Theo's condition was not improving.

As both Vladimir and Alaric had pointed out to Alpha Roland, curing a Smothered is not an easy feat. There was no quick fix, no medicine that could be applied directly to Theo's bloodstream to save him.

They had even contacted an Alpha the Council had highly praised, one who had accepted a Smothered into their pack. Sadly enough, even Alpha Drake had little advice to give to an active Smothering.

"When Simon came to our pack, he was already Smothered. His mate was a newly turned vampire, had been an uninformed human before the change and thus, didn't know about mates." Alpha Drake said over the phone.

Alpha Roland sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. "So you have no idea how to aid the situation?" He desperately asked, feeling his mood sink when the other Alpha in turn, also sighed.

The Alpha spoke gently as he replied, "Every case of Smothering is unique. In Simon's case, his mate hadn't severed the bond through an actual rejection and was able to help Simon reclaim his consciousness. Is Theo's..."

Both Alphas understood Roland's frustrated growl all too clearly. Yet another mark against Theo's ex mate, who had rejected the young Omega without a care for the repercussions.

A thoughtful hum slipped from Drake before he responded "Lord Vladimir mentioned the pup is Soul bound, but their sibling has perished. It's a stretch but...do the parents have anything with the deceased pup's scent?"

"No." The Alpha sighed regrettably. "Theo's sibling was buried and while I don't condone it, the parents chose to remove his very existence from their lives."

Alpha Drake muttered a short, distasteful "Ah." before remaining silent. The mourning process was different for every person and there was never really a wrong way to mourn, nor a right way.

Still, to be able to reject the existence of your child, simply because they died during childbirth...Denying their very existence, no matter how short it was.

Even as an Alpha, it didn't give Roland any right to force the parents into talking about their deceased pup. If they wanted to mourn their loss by pretending it never happened, so be it.

As long as this wasn't at the cost of another pack member.

Regretfully, it was however hurting a pack member at this very moment. Roland forced himself to relax so he didn't crush the phone in the palm of his hand.

"Do you have any other suggestions? I'm open to anything. Everything."

A long moment of silence, only interrupted by the sound of their breathing and the flicking of paper on the other end of the line was heard.

"Find out whoever was closest to Theo. Doesn't matter if it's a relative, friend, hell, even a random stranger who just happened to bond with the pup. Explain the situation to them and ask if they're willing to simply talk to Theo."

Drake's words were a surprise, but they also provided a new challenge. Because with their recent investigation, it was all too clear that Theo didn't really have any friends in the pack.

Well, none except-

"Would a pup work? And what are they required to do?" Roland asked, clutching at the phone as if it were his lifeline. It was the only thing he had so far, the smallest fragment of hope for Theo.

Drake chuckled before responding, "Yes, a pup would certainly help. As long as they are genuinely wanting to try and help Theo. All the pup needs to do, is talk. Try and verbally reach Theo, show the Omega that he's wanted and loved."

That was another jolt of agony, not meant as an insult, but Roland's wolf still took it as one. It was no less deserved, after all, it was his pack that made Theo feel unlovable.

And as an Alpha, he was responsible for the actions of his pack. Directly and indirectly. He should've been the one to detect this bullshit from happening in the first place and punish the offenders. Should've realized that one of his own was being harassed and abused by the rest of the pack. Roland knew that the second he had caught wind of the situation, he would've tracked every single member involved and brought them before the Council himself.

It made his perspective widen, realizing that most if not all of the abusers had worked together as a unit in order to distract him. To actively prevent Roland and thus the Council from learning what had happened here. Alpha Roland barely even heard Alpha Drake's voice over the sound of the blood pulsing in his ears.

"If Theo awakens, he'll most likely be catatonic. After all, Simon has barely spoken a word to anyone after two years and this is with the presence of his mate." Drake warned, sighing heavily and Roland could only imagine the other Alpha's tired expression. "If he's anything like Simon, he'll have to be fed and washed, will basically have to learn everything all over again before he's even capable of responding to the world around him."

Roland nodded and then replied verbally, knowing Drake wouldn't see his gesture. "I thank you for all your information, Alpha Drake Davis. If there are any new developments-"

"You can always reach out." The Alpha confirmed, the sound of pen on paper resounding before a distant voice muttered something to him. "Oh, excellent point darling, thank you for reminding me. Alpha Roland?"

"Yes?"

A small flicker of hope flared to life at Drake's words. "My Choice mate just reminded me that there is still hope. The pup is a Soul bound mate, and I'm certain that the Council has records for these rarities. It might be far-fetched but there is a chance that Soul bounds are always rejected and rely on Choice mates only. Considering I have seen my fair share of rejected Soulbound pass by through the years."

His eyes snapped to the two vampires in the room, who both nodded in understanding, Alaric picking up his own phone as he walked out the office. The vampire siblings had quite the work laid out for them and they all knew this was barely scraping the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm utterly grateful for your help." Roland said emotionally, throat sore and voice croaking as he barely managed to keep himself restrained.

