Chapter Two.

His eyes were fixed on the book he was reading, he raised his head, sniffed as he could detect a familiar scent, he sighed.

"Come in," He said before the person by the door could knock, he returned his gaze to the book he was reading.

"Chase? What is it?" He asked without even lifting his head.

Chase, third in command to the Alpha, sighed.

"My lord? What is the problem? What is bothering you?" Chase asked, Kaiden raised his head, he gave a faint smile as his eyes settled on his third in command whose black shoulder-length hair had some strands dyed purple.

"Maya loves purple today," He said, Chase smiled widely.

Maya is Chase's mate and every week or end of the month, his mate would either dye all his hair in the colour she loves that day or some strands of his hair, she loves colours.

"Yes my lord, she does" Chase replied, his smile changed to a sad look seeing the sad expression on the face of the Alpha.

Kaiden sighed.

"Could you stop with the courtesy?" Kaiden said "It's not as if we aren't friends," He said returning his gaze to the book he was reading.

Silence.

"Kaiden ?" Chase called, his tone different from the usual happy one he always uses.

Kaiden raised his head, and Chase's face formed a very deep frown.

"What is the problem with you?" He asked.

"Nothing"

"What do you mean nothing?" Chase asked as took a chair that was some distance away, placed it in front of Kaiden's table, and sat down "I heard from the men that you aren't celebrating your birthday, Kaiden you are thirty, and ever since we were kids you have always wanted to celebrate your thirtieth birthday in a grand style, that aside, ever since you have been crowned the Alpha, you have lost that cheerfulness and jovial spirit, What is wrong? Even your followers are complaining" He explained.

Kaiden dropped the book he was reading on the table "What do you mean my followers are complaining? Am I doing something wrong? Is anyone holding a grudge against me? Who have I judged unjustly?" He asked with a concerned look.

Chase sighed.

True, Kaiden has been a very good leader ever since he was enthroned, some even say he is better than his father, people both in and outside their park testify to the fact that Kaiden Darius Rucker is a very unique leader.

The anxious look mixed with fear on Kaiden's face made Chase sigh again.

"Kaiden, you have nothing to be afraid of, you are a very good Alpha and everyone can testify to that but you have lost yourself, you hardly smile nor laugh, that Kaiden we all once knew isn't the one here isn't the one leading us," Chase said.

Silence.

Kaiden took away his gaze that had been on Chase's frown, he didn't know what to say, he can't deny the fact that he hasn't been the Kaiden everyone once knew, and at all times he wished to return to the Kaiden he once was.

"Kaiden –"

The door opened, and Garry entered the room, both Kaiden and Chase turn their heads towards the door.

Garry walked towards them, he stopped Infront of them "Kaiden, what the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled, not waiting for any of them to talk.

The three have been best friends since when they were little, they were so close that people began calling them brothers.

Kaiden sighed.

"You will open your mouth and start to tell us why on earth you have been like this?" Garry said.

"Same thing I have been asking him," Chase said as he stood up and motioned for Garry to sit which the latter did.

Even though the three were best of friends they still respected each other, Chase was the youngest among them while Garry was the oldest.

Chase got another chair and sat down.

"Is it because of your parents?" Garry asked he sighed looking at his best friend who looked miserable "Kaiden, everyone will die one day, you have to be a man about it and besides, it had been years since your parents died" He said.

Garry doesn't understand what might be going on with his best friend, was he because he misses his parents?

"Kaiden talk to us, what is the problem?" Chase asked.

Kaiden rubbed his forehead and said nothing.

Both Chase and Garry waited for their best friend to speak but he said nothing, staring from one friend to the other.

"We can't know what the problem is without you telling us," Chase said with his calm voice, Chase is known to be the calmest among his friends.

Kaiden opened his mouth to talk but shut it.

"That means you don't see us as friends anymore, you did promise us that no matter what we would be best friends but here you are breaking that promise," Garry said with a hurt expression that cut deep through Kaiden's heart.

"Or is it because you haven't gotten your mate?" Chase asked.

Mate?

Kaiden's expression changed to that of someone just realizing something.

He doesn't have a mate ... He thought and for the first time in years, realization dawned on him about not having a mate.

"You have nothing to worry about, Garry hasn't gotten a mate too, I'm sure you both are yet to come across your mates am sure, maybe your mates aren't werewolves, they might be in other kingdoms but I'm sure you both will come across them," Chase said with his usual big smile.

Garry smiled as he playfully hit Chase on his shoulders, both shared a smile, their gazes rested on Kaiden who was staring in space lost in thoughts.

"Kaiden ?!" Both called, and he jerked out of his thoughts.

"Don't tell me you were lost because you don't have a mate yet, you will–"

"Not that, I haven't even thought of that since I ascended the throne," He said with a sincere look which was directed to both of his friends, this threw his friends in shock.

