The Dark Side of the Moon

T H I R T Y - T W O

"It's okay, Gray. They'll find Eli. I'm fine." I whisper.

"You're not fine, Thea. Don't pretend that you are." He rubs his nose along my neck, collecting my scent presumably to remind himself that I'm still here, alive, with him. "Begin gathering the pack warriors. We're leaving in 20 for the coven. I want him alive."

The Betas and Gammas exchange looks of pity, determination, and anger, which gives me full confidence that they'll try to get this sleep magic reversed. They turn around and head out the door, I presume to wake up some pack members to begin the search for Eli.

I can't believe that someone I considered my friend is a warlock. I had heard from Grayson that they existed and lived in covens, but that's the extent of what I know. I don't know if they use cauldrons, magic spell books, potions, or wands. I haven't got a clue about how they live, but I do know that I'm hurt. Eli hurt me, and I don't think I can forgive him for that. He used me to get to Grayson, which makes me more mad than I can express. Grayson doesn't deserve to be upset, and just by looking at his eyes that are now constantly battling between blue and black, I know he's furious that I'm not doing well.

Once the others exit the office, Grayson carries me back into his bedroom. He uses his backside to nudge his bedroom door open and he skillfully closes it again with his foot. If I attempted to do that, I probably would have fallen on my face. His werewolf nature allows him to do simple things so swiftly and casually, and I'm not gonna lie- I'm a bit jealous.

He lowers me into his bed and props me up with pillows. I let him take care of me, knowing that if I even attempted to protest he would shut me right up. His wolf side makes his need to protect and provide for me that much greater, so I happily let him position me.

"What can I do?" he asks, his voice croaking and filled with emotion. I tiredly gaze down at him and give him a small smile. I reach over to him and snuggle into him. My arms drape lazily over his chest as I close my eyes.

"Nothing..." I can feel the darkness begin to cloud my mind, but I'm quickly shaken awake.

"Thea! Baby, you can't go to sleep. You heard what Madeline said. I'm so sorry, but you need to stay awake." He lifts me up from the bed as he grumbles about how stupid he was to put me on the bed where I can easily succumb to sleep.

"How about I make you some coffee? You like that, right?" he asks, placing me down in an armchair tucked into the corner of the room. I nod, too afraid I'll whine more about being tired if I speak. I've pulled all-nighters before for school, but going almost a week without proper sleep... well, it feels like I'm dying. I look like death too, and my mind is on overdrive with the knowledge that my former friend is trying to kill me.

"Okay, I'm gonna go get you a huge cup of coffee. Please try to stay awake, okay? I'll be right back." With a quick kiss to my cheek, Grayson practically runs out the door to fetch me coffee. In any other circumstances, I would find his eagerness funny, but I can't really process much right now. Also, Grayson is always telling me that I drink too much coffee and how it's not good for me to ingest that much caffeine, but now he's the one offering to bring me some. Funny how things change.

I find my eyes starting to droop, so I find an interesting spot on the wall where I can just barely make out some spackle that was painted over to match the color of the room. I wonder how that hole was made...

In record time, Grayson returns with a HUGE mug of coffee. I'm not joking, it looks like one of those mugs that people buy to give to their friends and family as a joke. When I hold the mug in my hands, they don't even meet each other- that's how big it is! The warmth that seeps into my hands makes me feel all tired and fuzzy, so I blow and quickly take a sip of the most heavenly beverage in existence.