CHAPTER 3

ELSA

The rising sun doesn't always come with renewed joy. Its a new day, yet the pain from hearing and seeing Leo pick Tom over Alex ushers me through the slow morning as I steadily pack Alex's bag for the doctor's appointment. Alex has a rubrics cube in his hand, his finger moving expertly over a cube he has solved over and over again. My heart flutters with butter sweetness as I watch that beautiful smile spread across his face.

Goddess, I never want that smile to leave for anything.

"Let's go baby. We don't want to be late,"I stretch and he glides into my open hand, clutching my hand as we move out of the room into the car

I sigh, trying the connection for the third time since we began the journey. I feel a tingle in the back of my head as it combs through the entire pack and eventually reaches Leo once more, but this time, it connects.

I may not be able to ever meet or shift into my wolf but I got lucky to still be able to use her mind linking abilities

"Thank goddess I want to remind you about the appointment with the doctor today I'm already on my way with Alex, and he needs you to be there this time. You know you have already missed three of the appointments."I speak through the mind link.

It feels like I am speaking to a brick wall as he doesn't say anything, but I know he can hear me. Suddenly, the link severs and I feel the emptiness of being alone in my head. I sigh once again. Maybe I should text him instead? I drop my phone from my bag, casting a comforting smile at Alex ..I punch the texts and wait for his response. Almost immediately, I see his chat bubble frizzing, and a reply comes, a quick, one word reply to my sentences.

Busy.

The punctuation at the end of the text feels like a finality, a warning not to text him again. I swallow and push the phone back into my bag.

"Mummy? Will daddy be joining us today? He hasn't been here for a while," Alex says softly, but I can feel the longing, a child yearning for his father's affection. But how can I tell him that his father is once again too busy to come check on him in the hospital?

How can I turn a son against his father?

"My love " Daddy will come later, okay? He has some urgent business to attend to bit he'll try his best to meet us there."

Alex nods and cast his eyes towards his hands, thb twiddling against omw another. How many times will I have to lie to him?

"Do you want us to play a game to cheer you up?"I ask. I hate to see him so gloomy. It hurts to see him.sjed a year or wear a frown because of Leo. He perks, a soft smile across his innocent face,before his head bobs quickly.

"Okay,bring your hands."

He stretches his hands , and we play till the car spills into the hospital parking lot. I grab his hand and usher him into the hospital, towards, Mia, the doctor who has become regular face since Alex's birth.

"Alex, how do.tou feel today?" Dr Mia cheers as soon as he sees us walking into the hallway leading to his office.

"Fine,"Alex returns cheerily, walking through the door left open by Dr Mia.

"You feel fine? That's great, that means that you won't take long,in fact, you check me roo when I am done with you,"He smiles and Halo chuckles, nodding sheepishly, I love how Dr Mia alway makes Alex feel comfortable, even though she knows that he is quite different from every other heir to the Alpha.

He isn't as bold or ravenous as the rest, the strength they brag about is where his brain came in to substitute, but Dr Mia always finds a way toake him feel comfortable.

"Okay, let's see what we have here. Hold this for me," He places a ball in Alex's hand to test his grip strength, and he squeezes it almost immediately. Mia checks the monitors and nods, jotting some things on his pad.

It is almost like choreography now, an endless dance that we do once in a while . A series of test that passes through while I harbour the hope that some day, there will be a genuine smile on Dr Mia's face after the test and give me the comforting news that my son will be okay.

"Wow, you are one strong boy, I'm almost afraid that one day, you will throw me off this chair," Alex flushes and shakes his head negatively, beaninyfrom ear to ear.

"Mummy, did you hear her? She says I am getting better!" Alex choruses, and I smile

My eyes skitter back to Mia, whose smile drains as soon as Alex looks away from me, and with the grim expression now present, I realize that this is a new dance move we have never rehearsed. She mimdlinks me, and I grudgingly connect, preparing my heart for the worst

"Luna, there is no easy way to say this. I am afraid he is getting worse."

I stifle the gasp, maintaining composure. My eyes immediately prickle as my vision becomes blurry. I clutch the side of the chair, driving my nails into the leather as the blood rushes past my ears.

"How worse?"I ask struggling to speak calmly.

It's my fault Alex is sick even if I cannot really blame myself, I am still his wolfless mother who's lack of wolf made her son come to the world with defects in his organs and muscular development.

"It will take a miracle for him to reach his birthday and get his wolf."

My heart thumps slowly, dear and worry sacking it. The melancholic beat of doom. I prayed that this day would never come. I prayed to the goddess so that my faith in the fact that he will be healed will outweigh the realism and the doubt that I had about it

The only viable solution to his condition vin him getting his wolf and his wolfs healing ability healing him up but now he may not even live that long? I can't lose my baby..

