The Mute Runt

The Mate Mark

Phoenix was among the injured of Blue Moon, his injuries were not as serious as some but were serious enough that he was told to stay in the infirmary until the healers told him that he could go. Some of the wounds he had received had gone deep, some as deep as his bones. The healers had cleaned his cuts while Flame had healed them closed. Healing those cuts had drained his energy. Thankfully he had no broken bones, and his bruises had healed quickly. He could tell that he would be recovering his energy for weeks though.

He was sitting up in his assigned bed when he felt a tremor in the mate bond between him and Winter, Winter was in trouble. For a moment he thought she was okay, then he felt the bond pull tight and start to break apart. She was dying, “WHERE IS SHE???” He roared out as he launched himself to his feet. Rosary jumped, she had not expected his shout or for him to get to his feet so quickly.

“Who?” Rosary asked, desperate to calm him before he injured himself.

“Winter, where is she?”

“She is in surgery. Healingleafgem and Healinggem are working on her now, her injuries are serious.” Rosary told him grimly. She knew at that moment that she did not have to tell him that things did not look good for Winter.

Phoenix simply stared at Rosary for a moment before ordering, “Find me Dracenia and Violent immediately.”

“Of course Alpha.” Rosary replied. She left as Phoenix stood there trying desperately not to panic as he felt Winter slowly slipping away. He needed to get to her quickly. A few seconds later Dracenia and Violet arrived with Rosary.

“What is it Phoenix?” Dracenia asked. He was a powerfully built male, his black hair and dark green eyes seemed intimidating too may but he was a gentle soul. His dark green eyes and Violet’s silver ones studied Phoenix intently.

“I need to put the two of you in charge for a time. Maybe permanently or until another Alpha is born from my parents” Phoenix told them both grimly. He knew that if Winter died then he would die as well, that is how it worked with Haloing’s. They sickened and died once they had lost three mates. Dracenia and Violet nodded in understanding, they did not ask questions about what was going on. Neither one of them wanted to take over the pack, but they knew that Phoenix would not ask it of them if something serious was not happening. “Thank you.” Phoenix said softly. He then looked at Rosary and said, “Take me to Winter please.” Rosary obeyed.

Inside the surgical wing of the infirmary Healingleafgem and Healinggem were desperately trying to save Winter when Phoenix entered the room.

“Phoenix, what are you doing here?” Healinggem demanded, she was startled to see him on his feet. Healingleafgem continued to work on Winter while the other dealt with Phoenix.

“Winter.” Was his only response. He walked up to the bedside and touched Winter’s hand. Instantly her heart rate that was displayed on the monitor next to her steadied. It did not increase to a normal level, but the sharp spikes and drops steadied to a very slow beat. “Can you save her?” Phoenix asked the two of them.

“We are trying Phoenix, but she is not marked. Which means that her wolf is unable to pull strength from your wolf, if she were marked she would have a better chance.” Healinggem replied.

“What if I marked her now?” Phoenix asked hesitantly.

“Her wolf might draw strength from yours, but she also may outright reject the mark. If you or your wolf are able to speak with her wolf and find out if she is willing to accept the mark then perhaps she stands a chance.” Healinggem told him. He looked at her for a long time, then touched the link that Angel had put in place so long ago. The link was intact, and he could sense Storm at the end of it.

“I can feel Storm. I need to sit down in order to speak with her, may I?” He asked pointing to a chair against the wall. Both Healers nodded in agreement. He walked over to the chair and sat down, closing his eyes he reached for Storm.

“Storm?” Phoenix asked. He could feel she was weak, “Can you hear me? I have an important question to ask you. If you can hear me, please answer.”

There was a long pause then, “I can hear you Phoenix, ask your question. I do not know how much longer I can hold on. I am aware that somebody or several somebodies are trying to heal me.” Her mind voice was weak and faint.

“I may be able to help you heal. If you agree to accept a Mate mark from me you will be able to draw strength from my wolf. This in turn will give you the strength to heal.” Phoenix told her. He waited for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only a minute.

“Okay. Do it.” Storm responded. Phoenix opened his eyes and nodded at the two Healers.

“What are the risks here?” Phoenix asked them both. For the first time Healingleafgem spoke.

“Marking her may kill you, this might not work. We cannot heal her fast enough, and her wolf is not yet strong enough to aid us. You are not at your full strength, which means that the energy drain could be fatal. On the other hand…if you do not attempt it you both die anyway.” Her voice was exceptionally soft, almost a whisper. Phoenix could sense that she could not speak any louder.

“Is it easier for you to speak mind to mind?” Phoenix asked curiously. Healingleafgem smiled and nodded.

“You guys can talk about this another time. For now. What do you want to do?” Healinggem asked Phoenix, she was slightly amused.

