Chapter Three

....

He snapped his eyes open, breathing hard.

He looked around the room which had dim lights emanating from the four corners of the room.

He stood up from his bed, he took his robe which was at the edge of the bed, he wore it and sighed.

He went to the shelf which was at the farther corner of the room, he took out a book, sat on the chair and commenced reading, but he soon drops it as his mind wasn't in whatever he was reading.

He stood up again, this time pacing back and forth as he thought about the unhappiness he felt.

"Why?! Why?!" He exclaimed sadly as he couldn't himself pinpoint why he was unhappy.

He stopped, tears were fast forming in his eyes, he felt so sad and miserable, he held his chest, grabbed his flesh, and squeezed it, but yet nothing happened, the sadness and misery only increased.

He began hitting his chest but to no avail, not that he felt more pain, he stopped and the pain that was tugging his heart seemed to increase.

He began trembling, as tears kept rolling down his cheeks, in his trembling state he went to the nightstand, pulled out the middle drawer, took out the sharp-looking knife, he stared at it for a minute, and without hesitation, he slit his arm.

The pain surged through his body but then this physical pain can't be compared to the one he felt in his heart.

He dropped the knife, rushed to his closet, opened it, and hurriedly took out a whip and without delay started to whip himself, he gritted his teeth to prevent any noise from his mouth.

After a few minutes, all his body aches but then he didn't stop, he continued for hours, even with blood dripping from his silted arm, after hours of the torture, he fell to the ground losing consciousness.

....

Present.

Your highness!!!" Garry yelled with fear written all over his face, he stepped into the room to make sure that he was seeing clearly, the Alpha wasn't laying on the bed where he should be.

His fear increased as he tries to perceive his Alpha's scent but the room only had a lingering scent that told him the Alpha wasn't in the room.

He rushed to the bathroom as his hand gripped his sword which was tightly fixed in its scabbard on his waist side.

He threw the door open, but the Alpha wasn't there.

"Where are you!!!" He yelled.

'Chase!!' He called through the park mental link, no response 'Chase!!'

'Yes,' The sleepy tone of Chase came.

Garry rolled his eyes 'Really, third in command!' Garry huffed.

'Well I have a family, I am a family man, what can I say?!' Chase exclaimed, Garry could tell that Chase would be smiling by now, and he rolled his eyes again.

'Well get your ass down here cause Kaiden is missing'

'What!!!!' Chase yelled loudly, for a minute Garry blocked him 'Garry!! Garry!!! Are you there!' Chase asked with panic.

'Just get your ass down here' And with that Gary cut the link off.

He dashed out of the room, walking hurriedly out of the building, he stopped as he spotted two cleaners who had napkins in their hands.

"Greetings" They bowed, and he stopped.

"Have you seen the Alpha?" He asked toning down his worried look and fear-filled voice, so as not to give them a single clue that the Alpha was missing.

"We saw the Alpha in the throne room when we went to clear the room," One of them said.

"Thank you," He said and rushed to the throne room, wanting to see Kaiden with his own eyes before he believes it.

He halted with a sigh of relief when he saw Kaiden seated on the beautiful and expensive sculptured throne.

Kaiden had one of his hands fisted and placed on the arm of the throne, resting his cheek on the fisted fingers while the other held the book he was reading.

From where Garry stood, he could perceive the strong scent that filled the room and that scent belonged to no other person than the Alpha.

"Oh my!! Oh my!! The Alpha has gone missing!!! oh, moon goddess please help us!!!" The shrill voice of Chase echoed as he ran to the throne room.

Kaiden raised his head, having been distracted from what he was reading.

"Garry, I can't seem to find him, we have to go get the wizard now, we–" Chase stopped mid-sentence seeing the glare Garry shot at him.

Kaiden's brows knotted ... Wizard...? He thought looking in the direction of his Beta and his third in command.

Chase wondered what he had said wrong, he sniffed the air and immediately snapped his head in the direction of the strong scent, and he gasped "Oh my! you're alive!!!" He said happily.

"Ouch!" Chase yelled as he rubbed the back of his neck that Garry had pinched.

Kaiden frowned.

"What do you mean 'I am alive'?" Kaiden asked, staring at the two men, Chase twitched his mouth and stared at Garry, he mouthed 'Sorry'

Garry glared at him all the more.

Kaiden wasn't supposed to know that they knew he had been inflicting Injuries on himself.

Garry walked into the room, he smiled as his eyes settled on Kaiden "Don't mind Chase, you know he behaves like a kid, unlike the family man he said he was" He said.

"Could you even believe that this little boy told me he is a family man!" Garry exclaimed with a smile.

Chase pouted as he walked into the room, both men got seated on the seats that were just below the elevated area where the throne was.

Chase held Garry's hand, the former was seated beside the latter "But I am!" Chase exclaimed with a childish grin.

Kaiden smiled.

"I wonder why Maya didn't reject you when she found out you were her mate," Garry said as he looked at the smiling Chase but then the corner of his eyes was looking at Kaiden, Garry was very relieved to see that Kaiden was smiling.

