Mason and I stood nervously, watching the two angry werewolves in front of us with wary eyes. Now that I think about it, maybe a food fight wasn't the best idea Mason and I could have had. That food was supposed to feed the pack during the party and now there was just a lone platter of hotdogs at the far end of the table that was left.

"Hey, hi," I said nervously, my goal to break the awkward silence and angry staring. I succeeded on the awkward silence. Not so much on the angry staring.

"What do you think you were doing with my mate, Mason?" Jackson asked, his voice holding a dangerous undercurrent.

"Well, you see Jackson, Cecilia here was being a pain in the a-" I cut him off by chucking a chunk of cake at his head and Eli and Jackson growled a warning when it seemed as if I may have restarted the food fight.

"What he meant to say," I began in my sweetest and most innocent voice, "is that we had a minor disagreement that may or may not have ended in a full scale food fight, through absolutely no fault of mine."

The entire pack laughed at my statement and even Jackson and Eli cracked smiles. Eli's was more of a lip twitch, actually, but I was still counting it.

"A food fight, huh?" Jackson asked.

Mason and I nodded, both deciding that they probably didn't need a verbal affirmation.

"And who started it?" Eli asked us.

We were quick to point at each other. "You liar!" we both exclaimed at the same time, causing a few titters among the pack members that were still watching everything go down. I'm sure that if I was in that crowd right now, watching this I'd be laughing too.

"She insulted me!" Mason defended himself.

"I would never do such a thing!" I denied vehemently, lying through my pearly whites. "But, if I had done something of the sort, it wouldn't matter because Mason was the first one to throw food." I crossed my arms and hmphed for added effect.

Eli rolled his eyes before walking away and Jackson smiled warmly at me, a look of amusement in his eyes. "Let's get you cleaned up," he told me, holding an arm out in invitation. When I went to accept his offer and snuggle up to his side, he pulled back. "On second thought, you can cuddle with me after you're all clean."

I pouted and he grinned at me.

I let him lead me back inside the house. When he slid open the slider, a short plump woman with short, curly brown hair and hazel eyes gasped in shock when she saw me. "My goodness! Look at you child!" she exclaimed, waving her hands at my obvious state of dishevelment.

"Hi," I mumbled, looking down at my feet, slightly embarrassed now that everything was over.

"What happened?" she asked of me, clucking like a mother hen.

Jackson jumped in to explain for me. "Celia, this is our cook and head housekeeper, Maggie. Maggie, this is my mate, Cecilia. She got into a food fight with Mason."

The woman covered her heart with her hand. "That boy did not ruin my buffet!" she exclaimed.

I winced as guilt crept in. Maggie had probably worked really hard on the food for the buffet and I felt really bad for destroying it. "Sorry, ma'am. We did. And I'm really sorry about that German chocolate cake. I still can't believe he threw it. It was absolute perfection."

The old woman cracked a small smile. "Thanks, dear. I'll make you one sometime. For now, follow Jackson upstairs and get cleaned up."

She carefully patted my shoulder and then shooed us upstairs with a warning to be careful not to get food on the carpet on the way. I laughed when I was sure we were out of hearing range.

"She seems so sweet," I told Jackson with a soft smile.

He chuckled slightly and agreed. "She is, but if you don't behave she can crack down. Mason's probably getting an earful right now."

I laughed at the thought, imagining Maggie yelling at Mason for the food fight. I should have felt bad, but I didn't. He did start it after all.

Jackson lead me a little ways down the hall and opened an oak door leading to a surprisingly neat bedroom, decorated in soft, neutral colors that made the room seem very warm and inviting. Large windows on the far wall showed off the gathering in the back yard and his bed sat in the center of the wall to the right, the dresser below the windows. Two doors occupied the wall to our left.

I looked up at Jackson with raised eyebrows.

"Maggie designed most of the rooms," he explained. "Eli's looks similar to mine, but his colors are brighter and Alice has made some changes since they found each other."

