A/N: if you did not read chapter [0] this may be a little confusing. If you're the type to go with the flow there won't be issues.
[8] Awkward Touch
The first time Mia realized her touches bothered Samuel it had been his birthday. He was turning seventeen, and although the invite to his celebration didn't reach her inbox she was automatically going due to Samantha. The werewoman refused to listen to reason, insisting Mia go. It didn't matter how much she was reminded of Samuel's hatred for her. It was no use, and for that reason Mia was amongst the celebratory crowd at the pack house.
Once songs were sung and food was distributed, the people went to the birthday teen with presents in hand. The outturn of guests was a surprise, as Sammie had intended to make it a small gathering, yet the majority of the pack chose to go.
It was then Mia noticed a strange pattern. When elders and married couples approached Samuel, often times he would hug his packmates. If they were not as acquainted they at least shook hands. However, the moment a mateless weregirl approached him, he stuck to appreciative smiles and distanced pats on the backs. The females didn't seem surprised, if anything they remained dazzled by his smile, which even Mia had to admit was quite beautiful. It brightened his features and made his eyes glow wonderfully. She may even prefer this look over the one he gave her when he was mad... but she would never admit that out loud.
He never looked like at her. He never smiled in her direction. A yearning for it made her grip his present tighter, but she squashed the feeling before she could ponder its meaning. Besides, she only bought him a present to not be rude. She did it for Sammie. She had worked hard to organize all of this and didn't want to ruin her best-friend's preparations by souring Samuel's mood. She figured a present might make him overlook her attendance, even though technically it was his sister's fault she was here in the first place.
"Happy birthday to the best brother in the world!" Samantha squealed, jumping into his arms. Samuel readily caught her and the present that had flown into the air.
"You didn't have to do all this. I appreciate it." The corners of his eyes crinkled in merriment, the smile he gave his sister was the biggest one yet.
Mia could only gaze, starstruck as she took in the row of white teeth, the shaking of his shoulders as he laughed, and the gentleness with which he put his sister down and opened the present. He tore the red wrapping off to reveal a brown box. Inside it held a pair of black sneakers, the expensive type sportsmen use and Samuel desperately needed. He thanked his sister again and immediately Sammie went behind him so that Mia could go next.
"You're here." He said plainly, when she approached him to say congratulations.
His words weren't happy, but at least they weren't soaked in displeasure—something that was generally a given when she was involved. This time he merely stated a simple fact.
"Yes. Happy birthday Samuel." She brought her nervous arms from behind and gave him his present.
Mia exhaled. Perfect. She succeeded in actually calling him by his true name, God forbid she slipped and called him reptile or Saurus, neither would be met with reception. When he opened it his brows rose in surprise. Inside was a variety of sketching pencils. The exterior was sleek and smooth, each pencil a different grade of graphite that ranged from soft to hard. In addition, it contained charcoal and blenders. She didn't consider it to be much, but she figured he might like it since she's caught him sketching multiple times.
When he realized he still hadn't responded to her present he cleared his throat. "Wow, thank you."
Mia saw movement from behind him. Mouthing lips and flailing arms. Samantha was motioning for her to hug him. Him. Her brother who pretty much hated her. Was she going crazy? Something tolerant must have been in Mia that day, for instead of ignoring her friend and going on her merry way to the dessert table she stepped up to him and hugged him by the waist.
He felt hard. And strong. Everything an athletic man would feel like. What she didn't expect was for her heart to race and nerves to go haywire. Mia convinced herself she didn't enjoy the feel of Samuel, she was only hugging him because it was his birthday and these types of days were exceptions. Besides, the dude wasn't even hugging her back. He turned severely tense, and when Mia stepped back his eyes were full of confusion.
"Refrain from touching me so freely. Don't do that ever again." He said.
He didn't sound angry. More so...disconcerted and uncomfortable? He avoided looking at her and went off to another part of the room, leaving her present in a pile with the others. Mia wondered if he was alright.
"Ugh! I should have known better than to hug him. See what you did Sammie? Now you made things awkward." Mia grumbled, folding her arms.
Samantha grinned like the cat who got the cream. "Of course I did," she said, owning up to her actions. "You're a mateless girl going into his personal space. If he didn't know you better he'd get the wrong impression."
She then went on to explain proper distance in their culture. The more she informed her, the more annoyed Mia got. Hugs were only given by familial ties and long-established friendships. They shied away from overt affection with mateless people their age, as it could be misconstrued into showing interest. As any other pack, the Dark Falls pack always had people in the process of courting. As their kind was a naturally jealous type, they had to be careful of how they showed appreciation. Weremen were known to fight for their courted female if another wereman was crossing boundaries. It was better being safe to avoid misunderstandings.
