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yoonia · 1 year

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Blood Moon Rising | 30

‘As beings from ancient times, the Vampire Clan has undergone numerous changes to thrive in the Modern Age after surviving the Ancient Blood War. As a part of the traveller family in his clan, Jimin has parted ways from the coven until the day his Lords warned him of the lurking danger from inside the clan. And all so suddenly, he was pulled out of his solitary, only to have given the responsibility he had never wished to have, along with the threats that come as a part of the deal.

Born as youngest yet having lost so much, you have given your family your loyalty, your protection, and had been given their love and support that had become the only thing that keeps you going. But what happens when the only people you have put your trust in only repay you with betrayal?’

➥ Character | Jimin x reader

➥ Genre | Supernatural!au, Vampire! Jimin, Werewolf!reader, Angst

➥ Ratings & Warning | PG-13; mentions of assault and usage of poison, depiction of a battle.

➥ Word count | 13,3k words

➥ Part of The Shifters Series | World Map & Glossary | Characters Guide | ⤎ Previous Chapter | Next Chapter ⇢

➥ Masterlist

➥ Author’s Note | I’m sorry this took forever, and I’m also sorry that I couldn’t get this chapter any shorter when it’s a bit more detail and conversation heavy, but we’re getting closer to some more action, I promise. A quick reminder, that as we progress with the story with more possible crossovers between stories happening in the future chapters, I will start referring to the other female characters with their OC names each time they make any appearance in the scenes. Feel free to follow and get to know more about these characters through the Characters Guide page linked above. Enjoy!

Jimin has lost count of how many times he had travelled through the Resting Forest.

He had gone through the same trail for many years, decades, and most possibly even during the past century that he spent more time being constantly on the move, exploring the continent and travelling across the vast land rather than staying secluded within the home castle. The trail has become so familiar to him that he no longer questions the reason why he had found himself running through this forest during the frenzy state that he was in when he was fighting to survive from the poison, sending him far towards the East side of the continent.

It had sent him falling right into your path, causing an encounter that seemed to have been destined to happen.

Jimin stops himself from going down memory lane just as he begins thinking about the entire event, unwilling to let his mind wander too far as he silently follows behind Kim Junmyeon, the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack who is leading him and his Vampire brothers towards the werewolf’s home territory. He looks over his shoulders, immediately meeting Jinhwan and Junhoe’s eyes as they both walk closely behind him. Both of them are wearing the look of exhaustion, looking worse for wear but doing their best to keep their heads up to hide it.

The twin sons of Lord Seunghyun are walking right behind them. Why they have chosen to tag along instead of going ahead with Hanbin who had left earlier is something that Jimin cannot understand. It had seemed like they had decided to stay close to Junhoe, the one who they had looked up to as their protector ever since their young age. The messenger that had come with them, Yeosang, has separated from the group right after the battle had ended to continue with his duty, as the twins had asked him to send out a message to the other Lords’ children to let them know that they have met with Jimin and that the Orphans are gathering in the werewolves’ territory. At the far back, the Siren mage, Hyun, follows silently. His eyes keep flashing between black and silver while he walks, a sign that he is using his spells. Perhaps it is his way of tracing any signs of threat coming along the way, and he is doing so while chatting along with the Enforcer who is walking right beside him in his human form as he had injured his shoulders during the fight.

Behind Jimin and his group of entourage, the rest of the werewolf pack follows, mostly remaining in their werewolf forms to provide security for their Alpha and his special guests. Though the security measures do nothing to stop Jimin from staying alert on their journey. Not only because of the possible threat that may still come, knowing that not all of Jiho’s followers have been put down or apprehended from the previous fight, but also for the fact that the Alpha and his pack seem to be leading him down a secret path that Jimin had never once noticed before when he travelled past this region.

Despite knowing everything about the Resting Forest and the territory surrounding the Blue Moon Pack, there was nothing much that Jimin had known about the aforementioned werewolf pack itself. Nothing else other than its various characteristics which had become the reason why the pack had been chosen as the intermediary of the Peace Treaty. Ever since the end of the Blood War, they have been widely known and proven to be the most proficient mediators in maintaining the Peace Treaty between the Shifters community and the Vampires clan, while their territory has become a neutral ground, as they are strategically situated at the part of the continent which allows them to maintain communication with their alliances with ease.

To the East, the Blue Moon Pack is surrounded by other smaller packs of shifters and small human towns, while they also have direct access to the two largest and strongest packs in the continent—the Supreme Wolf Pack and the Wolf Moon Pack—and their human alliance in the Rivermouth Village. Slightly up to the North, they are merely a coast apart from the restricted area which is the home island of the Fairies, though it had never been confirmed if the pack had ever developed any direct association with the latter, as the Fairies have been mostly known to keep to themselves and remain distant from the other communities in the continent. To the West, the pack is connected directly to more human territories as their closest neighbours, while they have the Vampire clan’s homeland as their farthest neighbour, even if they still have easy access to remain in contact with their representatives within the Vampire clan.

The advantage that their strategic location has offered does come with a price, however, as they are also situated within the proximity of one of the most hazardous parts of the land.

Surrounded by the Resting Mountains which acts like a massive wall of shield to protect them from any possible threat, along with the Resting Forest which acts as the perfect barrier and secured border surrounding the pack’s territory, they are still susceptible to the danger coming from the No Man’s Land down South and the Hunters’ colony on their South West side. The barren land serves as a silent threat, with ruthless rogues and halflings residing within its territory, constantly waiting for the right time to move out in search of new lands to raid. Meanwhile, the Hunters could often be seen lurking around the area, using the excuse of watching over the rogue shifters in order to stop them from coming near the human towns. Yet the shifters community has always known that they are simply lying in wait, anticipating for a chance to strike any unsuspecting pack of shifters before infiltrating their territory to seize control.

With these facts in mind, Jimin wonders if this would be the reason behind the peculiar route that the Alpha is taking him and his brothers upon entering their home territory.

For a long time, there is only one open path that Jimin has known to be the main entrance leading to the Blue Moon Pack’s territory. He knows of its existence and where it is originally located, enough to know to stay clear from it whenever he would travel past this region. Enough to notice that this is not the path that he has in mind. The moment he began to follow the Alpha’s lead, he had expected to see the familiar-looking path that he had been avoiding for many years. Yet, instead of finding himself going around or between the Resting Mountains the way he had expected he would, Alpha Junmyeon has been leading him down below, going through the path beneath the mountains.

“Is it safe to assume that this isn’t your public entrance that would have been the main access meant for your regular guests?” Jimin questions the Alpha after a short period of time walking in silence through the cavern underneath the mountains. His voice bounces against the rocky walls around them, followed by an echo that sounds subtle and smooth. It gives him the slightest hint of how deep this cavern seems to be and how far the journey that they still need to take before reaching the end, but also hints at just how well-maintained this secret path has been.

Right beside him, Alpha Junmyeon responds with a soft chuckle as he nods at the Vampire. “No, this is not our public entrance. Blue Moon Pack has multiple entry points for security measures. Our territory is located in one of the most compromising places in the continent, open to threats and challenges. Both the mountains and the forest have been sufficient enough to hide us from our enemy’s sight, making it hard for those who have never once set foot in our territory to find where we truly are, but we still cannot risk jeopardising our safety during moments like this one.”

Hearing the werewolf’s answer, Jimin simply nods, acknowledging the measures that the werewolf pack has taken to protect themselves from the challenges that they must regularly face. A new sense of admiration grows on Jimin as he silently commends them for being resourceful, proving further that they are truly a worthy ally. He now understands precisely well why you and your family had thought of them with high regard, putting aside the fact that you were once mated with one of the previous Alpha’s sons.

“So that means there are more of these secret passages hidden under the mountains?” Jimin asks, both out of curiosity and also for the sake of not letting his mind goes all the way into wondering about the life you had before he met you. To his relief, everyone around him seems to be preoccupied with the need to focus on getting through the passageway safely to notice the emotional turmoil that suddenly overcomes him.

“Beneath, around, and over. Each one is hidden perfectly with only a few selected pack members and ranked wolves would know how to access, and each one is specially guarded against any possible threat from both inside and outside of our territory,” Alpha Junmyeon explains with a proud smile, before slowly adding, “I don’t think even your mate had any knowledge of all the passages that we have despite having spent quite a long time living with us. She only knew a few of the old ones that the immediate family members of the previous Alphas would use, since she had used them to come and go when she needed to, but there had been a couple of new ones that we had created since the pack has been growing rapidly over the years.”

Jimin gives out a soft chuckle. “Seeing that she didn’t even bother mentioning it in the first place, I’m pretty sure that even if she has figured them all out, she would keep it to herself to protect you and your family. Even from me,” he lightly jokes, smiling wider as Alpha Junmyeon laughs at his comment. Jimin waits until their laughter dies down before uttering slowly, “I guess news travels fast around here,” indicating the fact that the werewolf had somehow found out that Jimin had recently mated with you, a fact that wasn’t supposed to have reached them when neither of you had made it public as it had only happened recently.

Alpha Junmyeon falls silent for a brief moment, giving Jimin nothing but a small smile. “We have a mage who resides with us while acting as our counsellor. A member of the Peacekeepers. She has foreseen your mating while maintaining contact with her mentor, the grand mage, Agatha, who had confirmed her vision to be true,” he later says to Jimin, who is not completely surprised to hear Agatha’s name being mentioned as she had always appeared to be someone who was crucial to the Peacekeepers and their purpose. “Even if we haven’t heard the news from our counsellor, I would’ve still recognised the scent you are carrying and the mating mark that she left on you right the moment we met. I surely hope that my sister—” he stops himself briefly with a chuckle and quickly says, “Oh, forgive me. I mean, my former sister-in-mating. I hope that she is doing well.”

Jimin gives the Alpha a warm smile. “She is surviving and thriving regardless of the circumstances. Due to your relations with each other, I do believe that she will remain to regard herself as your sister-in-mating, as my existence could never erase the history that she had with your brother.” Hearing this, the Alpha nearly stumbles. He quickly turns to Jimin, shocked, quite obviously not expecting to hear the Vampire acknowledging his late brother, your fated mate, without any hint of jealousy. Though his eyes grow soft as Jimin later adds, “She still thinks highly of you as well, and she respects you as both the Alpha and the older brother that she never had growing up. She had even asked me personally to find you if I ever need to when she heard that I was travelling through this area to reach home.”

Jimin turns to the Alpha as they both stop walking for a brief moment, nodding with a smile. “Never would have thought that I would find myself in a circumstance where you would find me first and aid me before I had the chance to reach out. I do wonder, however, how it was possible for you to find us in the first place. Or, more specifically, to know that I would be there in need of help, and to think that you are working side by side with Hanbin, the brother that I thought I had lost.”

Alpha Junmyeon locks his gaze with Jimin for a moment before proceeding with the journey. He has tried to hide it, but Jimin can still catch the glint of tears appearing in the corner of his eyes as he looks away. “I highly appreciate that, knowing that she still thinks of me the same way,” the Alpha says with a soft voice. The moment he turns to look at Jimin once more, there is a bit more warmth in his gaze and his smile as he speaks, “I still think of her as my little sister. I don’t think that it will change anytime soon. Regardless of who she is mated with. And it was an honour of mine to assist you when you were in need. Don’t worry, all of your questions will be answered soon, including why and how your brother had come to be with us.”

Despite his curiosity and the questions lingering inside his head, Jimin simply smiles in return, choosing to be patient about getting his answers. “Thank you, Alpha. For being there for me and my brothers, and for bringing aid to us. And, more importantly, I certainly hope that things wouldn’t change between you and my mate, whatever happens in the future.”

At his comment, Alpha Junmyeon gives a brief nod, before his expression changes. Straightening his back and shoulders, the Alpha puts on a more serious look on his face, acting once again as the host Alpha before he gets too emotional about his sister-in-mating who he hasn’t seen for years. “It won’t take us long before we arrive,” he calmly says as he continues to walk ahead of the group, Jimin quickly following close behind. “These caverns were created as quick passageways, not only to help us sneak in, but also for our emergency escape, so the journey would take much shorter compared to the trip that we normally would have needed if we had gotten through the main entryway. This tunnel specifically was created to lead you straight to the safety chamber within our pack house.”

Jimin reacts with a nod. Then his mind wanders back to the conversation that they shared previously, back to when the Alpha invited him and his brother to his pack for the first time. “Is there where these guests of yours are waiting for us at?”

“Yes, they would be waiting for you there. I’m sure that your brother, Hanbin, had already joined them by now,” Alpha Junmyeon says with a secretive smile, as he continues to make Jimin wonder about who these ’guests’ might have been, as the Alpha had never taken the chance to explain further before they departed towards his home pack. “I’m sure that the safe chamber would be more fitting for this reunion, and for the private meeting that we have prepared for you.”

A wave of distrust spreads through the air around Jimin as his brothers overhear the Alpha’s words. An unsettling feeling rises inside him as well at how vague the Alpha has been about whoever it is waiting for Jimin and his brothers to arrive. But Jimin has no other choice but to trust the Alpha, knowing that Hanbin has done the same by reaching the pack first.

Jimin tries his best to tame his curiosity, not wanting to let it take away his focus as he slowly enters a new and unfamiliar territory. “Can’t wait to meet them,” Jimin simply mutters, as he silently sends his thoughts to his brothers and Hyun, warning them to stay alert and be prepared for whatever is waiting for them at the other end of this tunnel.

Jimin breathes in the fresh night air as he steps out of the long cavern, and he is immediately surrounded by the ripples of force that are a part of the Blue Moon Pack’s signature. It isn’t as powerful or as intimidating as the forces that he had felt in the past when he visited the Supreme Wolf Pack during one of his missions, but it is enough to alert him, to remind him that he has stepped foot into a foreign territory that might not always be so welcoming to Vampires, especially under the circumstances that they are in.

His own powers begin to rise in response, forming a protective barrier around him against the forces that seem to be present to identify him as a new threat. He controls himself, however, until he settles down from his need to fight and the ripples of forces around him start to calm down, settling around him in a more welcoming embrace. He looks around, noticing his brothers doing the same while the two mischievous twins seem completely unaffected. Right behind them, almost looking just as unaffected as Lord Seunghyun’s children, Hyun remains calm as he continues conversing with the Enforcer who had been travelling alongside him.

Jimin doesn’t know much about the siren or his powers, but he could sense that the mage has exceptional control of his powers and magic. His calm and quiet nature might be his way of hiding the true nature of his magic, something that Jimin had witnessed during the fight and back when they were still in the Wiccan community’s hideout. And he is seeing it now here, as the shifter walks past the border without so much of a flinch when the forces around him should be pressuring him from various sides the way they do against the Vampires. To have such a powerful being — someone who is supposed to be a part of a community of shifters that has been living far hidden in their sanctuary for centuries — now working with modern white magic and joining hands with the Peacekeepers, is something that has Jimin wondering and questioning about the boy’s true identity.

Deciding to put his curious mind at ease and focus instead on the events happening in the present, Jimin then turns to the Alpha who is already waiting for him. Together with his entourage in tow, Jimin proceeds to follow him across the open ground which spreads from the mouth of the cavern that they had just walked out from, a gravel-covered pathway marking the way that they are supposed to follow to reach their destination.

As they continue their walk, Jimin silently observes his surroundings. The trees here are much smaller than what he had encountered out there in the forest, but they might be just as capable of giving shelter to everyone walking down this very same pathway. It would have given the Vampires the perfect shield against the sunlight, though it is hard to confirm it now as the day is already turning into nightfall once again.

Above him, the sky appears to be tinted in dark grey, with only a hint of burnt tangerine shining on the horizon as the sun takes its final descent for the night. Jimin cannot believe that an entire day had passed, though the moment he is surrounded by solitude and serenity, it seems as if the long battle that he had just gone through has ended a long period of time ago. He can still feel the aftermath of the battle—the exhaustion, the remnants of the wounds that are still in the process of healing, and the feeling of dread that has been following him since he was forced to fight his own kind. Even his entire senses are still vibrating, as if he could still feel the rumbling of the forest while it was burning in flames.

A massive cedar tree appears before him just as he reaches the end of the open pathway, rising tall from the ground just as Jimin slowly walks closer. It takes him a moment to realise that the tree is growing against the side of a building, with its trunk leaning against the stone walls while its branches are giving the perfect shades to partially hide the pair of wooden doors that Jimin can see peeking through the shadows. As if the tree had come alive at one point and simply decided to rest against the structure, protecting it from any possible intruders with its entire body.

“This building—” Hyun wonders loudly as he steps forward and stands beside Jimin, before he starts voicing the very same question that the Vampire is dying to ask, “Would this be the pack house that you mentioned earlier?”

The Alpha smiles knowingly at the siren mage and answers, “Yes, this is a part of our pack house. Or, if you want me to be precise, you are currently looking at the additional sector of the main house which is placed at the rear end of the entire residential complex. This area is often used to accommodate regular guests or shelter families of Enforcers who are on leave for pack’s duty, which is why this access is provided here to give these guests or the families staying on this side of the house more privacy and the security they need.”

“Ah, I see,” Hyun says, laughing softly. “I was wondering why the Blue Moon Pack would hide its main house so deep into the woods or use such an old building to shelter its members. I half expected to hear that you had simply disguised the house for incomers and unfamiliar guests like us.”

Smiling at Hyun’s curiosity, Alpha Junmyeon shakes his head. “As I have mentioned, this passageway is meant for anyone who needs to mobilise in private while also functioning as an escape route from within the pack. This is the safest route that we could choose for you to enter the pack house without drawing unwanted attention from other pack members, something that I am sure you wanted to avoid,” he explains further while pointing out that he knows that Jimin and his group have been moving in secrecy before reaching this area.

Though it is true that the Alpha knows what Jimin and the others truly need, as gaining attention on their movements and presence in the pack would be the last thing that they need, as it would alert others from outside the pack of what they are trying to do. Having caught in an intense battle earlier had certainly ruined their initial plans, as now a fraction of the rebels had revealed that Jimin did survive the poison. And now Jimin can no longer predict what the rebels would do if they should find out that he had made contact with the Blue Moon Pack, who is supposed to be the neutral party in this entire situation.

Alpha Junmyeon gestures to his Enforcers to open the door for them while he continues to explain, “This door leads straight to the safe chamber in the basement, where our guests are currently staying. For the sake of tonight’s meeting, we have arranged for the basement to be left unused by the pack members. It would give you the privacy that you would need to talk without any intrusions from anyone from the pack. Although, as the Alpha of Blue Moon Pack and the one responsible for the pack’s safety, I would still like to request that I, along with my Beta and Third-in-command, could join this meeting as the mediators and your personal witnesses, as what you are discussing may involve the future of our pack and our treaty.”

Jimin nods, finding no grievance about the Alpha and his ranked wolves being there. “I certainly have no objection to your involvement. This is your home, after all, and we are merely your guests. I would hate to appear as if the Vampires are taking over your territory for the sake of our cause,” he lightly comments before adding, “And also because you seem to know better about whoever it is waiting for me to meet.”

The Alpha laughs while Jimin shows his uncertainty as he thinks about what he might be getting into. “I can assure you that there is no threat waiting for you down there. At least, not from us,” Alpha Junmyeon reassures him as he sees the Vampire’s reaction. “As the one who is providing you space for this audience, I shall instead offer you protection, even if just to make sure that I can send you home safely to my sister-in-mating.”