I nodded in understanding and Jackson opened the door closest to us, revealing a large bathroom. The tub and shower were separate, though both were high quality. The claw foot bathtub sat directly across the room from the large shower that had a massaging shower head and a spot to sit down. The sink had plenty of counter space and shelves beside it and behind the mirror.

Jackson opened the cupboards under the sink and pulled out a soft, fluffy black towel with a matching washcloth. He sat them on the toilet seat and then showed me how to work the shower. "Just toss your dirty clothes in the hamper. I'll wait for you in the bedroom," he told me with a quick smile before leaving me along to get cleaned up.

I spent a good twenty minutes in the shower, most of that time spent trying to pick and scrub the food out of my hair. By the time I got out, I was squeaky clean and...had no clothes. I sighed in aggravation, not wanting to leave the bathroom with only a towel on, but not really having a choice.

I rubbed my hair with the towel before wrapping it around my body and moving towards the door. "Jackson?" I asked as I inched the door open.

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting up in his bed and looking at me. His eyes darkened noticeably as he took in all the skin the towel left exposed.

I fidgeted nervously and said, "I don't have any other clothes."

"Oh, um, right," he stuttered, his eyes lingering on my bare skin for a moment more before they jerked up to meet mine. "I forgot about that." He stood up and walked over to the other door in his room and came back out holding a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Sorry, it's all I have that'll fi-"

He was cut off by a single knock on the door and then it flew open and Alice burst into the room. "Hey, Ceci, I'm here to help!" she exclaimed, holding a bundle of clothes aloft in her hands.

I laughed as Jackson growled. "What are you doing just barging into my room, Alice?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and skipped over to me. "Relax, Jackson. She'll wear the t-shirt."

I was confused by her statement, but laughed as she dragged me back into the bathroom, snatching the t-shirt out of Jackson's hands as we went. She handed me a pair of jeans, underwear and a bra, along with a tight tank top. "Don't worry, the bra and underwear are new; you can keep them. And the jeans and tank top, actually. Just throw the t-shirt on over top of everything. That'll make Jackson happy."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. "Why would that make him happy?" I asked, confused.

"Because the t-shirt smells like him," she told me. "If you wear it then you will smell like him, too. Werewolves are a little territorial and protective of their mates and they like it when you smell like him. Keeps all the other male wolves away from you. After he marks you, your scent will be permanently mixed with his, but until then, the t-shirt will make him and Rafe happy."

Well. That was slightly confusing. "What do you mean by marking?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, umm...it's a werewolf thing. I'm sure Jackson will explain it to you when he's ready."

I crossed my arms, probably not looking as intimidating as I wanted to in only a towel, but trying anyway. "Or, you could just tell me."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No. It's not my place to tell you about the marking process. Get dressed. I have to get back to Eli before he starts wondering where I disappeared to." She made a hasty exit before I could ask any more questions and I heard her yell "bye!" to Jackson before the door slammed behind her.

I shook my head at her silliness, but decided I would wait for Jackson to bring up the marking thing. It sounded like it was something important, so I knew it wouldn't be too long before he wanted to talk about it.

I pulled on the clothes that Alice had brought for me and then pulled Jackson's t-shirt over top of the tank top. It hung off me, but it was comfortable and smelled like him. I tucked the ends into the jeans and brought it up to my face to smell it again. I loved the way he smelled.

When I opened the bathroom door for the second time, this time thankfully fully dressed, Jackson was waiting for me on the bed again. He smiled happily when he lifted his head to look at me and he held an arm out in invitation. Remembered the last time, I crossed my arms and glared, refusing to move towards him.

His eyes narrowed playfully and he said, "Come to me, Cecilia," in a deeper voice than normal.

I could help the giggle that escaped at his antics, but I held my position by the bathroom door. I wasn't going to go to him. I wanted to see if he'd come get me.

He stood, puffing out his chest and trying to look intimidating. "Don't make me tell you again, Celia," he warned.

I stubbornly shook my head. The small smile on my face refused to move, no matter how hard I tried to school my features into a challenging mask. As I expected, Jackson crossed the room with an evil smirk on his face.