Phoenix sighed, walking back over to Winter’s side he partially shifted to form his long fangs, he then sniffed Winter’s neck carefully. He was looking for the right spot to place his mark, once he found it he bit down as deeply as he could. Instantly he felt the mate bond pull tight and solidify as he finished placing the mark. He carefully licked the wound clean then went to straighten up, that was the last thing he remembered before the energy drain became too much and he collapsed.

Healinggem caught him as he dropped and carefully lifted him onto a bed next to Winter. Winter’s heart rate had rose to a more normal rate, she was now breathing on her own and Healingleafgem was able to focus on healing her wounds rather than simply keeping her alive. Once stabilized the two Healers moved the two of them to a more private room that was designed for mated pairs. It had room for two beds and sets of equipment as well as a seating area and dining set. The two healers left the room and parted ways. Healingleafgem left to join Diamond, Jade, and Quartz as they left to return to Draganio while Healinggem went to the main pack office.

“How are they?” Dracenia asked as Healinggem walked into the office.

“They will survive, how long it will take for them to wake up is difficult to say. She is very badly injured and his own energy was already low from his own injuries.” Was the response.

As October moved into November the Blue Moon pack continued to rebuild, no new news was received from one of the five main fortresses in regards to the barrier and the possibility of all out war. Winter and Phoenix continued to heal in the infirmary wing, Dracenia was beginning to become concerned about the pack, he was holding the pack together as best as he could but he could not do all of the things that a natural alpha could do. He simply did not have the power.

As Dracenia and Violet were working on paperwork related to the functioning of the pack a knock sounded on the office door.

“Come in.” Dracenia called. Rosary entered with Lacey, “What can I do for the two of you?’

“I thought you would like an update on the condition of the Alpha and Luna.” Was Rosary’s response, “Lacey is here because she grew quite close to Winter over the past few months.” Dracenia gestured for Rosary to continue. “They both remain stable, their injuries are healing well. Both will have permanent scarring but should otherwise recover, at least physically. I do worry about Winter’s mind, from what Healinggem told me Phoenix was able to contact Storm prior to marking Winter. I do not know whether or not that is because Winter had retreated too far into her mind to speak with him, or if its just because the link that Angel made at the very beginning when Winter first got here is only works between Phoenix and Storm.”

“Any ideas on when one or both of them might wake up?” Violet asked.

“I have no idea, it could be today or it could be next month. There is no way to know.” Rosary looked at the two of them before asking, “Is everything okay with the pack?”

“We are doing our best, but without a natural Alpha to hold down the pack things are starting to deteriorate. The biggest problem being the border shields, the next being the pack link itself. I do not have the necessary power to hold the pack link together.” Dracenia replied, concern could be heard in his voice. Rosary sighed and nodded in understanding.

“As soon as one or both of them are awake and able to function I will tell you, I promise.” Rosary assured the two of them. Lacey and her both left the office, Lacey went home and Rosary went to the infirmary to check on her two patients.

As Rosary entered the room she froze, the golden eyes of Phoenix were watching her enter the room. “Welcome back Alpha.”

“Thank you, how long have I been out?” Phoenix asked before he started to cough. His throat was dry. Rosary gave him a glass of water then sat down to respond.

“Two months, the pack continues to rebuild. It is a good thing that you are awake as the border shield and the pack link have started to weaken without your power.” Rosary informed Phoenix. Phoenix nodded in understanding then closed his eyes. He reached out for the border spell and to the source of the pack link, he found both and realigned the spell that kept them intact. Everybody in the pack felt the border shield and pack link snap back into the state that they were in before the battle. He then opened his eyes and got out of bed to stand next to Winter. He swayed slightly as he stood but was able to remain on his feet. He reached out and tenderly cupped her face in his hands, she opened her eyes and stared up at him in alarm.

“Hey, it is ok, remember what I told you. You are safe now, I promise that I will not hurt you.” Phoenix told her. Winter nodded, slowly calming down. Phoenix then turned to look back at Rosary, “Are we okay to go to our rooms?”

“I do not have a problem with that. I would like to do a quick physical check on both of you before you leave though.” Was the reply. Both her patients nodded in agreement and understanding.

“What do we need to do?” Phoenix asked her.

“I will start with you, should anything be painful I need you to let me know. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Phoenix sat back down on his bed and allowed Rosary to do her job Some of his scars were still tender, specifically the ones that belonged to the cuts that had gone to his bones, he was otherwise in perfect health.

“You are good to go, the rest of those scars should get less tender over the next few weeks. The muscle tissue is still healing so try not to do anything overly strenuous. Avoid shifting for awhile yet, not that I think you will have the strength to attempt it.” Phoenix nodded in understanding and agreement.

