It happened without warning.

He had been mid-swallow, enjoying the roast beef that melted on his tongue, the veggies that were grilled to perfection and the steaming hot potatoes drizzled with garlic butter.

In the middle of this meal, a feast to celebrate the pack Alpha had returned and the joyful announcement that they were expecting, securing the future of the pack, he suddenly felt chills to the bone.

His fork clattered on the plate, falling out of his trembling, shaking fingers as the wolf choked on his mouthful of flesh.

"Theo? What's the matter bud, bit off more than you can chew?" A voice laughed beside him, hand patting against his back.

He barely heard the slight teasing over his own coughing fit, spitting out the food. The mere mention of his human's name made him bristle but even that didn't penetrate the simmering panic that webbed through his body.

"Not. Theo!" He mentally sneered, clearing his throat as he patted his chest. Beside him, Wade blinked in confusion, the worry in his gaze expanding as he pushed to his feet.

The wolf couldn't even croak that he was just fine because he wasn't. There was a sudden, unexplainable fear that bit at his heels, making his heart race underneath his numbing fingers.

What is happening?

His body jolted, as if he had missed a step while walking down the stairs. The sudden, jerky motion only succeeded to draw more attention towards him.

Theo's wolf directed his attention away from the gathering pack, away from the worry that started to emit from several of the pack members and instead focused inward.

That fucking annoying human is acting up again.

An angry snarl built up in his throat, ready to explode at Theo the second he bumped into the pathetic, mewling excuse of a human.

However, the fear only surged farther as cold chills spread over his back.

Where-

Bile filled his throat, a soft muffled whimper slipping past his teeth as he tried and failed to keep his stomach contents. The flood wave of instant nausea and a deep pain within the core of his body made the wolf panic.

And then, a sharper wave of pain suddenly exploded through his body, jolting it as if he had impacted heavily on the floor.

Wide-eyed and fearful, he looked up to catch his mate's eyes across the table and could hear the screech of a chair being tossed back as the man responded to the utter despair within the eyes of Theo's wolf.

His ears were assaulted by shouts and screams, skin branded by hot hands that grabbed hold, trying to shake Theo's wolf out of its stupor. The wolf didn't even realize he was bleeding from his nose and ears.

Where is he?

Eyes darting back and forth unseeingly, Theo's wolf grew even more panicked when he couldn't detect a sliver of awareness, no matter how hard he focused.

WHERE IS HE?!

His body crashed to the floor, but Theo's wolf paid it no mind. He needed all the attention he had to locate Theo's scent, to try and find out where-

Even as their shared body slipped into unconsciousness, the wolf was aware of the pack's presence and normally that would comfort it.

But something was off. It wasn't right. He was supposed to be in charge and was going to make things right again. To fix the situation between Theo and Victor.

He had taken control, had reminded the human of its place, back in the far reaches of their shared mindscape. To be chained, hidden away from the world as Theo was the sole source of their rejection.

It must be, he had to be! Victor was always nice to him, to the beast. Had appreciated his strength, admired his form, his luscious thick fur, his mental fortitude.

The wolf was everything his mate had wanted. The wolf, not the human. Victor had made it all too clear that he would've accepted the mating, if not for Theo's frail form.

"I need a strong, powerful mate by my side in order to be respected by the pack." Victor had grimaced apologetically, patted Theo's wolf on the head and sighed. "If only you were born with an equally strong human, pup."

I can change. Theo can change. I can make him change! If only I had more control, I could force him to train, to perform better...

I just need more time. More power. More control over the situation. Over Theo.

With my help, I can change him. Turn the omega into something that Victor wants. Be the human worthy to stand by his mate's side.

Theo. Theo. His human.

The human he had shoved back to the deepest, darkest place of their shared subconscious. Far beyond the place where either wolf or human would lurk when the other was in charge.

Where is he?! Why can't I-

He searched as far as he could, figuring that perhaps Theo had made it out of the darkness, had fought himself free and was now attempting to hide from his own wolf.

But there was nothing. A single fleeting fragment of his scent, their mental connection that led the beast to the spot he had left Theo last.

Nothing.

He's gone?!

GONE!!!

WHERE IS HE?!?!

He whimpered, felt the panic and bile surge through his throat. Trying with all his strength, all the power he had used to suppress his human, forcing it into a dormant state, he now tried his best to reach out, to find his human.

Because instinctively, he knew he needed Theo. Without the human side to temper the wolf, he'd go feral. He would become a rogue and be put down by the very pack he wanted to be a part of.

It's why Theo's wolf never outright killed his human side. It wasn't an act of consideration towards Theo but merely self-preservation.

The same self-preservation that was now biting at his heels, urging him to do something, anything in order to get their human back.

But back from where? Where is he?!

The sound of Victor, his mate, calling Theo's name was enough to make the wolf turn tails and run back. Victor could help, he would know what to do, how to get Theo to come out of hiding.

He would know what to do with the silly human. A-and if not him, the pack! Certainly they could help!

