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“Does he have epilepsy?” he asked Servas, keeping his voice low.

Servas shook his head, paling.

Fuck, this was not good. Epileptic seizures had only a limited number of causes…and almost all of them had to do with the brain. Something was wrong in Palani’s brain.

Mostyn watched as Lucan ran off to get Ativan. Chaos ensued, and much to Mostyn’s shock, it was the omega who had shifted last who took the lead. Sydney, was that his name? It had sounded like it. He was snapping Enar out of it, demanding he list Palani’s symptoms.

When he did, Mostyn’s heart sank.

Headaches. Irritability. Diminished sex drive. Forgetting things. Slurring words. He knew those symptoms all too well. Not only had he studied them for his degree as a radiology technician, but he’d seen them in patients’ charts again and again and had seen patients exhibit some of them in interactions with him. Palani had a brain tumor. It could still be benign, but Mostyn would bet all he had that if they did a scan, they’d find a mass somewhere in his brain. Should he say something?

Lucan returned with the Ativan. Another alpha administered it after a brief discussion with Enar. Like everyone else, Mostyn held his breath, willing the meds to work. When they did and Palani’s body relaxed, Mostyn exhaled with relief, but only temporarily.

But he didn’t need to say anything because the men around Palani came to the same conclusion. “It’s his brain. Something is wrong in his brain,” Enar said.

The other doctor—Mostyn had seen him in passing in the clinic but didn’t remember his name—looked pensive. “It fits. But he’ll need an MRI to confirm.”

Yeah, he would. A CT scan would not be as deep and thorough. But even if they did manage to get him in for an MRI, the treatment would be all but impossible. No neurosurgeon would perform a surgery like that in the middle of a civil war.

Palani stirred, letting out a soft moan. “Hey, baby, how are you feeling?” Enar asked.

Mostyn couldn’t hear the answer or the whispered conversation that followed, but he didn’t have to. Didn’t even want to. This was way too private a moment to play out in front of everyone, but they had little choice now.

“He needs to shift,” Sydney said. “If that improved the symptoms last time, no matter how temporary, he needs to shift. That will give you time to come up with a plan.”

“He’s right. You have to shift,” Enar agreed.

“That’s what I was trying to do,” Palani said, his voice breaking. “That’s why I wanted to shift tonight. I wanted to tell you afterward that I was having issues again, I swear, but I never got the opportunity.”

Enar placed a finger on his lips. “Save your energy. Shift, baby. Heal yourself as much as possible.”

Mostyn, like everyone else, turned his eyes away as Enar helped Palani undress. But seconds after he was done, a dizzy spell hit Mostyn, and he almost slid off his chair. Isam groaned, and he wasn’t the only one. What the fuck was that? Then another wave hit him as if he’d been hit with an electric shock.

“Fuck!” he muttered between clenched teeth. “What the hell?”

“It’s the shifting.” Isam sounded hoarse. “It can hit hard sometimes.”

The barn grew quiet as Palani, in wolf form, was hugged by his mates, only the occasional sniffle disturbing the silence. Mostyn’s own eyes burned with unshed tears. He didn’t even know these people, but he felt their sadness on a bone-deep level, somehow.

“I don’t know what to say,” Lidon finally said, still sitting on the floor with Palani in his wolf form on his lap. “There’s so much going through my head, and you’ll all understand I can’t split personal and pack here. Palani’s not just my second-in-command, he’s…”

Lidon’s voice broke, and Enar scooted closer and wrapped his arms around him. His omega mate did the same from the other side.

“He’s my everything.” Mostyn wasn’t even shocked to see Lidon shed tears. The love for his mates was palpable. “Just like he’s everything to Enar, Vieno, and our son. All we have are questions at this moment, so we’ll need to find answers. I can’t even think, let alone make a plan, so give us some time.”

“Alpha, if I may say something?” an older alpha said, and Lidon gestured his consent. “No matter what’s wrong with Palani, I think it’s safe to assume it will be a while before he can resume his duties in the pack. You need to name a replacement, alpha. Especially now that you’ll be focusing on your mate, as you should, you need someone able to run the day-to-day issues in the pack.”

“He’s right, alpha,” Enar said.

Lidon straightened his shoulders and seemed to take a moment to think, his eyes roaming the gathered men. “Bray, would you be willing to serve until Palani can resume his duties?”

Mostyn felt comforted by that choice. He hadn’t spent much time with Bray, but he knew him to be a good man.

“It would be my honor, alpha,” Bray said. “Could I please request Kean to assist me? He can offer a valuable voice to the discussion. I also want to transfer my duties as head of security to Sean. He’s ready for it.”

“Yes to both,” Lidon said. “To keep the hierarchy straight, I’m naming you second-in-command and Kean third-in-command. That way, everyone knows who to approach.”

“Yes, alpha,” Bray and Kean answered at the same time.