The Defiant Claim - The Claim: Book 2 [LGBTQ+]

Day after day passed. Dr. Waaban had the casts removed, but kept Sam’s neck in a brace. Some fresh incisions and stitches were wrapped in gauze or bandaged up on various parts of his body where they had to go in and remove bone fragments that they missed earlier or something of that nature. There was a great deal of concern regarding his spine and they had to spend more time on it now that it had healed and was whole again.

Mik took up Cameron’s chair by Sam’s bedside and stared at Sam for hours as he slept. He told Sam about his mother dying when he was two. His father’s reaction to it and the subsequent years that followed. The beatings, his mother’s room, the pain and loneliness, and longing to feel loved… The years as a rogue, always on the move, the struggle to survive every day. Then came the string of females. He couldn’t remember any of their names—he never took the time to learn them. A feast of lustful pleasures that he craved after a life deprived of love and affection. He told him about Jez, how she made him feel and how she dumped him without a second thought when she found her mate. He shared his thoughts about how he never allowed anyone into his heart after that. The one time he felt love, or some form of love, and guarded his heart ever since.

He tried to share his feelings toward Sam over the last few months. The words did not come easily and he mumbled most of them into his hands, too ashamed to even look upon Sam’s sleeping face. He tried to explain his disdain and utter disgust was with the fact that Sam was male and he didn’t swing that way. How he tried to put distance between them, avoid touching him and even looking at him, and tried to keep himself busy so his thoughts were always on his goals and never strayed to linger on him.

“Had you been female… I probably would have accepted you. Maybe not right away because you weren’t what I expected my mate to be like personality-wise, but…”

He trailed off. He was always trailing off. Never finishing his sentences because it hurt too much and made him hate himself all the more.

“Why… How were you able to accept me right away? Why did you take care of me after I snarled and pushed you aside? How did you put up with me for so long? I treated you like shit and still you…”

He pulled on his hair.

How did he feel about Sam now? Aside from the guilt and regret, what were his feelings now? He definitely didn’t detest him. He definitely felt differently toward him. If he could be honest with himself, he did care about Sam in a way he hadn’t cared about anyone else before, but how much of that was because of who Sam was as an individual or because of the matebond?

He still wasn’t ready to face that question, and when he ran out of things to tell him, he asked Eloise if she could give him a book or something to do to occupy himself. She handed him a cookbook and cackled as she walked away.

He wasn’t permitted to leave unless it was to go to the infirmary’s bathroom. He used the bathroom’s sink as a makeshift shower, washing his hair and face and scrubbing his body with a wet cloth. Someone brought him clean clothes to wear every few days.

Time passed slowly and Mik waited.

After another week, another body scan, Dr. Waaban said it was safe to begin massaging and gentle muscle exercises of Sam’s body. After finding out that Sam did these things for him when he was unconscious, Mik asked to be shown how to do them for Sam.

Taking a deep breath, he touched Sam for the first time in months. Immediately, he withdrew when the bond fired off sparks of electricity, making Eloise laughed at him.

“Here, wear these gloves.” She handed him a pair of thin latex surgical gloves as she stood on the other side of Sam’s bed.

While she massaged his right side, Mik mirrored her actions as he massaged the left side. When she lifted his leg, Mik waited for her to put it down before he lifted the other.

When Eloise came in to give Sam a sponge bath, Mik watched so he could do it the next time. He shied away from cleaning Sam’s male bits, opting to look away and carefully work around them and the connected catheter.

Another week passed.

Mik was comfortable now in taking care of Sam the way Sam had once done for him. Learning patience. Learning gentleness. Learning that it was time to give after taking for so long.

Small chapter books were given to Mik to read to Sam when he had exhausted everything to talk to him about.

Another week passed.

Mik stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He lost a lot of weight. His body was slimming down with the lack of exercise and vigorous training.

Does it matter? he asked himself.

Disgusted by his appearance, he exited the bathroom and asked Eloise to shave his hair off.

She raised an eyebrow in perplexity. “Me? Why don’t you go to the barber?”

He stood firm. “Does it matter? You guys shaved Sam’s hair off.”

Eloise and the pregnant nurse, Heather, exchanged glances before shrugging their shoulders.

“When was the last time you had a proper haircut, Mik?” Eloise asked.

“Not since I was a pup, I suppose.”

“Well then, let’s get you to the barber,” she said, rising up from her chair. “I think you could use a break and a little pampering.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want you to get in trouble with Alpha,” he mumbled. The mention of pampering conjured up images of facials and painted nails—gay shit that made him shudder.

She waved his comment aside. “Don’t you worry about it. He’s just down the hallway, anyway.”

Shoving his hands in the pockets of his loose cargo shorts, he followed the shorter woman out into the hallway a few respectful paces behind. Head down, back straight, with a slight shuffle in his step.

She opened a door ahead of him and pulled it open wide for him to follow her in. “Hey, Oshki. Are ya busy right now?”

Mik looked around the salon before looking at the guy hunched over a desk. There were only two chairs and one wash station but he supposed that was enough for the needs of the pack.

“Hmm, that depends on what ya need me for, darling. I got a pair of pups coming in at two.”

After scanning the space, Mik’s eyes fell on the male, just shy of six feet. Bronze skin with a healthy glow, dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, thick lips, and black hair that was buzzed short to the scalp on the sides and long on top, combed over to one side.

“Well, go ahead, Mik. Tell the male what ya want and I’ll see ya in about half an hour,” Eloise waved him forward before leaving and closing the door behind her.