I groan and roll over almost off of the couch. “I’m still tired .” I moan, head heavy and still feeling stressed.

“I made breakfast, you can go back to bed after you eat.” Drac says stiffening in defense.

“Why would I argue with that?” I ask, Drax relaxes a little. And I force myself to think about something, even half asleep I can read his thoughts and physical language. He had been ready for a fight. I blink, wiping my heavy eyelids, sitting up I stretch dramatically and yawn. To my surprise Drac’s thoughts break through my weak defense of breakfast thoughts, ‘he’s admiring my fangs, that’s kinda…cool.’

Okay so I can’t block out his thoughts but I can interrupt them, “What’s for breakfast?” I ask, moving to sit at the kitchen island .

“Gruel.” He says smiling wickedly as he lifts a spoon full of…I make a face as it splats into the bowl with the consistency of wet concrete but full of little pieces of “oatmeal”, with much larger globs? “It’s warm in the stomach and slightly sweet.” He says frowning at my reaction, “You should be grateful that you get anything from me.”

“Sorry, thank you for making me breakfast.” I say quickly, “And thanks for letting me sleep here. Aaaaand thanks for helping with the scratches earlier.”

“Hmm.” He grunts. And offers the bowl.

I take it from him and look down into it, “So, like porridge or oatmeal?” I say hopefully. ‘I’ve got some important questions. I want to know how he survived, or got revived, and what happened to get him here. I mean, I had the basic understanding of the shots and that he was tortured and then was brought here when Master realized I would forgive him but…’ I look up and freeze realizing Drac was waiting. Maintaining eye contact I lift the spoon to my mouth licking the globular pudding, tasting it, “Bleh!” I retch and Drac laughs.

“You have to eat it, this is all we got.” The corner of his mouth snirks up a little. ‘It seems like he’s enjoying this small revenge.’ I think to myself. But then he spoons himself a bowl and sits down himself. I watch in surprise as he eats it without a change in his calm facial expression, even his thoughts were bland.

Baring my teeth I shove another spoonful into my mouth, “Oh! Gah, it’s terrible!” I cough, complaining. I choke down a few more bites. He wasn’t lying that it sat well on the stomach though, if you could get past the texture. I shudder as I swallow another mouthful of the thick, slimy soup.

“You know, this is what a lot of the slaves have to eat. Prisoners, servants and pets, or anyone unlucky enough to not be able to afford anything else.” Drac says suddenly, looking across at me then at the spoonful in the air, he turns it upside down but it doesn’t fall. I see a memory of a cage in his brain but he pushes the thought away and I lose it.

“Which one were you?” I ask, forcing more into my mouth and swallowing, hopeful for a distraction.

Drac narrows his eyes at me, “Don’t ask me personal questions.” But the rest of the memory leaks out, ‘The alien variation of a pound, he was a discarded pet until they realized that he was an Omega. He was sold to a pack of wolves and none of them wanted him. Ugly. Rebellious. Weak. He ended up on the mothership but still he was unwanted.’

“I, if it were up to me, I’d make sure everyone got good food.” I say trying to make conversation and not think about all the feelings I now had to process. My eyes burn a little.

“It’s not up to you.” He says with a, "you’re weird" expression, “Just chug it,” He orders and demonstrates, putting the bowl to his mouth. I cringe watching him consume the rest. I close my eyes, steel myself then follow suit. Chewing the globs as quickly as possible to get it all down my throat. I gasp in relief when I finish the gruel. Wiping my eyes quickly. Drac raises an eyebrow, licking his bowl. “It’s nothing to cry over.” He says harshly, taking the bowl from me.

Drac goes and washes our bowls out in the sink. He wasn’t smiling. I sigh. ‘So here I am, at his “place”, abandoned by my Master…’ “I’m…going to lay down now,” I say sadly.

“Okay.” Drac says monotone putting the bowls beside the sink and cleaning up the kitchen it sounds like. ‘But he’s letting me stay here so there has to be a reason other than information from the outside. Right?’ I press into his thoughts. He’s just angrily thinking about his plants. ‘I need to ask for almost all new plants once I’m visited again,’ I get a brief image of a wolf, it’s not Master, ‘If he ever comes back, I’m almost out of food now.’ I pull away feeling his anxiousness a little too personally. ‘I’ll just go to the Master's house and bring all the food if I have to.’ I think to calm myself. ‘But what if we run out and Master never comes back?!’ I shake my head and bury myself under blankets curling up. ‘I’d risk going to Master rather than starving to death.’ I think melancholily. Drac finishes up and starts going in and out. I’m guessing fixing up the garden and from the sound of water, taking care of the potted plants inside. At one point I fell asleep.