My heart jumped in excitement as I squealed and took off, trying to stay out of his reach. I only managed it for about two seconds before I was tackled gently onto the bed. I laughed as I turned over, looking up at Jackson's victorious face. He was so handsome.

He was holding himself above me with his hands beside my head and his knees on either side of my waist. His lips curled in a sexy grin as he waited for my next move. Smiling sweetly, unable to resist, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

Well, my intention was for it to be quick. Jackson quickly took it to another level, grasping my waist and the back of my head while I held tighter around his shoulders, my fingers burying themselves in his hair.

Just as we were both really getting into it, the door burst open and Alice's voice interrupted us. "Alright, love birds! Time to get back to the party!" she announced happily, clapping her hands to try and get our attention.

Jackson pulled back just far enough for our lips not to be touching and rested his forehead against mine. "What have I said to you about bursting into my room, Alice?" he asked in an aggravated voice.

"Not to do it because it's rude and you don't appreciate it," she recited quickly in a perky tone. "But I'm the Luna, so you're just going to have to get over it." I could practically feel her sticking her tongue out at Jackson, even as I gazed up into his eyes. "Now get off Ceci and come downstairs."

Jackson closed his eyes, and I could tell he was trying to hold his frustration back. I couldn't say I felt any different. We were having fun before her interruption. Reaching up I pecked Jackson's cheek before looking under Jackson's arm at Alice. "Five more minutes?" I asked her sweetly.

"Ceci!" she exclaimed in shock even as I felt an approving rumble from Jackson. "You're supposed to be the good one! Not helping him!"

I wasn't feeling like a good girl in this moment. I wanted to kiss my man, dang it! I decided to play the sympathy card. "But, Alice!" I whined, winking at Jackson. "I'm human and Jackson and I aren't going to have much time together. Imagine if you could only see Eli on the weekends and a few weekdays after school."

For a moment all I heard was silence and Jackson and I both waited with bated breath for her response. She growled in aggravation and then said, "Five minutes. And if you're not downstairs, I'm sending Eli up here!"

She stomped out of the room and I smiled up at Jackson. He grinned back. "You're amazing," he growled before bringing his lips back to mine. We weren't going to waste a second of the five minutes I'd just gotten us from Alice.

Unfortunately, Alice had been completely serious with her final demand. Right in the middle of the best kiss of my life, Jackson was ripped off me. I sat up, startled to see him rolling around on the floor, wrestling with Eli. It lasted a couple minutes, until with some unspoken guy code or something, they both backed off and Jackson came back to me and picked me up off the bed. I took his hand with a smile and he pulled me up against his side.

Eli smiled at me. "Sorry for interrupting, but there is a party downstairs."

I rolled my eyes and made a face at him, making both Eli and Jackson laugh, before Jackson's lips descended once more upon my own, cheering me up a bit. He pulled back with a sigh and said, "Let's get back downstairs."

The party was going on as normal when we got back downstairs. The mess from the food fight had been cleaned and there was now a buffet of hotdogs and buns with condiments on the only table left. There was still some frosting in the grass, but I chose to ignore it. I did feel bad about destroying the buffet, though, even if Mason had started it.

Mason winked at me as he passed us on our way back inside. He was following Maggie with a dirty rag in his hand. I just rolled my eyes at him as Jackson pulled me to a group of pack members that he wanted to introduce me to.

Jackson didn't leave me alone again during the party. I didn't know if it was because he didn't want to be away from me or if he didn't trust Mason and I to be alone together again, but I was betting on the latter.

He introduced me to a lot more people, though. I knew there was no way I'd remember their names, but they were all really nice; most of them made at least one joke about the food fight. I blushed every time, but I laughed as well. Even through my guilt, I could admit that it was fun. I was slightly embarrassed that so many people had witnessed it, but they seemed to find it funny. I was also incredibly happy that no one seemed to mind the fact that I was human.

