Claws

Chapter Eleven

When I walked into the kitchen after calming down in the living room for a minute, Linda started to serve my parents piles of French toast. My mom and dad laughed when she piled on more, even though they said four pieces were more than enough.

When Robin saw me walk in, he rushed to me with a concerned look on his face. "Hey Maemae. What was that all about with you and Zale?" He kept his voice quiet.

"Nothing, we just had a little argument. It's an alpha thing," I pressed my lips together, feeling slightly guilty now. He was probably sitting out in the cold, horrified, and in the painful process of healing his nose. As Claws, we heal fast, but it takes a lot of effort and is as painful as getting the injury itself. Although I felt a bit guilty, I didn't regret my actions. 

"Oh, honey! Did you see how pretty it is in the backyard? Zale showed you, right?" Linda grinned when I headed over to the group. I looked at Robin and smirked. He was always good at making up excuses on my behalf.

"Yes, it's beautiful, especially with the snow," I smiled at her, feeling bad that I didn't actually focus on the scenery. Zale's blood was everywhere in the snow, so he was probably covering it up. I was relieved his shirt was black, so they probably wouldn't be able to see any blood stains. Hopefully.

"Where is Zale? Did he come back in with you?" my dad asked me, frowning.

"He said he wanted to enjoy the fresh air for a few minutes. He should be inside soon," I lied, glancing at Robin.

Zale finally came in ten minutes later when Linda had finished the last pile of French toast and warm homemade syrup. We had finally sat at the table to eat when he walked in with a sweatshirt on and a different set of sweats. His nose, cheeks, and under eyes were a bit swollen and red. It looked like he'd been out in the cold for a while, but I really knew it was from the aftereffects of healing. His eyes met mine, and he gave me an unreadable look. It was kind of glazed and grumpy but also a bit awkward and hesitant.

"Oh, Zale! There you are!" My mom smiled as Zale walked over and sat in the empty seat beside her and Linda. "Did you go home and change?"

"Yeah, I was getting cold because my clothes were so thin," he nodded, rubbing his nose. He sounded stuffy. I pressed my lips together and looked down awkwardly as Robin gave me a curious look. Zale rubbed his hands together and looked at the piles of French toast and syrup bottles. "This looks awesome. Thanks, Mom."

"Well, everyone dig in! It's going to get cold!" Linda smiled, giving Zale a slightly stern glance as he piled his plate before everyone else. "Manners."

Zale just looked at her and shrugged, grabbing one of the three syrup dispensers. He drenched his toast and then set the dispenser down. Everyone looked at him, each having different reactions. My mom and dad were trying to hold back a smile while Robin and Linda looked irritated. I couldn't meet Zale's eyes nor look his way, so I just began loading my plate in the uncomfortable silence. This was so awkward. Why did Zale have to show up on this day of all days? I had to admit breaking his nose and leaving him out in the cold made things a bit more awkward, at least for me. I put that upon myself. However, the rest was all due to Zale's presence. Everyone knew how much of a mess he was, and the fact that he looked extremely hungover and still slightly smelt of tequila made everything worse. He could have at least showered before coming.

"So," my dad decided to break the silence first. "Mae, I wanted to run over a few things with you. Zale will need to hear this as well." I looked at my dad, grateful for his status in the pack. When in doubt, talk business. Zale looked up, seeming more interested than I expected him to be.

"Oh, really?" I turned all my attention to my dad, taking a bite of my French toast. "What is it? Pack business?"

"Yes, actually. I wanted to go over your itinerary for the next couple of months. At first, I want to give you time to adjust to Erewhon's society again. In your first month, please go and socialize with the pack, and that includes people in your age group, not only outside. That would also be a great way to start searching for prospects and adjust to male pheromones. You must find a mate in at least a year."

My cheeks heated up at the thought of me finding a mate. I wasn't even ready to search for a partner yet. How was I supposed to find a mate in a year and a half? I'd never been in a relationship before, and here came the marriage card. Yes, I had interested parties when I was sixteen, but that didn't mean I was looking to date one of them.

"Yes, of course," I responded, keeping my thoughts to myself. I had to be mature about this. "And after that period?"

"You will start your training and studying, of course. Our pack has a rich history and a complex system. If you want to keep it steady and properly operational, you'll have to know these things like the back of your hand," my dad said. "And that's where you come in, Zale."

I froze, my fork inches away from my mouth, leaving my jaw wide open in mid-bite. Dad. You wouldn't dare. I glanced at Robin, terrified of what was coming next. He shrugged, looking a bit tense himself.

When I finally got the nerve to look at Zale, he glanced at me with SMUG written across his forehead. "How can I help, sir?" His voice was calm and proper, and his expression was saying a whole different thing. He already knew what my dad would suggest, and somehow, I knew too. I just didn't want to admit it.

"I want you to train her. You know the ins and outs of the responsibilities of leading the pack. Not only did you help me reinforce the pack's security and build our new border patrol rotations a few years back, but you also have been fully informed of our pack's history. You're the next best person to teach her everything about the chief's duties besides myself," my dad said.

"WHAT?" My eyes widened, and I almost choked on the piece of French toast that was in my mouth. "I'm sorry, Dad. I think I must've heard wrong because I thought you said Zale would be my teacher instead of you."

"No, you heard correctly," my dad said. "Seeing as I'm busy running the pack, it would be more efficient for Zale, who knows everything, to teach you. This means you will spend most of your days with him in about a month. Zale, I expect you to prepare for this important task. You two must stay focused and cooperate well together."

Cooperate well together? Yeah right. I could barely keep my cool by looking at his smug face, let alone working with him. My dad was the smartest man I had ever met, so he knew we'd clashed together since we were kids. Why was he doing this to me?

When I glanced at Zale to see his reaction, he looked at me with the most annoying, forced smile and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to work with you, kiddo."

I flashed him an irritated look, ignoring his hand, and stood up. "I'm sorry, everyone. You guys continue to eat. I need to step out for a second. I'll be back soon."

I was sprinting into the woods as a wolf in no less than a minute. My emotions had been all over the place since I came back, especially when it came to the fact that Zale was hindering the pack, and now this? Everyone was letting him get away with it just because he was decently smart and had earned some of my father's favor. I just didn't get it. 

What is so smart and impressive about that lust lover who gets drunk almost every night?  From what I've seen, he's been a mess. And now he's going to be my teacher? 

What was my dad thinking?

I needed to get my mind off of things before I did anything I would regret. 

I must have run almost all the way to the edge of the eastern border before I stopped at the cliff next to the Western Erewhon border. It was heavily snowing at the top of the cliff I'd reached, sticking against my fur and clinging to my paws. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was peaceful, just what I needed at the moment. There were no voices, no people, no wolves, no pheromones, and no distractions other than my own thoughts. 

What was I going to do?

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Hey, guyssss!!! Another chapter has, alas, been released! I hope you liked it! This first person thing has been kind of challenging for me, so I hope the flow is alright! It's not my best work, but it's a story....

Anyways, thanks for reading and supporting me! Vote, comment, and keep reading my ongoing series! Love y'all!!!!

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