"W-what," Leila gasped. "This is a joke, right? A sick, twisted joke," she cried. She took a step back, looking as if I had struck her.
I sighed, running my fingers through my thinning hair as I did. I wish it was a joke or a dream. Sadly, it wasn't. "I'm going to be blunt," I said, to which she snorted in mild amusement despite herself. I gave her a knowing smile at that before I continued. "I have Cancer," I repeated as I carefully eyed her. "Multiple Myeloma to be exact."
"What on earth is Multiple Myeloma," she whispered, eyes teary. She may not now exactly what it was, but she had already gathered that it was life-threatening.
"It's a Cancer of the bone marrow." She looked even more shocked, as she now realized what I was saying and the implications she stared at me with wide, glassy eyes.
She was only 17 and she had already lost both of her parents.
"B-but...you're a werewolf," she mumbled. "An Alpha," she added.
"I just gave her a sad look as I attempted to make myself more comfortable. "Yes," I agreed softly. "I certainly am."
"Werewolves don't get sick," she said, though it sounded like more of a question.
"You know we can, Leila. It's just more difficult for us to become ill in the first place."
She gazed off into the distance as her lower lip trembled. Biting it, she turned back to me after a few moments.
"I-is there anything I can do for you uncle? You've always been like a father to me..." She started to quietly cry, hugging me gently, like I would shatter and disappear if she wasn't careful.
I smiled down at her. "Just be there for me, with me, like always." She nodded her head eagerly as she attempted to wipe away her tears.
"Of course," she cried. "Anything for you, you know that. You took care of me when I needed you most. Now it's my turn."
"Thank you," I whispered.
"Of course uncle, always. I'll always be here for you," she said firmly as she determinedly wiped her tears away.
I had always been the strong one.
Whether it was when my mate died, my little sister and brother-in-law dying or Leila's adoption or being there for my pack. I had only ever been seen as strong. I had always been a leader who prided myself on being there for anyone and everyone.
People would come to me with their problems; now I was being forced to take my problems to them, particularly my young niece.
I had known for some time that I was becoming weaker, I just wasn't sure from what.
At first I had assumed that it was old age catching up with me although I couldn't recall my father ever having these problems. The fact that I wasn't considered old for a human, never mind a werewolf, didn't register at the time.
I was finally forced to visit the pack's doctor when my right kneecap shattered while I was teaching pups and one of them kicked my knee. A mere pup! I can't begin to express how shameful the experience was for me.
An Alpha is supposed to be a pillar of strength for their pack. Now I represented a weakness to my pack.
That had been a little over a month and a half ago now. I had gotten a second, then third opinion. They all gave me the same diagnosis; Multiple Myeloma, one of three possibilities.
While attempting to find a different reason, I hid everything from my pack, especially my niece. I knew questions would begin to arise soon and that it would be better if I addressed them myself rather then let wild rumors take their place.
The first person I had been determined to tell was my niece. It was the least she deserved.
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Mates with Triplets | book I | 18+ (complete - editing)
WerewolfWhen Leila is five, a fire kills her parents and she's taken in to be raised by her uncle. Thirteen years later she is ready to finish her last year of high school. The Moon Goddess seems to have other plans for her, apparently deciding that she...