"So you mean to tell me that if Samuel were courting someone right now, she'd think I'm trying to steal her man?" Mia asked, dumbfounded.
Samantha beamed. "Yes!"
"You're horrible!"
"I know! Did you see how weird he got?! It was so funny!" She then fell into a heap of giggles, which Mia herself couldn't help but join. When they died down Sammie wiped her eyes. "It's a shame he won't only react like that way."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...next time you hug him he'll probably also get annoyed and angry," Samantha said, looking at her nails as though inspecting them.
Mia tilted her head to the side, suddenly interested. "Really?"
"Oh yeah, sooo angry. Gold eyes and everything." She emphasized.
Mia placed a hand to her chin. Although today was an exception, a raging Samuel was the best kind of Samuel. It was her favorite. "Hm, that's good to know." She was so busy plotting future ways to bother him that she didn't notice the evil glint in her best-friend's eyes.
Present
It was official, Mia could conquer the whole world. She thought this as she sighed contentedly, dressed in loose clothes with her hair unbound. As much as she hated working out, the after effects of it were amazing. The lull of sore muscles jumbled with the natural feel-good chemicals were making her really happy. There was only one thing left to do—finish interrogating Saurus. She could sleep in peace once this was over.
She entered his room without knocking, hopping onto his bed as though it were her own. Her bright red fuzzy socks contrasted against his dark covers. He was still sleeping. The serene expression made him seem less intimidating, as though he were a friendly sort. She knew better than to think that. Underneath this exterior laid a soul tinged with sourness. Would he ever be nice to her?
Why should I even care.
Mia leaned over him. The ends of her long hair curtained their faces, obscuring them from the dim light of a setting sun. He had slept much today. No doubt he ruined his sleep cycle for a day or so, all for this thing bothering him. An outsider would assume he'd awaken by her shuffling noises and minor movements, but the truth was that wolfmen were heavy sleepers. In their home environment they slept with depressed senses, allowing them to get true restful sleep. They only ever kept their senses heightened in foreign territory, or when their instincts warned of a stranger. As Samuel was sleeping at home, and Mia being no stranger, he remained sleeping.
Similar to before she hugged him, propping her chin on his chest. She could feel his muscles through the shirt. The rise and descent of his chest. It distracted her momentarily, making her lose sight of the purpose she was here in the first place.
The problem. Right. She was here to know what was bothering him. And she was only hugging him because he didn't like it. And because she sort of enjoyed it...a little bit. Not that she would ever admit that out loud. When he did not rouse she dug her chin into his sternum. Sure enough, he slowly awoke.
His blinks were slow and lazy, eyes still clouded with sleep. "Mia." She felt the rumble of his chest as he said her name.
"Rise and shine reptile! It's pretty much evening but I decided to pay you a visit."
Samuel closed his eyes to take a deep breath before sitting up, bringing her with him. "Why are you here? I thought we had an agreement."
He was quick to remove the arms around him and held them at her sides. How funny. He's stiffy over a hug when merely some days ago he held her in his arms to bring her down a tree. She had clung to him with her dear life and he hadn't minded... until they reached the bottom and he forced her to let go. He must only tolerate touching her when it was absolutely necessary.
"So what? You didn't specify I couldn't come again. Besides, I gave you enough time to sleep. Tell me what's bothering you."
He groaned. "Why do you care? Mind your own business."
"I'll hug you again if you don't tell me."
Samuel leaned against his headboard and regarded her. His eyes were penetrating, it made her feel as though he were looking through her, searching. "A new deal. If I tell you, you have to leave me alone for the rest of the week. That means no talking, no touching, and no being in my private spaces." He crossed his arms, but Mia only noticed that it made his biceps bulge.
She blinked out of her reverie. In essence, he didn't want anything to do with her. This was not surprising. It meant she couldn't bother him the way she usually did. No more teasing, no more jokes, no more raged gold-dotted eyes for a few days.
It would make things less fun but she could do that. "I agree. Tell me."
He sighed, beginning his account with a question. "Have you heard of the Zazevi virus?"
"Yes. It's the virus weremen get when they're bitten by a corcorus wolf. It keeps them sick for six to eight weeks without treatment." She prattled the first thing that came to her head.
"That's correct." He assented, nodding his head. "You also know we are one of the few packs who harvest merridin—the remedy for the virus. It cuts the illness to around a week with minor side effects. Typically we have excess, as it is a part of our natural flora. We sell the excess to packs who are not as fortunate, as well as to the other beastmen who deal with similar issues."
"Such as foxmen and tigermen." Mia supplied.
