Axel jumps into action when the sound of Cooper flatlining fills the silence. I barely have time to blink before he is leaning over his dying mate, wolf eyes and all. His heavy breathing and elongated canines make it difficult for him to speak, but he manages to scream out orders.

"WE NEED A DOCTOR!" he scream out, panic and true fear radiating off of him. I don't need extra senses to know that his heart has dropped to the pit of his stomach- just like mine.

All of this happens in a matter of seconds, and my measly human-self finally catches up to his panic. Gray has already left my side to run and get a doctor, and I use all of my remaining strength to lift myself from the bulky wheelchair and run to Cooper's side. 

I ignore the bite of pain in my ribs as I rush to him. I'm not sure what I think I can do in a situation like this, but my only thought is to get closer to him- to try to help.

He has to be okay.

Axel keeps shaking Cooper's body, lightly slapping his cheek to wake him up.

He has to be okay.

The doctors come rushing in a moment later, baffled and panicky when they hear the flatline of the monitor.

He has to be okay. 

I'm lightly shoved to the side so the doctors can get a better look at Cooper, but in my weakened state I almost topple over to the side. Gray catches me and draws us back a little further. In the chaos, he doesn't seem as furious as he would be at someone other than him touching me.

With tears in my eyes, I see blurs of action. A doctor is preparing paddles to electrically restart his heart. I just lost Eli- I can't lose Cooper, too.

I remember when we first met- he saw I ran out of ink in my pen and he offered me his. He was so generous, even to a complete stranger that he didn't even realize was his Luna. Even after I found out what he was, I ignored him and he still stayed. Our shopping trips were equally embarrassing, unbearable, and fun.

He has to be okay.

While I go through all of our interactions, thinking about how little time we really had to spend together in the scheme of things, I hear one of the doctors groan and throw the paddles across the room.

Shouldn't they be used to save Cooper's life? What are they doing?

"Do something!" I scream at them, automatically resorting to a voice filled with a commanding power I always seem to forget I possess.

It only takes me a moment to realize why they stopped.

Cooper is laughing. No, not only laughing- he's cracking up, snorting, tossing and turning in amusement. 

"You guys fucking fell for it!" he screeches as he wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. He's the only one laughing. 

The doctors all file out of the room, muttering some choice words for their Beta's mate and his awful pranks. I've never seen one of his pranks in action before, and now that I have I can finally understand why everybody despises them.

I really thought he was dying. 

Axel and Grayson must have been too wound up to listen for Cooper's heartbeat, which is now very clearly beating properly if he's able to cackle so loudly. Now that my teary vision is gone, I notice how Cooper disconnected his heart monitor so that the machine will think he flatlined. 

"That wasn't funny!" I scream at him, not sure whether to be relieved or completely livid when he scared me so much. I'll settle for somewhere in between.

Axel seems to have settled for being completely livid. Without a word, he storms out of the room without a second glance at his healthy mate.

"Ax, come back!" Cooper yells after him with a guilty smile. "I thought only Thea would be fooled! Couldn't you hear my heartbeat?!"

Axel is long gone by the time Cooper finishes his explanation. 

Grayson shakes his head, then seems to come back to his senses enough to remember that I'm standing when I shouldn't be. His eyes widen before he gently yet swiftly lifts me into his muscled arms and returns me to the stupid wheelchair that I already despise.

"Thea could have been injured more with your little stunt," he growls out, grumpy once again. It seems that he is just as excited about Cooper's prank as Axel was.

"Shit, sorry! I thought it would be funny... I now realize that maybe that wasn't the best prank to play right now." He frowns once he gets a good look at me. I probably look horrendous- I have bruises all over my neck and arms, and I know I have a nasty purple splotch on my face thanks to Elina.

"You look like shit," Cooper says. 

I glare at him, but he glares right back at me with mock anger. We stare at each other until the corner of my mouth tilts up ever-so-slightly. Cooper intensifies his glare and smirks at me, seeing his moment to break through my failing anger.

