Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 67 – Bernice is getting sicker.

Landry's

POV

Landry could smell Bernice as soon as she neared the hospital room. He could feel Amon growing excited within him the closer she got. He did everything but break free from Landry and run to her.

When she opened the door, his heart fell into her stomach. She was looking so worn out and ill; more ill than she looked the other day. She was much thinner, her features were worn out, her eyes were fading in color, and her hair was flat and unwashed. She still looked beautiful, but he could tell she wasn't feeling well.

It must have been the medication; she's been too long without his blood and now her body was deteriorating before his eyes.

She gave him a faint smile when she saw him; a slight relief look appeared in her eyes when she saw that he was awake. "You're up..." she breathed as she stepped into the room.

Jessie stood up quickly upon seeing her appearance.

"Oh, my goddess," she gasped. "Bernice, you don't look well. Are you okay?"

"Yes," she answered, brushing her hands through her long hair. "I just haven't slept. Running a kingdom is harder than it looks."

"I've been told you've been doing a great job," he said, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Jessie, can you give us a minute?"

"Of course," she said without hesitation, though she didn't sound convinced with Bernice's excuse. Landry knew his sister was bound to ask questions later.

She gave Bernice one last look before walking past her and out the door.

"I'm honestly fine..." Bernice says, reading his mind, as she walks closer to him.

"You don't look fine, Bernice," he said to her, narrowing his eyes. "Have you been eating?"

"I haven't had a lot of time to myself."

"You need to eat. I'll have the nurse bring you some food," he told her; he was about to mindlink the doctor, but she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him momentarily.

"You should be focusing on healing yourself, not me..."

"I'm the Alpha King," he reminds her with a playful smile. "I'll heal quickly. I'm almost healed entirely. But you aren't healing; you are getting worse and as your Alpha, it's my duty to take care of you." He mindlinked one of the nurses and ordered a plate of food before Bernice could object any further.

"Has word gotten back from the beta yet?" Landry asked; he knew his beta was patrolling the kingdom; he worried that more vampires and bears were roaming the kingdom, ready for another attack.

"He found a vampire sanctuary," Bernice answered. "I sent 20 warriors to help him take out the sanctuary. Hopefully, there aren't many more left."

Landry had feared for that; if there was one sanctuary, then there are others. They are set up around the kingdom by spies. The spy that almost killed Bernice was most likely residing in one. He knew that these spies were working for one vampire lord. A lord that will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Landry's throne.

"We need to find out who the vampire lord is," Landry told Bernice, meeting her eyes. "Once we find out who he is, we can take him down and put an end to all of this. However, it won't be easy. He's extremely powerful and has way too many connections it seems."

"He might be powerful, but I doubt he's a match for us," Bernice said, confidently.

He frowned and stared around her paling face.

"Maybe at one point we could have taken them on, but not in your current condition," Landry said in return. "We need to get you well so we can be undefeatable again."

"I'm not going to get well, Landry," she said, sounding a bit annoyed. "You know this; I've told you this. I'm only going to get worse."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"You don't have anything to say about it," she snapped. "You knew this from the beginning when I told you about the medication. I've been taking it since I was 12; my fate is sealed."

"I refuse to believe that," Landry said in return, shaking his head. "I'm not giving up that easily."

"My birthday is in 6 months... I will be dead in 6 months. There's no stopping it..."

He reached out and grabbed onto her hand, causing her to meet his eyes. He could see the lingering worry and sadness in them. It tugged at his heart, and he could hear Amon's refusal to believe that she was going to die. He kept saying that there must be something we can do.

She sighed and stared down at her hands.

"I'm okay with my fate... as long as I can die with dignity as we've discussed. I want to die in battle, protecting my people. I want to die protecting the kingdom. Please, don't take that away from me."

"I won't take anything away from you," he assured her.

Before he could say anything more, the nurse came in with a plate of food. It was old hospital food, but it was at least something to get into Bernice's system. She placed the food on the serving table beside him.

"Is there anything else you need, Alpha King?" The nurse asked, batting her long lashes at him.

He was used to women batting their lashes at him, but Bernice looked a little uncomfortable. Her body tensed and she kept her eyes on the ground.

"No, that'll be all," he answered. "Thank you."

She bowed before leaving.

"Eat," he ordered, staring at Bernice.

"I'm not really hungry..."

"Bernice," he said firmly.

She sighed and sat at his bedside, grabbing the plate.

"This food smells disgusting," she said, scrunching her nose; he fought the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Then next time you should think more clearly before skipping meals at the palace."

She rolled her eyes before eating.

"Do you want some?" She offered a plate of what looked like orange mush. He shook his head.

"It's all yours."

...

Jessie's POV

Jessie stood against the door of Landry's room, listening to their entire conversation. Bernice was going to be dying soon; that was something Jessie had already known, but it didn't make it any easier to understand.

It was going to destroy Landry when she dies; that was something she couldn't handle. Plus, Bernice had become a really good friend to her. She didn't want Landry to die either.

She couldn't shake the feeling that Landry and Bernice were meant to be together. Maybe Bernice couldn't find her mate because of the medication, but that didn't mean that Landry wasn't her mate. They are drawn together; she knows Bernice loves him deep down and it's obvious that Landry loves her.

There must be a cure for her.

"Sorry your highness," the nurse said before entering Landry's room; Jessie was in her way. She was holding a plate of gross-looking food. "I was just bringing this to his majesty."

Jessie stepped aside without saying anything. The food must have been for Bernice; she knew Landry would never eat something like that.

At that moment, Jessie vowed to herself that she was going to find a cure for Bernice if it was the last thing she did.