She knew they had corcorus beasts of their own. Sammie once told her a story of a tigerman who got bit by a corcorus tiger. His illness unfortunately lasted longer than two weeks and that was with the correct dose of merridin. They had called to complain about the plant's authenticity, only to realize they were preparing the plant inappropriately and had to continue treating him for an additional week. Clearly someone forgot to read the instructions.
Samuel continued. "Usually, the beastmen associated with land animals deal with the virus—such as wolfmen, tigermen and foxmen. But recently there has been a new development. Sharkmen and eaglemen are now susceptible to the virus too."
Mia's brows drew together in confusion. "What? I thought a bite from a corcorus shark or eagle had no ill problems, only a regular injury to heal."
Samuel's brows rose ever so slightly. He seemed impressed with her knowledge. Mia rolled her eyes. His sister was also in charge of managing the herb and remedy shop, of course she would know certain things though her.
"That's how it used to be. Now something strange is happening. These two beastmen types are showing similar symptoms of the Zazevi virus after being bitten. Because of that the demand of the plant has more than tripled," he said.
Mia wasn't surprised. She blamed the sharkmen, those people mated like it was nobody's business. Their population alone exceeded weremen and foxmen put together. "I don't see the problem. More sales means more money in your pocket."
"It's not that simple. The demand is too high for the quantity we harvest, and you know merridin isn't an easy flower to grow. Economics says to raise the price due to the higher demand. However, that would make things unfair for some beastmen. Foxmen and sharkmen dominate the business world. They're much wealthier compared to tigermen and eaglemen, which means they'll easily grab hold of it while the others struggle. I don't want to do that."
Mia shrugged. "Well, life isn't fair in general, but I can see why you're bothered. Why don't you just grow more merridin." She suggested, posing the obvious solution.
Samuel placed an annoyed hand to his forehead, pinching his lips. "Mia, did you not hear the part where I said it isn't an easy flower to grow? We have more than enough resources to grow it. We have land, supply, and workers. The problem is the flower. We can't seem to plant them and make them grow. All we do is nurture and harvest the ones that naturally grow in our area. We have tried various techniques to plant them in other areas—areas that are exactly the same in terms of soil quality. No matter what we do the flower always dies."
Mia was surprised. She was acquainted with Mandy and Julissa, the twins who oversaw the herbs from the moment they were planted to its harvest. They were meticulous about their work, and because of that everything they grew flourished.
"How...odd," she said. A plant that refused to grow? This piqued her interest. She wouldn't mind digging her hands into this one. "I want to try." She declared suddenly, growing excited at the prospect of a challenge.
Samuel stiffened, caught off guard by her statement. Then, he grunted, as though the idea were ridiculous. Which is why she was surprised when he said, "Do whatever you want. Just keep your end of the deal this time. That being said, get out."
Mia passed a casual hand through his hair, raking through the soft, silky stands. She laughed when Samuel smacked it away, telling her to cut it out. Unhesitating, she kissed his cheek. He fake-gagged in response, immediately ushering her to the door of his room. Mia couldn't stop the smile on her face. He was so lovely when he squirmed uncomfortably.
Werewoman were reserved when they made their intentions known to a wereman, so Mia's actions were considered 'vulgar' and 'improper'. If a female wanted to show a male she liked him, she need only say it. Touching a wereman with such familiarity could cause serious problems if the male was already courting someone else. Of course, Mia knew everything to do with him. He was nowhere near courting anyone, so who could she possibly offend? The fact that Samuel knew she did it for the sole purpose of irking him only spurned him further.
"You're so childish." He groused, nose flaring in ire.
Mia laughed again. Did he honestly think she would leave him so casually after being relegated to a whole week of no bothering? "Bye reptile, try not to miss me."
"Tch. I won't have to try." He gripped her arms securely as he geared her right out his door.
Mia frowned, her eyes growing wide and doe-like. "Why do you always reject me Samuel?" She asked him sadly, shoulders slumping. "It makes me really sad."
His hand was poised on the door edge, ready to close it in her face. For a moment, he paused, his muscles tensing as he looked at her. Really looked at her with his lips parted in uncertainty. Unfortunately, the corner of Mia's mouth twitched, giving her away completely. Instantly, his eyes became steel. He glared and slammed the door to her face.
Mia doubled over, clutching her stomach as a round of giggles overtook her. She had been so close! She wished she had held her composure a little longer to see what he would do. Probably reject her and send for a head check.
With this new knowledge Mia skipped her way to Samantha's room. Her best-friend could lend her the privilege to examine this plant.
A/N: Hmm... I wonder if Mia will be able to find out what's wrong with the plant. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you did please comment and vote :)
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