Binary Love (18+)

Evolved

"Nova?" Mark's voice was rough from disuse, but she still found his gravely tone attractive. She watched him as his eyes struggled to focus on her, standing at the foot of his bed, while his head tilted to one side in confusion. He winced from the lights, sluggishly bringing his arm up to shield himself from the brightness.

"Hey," She softly replied, while making her way beside him, "Take it slow, ok?" Nova was careful not to touch him yet, even though she desperately wanted too.

"What...?" He began to look around him, finally clocking Rosalind and Harou standing close by. 

"Mark, you're in the medbay. You've just been taken out of a bio chamber, so you might be feeling a bit disorientated." Rosalind's voice was calm, but authoritative, trying to give a sense of stability during a time that was very confusing for most patients.

"Bio chamber? But, I..." Mark suddenly looked down at his new body, slowly turning his hands back and forth to get a better look. It only lasted a few seconds, before his eyes widened and his ears pulled back flush against his head. Several expressions passed over his face, showing in detail his feelings as he started to realise what had happened. Finally, he settled on shock, and looked back at Nova for guidance.

"I'm sorry that it happened this way. It must be confusing for you, but after what happened-"

"The Beta!" His snarl was ferocious, his teeth snapping out the words as if ready to tear throats. Mark's hand shot out towards her, gripping her arm before yanking her down to him painfully, clearly not recognising his strength. She hissed and winced from the pain, as the top half of her body was pulled down.

Harou swiftly stepped in, growling at the other lupus as he peeled Mark's fingers away. It was not that hard; Mark had already started to release her, recoiling with a sympathetic whine at his actions.

"Nova? I'm sorry, I didn't-" 

"It's OK, everybody just calm down, alright? I'm fine." She held up both of her hands, as if she could force back two large wolf-men with just sheer will and sweaty palms. There was definitely some tension in the air and she had no desire to see it escalate. 

With a deep breath, Harou visibly forced himself to relax and took a step back. Nova couldn't help but notice that he didn't move back that far, but considering that Mark clearly wasn't used to controlling his new body, she understood his reluctance. 

"Because of you, the Beta never touched me, but you got badly injured. We had to bring you here to move ahead with putting you in your new body." Nova gestured to Harou behind her before continuing. "This is Harou, Rosa's mate. I don't think either of you ever got the chance to meet."

The introduction was awkward; neither lupus spoke, and instead stiffly nodded in acknowledgement, while refusing to break eye contact. Although it wouldn't be clear whether Mark's designation was that of an alpha until later, judging by the refusal for either one to back down, Nova suspected that he was already presenting with alpha traits.

Rosalind politely coughed, drawing the attention and gaze of the men, while allowing them both to save face.

"Mark, I need to run a few tests to make sure everything is OK. Some of them might feel uncomfortable, but I need to check that you're healthy. Do you think you can manage?"

"Yes, Dr. Asena. I think I'll be fine." 

As Rosalind checked him over, Nova talked to him to distract him. She explained what had happened after he had shutdown, and even talked to him about what they had discovered so far during the investigation. Despite him clearly being tired and not quite with it, he listened attentively and asked her questions.