The Alpha's Mutt
Mysterious Illness

After a brief, though, admittedly, restful sleep, I forced myself from the comforts of the soft, warm bed in order to begin my mission here. I hate to confess this, but I had forgotten how enjoyable that it could be to sleep in a real bed. My pack and I had been living rugged, like animals for so long, it was easy to forget how nice it was to have a little luxury.

Although, I knew that this was no time to lounge around. So, I jumped out of bed and readied myself to meet with Alpha Lowell. We needed to go over the specifics of this illness immediately. If we had any hope of helping this pack, we needed to act before word got out that they were debilitated.

I had to admit that I was surprised to see that Farris was no longer present in the room. I had expected him to be lazily sprawled out across the floor. But he was nowhere to be found. I could not stop my thoughts from wondering about what he might be up to, though, I tried to dismiss any ideas. I did not want to be distracted.

I left the room in search of Alpha Lowell; he was not difficult to replace as the wolves of the pack were happy to help with directions. Though because of their sickened state many of them avoided attempting to talk and merely pointed me in the appropriate direction. This meant that I had to stop a couple of times along the way to make certain that I was still headed the correct direction, but that was alright. These wolves were ill, and I could not hold their limited abilities against them.

Finally making my way to his office, I knocked on the door. I could hear him attempting to give me permission to enter, but as he called out, a coughing fit had attacked him. Instead, I listened as footsteps were making their way to the door. They were not shuffling slowly, so I knew that the wolf on the other side was not sick. Then I was overcome with the scent, the unmistakable aroma of my mate.

Farris was already here.

I had to admit that I felt a little embarrassed at this. I wished that he would have woken me before coming to the office. I did not want Alpha Lowell to mistake me as someone who was lazy. They were ill yet I was the one sleeping in. I grumbled inwardly as I pushed past Farris once he had finally opened the door for me. I was probably making it a bigger deal of it than there needed to be, but this was my first time being introduced to other packs as an Alpha and I wanted to make a good impression. I was one of the few female Alphas in existence and I desired for everyone to believe that I was just as capable as a male Alpha. If not more so.

“Good morning, Alpha Mystique.” Alpha Lowell finally managed after a few wheezing breaths.

“Good morning, Alpha Lowell. Feeling any better today?” I questioned, feeling like it was the polite thing to do.

“I’m afraid not.” He sighed.

I knew that would be the answer. If anything, he looked just a tiny bit worse today than he had yesterday. I could not help but wonder what the end game of this virus was. Would it merely ravage their bodies before it moved on and allowed them to heal? Or was it going to drag them all the way down, ending in their deaths? It was too terrible to think about. A species as strong as the wolves being drained into nothingness by one of the few illnesses that they were susceptible to.

“I am sorry to be so forward, Alpha Lowell. I wish that there was time for pleasantries, but I cannot be away from my pack for long and I worry about the effects that this disease is having.” I informed him, even though only part of it was true.

The reality was that the week of the full moon was only so long, and I needed to be out of here before I was stuck in wolf form for another month. I was not sure what the reaction to my situation would be and I was not eager to let it be known by every pack around the area that my shift could not be controlled.

“Please.” He encouraged, agreeing that we needed to get down to business.

My eyes glanced between him and Beta Chann making certain that he knew that I would welcome his input to any of my questions. But the Beta appeared to be barely conscious as he sat on a couch with his head slumped to the side. His eyes registered that he was hearing me, but his body did little to respond. I had never seen anyone in such a state and my worry only grew.

Perhaps I should have my warriors move out of the pack house, after all, they were probably safer outdoors in the open air. I made note in the back of my mind to discuss that with Emlyn later. If my warriors agreed, then I would thank Alpha Lowell for his hospitality but insist that my wolves moved outside for their safety. I would have done that to begin with if I had truly realized how deadly this appeared to be in the very beginning. I kicked myself for not being more cautious with the lives of my pack members, all for the sake of making a good impression or being polite.

“How did this all begin?” I questioned, trying to keep my mind on task.

“Just a few pack members falling ill…” Alpha Lowell rasped out. “Sniffles and aches. Nothing concerning. Then…” He attempted to continue but was stopped as another coughing fit forced itself forth.

“I can continue for you, Lowell.” Farris interjected as he stepped towards me. “I was discussing this very topic with him just before you joined us.” He explained, turning his attention towards me.

“Alright.” I said, gesturing for him to continue.

“Well, they were saying that it became more flu-like as time went on. Those who were ill began coughing, developing fevers, and, in some cases, nausea and vomiting. It was not long before it began winding its way through the pack taking down several pack members each day. Before they knew it, nearly the entire pack was affected, but they continued struggling on as normal, knowing that they could not disregard their pack duties. That was until the latest and most severe symptom occurred, the inability to shift.”

“It-It’s like we-were not even wolves!” Alpha Lowell sputtered, fighting through his cough.

