Dark Side of the Moon (15 page)

“What are you and Artemis going to do today?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, actually.”

“Well, I know one thing you can do.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was suggesting.

“Valentine’s is in a few weeks, and the school always holds a dance for it.”

My eyes widened with shock.  “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, they’ll be putting up fliers for it soon.  And it won’t be on the full moon, so we’ll be fine for the night.”

I think it was safe to assume that since he was telling me this, he wanted to go.  Which meant I’d have to find something to wear.  “Is it like prom or what?”

“No, prom’s latter.  This is just semi-formal.”

That was all I needed to know.  Maybe I could convince Artemis to go shopping today.  As we headed out to the parking lot, to get my mind off the bomb London dropped, I asked, “Have you found anything out about the intruders?” I asked, trying to be discrete.

“No,” he sighed.  “I’ve had a few people out patrolling at night, but they haven’t found anything.  You haven’t seen any signs of them, have you, Selina?”

I shook my head.  I had become more vigilant in the past week because I didn’t want either one of them to sneak up on me.  I hope they’d find them quickly.

A moment later, we arrived at our cars.  London stayed with me until Dan arrived, and we parted with a rather lengthy kiss, as we usually did every day now.  I really didn’t want to feel the body aches in the middle of the night, so maybe we can find a way to see each other before we go to bed tonight.

As I drove home, Dan asked, “So, are you two dating now?”

“Yeah.”

“Derrick has been hounding me about it.”

I wanted to say, “I know,” but then he would question how I knew since I didn’t sit with them at lunch anymore.  “Just tell him to leave you alone about it, Dan.”

“It’s kind of hard to when he keeps asking what you see in London and not him.”

I rolled my eyes.  Derrick was so annoying.  “Maybe it’s the fact that London’s nice and not annoying like he is.  You should tell him that.”

“It’ll probably go in one ear and out the other, Selina.”

As I rolled my eyes again, we arrived home.  I followed Dan inside, and dropped my backpack off in my room.  But then I remembered.  “So, apparently there’s a dance happening around Valentine’s Day.  Which means you’d better get yourself a date.”

He scoffed.  “As if I’d go to something like that.”

“I don’t want to hear you complain when your crush has a date,” I said, returning to the living room.

A moment later, Artemis arrived.  After telling my brother I was leaving, I went outside, and got in her car.  “So, anywhere in particular you’d like to go Selina?”

“Yes, actually.  London just told me about Valentine’s Day.”

A smile split her face.  “Yeah, those are always fun.  And apparently London has kind of been stressing about asking you.  Did he stutter or blush?”

“No, he was his usual self and just flat out told me about it.  I’m going to need something to wear.”

“To the mall!”

It was going to take us a while to get to Blue Pine, and we were alone right now.  It was the perfect time to ask her questions.  Taking a deep breath, I asked, “How did you feel about Channing before you knew you were mates?”

“I met him when my family met London for the first time.  We had to ask him to join his pack, and Channing had to be there since he’s the beta.  At first I didn’t think much of him other than he was kind of cute.  Then I couldn’t stop staring at him.  I was attracted to him, wanted to know who he was and what his personality was.  London didn’t want to accept us into the pack since he had just accepted the other family that came with us, but then he noticed Channing and I looking at each other, and knew that if he’d try to tear us apart, Channing would probably leave with us.  London telling us we could stay was one of the best moments of my life.  Why, are you questioning being his mate, Selina?”

“No, I’m just wondering if…. It kind of seems like I was forced into this, Artemis.”

“You should probably talk to London about how you feel, Selina.  Communication is very important, and you should know how the other feels.”

“I’m just wondering if we could have ended up together if wolves had no part in any of it.”

“Yet again, you need to talk to him.  But a lot of turned wolves go through something like this when they find their mate.  Have you gotten more comfortable with him?”

“A little, but…I honestly don’t know how to act around the others.”

“Just be yourself, Selina.    You and London are our alphas, and even if they don’t like you, they’ll have to respect you.  I know London won’t tolerate anyone saying anything bad about you.  And they’re not all that bad, just typical guys.  Honestly, the only people you’ll probably have any trouble out of are Ricky and Josie, and even then, it’ll probably just be glares.”

I assumed Josie was Ricky’s friend.  “Did you have trouble integrating into the pack?”