I finally lose the battle and grin at him, shaking my head. I'm so weak. I should stay mad at him for his cruel prank, but all I want to do is stand up and hug Cooper. One look from Grayson makes me mumble under my breath as I begrudgingly wheel myself over to the side of the hospital bed instead of disobeying him.

When Cooper scooches to the side of the bed and pats the empty space next to him, I smile and decide that occasionally disobeying Grayson just keeps him on his toes. I grunt in pain as I lean forward in the chair and try to rise to my feet. 

Gray makes a noncommittal sound stemming from his throat at my attempt to stand on my own.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he grumbles as he lifts me onto the bed. Not gonna lie, it's nice having Gray carry me and help me move around. It means he has to touch me more and I'm definitely not disappointed about that.

"I wanna sit here," I mumble when I'm seated on Cooper's side. Cooper then lifts his arm so that I can hug his side. When I lean in, I almost miss his short intake of breath. I immediately take my weight off of him.

"I'm fine", he answers with a grin I can see right through. He's obviously not fine. "Just don't lean right here," he motions to his abdominal area where the magic hit him the strongest.

I nod my head and lean very lightly on his shoulder.

Grumpy just stands in front of us while crossing his arms. 

"Should I just go and cuddle with Axel, then?" he groans while staring at every part of my body that touches Cooper's. He's so dramatic, sometimes.

"Yeah, you should," I tease him. "He looked pretty upset earlier. I think your cuddles could really cheer him up."

Cooper snorts at the thought of our mates snuggling up together while Gray throws his arms up in the air.

"That's not what you're supposed to say!" he raises his voice, but I only see a pouty toddler that's upset because someone stole his toy.

"You know I love you," I grin, then lean my head back on the bed and close my eyes. The smell of cedar and pine fills my nose, and I don't need werewolf senses to know that Grayson is right in front of me.

He kisses me, then mumbles "I love you, too."

I hear his footsteps fade and the light click of the door closing, presumably to go check on Axel. A minute or so after Grayson leaves, Cooper speaks up.

"Did I just fuck up with Ax?" 

I sigh and rub my eyes with my palms.

"A little," I reply honestly.

"I didn't think he would fall for it, too. He should have been able to hear my breathing. I honestly didn't think anyone would fucking believe the prank except you, and I thought they would just bust me right away."

We sit in silence for a little while longer, comfortably sitting and thinking through the craziness of the last 24 hours. I can't remember the last time I just relaxed with Cooper- he's always up to something mischievous and equally hilarious.

"You know," he says, breaking the silence, "I didn't understand how strong mate bonds were before I met Axel."

I squint my eyes open and see Cooper laying with an arm over his eyes, blocking out the intense fluorescent lightbulbs. I close my eyes, too.

He continues.

"When I met Axel, I was in a really shitty place. I won't bore you with the details, but... Axel changed my life. The power of the mate bond is astronomical- it's a bridge between two souls. That's some important shit. The pain you feel when your mate is hurt..."

It sounds as if Cooper is speaking from experience. The thought of either Axel or Cooper being in any type of physical, emotional, or psychological pain causes pure anger to boil up inside me. It's so unfair that the best people go through the worst trauma and hardships.

I take a deep breath and remind myself that the past is in the past. I no longer want to linger on anything behind me, only in front of me. My focus will now be on healing.

I will help my pack by learning everything about werewolf culture and becoming the most honest and respectful Luna I can possibly be. I will help my family heal from the supernatural trauma they experienced- my mother with finding out about my new werewolf family and Evie with dealing with her kidnapping. I will stay by Cooper's side while he heals and help Axel through it as well. And, I will love Grayson with all of my heart. 

And I'll work on healing my own body as well, however, the others are more of a priority for me.

