Page 40 of Claimed By My Fiancé's Brother

None of it.

“The alpha will not make a full recovery.”

The physician’s soft voice did nothing to ease the sting of his words.

Father had been sick before, and despite the treatment that had been managing his ailment, he’d decided to step down from his position as alpha even though he was relatively young for a wolf.

It was blood poisoning, a rare, incurable genetic disease that affected one in a million wolves. The cells of a wolf that should’ve made them impervious to minor illnesses instead attacked healthy cells aggressively.

With the advanced medical care the Nightshade Pack boasted, we thought we had it under control.

We’d been wrong.

Dylan gripped the physician’s shirt, nearly lifting him off the ground.

“You said he was fine,” Dylan growled, his eyes dark with anger. “That the new medications were working.”

“I’m sorry.” The physician’s shoulders slumped. “This relapse was unpredictable and?—”

“How long does he have left?” I asked, cutting in.

“Weeks. Maybe months, if we’re lucky.”

That was all the comfort the physician could give us. This rapid onset of paralysis had made a precise diagnosis impossible.

Dylan stormed off, leaving me alone with Father, who was still unconscious.

I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t.

This heaviness in my limbs…was this guilt?

Guilt for not being a son who blindly followed the whims of his father?

“Alexander.”

The sound of Father’s voice cut through my hazy thoughts, and I met the gaze of the man who’d once been my hero.

“Alpha Maximus.”

A small, almost pained smile crept up his lips.

“T-This once you can call me Father.” His voice came out warped, the muscles of his cheeks already stiffening.

Very soon, he wouldn’t be able to speak.

For some reason, it was hard to look at him.

Maybe it was because all I could see now were his gray hairs, the lines in his face, and the weariness of his gaze instead of the dominant, ruthless alpha who’d raised me.

I’d been so focused on staying true to myself and pushing him away, but now…

No. Nothing had changed.

“The physician can’t help you anymore,” I said curtly. “You have months, maybe just weeks, left.”

Father didn’t look surprised.

“So that’s how it is.”

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