I looked at Candace's gray eyes, noting they seemed perfectly clear—not dilated or unfocused like I'd expect from someone under the influence of magical narcotics.

[Alecai🌲]: Candace looks fine to me. No rainbow-blue coloring.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Maybe she's good at hiding it? Binders can change their appearance easily. Sage did an Astral scan on her from across the lecture hall this morning with his necro-book and said her aura was "fractured and unstable"

[Alecai🌲]: Could be because she dimensionally split herself to get away from her parents for the summer

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Hrmmm

I felt soft fingers running through my hair. Candace had positioned herself so she was practically draped across my shoulder, her silver-white paw gently stroking from my forehead back through my hair in slow, soothing motions. I glanced at her. "Yes?"

"Just taking care of my Alpha," she said simply, her voice carrying a pitch of soft, musical fox purr. "You look stressed about the doggy drama."

From her chair across the room, Kristi's gaze fixed on us with laser intensity. Her feathers had started to bristle slightly, and I could hear the faint scrape of claws against the armrest of her chair.

"He doesn't need... grooming," Kristi said, her voice carefully controlled but with an edge that hadn't been there moments before.

"Everyone needs grooming," Candace replied without stopping her ministrations. "It's basic pack care. Helps with bonding, reduces stress hormones, promotes healing through increased circulation—"

"He's not a pradavarian," Kristi interrupted sharply. "Human pack dynamics don't work the same way."

"Oh?" Candace's gray eyes sparkled deviously. "And you're an expert on human bond dynamics now, are you? Do tell, how many human boyfriends did you have?"

"I know enough," Kristi growled, her tail beginning to lash behind her chair.

I tried to focus on typing a response to Nessy, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the territorial tension building in the room. Candace's petting had grown more deliberate as she kneaded my head with her claws and soft pads. Meanwhile, Kristi looked like she was calculating the exact distance needed to leap across the room and violently separate the fox from my general vicinity.

I considered telling Candace to get off me, but then again a part of me desperately craved this exact appreciation by a pretty prad girl at my side after eighteen years of being told I was completely worthless by my family, peers and authority figures.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Are you still there?

[Alecai🌲]: Yeah, just got distracted. Candace is

I paused, glancing at the fox whose face was now mere inches from mine as she continued her "grooming" routine.

[Alecai🌲]: being very hands-on with the whole Alpha care thing

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: -.- hands-on how?

[Alecai🌲]: petting my hair, staying by my side, generally being territorial about personal space

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Is it bothering you?

I considered the question. Candace's touch was rather soothing, but there was definitely an element of performance to it—especially given how she kept glancing at Kristi with that satisfied smirk.

[Alecai🌲]: Its relaxing but also feels like she's trying to prove a point

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: About what?

[Alecai🌲]: No idea. Could be just prad pack behaviour. I didn't have a pack before. Or she could be hitting on me again. Hard to tell.

"You're texting an awful lot," Candace observed, her paw sliding down to rest on my shoulder. "Hope you're not telling the doggy all our secrets."

"What secrets?" I asked. "That you're the most modest, understated pradavarian I've ever met?"

Candace laughed. "I have no idea what you mean. I'm just being a supportive packmate."

From across the room came the unmistakable sound of Kristi's chair scraping against the floor as she abruptly stood up.

"Supportive packmate my ass. I'm getting food," she announced curtly. "It's lunchtime."

"Aight," I said.

The raptor departed quickly.

"Pfff," Adelle mumbled from her chair, one eye cracking open. "Somebody's jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Candace asked innocently, though her tail was practically vibrating with pleased energy.

"Of you marking your territory all over our Alpha," Adelle replied with a lazy grin. "Pretty sure if Kristi could breathe fire, this whole room would be ash by now."

"I'm not marking territory," Candace protested. "I'm providing necessary pack support during a medical recovery period!"

"Uh-huh," Adelle's eye drifted closed again. "And I'm the Queen of the Northern Territories."

My phone buzzed again.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Everything okay? You went quiet again

[Alecai🌲]: Kristi went to get food. Seemed annoyed about the fox situation

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: The fox or the fox touching you?

