04 - Luna Susie

*** Matthew's POV ***

The day started with me taking Susie, my Luna, to the pack doctor. It's eight in the morning, and Carl, our son, is still asleep. Judging by his regular schedule, he will stay asleep for another two hours. Regardless, I mind-link one of our omegas to babysit him while we are gone.

We enter the pack's clinic and sit in the waiting room while waiting to be called next.

-"Good Morning, Alpha. Good Morning, Luna."

The nurse greets us, bowing her head as a sign of respect.

My father had given me the responsibility of the pack and the title of Alpha when I was 25. He was adamant I needed to find a mate to become a strong Alpha. When you find the mate destined for you and you mark her, the bond will allow you to become stronger mutually. How can I explain it? Having a mate would be like being on steroids.

Being an Alpha means my mate will be called Luna because she and I are equals. We are meant to rule and protect the pack. A Luna also ensures the pack's prosperity by looking after its internal affairs (children's education, job placements, community entertainment, etc.). She also keeps the Alpha's emotions in check because a male werewolf is usually impulsive, possessive, and hot-headed.

I had searched, waited, and hoped patiently for my real mate, but she was nowhere to be found. 

Crescent Moon Pack is the biggest and strongest of all the packs in North America, with about 1000 werewolves. We have a small town for ourselves. The other groups have looked up to us for many centuries. Anything the Crescent Moon Alpha says is acknowledged and respected by everyone. That's why we have the title of Alpha King.

When I turned 27 and had no mate on the horizon, my father's patience hit its limit. His words exactly were, "a weak leader means a weak pack." To him being unmated made me weak.  So, he decided to become a dating agent and arranged to have a potential mate candidate for me with Grayfang Pack's Alpha.

Crescent Moon and Grayfangs' Pack have been allies for as long as I can remember. Grayfang's Alpha had given me his son's hand in marriage, but I respectfully declined, letting him know my interest is with the opposite sex. Since he didn't have any daughters, he arranged for me to marry his Beta's daughter, Susie, and that's how I met her.

We married that year, under the condition that our arranged marriage would be strictly political. We would not mark or mate one another, and if one of us were to find our true mate, we would go our separate ways. The marriage brought happiness to the pack and, after some time, to me too. Despite her not being my real mate, having someone by my side still put me at ease. Alex, my wolf, didn't share the same opinion. He believed our real mate was still out there, and we were making a mistake by accepting this she-wolf as our Luna, but not feeling lonely for once felt good. 

Two years into our marriage, we found out that Susie had a brain tumor. After many blood tests and CT scans, the doctor concluded it was too risky to operate. He thought maybe chemotherapy would work but was uncertain since being a werewolf reduced the chemo treatment's efficiency.

The doctor explained that chemo targets the cancer cells growing, dividing, and making more cells faster than the normal ones, eliminating them. However, werewolf blood makes the cancer cells reproduce even quicker than a regular human, making the chemo unable to keep up with it.

The doctor also told us Susie would most probably experience dizziness, nausea, hair loss, and infertility, among other symptoms. She wouldn't be able to get pregnant, and we wouldn't be able to provide the pack with an heir. Not that we had planned to, we were keeping things political. She had her room, and I had mine.

I still remember the sadness in her eyes when she found out she wouldn't become a mother. Although we started as an arranged marriage, we have come to show affection for each other, and seeing her in this much pain was slowly killing me. Alex was still reluctant to accept her. However, we had agreed to care for her well-being.

Regardless of the outcome, Susie decided to go under chemotherapy. The treatment had positive results, and the pack was hopeful their Luna would pull through this phase.

The chemo affected Susie's hormones sending her into heat, meaning she would become sexually aroused quite often. Still, unlike a human's fertile cycle, a she-wolf's cycle comes less frequently and is generally extremely painful. One of the reasons the werewolf population has decreased while the human population increased. To stop the pain a she-wolf needs to mate with someone. Either with their mate, if they have one, or any unmated male available. Most unmated she-wolves opt to withstand the pain. Now don't confuse mating with the mating process. The mating process is when you mate and mark one another, and mating (to mate) means, you know, to do the deed.

