The Alpha's Mutt
Limits on Time

“What did you do?” I demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He shrugged as he turned around to face me.

“You know exactly what I mean.” I argued, crossing my arms over my chest in irritation. “Why did you tell them that we are mated and should share a room?”

“Oh that.” He remarked, casually, as he walked towards the bed.

“Yes, ‘that’…” I pressed, mockingly.

“There is a simple explanation for that.” He stated as he fell backwards onto the bed with a thud.

“Enlighten me.” I scoffed.

His relaxed demeanor was only furthering my irritation with him.

“Look…” He began as he propped himself up on his elbow to get a better view of me. “When I called to tell them that we were coming, Alpha Lowell explained that they were short on rooms. I told him that we are mates and that we could share a room, if it was necessary.”

I huffed in annoyance, rolling my eyes. Of course, he had a perfectly good explanation for why this had happened. I could hardly even be mad about it because he was not in the wrong, even though I wanted him to be.

“I don’t see why you are so bent out of shape about this. We ARE mates. It makes sense for us to sleep in the same room.” He argued. “And don’t worry, I am not going to try anything that you don’t want me to.”

He raised his hands, innocently, as if to prove his point.

“Damn right you won’t.” I affirmed. “I have no intentions of sharing a bed with you. So, I will be happy to take the floor.”

“What?!” Farris looked at me in shock. “Are you seriously going to sleep on the floor just to avoid staying in a bed with me?”

“Why not?” I questioned, confidently. “I am not as soft as you are. I do not require such luxuries as a plush bed. I am more than happy to take the floor.”

“Did you just call me soft?” Farris asked, pushing himself up from the bed, as though a reminder of his size would change my opinion.

“Yeah, I did. Am I wrong?” I charged. “The guest rooms in your pack house are just as lavish as this one is, if not more so. You may be a wolf, but you live more like a human. You require your luxuries in order to feel comfort. I doubt that you would last long in the wild.”

“That is NOT true.” He scoffed, clearly bothered by my words. “I am all wolf. I can handle anything that you can.”

“Sure, you can.” I countered, sarcastically, before wandering into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind me.

I took a long, hot shower, taking advantage of the opportunity to utilize such a resource. I wanted to leave Farris alone in the room as long as possible. My hope was that he would either lay down for a nap or head out to speak more with the Alpha. I did not want to discuss things any further at the moment. I had been able to leave with the last word and I wanted to keep it at that.

After my shower, I tossed on some sleepwear before exiting the bathroom, slowly. I opened the door just a crack and checked for Farris’s location. When I did not see or hear him, I stepped out, carefully, and tip-toed into the room.

I looked over at the bed, expecting to see Farris sleeping there. He had been running for fifteen hours straight, after all. I was sure that he could use some rest before we began looking into this illness further. However, I was surprised to replace the bed empty, the blankets barely touched.

That was when I noticed the figure, sprawled out on the floor near the other side of the bed, with a blanket tossed, haphazardly, over his body. He was fast asleep, a light snore playing on his lips. I could not help but giggle when I saw him there. He had, actually, lain on the floor to prove to me that he could handle my lifestyle; to prove me wrong.

“Stubborn wolf.” I thought while shaking my head.

We will see how happy he is with his choice when he wakes up feeling sore. It takes time to get used to sleeping on such a hard surface. But I would never admit that to him.

Though, I could not help but take a moment to admire him as he slept. He really was an astonishingly handsome wolf. If the circumstances surrounding our pairing had been different, I really would have considered myself a very lucky she-wolf. His strong jaw looked as though it were made of stone, but his plump lips were soft and inviting. His hair looked like silk despite its unkept state, and I had the urge to run my fingers through it.

It was hard not to appreciate what the Goddess had attempted to give to me. I knew that I would need to begin trying to soften my attitude towards him. I was meant to be giving him a chance as my mate and I could not really do that if I continued to keep him at arm’s length. It was going to be difficult for me to let things go, but it was for the best, I hoped. Hanging on to the pain and anger was not doing me any favors any longer.

Seeing these wolves look so sickly had hit me harder than I expected. It reminded me that life was short and even though we are a very strong species, we are not invincible. I would have to move on from the past eventually. If there was a chance for us, then I supposed that we needed to replace out sooner rather than later.

Perhaps, there were small moments that could be stolen from focusing on our mission to work on ourselves as well. We may have needed to keep our priorities in order, but that did not mean that we could not allow ourselves a little time now and then. Forever was not guaranteed and I had never been more aware of that then I was now.

I ran my hands, roughly, through my hair and sighed in frustration. I was feeling overwhelmed, and I knew that I needed some sleep. I looked from his relaxed form to the empty bed. I had been planning to sleep on the floor, so that he could have the comfort that he was used to. But I was not going to let a good bed go to waste. If he was not going to use it, then I certainly was.

I dropped myself down onto the fluffy mattress and exhaled, contentedly. It had been a long time since I had slept in so much comfort. It was not something that I required, and it was not something that I would usually seek for myself any longer. However, that did not mean that I could not enjoy it while I was here, and it was available.

I snuggled myself into the soft pillows and drifted off into a dreamless sleep. I knew that I needed the rest, I was going to need to keep my wits about me here. This illness was unlike anything that I had ever heard of before. Who knows what this all could mean, but I doubted that it was going to be anything good.

I would grant myself a brief nap and then I needed to get straight to work. I had to gather as much information as possible if I had any hope of figuring this out. And I needed to get it done before the end of the week or else I would shift back into a wolf again. That would certainly make things more difficult. Especially given that the subjects of my research cannot shift.

Time was not on any of our sides.