Slowly, sensation turned back to his body as he assumed control once more. Immediately the wolf sensed something was off.

For starters, his entire body felt heavy, as if it was slowly being crushed under a massive weight. When the pain presented itself, his ears perked at the rapid beeping that filled the room.

And then there were voices. Angry, raised voices as Theo's wolf recognized the pack Alpha speaking.

"-don't care about silly excuses. I want to know what transpired while I was overseas overlooking the exchange program that ended up with one of mine in the hospital!"

A different, heavily accented voice huffed in agreement. "Dah, please do tell. Alpha Roland and I were under the impression that neither of our own were harmed, nor causing any harm. We had no issues with Roland's pup but it seems the opposite was not the case."

The deep accent reminded Theo's wolf of the voice of his mate, causing him to stir and struggle, trying his best to shake off the lingering pressure against his body.

"He's waking up, good. Keep the morphine low for now, enough that we can-Ah" the voice of his pack Alpha stopped when the wolf tiredly blinked his eyes, followed by a deep, near disappointed sigh.

His eyes burned, uncomfortably so. It wasn't just a burn, but a deep, near painful pressure. As if someone was slowly but surely trying to press their fingers into his eyes.

To gauge them from his very skull. The mere idea made him shiver, shake his head slightly before he blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the sensation.

The first thing Theo's wolf saw was Victor standing at the edge of his bed, no, the hospital bed. Clutching the metal between his fingers in a white knuckled grip as he stood beside an unknown male, a spitting older image of his mate.

As their eyes locked, there was a visible flinch that went through Victor and that combined with the aghast expression on his mate's face made Theo's wolf whimper audibly.

He wanted to speak, to call out to his mate and reach for him. But Theo's wolf found himself limply on the bed, unable to move a single digit and tubes down his throat.

A soft groan puffed past his lips, past the tube that was slowly but steadily pumping precious oxygen down his lungs.

What... is this...

Trembling fingers barely lifted from the bed, intending to reach for the tube before his hand was enveloped in warmth. Blinking, his eyes flitted to his mother, who cringed back with tears in her eyes, tears that spilled before she bowed her head and rested it against the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I should've seen, should've known-" She whispered fervently against his clammy skin, sounding as if she were suffering. "Why didn't I see, didn't realize-"

Guilty.

"We all should've seen this." The Alpha spoke over the sobs of Theo's mother, drawing attention back to him. He gestured and instantly, three Enforcers flanked Victor, who didn't even protest or struggle as he was physically removed from the chamber.

"Alpha Borya, can you-" His Alpha gestured towards where Victor had disappeared, making the older Alpha incline his head respectfully, eying Theo momentarily with another respectful, seemingly apologetic nod before following Victor out the room.

The wolf felt his panic worsen, fear lashing out as the heartrate monitor surged at his side. The Alpha turned back towards him, eyes ablaze to show the anger of man and wolf combined.

"No harm will fall to Victor. Yet. Not until we know the extent of his actions that dealt harm to one of our own. As a foreign Alpha that is designated to take over his own pack, causing harm to another pack member is a heavily punishable crime."

The panic lessened somewhat but then the Alpha's nostrils twitched and a deep, troubled sigh slipped from the man. "But it is as I feared. I wish to talk to you about this predicament, Theo. Or should I say, his wolf?"

His heart throbbed in his throat, sensible as it pulsed through his temples, blood rushing through his ears at the realization that they found out.

But how? He had always been diligent, had made sure to keep his transition slow, as to not draw suspicion.

As if sensing the inner turmoil and confusion, the Alpha picked up a small object from the table and held it in front of him.

Wha-How?!

He closed his eyes, blinking rapidly as if that would change the reflection revealed within the small hand-held mirror.

No longer did he have Theo's soft, baby blue eyes that he had been teased with for so long. Too soft and shapely for an Alpha but too vibrantly blue for an Omega.

Instead several veins had popped, muddying the color of the surrounding sclera with a deep, ominous red.

The blue was still there, but muted. Duller. Not as bright as it used to be, as if it was slowly changing.

Fading.

His nostrils flared at the thick, pungent sorrow and pain that flooded the room. It drew his attention to Theo's parents, to their parents with confusion.

Because he truly didn't understand what he did wrong. Everyone was always teasing Theo, talking down to him or outright mocking him for being such a frail human with a powerful wolf.

Nobody had said it with so many words but it had always been implied that life would've been easier for them if only they had been matched up correctly.

Not a day went by without a joke about Theo's small stature, the soft pudge of his stomach that was excellent for Omegas because they carried pups but yet they were not omegas.

At least, the wolf wasn't. Each tease, each playful jab was an insult to the beast, calling it nothing but weak. The frustration and irritation had grown over the years and came to a violent explosion when they were rejected.

Because of Theo. Theo inherited the Alpha wolf instead of keeping his own Omega wolf. Theo survived while his Alpha twin died. While the wrong twin died.

It should've been Theo. Everything is a mess, because of that cursed excuse of an Omega.

Everything is HIS fault.

