12. Werewolf 101

The smell of burnt cheese sandwich swarmed around the entire house. Marley took the sandwich out of the grill and looked at it with utter disappointment. Quick learner as she was, cooking was definitely not her forte. After a minute of stare down with the burnt bread, she let out a sigh and proceeded to eat it. After two weeks of living alone, the burnt food didn't taste that bad, plus it was food and she hardly ever said no to food.

After finishing her breakfast, Marley looked at clock which showed five minutes to seven. Sitting on the couch, she anticipated Eden's arrival any minute then. She was beginning to question her sanity. Was it all true what she had witnessed yesterday or was it some kind of hysterical dream? She shook her head because she knew it was all real and she was a spectator to it all.

She was pulled back into reality with a loud honk. She inhaled a deep calming breath and stood up to join the person that was outside her door. Marley picked up her backpack and sauntered towards th door. Today, her bag, besides the book, also contained a kitchen knife and a pepper spray. She might have agreed to follow Eden to his lair but that didn't mean she was going to ignore her safety.

She walked out to see Eden leaning against his black car, hands shoved inside his jeans pocket and that infamous smirk playing on his face. But it was his eyes that demanded her full attention, those brown eyes always had some glint whenever they met with hers. Maybe it was a wolf thing, that's what Marley thought and with that in her mind, she averted her eyes anywhere else.

"Hello beautiful." Eden greeted her, the smirk now converting into a grin.

"Hey... uhm... you can just call me Marley." She mumbled softly, looking down, avoiding his intense gaze.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he replied with a smile. He opened the passenger door for her, motioning her to get in and she followed. After adjusting himself at the driver's, he started the engine. "Well, you smell bit strange..." He leaned into Marley slightly, startling her, and sniffed. "... a bit like charcoal." He looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"I-I.. burned my breakfast. No big deal." She stuttered. If Eden's strange remark had come out of anyone's mouth a day ago, she would have most likely furrowed her brows but now it seemed kind of okay, given that he was a werewolf. She looked outside the window and noticed that they were going exactly the opposite way of the school. "We are not going to school?" She had a slight panic in her voice.

"No. I thought it would be better if we directly go to the pack house. The whole explanation thing might take a while."

"Looks like you have decided for the both of us." Marley mumbled annoyingly. She said it quietly, not wanting him to hear it. Eden heard it all but decided not to answer her and enjoy her cute mumbling.

"So, it might take a while." He said cheerfully, wanting to change the subject. "I am sure you must have a lot of questions. Why not start asking them here?"

Marley thought for few seconds. She had tons of questions and didn't know where to start. So she started with the question that lingered in her mind throughout the last night. "Why me? I mean why are you revealing your secrets to me?" She asked shyly.

Eden looked at her lovingly. "Because you are a very special person." He grinned and turned again to look at the road ahead.

Marley waited for him to continue but he just sat silently and drove the car. His answer was very vague and it only sparked more curiosity along with anger. "That's it. I am very 'special'." She snapped. Eden just nodded, his eyes still on the road. She thought for a moment. "Am I a Werewolf too? Wait, are you going to make me one by like biting me or something?" Her face and voice both contained horror.

Eden immediately turned towards her. His brows furrowed and he looked at her as if she had been crazy. He shook his head and set his eyes again on the road, doing it all while laughing. "No, Marley you are not a werewolf and also you can't be turned into one. We are born like this. Sorry to break your expectations." To this Marley's mouth formed 'o'. Eden turned towards her and wiggled his brows with a mischievous smile on his face. "Talking about biting, I can totally bite you if you want."

Marley's cheek quickly became flushed and she looked towards her window, not wanting Eden to see her like this. Little did she know Eden found immense pleasure watching her pink tinted cheeks. Marley cleared her throat. "So, why me?" She asked again.

"How about we answer that question when we reach pack house?" Eden wanted Marley to first know all about his kind before burdening her with life-changing information.

Marley nodded. Another question popped into her mind. "Why do your eyes turn golden sometimes but remain brown when you turn into a wolf? Shouldn't they be like gold in your other form too?"

"You've noticed."

"I could hardly miss that."

"How should I say this? They could actually turn golden in my wolf form too. They change when I have... strong emotions about something."

"Like anger." Marley spoke unconsciously. Eden hesitated a bit but then nodded. "That explains why your eyes changed the other day when you literally jumped on me in the class." Marley said that mostly to herself.

A sudden guilt washed over Eden for scaring her like that. "About that, Marley I am really sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just lost control."

Marley was taken aback by the soberness in his tone. She didn't expect his apology to be so genuine. "It's okay." She didn't care about it at the moment.

"Let's continue our werewolf 101." He said, his face again glowing with a bright smile. Eden found it hard to not to grin like an idiot whenever he was around Marley. Often, he tried to mask his grin with a playful smirk. Her presence was enough to provide him with real happiness.

"Is Oliver like you too?" Marley asked.

"How did you know that?"

"I didn't. It was just a guess since you guys seemed close." She mumbled.

"Just so you know, Mark is a werewolf too. So is Matthew...." He trailed off letting Marley to fill the gaps.

"And Callum too." She completed. She gaped at him with a slightly open mouth. "Are Emilia and Jessica too?"

"Yes, they all are wolves and are members of my pack." He answered proudly.

Marley opened her mouth to say something but shut it quickly. She repeated the action. She finally found her voice back. "Are Kiara and Rachel too?" She was still stunned. It seemed like everyone was werewolf other than herself.

"No." He answered immediately. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Anyone else that I know?"

Eden thought for a moment and answered. "No. They are the only wolves you know."

Silence descended upon them. Marley was surprised by this new revelation and Eden let her have her time to process it all. Marley looked outside the window and noticed the familiar woods. She remembered all the events that happened inside them just a day ago. Out of the blue, a strange question popped inside her head. "Eden, how old are you?"

"What?" He looked at her in bewilderment. He couldn't understand how this question was relevant to their situation.

"How 'old' are you?" This time Marley emphasized the word old to let Eden know the hidden message.

Eden understood what Marley meant. He quickly suppressed his laughter. "I've lived on this earth for about five hundred years." His voice was grave and husky, making each word believable. He looked at Marley, who looked at him with such admiration as if she had expected the very same reply. Eden couldn't hold himself any longer and burst out laughing. "You...are...so...cute." He could barely make out a sentence between the fits of his laughter. He looked at Marley, who looked annoyed, and Eden just found that look adorable. "I turned nineteen just last month... In case you are wondering, werewolves age just like humans do." He flashed her a smile.

Marley was still annoyed and decided not to entertain him with a reply. She looked at her lap refusing to meet his gaze. After a minute, their car came to halt.

"We are here." Eden beamed with pride as he looked at the front. Marley followed Eden's eyes and her mouth hung open.