The Medicine

Thiery's POV

This was something I should have gotten used to, after months of experiencing it.

At first, the pain was absolutely devastating.

My body felt like it was being pierced by countless tiny, sharp needles, piercing my skin all the way to my bone. Then, as the needles pricked, my internal organs slowly liquefied, leaving me unable to even stand.

At first, Dash would howl like crazy and try to scratch himself, so Beta Sander would chain me with handcuffs and chains enchanted by Elder Barry to prevent Dash from escaping, wreaking havoc and destroying my body.

It was an indescribable pain. I would become weak and have to lie for days tied to my bed, with enchanted handcuffs on my hands and feet, shackling me to the bed.

At times like that, Beta Sander would take care of everything for me.  Not only did he ensure my absence didn't cause problems at the company, but he also took care of me and provided for all my needs while I was undergoing a rut that paralyzed my entire system due to pain.

I often think that without Beta Sander, I might have messed everything up. Not just the company, my health, but most importantly, my pack.

Even my father never knew what I was going through during my rut. He only assumed I had a three-day rest schedule every month, something he sometimes protested with, "A supreme-class Alpha shouldn't need so much rest. It'll make you lazy."

Because he kept repeating that every time I returned, I always ended up refuting him with the answer, "A supreme-class Alpha also has a human side that needs to be met to stay in top shape, or their downfall won't be caused by enemies but by weakness."

Well, okay.  I sometimes didn't get along with my father, but after I officially took over his leadership, I tried to be more tolerant of him, realizing that being a pack leader wasn't easy. It also made me appreciate the Betas and Gammas more. They are always a big help for me and the pack.

After a few strange and painful periods of rut, my body finally got used to it, and my pain tolerance increased.

Eventually, I learned to endure the pain and began to carry on with my daily activities, even if I couldn't be as active as usual.

Still, those moments were my weakest, and it was a secret known only to Dash, Beta Sander and me.

To that end, Beta Sander contacted Ava Gardner, a witch from the last line of the Gardner family, who had been the guardian of my pack for hundreds of years, since the time of my ancestors. She was also my childhood friend and a pharmacist.

Ava prescribed vitality vitamins for me, thinking I needed them because of my intense activity since I succeeded my father. Coincidentally, her mother had always done the same for my father when he was our pack leader.

"The pain will go away once you find your mate," Elder Barry had said, which Dash then used to pressure me to find the woman who had bitten my mark gland.

And I had found her.

But why had the rut suddenly arrived, so much later than it should have, and so painful more than usual?

"You're going to have a heart attack at this rate, Alpha," Beta Sander said, his usually stoic face now awash with confusion for the first time since he'd been with me since he was a teenager. "This is different than usual."

"Get me a thicker blanket," I said, half growling. "And turn off that damn air conditioner!"

"Alpha, you've already used all the blankets and you're probably going to suffocate!" Sander said in a low voice. "I turned off all the air conditioners a long time ago."

"Then why is it still cold? There are ice plates on my chest and back!" I complained weakly. "Why didn't you call Ava?"

"No," Beta Sander said firmly. "This is a condition no one should know about. It would be dangerous if Madam Ava saw you like this. She's a witch, and I never trust witches, no matter how white they are."

I could only frown, trying to hold back the anger that was threatening to escape. Dash seemed to have collapsed a long time ago, because all I could hear was soft snoring, occasionally punctuated by a low howling.

That's why I was always weak during rut, because Dash would faint when the waves of pain began to overwhelm him.

"That's a pain that comes from within your own body, Alpha," Beta Sander had said, back when I first experienced this strange rut. "Dash can't fight it because that would mean he would harm you, and that would damage or even kill you. So, he could only faint and remain still until it was over so he wouldn't do anything extreme to get rid of the pain."

"Why am I experiencing this again?" I asked, feeling distraught. "It's even more extreme than when it first happened."

"That's because you've found her, Alpha," Beta Sander said calmly. "Your body is craving its addiction. You've touched your mate again, and the red threads that bind your destinies are starting to move again to unite, but something is resisting, and that's having the greatest effect on you."

Oh my. That nonsense about mates again. With that human woman again.

"She's just a careless, reckless woman," I snorted, a mixture of annoyance and pain. "There's nothing of Luna in her at all."

"Of course, because she's a human, you idiot!  You just have to tie her up and then educate her to become Luna. It's hard, but that's what you need to do for her!"

I was shocked. "Dash, are you awake?"

"The pain stabbing through my chest is so intense, it feels like all the hair on my body is growing inward. I can't even bring myself to pass out like this," Dash said weakly.

"Beta Sander, put on another blanket," I said.

"No! Those blankets won't help at all, they'll just cause itching and rashes after this is over," Dash growled weakly. "Please, just call that woman and have her hold you! She's your medicine, Alpha!"

"No!" I argued firmly. "She'll freak out and think I'm a pervert. Didn't you hear what she said earlier? She's accusing me of being a perverted boss and is going to sue me for harassment AND SHE'S CHALLENGING ME TO FIRED HER! OUCH! DAMN IT!"

I gasped for breath, and my body felt like it was being electrocuted, making me writhe in the pile of blankets covering me.

"We're going to die," Dash muttered. "We're going to die."

"Shut up, Dash!" I said weakly. "Sleep and recover. This will pass."

Dash didn't answer, and I was terrified. What if this doesn't pass like I said? What if I can't get through it or Dash gives up first?

Dash and I are one, but we're still separate souls.  He was a part of my life, but he only came into my life after I gained my identity and gifts as a werewolf.

He was sent by the guardian goddesses of the moon as a shield for my life, and we could naturally merge, but we were also essentially separated as two halves.

I could live without Dash, but I would be an identityless, empty, and useless werewolf. Like a snail without a shell.

Dash was my energy, my shield, and my weapon, and he could not live without my will.

The moment I rejected him or released him through some oath, he would vanish into thin air and float back into the clouds. But if Dash were to give up on me, I would go insane carrying his dead spirit with me.

Beta Sander checked my temperature and let out a loud squeak. "This is dangerous," he muttered. "You're nearly frozen. I'll call Elder Barry. He might know what to do."

Beta Sander checked the cuffs on my hands and feet, making sure I would remain attached to the bed while he went to find Elder Barry.

"NO!"

Beta Sander stopped opening the iron door, sealed with protective seals that had kept me safe during this time of the Rut, and turned around again.

Beta Sander looked irritated. "Alpha T, at times like this, only Elder Barry—"

"No," I repeated weakly. "Bring that woman here. I only need her!"

I could hear Dash mutter weakly, "Finally!"