His statement draws a smile from Jimin. “I’ll hold on to your words then. Lead the way for us, Alpha. Let’s see who our mystery guest is and get this over with,” Jimin says, gesturing towards the door just as one of the Enforcers moves to open them.

The massive door creaks as it opens and the Enforcer steps aside, allowing the group of Vampires and the lone mage to enter first. The entrance foyer is kept dark, while the air inside feels a bit musty compared to the outside, though it grows better as they continue to walk through the area until they reach a long hallway leading to the stairwell that would take them to the lower ground.

Alpha Junmyeon takes the lead with the previous Enforcer to show them the way down, and only then does Jimin finally realises that the other pack members and Enforcers who had been with them had parted ways, presumably to return to each of their own quarters as they are done with their roles for the night.

Unlike the entrance foyer that they had seen earlier, the stairwell doesn’t seem too dark nor cramped, as the entire way down is lighted with small sconces hanging on the walls around them. Once they all reach the basement, Jimin is surprised to find that the open area below is much more spacious than he had previously thought it would be. Though it shouldn’t be much of a surprise knowing that it should hold as many pack members as it could if any danger should ever occur in their territory.

There are a few closed doors in every corner of the room which seem to be leading to more personal spaces. Jimin can only guess that they may be bed chambers for guests or pack members who would need some privacy during their stay here.

Much to his surprise, however, even if the basement area is located deep underground, the air around him feels a lot less musty or damp the way it did when he first entered the building. The cool air seems to flow around him more fluidly, suggesting that there is better ventilation on this level compared to the upper ground.

They continue walking, reaching the far edge of the basement that leads to a long hallway where another set of doors appears right at its end. Alpha Junmyeon turns to Jimin and his brothers, calmly stating, “Here we are,” before he knocks on the door gently to announce his arrival.

The door opens right away, with Hanbin appearing on the other side with a bright smile, already expecting to see his brothers coming. “Ah, you’re finally here. We’ve been anxiously waiting for you.”

Before Jimin could question him more about his comment, Hanbin steps aside and ushers Jimin and the rest of the group to enter the room. Walking past the threshold, Jimin takes his time to look around him and asses his surroundings. Unlike the bare-looking open area of the basement where they had landed from the stairs, this room feels a lot warmer and way more comfortable to settle in.

Instead of a bed chamber, the group finds themselves entering what seems to be a seating lounge. The walls around them are painted in dark grey and navy blue tone of colours. While looking slightly dark, it gives a lot more life into the room compared to the barren space outside, where all Jimin could see was the pale stone walls and bare cemented floors. A plush carpet covers the floor, while a few leather-covered loveseats are placed in various corners of the room, giving it a homey atmosphere that helps calm the unsettling feeling inside Jimin’s chest a little. The sound of the cracking flame from the fireplace draws everyone’s attention, as it sparks together with a subtle flow of a familiar force that sends a deep longing into Jimin’s heart.

As he turns toward the fireplace, two young werewolves step closer, greeting their Alpha first with a respectful bow before turning to Jimin and his group. “Lord Jimin, let me introduce you to my second, Beta Chanyeol,” the Alpha says as the taller one bows towards Jimin, before gesturing to the one standing beside him who is wearing a bright smile on his face. “And this is my Third-in-command, Minseok. I have handed them both the responsibility of accompanying our guests and watching over the pack on my leave, and with your permission, they will act as witnesses for tonight’s meeting.”

Jimin greets them in return, and allows the werewolves to chat with the rest of his group while he turns away, intending to study his surroundings more closely. He notices Hanbin walking closer just then, with his two other brothers walking alongside him. His throat feels constricted as he sees Yunhyeong, looking as if he had just come out of the infirmary, with one of his arms hanging on a sling, though his smile is still as bright as it always has been. Jimin recalls Jinhwan’s story about the attack, how Yunhyeong had taken the hardest blow during the ambush before disappearing in the portal during their dramatic escape. Together with them is Donghyuk, who had left Jinhwan in the hands of the Wiccans in order to find their missing brothers. Since he is here with them, it has appeared that his mission had been a success.

Seeing his brothers all back together gives Jimin a sense of relief. He is overcome with glee to see them all standing there, even if their appearances are filled with fresh scars and wounds.

“So—” he says as they all come to surround him, each one of the brothers holding back as much as they could from getting too emotional that neither of them makes a move for a hug. “Were you the special guests that the Alpha has been talking about?”

Hanbin grins at his brother and shakes his head. “I wish I could say that we were the ones getting all the royal treatment. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Someone else is here to see you. And I bet you’ll be happy to see him too,” he says, as he steps aside, allowing Jimin to get a clear view of the rest of the room.

He turns around to look at the center of the room as Hanbin gestures him to, and sees a round table with a few armchairs that have been strategically placed around it, signifying that this place has normally been used for secret meetings or private dialogues which needs to be done away from the other pack members.

But it is not the round table itself which makes Jimin halt and catches his full attention. It is the male Vampire who is sitting right at the head of the table, silently watching him with a smirk while leaning back in his high-back armchair, as if he has been waiting patiently for Jimin to notice his presence.

In his shock, Jimin’s mind wanders back to a recent event in the past, taking him back to the final moments that he shared with his mentor. Lord Xander’s voice echoes inside his head as he sees the older Vampire flashing through his thoughts, as he is taken back to the moment when the healer Lord was handing him a pair of necklaces before bidding his goodbyes,

“If neither of us could recover in time, or if Death comes to us in our sleep, please make sure to give these to our children. To Laila’s daughter and my son.”

‘My son.'

Jimin blinks away the image from his head, almost unable to believe just what he is seeing. For a moment, he had almost thought that he was seeing Lord Xander sitting there, smiling the same way he would have whenever they would meet. But he quickly snaps out of it, just as the past memory fades away from his thoughts, helping him to realise that the Vampire before him looks a lot younger than his mentor, despite looking almost identical, and with much shorter hair.

Before Jimin can react, the twins beat him to it as they walk around him and rush towards the round table together to greet the familiar face waiting for them.

“Jiwon. Should’ve known that it would be you waiting for us here,” Yongguk comments with a deep chuckle as he slides closer to the Vampire, while the other twin curiously tilts his head. “How did you get here? Why are you hiding in a werewolf pack? Have you been here all this time?”

Jiwon softly chuckles at his cousins, keeping his eyes on Jimin when he gives them an answer, ”It’s quite a long story, actually, and it has something to do with the reason why Hanbin and Yunhyeong had ended up here too.”

Surprised, Jimin immediately turns to glance at his brothers, both of them shrugging their shoulders as if telling him that the Vampire’s words are true.

“Why don’t you take your seats and join me?” Jiwon calls out to the Orphans who are still standing a few feet away from the round table, while the twins had swiftly taken the empty seats right beside him, as if they all belong there. “I bet you boys are tired from the long journey and might be a bit confused. We need some catching up to do anyway. I’m not wrong, am I—Lord Jimin?”

Back at Wolf Moon Pack…

There is something magical about the sunset in the Wolf Moon Pack.

The air cools down the moment the sun begins to descend, while the vibrant colours in the sky seem to blend together like a watercolour painting—iridescent, dazzling, enchanting—as if the space around the pack is coming alive at nightfall. You look up to admire the dark shade spreading in the sky that appears almost purple, while the stars begin to pop out, revealing their beautiful glow one sparkle at a time. As the faint shade of the descending sun fades beneath the foliage across the hill before you, the moonlight above is quick to grab your attention. Its radiating light draws you in, but it is the shade faintly appearing on its edges that has you taking a long, deep breath.

The indistinct shade of red.

Its presence serves as a reminder that time is running out. Ever since it had been determined that the events which had been happening for the past few years—the rebellion rising within the Vampires clan and the coup which occurred in your home pack—have a silver lining, that someone—or perhaps, quite undoubtedly, an entire group of them—is intending to give rise to the Blood War, bringing back the nightmare that had haunted the entire continent for centuries, it has marked the rise of the blood moon as your time limit.

There seems to be a clear reason why that specific night has always been chosen for the rise of chaos and why it was possible for the Dark Alliance to unite their powers to take over the continent. And now that it is evident just how close it is already to the night of the blood moon rising, you cannot help but feel as if you are being pushed into a corner, with limited options to choose on how to stop the war from happening.

But will it be possible for any of us to stop it at all?

“It’s a marvellous view from here, isn’t it?”

You turn away from the window just as Mage Kim enters the room. Her arrival snaps you out of your daze, plummeting you back into reality where you are standing in her quaint kitchen, with bright lights illuminating the room in contrast to the dusky sunset out in the woods.

The pretty mage moves with a gentle flow around the counter, carrying a basket full of fresh vegetables in one hand and an old spell book in the other, which she then places on top of the marble top counter with such ease and grace before turning to you once again to speak, “I always enjoy watching the sunset from that very same window myself after a long busy day of work, though it seems to me that it’s not giving you the same calming effect as it does to me.”

Puzzled by her words, you tilt your head, trying to understand what she is trying to say. Seeing this, Mage Kim giggles a little before tilting her chin towards your hands. “Seeing the way you are clutching that mug so tightly, I can only guess that your mind is not as calm as it looks.”

Raising your eyebrows, you follow her gaze and look down at your hands. Sure enough, you find that not only you are clutching the mug in your hand just as tightly as the way she described it, but your claws have also come out, making their appearance and almost digging into the sides of the mug. Hairline cracks are beginning to materialize on what was supposed to be a flawless-looking mug before the tip of your claws made contact with it.

With a gasp, you quickly retract your claws and loosen up your grip on the mug, before gently placing it on top of the kitchen counter.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your mug,” you start to apologise, while the mage only waves her hand at you and laughs.

“Oh, don’t worry about that old thing. I’ve had that mug for as long as I can remember, so it’s due time for it to crack anyway. I’ve gained plenty of new ones since I moved here so I won’t miss it too much,” she calmly says to you with a smile.

“Still—” you murmur, still unable to look away from the damage that you have done. For any mortal eyes, those tiny cracks may not be visible. But it is quite different when you are looking at it with your eyes. “I guess I got lost and carried away with my thoughts there for a moment. But I did enjoy the tea you made. I promise.”

Mage Kim grins at you as she takes the abused mug out of your sight. “That’s a relief. At least I know that I didn’t really leave you completely idle,” she says, as she continues to unpack the vegetables that she had carried with her while chatting.

“I’m sorry for stepping out while we were having a chat. Yvonne is one of the pack’s elders who had just lost her mate last summer. They’ve been together for 70 years, so it was really hard for her to adjust to living on her own with her kids all spread in different packs. I’ve been helping her deal with her grief, and she would often stop by like this to say hello and chat, and sometimes vent when she has some troubles at home,” she says, not even pausing as she puts some of the fresh goods away and setting aside a couple of them to use later, while you can only watch her closely, admiring how every single thing that she does seems to captivate you.

Even the way she moves enchants you. Sometimes she would appear as if she is gliding above the ground when she walks, while sometimes her moves remind you of flowing water. There is also a familiar sense radiating from her, reminding you of something that you had encountered before even though it is hard for you to point a finger at what it truly was.

“These are all from her, by the way,” she continues to say, waving at the vegetables that she had set up on the counter. “She always leaves a whole basket of fresh produce whenever she comes to visit, as a token of gratitude each time I would spare my time to see her, mostly everything that she had grown and harvested herself from her little garden.”

“That’s so thoughtful of her,” you muse softly, drawing another smile from the mage. “I’m guessing that happens often? Do the other pack members give you offerings like this whenever you help them?”

Mage Kim shrugs as she turns to wash the goods in her sink, refusing your help when you offer, simply telling you to take a seat instead, to which you comply easily just to get out of her way. “I never asked them to, but they always come to drop things in exchange for our help. My mate and I simply try to help out as much as we can for the pack since they have been so welcoming of us since the day we arrived. I figured it was a fair trade, we give and take, and help each other the best we can for the good of the pack.”

For the good of the pack.

It was the same teaching that your father had imprinted in you ever since you were just a pup, growing up under his and your mother’s care. The same teaching that has been passed on within the pack through each generation, shared among the pack members for many years to form a tight bond under your father’s lead. It pains you to think that the very same pack has now been split apart, all because of the coup that began from your sister’s treason.

Pain twists inside your chest when you think about your pack’s fate, and you turn to look at your surroundings just to distract yourself from your own thoughts. It was late in the afternoon when you came to pay the mage a visit, done under Taehyung’s mother’s advice. It wasn’t much of a surprise to find that both the mage and her beta mate had chosen to live in a quiet and secluded area away from the heart of the pack, but it was still a pleasant surprise when you finally found the quaint cottage that they have both been living in. Located on the top of the hill, the cottage has the perfect view of its surroundings—the serene forest, the green hills, and even the riverbed which leads to a nearby waterfall—while it remains a walking distance towards the packhouse, allowing the Beta to travel back and forth so easily each day when he is needed for his duty.

“This is quite a nice place to live, far from the hectic life you would normally find at the heart of the pack. How did you manage to find this cottage?” you find yourself asking the mage when she returns to your side, and you can faintly feel her pride radiating from within her.

“We didn’t. My mate, Seokjin, built this cottage with his own two hands, right after the Alpha gave us this piece of land to work with. We had requested a place where we could find some peace and quiet, to have something different than our daily life, which is almost never peaceful,” the mage answers as she pours some more tea into two different mugs, replacing the one that you had almost ruined and the one that she had left behind in the sink on her rush to see the pack member that had come earlier.

The mage continues her story while sipping on her tea. Her eyes glow fondly as she appears to reminisce about her past. “My mate, Seokjin, wanted to create a place that resembles our old home. Years ago, he and I met during the winter when I was a trainee witch. I was staying in an old cottage that used to belong to one of the mentors in the coven that I was raised in when he came at my door.”

She stops with a giggle, before continuing to tell her story, how she found a sleeping bear on her porch one day, then about the days she spent with that bear before he finally revealed himself in his human form. Mage Kim then tells you a bit more about Beta Seokjin’s past, the history that you had once heard partially from your father but never in full form. You have known before that the beta had once gone feral after losing his home pack and his family during the Rogue War, but you had never heard the story of how he managed to find his way to join the Wolf Moon Pack with his mate until now, as Mage Kim tells you almost in detail of the events that had led them both to this place.

“That old cabin held so many good memories, but what we shared while living there for that short period of time was so precious for both of us that the moment we were given a chance to build something new and create new memories, Seokjin insisted to recreate that same cabin here. Which, as you can see, turned out to be this pretty little cottage that we call home.”

As you look around you, a sight that comes to mind is not an old cabin that would have resembled this one, but another that had been buried deep in your memories. Located deep in the Blue Moon pack’s territory, the old cottage that was built by Jongin’s own two hands, was the home that had held a lot of golden memories of your own with your deceased mate. In the past, your chest would have burned with so much pain whenever you are reminded of those old days, when you pictured the life you had then only to be reminded of Jongin’s passing and how much it had hurt you.

Now, however, the longing that you are feeling for those missing days is accompanied by another kind of yearning. You begin to wonder if you would be able to build a new memory with your second chance mate. Would it be possible for you and Jimin to build your own home, away from the tumultuous lives of an Alpha and a Vampire Lord?

Snapping out of it, you turn to focus on Mage Kim’s gentle voice as she continues talking.

“We would still return to that old cottage in the winter, whenever Alpha Namjoon grants us a break during the cold season and gives permission for us to leave the pack for a while. He knows that my mate still finds the need to hibernate, though it hasn’t been quite as demanding as it was before when his beast counterpart was still dominating him, and it’s always been hard to hibernate completely if we remain in this place throughout the winter. My mate can be extremely grouchy when he doesn’t get the long rest that his bear needs,” she adds with a giggle. “Alpha Namjoon also understands how much Seokjin would have to hold back when he is working alongside him, so he does give us some flexibility to travel and get away whenever we need to.”

Knowing the roles that Beta Seokjin and his mate had to take upon joining the pack, and the sacrifices that had no doubt taken place, you understand why Alpha Namjoon would give them so much freedom. But thinking about two Alphas leading the pack together, with Beta Seokjin stepping back to be the second-in-command, has left you wondering about the pack’s dynamic. Especially now that you have found out that the beta is mated to a white witch, someone who would have been seen as the enemy by the pack had it been under normal circumstances.

“Speaking of which—Mage Kim?” you begin to question her when your curiosity grows stronger. “How are you adjusting to living in a pack, and as a shifter’s mate? I’m sorry, I just can’t help but wonder. It’s not often that a shifter and a mage, someone who has the ability to master witchcraft, would cross paths, much less turn out as mates. I’m sure it wasn’t quite easy.”

“Please, call me Aurora,” she says in return, smiling shyly when she sees you raising your brows. “That’s the name that was given to me at birth. I don’t normally use my given name, for personal reasons, which is why I have requested the Alpha to have the pack call me under the name ‘Mage Kim’, as I have taken my mate’s given name as mine and it would make it easier for me to remain anonymous to any outsider.”

You simply nod, trying to understand even if you have yet to know the full story behind her reasons. A million different questions appear in your head, as you are reminded of the first time you heard Taehyung mentioning Mage Kim when you met him, but you keep your curiosity to yourself as Aurora continues with, “But I do feel like it would be better for anyone who I am personally close with to call me by my real name. Of course, I would appreciate it if you would only call me by my given name when we’re alone.”

“Of course, Mage Kim. I mean, Aurora,” you answer her with a smile, which she returns with a grateful nod.

“To answer your question, it did take quite a while for me to get used to living in a pack of shifters. Before meeting my mate, I had never once encountered any shifter, nor had I ever truly learned a thing about them. I’ve learned so much since then, and then a lot more ever since I joined this pack,” she explains with a soft chuckle. “I’m quite grateful that they welcomed me with open arms. I also had my mentor by my side during the first couple of years I began living here, since it was his place that I was taking over when I first arrived, so that was a huge help as well.”

“How about your mate?” you ask her, when you recall the authority of an Alpha radiating from the werebear when you first met him. “I imagine it wouldn’t have been easy for an Alpha to submit under another leader when he came in.”

Shaking her head, Aurora sighs a little. “Oh, it sure wasn’t. Didn’t help the fact that my mate is quite a hot-headed shifter. Even without his Alpha blood running in his veins, he has already been quite stubborn to deal with,” she says while rolling her eyes, though there is still a sense of fondness and admiration as she talks about Beta Seokjin. “He does have a huge respect for Alpha Namjoon, however, since the Alpha is wise and honourable as a leader. I think sometimes my mate would try to start something with the Alpha just for the fun of it, not because he is trying to challenge Alpha Namjoon’s authority.”

Laughing, you imagine the Alpha and Beta going at each other when they are together. Just like how you had seen them arguing in your vision. “I’m going to guess that there’s been a lot of ‘friendly’ banter between the two over the years?”

Aurora shakes her head again while laughing. “It never stops. And I think Alpha Namjoon enjoys it when my mate would challenge him into some kind of an argument or debate or when he tries to turn the Alpha’s own words against him. He always seems more—alive, when he is with Seokjin,” Aurora carefully says, before she looks at you with deep caution in her eyes and adds, “I’m sure you know what the Alpha is currently dealing with.”

