Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 65 – She’ll be dead at 25.

Bernice's POV

Most of the Alphas seemed more relaxed after I spoke to them. They didn't ask any further questions. They also changed the subject to discuss the recent battle we all partake in; the one that nearly killed Landry. We feared this battle was far from over.

I glanced at my brother who was watching me warily; I could see the concern in his eyes. Though, I wasn't sure where it was coming from.

"The Beta is still patrolling the rest of the kingdom with a couple of men," one of the alphas reminded the others. "We should all be prepared for another attack. We are without the Alpha King. Which makes us more vulnerable." "We might be without an Alpha, but we are certainly not vulnerable," I assure them. "We are still strong if we work together on protecting our kingdom. Landry will not be out of commission forever."

"Maybe so, but until he returns, we aren't as strong. Other creatures know that as well and will attack us. We need to come up with a plan until he returns and is well again."

"We'll keep a lockdown on each pack. Nobody is to stray too far outside their packs until they know it's safe. I'll let everyone know when we get word from the Beta," I tell them. They all nodded in agreement.

Once the meeting concluded, most of the Alpha left, and only one remained.

"You don't need to stay," I tell my brother as I clean the mess of the meeting. He helps me clean, silently.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he confesses, staring me over carefully. I knew something was on his mind from the way he was staring at me during the meeting.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, pausing what I was doing.

"I don't know... you tell me," he says, his frown deepening.

"I'm not sure what you mean..."

"Bernice, you're my sister. I know when something is wrong. You don't look well. What's going on?"

I stare around at my brother's concerned face, and I realize that he's not going to give up that easily. I never wanted him to know about my medical conditions because he would only blame himself. My heart hurt thinking that it would only upset him.

"I'm just feeling a little under the weather, Caleb," I tell him; it's not completely a lie. He's smart though, so I'm not sure he'll buy it.

He stared at my face for a long while, like he was expecting me to say more.

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

I gave him a small smile, hoping it reaches my eyes.

"Yes," I assure him. "There's nothing to worry about."

...

Caleb's POV

Even as Bernice tells him not to worry, something is lingering in her eyes. It's almost like a plea for help. She might not realize she's doing it, but he knows her better than she thinks. He spent a lot of time looking up at his sister and studying her. Now she seems like a complete stranger, or someone deeply troubled.

But there wasn't much he could do at that moment. He had to accept the fact that she won't tell him what was really wrong. He knew it went further than just being a little sick. You don't lose weight that quickly without there being something seriously wrong.

He doesn't argue with her though; he nods and gives her a small hug as he finishes helping her clean the conference room.

"Thanks for the help," she says with a broad smile. "I hope you don't think you're getting special treatment just because you're my brother."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he says with a short laugh.

She laughs too and it almost looked like it pained her. She doesn't think he saw it, but she grimaced as she caught her breath.

"I should be going," he says to her.

They hug one last time before he takes off back to his home in the Sunset pack.

"How was the meeting?" His father asks as soon as Caleb returns home.

Caleb thought about telling him how Bernice oversaw the meeting, but he thought against it. It would only be trouble for Bernice if he did that. "Boring," he said as he started walking past.

"It's not supposed to be fun," his father grumbled. "When's the next battle?"

"We don't know yet, but we are preparing for anything. There's a lockdown being enforced as we speak."

"A lockdown you say?" His father asks, glancing up from his stack of papers.

"It's just for protection until the Alpha King is well again. The Beta is still patrolling the kingdom, so we don't know what threats are lurking around."

"I see," his father said longfully. "Who ran this meeting?"

"It was run by the Alphas," Caleb lied. "Just so we were all on the same page."

"Who's running the kingdom while the Alpha is recovering?"

Caleb had a feeling his father would ask such questions, so he already had a lie ready.

"His sister," Caleb said. "She's not doing much, but she's making sure his paperwork doesn't get piled up. We are hoping the Alpha will be back soon."

His father remained silent for a long while before continuing with his paperwork.

"If a battle breaks out, will you be ready?" His father asked.

"Yes, sir. I'm ready for anything that comes my way."

He had Bernice to thank for that. As he thought of Bernice an uneasy feeling surfaced in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't get her ill image out of his head. Something was wrong and he wondered if his father knew anything about it. "Father, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" His father asked without even looking at him.

"It's about Bernice," Caleb found himself saying, getting his father's attention.

"She's dead."

"No, she's not," Caleb said, his tone hardening. His father was quick to rule Bernice as dead without knowing any details. "I saw her at the meeting."

"What was she doing at the meeting?" His father growled from deep in his throat. "She's no longer an Alpha."

He had said too much.

"I mean, she wasn't exactly at the meeting," Caleb backtracked. "She was at the palace..."

His father narrowed his eyes at Caleb, silently trying to figure out what he was talking about without actually asking him.

"I'm not sure why she was at the palace, but she was," Caleb went on to say. "She wasn't looking well. She was sick... it was obvious. I asked her what was wrong and..." "You spoke to her?"

"Yes.” Caleb grew quiet for a moment as he stared around his father's cold expression. "Is there something wrong, father? Is there a reason she's ill?"

His father cleared his throat and went back to the paperwork he was working on.

"It doesn't matter anymore; she'll be dead soon enough."

"What does that mean?" Caleb was almost afraid to ask.

"She knew what she was getting into when she took that medication. We had to do what was best for the pack," his father said, sounding bored with the conversation. "But she will be dead soon enough. She isn't our problem anymore." The medication?

"You mean the medication that turns her into an Alpha?" Caleb asked.

His father narrowed his eyes at him.

"What is with these questions? As I said, it doesn't matter. We have you as the Alpha now. Her life is meaningless."

Caleb's blood began to boil at his father's words.

"She is still my sister... her life has meaning to me."

His father slammed his fists on the table, nearly breaking the wooden frame in half.

"Mind your tone!" Caleb flinched at his father's Alpha voice. "You shouldn't have spoken to her. Leave her be from now on. Understood?"

"Yes father," Caleb said through his teeth. "But answer my last question."

His father sighed, taking his seat once again, and returning to his paperwork.

"Is the medication killing her? Is that why she is unwell?" Caleb asked, his tone hardening.

"Yes," his father finally answered. "It's going to kill her. She only has until she is 25 to live."