The Alpha's Mutt
Drops of Blood

“Mark me.” Farris finally rasped in a dark voice, his golden eyes swirling with an emotion that I could not determine.

“Are you certain?” I hesitated, as much as he did not want to rush me, I did not want to force him. “If you do not want me, I –…“

“Don’t do that.” Farris commanded, his voice holding a strength that I had not heard in weeks. “I want you more than anything in this world or the next. I know that we have had our difficulties but no matter what has happened or what will happen between us, I want you to understand this truth…I will ALWAYS want you.”

My eyes began to water as his words sunk into my heart. I never wanted to doubt him again. No matter what had happened in the past, he had more than proved himself through his words and his actions this last month or so. He wanted me, he truly wanted me, and I wanted him.

As he went into a coughing fit, I knew that he had used every ounce of energy that he had in making his words clear to me. He had fought against his body’s needs in order to express his feelings to me. My concern grew as it took him longer to recover than I had anticipated. As much as I wanted to do the marking now, I worried that he needed rest before we committed such an act. I knew that the very act of marking could drain someone, and I did not want to push him too far.

“You should rest.” I suggested, softly. “We can discuss marking when you wake.”

“No.” He stated firmly his voice surprisingly steady again. “I want you to mark me. I want this and I want it now.” He demanded, his voice growing rough and feral.

I could tell that his instincts were taking over now. Despite the illness, his primal side was pushing its way forth. I had always known him to be strong, but this was a new level of strength that I could feel pushing its way forth from him. All this talk of marking and mating had forced forth his innate desires.

Without needing further encouragement, he turned his head and craned his neck to grant me better access to the spot where I would mark him, just below where his shoulder and neck met, along his collarbone. I placed my body over his, hovering slightly to keep from putting too much of my weight on him. I licked at the spot and gave it a slight nip, priming the skin a little before sinking my fangs into him. I could feel him shudder beneath me and a new urge fluttered to life in my core. But I knew that I had to fight those desires. He may have had enough in him to perform the marking, but I knew that he would not be strong enough to complete the rest of the mating. No matter how much I may have desired such.

My fangs extended and I sunk them into him. Farris released a soft guttural moan as I pierced his flesh. His hands reached up and gripped my waist, pulling me towards him, bringing our bodies impossibly close together. He writhed beneath me as an electric current flowed through our bodies, an invisible cord between our hearts beginning to snap into place.

I retracted my fangs from his skin, and they disappeared back beneath my gums. Only able to appear long enough to complete the mating ritual. I licked up the blood that had pooled on his skin, savoring the taste of him on my tongue. He groaned out in pleasure before smashing his lips against mine, kissing me with everything that he had in him. I moaned at the feel of him, and he swallowed the sound within his mouth.

Before I knew what was happening, he had separated our lips, leaving me whimpering at his absence. His hand drove up into my hair, gripping it tightly, as he yanked my head to the side, exposing my neck to him. His fangs extended and he drove them into my collarbone, puncturing my flesh. I could not help myself as I began to grind my center against him, desperate to ease the throbbing that had roared to life between my legs. I could feel his body rising to life beneath me, his rod stiffening, as I began to release breathy moans. The ecstasy that was flowing through me unlike anything I had ever experienced before as the mate bond glowed throughout my entire being.

He retracted his fangs from within me and began to lap at my blood. Slow at first, but then he grew greedy, attempting to gulp it down like it was his life source. I did not know why this simple act possessed me the way that it did, but I had never felt more turned on in my life. I lost complete control of my actions as my carnal needs took over my body.

As Farris sucked and licked at the wound where he had marked me, I pushed down the sweatpants that I had borrowed from him, kicking them off my legs. Then I reached between us and hooked my finger into the waistband of the sweats that he wore, and I yanked the downward, allowing his hard cock to spring free. My mouth watered at the sight of him, as my eyes grew wide at his size. I was still a virgin after all, and I could not help but wonder if he would fit.

However, my body was on autopilot and did not care what my mind’s concerns were. Not that I would have stopped myself if I could have. We were too wrapped up into each other to stop now, too caught up in the moment that our passions had created. We had desired the other for so long and nothing would stand in the way of our union.

I shifted myself over him, straddling his hips with my thighs. I grasped his shaft in my hand and lowered myself onto him, only hesitating for a moment when I felt the pressure of him spreading me. After allowing myself a moment to adjust, I dropped down on him, allowing him to enter me fully. I cried out at the fullness of it as he moaned over the feeling, his mouth still locked against my shoulder. He may not have had the energy to finish our mating, but I could not stop myself from completing it for us.

I rolled my hips against him, bouncing up and down on his cock until I felt the pressure mounting within me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held our bodies close, crying out as I felt the wave of an orgasm washing over me. My walls clenched around him, squeezing him into submission as his own orgasm rocked its way through his body, spilling his seed into me as his dick twitched within. He finally let his mouth fall from my shoulder as we both cried out. A second orgasm crashing through me at the thought of my mate being brought to pleasure by my actions.

