Teru sat on the table with crinkling paper, looking around. The office was tidy again compared to previously when it was a wreck after Pride's destructive outburst; when he learned of Kieran's PTSD. Dr. Charles was using his cellphone after someone messaged him multiple times. Seriously, Kieran should get one.

"It looks like the challenge is over." He gave the phone to Teru. A video was playing.

Both alphas were drenched in blood. It could've been David's, theirs, or both. Tristan was the most injured, not able to move quickly enough to avoid Kieran's pounce on him from behind. They tumbled to the floor under the older brother's weight. He snarled and bit Tristan's scent gland, injecting mint pheromones into him. It was the ultimate shameful act for an alpha to inflict on another during a challenge, just like what Lucas did.

Tristan howled in pain, eyes full of desperation to escape the hold. Then, he stopped moving. Kieran stood up, limping slightly. He placed a foot on Tristan's cheek.

"Who is the winner?"

"...You are."

"Who is the number one sin?"

"..."

He pressed harder into Tristan's face until there was a crunch and bellowed, "Who is number one?!"

"You are!"

Kieran took his foot off and leaned down, grabbing a handful of his blackish hair. "Don't ever touch him again." He released him, letting Tristan's face drop on the hard, red-covered ground.

The video ended. Underneath it was a number.

300,000 views? Are people watching this? How badly is he hurt? There's so much blood!

"Greed was secretly recording and uploaded it to her social media five minutes ago. Pride's public image will improve since he won against Envy. So anyway, let's talk about your heat. You experienced your first one recently, yet you have pre-heat signs already. Have you nested?"

"Yes."

"Did you want to rip Kieran's head off?" he asked, amused.

Teru laughed. "Totally."

"Good. He deserves it. Did he at least provide adequate nesting items?"

"I'm happy with it. I think I prefer whatever we have lying around rather than new things. Oh, and he gave me this for my nest." Teru lifted his sleeve to show him the vintage watch.

Dr. Charles gasped. "The Rolex? Amazing. He never says it, but he feels guilty for not protecting his soldiers who died under his command, hence why I've never seen him without it. For him to gift the reminder of his failures to you is a milestone for Pride." The conversation died, sitting in silence.

"Teru, there's a reason I'm asking these questions. An omega should have three, maybe four, cycles per year. A cycle is predictable, like the moon's phases. The window can be easily calculated through an app or traditionally by calendar. But sometimes, as you know, cycles can be unpredictable. Did Kieran ever explain to you my theories?

Gosh, how long ago was that discussion? "Um, I think it's because of poor health or stress."

"Those two are the most probable ones. Your condition has improved since your physical inspection, so let's scratch out health. Stress is likely. You experience traumatic ordeals every week. Heavens, you were almost killed and then witnessed the miracle of life in less than a few hours. I think you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Teru blushed. The comments were making him mushy on the inside. "I'm used to it by now."

Dr. Charles took off his glasses, now serious. "You need to listen to me closely. Yes, this has become normal for you. You live in a time when the apocalypse is still pending. There are more horns to be sounded by the archangels. People will die by the masses. What do you think Abaddon will do when the alpha population declines? Or if any omega in his harem is killed? He's going to work, and work, and work them until they push out more alphas of both species. Some countries also know of you. They want you. Everyone wants you, a perfect diamond in the rough. Do you know why?"

His words were haunting. "Because I'm a human omega."

The vampire stood up and walked around his desk to stand next to Teru. He pulled on his black collar to examine his virgin nape. "Because of this. This could fix your unstable cycles. This can make other alphas stop chasing after you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I-I-" Teru stuttered.

Dr. Charles let go of the collar. He gave a long sigh. "My brother is stupid when it comes to you, but he means well. He's blinded by you, protects you. The man almost went insane by Pride again when I told him you were with Abaddon. I believe Kieran is a fitting choice. In other words, I suggest bonding with him. Let him mark you, the sooner the better, before another claims you; before the king does it himself and forces you to wear a green collar. Unfortunately, you don't have the privilege of remaining unmarked, not in this century. Why Kieran hasn't done so by now is a mystery to me-"

"Because," Teru interrupted, slightly peeved that he was telling him when to be marked. It wasn't a decision to be made lightly. "I told him I wanted to wait."

"You told him? Does that mean he tried? And he listened?" Dr. Charles's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline at the thought of a dominant alpha trying to mark an omega and failing.

"I had to sort out my feelings about it."

"You don't want to be marked by Kieran?"

Teru said quietly, "I never said that." An aggravated purr sounded in his chest. "I have a question for you. I'm aware he wants to mark me. Sure, he asked, but that's not the only reason how I know this. Every moment I'm with Kieran, I can feel what he feels, the way he wants to sink his teeth into my nape. It's carnal, possessive, and selfish, like an alpha. Those feelings aren't mine. He probably knows I want to be marked because he said he can hear my inner omega, but I'm hesitant. Is that an okay thing to do with someone you haven't known for very long? I've been with my best friend since birth, but I don't want to be his mate. Yet, there's an unspoken link with Kieran that I can't explain in words. Didn't he say I wasn't dead when you all thought I was? Can you please explain any of this? I'm so confused."

