A Beta's Undying Love

Chapter 1: Running Out Of Time

Note: This series is a darker werewolf series not following the usual "plot" of fated mates.

Be aware of darker elements such a described violence, cancer, and death.

-Garrett-

“Wow!”

Why was it always me who caught the king and queen in action? I quickly turned around and walked away from the kitchen, trying to erase the vision from my mind and passing Damian on the way, who was heading for the kitchen himself.

“I would not go in there,” I told him, seeing him looking at me confused. “Unless you want to see something that you can never erase from your mind.”

“What are you-“

But before he could finish the question, a loud moan sounded from the kitchen. I could see the realization hit Damian, and he walked away grumpy. Not that I had ever really seen the male smile. He always had this tense look on his face, like the world literally depended on every choice he made, yet he was one of the most loyal and strongest people I had met. He had joined Valerio not long after me, on his mission to get back Valerio's family’s throne, but even after all these years that I had been around the male, he had never actually told me why he had joined. Damian was probably the most secretive one, except for Evan. You barely got a word out of Evan and if you ever did, it was only if it was mission related.

“Why are you standing out here? Let’s go get something to eat,” Chris said as he came around a corner with a smile on his face and his hair a mess.

“Let’s rather wait,” I said and pulled him the other way.

“Why? I am hungry! Besides, I got two females waiting for me in my room, who I am not done with just yet. So I need some fuel!” he grinned, right before a scream that could only indicate someone had reached their climax sounded from the kitchen. “Oh, are the king and queen … ?”

“Yes, so let’s just let them finish,” I said.

“Sounds like someone just did,” Chris joked.

I shook my head but couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me. He was more of a joker than I was, perhaps why we had become so close friends. People often thought we were related because of our many shared similarities, like our blond hair, sharp jawlines and we were almost at the same height. I only had an inch or two more. Oh, and we both loved a lot of females’ attention, just as much as we loved giving ours to as many as we could.

“Maybe if I closed my eyes, I could feel my way to the fridge,” Chris said, as he clearly was already starting to lay out a plan, so he could feed his growling stomach.

“I bet if you go in there, even with your eyes closed, the king will definitely kill you,” I told him, yet he didn’t seem to care.

“Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for two beautiful females,” he said, as he gave my shoulder a few taps with his hands.

But lucky for his sake, just as he was about to walk away, Valerio and Octavia exited the kitchen, their clothes a mess and there was a hickey on Octavia’s neck, but they didn’t even seem to notice us, as they walked the other way.

“Seems like the kitchen is safe again,” Chris said before walking inside.

I just shook my head with a smile on my lips. It had only been a little over a month since everything calmed down. Michael had been put in jail and his pack was given to Selene. Unfortunately, half of its members left when their alpha was removed. They had no faith that Selene could lead them, which was, of course, sad, but from what I knew, she was handling the leadership well to those who had decided to stay, and was actually recruiting members. She had also opened up a center for abused females and left behind-mates. The king had been the first to donate a large sum to the center, and even though the two didn’t talk to each other, it seemed like there was peace between them and the past was put behind both of them.

Valerio and Octavia had even had a ceremony after things had calmed down, and I could only say I had never seen my oldest friend happier. We had also made peace. I had to realize there was no way my friend could have kept away from Octavia and he apologized for his words. I knew I had been unfair that I had demanded him to let go of Octavia. I really had no idea what it meant to have a mate, even though I was desperate to find her and maybe I had to admit the king was right. Maybe if I wasn’t so quick and desperate to find her that I was ready to accept any female who gave me just a bit more attention than others, I would have found her by now … or maybe I was just not meant to find her. I sighed deeply at the thought and felt my wolf twist painfully inside of me. I really hoped that wasn’t true, because I was running out of time.

-Lily-

“Are you sure?”

The doctor with the big glasses and dark hair slicked to the side, and who looked like he hadn’t slept in a thousand years, nodded sadly at me. I sighed deeply as I put my head in my hands, and tried to let his words sink in. I had been placed in the exact same room I had been in five years ago with the same white walls and motivation posters that, at the moment, felt like they were mocking me. There is hope. What a load of crap! What hope?! I had fought this disease for so long, forcing my body through horrible treatments, which left me with scars that would never go away, forty pounds lighter which took years to gain half back and infertile. When I was finally out of the clear, it only took it five years before it to come crashing back, sending me into that same depressing hole that it took me so long to dig myself out of. Why are you doing this to me world?! Why?!

“Of course there are several treatments which I am sure you already know about we can go over-“

“How big are my chances of surviving?” I asked, as I cut him off and lifted my head to meet his brown eyes with my deep hazel ones.

“Miss Hudson-“

“How big?!”

“With how aggressive it is this time, and the fact that you have already been through it once … about ten percent.”

My mouth literally dropped open, as I heard him speak about my chance of survival. Ten? Only ten?! But I was still young! I had only rounded the 23. How could this be? I shook my head lightly in denial.

“I can’t believe this,” I whispered to myself.

“I am really sorry miss-“

“Don’t. I need to get out of here,” I said, as I got up from my chair and grabbed my coat and bag.

“I think we should schedule a time next week where you can come in, and we can make a plan together,” he said as he got up from his chair and held the door for me.

“Sure. See you next week, doctor,” I said, as I walked out of the room, but in reality, I had no real intention of coming back.

I fought for ten percent. Ten! That damn cancer just simply wouldn’t let go of me before I was nothing but a skeleton barely holding onto life. It just seemed pointless, and I knew other cancer patients that had decided not to fight. They would rather spend their last time with their loved ones, than being poked by doctors, but of course, they had probably been told they had no chance or an even lower chance than me. I at least had ten and if you compared it to zero it was something, but then again, while those who chose not to fight had people they could be around, I had no one. My dad left when I was eight. Went to get a pack of smoke and never came back and my mom died only two years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was a very aggressive one, and she couldn’t even be there through my cancer treatment. She didn’t even know who I was, when I came to visit her, right after I had just been cleared of it. She was only 50 and had lived a healthy life, eating her vegetables, never touched a cigarette and only had a glass of wine once a week, but those kinds of diseases don’t care how healthy you live your life. Neither did mine. How f*cking ironic, I thought as I stopped in a big glass hallway where doctors and visitors stormed through. I grabbed onto the iron railing and leaned against it as I sighed deeply. I really couldn’t believe it was happening again. I couldn’t believe the cancer was back! What other things had the piece of crap I called life in store for me?