Four

Damien's POV

Leo watched me refill a golden liquid of scotch whiskey into my glass for the twentieth time. 

"Are you trying to drown yourself?" He asked incredulously, sitting with his arms crossed. 

"What if I am?" I responded coldly. "It's none of your business."

The scent of the whiskey filled my nostrils, burned its way down my throat and to my toes.

I wanted my dying omega mate out of my mind, but the more I drank, the more her face plastered in my brain. Those huge, sky-blue eyes filled with tears, begging for her life, begging me to do the most natural act between mates. 

Yet, I watched her go.

"I'm sure the girl must be dead by now," Leo said, sounding unconcerned. I didn't answer, but my wolf almost burst out of me, wanting to strangle Leo to death. I focused my gaze on the golden liquid, taking a long, slow finish, with the flavors lingering on my tongue.

"Imagine what the council members will do if you'd marked that girl," Leo continued, lighting a cigar, the smoke filling my nostrils" And need I remind you that Anysia is in her third trimester and doesn't need the stress."

"Can I ask you one question?" I asked, swirling my glass.

"Sure," he drew in a long drag and exhaled another thick creamy puff.

"How would you feel to know that Isadora, your mate, is dying and you're her only hope to live? Would you be so ignorant to let her go because of some fucking hierarchy difference?"

Leo remained quiet, rotating the cigar between his fingers. "I understand how you feel..."

"No, you don't," I snapped, setting my glass on the table. "You fucking don't, else you'd understand that I could die of heartbreak. Every Werewolf knows how this thing works."

Leo sighed, looking away. "Isadora isn't an Omega. If she were, I would never have marked her."

The truth stung like a bee, and I groaned in despair. "There has to be something I can do. I can't just fold my hands and watch her die."

 Leo placed the butt of his cigar in the ashtray. "I'm afraid you can't do anything, Damien. I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I'm your voice of reason. The moon goddess must be playing pranks on you because there's no way an Alpha of the biggest pack in the South would mark a mere omega. It's pack law, and you must lead by example."

I remained silent, gazing out the window. Leo closed the distance, placing a hand on my back.

"We'll get through this together," he said, with sadness in his tone. "I'm here to support you."

 Anysia slowly made her way toward the bar. Her belly, round and full, strained against the flowered, draped kaftan she was wearing.

"Are you okay, darling? Or have the omegas infected you with their disease?" she asked, laughing.

I walked away without a word, while my brain compared Anysia to my mate. Anysia was very beautiful in a sophisticated way, her skin glowing with health. She was also arrogant and spoiled, used to getting whatever she wanted. 

My mate was like a diamond in the rough, and by the moon goddess, I'd give up all the elegance in this world to have her if it were possible.

Anysia followed me as if she truly cared about me. She sank onto the couch beside me, staring at me. "What's wrong, Damien?"

"Leave me the hell alone "

Leo joined us in the living room and Anysia probed him with questions, but I tuned out of their conversation.

Leo's wife, Isadora, and Xena, my gamma's wife, could tell that something was off. Xena tried to mind-link me, but I kept refusing her.

At dinner, I could barely stomach the food on my plate. The moon outside pulled my wolf towards it. I excused myself and left.

Lost in thought outside, I gazed at the silver moon. Xena joined me, her brows wrinkled with worry.

"Damien, is everything okay? You barely touched your food."

"I wasn't hungry," I pretended to smile. Xena, knowing me too much, placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Talk to me, Damien. Something's off."

Without having a choice, I told her the truth. Xena went completely still, her mouth falling open in utter shock.

Then her eyes filled with tears and she hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry. This must be hard for you."

A lump formed in my throat. "I don't know what to do."

"Damien," she lifted her head. "There's nothing you can do to change the pack laws. Maybe take her to the pack's hospital. There's no harm in trying and seeing if there's anything they can do to sustain her. I'll go with you."

Sadness crashed down on me. "There's no cure for that sickness. It's a death sentence."

"Just try," she urged. 

Reluctantly, I picked up my keys to my Range Rover, and we quickly set off for the omega tents. My boots crunched on the dry, dusty ground, and a light breeze stirred the air, sending a chill down my spine.

"This place looks so hopeless," Xena muttered when we neared a cluster of small, ramshackle tents, crowded together with little space in between.

