Chris' POV

I'm not getting nightmares all that frequently anymore but even better news, I now have a consistent bad headache and it's not helping that Minerva won't fuck off out of my business. Heading to Joy's office for some medication I spot a short red head skipping with joy, "Where you heading off to?" I ask Scarlet.

"CHRISSSS, YOU SCARED ME!" She exclaims in an exaggerated motion

"Didn't mean to, I apologise haha"

"No worries, I'm off to the library to do some research, and you?" Scarlet tells me while squinting at my body up and down

"More pack matters, headaches and what not. So the usual" Deeply sighing at my trapped circle of solving stuff just for another to get brought up

"Well I hope you get better soon! I wouldn't wanna be you right now though, no offence" She comments, I did take offense to that statement yes. But I'll ignore it for the sake of keeping the peace between us.

"See you then." I tell her, in response she gives me a smile and walks in the other direction but losing the skip in her step she previously had, odd.

I enter to see her knee deep in work and I sympathise with that stress "Hey Joy, can you prescribe me something?" I ask, and in return she spins on her chair to face me

"Sure, what's the matter?"

"Just headaches, nothing to worry about"

"Noted...uh we should have some stuff in the back here, let me find it" She hops off the chair and walks off in the direction of storage, giving me time to snoop. Looks like Scarlet just came in for some ankle pains, I wonder what happened there. Shrugging my shoulders I notice Joy staring at me for who knows how long

"I-um, was seeing if I could help you or something" Getting up from her chair and stumbling back a bit

"Oh yeah right, sure you were Chris." She says unconvincingly, yeah I'm a terrible liar I admit it.

"Here, we're resilient to drug like effects in our body so don't get too happy and down the whole bottle." She states while hands me a bottle of simple pain killers.

"Thanks, and I'll make sure that won't happen...again" Yeah I have a history with them, and I respect that she still trusts me with them

As I start walking out Joy speaks to me again, "Oh wait, I needed to ask you something!"

"What was it?"

"That time where Percy got injured I took some of his blood and stored it away but it went missing"

"Huh? Who the hell would want Percy's blood, wasn't the only person in the room Thomas?

"From as far as I know yeah, he never left him alone. I'll ask when he gets back I guess, let's talk again though Chris. We haven't had a non-pack related conversation in years" Joy says while looking distressed and nervous, I can't blame her. We really haven't spoken much since we got our roles in the pack even though we were close as kids.

"Will do" Holding my hand up as a gesture of goodbye while passing back through the doors. Now to find our empty Alpha.

-

I knock on the study door hoping to receive an answer but much to my expectations, nobody does so I invite myself in. Seeing my alpha plummeted on his desk and surrounded by paper work I can't help but feel for him, he's gone. What we see talk is nothing more than a husk with a leftover will that forces him to keep going, if we're being honest I'm surprised he hasn't gone full rogue yet. "Keyon, wake up pal" I place a hand on him and shake his body a little, making him sound out a groan in confirmation that he's indeed still alive. "Get up so we can talk please"

"Why" The weakness in his voice as clear as day

"We need to talk about Minerva"

"I don't want to..." Hearing him openly show me just how lost he truly is hurts me, he can't be seen like this by someone else. And that slut isn't helping, she sleeps with just about anyone she can find and he knows it.

"She's putting this pack at risk of an attack by splitting apart our guards so vastly, I need you to talk to her about it"

"I can't, she wouldn't listen to me"

"Well goddamn make her, if she keeps having a say in my duties then we will genuinely suffer losses from the increasing number of attacks we've been having"

"I'm sorry Chris, I can't do anything" He says while reaching for a bottle of alcohol, making me walk up to him and slam it back onto the table away from his mouth.

"Get up, we're going outside." I deadpanned as simple as I could before grabbing his arm to hoist over my shoulder to walk him out. "I miss Eden..." I hear him mutter, "I miss her too" Referring to his first true mate, none can doubt they were a match made by the goddess herself and she was beauty unrivalled to whatever this new snake he has that's wrapped around his throat. Making our way to the door, almost as if on cue it opens. Revealing the hag herself, kissing some young prey blatantly in front of Keyon only to dismiss him as if we didn't already see the display of sexual desperation.

"OH-KEYON! I didn't think you were in here baby I'm sorry!" She hurriedly kicks away the boy who was just sucking on her lips but sees nothing of it.

"Minerva, kindly fuck off thanks"

"My, didn't even notice you there mutt. How you been? I don't actually want an answer from that haha please let go of my precious mate" She hisses back at me

"He's leaving this room, move out the way" I state while tapping my foot against her heel that is currently blocking the entrance to the room

"Oh so we're doing it that way? Keyonnnn, he's being mean to me" She leans in closer while using her fingers to pry open his eyelid, "Make him fuck off". Her eyes lighting a hazed purple and the same reflected back into Keyon's, without warning he throws himself off me.

"You should leave Chris, I'm fine here..." His body slowly falling to the ground as if gravity has more authority over his body than himself.

"Keyon, she's using you and you know it-" My words cut off by him, "You should leave Chris, I'm fine here..." The same monotone line he just told me. What the fuck is she doing to my alpha, "Minerva, the day all hell breaks loose and Keyon is the one at risk, I'm coming for you first" I firmly grasp the handle of the door, hearing the creaks as it begins to break under the force of my grip.

"You go do that honey, I'll be here waiting for you" Blowing me a kiss and folding her legs along the table in satisfaction. For once the whore closes those gates, never thought I'd see the day. Now that thought does bring a smile to my face. "I'll cheer you up someday Keyon, believe me" I catch one last glimpse at him as the door shuts, seeing his eyes dawning a reflective coat as if he's on the verge of tears. I need to fix this place, and I will.