17: I like cake. A lot.
**Kala pov**
Every second that passed felt more like an eternity. I desperately wanted to hold Zion’s hand, to show him even in his state that I was here and didn’t plan on leaving his side, but I was scared to touch him.
Watching him like this, my heart was breaking. My strong, loving, wonderful mate was just a shadow of himself, trapped in the wolf’s form, whimpering in pain.
I could hear the voices outside the tent, but I couldn’t bring myself to look in the direction. Deep down, I understood that all of this was happening because of something that was plaguing Bane as much as everyone else, but it was really hard not to blame Bane for everything either.
All I wanted was to see Zion get better, but these days, even that felt impossible. This was the second time I watched my mate beaten down and hurt to no end because of someone he still called his best friend.
“Uh, so, do you like cake?” The brute in the tent spoke up, startling me.
I looked at him in disbelief. Here I was, praying for my mate, half listening to what was going on out there near the tent and he was asking me about cake? How stupid was he?
“I like,” he said and scratched the back of his neck. “Cake. A lot. The women make cake out of everything they find in the forest, once they even made an acorn cake. It was a little hard to chew but it wasn’t bad at all. I think my most favorite is honey cake.” He rambled on.
I was sure that there were two possible explanations about this overgrown man. One - mother nature never blessed him with a brain. Two - when he was a kid, his parents dropped him so many times, he lost the ability to use the little brain he had.
“Are you seriously asking me about a cake? In a moment like this?” I asked, sharper than intended.
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “You look like you’ll cry. Cake makes me happy so I tried to make you happy too. The leaders do this to sad children, they talk about something that makes children happy so I was trying to do the same thing.”
It was truly beyond me how he acted so nonchalant after I more or less went off at him. The man had the nerves of steel if he didn’t take my aggression to heart.
I took a few calming breaths and finally sat down, running a hand over my baby bump and muttered, “I’ve never tried acorn cake. Or honey cake. I grew up as an orphan more or less, the witches took me in and they weren’t the biggest fan of sweet things. Zion likes to bake, as funny as it sounds,” I choked on a soft laugh.
The brute sat next to me, careful to stay mindful of my personal space and nodded. “Zion makes you happy so we talk about Zion then?”
Honestly, I couldn’t put into words how his simple words actually made me feel. Just a moment ago, I thought to myself how stupid he was, but now, I felt a sense of calm because of his statements.
He was right, though. Focusing on something that brought happiness could pull me out of the bad headspace and add more spark to the hope that everything will get better eventually.
“Zion really makes me happy,” I muttered and nodded, eyes focused on the bump. “He’s the first person in my life who has ever cared about my happiness and comfort this much. Or at all. He’s.. special in all the best ways, you know.”
The brute hummed and nodded in understanding. “So Zion is your honey cake?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his statement. Never, really never in my life had I thought someone could compare love and mate bond to a cake, but now, I’d take what was offered. “Yeah, he’s my honey cake.”
“Would you like to try the cake one day?” He asked in a low hum, then carefully brought his hand closer to my bump, giving me enough time to pull away or slap his hand away. Since I didn’t do either, he carefully poked my bump where my son’s foot was pushing against the skin, “maybe the little thing in here would like honey cake too? I can show you how to make it.” He added.
Somehow, the most scary and painful experience in my life turned into an impromptu offer to learn how to make a cake. Was this really my life or some alternate reality?
My eyes darted to Zion, who was sleeping on the table peacefully. I could see the wolf’s chest rise and fall with every breath and at least he didn’t look like he was suffering in a lot of pain. Whatever the healer gave him at least let him rest and eased the suffering.
“I don’t want to leave his side,” I whispered to the brute. “What if he wakes up and I’m not here to hold his hand through the pain?”
He caught me off guard by pressing the large palm against my bump. “I understand, but this right here,” he emphasized the words by spreading the large hand across my bump, “this is just as important. You need to feed to keep the growing life healthy. Your mate is strong, we all know that, we saw him fight and protect the camp. He needs rest and you two need food.”
My eyes darted between Zion, my bump and the brute until, finally, I gave in and nodded. “You’re right. I haven’t had a proper meal in a while and the baby needs the nutrients. I just.. I don’t want to walk past Aife and that monster.”
As soon as the words left me, I felt bad for saying them, but I didn’t take them back. Bane was a monster in his own right and nobody could convince me otherwise.
The brute nodded at the other side of the tent and pulled his hand back, standing up and offering me his hand to help me up. “You’re in luck because we can leave using the other flap. Your mate is safe here. Come, let’s get you fed. I will teach you how to make honey cake.”
I slid my hand in his and stood up, following him out of the tent unnoticed by the people gathered nearby. There was no saying if I could trust this man at all, but all I knew was that in a sense, stupid or not, he was right.
Just as important it was for me to know Zion could pull through, it was to ensure our baby was growing strong and healthy and I’d be damned if I didn’t ensure that was the case.
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