Lilith dug in like she’d never eaten in her life. Griffin sighed and looked like he was going to melt with happiness.
At that moment, a set of footsteps neared the front door seconds before it swung open. The door crashed into the food bag and Lilith’s bowl, scattering kibble all over the floor. At the same time that Skylar ran in, Lilith panicked. She yowled and ran into the corner, puffing up in fear.
It happened fast. Griffin gasped and went to Lilith’s side to try and soothe her, but I knew instantly that was a bad idea. Her fur stood on end from being startled, and her eyes were wide and wild.
Skylar, who was still unaware of what had happened, looked around in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
But I saw Griffin’s hands closing in on Lilith and I knew I had to act fast.
“Griffin, don’t - ”
In a lightning-fast blur, Lilith lashed out with her claws, and Griffin yelped before stumbling backwards. Lilith took the opportunity to dash away and hide somewhere else in the apartment.
Skylar gasped. “Oh my god! Griffin, are you okay?”
I ran to him and took his hand to examine it. Sure enough, the four claw marks across the back of his hand, angry and red. They slowly began to bleed.
“What were you thinking?” I asked him, more exasperated than angry.
“I - I don’t know,” Griffin admitted. “I thought I could help her calm down.”
“She’s a pregnant, hormonal cat. She probably doesn’t even knowhowto calm down when she’s frightened,” I mumbled.
Griffin seemed truly embarrassed and hung his head.
Skylar interjected. “Sorry, this is my fault too. If I hadn’t barged in like that…”
“No, you had no way of knowing. It’s nobody’s fault,” I told him. I put my hand on Griffin’s shoulder. “At least now you know not to do that again, right?”
He nodded.
“I’ll go get alcohol and a bandage,” I said.
“No, I can do it,” Griffin said, his cheeks flushed with shame.
I knew he probably wanted to deal with the wound himself, since he was the one who inadvertently caused it. “Okay. The stuff’s in one of the bottom drawers.”
Griffin nodded and skulked off, while Skylar and I remained to clean up the spilled kibble. Soon it was all back in the bag, which I put a locking clip on before putting it away in a closet.
“I feel like I interrupted a moment,” Skylar murmured.
“Wewerekind of having a moment,” I admitted. “Griffin was feeding Lilith. You should have seen the look on his face, like he was in heaven.”
“Aww,” Skylar cooed. “I wish I saw it. Instead, I just ruined it.”
“It’s okay. We’ll live.” I pat his shoulder comfortingly. “How was work?”
“Um,” Skylar began, screwing up his brows. “It was fine, except…”
I didn’t like the way he trailed off. “Except what?”
“It’s not really a huge deal, but there was a guy lurking around outside the café today. Almost like he was afraid to come in,” Skylar told me.
“An alpha?” I asked.
He nodded. “I think so. He was big and tall enough to be one.”
We both knew that wasn’t a precise indicator of one’s status, but it was enough to go on. “Was he being weird or something?” I asked, ready to get annoyed.
