Teru woke up naked in his bed. The headache caused by the bonded mate separation split his head in two. He groaned and rolled onto his back. The cool sheets felt nice on his feverish skin.

What happened?

The last thing he remembered was Abaddon holding the drug. And then I bit him and I...

He became one of them. A werewolf. When Abaddon touched him, a long-hidden instinct erupted. It was weird, though. Teru somehow believed he could shift again if he wanted to. He mentally thought of a wolf sleeping nearby in a grassy meadow, ready to wake up and defend him if necessary. This was the first time seeing such a vivid image, yet, it felt like the creature had always been there.

His hand went to his small belly bump and wondered, Are you guys okay? That must've been scary.

Teru examined his room. It was a wreck. The door was closed. Was he returned in here as a wolf? The table's legs were chewed up into splinters, and deep scratches ruined every wall. Would Abaddon remove the furniture like he said he would, since it was destroyed again? It wasn't intentional, and it would be awfully uncomfortable without a bed. His pink hospital gown was missing, too. He slowly got up and hobbled to the bathroom, taking his sweet time to shower away the sticky layer of sweat. Feeling much better afterward, Teru changed into the standard, white clothes that were the same as everyone else's. Thankfully, the shirt was slightly big, so his stomach wasn't visible. But given the current size of his bump, it would be impossible to hide soon.

Teru sat at the table to eat and...stared at the food. He then stared at the claw marks in front of him on the wallpaper, and he stared at the posh bed still set up in the common area outside. The white collar was on the pristine sheets, where it had been carefully placed for next time. Abaddon wouldn't have been able to wrap it around his neck as a wolf. Dark fur strands speckled the shiny floor. Was that his color? Black?

He tapped into the bonded connection leading him to Kieran. It was weaker. The star was out cold. Teru would've flown past it if it weren't for the glittering green and blue pheromone trail guiding him to his mate's consciousness.

When he returned, the shock had worn off. The reality of how dire this was set in. Unlike his mother, he didn't have a guard to help him. Kieran was hurt somewhere, needing his omega. And he was a freaking dog?! What the heck?! Was there a werewolf 101 video, too?! Would he ever have a normal life?! It was one curveball after another!

I'm scared, Teru sobbed in his thoughts, allowing tears to flow out to release the pent-up sadness. His sniffles were loud. I don't want to be a prisoner anymore.

"You're awake," someone commented. Tae-soo's voice came from the air vent. "The others are sleeping."

Teru stayed silent. He didn't know what to say.

"Do...you have any questions?"

"Questions?"

"You know what I mean."

Teru knew. It was about his werewolf. "I had no idea. Why now? Why not before? I can think of at least a dozen scenarios where it could've been useful. Take down a bloodsucker here and there."

Tae-soo laughed at that last part. "For me, personally, I turned when I was seven. Supposedly, that's younger than normal. A typical age to experience the first shift is during your teen years, so it's not so abnormal in your case. I was facing a stressful home life and bullying at school, so my inner wolf manifested prematurely. Zander changed after his first breakup. A local gang ambushed Lila and her brother in broad daylight. He was beaten to death. Jacky has only mentioned it once, but his owners severely abused him. A significant change or event is usually the trigger. Is being separated from your mate your trigger?"

Teru looked at his stomach. That could've been the reason, but the intense desire to protect himself when Abaddon grabbed him was more plausible. It wasn't just himself anymore. He had other lives to watch over and help grow.

Tae-soo talked as Teru ate, despite not feeling well thanks to morning sickness. The pack leader mentioned how Teru was a wolf for about ten hours, which was actually impressive for a first transformation. Typically, a new werewolf was like that for days. He discussed how it would become easier to lose the animalistic tendencies. Full moons influenced the beast to come out, called 'moon madness.'

Teru finished eating and pushed the broccoli into a circle on his tray. He didn't like green food. "Moon madness? It is dangerous?"

"It could be. The energy boost on this one night per month could cause sporadic behavior, aggression, unpredictable mood swings, hyperactivity, and anxiety. Everyone is different. Don't be surprised if you get yourself worked up and...boom, you're a wolf. Speaking of the full moon, I think the next one is tomorrow. We can't see the sky, but I try to keep track."

Zander's growls interrupted their discussion. He had woken up and was pacing nude in his room, looking for a partner to mount and stain their womb with seed. His season was at its peak and wouldn't be over for another three days, at most. They watched him with pity as he suffered through it without a mate to help. Zander had a spark of killing intent in his glassy eyes. He showed signs of wanting to tear apart whoever he could get his hands on. The behavior was a stark difference compared to his gentle, shy self. His inner alpha reacting like this was a way to make up for the usual timidness.

It was a textbook example of what could happen when confining a pack without a chance to run and let out their wild side. Built-up energy would eventually cause social animals to do drastic things they wouldn't normally do. Would Zander actually harm a mate during his rut? Probably not, but this was a decade's worth of an alpha's aggravation releasing all at once, only two or three times a year. The man couldn't sprint in a forest and challenge other alphas. He couldn't chase after flirting betas or spend the crisp, early morning hunting food. All of those activities that would've helped an alpha be an alpha weren't possible to do in tiny, pampered rooms. Zander needed to be free, and needed guidance on how to discharge his hormones in a healthy way.

