A bite from an Alpha King

Book 2 Chapter 7: Unprofessional thoughts

-Lily-

“And how are you today, Mary?” I asked the frail woman in front of me.

Her long, golden hair cascaded over her shoulders and down to her hips. Her hands were folded in her lap, and her eyes was fixed on the snow falling outside. Though she appeared sickly now, it was clear she had once been incredibly beautiful—no wonder her son had inherited her striking features.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts of him; my focus needed to be on caring for his mother, not daydreaming about him.

“Are you hungry?” I inquired, though I didn’t really expect a reply.

But it was polite to ask, as if she were still fully present. Yet I had reviewed her report. She had been here for many years, suffering from a slow, progressive dementia. When she first arrived, she had spoken in riddles and made amusing remarks, but over time, she had become increasingly quiet, rarely speaking at all. Besides her son, no one else visited her. It made me feel a connection to both of them. I had been my mother’s only relative as well, and now I was all that remained.

It would be the same for him in the end, and I loathed the thought. Losing loved ones is painful enough, but losing a mother is an unimaginable agony—a burden he would have to bear alone.

“Well?” I pressed. When Mary didn’t answer, I knew couldn’t do much else, so I turned to leave.

-Garrett-

I sat by my bedroom window, exhausted, and gazed outside. The trees and garden were blanketed in white snow, transforming the scene into something from another world. The snow caught the last rays of sunlight, casting a magical glow. For a moment, I wished I could escape to that other world—a world where I could simply be with her, free from the constraints and secrets that bound me.

All day I had been tossing and turning, struggling to find a way to make Lily mine. But no matter how I approached it, the solution eluded me. Firstly, I wasn’t even sure if she would want me. She might already have a boyfriend, as humans call it. But he attraction I saw in her eyes didn’t necessarily mean she wanted a future with me, and that realization was painful.

If only I were just a beta of a simple pack—no king, no drama, no looming threats. I might have had a chance. I could have started by taking her out, learning more about her, introducing her to my world. Maybe, just maybe, if she wanted me, I could have her. But things were never that simple. Why couldn’t she have been a wolf?

I sighed deeply as I sipped from the glass in my hand. Alcohol seemed like my only solace at the moment. While I didn’t want to become a drunk, I feared that might be where my future was heading if I couldn’t find a way to numb this longing for her.

I couldn’t even share what was going on with those closest to me. Talking about Lily would only bring up more skeletons from my closet—things I wasn’t ready to confront.

“I need another,” I muttered, eyeing the empty glass in my hand.

I reached for the bottle on the small table beside my chair, but after pouring only a drop, I decided to hell with it and drank straight from the bottle. Hello, hangover!

-Lily-

“I’m home!” I called out as I entered the house, quickly greeted by Little Diva, who came running down the stairs and immediately started rubbing against my leg. “Yes, yes, I know. It’s the food you want.”

I chuckled as we moved into the kitchen. I set the groceries on the counter while Little Diva continued to nudge me and meow incessantly. I knew I had to feed her before taking care of myself, not that I had much of an appetite.

Yet I felt a pang of disappointment as I prepared her meal. It was unprofessional, but a part of me had hoped to see that handsome stranger, Garrett. His name suited him well, and I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about him.

“Meow!”

Little Diva’s insistent call jolted me out of my very unprofessional thoughts, and I shoved them away into a dark corner of my mind.

“Enough!” I chided myself.

This would be the last time I let myself be so unprofessional. I was determined to stop thinking about him, and when—if—I saw him again, I would act solely as his mother’s nurse. Besides, it’s not like he would ever be interested in someone as plain and ordinary as me, even if I weren’t sick. Someone as handsome as him would likely be drawn to a woman who was just as striking.

“Meow!”

“I’m coming!” I sighed, grabbing Little Diva’s wet food and heading to her second food bowl. I filled it to the brim with the extra portions I had promised the diva.

I stroked Little Diva before getting to my feet and surveying the silent, dark house. It was as plain and dull as I felt. The kitchen was minimalistic, containing only the essentials, and the rest of the house was no different.

The walls were an ugly eggshell color, except for the kitchen, which sported an awful yellow that I was too lazy to change. It wasn’t as if I’d had many guests to impress. In fact, I hadn’t had a boyfriend since leaving nursing school two years ago.

Of course, could you really call him a boyfriend if you only saw each other three times a month for quick f**k without any post-intimacy cuddles? I was kidding myself, but I was lonely and he wanted me.

I shook my head. I just wasn’t lucky in that regard, but soon, that wouldn’t matter. With cancer slowly taking over my body, a lot of dreams were going to be crushed.

“What else can you do to me, world?” I asked wearily as I began unpacking.