Claws

Chapter Forty-Six

I think I stood in place for about a good four to five minutes while Zale held me in his arms, taking in the pheromones that I slowly released for him so he would feel more at ease. That was until Robin and Marie finally came into the room with a bowl of water, a rag, and a glass of water, as I told them to get. 

When the two of them saw us together, their eyes grew wide with a mixture of mild panic, shock, and worry. Robin looked at me as he carefully sat the bowl of water and rag in his hand on the nightstand next to Zale's bed, mouthing, "Is he okay?"

I nodded and put my hand on Zale's abdomen to push him away. "Zale," His skin was getting warmer and warmer by the second as the moisture and water on his skin and hair began to dry. "Zale, you have a fever. Let's get you to your bed."

Zale silently shook his head, his hair tickling my cheeks and neck. He was like a big puppy dog. "No. If I let you go, you'll leave." He sounded a little disoriented and out of it, probably because of the fever. 

I sighed, awkwardly patting his back. "I won't leave. I promise. Just come to the bed and lie down. Your heavy. Robin and Marie came with me to check up on you."

Finally, Zale slowly released me, shaking as if he was anxious I would leave. I looked up at his face. He seemed dazed out but kept his eyes focused on me. I looked away from him, not knowing what to do with his intense gaze, and grabbed his arm, helping him to his bed. "Gosh, how did you get up to take a shower, let alone change your bedsheets? You're burning up."

"I'm fine. I get sick like this after all my ruts," Zale sighed, wiping his brows with the back of his hand. He blinked a couple of times as Robin helped me sit him down on his bed. The moment he got situated, he reached for me. "Come here. You said you wouldn't leave."

"I'm not leaving. I'm standing right beside you. And I never said I'd be your pillow, oahh!!!!" I gasped as he grabbed my arm and yanked me on the edge of his bed. I immediately felt the weight of Zale's head on my lap and his hand taking mine. "What the heck?"

I looked down and sighed, raising my eyebrows, attempting to tug my hand out of his. Of course, it didn't work. He looked up at me with those unfairly gorgeous blue eyes of his and gave me a weak smile. "I already feel better with you here." What a schmoozer. 

"You're sick, and yet you can still manage to flirt. What a talent." I looked up with a roll of my eyes and cleared my throat. I shot Robin and Marie an "Are you serious?" look as they casually eyed the two of us, trying not to laugh. I angrily clicked my tongue and held my hand out. "Just give me the rag."

Robin continued to smirk as he put the rag in the bowl full of cold water, rung it out, and handed it to me. I skillfully folded it with one hand and looked down, pressing the cold cloth against Zale's hot forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing his grip on my hand and resting our hands against his chest. I could even feel the heat radiating off of him from under his clothes. I briefly studied his long black lashes, glistening tan skin, content, and relaxed expression. His wet hair was damp now, ruffled into messy waves that flopped back as he relaxed his head against my lap. He was stupidly good-looking, even when he was sick. It wasn't fair. 

I looked up at Robin and Marie, who were now grinning at the two of us. "Can you guys make lunch? I'm guessing Zale still has a lot of food stocked up since we went shopping before his rut, so it shouldn't be hard to find something. I'll stay with him."

"Sure! Robin and I can make some tacos. I think I saw him grab some beef when we shopped. He couldn't have cooked it in the state he's been in," Marie agreed without a second thought. I smiled as Robin eyed her with a small smile. 

"Yeah. You guys can have a little kitchen date," Zale mumbled with a weak laugh, looking at the two baffled gingers. "Robin, just ask the girl out already. We both know you like her."

They both flushed and quickly glanced at each other, not objecting but not agreeing. "W-well, call us if you need anything," Marie stuttered, hurrying out the door. Robin gave his brother an irritated look, and then, without a word, he followed Marie out. 

The corners of my mouth lifted, and I looked back down at Zale with a stern look. "That was too blunt, you idiot. You just humiliated Robin."

"Well, it's true. Plus, don't they need a little shove? It's annoying to watch them be in this ambiguous relationship when it's so obvious how they feel about each other. They both like each other, so why can't--" Zale stopped, covering his mouth with the crease of his arm and coughing. 

I tensed and set down the rag on his nightstand. "Sit up and drink some water. Your throat's probably dry."

Zale obediently did what I said with my help and slid next to me on the bedside. I handed him the glass of water on his nightstand, watching as he drank it all in seconds. He looked tired and worn out. 

Zale sighed, running his fingers through his hair after handing me the glass. "Thanks. I needed that. I barely ate or drank anything this whole week."

"You should have prepared food beforehand," I shrugged, looking away from him. "Well, it must've been hard spending your rut alone this time." My voice seemed slightly bitter, although I meant to sound calm. I closed my eyes. Why was I like this? 

"What are you talking about?" Zale laughed. It was weak but genuinely amused. "I spend all of my ruts alone. I'm not that much of a scumbag."

I turned to him with a confused look on my face. "What? You're telling me I'm supposed to believe that you spend your rut alone if you already sleep around anyway?"

"Mae...Did you honestly think I slept around with a bunch of other girls this whole time?" Zale looked at me, bewildered, scoffing in disbelief. 

"Well, yeah. Don't you?" I shrugged with an irritated look. 

That was when Zale burst into laughter. 

It didn't seem like he found what I said amusing but rather ridiculous. It was almost like he was laughing because he was mad. He plopped back into his bed, burying his face in his hands with a big sigh. "What the heck? No wonder you think I'm such a scumbag! I mean, I have done some pretty shady things in the past few years, but I'd never sleep around with a bunch of random girls! I'm not into that stuff."

I looked down with blank eyes, trying to process what he'd just said. Was I really wrong about this? Was he telling the truth? "But I was told...You went around temporarily marking girls...and Robin said..."

"Did he ever say I sleep around, though? If he did, I'm going to kill that kid," Zale scoffed, sitting up again. He looked at me with raised eyebrows. He definitely looked offended and irritated but mostly bewildered. "Did anyone ever say that to you?"

I looked down with a pale face, trying to think back. "N-no. They said you messed around with a bunch of girls."

"So, in your mind, you automatically concluded that I'm the kind of guy who sleeps around?" Zale retorted. When I was silent, he gave me a frustrated look. "Well, I don't. So stop looking at me like I'm a monster. I'm not a complete dooshbag."

I looked away from him, a rush of guilt hitting my chest. But also knowing that he didn't sleep around somehow filled me with relief as well. Gosh, I was so confused. 

It was quiet for a moment. "I'm...sorry," I finally said, looking down as I broke the tense silence. My body felt stiff and rigid.

To my surprise, Zale gently chuckled and turned to his side so he could lie back down on my lap. He looked up at my guilty expression with a smirk and poked me in the forehead with his pointer and middle finger. 

"Ow." I blinked and put my hand to my forehead. He took a strand of my hair between his fingers and began playing with it. "What was that for?"

"It was your punishment for thinking I was such a scumbag. If you're sorry, gimme a kiss," Zale wiggled his eyebrows, puckering his lips. "C'mon, give your alpha a kiss."

I grabbed the cold rag on the dresser and smushed it on his face with a glare. "You just totally contradicted what you said, and I'm not that sorry."

Zale just laughed at me and closed his eyes. Not long after, he fell asleep, still holding tightly onto my hand.

What was I going to do with him?