A new morning arrived with soft laughter outside of the window. Vladimir greeted the day tiredly, not having slept for a single moment.

It wasn't like vampires of his age needed to sleep anyways. They could easily skip several weeks of sleep without any negative side effects to their health.

However Vladimir knew that, just because his body was considered immortal, didn't mean that he lost all of the human traits that came with a body of flesh and blood.

Vampires could become sleep deprived, under the right circumstances. If they were underfed, their brains couldn't cope well with any added stress, resulting in a grumpier vampire that was slower to respond than usual.

Luckily, he hadn't reached that level quite yet. Instead of wasting time by sleeping, he had researched well into the night, looking for any fragment of information that could help Theo.

While his blood was helping Theo, it would've been much better if the Omega was capable of feeding directly from the vein.

In order to do that, Theo needed to be conscious. Not lying limply on a hospital bed, intubated as machines had taken over his lifegiving bodily functions.

Luckily, his brain activity still remained. Theo might be comatose, but at least he was not braindead.

A gentle knock on the door made Vladimir turn his head, muffling a yawn in the corner of his elbow. Blinking away the tears created by said yawn, he smiled tiredly as Alaric walked in and closed the door.

"We've gathered the worst of Theo's abusers and they are now facing punishment. As for the rest of the pack that can be rehabilitated, they'll need to figure out a deal with Alpha Roland." His brother said, eyes briefly flitting to Theo.

When Vladimir shook his head in response to the unspoken question, the other vampire sighed before motioning to the small mug of coffee on the nightstand.

"Wanna try and cheat the system?"

Vladimir frowned curiously, slowly moving out of the bed but not before properly tucking Theo back in. Knuckles gently brushing over a hollow cheek before sighing as he straightened back up.

"What do you mean?" He inquired bluntly, feeling his muscles protest for a moment as he stretched. Alaric cleared his throat pointedly, flicking a perfectly manicured finger between Vladimir and Theo.

With a slight gesture, Alaric tossed his sleek black hair over his shoulder before explaining, "You can't feed from anyone when you've met your Beloved and you cannot feed from Theo unless he's conscious and consenting."

"Sooo... let's try and cheat the system by taking the human route." Alaric drawled slowly with a pointed look at the coffee Vlad finished drinking. "Even if we don't need it, we can still eat human food. And some meals align better with what we usually feast upon." He hinted.

Alaric didn't need to explain further, as a secondary knock drew their attention before Alaric walked over and opened the door. Gesturing the waiting nurse into the room.

Who carried a tray with a covered dish inside the room, placing it on the table along with utensils before gesturing for Vlad to take a seat.

He did so hesitantly, though he couldn't deny that the smell at least wet his appetite. Vlad lifted the cover before snorting, shaking his head.

"Just because you add eggs to steak and veggies, doesn't turn it into breakfast." Vlad teased his brother, who merely shrugged as he drew back the opposing seat.

Pointing at the nearly raw steak and the iron rich vegetables added, the vampire explained "Trying out this theory won't kill you. And you're wrong, actually; plenty of humans eat steak for breakfast."

Vlad pointedly poked his fork against the bloody steak, fried spinach, kale and broccoli with a raised brow. "Uh huh." He murmured before cutting into his meal, knowing what his brother was trying to do.

If his stomach could be tricked into accepting animal blood by eating near raw steak and iron rich vegetables, he could attempt to feed directly from a wild animal.

Even though he knew that animal blood had an absolutely horrid aftertaste.

As if reading his mind, Alaric commented, "Better a bad aftertaste than growing frenzied and draining your Beloved dry."

The mere thought forced a growl past the mouthful of food, a venomous glare aimed at Alaric. The man shrugged and raised his hands in mock surrender as Vlad angrily chewed before swallowing.

"Fuck you for even suggesting that I'd do such a thing!"

"Can't take any chances. Or are you really willing to gamble with Theo's life at risk? Especially when he's already in an extremely weakened state?" Alaric countered harshly, eyes glinting with anger as they narrowed.

While he did have a point, that didn't mean Vladimir had to like it. Instead, he turned his anger to his meal, stabbing the steak as if it had greatly offended him.

Alaric nodded as if to say I thought so before he sighed and stood up once more. "The Council is doing their best to find anyone with more knowledge on Smothered but so far, nothing. They did however, find a pack who has more experience with Soul-Bound wolves."

Vladimir's head snapped up at that before he cursed, rubbing the twitching muscle in his neck.

"Well? What did you find out?" Vladimir growled, still rubbing over the stabbing ache in his neck before it soothed. He continued eating, quickly finishing off the rest of the plate as Alaric chuckled softly.

"A lot of things really. Firstly, among Soul-Bound wolves is a higher possibility of being Rejected, like Theo was." The vampire said with a gesture towards the unconscious Omega. "They are still investigating as to why so many Soul -Bounds are being rejected."

Vladimir hummed thoughtfully, remembering the fragments of research he did last night. "It might be due to the multiple bonds. Some of the Fated Mates might feel as if their Soul-Bound Fated mate is cheating."

