Four

Axel 

I could feel the hungry, expectant stares from patients, nurses, and staff alike. They all reeked of greed and desperation. Patients who were genuinely sick were here to be healed, while those desperate to seduce me watched with shameless longing. 

I was their king, their savior, and their fantasy.

Rumors of me searching for a mate had sent the pack's females into a frantic frenzy. Every woman, from maids to nurses, even those who were married, threw themselves at me, with some falsely claiming to feel a bond.

I sometimes gave in to their advances, letting the attention from the women distract me, but it never truly filled the emptiness within me. The constant attention disgusted me—not that I didn’t enjoy the power it gave me. But it wasn’t enough. 

With a scoff, I gazed at my drink, aware of the cruel irony—a healer, blessed with the ability to mend broken bodies yet cursed never to heal his own.

The Metropolitan Healing Center had become my way of channeling my frustrations. What had started as a personal experiment had become the region's most exclusive facility. I discovered my healing gift by accident while treating a soldier who had nearly bled out during battle.

“My King,” a female voice called softly as the door creaked open. I glanced sideways. It was the matron—the only staff I hadn’t fucked and the only one whose presence didn’t immediately irritate me.

“How many patients are left?” I asked without looking up.

“Fifteen, Your Majesty,” she said quietly.

“That’s it. I’m done for the day.”

Her gaze darted nervously as she took a step closer. “Some of them have been waiting all day, my King. A few since yesterday.”

“And?”

She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I just thought—”

“I don’t care,” I interrupted, turning away.

Another nurse entered, flaunting herself in a desperate and over-the-top attempt to seduce. Her actions reeked of desperation as she swayed her hips and unbuttoned her shirt just enough to reveal more than necessary.

“It’s time for a break, Your Majesty,” she purred in a sultry tone.

I stifled a groan, recognizing her game. “Maybe you’re right,” I said dryly as she sank to her knees.

After she took my cock in her mouth like a hungry banshee, irritation washed over me as I fixed her with a cold stare. 

“Get out.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment as she hastily buttoned her shirt, her movements jerky and frantic. She stammered an apology before rushing out of the room.

I instructed the matron to bring in the next patient and then began arranging the vials and tools in the healing chamber.

In minutes, the double doors creaked open. My gaze fell on the frail figure lying on the stretcher.

She looked as though she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Her black hair was tangled and stuck to her skin, with bangs falling over her face. There was a longing in her eyes, the same one I’d seen countless times before in other women.

Pathetic.

Beneath the matted hair and gaunt cheeks, something was striking about her, a beauty that sickness couldn’t fully conceal.

Afterward, I finished with the next patient, an elderly man, and headed to the castle. The sky darkened as I approached the majestic building, which never failed to irritate me. It mirrored my empty life.

I was climbing the staircase when my Beta, Shahar, appeared at the top landing.

“Why does my King look as angry as a bear?” he quipped, stepping beside me. I didn’t slow my pace.

“I don’t have time for chit-chat. Get the warriors ready for training.”

“They’ve already trained. Twice,” Shahar said, demonstrating with his hands. “You should learn to delegate, Axel. At this rate, you’ll break yourself before anyone else.”

Shahar was the only one who dared to talk back to me. The more irritated I was, the more jovial he seemed to become. Ignoring him, I headed straight for the study, and he followed me.

“Rough day, huh? What happened—more pathetic sick people, or was it the gals trying to seduce you?”

I dropped into the chair by my desk. “Both. They all disgust me.”

“You’re not just angry at them, Axel. You’re angry at yourself,” Shahar said, not smiling anymore. “You want something real, but you’ve convinced yourself it doesn’t exist. So, you push it away before it can disappoint you. Maybe it’s time to make the rumors true—announce that you’re searching for your mate. She’ll find you.”

My lips curled into a humorless smirk. “That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. If I can’t feel the bond, why would I believe anyone who claims to be my mate? They’re all liars, Shahar. Every single one of them.”

His amusement returned, and he leaned forward. “You’re not wrong. But your instincts will know she's special if the bond is real.”

I turned away, fixing my gaze on the darkened window. “I don’t want to hope. The bond might not even work anyway.”

Shahar pushed off the desk and grinned. “All right, king of denial. I’ll leave you to brood in peace.”

Late at night, when the castle was silent and the day's weight had passed, I wondered. Was there someone who would see beyond the curse or the crown? Was there indeed someone out there for me?”