“It took some time to get used to everyone, but it wasn’t that hard of a time since I was the other beta.  It should be just as easy for you, even easier after you and London are properly mated.”

I tried to suppress a groan, and wasn’t completely successful.

“What’s that for?” Artemis asked with a giggle.

“I just…don’t see the appeal of essentially marrying someone I barely know.”

“That’s understandable.  Channing and I didn’t wait because we didn’t see the point in putting off the inevitable.  But you’re not the first to want to wait, and you certainly won’t be the last.  The longest I’ve seen mates put off the ceremony is a little over a year, but there isn’t a time limit on it, just as long as you’re around each other a lot to keep the body aches away.”

“Why do we have those anyways?  They’re so annoying.”

“Your mate is your other half, they complete you and you complete them in every way imaginable.  If you were split in two, you’d want to find the other half of yourself, wouldn’t you?”

I guess that made sense.  But I was nowhere near ready to give my life up to London and jump into bed with him.  He’ll just have to wait and deal with us being a normal, non-werewolf couple for a while.

Shortly afterward, we arrived in Blue Pine.  After we arrived at the mall, Artemis and I went in search of some dresses.  Since it was semi-formal, I didn’t have to get anything too fancy.  I wasn’t that much of a dress girl anyways.

Artemis ended up getting a light pink dress with spaghetti straps that fell past her knees.  I found a red dress that was the same length, but came with a black cropped jacket.  I had some shoes at home, so I helped Artemis find something to wear.

When we had everything we needed, we returned to Moonlight Falls.  On the way back, Artemis told me about some of the goofy stuff Channing did or said since they met.  I haven’t really hung out with him, but he seemed like a fun guy.  Then, Artemis suggested us going on a double date one weekend.  London and I haven’t been on a date; I didn’t count going over to his house to watch a movie as a date.  I told her that we’d have to go out on our own first before going on a double.  She also agreed, telling me to let her know when we were ready for our dates.

It was nice to think about something normal after the hectic start to the week.

Chapter 17

When Artemis dropped me off, I found that my mom was home.  After telling Artemis good-bye, I went inside, and told my mom about the dance.  She seemed to be happy for me, and asked if London and I were dating since he had asked me to the dance.  When I told her that we were, she told me to be careful with him.

I didn’t want to have that conversation again, so I ventured to my room.  Though I kind of wanted to go see London again, inspiration struck.  I think it was safe to assume that London was going to get me something on Valentine’s Day, so I figured I could give him something to.  But I wanted it to be meaningful.  So, I decided to perfect my drawing of us in our wolf forms, and would give it to him the night of the dance.

Before I went to bed, I felt an ache in my chest.  They were already starting…. Texting Artemis, I asked her if taking pain killers would at least dull the pain so I could try to sleep, and she said that they didn’t work.  Pain killers only worked on physical pain, and this was emotional pain surfacing in the body.  Groaning, I had no idea what I was going to do about them.

With an idea in my head, I went to ask my parents if London could pick me up in the morning.  They didn’t really need to ask why since I had already let my mother know that he was my boyfriend, but I was very relieved when they said yes.  As I made my way back downstairs, I asked London if he could pick me up first thing in the morning.  He’d be in pain, too, so I wasn’t overly shocked when he responded with a “sure.”

I went to bed after a shower with little pains in my body.  But when I woke up, it hurt to get out of bed.  I needed London, and I was sure he needed me.  So I quickly got ready, and waited for him in the living room.  After he arrived, I said a quick good-bye to whoever was listening, and went outside to get in his car.

As soon as I saw him sitting behind the wheel, the aches went away.  And when I got in the passenger side, London gave me a kiss after telling me good morning.  I didn’t really care what we did for the day, so we went to his house to watch some movies again.

But after we went out for lunch, London told me that I should try shifting since I’ve only done it on the full moon.  He wanted to make sure I could do it at will instead of being forced into it.  So after we returned to his house, I went up to his room by myself to strip out of my clothes, and tried to shift.

At first, it was difficult because nothing happened.  Then, London called up to me from the living room, telling me to think about becoming a wolf, to get on all fours and think about the physical features of the wolf.  It took me a few minutes, but I eventually was able to transform into my white wolf.

