His parents...

Theo subconsciously bit his cheek, feeling rather bitter at saying those words in his mind. When had they ever even acted like his parents? His entire life, he had always compared how other parents treated their own children.

His had always fallen short.

It was hard to even sense a bit of love from their treatment of him. Moreover, it felt like it was their duty than what they had truly wanted. After all, what kind of parent always tells their son that he can't join the other children because he was too different from them?

To always be held back and told to wait and be a good boy. To be quiet and not draw attention to himself so others wouldn't realize he was different from them.

Even now the Omega's chest squeezed uncomfortably, as if his heart swelled and grew heavier at the reminder of everything he had endured. What hurt the most was the knowledge that, if his parents had treated him better, Theo would've been able to withstand it all.

No.

If his parents had actually cared for their son, they would've wondered how on earth it was possible for their child to be born half Omega, half Alpha. They would have, should have contacted the Council as soon as they found out and look into the finer details.

There was no plausible reason for an Omega child to be born with an Alpha wolf unless something was wrong. It wasn't that Theo ever felt like he was an Alpha, nor that his wolf felt like it was an Omega.

Both of them were undoubtedly what they were born to be. Yet somehow, nobody questioned how this unnatural mix-up could happen. Instead of looking deeper into the potential cause, his family and pack had only looked at the results and chose not to investigate.

They would've found out what Vlad had discovered within the short time he knew Theo. A complete and utter stranger cared more for him than the people who birthed him.

"Abel wouldn't have had to suffer and hang on for so long, if not for the pack. If not for them."

Even in his human form, Theo could feel the soft hairs in his nape bristle, reacting to his inner turmoil. Through their link, Theo could even feel Vlad's own emotions slowly adding onto his own.

Whilst Theo's own thoughts and emotions were like a tornado, flying wildly and out of control, Vlad more resembled a volcano. Simmering under the surface, lying in wait and ready to explode to unleash its lethal fury on unsuspecting victims.

A single peep from the Omega and the vampire at his side would explode, destroying everything that dared cross his path. The sickening part of it all?

Part of Theo wanted it to happen. To have the pack face the consequences of their actions. To be able to lash out for their deserved punishment, to unload the stress that was slowly pressing down on his chest.

Be it the Alpha wolf's instincts that had slowly seeped into his being or just the vengeful part of his own flesh and blood, Theo couldn't allow that darker part in his mind to take over. To let Vlad do whatever he wanted to those who deserved punishment, consequences be damned.

Simply because Theo did not want to look in the mirror one day and see the faces of his tormentors reflected in himself.

Burying his nose against Vlad's chest, Theo allowed the scent of his mate to calm down his own inner turmoil. Understanding all too well that if it had been up to Vlad, that simmering volcano of rage and wrath would've erupted with such power, it would've destroyed the entirety of the pack.

Theo's parents included.

The thought made Theo sigh, drawing Vlad's attention down to him with a worried frown. The genuine stress and worry on Vlad's face made Theo's emotions churn even more violently because, well... Vlad had only been such a short time in his life, yet showed more love, attentiveness and care for Theo than his relatives had ever done in their lives.

Not including Abel, as his brother had literally given his life to make sure Theo survived. He had given everything he owned to Theo, without question.

"They've been here before?"

An awkward look was shared between Vlad and Lady Alurea before his vampire sighed once more and nodded begrudgingly. "Ever since our bond was established they've been very... interested in reconnecting with you."

Even Lady Alurea, who had always been calm and collected around Theo, now seemed about ready to explode. Theo could've sworn the air around the kind woman even shimmered with heat before she pinched her brows as if trying to repress a growing headache.

"Presuming that they were somewhat decent people, we didn't want to assume they were only interested in your bond with a Council member but-" She pursed her lips in distaste, clearly trying to find a nice way to describe his parents.

Try as he might, Theo couldn't find anything to their defence either. True, they never beat him, insulted him or the like... they simply never really seemed to have cared. The young Omega had always wondered throughout his life, if perhaps their aspirations of being parents died the moment their perfect idea had died along with his brother.