"Any time, Alpha Roland Smith. Keep me updated, I'll research as best as I can." Drake replied softly before hanging up. The following silence echoed through the room, both Vlad and Roland lost in their thoughts.

Roland let out a stuttered breath, flicking his finger over his phone before pocketing it. Dark rings under his eyes showed his exhaustion whilst he felt the stress of the entire situation settled deep within his gut.

They had a lead. However small it may be. If Soul Bounds truly are meant to be rejected simply due to the intense bond the siblings have, they may still have a chance.

Eyes flitting to Vladimir, Roland posed a rather difficult question. "Would it be acceptable to have Theo donate a small amount of blood, at least so we can see if any vampire might be his potential Beloved?"

Vladimir's eyes narrowed as the man leaned back, humming thoughtfully. Scratching at his jawline before crossing one leg over the other, dark hair spilling over his shoulder when he cocked his head.

"We can certainly try. While normally it's frowned upon to take blood from someone without their consent, we can make an exception due to it being a life or death situation." Pointing at Theo with a slightly clawed finger, Vlad added "At this point, we can't waste any opportunities to save the pup. And we're running out of time."

With a nod, Roland hurried to give the command to the nurses, knowing that every second counted. While he hurried to Theo's hospital room, he also inquired after the young, bubbly Beta pup and requested him to the room.

The Alpha knew he was reaching out, grasping at straws but it was the only thing he could do at the moment. Beyond that, they were utterly helpless.

Theo's life was slowly but surely draining away. Every tick of the clock, every heartbeat wasted was another moment of uncertainty regarding the pup's life. And Alpha Roland couldn't stop from blaming himself.

His lack of guidance and leadership had led to the pack disregarding Theo for what he was, unable to accept something new and instead deemed Theo a threat to the norm. A threat to what they assumed was normal and thus, Theo had taken all the blame for everything they felt was wrong.

Alpha Roland sighed, fingers digging through his hair as he leaned back in his seat. At least he wasn't that screwed as Alpha Borya and his son. That drew a slight smirk on Roland's face, wolf giving a satisfied snarl at the thought of those two squirming in front of Dracula, trying desperately to appease the myth that came for their judgement.

Within minutes the young Beta pup was at Theo's side, happily chatting away while gently holding the Omega's hand. Recounting memories between them that had made Parker happy, simple yet mundane things the young pup had done with Theo.

Just listening in made Alpha Roland's heart bleed as Parker revealed how happy Theo was with a simple smile and a childish doodle presented to the Omega. How Theo had nearly burst into tears when Parker had shared his chocolate chip cupcake with him in secret, unable to scold the pup from snatching the treat from his mothers' baking tray.

Even Vlad was listening in intently, making mental notes of everything Parker said. Each minute detail was effortlessly stored away, kept as evidence against those who had abused the poor Omega laying comatose in his bed.

Meanwhile, a nurse was gently drawing some blood to be gifted to the council. Vladimir watched the proceedings with curiosity and when the nurse went to wipe away the last drop of blood, the vampire used his finger to collect it.

"Might as well." He stated with a shrug, before drawing his blood stained finger into his mouth and swallowed the meager drop.

All hairs stood up in the back of Roland's nape as Vladimir's aura exploded throughout the room. Never had the Alpha seen a vampire's eyes turn to such a deep crimson or felt the rage that was flowing off of Vladimir in dense waves.

Without speaking a word, Vladimir slowly removed his phone from his pocket, fingers blindly tapping away on the screen before putting it to his ear. Breath a low growl as the unmoving vampire waited for a response.

There was a moment of silence before Vladimir snarled lowly, "Is that mongrel near you?" A deep murmur sounded before Vladimir bared his fangs. "Put the phone on speaker."

Roland shivered, knees wobbling before he forced himself to take two steps back, blindly managing to land his ass on a seat.

Vladimir slowly moved the phone, flicking it on speaker mode before placing it down. Hands instantly curling to fists as the shaky yet familiar voice of Victor croaked "Y-yes, Lord Vladimir?"

"If Theo dies, you don't have to worry about Dracula. I will come to Russia personally and make sure that each and every one of your kin is exterminated." The Councilman snarled with such venom, Roland felt his wolf take control and force himself on his knees.

Alpha Roland couldn't stop his wolf as he came crashing to his knees, desperate to prove he was innocent and not the target of this vampire's wrath.

"I will find everyone you hold dear and I will make you watch as I tear them limb. from. limb. Slowly. Meticulously. I will devour them all, exterminate every last one of them. I won't leave a single soul alive before I end with you."

All the wolves who heard Vladimir's vow whimpered and Victor was definitely not immune. There was a dark amused chuckle and a shuffle heard before Dracula's voice resounded.

"The pup pissed himself before fainting. Now, explain this outburst." Dracula's voice turned serious, not a hint of his former amusement to be heard.

