TW; blood from injury/knife
My heart grew weary, tears forming in my eyes at the thought of my sister. "We have to go."
"Tulip..." Asra sighed.
"What?" I huffed. "My sister could be in danger!"
"You don't know that." He crossed his arms.
"Neither do you!" I spat. "I will go my damn self!"
"You shall not!" He rose to his feet.
I scoffed, jumping to my feet to face him. Who did he think he was? Rising so he towered over me, I thought we were equals?
"You cannot control me, Asra. If my sister is missing, I want to know where she is." I glared. "If you had a relationship like this, you would understand!"
"I have a brother, you know."
"Oh yeah, when was the last time you spoke to him?" I cocked my head. "You know he is safe. But with Arabella-I do not know where she is."
He growled, his upper lip curling slightly. "Give me the day, Ailia, and I will look into it. I will shift my entire day around to get some answers."
"Fine." I huffed, throwing my hands in the air. "Please do!"
"Okay, I will!" He snapped back.
"Thank you!" I snapped. "I'm going to work now!"
I stormed away without another thought; the door clicking shut behind me. My fists were tense, anger radiating from my body as I made my way to the kitchen. I was quick to wash my hands and adorn my apron, the other chef eying me instead of greeting me with open arms.
Glancing at the menu for lunch, I busied myself preparing the vegetables to go with the stir-fry. My knife banged against the board with every slice, taking my anger out on the onion and chilli. My mind kept trying to wander, to think of the turmoil my sister could be in. Immense guilt filled me at leaving her to my mother's decisions.
How could I just leave her there?
I'll admit, we didn't have the closest relationship, but Mother was always a thorn between us. She divided us, praising Arabella for her ability to make friends and get an education. I was just a slave, a worker; she wanted the poster daughter, and that was Arabella. Not the girl with the untamed ginger hair and permanent grimace.
"Hey, watch what you're doing there, you might-
The voice in my ear startled me.
"Fuck!" I cursed as the knife went straight through my thumb.
I grimaced at the sight of the blood that pooled from the cut, and Vanessa worried beside me. She apologised profusely for making me jump, and I shook my head at her. I cupped my hand to my stomach, shooting her a concerned look as she panted.
"Oh, god, are you okay? I didn't mean to. Please don't-oh, god, that's a lot of blood." She swallowed, pinching her eyes closed.
My thumb throbbed as I made my way toward the sink. Running the cold tap, I cursed loudly when the stream was too strong and flared up the injury. I could feel my pulse through my skin, watching the water turn red as the cut streamed viciously.
"Ailia?" Vanessa muttered.
"Sorry." I muttered, glancing over my shoulder. "It's fine."
She looked ghastly pale, her eyes wide with worry. I noticed everyone else in the room was watching me warily, the few wolf blooded people cringing as they caught sight of my injury.
I frowned, wondering why everyone was acting strangely. I mean, it was deep, and I was certain anymore and the tip of my thumb would be gone, but... It was like they feared blood.
I didn't have to wonder too much longer because I had my reason when the walls vibrated with a low growl. Asra's footsteps were loud and determined as he entered the kitchen, and most people scurried away. I watched him approach from over my shoulder and his chest rose with a deep inhale. His eyes flickered darkly, staring at the bloodied knife before they flickered to me.
"Shit." I whispered, mostly to myself.
Asra was by me in an instant, his warmth noticeable even in the heat of the kitchen.
His voice was hard when he spoke, full of authority. "What happened?"
"Nothing." I reassured him. "It's fine."
He grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand to his face. "This is deep. It will need stitches."
I pried my hand away as it oozed blood. Swallowing the sudden nausea, I shook my head.
"It'll be fine. I'll put a bandage on it." I told him.
He growled, agitated. "You will have it healed."
"With a bandage, I know." I tutted, staring at the still bloodied water.
Will it ever stop bleeding?
"Would anybody care to tell me what happened?"
Vanessa's voice trembled as it filled the room. "She-she was cutting the vegetables for dinner. I got concerned with how harsh and uncoordinated she was dicing them, so I tried to warn her... and... and I distracted her and she sliced her thumb."
"You distracted her?"