Biting your lips, you briefly nod, knowing what she is insinuating. “Yes, I know very well. I was once in his shoes, quite a few years ago.”

Aurora releases a deep sigh. “That is probably why I was sent here by fate, and why my mate was needed here in this pack. At first, we were merely searching for a way to give my mate a sense of order, for him to be a part of a community once again to give him everything that he had once lost. But then we both realised that we were able to give something more to help the Alpha and his pack,” she begins to speak with a soft voice, as if she feels like someone would be able to listen to her words as she talks about Alpha Namjoon and her mate’s personal business. “My healing powers may not be on par with the best mages in the continent, but I do my best to support the Alpha, and help him through his struggles so he could still do his duty and keep the order in the pack. Meanwhile, my mate would have enough authority to give the Alpha his sound voice and support whenever he is needed, or to take his place when the Alpha is absent.”

“The Mating Sickness—” you start to ask, “How far worse has it been since—”

“I’m afraid I cannot say,” Aurora claims while shaking her head slowly, a hint of sadness appearing in her gaze as she thinks about the Alpha. “But as someone who once battled with the same sickness, I’m sure you know what would happen if he keeps on going like this for a longer period of time. He has been going strong for long enough. But even the strongest being in the realm would still have their limitations.” Aurora looks up, staring deeply into your eyes as she adds, “For Alpha Namjoon, he might as well have gone past that limit quite a long time ago.”

A deep concern flows right through you after what Aurora had just told you. As someone who had once experienced the same sickness and knows damn well what the sickness could do to a shifter, you can imagine the struggles that Alpha Namjoon has to face.

You have met Alpha Namjoon a few times and spent time with him during your stay in the Wolf Moon Pack, and never once had you ever caught any signs of him struggling. Deep down, you cannot help but admire his tenacity, while at the same time, you also know that he would have to endure as much pain as the power that he has to use to hide his suffering, and it worries you even more to think that he had been fighting for so long.

“How are you feeling now, by the way? Does your chest still feel tight? Is it easier to breathe?” Aurora suddenly asks you, and for a brief moment, you have no clue what she is talking about that you instantly fall silent, until you finally remember the reason why you came to visit her this afternoon.

Your heartburn.

Ever since early this morning, you have been getting a series of heartburn bothering you. It started with your heartbeat which continued rising so rapidly, followed by the tightness in your chest that caused you to have trouble breathing. You immediately suspected that Jimin may have been the cause when your mating mark started pulsing, though you had no idea if the pain you felt simply came to you because of the distance and for being so far away from your mate, or if something else was causing it. That it had been a sign that your mate was in terrible danger.

After consulting with Taehyung and his mother, they advised you to see Mage Kim to find answers, which became the reason why you are here, sitting in her kitchen while sharing deep thoughts and stories with a few cups of hot tea.

Immediately, you lean back and start to gently rub your chest, right where you had been feeling pain. You quickly realise that the only thing you can feel now is warmth, while the tightness that had been bothering you is long gone. “Oh! That’s interesting. I didn’t notice it while we were chatting, but it does feel better. Are you telling me that all I had to do was drink warm tea?”

Aurora laughs, looking relieved and amused at the same time. “I wish it was that simple. The tea only helped ease your muscles and calm your nerves. I put a few drops of my remedy in your cup of tea and the snacks I gave you earlier, then I added a calming potion into that one,” she says, pointing at the mug you are still holding. “That’s what did the job.”

Surprised, and absolutely amused, you can only shake your head in wonder. “I guess they weren’t kidding when they said that you give the best remedies. I suppose the wonderful chat we had also helped put my mind at ease that I almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing here.”

Aurora looks out the window from over your shoulder just then, and her eyes immediately widen. “We’ve been talking for so long that I didn’t even notice how much time has passed. I haven’t even started making dinner.”

Turning away from her, you follow her gaze to look out the window, noticing how dark it had gotten out there. “Oh, right. It’s already dinnertime. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time,” you say to her, feeling remorseful for getting lost in the moment. But right as you turn to her and before you even begin to take your leave, the mage stops you right away.

“Surely you can stay for a while longer, can’t you? Seokjin isn’t going to return for dinner tonight, as he is still busy attending Alpha Namjoon’s business at the pack house. He’s probably already combing through the buffet dinner by now. Tammy, the pack’s senior cook, makes excellent meat pies, and he would often go mad for it whenever he is eating with the other pack members.”

“Well—I’m not exactly in a rush to go,” you tell her, which is not entirely a lie.

Ever since you came to the pack, you had spent most of your time staying close to your parents. Oftentimes, Taehyung would have to send either his mother or his mate to drag you away, forcing you to join them during mealtime just so you could get a little break from watching over your parents who remain unconscious. You have no doubt that the moment you return to Taehyung’s property, his family would have you joining them again. While you are grateful for their care, it doesn’t stop you from feeling as if you are intruding on their personal space too much, and you feel guilty about it when they have already done so much to help you and your family.

Besides, you also have another purpose to stay with Mage Kim tonight, and you refuse to leave until you have what you needed.

“On that note, I should probably start making dinner,” Aurora says, turning away to pull out a couple of containers from the freezer standing behind her. She sets them all up on the counter, opening them to reveal the frozen meat contained inside, nearly causing you to drool. “How do you like your meat, Alpha? Medium, or well done? Or perhaps, rare? I know that shifters can have different tastes in the way they enjoy their meal.”

“Medium rare, leaning more towards rare, if that’s not too much of a trouble,” you answer her while holding back from licking your lips. Though you can barely restrain your wolf’s hunger when she softly growls inside your head, drawn completely to the sight of the uncooked meat. “It’s the only way it would be fair for me and my wolf. Obviously, she would prefer her meat raw. But when I’m in my human form, I do enjoy a bit of a roast on my meat for a taste.”

“Understandable. That’s actually how my mate would love his dinner too,” Aurora says, nodding. “Of course, the bear inside him would always fight him over it, as the beast prefers the meat all fresh and bloody. But Seokjin could no longer stomach it ever since he started staying in his human form longer. He always says that fresh meat reminds him of the dark days that he spent as a feral.”

Nodding your head absently, you try to recall a little bit more of what you had once heard about Beta Seokjin. You had never once met any shifter who had gone feral for a long time and managed to regain their sanity to be able to return to society and to hold a highly regarded rank the way Beta Seokjin did, so his story had always intrigued you ever since you first heard of him from your father in the past. You had once wondered if he would still lose control even once he had returned to live and function in his human form, or if he had given up the option to shift at all.

A shudder runs through your body as you imagine yourself living without ever getting a chance to shift right back into your wolf form. The feeling of entrapment suddenly overcomes you, as you have always felt so free and alive whenever you are running in your other form.

“But he still hunts regularly while he is running in his beast form, right?” you question the mage as the thought comes into your mind. “I always give my wolf free reign when I need to go out on my regular run, and she always takes the chance to hunt and eat her game all fresh and bloody when she is in control.”

“Oh, obviously,” Aurora answers with a playful scoff. “He still runs in his bear form, though he rarely does it alone. He would do it either when the pack is doing their regular run together, or he would have one or two Enforcers running with him to keep an eye on him. It’s not that he would lose total control when he shifts, it’s just that the bear would take any given chance to take over his body and he would sometimes run free and wild without care. It’s usually during that time when the bear would find a fresh hunt for himself and enjoy his rare, and extremely bloody, meat.”

“Beta Jin would always argue with the bear about it when that happens, I’m guessing?”

She laughs, knowing that her mate would do such a thing just for the sake of it. “Every single time.”

As Aurora prepares for dinner, you can no longer sit down and do nothing, so you give her no choice but to let you help her through it. Soon enough, you are sitting with the kindhearted mage on her dining table, which is small and comfortable enough for two people, though you still find it hard to imagine Beta Seokjin sitting around it in his bear form. Which, according to Aurora, is something that often happens when the Beta is too exhausted to fight against his bear who always wants to show himself in front of his mate.

“He used to do that in our old home, watch over me while I was cooking our meal or when I was messing around with my potions, filling the room with his massive body. I suppose it became a bit of a habit for him that he still can’t let it go once we’re living here, so I’d just let him instead of arguing about it. No matter how stubborn Seokjin can be, his bear is much worse,” Aurora tells you with a soft chuckle. “Seeing him trying to fit into this tiny space is pretty adorable too, especially when he’s sitting with his legs out like a giant teddy bear.”

Seeing that you have only ever met Beta Seokjin while he is being formal and serious in your previous encounters, imagining him being the cute teddy bear that Aurora is describing him draws a smile to your face. “Forgive me, but it is really hard for me to picture the Beta acting in such a way,” you comment with a laugh. “Although, if I have to compare him with Taehyung, then I guess they’re both aren’t so different, after all, if they can truly act differently when they are in their personal space and with their loved ones and just be themselves.”

Right the moment you say this, your mind wanders to Jimin. Finding a mate is always a blessing for a shifter, and you had been given the gift of finding your second chance mate. Despite feeling blessed and grateful, you resent the fact that it had to happen during the circumstances that you are in, where you are unable to enjoy your first moments with your mate the way Aurora and Beta Jin or how Taehyung and his mate, Rhea, could. You barely had enough time to be with each other before you had to part ways, all because you both had to meet on the rise of an incoming war.

Suddenly feeling envious and disturbed after listening to Aurora’s story, you lean back in your seat to try and distract yourself from your own thoughts. That is when your eyes fall onto the old spell book that has been left right on the corner of the dining table. You remember seeing her carrying it with her all the time, and then you saw it again earlier when she came back from tending to a pack member, but you never had any clear view of it until now.

“This book seems pretty old. It looks like it’s falling apart,” you comment as you lean to look closer. For some odd reason, the spell book seems to draw you in, though seeing its dire state, you hold back from reaching out to touch it.

“That’s because that book has been around for ages,” she comments while laughing. “I’m trying my best to keep it as it was. I’ve had the book since I was little. My mother—the woman who raised me—gave it to me. That’s the only thing that was once hers that I still have left.”

“A.C.,” you murmur softly, reading the initials that have been engraved so clearly on its leather cover. The writings around it seem to be fading, yet the initials are still quite easy to read.

“That’s my mother’s initials. She carved it on the cover because she kept losing her books as a child. She told me once how the other kids who grew up with her knew that she was different, and had constantly tried to cause trouble or get her into trouble in the coven. That includes stealing and hiding her book of spells and grimoires right before her rituals,” Aurora explains, looking down at the book cover with a deep longing in her eyes.

“Her name was Agatha. Agatha Carro. That’s where A.C. came from. She was a healer and a clairvoyant, just like me, though the magic and the blood that ran through her had come from black magic, as we were both born and raised in a Dark Coven.”

Agatha. The name rings inside your head, and you are immediately reminded of the Wiccan. Could it be—

“But let’s not go there. I’m pretty sure that my story isn’t what you needed to hear,” she suddenly says, waving you off before your mind could go any further. She leaves her seat to pick up the steaming teapot and begins to refill the empty mugs on the table with fresh tea before returning to her seat. “At least, I know that it’s not the reason why you came to visit tonight and why you had kept me company for hours. I know that you didn’t come here just for an idle chat or to simply cure your heartburn, even if I haven’t heard you complaining about me keeping you here.”

“Nothing about our conversation was idle. If any, it had been quite—enlightening,” you reassure her while picking up your mug of hot tea. You can smell the scent of fresh herbs through its steam, letting you know that she had once again added the same remedy as the one she had given you earlier.

“I was told that you are the one working on the remedy for my parents. I just—I don’t know, I just figured it would only be right if I paid a visit, to say thank you and see how it’s going, or if you have any trouble with it at all,” you finally admit to her. “It was by chance that I was having trouble breathing and experiencing heartburn at the same time, so I had a good reason to ask Taehyung to show me the way to your home.”

Aurora simply smiles at you. “Coincidences often happen for a reason created by Fate. Yes, I have been working on the remedy ever since Beta Taehyung and his mother reached out to me,” she says, gesturing to the sunroom at the back of the cottage that is visible from the dining room. Seeing the altar and the wooden cabinet filled with glass jars containing various herbs standing in its corner, you safely assume that she is using the sunroom as her little workshop where she is making her remedies. “I took a sample of your father’s blood and the antidote that was said to have been given by your mate. Alpha Namjoon said that your mate had also been poisoned and you believed that it might have been the same one that was used to harm your parents.”

Nodding, you tell her everything that Jimin had told you about what the poison had done to his body. “It had similar symptoms to what my mate had said to have happened to him. Taehyung’s mother told me that if it wasn’t for the fact that my parents had the Alpha blood inside them, then they would have—” you stop talking when your throat feels tight. The thought of losing your parents had been haunting you for quite a long time, and you refuse to let it enter your mind again now that you are starting to feel a glimmer of hope. “Did it work? Did you manage to find a way to use that antidote for them? I know that we couldn’t use them directly since the original antidote was created for Vampires.”

Aurora shakes her head. “No, we couldn’t use it. Even if we had, there is no doubt it would only harm your parents more. It seems that the poison that was used on your mate was also slightly different, as we found a hint of wolfsbane added into it through your parents’ blood.”

This new fact makes you frown. “Are you saying that the poison may be the same, but they had deliberately altered it to weaken werewolves?”

“That seems to be the case, yes,” Aurora hums softly as she deeply considers this thought. “Not to worry, though. We are close to finishing the remedy. I’ll spend the whole night working on it and making sure that it will actually work. Just like you said earlier, we’re in the race against time, so I’ll personally make sure that it would be ready before sunrise.”

As the night continues, it turns out that there is no need for you to wait until sunrise comes to have the remedy that you needed. Right after you finish dinner, Aurora simply decides to get right back to work to finish creating the perfect potion that would help heal your parents.

She welcomes you to join her in the sunroom, where the area is filled with her little trinkets, illuminated with nothing but candles, while the scent of herbs and potions keeps flowing in the air around you. You watch her in awe as she gets to work, as she pulls out the samples of blood and altered antidote that she has been working with to create new samples in smaller vials. You even lend a hand when she needs to crush a few different herbs to mix with each sample, until she finally manages to find the perfect mix to eliminate the toxin and the remaining poison from the blood samples. She even uses a hint of her magic to amplify the remedy once she is done, and for once, the sight of the magic practice doesn’t leave a bad taste or an eerie feeling inside you, knowing that the spells she uses—enchanted from the pages within the old spell book—is only done with good intentions.

Hours before midnight arrives, the mage already has a few portions of the remedy that you had needed from her.

“You are truly amazing,” you muse with wonder as you hold the vials filled with the freshly blended remedy that may help heal your parents. “Thank you so much for this.”

True to her humble character, Aurora only waves her hand at you. “Don’t thank me yet. We’ll see if it’ll work to help your parents gain their strength back and for them to finally recover. It’s going to be a rough process of healing after dealing with such a strong poison, and this will only be the beginning of that healing process. I’ll be here to ask for help from the ancestors to lend their strength. Perhaps I can also find more answers by convening a seance to communicate with them directly to ask for their guidance.”

“Ah, that’s right. You told me earlier that aside from being a healer, you are also a clairvoyant,” you say to her, recalling what she had shared and what Taehyung had once told you.

“That is true,” Aurora says, giving you a shy smile. “My mother was a gifted one with that skill, and she had passed on her gift to me.”

Once again, Agatha’s face comes flashing into your thoughts. “I’ve met another clairvoyant, a Wiccan, on my journey here. She showed me a glimpse of the past. She started with the events that happened years ago regarding my sister, long before her rebellion came to rise, to show me what may have triggered her to finally take action to turn the pack against me and our parents,” you carefully tell her, refraining from saying more about seeing Alpha Namjoon and Beta Jin in that same vision. “Then I was also given the chance to see another Vision, left behind by my mate’s mentor and guardian, which we had managed to unlock with the help of the Wiccan. This one took me back long enough to witness the Ancient war, the Blood War, and to see for myself everything that had actually happened during that time.”

Aurora’s eyes grow wide upon hearing this. You haven’t exactly shared this with anyone else but the Alpha, but knowing that she may have the same ability and more knowledge about this gift, you had figured that perhaps you can find some answers from her.

“Have you ever—” you start by asking. “Since my arrival in this pack wasn’t so much of a surprise to you, have you ever envisioned me coming here for help or have you ever seen any signs about the war coming back?”

Aurora looks a bit unsure for a moment before she finally nods. “The spirits spoke to me during one of my seances. They had given me a warning that something is going to happen in the near future. Something so big that would alter the entire lives of everyone living within this realm, and that I would know when the time will come. The messages they sent me had foreseen a part of a distant past that was coming back to the present, that a cycle of events will take place as soon as the pieces that were linked into that past are reconnected,” she says, recalling everything that she had known. “The moment you arrived at the pack, bearing the mark that was given by your mate, I knew that it had begun.”

A sigh slips right through you just as the dreadful feeling that you felt before returns, the unsettling sensation that always takes over when you recall the sight of the Blood War. “The vision had told me something similar. Through the vision that I entered, I was able to understand everything, to know all about the pieces of the past that had caused the war and the possibility of them coming back in the present and reconnecting—”

As you begin to talk about it, the memory of the vision returns to you. They come flashing into your thoughts like a set of moving pictures. The pale Vampires that reeked of blood, the young and mighty Vampires riding the flying dragons, the army of Rogues and Halflings rushing down the mountains before colliding with an army of Werewolves and Lycans in an intense battle, and the deep, bloody red sky above.

“A vision that was left behind by someone who no longer exists in the upper world,” Aurora suddenly murmurs while looking like she is a deep thought. “This Wiccan that you met must have been quite powerful to be able to assist you with one.”

You tilt your head, suddenly feeling curious. “Are you not capable of doing the same?”

Aurora gives you a sad smile. “Not quite yet. I haven’t had that much experience with it to try it with another person, but I have been training myself to create a Vision for myself so I could go back into the past and look into some of the Elders’ memories,” she says as she looks up at you. “Is that what you needed help with? Do you have another vision that you would like to visit?”

You quickly shake your head. “No, not quite. I’m not sure, really. I’m just still quite at a loss, I guess,” you answer her with a defeated sigh. “It’s just—there are so many things that are still bothering me. How much do you know about the Ancient Blood War?”

At the mention of the Blood War, Aurora’s face immediately turns grim, and the unsettling shudder begins to run down your spine even before you hear her answer. “Enough to know that if it should occur once more in the present, the entire realm would succumb to darkness, because the forces that had once stopped the War may no longer exist.”

➥ Special Appearance: Jiwon (Bobby) as Lord Xander’s son

#btshoneyhive #jimin scenarios #jimin scenario #jimin fanfic #jimin smut #jimin fluff #jimin angst #jimin x reader #bts jimin #park jimin #bts scenario #bts fanfic #kpop scenario #kpop writing #kpop fanfic #bts smut #bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader

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the12thnightproject · 10 months

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Chapter 3: Boom …Katsu makes a grave miscalculation - and ends up needing rescued by - or is it from? - a certain snarky kitsune.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

When I first met Francisco five years ago, he’d been a merchant trader whom Aki had encountered on his travels somewhere. Aki invited him back to The Mountain as a kind of cultural exchange – Francisco was to teach me Portuguese and I tried to teach him Japanese (one of us was a lot more successful in this endeavor… whether it was because I was a motivated student but a terrible teacher, or because Francisco just doesn’t have an ear for language, I can not say). Upon his arrival at Aki’s manor, Francisco had taken one look at Aki’s chatelaine Fume and inexplicably fallen in love. One month stretched into another, and eventually Francisco decided to stay in Japan, setting in Sakai, and making frequent visits to his lady love.

