By Zephyria 
For a moment, Nathaniel paused and frowned. What on earth was he talking about? While Nathaniel struggled to understand, Chrissy curled up, clutching his head with both hands, and began to scream frantically. He seemed to have completely lost his reason. Nathaniel was bewildered by the sight of Chrissy shaking violently as if having a seizure and screaming incessantly, but he decided that he had to calm him down first.
“Chrissy, it’s okay. You’re okay now…”
Okay from what?
Suddenly, a strange sense of dissonance washed over him. What was Chrissy afraid of right now? Was he experiencing some kind of memory confusion? Perhaps he was under the illusion that he was still a spectacle in that disgusting place…
No.
He immediately dismissed the thought. Chrissy wasn’t in that place right now. He was in another space, at a completely different time.
From when he was much younger.
“Chrissy.”
Nathaniel called his name again, trying to soothe him. He already knew about Chrissy’s childhood through documents. However, there might be a massive difference between a report that was barely a couple of lines long and the actual memories of Chrissy, who had experienced it.
No, because nothing was written about the shock Chrissy must have felt in that moment.
“Chrissy, just calm down…”
When he reached out to grab his shoulder again, a terrifying flash of lightning was followed by a horrific crash of thunder. Then, screaming, Chrissy bolted upright and tried to flee somewhere.
“Chrissy!”
Nathaniel immediately grabbed his arm. He didn’t know where Chrissy was trying to go, but if he left him be, a serious accident would surely happen. There was no way Chrissy could overpower Nathaniel with strength. As soon as Nathaniel locked him in his arms, Chrissy resisted violently with his whole body.
“Let—let go! Let me go, let me go, you son of a bitch!”
“Ugh.”
Struggling and hurling insults, Chrissy bit down hard on Nathaniel’s arm. Nathaniel frowned and grit his teeth, but he did not let go.
“I hate it, let me go, Mommy, Mommy…”
Eventually, Chrissy began to sob.
“Mommy…”
The violent resistance gradually subsided, and he soon went limp in Nathaniel’s arms, losing consciousness.
In a small house in a quiet suburb, a single lime tree grew. It had never borne proper fruit, but it was the perfect playground for Chrissy to ride the swing and climb up to look at bird nests. His mother would sit in the living room knitting or doing housework, occasionally smiling at Chrissy as he chased squirrels and climbed trees outside. His father returned home once a week, or perhaps once every ten days, due to work. On those days, his mother would be excited from the morning, finishing the cleaning early and baking the walnut pie his father loved. By the time the scent of pie filled the house, his mother would apply her makeup delicately and put on her prettiest dress.
His father was an Alpha. He found out later that his father’s visits were mostly timed to coincide with his mother’s heat cycle. Perhaps that was why, on the days his father came, his mother’s pheromone scent became stronger than usual, as if announcing her happiness to the whole world. Chrissy also felt better whenever he smelled that scent, and he would spend the whole day clinging to the living room window, waiting for his father.
“Chrissy, Iliana.”
Appearing with the sunset at dusk, his father always arrived with his arms full of gifts. One for his mother, and one for Chrissy. Chrissy usually received a large box, while his mother’s was always small. Strangely, his mother never showed him her gifts. Once, when a curious Chrissy asked what was inside, his mother blushed, and his father said with a secretive smile:
“They are toys for adults.”
Since Chrissy was young at the time, he accepted it and moved on. By the time he realized how loathsome those secret toys actually were, he was already using them himself.
Regardless, they looked like a quite lovely, close-knit family. His mother loved his father terribly, cherished Chrissy more than her own life, and was prepared to do anything to protect this happy home.
She shouldn’t have done that.
Chrissy recalled vaguely. It wasn’t something worth that much, Mom.
What would have happened if his mother had loved him just a little bit less? If she had, she might have at least suspected him. She might have wondered why he only visited her during her heat cycle. If she had felt resentful even once about why he only ever gave those kinds of bedroom gifts.
No, his mother was not at fault. She had simply loved him passionately.
It was probably because she was an Omega and he was an Alpha. Her reason must have been paralyzed by pheromones, making her unable to make a cold judgment. So, it was his father’s fault. If Alphas had just been a little more responsible, if they had acted with reason instead of instinct, nothing would have happened.
If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been born, and everyone would have been happy.
“I went to Myers’ wedding last week.”
As usual, for his father who had visited after several weeks, his mother placed a plate with the largest steak in front of him and began to speak. Sitting down with their plates before them, she continued naturally.
“The bride was very beautiful. She’s a florist, and she said she made all the floral decorations and the bouquet herself. Everyone was admiring her skill. They said she gives lessons, and everyone was scrambling to sign up. I’m thinking of taking a class too; what do you think?”
At her suggestive question, his father answered indifferently, cutting the meat and putting it in his mouth.
“Do whatever you want. Is this all for the meal?”
Looking at the table with only potato salad, bread, and steak, his mother forced a smile.
“I made walnut pie too. I put it in the oven so it wouldn’t get cold, so have some after the meal.”
He continued to eat the steak without a word. In truth, the table had been meager for quite some time. When it was just his mother and Chrissy, they mostly ate thin stew boiled with a bit of meat, or sometimes just dipped bread in soup. That was why Chrissy looked forward to the days his father came even more; not only did the table become abundant, but he also received living expenses from his father, allowing him to buy necessary items or toys he wanted.
At some point, the days his father came home decreased. The days his mother had to take medicine and endure her heat cycle gradually increased. Chrissy only learned after the incident that this started after his mother mentioned marriage to his father.
— You bitch, do you think I’ll let you ruin my life?
“Haa…!”
Chrissy gasped for air and opened his eyes. His consciousness had returned, but he needed more time to grasp the reality of his situation.
Haa, haa.
Through his ragged breaths, he could vaguely see a blurry ceiling. Only after blinking to focus did he realize that he was not in the place he had been before he lost consciousness.
…What is this?
Confused, he turned his head and saw that one of his wrists was tied to the bedpost. A soft silk tie was draped gently, as if it were concerned for his wrist, but the sight of it immediately made Chrissy feel disgusted.
Just then, the sound of a door was heard, and the culprit who had done this revealed himself. Nathaniel, who entered through a door connected to one wall, paused for some reason when his eyes met Chrissy’s as he sat awkwardly on the bed, looking at him. Seeing Nathaniel frown and seem to be checking his condition, Chrissy spat out through gritted teeth:
“Is it your taste to tie people up every chance you get?”
He criticized him harshly, but unexpectedly, Nathaniel showed no particular reaction. Without mocking him as usual or twisting the corner of his mouth in disbelief, he stared blankly at Chrissy and then did something completely unexpected.
“…You’re finally awake.”
Chrissy was momentarily flustered by the sight of him muttering to himself and brushing back his hair with a sigh. That wasn’t all. Nathaniel stepped forward without hesitation and readily untied the tie that had been wrapped around Chrissy’s wrist. Suddenly, Nathaniel’s face entered Chrissy’s field of vision, and he looked exceptionally tired.
…What on earth is going on?