I lay there on the chilling floor for what seemed like hours until I lifted myself on my broken fingers. Wobbling on my feet, I steadily cleaned off the dry blood on the floor.

Eventually, I got to the cold shower since it was the only thing they would let me bathe in. My clothes were rags, all torn up. Then again, they always were after the fire.

Looking in the mirror, I grimaced. I could no longer recognize the boy I used to be. He no longer existed because what lay before me was a boy with bruised skin, his eyes almost shut with pained purple. Lips chapped with new blood forming on them. My Cheeks were swollen from the punches, and a body that no one would ever want.

Scars lingered all over it, even whip marks.

I collapsed there, choked sobs of apologies to everything and everyone.

My mate would never want a murderer.

It's my fault that the pack house was lit on fire, my fault that many pack members died, why father is in a coma, my fault I was kidnapped, my fault why they all hate me.

Everything is my fault.

I wish I wasn't born.

I'm a mistake.

After all, who could love a monstrous person like me?

***

"Kronos, wake up. Dude, you can't be sleeping again." A voice said above him, gently shaking him to wake up.

Almost immediately, Kronos sat up and flinched, not knowing who it was. His eyes darted all over the room to look for danger before his gaze fell on his best friend, Azrael. A sigh of relief left him as he slowly relaxed. Kronos hated being touched in any shape or form. It only reminded him of his past; deep down, he was afraid.

Noticing the slight fear coming off from Kronos, Azrael apologized. Kronos quickly forgave him, knowing he was probably in a deep sleep.

Quickly clearing his throat, Azrael began to speak. "Alpha, my mate is officially coming into the pack house today. I sincerely ask that you give me some time off from doing more files." He paused, sighing in exhaustion. "Plus, we've been in the office for the entire week. My neck is killing me." Azrael quickly sniffs the air in disgust, shaking his head. "On another note, when's the last time you had a bath?"

Kronos stayed paused in the middle of his paperwork, in thought. He quickly typed on his phone before pressing the speaker and turning it over to show his Beta. The voice on his cell phone echoed in the office, repeating after his texts.

'For the hundredth, or maybe thousandth time, call me Kronos. I'm your best friend. Secondly, you're the one who insisted on helping me with the pack since I can't talk. Third, I showered. The scent you're smelling is probably the shit you forgot to wipe. Lastly, you haven't seen your mate in a few months, right? You're always traveling to another state to see her?'

Azrael, the Beta, who waited for the speaker to stop, coughed in embarrassment. "I may smell... but at least I can talk."

Kronos rose a brow, crossing his arms.

Seeing that Kronos didn't take the teasing, the Beta quickly raised his hands, waving back and forth playfully. "It was a joke."

'I know. I'm sorry. My wolf is just angsty right now. I'm struggling to control my wolf since he keeps pacing back and forth. It's making me uneasy.' Kronos typed out, letting the voice do the talking.

It was sometimes hard to take him seriously due to his robotic voice in the beginning, but shortly after, the robot changed and spoke with an accent. This made things easier as if Kronos was actually talking.

"Figures as much. You never cuss unless something is going on. I'm surprised that you did. You're always able to take my jokes, too." Azrael replied, putting a thumbs up. "And yes, to answer your question... I do visit my mate out of state. She's been staying with one of our old pack members. I wanted her to stay here with me, but she insisted on going and refused to leave Rhea alone."

The Alpha paused, having a hand on his chin in puzzlement.

"Don't tell me you don't know who that is!" Azrael exclaimed, eyes wide.

Kronos shook his head, shrugging.

"Rhea Grey? You know? She left the pack a few years ago to travel? Ever since that day happened?" Azrael tried to explain, staring at his Alpha in disbelief.

Finally, having stopped touching his stubble, Kronos sighed as he typed out his thoughts. 'Since you described it like that, yes. I do remember her. Is she coming back with your mate?'

Azrael nodded. "I believe Coco has decided to finally move in with me now that Rhea convinced her to. It's because she is also moving back into the pack house. Not sure what came over her, but whatever it is, I'm grateful for it. My mate is back in my arms. Their plane lands tomorrow."

The Beta saw Kronos, seeming lost in his own thought. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he scratched the back of his head. "Say... why don't you try mind-linking me? It's been a while since we practiced."

Silence filled the room.

Assuming the worst, Azrael blurted out quickly, "On second thought— that's okay. We can do it another time. I just know you wanted to practice mind-linking because you haven't been able to interact and mind-link with any of the pack members."

Another moment passed before Kronos typed out his message out loud.

'I'll try.'

A pleased expression spread across Azrael's face. "Try to connect to your wolf and concentrate on breaking that wall down, Kronos. Only then we'll be able to mind-link."

Breaking the wall down was challenging, to say the least. It's been years since Kronos built the walls around him, and it was a defense mechanism that he couldn't just drop quickly. It was the only thing that kept that small part of himself sane. Only recently, for the past four years, did Kronos inherit the title of Alpha. It's been a long ten years since tragedy befell the pack.

The task was a labyrinth of complexities, a puzzle that seemed to have no solution.

Kronos shut his eyes, his mind focused. Before him stood a towering barrier, a fortress of his own making. It was impenetrable, fortified with layers of concrete and titanium.

His wolf whined, 'I can't do it human. We're not ready. You're not prepared for this.'

He fiercely resisted the urge to surrender, propelling himself and his wolf to relentlessly assault the barrier. All Kronos yearned for was to shatter the wall.

Then, he could be the ideal Alpha, just like his father. Talk to pack members. Engage in social occasions. Meet his mate.

Mate...

The thought alone made the walls crack slightly. Just when Kronos thought he had it, the damage ceased.

No matter how much he tried, he was still scared of getting hurt again.

Still that weak little boy... he thought. Angry at himself, he shook his head and slammed the paperwork aside.

Shocked by this behavior, Azrael says, "Hey, take a deep breath. It's okay. We expected this, remember? All you need is time and practice."

Kronos signed, gaining his composure before typing on his cell phone again. 'I'm sorry... again. Just seems hopeless. I saw cracks on the walls when I thought about my mate.'

"Your mate?" Azrael asked.

The voice on the phone continued. "Yes, my mate. Knowing she's out there pushes me on. I want to appear strong for her so she can find me as a reliable male. But... with how I am now, I doubt she will ever love me.' Kronos scoffed, looking disappointedly before typing, 'She would laugh at me. I can't even handle being touched. I can't talk. I can't communicate with pack members. Although I'm Alpha, you take over mind-linking all the pack members. The social events. What kind of Alpha is that?'

Seeing his best friend down in the dumps, Azrael felt angry at himself. He wanted to be more helpful and wished he was the one suffering instead. Kronos never deserved everything that came at him. He was innocent.

"She's not going to reject you, man. Don't talk like that. I know you're frustrated. But we got this. She will love you, just like I do. We all do. You're like my brother."

Kronos smiled slightly, appreciating his words.

'You're free to take the week off to spend time with your mate.' Kronos typed out, nodding and waving Azrael away.

Azrael bowed, "Thank you, Alpha. I will now shower and get my well-deserved rest."

This gesture only caused Kronos to roll his eyes before a tiny thin book was thrown at Azrael on his way out.