Unfortunately, his Japanese is still… well… horrible, and after listening to him struggle through the simplest greeting, I switched to Portuguese. Otherwise, we would have been standing in the middle of his front room all day.

“It is a relief that my message reached you first, instead of one of Aki’s other messengers.” Francisco took me back to his private quarters – a room with a hodgepodge of Japanese and Western furniture … none of which matched. It was jarring to see a silk tapestry carelessly tossed over a desk, as if it were a tablecloth and not art. “Because I am certain that he would want you to know what happened. He’s always spoken very highly of you. I have no idea why Fume believes otherwise.”

Since it wasn’t worth getting sidetracked to another ‘why Fume hates Katsu’ chat, I instead seated myself in one of the extremely uncomfortable chairs at the desk, and suppressed a protest when Francisco set a pot of tea down on the tapestry. “He was supposed to meet me in Niigata over two weeks ago. When was the last time you saw him?”

“Longer than that.” Francisco dropped some konpieto right into his tea and stirred it with a chopstick. “It was in Junho… er, what you call the sixth month. I did not know he was missing; only that he planned to meet me last week, and he never appeared. Normally, Aki always meets me when he says he will.” It didn’t escape me either that Francisco was using Aki’s least formal name. I wondered if their friendship was closer than appeared. Or. It could be that Francisco didn’t have any patience with formality.

“Was there anything he said that gave you an idea where he was going? Did he ever share the results of his investigations with you?” It was a silly question, really. Though Francisco was valuable as a language consultant, it wasn’t like he’d ever been part of our investigations.

Francisco loudly cracked down on a piece of candy – hopefully he wouldn’t break a tooth on those because… well, lets not go into medieval dentistry. “No. No. Never.” He shook his head emphatically. “We only talk about trade goods. Fabrics. Spices. Sometimes I tell him of my religion. I ask him what things Fume likes. But we never ever talk about what he does. Never.”

Like the castle seamstress back in Azuchi, Francisco had unleashed a flood of too much information – and three “nevers.” Was it a signal that he was lying? I tossed a quick, blunt question out there to gage his response. “What about weapons smuggling or imports? Did he ever ask about those?”

“Weapons? Why would…? No. He wouldn’t have. He knows I only import rugs and fabric.” He offered to refill the tea, but I still had most of my barely drinkable first serving.

Hm. Francisco had seemed genuinely surprised when I asked about the weapons. Perhaps there was something he was avoiding, but it didn’t have anything to do with guns. Unless Francisco was a far better liar than I credited him as being (which… not impossible). For a brief moment, I considered pulling Mitsuhide’s favorite trick of asking ‘what aren’t you telling me?’ but the opportunity passed and Francisco asked me where I was planning to stay. “There is room for you here, and when you go back to the Mountain, I will accompany you.”

I wasn’t certain I wanted to return to the Mountain without Aki, but that was a problem for another day. So, I gratefully accepted and offered to translate for him while I was in Sakai. “Although before that, there is a building I want to get a look at.”

It had been almost five years, but some places live in your memory. The building where I had nearly died was one of them. It was easy enough to find it again. It had loomed like a boogeyman in my dreams, but now, in daylight, it was a simple warehouse close to the docks. Nothing to worry about on the outside.

On the inside…

I walked through the unlocked door…

…into an empty building.

Well, that’s anticlimactic.

Ok, it wasn’t completely empty. There were a couple of piles of rope and rough cloth… basically evidence that the warehouse was still being used, but at the moment, whatever was normally stored here had been loaded onto a ship or distributed to buyers already. I sniffed the air and took in the faint scents of ginger and turmeric. Probably the most recent items passing through here had been spices from Goa.

Near a pile of rope was a torn-up scrap of paper – a list, in Portuguese. I lit a candle and spent a moment puzzling out the handwriting and translating the text. Various shades of cotton fabrics, which would confirm Goa.

Maybe there was an office of some kind in here? A room with records or other correspondence might lead me to the name of the owner of the warehouse. I didn’t immediately see a door or a hallway, although further back from the entry, it was too dark to see anything anyway.

I was trying to decide whether to risk lighting one of the lanterns, when-

“Who are you and what are you doing in here?!” The voice came from the entry - I had left the doorway open just a crack. I heard it slide open wider and a shaft of the late afternoon sun, cast a long silohouette across the floor.

One rule of sneaking is that, when caught, pretending you have a perfectly rational explanation sometimes works. I prefer to talk instead of fight my way out of trouble, so I pasted on my best ‘I’m supposed to be here’ smile, and turned around to face my interrogator.

A little boy?

He was maybe ten or eleven years old and dressed like an ordinary citizen – not expensively enough to be from a merchant or warrior family, and not roughly enough to be a beggar. That didn’t give me much to go on when formulating a response to his question and I ended up with what was more or less the truth. “I’m trying to find out who owns this building.” I considered adding that I worked for someone who wanted to rent some space, but at the last moment, I changed that to, “I’m new to the city and am looking for work.”

The boy relaxed. “I suppose if you were a thief, you’d more likely go to a place where there is something worth stealing.” He gave me a brief friendly bow. “I’m Hiko.”

I bowed in return. “Katsu. From Niigata.” I’d certainly spent enough time there recently to display knowledge of the place if quizzed. I could even relate the number of cracks in the floor of a certain inn.

“That’s very far from here.” Hiko came closer, looking at me with interest.

You have no idea kid.

I shrugged, then pulled out three of my remaining juggling bags and tossed them into the air. Showing off for him a little, but also trying to prove I was no threat. “I wanted to see the world… or at least the ocean.”

“My master is the merchant Shojumaru. If you want to see the whole world, he could probably find a job for you aboard a ship.” He watched the juggling bags spin for a moment. “How long did it take you to learn that?”

Nine days.

“Not too long.” I slowed down to show him how I alternated the toss and catch of the bags. “A job aboard a ship might be fun.” Or at least learning more about shipboard opportunities would be a good multi-tasking option for me, given that there was still a possibility that my brother was aboard one somewhere. But I needed to continue looking for Aki here in Sakai first before sailing off to parts unknown. So, I told a slight fib. “Except I can’t swim – that’s a problem.”

As soon as those words came out of my mouth, I got a weird flash of a little boy – this little boy? – flailing about in a flooded river. The sensation of savage rapids and cold water slapping at my face.

Grab the branch… it floats!

The memory – or was it a dream? It had to have been a dream - was so vivid that I nearly dropped the beanbags. Luckily the kid didn’t notice. “Does your master… this Shojumaru, own the building?”

“I don’t know.” Hiko took the beanbags and attempted to juggle them, with no success. “Many merchants use it – it’s only empty today because there haven’t been any ships docking this week.”

Hm. No clear answer, possibly dead end. Even if I learned who owned this building, there was no guarantee it had been the owner’s weapons’ shipment five years ago. All I knew was that those crates of guns had belonged to someone named Motonari and he had purchased them from a Nanban merchant. A lot can change in five years.

There had to be a better way. I needed an “in” with the Kaigoshu, the merchants who governed Sakai, to learn who was who, and who had been who five years ago. But that was akin to trying to get a meeting with a Daimyo, and a courier like Katsu just didn’t have the connections to do that. I wasn’t even sure that Francisco did, given his continuing difficulties learning the language. Perhaps he would know someone who knew someone, though.

Meanwhile, the sun was getting lower in the sky. Hiko reluctantly gave me back my bean bags. “I need to return to Shojumaru’s offices. He sometimes worries about me if I am too late.”

Really? My estimation of this Shojumaru raised a little. It was nice that he cared for his servants. Hiko’s loyalty to him was clear in the boy’s voice. Maybe Shojumaru would be that someone who knew someone?

Part of finding stuff out was knowing when to press for information and knowing when to back off. I sensed it was time to back off… just because Hiko was a little boy didn’t mean that he wouldn’t get suspicious if I kept asking questions. “Better hurry then.” Together we walked out of the building, and I slid the doors shut behind me. “You should not worry him by being late.”

He nodded solemnly, in sort of a mini-adult way. I guess he was kind of an old soul. As he started to walk away, I called after him again. “Hiko – you can keep these.” I tossed him the bean bags. I could easily make more.

“Thank you, Katsu.” He smiled as he hurried on his way.

Shojumaru.

Another name on my list to investigate. I turned and headed back to Francisco’s. This part of town, so close to the harbor, seemed a bit less safe in twilight. I didn’t exactly hug the shadows, for that would have called more attention to myself, but I was alert to any sign of trouble. The last thing I wanted to do was become ‘disappeared’ myself. There was already far too much of that going around.

I was carefully making my way across the road when my attention was caught by the chatter of Portuguese. Two Nanban merchants were sitting at a table in the front of a restaurant. They were accompanied by a pair of beautiful Japanese women, in kimonos so pretty that I momentarily regretted that the only women’s clothing I owned was one ugly brown maid’s kimono.

Courtesans, apparently, for they seemed to be doting on the merchants far out of proportion to the men’s looks. Or, well, I suppose that was unfair. The men might have nice personalities?

I stepped closer, close enough to hear their conversations, close enough to learn that the Portuguese were saying extremely rude things about their female companions.

So much for having nice personalities.

It was too bad that the women couldn’t understand them, or I’d imagine a couple plates of food would get dumped in laps. Or… maybe the women understood perfectly well what the men were saying and just pretended—

A germ of an idea took root… a courtesan could get access to the Japanese and Portuguese merchants.

But… could I pull something like that off? I didn’t want to become a courtesan in truth … just to-

“Boy! What you staring at?” One of the merchants yelled at me in heavily accented and broken Japanese.

“Sorry.” I bowed. “I was only trying to decide if I wanted to eat here. Is the food good?”

They looked at each other in confusion. Taking advantage of their distraction, I shrugged and moved on.

“I am sorry, Katsu. Your Portuguese is usually better… but I thought you just offered to be my concubine.” Francisco was caught between confusion and horror.

“No, I don’t want to be your concubine. I’m going to auction myself off, and you shall buy me.” I had refined my plan in between the time I left the restaurant and now. “That will give me the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of the auction.”

Francisco held up one finger. He walked over to his desk and poured himself a glass of some kind of wine, then gulped it down. “Now, please explain this idea in terms that don’t make me mistreat another glass of Madeira.”

“As Aki’s representative, I’m investigating the smuggling of weapons into Sakai.” My third lie of the afternoon, but Francisco wouldn’t know that Aki would never have asked me to do this. Nor did I mention that I was worried about the possibility that Aki had been taken prisoner and auctioned off, or shipped to China, or beyond. “I need to be able to move amongst the merchants and see what I can learn. If I am auctioned off as a slave, I will be able to listen in on their conversations – these people don’t know that I speak Portuguese. Then – you’ll buy me. It’s perfectly safe.” I realized as I said this out loud, that my logic wasn’t completely clear, but I figured Francisco would chalk that up to the language barrier.

“Akihira will murder me if I let you do such an insane thing.” Clearly, I had more convincing to do for he instead downed another glass of that wine.

“I can handle myself. I would prefer, of course, to do this with your help, but…” I let the statement trail off into the air to give him a moment to imagine where I was going. Of course, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try this without a partner, and if Francisco said no, I’d get one of Aki’s other couriers (not Takauji though) in his stead. But that would take more time than I wanted to spend. Easier to convince Francisco that I would act alone if he didn’t step in. “If it is the money you are worried about, I will find a way to pay you back.”

He heaved a long, deep, shuddering sigh, as if I had called the weight of the whole world down on his shoulder… or more realistically, the kind of sigh he would make if I had called the whole weight of Aki’s anger on his shoulders. “If we must do this, then let us do it correctly.” He unlocked a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bag that jangled. “These are yours.”

He dumped the contents of the bag out onto his desk and a shower of Takeda minted gold, Portguese real, and copper mon bounced onto the polished wood.

Whoa… that was a lot of money.

Almost as interesting was a sealed letter addressed to me.

Ok, who am I kidding. The letter was more interesting than the cash (and the cash… was pretty damn interesting).

Meanwhile, Francisco quickly swept the letter, and most of the money back into the bag, leaving a handful of the copper mon. “This ought to be enough for me to purchase you back from an auction.”

“So little?” Almost insulting.

He gestured to the male garb I wore almost exclusively these days. “We could spend a week outfitting you and making you look far more expensive, but do you want to waste your own money, not to mention your time, like that?”

Ok. Point to Sancho Panza here. “That letter… I noticed it was addressed to me.”

“Akihira left both the letter and the money for you in case anything happened to him. However, I am not yet ready to believe the worst has occurred.” He tossed the bag back into the drawer.

“Wait!” I reached for the message, wanting some kind of connection to Aki, even if it was an ‘in the unlikely event of my death’ letter. “What if there is some clue as to where he is now?”

“Katsu, Akihira wrote this letter two years ago. I do not think there is a relation.” He slammed the drawer shut and locked it. “I have some idea of the contents of the letter. Things that he would prefer to tell you in person some day. Things that do not sound as nice on paper as they do in conversation.”

All that this was doing was making me really want to read that letter, but I allowed Francisco to have his way for the time being. After all, I saw where he stored the key. I could sneak back in here later and grab the letter once I was established as his concubine.

Three days later, I, or more specifically my “Kaya” identity stood on one of several small platforms arranged along the wall – or whatever the dividers between rooms were called on a ship. I suppose it was still a wall. Clad in my most hated, ugly brown housemaid kimono, I stood with my hands tied in front of me, while strangers, most, but not all, foreigners, walked past, some pausing to look me over.

To leer at me.

This… might not have been the best idea I’d ever had.

I’d been on this ship half a day, and I immediately discovered – nothing. Or, more specifically, I discovered that there was nothing to be learned here. Anyone who might have been captured during the time Aki had disappeared was long gone. And the people running the show? Didn’t pay attention to our faces. We were simply commodities.

Though I had thought I was prepared for how I would feel when men eyed me as if they were determining how well I would perform in bed, the reality of the situation was dehumanizing. One of them said to his companion, “rather a diamond in the rough, eh? Give this one a few baths and it might end up quite the prize.”

“No. Too muscular,” came the dismissive reply.

Aware that the conversation had been in Portuguese, I kept my face blank and my eyes on the floor. Francisco had arranged for ‘Kaya’ – a housemaid who had gotten separated and lost during an attack on a Daimyo’s castle – to be sold. This wasn’t even an uncommon situation. In such cases the Daimyo’s family would either have been taken as hostages or forced to kill themselves, but servants who were not able to flee or hide often ended up captured and sold into slavery.

In a few moments Francisco would purchase Kaya, thus preventing me from the fate of becoming some merchant’s concubine or, even worse, bound for Europe to be the “exotic” plaything in a brothel.

I risked a quick glace around the room, wondering where Francisco was hiding. He hadn’t wanted to spend much time on board, as he was prone to seasickness. Even so, by this point, he ought to have arrived and walked past me to look at the merchandise.

But I didn’t see him anywhere.

Cutting close, Francisco. Too close.

Another foreigner paused in front of me. A Jesuit priest, complete with hypocritical cross and cassock. With pinching fingers, he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his face. The man wasn’t bad looking, I’d give him that. But the hard look in his eyes and the sneer on his lips – no. Whoever this man bought would be the unluckiest person in the world. “Are you a fighter?”

I blinked. The priest knew Japanese, and he spoke it very well. “Fighter? No. I’m a housemaid. If you need your floors scrubbed.”

He smacked me across the face, shocking me into silence. One of the auctioneers yelled at him not to damage the stock but he only shrugged. “I didn’t hit her hard enough to leave a mark. Besides. I will give you this right now,” he held up a velvet purse and shook a pile of Portuguese real out. “If I can take her without the trouble of an auction.”

Francisco did have more than that amount of cash on hand. If he were here… which he is not. Wherever he was, he needed to hurry, because clearly the auctioneer was weighing the thought of low effort high reward.

Father Slappy Hands added three more coins to the pile, one at a time. I felt each clink in the pit of my stomach. “This one has spirit.” The subtext being that he would enjoy breaking it.

Again, the auctioneer hesitated, and the man continued, “You won’t get any more for her in the auction.” He tossed another five coins into the pile. “This is my final offer.”

I could see the agreement in the auctioneer’s face even before he opened his mouth. But before he could say a word, three strings of copper mon, and a substantial handful of Takeda minted gold coins were plopped into the startled hands of the auctioneer.

“I believe this amount will match and exceed the offered price,” came a new voice. A different voice.

The good news. Someone overbid Father Slappy Hands.

The bad news. That person wasn’t Francisco.

The worst news. I knew whose voice that was.

Cinnamon and sandalwood…

I turned my head to look… or rather to confirm… but I knew, from the way that voice again activated that prickly feeling inside me, I knew, even before I had visual, that I was going to be looking right at Mitsuhide.

His silver hair was hidden under a long dark wig… but the golden eyes and knowing smirk were all too familiar.

Well. Hell.

The priest eyed Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide eyed him back with that one eyebrow raised in a challenge and his hand resting on his sword.

The thing about bullies is that when faced with someone stronger, they’ll slink away. Father Slappy Hands held ground for just a moment, then… slunk away. Still, just to make sure he was leaving for good, I kept my eyes on him until he exited the room. I wouldn’t put it past him to attack me later.

Not that he was currently my biggest concern.

No, my biggest concern was the snarky warlord in the wig who was currently tucking my ‘purchase papers’ into his kimono.

He then turned to me, and without a word, Mitsuhide unceremoniously slung me over his shoulder and strolled through the room.

And for a third time, I’m upside down.

@mllorei @akitsuneswife @selenacosmic @bestbryn @lyds323 @tele86

#10things #ten things I hate about mitsuhide #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #ikesen fanfic #ikesen mitsuhide #mitsuhide monday #mitsuhide akechi #ikemen sengoku mitsuhide #ao3 link

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hiddenqveendom · 2 years

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* — oc halloween challenge 2022 : [ day twenty-three - choose your path ]

ft. oh sarang (squid game) / video game au:

❝ player 86, otherwise known as oh sarang, is no ordinary character. as both the granddaughter of the man funding the hellscape and the girlfriend of the second in command, one can enjoy certain luxuries while playing as her. from the jump, players can decide whether or not she joins the games as a player or a spectator. if players opt to have sarang join the games as a player, they can enjoy the rush of squid game firsthand, all while enjoying a few secret advantages. nevertheless, players must be careful not to blow their cover while making these decisions that test sarang’s moral compass. on the other hand, if players decide to have sarang enter as a spectator they can follow an equally complex journey behind the scenes. this path, delves into her relationship with kang tae, the second in command game maker, as well as their fight against detective hwang junho, who has infiltrated the headquarters. will sarang chose the path of evil? will she make it out alive or sacrifice it all for the friends she might make along the way? you decide... ❞

tag list : @mysticalficvoid , @txlktomerooster , @sgtbuckyybarnes , @joaquinwhorres , @decennia , @veetlegeuse , @arrthurpendragon , @raith-way , @scootermcooter , @stanshollaand , @chrissymunson , @foxesandmagic , @eddiemunscns , @waterloou , @guardiansofheroes, @kingsmakers, @https-svnshine, @starlit-epiphany, @m1ke-wheeler, @fragilestorm , @nolanhollogay , @connietheecunning , @impales

send me a message to be added / removed !

base credit : [ x ]

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k-vanity · 2 years

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Group:

Idol:

Pairing:

x Reader | x Member | x OC | No Pairing

Genre:

Type:

Oneshot | Series | Drabble | Social Media

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lubdubsworld · 3 years

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Falling for you ( Falling from grace) Jungkook x OC

Rated : 18 +

Warning : . Fuck buddies? Or rather enemies that have sex. They just really hate each other but also can’t keep their hands off each other.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6

“Are you sure you want to head back to work today, Areum? Hoseok told me that he would give you the rest of the week off if you like... That bruise on your face is looking pretty nasty.” My sister commented mildly, her eyes worried as she watched me dab concealer on the mottled purpling skin on my jaw.

