Wolf Like Me

Fatin POV (Age 8)

Leah began itching in class, fingernails scraping at her skin uncomfortably. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Fatin asked, putting her juice box down as she assessed her mate. Leah had lots of nervous habits she’d come to note with worry, but this was not one she had seen before.

“Fine, probably allergies.” Leah’s fingers moved to scratch her face where Fatin noted not one but numerous red marks and splotches lining her neck, cheeks, nose, and forehead.

“Maybe we should go to the nurse?” Fatin tried, something in her stirring that hadn’t been there before. A feeling of angst that told her something wasn’t right and left her on edge as she watched her mate with discomfort. 

“No, we have English next and I’m enjoying the book we’re reading. It’s last period anyway.”

Swallowing her unease, Fatin did what she could. Took her mate's backpack for her and carried it to their next class. 

It was after twenty minutes that things got worse. Leah’s fingers barely left her skin, putting her book down every five seconds to free up her other hand to deal with the itch. 

“Leah?” 

“I’m fine.” 

She’s not. Anyone could see it. 

“Leah-” 

“I’m fine!” 

Fatin sighed, swinging her legs idly for a minute in annoyance before climbing down and walking over to their teacher. Whilst her mate would likely be angered by her going over her head, she knew something was wrong and could feel it in her bones. Her mum always told her to trust her instincts, that ‘nature points us in a direction for a reason’ so Fatin listened. Even though listening would likely upset her mate.

“Leah is sick. Don’t let her tell you she’s not because she is- she’s just enjoying the book.” 

“There’s only thirty minutes of class left, Fatin. I’m sure she can manage.” 

Eyes glowing gold, she folded her arms. Fatin stared down at her now rather shocked teacher. “She’s sick. It’s not a cold. Leah needs to go to the nurse.” 

The teacher paused, eyes darting over to Leah who was scratching her arm with the book. 

“Okay, let me get you both a hall pass.” 

“Thank you.” Fatin swallowed the anxiety rising in her. 

“I can’t believe you told her that I'm sick. I’m fine,” Leah complained as she sat on the nurse's table, Fatin’s hand interlaced through her own in an attempt to get her to stop scratching. It had worked for the duration of their walk here. When Leah’s arms grew red, she interlaced them and swung Leah’s arm to distract her. Leah often swung her arm as a nervous habit, so over time Fatin knew the action soothed her.

“Actually, you’re not,” the nurse said. “You, Leah Rilke, have the dreaded chickenpox.” 

“What?” Leah winced. 

“Chickenpox, which is why you’re itching. It’s also highly contagious so you have to go home, and Fatin here needs to go back to class.” 

“No.” Fatin gritted her teeth, feet planted firmly as her eyes glowed again. 

“Fatin-” 

“No. I’m going home with her. She’s sick.” 

“It’s contagious,” the nurse said, not wanting to anger her by telling her no once more. One shouldn’t come between sick mates especially when the alpha is so set in warning as Fatin was, jaw tense, eyes gold like she was ready to fight a bitch with her tiny eight-year-old arms. It was even worse in young alphas yet to learn any emotional control.

“I don’t care.” 

“You can’t get sick,” Leah tried. “I’m fine, really.” 

Fatin simply sat down beside her; their hands intertwined until Maryann arrived. 

“Miss Rilke. I know you thought you were only collecting one child today, but Fatin here appears to be in warning…” 

“Oh,” Maryann restrained the laughter as she took in the two children. Leah looked exhausted and Fatin sat beside her with a firm jaw and glowing eyes narrowed at the nurse. “Have you notified her mother, or should I?” 

Leah had never gotten truly sick before, which was likely why Fatin’s reaction was so strong. Adding to the fact wolves of their age were yet to learn control, her emotions were on a rampage of protection and stubbornness.

“Miss Jadmani has been notified.” 

“And she?” 

“Laughed down the phone and said to ask you for pictures,” the nurse whispered to her. “She’s likely best going home with you.”

Maryann nodded, collecting both girls and promptly driving them home, tucking them up on the sofa with a blanket and food. 

“Leah, I need to put the cream on you.” 

“No.” 

“Honey-” 

“It’s cold and gross and feels icky.” 

“It will stop you itching,” Maryann tried. 

“I’ll do it.” Fatin tugged the cream from her, telling Leah to hold out her arms and grinning as her mate listened straight away. 

“If you could use that same superpower to get my daughter to clean her tip of a room it would be much appreciated,” Maryann said before leaving the pair. 

“It’s cold,” Leah whined. 

“It will help.” Fatin slathered it across her arms, wiping it hastily into her soulmate’s skin before moving to her face. 

“You got it in my mouth,” Leah groaned. 

“Don’t be such a baby.”

Much to her dismay, Fatin did in fact catch it, itching days later as Leah wiped the salve over her cheeks. 