I don't know where the idea that they would came from, but it was there none the less. They were these superhuman creatures that could probably snap me like a toothpick. I didn't measure up to them in any capacity, but they were down to earth and didn't care at all.

It took about an hour to get through meeting the rest of the pack members and then the games started. I'll admit, it was probably the most fun I've had in ages. There was volleyball, washers, badminton, bocce ball, and horseshoes. On top of those, there were some partner races for mates to participate in.

Jackson had dragged me to the wheelbarrow race with a smirk plastered across his face even as I resisted. The rest of the people participating shouted encouragement, so I eventually gave in and lined up at the start line with him. We had to go down to where Mason was standing, loop around and come back.

"You want to be the wheelbarrow or the pusher?" he asked me with a grin.

Sighing, I volunteered for the wheelbarrow because I knew that I couldn't hold him up and run at the same time. He made sure I was ready before he lifted my legs and when Mason yelled for us to go, I moved my hands as fast as I could get them to go. There were a couple times when I almost face planted, but Jackson prevented that. He'd support my feet with one hand and yank me back up by his t-shirt, before growling out a command to be more careful.

He convinced me to participate in a couple other races as well, but we had to sit the ones in wolf form out as I, obviously, couldn't shift. While we weren't occupied with races, I was playing horseshoes, badminton or bocce ball. There was a lot of coercion to play volleyball, but I was adamant in my refusal. I was atrocious at volleyball.

Badminton was more my speed. We played it with four people on each side. Jackson and I were on a team with a wonderful couple named Susan and Mitchell. I think they were both pack warriors, but I wasn't sure. We played against Eli and Alice and Kaden and his sister, Karen.

They were good, but we still won. Badminton was a game I loved and I really got into it. I dove for birdies, shooting them up to my teammates and I made shots over the net that seemed impossible sometimes. It was a game that my cousin, Xavier, and I used to play all the time before he moved.

The final score was 21 to 18. On the last point, I threw my racket into the air and Jackson lifted me into the air with a cheer, before bringing me down just enough to plant a scorching kiss on my lips that had me blushing thirty shades of red when everyone hooted. Susan and Mitchell gave us high fives as they went by, Susan smirking at my red face.

I felt like I'd gotten to know a majority of the people at the gathering as we all played games together. I liked them and I could tell that Jackson was pleased. Around seven the party started to wind down and the goodbyes started. Most of them went back into the pack house, as Jackson told me it was called. His family all gave me hugs before they went inside and then Jackson prepared to take me home.

Holding hands, we walked around the house towards the driveway. "So was it as bad as you feared?" Jackson asked with a grin as he opened the door for me. He knew that I'd had fun.

I answered anyway, a small smile on my face. "No, they were all really nice," I admitted. "And the games were a lot of fun."

His grin shifted into a smirk. "I told you so," he sang and I glared at him. He would say it.

He completely ignored my glare and reached over to take my hand as he started driving. I tried to pull my hand out of his, but he just held it tighter until I gave in and accepted the fact that I still wanted to hold his hand, even after he said "I told you so".

When I let our hands rest on his leg, he glanced over at me with an approving nod. "Are you excited for Friday?"

I nodded quickly. I was very excited for our first date. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing?" I asked.

He shook his head quickly, laughing. "No. It's a surprise. But I do have one problem."

Worry gnawed at my gut. "What?" I asked, wondering what could have gone wrong already.

"Friday is too far away. I was hoping that I could pick you up after school and go out to eat. I'll take you back to your car afterwards." He seemed nervous, like he was actually worried that I would say no.

"That sounds great," I said with a big, relieved smile. He sighed, the sound also filled with relief and I laughed about the fact that we'd both been nervous, for completely different reasons.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, glancing over at me with a small frown before returning his attention to the road.

I shook my head, refusing to tell him. "Oh, nothing," I replied.

He gave me a skeptical look but just went back to driving. "I'll pick you up tomorrow after school and every day until Friday. I'll just pick you up from your house on Friday, so you have time to get ready."