Mrs. Kowalski opened the door for the king yet again.

Without wasting any time, the king strode straight to the bedroom. Quietly, he took a few seconds to observe closer how Cobalt was.

Still asleep with flushed cheeks, the alpha was asleep with a small blue hand towel folded on his forehead. His lips were slightly open and his brow was furrowed as if bothered by his condition even in sleep.

“Hm,” the king mused to himself as noticed the already faint scent of the alpha was weaker. “Are you alright?” He asked softly, not expecting the alpha to reply.

Slowly, he reached down and removed the towel from his head. He felt how warm it was. Turned and dunked it into the water next to the bed. The water felt cool, but not as cool as it could be. He ignored that for the moment, rung out the towel thoroughly and then folded it back onto Cobalt's brow.

After standing there a few minutes, he heard someone enter the room behind him.

“Ah, my king,” said a woman's voice.

The king turned to see a portly woman in a thick coat with a black medical travel bag in her hand.

She nodded to him. “Has the patient woken up at all?”

“I'm afraid not.” said the king.

The portly woman shuffled over to the other side of the bed and glanced him over. “Hm. Remarkable.”

“What is?” The king looked from her to Cobalt.

“This brings to mind,” she started telling a story as she opened her bag on the floor, “a paper I read a few years back. Of someone who's lost one or more of their pheromone glands, who suffers intermittent Heat-like states.”

“Heat?” The king gawked.

She nodded, pulling out a stethoscope. She blew on it to warm up the metal, then placed it carefully at Cobalt's collarbone. She was quiet a moment, then she removed it. “The Heat,” she continued as she put the stethoscope away, “would appear as random fevers throughout each month, and each time only lasting a few short days. During the fevers, their pheromones would drop to undetectable levels.”

“But, that's the opposite of a Heat.” the king stated in disbelief.

“Indeed.” she nodded. “The doctor who wrote it confessed they didn't know the reason. They were just pointing out observations in those who've lost their glands. Even being treated by their mate would not stop the intermittent and insufferable Heat-like states.” She shook her head, then looked to the king. “Do you know if this young man has lost any of his?”

The king looked down to Cobalt. He opened his mouth to speak, then before a sound came out, he changed his answer. And he lied. “No. I don't know any of his medical history.” Then he looked up to the doctor. “Can you help him?”

“I'm afraid not until he regains consciousness.” She shook her head. “I saw the medicine in the kitchen, but I don't know how much of it he took. All we can do is wait, and keep him cool.” She pulled out a paper from her bag before shutting it. “Here's some simple instructions. I'll be waiting in a cafe nearby. Have one of your knights come get me when he wakes up.”

The king took the paper, then nodded to her. “Thank you.”

And with that, the portly woman shuffled out, closing the bedroom door behind her.

The king glanced at the paper, but he couldn't focus on the words. He dropped his arm, tossing the paper at the foot of the bed, as he looked back down to Cobalt. “So. Is this why you smell even weaker?” A grim frown came across his lips. “Well, at least, I confess... I was worried it meant you were dying.” He sighed relief, then sat on the edge of the bed.

For a few minutes, he just watched Cobalt.

Then finally he looked over the paper. It was just simple instructions on how to cool the water for the forehead, make the patient drink water that's room temperature so they don't vomit, provide easy food such as plain crackers. He got up and prepared the water in the bowl with fresh cool water from the sink in the bathroom, and some ice he found in the freezer. Then he dunked in a towel to soak in the coolness of the water for five minutes, and then he swapped the cool towel for the one already on Cobalt's forehead.

The coolness change made Cobalt murmur in his sleep.