One of Mario's favorite things to do was to work out in the gym. He had been trying all his life to do everything that he could to be strong and so exercising and working out in the gym was one of the things he thought could help him. From running at a high speed on the treadmill to lifting weights and every other thing a man could do, he did it all. His expectation was to subdue the power that the Wolf's bane in him had over him but instead, all the workout did was to help him to maintain fitness and to look healthy.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and his singlet which was already soaked with his sweat hugged his chest, making those perfectly aligned abs visible from the transparency -- a sight that the ladies at the gym loved to see. While he worked out, they would drool over his perfect physique and handsomeness, some would try to get his attention and as usual he would snub them. He was used to the ladies flocking themselves around him but he had never been interested in any and so always minded his business whenever he came around.
At some point he got fed up with his efforts which he thought of as futile. He still couldn't feel it -- the strength he craved for. He wanted to know what it feels like for a man to be strong but he had never experienced it and it pained him dearly. The day that it became so clear to him that he was a weakling was the day that he had a fight with one of his high school classmates. Though it had been many years ago, the memory was always fresh in his head and he could remember every detail of what happened at that time.
One of the bad boys in school then had challenged him because he discovered that his own girlfriend was having a crush on Mario. Though Mario had nothing to do with her, he didn't care to clear the air concerning the situation. The whole rivalry became heated up at some point that the both of them began to fight. The bad boy beat him so badly that he almost fainted. Even when he(Mario) threw a punch, it felt as though the punch didn't have any effect on him. He could even feel that the punch he threw at his rival didn't carry the impact that he wanted it to have. Since that day, his nature became more realistic and he gradually began to accept it.
Even at one time during their early adult age, he had a clash with a young beta from another pack and he still wasn't able to defend himself, instead it was his brother Liam that fought for him and kept the rival werewolf away. This incident was one of the reasons why he couldn't speak to Liam -- because he felt ashamed -- Mario was ashamed that his younger brother who he was supposed to be protecting was the one protecting him and that was why he tried to avoid him as much as he could even though that Liam wouldn't stop coming close to him.
Mario frustratingly got off the treadmill as he thought of what he was doing as a waste of time. After cleaning himself up with a towel, he sat on the bench when a thought came into his head, then he picked up his phone from where he left it and began to dial a number. He was trying to call his doctor, Doctor Penelope. He had already met her severally concerning his condition asking for a way out of the situation, asking if it was possible for her to extract the Wolf's bane from his body system. Though she had told him severally that it was an impossible thing to do as the poison that was inside of him had conjoined completely with his blood and any medical operation taken in order to extract the poison from him would mean extracting the entire blood in his body which would therefore lead to his death -- a risk that both she as a doctor and any doctor wasn't willing to take.
Mario already knew all these explanations but he was willing to try again and again until he got a positive response. The call eventually went through and Doctor Penelope soon came online.
"Hello, Mario." Said the doctor over the phone.
"Hello, doctor." Mario's voice came in a deep low tone. "Are you in your office? I would like to see you today."
"Yes, I am. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be there by 12." He said.
"Okay then." And they both dropped the call.
He stood up from the bench, took his belongings and left the gym -- he wouldn't miss his appointment with the doctor for any reason.
...
At exactly 12pm on that Tuesday, he was already in Doctor Penelope's office awaiting her. She came in 10 minutes later, apologizing from the door for keeping him waiting.
"I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. I had so many things to handle." She dropped her file on the table and then went to sit down on her chair. As she settled in the chair, she took her time to evaluate Mario who was sitting opposite her. It had been a long while since he came to visit and she was very delighted to have him. Giving him a warm smile, she welcomed him again. "You are welcome, Mario but you don't seem to be happy. Is everything alright with you?"
"Not until you find out." He replied.
Doctor Penelope adjusted herself into the seat, leaning forwards with her clenched hands resting on the table. "Tell me about it." Now she was attentive to listen to what he had to say even though she had already suspected what he was going to say.
"You know why I am here, Doctor." He leaned forwards, wanting her to see the pain in his eyes, the hurt in his voice and the frustration surrounding him. "I am deeply hurt, doctor. Everyday of my life I am reminded of my frail nature. I can't do this anymore. Outside I appear to be strong but inside, I am nothing but a dying man. I know that you have already explained the consequences of extracting the Wolf's bane from me but we can give it a try. It may not really be as you said, after all genetics has failed me. There is no ancestor of mine that had Wolf's bane flowing through his veins and yet I have it. I really don't have an explanation for this and why the Moon Goddess chose to inflict me with such a disaster but I am sure that there won't be any consequences as you say."
"You are wrong, Mario. You are very wrong about this. Of course medicine has a lot to play out in what you want. This is the body system we are talking about here! It is already mysterious that no one in your lineage had Wolf's bane and yet you are the one in possession of it. There is no wolf's bane anywhere on the continent. For some reason, the plant has gone extinct but you are the only source of it. I don't know what the Moon Goddess is planning to do with you but I am very sure that it is a good thing." She explained.
"A good thing! How is being poisoned a good thing?! She made me weak! She made me weak and yet you say it is a good thing. What goodness has she done for me when I am incapable of defending myself and family from the cruelty of this world?!" He stamped his hand on the table. From his reaction, Penelope could tell that he was truly hurting but what could she do? She couldn't do anything to help him. Anything she did would procure pernicious consequences -- he would lose his life and she would not just lose her certificate, she would go to jail. She wasn't willing to risk his life just because she wanted to help him and she had already concluded in her mind that the answer was No.
"I have a suggestion..." Mario started, "I want all my blood extracted from me and then you can extract the Wolf's bane from the blood. That way you can inject back all my blood to me and I will be a free man."
"You'd be dead before that happens." She replied to him in a cold tone.