CH. 2 ILLNESS

NORA’S POV

I paced back and forth in front of the hospital's emergency room, my heart pounding in my chest. I stopped and glanced at the screen of my phone, where Gina's number taunted me. I wanted to call her, to express my anger and frustration for ruining my life and causing me so much pain. But I didn't want to hear her shitty voice.

Suddenly, the doors of the emergency room swung open, and a doctor in a white gown walked out. My stomach dropped as he approached me, his face grave.

"Your mother has cancer," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It's aggressive, and she needs surgery as soon as possible."

I felt a lump form in my throat, my vision blurring with tears. I struggled to find my voice. "S-So what are you waiting for? Start the surgery, I'm willing to pay any amount of money as long as she is—"

He cut in, "But here's the catch. The surgery is going to cost around $100,000, and before we even think about starting, we need the money upfront."

My breath caught in my chest as I tried to process his words. $100,000 was a staggering amount of money, and I had never seen that much in my life. My monthly salary from my office job was a mere $3,500.

"Miss Clark, are you listening?" The doctor's voice jolted me out of my trance.

"Yes," I managed to utter.

"Please go to the front desk and pay the money so we can start the surgery before it's too late. If you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to," he said and walked past me, leaving me bewildered.

"But I…" I tried to speak, but he completely ignored me. I helplessly watched as he walked down the hallway with a nurse. I returned to my phone and, with trembling fingers, checked my account balance. It displayed a mere $500 fucking dollars. There was no way I could gather the funds in time.

Desperate, I dialed Gina's number, praying she would answer. As the phone rang, I tried to steady my breathing and keep my voice from shaking.

"Hey, sis... what's up?" Gina's voice came through the line, soft and hesitant.

My voice cracked as I choked out the words. "Bitch, it's Mom. She is sick, cancer. We need $100,000 for the surgery. I... I know we don't have that kind of money. What are we going to do?"

Silence hung in the air for a few minutes before Gina finally spoke up. "I'll do everything I can. I'll bring what I have. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," I replied and hung up before she could say anything more. The thought of her spending the night with the man I used to love tore at my heart.

The dimly lit hospital hallway seemed to stretch on forever, mirroring the seemingly impossible task before me. As I sauntered down the hallway, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of a nurse in conversation with Alicia, the fiancée of one of the soon-to-be alphas of the pack and the only daughter of the alpha of the Wolfsong pack. Alicia had flowing blonde hair and piercing green eyes, an epitome of grace and elegance. I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you can't get pregnant," the nurse murmured with her eyes lowered and a paper in her right hand. "Your womb is too weak, and that's why you keep having miscarriages." The nurse handed her the paper.

Alicia's eyes filled with tears as she clutched the paper tightly. "But the alpha needs an heir," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "He needs to secure the throne so that his brother doesn't snatch it away. He won't marry me unless I can give him a child."

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness, but there's nothing I can do to help. Have you considered hiring a surrogate to have the baby for you, and maybe you can compensate her?" the nurse suggested.

"Hell no, I can't do that. My fiancé's family is so focused on bloodlines that they won't let me bring in a child who is not of my blood, and my husband won't like it either," Alicia argued.

"How about you ask him to donate his sperm, and you can consider artificial insemination? Then you can find a surrogate, and we can get a doctor to transfer the embryo into her and use his sperm, so she will still give birth to your—"

Alicia cut the nurse off by raising her hand. "I can't believe you. How can you suggest such a thing?" She asked and tore the papers into shreds, her frustration evident in every rip. She glanced around, and our eyes met briefly, allowing me to see the raw pain in her eyes. She turned and walked away.

"Don't call me again," she declared, and two bodyguards joined her, guarding her down the hallway.

"But, Your Highness, I was just trying to help!" The nurse yelled after her, but Alicia ignored her. All these were new to me; I had no idea that rich people had problems that money couldn't solve. It was some messed up shit.

***

I fell off my bed with a thud and stumbled to my feet. My head throbbed with pain from the sudden impact with the floor. I groaned in pain as I reached for my ringing phone on the nightstand.

I let out a frustrated sigh as my boss's annoying face appeared on the screen. I took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello?" I muttered, my voice strained and tired.

"Miss Clark, you are fucking late!" My boss's voice exploded on the other end, like a bomb in my ear. I winced at the harshness of his voice.

"I... I can't come to work today," I stammered, my voice trembling. "My mom is sick, and I need to be with her. She needs treatment." I explained further.

"Your mom? Like I give a shit," my boss scoffed. "You've been slacking off lately. If you don't show up today, you can kiss your job goodbye."

My anger inside me bubbled to the surface, overriding my fear. "Are you fucking kidding me? My mom is sick, and all you care about is the office? Have some goddamn compassion!"

"I don't care about your family issues. You're replaceable, Miss Clark. Show up, or don't bother showing up at all. I have family issues too, but you don't see me skipping work to solve them. You should be grateful I haven't fired you a long time ago."

"I was just about to ask for an advance payment of six months so I can—"

He ended the call before I could finish my sentence. I lifted my phone in anger, wanting to toss it across the room, but the realization that I couldn't afford a new one forced me to gently place it back on the bed. Just as I was about to sit on the bed, the doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts.

I rushed to the door, praying it was my sister, even though I didn't want to see her at this moment. I swung the door open, and I was caught off guard by the unfamiliar face that greeted me, freezing me in my tracks. Standing on my doorstep, accompanied by two bodyguards, was none other than Alicia. My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Royalty was at my door?