Page 9 of The Devil on my Chest

“From what academics have learned since, the crux or intent of the curse was to destroy the pack completely. The ones on pack grounds would all die horrific deaths, but if anyone did escape, that’s where the lack of being able to sense a mate comes in. Even if the wolf lived, they would never have pups or find love with a mate. A particularly harsh aspect of the curse.”

“That explains what Rocky has always lived with, because he was the only one who lived.” Mal stroked over Rocky’s head. The wolf had such trusting eyes. Glancing up at Doctor Nelson, he said, “I’m not hearing any solutions to this problem. You said Rocky’s addiction to sweet things is a result of the retrigger, and that it was related to him not being able to claim his mate. How does knowing this change anything? You can see Rocky now. His wolf loves and trusts me, but he’s not showing any signs of wanting to claim me, and my wolf feels the same.”

“But that’s actually what you need to do, claim each other.” Doctor Nelson reached into his pocket and brought out a long plastic box. Resting it on the bed, he flipped it open. Leaningforward Mal could see blood in three small vials, a covered petri dish with more blood in it, and two small empty dishes.

“Blood from two or more people, if mixed together, will just look like regular blood to the naked eye,” Doctor Nelson explained, opening two of the vials and putting a drop of each onto an empty petri dish. “This is Rocky’s blood and a drop from one of my students. Now, typically, if we put these two together…” He rolled the dish causing the two bloods to run into each other.

“Wait a minute,” Doctor Nelson cautioned. “And yes, there we go.” He held up the petri dish and the drops had separated as if by magic. “Rocky’s blood is repelling the other. We tried this on samples from six of the people who work here, and every result is the same. If you look closely, you can see microscopic flecks, almost like glitter in Rocky’s blood on the right there.”

“Is that the curse in his blood?” Mal could see them, barely, but they were definitely there. “Doesn’t that impact the way the blood flows in a person’s body?”

“It does, and what’s worse is we believe Rocky’s addiction to sugar was feeding those bits. We tested a couple of other samples of Rocky’s blood that confirmed that hypothesis. As Rocky got more and more desperate, seeking to fill a void he couldn’t identify, he consumed more and more sugar. The tests we’ve run shows that sugar causes these flecks to get bigger and multiply.”

“He was killing himself with every sugar donut and custard cream.” Mal sat back in his chair, feeling sick. Rocky whined and lay on the floor, his head on his front paws. Mal waved at the petri dish. “Doesn’t this mean that if anything is given to Rocky to try and counter this curse, or his sugar addiction, his blood will reject it?”

“Yes. However, I need you to pay attention one more time. This is Rocky’s blood again.” Doctor Nelson added another drop to a clean petri dish. “You can see the sparkles.”

Leaning forward again, Mal nodded.

“This is your blood.” The doctor held up another vial, undid it and then added a drop of blood to the dish. Then, just as before he rolled the two drops, so they merged.

Mal held his breath, waiting for Rocky’s blood to reject his, just as it had for the other sample. Then he frowned. “They’re not separating. Rocky’s blood has merged with mine.”

“Not just merged, look closer. Can you see the flecks?”

“No. Move the dish again, please.” Mal didn’t dare touch it in case he contaminated the sample.

Doctor Nelson rolled the combined blood around the petri dish and held it up. “The flecks are gone.”

“But that’s the answer then.” Mal sat back and held out his arm. “Give Rocky a transfusion of my blood. You can have it all. I just want him well again.”

“I don’t think we need to be that drastic.” Doctor Nelson put the petri dish away with the others. “What I believe, and my colleagues are of the same opinion, is that if you and Rocky claimed each other, your bite will start the process to break the curse. There is nothing more powerful than a claiming bite. When Rocky bites you, he will ingest your blood, it needs only be a small amount. But your blood moving through his system should remove the flecks in his blood, and the curse along with it.”

“How strong is your belief that this would break the curse permanently?” Mal was looking down at Rocky, who as if sensing his gaze, looked up. “I would give every drop of blood inmy body if that made Rocky well again. But if I tied him to me…and then there was something wrong with your calculations and I wasn’t actually his mate, that would be no better for Rocky than him being cursed, especially if he met his mate at a later stage.”

“Anecdotally, there is already plenty of evidence that you two are mates, well before this business happened. Did your friend ever find out where Rocky was going when he disappeared once a month?”

“No. Even Mrs. Hooper, our resident know-it-all, said Rocky was too clean and tidy when he came back to be out sleeping with someone.”

What sounded like a groan came out of Rocky’s throat and he put a paw over his eyes, making Mal and Doctor Nelson chuckle.

“I think you have your answer. I honestly can’t think of any other reason why Rocky’s blood accepts yours when it rejected all others. If you want us to test it some more…”

“I’m not doubting your theories, Doctor.” Mal sighed. “It’s just…have you ever hoped for or wanted something so badly, and then all of a sudden it’s within your grasp, and you’re terrified to reach out and grab it in case it breaks?”

“I understand the analogy, and yes, I do know what you mean. This isn’t without risks. There is documented evidence of mate claiming breaking curses in the past, and there is every indication that this curse was standard and direct. The coven that created it knew what they were doing.

“As I said before, every curse has a breaking point, and it would seem that finding a fated mate is the option for this one. If you think about it, it’s very clever. Even if someone did break free of the pack, like Rocky did, they would still be cursed, and would still not be able to recognize their mate.

“Rocky was lucky he had an omega as a mate. You wouldn’t pressure him for more, you loved him anyway, even if you weren’t aroused by him. If he’d been fated to anyone else, that could’ve been really messy as a mating rejection would’ve killed him quicker than the sugar was doing.”

“I would feel bad about biting him without talking to him first.” Mal ran his hand over Rocky’s head. The wolf didn’t seem upset.

“From what I saw when we forced his shift, Rocky would only be lucid a mere matter of seconds before his craving hit him again. That doesn’t really give you a chance to have the type of conversation you’re clearly hoping would help in your decision-making process. What I suggest, and it is up to you, is that you talk to him, gauge his mood, and then if he appears agreeable, then use the garden and shift into your wolf form and see what happens.”

“And if I bite him, and this doesn’t break the curse?” Mal met Doctor Nelson’s eyes squarely.

“Then you will die when Rocky does.”

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