Seven days left.

Alpha King Alexander.

"You look worried." I was in my office, buried deep in work- another futile attempt to distract myself- when my royal beta's concerned voice cut through the silence, and a frown tugged at the corners of my lips as I turned to face him.

"What are you doing here, Kedrick?" I asked, annoyance tinting my voice. I made it clear that I wanted to be alone! Didn't he get it?

"I am your best friend, Alexander." He reminded, as if it wasn't obvious enough. He was my best friend, but that didn't mean I wanted his company.

"I am worried about you, Alexander." He sighed before he flopped on the seat opposite mine.

"Get out, now, Kedrick!" I snarled, hitting the oak table with the palm of my hand.

Damn it! Pity, worry, concern! I hated those useless emotions! I was tired of being pitied.

"You are doing it again, Alexander, pushing everyone who cares away!" Unfazed by my earlier outburst, Kedrick pointed out, his voice tinged with that damn annoying concern.

If he wasn't my best friend, I would have ripped his throat off and thrown him outside.

" I don't want your pity, Kedrick, or anyone else's at this point! Of what use is it? We all know how everything will end, right?" I questioned, standing on my feet, a smile, cold and mocking, pulling at the corners of my lips.

"At least we care, Alex! At least we are worried about you!" He snapped, raw anger rolling off his tongue, and for a second, I sat still, surprise flickering in my eyes.

I had known Kedrick for my whole life. For twenty-four years, and in all those years, it was the first time I was seeing him totally lose it. It was the first time I was seeing tears well up on the surface of his eyes, too.

"You think this is easy for me, for us?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"Do you have an idea of how hard this is?" He asked, the same hurt camping in his eyes, and I tightly clenched my fists.

"I am about to lose my brother, my best friend, my Alpha King, forever." He whispered, more to himself than to me, his voice shaking, disbelief framing his eyes, as if it had just dawned on him, and I looked away.

That's why I wanted to be left alone. You see? Being around people I cared about meant emotions; emotions brought nothing but pain. I didn't want that. I had had enough of that, after all.

It wasn't easy for me either. I was only twenty-four—the recently crowned Alpha King. I was supposed to be happy, powerful, and untouchable, and yet, I was here, locking myself in my newly assigned royal office like a f*cking coward, pretending to be busy with work, while in reality, I was hiding from the inevitable.

I was about to turn twenty-five in about seven days... And what did that mean, exactly? I only had seven days to live, unless...

'Unless we find our mate before then.' My wolf's tired and dispirited voice concluded, and I loosened the noose around my tie. I felt like I was being choked.

Seven days..

"I can't lose you, Alexander! This kingdom can't lose you!" My best friend, the ever-energetic and charismatic wolf I had known even before my teeth could form, was crying, and that, aside from the pain that was literally burning me alive, was like a sharp knife, slicing through my heart.

I didn't want to die either. But what option did I have? The perfect prince, who had recently been crowned as the Alpha King, was cursed. It wasn't known to many, but I was cursed. A witch placed the curse on my family years ago, even before I was born.

From what I had heard, an ancient witch had fallen in love with my father. Not a crime, by any means. But as a werewolf prince, my father was required to wait and marry his fated mate. Marrying one's fated mate strengthened and unified the kingdom, and, not to add, pups born of fated mates were stronger and more powerful.

To normal werewolves, it was excusable for them to take chosen mates. But for us, the royals, it was unacceptable.

My father had done the only logical thing, turning the witch 'princess' down no matter how many times she confessed, and when he found his fated mate, he never hesitated to claim her.

The curse, however, was placed on my parents' mating night.

With a thoroughly wounded ego, the witch cast a curse upon my father and four of his generations to come.

For every royal werewolf generation, one would end up with a curse where they would die before they turned the age of twenty-five unless they found their fated mates to lift the curse.

Unfortunately, I was the unlucky one among my siblings. The curse had fallen squarely on me, and as my twenty-fifth birthday neared, instead of the celebration that the special milestone deserved, only sorrow reigned.

I had scoured the entire kingdom, searching for my fated mate for nearly seven years and yet there was nothing.

I had visited every pack in the kingdom, big and small, and still there was nothing.

I had gone as far as visiting human lands, the vampire land, and the dragons, and once again, I had ended up with nothing.

"If you dare die on me, I swear, I will dig your corpse up and beat you senseless, Alexander." I was pulled from my thoughts by Kedrick's weak voice.

"No! That won't do. If you die, they will bury you next to me." He added, and I furrowed my brows.

"Don't say that, Ked," I said, my voice stern. This was my fate. It had nothing to do with him.

"Then why are you locking yourself in here? Shouldn't you be out there, searching for your mate?" he asked, acting genuinely surprised, and I had a burning urge to knock some sense into his head.

"I've been looking for her for seven years, Kedrick." I reminded him, frustration coating my voice.

"I only have seven days. What will that change?"

"I have already resigned myself to my fate," I said, and no matter how much I tried, the words still came out sad and bitter

"There are things I need to put in order before then," I whispered, my eyes going back to the mountain of work before me.

I had always wanted to sit on the throne, to lead the entire werewolf kingdom. It was my dream ever since I was young.

Who knew it would be so short-lived? I had only been crowned for a month, and I was leaving the reins so soon, so early....

"Just..." My voice hitched as a way too familiar pain shot from my back, leaving a burning sensation. The curse was at it again, eating me alive, like it had been doing for the past few years.

"Just take care of yourself when I am gone, Kedrick. Don't..." I didn't get to finish.

"Mate!" The words stumbled out of my lips before I could think.

Then a scent hit me, earthy and cool, the forest rain.