Page 144 of Heart of the High King
“Chander’s living, and his mate is undead,” Rafe pointed out. “I don’t know how this shit works.”
“Let’s call Chand,” Aleksander suggested. “He’s the leader of the necromancers and the one who brought Mortis back to life.…Perhaps he can offer some insight into the best way to find his mate.”
“Yeah, okay.”
They soon found out that they’d contacted Chander just as he was about to leave for the day, so he and Alaric were happy to teleport there to discuss anything they wanted. It was only a few minutes later that the pair walked into Aleksander’s office. They’d changed into casual wear and greeted everyone with hugs including Mortis.
“So, what’s up?” Chander asked as he was pulled onto Alaric’s thighs.
Aleksander returned to his desk chair, so Rafe plopped down on the floor, which prompted Mortis to get as much of himself on his lap as possible. “Seriously?” Rafe asked the unrepentant wolf. “You’re supposed to be this fearless creature from the wild, but mostly you’re a big baby.”
“Pet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rafe replied, doing as he was told. “So, we brought you guys here because Mortis is curious about his mate. We’re assuming he has one.”
“He’s magickind so yes, he has a mate. Mortis is the only resurrected wolf and is tied to your soul. While I used the spirit of the wolf you met wherever the fuck you were, there are some anomalies we should go over,” Chander replied.
“Anomalies like what?” Aleksander asked.
“Well, obviously the hospital staff in Kentucky were frightened of him. Your doctor there insisted he remain tranquilized. One of them mentioned the oddness of a wild wolf being found with you,” Alaric responded.
“He was, though. A big black wolf came out of nowhere, and I swear to you I know I was in shit shape, but it was like he was leading me toward the road.”
“Black is a color mutation. Although his fur is a different color, the original living animal you encountered had to be a gray wolf with a melanistic mutation given his size. The problem is, that the last time any wolf was found in the wild in Kentucky was in the 1800s. You’d have to travel up to the western great lake states to find the closest population of gray wolves,” Chander explained. “Right off the bat, where the hell did Mortis come from in the first place?”
“I had no idea wolves weren’t found in Kentucky,” Rafe replied.
“Mortis help Rafe.”
“Yeah, I know. If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve died. There’s no way I would’ve found the road on my own. So somehow a wolf appeared out of nowhere like a trail guide?”
“His spell is very unique. I didn’t have a chance to plan anything. It’s a mishmash of the sentinel spell as well as the one I used to resurrect Grymmie’s dog, Hekate. I think that’s why he doesn’t always necessarily act in the way you’d think an undomesticated animal would,” Chander remarked.
“Yeah, he’s a big baby who lives for pets,” Rafe responded.
“But still a sentinel that would protect you with his life,” Alaric commented.
“Who happens to be very good at calling out my lies to me. So finding an animal he’s compatible with is going to be a difficult task, right?”
“I’d think impossible,” Chander responded.
“No mate for Mortis?”
“He’s worried now that he has no mate,” Rafe complained, anxious about the same thing.
“Oh no, he’s going to get a mate. There’s no way he doesn’t deserve to enjoy having someone to share his life with,” Chander reassured them. “I just think we only have one option.”
“Please don’t tell me we’re going to have to go to Kentucky and find some remote area to wait for a second wolf to appear out of nowhere,” Brogan begged.
“That’s not necessary. All we need is a wolf spirit. Chand would use the exact same spell,” Alaric stated.
“Well then, let’s do it. We can certainly add another D’Vaire wolf,” Aleksander said.
“I’m glad you’ve got a positive attitude about it, because in order to duplicate the spell exactly, I need a soul to tie him to, and you’re Rafe’s mate,” Chander remarked.
Mortis got up and jogged to Aleksander, so Rafe got to his feet to see how his other half was reacting to Chander’s suggestion. Grinning, he tried to pet Mortis who was licking his fingers. The High King glanced at Rafe, and his smile only grew wider. Giving his attention to the Arch Lich, Aleksander shook his head slightly. “I can’t believe you want to give me my own wolf. That would be so incredible; when can we do this?”
“Aleksander give Mortis mate?”
