"Well? What are the results?!"

"Your son seems to be fine... but... scarring will ... I'm sorry, Luna." I didn't hear nearly all of what the doctor said, my head hurt too much.

Some crying increased, my mothers next question was the one I wanted to hear the most. "How about my mate? How is he doing?"

Silence answered, along with some papers being flipped. I was struggling with staying awake. The medicine from the infirmary, I'm guessing, was kicking in. My determination was wavering, but I had to push my limits to know if he was alright.

Finally, the doctor answered, but it wasn't the one I was looking for.

"He's in a coma, Luna."

And the darkness pulled me in once more.

***

"Kronos, wake up. Please."

Groaning, I peel my eyelids apart. Bright lights welcomed me back, pulling me into the smell of nasty medicine and heaving coughs. Taking in my surroundings, I slowly turn my head to find my mother staring at me with sorrow.

"Welcome back, Kronos. How are you feeling?" She asks, rubbing one of my hands in a loving manner.

"Hurts..." I replied.

She grabbed a cup of water that was filled by a nurse previously and fed me it with great urgency. I drank the cold liquid as it quenched the dryness in my throat. Exhaling in relief, I turned to look at her once more. "Mom... am I going to be okay?"

Tears gathered in the edges of her eyes. "Yes, thank the moon goddess that you are alive. But... you'll have some scarring, Kronos."

I rose an eyebrow, "Where? On my thigh? Leg?"

"Some on your back and your legs. Nearly half can be healed, and the tracing of slash marks will be healed as well. That definitely won't leave any scars." She rambled, wiping her tears.

Pondering in my thoughts, I tried to look on the bright side of things. "It's okay mom. The scars will make me look cool."

She chuckled a bit, but it vanished. Blinking my eyes slowly, I asked something that had been on my mind since I woke up. "Is... Dad in a coma?"

Mom didn't answer, but instead started to cry harder. I could only watch with wide eyes of a she-wolf, without a mate, crying out her soul for him. The sobbing and wailing increased as the mother I knew broke down and never became the person I knew ever again.

***

After mom broke down, she slept near me for a few hours but awoke suddenly. It stirred me awake, as I watched her walk out of the hospital room with an expressionless face.

In the next instant, the doctors voice popped in. "You can't be serious! You wouldn't do that to your own son, would you?" The doctor exclaimed in disbelief.

A growl arose from my mother, "Of course I would. It's his fault my mate is in this mess!"

"But, Luna... not just a few hours ago, you were worried sick about him. Now you've changed your mind just like that? Your mate should be less important to you than your pup! Your pup should be number one priority!" He reasoned, sounding upset.

A click of a tongue answered, "You wouldn't understand. My mate is my soulmate. Without him, I am absolutely nothing. That child means less than what my mate is to me! Besides, Ouranos would agree with what I'm doing."

"That shouldn't be the case, Luna. Your mate protected him because he loves him. That's your son, we're talking about. He's just a 14 year old pup. What Alpha did was his own choice. He went to get Kronos without thinking for backup or going when he had people with him." The doctor argued.

Nothing was said in the next mere seconds, until a hiss from my mother responded. "Are you trying to blame it on my mate, doctor?"

Realizing his mistake, he mumbles out, "No, of course not, Luna."

"Then listen to me. It's Kronos fault and his only. You do not defy me here under pack law! Is that understood, doctor?!" She questioned angrily.

"Yes, Luna." He feebly whispered back.

I could imagine her smile as she replied with, "Good. Now, give him a week to heal. He has a lot of work to do and I want him to be on his best condition to do so."

"Yes." The doctor said.

My head was throbbing, while my heart raced with fear. The palms of my hands grew slippery and wet with sweat, as the fear built up in my body. I had to have misheard that. I mean, I wasn't in the best condition, so maybe my ears aren't working.

As I was consumed in my thoughts, the doctor peeked his head in with a face of great sadness. He closed the door softly and pulled up a chair next to me. His next words haunting me for the next few years.

"Kronos... I am sorry to say this, but... once you're discharged from the hospital, you'll be demoted to the rank of an omega."

My eyes widened, "That's not possible. My mother would never do that to me."

The doctor shook his head sadly, seeming to want to cry himself. "It's true. As much as I wish it wasn't, it is. She blames you for your father being in a coma. I know you overheard us, Kronos."

I grew silent at his words, not wanting to believe it. "Yes, I heard everything... b-but... I thought I was mishearing it. How can it be my fault? My father is the one that came alone to rescue me. We were also against a large number of rogues. There's bound to be consequences in the end."

He nods, examining me steadily. "Indeed. That's what I told your mother as well, but she disagreed with me. Knowing her orders, I have to release you after one week exactly. You will become an omega and will be the lowest of the lowest."

Biting my lips, my heart grew heavy. "That rank... wasn't it banned? My father didn't agree to treating anyone in an inhuman way."

"She brought it back to punish you, Kronos." He muttered pitifully.

I clenched my hands, angry. "I did nothing wrong, I don't deserve this. I can't even shift yet, how could she do this to me?"

The doctor didn't answer but stood up from the chair. "I don't know Kronos."

We grew silent, when I anxiously asked, "H-How did my father fall into a coma?"

He sighed, "Ouranos, or rather, the alpha, fell into a coma when the mysterious woman shoved the pills in his mouth. We examined his stomach and tried to pump it all out, but the pills had already taken affect on his body. Those pills are banned and were invented to knock prisoners out for a long period of time."

