Blood match

Doc

The dim fluorescent lights buzzed softly above the cluttered desk, casting flickering shadows that seemed to dance around the room. The air was thick with the sour tang of stale cigarette smoke and damp plaster, curling wallpaper peeling at the edges like wounded flesh. In this cramped, half-dark office, My Brother Shelby lounged across the desk from me, his ocean-blue eyes gleaming with a mix of annoyance and concern. He leaned in, forearms braced against the chaos of papers, cigarette butts, and empty coffee cups. His voice was low, edged with impatience. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his gaze. The room seemed to shrink around us, the shadows growing longer. I spoke first.

“Hello big brother, what do I owe this unpleasant visit?” I asked. 

“I came by to ask you about something, so forgive me if I’m a little irritated with you”

Shelby wasn’t one to ask questions without a good reason, and I knew better than to brush him off.

“What do you want to know?”

“You want to explain what happened the other night?” 

I paused, the tension in the room thickening, and I felt each ridge of my skin burn under his unwavering hard, calculating gaze that cut through the darkness like a blade.

I forced a crooked smirk.

“You’ll have to be more specific, big brother”

“Don’t get cute,” Shelby finally said, voice cold and measured. “Ruiz already called me, I know what you did”

I

“Oh? And what pearls of wisdom did that mutt have for me today?” 

Shelby exhaled slowly.

“Care to explain why you nailed beta Gavin to Ruiz’s damn door with that insane message you left nailed to his chest?” I demanded. 

Memories flooded back—Heat flared in my face, the kind of burn that sneaks up unexpectedly, igniting my nerves and making my pulse thunder in my ears.

“And what note are you referring to?”

“This damn note” Shelby said taking the blood soaked piece of torn paper out from his back pocket.

 Images of that night flickered behind my eyes—my temper sparking faster than wildfire, uncontrolled and fierce. I remembered the recoil of the heavy nail gun in my grip, the way it jerked against my shoulder as I hammered another restless nail into soft flesh. It was a blur of sweat, frustration, and shattered patience. And then they both, fluttered like a warning flag against the warp wood. 

Shelby cleared his throat and began to read it :“I’ll skin your pretty little wolf fur from your bones and use it as a rug to put in front of my fireplace, and if you happen to catch on fire, then you can count on me to piss on it, to put you out,” his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“Shelby” I said putting my palms up in the air “okay, in all fairness, I was upset that night,”

“Jesus man. Just tell me what’s going on in that head of yours” Shelby said, his voice trembling slightly. “Please, I’m here for you,” His tone was desperate,  

 A plea for understanding in a world that felt increasingly chaotic. Doc looked away, his jaw clenched tight. His hands trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled photograph—faded and torn at the edges. He hesitated, then finally whispered, “It’s Raven.” The name was a poison on his tongue. 

Shelby recoiled as if struck- the black and white image revealed Raven with another man

“She left me again, a few days ago”

“Why does she keep doing this?” Shelby asked 

“I don’t know,”Doc admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “And, I’m still processing it.”

But every time she walks away, it’s like tearing a piece out of me.

 Shelby’s eyes widened, then narrowed, cutting to me with dawning, horrified understanding.

“You deserve better than this, Doc. You keep holding on to what’s gone, like you’re afraid of what’s left behind. But you can’t fix her. You can only fix yourself.”

“It’s not that simple,” I murmured. “I keep telling myself that, but… every time she leaves, I feel like I’m losing a part of me”

Shelby reached out, placing a tentative hand on Doc’s shoulder. 

“Maybe it’s time you stop waiting for her to come back. Maybe you need to find your own way, without her shadow hanging over you.” His voice was gentle, but firm.

“Yeah,”Doc whispered, a faint glimmer of resolve breaking through his despair. 

“But what did Ruiz ever do to you?, to make you lash out this bad, Little Brother”

Yeah, I know how it sounds. Pathetic. Petty.  

“And you thought it was a good idea to nail a useless beta to Ruiz’s front door because she left you for him?” The words cut through the silence like a blade. 

I pounded my fist into my chest with enough force to make it throb. 

“ I’m her God damn bloody mate.” The words felt bitter and heavy on my tongue

“That’s low. Even for you.”

