Witch in wolf's clothing - Namaari

Chapter 19: A Refreshing Shower

Namaari’s POV

I wake up to the sound of the door suddenly slamming open. Before I can fully comprehend what's happening, a woman starts screaming. I try to sit up, but an arm holds me down. I turn around and see Zyméo lying next to me, waking up. He murmurs, "What’s all that noise?"

Seraphina rushes to the bed and yanks the covers away. "How dare you!" she yells. Zyméo realizes it's Seraphina and quickly sits up. I sit up hesitantly, but a wave of dizziness hits me, and my head throbs. I'm still sick, and Seraphina’s yelling is the last thing I need right now.

Seraphina starts ranting, "I was waiting on campus, but it's already 10 o'clock, and I didn't hear anything from you, Zyméo. I began to worry and came to the packhouse. And this is what you mean by a problem? What, a problem keeping your d**k under control?"

Zyméo growls and says to Seraphina, "Sorry I didn't let you know, I overslept, but I haven’t done anything wrong. Ari is sick, and it would be nice if you could speak more quietly, love."

Seraphina snaps back, "You haven’t done anything wrong? Your shirt is off, you’re lying here half-naked, and where is your shirt? That b***h is wearing it!"

Zyméo stands up and says, "Okay, I understand this looks strange, but I warn you, watch your language. Now, get out of the room, Ari needs to rest. I’ll come soon and we can talk it out."

Seraphina huffs, "Get out of the room so you can keep fooling around, right?"

Zyméo growls, "Enough, you’re going too far. Now, get out!"

My head is pounding, and I lay back down, pulling the covers over my head. Suddenly, I hear a door slam shut, and Zyméo sighs. But at this moment, all I can think is, finally some silence. Then, my blanket is gently pulled away from my head, and I see Zyméo looking at me with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly. "Sorry about that."

I nod, but every movement makes my head throb with pain. Zyméo says that I should rest and that he needs to go talk things out with Seraphina. "Is that okay?" he asks.

I look away from him and roll onto my side, not wanting him to see my disappointment. "Yes, of course," I mumble. "She’s your girlfriend, she comes first. Besides, I could use the quiet to sleep."

I hear him sigh again and then a soft whisper, "Okay." The door opens and closes quietly as Zyméo leaves the room.

Noali pops into my head, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wow, you're really good at driving your mates away and into the arms of other girls."

I sigh. "We don't even know if they're my mates. Besides, I'm not doing anything wrong. My 'mates' are always quick to run off to their girls."

"That's not true," Noali counters. "They've shown a protective side toward you lately. And you can’t deny the tingles you feel when one of the triplets is close or when they lightly touch you."

Reluctantly, I admit, "Okay, maybe they could be my mates. But Kaynim... I think he's adopted and not their real brother."

Noali laughs. "Yeah, of course, that’s why he looks just like them. Besides, admit it, deep down you like him. And you find him sexy."

I think of Kaynim's body and retort, "Noali, I don’t have room in my head for that right now!"

Noali laughs triumphantly. "Let’s just tell them that we’re their mate. Let me shift into wolf form; then they'll know for sure. I'm certain they'll treat you like a queen."

"And that’s the problem," I reply. "I don’t want them to treat me well just because of the mate bond, but because they genuinely like me for who I am."

Noali sighs, "Whatever, think it over."

"I will," I say, "but let me rest first so I can heal and think more clearly. You better help me with that instead of making me suffer, hoping that the triplets will take care of us."

There's a knock at the door, and someone quietly enters. I growl softly and sit up, grumbling, "What now? Can’t a person sleep when they’re sick?"

Then I see an Omega standing there, someone I recognize. She stammers, "Sorry, Miss Lilystone."

"Oh, Gwyneth, I’m sorry. I just feel so bad and tired, and I was disturbed this morning. I didn’t mean to snap at you," I apologize.

Gwyneth gives me a small smile. "I understand."

I soften my tone and ask kindly, "What’s up?"

"I came to tell you that Alpha Zyméo has gone to Seraphina’s house because she was very upset. He wanted me to let you know that he’ll be staying with Seraphina for the next few days. But don’t worry, I’ll be here to take good care of you," she says. "Alpha Zyméo was very clear that you need to rest until you’re fully recovered before going back to school."

I thank Gwyneth, and she assures me she'll bring some food later before leaving.

I plop back down on the bed and mutter to myself, "Apparently, I am really good at pushing my mates closer to other women."

Zephyr crawls out from under the blanket and gives me a playful smirk. "Well, you do have a certain talent for it," he teases.

I roll my eyes, too exhausted to retort with much energy. "Really, you too, Zephyr," I mutter, pulling the blanket over my head again.

