44. Mature Conversation

When Eden and Marley entered through the big metal doors, every pair of eyes in the hallway were on them. Some teens went back to their business, whereas the most still stared as the couple walked across the hall. Hushed murmurs followed their every step.

"Is it because I went missing?" Marley asked, her stance turning timid under the gawking eyes. She could feel the appearance of sweat on her forehead.

Eden nodded, and held her hand when he saw her shrinking. He glared at the bunch of students, making everyone avert their eyes.

It had been a week since Marley was last time in school. She did miss the familiar contrasting blue-white walls, but wasn't prepared for people's prodding looks. She was sure her made up runaway story must be all over the school by now as the latest scandal.

"Just give it a couple of days. Everyone's going to move on with the next big gossip." Eden reassured, pulling her along with him.

"Let's hope that the next big gossip isn't about you," Marley taunted him with a half-smile.

"People just love me," Eden cooed back teasingly.

The pack had always been the centre of attention in the school, so it was no wonder that people liked talking about them, sometimes also making things up like their involvement in bike gang, street gang or even mafia. Even though most of the students knew that it was all a load of crap, they still propagated these conspiracies to humour others and themselves. After all, it was high school.

A high squeal halted their steps. They saw a petite figure charging toward them from the other end of the lobby, making Eden let go of Marley's hand. "You associate with some crazy characters." He snorted, looking at the running girl.

"You happen to be one of those crazy characters," Marley retorted, with a small glare in her mate's direction, before she got smothered in an embrace.

"You're back!" Rachel cried, throwing her arms around Marley and jostling her into a tight hug. "You had us all worried."

"I'm alright." Marley whispered, and petted her friend's hair comfortingly.

"Rachel, just because you're small, it doesn't mean that you can launch yourself on other people." Another familiar voice spoke from behind. Kiara shook her head, looking at the tiny girl who was latched onto Marley.

Rachel released Marley, before turning to Eden. Her face immediately turned sour and she glared at him accusingly. "What did you do to Marley?!"

"Huh?" Eden looked back confused as Rachel pointed her finger at him, her accusing eyes becoming more intense.

"It's all over the school that you cheated on her, and that made her leave."

By now the students were starting to again look at them to get some action. Marley groaned internally at both: the unwanted attention, and the false rumours.

"Rachel, it's nothing like that. He never cheated on me or anything like that." Marley interfered, not wanting her friend and boyfriend to get into a verbal fight. "I'll explain it all to you."

Rachel didn't change her stance and kept on glaring at Eden, who glared back. A small hit on the back of her head by the blonde finally made her look away.

Kiara rolled her eyes at Rachel's pouting face. "Patrick told you that, and most of the things that come out of that guy's mouth is utter bullshit. Marley is naive to date Eden, but you're more naive than her to believe someone like Patrick."

"I'm not naive." Marley and Rachel muttered together.

Kiara waved them dismissively, and Eden too silently agreed with her. Both were as clueless as they come.

Eden turned to Marley. "I'll see you later." After giving a small peck on her cheek, he walked away leaving the girls in their own company.

As he left, Kiara and Rachel looped their arms with Marley's on either side, dragging her along with them. "So..." Kiara drawled out. "Since when our little shy baby turned into such a troublemaker."

"It's Eden. He did this to her," Rachel added, shaking her head, "the guy must be rubbing on her."

"You switch sides really quickly. Don't you? A week ago, you were singing praises of him." Kiara chuckled, before looking at her other friend. "By the way Marley, I need all the details of your trip."

Marley gave out a small sigh as she walked with them. It was definitely great to be back, but spurting out convincing made up stories was not going to be easy.

********

The girls were eating lunch at their usual table, talking about stuffs that mainly involved Marley's 'little adventure', as her friends liked to call it. For her, that adventure definitely didn't leave her with any pleasant memory. Not that her friends needed to know about that, the lies she told them were enough.

In the midst of their chat, Marley felt the familiar heating sensation on her body. She looked up and her eyes met with the chocolate brown ones. Since day one, his one look had made her feel something incomprehensible, and she had long given up to decipher that. It was otherwordly.

Eden was entering the cafeteria with his friends. Others were busy with their conversation, but his eyes were glued to Marley. It was hard to not just stare at her. Everything thing about his mate, from her physical attributes to her gentle nature, just drew him more to her. She was made for him, and he was for her.

Eden gave her a knowing head bob, followed by a smirk when he saw her looking at him with a blush on her cheeks.

Marley might think of him as sadist when he always found some ways to tease her or turn her crimson, but little did she know that he could very well fall into the category of masochists. Her reactions to his taunting moves only made it more difficult for him to restraint himself from not just throwing her over his shoulder, and have his way with her inside the next empty room he could find. It was a sweet torture... a torture nevertheless.

"I can feel the sexual tension from here," Rachel commented, her face splitting into a wide grin. Her hazel eyes were pacing back and forth between Eden and Marley.

Kiara laughed, almost spitting out her food. Marley just spurted out something incoherent, and shoved the remaining bread into her mouth to avoid the embarrassement.

"You guys are now living together." Kiara raised her brows. "Did you do it?... You had sex, right?"

Marley stole a quick glance at Eden and found him now sitting at his regular table, conversating with his pack. "No." She replied, looking down and picking the other piece of her sandwich to hide her red face.