     “Hello.” A growly voice says. I peek open an eye. “Syl.” The wolf-side of me says in a somewhat bemused and relaxed tone.

“Oh, hi.” I say from where I’m laying on nothingness, in nothingness.

The chained wolf looks down at me. “What would be better, weak or strong?”

“Depends, apparently if I’m strong I have to worry about not being an Omega anymore.” I throw an arm over my eyes.

“Which is better, vicious or placid?”

“Placid.” I say.

“Loyal or Rebellious?” He speeds up.

“Loyal.” I retort starting to get annoyed.

“Syl or not Syl?”

“Sy…not Syl.” I say sitting up to look at him.

“Loved or unloved?” He tilts his head seemingly getting bigger.

“Loved.” I say eyes watering. He starts repeating and I cover my ears until finally yelling, “Stop!”

And I’m awake. Drac pauses mid-push-up, then continues saying, “I’m guessing that’s not for me and that you had a nightmare.”

“I think I’m having an existential crisis.” I say, “My wolf side-”

“Stop,” Drac sits back holding out his hand, “I don’t care.” And then standing he goes into his bedroom. I hear the door shut and lock. I press my teeth together. Then, seeing the bright sunny outdoors, exit the house. I look around the garden, everything is redone and ready for more plants. Sitting in the shade of the shed I go back over what I could remember from the dream. “Strong, loyal, placid, loved.” Verses, “Weak, Rebellious, Vicious, Unloved.” ‘Wait I mixed them up and loved was probably with Omega-like traits, why did I..?’

‘Do you love yourself Syl?’ The wolf suddenly says in my head, making me bite my tongue startled.

‘Don’t frickin do that.’ I yell mentally.

‘You want to be strong, yet placid.’ He says ignoring me, ‘Weak yet Rebellious and Vicious, you can not fight yourself Syl. You can not fight me, I will make you all the best things… Strong, Loyal, Vicious.’

“A wolf, I know,” I say out loud.

‘As an Omega you are weak, placid, loyal yes, but only to your Master, but he doesn’t love you.’ My body stiffens and if I could have punched the wolf I would have. ‘I have already made this side of you stronger, you’ve always wanted to fight back, to speak your mind, you’ve always wanted to be strong Syl. You’ve always wanted to be a wolf…give yourself over, give yourself up to me.’

‘Aren’t you just something I created mentally to understand the differences between my personality and the shot I recieved?’ I ask him, ‘Why would anything change? Sure I’ll completely give myself up to you because you’re myself.’

‘Relax.’ The wolf says. So closing my eyes I do. And then I’m asleep. The wolf is unchained, smiling at me. But then I’m the wolf and I’m looking down at myself in human form, I look so…sad. There are tear-stains on his, my face. Dark circles under my eyes, my body is weak from fighting. “What do we want, Syl?” The wolf on the outside asks me on the inside.

‘To be strong.’ I say and then to my horror the old me, the human Syl dies.

I gasp and I’m awake. In the same spot, and in perfect control of my body. ‘What the ffff- was in that alien porridge?’ I think to myself then search for the wolf, ‘Hey buddy, it didn’t work, I’m still scared and weak.’ But he’s gone as though he was never there. I stand up expecting to feel bigger, stronger to look at everyone else as weaker than me but nope. It all felt the same, so now I feel dread. What happened, did the mind reader get involved? Carefully I think of him as if calling him mentally.

‘Well this is a rare occasion.’ He thinks almost immediately, ‘Let’s see you’re terrified you let that wolf go and now he’s controlling you…well he’s gone.’ I shiver a little as I feel the alien poking and prodding around in my head, ‘But he was always a figment of your imagination, albeit an important part of you and your personality.’

‘So, what?’ I question.

‘So, you had a part of yourself awaken or something, it’s a part of growing up, next time you feel like having a self discovery, could you not imagine a dangerously blood thirsty mind-wolf to help you work through things, sheesh.’ He says. ‘If that’s all…’

‘Wait, what about not taking shots anymore?’

‘You’ve rested up and now you can handle the personality and mood swings they bring so what’s the problem?’

‘I thought they were literally turning me into a wolf, mind and all!’ I yell mentally.

‘And you unsurprisingly won out over the mind controlling, loyal-soldier part of it. You're still as stubborn and rebellious as before.’ He sighs, ‘Go back to bed Syl, you’re just now recovering from everything. We’ll talk later, until then, I’ll make sure your dreams are peaceful and quiet.’ I know he heard my surprise towards him, and I might have thought that he wasn’t as bad as I first believed. So, I shake my head violently. ‘Bye Syl, sweet dreams,’ he chuckles and leaves. I go inside to lay back down, obediantly. My mind feels amazing and clear. A little bit of hope returns. Smiling, I roll over with the blanket, snuggling into the couch.