"You are not going, and that's final!"

"Sierra, I won't ask for your permission. I'm going and there's no one going to stop me, okay?"

"Rolus, I don't care. That Luke will kill you the first chance he gets. You will be in his territory, his territory! Don't you understand?"

"I do understand. Then who will go in my place? You?"

Beta Sierra kept quiet, knowing very well that Rolus already knew the answer. It was futile wasting her breath confirming. She was the perfect candidate.

"Let me guess. You want to take my place, like you already did with my duties?" Rolus asked very slowly, for clarity, knowing very well what he was saying was bullshit, yet he couldn't stop himself. He just wanted to get under Sierra's skin ever since they fought. He just wanted his revenge. Sierra didn't get to have the last word and hurt him like she did. They both hurt each other, but Rolus was clouded by frustration.

"Now you're being impossible. Rolus, if you didn't know, the Pack is on edge. You going there would only cause worry and possibly grieve because Alpha Luke would kill you without mercy! You are going to be his meal," Sierra snapped, enraged with the hot-headed Alpha. Rolus was impossible. He was just so stubborn and it was killing him.

"You're starting to become a nuisance. I think taking over my duties has messed with your head and you seem to forget that I'm the Alpha and you're the Beta. There's a difference, Sierra. And I won't tolerate your disrespect anymore. You may be my friend, but you need to know your place," Rolus said, impatiently tapping his fingers on his thigh.

They were in his office, as Rolus deemed himself fit enough to get back to work and fix the mess Sierra made. No offense to her, but she messed up Rolus' office. She disorganized Rolus' work and made the office completely different from how Rolus knew.

Sierra had her own office too, but Rolus knew she'd been using his for the sole reason that most of the paperwork was in his office.

For them to be arguing, Rolus had received an invitation from the Black Moon Pack about a ceremony they were holding. They said it would be a pleasure if Rolus could grace them with their presence.

He nearly declined the invite, but thought about the opportunity of at least talking to Luke and maybe reaching an agreement that benefited both of them instead of one of them. He was relieved that Luke didn't pitch up to claim the Pack as his because that would have brought many questions from the Pack and he would be labeled as a sellout.

Sierra seemed to forget about that tiny detail of Luke wanting the Pack. That was also a relief for Rolus because if she had remembered, she would be taunting Rolus all day long.

She's been so overbearing the last few days, disregarding their fight. It frustrated Rolus because she called him incompetent. That he would never be half the man his father was. Rolus was not perfect, nor was his father. What they had in common was that they both had the Pack's best interest at heart. They would never intentionally hurt the Pack.

"Insult me all you want, but you're not going to the Black Moon Pack. If I have to chain you to your bed, I will," she threatened.

Rolus stared at her, lost for words. He could not even believe that his Beta was being serious.

"Oh? You think I'm joking, right? I'm not, Alpha. You are not going there and that's final," Sierra was adamant, surprising Rolus with her behaviour.

She glared at her Alpha, waiting for him to object. He was stubborn. The man was stubborn, so stubborn to the point that he would go on a suicide mission.

There was no way Rolus was going. Or if he was, Sierra was going too. End of discussion.

"Sierra, I won't let you dictate what I do and what I don't. Just because I'm a little ill doesn't mean that-"

"A 'little ill'? Alpha, you're dying, dying. You're no longer a 'little ill', you're downright a corpse just waiting to be buried. You've got one foot in the grave," Beta Sierra snapped, aggravated. The man was fucking dying and there was not a damn thing anyone could do. She was harsh, yes, but what Rolus needed was someone to not sugarcoat the truth.

Rolus was stunned to the point that he kept quiet, pondering on what his Beta said a moment ago.

Sierra had the nerve, she had the nerve to wish ill of the Alpha. Was she that desperate to sit on the Alpha's seat that she would downgrade the Alpha?

All Rolus knew was that the Sierra before her was not the Sierra he knew. This one was a monster to remind a dying man that he was dying any minute. She was the monster that would celebrate to see his downfall. The world was against him. What if... what if his Beta was conspiring against him with Alpha Luke? What if she's the supposed mole? What if...

"You know what? It's fine. It's fine! You can go to your suicide mission. I don't care anymore. I can't keep on worrying about you when I have my own mate to worry about. Just know that if you walk out our borders and go to the ceremony, you're dead to me. I don't care if you make it out alive or not, but you're dead. Our relationship will be just the Alpha-Beta one. And know that you're taking Theo and Charlotte with you and you're also taking five warriors from each of the Point Systems. I will be excused now, Alpha."

She turned on her heel and exited the office, going down the hall with pursed lips and tears in her eyes. She regretted everything that she said, which she did not mean, obviously. It was just to convince Rolus of not going. She really couldn't afford to lose the Alpha.

She passed Charlotte and her mate talking in hushed whispers. When they saw her, they quickly disappeared around the corner. Sierra was in no mood to entertain anything. Her mood was down, the tears falling down her path.

Rolus was dying and there was not a damn thing anyone could do. If only he could tell the truth and stop keeping secrets.

Sierra was convinced that Rolus rejected his mate, she did not buy the crap that his mate was dead. If his mate was dead, Rolus wouldn't have lasted that long. He would have long gone rogue and died.

Rolus was keeping secrets that would not do him any good. Maybe the Pack Elders could agree for him to take a replacement mate, a fake mate. At least that way he would choose his designated mate and even though he would not completely heal and would live with a hollowness inside for the rest of his life, death would not be near waiting to claim him. He should sacrifice it all for the sake of the Pack. If it's bearable pain and hollowness he would have to endure, so be it.

She was selfish, but at least her Alpha would get to live a long life with a fake mate by his side. A strong she-wolf would do. Maybe an Alpha or Beta one.

Yes, a replacement mate would do. She had to present the idea to the Elders and the Council. It's not taboo for wolves to have replacement mates, even though it is a sham.

Rolus has to endure everything for the sake of the Pack. The Pack came first, especially since he brought all the misfortunes to himself. No one told him to reject his mate. No one told him to lie. No one told him to be stubborn and cold-hearted. He brought this on himself.

Sierra entered her suite, then wiped away her tears, removing the evidence of her crying. She didn't want to worry her mate, even though Theo could sense that she was upset.

On the other hand, Rolus had made a mess in his office. Papers were everywhere, the table upturned and chairs thrown around. Since he could not shift, he took his anger and frustration out on the furniture. His hands were bruised. He was too weak for his bruises to heal quickly, but he did not care. All he cared about was feeling something, venting out his anger. Oh, how he wished to shift and be one with nature. He wanted to shift so badly, but couldn't. He was too weak to do anything right. All he ever managed to do was run his mouth and insult the people closest to him. All he ever managed to do was being selfish and secretive. His behaviour was destroying him.

He had made the Pack anxious with his overpowering emotions.

Even the pups wailed in their nurseries, angsty. Pots clattered in the kitchen, an arrow hit one of the warriors by mistake and everything was a mess. The Alpha's shift in energy disoriented the Pack.

He did not calm down. He even went as far as stomping out of the office and going up the stairs to his room. Anyone who saw him made themselves scarce, turned a corner or craned their necks in submission. They did not want to be dead because they all knew that an angry Alpha was a dangerous one, ill or not.