To go from a perfect twin pregnancy, one Alpha and one Omega son, to a single son that was somehow both yet neither...

"It's not your fault."

His Omegan wolf, usually soft-spoken and attentive, now pushed against their link as if to underline his words. "You bear no fault." Fur bristled and fangs slightly bared, the low growl of the Omegan wolf made Theo smile despite the situation.

How could he have forgotten that he wasn't alone? Theo had never been alone; his brother, his own Omegan wolf and now his brother's wolf were supporting him. Would support him with anything he decided to do.

It was unnerving, to know that whatever he did, he had a family to rely on. Someone who loved Theo not just because of Fate and Destiny, but because they genuinely, truly loved him.

A love that Theo would endlessly return, unable to choose between Vlad or Abel. To the young Omega, both were equally important and without either, he would rather not exist.

The bond between him and Abel flourished, heating to a near unbearable warmth as he could feel Abel's own emotions swirl at Theo's realisation. Theo had to suppress his own soft whine when Abel's feelings bubbled over and spilled, distantly feeling Alaric's distress as Theo's confession had unintentionally made Abel cry.

Abel's own thoughts flowed into Theo, making the Omega freeze as his emotional turmoil churned to a halt. An eerie calm, like the eye of the storm settling above Theo, made him slowly turn to the guard who had announced the arrival of their parents, for lack of better words.

"Where are they?"

Multiple brows raised and several gazes flew towards the young Omega before diverting to Vlad. A glimmer in their gaze as they all recognized and respected the tone of Theo's voice.

Authority.

Nobody would've faulted Theo for hiding behind Vlad and let him deal with the consequences of the pack's actions. For Theo to stand up for himself and seek out his former pack, facing them head on, earned him the Council's respect.

Vlad instantly allowed Theo to take the lead, smiling brilliantly at his Beloved while their bond flared brightly with emotion. The steady flow of reassurance, love and respect made Theo's posture straighten out a fraction, a small skip in his step as he followed the guard to the waiting room.

His stomach jittered uncomfortably, palms dampening as he subconsciously backed away at the realisation that he was finally going to confront his parents about... well, everything.

Yet the link overflowing with emotions and reaffirmation showed Theo he wasn't truly alone. The young Omega suspected that, if he so much as squeaked in protest the entirety of the Council would rush to his defence.

Theo's hand trembled ever so slightly as he reached out to push the door open, not knowing what to feel when his eyes landed on his parents. The rims under their eyes were very noticeable yet the excited gleam in their gaze when they landed on their son, made Theo want to shift his weight backwards, bumping into Vlad as he subconsciously did so.

"Theo! We've been trying to-"

"What do you want?"

Silence filled the room, the excitement and warmth in their voices dimming as they gazed at Theo, as if not understanding what he just said. "More likely, not understanding that I actually have a spine after all these years."

His mother was still halfway out of her seat, dark hair falling over her shoulder as her lips slightly parted in shock. Meanwhile his father eyed her longer before smiling tiredly at Theo. "We wanted to make sure you're alright. We had no idea that your wolf-"

"-was Smothering me under the misguided idea that if he killed me, everyone in the pack would be happy? Including my parents?" Theo didn't even flinch as the words dropped from his tongue. Honestly, he was done with hearing their excuses and veiled accusations.

He had always swallowed every bitter insult, taken their bile and accepted it as his own. Everyone had always seen Theo as someone, no, something lesser. Had looked down at him with scorn, given him all the tasks they didn't want to fulfil and expected Theo to accept them gracefully with a smile.

No longer.

Theo could feel his wolf just underneath his skin. Not the Alpha wolf that he had shared a life with, who had experienced everything with him. Instead the soft and gentle demeanour of his Omegan wolf had turned hostile; teeth bared and hackles raised, tail swishing in agitation as its contempt was aimed at their parents.