"Woah!" Rachel exclaimed.

"With the way things are looking, I don't think you're going to remain celibate much longer," Kiara teased. "If you need any tips, feel free to ask me."

Marley nodded shyly, once again secretly peeking at Eden. She was definitely going to need those.

"Also start stocking up condoms," Rachel added, giggling, "lots of condoms."

"And when you do it, I need every detail."

"Yeah, like stamina, size, girth, and everything else. I need to know if he's really big as girls say him to be."

"Can we like move on from this topic?" Marley interrupted. She never really shied away from the topic of sex. It was natural, and girls time to time shared their thoughts about it. But the idea of Eden and sex in one sentence was another story, and it was impossible to not just turn red at the thought of... *Eden's thing*.

Kiara smirked. "No need to be shy with us." She nudged Marley, before turning to the brunette. "And Rachel, from my experiences, size doesn't do shit. It's the person attached to the penis that counts, and how they use it. Don't put wrong ideas into her innocent, oblivious head." She lectured in a playful tone.

"Kiara, I'm not that oblivious," Marley grumbled, "I know a thing or two about sex."

"Yeah, but you don't have the real-life experience. Well worry not, soon you're going to get it. A lot of it." Kiara retorted with a laugh. Rachel joined her too.

Their constant teasing and laughter at her expense ruffled Marley badly.

"I have experience!" The words spluttered out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Silence fell at their table.

"You do?!" They both asked after a minute, looking scandalised.

The heat of the moment had passed, and now Marley found her confidence deflating. "I mean, masturbation is a form of sex. I have experience in that (a lot)," she replied sheepishly, biting into her previously forgotten sandwich.

At the age of fourteen, Marley had first time dared to enter the adult section of the city library. Her every step had been so small and deliberate, followed by quick glances behind her back at every five seconds. To her fourteen-year-old self it felt like committing the most heinous crime. Plus, the judging look from the librarian, when Marley borrowed her first erotica, rose her restlessness by ten times. It was the most badass thing she did that year.

From that day, began her journey to discover her sexual-self. Marley didn't know what it was like to share her body with someone else, but she was more than okay to take the charge of her own fun time. After four years of masturbating to those eroticas, she had mastered the art of pleasuring herself.

However, these days her treasured books were failing to serve their purpose. They didn't arouse her anymore, but the thought of certain werewolf was soaking her panties. Eden wasn't the only one who was jerking off thinking about his mate.

Marley saw Kiara biting back her laugh, but Rachel didn't even bother to do that and went on full throttle.

Seeing her friend glaring at her, Rachel finally stopped. She raised her hands in surrender to diffuse the situation. "I've nothing against you masturbating or anything. It's just hilarious for apparently no reason."

Kiara nodded silently, chewing her food.

"Shut up, both of you." Marley mumbled, annoyed.

Finally, they both obliged and changed the course of their conversation. Kiara began talking about the things that Marley missed during her week's absence, but a few minutes later she stopped abruptly, as her eyes fixed on something behind Marley.

Marley followed her friend's gaze and found a tall, thin boy approaching their table. His small steps, and sweaty face gave away his nervous state. She knew that red-haired guy very well. He was the one who had become the victim of Eden's jealousy and wrath.

Jason.

Marley turned to look at Eden, and saw him already watching Jason. She became anxious and hoped this situation wouldn't end with another brawl.

"Hey," Jason croaked when he reached their table. The poor guy looked really tense.

The girls greeted him back.

Jason pushed back his glasses, and looked at Marley. "So, I heard about your excursion. Hope you enjoyed it." He gave out a smile that looked far from genuine. He was skittish for some reason.

"Yeah," Marley replied, smiling back. Her eyes again wavered to Eden. She expected to see his infuriated face, but instead found him looking sort of panicky. *Hmm, that's something new.*

Jason took a deep breath and willed himself to look at Kiara, who was blinking at him. "Kiara, w-will you...will you go out with me?" By now, his face had turned as red as his hair.

Marley watched both of them in astonishment.

"I thought you liked Marley?" Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes at the nervous boy.

"No, I didn't," Jason replied immediately, before turning to Marley. "No offence Marley, you're really a nice girl."

"None taken." She shrugged, but her mind was pacing back to Eden.

"Yeah, your boyfriend almost lost his mind when he thought I was going to ask you out." He let out a small chuckle, and once again faced Kiara. "In reality, I wanted to ask you. So, will you go on a date with me?"

Kiara bit her lip, thinking over her choice. Right now, she was following Rachel's advice of taking break from the guys, and give some time to herself. It had been few months since she last went out with someone, and it was kind of liberating. Her eyes raised to meet her admirer's face.

But Jason was a really nice guy. Also he looked so adorable blushing like that, and giving her those heart-melting gooey eyes. *How could she say no to such a cute face?*

Kiara grinned. "Give me your number. I'll text you and discuss our date."

Jason's face immediately lit up at Kiara's words. He hurriedly searched inside his pockets for a pen.

Rachel watched everything play out in amusement. She surely agreed on Jason for her friend. He was more than alright!

By now, everything was becoming clear to Marley. The werewolf had kept her in the dark. She turned back and glowered at Eden, who was looking back with squinty eyes, silently apologizing to her.

*That imbecile wolf!*

*********