Vladimir let out a prolonged hiss, full of disgust and hatred. It stunned Roland, as he imagined doing such a disrespectful thing to Dracula was equal to a death sentence.

Yet he was surprised when there was a deep, troubled sigh in response. Voice a near growl, deep with simmering anger, hatred as Dracula posed a simple question. "He's yours then?"

"Yes." Vladimir snarled, fingers raking through his shoulder-length hair, tossing it back in frustration. "And I can't rely on a bite to save my Beloved like you did, nor the reassurance that he'll survive." Vlad turned on his heel, eyes blazing yet unseeing as he gritted "If I change him now, he'd perish from the venom before it would reach his heart."

The man paced through the room, hair shimmering behind him, nearly floating as he exuded his power. "FUCK!" He bellowed, hands shaking as if he wanted nothing more than to punch the walls, anything to relieve some of that barely contained rage.

"True, you don't have what I had. But he's still alive, isn't he? Feed him your blood. Give him strength so he will survive." Dracula snapped. "Be there for him now that you know. The future doesn't matter at this point, the past can rot. All that matters is the here and now. So act on it."

Vladimir took a few deep breaths, inhaling audibly through his nose before blowing through pursed lips. "I will. Alaric will contact the Council as soon as he returns."

"Good. You found your Beloved. Don't let them slip from your grasp." Another sadistic chuckle followed as Dracula's voice was coated with venom when he drawled "I'll be sure to give these two my full attention."

The phone beeped, screen flashing to its usual background as the call disconnected. Vladimir tilted his head back before sighing, taking another few breaths before landing his gaze on the nurse by Theo's side.

"Put that blood in a blood bag and give it back to Theo. No use in sending it over for inspection anymore." His deep voice made the nurse squeak and nod, quickly hanging the blood bag up so it could be donated back to Theo.

A small voice piped up beside Theo, making everyone look up at Parker. The tiny Beta was still seated beside Theo, no longer speaking to Theo but instead frowning at Vladimir.

"You said a cuss word. Momma said it's nasty to cuss, especially around kids." Parker frowned, voice cracked and shaken as all adults suddenly realized that the tiny pup had been present for Vladimir's outburst and had heard every single word of his threat to Victor.

And had been subjected to the same seething rage that had driven the adult Alpha Roland to his knees.

Vladimir slowly approached the pup, lips pulling in a soft, remorseful smile as he crouched. "I'm sorry about that Parker. I just got really upset because of what happened to Theo. I promise it won't happen again. Why don't you go to your mom and tell her I sent you for a treat?"

The pup nodded shakily but relaxed as Vladimir gently patted him on the head with another genuine apology. "It's okay, " the pup murmured, "Momma said that when mates are involved, people don't think clearly at times."

Vladimir sighed regretfully. "Your momma is a smart woman. I'm sorry for scaring you Parker." The vampire said remorsefully before looking slightly stunned as the young Beta pup smiled and gave the Councilman an awkward hug.

"It's okay. Daddy once got upset as well because a human flirted with mommy." Parker explained while gently patting Vladimir on the back, who snorted in amusement and shook his head. "He had to put a lot of money in the swear jar that night."

At that, Vladimir dug into his back pocket, retrieving his wallet before pushing several bills in the wide-eyed pup's hand, not even checking the amount he was handing over. Nor did he care; the pup's presence proved invaluable to Theo's survival.

They watched the pup leave the room before Vladimir sighed, taking the few steps it took to sit down on the edge of Theo's bed. His own massive hand dwarfed the rather pale and delicate one of Theo, cradled gently in his hold.

"Since Theo is intubated, we'll need to draw some of your blood and feed it through his nasogastric tube." The nurse offered, instantly going to work when Vladimir extended his free arm. She only paused for a brief moment, clearly hesitant to approach the distressed council member.

The vampire sighed as his skin was disinfected with a damp cotton, not even flinching when the needle pierced his skin. "Make sure you don't accidentally feed it through his veins; an involuntary, forced Change will prematurely end his life, given how weak he is at the moment."

Roland had to give props to the nurse; knowing that she may potentially hold the life of a Council member's Beloved in her hands, she worked quickly and efficiently and made sure to slowly inject the fluids in the correct tube.

Everyone watched in baited silence as Vlad's blood was slowly fed into Theo's frail body. The vampire knew there wouldn't be an instant response nor a miraculous recovery. However, he did know that the presence of one's Beloved often worked wonders if the other was sick.

"And now," Vladimir sighed, kicking off his boots to lay beside Theo, gently drawing the boy to rest against him, "It's a waiting game." Alaric would probably have a heart attack when he returned to the sight of Vladimir cradling Theo to his chest, but the vampire couldn't give a damn.

What was supposed to be a moment of celebration, of joy and happiness was now tainted with the dread and fear of what the future held for his dearly Beloved.