"Theo, my baby-"

Even Vlad winced as he could feel something snap in his Beloved, heard it in Theo's voice as the young man rasped "Baby? Since when? When have either of you ever treated me as if I was precious?"

"You never treated me as a son, more an unwelcome guest who long overstayed their welcome! I can't even remember the times that we sat down and had dinner at the same table as a family!" Theo barked out a pained laugh, shaking his head whilst his fingers brushed through his hair. "And guess what, each time that I had any questions about these weird feelings I had, if I made so much of an indication of my brother, I'd get that-"

The Omega jabbed a finger towards his mom's facial expression, as it had instantly soured at the mention of Theo's sibling. "So much as a suggestion that I'm part of a set of identical twins and everyone rushed to hush me, turn Theo away because he's being so stupid and naïve."

"Stupid little Theo who can't do anything right. Annoying little pup that whines for attention and wants to be noticed. How can I be so cruel as to bother my parents when they are mourning? How dare I remind them of their loss each and every day, simply by existing? How dare he try and be happy?"

Theo's words silenced the room as the young Omega couldn't stop himself from continuing, allowing his Omegan wolf to push out all the bile that he had swallowed down over the years.

"Every time I reached out, I was held back or turned away to the point that you two didn't even want to let me be a part of the pack for whatever fucking reason." His voice broke, "The only thing I got to do, was watch as everyone else around me gets to do what I wanted to do. Even now, I can only sit and watch because I'm fucking terrified I'll fuck things up again."

He wanted to scream. To shake some sense into the people he had to call parents and demand answers. Because Theo couldn't understand what he ever did to deserve the treatment he had received.

For them to ignore everything that went on, even participated to some extent by ignoring Theo's misery and praising the Alpha wolf when it took over. It dawned on Theo that all this time, he had walked around with the feeling that he should've died.

That the wrong brother survived.

Perhaps he had been right all along. Abel would've been able to handle things much better than Theo ever could. If there was one thing that Theo had learned throughout his life, was that the world would've been a better place, if only he hadn't been born and robbed Abel of the life he was meant to live.

A sudden sharpness shot through the link as both Vlad and Abel recoiled at the thought before Theo was pulled against Vlad's chest. The young Omega couldn't hear anything above the heartbeat racing in his ears, his exhausted gasps after venting all his emotions leaving him lightheaded.

The doors slammed open, drawing everyone's attention before Theo was squished between Vlad and Abel, both showering his mind with praise and comfort. Their stress and worry compounded, making Theo dizzy as he realized he had made the only people who truly cared about him distressed. He had done the exact same thing the pack had done to him.

"I'm a monster."

The thought couldn't even properly form in his mind before it was shoved aside by both the Alpha and Omegan wolf, Vlad and Abel ignoring everything else in the room as they focused on Theo's distress.

"Theo darling, I need you to breathe." Vlad urged, fingers framing Theo's face, thumbs brushing away the trail of tears that scorched a blazing path down the Omega's cheeks.

Breathe?

He was confused, lightheaded even as Theo's legs weakened before he was grabbed and hoisted up in Vlad's arms. Their surroundings became a blur as Theo vaguely heard Abel raising his voice uncontrollably in the distance. Yet he couldn't focus on that as the growing distress was starting to make him dizzy, a tightness building in his chest.

The young Omega's ear settled on Vlad's chest, fingers brushing over his hair as Vlad murmured "Come on sweetie. Breathe. Try and follow my breathing." It wasn't until Vlad's palm gently settled against Theo's chest, that the young man realized he was hyperventilating.

Pins and needles darted over his fingers and feet, even his lips as Theo struggled to get a proper breath in. And on top of the physical sensation of his hyperventilation, Theo felt ashamed for letting everyone witness such an unsightly side of himself.

I can't do anything right.

His wolf whined softly and the sensation of soft fur along with the warm comforting hold of Vlad absolutely broke him. Theo's wheezing gasps made way for a keening wail that frightened his Beloved, who could do nothing but offer support and murmur soothing words.

All whilst Theo could do nothing, except let his thoughts fester.