn dark as he leans over and unbuckles my seatbelt and pulls me over the center console to straddle his lap in one fluid motion. I'm quickly learning to appreciate his agility in times like these.

"I can smell you, you know," he growls. I shiver at the raspy quality of his voice. He continues speaking, and his voice alone could send me over the edge. It's everything about him for me- his voice, his body, his dominant personality- everything about him turns me on.

"I can smell how wet I'm making you." His hand traces slowly, ever so slowly, up my thigh until his fingers cup me over my most sensitive area. I moan at the feeling of his hand there, and he begins lightly stroking me through the sweatpants I borrowed from him.

"You look so fucking sexy in my clothes." He leans forward and kisses me all the while stroking me harder. The friction is bliss and I find my panties getting more and more damp. "But, I can't wait to see what you look like without them on."

I press my lips harder to his as my need for him increases. His fingers continue to bring me pleasure, and the familiar feeling of an upcoming orgasm has me bracing for the release I so desperately desire.

One second his hand is rubbing me and the next, his touch disappears. I stop kissing him and I even think a little whine comes out of me. Grayson is grinning from ear to ear as he picks me up and places me in the passenger seat once again.

"W-what?" My voice comes out as a whimper and I cringe at the desperation leaking from me. How could he just stop?

"You're leaving me, so that was your punishment. Now you have to go talk to your mom all hot and bothered while you think about how badly you wish I had made you cum." He gets out of the car and closes his door. I sit there, stunned. What a cocky, cruel werewolf? He is right. I won't be able to focus on talking to my mom because I'll be thinking about what Grayson started but didn't finish. That little...

The passenger side door opens to reveal Grayson with my backpack that he retrieved from the trunk of the car. He holds his hand out for me to take, but I ignore it and get out of the car myself. I fold my arms over my chest and angrily storm over to my front door. Before I make it there, Grayson gently grabs my wrist and pulls me back into him.

"Don't be upset, baby," he chuckles. He tries to kiss me but I turn my head to the side so he catches my cheek instead of my lips. Instead of getting annoyed with me, he kisses my cheek again and begins trailing kisses down my jaw and down my neck. He lightly sucks on the skin, causing the warmth to reappear again. I grab his shoulders to push him away, but for some insane reason I forget that I'm annoyed with him and pulled him closer into me. Based on the way he smirks into each tender kiss on my neck, I know he's satisfied with my reaction.

He kisses downward until he reaches a point in the curve of my neck where he kisses and sucks at the spot relentlessly. I moan and bury my face in his chest as he works his magic. When he lightly nips at the spot, tingles spread through my body radiating from my shoulder. The feeling wakes me up and brings me back to reality. That's the spot where he would mark me. I definitely see what Cooper was talking about when he said that the spot was sensitive. Holy heck- it's very sensitive.

I push him away and give him one last glare before grabbing my backpack from the floor where he so carelessly dropped it. He was a little too preoccupied trying to tease me to hold my bag.

"No! You don't get to be all sexy and then just turn it off! That's not fair, Gray. You can't get mad at me for coming to my house to see my mom." My foot taps up and down in annoyance.

"I'm not mad at you, baby. It's just- ugh." He groans and wipes a palm down his face as he thinks about how communicate his thoughts. "If it were up to me, you'd never leave my sight. Now I have to be away from you while that warlock is still out there. What if he comes back to finish the job and I'm not here to protect you?"

My anger melts away as he shares his worries with me. Of course he's thinking about my safety. I was only thinking about how lonely I would be without him. His Alpha nature made him think deeper- he'll miss me as he's worried about my safety.

"Eli won't hurt me. He never wanted to do the spell in the first place," I explain. I urge him to understand that Eli's not a bad guy. He's been misled, but he has a good heart.

"Even if I did believe you, there's still an entire coven that ordered him to cast that spell in the first place."

Shit- he's got me there. I know I should be freaking out right now, but I feel strangely calm. Maybe it's the calm before the storm, but I know that Grayson will protect me. I feel so safe with him- he's my guardian angel.

"I don't want you to worry," he continues. "I have guards stationed outside your house 24/7. You won't ever be alone. I just wish I were with you."

"Guards?" I whisper, surprised yet not surprised at all that Grayson has pack members watching out for me.

"You won't even know they're here. They'll stay in the woods in their wolf forms. Thea," he lifts my chin up so we're looking in each other's eyes. "Call me if you need me. I'll drop everything and be here in minutes."

My heart warms.

"I know."