“I need to finish a couple of reports by the weekend. And Namjoon oppa told me he wanted me to be there when we viewed the CCTV footage later today. It’s going to help getting that bastard fired.” I flinched at how bad this side of my face looked.

The bastard.

“He’s not fired yet?” My sister made a noise of outrage.

“Of course he is. There’s a restraining order against him. But formally he needs to be terminated and Namjoon wants to do it in a way that it goes on his record permanently. Especially considering he’s already out on bond.” I wrinkled my nose.

There wasn’t much chance of Junho going to prison over this but I definitely did not want him within fifty feet of me, ever again.

“Jungkook’s busy with his practice is it? I haven’t heard from him...” My sister prompted and I nodded.

“His big match is coming up on Sunday. That's like four days away ...he’s probably cooped up in that gym of his.”

“I know... Seokjin works out there too... its a great place...how come you’re never there?”

I frowned .

“He actually has me blacklisted. I’m not allowed inside the establishment. ” I muttered.

My sister’s eyes widened.

“What? Why?”

I shrugged. The memory was a good one and worth reliving. In fact i relived it quite often when I was particularly horny with only my own hands for relief.

“I seduced him against his favorite punching bag once and he had to get rid of it because the cum stains wouldn’t come off. He’s a petty jerk.” I grinned at my sister enjoying the way her eyes went wide as saucers. .

She stared at me slack jawed. And then she shook her head in disbelief.

“You talk about him this way but you always look like you're half way in love with him. I don’t know what is going on in your head when it comes to Jungkook.”

I laughed.

“I love him. Of course I do.... I’m pretty sure he cares about me too, “ I remembered how warm and content I’d felt when he’d held me, how the police officer had immediately concluded he was my boyfriend, simply from the concern radiating off him, “ But, I’m not going to push for anything. I like how we are ...now.”

“Friends with benefits.?”

“I prefer the term enemies who fuck” I winked and she groaned.

“Whatever you say. But remember, you’re going to have to DTR at some point and I hope you don’t get a shock if he isn’t on the same page. “

“Unlikely. Now go distract mom so I can slip out of the back door.”

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

“That looks pretty fucking bad.” Hoseok winced when he saw me and I groaned.

“Don’t remind me. I ran into Namjoon on the way up and he swelled like a bullfrog. Is Jungkook in today?” I asked him brightly.

Hoseok frowned.

“you guys are awfully chummy these days ....Need I remind you about the clause on interpersonal relationships in the office?”

I flushed.

“We’re...not....I mean. We’re friends. “

“I thought the term was enemies who fuck.” Hoseok said thoughtfully and I jumped.

“What-?”

“Jungkook told me, you little brat. I asked him why he went over to the police station and broke Junho’s fucking jaw and he spilled...”

My own jaw came unhinged.

“ He what?!”

“He posted the bond money for the bastard himself to get him out and then apparently punched him hard enough to land him in the hospital.”

“Oh my God...is he in trouble?”

Hoseok sighed.

“Of course not... Mr. Jeon had it taken care off at once but I knew something was up . He’s too old to play knight in shining armor , unless there was something between you guys...”

I sighed.

“We’re in a purely physical relationship yes with of course a splattering of affection for each other. But nothing that deserves a label or close scrutiny from the HR dept. Please Hobi oppa, just let me be. “ I fluttered my lashes and he rolled his eyes.

“Just as long as you know that Jeon Jungkook is a chaebol. He’s not going to make a honest woman out of you.” Hoseok gave me a pointed look and I wondered if I really did wear my heart on my sleeve.

Apparently, everyone could sense that my feelings for Jungkook ran deeper than just lust and I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing.

“Anyway, yo answer you question, yes. He’s in his office right now.”

I made to turn away but Hoseok grabbed my wrist.

“You have thirty five memos to answer and seventeen appointments to schedule. Your desk is this way, I suggest you head in that direction.” His eyes glinted in a way that told me he was incredibly serious.

I pouted.

Fine... I’d wait for lunch to go meet Jungkook.

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

Jungkook had a secretary of his own , the smitten Miss Lee and she gave me an angelic smile, telling me that Jungkook was out to meet someone in the marketing department. If there was anything important, I could leave it with her.

Declining the offer and thanking her, I made my way to the fireescape and the back stairwell. One of the doors opened to the emergency exit in Jungkook’s office and it took me a little bit of running around but I managed to locate it easily enough.

Jungkook had left the door open and less than ten minutes later , I was in his office, staring around in mild awe.

Weirdly enough, I’d never been here. before, mostly because Jungkook himself wasn’t in here all that much. But there was no mistaking that he actually did take his work seriously . I peered around the expensive drawing Tablet and the three or so monitor screens , the stylus tossed about.

It was probably a huge breach of his privacy but I couldn’t help but click on the mouse, watching his monitor come alive.

I blinked in disbelief when I realized what I was staring at.

“Oh my fuck...” I

I felt my face flood with heat as I stared at the screen.

It was a drawing of me.

I was completely naked , reclining against what looked like a thick white fur rug , with countless plush cushions scattered all around me. The snow white fur set off the golden glow of my skin and I noticed the attention to detail, the tiny mole in the corner of my hip, the small half moon scar on the edge of my collar bone and of course an impressive collection of hickeys on my neck and my inner thighs.

I looked the way I usually did when I was mouthing off at him, a little angry and rebellious, my eyes blazing with a challenge and my lips parted in annoyance . I had one hand resting right between my legs, two fingers pressed against the labia while the other two disappeared into me. The other hand lay on my breast, fingers tweaking one hard nipple .

I turned away quickly, breathing harshly as I realized that Jungkook had literally drawn an incredibly accurate drawing of me masturbating , purely from memory.

Not entirely sure if i should be angry at this or not, I tried to clear the hazy cloud of arousal that was beginning to settle all over me. I wasn’t angry.

I was just ridiculously turned on.

And incredibly curious if he had other pics of me.

I whirled back around to the computer and then nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized that Jungkook was leaning against the doorway, watching me with an amused smile on his face.

“Oh, fuck...” I clutched at my heart which felt like it was going to give out.

“Pretty sure your desk isn’t here, Areum. Are you lost?” He drawled, stepping away from the door and stalking over to me.

I stepped back quickly, the action purely instinctive.

“Did you punch Junho?” I asked sharply.

Jungkook gave me a small smile.

“That is a very mild way to put it yes. He’s gonna be eating through a straw for a couple of months , yes.”

I glared at him.

“What if you got arrested.” I folded my arms.

He laughed.

“Baby, come on. fucker had it coming. Anyway enough about that loser. Why are you hovering near my desk. Corporate espionage is generally frowned upon baby... Am i gonna have to spank you, you naughty girl?” He waggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes before walking up to his desk and turning the screen around to show the lewd artwork .

“how long have you been drawing me like that?” I pointed at the screen and Jungkook looked surprised.

Surprised but not particularly bothered.

“Ah... i love that one... Did you see the way I only drew four of your fingers between your legs baby, your thumb is supposed to be rubbing on your clit.... I was working on it when I got called away earlier....” He looked apologetic.

I felt like I had turned the exact shade of the marron carpet under my foot.

“Jungkook how long have you been drawing me naked...” I snapped.

“ Oh... probably the first time you let me see you naked.” He said nodding lightly and I stared at him.

“How come I’ve never heard of this?” I hissed and he gave me a grin.

“Because it’s for my own personal...use.” He grinned.

I glared at him.

“How many....?” I demanded.

Jungkook shrugged.

“50...? 60? Definitely at least fifty.” He said casually.

I stared at him.

“I wanna see them.” I said sharply. Jungkook sighed, like I was being a pain , which was so unfair it made me want to scream.

“Areum, I-”

“Jungkook?” A soft voice called from the outer office and I frowned when Jungkook startled.

“Oh, hey... Sana..... Come in.” His voice had shifted into something mild and pleasant and I felt my hackles rise.

“Oh..hello... Areum ssi...” The girl gave me a confused smile and I resisted the urge to fold my hands and demand what she was doing there. Instead , I moved away from behind Jungkook’s desk, grabbing a file.

“Good afternoon Sana ssi.” I smiled.

“I’m sorry, I missed lunch, Sana.... I wanted to give you this. “ Jungkook pulled out a small envelope from his jacket, smiling an absolutely angelic smile at her.

Sana looked suitably enthralled, her eyes trained greedily on his perfect face as she took the envelope.

“Oh.. are these--?”

“Tickets to my match on Sunday yes...” He smiled. “ I’m hoping you’ll be there.”

I felt my lungs expand as I took a deep breath to calm myself down. The urge to screech like a banshee was increasing by the second.

“Oh, I’ll be there for sure. I’ll be cheering you on from the front row, Jungkook !!” She all but bounced on her feet, looking positively giddy with excitement as she bowed to both of us and literally floated away.

I waited till she was fully gone before turning on him.

“There better be another envelope in there with my name on it.” I gritted out.

Jungkook grinned wide at that, eyes dancing with mirth.

“In my jacket? Not really. But there’s something much better in my pants with your name on it. Want me to whip it out for you baby?? “

He grabbed the edge of his belt buckle, tugging the leather out of the hoops and I glared at him.

“You are out of your mind if you think I’m going to be okay with you letting everyone watch you fight but me. That is just unfair and uncalled for.” I snapped.

Jungkook was still tugging on his belt, but he paused to give me a look.

“What’s in it for me?” He said softly.

I frowned.

“What?”

“I’m not going to enter a deal without an equitable pay off....Its obvious that you’re really turned on by the thought of watching me fight . So unless you give me something I’m thirsty for.... I’m not going to indulge you,” He said casually.

I laughed in disbelief.

“There is literally nothing I’ve denied you in bed , you're crazy to even suggest -”

“I haven’t fucked your ass yet.” He said casually.

I could feel myself turning red.

“No.” I hissed. “ Absolutely not.”

“Why the hell not?” He frowned.

“Because it fucking hurts. I’m not going through that again.” I snapped.

Jungkook groaned like he was in actual pain.

“Baby, its hardly my fault you’ve never slept with a real man before me, is it? Why should I deprived the pleasure of fucking your ass just because those buffoons didn’t know how to do it right?” Jungkook’s voice was dangerously close to a whine and I resisted the urge to throw something at him.

“I don’t fucking care...its a no. So drop it. ”

Jungkook narrowed his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll drop it. For now.” He muttered and then made a big show of thinking, “ alright fine. How about you let me tie you up.”

I stared at him.

“You literally do that every time we have sex.” I pointed out.

“And I get to use my toy box.”

I blinked.

“Your toy box.” I said , confused. He grinned mischievously.

“You know the one...Big mahogany box underneath my bed. The first time I showed you, you kind of screamed and called me a monster?” He grinned wide.

i had a brief flashback of an assortment of whips, floggers and gags.

I shuddered.

Nope.

This wasn’t working.

“How about this.... Either you get me those tickets or you don’t get to fuck me. At all.” I smirked.

Jungkook hummed.

“Why would you punish yourself like that love?” He drawled. “ You can’t live without my dick, the sooner you accept that the easier life is going to get for you.”

The audacity of this bitch.

I walked right past him , ready to stalk out, but his hand shot out, gripping my elbow and pulling me into his embrace.

I struggled against his hold, but he brought both arms around my waist, flexing his muscles so I could feel just how futile it would be to try and break free.

“Come on baby, walking out in the middle of negotiations...that’s just really poor etiquette. Think of the poor hostage....” He pouted , doe eyes wide and I nearly caved. He had no fucking business being sexy and cute.

I laughed in disbelief.

“Hostage??....are you talking about your fucking ego....?” I stared right up at him , tilting my face when he moved to kiss me. His lips latched on to my jaw instead, tongue licking the skin there gently as he hummed .

“No...I’m talking about my dick.” He grabbed both my elbows, swinging me around like I weighed nothing, one arm holding me in place as he pressed up against my back, hips rolling so I could feel the hardness of his dick right against the swell of my ass. “ Dude’’s feeling pretty darn trapped right now. Poor thing just wants to get inside you and ruin you baby, why you making it so hard for him...?”

I elbowed him sharply, vindicated when the sharp edge of it caught something hard and fleshy. Jungkook grunted in discomfort but didn’t let go of me.

“My little hellcat. “ He bit down on the juncture between my neck and shoulder, “You know why my dick is hard?”

“To match your cold unfeeling heart?” I snapped and he moaned in mock hurt.

“Not fair baby...I have the kindest heart... Soft heart, hard dick....That’s literally my entire persona.” Jungkook nuzzled my neck .

I fought the urge to laugh .

“So why then? Because I’m within ten feet of you? Isn’t that all it takes usually?” I muttered, wincing a bit when his teeth sank in a little deeper.

Jungkook let out a soft chuckle.

“Normally I’d agree but today... I’m so fucking hard because you looked like you wanted to claw Sana’s face off when I gave her those tickets....”

I flushed.

“Well, I just don’t think I should be the only one not allowed to see you fight.”

“Or maybe you just hate the idea of any one else getting to touch my dick...because like I said...it’s got your name on it right baby?” Jungkook laughed against my ear and I blushed .

“I still think its rude that you don’t let me come to your matches.” I grumbled.

“And why do you think that is, baby? Why do you think I’m so adamant about you not being anywhere near me when I have something important to do...”

I didn’t reply, eyes fluttering shut when he suckled on the skin near my neck.

“Its because I’ll probably lose..” He growled into my ear, “ Don’t wanna get knocked out in the first round because I was too busy staring at your pretty, pretty face and delicious fucking body... My only distraction, my favorite distraction.”

I felt myself melt like an ice cream cone in the fucking sun.

“Oh, fuck you....you honey-tongued son of a bitch...” I choked out, unable to fight the wide grin that was taking over my face.

Jungkook chuckled in victory, hugging me tighter.

“So tell me.... Can I tie you up tonight? Get some of my favorite toys...Want to play in your sandbox....” He leered and I laughed despite myself. How could this man make the most innocent of phrases sound so fucking sexy....

“Only if you let me pick the toys.”

Jungkook let go of me and gently turned me around. He was frowning deeply.

“Babe you don’t even know what their called.” He complained.

“But I can gauge how much damage they’ll do and that’s more important to me.” I pointed out.

Jungkook gave me a thoughtful smile.

“Hmm....fine... But I get to offer the choices. “ He said softly.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Okay, in that case you need to let me see every single drawing you’ve made of me... right now.” I smiled.

Jungkook grinned, already grabbing my wrist and tugging me back to his desk.

“Deal...but I’m gonna need you to sit on my cock and keep it warm while I show them to you..... okay?”

I glared at him but he was already moving to the wide , comfortable chair behind the desk. He sat on the chair, manspreading and unbuckling himself before wriggling the slacks down past his waist and tugging his boxers down.

I watched him reach in to pull out his hard cock , pumping the hard length of it a couple of times before smiling at me expectantly.

“Horny bastard.” I muttered under my breath, before letting him maneuver me into his lap, fingers slipping up my skirt and tugging my panties aside , before lining himself up against my center.

“Ready baby?” He kissed my cheeks fondly and I nodded lowly. He pressed a couple of fingers against my slit, dipping in just enough to make sure I was wet enough. I wasn’t dry per se, but it still stung a bit when he drove himself in with one swift stroke.

“Oh, fuck...” I groaned when he entered me , the rock hard length of him cleaving my insides and making my tongue go dry. I clenched down on him, thighs beginning to tremble already. I gripped the edge of the table in front of me.

“Maybe I should call Sana in now.? Huh baby...that’ll show her who this dick belongs to, right , angel?” He whispered against my ear and I moaned, a gush of arousal staining my thighs at his words., Jungkook laughed knowingly, wrapping an arm around my waist to keep me still before rolling his hips gently and settling inside me.

“So baby, which ones do we start with.... Solo shots? ones with me....? There’s one of me fucking your pretty pink hole, maybe that’ll change your mind about letting me take you in the back...”

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

Author’s Note : I’m stopping here because the next chapter is just like 5k of porn and I wanted it to be a standalone chapter.

Comments are love , Feedback is really appreciated. Send me your thoughts, ideas or even just scream about how hot Jungkook is....anything works.

taglist : @veronawrites @aamxxrii @brooky95

@apollukee

@ladyartemesia

@yoongisdragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ if you guys wanna be on the taglist just lemme know...

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook smut #jungkook au #bts au #bts enemies to lovers #jungkook fics #jungkook reactions #bts smut #bts fics

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aquagustd · 2 years

Text

hell is empty - JJK, KTH

↳ PART 09 of hell is empty

life has a tendency to throw things your way when you least expect it, when you’re content, and the ominous presence knows exactly how to steer your existence back into the darkness.

prev | series masterlist | next [chapter summaries under masterlist]

pairing — drvg lord!jungkook x reader, hotel owner!taehyung x reader

genre/rating — R | angst, fluff, smut, love triangle au

word count — 11.1K

play — softcore by the neighbourhood

warnings/tags — single parent!reader, dad!JK, ex-boyfriend!JK, CEO!taehyung, pharmacy tech!reader, strong language, mentions of alcohol, one attempted kiss, lots of tears, oc & junho’s first ‘fight,’ subtle mention of gvns + vi0lence, jk is still MIA, oc + tae finally opening up 🥹, mentions of an off-screen talk about contraception, mentions of death, explicit smut — dom!tae, dirty talk, praise kink, biting/scratching, hickies, oc being bratty 😳, rough sex, hair pulling, pussy slapping, edging, spanking, choking, mouth stuffing, katoptronophilia (found the name for oc’s mirror kink? heh), foot play, toe sucking, brief foot job, [if you find foot play weird ~ the paragraphs are bolded if you want to skip it], impreg kink 🫣, oral (f), fingering, tae’s stubble sjklskdf, unprotected sex, slight overstimulation, creampie, multiple orgasms

note: okay, i decided to split this part into two once again since again, it’s a lot to take in and i don’t want to bombard you guys 😀 since i know it’s painful at times 😔 so this is part 09.1 !!

The beer grows warm in your hands, squeezed between your palms as you eye the man seated on your couch.

“Why are you standing way over there?” Seojoon chuckles, ankle propped on his knee as he snuggles into your couch, waving you over. “What’s new? It’s been a while since we talked.”