Dr. Charles was frozen where he stood, staring into nothing as he listened to Teru's concerns with great interest. "An invisible connection, experiencing each other's emotions...," he mumbled to himself.

He suddenly rushed over to the cabinet and rummaged through his files, pulling out the one he was looking for in the middle. The doctor quickly read through his old, faded notes of whatever patient those papers belonged to.

"Hmm." He seemed to have found his answer. Wonder glimmered in his eyes. "Does your nape tingle or itch when you're with Kieran?"

Teru rubbed his birthmark, but the collar covered it. "How did you know?"

Dr. Charles wrote up a storm on Teru's paperwork. "Good grief, you two always keep me on my toes. Do you mind if I tell you this patient's story?" He tapped on the other file. "It occurred long ago, I'd say right before the hunters caught Pride. I also told it to Kieran when he came to me, concerned for you. This is my third theory."

Teru listened intently to the old tale of a human omega and dominant alpha who were destined partners, fated to be together, a picture-perfect match, a one in a million chance of crossing paths. The omega begged to be marked, while the alpha wasn't ready, so he made him wait, and wait, and wait. Both suffered imbalances in their hormones, but still, he didn't mark him. The alpha had waited too long, finding his omega dead and dismembered. Justice was never served because the killer wasn't arrested. He never went to therapy for his loss, forever blaming himself.

Teru wanted to cry. This was a tragedy. "The alpha's last thought must've been regret when he died."

"Died? Certainly not."

Wait, what? "But you said the omega was human."

"Mhm."

"And this happened hundreds of years ago."

"And?"

"Destined pairs are between vampire-vampire or human-human, so the alpha was also human."

The sparkle in Dr. Charles's eyes shined brighter. "Are they the same species? Are they really?"

Now, Teru doubted himself. "W-weren't they?"

The vamp jumped with joy, happy once more to share his breakthrough discoveries. When he did this, his pants hitched up, allowing Teru to see a glimpse of his bare ankles. A bear symbol was animated, running around his left ankle and shin. Dr. Charles's sin was excited, shaping his pupils into slivers.

"In all of written history, this is the only instance I know of where it happened between a human...and a vampire. That alpha is the vampire. He still lives, alive but not well. He wouldn't let me study the effects of losing his unmarked partner. BUT, I saw it today-the way he clawed at his nape to ease the unbearable itch, the irrational decision to take someone else's omega, and the overrunning madness. I have a hypothesis. Years have passed, but his inner alpha still believes its fated mate isn't dead. I need to do more observations. It's remarkable to see in real life! It's glorious! It'll make history in the medical books!"

Teru was flabbergasted, connecting the dots to their identity. No way. "The alpha is dominant and a vampire. You said you saw him today. Tristan. This is about Tristan." Mind. Blown.

"YES!" Dr. Charles laughed crazily, technically breaking doctor-patient confidentiality. Wrath was worked up, his face altering into his original form. Teru's fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. He felt the looming intimidation of a predator.

And his physician, who had just delivered a beautiful pup thirty minutes before, was the predator.

"Do you get it? Why I told you? Yours and Tristan's stories are identical! The very same! Only, the roles are reversed, and the omega is making the alpha wait! You're the one with the reins, riding it out like a cruel little fox." Wrath drooled as he cackled at the irony. His nails grew longer.

Teru slowly got up and inched towards the door. He no longer felt safe. When he turned the handle, the madman boasted loudly, "Don't wait too long, omega. I'm not a patient man. Or do you want to see Kieran mourn over you for eternity after discovering your dissected body, too? Do you enjoy fantasizing about him picking up the pieces of your shredded limbs, wondering who did this to you? Is that where you get off?"

The door opened to freedom. Almost there...

In an instant, the vampire was behind him, emitting musky caramel pheromones. He inhaled Teru's scent. "You don't smell like wrath," he growled in a demonic voice.

Goosebumps covered Teru's body, locked in trepidation. Just because he wasn't scared of Kieran's deadly sin didn't mean he wasn't of the others.

Wrath didn't pursue whatever he was or wasn't going to do with Teru. Instead, he took multiple steps back. Mint took over the clinic office, extinguishing the caramel. Kieran, no Pride, was glaring at Wrath with glowing, deadly red eyes through the cracked open door. Blood soaked his clothes. By the smell of it, most of it wasn't his, but there were some deep gashes across his body. In one hand, he held Teru's mint green beret. It had fallen off earlier after Tristan's attempted kidnapping.

Wrath raised his hands to signify he was backing off, not wanting to fight his furious sibling. "But my brother reeks of it."

Pride grabbed Teru's hand and pulled him into the hallway, heading to the elevator to return to the penthouse. Despite fighting so brutally earlier, his grasp on him was gentle. The people they passed bowed to him in respect; they'd already seen the trending video footage of his win.

"A-are you okay?" Teru asked because Kieran was shaking from adrenaline and hunger-hunger for blood.

"Protect. Must protect," Kieran mumbled, still in alpha mode to guard what was his. He aggressively rumbled at an alpha nurse who was simply carrying a box of medical supplies.

There was a lot in Teru's mind-Tristan's past, his out-of-whack heat, and the dangers of continuing to go unmarked with the king sniffing around him. It was time to do a little research about destined mates.