Human Cure

Alpha Lyon’s POV

My mother was sick and even as the Alpha, I didn't have the cure to her ailment.

I stood by the window, watching the moonlight hit the floorboards, while behind me, my mother, Nima’s breathing sounded like gravel grinding together.

"The healers left an hour ago, Lyon," Kendra said from the doorway.

I didn't turn around. I didn't want to see her.

"I know when they left. I’m the one who kicked them out."

"They only said what you already know," she stepped into the room, her silk robe rustling.

"The tumor is too deep. It’s the same one that took your mate. You have to stop acting like this is a battle you can win with your teeth and face the reality of the situation."

"I am not watching my mother die the same way I watched Sarah die," I snapped, finally turning to face her. "Get out, Kendra."

"I’m trying to help you!" she raised her voice, stepping closer.

"The pack is unsettled. They see their Alpha hiding in a sickroom while the Luna ceremony remains unfinished. If Nima passes, the transition needs to be seamless. We need to be joined."

"Is that all you think about? The ceremony? My mother is fading in that bed and you’re worried about a title."

Kendra straightened her shoulders.

"I am worried about our future. I was chosen for you for a reason. I am the only one who can help you lead this pack through the mourning period."

"You were chosen by elders who want a stable bloodline because you're a highborn, not by me," I said, walking past her into the hallway.

"I’m going to find a way to fix this and until I do that, you can't talk me into a commitment I'm not ready for."

"There is no way!" she called out, following me. "Even the best human surgeons said it was impossible five years ago when it was Sarah. What has changed since then?"

I stopped in the hallway, my hand resting on the cool stone of the wall. The television in the lounge area was on, the volume low.

A news segment was looping, showing a bright, sterile stage. A young woman was standing there—Christie Graves. She looked small, almost swallowed up by the attention, but the headline scrolling across the bottom of the screen made my heart stop.

CURE FOR STAGE FOUR MALIGNANT TUMORS REACHES FINAL TESTING.

"Look at that," I whispered.

Kendra scoffed, glancing at the screen.

"A human girl? Lyon, don't be ridiculous. That’s probably a PR stunt for some pharmaceutical company. That tiny girl on the screen didn't change anything."

"She’s being celebrated for it," I said, moving toward the screen.

"She found the cure. It says she’s been working on it for a year."

I felt relief and excitement crash into my mind at the same time, even if I didn't even know who this woman was.

"It’s not even on the market yet," Kendra argued, her voice rising in frustration.

"You’re going to chase a girl who hasn't even finished her clinical trials? You don't even know where she is. She doesn't have a profile, she doesn't have a footprint. I checked the news earlier—she’s a nobody."

I pulled out my phone, my fingers flying over the screen. I searched her name. Nothing. No social media, no public interviews that actually gave details about her personal life, just a few academic papers.

"She has a lab," I said, looking at a grainy photo of a brick building in the background of one of the clips. "I recognize that district. It’s a four-hour drive."

"You are not leaving," Kendra said, stepping in front of me, her eyes flashing.

"Your mother could take her last breath tonight. If the Alpha is gone when the dowager mother dies, it will be chaos. You owe it to the pack to stay here."

"I owe it to my mother to give her a chance," I retorted. I grabbed my keys from the side table.

"I had watched Sarah’s life drain away because I followed the 'rules' and listened to the 'experts.' I am not doing it again."

"Lyon, listen to me!" Kendra grabbed my arm, her grip tight.

"If you leave now, the elders will see it as a desertion. They will say you’ve lost your mind to grief. Stay. Marry me tomorrow. We can face the end of her life together, as the leaders of this pack."

I looked down at her hand on my arm, then back at her face.

"You don't care about Nima. You just want to make sure you’re wearing the crown before she’s gone so nobody can contest your position."

Kendra’s face went cold.

"I am doing what is necessary for the Fangs pack. Someone has to."

"Then do it while I’m gone," I said, wrenching my arm away.

"I’m going to find Christie Graves. And I’m bringing her back here, whether she wants to come or not."

"You’ll be hunting a shadow!" Kendra screamed after me as I headed for the door.

"She won't help you! Humans are terrified of us!"

"Then I'll give her a reason to be terrified," I growled, not looking back.

I walked out into the cool New Orleans

night, the engine of my truck roaring to life. My wolf was pacing in my mind, a low, hungry growl vibrating in my chest. I didn't care about the laws, the elders, or the ceremony.

I pulled out of the driveway, the image of the girl on the screen burned into my mind. She was the cure. She was the only thing standing between my mother and a grave.

If only she had been here five years ago when the woman I was mated to had been snatched away from me.