Teru shoved his tray through the food delivery slot. He sat on the hard ground in front of the transparent door so he could get a good look at everyone. He observed Tae-soo, who peered back at him quizzically. His focus moved on to Zander, and then the sleeping betas, Lila and Jacky. They didn't deserve to be here. A wolf shouldn't be caged.

A strange instinct churned within him. It wasn't the same as wanting to guard his unborn babies or wishing to be alongside his alpha. This was a mental whisper to be...something more; more than what he currently was. What did that mean? Teru closed his eyes and tilted his head, trying to listen. Was it the virtue telling him to help Kieran? No, that wasn't it. The voice wasn't as pushy. It was encouraging, but Teru couldn't make out what the distant mumbling was telling him-

The hair on his nape stood up from someone's gaze. He noticed Tae-soo sleepily lying on the floor, too, watching him with a homesick expression. "When you make that face, it reminds me of Ryoma."

"What face am I making?" His skin flushed with humble embarrassment. He never got these comments comparing him to his pack parents because, well, Teru never resembled Mom and Dad. When the similarities were said aloud, it gave him a fuzzy feeling.

"Determination. Like you have a purpose. He'd get that look often before Abaddon killed...you know who I mean. I never saw Ryoma change into his wolf after his friends' massacre. Not even Haruhito could convince him to show it. His fight was gone. Extinguished. Your color is exactly like him, too! What are you thinking of anyway to have such an expression?"

The conversation was comforting. "It's hard to explain, but when I was looking at you guys-"

Teru gasped and doubled forward, desperately grasping at his nape. Painful zaps from the bite mark traveled down his spine, like a dull, rusty knife slicing the inner side of his skin. Was this a symptom of being away from Kieran? It didn't feel right.

"Hey, Teru," Tae-soo called out, fully awake now. The others stirred from the commotion.

"What's wrong? Why's he like that?" they chipped in.

His mark heated up a million degrees. Teru dug his nails into the area, scratching it like there was no tomorrow. Didn't he do the same thing back when he wasn't officially bonded to Kieran? This was way worse!

Tae-soo yelled, "Stop! You're hurting yourself. Stop." Authoritative pheromones laced his tone, but the scent didn't reach the omega because of their individual enclosed spaces.

He pulled his hand away and looked at his shaking fingers, blood embedded under the half-moons of his nails. The back of his shirt's collar was bright red.

My nape is bleeding. I'm scratching too hard.

Ignoring the pack's worried questions, he entered the imprint's hidden line to Kieran. The Milky Way-like trail of stars was slowly dying out, one by one. The glowing, unknown planets that dazzled the path were on fire, burning whatever life lived on them. He hurried to the giant star. Though black, Teru could make out the cracks inching to the center.

"Don't!" he wanted to call out to the cracks shattering his mate's star, but his voice was silent. There was no sound here. It was a figment of their destined imagination, manifesting as outer space. That's what their beautiful bond looked like to them.

Loud banging echoed in the background. Yelling brought him back. Teru was lying on his side, still mutilating his nape. The air smelled of his blood coming from his fresh wound. Everything spun.

The bangs he heard before were from Tae-soo. The alpha was throwing punches at the sliding door, bruising his fist into a pulp. It was pointless. The glass was thick enough to contain monstrous animals, aka werewolves. Even if Tae-soo could break free, he'd have another round with Teru's door.

Whatever Tae-soo was saying couldn't be heard. The ringing in his ears was too loud. Teru saw his reflection in the window. Dark red veins snaked around the side of his throat. Though he couldn't see the backside of his neck, the nasty-looking infection originated from his marking. He knew what the phenomenon was. The omega how-to video vaguely discussed it.

Every cell within him screamed in helpless despair.

"My fated mate," Teru whimpered, "is dying."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, and Lust leaned against the wall outside of the hospital room where Wrath was treating Pride. They listened intently as the doctor ordered his nurses to bring another type of blood for a transfusion. Type O and A had been a failure. Pride's body rejected everything. It was a mess in there from the pools of blood Kieran had thrown up.

The silver poisoning took its course, enough that Wrath finally made the call to attempt a transfusion. They all knew it wouldn't work. But Charles's pride as a physician made him try, try, and try, regardless. He had warned his siblings earlier that day to expect the worst, and that they should be around to say goodbye before...

They had grim expressions except for Envy and Gluttony. Tristan was emotionless. Sofia bit her nails nervously, clutching her bag of whatever it contained.

The heart monitor beeped rapidly, signifying another emergency.

"Blood pressure is dropping!" a nurse announced.

"Where the hell are the next blood bags? Get me all of the types from every gender!"

It was chaos. The world would soon lose the deadliest sin. Pride.