My head popped up from where I had it slouched, picking up that tone of voice he was using. Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed a towel and spun around to stand before him. He set his dark eyes on his prey. The anger pulsating through his body was so strong; I felt like I could feel it hit me with every heavy breath.
Was he even breathing?
I settled my uninjured hand on his chest, cradling the other to my own. "Asra, it isn't her fault."
"She distracted you." He growled, and Vanessa whimpered.
"She is right, though. I was being reckless because I was angry." I shook my head. "She was just concerned."
Asra bared his teeth when he next spoke, but he didn't move an inch. "She must be punished."
Sighing, I tried my other alternative. "But, my finger?"
His eyes dropped to me and I gave him a timid smile as he breezed into my head. I watched him with bated breath as he scanned my mind before looking down at my hand. Clawed hands took hold of my wrist, pulling it toward him. He unwrapped the bloodied cloth, and I hissed as it stuck behind. He grumbled, raising my thumb to his mouth to sniff. I cringed when his tongue lapped at the cut, the growl in his chest growing.
"This hurts you." He commented.
"Yes." I admitted. "So, can we get it sorted?"
"My blood." His head snapped up. "That'll be the fastest."
"I don't think-
I didn't get time to finish my sentence because he had already pierced his palm with his canine and pressed it to my mouth. His other hand cradled my head, trapping me. I shrieked, my good hand grabbing at his wrist as the metallic taste of his blood filled my mouth. His eyes were hard, the beast grumbling as he kept his hand vacuumed to my face until I had no choice but to swallow the metallic liquid down my throat.
I felt it coat my throat, sticky and warm as it travelled through my body. It weirdly didn't taste metallic, and for a split second, I wondered why. But the buzz that followed was unusual and when Asra noticed the change in my expression, he removed his palm. His wound had already healed, and I swallowed back the saliva that pooled around my tongue, cleaning my mouth with it.
His grumbling didn't stop there, his canine pricking into his forefinger. A small droplet of blood oozed from the cut before he pressed it into the deepest part of my wound. I gasped, trying to pull my hand away as it stung. He held me firm, not letting go of my hand until his wound closed.
I was breathing heavily as my thumb tingled, but his midnight eyes drifted back to me and held me hostage. Slowly, the wolfish demeanour disappeared from his features. His canines and claws retracted, his body slumping more and becoming less hairy. I sighed when he calmed down, but didn't react to his change of body language until he looked away.
When his eyes left mine to stare at my cut, my own followed. To my shock and horror, the wound had closed already, a small pink line left in its wake. He kissed it softly before letting go of my hand, and I pulled my thumb closer to get a better look.
"All better." He murmured.
"Huh." I mumbled. "Just like that, hey?"
He nodded. "Just like that."
"Does that magic come in a jar for safekeeping?" I raised an eyebrow.
Asra's lips curled into a small smirk, a slight chuckle leaving his throat. "No, but you can bite me anytime."
I grunted, trying to hide the blush. As I averted my gaze from his teasing, I realised we were not alone this entire time. My eyes widened with horror, thinking about what the various people in here just witnessed. Even Rio and Everett were at the door frame, watching with wide eyes.
Asra cleared his throat. "Everybody back to work."
Immediately, the lower ranks continued to what they were doing. Asra took hold of the knife and passed it to Vanessa, who gulped.
"Wash it."
She bowed, taking it from his grip with shaky hands. "Yes, Alpha."
Turning back to me, he sighed. "Be more careful."
"Yes, Alpha." I whispered.
His eyes flickered, a wolfy growl rumbling his chest. I chewed my lip, amused at the immediate reaction I can get from him.
"You are on lunch or dinner shift?"
"Both." I mumbled.
He nodded. "My office after dinner."
"Okay." I breathed.
He bent closer, kissing me. His sudden public affection startled me, even more so when his hand cupped my jaw and he slipped his tongue between my lips. Caressing my mouth gently, he pulled away with a small smirk.
"See you later, Tulip."
"Yeah, okay..."
I watched him leave, catching the eye of Rio, who smirked, saluting me as he turned to follow. Everett was silent as ever, merely nodding as he departed with his higher commands. I exhaled shakily, gripping the table with all my might.
