New Blood

Her Mate

BLUE

Once Alex and I finished breakfast at a small café, we went out, just for fun. Neither of us had a plan in mind.

                We walked down a pass in the forest, hand in hand, Alex’s jacket on my shoulders keeping me warm. He pulled me closer to his side. I looked up, hearing the birds singing and watching the beautiful light flickering through the branches. It was peaceful out here. I loved being with Alex. He made me feel complete.

                Faster than I could follow, five large wolves jumped out in front of us. Alex placed me behind him protectively, assessing the strange wolves. I didn’t recognize them. Each had yellow eyes and ragged fur. They were foaming at the mouth, their teeth yellow and damaged. Each cut a strikingly different figure than the wolves of Jake’s pack with their white gleaming fangs, full, slick pelts and muscular body shape.

                No, these wolves must have been the rogues Bre and Crow warned me about.

                Rogues are wolves without packs. They follow the strongest wolf among them, and are savage creatures, not above killing humans for food. They respect no authority, and often have mange and rabies. These were dangerous to fight, as they have nothing to lose. The lead wolf growled at us. He was the largest of the five, and by far the most ragged. Alex bent his legs slightly, loosening up and preparing to jump. The wolf lunged.

                Alex sprung forward. His shoulder connected with the wolf’s throat and he was moving toward the next before the first even landed. The first wolf couched and hacked, its windpipe crushed. A lithe figure darted from the forest, followed by a second. I recognized Bre’s white pelt and her mate Andy’s sleek dark grey color. The two cut off a rogue from the others and made short work of it. A third rogue jumped at me, but was hit in the side by Crow, her vicious growl reverberating throughout the trees. She and the wolf tumbled and rolled. They were at each other’s throats. Crow was much smaller than the massive male, and so was pinned. She didn’t stop fighting, however. She raked her claws down his stomach. Another wolf sprinted from the forest. This wolf was a massive white and grey wolf with grey eyes. Eyes wild, he ripped the rogue off of Crow and grabbed its throat, yanking his head and throwing the wolf against a tree while Crow got to her feet, suffering a few deep cuts along her shoulder and chest. The two stared at each other. I blinked and looked away, not recognizing the grey and white male.

                Alex knelt over the prone body of the first wolf, holding it by its throat and pinning it in place. The other rogues lay dead or dying, unable to fight any longer. Bre and Andy shifted back to their human forms and joined Alex, who shared words with them. My attention was focused on Crow and the strange wolf the minute I was assured Alex was okay. The two were sniffing noses carefully. They avoided contact. Crow suddenly sprung backwards. The male wolf stared at her, his ears pricked, tail out. She crouched and wagged her tail. His jaws parted in a wolfy smile and he smacked a paw on the ground. I watched in amusement as she darted forward and smacked his shoulder. He jumped aside and tackled her. They rolled a few feet. He came out on top and pinned her, crouched, and licked her injured shoulder. She yelped, but allowed the bigger male to clean the wound. When he finished, he lay his head on her shoulder as she rolled onto her side, her body resting on his forelegs. She curled into a ball and licked his chin. I saw his tail wag as he licked her cheek.

                I think Crow just found her mate.

                Alex came up behind me and pulled me in for a hug. I sighed and leaned back against his strong chest. Bre and Andy had already left.

                “We should probably leave them alone.” Alex whispered to me. I nodded and we walked off hand in hand, leaving Crow and her mate together.

               

                Later in the night, I lay next to Alex in his bed. The Orphanage was persuaded by Rex to allow me to move in with him. I couldn’t have been more excited. I put my head on Alex’s chest as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. I smiled and closed my eyes, inhaling his scent and relaxing. He put me at peace. I soon drifted off, safe from the coming Monday in Alex’s warm embrace.