The Alpha's Mutt
A Difference of Experience

I motioned for him to head onward. As I still did not know my way around this pack house, it made sense to let him direct us. We would replace the exit and, therefore, some privacy much easier that way.

Once outside, we began to stroll away from the pack house. I was sure that Zeeb was curious as to why I wanted our conversation to be private, but he would understand once we began to speak. When I was certain there was no one around who would eavesdrop on us, I started to explain myself to him.

“Zeeb…” I began. “Alpha Lowell told me that you are of mixed blood. I’m sure that you call tell from my scent that I am as well.”

“Yes, I noticed. If you don’t mind me saying so, I was a bit surprised. I did not realize that there were any half-breed Alphas.”

“As far as I know, I’m the only one.”

“Well, congratulations! That is quite the accomplishment.” He offered, sincerely. “To not only be a female Alpha but a mutt as well. You must really be something else.” He spoke with admiration.

“I appreciate that. But I prefer that we don’t use that term.” I cringed.

“What term?” He questioned; the confusion evident on his face.

“Mutt.” I huffed.

“What’s wrong with being a mutt?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, of course. It’s just that ‘mutt’ is a derogatory a term. One that they use to identify and separate us from the rest.”

“Hmm…I guess I’ve never thought of it that way.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been bothered by it. I am a mutt. My blood is mixed. It is merely stating the fact of what we are. I don’t see why it has to be a bad thing.”

“But what about the fact that they use it against us. They call us a mutt so that we know that we are beneath them. A second to their superiority.”

“Beneath whom?” He queried, stopping in his tracks and raising an eyebrow. “You’re an Alpha. You are beneath no one.”

“Yes. I am an Alpha now.” I nodded. “But it was not always this way. My pack is made up of rogues and other wolves that left their pack or were banished because of ignorance and abuse. That is why we are called the Pariah Pack. No one else wanted us, so we found each other. There are a lot of mixed wolves in my pack because they were being treating badly in their former packs for being ‘mutts.’”

“I’ve never had to deal with anything like that here. If it really is as bad as you say for others, then I am lucky to belong to the pack that I do.”

“What about the fact that you live away from everyone else?” I pressed. “Was that a choice or something that the pack forced on you?”

Zeeb paused, chuckling softly and shaking his head.

“I promise you that my living choice was my own. I appreciate my privacy and never really enjoyed living in the pack house. After I came of age and did not replace my mate, I asked Alpha Lowell if I could build a cabin for myself. He agreed and I’ve been living out in the woods, quite happily, with my peace and quiet.”

“So, the Bristlecone Pack has always treated you as though you were like any other pack member?” I questioned, still skeptical.

“Absolutely.” Zeeb responded, nodding his head in affirmation. “I have never felt like I was less than anyone else just because my mother was a human. Even my mother, when she was still alive, had been welcomed with open arms.”

This surprised me. I had come into this conversation ready to offer this wolf sanctuary within my pack. But apparently, I had read the situation all wrong. Zeeb did not appear to feel like he was being mistreated. I was happy to know that the Bristlecone Pack took care of him. It would make it easier to be allied with this pack knowing that they did not mistreat their mixed blood wolves.

“What is your ranking in the pack?” I asked.

“I am an Eta.” He confirmed.

An Eta was a pack warrior. So, they really had been treating him like any other member of the pack. They had even given him a status that ranked him well. The thought occurred to me that if the Elwood Pack had been allied with packs like Bristlecone this entire time, it was hard to understand how they hung onto their archaic stance on mutts for this long. You would have thought they would learn something, interacting with packs such as these.

I talked with Zeeb for a bit longer about his life in the Bristlecone Pack. I no longer had any doubts about his treatment and was happy to hear how well he was doing. There was no reason to worry any longer. Our conversation quickly took a turn to the reason that I and all of the other members of outside packs had come to join them…the mysterious illness.

Zeeb invited me back to see his cabin. He thought that perhaps we could look around and see if there was anything out of the ordinary around there. I gladly accepted the invitation. If there were any chance that I could replace something that stood out, then it was worth the check.

As we walked towards his cabin, Zeeb was kind enough to point out any important areas in the pack. He showed me the hospital as we passed by and gestured towards the training arena. It was good to know where things were around here. My warriors were likely going to be here for some time, and I wanted to know that they were in a good place. And I was sure that they would be grateful for the ability to use the pack’s gym and other equipment.

I spent most of the day with Zeeb, searching his cabin and the nearby area. It turned out to be a fruitless endeavor, but it was worth the try. The only lead that I could think of was perhaps a plant that was near where he lived, but most of the plants were spread out throughout the forest. He did not appear to have anything rare or peculiar on his property that would allow him to have immunity where others did not.

By the end of the day, I was stumped. I sat in the room that I shared with Farris, looking out the window. I was going through my conversation with Zeeb on repeat. I was trying to see if there was anything that I missed. Any detail that I had overlooked. The tiniest hint that may explain why Zeeb was the only one who did not get sick. The only pack member who was not suffering. The only one…

And then it dawned on me. Like a smack in the face. The one thing that was different about Zeeb from the rest of the pack. The one area where he stood out. I could not believe that it would really be so simple. I had spent all day trying to solve this mystery when, perhaps, the answer had been right in front of me all along.

Zeeb was the ONLY mutt in the Bristlecone Pack and the only member that did not catch the virus. Perhaps it was the fact that he is a half-breed that was protecting him. What if this illness was only affecting full-blooded wolves? What if the mixed bloods were somehow immune? Maybe it was a long shot, but it did make sense. That was literally the only known difference between Zeeb and everyone else. It may have only been a theory, but it was certainly the best one that we had.