Sluggishly, you shuffle over to him and sit at the edge of the couch cushion, taking the tiniest sip from your beer before turning to him, forcing a smile onto your lips.

“Yeah…it’s been a while.”

You meet his gaze, hazy eyes locked with yours as you scan his face. This is the same Seojoon you spent late nights with, staying up to just talk about life and anything else that would pop up in conversation. The same Seojoon you trusted to take care of your son whenever you were at work or had other important matters to deal with. The same Seojoon who was there with one shout from you to deal with the bat that had gotten into your room or a clogged pipe. The same Seojoon.

But why does it feel…different now? Why do you feel so uncomfortable? His presence – so unnerving. And you feel guilty for it. To avoid him when he’s done nothing wrong except be a little too touchy with you recently.

That’s how some men are, you muse.

You show them some teeth and they think you’re down for whatever.

Perhaps you didn’t notice it before, you just don’t know why he’s giving you the creeps lately. Even before he started getting handsy with you.

“Ever since that fucker came to town you forgot all about me,” he sniggers, taking a swig from his can to then throw his arm over the backrest of the couch, fingers an inch away from your neck. There’s nothing you can say to that, because you have…Since Jungkook is around to take care of Junho and you learned to deal with clogged pipes and bats yourself. It just happened to be around the same time that Jungkook returned.

You open your mouth to speak but he cuts you off, his words tapering into a croaky chuckle.

“Seems like you’re done using me.”

“No, that’s not it.”

He drags his tongue between his teeth, shaking his head twice, “nah I’m sure that’s what it is.”

Out of reflex, your hand flies to his knee to stress your point. Snapping away when his gaze falls to the point of contact. You press your hand to your own knee know, cursing yourself.

“We weren’t using you Seojoon, Junho does ask for you sometimes. It’s just that he’s been so…occupied with his dad these days. He’s hardly home if I’m being honest.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t blame the kid,” he mutters, speaking into his can, “asshole left and came back and bribed him with money and toys. Of course he would want to spend time with him.”

You raise an eyebrow, suspicions spiking.

“What do you mean?”

He turns to you, noticing your wary expression because a short laugh bursts out of him, one that has you scooting an inch away from him.

“I saw the Urus parked in the garage,” he nods, jutting his thumb behind him which is far from the direction of the garage, “figured his father got it for him since it’s Smiley’s favorite car.”

You’re silent, scanning his sheepish demeanor as his eyes shift around the room before they fall on you, a smirk tugging at his lips as he runs a hand through his curly hair.

“What about you?”

Your mouth twitches, “what about me?”

“Did he buy you anything?”

“Apart from the fact that I have to drive Junho around in the Urus, no, he didn’t.”

He nods, jutting out his bottom lip before he jumps a little closer, fist pressed to his temple as he slurps up the dregs of his beer, “and money?”

You regret ever confiding in him.

“What money?”

“You know,” he laughs, knee brushing yours lightly as he sets down the beer can to reach for another, “the money he’s been sending you every month?”

You suddenly feel the need to lie, “still the same.”

“Damn, so he gives Junho all that money and still managed to buy him a Urus and all these fucking expensive toys?”

If your suspicions had a radar – it would be beeping like crazy.

Junho is a neat boy lately. He packs all his toys and cars away after he’s done with them, and he knows not to leave them out in the lounge or kitchen or laying in the hallway. So, how does Seojoon know about the toys?

“And you still don’t spend the money?”

You rub your forehead, defences shooting up, “no.”

“So you’re still saving it like you said?”

“Why are you so interested in the money?”

His eyebrows shoot up, a flash of an emotion you’ve never seen before passes his features which has you wondering if you’ve made a mistake. But the nervous chuckle he lets out after has your hackles rising.

“I’m just asking, you’re not curious? Where does he get all that money from?”

And then it hits you.

So hard you feel yourself standing up but you’re not. You’re still sat next to him, blinking stupidly.

He’s after the money he knows you’re saving for Junho when he’s old enough to make decisions for himself and figure out what to do with the money his father left for him.

“Seojoon you—”

“So, you don’t miss me?”

Your feel your facial muscles tense, “what?”

“You know—” he laughs, his arm suddenly around your shoulder “—how things used to be with us?”

You shrug off his hand, making a move to stand from the couch but he’s got your wrist in his grip, light but terrifying.

“You’re gonna choose to run away instead of answer my question?” He speaks sharply, the smile he has on a juxtaposition of the domineering tone in his voice. “I know you miss me.”

When you speak, that’s when you feel your heartbeat pulsing in your throat, twisting your arm to break free from his hold. You laugh, masking your fear, showing him that you’re completely unaffected by him and his firm hold your hand.

“What do you mean?” You chuckle lightly, using your other hand to peel his fingers off and rise from the couch, pacing over to the door.

You’re turned to the door when you feel his breath hit the back of your neck, spinning around abruptly to find him so close, your chests nearly touching before you take a few steps away. Heart sinking to the pit of your stomach when the ice-cold door presses into your back. His eyes are glazed over, head cocking to the side menacingly.

“You know what I mean. Do you miss spending time with me?”

“Seojoon,” you chuckle, pushing him away lightly but he’s glued to the spot, Chest rock hard against your touch, “what are you talking about?”

“Just answer the question,” he states plainly, voice dropping to a whisper.

You look up at him, chin quivering slightly, “what are y—”

“I bet that bastard bought you off too am I right? You fell for his tricks and now you won’t admit your feelings for me.”

“What the fu—Seojoon what feelings? You’re my friend.”

His eye twitches, snarling through his words as he presses a hand to the door, towering over you.

“Stop lying,” he growls, the sounds paired with that blank look in his eyes sends a chill down your spine.

“I’m not lying, we’re friends, right?”

“No,” he exclaims, banging a fist into the door, “we’re not friends! Friends don’t do the things we did!”

You click your tongue, still believing that he’s playing some stupid prank on you.

“Seojoon, stop it now.”

“Stop what? Loving you?!”

You can’t help the laugh that bursts out of you, you’re aware that he’s being serious, but that seems like your only response in this situation. But the smile gets wiped off your face when he wraps an arm around your waist and tugs you close, his chest now flush against yours.

“Seojoon—” you beat your fists against his chest, that tiny voice inside your head telling you to remain calm getting smaller and smaller “—let me go.”

“NO! All those nights I spent watching you fall asleep, you would cuddle closer to me! All that was gone when that asshole came back! I saw you with him and that other snob. They can’t love you like I can.”

“What the fuck Seojoon?!”

He continues to spew a whole load of bullshit, while you’re beating at his chest and kicking his shin, but he refuses to let go.

“Listen to me, please! I saw you at the Junho’s party! You weren’t happy! You’re never happy around them,” he rambles, head dipping down while you’re shoving at his face, “I can keep you happy.”

Your eyes widen in horror when he grabs the back of your head and lowers his with his lips puckered. Pinning your hands to the door. Turning your head to the side, you spot your car keys in the bowl kept to the right of the door and reach for it, rearing your hand back and driving it into his side which has him stumbling away, clutching his side in pain.

You grab his collar and yank open the door, tossing him out in one swift movement, “you piece of shit!” He reaches out for you, but you jerk your knee upward, hitting his chin harshly. A loud crack resounding in the hall.

”Leave me the fuck alone or I’m calling the police!”

Without a single look at his face, you slam the door and fling the car keys across the room, gaze shifting around the small space of your apartment as your heart beats a rapid rhythm. You lock the door and push the heavy armchair across the front of the hall, setting it against the door. Rushing down the hallway, you stand outside Junho’s room, lingering in the doorway as you peek inside. Finding it empty.

Of course, you know he’s not here. He’s with Yoongi and Yuri. Why are you looking for him when you know he’s not here?

You jog to the lounge again, pausing when you see the beer cans. Like an arrow through your chest, what happened a few moments ago comes to the forefront of your mind. A stream of tears pouring down your cheeks as you pick them up one by one and throw them into the trash can.

With a pained groan, you flop down onto your bed after locking the door, chest aching as you press your fist to your forehead, wondering how you could let that happen. His shut eyes, crusty lips, filthy hands on your skin sits like a stain in your memory, playing like a broken record in your head and no matter how hard you rub your eyes – it just wouldn’t go away.

Worst of all, you trusted that man. And he turned out to be this psycho who watches your every move and knows exactly what’s happening in your life without your knowledge. Innocently, you would spend your free time with him watching movies and all along he had different intentions. You can’t help but feel like you fed his desire, you’re to blame for trusting a complete stranger and spilling everything.

A sob wracks your chest, a vision of what could’ve happened distorting your head.

Hugging your knees to your chest, you think of Junho, and what would’ve happened if he were here. Thank God he wasn’t here.

If Seojoon didn’t show up you would’ve been showered and in bed, now you can’t move, sitting in one spot as your apartment grows cold and dull.

You’re searching for your phone, spotting it on the side table before bringing it up to your face with shaky hands, fingers scrolling up and down through your contact list. Fear still fresh and coursing through your veins. It’s almost midnight. Everyone would be asleep.

The silence in your home is deafening, and you feel utterly and nauseatingly alone.

Heart refusing to slow down, rocking back and forth, you wait for him to answer, staring at the orange beam of light filtering in through a crack in your curtains, hyperaware that Seojoon is just out the door. You could call security on him at any moment, but you can’t bring yourself to. And you can take care of yourself. All you need to do is hear—

“He-llo?”

You chew on your nails, sitting up straight as you clear your throat, “hello…”

His voice is thick with sleep, low and raspy, and you can imagine the sleepy pout he’s doing as he speaks.

“It’s past 12, what’s wrong?”

You inhale a shuddering breath, vision getting blurred by tears all over again. You take a moment to think over it again, it doesn’t seem all that bad – you got out of it before it could escalate. So why do you feel so fucking broken?

“I-I know—” your voice cracks, refusing to let you speak before you take a few deep inhales again, focusing on the chipped corner of your coffee table.

“___? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I…”

“I’m coming over right now. It’s only a two-hour flight.”

“No,” you protest, leaning to the side to rest your head on your arm, “no don’t come. I’m okay.”

“You don’t sound okay, love.”

“I just…”

“Nightmares again?”

Smiling through your tears, you press your lips together, nodding despite him not being able to see you.

“Is Smiley staying over at Yoongi’s again?”

You nod again, pressing a hand to your forehead, “yeah.”

Shuffling from the other end of the line filters through the speaker, his voice much clearer now, yet still laced with sleep.

“I can come over, it’s not a problem.”

“No, I’m okay.”

He exhales a deep sigh, whispering, “are you in bed?”

“Yeah,” you quake, resting on the couch now, facing the doorway.

“This…This might be stupid, but I can sing for you?”

You smile to yourself, hand resting on your belly as you stare at the ceiling.

“Really?”

“I’m not that good or anything but I can for you, if that would help your nightmares.”

The last time someone sang you to sleep was when you were five years old, and your mother would lay by your side humming a soporific tune. You sing the same for Junho, and it works wonders whenever he deals with his own nightmares.

“Okay.”

You can hear the smile in his voice, “don’t laugh at me.”

Giggling, you rest the phone on the side, next to your ear, waiting for him to begin.

“I won’t”

“It’s sort of a Christmas song…”

“That’s perfect.”

He clears his throat again, exaggerating the sound a bit before he begins. Taking your breath away with his honey voice.

“Hey snow It’s coming today What should I prepare? I’m ready to greet you, okay Grey is falling on the canvas You can just cover it white—

Are you awake?”

“Your voice is…” You chuckle giddily, heart slowing to a steady beat, “wow. You really are perfect.”

“Thank you but you shouldn’t be talking, you should be sleeping.”

You roll your eyes, “you asked if I’m awake!”

“I was just checking!”

“Hmm,” you snort, bringing your pillow up to your chest to cuddle, “continue.”

“I’ll give you the world In this cold season You are my special event Your warmth will melt My blue and grey away.”

“Such a sweet song.”

“Not sweet enough if you’re still up.”

You yawn, eyes slipping shut as you envision him next you, curled up behind you on your bed while you’re drifting off to sleep, fast asleep knowing Junho is safe and sound and probably on his third dream for the night.

“When the world is full of white flowers May out times be more special When time is standing still May these flowers fall on your sad smile.”

Sleep washes over you with his gentle words weaving into your mind, turning over to your left side as you peek at the door for a second then close your eyes again, so drowsy with his soothing melody.

“Good night love.”

You’re mumbling, phone slipping from your hand as you hear yourself say:

“Good night, Tae.”

“WHAT THE FUCK? WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL THE POLICE?”

You hold up your hands placatingly, tugging Yuri’s arm so she’ll return to her seat and calm down a tad. Peeking over her shoulder, you watch Yoongi from the lounge, seeing him stand behind Junho as they continue mix something in a large bowl.

“Weren’t you scared? And you stayed there all day? Fuck no. You’re moving in with me and Yoongi till you find a new apartment. I can’t fucking believe him! What the fuck?! AND HE KNEW ABOUT THE PARTY AND THE CAR AND THE MONEY.”

“Well, technically,” you sigh, intertwining your fingers with hers, “I told him about the money a while ago. And no no—”

She throws you an exhausted look, a mix of disapproval and disgust written across her face.

“You wanted me to get with him!”

“That was before I knew he was psycho!”

“Me too!”

She scratches her head, waving your joined hands around.

“But to tell him about the money…”

“I know and I honestly thought he was after that.”

She scoffs, “anyone with a fully functioning mind knew what he was after, I’m just…shocked, you know? He seemed so nice every time I saw him, and he was so good with Smiley.”

You exhale a burdened sigh, staring at nothing in particular, “looks can be deceiving.”

“Still waters run deep.”

Silence falls over you, the sound of Junho and Yoongi’s giggles echoing in their capacious home. Seojoon’s blank look replays in your mind, a chill runs down your spine when you think of how he cornered you. Refused to let you go. Yuri narrows her eyes at you, cogs turning behind her brown eyes.

“So when are you moving in?”

“What?” You laugh, swatting her arm, “we’re not.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell Yoongi whether you like it or not and you know what he’s gonna do.”

“Tell Jungkook and I can’t have that!”

Her eyebrow jumps, “why not?”

“Because…”

“Because…he’ll…break Seojoon’s legs and hand it to you?”

You gasp, “we—”

“Taehyung would do the same by the way. I’m one hundred percent sure. Should I refresh your memory and remind you? That night in the club?”

Your eyes widen, “oh God no. He’ll beat Seojoon to a pulp. Did you see their size difference?”

She juts out her lip, leaning back on the couch, “he’ll deserve it.”

“I just don’t want to cause any more issues, as it is Junho has been asking a LOT of questions lately.”

“Oh,” she chuckles, crossed legs brushing yours, “tell me about it.” She twists in the couch, ensuring that Yoongi is far away before dipping closer to you, hand cupped around the side of her mouth. “The other night he asked Yoongi why you and Jungkook can’t be together like us.”

Even if you laugh, your heart chips a bit to hear that.

“He also asked when I’m gonna have my own child,” she rolls her eyes, smile fading ever so slightly.

“Ugh, Junho. Hey—” you wiggle her knee around, voice lowering to a whisper “—how’s that going? Yoongi said I should talk to you…something like that.”

She dismisses you with a wave of her hand, fixing her t-shirt as she rises from the couch, but you yank her back down.

“Tell me!”

“No,” she grins, “it’s nothing. You know Yoongi overthinks everything.”

“Yeah, but everything is good, right?”

Her smile turns solemn, “I have an appointment with the gynae next weekend.”

“Alright, well you let me know how it goes.”

“WE’RE READY!”

Junho skips to the lounge holding a big silver dish while Yoongi follows carrying smaller bowls, setting it on the table then gesturing for you to join them. You peek into the bigger dish, running your fingers through Junho’s hair.

“You guys made hwachae!”

“Perfect for this weather,” Yoongi winks at Junho, busy scooping out some of the watermelon punch to then hand to Yuri who takes the seat next to him.

“It’s been so rainy these past few days,” you comment, sitting down next to Junho as you fill up his bowl. “Nice to have the sun out.”

Yuri hums, mouth stuffed, “I love the rain. This is so good! Thanks baby and baby—” She pinches Junho’s cheek who pouts, fist held out.

“I’m not a baby anymore!”

Yuri’s mouth hangs open, “yeah well you’re still a baby to me, okay?”

Pulling Junho’s chair closer to you, you nuzzle into his neck, “we know you’re not a baby but you’re still our baby, hm?”

His big eyes soften, dimple denting his cheek as he smiles.

The only sounds that can be heard is soft slurping and munching, enjoying the sweet juices while you’re itching to ask that one question. One that’s been nagging you ever since you arrived at Yoongi’s house.

“Ah—” Juice spills down Junho’s chin, and he panics, gesturing to the mess.

Yoongi hands Yuri a tissue, and she gets to cleaning up Junho’s neck and chin, patting his chest for good measure.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome baby.”

“Have you heard from Jungkook?”

Their heads snap in your direction, including Junho, who then looks at Yoongi, waiting for an answer.

Yoongi seems a bit stunned by the question, before his face relaxes to its usual expression, setting down his spoon.

“I spoke to him this morning.”

“And?”

His eyebrows furrow, “he’s…okay. Why do you ask?”

Your spoon clinks against the sides of your now empty bowl, fist tucked under your cheek.

“I’ve been trying to call him. But he wasn’t picking up. Voicemail.”

You’re avoiding Yuri’s inquisitive stare, knowing that she’s going to nail you for being so curious about Jungkook.

“I’ll let him know you tried calling.”

“No,” you blurt, fixated on the small chunk of ice slowly melting away in your bowl, “it’s okay. I was just wondering.”

Yoongi hums, tongue poking at his cheek.

“Smiley,” he calls, jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen, “let’s clean up.”

They clear the table, while you’re watching in awe as Junho takes each of your bowls and stacks them into each other. He’s not like this at home.

“We’re making dinner tonight,” Yoongi announces, holding Junho’s hand in his as they pad over to the lounge, “gonna chill in the meantime.”

“Hey, Yoongs,” Yuri shouts, earning a slow ‘yeah’ from her husband, “can you come over here for a sec?”

Once he’s back in the dining room, without Junho this time, Yuri passes you a quick look, one you recognize. But it’s too late since Yoongi is already here.

“We need to talk to you about something.”

He pulls out the chair Junho occupied earlier, sitting between the two of you, “what?”

She cocks a brow, gesturing to Yoongi with her chin while Yoongi looks at you perplexed.

“What are you two up to?”

“Nothing,” Yuri sighs deeply, “you remember Seojoon, the guy that moved in next to ___ after we got married?”

He thinks for a bit, small eyes narrowed, “y…es. Tech dude?”

“Yeah, last night he—”

“Lat night—“ you begin carefully, knowing that it’s best if you tell the story instead of Yuri given how she reacted earlier “—last night he came over.”

You keep your gaze on the charcoal grey tablecloth, drawing invisible patterns as you continue with a quickening heartbeat.

“He said we should hang out since we haven’t done it in a while…and recently, he’s been…giving me a weird vibe so I was like, okay, let me just get it over with since Junho isn’t around.”

Glancing upward, you check if Yoongi is still listening, and he is, elbow propped on the table with his gaze more pensive.

