Chapter 78 - Z stands for Zeke

Jade eyes fluttered open. They stared at the walls of the cavern for a moment before Zeke blinked his eyes a few times to get rid of the heaviness. It took him a while to remember where he was and yawned. 

"Jian Yu?" Zeke rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "My goodness… I actually fell asleep. How long?" 

He murmured, his voice slurred. 

Jian Yu blinked, momentarily taken aback by the adorableness presented in his view. Coughing, he cleared his throat before speaking. "Four to five hours. How are you feeling?" 

"Except for the numb leg, pretty refreshing. Why didn't you wake me up earlier? We could have exchanged the night watch." 

The silver-head Beta raised his eyebrows at that as if saying 'you? With that leg?' but Jian Yu waved him off before Zeke could say anything. "It's not a big deal, besides I can't sleep either." 

"Sorry for troubling you," The black-haired Alpha felt really bad, especially when he squinted through the dim lighting, he could see the dark circles forming under Jian Yu's pretty eyes. "You don't look good." 

"I've been worse," Jian Yu reassured the worried-looking Alpha. "In addition, something happened, right?" 

The silverette Beta cooed and a yip sounded as if agreeing to Jian Yu. 

Zeke blinked his eyes a few times before looking dumbstruck, then realization dawned on him. "The wolves…!" 

He whipped his head so fast that Jian Yu winced when he heard a soft crack echo as he rubbed his own neck to ease the pain he imagined feeling. 

"How did you…?" 

"Say hi to Z junior!" 

"Z--zee junior?" 

*Take note that Z sounded like Zee, almost similar to Zeke's nickname, if you recall, Mika, Derek, and Lynn also called Zeke by that nickname. And from now on, I will use "Z" to address the wolf and "Zee" for Zeke's nickname.*

Jian Yu was desperately trying to contain his excitement from shoving the baby wolf in front of Zeke's face as to not jostle the fractured leg of Z. He wanted to show off how cute it was and how similar it was to the other Alpha. 

From the dark coat to supporting a broken leg. The only difference was their eye color. Zeke had jade ones while Z had bright golden eyes like his mother. 

So, all in all, Z sounded like a perfect name for the baby wolf! 

Feeling like he had been called, the little black wolf excitedly yip again, happy that he was being included. With one hand holding the baby wolf carefully, Jian Yu used his other one to scratch Z under his chin. 

"Poor little thing got his hind leg broken…'' Jian Yu lamented, adding a 'almost like you' on his own inside his own head. "I know Dr. Liam is a physician, but do you think he could help out baby Z?" 

Zeke almost choked on his saliva as his face flared. While his brain was trying to process the whole sentence, his mind seemed stuck on the word 'baby'. 

Having the same nickname as that little wolf wouldn't be as easy as he thought. What if Jian Yu called the wolf but instead he was the one that came over? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?! Where would he put his face if it indeed happened?

When he saw Jian Yu cooing at the little wolf, Zeke took advantage of the extended timeframe given to him to organize his thoughts. Yes, Dr. Liam could cure anything, humans and animals, though he leant more towards humans. 

Looking at that fractured leg of the wolf-- Hey, hey, you little wolfy bastard, what's with that slippery tongue? Keep that tongue away, thank you. A flare of irritation, small but definitely there, was bubbling in him. 

That little guy might be a baby right now, but Zeke could smell the burning of Alpha scent seeping through its fur. And right now, it was dowsing itself in Jian Yu's calming Beta scent, happily receiving the love that Zeke yearned for. 

"Bring it to a veterinary surgeon." Zeke had said it out loud without him realizing. There was a bite in his tone, but he quickly cleared his throat, and spoke again. "I mean, I suggest bringing him to a vet. That leg didn't look promising at all. If you want, I could help you. I know a top-notch one, he is very excellent in his job." 

The Alpha wanted to hide forever. What was he? Five? Why the hell was he competing for Jian Yu' s attention with an animal? Gosh, he was such an animal. Maybe he was indeed a beast in sheep's clothing. 

"Really?" Jian Yu gasped softly. "You would do that for me?" 

"Y--yeah, really!" Zeke exclaimed, shooting up from his slouching position and almost forgotten about his ankle but damn, that look of expectation Jian Yu gave him just made his heart skip a bit. 

"We should get going." He leveled a glare at the wolf and said black little wolf felt it. Offended, Z junior decided that it was a good idea to growl back at the Alpha. 

Jian Yu, still with the wolf in hand, sat back on his heels, bangs falling over his eyes. "I'm sorry. Like this, you won't be able to participate in the next round." 

"What? No, really-- who cares about that. It's not your fault I twisted my own ankle, we have been over this already. Besides, it's easier for them, right?" 

"Cocky," Jian Yu scoffed before nodding slowly. 

It was just a tournament, an annual one at that. If you missed out this year, you could do it next year. So no need to get hung up on things that had already passed. 

Keep looking forward and not look back. 

Just like what he had been doing all the time.