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The vociferous cough was getting more severe. My mother's health has been declining rapidly, and it hurt me to the core to see her so weak and fragile, without knowing what to do.

"Take the water and drink... it's warm, Mother," I coax her softly, bracketing her up with my body. As usual, she had asked for my presence, and I went running to her. My mother is my only existing family, and I would do anything to protect her from this strange and unexplainable sickness.

"Don't look like that, smile a little... all these wrinkled lines are beginning to take away your handsome ambiance, Axel... it's okay. I will be fine, just make me happy by doing what I asked..." she says to to me after taking a sip of her warm water.

But the cough cut her out again, and she heaved for another few seconds. The tears were threatening to slip out of my eyes, but I held them back. It's prohibited for me, the demon Alpha, to cry.

A disgrace, really.

Nobody would believe the fact that I cry in my closet or when I'm with my sick mother. "Has she taken her medicine today?" I turn, scowling at her head nurse, who immediately nodded her head excessively in agreement before stepping away from us again.

Everyone is terrified of me, and I like it that way. I need them to fear me. My mother and close friends are enough for me; they know the real me, and that's good enough. "You can go and remind the pack doctor to be here!" I raved at her again. I don't know why I was angry at her.

"Hey... that frown is still there..." my mother says, patting me playfully on my chest and giving me one of her sweet smiles, though a weak one. I reach for her hand, bringing it to my lips for a kiss.

"Don't bribe me with that, Axel... get married again and forget about the past. It's been four years now..." she says, reminding me of the same conversation we've been having since my mate left.

Looking away from her strained face and peek at my feet instead. My mother is my most precious treasure, and I would do anything to make her happy. But this one request I cannot grant.

My mate had left me without any prior notice. She just got up and left the palace mansion one day while also painting me me red on her way to the exit.

"Mother... I would have scolded at you if not for your condition... you know what I went through, the stigma is still there. It's just that no one dares to ask me to my face. To all my pack and the rest of the werewolf community... I killed Lyra..." I tell her softly, reminding her why I hate the topic.

"But you cannot give up on love. You need someone... to trust and love... when I leave... I'm worried..." I turn back to look at my mother, reaching over and snatching her into a firm hug.

"You will not leave me... not yet... don't say all these, I don't have anyone else. Be strong and fight this, please!" I plead with her, kissing her chin. She hugs me, rubbing the center of my back like she always did to soothe me.

The sickness is one battle I cannot win. I'm immensely wealthy and influential. I have almost all of the renowned doctors of the world attending to my mother and her ailment, but they seem to find no cure. Instead, the best solution is to manage it for now.

"It's bizarre... her body should be recovering by now, but we found out it's always relapsing and going back to its old stage... I think there's something contaminating the whole process over and over again, and it's in her blood. All over her body," one of the professional doctors diagnoses rings in my head again.

I lay my mother back on her bed and get on my feet to pace around. She watches me with her weak eyes. I know she wants me to get married again, she firmly believes it's the key to my happiness.

But after what Lyra did to me, I don't think I will be able to love any other woman. Of course, I have lots of women that help release my desires, but I will never open my heart to any woman or give them the leverage to make me feel helpless.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

My mate left my heart cold and unyielding when she walked out on me because I had refused to marry her on the exact date that she had picked.

Everyone knows me to be a smart and very calculative young king and her behavior was very strange. I only wanted to be careful and watch her more. Her action of leaving just confirmed that she could not be trusted or loyal. A whole future Luna leaving her responsibilities just because of a little misunderstanding?

Laughable.

"You should sit down... my eyes are beginning to ache, I won't bother you about marriage anymore... for today," my mother says, adding the last sentence with a hint of humor.

I surge to her side and smile dazzlingly at her. I know the topic will not end today, and all I can do is to keep enduring it, but I will never bring any other woman into my mansion as my Luna.

Not Lyra or any other woman. I'm done with love. I'm the powerful and unbeatable Alpha king of Black Acres pack. No woman will make me look miserable and pathetic anymore.

"You should rest now... you..." I stop talking to look up at the group of people who have just strolled into my mother's chamber.

Her personal maid leads the way, guiding them into her inner room and sighing loudly. I stand up from her side to allow the doctors to do their job. It's time for her therapy and treatment again.

She beams sadly at me, trying to comfort me with her smile, and I blow her a kiss. The head nurse returns with two other nurses and a doctor. By their side is my most trusted beta, Tobias, who is also my friend. We grew up together.

He is the only person I trust with my mother's health, aside from my best friend Damien and his wife. "Alpha, you should rest now... we have an important meeting in the next thirty minutes, and you've been here for hours," he complains again. His concern for me is evident in his voice.

I pat his shoulder to reassure him, but he is not content with that. "You cannot fall sick too... please leave it to me, I will take care of Mother. She's also my mother," he declares to me, his eyes filled with love and respect as he looks down at my grinning mother.

The maids are preparing her bath, and the doctors are arranging her evening medication. As usual, the room is beginning to smell of medication. "It's okay, son... Tobias is here now... I'm in good hands," my mother assures me again, holding my beta's hand. They were both sharing their usual knowing smile.

I raise my hands in surrender and turn to leave the room. My mother and Tobias' relationship is more of a mother and son. The two are so close to each other, and I appreciate Tobias for standing by me all these years.

As I lean down to give her a kiss on her hair, the nurse and my beta's faint whispers reach my ears. Now, I have very sharp and acute senses,but I still couldn't hear what they were saying, but as usual, they were saying somethings secretly to each other.

I shrugged as I exited my mothers’ apartment, the two also seemed to be very close. My beta must be making sure to keep my mothers’ treatment progress exclusive and well protected from her or the maids.