Chase gasped "Cause not!" He said as he playfully hit Garry's shoulder "Don't you know that I possess rare qualities, I am matured, I am handsome, cute, responsible, and very romantic" He said with pride.

"Ewwww!" Garry said with a twitched face that made Kaiden laugh out loud.

For some seconds the men stared at the Alpha who had laughed and they joined in.

"Your highness, don't you agree?" Chase asked as he transferred his gaze to Kaiden who only nodded "Yay!!" He said with a big smile as he rushed up, wanting to go and hug Kaiden but he was blocked by Garry.

Garry slowly shook his head, mind linking Chase 'You idiot, Kaiden had injuries all over his body, or can't you smell it!' The Beta scolded the younger man who nodded with an apologetic look.

Kaiden watched them with a smile on his face, Garry placed his hands on Chase's shoulders, pulling him, back to their seats.

Silence.

Kaiden stared at the men who kept throwing glances at themselves, Kaiden sighed sadly.

Hearing the Alpha's sigh, Garry slowly shook his head at Chase who was staring at him, they were passing a message to each other, Kaiden knows this.

He sighed again... They must be so worried about him, one of the reasons he didn't want to tell anyone, but it is so overwhelming ...

"We would take out leave now," Garry said, staring at the sorrowful look of the Alpha, he sighed softly, he was at least happy that they had made him smile and laugh but it was for a short time.

The Alpha's problem was beyond what they had thought.

.....

Garry sat down under a tree amidst the others who were a bit far from the park.

He signed, and his mind drifted...

Flash Back**

Garry stood anxiously outside the palace, he rubbed his hands together and started pacing back and forth.

"Oh goddess, Please!" He kept saying as he moved back and forth, the worry was written over his face.

He stopped immediately his ears picking up the sounds of running footsteps, he snapped his head back, looking yonder, he began stepping his feet on the ground, his left hand rested on the handle of his sword which was firmly fitted in his waist side.

"My Lord, my Lord!!" Someone yelled, Garry could see one of the warriors, fully clothed in a warrior's outfit, someone he had been waiting for, running towards him at full speed.

The tapping of his feet stopped.

"Tell me," Garry said as almost immediately, the young warrior was standing in his front.

"The wizard is not around my lord, I was told by someone at his house but he should be back within three days," The man said, watching and at the same time worrying over how worried the Beta looked.

"Oh! this is not good what if Ka-" Garry stop mid-sentence as it occurred to him that someone was before him.

"Okay, I hope you left the message that immediately the wizard is around he should come here," Garry said as he looked away, ...they needed a solution quick ... he thought.

Both the doctor and the wizard are not around .... this isn't looking good.

"Huh?" The man responded immediately, he blinked in fear, Garry raised his eyebrows, looking at the man who looked so pale "My lord -" he said and paused as he took a step back, the Beta might look calm but the warriors of Glove Crescent Park knew better.

"What is the matter?" Garry asked, as his face tightened.

"I..I..I.." He stammered.

"I don't have all day, you!!" Garry said with a raised voice.

"I didn't leave the message that the wizard should come when he gets back," the young warrior said, swallowing hard.

Garry raised his hand which causes the young warrior to shift almost forty steps back in a flash "Do you want to die!!" Garry said in a stern voice.

The young man shook his head vigorously "No my lord!" he said bowing his head.

"Well, I don't think so!" Garry said, turned, and walked into the palace while the young warrior took off, racing like a man being chased by a volcano.

Garry rushed back in, he stood at the door which lead to the Alpha's room, and he took a deep breath.

"Garry!!" Chase yelled seeing Garry as the door opened, but immediately his hands flew to his mouth covering it after seeing the hard glare from Garry and Madam Dera.

"Sorry," Chase said quietly as his eyes settled on Kaiden who was still unconscious on the bed.

"The wizard is not also around but I am sure as soon as he gets back, he would get here, that goes for the doctor too," Garry said quietly.

"Oh!" Chase exclaimed "I hope nothing bad happens to him before the doctor and the Wizard come," he said, his eyes fixed on the Alpha who looked like a shadow of himself.

Chase turned his face away as they were already getting teary, the injuries on the Alpha's body were still visible, they all knew this was serious because the Alpha's healing abilities were getting weakened.

Garry sighed as he moved to where Chase is seated, he placed his hands on Chase's shoulders, patting him "Stop behaving like a lady" Garry said in a sad teasing tone.

Madam Dera's eyes were also teary as she continued to clean the Alpha's body.

Suddenly Madam Dera gasped, the man stood to their feet immediately, looking at the older woman who looked so fearfully.

She grabbed the hands of the Alpha, closed her eyes, and steadied her breath.

Chase hugged Garry seeing the almost invisible flames that the older woman was passing to Kaiden's body.

Garry tried so much to hold his tears yet lone tears ran down his cheek, while Chase was quietly crying.

......

Garry sighed as he looked around the place where he was seated.

"What is going on?" He asked himself as he lean his head against the tree he had his back against.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, he should have noticed that his best friend was passing through a lot, for years the Alpha had bear these burdens and pains but he knew nothing.

"Why!!!" He yelled as he hit both hands on the floor, crying quietly.