New Delhi (Delhi, India).

The Year, 1995 (30 Years Ago)...

*

"I'm sorry, Luna. But His Royal Highness will not make it through the night. You may need to say your goodbye to him now. I'm really sorry, but there's nothing else that I and my team can do anymore." The head doctor said before he and the other doctors excused themselves, leaving the patient with the nurses and his mother.

*

Fifteen minutes later…

"No!" Alpha Rajesh Kumar exclaimed. "You will not take my child to that abominable being's place. I forbid you, too."

Her husband's rejection felt like a sharp knife cutting through her heart. The teary Luna went down on her knees before her Alpha.

This caused the elders who were in the Alpha's chamber with them to leave the room in order to give them some privacy.

"Honey, please. Let's take him to her and see first. She might be... no, she'll be able to cure him. I can't lose my only child, please, honey.

At my age, what are the chances that I can even carry another seed when I haven't been able to do that again all this while? Please, honey, please." She pleaded once more.

But...

"No! My word is final. You will not take my blood to that witch. Period!" The Alpha said and left the room right afterwards, not even bothering to help his wife get off the floor.

*

"Hema, find me some trustworthy guards to help smuggle my son out of this place." The Luna of the Kumar pack instructed.

"Ma'am, what are you planning? I'm afraid that someone will tip the Alpha off, and that could anger him very much. I've seen some of the servants of the concubines spying on this place, ma'am."

"I don't care. I'll not watch my son die before me. Now, hurry up."

***

"Hm, hm, hmmm hm hmmmm hmmm."

Laila hummed to herself. The corners of her lips slowly went up as she felt the presence of an old acquaintance approaching.

"Ma, you have some visitors. It's the L..."

"Let them in." Laila cuts her servant, Deepti, off before she could finish with her sentence.

*

"To what do I owe your Royal Highness' presence here? Isn't this place too filthy for her Ma-jes-ty?"

There was an obvious sarcasm laced in her voice. She scanned the people who had come with the visitor for someone, but she didn't see him.

'Of course, he wouldn't come. He would rather die than ask for my help.' She thought to herself bitterly.

The other woman, Lalita Kumar, immediately got on her knees as she pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, sister, I … I need your help. Please. My… my son. He is… he is…"

"Dying." Laila completed the sentence for her.

The crying Luna crawled on her hands and knees to kneel right in front of Laila. She then started rubbing her palms against each other in a pleading manner.

"Yes, he is dying, sister. The doctors and the chief priest said that he would not make it through the night. I… please, can you save my so…? No. Please, save my son. He is my only son. I cannot lose him. Please."

"Hmm?"

"Yes, sis. You're my last hope, please."

Laila remained silent for a while before speaking again. "Does he know? The Alpha. Does he know that you're here right now asking for my help?"

Luna Lalita shook her head in the negative and said, "He is my only child, sister. The Alpha can choose to ignore my plight because he has other offspring, but I can't. So please help me for your nephew's sake at least. Please."

"Uh." Laila chuckled. She had a lot to vent about after what her sister and her husband had done to her, but now was not the time for that at all.

"I won't beat about the bush, Lalita. Your son will die. Die he will. So I suggest that you get going before the Alpha hears of your visit to this place."

Luna Lalita quickly stood up and shouted. "No! I refuse to accept that!"

She then turned to the guards. "Bring him in. Now!"

"It's useless, Lalita. The child does not have up to midnight. I suggest you two spend the rest of the time left together." Laila contemplated whether or not she should divulge certain information to her estranged sister.

Luna Lalita then knelt before her big sister again and grabbed her leg. "Laila, you must save my son. Otherwise, I'll lose everything. He is also your nephew.

Remember, you once loved him as your own son. Please. I'll pay whatever price you demand as long as you're able to save him. Even if that includes..."

*****************************************

New Delhi.

Present Time, 2025 (Today)...

*

"Mmuah! I've missed you, my dear. Come to Papi." The old Alpha said as he excitedly welcomed his sugar baby into his arms as soon as she entered his private chamber.

He pulled her onto his lap as he peppered her with wet kisses all over the face and neck.

But the 37-year-old woman did not look too happy to be there as she usually is.

"I...want out. I want out of this." She stammered.

"Hm?" Alpha Kumar seemed to have not heard what she said.

"I want out of this relationship. This affair. I can no longer continue with these secret meetings with you. I want to have a family of my own now. So, let's end this." Aiesha managed to say amidst all the old Alpha's pecks and kisses, which abruptly came to a stop before she finished with her statement.

The Alpha was quiet. It was clear that he didn't like this.

"Why? Have you found someone else?" He asked after a while.

Aiesha got off his lap; the Alpha frowned.

"No. I haven't."

"Then why do you want to leave me? Hm?" He tried to kiss her wrist, but she pulled back her hand.

"You promised me that you'll help me get married to my friend. Isn't that how you got me in your bed in the first place? But it's been years now, and you still haven't been able to help me with that.

They say that if you want someone done, you do it yourself. So I'm going to gather courage and ask him out myself."