“And…we drank, well, he drank. I had this feeling, but I figured I was just overthinking it since we hung out a ton of times before.”

“What happened?”

“Uh, he…started asking me all these questions about Junho and Jungkook and money and I know it’s my fault since I should’ve have been so open with him from the beginning.”

“And?”

“I figured he was after the money but then he—God, this is so weird.”

“No, it’s not weird,” Yuri exclaims, reaching across the table to grab your hand as she grips Yoongi’s shoulder with the other, drawing his attention to her, “he was stalking her. Started talking about the party when he wasn’t even invited! About the car Jungkook bought and all that and he said other creepy things!”

Yoongi’s eyebrows shoot up, “what else did he say? How do you know for sure that he was stalking you?”

“I don’t know,” you laugh emptily, “just…the things he said freaked me out.”

“And what he did after…” Yuri finishes, shooting a warning glare at you.

Yoongi turns to you, “what did he do?”

“He…well, he grabbed my hand—” you clutch your sore wrist to your chest, recounting the events from last night “—and he wouldn’t let me go. When I tried to get away, he pushed me against the door and refused to let me go still. Then he…”

“That’s harassment!”

Yoongi turns to Yuri who’s fuming all over again, his voice calm, “then he…?”

“He tried to kiss me, but I managed to push him away and kick him out.”

“And she still slept there! She should’ve called the police!”

“I’m afraid of how much he knows.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Yoongi counters, pushing the chair back as he stands up, “Yuri and I will take you back home to pack whatever you need, you’re staying with us till we deal with him.”

Yuri squeals, grabbing your hands to pull you in for a hug, “I told you!”

Perhaps it isn’t too safe for you to go back there with Seojoon around, knowing what a creep he turned out to be. And maybe you did wake up multiple times throughout the night to monitor your surroundings. As much as you hate to admit it, you had to drink several glasses of water before you truly calmed down.

She takes your face between her palms, grinning, “told you he’ll say that. Don’t worry about anything. Yoongi will sort everything out. Let’s get ready to fetch your things.”

You’re eyeing Yoongi who’s busy talking on the phone, slipping away into the kitchen.

How he deals with Seojoon shouldn’t be any of your business, right? Especially since Yuri has no idea who he was all those years ago.

Yuri holds out the purple, jewel toned silk dress, mouth hanging open, “this. You’re wearing this on Friday.”

You stuff another pair of jeans into your suitcase, huffing, “Yuri, you’re supposed to be helping me pack. Not help me pick out what I’m gonna wear!”

She tosses the dress onto your bed, resuming her search in your cupboard, “you’re right, you’re right. You could wear anything, and Taehyung would still drool!”

Heat creeps to your cheeks, “shut up!”

Butterflies swarm your belly at the mention of his name, fluttering around when you think of how your date would go this Friday. He’s taking you out to one of the…fanciest restaurants in town.

Yuri flops down on your bed dreamily, arms splayed behind her, “still can’t believe he sang you to sleep. Yoongi does sometimes…but it’s mostly me singing him to sleep! And I don’t mind, since I love watching how he struggles to keep his eyes open.”

You chuckle, aiming a camisole at her face, “he didn’t really sing me to sleep. I dozed off for a while then woke up again since I couldn’t…fucking calm down.”

“Ah,” she pouts, tugging at the hem of your shirt, “sorry babe.”

“It’s okay.”

“I wish you would’ve called us! If I saw him I would’ve—” she holds up her hands, choking the air “—you know?”

You snort, “I can take care of myself.”

“Right, right, I know,” she jokes, poking at your side, “you were part of the bees once upon a time.”

Smirking, you collapse next to her, taking a lump of her hair between your fingers. She opens her mouth to speak, but the sound of your phone ringing in the lounge interrupts her. You rush over to answer it, eyebrows pinching together when you see an unknown number flashing on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me, Jungkook.”

“O-Oh,” you chuckle, both hands clutching the phone to your ear, “hey.”

“I tried calling you.”

You scoff, “I tried calling you! And you wouldn’t take any of my calls.”

“What?”

You sit at the edge of the kitchen stool, hearing the shock in his voice, “yeah. I tried calling and you wouldn’t answer. Then voicemail.”

“That’s funny because I didn’t get any calls at all.”

You purse your lips, “I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m serious. Not a single call. And I have my phone with me all the time. You know I can switch numbers on my phone, but still receive calls on one. I explained it to you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“But I didn’t get any from your number,” you hear him make a small sound of surprise, “and I sent Junho a few messages, but he didn’t reply.”

“What? Junho?”

“Yeah, I know you have like this safety thing on for him so he can’t receive calls from unknown numbers, so I couldn’t call you there either. He didn’t reply so I was worried, but Yoongi said you guys are okay.”

You’re already making your way to Junho’s room, finding him stuffing the miniature version of your suitcase with his own clothes.

“Oh, yeah, we’re okay.”

Junho leaps up, pulling at your dress, “can I talk to dad?”

“I’ll call you later, gotta go.”

“Alright, bye.”

“Wait, why did you try calling?”

“Oh, err…I wanted to talk to you about something.”

You hear someone speak in the background, along with shuffling, “okay, I’ll call you and we can talk.”

“Okay.”

Once you hear beeping to signal the end of the call, you set your phone down on Junho’s desk, scanning his room.

“Where’s your iPad?”

Immediately, you notice his change in expression, fingers pulling at his bottom lip.

“I got it here.”

You fold your arms, perched at the edge of his bed, “can I see it?”

He shuffles around his room, looking under the heaps of clothing and inside his drawers. Stalling. Finally, he finds it in the overnight bag he took to Yoongi’s this weekend, handing it to you without meeting your gaze.

And just like Jungkook said, you open up the messaging app to see over fifteen voice notes from Jungkook. All have been opened. But not one response from your son. Junho hovers near you, swaying on his feet.

‘Hey Smiley! How’s my big boy doing? I miss you!’

‘Smiley! What are you up to? I saw a Bugatti on my way to work today and I thought of you. I’m always thinking of you and mamma. Tell her I miss her and I miss you toooo!’

‘Junho I hope you’re okay! Please let me know if you want anything before I get back. There’s a nice shop over here and they keep Matchbox and Hot Wheels!’

‘Smiley you’re doing good? Respond to meeeeee.’

‘Does mamma like black or white more?’

‘Don’t tell her I asked, pleaseeeee.’

‘Smiley can you tell mamma I’m trying to call her. I don’t think she wants to talk to me. Ha ha.’

You glance at Junho, a dense lump lodged in your throat. He’s staring at the screen now, sat next to you.

‘I love you sonnnn, I love you both!’

Locking the iPad abruptly, you turn to Junho, heart pounding in your chest. Ears turning hot when you catch sight of Junho’s guilty frown.

“Are you going to tell me…why you didn’t respond to dad?”

He hops off the bed, short legs carrying him to the other side of the room where he grabs his headphones.

“Junho. I’m talking to you. Why didn’t you tell me dad was trying to call?”

“Because,” he grits out, back turned to you.

You inhale a shuddering breath, your own voice going against your will and booming out into the room.

“Because what?!”

“Because I didn’t want to!” He yells, stomping his feet.

“You didn’t want to?!”

“Yes!”

You grab his arm, turning his head with a hold on his chin, thumb and forefinger pressing into his cheeks, “why not?!”

He squirms out of your hold, eyes as wide as saucers, “because!”

“That’s it,” you shout, folding the cover over his iPad and tucking it under your arm, “no more iPad for you.”

“NO!”

“The weekend is over anyway.”

“Mamma,” he sobs, reaching out for you. You will yourself to look away, ignoring the way tears brim his doe eyes because you’ll give in to him. And then he won’t learn his lesson.

“Are you going to tell me why you didn’t respond to dad?!”

“Because,” he grits, shoulders lifting with each harsh breath he takes, “because I didn’t want to talk to him. He’s gone again!”

Your heart stutters in your chest, tears springing to your eyes.

“He’s gone! He left us again!”

“J-Junho…”

“I didn’t want to talk to him,” he repeats, wiping at his eyes furiously, “I didn’t want to!”

“He’s coming back,” you soothe, crouching in front of him to wipe his tears but he jerks away, stuttering through his words.

“And now you’re angry with me!”

“Junho, I’m not—”

“Yes, you are!”

You pull him into your lap, wiping his tears with the hem of your shirt.

“I’m just…sad. I was waiting for dad to call for so long and then when I tried to call him, it wasn’t going through. So, I was just worried and then I found out that all along he’s been sending you messages and you didn’t tell me.”

He buries his head in your chest, sobbing, “I’m sorry.”

You pat his back, seeing Yuri’s reflection in the mirror to your left. Spinning around with Junho in your lap, you wipe your eyes with your shoulder, sending her a maudlin smile.

“How much did you see” – you mouth to her, receiving a shrug.

“Enough.”

Later that evening, you’re trying to make sense of why Junho would do something like that. Why would he ignore his father when he loves him so much and he’s afraid that he’s never going to come back? How can a child, his age, have all the anger and willpower to ignore someone he yearns to talk to?

You’re glad that you made up after, sat with him till he fell asleep and tucked him in good, but you know you should’ve handled it differently.

Sat in the patio across Yoongi and Yuri, you take a sip of your drink, shrinking into your seat.

“Am I a bad mother?”

“What? NO!”

“Of course not.”

You giggle at their reactions, nodding.

Yoongi sits back in the couch, “why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug, gazing up at the sky, “I just feel like I could’ve…reacted better today.”

“You were surprised, and you made up pretty quick,” Yuri quips, nudging Yoongi in his side so he can add some of his input.

“Smiley’s a smart boy, I’m sure he understood why you were mad at him.”

“If your kids don’t hate you at some point then you’re a bad parent.”

Both you and Yoongi share the same quizzical expression, eyes on Yuri who sinks into Yoongi’s side, laughing hysterically.

“What? That’s what my mother says!”

Yoongi hugs her into his side, gummy smile in place, “I guess she’s right.”

“Do you think your kids would hate you at some point, Yoongi?” You tease, hearing a rigid no from him.

“My kids are gonna love me! I’m gonna spoil them and spend all my time with them, make sure that they’re always having fun.”

Yuri stares up at him fondly, stars in her eyes.

“Yeah?”

He looks down at her, nodding with his cheeks puffed up, “mhm.”

“Can’t wait,” she giggles, reaching for his hand to place a kiss on his knuckles.

You look away to give them privacy, but you find your gaze wandering back to them. A sense of longing blooming in your heart at their precious interaction.

Taehyung pulls up in the driveway with a loud roar of his engine, radiant smile in place. You wave Yuri and Junho goodbye, taking cautious steps down the stairs as you rush over to his car. Clicking in the seatbelt, you’re unable to hide your goofy smile once you turn to face him.

“Hey.”

He gives you quick peck on the lips, his fingers brushing your chin ever so slightly but it’s enough to have your face turn hot and tingling. The taste of mint lingers on your lips, along with his playful smile.

“Hey,” he says charmingly, one hand on the wheel while the other sits on the gearshift, “you look beautiful.”

You flick your hair over your shoulder, scanning his attire. Grey, three-piece suit with a darker colored tie, hair swept over his forehead.

“Thank you, so do you.”

“How have you been?”

You gaze out the window, eyes tracking each car that passes by. A habit you picked up from your son.

“Been okay, and yours?”

“Busy,” he sighs, heel of his palm pressed to the wheel as he takes the first left turn, “things went well at our new branch. I’m just glad that I’m back home.”

“That’s good.”

He turns to you, dark brown eyes simmering with the streetlights, “to see you.”

“Me too,” you smirk, alarmed when a car honks behind you, “hey, keep your eyes on the road!”

“It’s not my fault!” He laughs, the sound rich and masculine, “you distracted me.”

Face burning impossibly hot, you fix the strap of your dress, marvelling at the bright yellow lights ahead once you come to a stop outside a large building. It’s exterior black with yellow highlights and a modern structure. ‘Beaujolais’ in a glowing, brighter yellow situated above the double doors. While you were admiring the architecture, you failed to notice that Taehyung had left his seat to make his way to your side, startling you when he opens your door.

“Madam,” he winks, holding out his hand which you take gracefully.

Once you enter, all heads turn your way, his name being mumbled in every corner of the dimly lit restaurant. You grip onto his arm, feeling him lean into your side as you’re ushered to a quiet corner in the back, an elderly couple seated behind you. Taehyung tucks you into your seat, jerking it forward till you’re snug against the edge of the table.

You wait for him to take the seat across you, but he doesn’t, instead he pulls out the seat next to you, arm thrown over the backrest of your chair.

With a flick of his finger, not one word from him, the waiter dips his head and scurries away from your table, leaving you to take in the elegant interior, a low murmur floating around as well as the soft clink of utensils.

“Are you going to tell me what happened that night?”

He’s so close you could count each pore on his face – zero. Which leaves you feeling a little exposed. But he’s unbothered.

“Which night?” You whisper, whisper because he’s speaking in such a low tone.

He drags his tongue between his teeth, a light smirk playing on his lips. The entire gesture insanely attractive to you.

“Don’t play dumb with me, sweetheart. The night you called. You’re not the type to call at midnight crying over a nightmare. Usually, you’d tell me the next day.”

You scrunch up your nose when he nudges it with his index finger, following the sparkles his rings catch with the candlelight.

“I know you too well.”

Sticking out your bottom lip, you arrange your thoughts – wondering if you should tell him. Whenever you talk about it, it leaves you in a lugubrious mood for the rest of the day, and you don’t want to spoil your evening.

“I…I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

There’s a question on his lips, eyes searching yours before he nods slowly, fiddling with the napkin on his plate.

“Alright, but you are going to tell me.”

“I will,” you promise, shoulders feeling a little looser.

“How’s Smiley doing? I wanted to pop in to see him before we left but then we would’ve missed our reservation,” he pouts, his attention carried to your neck when you throw your hair over your shoulder.

“He’s good. Ah, you can see him tomorrow if you want to.”

“I was thinking we could go to this one water park not too far from here, Junho would love it!”

“Is it the one near Jangmi? I heard about it a while ago.”

“Yeah, Yoongi and Yuri can come along if they’d like, we can leave after work and maybe spend the night too.”

“That sounds like fun,” you admit, knowing how much Junho would enjoy the water park, since he’s your little water baby, “I’ll ask them.”

“Okay. Just let me know what they say, and I can book in for us,” he mumbles, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

He’s busy texting, and you can’t help but look, he lets you too, holding the phone up so you can observe.

“Deiji?” You say before thinking, but he’s quick to respond before you can play it off.

“Yeah, her dad owns the park, so I asked if she had hold a few rooms for us until you let me know.”

“Oh.”

At the mention of her, you recall the sickeningly sweet smell of her perfume, extremely high -pitched voice to match whenever Taehyung cracked a joke. Her grubby hands on him—

“Let’s check.”

Taehyung rubs his hands together, bringing one of the menus between you. You settle on one of their chicken dishes since the name sounded delicious itself and Taehyung picks out the starter and dessert, keeping his main similar to yours. The entire time he’s pinned to your side, hands caressing your knee as he munches on his entrée cutely.

You dab at the corners of his mouth, already full by the time you’re done but once the aroma of the chicken hits your nostrils when it’s placed in front of you – your stomach gurgles for more.

“Told you it’s good,” he chuckles, sipping at his wine. Whenever you turn to look at him – he looks at you, so you can’t truly ogle him like you usually do. But Taehyung in this setting – sipping on wine, lax and calm under the candlelight, he’s truly, so breathtakingly handsome. You surge forward, pressing your lips to the mole on his nose.

His eyes widen comically, as if breaking character before he relaxes, returning the gesture which has you giggling.

“The mole on your nose—“ you say, brushing it with your finger once again.

“What about it?”

“It’s cute.”

“I have one here and here too—” he bites his bottom lip, showing you the one just there.

“I know.”

“Why don’t you kiss those too?”

Heat settles on your cheeks once again, and it’s not the wine. You find the elderly woman’s bespectacled gaze on you, her face twisted in disgust.

“Maybe later,” you wink, patting his cheek lightly.

It’s silent for the rest of your meal, till dessert comes around, a rich, chocolatey mousse which has your tastebuds tingling, moaning with the decadence as it hits your tongue.

“I come here on special occasions,” he informs, poking into his mousse.

You lick the underside of your spoon, cocking a brow, “what’s today’s special occasion?”

He shrugs, “just feel like it.”

Narrowing your eyes at him, you can tell he has more to say with the way he leaves his mousse unfinished, hands disappearing under the table.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you, ___.”

You swallow the last bit of chocolate, urging him to continue with raised brows.

“I mean, about my past,” he begins, words leaving his mouth cautiously, “I know, that day, you saw those pictures of me, and my mother said I was a rebel and all, but it’s more than that.”

Setting down your spoon, you rest your hands on the table, “okay.”

He shuts his eyes, struggle shooting through them once they reopen, “I just don’t want you to see me differently from this day onward. Who I was before is a poor representation of who I am today. What you get from me now is me, one hundred percent.”

“Tae,” you giggle, catching the short tufts of hair at the back of his neck between your fingers, “you can trust me.”

“I know I can,” he stresses, ringed fingers curling around your thigh, “I just…don’t want you to see me differently.”

You inhale a deep breath, releasing the words just as slow, “I haven’t been honest about my past too…so I understand.”

He chews on his bottom lip, gaze latched onto yours.

“Alright, well, I’ll go first.”

Nodding, you readjust your position in your seat as he does the same.

“If something happens to you, and it affected you so much, won’t you swear to yourself that you won’t let your kids go through the same?”

Your chin hits your chest as you nod, his words resonating within you since you share a similar thought.

“My father refused to marry the girl his parents picked out for him and instead married my mother, gave her two children and then left because he couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t handle taking care of a family without his parents’ wealth. So he left. Leaving us with absolutely nothing.”

You’re listening intently, arm winding around his back.

“But everything caught up with him,” he exhales a bitter laugh, “anyway, I was seen as the black sheep of the family. My brother worked hard in school, and I was trying too. But when your effort isn’t recognized when you know you’re trying, it just feels like you’re doing it all for nothing, you know? At least that’s what I thought when I was younger. So I gave up, got lost in the wrong corner at the wrong time and joined the wrong crowd.”

His large hand covers yours, lacing your fingers.

“The whole time, I grew up thinking that we were born into an unfortunate family, so when my grandfather caught me picking at his pocket in a high society event, I refused to believe him when he said I was his grandson. They still didn’t help until my mother agreed to give up one of her sons to the family name. She hated them—” he grits, agony flashing behind his eyes, “—hated them with a passion, thought he was lying so you know who she gave up?”

You cup the back of his neck, whispering, “you.”

“But I refused to leave my other family behind and that’s when everything went haywire. How I ended up—” he presses a hand to his forehead, hands trembling.

“We don’t have to talk about this, Tae.”

“No, I want you to know,” he intones, fixing his posture. “Again, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, given a weapon I didn’t even know how to handle at the time with one job assigned to me and my partner. We were supposed to shake the guy up, you know? Make him pay in another way till he could actually give us the money.”

He shakes his head vehemently, brown hair flopping over his eyes.

“But things went out of control, he tried to hurt me and my partner and before you know it, I was the one who pulled the trigger.”