I pitied him in that moment. It was as though he were crying out through his pain. I knew that he did not want my pity. He was merely expressing himself. But I could not help feeling that way. He was a wolf, one that was strong and powerful before this sickness had invaded his body. However, he was not feeling like himself and he was hurting because of it.

“Is there any member of the pack who did not catch the sickness or maybe has less severe symptoms? Someone who has shown more resilience to the virus?” I asked.

If someone was proving to handle the illness better than the others, then perhaps something about them was the key. Maybe they had developed antibodies, somehow. Or perhaps something in their genetics. Maybe it was just as simple as something that they were being exposed to that the others are not. It may take time to determine what is was, but if there was a chance that they had any kind of answer at all, then that was the hope that we needed to get everyone through this.

Alpha Lowell sat quietly for some time as he considered my question. I could tell that he was growing more exhausted as time went on. He probably needed more rest than he was allowing himself. But as the Alpha, he could not afford to be sick as the others were sick. He had a pack that was at risk under his care, and he had to struggle through to keep them safe. It was his responsibility to let the pack feel comfort knowing that they still had a leader looking out for them.

“Yes…actually…” His eyes widening as if something had just dawned on him. “He doesn’t live in the pack house. He is unmated but chose to live separately a little away from everyone else. I have not thought of him before because he cannot shift regularly anyway. I will have someone bring him here, immediately.”

Alpha Lowell got up from his seat and shuffled out of the room. I was certain that he would normally have sent Beta Chann to handle this kind of situation or used the mindlink if he had still been able. But his mindlink was blocked for the time because of the illness. And poor Beta Chann seemed to be one the sickest pack members they had. It was amazing that the wolf had managed to get out of his room and to the office in the first place given his state.

“Good morning.” Farris offered, a coy smile playing on his lips as he took a few steps closer to me.

“Morning.” I responded without returning his smile. “You could have woken me this morning. I would have come with you. I do not want Alpha Lowell to think that I am lazy while the rest of you are already working.” I tried to keep my emotions from getting the better of me, keeping my voice even, but I felt that I had to convey my disappointment.

“It wasn’t like that.” Farris denied, shaking his head. “I hate to admit it…” He sighed, pausing for a moment before continuing. “But I was having a hard time sleeping on the floor. I woke up feeling pretty sore.”

I knew that this was hard for him to tell me. The whole reason that he had slept on the floor was because he was trying to prove himself to me. He wanted me to believe that he could handle anything that I could. I had to commend him for trying. Though I could not help the smirk that formed on my lips at his admission.

“Instead of trying to get back to sleep, I decided to get up and went to the kitchen for some coffee. I found Alpha Lowell and Beta Chann in there. The both of them were struggling to sleep as well between the constant coughing and their concern for their pack’s safety. We came up to the office and got to talking. I’m sorry if you felt like we were leaving you out.” He offered and I believed him.

I had to admit that I felt a bit better after his explanation. I was worried about how I would be perceived by other Alphas. I did not want the males pushing me out just because of my gender or the fact that I was only half-wolf. I wanted to make a good impression and appear as a strong Alpha should. I was glad to know that my attendance had not been regarded as unimportant or that I was not being perceived poorly.

Before we could speak any more on the matter, Alpha Lowell had rejoined us. He slowly shuffled over to the chair behind his desk with the promise that the unaffected pack member would soon be on his way.

I could not help but wonder why this pack member had managed to keep away from the illness. Was it perhaps because he lived a little further into the woods than the others? Did the minimal distance really offer him so much protection? Or was it perhaps something else altogether?

“Is there anything that you can think of that would make this wolf different? Something about him that maybe the rest of the pack doesn’t have?” I questioned.

“Not much that I can think of.” Alpha Lowell shrugged. “Other than the fact that he is a mutt.”

The word rolled out of his mouth so easily. He did not say it with any sort of malice, yet I could not help but cringe at the sound of it. That word was derogatory, even if Alpha Lowell did not mean it with that intention. It was only used to describe wolves with mixed blood. I had managed to shed that title and carved out a better place for myself in the world. But not all mutts were as lucky as I had been.

It suddenly occurred to me that Alpha Lowell had mentioned that this wolf lived apart from everyone else. He had made it sound like a choice that the wolf had made, initially. However, the more that I thought about it, the more I wondered how much of it was this wolf’s choice versus what he may have been forced into. Did he live away from everyone else because they had pushed him away? Was he treated as I had been treated before I left the Elwood Pack?

I was going to need to have a talk with this wolf. If he was being treated poorly in this pack, then I would welcome him into mine. It may not go over well with Alpha Lowell if I take one of his pack members from him. But when it came to the well-being of other mutts, or anyone being treated poorly by their pack for that matter, my loyalty was to them first. If it meant that the Pariah Pack could not build an alliance with the Bristlecone Pack, then so be it.