My fists clenched, trembling with rage and the humiliation, thinking of them two together rutting. but I didn't care. It was the only way I knew to make them feel what I felt.

Shelby raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “Maybe he had a bigger dick than yours?” he teased, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

 My jaw clenched, and I shot him a glare. “My dick is just fine!” I snapped, feeling the weight of my own insecurity. “It’s not about size, big brother. It’s about her choosing a mongrel Over me” my anger simmer hotter, like oil on an open flame.

“Maybe she just wanted someone who could match her chaos,” he said softly, almost sympathetically. “Or maybe you’re just afraid of losing what’s left of your pride.” 

 I couldn’t help but let out a small snarl, Shelby had a way of pushing buttons, especially when it came to my ego.  pride was a fragile thing—so easy to shatter with the simplest words or the slightest insult. And tonight, I’d been reminded just how fragile I was.

“I mean, I would understand why your mate left you for a wolf this time,” he spat, voice edged with bitterness. 

The words hung in the air, sharp and unforgiving.

Ruiz isn’t the only one who’s well endowed, I have a big dick too.

“Not helping, Big Brother,”Doc said, with a calm but firm tone. 

Shelby shrugged, as if the insult didn’t matter. “If you say so,” he replied, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling, trying to compose himself. His face was drawn with frustration, a look that only hinted at the storm of emotions beneath the surface.“Doc, whatever the reason was…” Shelby’s voice dropped, tinged with disappointment. “You could’ve handled this situation differently.”

It was clear Shelby was more upset about the way things were handled than the actual problem itself. He was used to control, used to having things his way, and seeing things spiral out of his grasp was frustrating for him. But I couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the condescension in his words. It’s easy to criticize me from the sidelines. Even, easily to dismiss the feelings involved.

Maybe,” I shrugged my shoulders, “maybe not.” The words felt like a whisper of doubt in a world that demanded certainty. “But sometimes you’ve got to send a message.”

 “And what message was that when you almost killed that poor innocent beta?”

Casualties can happen between love and war.

Doc ran a hand through his disheveled hair, the memory of chaos flashing behind his eyes. "And to stop fucking another male's mate, or the same thing will happen to him," he muttered, voice thick with venom. “Except I won’t be nailing Ruiz’s ass to his front door for my soul-sucking tick to find. Oh no,” he added with a dark smirk, “I’ll be taking his head and mounting it on my wall.”

Shelby’s voice was soft but fierce, cutting through the tense air like a needle.

 “Because of your little stunt, Ruiz banned you from the feeding program.”

A cold dread pooled in my stomach, tightening its grip with every word. I muttered, “Figures.” I folded my arms tighter, trying to muster some semblance of defiance, but inside, the chaos churned. “Looks like he won this round”

Shelby’s eyes flickered with a mixture of pity and frustration

 “How so?”

“He got what he wanted, he gets me banned, and gets to fuck my wife like she belongs to him. How is that fair?”

 “It’s not fair,” he admitted softly. “But she made her choice. It’s time to let her go”

I looked away, trying to hide the ache in my chest. The thought of her walking away from me, into Ruiz’s shadow, felt like a knife twisting deeper with every second.

“For good this time Doc”

 “You don’t know what your talking about” I growled.

Shelby sighed. breaking the heavy silence. His face was creased with worry, the kind that age and experience gather.

“ I know she isn’t good for you, or, for your mental health… well… what’s left of it anyways.”

Shelby’s right. Raven made her choice, and I’m done fighting to keep what’s already gone.

 “Sometimes, you gotta face the truth, even when it hurts like hell,” I  slid a single, crumpled business card across the battered wooden table, 

My fingers trembling just enough to make the red ink smear slightly. My heart thudded unexpectedly—curiosity, mixed with a strange flicker of unease. I reached out and carefully lifted the card, eyes narrowing at the bold, blood-red letters that seemed to pulse with life: Bloodmatch. Beneath the name, a smear of fresh-looking blood still glistened, as if it had just been spilled moments ago, and Shelby’s fingertips had left their mark.

“What is this? I asked, voice barely above a whisper, my eyes darting from the card to Shelby’s tense face. His voice cracked, softer than I’d ever heard it, as if he was offering an olive branch wrapped in shadows.