Then, I ventured back downstairs, and saw that London was waiting for me in his wolf form.  Instead of going out the front door, mostly because we really couldn’t turn the knob with our paws, London showed me to the back of the kitchen, where a doggy door was in the back door.  I wonder how many times it’s come in handy or how many times they’ve received unwanted guests through it.

For most of the day, London and I ran around the woods.  It was still weird for me to be a wolf, but I knew I’d get used to it eventually.  I was still getting used to all the smells and sounds when I wasn’t a wolf, and they were amplified when I was furry.  I was even able to track down a rabbit after I caught its scent.  I didn’t do anything with it after I found it, but London whined a little and licked my face after I found the rabbit.  I guess he was happy for me or something.

After running around for a while, we returned to his house.  After dressing, me in his room and him downstairs, we sat in his room with the TV on, just talking about nothing in general.

Though I was pretty much forced to spend time with London because of the body aches, I was glad we were getting to know each other, and I actually kind of liked him.

That night, and practically every night afterward, London would take me out to dinner.  It was easier on us to go out every night because of the body aches, but I actually did want to spend more time with him outside of school.  At first, my parents were a little skeptical because we were going out every night, but after a week, they grew used to it.

And though I was glad to be spending time with London, it took away some time for me to work on my drawing.

The only time I had to work on it was in art class and before bed.  I couldn’t work much on it on the weekends because London and I would patrol his territory along with a few other wolves.  I wanted to work on my drawing, but I was getting used to my wolf form and was around some other pack members, too.

Luckily, while I was in art class the Friday of the Valentine’s Day dance, I was happy with my finished drawing.  I had wanted to try and make it as lifelike as possible like the drawing London had given me, and I had to practice on a couple smaller drawings first, which took quite some time.  Though it wasn’t as lifelike as the drawing London had given me, it was close enough.  And I hoped he’d like at or would at least see and appreciate the gesture.

After giving a London a kiss good-bye at our cars once school let out, I drove home with Dan, and locked myself in my room.  The dance started at six, and London said he’d pick me up then.  So I had to get ready.

But as soon as I put my dress on, my phone rang.  Expecting it to be Artemis, I was a little surprised to see Miranda’s name pop up on my screen.  I just ignored it because I didn’t have time to talk to her.

A moment later, she called again.  I ignored it again.  Then she called me one more time before I could even set my phone down.  Groaning, I answered, and tried not to sound frustrated.  “Hello?”

“Hey, stranger.  What have you been up to?”

“Now’s really not the best time, Miranda.  I’m busy.”

“With what?”

“There’s a dance at school tonight, and I need to get ready.”

“Do they have prom earlier?”

“No, it’s a Valentine’s dance.  I really need to get ready, Miranda.”

“Wait just a second.  Who are you going with, Selina?”

“London.  Now I really need to get ready; you know it takes forever for my hair to curl.”

“But I have so many questions to ask, Selina!”

“Call me tomorrow, then.”  Without thinking or saying anything else, I hung up, and turned my phone off.

After I made sure my dress was on right, I rushed to the bathroom to do my hair.  While my curling iron heated up, I decided to brush my teeth again.  Though London and I had only shared a few short kisses, even at his house, I still wanted to make sure my breath smelled good.

As I curled my hair, I saw Dan walk down the hallway, probably going to the kitchen.  I called out to him.  “So, I’m guessing you’re not going tonight?”

“Nope.  Going to leave all the fun up to you couples.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Come on, Dan.  You never know, you might meet someone there.”

“I highly doubt that, Selina.”

Figuring I was getting nowhere with my brother, I finished up my hair, and started on my make-up.  I didn’t want to do anything too different from what I normally did, but I did add some red lipstick to complete my look.

When I finished, I saw that my parents were home and I had about thirty minutes before London would arrive.  So I ventured back into my room to get my purse ready.  I just put the important things in the clutch, and I was thankful that my phone perfectly fit in it.  Then, I found the drawing I was going to give to London.

After carefully rolling it up, I found some blue ribbon in my supplies, blue being London’s favorite color.  I tied the ribbon around the rolled up drawing, and tried to perfect the bow.  Now, how was I going to keep him from seeing it until I was ready to give it to him?

Before I could think too much about it, I heard the doorbell ring.  I quickly sprayed one spritz of perfume so it wouldn’t overwhelm our senses, and went to go meet my boyfriend.  Dad had opened the door, and London was standing just inside, his hands in his pockets.  As I approached him, a small smile appeared on his lips.

