Another Half

Saxe Oaks

June 2012

Rex stared at the five bodies wrapped in white linen as they caught fire over the funeral pyre. Four of those bodies had belonged to four children and the fifth to the she-wolf that had arrived pregnant with a stillborn pup. All of them had arrived from Cobalt Lake, and none had survived. Four of the remaining five adults were barely alive as they continued to fight whatever disease they had caught. Two of them had made their way to Azul Springs while the other three remained in Saxe Oaks. Treatment in the medical facilities at both packs had been futile as their health continued to slowly decline.

Although none of them were original pack members, Rex felt responsible for them. If they all died without him knowing what killed them, the strength of Rex’s military would be irrelevant. All of his packs would be vulnerable to whatever was afflicting these people since no one seemed to know what it was and if it was contagious.

Worst of all, he had no idea who was causing this sickness, because it was evident that it was induced by someone. But to what end? To kill people for the sport of it? To watch children agonize as the light went out of their eyes?

Rex’s escape was to let Nakon run and sniff Saxe’s blue oak forests in the hopes of coming across their mate’s scent.

Nancy, Nakon said with a growl. Her name is Nancy. Why do you refuse to use it? If she’s anywhere as beautiful as her wolf, then you have much to look forward to.

Rex remained silent in the back of Nakon’s mind space, reserving all judgment until they found her again—if they ever found her again.

They roamed the forests for the better part of the afternoon without finding Nancy’s scent. That evening, after showering and cleaning up, Rex’s cousin and Saxe Oaks Beta Spencer greeted him as he was leaving his suite en route to his office.

“The Cobalt she-wolf died while you were out,” Spencer said quietly, “and her mate doesn’t look good. He’s declining.”

Rex sighed heavily. “That’s six dead out of the ten that arrived.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the worse of it,” he said. “Let’s go into your office.”

Once they arrived, Rex went straight to the full bar he had built in his office. “What do you want?”

“Bourbon. On the rocks,” Spencer said. “Rex, I have proof that what’s killing these wolves isn’t poison like those two Cobalt kids said. We’ve given them nothing but the best food, and we’ve cleaned their systems from any poisons, and they got better only to get worse a day or two later. That sickness isn’t going away.”

“Fuck. What’s killing them, Spence?”

“I don’t know, man. The one exception is Jonson. He’s been getting better, but he’s scared. We moved him to another wing, but he wants to transfer to Azul before he gets sick again.”

Rex nodded. “Let him move. Make sure he gets to wherever he wants. He’s attended enough funerals.”

“The thing is, two of the other wolves in the infirmary have gotten ill with the same sickness. Stomach cramps, lack of appetite, tremors, and all that shit.”

Rex stared at him. “It’s contagious?”

Spencer shrugged. “Looks like it.”

“What happened?”

“Two boys got in a scuffle at the high school. Both came in for bloody noses and scrapes. One of them broke a rib. But none of it was life-threatening,” Spencer said. He inhales and blows out the air slowly. “Next thing we know, one of them starts convulsing and the other won’t wake up. Their mothers are beside themselves.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

Over the next week, the last Cobalt male and the high school boy in a coma died. The second boy got sicker and two nurses got sick as well. Jonson said he couldn’t take it anymore and left for Azul Springs, claiming that the disease was spreading.

Rex quarantined everyone that had come in contact with the sick, and he remained in Saxe Oaks after the funerals. More and more, he felt like Death was now his constant companion. Nakon’s pinings for Nancy, on the other hand, became stronger, and he became more insistent that they return to Blue Ponderosa and continue to search for her.

Fortunately, Rex didn’t have to be present for the Training Master Tournament since Ax was taking care of it on his own, despite also helping his mate take care of their newborn son. Ax’s life seemed like a bigger party than usual.

“Any plans for your birthday, T-Rex?”

Rex’s father gave him that nickname when he was a little boy, and Ax used it when he was in a superbly good mood.

“Not yet, and we’re not five anymore, Hatchet Boy,” Rex said, allowing Ax’s juvenile humor to affect him. They shared a laugh and Rex relaxed, if only while he spoke to one of his best friends.

“Rachel and Crys are planning something for you. A small get-together since you don’t like big parties,” Ax said. “I already told them to not invite Julia.”

“Good. Thanks. Glad someone finally got it.”

“Well, the fact that you changed the centuries-old rules of the Training Master Tournament just to get her the hell away from you was pretty telling.”

Rex let out a short laugh. “Is that the only thing that gave it away?”

“Yeah. We all thought you were being shy with Julia all the other times.”

“Ridiculous,” Rex said with a snort. “How’s the tournament going?”

“We just started week two and it’s been very exciting. I’m telling you, you’re missing out on interesting entertainment! We’ll end it the day before your birthday, so there’s no excuse for you to not be here.”

“Fuck,” Rex said. “I don’t think I’ll—-”

“Before you say that, I would recommend as your best friend and Gamma to think about it. Not just because it will be your birthday and because you must support our new Training Master, but because we miss you. Our pack misses its alpha, Rex. You’ve been away from us a long time. It’s time to come home.”