"What?! Never!" The Alpha said as he quickly sprung up from his seat and pushed her into the chair as he towered over her while he spoke.

"You, my dear, will not marry my son or anyone for that matter. You became mine and only mine the very day that you came into my bed. If it's marriage you want, I can give you that. You can be my last concubine; I don't mind. But I will never let you go. So you better keep that in mind."

Aiesha rolled her eyes as she thought to herself. 'Who said that I want to be numbered? It's your son that I've always wanted and not your rickety old ass, old man.'

*

The breakup conversation had not gone according to how she wanted, so Aiesha decided to take drastic measures towards her goal.

She had first sent a text message to her friend about wanting to see him, but he replied that he wasn't around and would be back in a few days' time, rather.

Knowing how stubborn both father and son are, she realised that using the normal route would not work in her favour.

She needed to trap her target.

That is the only way for her to make sure that her friend becomes hers soon. So that she would be the new first lady and Luna of the Kumar pack.

"Bhumi." Aiesha called for her house manager.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Get me a good rut-induced drug. I'll be expecting an important visitor in a few days."

"Yes, please."

Aiesha dismissed her employee afterwards. "Now, let's see who will get things their way, old man."

**********************

"Do you have something for me?" Luna Lalita asked as soon as she entered and joined the visitors at her son's private medical facility.

In the room were three scary-looking inmates in their uniforms seated across the table, facing the jail superintendent.

"Yes, Luna." The jail superintendent replied and offered a seat to the Luna.

He continued. "These ones are scheduled to be hanged within two to four days' time. I've already had them go through the prepared documents."

He then placed some documents before the Queen, who also went through them.

"And do you all agree to the stipulated terms?" Luna Lalita addressed the three death-row criminals.

"Yes, Ma'am." They said and nodded in response.

"Then sign the NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement), and your families will receive the compensations as stipulated herein." Luna Lalita stated.

The three did as told, although a bit hesitantly.

"Take this one to him first." The Luna said to the doctor and pointed to one of the criminals once the superintendent left.

*

The eyes of a strange-looking, stoutly built man glowed crimson red as someone got thrown into his room.

In a swift propulsive movement, he instinctively pounced on the unknown intruder, and sunk his claws into his shoulders to hold him into position before sinking his elongated fangs into his neck to quench his bloodlust.

But...

"Aaarrrggghhh!" The red-eyed man quickly releases his prey as he groans, for an indescribable pain surges through his entire body.

He slumped down on the hard floor as he felt weaker by the second.

"Leave! Now!!!" He roared.

The poor criminal did not need to be told twice. He quickly took to his heel and bolted out of the place.

(I guess he wasn't ready to die after all now that he was facing a certain death).

*

"He refuses to feed your majesty. The doctor has sent all three men to him, but his Highness sent each one of them back." A guard reported.

"What?! Why? I mean, why will he do that? Does he want to die?" Lalita queried rhetorically.

She then called her son's main doctor to come over.

"Why is he not feeding, Dr. Jayaraman? I've gone through all the loops to get him these people. Why will he refuse them?What is wrong with him? The Luna vented out her frustration over her son's situation.

"Hmm." The doctor sighed.

"Stop with the hmming and come up with something. I cannot have my Alpha know about our son's condition. You know what's at stake."

The doctor then looked at the Luna with a solemn face, thus making the queen more anxious.

"What is it, Jaya? Spit it out already!"

"Hmm." He sighed again before continuing. "There're more problems, my queen. His Highness' situation is only getting worse. Not just with his feeding but his rut as well. At this point, the only idea that I can think of is... never mind. I think that's a stupid idea."

"It's what, Jaya? I'm really desperate here, so you better get out with it now before I have your tongue cut out of your mouth for wasting my time.

"I... I was wondering if we should get the services of a humanoid robot?" The old doctor stammered as he feared his friend wouldn't like his idea or call him nuts.

"How do you mean? What can a robot do to help my son to finally be able to feed on people or help him to release some of his pheromones out so his system will stop deteriorating? How? Tell me."

"Um... I don't know about feeding on the people part since their blood is rather toxic to him. But I believe that we can order a customised robot that can assist His Highness during his rut."

Dr. Jaya paused to observe the Queen's reaction, but she seemed to be listening intently, so he assumed that she might like his idea and, thus, continued.

"I heard that there are some fully animated and humanoid sex robots that even have pheromone diffuser functions.

I believe that should his Highness be able to release some body fluids during his rut, this may help with his condition. At least until we find a more permanent solution. What do you think, Luna Lalita?"

"Hmmmm." The Luna nodded her head in deep thought while going through what she just heard.

"Okay. Let's try that in his next rut since this one is almost over. But don't tell my son anything about the sex part or the pheromones whatsoever. Otherwise, he'll reject it. Just tell him that the robot is to take care of him during his rut days in the facility. Let's see how it goes from there."

"Okay, my Queen. I'll make a call to an old friend of mine who deals in that."

"Sure. I pray that this works out so Laila will be put to shame. The Alpha must never find out about any of this. Is that clear?"

"Definitely. I'll continue to keep your secret, Lalita." The doctor assured his long-time friend.