It was three days. Three days after Alpha Luke's visit. Three days after Beta Sierra told Rolus that he was a bad Alpha. Even though Sierra might not have meant to say Rolus was a very bad Alpha, Rolus interpreted it like that.

A bad Alpha.

Did Sierra even know the definition of a bad Alpha? Did she? A bad Alpha was the one who enslaved his Pack members. The one who criticized every little thing a member does. A bad Alpha is the one who thinks women of the Pack are nor supposed to be warriors, or Betas. He is the one who thinks Omegas should be treated like trash.

A bad Alpha is the one who abuses his power and takes advantage of his subordinates.

Rolus never did that. He always put the interest of the Pack first. He served the Pack and sometimes forgot that he was also human, that it was okay to rest. He worked nonstop to satisfy the needs of his Pack. He did not have time to himself, all because of the Pack he had to work so hard to protect and make sure it is running smoothly.

He dedicated his whole life to serve the Pack. He even went as far as remaining mateless so as to dedicate his life to the Pack. He believed that mates weakened you, especially if they were weak. Weak like his mate was.

With his head held high, not showing any weakness when he passed Pack members, Rolus ascended the stairs to go to his room.

"Alpha! Please wait up for us!" Zachariah, the Gamma, called out. He was with Zayn and Charlotte, the respective Delta and Head Warrior.

Rolus just sighed, not having the heart to tell them that he was exhausted and wanted to rest.

He waited, sitting down on the stairs, his legs too tired to stand. It was all so sudden that he became exhausted so easily. He was really sick.

"So good to see that you're all well," Charlotte said, flipping her hair and flashing Rolus a flirty smile. They once had a thing, a thing that almost destroyed their friendship and the relationship between him and his Gamma. Charlotte and Zachariah are mates, which Zachariah was not happy about that his Alpha and his mate had a thing, a thing before they mated.

"I try," he replied, trying to keep the façade that he was doing better.

Zayn just shook his head, his dreadlocks swinging. He let them loose, some even covering his face.

"What did you guys want to talk about?" Rolus asked, staring at them.

Zayn sat down next to Rolus, whilst the couple stood.

"Your beef with lovergirl is making the Pack uneasy. I mean, just imagine, their Alpha is sick and their Beta and their Alpha are fighting. They are afraid of what will happen to the Pack if their leaders are playing dog and cat," Charlotte explained, biting the inside of her cheek.

"We don't know what you two are fighting about, but you have to sort out your differences. For the sake of the Pack. They are already worried about your health, and adding another stress is too much," Zayn said, patting Rolus' back.

Rolus just sighed, not knowing what to say or even do. He hung his head low, looking at the ground. Everything was just too much for him.

"We know that it is hard for you, but please just try," Zachariah said, making Rolus glare at him.

"You don't think I've been trying?" Rolus snapped, aggravated.

Zachariah raised his hands in surrender. "Whoa! Don't bite my head off. I'm just saying that-"

Charlotte huffed, cutting her mate off. "You're not trying anything, Rolus. All you do is feel sorry for yourself and say you're trying. I don't see you trying anything. We all know that your beef with Sierra is about your mate. Maybe if you've been honest with her, the tension would ease. Tell her the truth," Charlotte burst, no longer able to contain herself.

"Just shut up for once! You don't know what you're talking about," Rolus shouted, but regretted it when his head hurt.

Charlotte just rolled her eyes, too fed up with the bullshit her Alpha was feeding all of them. Telling them that his mate died.

During one of their pillowtalk, Rolus mentioned to Charlotte how he rejected his mate. He did not tell her that she died. That he killed his mate by rejecting her.

The problem with Charlotte was that she thought she knew too much. She thought she knew it all.

"Look, we are worried about you, Alpha. We want you to get better, but we are also worried about the Pack. You know that the Pack comes first. It comes first before anything," Zachariah said, giving Rolus a pitiful look.

"I know, alright? I know and I'm trying my best here. I'm trying to be better, but the truth is, I'm never going to be better. Let's face it, I'm already dead,"

At the last word Rolus muttered, it was when Sierra was passing by. Those words broke her. It broke her self-restraint, her sanity and most importantly, her heart. She heard it shatter into a million pieces.

She was left standing in disbelief that Rolus was giving up. He was killing himself with his words.

She turned around and went back to her office, so defeated.

"Was Lovergirl here?" Charlotte asked, sniffing the air.

"Yeah," Zachariah replied, draping his arm across her shoulder and pulling her closer to himself.

"What did you guys want? I really need to sleep," Rolus asked, still trying to figure out what they wanted. They couldn't just come to him to tell about the issue of his and Sierra's.