A long pause transpired.

It would be better to go to our home pack than to get drunk alone and talk to ghosts that aren’t there in your office, Nakon said. Besides, the Blood Moon is coming. I to run with our pack for the celebrations.

“Fine. I’ll think about it.”

That night, Sergio alerted Rex of what they had most feared. Three Azul pack members had become sick overnight.

“I’ll be there in the morning,” Rex said, running his hand over his face.

Sergio sighed. “As much as I would like to see your ugly face, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to show up for this. Pack members aren’t stupid. If you come, they’ll know that it’s because this sickness is serious. They’ll worry because you’re worried.”

“I am worried!”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly what will make them panic. Be here by the end of the tournament and it will seem, uh, normal. We’ll find a cure or whatever by then.”

Rex went back to Blue Ponderosa the next day to resume the search for his mate, although he had begun to lose hope of ever finding her again. The rains had washed away her scent.

Two days before his birthday, Rex received another call from Sergio. The number of sick was up to six now, and it had already claimed its first victim: a little girl whose brother had been in the infirmary.

He was sitting on his bed, staring at the pair of boots that belonged to his illusive mate. He was alone and in no hurry today. Rex took his time looking at each knife again and putting it back. From a pocket behind one of the buckles, he took out a small plastic bag that contained what seemed to be two tiny envelopes, one black, and one white. Rex didn’t open the plastic bag. He was no assassin, but he imagined what kind of substances those tiny envelopes held.

The other hidden pockets had other no less interesting things. Lockpicks, steel string like the one that had tied the boots together, and a small pocket knife. As he was putting everything back, one of the boots fell off his lap and landed hard on the flat heel with a sharp smack!

He heard a small mechanism release.

“What the actual fuck,” Rex muttered as he picked up the boot and looked at it closely. He gulped.

A mean-looking pointy blade shot out from an almost imperceptible thin slot along the heel.

“Who the fiery hell is this woman?” Rex whispered. He’d never seen anything like this.

He looked at the front of the boot and he ran his finger along another slim slot. He whacked the front of the boot on the floor, but nothing happened. He whacked the heel again. Nothing.

Rex paused and thought about when a woman might need a blade coming out of the front of her shoe in a fight. He whacked the heel twice, and another blade immediately sprouted from the front. He tried the other boot and the same thing happened in the front and back.

Good luck putting those blades back in their place, Nakon said.

Rex shrugged. “Can’t be that hard. These boots are weapons, and the use of weapons tends to be intuitive.”

Using the tile floor of his room, he carefully pushed all the blades back into the boots until he heard a barely audible spring catch.

“I guess Uncle Dylan is right. She really is an assassin. But assassins don’t stick around in one place for long. They do their job and leave." Rex felt his chest constrict until it was hard to breathe. "Maverick was her target, and he's dead. We haven't found her because she's already left.” Rex remained seated on his bed, shocked and deeply saddened by this realization.

She can’t be gone, Nakon said with a whine. She didn’t even know we are her mates.

Nakon retreated to the back of Rex’s mind, where he curled up in a tight ball and remained silent.

With the heavy dread in his heart that he was too used to, Rex put the boots in his travel duffle bag. Regardless of what had happened with his mate, he wanted these boots replicated in his size. He knew Azul had an excellent shoe and bootmaker. Hell, maybe he should make them a standard issue for all of his warriors.

The next morning, Rex began their journey home before the break of dawn. Nakon didn’t surface throughout the six-hour drive to Azul, and Rex said nothing either. They’d have to figure out their mating situation later—-when the fact that they had lost their second Fated Mate stopped hurting.

You’re not here, Ax said. Are you even coming? We have a new Training Master you need to meet and support. Play nice, will you?

I’m a half-hour away.

Rex arrived at Azul’s pack house by midmorning, but something was different as he parked his truck in front of the Pack House. He felt like he was awakening after an afternoon nap that had raged on for far too long. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood on end as he opened his truck’s door.

The scent of freshly poured bourbon and brownies out of the oven hit him at once as he got out of his car.

Nancy.

Nakon went berserk, whining and running in circles. She’s HERE!

Rex ran into the Pack House, where the scent was stronger, more recent.

We spent all this time looking for her, and she was already in my fucking house?!

Rex followed her scent around the first floor, but couldn’t find her. Before he could climb the stairs to look for her on the floors above, a couple of arms grabbed and hugged him from behind.

“Welcome home! It’s been too long!”

But it wasn’t the arms or the female that he wanted, and he snarled.

“Rex! It’s me! Julia!”

“What do you want?” he growled. “I’m busy.”

“Well, come on then. We’ll go together. They’re all waiting for you.”

“Who?!”

“The Tournament, c’mon.” Julia pulled Rex away from the staircase he was about to climb.

Nakon snarled with fury in Rex’s headspace.

It’s okay, Nakon, Rex said reluctantly. She’s here. She’s not going anywhere. We’ll return, find her, and Mark her as soon as we kick someone’s ass.

Nakon wasn’t happy but agreed.

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