We'll take life one step at a time- it's all we can do.

~~~

The next couple of weeks are filled with lots of stress and frustration for me. Cooper is up and walking around while I'm still stuck on bedrest, which is stupid and unfair. It seems that Cooper and Axel have made up, but it took a few days for Axel to stop ignoring his mate and forgive him. Cooper started telling me the details of exactly how they made up, but I plugged my ears and started chanting "la la la" until he quit it. They're so... dirty.

Grayson has been by my side a lot, but I know he wishes he could sit next to me all day and night. My mom has been a huge help with me and Evie. She took some time off of work, and when I started asking her how she got permission from her boss and how we were going to pay our bills, she said that Grayson had connections at the airline where she works and not to worry. I let it go because I'm glad Grayson and my mom are talking more, but I for sure will need to ask him about it later.

My days are filled with studying for exams and Luna duties. I'm learning a lot about what will be expected of me once I fully mate with Grayson, and I'm starting to worry about when that will actually happen. Grayson is still checking in on me all of the time and giving me hugs and snuggles, but he hasn't been teasing me or touching me in any sexual way since Elina took Evie. 

I'm fairly confident that Grayson wants to do more, but he's probably worried about hurting me even though I'm basically healed. I still have some stubborn yellowish-green bruises that won't go away, but I'm perfectly healthy.

The doctor gave me the go-ahead to start moving around the pack house days ago, but Grayson overrode that and instead told me to stay resting for a while longer. Why does he think he's more knowledgeable than the pack doctor?

I've spent way too much time in bed, and even my mom thinks it's perfectly fine for me to walk around downstairs.

"Just don't tell Grayson I told you that," she jokes.

I decide that today I'll check out the daycare area where Evie has been spending her time. I've been respecting Gray's wishes and staying put in bed, but my exams are next week and I'm going to have to walk around campus to take them pretty soon. Also, since Grayson has been a little distant from me and refuses to talk about what happened at the coven house, I figure that he doesn't get to order me around- something enforced in my Luna studies.

I've talked to him about losing Eli, but he hasn't said anything more to me about what that horrid day was like for him. He refuses to speak on the matter and always says, "we'll talk about it later."

I get dressed and walk down the stairs until I reach the first floor. It's around three o'clock in the afternoon, so it's about the time that Evie would get picked up from school or daycare. I follow the sounds of laughter and excited energy until I find the room with vibrant colors and a neon banner that reads "Dark's Daycare."

That's actually adorable that the daycare is named after Grayson, but I move past the entrance and scan the kids until I see Evie. She's coloring (surprise) next to a boy who seems to be about her age. They are giggling and sharing crayons while talking about whatever 6-year-olds talk about. I just watch them with a small smile on my face. 

I'm distracted while thinking about how grateful I am that she's safe and happy, so I don't notice when one of the daycare employees walks up next to me and clears his throat.

I jump back in surprise and hold a hand to my fast beating heart. 

A man in his late-twenties shares a guilty smile with me as he pushes his shoulder length blonde hair behind his ears.

"Sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, no worries," I chuckle at my own ability to be startled so easily. "I was just checking on Evie. I haven't been down here yet."

"I know," he says matter-of-factly, then clears his throat and nervously shakes his head. "I mean, I would have known if the Luna came down here. I work here."

I smile at his nerves, hoping to calm him down a little. I don't understand why he's treating me almost like a celebrity, but I want him to feel normal around me. I'm just a person.

I change the subject to Evie.

"So, how has Evie been since..." I trail off, knowing he will know what I'm talking about.

He nods. "Yeah, she's been really great. The boy next to her, Darren, has really bonded with her. They do everything together- play, eat, nap. It's really cute, actually."

I'm glad to hear that Evie is making friends. I'm slightly concerned that the boy is a werewolf because coming into his strength and shifting abilities could possibly endanger her, but I trust the pack to protect her and properly train all of their young shifters. I still want to keep an eye on this friendship and any others she makes. She may forget she's a human surrounded by supernaturals, so she'll need a big sister to guide her.