"Interesting theory, given that the only bonds a werewolf will form in their lives, is with their Pack, their wolf and their mate." Alaric stated, holding up a finger for each option. "However, Soul Bounds will also make a bond for their siblings and their siblings' wolves."

Vladimir cleaned up the table before kicking up his feet. The sun slowly illuminated him from the back, casting a near maroon glow on his otherwise pitch-black hair.

The slow, steady beeps of Theo's heartbeat along with the machines puffing, pushing and pulling air through Theo's lungs was momentarily the only sound in the room.

Inhaling deeply, Vladimir was momentarily distracted by the subtle spice that came from Theo. Until the moment that he fed directly from Theo's veins, his blood was calling out to Vladimir like a siren's call.

The gentle cinnamon and vanilla scent that twirled through the room was extremely addictive for Vladimir. It made his mouth water, fangs tingle with sensitivity before he shook himself out of his stupor.

Now is not the time.

It wasn't. Now was the time to research, plan and help Theo as best as they could.

"That would also explain...our current situation." Vladimir stated with a gesture indicating himself and Theo. "Beloveds are never choice mates. The fact that Theo and I are Fated means that Soul-Bounds have multiple potential Fated mates."

Alaric nodded in agreement. "And while some of them can't cope with the idea of being mated to a Soul-Bound wolf...there are those who don't mind."

Vladimir scoffed at that. "It would be hypocritical of anyone to reject their mate, simply because they have a mental bond, especially so because it's with their very own siblings."

They both curled their noses at the implication, that the reason why Soul Bounds were rejected, was due to their supposed mates sexualizing their relationship with their siblings.

Which made Theo's own rejection that much worse, because his sibling died at birth.

There was no physical competition for Victor's wolf, no actual person present that could steal away Theo's attention away from his Fated mate.

Instead, there was just a loose connection with Theo's brother and Theo's own wolf. Severed at birth.

"Speaking of..." Alaric flipped over a page of his notebook before plopping it down in front of Vladimir. Finger pointing at a single phrase. Vladimir leaned forwards and read it out loud.

"For Soul Bound individuals, losing their sibling is estimated to be equally as painful as to be mated and lose their mate. Such individuals must be comforted and nurtured, as the actual loss of their mate..." Vladimir sighed, closing his eyes before he finished, "Will always lead to Smothering."

They both glanced at the Omega on the bed, only now understanding the full repercussions of Victor's actions. Theo never stood a chance.

To think that Theo's frail body had withstood the force of losing his mate not once, but twice. There was absolutely not a glimmer of doubt as to why he'd succumbed to his wolf, why he was Smothered.

Anyone would be after being rejected. But to have the rug pulled out from underneath you twice?

Not only that; while Theo had been subconsciously dealing with the after effects of losing his Soul-bound twin, dealing with pain equal to losing his mate, he had no support.

Theo had to grit his teeth and push on. Alone. Without the love and guidance a pack would offer any other widowed wolf.

The realisation was sickening.

And Theo's odds of survival shrank with that knowledge. Because it meant that, at the moment where Victor rejected Theo, the young Omega was already severely weakened.

"No wonder why Smothering deaths are so high." Vladimir breathed out a sigh, feeling truly exhausted.

His eyes closed as he leaned his head back, refusing to show Alaric how close to tears he was. Refusing to lose hope, especially refusing with every bone in his body to give up on his Beloved.

A warm hand settled on his shoulder and he inhaled slowly, blinking down at Alaric who smiled in understanding.

"There is some good news though. Thanks to Theo being Soul-Bound, he has managed to connect to you. If he wasn't, you wouldn't have been his Beloved and he would be doomed to die."

The vampires both looked at Theo as Alaric finished, "At this very moment, you are Theo's only hope at survival. Which also means, you need to take better care of yourself to provide your Beloved with everything he needs."

Vlad sighed at that, shaking his head before nodding, pushing out of the seat. Alaric was already waiting, anticipating the massive hug as he was pulled into Vlad's chest.

"Plus, think of it this way. If Theo survives and becomes conscious again, you have a possibility to travel to Russia in the future and knock out Victor's teeth."

They both shared a laugh, voices bouncing around the room and elevating the mood. It felt good to laugh, even if the situation hasn't improved much.

Vladimir sighed before padding back towards Theo's side, kicking off his booths as he plopped his ass on the bed. Despite his large frame dwarfing Theo's, he was extremely careful to take up as little space as possible.

Gently grabbing Theo's hand into his own, he lifted it to his lips before pressing a soft kiss against the Omega's knuckles.

And felt slightly amused when the heartrate monitor spiked with an audible beep.

"Keep on fighting darling. I promise to give you everything you long for if you open those eyes for me." He vowed softly, keeping a gentle hold of his Beloved's hand, letting his thumb brush over the back of Theo's hand.

He didn't expect any reaction from Theo's end. Hope was good to latch onto, but it could also be a quick trip to despair if you clung to it too tightly.

All he could do, was hope and pray that Theo was going to make it through with minimal damage.