"While we can remove the tubes and provide you with an oxygen mask, I'd like to keep you on the ventilator just in case your condition deteriorates further." Alpha Roland sighed tiredly, rubbing over his face.

The headrest of the bed angled slightly, elevating so he didn't have to crane his neck back in order to look his Alpha in the eye.

Except, the wolf somehow felt too ashamed to do so. It almost felt as if he didn't have a right to do so.

Roland's face was crestfallen, tired really with dark rims underneath his eyes. The man had been dealing with a lot of work outside the pack that had demanded his attention.

Attention that otherwise would've sniffed out the wolf's intentions before he had managed to take over. Undoubtedly the Alpha now placed the blame on his own shoulders.

If he had been here instead of putting time and effort into an Alpha-to-be exchange program, this wouldn't have happened. Not only the fact that Theo wouldn't have been Smothered, but they wouldn't have met their mate.

They wouldn't have been rejected.

Internally, the beast shook his head. Even if it would've taken them longer to meet up, it was inevitable to happen. Alphas traveled in search of their mate, so Victor was bound to come across Theo.

They were bound to be rejected.

The Alpha's eyes opened and pinned him in his bed. Weak underneath the gaze of Alpha Roland, who didn't show any anger but utter disappointment.

The wolf didn't know what was worse. He could understand anger even though it made him want to crawl on his belly to appease the emotion, to soothe his Alpha.

But disappointment wasn't something soothed away by simple submission. It made the wolf whine audibly as Alpha Roland leaned forwards, fingers steepling and coming to a momentary rest against his lips.

"Use your connection to respond to me, pup." Roland's voice rolled through the room, sending shivers through the present wolf as it was heavy with his Alpha tone.

Commanding him to obey, to prove his fealty to the Alpha.

It made him press back on the pillow, wanting to show submission in order to alleviate the Alpha's anger. Roland sighed before he asked the one, impossible question.

"Can you let Theo speak? Give him back control?"

Bile burned down the wolf's throat, the fear rushing back to bite his heart and heels. "I... I c-can't...-"

"Can't what, pup?" Roland growled with narrowed brows, making the wolf squirm in the hospital bed.

"I can't...find him."

Shock. Anger. Sadness. Dread. More anger. Emotion after emotion flashed over the Alpha's face, silence filling the room as his frame tensed up.

"Well Theo must be still alive, otherwise you would've become a rogue almost instantly. Since you're still sane and your eyes haven't transitioned completely, there must be some way that he's clinging on."

That was oddly reassuring to know that he wasn't just...gone. That Theo was still in there somewhere.. hiding. But where? After all, the wolf had searched every possible place it could reach and hadn't sensed Theo anywhere.

Not even when he ventured so close to the deep dark in the corner of their shared consciousness.

Roland cleared his throat, regaining the wolf's attention. "How long since you have taken over?" The Alpha inquired, eyebrows furrowing as if daring the wolf to lie to him.

Swallowing with great difficulty, he quietly replied. "A few days after the...the rejection. It happened slowly but I struggled and fought each day until I won. Almost...ten months now."

Roland pursed his lips in distaste, fingers steepling before he rested them against his lips. "Did your ex mate know?"

Too weak to shake his head, the wolf responded with a vehement, urgent "NO!" Because the truth was nobody knew, and he told the Alpha as much. Nobody had cared enough about Theo to realize that the wolf was taking over.

As the wolf explained, Roland's expression turned more serious, near murderous. Because the wolf was right in one thing; if anyone had kept a close eye on Theo, they would've noticed the second his wolf was present.

They would've noticed when Theo, kind and soft little Theo who tried desperately to fit in, to please his pack, had changed.

But as the man had done his own investigation in the pack, nobody had thought something was off when Theo had changed. When his attitude, his manner of speech, everything, changed.

Not even Theo's own flesh and blood, the parents he shared a house with, had raised the alarm. Instead, everyone approved of the change, had assumed that Theo was stepping up to become more attuned with his wolf.

Meanwhile, the poor pup had been silently screaming for help, had been drowning before their very eyes. Reaching out for someone, anyone, to come to his aid.

Instead, they had unknowingly aided the wolf in Smothering Theo. Had reached for his outstretched hand, bypassing it to place their hands on the crown of Theo's head and shove him deeper. Showing that nobody cared that Theo was no longer Theo.

They didn't want him. They wanted what fit with their definition of Alpha and Omega.

Roland growled with frustration, fingers sinking in his hair as he fought back the urge to lash out. He was deeply and utterly disgusted with his pack. The people he swore to protect, people he considered his family, his flesh and blood.

Yet they all stood aside and ignored one of their own until it was too late.

No. It can't be too late.

There had been cases where a Smothering could be undone. If and only if they had been caught on time. Fear bit at Roland's heart, sending an icy chill over his spine.

Because he had no idea of knowing if they had found out on time. Where they early enough to coax Theo back to the surface? Or were they going to hear Theo's last ghastly breath before they would be forced to kill the rogue that remained in his stead?