"I don't want to bother her if she's having fun, so I'll just come back later," I say with a smile. I back up, but the employee calls out for me. 

"Wait! Luna, if you want you can stay and help out. I mean, if you're not busy. Evie would love to spend time with you, she talks about you all of the time. We were about to move outside to the playground and you could always join. Only if you want..."

He rambles almost as much as I used to when I got nervous. I keep the laughter out of my voice as I accept his offer.

"Great!" he says, then he calls for all of the kids, about thirty, to line up and head to the playground out back. Evie sees me and runs over to me.

"Thea! Are you all better now?" she asks. She's jumping up and down excitedly at my feet. This is the first time she's seen me walking around, so I can understand her energy.

"Yeah, I feel great," I smile at her, then bend down to give her a hug.

In the middle of our hug I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I release Evie to see the same dark-haired boy Evie was with earlier. He waves at me, then very unexpectantly bows. I try to hold in my shocked and confused face and keep a neutral, friendly one.

"Hello, Luna. My name is Darren and Evie is my best friend. It's nice to meet you." His grin is so wide, and I am automatically awed with how sweet and polite this boy is.

I open my arms up for him so that the three of us are in a group hug.

"It's very nice to meet you, Darren."

He smiles, grabs Evie's hand and leads her to the line that's being let outside.

"Come play, Thea!" Evie screams after me, and I follow the children and other employees outside. I see the same blonde employee I spoke to earlier and walk up to him.

"What's your name by the way? I feel like that was completely rude of me."

"Oh, don't worry, Luna. My name is Justin."

"Please, call me Thea," I beg. I don't want every single werewolf I speak with to be so formal and nervous around me. If anything, I should be nervous around them! I'm supposed to be a leader, someone to look up to. I want to foster friendship and kindness, respect and loyalty. That starts with each relationship I make.

"Okay, Thea." 

Justin then walks me over to a bench and begins telling me all about the daycare and what Evie has been up to. It's nice to talk to someone that's not Cooper, Cass, or Grayson. 

Time passes as I relax and enjoy Justin's company. He tells me all about his mate named Tara who he met almost ten years ago, and I sit and listen to him speak so lovingly about her, even years into their relationship. I hope it's like that for me and Gray...

Justin is cracking up while talking to me about a time when Tara made a completely horrible dinner for him- he's the chef in the relationship, apparently- when his voice trails off. It seems that the world stills for a moment as every single werewolf in the area stops moving and turns to look at me.

I gulp and quickly look to Justin for answers. He pulls at his collar and gives me a wobbly smile.

"Alpha's looking for you," he answers. 

Uh oh. I guess Grayson was still under the impression that I was on bedrest and went to look for me.

"I'm sorry, but I told him you were here at the daycare," Justin adds.

"That's okay, I can't mindlink or anything and I don't have my phone on me. I guess we wait for the big bad Alpha to show up," I joke.

Justin doesn't find my joke funny.

It only takes a minute before Grayson is storming out of the pack house, scanning the area until he finds me. He heads my way and doesn't stop until he's standing before me.

Justin slides further away from me on the bench.

"Why are you out here?" he asks in a gruff voice.

"Because I wanted to see Evie. And Justin was talking to me about the daycare and what goes on here everyday and I got sidetracked."

It's at that moment that Grayson becomes aware of Justin's presence. He looks him up and down and a possessive growl forms in his throat. Justin gulps and backs away.

"No, you don't get to be all growly around every single male pack member I'm in contact with! Justin was very nice to me and told me all about his mate, who he loves very much." 

I turn to Justin and give him a small smile.

"Thank you for today. I appreciate you keeping me company."

He hesitantly smiles back and says he hopes to see me around the daycare more often.

I get up off of the bench, say goodbye to Evie, and then follow a silent and fuming Grayson inside. I don't know why he's so angry right now, but this is the highest level of emotion I've gotten out of him in a while. I need to push him so that I can get to the bottom of his feelings.

I don't even have to ask him to know that he's heading to his bedroom- that room and his office are one of a few rooms that are soundproofed and he feels comfortable being Grayson and not Alpha Grayson. 

I close the door behind us and lean against it, watching him pace back and forth. He slides a hand through his dark hair. He breathes through his nose and out of his mouth, an obvious tactic to calm himself down after he's worked up.