Rosary turned towards Winter and waited for permission to approach, Winter considered her for a moment then gestured permission for Rosary to approach. Rosary gently checked Winter’s wounds as well the state of her bones and joints. Finding only soreness she looked at Winter and spoke directly to her, “The same goes for you, take it easy. Even your bones are still healing, you had pieces of shrapnel pulled out of your bones so please be careful.”

“I understand. I have a question though. Phoenix says that if he had not marked me I would have died, as would he. I do not understand why he would have died if I died. Can you explain?” Winter only projected her thought to Rosary, she left Phoenix out of the conversation.

“In most cases the other would have survived. However, Phoenix no longer has any other possible mates. He lost one to poachers while doing a welfare check on a pack, and another he killed himself after she surrendered to the Dark and tried to kill him.” Rosary replied cautiously.

“So I am his only option. He had no choice but to accept me.” Winter’s voice held pain and despair. “And now, he has the ability to completely control me because he marked me. Because Storm agreed to the marking.”

“Alpha, can you excuse us?” Rosary asked Phoenix. He nodded then left the room, taking a deep breath Rosary then turned back to Winter. “A mate mark does not give anybody complete control over anybody. Phoenix does not have complete control of you. The mate mark binds the two of you together, it also gives you access to his feelings and his to your feelings. You are able to block him from your mind still, he cannot control your thoughts. He is also only able to read your thoughts if you have not blocked him, the same goes for you reading his thoughts. You should be able to feel what he is feeling.” She paused for a moment then continued, “Phoenix had the choice when you first got here to have somebody break the scent bond. The scent bond only existed for him, you were too ill to recognize him as your mate. Until he walked into your room in the infirmary that day he had a choice. He chose you, he did not allow the bond to be broken.”

“I do not understand, I was always told that a mate mark would give the male complete and total control of me. Even more control than what they already had, that they could make me completely compliant. They told me a mate mark would make it so that I would have children with those men who used me.” Winter’s voice was panicky.

“That is not the case, at least not with Haloing’s. A Haloing requires both a mate mark, as well as a willingness to have a child. Even with the mate mark, if you do not want children you will not have them. No matter how much you and Phoenix have s*x, if you do not want children there is no way for him to force you to have children if you do not want them. He also cannot force you into anything because he marked you.”

“Are you sure?” Winter asked hesitantly.

“I am positive. Did you and Phoenix not talk while you were in a coma?”

“No, I could sense him but could not speak with him. At least not for awhile. I think it was just before we woke up that he spoke with me. He told me that he had marked me, that he had asked Storm if he could and that she had agreed. He also told me that he would never hurt me. I have found his presence soothing since I moved into the pack house, I love his scent. Are you certain that he cannot control me?”

“I am certain. I would also like to point out that no Haloing will reject a mate for being a runt. The only reason a Haloing will reject a mate is if that mate willingly gave themselves to the Dark. You never willingly went to the Dark, you were pushed in that direction due to circumstance not choice. A runt, such as yourself, could be extraordinarily powerful.”

“I see.” Winter replied, her voice was soft. Rosary could tell that she was considering everything that she had just been told. “What do you suggest I do?”

“Give him a chance, give us a chance. I know you have been distancing yourself from the pack out of fear, but I am asking you to please give us a chance. You are our Luna, you are the entire packs last chance at a true Luna. Can you do that? Can you give us a chance?”

“I will try. I have been trying.”

Winter left the infirmary and went to her room, as she walked in she was happy to see that somebody had been taking care of her plants. She walked into her bathroom and examined the mark that Phoenix had given her in the mirror. She had to admit, it was beautiful. Instead of a bite mark she saw an image of two wolves facing each other with their foreheads touching as they sat in front of a large pair of wings. All this was entered on a blue moon.

“I like the mark.” Storm chirped at her.

“Me too. I think I believe Rosary. I think it is possible that everything… that almost everything that I was told was a lie. The problem is trying to distinguish between what is truth and what is lies.” Winter admitted.

“Are you really willing to try and become part of the pack?” Storm asked her hopefully. “That may the best way for you to get those answers.”

“Yes, I will try. I am afraid though, I like the idea of being Luna but have no idea if I will actually be able to fill the role successfully. How about we go find that clearing that Phoenix showed us in our dream?” Winter replied to her wolf. Storm did not reply but Winter could sense her agreement. She started to head outside but realized she may want something warmer for the December cold. Going back to her closet she pulled out the heavy synthetic down jacket and the fleece clothing that Inferno had gotten her for winter weather.

“As much as I want to find this clearing…are you certain this is a good idea? We have no way of knowing how far away it is.” Storm asked Winter.

“Maybe. Only one way to find out though.” Winter replied.