Malika (#Short, Incomplete)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Is there a reason why you're avoiding her?" the gamma's voice is loud and stern, jolting the male fully awake from his half-lucid state.

His alarm hadn't even gone off yet, suggesting it was much earlier than dawn. His eyes feel heavy as they peel open, features still drowsed in heavy sleep, a yawn breaking through his jaw. The covers are warm, much more tempting than welcoming the day that awaited before him. The male flops back down onto his pillow, tugging the duvet firmly around him.

Akila's features aren't amused, the soft curve of her jaw hardening, a bare foot tapping impatiently into the carpet floor. Her annoyance only swells when the beta begins snoring again.

Her eyes roll, yanking the duvet away from him in one clean sweep, form already heading towards the thick velvet curtains, which are then drawn apart to let what little light was available at this time in.

Ezekiel huffs, curling a pillow around his face, bare legs tucking into his chest to preserve warmth.

"Just because your pregnant ass can't get any sleep, doesn't mean you have to fuck up mine ma," it's a complaint, the male groaning. Akila doesn't respond, sitting down next to the male, hands nipping at the material of her sleep frock.

"Zeke," her tone holds a warning, and the beta knows all too well to agitate her further.

Akila had been his friend for almost two decades, and the male very well knew not to rile her fur up, especially when taking in factor her pregnancy hormones. She wasn't a female to beckoned with; a mother figure he didn't necessarily need , but evidently wanted – though he'd never tell her that.

He pries the pillow from his face, features in a childish pout with his brows knitted closely together.

"What?" and Akila rolls his eyes at his expression. The back of her hand smacks his forehead.

"You're at the big age of twenty-three, don't talk to me like that. You know very well why I'm here," folding her arms over her chest.

The male sits up, raking his hand through kinky tight curls, stretching out his shoulders. The blonde grimaces at the sight of his pit hair, to which she's only responded to by a snicker. Her features soften.

He mutters something under his breath about how he wasn't avoiding anyone.

"Why'd you skip dinner last night then?" her eyes are warm, watching him shuffle closer and rest his head in the crook of her shoulder.

"I wasn't hungry," it's a mumble across her skin.

She uses her finger to prod him away by the forehead, a brow raised in disbelief. They both knew that the male had a stomach that was endless, never to be satiated.

They normally all had dinners together, the permanent wolves that resided in the palace, just like every other day, though they had one more person present the night before.

"I don't know what to tell you ma," he murmurs, sliding out of the bed and picking up a hoodie from the top of his dresser, pulling it over his torso before retreating to her.

"I'm shitting myself over this siphon bond you know. Like it really scares me," it's a quiet confession, his green hues darkening. Akila sighs.

"I know that this is a foreign concept to you – it is for all of us. And we don't know much of what the siphon bond entails, with us being wolves. It's never something we needed to know about before. But we'll work it out, we'll work through it together. Faiza's returning this morning, with more information about it. We'll understand it more," the gamma murmurs.

"This doesn't and will never change anything about the mate bond that you will have with your half," she adds, features concerned. Ezekiel only sighs, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"We don't know that yet. Siphon bonds and mate bonds normally go hand in hand for a reason. This isn't something we've ever encountered before, so how do we know what it'll affect or what it won't affect? The Moon allowed something against nature and order. Nothing is predictable," and Akila nods, agreeing with some words from him.

"Yes, but you cannot hide from her forever. The siphon bond is there, so acknowledge it. See what it has to offer; it is a gift the Moon chose to bestow to you after all. You know deep down she isn't your mate, and the siphon bond doesn't correlate to that at all. Instead of viewing her as a threat to the half you haven't found yet, view her as an ally, as a companion," Akila's words are wise to his ears.

"The quicker you know what the siphon bond is between you both, the less you'll worry about the potential "what ifs". And you need to know, it's not only you in a compromised position. She too will have a mate out there, and this bond might affect that too. She too has no idea what it means. If anything, she takes the cake for being in a shitty position – she's been comatose and has woken up with no recollection of who she is," the blonde reminds him. Ezekiel sighs in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. I know," his head dips into his hands, which run over his face, another sigh coming from him. He feels bad for holding a selfish perspective on this.

"Good. Remember, you're both in this together now. She's a companion to you in this mess. You might not like it, but you both walk the same path. It's the same for the both of you, and you don't want to go through this alone, do you?" she makes him think hard, his worries ceasing.

"I know, but how do I even try? What do I say? Do I talk to her about it? She's probably dealing with her own issues, she might not even want to talk to me-," the beta begins to ramble. Akila chuckles.

"Well then, it's a good thing I've arranged for her to meet up with you this morning before breakfast," the beta cocks a brow at the statement.

"She's virtually human, with no access to her magic, thus no way to protect herself on this realm. You want her to walk these lands with no way to protect herself? I can't have her train with the other wolves, they'll rip her to shreds with our sheer strength, and they don't really know her circumstances. I'd do it myself but-," she gesticulates to the pup she carries. Ezekiel's lips curve fondly at the pup.