I sniffle, expertly wiping the stray tear from the side of my face ."is there ."I choke in the words, exhaling softly, "is there anything that can be done... Even if it's unorthodox,"I almost whisper the last part, afraid that there will be someone to tap into our mind link to hear the thoughs passing

She sighs, "well... I am not supposed to tell you this, and you didn't hear it from me, but.. I have heard about the existence of some witches who are famous for healing this kind of illness."

She hands Alex a glucose bar, locking eyes with me. "but that is all there has been... Stories. I have never seen them, nor have I met anyone who has, so I cannot testify for a fact whether it is true or not."

I will take it, anything to cking to the faith that my Alex will not die. How can the world exist without the golden drops of the sun everyday?

"Thank you, Doctor Mia,"I speak audibly to assuage the confusion of silence that must have plagued Alex.

I cast a glance at Alex, his back hunched as we step out if Mia's office, his face contorted in a saddened expression, a pouting lio and sulky countenance.

"What's wrong?"

"Does dad not love me?"

The question knocks the words from my head and immediately, I feel this awkward chil crawl along my spine. Why will he think that?

"Of course he does, why will you think that?"I reply quickly

He shrugs, " he doesn't always show up."

"Honey, daddy loves you."

"Do you think it is because I am not strong as Tom?"His voice breaks, the tiny squeak that hurts me more than the words, as if he is struggling to be as strong

"I see the way he looks at him, he always has this smile on his face, and all he has for me are mean faces. Does he wish Tom were his son instead? Will that make him happy?"

"No, no, Alex look at me,"I fall to my knees, cradling his sullen head in my palms, my heart beaten and bruised, I paused as the tears spill from my eyes and I quickly wipe them away, hiding them from him. How can Leo be oblivious to this, how much is he hurting his son? Alex sees, he notices a lot , so it must have hurt him badly. I crouch to his level, cradling his chin with my fingers.

"Alex, what is the square root of four hundred and ninety thousand?"

"Seven hundred,"He replies bluntly. I sigh and pull out my phone and punch in the calculations and indeed, he is right.

"Did you see that mummy had to use a calculator to check the answer? My love, not even your father can do what you do." I let the thought sink in.

"You may not have the strength of a hundred men, or the muscle of a bear, but your brain and mind are the strongest on this planet I have seen."

He sniffles and holds my gaze,the tears slowly pooling around his edges. I wipe the side of his eyes, I don't want to ever see him cry.

"Instead of worrying about Tom and what he has, why not lean on what you have! Do you think Tom can solve math puzzles or fix rubric cube I. A matter of seconds?"

He shakes his head negatively, and I feel a spark of joy.

"As for your father, he loves you and he isn't disappointed in you, he doesn't want Tom to replace you or anything. His is the Alpha, and you know what that means?"

Alex shakes his head again.

"It means he is everyone's daddy,okay?".

Alex nods but he doesn't quite cheer up.

"Besides mummy can give you a lot of love,"I pulled him and attacked his face with kisses, causing him to giggle and shriek.

"Mummy stop, people can see us,"But he doesn't push me away and for a few minutes, everything the doctor has said fades into irrelevance. Every other emotion peels away like the skin of shedding animals. I have my Alex now and that is all that matters

The drive back home to the house is filled with the hum of Alex's favorite rhyme and a smile on my face, but as soon as I enter the pack house, the soft moaning of a woman in pleasure catches my attention.

I push the door open and the sound engulfs me before the sight: on the sofa was Leo ass in sight and he was hitting on Sarah from behind.

I quickly closed Alex's eyes before he could peep into the house. Tears rolled down my eyes as I tried to process the sight before me.

My husband who I thought should be at work is busy having sex with his first love

How many times can a heart shatter till it becomes useless? How can he treat us in this manner? Is this what he had to do? Is this what BUSY meant? Having sex? Since when has all of this been happening?

"It's not what you think Elsa..."

"Come on Leo, why explain yourself to her ? She's not even worthy of it." Sarah said with a smirk on her face.

"You're definitely right Sarah. I've finally realised and so I'll be leaving you both so you can enjoy yourself."

"Why make a fuss?" Leo questioned as he tried to wear his shorts. I know he won't let me but I'll do everything possible to get as far from him as possible.

"I should have known that this woman was truly going to take my place. She made you so blind that you turn away from your own son "

"He is not my son; he doesn't carry any of my features. He is just a weakling like you."

Alex stiffened beside me and I felt tears drop into my palms. It broke my heart even more that he had to listen to his father degrade him. And that is when I realized that I needed to move on.

"I'm sorry he's a burden to you and so I've decided to take the weight off your shoulders."

"I want a divorce." We both Chorus.