Claws

Chapter Fifty-One

When I opened the door to Zale's house, I came face to face with Xavier, Zale's beta. I'd briefly seen him twice, both in uncomfortable, hectic situations, so I'd never talked to him one-on-one. Xavier always wore a blank expression and never seemed to show any emotion whatsoever. His voice was bland and uninterested, but he seemed intelligent and didn't come off as hostile or rude. Just aloof and strange.

Xavier had dark brown hair and pale white skin with dark circles under his shark-like eyes. He always held a blank, far-off gaze that would make almost anyone feel uneasy. He was slender but fairly well-toned and apparently always wore dark clothing except on rare occasions.

"Um...Hi," I managed to say, trying to keep eye contact with the statue-like beta. His blank expression and dark eyes really did give me chills. I relaxed a bit when Zale came up from behind me and carelessly put his arm around my shoulders. It was almost as if he could sense my discomfort. Why did his touch put me at ease?

"Hey, man! What are you doing here?" Zale smiled, stepping aside to let Xavier in. I think Zale was the only person who didn't feel uncomfortable around this guy. No wonder they were paired up. "Come on in."

"No need. I actually came here for you guys," Xavier said in his usual deadpan tone. "The betas have returned, but they all came back injured. We asked some of them what happened and were told the Southerners got to them on their way back. The chiefs want both of you down to the infirmary ASAP."

"Wait, what?" My eyes grew wide, and a huge wave of panic rushed through me. Beck and Jade were in that group. "Every single beta in the group got injured?"

"Other than a few supervisors and teachers, yes. Some are worse than others. Luckily, no one was killed or fatally wounded. It seemed to be a warning attack of some sort, in my opinion. The village is in an uproar," Xavier nodded. "As I said, the chiefs need you right away. Your beta friends are asking for you as well, Mae."

Zale and I instantly reached for our shoes and jackets. "Are they hurt badly?" I immediately asked, quickly sliding on my boots. Zale handed me my jacket when I turned around to get it. "Thanks."

"Jade and Beck are going to be fine. They fought and defended themselves well," Xavier said, stepping back as we hurried out the door. "Your parents can tell you the rest. You guys should go."

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I pulled my furry white ears back as I bolted into the woods with Zale after we shifted into our wolf forms. Xavier didn't go with us, blankly explaining my mom and dad ordered him to speak with a couple of the pack members who witnessed the betas come out of the woods again after the attack after delivering the news to us.

Even though Xavier said that Jade and Beck were fine, I was still worried about them, including the rest of the group. What exactly happened out there?

"Hey, Bambi," I jumped when I felt Zale nibble at the side of my right ear while we ran, almost tripping.

"What the heck?" I instinctivly flashed my teeth at him, softening my gaze when I saw his gentle, worried expression. "Sorry. What is it?"

Zale's blue wolf eyes briefly locked with mine. He affectionately brushed his tail against mine. "It's going to be okay. Xavier said no one was fatally wounded. Don't worry so much, alright?"

"How could I not worry? My friends got attacked by Southern wolves. Even if they weren't hurt, I'd still get antsy under these circumstances. And what about the others that got the worst of it?" I pulled my ears back again. "These are our pack members and the people I'm going to be in charge of someday, after all. I want them safe."

I glanced at Zale when he didn't respond. He just kept looking over at me as we ran, his breath creating a misty cloud in the chilly air as he lifted its head. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

"What?" I scrunched my snout, leaping over the freshly fallen tree trunk in front of me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's just...Hearing you say that makes me realize that you really have grown up," Zale chuckled. The sound obviously wasn't like human laughter but rather a throaty, husky noise. "You have what every chief needs. An instinct to want to protect the pack. It's kind of...refreshing to see you like this. I'm proud of you."

"You sound like a dad praising his daughter," I laughed, shaking my wolf head. My ears perked up as I heard the faint sound of a bustling crowd in the distance. The infirmary was just down the path we were on. It sounded crowded. "Ah. Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. My security reinforcers must be having a heck of a time keeping the people out. It sounds like there are a lot of them," Zale snickered as we got to the end of the path. "Although knowing Reggie, he'll probably be having a ball."

"Who's Reggie?" I tilted my ears in confusion as I reached the end of the trail. Before Zale could respond, we both jolted to a stop and shifted back into our human forms the moment the infirmary came into our line of sight.

My eyes grew wide, observing the scene unfolding before me with a mix of concern and amusement.

People pressed against each other all around the infirmary's entrance, their voices rising in a racket of distress and urgency. Some waved their arms frantically, pleading to be let in, while others simply gathered out of curiosity.

My jaw dropped as a group of alphas, whom I assumed to be Zale's security subordinates, formed a barricade in their wolf forms to contain the crowd. Some omegas were trying to calm down the angsty crowd as well. All of the alphas had stressed looks on their faces as if they'd been pushing for hours, except for one male wolf. His fur was a light brown shade consisting of white splotches that were splattered across his coat like blobs of paint. One of his eyes was blue, and the other brown, and his nose was a dirty bubblegum pink, blotted with black stains. He was wagging his tail while catching the few people that leaked through the steadily made barrier, throwing them back into the crowd with a pleased bark, his tongue lolling out afterward like a playful puppy as he proudly stuck his chest out.

"What the heck is that?" I blurted out without even thinking. I bit my lip and winced the moment I spoke, realizing that sounded pretty rude. "I mean...Who's that?"

I glanced at Zale, and he burst into laughter. "That, my dear, is Reggie. The third in command of security and probably the most eccentric guy I know," Zale snickered, his blue eyes glistening in amusement. He casually hooked his arm around my shoulders. It was as warm as always, and his muscles seemed to fit against the curves of my shoulders naturally. For some reason, I'd gotten used to his affection, almost expecting it. The constant expectancy I felt for his touch was getting dangerous. "His appearance is something you do a doubletake on, too. As you can see, he loves his job. In fact, you might say he has a complex?"

"A complex? What's that supposed to mean?" I cautiously looked in Reggie's direction as he threw another person into the anxious crowd, wagging his tail with a cheerful yip afterward. Yeah. Defenently weird.

"Um...You'll see," Zale smirked with a small chuckle. "Come on. Let's go help them get this crowd under control."