"Look, what happened three days ago still shook the Pack. The members are worried that when Luke attacks for real, our Pack will be wiped out. Like, we still don't know how they managed to pass through the border. We need you to increase the budget for our Warriors and guards. We could do with the increase," Charlotte spoke, her voice so serious like she was not bitter a minute ago.

"But you already have the highest budget than all the other departments," Rolus replied, still baffled how she could ask for an increase in their budget.

"I know, Alpha. But as the Head Warrior and security of the Pack, I feel useless and guilty letting my people down. What happened was a breach of security. We really need the extra money to up our game. We need to upgrade our weapons and the Warriors need-"

"Just go to Sierra and tell her I gave the go ahead to increase your budget. Anyone else need anything?"

The smile on Charlotte's face was brighter than the sun itself. Rolus felt proud that the smile was caused by him. At least he still made people happy, even though some didn't appreciate it, like Sierra. Why couldn't she just accept that what he did with his mate was none of her business? Why did she like to poke her nose where it didn't belong?

"I need to talk to you in private," Zayn said, looking at the couple to go.

"Let me go see lovergirl. You coming?" Charlotte asked her mate. The Gamma just nodded, but sent his Alpha a smile and told him to get well soon.

They left, with Charlotte having a bounce in her step.

"Let's go to my room," Rolus told Zayn, who nodded and stood up, then offered a hand to Rolus. Rolus accepted, standing up too.

When they arrived in Rolus' room, Zayn offered to make him tea.

When he was making it, Rolus made sure to bring a blanket into the living room and a pillow. He laid down on the couch and got under the blanket, making himself comfortable. He was cold, shivering even.

When Zayn came back, his dreadlocks were tied and his brown eyes were so full of pity that it made Rolus feel pity for himself.

"Here is your tea,"

Rolus accepted the cup, thanking Zayn.

Zayn sat down opposite Rolus, drinking his own tea. It was silent, with the occasional sips made by both parties.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rolus asked, looking at Zayn.

"I... Auntie Michelle told me that ever since Luke came here, he's been sick. She wanted to know if there's something he's caught, you know,"

Rolus could hear the fear in Zayn's voice. He was related to Alpha Luke. They were cousins to be exact. Since Zayn's mother was mated to the former Delta of the Pack, he was born into this Pack.

He was still in contact with his cousin, but Rolus knew that Zayn would never betray them. He would never sell them out. They knew that it would always be the Pack first.

"How sick?" Rolus broke the silence.

"Dead sick. We don't known what he's caught," he replied, the worry overpowering the fear. He was worried for his cousin.

"No one is sick in our Pack. He must've caught something somewhere. What is he exactly suffering from?"

"He's got a fever and pains all over his body. He's having nightmares and has a temper like never before,"

Rolus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Like Luke didn't have a temper. And what he just described were the exact signs he was sometimes suffering from.

"Are you sure it's not the effect of having no mate? I mean, I was like that. Maybe he caught the sickness from me," Rolus joked. He didn't even feel pain for the other Alpha. It served him right.

Zayn was not amuzed. In fact, he was angry. "Really? Just because you had the same symptoms doesn't mean Luke is suffering the same condition as you. Remember, your mate died. His did not,"

That was like a slap to the face. Rolus felt it. It's like he's been upsetting everyone in his path. Was this a sign that his time was near?

"I didn't mean it like that. I know that he's your cousin, but you have to understand that the man is after my Pack. Forgive me for being insensitive, but it's not like I wouldn't be happy if he dropped dead. He's your family, not mine," Rolus spat out. Luke was not his family. In fact, he was the enemy.

To say that Zayn was shocked was an understatement. His tea long ran cold.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Rolus kept quiet, sipping his tea. He's been angering a lot of people. He wouldn't be surprised if they were all in cahoots with Luke to finish him.

"I think I've overstayed my welcome. Goodnight, Alpha," Zayn stood up, putting the cup on the coffee table and flashing Rolus a tight-lipped smile.

Rolus just kept quiet, the tea wanting to come back up.

His life was a mess. It was just trash.

"If you want, you can tell him to get well soon," Rolus yelled after Zayn, who sighed in response. He knew that the Alpha did not mean it.

When the door opened and closed, Rolus put the tea on the floor and stared up at the ceiling.

His thoughts were all over the place. One thing sure did make him happy. It was Luke's illness.

It sure made him smile. If the guy died, he wouldn't have to worry about his Pack being stolen, and his secret was safe. Safe from the Pack.

He just hoped that Luke was sick enough not to come to claim this Pack at the end of the week.