Farris quickly collapsed back onto the bed unable to hold himself up any longer and I fell to the side on the bed next to him. We were both panting heavily, but I could hear the wheeze in Farris’s breathing. I hoped that I had not pushed him too far. I had not planned on completing the mating process with him. However, when he looked into my eyes there was a fire burning within him that I had not seen before.

The next morning, we awoke tangled up in each other’s limbs. Slowly opening my eyes with a yawn, I was startled when I saw Farris’s orbs, staring back at me, full of life. I gasped at the sight of him. The sheen of sweat and paleness of his skin had all cleared away, leaving him looking as vibrant as he had before. If I had not known any better, I would have thought that he was not sick at all.

“Good morning, mate.” Farris offered with a smile, putting emphasis on the last word as he spoke.

His voice was sounding clearer as well. The wheeze he had been admitting when he breathed and the rasp from his sore throat gone. I noticed that his scent had grown stronger as well. The air everywhere within the pack house was permeated with the smell of illness. But that aroma was no longer being emitted from Farris. Just his usual peppermint and pine.

I reached forward running my hand across his cheek, almost checking to see if this was real. Had he somehow been healed as we slept? What had led to this change so suddenly? Had the virus simply run its course? But if that was the case, then how come no one in the Bristlecone Pack had been healed? I had been keeping in touch with Emlyn and they had not reported anyone there miraculously waking up cured.

“How do you feel?” I finally asked, my shock beginning to wane.

“Amazing.” He admitted. “All my strength is back. My lungs are clear. My energy levels are up. I feel as good as I did before the virus…better even.”

“Well, you look great as well. Your color is back and the bags under your eyes are gone. It sounds like your breathing has returned to normal. I cannot understand what changed.” I marveled. “Have your wolf abilities returned? Can you mindlink?”

“Let’s see…”

“Can you hear me?” Farris’s voice rang throughout my head.

I was startled at the reminder that we could now mindlink since we had completed the mating ritual. This was going to be very useful when I was forced into my wolf form again. At least we would now have the ability to communicate with each other. I began to feel a great weight being lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I could finally breathe again. Not only had Farris been, miraculously, spared from this terrible illness. We were now marked and that would make moving forward in our relationship much easier.

“Loud and clear.” I responded with a smile spreading across my face.

I had not felt this light of heart in years.

After some further discussion, Farris and I concluded that we needed to meet with the pack doctors. Perhaps they could provide some answers on what had happened. I did not know if they would have any explanations for us, but it seemed like the best place to start. If we could figure out what had saved Farris, perhaps it could be done for the others.

We also agreed that Farris needed to be removed from the pack house as soon as possible. We had no way of knowing if Farris was still susceptible to being reinfected. If he were to stay in the pack house where all of the sick were in quarantine, we risked that he could contract the virus again. This illness was unlike anything that we had ever seen before in the wolf community, we had no way of knowing exactly what its capabilities were.

So, after we were both showered and changed, Farris packed a small bag so that he could take what he needed. Then we made our way out of the pack house and along the old path that I remembered so well, replaceing our way to the tiny cabin that I used to call home. Though, thanks to Farris’s renovation work, it looked nothing like it had before. It had been given a new life, which I felt was appropriate. I would be making completely different memories in this place now and its appearance reflected that well.

In a very short time, we were joined by the doctors from both of our packs after having contacted them about Farris’s situation. They began to check him over, ensuring that all signs of the virus were gone. Once they were satisfied in their initial examinations, they began asking us questions, probing further.

“When did you notice that you were beginning to feel better?” Dr. Tala asked, taking notes.

“I didn’t really.” Farris admitted with a shrug. “I just woke up and I was cured. Like I had never been sick to begin with.”

“Hmm…” Dr. Tala mused as she tried to collect her thoughts.

“Well…” Dr. Lyall began, tapping his pen against his chin. “If you do not mind my asking, Alphas, what were you doing before you went to sleep then?”

I could not help the blush that spread across my cheeks as I thought about what had transpired between us mere hours ago. I was not exactly sure what to say. It was better to be honest, but should I really just come out and say it?

“We completed the mating ceremony.” Farris stated without hesitation.

I could feel the pride emanating off him, as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I felt great satisfaction at knowing that he wanted to make certain that everyone knew that we had staked our claim on each other. Though, I could not help the bit of embarrassment that I felt at announcing our private moments to others. On the other hand, I guessed that it was important to be truthful with doctors.

“Congratulations, Alpha.” Dr. Lyall offered with a slight bow.

“Yes, congratulations to you both.” Dr. Tala included with a nod.