[Alecai🌲]: Probably both

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Hrm. That's territorial competition. Very normal for newly formed packs

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Usually it's resolved through dominance displays or actual fighting

[Alecai🌲]: Great. Looking forward to refereeing prad girl cage matches in my near future

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: lol it's not that bad. Usually

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Unless someone gets really possessive >.>

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Then it gets… interesting and violent

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[Alecai🌲] I see

Twenty minutes later, Kristi returned carrying a cafeteria tray laden with what seemed to be enough food for three people. She'd changed out of her torn, blood-stained outfit into fresh jeans and a Ferguson High hoodie that made her look younger and less intimidating.

"Food," she announced, carefully setting the tray on the bedside table. "Soup, sandwich, fruit, and... other stuff."

"Other stuff?" I asked, noting the variety on the tray.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want exactly," she said, not quite meeting my eyes. "So I got... options."

The centerpiece of the tray was a large bowl of what looked like chicken soup, steam rising from the surface in aromatic spirals. Beside it sat a grilled cheese sandwich cut into perfect triangles, fresh fruit salad, a Caesar salad, several bags of chips, two different cookies, apple juice and some kind of energy drink.

"Kristi, this is way too much food," I protested.

"Shush. You need nutrients for healing," she said firmly, pulling her chair closer to the bed. "Sit up, you knob."

I pressed a button to elevate the back of the bed and sit up.

Kristi picked up the soup bowl and spoon. Dipping it into the broth she brought it to my mouth. "Aaaa."

"What," I stared at the spoon.

"Open mouth, accept soup," she said.

Candace was struggling not to explode into giggles at my side.

"I can feed myself, I'm not paralyzed," I tried to grab at the bowl and spoon.

"Nope. Your hands are still shaky from the burns and the IV medication," Kristi replied, pulling the bowl out of my reach. "And you're still weak from overheating and general blood loss. Just let me help."

"Kristi, I'm fine—"

She pinned me with amber-gold eyes, and I could see the stubborn determination that probably ran in the Strand family bloodline. "You are my Alpha for the remainder of this semester," she said with quiet, sword-sharp intensity. "That makes your health and wellbeing my absolute responsibility. So shut up and let me take care of you."

Before I could protest further, she'd brought the spoon to my lips. I opened my mouth, surrendering to her care. The soup was perfectly warm, rich with flavor and loaded with chunks of chicken and vegetables.

The second spoon heading towards my face was suddenly intercepted by Candace with a sly look.

"Do you mind?" Kristi growled.

"Mmmmm… Just making sure it's the right temperature," Candace licked her white lips. "Wouldn't want you to burn our precious Alpha… some more."

Kristi's eye twitched. "Do you take me for a moron who cannot tell if a soup's temperature is tolerable for a human mouth?" She growled. The metal spoon in her hand creaked slightly as her grip tightened.

"Candace," I said warningly.

"What?" the fox asked with exaggerated innocence. "I think it's lovely that Kristi wants to make sure you're properly nourished. It shows real pack loyalty."

She emphasized the word "pack" in a way that somehow managed to sound both inclusive and possessive at the same time.

A deep snore resounded from the direction of the passed out Adler. The cheetah's head was lolled to one side, pink tongue out in an adorable blep.

Kristi's only response was to scoop up another spoonful of soup and bring it to my lips with perhaps slightly more force than necessary.

"Eat now," she commanded.

I complied, partly because the soup was actually quite good and partly because I could sense this was rapidly becoming some kind of pradavarian dominance contest with me as the unwitting prize.

As I swallowed, Candace made a soft, approving sound. "Such a good Alpha," she murmured, her claws trailing down to rest on my hand. "Taking care of himself so well."

The praise, clearly designed to provoke Kristi, had the intended effect. The raptor's feathers began to flutter as she loaded up another spoonful.

"He wouldn't need taking care of if he made better decisions," Kristi said pointedly. "Like not getting magically bound to asshole bikers."

"Hey," Candace's voice took on a slightly jagged edge, "some of those bikers turned out to be excellent packmates, thank you very much."

"One of whom is currently unconscious from overeating," Kristi observed, glancing at the snoring Adelle.