 “It’s called Help, Little Brother. Use it,” he said, voice trembling with urgency.

I blinked, feeling a cold prickle at the back of my neck. My thumb instinctively traced the jagged edges of the warning—bright red ink, glittering like fresh blood, seemed to shimmer under the dim overhead light. I hesitated, then lifted my gaze slowly to meet Shelby’s.

“Help with what, exactly? I asked, my voice barely steady.

 “Alright. Well.” He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Don’t get upset with me, but I called the owner last night. Since he owed me a favor, he’s willing to sell you one of his new donors.”

I flinched internally. The words sounded clinical, but the idea behind them was anything but. Buying a donor. Like I was bartering for livestock, a prized cow, a resource to be used and discarded when no longer needed.

 Doc blinked, voice dangerously calm,

 “Sell one to me?” 

Shelby nodded, eyes darting away briefly before meeting Doc’s gaze again. 

“He doesn’t want an unfortunate accident—like with the last three donors—that walked in here and ended up buried in your cemetery,” his voice trembled with reluctant sympathy.

Doc closed his eyes, feeling the weight of everything crashing down—pride, fear, resentment, desperation. The darkness of his profession pressed against him, whispering secrets he wished he could forget. 

 “He’s been crystal clear on this. No surprises. Just a clean bill of sale.” My gaze steady and unyielding.

 I knew he was weighing every word, every implication, as his gaze bore into me. After a long pause, I finally spoke, voice strained but steady. 

“I’m not buying a donor,”

 “Think of it as your own personal walking blood bank”

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my face neutral. No, I’d keep my pride intact. I wasn’t about to admit that the concept had a strange appeal—like the promise of constant sustenance, always there, always ready.

“On tap, available to you 24/7 when you need it, Little brother,” 

Was I really considering this? The thought hovered like a dark cloud in my mind, tempting, grotesque, but undeniably alluring. He knew I was wavering, but he also knew I was too proud to show it.

“Doc,” he sighed, voice softening just a fraction, “I would seriously consider this option. Since it is the last one you have. And your mate Raven isn’t here to feed you anymore—to keep you settled”

My mind spun with images—Raven’s cold eyes, the distain of me, as she used to feed me just enough to keep the hunger at bay. Now, without her, I was a shell, a husk. The craving clawed at me, relentlessly .

“And this is the price you will pay for acting out.” Shelby said, His words cut deeper than he intended, but the truth was hard to hide.

The idea of buying a donor, of having someone’s life essence on demand, felt like surrendering a part of my soul, yet also a tempting escape from the torment of deprivation.

“Would it really come to that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Buying someone…”

 “It’s not about ‘buying,’ exactly. It’s about necessity. Survival. You’re at the point where the line between humanity and insanity blurs. Do you want to stay in this present state, killing everything in your path because your feelings are hurt?—or do you want to live, to show that soul sucking tick of a mate that you can live without her, and survive”

I looked down, the weight of the decision pressing down hard. I clutched the small, ominous card—its surface slick with a sheen that promised both salvation and damnation. The weight of it felt like an anchor pulling me deeper into the mire. Every moral fiber in my body screamed in protest, warning me to toss it away, to run, to forget. But Shelby was right—out here, choices weren’t made with clean hands. They were wrapped in barbed wire, sharp and unforgiving. I exhaled a ragged breath, tasting the metallic tang of fear and resolve. I finally lifted my head, my voice was rough and strained, barely more than a whisper.

Shelby’s tension eased into a thin, almost satisfied nod, a flicker of victory dancing behind his eyes. He knew the game was far from over, but for now, he’d won this round.

“Good,” Shelby muttered, voice low but edged with a warning. “You better not screw this up.”

I hesitated for a heartbeat before slipping the Bloodmatch card into my jacket pocket. The cold metal pressed against my skin, a chilling reminder of what I carried—hope, fear, and the possibility of salvation. My lips curled into a grin, but it was crooked and tasted like ash on my tongue.

“Don’t worry,” I said softly, voice barely above a whisper. “I won’t screw this up.”

Shelby shot me a cautious glance, a shadow of a smirk tugging at his lips. “You better not. Because if you do, I’ll kill you with my bare hands”