I knew that Dr. Lyall was still mildly skeptical of Farris. This was why he only offered his congratulations to me. It was not meant to be an insult, rather a minor slight. Dr. Lyall was from my pack, he knew of my history with Farris, and my pack was very protective of me. However, when I gripped Farris’s bicep and nodded back at Lyall with a look of certainty on my face, he knew that this was what I had wanted. He smiled in return.

“And…obviously…during the marking…blood was exchanged?” Dr. Tala queried as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.

“Yes…of course.” I replied.

“Could that really be the answer?” She gasped. “Could it really be that simple?”

“The blood!” Dr. Lyall exclaimed, as if the answer had just dawned on him as well. “The blood of the hybrids!”

“I’m sorry…what?!” I questioned, not really understanding what they were meaning.

“It must have been the exchange of blood!” Dr. Tala announced. “It makes so much sense now! I don’t know why we did not see it before. The mutts are immune…they carry the cure!”

“Now I understand why I was so obsessed with your blood last night…” Farris revealed. “It was like I could not get enough. I’ve never had a bloodlust like that before…my body must have sensed something.”

“That would completely track. Our bodies often know what they need and when they need it.” Dr. Lyall confirmed.

“So, we’ll need the blood from the half-breeds?” I asked, wanting to make certain that I understood.

There was a part of me that felt anxious at the thought that the blood of the mutts was the cure for the infection. How much blood were they going to need? Had this revelation placed the lives of hybrids in danger?

“Yes, if we collect samples from every mutt that we can then we can synthesize a vaccine and possibly cure those who are ill.” Dr. Tala explained.

“How much blood are we talking?” I pressed.

It was not that I did not want to help the others. I wanted nothing more than to see this sickness defeated. However, I was not ready to sacrifice all the half-breeds in order to save everyone else. That seemed like hardly a fair trade.

“Nothing major. Don’t worry.” Dr. Tala assured. “If each mutt donated one pint of blood that should be plenty to start with.”

I deemed that as entirely acceptable. One pint of blood was not much at all when it meant the lives of the rest of wolf kind. Each wolf only needed a minute amount of blood to recover and that was a small sacrifice to make.

“Alright, doctors. We will arrange to have the hybrids donate starting tomorrow.” I suggested.

“Sounds like a good plan. We will set up a tent for donation just outside the pack house since most of the half-breeds are there caring for the sick already.”

“Dr. Lyall and I will return to the hospital then to prepare for the incoming blood donations. We can also begin considering the makeup of the vaccine. We’ll need to make certain that any blood supplies can be spread as far as possible.” Dr. Tala recommended.

“Here…” I stepped forward, offering my arm. “Take some of my blood with you now. That will give you a start to work with.”

“That is a very good idea, Alpha.” Dr. Lyall concluded with a nod.

He quickly went to the medical kit that Dr. Tala had brought with her and retrieved a needle and syringe. He prepped my vein and stuck it in, filling the attached vial with as much of my blood as it could hold. After he removed the needle, I put a small amount of pressure to my arm. There was no need to bandage it, it would be healed in mere moments.

After taking my blood, the two doctors excused themselves, returning back to the Elwood Pack’s hospital building. This was one of the reasons that we had chosen to use the pack house as the quarantine zone rather than the hospital. It allowed for the hospital to be used for all other necessary medical needs, rather than relegating it just for use with the virus. The doctors could keep working and keep helping others, even if they had previously been at a loss for how to handle this infection.

But now there was a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone. After all of the suffering, it seemed that we finally had the answer. We were going to be able to fix this. As hopeless as this all had seemed only less than one short day ago. We were going to beat this thing. The wolves would survive.

“I cannot believe that we figured this all out.” I breathed, allowing myself to feel the relief that came with this revelation.

“I knew you would have the answer. I always believed in you. You are meant for great things, my beautiful mate.” Farris praised as he wrapped his arms around me, tightly.

“Well, as much as I appreciate your kind words, I’m afraid that I cannot take all the credit. The doctors are the ones who figured out that it was my blood, and the other mutts will be involved in saving the day as well.”

“Don’t be so modest. We would have never figured this out without you.” He cooed as he brought his lips against my flesh.

His mouth leaving a hot trail of kisses up and down my neck. I threw my head back to give him better access and moaned at the sensation. I felt him smile against me as he enjoyed my reactions to his touch.

“Now, little mate, I am going to show you what you missed out on last night when I was too ill to take you how I truly wanted to. I’m going to show you what it really means to mate with me. I’ll make you feel what true pleasure really is.” He promised; a deep, husky tone to his voice.

Without another word, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. He tossed me down and climbed on top of me without hesitation. I was enveloped in an overwhelming sense of euphoria as our bodies molded against each other. As flesh met flesh and our limbs intertwined.

While we were caught up in the bliss of being newly mated. As well as, celebrating the idea that we may have defeated the virus. Not far away, nearby packs were facing down a sudden and new kind of threat.

Something terrible had just begun…