Both had thought that the Alpha had been sad because of his parents' death and because he doesn't have a mate but here they were being proved wrong.

"What do you mean, you haven't even thought about that?" Chase asked, shock written over his face.

Kaiden shrugged "I honestly haven't thought about my mate," He said.

Chase looked at Garry and shook his head...

"Then what has been bothering you?" Garry asked.

Silence.

"You have to tell–"

Kaiden sighed cutting Chase short "I feel so void and empty, I feel so miserable ... I don't just know how to explain it but this feeling has been since I ascended the throne...I ... I... I.." He stammered as tears formed in his eyes "I just don't understand myself anymore, no matter how much I try, I can't be happy, no matter how many beautiful moments I recollect no one would bring me the usual happiness it was supposed to bring, I am tired" He said with tears running down his cheeks.

Both his friends looked at one other... they now knew that the situation was very different and very strange.

Seeing tears running down their friend's cheeks brought great sadness to their hearts. Kaiden hardly cries that was because he always sees something to be happy about no matter how bad the situation might be.

Garry and Chase stood up from their seats, they stood both beside him, on both sides, and patted him.

Kaiden kept crying.

"Most times, I am awake at night, I can't sleep cause this unexplainable void and miserable fills me so much that I can't explain," He said as he wiped his face with his hands He looked up at his friends "I try to pin it down to the fact that I miss my late parents but deep down I know it wasn't because of that, and not until now that Chase mentioned it, I have never thought about the fact that I haven't been mated, this feeling had made me forget that, the only thing I can do properly now is just to rule well other than that... I am filled with this void and I can sit hours thinking about nothing in particular but the emptiness and void that keeps tugging my heart"

No matter how he tried to wipe his tears they kept gushing out.

Chase and Garry sighed... This was bigger than what they thought.

Seeing their Alpha cry brought nothing but misery to them, Kaiden stood up from his seat, he bent down as he continued to cry, he knelt, bow his head, and cried.

"What evil have I ever done to bring this upon me? Why can't I be happy? Why!!!!" He yelled.

"Kaiden -" Chase called, his eyes filled with tears, Garry tried so much to suppress his tears but then they kept dancing in his socket.

Kaiden raised his head and stared at his friends "You seem not to understand, Chase, this is more than I can handle, I feel like... like... dying!!" He exclaimed.

Garry rushed to the Alpha's side, he hugged his friend "No Kaiden, don't say so, we will look for a solution, please just hang in there" He said with great sympathy.

Tears kept rolling down from Chase's eyes.

Kaiden shook his head "It's just too much, just too much" He said crying over Garry's shoulders.

Kaiden's eyes widened and he began to breathe fast "Oh goddess!!! Kaiden !" Chase yelled seeing that Kaiden's eyes were all white, Garry quickly carried Kaiden and placed him on his bed.

Kaiden kept jerking.

"Oh my! What are we gonna do!!!"Chase yelled, looking fearfully at Garry who had to hold down the jerking Alpha.

"Quick, go get–" Before Garry could finish his statement, the door burst open, and Madam Dera came rushing in with a bowl and white cloth.

Garry's grip lessen and Kaiden almost fell to the ground.

"Hold him tight!" Madam Dera yelled as she tried too much to place the clothes on the Alpha's nose.

Chase rushed to them, he held Kaiden's head which enable Madam Dera to place the cloth on the Alpha's nose and immediately the Alpha stilled.

They all heave a relief.

Madam Dera sat by the side of the bed with tears running down her cheeks as she deep the cloth into the bowl placed on the stool beside the bed, she squeezed the cloth and used it in rubbing the Alpha's exposed body parts.

She stopped for a minute to wipe her tears, she stared with a heavy heart at the person lying in the bed, who was now a shadow of himself.

She stopped what she was doing again and stared intensively at the sleeping Alpha, looking at him closely she could see that his facial features were, he looked so pale, her lips shivering as hot tears trimmed in her eyes.

She frowned as she caught sight, she saw peeking from the Alpha's collar, a pinkish flash "Garry, remove the Aloha's clothes" She said, Garry nodded and quickly unbutton the clothes, he gasped before he was done with the button.

He looked at Madam Dera and Chase, he pulled the clothes apart, and Madam Dera and Chase gasped on seeing the injuries that had been inflicted on his chest.

"When did this happen?" Madam Dera asked the men who shook their heads in negative not knowing when their Alpha had inflicted injuries on himself "This is serious" She added.

"We should get the doctor," Garry said, Madam Dera nodded.

Chase turned to leave but stopped remembering something "The doctor would be back later in the evening today, he had gone to the neighborhood three days ag, o," He said with a sigh, returning to where he had been standing.

"No! what do we do now?" Garry asked, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"We get the wizard," Madam Dera said and the men couldn't agree less.