Pain exploded through his paws as the Alpha wolf stumbled and slid down part of the hill. Small rocks trickled down behind him, clattering loudly into the waiting abyss.

"Careful!" His human self whispered urgently, balancing both wolf and Theo upon the wolf's back. The later panted, feeling his legs quiver with exhaustion.

The wolf felt light-headed, struggling to catch a breath in this thin air, to get enough oxygen into their system and keep moving.

This hadn't been the first time he slid down but it certainly had been the most painful one. A few of his nails had snapped under the pressure, trying to latch onto anything and digging his claws into the floor in a desperate attempt to remain upright.

"Are you okay?" The alpha male beside him asked, gently weaving his fingers through his wolf's fur. The wolf nodded shakily, taking a few more deep breaths before flexing its muscles and pressed on.

"How much further?" Words unintentionally hissed past the alpha wolf's teeth, as hewas unable to crane his head upwards in order to look.

At least not without pushing against Theo and risking nudging him off his back.

The Omega wolf beside him sniffed the air while his human responded "It's hard to say. We've made quite a distance but..."

But it's not far enough.

On his back, Theo hadn't even so much as stirred. The battered Omega just laid there silently, limp as a doll sprawled over the Alpha wolf's back.

It was extremely disheartening to not get any reaction from Theo. The way the young man laid still, arms draped on each side of the wolf, made the Alpha wolf feel as if he was carrying a corpse.

A shiver darted over his spine before the wolf shook his head and forced itself to stop thinking.

Putting a paw forwards, followed by another paw. Step by step, slowly, certainly creeping further up the cliffside. Slow and steady wins the race.

However, they didn't have the time to keep things slow and steady. Theo's life, all of their lives, were at risk. The longer they took getting Theo back to their shared subconsciousness, the more likely it was that the pup wasn't going to make it.

"How are you doing?" His Omega sibling asked, body pressing lengthwise against Theo's wolf, providing warmth, stability and support with each step of the way.

The wolf pushed up over the rocks, managing to look ahead and felt disheartened when there wasn't an end in sight. "I'm...I'd love to say I'm fine but..."

I'm tired.

Yet he couldn't say that. Couldn't complain. Because how dare he complain being tired, while he was the one who forced Theo to suffer?

Yet the Alpha human understood, nodding solemnly. "You are as much a part of Theo, as he is a part of you." He stated, watching as the wolf, once a proud and powerful creature, struggled with barely any weight on its back.

"Theo is growing weaker by the second. And as a result, your strength is draining away as well."

His siblings weren't lying. The wolf could feel the life slowly drain away with each struggling heartbeat. Along with his confidence that he'd manage to get Theo out there alive.

Normally he'd ask for a small break. To regain some energy and be able to catch his breath. But there was no stopping here. Not now, not ever.

Stopping would mean giving up. And after everything he had done, he was not going to quit. Not while his heart was still beating.

As if his determination had changed the tides, they all felt a soothing warmth wash over them. A sudden surge of strength that eased the aches, allowing the wolf to continue in earnest.

His fur stood on end, electrified as a full body shiver raced from his wet nose all the way to the tip of his tail. A hint of confusion made the wolf look to the side at his Alpha human.

A human who seemed surprised, followed by amazement and awe.

"It's time. Push with all we have, for as far as we can go. Pick up the pace as fast as you can, we'll watch and make sure Theo won't fall."

At the reassurance, they all picked up speed. Their formerly slow gait now a steady trot while the path ahead seemed to suddenly smooth out.

What first was a jagged cliff full of treacherous edges and crumbling slopes, now felt as if the wolf was running over a well-kept path.

Even Theo's breathing, which before had been ragged, gasping agonal breaths, settled back down. Soothed by whatever power surge that flowed through them.

It gave the wolf hope. Hope he sorely needed, as they still had to pass all the memories on the way back up.

Scathing, spiteful remarks full of hatred. Aimed at someone weaker, someone who wouldn't fight back.

Memories of being dismissed. Of not belonging, being unwanted, unloved by those who were sworn to love and protect.

What hurt the most was reliving the moment of their rejection, but this time through Theo's eyes.

To feel the hope and love, that had been glimmering in his chest throughout the years, the sole source that had driven Theo on...shatter into a billion pieces.

And while Theo was stunned, unable to process what happened, unable to comprehend the severity of his situation, the finality behind his rejection, his wolf had snapped.

It had been brutal. For the wolf had blamed Theo for anything and everything bad that happened in their life. The hatred of the pack, the mistreatment they both endured.

The more than apparent lack of interest from their parents, people who seemingly loved Theo and his wolf, yet always kept him at an arm's length away.

All of it was Theo's fault. After all, the wolf was simply repeating the pack's message, that had been imprinted, integrated into their very minds.

They were worthless, because they were different than the others. It was a lesson that had been forced into their minds since they were little, a warning carved out into their very being.

In a misguided attempt to help Theo, to regain their rightful place and earn the love from the pack, the wolf had acted when Theo was at his weakest.

Now, he regretted it with every bone in his body.

