Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 21: Pt. 1

"No!"

"You have to." Ananya used her fingers to comb the vexed, thin strands of charcoal hair out of Oscar's dark eyes. Her fingertips brushed over his eyelids and pushed down gently, trying to coax him to sleep. "Stop fussing and sit still. You're messing up your hair."

Cai snorted. "He's stubborn, Ananya. Just leave him. When he falls unconscious and later dies, then we'll see if being a pain in the ass worked for him.'

Ananya scowled. "Be nice, Cai." She continued to stroke his hair and flinched when he coughed. "Drink water. I can feel you struggling."

"I don't need water." Oscar turned his head petulantly and crossed his arms flat over his bare chest. He coughed again and cleared his throat. "I don't understand why you guys are doing this. I'm perfectly fine."

"Dude, you ran into a burning building and just narrowly escaped," Cai said. "We're doing this because we care about you, and because if you get out of bed, you'll most likely trip over the stairs, fall to the marble ground, crack your head, bleed out, and die."

"Only my pride would be wounded. I have a tougher body than that."

"More like a tough skull."

"Cai, you're not helping." Ananya tugged Oscar's hair gently and brought his head back against the pillows. She put the plastic cup to his lips. "Drink," she commanded. "You need to hydrate yourself."

Without complaint (but narrowing his eyes), Oscar drank from the cup, his eyes closed in bliss as the chilly liquid swept down his throat and cleared his lungs. He coughed again and fumbled with the cup.

"Thank you," he mumbled. He set the cup on his bedside table and sighed. "I'm not sick, though. It's just some smoke in my lungs. It'll go away soon."

"You have to rest regardless." Samiya entered the room with a bronze tray. Cautiously, she peppered across the room and stood at the front of Oscar's bed. Her eyes darted from the Alpha to Ananya, then she handed the tray to Cai. "Here's some medicine. Take that and get some rest. You should be fine by tomorrow."

"I don't have time to rest." Oscar groaned as he fixed his upright position. "I have work to do. I have papers to fill out and I have to help the pack prepare for the Harvest Moon..." there was a twinge in his chest and he choked, then began coughing madly.

"Easy, easy." Ananya took the pill from Cai and dropped it into the water. She waited for the white capsule to dissolve, then handed the cup to Oscar again. "Oscar, you need to rest. If you listen to Samiya, then you'll be fine in the morning. If you don't, then you could be on bedrest for much longer than you'd like."

Oscar scowled. "But I can't just sit and do nothing!" Aggravatingly, he gulped the medicine and slammed the cup on the table. Samiya squeaked and jumped. "I have so many things to do! I..." he found himself at a loss for words. His duvet thinned as he clenched the thick sheets.

"You don't want to be helpless," Ananya murmured, more to herself than to anyone. She hesitated, then, when she noticed Samiya give her a cautious nod, she bent and kissed Oscar gently on the brow. "What if I help with the Harvest Moon?"

"Really?" Oscar paused to cough. "You want to help with the Harvest Moon? Like...manage the pack?"

"Erm...sure, why not?" She smiled. "If I do that, then you can get some rest."

"I can do the paperwork," Cai added. "And Samiya can stay with Ananya. Karsten's around too, I think."

Oscar's lips pursed. "Are you sure?" He took Ananya's hand.

"Of course! You did say that one day I'd be the Luna," she said with a grin. "I might as well start practicing, right? Besides, if I also become a detective I need to know how to manage people."

"That's fair." Oscar sighed and kissed her hand. "Alright. Samiya, stay with Ananya and help her if she needs anything. Have Karsten be with you both. Cai." He fixed his Beta with a stern glare. "Don't fuck anything up. Don't touch my stuff. Don't misplace my things. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever." Cai shrugged. "It'll be easy. I've seen you do paperwork before." He smirked. "You should have more faith in me, Alpha. If you die without an heir, who do you think is gonna be in charge of the pack?"

"I must've been drunk when I chose you," Oscar muttered, reclining on the pillows. "This pack will go to hell within a week of your command."

"Hey! That's not fair." The Beta pouted. "Samiya, he's being mean!" He searched for comfort in his wife, who giggled and patted his head lovingly.

Ananya watched them for a moment with a smile, then turned when Oscar tugged her hand. "Yes?"

He tilted his head, studying her expression. Then, he collected her by the waist, drawing her into his lap. Her knees hit the mattress and her hands fell on his shoulders as his lips found hers, protective and passionate in their fervent embrace.

"Stay safe, okay?" He murmured against her mouth. His fangs prodded her bottom lip. "This is technically your first time interacting with the pack. I...I'm not completely confident that things will go well...wolves aren't exactly known for their complacent nature." His forehead touched hers. "Promise me that you'll be careful? You may do what you please when I'm with you, but since you'll be alone..."

She rose and touched his cheek. "I promise, but I think you should have more faith in us." She left a teasing peck on his mouth. "As long as I'm on my feet, I can protect myself. Plus, Karsten will be with us. I think he likes me enough to protect me."

"I think so too. I know you'll be fine, Ananya. My wolves know the consequences of disobeying me." Oscar glanced past her at Samiya, who was whispering with Cai. "I just can't help but worry about you." He gave a huffing laugh and kissed her again. His eyelids fluttered as the medicine began to take effect on him. "Have fun, okay? Stay with Samiya and Karsten."