Dominant Species Ch. 61-62

The best news had been with the facilities. Several public works employees had survived and were put in charge of a team to restore water and sewage, without them disease would surely follow. They located at the National Guard armory a pair of towable generators and a truck that could tow them; once relocated to the water and sewer department, they were able to rig them up to the pumps required to get the systems back online. They promised to have the water towers filled again before sunrise so people could take a quick but cold shower. When they reported in, it was decided that they would run the systems every six hours or so then shut the generators down to save fuel, which was the next priority. Another group was working on using the portable pumps to tap into the gas station diesel fuel tanks and transfer them to towable fuel tanks.

It was all going well, it was just that her mind was on Missoula and wouldn't settle until her mate was back safe in her arms. Her wolf was restless; she moved outside and looked up at the sky, it was going to be dawn in an hour or so. Pulling off her clothes and folding them on the picnic table, she shifted to her wolf form and took off for the river. As she reached the edge of the canyon above it, she sat and let out a mournful howl to the moon, a howl of loss and hope.

He ears picked up as her howl was answered from the hills on the other side. The return howl had power behind it, Alpha power, but it wasn't her Alpha. She howled again, this time in greeting and invitation. She ran down and across the bridge, working her way to the edges of the farms on the west side of the river as their periodic howls got closer together. Finally, she saw a large wolf break through the trees and she sat as he walked to her. He outranked her, so she showed her neck in submission as he came closer. He sniffed her, she did the same, then she shifted to her human form. "Welcome to Corvallis, Alpha, I am Beta Candice of the North Fork pack."

The man shifted, he was young and strong with long blonde hair and bulging muscles. "I am Alpha Carl Johnson of the Blue Mountain pack. Well... what used to be the Blue Mountain pack." His head dropped with sorrow. "Luna told me to head south, that I would find my future there."

Candice chuckled. "Evidently Luna has been busy. Come on, we need to get inside before sunrise. I'll get you fed and fill you in on everything that is going on." They both shifted and ran back into town, Candice shifted and got back into her clothes and then led Carl inside where she handed him some clothes from the storeroom. "Dinner was an hour ago, but I'm sure they have some left over." They walked together to the kitchen which was being cleaned up, but they were able to get a few sandwiches and some chips to take with them.

They sat outside at the picnic table, watching the sun wake up behind the mountains. They ate quickly, but eventually the silence became too much and Candice had to ask. "Alpha, where is your Pack?"

"Gone." He looked to the north, his face was sad. "I was out on a patrol of our western territory when it happened. I didn't notice much as first, but my Pack was at home or at work. They started having trouble, losing vision, then they got sick. I was deep in the forests so it took a little longer before I started having trouble seeing. I knew I couldn't get back, so when I got to an abandoned mine shaft I went inside to wait it out." He took a few more chips, set his jaw and continued. "I got sick, I was throwing up and feverish. I tried linking, but it didn't work. I don't know how long I was in that mine shaft, but when I finally healed I ran home in the darkness. My Pack, all twenty-three of them, was gone, as was everyone I knew in the area. It took me a full night to collect them all and send them off, I burned them all within my Beta's house. That night, I lost the will to live."

Candice reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, normally you'd never touch an Alpha but this one needed it. "You lost your mate?"

"No, I haven't found her yet. It's just the loss, the hollow inside me from being an Alpha and having no one left. I failed them."

"There's been so much death, Alpha Carl. I'm happy you made it, and that you are here. There is much work to be done, and frankly we need a bunch of Alphas to do it." She filled him in on all that had been going on in the North Fork and Salmon packs, and the three Alphas that were currently up in Missoula helping the people there. "We have so many humans volunteering for the change, or those so severely sick they have to take the change or die, but we don't have enough Alphas for them all. The other Alphas should be back here tomorrow night, until then please accept my hospitality and I'll show you to a room for the day."

"Of course," he said. "I see your mating bite is fresh, isn't your mate here?"

"No, he's fighting up in Missoula. I actually have only been with him for a few hours, we met as we were traveling up here. Luna called him to me."

"Congratulations," he said as they moved inside. "Maybe Luna will show me favor as well."