Theo wasn't vile and disgusting. He was the kindest, purest soul within the pack. Always mindful of others, always wanting to help, wanting to please and nurture.

Even if that came at his own expense.

Because no matter how hard he suffered, seeing the people around him with joy and love in their gazes, with genuine gratitude, was more than enough for Theo.

Gods, how could I have ever treated this person so badly? I was given an Angel of a human self...and treated him as if he were a devil in disguise.

If anything, if either of them was disgusting, it was the wolf. Because up till now, he had always taken. He took and took and took yet never gave.

He had taken Theo's confidence, his joy, his pride, everything that the little Omega owned. Had torn away his trust, his love, the hope that the young boy had cherished through all their shared hardships. And shattered it to pieces.

"But now, you are working to mend your mistakes." Theo's brother whispered, shimmering in the darkness for a brief moment. "You are amending your mistakes, which a lot of prideful wolves wouldn't even dare to admit to."

True... He had encountered many such Alphas, even Omegas, who let their pride speak for itself. Too proud, too self-centered to admit to being capable of making mistakes.

Instead they pointed a blaming finger to someone else. Someone who was weaker than them, wouldn't defend themselves when the majority spoke against them.

Someone like Theo.

He snorted, shaking his head slightly. Ears pinning when Theo sighed softly, a sudden louder exhale that made everyone freeze in their tracks.

Dreading the worst has happened.

Yet Theo didn't move, didn't make any other sound except for his breathing. Breathing that was slightly stronger, steadier than before.

Yet that was the more confusing part. They were still nowhere near their shared mindscape, so how could Theo's condition be improving?

The Omegan wolf beside him nudge his shoulder with a happy huff. "You have someone waiting for you. Both of you." The smaller wolf wagged its tail, their smaller form doing everything it could to support its Alpha sibling.

Yet at his word, Theo's wolf snorted in denial. "Someone is waiting? Victor? The man who rejected me, rejected us both for nothing but social standing?"

Instead of wasting anymore words, the wolf pressed on, focusing on the path ahead. He knew just as well how quickly he had changed his own tune.

After all, he had been willing to smother Theo if that meant getting their Fated back. But now, after everything that happened, after realising how wrong he was, how wrong everyone was to treat Theo this way...

He wanted nothing to do with Victor.

The spectral human beside him laughed humorously. "Can you still scent him? Victor, I mean." He added with a motion to his own nose.

And as those words echoed through the silence, the wolf realized that Victor's scent had long since disappeared.

The last time he smelled it, was when Victor was guided out of his hospital room. The realisation that, not only had that man rejected them but then proceeded to not give a shit with Theo lying on his practical death bed?!

However, as the wolf smelled the air, there was a scent. Something that was unknown, different from anything he had smelled before.

Nobody from the pack, or any neighbouring packs, smelled like that. It was a heady, addictive scent. One that made the wolf's nostrils flare, eager to catch another whiff.

Yet he was completely and utterly confused. Why on earth would he smell anything within the mindscape. That place was only for their other half, be it human or mate.

Eyes widening, they flitted to the spectral human beside them, who smiled kindly.

"We are Soul-bound. Destined to have multiple mates due to our multiple bonds. Some mates can understand what it means to be Soul- Bound. Others, like Victor, cannot."

Multiple mates? Actual Fated mates? While it wasn't unheard of, this usually happened in the case of identical twins and that was still a rarity.

Because there were also multiple twins who each had their own, separate mate instead of a single shared one.

Theo's brother nodded, still smiling softly while motioning between them. "Because we are born Soul-Bound, we are capable of making and maintaining multiple bonds. The bond between our human and wolf, between our siblings, between their wolves."

"It makes sense that, we'd also be able to create bonds with multiple potential mates. Once a mate is decided on, perhaps that spot is permanently filled. Perhaps, if we were to lose a mate, we'd be able to move on."

Now that was unheard of. Mates were bound through their life force. The death of one mate usually meant that the surviving widow or widower would be weakened and if they lost the will to live, would die soon after.

To be able to survive your mate and not only that, to be able to find another mate, was completely undiscovered territory.

"How do you know? How can you say that for certain?" The Alpha wolf asked, making the human sigh wistfully and motioned towards the two spectral shapes that accompanied the Alpha wolf.

"In death, you learn more than you'd think. Knowledge is freely shared in the afterlife." He smiled, lifting his head before releasing a deep sigh. "Perhaps, when this is all done, we can move on. Maybe even be reincarnated."

The Alpha wolf whimpered at that. Now that it has met its siblings, its true human self, it didn't want to let them go. It was selfish to even consider that...

But his entire life, he had felt a void that he had ached to fill. A void left by his Soul-bound siblings. Now that he had met them, he felt hollow at the idea of never being able to speak with them again.

Both wolf and human paused, before leaning against the Alpha wolf. "We'll be here for as long as you and Theo need our help. We are brothers, connected by our very souls. I even doubt that we'd be able to move on, even if we wanted to."

That small reassurance was enough to let the wolf move forwards. Knowing that, if they managed to reach the top in time, he had retrieved not only Theo, but his siblings as well.

Only time would tell what would happen next.