Blooded Mate

Chapter 37 - Past Battles

Ethan bent sideways, stretching an arm over his head. His muscles ached from last night's training. At least this morning's run with Zyga had loosened some of the stiffness.

Eri locked up his car.

"Sore muscles?" At his nod, Eri handed him a tube. "Here"

It was a cooling gel for pain relief. "Awesome, thanks."

Eri flagged down Brent while Ethan rubbed the cream on as much surface as he could reach as they walked inside. By the time he handed the tube back to Eri, he was smothered by the sharp minty chemical smell of the gel. He fanned himself under his shirt, liking the chilled feel of air against his sensitive skin.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" Ethan said, lifting his head, but he realized Eri's question was not aimed at him. Brent hitched his backpack strap higher on his shoulder but otherwise remained silent. This was quite unlike his usual self. Ethan had been so intent on his aching body that he had failed to notice that his dark friend was quieter than usual. Brent was also avoiding meeting his eyes.

"Is this about yesterday?" He asked.

When their friend did not answer, Eri pressed him. "What happened yesterday?"

"I lost control during a charge and almost turned."

"Uh? But that's normal. You're unstable." Eri's frown deepened.

Ethan shrugged, just as perplexed. They both looked to Brent to explain.

Brent whispered, "it wasn't what you did... it's how you turned."

"Huh?"

He looked around quickly. Since they had almost thirty minutes before the first period, the hallway was not packed. The few students there were chatting or copying homework. Still, Brent led them to their empty class, shutting the door after them.

"Dude, did anyone tell you there's something odd about your wolf?" He began.

Ethan shook his head.

"Well, yesterday, when you started the change, your eyes turned red. Not yellow."

Ethan gulped, recollecting faint memories about the red-eyed wolf. He had thought that was just a dream.

"Red like... irritated?" Eri asked.

"No, red pupils. Like vampire red," Brent clarified. "And that wasn't all. You remember the big-bad-wolf vibe you were talking about. Well, he turned it up to like a hundred. It was as bad as Alpha's."

That explained the reaction around the training room last night. Ethan wished Zyga had told him more about what had happened or what was going on with his body. But getting words out of Zyga was like pulling his teeth.

He walked to his desk, dropping heavily on the chair. With all the recent changes in his life, this did not surprise him as much as it should.

Eri and Brent followed, eyes fixed on him. Ethan realized they were expecting an explanation from him. "Oh, my doctor said I would share some traits with my mate. I didn't know about the eyes, but I guess that's from him. Maybe the vibe too, I dunno."

Eri shifted as if studying him from another angle. "Your eyes are back to brown. So, maybe it only happens when you turn."

"Did anything else happen?" Ethan asked Brent.

"Nah. But I nearly shit my pants. When Alpha and Pops jumped onto the floor, I thought they were about to kill you. But Zyga slapped some sense into you, and it was over."