The next two days, I barely leave the bed, too weak and feverish to do much more than sleep and occasionally sip water. Normally I would brew a healing potion, but I'm too weak even for that right now.

I haven’t heard a word from any of the triplets. Gwyneth told me that Zyméo and Tazzym have been staying elsewhere after school. Kaynim does come home, but I don’t expect to see or hear from him. The thought of him asking how I’m doing is laughable. He’s probably relieved he doesn’t have to see me or deal with my sharp answers in class.

I can’t eat anything Gwyneth brings me. I feel so weak and unsteady. Gwyneth is really worried, and to reassure her, I force myself to eat a little bit of the evening meal she brings. But once she leaves, my stomach starts rebelling. I feel nauseous, the food sitting heavy and uncomfortable in my stomach.

Suddenly, the urge to vomit becomes overwhelming. I stumble out of bed, barely making it to the bathroom in time to reach the toilet. My body heaves, and I vomit, my stomach violently expelling its contents.

Feeling drained, I rest my head against the cool edge of the toilet seat, gasping for breath. Every muscle in my body feels weak and shaky.

Another wave of nausea hits me, and I find myself retching again, my body convulsing with the effort. As I struggle through the ordeal, I suddenly feel someone gently lift my hair, holding it out of my face. I assume it's Gwyneth, but as the vomiting subsides, I hear a voice that makes me turn around in surprise.

Kaynim is there, crouched beside me, a concerned look on his face. He hands me a small towel, letting my hair fall softly back around my shoulders. I take the towel and wipe my mouth, feeling too weak to process the situation fully.

"Thanks," I manage to whisper, still reeling from the unexpected appearance.

Kaynim’s POV

I look down at Ari, her pale face glistening with sweat, and I can't help but think, s**t, she really does look terrible. If I'd known it was this bad, I would've checked on her sooner.

Zyméo linked me to say Ari was sick, but he was dealing with love troubles with Seraphina and decided to stay with her for the next few days. I know Seraphina well enough to understand she must have unleashed her best dramatic talents, complete with crocodile tears — that always works on my overly empathetic brother. But I could hear in Zyméo's voice that he was genuinely worried about Ari.

Tazzym has been acting weird at school too. He's mostly been keeping to himself or hanging out with friends, but no girls hanging on his arm, and he’s not staying over at anyone's place. Instead, he's been training with Beta River every evening and crashing there. He’s asked a few times about Ari through our mind-link, but each time it's been brief, with no further explanation. I’ve always told him that Omega Gwyneth is taking good care of her.

But that's the point. I’ll never admit it to anyone, but even though I knew Gwyneth was looking after Ari, I made sure to come home as quickly as possible after my classes, just in case.

Omega Gwyneth had to report to me how Ari was doing, but both yesterday and today, she barely ate anything. So, more concerned than I'd like to admit, I decided to check on Ari myself, intending to 'force' her to eat more.

But seeing her like this... I feel an urge to hold her, to take care of her. I don't want to feel this way; women are a distraction from the duties of an Alpha.

I can't help it; seeing her in this state does something to my heart. It won’t hurt to be a bit more attentive now that she’s so sick. Besides, I promised Nikolaj I'd take good care of his pack member... so that’s what I’m doing for my friend. The reasoning sounds hollow, even to me, but I need to convince myself why I'm so intent on helping Ari.

I gently help her to her feet and say, "Come on, a refreshing shower will do you good." Supporting her towards the shower, I can feel her frailty and the heat radiating from her feverish skin. Once we reach the shower, Ari hesitates, pushing me away lightly.

"Alpha Kaynim, I can manage on my own. You can go... but thank you," she stammers, trying to muster some strength.

Ignoring her weak protests, I gently pull her closer, holding her more firmly. "You don't need to change," I say softly. "I can smell that you're wearing my brother's shirt, and it could use a wash too. You're too weak to be left standing here alone." I turn her around and let her lean back against my chest.

Ari tries to protest again, but her resistance is feeble. I turn on the shower, and lukewarm water cascades over both of us. Ari’s protests cease as soon as the water hits her. She closes her eyes, and I can feel her body losing its tension, visibly relaxing. Her head rests comfortably on my shoulder, and I can't help but enjoy the moment.

As the water runs over us, I find myself becoming increasingly aware of her presence, the softness of her skin, and the way she fits perfectly against me. The intimacy of the moment, her vulnerability, and my unexpected urge to protect her stirs something deep inside me.

This is exactly the kind of distraction I don't need, trying to snap myself out of it. I have so much work to do, both for school and the pack, but right now, I'm rooted to the spot, unable to walk away from this sight, from this feeling. The sensation of having her so close, her body against mine, is something I didn’t anticipate, and it's affecting me more than I'd like to admit.