Claws

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Zale, with his jet-black hair, stepped into the shower, glancing down at the stitches in his right arm. The water burst forth from the showerhead, cascading down his head and body. The steam enveloped the tiled enclosure as he momentarily luxuriated in the warm embrace of the flowing water. Droplets glistened on his dark locks, running down his shoulders and back, merging with the relentless stream. The sound of water droplets hitting the tiles echoed in the confined space. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together.

"You are such a coward," Zale mumbled to himself, slamming his hands against the shower wall. A sharp pain shot through his right arm as it hit the hook beside the glass in his shower, and he winced, looking at the stitches in his arm. He cursed. Two of his stitches had torn. It was a good thing he healed fast, so he wasn't going to bleed out, but the wound was still pretty deep.

Quickly, Zale finished washing up, then slipped out of the shower to dry off and throw on an extra pair of clothes. He needed to fix the stitches in his arm. It was a good thing he had a bunch of medical supplies in his house. Maybe his father's beatings were good for at least one thing.

With a towel on his head, Zale headed towards the medicine cabinet in his kitchen, glancing at the oven on his way. It still had about ten minutes left. He needed to hurry. He was going to have to wake Mae up soon. Zale rolled his sore shoulders and sat down on his kitchen chair while laying the medical kit he'd gotten from the kitchen cabinet on the table in front of him. He took the towel off his head and slung it over his right shoulder.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Zale mumbled, rubbing his blurry eyes as he opened the box. His head ached as if he had a bad hangover, as a subtle ache started to take hold in Zale's joints, a dull headache throbbing at the temples. Zale rubbed his forehead, beads of sweat clinging to the back of his palm. Why was he sweating so much?

Zale sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead.

"Zale?" Mae's sudden voice made Zale jump and look up. She was looking at him with an odd expression he'd never seen on her before. Was it worry? No. Maybe something like that, but more cautious and distant. Her eyes traveled from his down to his arm, and she covered her mouth right after a curse word slipped off her tongue.

He would have laughed if he felt less lethargic.

................................................................................................................................................................

My eyes slowly opened about a minute or two after I consciously woke up. I glanced around, scanning my surroundings to find myself in a spacious, festive living room. My eyes grew slightly wide.

The modern living room was softly bathed in the warm glow of fairy lights, casting a gentle ambiance over the space. A sleek, minimalist Christmas tree stood proudly in one corner, adorned with simple ornaments and silver tinsel that caught the light. A sleek coffee table in the center of the room held a scattering of elegant, understated decorations. Twinkling LED lights adorned the window frames, framing the outside world in a soft glow and magnifying the sight of a heavy blizzard outside.

The fireplace stood as the focal point in the living room. A garland of pine branches and holly berries delicately draped along the mantelpiece framed the warmth emanating from the crackling flames within. Twinkling white lights intertwined with the greenery, casting a soft, enchanting glow in the room.

When I looked down, I noticed a cozy knit blanket in shades of muted red and green casually draped over my body. Where in the overpriced Christmas decore was I?

Confused for a moment, I looked upward at the lights on the ceiling, trying to think back. Then, the scent of cornbread and my homemade soup hit my nose. Oh. Right. I was at Zale's. I hadn't even paid attention to the decorations when I lay down.

My eyes squinted as I groggily stood up. What time was it? Zale still hadn't woken me up, so the cornbread couldn't have been done cooking, right? It felt longer than a forty-five-minute nap to me, though...

I rubbed my eyes, yawning as I shuffled into the kitchen after hearing the sound of a cabinet being opened and shut. What was Zale doing?

When I turned the corner, my eyes immediately fell on Zale. He was sitting at his kitchen table with his back hunched, his good hand on an open white container that seemed to have some sort of medical equipment inside. He seemed to be sweating from head to toe with a bright red face. He looked like he'd just taken a shower with his wet hair disheveled and a white towel draped over his shoulder.

"Zale?" My eyes grew wide in horror as I looked at his arm. Some of his stitches had torn, and he was slowly bleeding from the side of his open wound. I cursed and covered my mouth. A strange rush of worry and a foreign type of fear rushed through me as I cautiously walked toward him. "What happened to you? What's going on?"

"Tore...I tore my stitches," Zale's voice was low and rough, coming out in heavy huffs of air as he looked up at me with a disoriented look on his face. His fangs had come out, and his eyes glowed a brighter shade of blue than usual. "I'm f-huh-fine. I'm just feeling a little--a little sick. I'm tired."

"Alright, well, just stay awake until I close this up for you. For now, we can just use medical tape to temporarily close this up until I can get you to the infirmary again," I sighed, quickly pulling up a chair. Zale slowly nodded as I dug through the medical kit in front of him, finding some medical tape and adhesive bandaids to close his wound with. I grabbed his wrist and took a look at his arm. It wasn't too bad, but the wound was deeper than I thought it would be, especially after a night and a day of healing. He was burning up, too. What the heck happened to him while I was asleep? He was fine before.

I clenched my teeth together, starting to unwrap some medical tape. "What the heck did you do to tear your stitches open? You just left the infirmary today. Why do you have to be so reckless?"

When I looked up, I tensed, not from fear but from the terrifyingly fixated look Zale was giving me. I'd never had someone look at me so intently before. I felt like I was going to be eaten alive if I stared longer.

"What the heck are you looking at," I mumbled.

My cheeks heated up as I looked down and finished taping his gash together, securing it with a light cloth wrap. "You should be fine for now... I'll uh...I'm going to get the food out of the oven so it doesn't burn. I can take your temperature after. You don't look so good," I stuttered, standing up and walking to the oven. Why was I acting so nervous?

I bit the inside of my bottom lip as I grabbed a heating pad, took the food out, and set it on the stove while turning off the oven. I pressed my lips together and frowned when I looked down to see my hands trembling. When I set down the pan, I tossed the heating pad on the counter beside me and wiped the back of my hand across my head. I was sweating. A lot. What on earth was going on? First Zale, and now me? It was almost if...No. It couldn't be that...

Right?

The moment I turned around and saw the look on Zale's expression again, a sudden burst of his pheromones waved over my face. I covered my mouth and nose with my hand. "Oh crap."

That was the beastlike look and smell of a male alpha beginning his rut.

................................................................................................................................................................

Hello, my lovely readers! Aaahhhh! It's about to get a lil spicyyy!!!! The next chapter is a must read so keep up with the updates! I hope you like this chapter! Let me know what you think! Vote, comment, follow, and have a great rest of your day yall!

XOXOXO