Claws

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tears slid out from my eyes as I closed them, trickling down my flushed cheeks. I covered my mouth. It hurt. It hurt so much. "Stop it," I groaned, tilting my head back. "Don't look at me!"

"I can't help it. You're just too cute," Zale smirked, leaning forward, brushing a tear off my cheek. "If you could only see your face right now..."

"Shut up and let me finish!" I grunted, tears continuing to escape from my eyes. I felt a drop of sweat trickle down my collarbone. "And why do you look so calm? You should at least have some reaction!"

"I've done this a lot. I'm used to it, so I don't really feel anything anymore," Zale raised his dark eyebrows, seeming to enjoy my overwhelmed expression. He shifted towards me with another amused snicker. "You told me you've done this a lot. You shouldn't be in this much pain if you have. Were you lying?"

"No, I just usually have someone else do this part for me, that's all!" I glared at Zale's smug face, helplessly looking at my slimy hands. He ruffled his hair and leaned back with a deep sigh.

"You know...this conversation sounds really dirty for someone who's just cutting onions. If someone were to hear us without any context, they would think we were up to something naughty," Zale clicked his tongue, leaning further against the island beside me.

Yes, I was crying because of the onions. What did you think was going on?

"Has it ever occurred to you that I have a knife in my hand, you sick pervert?" I scowled at Zale, waving the sharp edge towards him. He pressed his lips together to hold in another fit of laughter when I blinked, set the knife down, turned around, and then sneezed in the crease of my forearm. "Just shut up and let me suffer in silence. I'm almost done. Go sit down somewhere."

"Yes, ma'am," Zale sighed, grinning as he turned around and headed to his kitchen table.

I frowned when he grabbed a stack of papers and a pair of glasses on the island before sitting down and beginning to go through them. When he leaned back in his chair and put on his glasses, I couldn't help but stare. I had to admit, Zale looked good with glasses on and, even better, engulfed in what seemed to be work. His tan skin complimented the thin, light brown reading glasses that rested on the top of his nose and curled around his ears, making a slight indent in small sections of his black hair. He squinted his eyes as he read his paper, his bad hand tucked in a black sling placed against his grey shirt that rested against his well-built torso. Everything about the view was annoyingly sexy. Ugh.

I looked away, embarrassed that I was even having these thoughts. "What are you reading?" I casually asked, continuing to mince my onions. It wasn't like I cared or anything. I just wanted to know if he was actually doing real work for once.

Zale looked up from his paper and gave me a small smile. "I'm glad you asked. Your dad gave me your training schedule and a couple of other things to help me get ready to start teaching you the ropes. I don't know every single thing about being the chief. I know most things, but not everything. I'm not that good."

"How do you know so much, though? I don't get how you're so close to my dad. Out of all the higher-ups in the pack, why was it you that changed the pack security rotations with him?" I sighed, setting the knife down. I was finally done cutting those stupid onions.

"You really don't know?" Zale looked at me with raised eyebrows, seeming genuinely surprised. "Has no one told you what I do for a living?"

I grabbed the bowl beside me, scooped the minced onions inside, and shook my head. "Nope. It's not like I ask about you. Honestly, up until now, I figured you were unemployed because of how often I see you filling your life with women and booze. Now that I see you living the high life here, I'm a little confused."

"You know, sometimes I think all you see when you look at me is an unemployed brainless fratboy. Which I'm not if you were about to agree with that statement," Zale sighed, watching me dump the bowl of minced onions into the big pot on the stove and begin to stir it. "I'm actually the chief of border security, and I'm also in charge of the pre-physical tests for the alphas and betas that are about to go to the mainland. I usually work either from home or during the afternoons, so I have time to relax at night."

My eyes grew slightly wide as I turned to him. "How did you get hired for such a high class job so young? That's impossible."

"Sweetheart, nothing's impossible if you're smart enough," Zale sighed, looking back down at his papers. "And I am a prodigy. It was a piece of cake."

I rolled my eyes, looking back into the pot. The soup smelt really good. "Cocky much?" I mumbled with an unsurprised sigh. "Alright, the soups done. I just need to let it simmer and put the cornbread in the oven. Then we can eat. It'll take about thirty or forty minutes for this to cook since it's thick."

"It smells great. I'm pleasantly surprised," Zale smiled, keeping his eyes on his paper. "I like seeing this side of you. You're like a cute little southern housewife."

I told you, Mom! I slammed the oven door after putting the cornbread inside and clenched my jaw. "Shut up. I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I'll dump this down the drain if you keep patronizing me."

"Alright, I yield, but you mean the goodness of your mother's heart, right?" Zale chuckled, setting his papers down. I gave him a grumpy look and looked away, yawning. "Are you tired?" Zale stood up, adjusting his brace as I turned down the heat on his stove to let the soup simmer.

"Of course I am. I slept for three hours in a small metal chair last night. What do you think?" I snipped, massaging my aching neck. I really had slept horribly, and the heat from cooking made me even more tired.

"Do you want to take a nap on my couch? It's really comfy," Zale laughed, walking over to me and leaning down to look me in the eyes. "Just look at those bags under your eyes. Go lay down. I'll wake you up when the oven goes off."

I cautiously glanced up at Zale's stunning face, wincing. He was just too...shiny. I could never get used to his looks, especially when he looked so serious and genuinely concerned. Freaking devil in disguise. "Y...You're right. You owe me at least a forty-minute nap," I stuttered, brushing past him to go make myself home in his living room. I couldn't deny the opportunity for a nap, considering how exhausted I was. Plus, I didn't want to see that face if I didn't have to, so I figured the idea was a win-win. "Wake me up before the timer goes off."

"I'll go get you a comfy blanket," I heard Zale laugh from behind me.