I was definitely going to hear about this at lunch.
So, for now, to delay the inevitable, I busied myself with chopping new, non-bloodied vegetables. I was careful this time, in fear of being forced to drink Asra's blood so publicly again.
Lunch rush finished quickly, the stir-fry an easy and fast thing to eat and make. I never left the kitchen, continuing to cook and prepare for dinner. I had a bowl of food to the side, occasionally taking mouthfuls as I pranced around the kitchen. It was noisy today, a radio playing some random human music from nearly two hundred years ago. It was a lot of instruments and piano, but it flowed and gave a pleasant distraction for my mind.
It was Friday, which means the dining room was always busy in the evenings because wolves liked to train hard before the weekend off. There was a vast variety of meals going on; but I concentrated on my work and not chopping off any more fingers.
Dinner came and went and as most wolves left, I noticed that my mate never came for down for food. Frowning, I sat down with my meal beside the two sisters.
"So..."
Here we go.
"I heard that somebody got their thumb chopped off." Mya snickered.
I groaned, sipping my bottle of water. "Not exactly."
She rolled her eyes, grinning at me from across the table. "That's what I heard. Your thumb got chopped off and Asra healed it with his blood."
I snorted, shaking my head. "I sliced it with a knife because I was having a tantrum. He forced me his blood and threatened to punish Vanessa."
"The chef?" Eve wondered.
"Yes." I raised an eyebrow. "That's Vanessa."
She hummed, nodding with a stern expression. I eyed her strangely for a moment as she lazily ate her dinner before turning back to Mya. It startled me when I found her leaning across the table to sniff me.
She pulled back when she realised I caught her, the wide smile not-so-innocent. "What?"
"What do you mean, what? I should ask you that." I complained, waving her off.
Mya rolled her eyes. "I was just sniffing. You stink of him, like sex stink and blood stink."
I frowned. "No shit."
Her laugh was loud, her body shaking as she nudged her quieter sister. Eve was amused, but remained eating her dinner as she watched the two of us. Mya continued her laughter, her hand resting on her chest as she fought to hold back hyperventilation.
I will never get over the contrast of the two siblings.
"Oh, I love you are my luna, and you are not so uptight." Mya exhaled loudly.
"Why do you say that?" I wondered, scraping a piece of pasta from the bottom of my bowl.
Damn, I loved pasta.
"It's just a thought, right Eve?" Mya nudged her, but she just nodded. "Luna's are an authority figure. For business only, right? Like, you don't see an alpha roaming around acting all casual. They have an air about them. Authority."
I grimaced. "So do most people in charge. It's what gains them respect."
"But you are a breath of fresh air." She opened her arms wide, smacking her sister in the face.
Eve jerked, glaring at her sister and shoving her arm away. Mya giggled, huddling in on herself before continuing her little speech.
"You are personal, caring, and fucking hilarious."
"I am?" I wondered.
Fucking hilarious?
Now that was hilarious with an extra additive.
"Yes." She snorted. "I love it."
She finished her speech with a mouthful of her own pasta, still grinning at me through her food. I laughed softly, shaking my head as I rose to my feet.
"Where are you going?" She called.
"I'm making Asra some dinner. He hasn't come down for food."
She grinned. "Ooh! Look at you!"
Rolling my eyes, I gave her the middle finger, causing her to erupt into another fit of giggles. Eve groaned, moving to the seat I had previously occupied and away from her manic sister. I was quick to place my dirty dish in the washer before wiping my hands and moving back to the buffet.
Grabbing a clean plate, I served Asra a variety of foods. From meat, to pasta, to carbs, to veggies... I grabbed a tray and place two plates on top, both filled with the variety on show. He was a large man with an exceptional appetite; I wasn't about to ruin it by not giving him enough. Piling up various condiments, I grabbed him a random drink of what looked like beer before leaving the room.
I hoped he liked what I got him. Not eating was unusual, so I assumed he was busy.
I wasn't expecting what I saw when I entered his office. The girl staring right back at me was frowning from her position on the desk the moment I opened the door.
*****
oopsies