Claws

Chapter Five

"So, how has the pack been? You're in charge of disaster control now, right?" I smirked as Robin and I headed down the smaller path to his house. Usually, the pricier cabins were secluded from inside the town and built in slight isolation. Robin still lived with his mom, which was usual for Claws, until they found mates. Their house was pretty nice, so I didn't blame Robin for not wanting to leave. "You must've broken up some nasty fights. Us alphas can get riled up pretty easily. I witnessed it firsthand at a party we girls threw in our third year when we were finally able to drink."

"Oh, you have no idea," Robin scoffed, running his fingers through his bright red hair. He turned to me. "Have you heard of the use of Pheremone Venom yet? I don't think alphas learn about it in their training, so I was just wondering."

"No, I haven't," I frowned at Robin's tense expression. "I know we both have venom and pheromones separately, but I've never heard of them being put together."

"Yeah, as I thought you haven't even learned the basics. It's included in the process of mate-finding, so I suspected you wouldn't. Alphas aren't allowed to learn that stuff until after their four years, right?" Robin asked.

"Yeah. That's because our primary focus should be learning how to protect and provide for the pack, not finding a mate, or at least not yet. It would be an unnecessary distraction," I nodded. "So, what about it?"

"When adult alphas mix their pheromones with the venom in their teeth and inject it into a potential mate, it creates Pheremone Venom. It's a really problematic thing for us omegas to deal with," Robin explained. "Fifty percent of alpha's attraction comes from their pheromone compatibility. Some find other alpha's pheromones repulsive, while others can't get enough of their scent. When the pheromone compatibility is high, alphas like to swap their Pheromone Venom with each other. When Claws mark each other in a mating ceremony, they bite a special sack buried in the muscle of the back of the neck and release their pheromones into their partner to claim them as their own. Using Pheremone Venom, they can mark another alpha for about a couple of days, temporarily claiming them. So, you can see why this would be problematic for us omegas?"

"Not really," I pursed my lips, sliding my hands inside my heavy white winter jacket pockets. "If they want to make such a reckless pact for a few days, that's their business, right?"

"Mae, use your head. What do pheromones do to Claws?" Robin chuckled, then looked at me with a smirk. "Besides you with your hypersensitivity."

"Don't tease me. It's a hereditary and painful condition." I gave him a brief childish look. "But the usual Claw would use it as a lure for females. There are scumbags who overdo it to forcefully... seduce their targets unwillingly," I raised my eyebrows. "Oh."

"Yeah, alpha gatherings can get hard for the omegas who are there to supervise, just in case a fight breaks out. Alphas get caught up in the ecstasy and thrill of Pheremones and go around biting each other, swapping Pheremone Venom like crazy. Before you know it, at least one alpha's current partner is temporarily paired with another Claw. Then, fights break out for days, emotions get messed with, and you get the rest," Robin let out a weak laugh. "I've actually been put in the infirmary a couple of times, trying to break up a fight. The longest I've spent in there is about a week and a half."

"For real?" I gaped, kicking a stick in the middle of the path ahead. "No wonder you've been working out. To go up against aggressive alphas...that's no joke for an omega. I'm not saying you guys aren't strong, but genetically, omegas aren't programmed or built to fight."

"I've resolved most of them with conversation, of course, but that doesn't work for everyone," Robin heavily exhaled. "Especially with Zale, who causes around roughly seventy percent of the riots."

"SEVENTY PERCENT?" I gaped, my eyes growing wide. "He's been giving you that hard of a time?"

"Yeah, but a hard time would be a generous word for what he's been giving me," Robin grumbled. "Is it wrong to want to maim your brother to death slowly?"

"In your case, no," I said without hesitation. "I knew he hadn't calmed down, but if he's causing the pack this much trouble, I should have my dad talk to him. I don't want you and the other omegas to struggle this much just because of one member."

"Honestly, if that happens, it might only work for a couple of weeks, and then he'd return to his usual self again. His recklessness is usually overlooked because he's an alpha prodigy and brings so much to the table that we can't afford to put him on probation," Robin admitted. "He might even be on the alpha council soon."

"The alpha council? At his age and status? Why would they even let someone like him in?" I looked at Robin in disbelief. "How good is he, exactly?"

Robin didn't speak for a moment, walking in silence. "His grades were higher than yours. He broke the highest records in both the male and female academies." Robin looked a bit frustrated. "As I said, he's a prodigy. That's probably one of the reasons why his ego has been inflated tenfold since he came back."

"No way," I whispered, feeling my chest tighten. I thought I had reached the highest possible grades imaginable, and now I find out there was someone who beat me, and out of all people, Zale? I had always thought of him as a complete joke in the past, but it turns out that he was a genius prodigy all along. That hurt my pride a bit.

When Robin recognized that I had gone speechless and grown slightly irritated, he rubbed the back of his lightly freckled neck and laughed nervously. "Anyway, I'd rather be a good person and have slightly lower grades than a prodigy slut."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "A prodigy slut?"

"It's fitting," Robin shrugged, smiling at me. He hooked his arm around my shoulder again. "Anywho, I'm just glad you're back. I have a feeling that everything will be better with you around. I missed you."

"Me too," I grinned, looking forward. All my worries melted away when I saw the gorgeous, familiar, light log cabin in front of me.

Its unique style stood out against most of the cabins in our village, standing on four pillars with a small deck resting at the top of the stairs that lead up to the front entrance. On the right hung a wooden porch swing, and on the left hung a small flower pot that had been replaced many times when I was a kid since Robin and I broke it all the time, horsing around. The landscaping was mainly filled with healthy trees, flowerbeds, and bushes, just as I remembered. There were so many memories not only inside the house but on the outside as well.

We were here. My second childhood home.

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Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I honestly love writing Robin and Mae's relationship because it's so real and purely platonic! Writing an opposite-sex friendship is fun because they are so rare nowadays! I hope y'all like and grow to like them even more! As you can tell, Zale (Whom you'll meet in chapter seven) is going to be an absolute mess, but he's gonna be so fun and entertaining to work with! I hope you've been enjoying this book so far! I'm sorry for the slowness! I promise it's about to get super interesting!

Thanks for reading! Like, comment, and keep reading my newest releases! Love you guys!!! Thanks for your support!

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