I haven’t felt them since London told me we were mates, but I had butterflies in my stomach now.  I kind of remember my dad saying something about us being safe as we walked out of the house, but all of my attention was on my mate.  He was dressed in a black suit with a red tie, and he kept his hair like normal instead of trying to style it.  Either way, he was still very handsome, stealing my breath away.

As we approached his car, London took my hand, and stopped.  “You look very beautiful tonight, Selina,” he softly said.

I gave him a grin.  “And you don’t look too bad yourself.”

With a small smirk on his lips, London leaned in to give me a gentle kiss.  He left me wanting a little more when he pulled away from me to open the passenger side of the door.  A moment after I climbed into his car, he got behind the wheel, and pulled out of the driveway.  I had set the rolled up drawing on the floorboard, and when London didn’t say anything about it, I guessed that he hadn’t seen it yet.  I needed to figure out a way to give it to him.

We were silent on our way to the school.  I was a little nervous because I had no idea how many people would be there, in and out of the pack.  I went to prom last year at my old school, but that was with people I knew.  I still didn’t know anyone here well other than London, Channing, and Artemis.

When we arrived, we found the parking lot to be full.  London helped me out of the car, and held my hand as he showed me into the building.  I thought it was weird returning to school after hours, felt strange walking through the almost empty halls at night.  Music drifted from the gym, and when we arrived, we found a lot of pink, white, and red decorations around the room.

The bleachers had been pulled out to halfway, allowing us somewhere to sit.  A couple people were seated on them, while everyone else was on the makeshift dance floor.  London and I were about to go further into the room when someone called our names.  It was Artemis, toting Channing with her.

For a while, we all sat on the bleachers, chatting about nothing in general.  Then a song came on that made Artemis excited, and she dragged Channing onto the makeshift dancefloor.  I wasn’t a really big dancer, so I would be perfectly fine just sitting here all night.

London wrapped an arm around me, and brought me closer to him.  I rested my head on his shoulder, closed my eyes, and contently sighed.  I was happy in his arms, and didn’t ever want to be anywhere else.  I guess half of it was the whole mate thing, and the other half was my own free will.

“Do you want to dance, Selina?” he softly asked.

I shook my head.  “I’m not that much of a dancer.”

The sound of approaching steps made me open my eyes.  That, and London’s body tensing.  Wondering why he reacted that way, I looked around, and found Derrick approaching us.  Great.  What did he want?

When he stopped in front of us, Derrick said, “Hey, Selina.”

I didn’t say anything, wanting him to go away and leave me alone.

He cocked an eyebrow.  “What, are you not allowed to speak to me?”

London tensed again, but before he could say anything, I answered, “No, I just don’t want to talk to you, Derrick.”

“Why not?”

“Because we have nothing in common, and I think you’re annoying and just don’t want to be around you.”

“You don’t have to be so harsh, Selina.”  He looked at London before turning his attention back to me.  “What does he have that I don’t?”

I didn’t even think when I said, “Everything.”

Derrick’s jaw clenched before he shrugged and walked off.  Oh, why did he have to try to confront me while I was essentially on a date with London?  Hopefully he’ll leave me alone now.

London startled me out of my thoughts by cupping my chin with his hand and bringing my lips to his.  It didn’t last long though, since we were in the school and there were teachers around chaperoning.  But when he pulled away from me, I saw the smirk on his lips.  I tried to not blush, and rested my head on his shoulder again.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the music, watching everyone in the room.  Channing and Artemis looked like they were having fun, both of them smiling widely at the other.  I wonder if mine and London’s relationship will be like theirs once we officially mated.  That was one thing I wasn’t looking forward to; I had just met London, and though we were dating, if wolves weren’t involved, I wouldn’t even be thinking about the possibility of a marriage with him.  The thought scared me

London broke me out of my thoughts by asking, “Would you like to dance, Selina?”

I hadn’t realized the song had changed from something pop to something slow.  I slightly nodded, and London led me onto the dance floor.  I guess we should dance to at least one song since we came here.

London wrapped his arms around my waist, and I rested my hands on his chest.  As the song played and other couples danced around us, I stared into London’s light blue gaze as we slowly swayed across the floor.  Nothing else mattered in the world to me except him, the room melting away around us.  Did he feel the same way?  I wanted to ask, but the words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth.