Chapter 22: Extra Work

Ran folded her arms across her chest. She examined Caph's appearance properly for the first time since her outburst.
He was drenched from shifting and still panting hard, as though he had run across the continent at record speed. (She really guessed it randomly.)
There was a frantic light in his eyes, a wild fear, a startling insecurity and uncertainty.
What happened? Had she really been so preoccupied analysing Dingo's intentions all week that she missed some incident happening in her own pack?
'Did something happen? Where have you been?'
Caph took another step forward, lowering his head to rest it on her shoulder.
He was really going to hug her. He wasn't joking.
She let him.
His sticky arms encircled her and she was enveloped in an uncomfortable heat.
She let him because of the tired energy he exuded.
The playful blue light she had gotten used to seeing had darkened, deepened into an abyss of despair. Ran could also feel frustration and anguish radiating from him in waves.
Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his waist and awkwardly patted him on the back, breathing in his salty animal smell.
His body was solid even though he was lean.
He didn't stink much even though he was drenched in wolf.
Ran pulled away from his grasp.
Wait, what?
He eyed her warily, quizzically.
Why was she thinking about his scent? It didn't matter what he smelled like. It wasn't as if she liked him...
'You stink,' she lied. Werewolves who had been busy in wolf form usually smelled bad. 'Come inside and get changed before you catch a cold.'
She resisted the urge to turn around and check to make sure he was not offended by what she had said.
She didn't care, Ran told herself, worried anyway.
If she had turned around though, she would have seen Caph smile.
And he might have told her she was a bad liar.
That the pink tips of her ears gave her away.
But she didn't, so he followed her instructions and dried himself off.
Ran leaned against the wall outside the toilet, waiting for him.
She heard sounds of water running. Was he taking a shower?
Her face warmed. Stop it right there, Ran! It was just the tap. See, he's brushing his teeth now.
The thoughts she had about Caph disturbed her.
She couldn't be confused. Not right now.
Dingo had disturbed her peace but he was gone.
She wasn't going to fall for this sort of ruse again. Once bitten, twice shy.
She could prove his real intentions.
Ran cleared her throat. It was so easy.
'Are you too tired? Acamar asked me to bring you on my rounds today.'
His muffled voice came from inside. 'You check in with your pack members on a Sunday?'
He opened the toilet door, his red-brown hair tousled and slightly wet.
'Yeah. During the week, things are easily to resolve because everyone's on alert and working. It's the weekends that most difficult problems decide to crop up and nothing can be done about it.'
There was a slight smile on his face and his eyes looked brighter. 'Good point,' he said.
She kept her face expressionless. 'My father came up with it. Acamar thought it was a waste of time until he became Alpha.'
They drove into Punggol Town with Acamar's truck, where most of the pack lived. The pack elders were housed in a resort-like settlement at the centre of the town where they could be easily protected should Eridanus be attacked.
Caph had seen the way she greeted Phel, the Alpha of the Phoenix pack, at his 100th birthday celebration, but he was still stunned by the formal and courteous manner she bowed and spoke to her pack elders.
It was the 21st century where no one feared the elders anymore and every werewolf had equal rights.
Yet Ran still bowed and lowered her eyes when she spoke though she was the Beta. She asked the ceremonial questions Caph had never heard his Beta brother ask his pack elders before:
'May I interrupt you for a moment? How is your health? Have you eaten? Has there been any problems since the last time I came? What else can I help you with? You can ask me anything, I will assist you for as long as you require.'
Even a purebred pack like Cassiopeia no longer required the Beta to conduct this ritual of respect with the pack elders. They were usually the most vocal in the pack when it came to voicing dissatisfaction or disapproval of things, so they rarely waited for these occasions to make noise.
So they ended up telling the Beta to do menial, randomly thought up chores like massage them somewhere or fetch something from their rooms instead.
There were younger werewolves assigned to regular patrols to cater to those needs, so this practice was largely scrapped. Yet Ran were here on a Sunday, her rest day, greeting each pack elder, engaging them in conversation, accepting whatever task they asked of her.
Without hesitation.
Caph realised again what an exceptional Beta she was.
He was moved once again by her willingness to do anything for her pack.
When he had followed Acamar around Eridanus, he saw how her uncle led the pack. He was strict with his pack, sometimes forceful and demanding, though he cared for the pack deeply—Acamar repeated that last part to Caph many times.
Did Acamar want Caph to see Ran's lack of leadership abilities for himself and how she would make a better Luna?
As he watched Ran coax rice porridge into the mouth of a grumpy-looking grandma who had grown frail from stubbornly refusing to eat the 'yucky stuff' the young'uns were serving her, he could see why Acamar thought that way.
Her coal eyes were soft and kind for once.
She seemed more feminine, her demeanour gentle.
Ran took care of her pack the way a Luna did—practically, conscientiously and utmost dedication.
And he was filled with an overflowing desire to surpass her, to protect her.
A male instinct?
Caph turned to the pack elder closest to him, aware of Ran's eyes on his sudden involvement.
'May I interrupt you for a moment? How is your health?'