"That's just her way of celebrating victory," Candace defended.

"By eating herself into a food coma?"

"Everyone processes success differently," the fox shrugged, snagging another spoonful of soup.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" Kristi growled.

"I'm attempting to determine if you're willing to feed me soup or if you want me to feed you soup," Candace said with an extra-sly expression of sparkling gray eyes. "Doggo's right. It's important to establish everyone's place on the pyramid swiftly to avoid in-fighting."

"Are you seriously establishing a hierarchy right now? Via soup?" I asked.

"Every pack needs structure," Candace said matter-of-factly. "Especially newly formed ones. I prefer being directly below the Captain. The Leader and others usually rely on my intelligence gathering skills since I've the highest Identify skill."

My phone buzzed with another message from Nessy.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: How's lunch going? My friends are still giving me the lecture about poor life choices and emotional manipulation tactics 😑

[Alecai🌲]: My packmates are having some kind of a dominance contest over who gets to feed whom soup

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Oh? What's the dynamic looking like?

[Alecai🌲]: Fox is being possessive, raptor is being protective, cheetah is in a food coma

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Sounds about right for a new pack. Usually takes a few weeks to sort itself out

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Unless someone makes a definitive dominance display which helps resolve territorial disputes

"A 'definitive dominance display', huh?" I muttered, reading Nessy's message.

Both Kristi and Candace froze, looking at me with expressions that suggested I'd just asked about nuclear launch codes.

"What about it?" Kristi asked carefully.

"Nessy was explaining pack dynamics," I said, showing them the message. "She mentioned dominance displays."

Candace's tail began swishing. "Oh, she did, did she? And what exactly did our sweet little doggy tell you about dominance displays?"

"That they help resolve territorial disputes," I read from the screen.

"Technically true," Kristi said, though she looked distinctly uncomfortable. "But we definitely shouldn't—I mean this is a place of healing. Nurse ain't gonna be pleased if we start something here."

"Oh, I think we absolutely should," Candace interrupted. "If our Alpha wants to understand pack dynamics, we should demonstrate."

"Demonstrate what?" I asked.

The fox's grin widened. "Simple. We determine who has higher status in the pack hierarchy."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Kristi asked. Her feathers were already starting to ruffle in anticipation.

"Contest of skills," Candace said smoothly. "Winner gets to be higher on the pyramid. Loser accepts subordinate status."

I could practically see the competitive fire igniting in Kristi's eyes. "What are you suggesting, fox? If we're talking about pure strength, I doubt that you…"

"No violence. We should go with whatever our Alpha deems appropriate," Candace replied, turning to me with an expectant expression. "After all, it's his pack. His choice of what we should bring to the table."

Both pradavarians turned to look at me, waiting for my decision. In the background, Adelle continued snoring, blissfully unaware of the power struggle unfolding around my hospital bed.

"Right now?" I arched an eyebrow.

Both prad girls nodded eagerly.

My phone buzzed again.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: If they're asking you to choose a contest, pick something that plays to cooperation rather than competition

She seemed to guess as to what was happening to me.

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Dominance displays don't have to be about physically beating each other

[Alecai🌲]: What do you suggest?

[MaximaPawsome🐾]: Maybe something that shows who's better at taking care of the pack Alpha? 😉

I stared at the message, then at the two pradavarians watching me expectantly.

"Fine," I said finally. "If you absolutely must have a contest, then here it is: whoever does the best job taking care of the… entire pack for the rest of the day wins."

"Taking care of the pack?" Kristi repeated.

"All of us," I clarified. "Me, Adelle when she wakes up, Nessy and yes, even each other. No sabotage, no undermining. Just pure supportive, wholesome pack behavior. I'll be the judge who performs best."

"Huh," Candace's ears perked up. "That's... actually kind of clever. Addie just made us punch and claw each other to see who could endure the longest. Aight. I accept." She looked at the raptor. "You in? Also, how did Firestorm pick you as their pack leader?"

"Violence," Kristi replied darkly. "The raptors always choose violence." She poked Candace's face with the spoon. "Right. Let us begin then. Fox, accept nourishment."

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