Hibernation: Part 1

"I swear on everything – my possessions, my job, and my fangs. I'm going to take this omega away from you if you don't properly take care of it. How many times do I have to spell it out for your daft mind?" Dr. Charles muttered angrily, visiting Kieran's penthouse to measure Teru's vitals.

Thanks to marking his own wrist, Kieran's rut calmed down within hours. He was alarmed when he heard Teru crying like a dying animal, still on the bed from where he had almost bitten him without consent. The poor thing was on the brink of death. When he touched Teru's forehead, the prince cursed himself for not noticing the dangerously high fever earlier.

He immediately carried him to the closet to Teru's nest and called for the doctor. And once Charles arrived, the man spent a good fifteen minutes talking to himself and writing notes about his patient - "In response to the fever, his body temperature became lower than normal, slow breathing, no response to outside stimulation…"

The human physician stood up and unwrinkled his lab coat. "Teru is in hibernation," he announced. "It's quite normal given what you put him through with his weakened condition. Does he have a nest?"

Kieran gestured to the area around them. Charles raised an eyebrow. "O-oh...I've seen grander nests, but it'll do, I suppose. Buy him more stuff. Keep him here. The smells will help trigger him to wake up. I don't see signs that this is an omega drop, so your presence isn't required. But, if he doesn't come out of hibernation in four days, give me a call."

"T-thanks," Kieran muttered, not a fan of saying the word. He knelt down next to Teru and placed a few layers of blankets over him.

Dr. Charles looked at Kieran's bandaged hand. "By the way, do you need that treated? I know you can't heal as fast since you don't take an adequate amount of blood."

"No. I deserve it."

This made the doctor curious. "May I see?"

Kieran hesitated but held out his hand anyway. Charles removed the red-stained gauze and inspected the ring of deep teeth punctures. "Did you do this to yourself?"

"I vaguely remember that I was about to mark him but I held back at the last second."

Charles eyed the injury again with shock. "So, this…is a mock marking? You were able to mock mark while you were in rut? How do you feel now?" he probed excitedly.

"After I fooled my body into thinking it made a real bond, my season disappeared quickly. I'm fine."

"Fascinating. I haven't seen a mock marketing in many years, let alone from a dominant alpha in rut. This is going to scar without stitches, you know."

Kieran wrapped it back up. He knew the mark would be a forever reminder of his disgusting assault on Teru.

Charles checked his watch. "I need to go. My next appointment is in thirty minutes."

As he was gathering his medical tools, Charles stopped and looked at Kieran. His brown eyes darkened with rage. That was an expression Pride hasn't seen in a very long time.

"This is my last warning, older brother. My patience is wearing thin, something you know I have little of. If this treatment towards this omega continues, I will challenge you for him. And after that, I'll rip out your fangs one by one, painfully, just like what Van Helsing did to you all those years ago. Unlike last time, I won't be reattaching them. Teru is a precious thing in this hideous world. Don't lose it because of your foolishness."

Kieran growled low at the threat.

Charles was revealing his sin, Wrath, just a few ranks below Pride. The violent vampire was overstimulated by Teru's condition.