Claude lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but it got pushed back so much. Don't worry about me. They want me not to feel guilty about it…
"I got into an altercation with a group of men. One of them had a gun and shot me five times." Claude felt his abdomen where Len had extracted the bullets. "When it happened, I… My mind went blank. I felt excruciating hunger and… If I were less careful, I would have eaten more people."
"Merciful Goddess, no wonder you were worried about my wound." Charles sighed in annoyance… only to slap Claude's head. The grandson even winced at the hit. The old man growled. "How dare you assume I have never eaten a human before! You think I will get hungry every time I get hurt? How old do you think I am? Am I a sheltered pup like you?
"Moon Goddess, have mercy…" Charles consoled Claude's head. "The hunger must have overwhelmed you. Are you…? Did the school kick you out?"
Claude rubbed the slapped area. "Uh… no. Actually, Psi Saint Alpha is covering for me. I'm sorry for getting worried about you, Grandpa. I just… you haven't attacked anyone for as long as Mom and I have known. I didn't know it would be that different…"
Charles pursed his lips and looked past Claude. He could see Eugene turning over a heavy single couch with difficulty. "Does your friend know about this?"
"Yeah… he was there." Claude turned to look for Eugene and chuckled as the other just couldn't handle putting a fallen cabinet upright. "I should help him now. I'll sweep the place later. Grandpa, why don't you stay on the couch? We'll clean up instead."
"What about the other wolves in Psi Saint Alpha? Do they know?" Charles frowned as he looked up at Claude again. "They're not making things difficult for you, are they?"
Claude stared at Charles and pulled on his lips. The other wolves in Saint Emilien…? Yes, those were Len and his whole group. If this were yesterday, that question would have confused Claude.
He smiled. "No, Len came to the scene seconds after the fight. He helped us get back to the dorm and handled the mess I've made. Even his friends in Psi Saint Alpha are looking out for me."
The grandfather huffed with a long face. "He better be. If Verena wants a shot at him being the Alpha, she should train him without mercy. Just because they're in the cage right now doesn't mean they'll grow up like proper adults."
Charles looked at Claude again. "So you… try to distance yourself from them more. Don't talk to them. They will drag you to that cursed pack."
"…I won't join their pack, Grandpa," Claude said before moving to Eugene's side. The furniture Eugene couldn't lift moved without Claude using another hand.
Instead of asking him then and there, Eugene only glanced at Claude. The other person shook his head, and Eugene frowned. Soon, he realized he couldn't ask anyway. The two of them just dealt with the mess caused by the intruders. Even if they didn't know what those men wanted, they should just make sure Charles wouldn't get into any trouble.
It was easier thought than done. After all, Charles would even provoke a vacuum cleaner.
…
"Is it just me, or did your grandpa take it lightly?"
Eugene asked as he watched Claude cook dinner for them. Since he was home, Claude thought of preparing food for his grandpa. Eugene wanted to stay over this time, so Claude had to serve three people. It was also a good time for them to talk without Charles paying attention to Eugene like he was a buzzing mosquito. Those old-man eyes were too sharp for Eugene to take without damage.
Claude glanced at his friend, but Eugene had his eyes closed. He was even rubbing his chin. "I mean, remember when it happened to you? You were like… crying so badly. I thought you felt disowned. Looking at him now, though… It's so strange."
"To be honest… I did feel like he was going to disown me if he found out I messed up." Claude sighed and scraped the shredded veggies into the boiling pot. "He's more interested in Psi Saint Alpha.
"Do you know? He used to be part of that fraternity, too." Claude dropped more ingredients into his soup. "It sounded like most 'monsters' are accepted into that place to regulate them. No wonder they took me in and left you out. I'm happy you don't have to get near people like them."
"Are you getting high on the steam?" Eugene arched an eyebrow before rapping a finger on Claude's shoulder. "I may not be Psi Saint Alpha, but those guys crept around me all the time! You were there when they tried to gang up on me. I don't know about this 'not getting near me' fantasy of yours, but I'm not living that. Besides… that Len guy is Psi Saint Alpha. I won't leave you alone with him for too long."
Claude glanced at the rapping finger, which Eugene took back after poking Claude's face. The violinist scoffed at the hit before shaking his head. "Just don't get too awful toward him. He's very kind."
Eugene pulled a long face. "Very kind? He's hitting on you. Of course, he's going to look like a saint. It's my job to bring out the worst in him! So you'd know what you're getting into."
"I don't want him to get annoyed too much. You should have seen their house." Claude leaned close as if gossiping, Eugene moving closer to listen in. "They have a lot of helpers who bow down to him, like, he's their master. I mean, I heard him say things like he was in charge of their family… but I didn't realize he was the pack's Alpha. You know what that means, right?"
"That he owns a podcast?"
"Not that…" Claude laughed, nonetheless. Eugene pulled a long face at his reaction. He started poking Claude's face again.
Claude cleared his throat, covering his mouth with the back of his wrist. He turned to Eugene again. "I mean… he's the most powerful werewolf in the estate. Everyone else is under his command, and being in a relationship with him is a big deal for the entire pack…"
Eugene frowned deeper before waving his hands. "Wait, you skipped over the part where you tell me… that he's exactly what you are? Like, you're the same kind of… big dog thing?"
"…did I skip that part?" Claude flinched and looked away. "Gosh… yeah, I… Fuck, I forgot to tell you a lot of things. Wait, where do I begin?"
"How about the part where you fucking left our house in the middle of the night? What was that about?" Eugene crossed his arms on his chest. "Did you get in trouble? Or did Len just randomly show up and bring you to his home?"