“That was my mouth.” 

“Don’t be such a baby,” Leah echoed.

After that Fatin changed slightly. She grew more protective of her mate as wolves often did after their first bout of sickness experienced together. Alphas especially struggled with balancing emotions, so Rana ended up booking Fatin in to see an emotions therapist.

Fatin hated it- talking about her feelings. However, Jo was helpful and gave the tools that would allow her to manage the changes.

One suggestion was that they swap something scented.

As such, Rana piled both Fatin and Leah into the car on the weekend, taking them to Build-A-Bear.

“You can pick out one toy each. The lady at the stuffing station will take a small cutting of your hair and place it in a heart that goes in the bear.”

Both Fatin and Leah struggled with separation. Mates were not meant to be separated, but they also rarely met before adulthood when moving in together was expected. Jo had suggested they trade scent bears to help deal with the separation anxiety.

Rana had agreed that it was a good idea. She had noticed her daughter had started stealing Leah’s clothing and nesting with it which didn’t work as Leah had few clothes that she liked to wear. Bears would prevent her from getting calls from Maryann asking if she had seen Leah’s green hoodie. A hoodie she almost always found under her daughter’s pillow.

Neither was sure how they were still managing to sneak things past them. They always checked their bags now when collecting them, but their rooms were getting increasingly harder to separate as their own.

“I want the pink bear,” Fatin said, already picking it up. Her thumb brushed over the sparkling stomach.

“Leah, what would you like?”

“I don’t know,” Leah mumbled, looking at the bears on display. “There’s a lot to choose from.”

“There is no rush to choose one. Fatin why don’t you help Leah pick something out?”

Fatin tugged her mate along to the stand with all the bears that looked like characters. Leah liked comics and films so there were some here that she would recognise.

“I don’t like the Marvel ones, they look weird.”

“What about these?” Fatin pointed to the Lord of the Rings stand. A stand Leah’s eyes widened at as if she had seen Santa for the first time.

Her parents hadn’t taken her to Build-A-Bear before as it was expensive and a good drive from their house. Leah frowned at the prices shaking her head. “They’re expensive. The plain ones are cheaper.”

Fatin shook her head, pulling her mate back to the Lord of the Rings stand. “Pick one. My mum said anything you wanted.”

“Anything you want Leah,” Rana said from behind them. “Do you like these ones?”

“Leah loves these books.”

Rana knew such. She had seen her daughter-in-law reading all sorts of odd things you would expect to see in the hands of a forty-year-old. Then again, Leah often stole books from her dad’s shelf in the living room. Rana had to sneak Game of Thrones back to Maryann so she could hide it, knowing an eight-year-old should most definitely not have that one in their hands.

“Which character do you like?”

“Gandalf,” Leah said.

It was at that moment Fatin spotted something perfect across the room, heading away to retrieve it for her mate.

“What about this?” Fatin asked, holding out a black dragon.

“Toothless,” Leah said. Though her grip on her bearded Gandalf plush still remained strong. She looked between the two, holding them up to decide. Seconds turned to minutes, and Leah hadn’t moved an inch.

“You can get two,” Rana suggested.

“No.” Leah shook her head and Rana knew it was because she didn’t want her spending too much. She was the same with food, clothes, everything. Always looking at the cost the same way an adult would to summarise if she should have it or not.

“Leah, you can get-”

“No,” Leah said, cutting Fatin off. “I’m just deciding which.”

Another ten minutes passed, and Fatin grew restless because she knew her mate was struggling. Leah was often good with decisions, being adamant about her choice. However, sometimes she got stuck, and getting stuck made her worried about irritating others which often led to tears.

Fatin hated seeing Leah upset.

Quietly she put her bear back, taking the dragon from Leah’s hands. “What if I get the dragon and you get the beardy one? Then he is at my house, and you can see them both.”

“You don’t like dragons.”

“Yes I do,” Fatin said, and at that moment she did. Fatin loved whatever made Leah happy, whatever brought her comfort. That dragon represented all those good things and more, making him far more special in her eyes.

“You really want him?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll get Gandalf.”

“That’s the beardy one, right?” Fatin asked.

“Yes.”

The worker cut a small strand of hair from each of them, pushing it into the pouch of the heart that they rubbed their cheeks against, making a wish. Leah’s hair went into Toothless for Fatin, and Fatin’s into Gandalf for Leah.

“You did well today,” Rana said later after they dropped Leah home. “You’re good at calming her.”

“I just like it when Leah is happy.”

“Your father does the same for me and I for him. You're a great mate for putting her first.”

Fatin grinned, rubbing her nose against her dragon.

“But can I ask, how on earth, did you sneak another of Leah’s hoodies home?”

She looked away. Fatin would never divulge such secrets.