Chapter 219

Chris

“What’s on your mind?”

I shut the bedroom door behind us and turned to see Leonard already standing by the window.

The warm afternoon sun spilled across Ava’s white comforter—a strange place to hold a private chat, but without my Packhouse office at my disposal, it was all I had in this little cottage. And Leonard had been adamant that he wanted to speak to me alone—without prying eyes or ears.

Strange, I had thought, but I had obliged. If my Beta was so bent on speaking to me privately, then that meant that it had to be serious.

Leonard stared at me for a moment, opening and closing his mouth a few times as though struggling to come up with what to say.

Finally, instead of settling on speaking, he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a large white envelope. His hand shook slightly as he passed it to me.

I frowned, taking it from him. “What’s this?”

“Open it,” was all he said, his voice hardly more than a growl.

With a furrowed brow, I peeled the envelope back to find what looked like… an x-ray inside. As I held it up to the light, my blood ran cold.

There, in the image of someone’s lungs, was a dark mass.

Leonard’s lungs.

“Cancer?” I whispered, my voice barely audible despite the quiet room.

Leonard shook his head. “No. Not cancer,” he said softly. “It’s the fungus. I must have inhaled the spores at some point, and it…”

His voice trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish; I understood the implications. This damnable blight, the cloying bastard, had slipped into my Beta’s lungs and was now ravaging his body from the inside.

I sank into a nearby chair, the x-ray slipping from my fingers and fluttering to the floor. Neither of us moved to pick it up. “How... How long have you known?” I murmured, already clutching my hair.

“A few days,” Leonard replied. “I’ve been having trouble breathing. Thought it was just stress, or maybe allergies, but…” He trailed off, gesturing at the fallen x-ray.

No wonder he looked so pale when we returned, I thought to myself as I stared helplessly at the floor. I hadn’t wanted to mention it at the time, but when we had stepped out of the car yesterday, I had noticed that his eyes were dark-rimmed and his cheeks looked a little… gaunt.

I, too, had chalked it up to stress—or maybe even a little too much rolling in the hay with Ophelia.

But this…

“Who else knows?” I asked, my mind racing.

“Just the doctor,” Leonard said. “And now you. I haven’t even told Ophelia yet.”

I looked up at him sharply. “Leonard, you have to tell her. She deserves to know. She’ll kill you before the fungus if you don’t.”

He nodded, his eyes downcast. “I know. I will. I just... I needed to tell you first. As my Alpha. As my… friend.”

“How bad is it?” I asked, dreading the answer.

Leonard sighed heavily. “It’s getting harder to breathe every day. I’m getting weaker. The doctor... he says it’s hard to be certain since this has never happened before, but…” He paused, swallowing hard. “He estimates that I have about three months.”

“No,” I said, standing up abruptly. “No, that’s not acceptable. We’ll get the moonstone back before then. The fungus will leave your body once it’s back, right?”

Leonard’s expression was pained. “Chris... There’s no guarantee that getting the moonstone back will kill off the existing fungus. It might stop it from spreading further, but by then, it could be too late.”

“Then we’ll find another way,” I insisted. “We’ll go to the human world. They have treatments, technologies we don’t. There has to be something—”

“Chris,” Leonard interrupted gently. “I’m not leaving Moonstone. This is my home. If my time is coming, I want to spend it here.”

I strode over to him, gripping the back of his neck and pressing my forehead to his. “No. I forbid it,” I said fiercely. “As your Alpha, I forbid you to die. Do you understand me?”

Leonard huffed a weak laugh. “I don’t think it works that way, Chris.”

“It does if I say it does,” I growled as I pulled away. “You’re going to the human world. We’ll get you the best treatment money can buy. Ophelia won’t leave your side.”

But Leonard was already shaking his head. “I won’t go, Chris. My place is here. If my time is coming, then I’ll accept it. I’ll go to be with Ellie.”

I felt my heart clench at the rare mention of Leonard’s late wife. “You stubborn bastard,” I muttered, but there was no real heat in it.

“What about Ophelia?” I asked softly then. “She’ll be heartbroken. And furious.”

Leonard swallowed hard, looking away. “Ophelia is tough. Tougher than I’ve ever been. She’ll be okay.” He paused, wetting his lips. Mine, too, suddenly felt dry. “And besides, we’ve only known each other for a short time, sweet as it’s been.”

“I’ve never known Ophelia to love anyone the way she loves you,” I countered. “She may be tough, but she’ll be devastated. And may I repeat: furious.”

Leonard was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with unshed tears. “I can’t leave Moonstone, Chris. I won’t make it in the human world. I’ll die sooner there than here.”

I wanted to argue, to force him to go, to do anything to save my friend. But I knew Leonard. Once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it. Stubborn old wolf.

I sighed, feeling helpless.

“Fine. But I, for one, am not giving up,” I said firmly. “I’ll find a way to save you, even if I have to move heaven and earth to do it.”

Leonard smiled weakly. “I know you will. But Chris... focus on saving Moonstone. I’m old. I’ve had a good life.”

I snorted. “You’re only in your forties, Leonard. You’ve got another hundred years at least to drive me mad with your drivel.”

That earned me a genuine laugh—followed by a cough. I quickly handed Leonard my handkerchief, and tried to pretend that I hadn’t noticed when he pulled it away from his lips and the white cloth had been stained red.

“Well, when you put it that way,” he rasped, “maybe I should be grateful for the early exit.”

I punched his arm lightly, glad to see a bit of his old humor returning. “Don’t joke about that. I’m serious, Leonard. I’m not letting you go without a fight.”

He nodded, his expression softening. “I know. And I’m grateful for it. But Chris... promise me you won’t neglect your duties as Alpha for my sake. The pack needs you. Ava needs you.”

“The pack needs you too,” I countered.

Leonard shook his head. “The pack will survive without me. But it needs its Alpha. Promise me, Chris.”

I wanted to refuse, to tell him I would focus on nothing but saving him. But I knew he was right. I had responsibilities that couldn’t be ignored, no matter how much I wanted to.

“I promise,” I said reluctantly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on you.”

Leonard smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He glanced at his watch. “I should get going. Ophelia will be wondering where I am. Probably complaining that she’s hungry.” He paused, smirking. “She’s an awful cook, you know.”

I snorted. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

I walked him to the door, my mind still reeling from everything I had just learned. As we reached the entryway, I caught a glimpse of Ava peeking around the corner. Her face was pale, eyes wide. She had heard everything.

Our eyes met, a silent understanding passing between us. This wasn’t over. We would find a way to save Leonard, no matter what it took.

I turned back to Leonard, clasping his shoulder. “Get some rest,” I said. “And tell Ophelia. Soon.”

He nodded. “I will. Goodnight, Chris. Ava.”

I watched as Leonard walked down the path, his steps a little slower than usual. With my heart heavy, I closed the door behind him.