My mind took awhile to process the information, as I nodded with a sigh. "What will happen to me now?"

The doctor peered into my eyes, hesitating to answer. "All I know is that you will have one week of an average alpha offspring pup. You'll be respected and looked up to like every other day. Once the week is over, everything you knew will never be the same ever again."

And the week flew by just like that, and he was right.

I lost everything after the week ended.

***

"Clean the floors, you worthless bastard!" My mother snarled.

I scrubbed the floors harder, my hands becoming red with blisters. I kept scrubbing though, my anger along with sadness showing as I cleaned the floors.

After the week was over, my mother grabbed me out of bed when I returned to my bedroom. She demanded me to move out and to live into a separate room. When I did so, my new room was trashed purposely. The wall papers and floors were battered up like new.

Just like that, I was fed little to no meals. Cleaned and washed every pack members clothes, washed dishes, took out the trash, etc.

Before my father went into a coma, this type of method never existed. Every pack member had to take responsibility for their own chores and make sure the pack house was clean.

It never laid down to one individual.

Consumed in my own thoughts, I was suddenly kicked in the face. A surprised groan of pain escaped between my lips. "Stop thinking, you mistake. Scrub and work. No time for procrastination!" My mother spat at me, her eyes cold.

I struggled to get up but eventually did so. Some other kids who were nearby came near me and started to laugh and bicker among themselves. Kids who were jealous that I was an alpha offspring and how well treated I was back then.

There were some kids who tried to protect me. For example, my friends. Sadly, my mother ordered them away and to never speak to me again as if I never existed. Same with the pack members who tried to argue against their Luna.

They all tried to protect me.

Only few blamed me.

Apparently, before I was kidnapped, the pack house was attacked and some members were killed. It explained why I heard a bomb go off with some smoke. One of the few that were killed was named Theia Grey and Crius Grey.

I didn't understand why everyone kept blaming me when it was that woman's fault. The one who kidnapped me and started accusing me of things I didn't understand.

Why couldn't people take their own faults and not blame others instead?

I continued to scrub the floors as the voices around me grew louder and louder. The hands around me grabbing and hitting. Punching and clawing. Some shouting and ridiculing me, some telling me to go kill myself.

To die.

How they told me it's my fault.

And for once, I thought they were right.

You can only take so much of what they say, until you actually believe their words.

***

"Please, please! I'm sorry! Mom, please!" I cried, feeling my mothers heels dig into my back, cracking several of my ribs.

One last jab of her heel finally made me limp, her snarls growing louder. "Shut up! I'm not your mom, Kronos! I wish I never gave birth to you!"

My heart throbbed in pain.

It hurt everywhere and I wanted to die.

Today was my 15th birthday, a few months after the incident happened. One where my father fell into a deep coma. My mother has been having her heat and was in agony.

These past few nights she had been taking it out on me, but I didn't think she would surprise me on the day of my birth.

She gathered anyone who hated me and sung, "Happy Birthday to you."

"Happy Birthday, dear, Kronos. Happy birthday to you!"

Just when I thought whatever happened these past months were a dream, they all asked, "What's your wish?"

I answered eagerly, ignoring the previous bruises and blisters on my body. "I wish for my father to wake up. Is this really a dream though? You guys are celebrating my birthday?" I asked happily, for the first time in many months.

They all smiled sinisterly, my mother now in front of me. "Oh, my sweet Kronos. This isn't a dream. This is a nightmare."

Before ordering all of them to beat the hell out of me. Each pack member could beat me with only 15 hits, as to 'celebrate' for birthday punches. I kept wanting to scream and cry, but they all held my mouth shut because that would wake the entire pack up.

By the time they were done, I was broken.

Completely and utterly broken.

My mother had her share of putting holes in my back with her heels. When they left me to rot in my so-called room, I waited to die.

I wanted to end my suffering. The urge to end my life was strong, where I imagined the blade to cut my skin and for me to bleed out.

However, a voice in my head told me to keep moving forward.

To hang on and to not let go.

Finally, I listened to the voices and gained strength to walk forward. I started to wobble downstairs. I tried to not make noise as I went to the infirmary to see the doctor. When I passed my mothers door, I could hear her having sex with her other lover.

He was temporary since my father couldn't satisfy her.

It was disgusting, how she injected needles to make sure my father wouldn't feel the pain of her betraying their bond, their sacred gift of each other.

Once I reached downstairs, I looked for the doctor. He was always up at night, working. Knocking gently and quietly as I could, I got his attention.

His face morphed into a look of horror as he ran to open his office door.

"Kronos, what happened to you, my boy? Did they hurt you again?"

I nodded, not saying anything. He ushered me in, having me take a seat as he bandaged me up like he has done these past few months. As he did, he fed me soup and asked what else I would like to eat and do.

He took care of me while my mothers orders stood bound.

Forgetting a formality, I asked finally, "Doctor, what is your name? I never asked."

He smiled at me, his eyes full of tears when I was smiling a real smile for the first time in months. "My name is Theo. I'll protect you to the best of my abilities, Kronos. Just remember, no matter what they say, it was never your fault. Don't ever blame yourself, you hear me?"

I nodded, still smiling.

Like other moments, it only lasted for so long. We tried to be as discreet as possible on how he treated my wounds. However, once my mother discovered that I was gaining my weight back and my wounds weren't infected, she sent a spy. They reported back to her and Theo was kicked to the curb to work in the infirmary.

I never saw him again, until now.