Omegas have been banished centuries before I was born, forced to live on the fringes of the pack's territory, and their lives marked with poverty and hardship.

Their tents were made of tattered, weather-beaten fabric that I didn't trust could withstand a gust of wind. I felt a tightness of guilt in my heart for not taking more responsibility for their well-being.

Despite their difficult circumstances, the Omegas held me in high regard as their Alpha. They bowed their heads in respect as we passed, their eyes filled with hope and desperation.

But my concern for my mate overshadowed everything else. I searched through the tents until I found her, lying on a thin mattress, her swollen body wracked with pain.

She was dying.

My heart broke at the sight of her suffering. Kneeling beside her, I took her hand in mine. Tears sprang from her mother's eyes when our eyes met.

"I knew you'd come to mark her

Thank you for not letting her die," she whimpered.

Xena and I exchanged looks. "We're here to take her to the hospital."

The woman's face fell, and she let out an uncontrollable moan. My mate's eyes fluttered open, a faint flicker of recognition in her gaze. I lifted her gently and carried her to the car.

Pushing the pedal to the floor, I raced towards the hospital as fast as I could. When we arrived, I carried her inside, hoping that the doctors could sustain her.

"Please do everything you can to save her," I instructed the pack doctor, feeling the weight of my mate's mother's glare.

The nurses whisked her away, and I watched helplessly as the medical staff rushed to save her life, knowing that there was nothing I could do to help. 

Because of a foolish law, I was going to remain miserable for the rest of my life.

Xena and I returned to the pack house. Restless, I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Anysia lay beside me, her head nestled on a pillow and covered by a thick blanket that draped over her swollen belly.

The thought of losing my mate was more than I could bear. It made me toss and turn and fear consumed my heart. 

Not wanting to wake Anysia, I got out of bed, and paced around the bedroom, trying to come up with a plan to save Katana. As I was considering my options, Xena's mind linked me.

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Come downstairs to the foyer."

My legs took off down the gleaming marble stairs, where Xena's shiny nightie shone under the soft glow of the chandelier. I stopped moving halfway, gripping the carved wooden banister. Her smile wavered when she saw the distress on my face.

"You're worried, aren't you?" she said softly.

"She's dying. I can't watch her die. I have to mark her."

Xena went completely still, her mouth falling open. "But Damien, you can't do that. It's forbidden in the pack for…"

"I know that," I snapped, my teeth biting my lower lip as my decision to mark her became stronger. "I don't care about stupid pack rules. She's my mate, and I'll live the rest of my life regretting my decision to let her die."

Xena hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "What if we find another way?" 

"What way?" I asked coldly.

"If the cure is only gotten from an alpha's bite, Aunt Hera has alpha blood. Why don't you take her there to get bitten by her?"

My brain snapped. I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of this earlier. Hera was the only surviving relative and if anyone could help me save Katana, it was her.

"You're a genius!" I exclaimed, feeling a vibration of hope and excitement in my insides.

"Hush,.It's late."

Before dawn, Xena and I rushed to the hospital with Xena insisting on coming with me, despite my protests.

"We're in this together," she said firmly. "We have to do whatever it takes to save your mate."

In the bedroom, Anysia sat up, cocking her head to the side and watching me.

"Going for the pack run? It's just past five."

"No," I replied, rushing to the walk-in closet to change into a grey sweater and jeans. When I turned back, Anysia stood in front of me.

"Damien, what's going on?" She asked, giving me a worried look. I sighed, placing my hands on her shoulders and feeling a tightness of guilt in my chest.

"It's nothing. Duty calls."

Her brows drew closer, clearly doubting me, and she followed me downstairs. When she saw Xena, she flared up.

"You tell her everything but share nothing with me," she accused.

"That's because she's my friend," I said, taking a deep breath to control my temper.

"I'm the mother of your child! She has a mate and shouldn't be this close to you. Oh, I know, you're shagging her, aren't you?"

Xena swallowed hard, her eyes cold and hard. "If you weren't pregnant, I'd have given you a well-deserved beating."

"I dare you!" Anysia yelled, but I pulled Xena away from her and rushed out of the mansion, greeted by the cool, crisp air of the early morning, and the moon cast a pale glow over the landscape.

My mate's life was at stake. That was all that mattered to me.