"This motherfucker about to bust out any moment," he snickers. Akila rolls her eyes, before continues.

"So naturally I thought you'd be perfect. Also, I was thinking some of your siphon abilities might come to play with healing, and training – I'm not sure how it works. So be ready," she gets up, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm craving pickles deep fried and smothered in chocolate," she turns away from him, the beta's face grimacing at the horrid food combination.

"I love you ma," Ezekiel laughs as she heads out of the door. She waves back a sentiment. The male groans, stripping and heading into the shower to get ready for the coming morning.

The nerves in the beta have stirred up just a little, the wolf trying to calm himself with deep breaths, pacing back and forth across the indoor gym, which he'd already cleared by moving all the equipment to the sides, lacing the floors with thick blue gym mats.

He'd chosen the indoor gym at the palace because the only person who utilised it was himself. The other gyms and training centres would be crawling with other wolves, and the fallen's presence was meant to be discreet.

The wolf within him is a little keen, yapping about with his tongue and tail wagging. He wasn't proving to be much help to the skin side.

His ears pick up on a voice coming through the edge of the hallway, a smile forming when recognizing the lisp he was very fond of.

"This is the gym. Only Zeke uses it, and it smells a lot. It's probably why he smells too," the short blonde pup enters his view, wrinkling her nose at the place.

Ezekiel cocks a brow at her, features turning to a playful glare.

The pup only erupts into a fit of giggles, especially when the male snatches her with one arm, flipping her form upside down, gently shaking her. The room is filled with delightful laughter and shrieks.

"I smell huh? Is that how it is?" he shakes her gently, her upside form swinging to and fro. She giggles again, before fervently shaking her head.

"No. You don't smell-you-you don't smell," it's said between laughs, and she's thrown into the air before landing gently into his arm.

His fingers fix the stray locks that had come undone from the braids she slept in, tucking the blonde hair back into place.

"You promise?" his lips grin, their foreheads touching. She nods profusely, snuggling into his chest with her arms around him.

"Oh," she exclaims, clambering out of his arms and jumping down.

The pup runs to the threshold of the door, meeting a figure who stood awkwardly, hands shrugged into low swinging sweatpants.

Rhea grabs the female's hand, tugging her forward to the beta. She looks up at both of them, giving them a toothy grin.

"Zeke, this is my best friend. Her name is Malika," Rhea squeals, jumping up and down, the matching shorts and top she slept in much too large for her, moving alongside her.

Ezekiel finally lets his eyes go to fallen; he'd sensed her presence long ago, but tried to avoid directly looking, in an attempt to calm the nerves that nipped at him.

The beta deduced that his nerves were very well justified.

The female was intimidating, his wolf mewling with the surprise. Adir's explanation of his interaction with her suddenly made a little more sense. There was just this aura around her, something that demanded respect.

She's very tall, reaching him in height with ease. Her skin was as beautiful as ever, a deep shade of brown, accompanied by thick and dark hair pulled up to the top of her head in a ponytail. Her frame is slim, but her hips curve wide, something the beta has to pull his eyes away from.

She wore a thick pair of sweats, that swung low on her hips, her abdomen exposed and if she moved the right way the thin black straps of what was beneath it would also be revealed, hugging at her high waist. It's paired with a sports bra, her skin bare. The male didn't realise her stomach was pierced, a glint of silver catching light.

Ezekiel admires the confidence she has in her body, not that he can fault any of it anyways. Not the scars that littered down her torso and arms. Not the fact that her back was marred, or the red burns scattered across.

Not even the harsh scar running from her throat, another slashing one side of her dark-freckled face.

Her features are hard, unreadable. Sleek brows are knitted together, a jaw set tight. Her eyes are eerie, the murky blues deep in colour. They watch him carefully, deciding what her impression was of him. He can't tell what she's concluded, her stance reserved.

"I thought I was your best friend," it's a quiet mutter, referring back to Rhea who just giggles with wide eyes, mumbling about how she could have lots.

The beta doesn't miss how the female's eyes also sweep across his dark-brown skin, deep in complexion and melanin, eyeing the definition of his muscles beneath the thinly splayed white tee, to how his shorts swung around his hips. They find his hair, the kinky curls pulled up and away, before settling for the eyes.

He grows warm. She was attractive, the wolf within already on his belly, already content with letting her have his way with him. Ezekiel scowls at the wolf's desperation.

"Have fun," Rhea sings, leaving the two of them alone. Malika's eyes don't move from the male, nor does she say anything.

Ezekiel musters up some courage, loosening the nerves.

His grin is sly, eyes twinkling with mischief, tone becoming lazy.

"Shall we begin?" a cunning brow raised.

A/N - i think i like the writing, but the plot was scaring me. i'm not good at overcomplicated plots, i like simple things that i can go in depth with, but ill try and push myself next time.

that's all i wrote lmao.