Claws

Chapter Thirty-Two

"This girl." Zale sighed, smirking as he studied Mae's peaceful sleeping face, pressing his head into the stiff pillow behind his head. She was making such a fuss just thirty minutes ago, and now she was sleeping so peacefully.

Looking at this beautiful woman he once knew was a skinny kid, he couldn't help but stare. He'd just seen her as a little sister before, but he couldn't deny that something had shifted in him ever since he'd seen her playing around with that beta. He didn't know if they were feelings of attraction, simple jealousy, or just a brotherly feeling of needing to protect her, but now that he'd been told the two of them were imprinted, it frequently forced him to think about her, leaving him in a constant state of confusion. On top of that, they had kissed several times, all when one or the other wasn't in their right mind. He honestly didn't know what to think anymore.

As a wave of exhaustion came over him, he studied his 'supposedly' soul mate with tired eyes.

Mae's hair seemed to fall over her shoulders like strands of glistening silk, framing her serene expression as she slept soundly. The contrast between her snow-white hair and the rich darkness of her lashes and eyebrows added to the captivity of her appearance. The beauty of her flawless skin, kissed by the moon's light, created a picturesque scene as if she were a goddess sleeping soundly in front of him. She was dazzling.

Yes. He was, without a doubt, attracted to her. Romantically? He couldn't say. But she was definitely beautiful beyond anything he'd ever seen, that was for sure, and he couldn't deny that she was amusing to tease.

He knew he would have to dial down on the teasing and try to get along with Mae for once. Although her reactions were adorable and amusing, it would be hard to get closer and work together with her in the future if he continued to indulge himself.

Zale closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her light aroma of pheromones. Out of all the smells in the world, Mae's scent was the best. It was captivating and memorable, a lot like her in that department.

The sound of her steady breaths and the comforting scent of her pheromones put him to sleep no less than a minute after closing his eyes.

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"Where do you think she is? She told Linda that she'd come to the house once she got some air," Abigail sighed as she paced in her living room, glancing at her husband, who stood by the window, eyeing every movement past the glass. She stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Stan, are you listening to me?"

"Don't worry, Dear. She's alright. I had Elliot go look for her. Apparently, she's at the infirmary. It seems she went to check on Zale after the incident settled down, and her heat inducer kicked in, but she fell asleep in a chair next to his bed. They're both fine,"

"Why didn't you tell me that? I've been worried out of my mind!" Stan shrugged when his wife scorned him. She sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear. She went to check up on him after all of that? I would have thought she'd want to stay as far away as possible from him out of sheer embarrassment," Abigail scoffed, plopping down on the sofa, relieved. "Good heavens. A lot can happen in just a few hours."

"No kidding. I don't think it was right of me to leave them alone when Mae was in heat. I'm grateful that Zale handled that situation properly, but he injured himself in the process," Stan nodded, scratching his chin. "She's definitely feeling bad for what she did. Otherwise, she wouldn't have visited Zale. It is surprising to see her act like this, though, especially considering their current relationship. She even put away her pride to check up on him."