Susie was already overwhelmed because of the chemo's side effects, and on top of that, she had to experience painful heat-induced contractions. Seeing her in so much pain was killing me inside. Not to mention, my wolf and I could smell her arousal, and that, my friend, was the last drop that sent us into a crazy frenzy lust. Completely intoxicated by the female heat feromones, I mated and marked her. One night was all it took to make us tumble into despair, once again. From that night, she became pregnant with Carl.  

Not only did I blame myself for giving in to the carnal desire, but I also ruined the chances of being with my true mate. On top of that, I'm now responsible for the small being growing inside Susie.   But yet again, I was thirty years old, and not once did I come across my true mate. Maybe she died for some unknown reason, and this is the way Moon Goddess found to spare me from a life of solitude.  

 On the bright side, Susie was thrilled with the idea of being a mom, her eyes sparkled with joy, and her being radiated happiness like a sunray on a cold winter morning. The doctor told her she needed to choose between stopping the chemo and having the baby or having an abortion and carrying on with chemotherapy. Of course, being a selfless Luna as she is, she chose our baby.

A werewolf baby takes five months instead of nine months to be born, but still, five months made Susie's clinical state irreversible. The doctors weren't sure how long she had to live, so we enjoyed every moment to the fullest. We kept her doctor's appointments like today's to monitor the tumor's progression.

-"Matthew, what has you so worried?" Susie asked, pinching my nose bridge with her gentle hands and bringing me back to the present.

-"Nothing, my love. Just thinking of Carl's birthday party. I don't want any rogues attacking the pack while we host the event". A small white lie to cover my fear that her tumor had gotten worse, stealing Carl's precious time with her.

Pulling her close, I kiss her forehead. The chemotherapy left her with an ashen complexion and thin caramel hair, making her joyful green eyes mesmerizing. 

- "You know, as my dying wish, I hope the Moon Goddess shows you the path to your true mate." I would love for Carl to grow with a motherly figure when I am not around." She caresses my cheek.

Her words stabbed me in the heart. Half of me always wondered what it would be like to have a true mate bond. Would it have healed her as many rumors have it? This is when I wish Susie to be my real mate, but in reality, she isn't. I want to keep her by my side, by our son's side, as long as I can.

-"Luna Susie, we are ready for your CT Scan. Please follow me this way." The nurse instructs.

After the scan, we waited in the doctor's office for the results. He enters the room, and I feel Susie stiffen beside me, so I hold her hand and toughen up for the both of us.

- "Alpha, Luna." The doctor gives a courteous bow and continues. "I'm afraid I don't bear good news. The tumor has gotten bigger, and the prognostic is not good."

Susie squeezes my hand, and my heart sinks. She holds back the tears that cloud her beautiful green eyes. We stay in silence for what seems like an eternity, then Susie breaks the ice.

- "Well, we knew about this. It's old news." She smiles bravely, and my heart seems to sink even further. "Today is Carl's 1st Birthday Party, and I have a lot to plan for tonight. " she stands up from her chair.

-"How long do we have left"? I ask the doctor while looking at the oblivious.

- "If the tumor continues to grow at this rate, one year. Maybe two".

My eyes follow Susie with sorrow as she opens the door and compels me to escort her.

-"Come, Matt, we have a birthday party to prepare. It is going to be a long day, my love. We can't afford to lose any minute of it."

She gives me another smile, showing us how strong she can be. I thank the doctor and walk towards the exit where Susie awaits me. She pulls me by my hand, dragging us out of the clinic.

 It's 09:30 a.m. when we return to our master bedroom, located on the third floor of the Alpha's mansion. Carl is already wide awake and playing with his Omega babysitter. As soon as we walk through the bedroom door, he gestures to Susie to pick him up. She raises him from the floor into her warm embrace.

At that point, my Beta, Bruce Morris, mind-links me for the morning rounds debrief.

- "Boss, we have spotted a couple of rogues to the north of our territory. Oliver and Jax went to investigate further. No imminent threat detected."

- "Let me know what they find out. I will be in my office".

Before leaving to do some work in my office located on the floor below, I hug my family. Their sweet scents rejuvenate me. Susie smells like roses and Carl, like cinnamon buns. Little did I know, nothing could prepare me for the storm yet to come.