With that, he exhales a burdened breath, turning to you slowly as he surveys every inch of your face. You’re taking it all in, wondering if he means what you think he means.

“You…?”

“Yes.”

This should affect you a lot more than it actually is, right? Why do you feel nothing after finding out that he once killed a man…in a difficult situation. Maybe because you witnessed something like that multiple times before.

“It was self-defence, that’s what they all said, but up till today I still live with the guilt knowing I could’ve aimed lower, in his leg, in his arm.”

Then his words hit you, stomach flipping in on itself.

“Why do you…carry one with you then?”

He chews on the corner of his mouth, “I don’t anymore. I keep it in my car. That day at the warehouse, I just had the suspicion that Jungkook was gonna do something stupid, so I took it with me.”

“What if you…had hurt Yoongi? What if you didn’t aim for his arm?”

“The thing is, after that day, I went for training, I got a license and I know how to use it. Eighteen-year-old me was clueless and scared. I aimed for the pipe behind Jungkook, I guess Yoongi got scared and tried to save him, I had no idea it would hit his arm.”

“Taehyung, I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t go there intending to hurt anyone, ___. I didn’t aim at Jungkook or Yoongi, I was trying to scare him like he was doing with me. It was purely an accident.”

You’re blinking at him, slowly making sense of his words. Suddenly, your shoulder feels cold, he scoots away from you, buttoning up his blazer.

“Anyway, that’s my story. I just wanted you to know if we decide to take things further.”

You can tell how he’s feeling. He just poured out the most defining moments of his life and you’re pondering on something you’ve already discussed multiple times before. Somehow, you feel like he’s contradicting himself, saying that he’s not who he was but he’s still careless with a weapon like that. Whether he likes it or not, you’re going to have to talk about it again. But now it’s your turn.

“This is my story.”

You start from the beginning, just like he did. From your religious parents, to how you met Jungkook and Yoongi, to how things started with Jungkook, to how you found out who Jungkook’s father is. Somehow, it seems a lot worse than his story when you recall how you witnessed Jungkook’s father’s gang blow up a whole building, countless deaths taking place right in front of your eyes. How you stuck with Jungkook.

Till he didn’t stick with you anymore, retelling the story of how he left, which seems incredibly similar to what his own father had done. It makes you think.

He’s caressing the back of your knuckles with his thumb, a regretful tint to his eyes.

“Is that why you wanted us to work things out? Did you somehow relate to my situation?”

He licks his lips, “I saw my mother in you.”

Your heart clenches in your chest, vision going blurry.

“Why she did what she did.”

“Tae…”

Hoping you don’t ruin the eye makeup Yuri took hours perfecting, you dab at your eyes, unable to fight the tight lump in your throat any longer.

“But most importantly, I saw myself in Junho.”

You continue to chat, his words stir a range of emotions, words refusing to come out as you blink at him. Just then, the waiter comes around with the bill, forcing you to conceal your face behind Taehyung. You leave the restaurant in silence, soft jazz filling the car as he takes the long route back home, turning to you when you stop at a red light.

“I’m glad we finally talked.”

You smile, half his face illuminated by the city lights. This whole evening makes you feel closer to him, the yearning extending into something else, something strong and latching onto him as he sits and speaks to you with his telling eyes.

Something blossoms in your chest. You want him. But not in a lustful sense, that too, but more. Your own thoughts fail to pinpoint the feeling.

His shirt is unbuttoned, tie loose around his neck.

“What’s wrong, love?”

Acting on impulse, you unclick your seatbelt and jump across the console, catching his lips in a searing kiss. He kisses you back just as thirsty, the breath he takes in through his nose sharp and stuttered as your fingers curl around his neck, peppering kisses all over his handsome face, uncaring as the straps of your dress drop from shoulders.

Keeping you in his lap, he speeds down the highway as you continue to nip and suck at the side of his throat, hearing him groan when your tongue swirls around the bruise just below his ear. You work on giving him a matching one of the other side, turning his head for your easy access.

“Fuck, my place or yours?”

“Yours,” you hum, catching his earlobe between your teeth to hear him grunt, girthy cock pressing into the underside of your thighs. You’re soaking through your panties, pulling at his tie then working on unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, dark lipstick marks scattered across his shirt, face and chest.

Once you’re parked in his driveway, he carries you bridal style up the staircase, navigating through his mansion while you continue with you assault on your neck, heels slipping from your feet, wanting nothing more than to have his neck marked with your love. You’re being tossed onto the bed, breath hitching in your throat when you find your reflection on the ceiling, lipstick smeared across your chin and cheeks, hair a mess.

“What’s gotten into you, today?” He husks, undoing the strap on his watch before discarding his belt in a similar fashion, the clink of the clasp sending a thrill up the length of your spine. His rings come off next, clattering to the nightstand.

You kneel at the foot of the bed, working on pushing his top garments over his shoulders.

“Nothing, but I’m hoping you do.”

A strangled gasp tumbles from your lips when he fits a hand into the back of your head and grabs a fistful of hair, tilting your head up so your gaze is on the ceiling once again, the tantalizing sight of his back through his button up has you clenching your thighs together.

“Naughty today, hm?”

You grin salaciously, “you like me naughty.”

He spins you around harshly, back pressed into his chest as his fingers pull down the zip on the side of your dress, breath hot against your flushed skin.

“No, I don’t. You know what happens when you’re naughty.”

Batting your lashes, you meet his gaze in the reflection, “maybe I need you to remind me.”

His tie is being pulled over his head, rolled up into a ball before being shoved into your gaping mouth, the narrow end sticking out. You moan around the dry fabric as he pushes you back down on the bed and flips you over onto your back, dress a useless piece of material draped on your body. He’s looking down at you with a biting smirk, moonlight hitting his face as if it’s his own personal spotlight, shining on him as he removes his shirt, muscles rippling with the movement.

He sets his hands on either side of your head, you’re looking up, watching as his back flexes deliciously, setting his weight on your lower half which has you spreading your legs, core aching to be filled, touched, anything.

“That enough to remind you?”

You shake your head, watching as his jaw clenches. Whining as he pulls away, you feel a light breeze sift through the diaphanous curtains and dust your skin. Goosebumps rising as he peels your dress off your body, his eyes widening a bit once he sees your matching purple bra and thong.

He reaches for your right leg by the ankle, bringing your foot up to his mouth. Staring at the darkened spot between your legs with ravenous eyes.

You wiggle your toes in front of his face, remembering what you talked about the last time. What he likes. What you like. His eyebrows lift in question and you dare to move your feet closer to his face, core pulsing once you feel his tongue slide between your big and second toe, fingers twitching when his lips wrap around the middle one, the sensation…so new but amazing.

His cock strains in his pants – reminding you that you have another foot. Ever so slowly, moaning around the ball in your mouth when his tongue moves lower to lick at the creases in your foot, you rub at his bulge, flexing your foot against it. It’s a workout, trying to keep the right angle, but the look on his face is worth it. And as he continues to tongue at your foot, heat unfurling in your lower abdomen, he unzips his pants, pulling out his cock in one swift movement.

The tip is glazed with precum, leaking as you drag the length of your foot up and down the shaft, hearing a guttural moan from him. His cock is hot and heavy against your foot, the feeling so foreign as your toes curl around the head, feeling his juices leak between your toes.

When your foot glides down and back up, pausing at the head, his hips jerk forward, thrusting against your skin as he suckles on your toes one by one. You speed up your movements, seeing his brows furrow, lip tucked between his teeth after he lets go of your toes with a loud pop, moving back to sink to his stomach, spreading your legs with his large palms on your inner thighs.

He tears at your panties, ignoring your squeals before blowing hot air onto your puffy clit, eyes shut as spreads open your folds with his index and middle fingers.

“You’re fucking dripping,” he sighs, breath kissing your clit as he continues to speak, taunt you till you’re pushing his head down into your pussy, fingers buried in his hair, “did you enjoy my mouth on your feet that much?”

You want to say that no, I enjoyed watching you fall apart as you fucked my foot, but you can’t. Jaw aching as it stays pried open with the soggy tie.

He runs his knuckles from your clit to your weeping hole, tip of his tongue pressing into your clit. Your back arches off the bed, sticky toes curling, eyes rolling back with the sharp motion of his tongue flicking your clit at breakneck speed. Fire ignites in you lower belly a lot faster than you expected, eyes slipping open to watch as his head shakes between your legs, light stubble grazing your thighs, hot mouth glued to your cunt that responds to every stroke of his tongue.

“Hmmmmmm,” he hums into your pussy, dragging out the sound in time with the drags of his tongue against your swollen folds, tongue hooked under the hood of your clit.

You thrash under him, feet planted on the bed as you rut into his face, drenching his tongue and cheeks with your slick. Your moans are muffled, sweat building on your forehead. Breath escaping your lungs when he sinks two fingers inside you in one fluid motion, abusing that spongy spot within your walls till your thighs tremble around his face.

“Hmmmmm.” The sound reverberates through every inch of your body, cunt fluttering around his fingers.

In a second, his movements stop just as you’re nearing the edge, an animalistic sound leaving your throat when he removes his tongue and fingers, eyes glinting with mischief. He slaps your pussy twice, leaving you twitching and rolling onto your side in a ball of sweat and sadness. The position gives him access to the clasp on your bra, ridding you of the flimsy material.

His hand rears back to land a resounding slap to your cunt again, a squeal of his name leaping up your throat when he directs his attention your ass, flesh rippling under his hand.

“Didn’t think you could get away that easily, hm? You weren’t being so naughty though,” he chuckles, kicking off his pants and boxers, now as bare as you. “So that was nothing.”

The heat in your pussy tells you otherwise, begging for release.

His eyes soften, caressing your cheeks with the back of his hand as he settles between your legs, cock brushing your thigh.

“Do you remember what we talked about? Or do you need reminding again?”

You chuckle breathlessly, throwing your arms around his neck as he lifts you up with one arm to put you up further on the bed, pillows resting under your head.

“I do,” you smile, locking your ankles behind his waist, “I’m on the pill.”

“I’ve only ever been with you recently,” he grins coyly, sweaty strands of hair sticking to his forehead, “I’m clean.”

“Me too,” you say proudly, jutting your hips closer to his.

“I really want this,” he professes, lining his cock with your entrance. You eye the point where your sexes meet, waiting with bated breath.

“Me too.”

He covers your mouth with his, tongue entering your mouth just as he sinks in to the hilt. Your mouth hangs open, feeling every ridge, every twitch of his cock against your ridged walls as he drags in and out, groans pouring into your mouth.

“Tae,” you cry out, nails piercing his back as he stretches you out, walls hugging his cock with each pivot of his hips. You watch his ass move in the reflection, taking in the sight hazily till you can’t keep your eyes open any longer.

“Yes, love,” he moans, kissing you feverishly, but you’re unable to return his kisses, so enthralled by the feel of his long cock sinking in and out of your pussy, moans getting louder as the bulbous tip brushes your sweet spot on every thrust.

“I feel so f-full,” you sigh, lips pressed to his neck once he picks up the pace, chest brushing your perky nipples.

“Yeah? You do? You’re gonna feel more full when I stuff you with my cum.”

Your eyes roll back, panting into his neck as his chest stays pressed against yours, his hips working at an inhumane pace.

“Fuck, you’d like that, hm? Fill you with my cum till it’s leaking out of you.”

“I want it,” you moan, trying to meet his every thrust with your own hips, “want your cum.”

“Yeah? What else?”

You’re riding on the euphoric feeling of his cock drilling into you, speaking without thinking.

“Want you to cum inside me,” you whisper, whimpering as he continues to pound you into the bed, words stuttered with the movement, “wanna…fuck!”

His pants into your ear, sweat dripping from his forehead, “wanna what?”

“Tae,” you let out a drawn-out moan, so close to the precipice, nothing but him and his skin rubbing against yours centered in your mind.

“Tell me love, fuck, you like that name?” He laughs, cupping your chin to land another sloppy kiss on your lips.

“Want you to cum deep inside me,” you blubber, mascara streaking down your cheeks as your teeth grind into each, etching the feel of his cock buried inside you in your mind as he plunges into you at a slower pace.

“I will, fuck but where—”

You cry out, orgasm hitting you in slow, consuming waves, walls closing in around him as his hips stutter, moaning into your neck.

“Fuck, fuck, want me to cum inside you?”

“Yes,” you sigh, rolling your hips into his and clenching around him, watching as his pretty eyes flutter shut, a groan of your name filling the hot air. There’s so much more you want to say, but you’re afraid you might scare him away, given your circumstances. Like you want him to fuck you so full of his cum you might…

And then you feel him unleash hot ropes of cum inside you, the idea of him fucking a baby inside you has heat travelling up your spine again, teeth piercing into your lower lip as the sensation triggers your second high, clutching onto him as he fucks into you, making the best of it before pulling out. When you clench again, a lump of white spills out of you and you moan, the sound a little alarming to you since he’s watching you so intently, cock soft and wet against his leg.

Wordlessly, he pulls you into his arms, pecking the back of your neck daintily. Once you catch your breath, you turn to him, finding his eyes on you. You can’t help but wonder if you said something you can’t remember. If you gave too much away, but he just smiles, the same boyish smile that makes your heart skip a beat.

“That was amazing,” he mumbles sleepily, fingers trailing down the valley of your breasts. Grinning stupidly, you rest your cheek against his chest, knowing you should get up to clean yourself since the feel of his cum drying on your thighs isn’t too pleasant. He presses a kiss to the crown of your head, leaving you a little dizzy. So close to him.

The sound of your phone ringing cuts through the sweet moment, and when you sit up to answer it, he pulls you back down, whining.

“Leave it, if it’s important they’ll call again.”

Settling in his arms again, you wait for the call, but it doesn’t come. And it was in your best interest not to answer anyway, since it’d just ruin your night.

Yoongi, on the other line, angry. Asking why you decided to hire someone to hack into Jungkook’s phone and interfere with his business.

erm…yeah 🫣 please let me know what you guys think !! i would love to hear from you ✉️♡

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violet-butterflies · 8 months

Text

❥︎ yandere! Dilf Part 3

❥︎ Warnings ! ☞︎︎︎ stalking, delusional, homewrecking, mentions of cp being used to frame people ( male yandere! oc x female reader ) Click to see part 1 and Part 2 !

What used to be a sight Junho looks forward to seeing every time he wakes up turned into a harsh reminder that (y/n) is now engaged.

All this time, it turns out that (y/n)'s fiance had been overseas, volunteering to be a teacher in less privileged countries. But now, he's back and as soon as he came back to the country, he asked his girlfriend to marry him.

With a sharp glare to the window he used to see inside (y/n)'s house, Junho sipped in his black coffee; the bitterness in the coffee was nothing compared to how bitter he was feeling inside. The happy couple were chatting over breakfast before they go to work together.

He hates how it has been ever since the announcement. (y/n) used to be able to babysit his precious son every day but now she only is able to watch over his son on weekends. He never gets to see the sight of his love making him dinner and greeting him with a smile after a long day of work anymore since she leaves as soon as he gets home to take care of her fiance.

This also means that he is not able to cuddle with her in his bed anymore.

Junho knew that all of this had escalated to something creepy and he had tried to move on but he couldn't help but feel his blood boil when he saw (y/n)'s fiance work with her in the kindergarten now.

"Daddy... Why doesn't mommy take care of me anymore?" Junho's son, Yoon, asked one day as Junho was tucking his son into bed one night.

"It's... It's complicated, buddy... She'll come back soon I promise." Junho also said that to himself even though it was impossible.

"Oh... I hope she comes back soon... I miss her..." Yoon said before falling asleep, leaving a tired and heartbroken Junho to retreat back into his room.

He then picked up his phone to log into the software he uses to stalk (y/n) through the hidden camera he put inside a stuffed animal he gave to (y/n) one day. He knows he shouldn't do it since it'll only break his heart but he missed her too much.

The first thing he noticed was how the doll wasn't even on her bed anymore; put aside in the corner of her room to make space for the fiance. Then, he noticed a giggly (y/n) who was cuddling in her fiance's arms as the two looked at each other lovingly. It went on for a long while before the two eventually fell asleep in each other's arm and Junho was watching every second of it.

Junho wanted to look away. Watching the two all lovey dovey like that when it should've been him was like when he found out about the news that broke his beautiful fantasy; his heart breaking and set on fire over and over again. But watching them also made him realize how he couldn't let (y/n) go just like that.

Junho knew it was risky business breaking into the kindergarten both (y/n) and her fiance taught in in the middle of the night. It was also risky to somehow get his hands on some nsfw videos and pictures of children to plant in the fiance's work computer.

He figured out that the computers inside the kindergarten had no password from (y/n) due to the computers only being used to play children music, print coloring pages or making some worksheets for the kids. The teachers in the kindergarten don't really worry what's on hiding what's in their work computers since there's nothing really important on them anyway.

Junho had a plan all prepared. He was going to plant the evidence and call the police the next day. He was going to say that he saw one of the teachers working at his son's kindergarten was looking at some illegal media and then get the bastard that stole his beloved from him behind bars.

Plus, when it makes (y/n) react negatively he can swoop in and make her feel all better! In Junho's mind, he is killing two birds with one stone.

He knew that the plan would work and it did. The next day, the police took (y/n)'s fiance into custody when he was picking his son up from school. The other kindergarten teachers were looking at the whole arrest in shock while (y/n) was trying to understand what was going on. She was confused on why her fiance was getting arrested and she wanted to know what happened.

The next few days were hectic for (y/n). Her house had to be searched by the police for evidence since that's where her fiance had been staying ever since he came back to the country. It didn't help when the police began speculating that she was also in on it at some point before the idea was brushed off.

(y/n) felt as if she did not knew who her fiance really was. She thought there was nothing she didn't know about him since they were high school sweethearts and when the police told her that someone reported seeing her fiance having videos of children in a nsfw way, she felt her heart break.

As a teacher and his fiance, she felt disgusted at how her fiance for having those materials while teaching around children.

It was midnight when (y/n) was sitting in the middle of the kitchen as she drank a bottle of wine. Her eyes were puffy from crying since her emotions were still running wild and how betrayed she felt towards her fiance.

The house was dark and deathly silent other from the sobs coming out of (y/n). Where had it all gone wrong? When did her fiance started to watch these illegal videos? Had he engaged in abusing these children himself? (y/n) didn't know and she didn't really want to know since her heart will only break further thinking of how sorry she felt for any victims her fiance could have abused.

The doorbell then resonated throughout the empty house making (y/n) jump. She tiredly wiped her tears as she walked over to the front door, not noticing how she was still holding onto the bottle of wine.

When she opened the door, she saw a concerned looking Junho in front of the door.

"Junho..." (y/n) tried to greet before breaking into tears again and sinking into the ground. Her hand dropping the wine bottle and began covering her crying face.

In an instant, Junho sank down alongside her as he took the shaking into his muscular arms.

"shh... shh... don't worry... I'm here..." Junho tried to reassure as he rubbed circles on her back to try and calm her down.

Junho had to stop himself from taking a big sniff at when (y/n) began to nuzzle herself into his arms. He truly missed having (y/n) in his arms again after the mental turmoil he experienced looking at how happy she was with a man that wasn't him.

All of that won't matter anymore though since the fiance is now out of the picture and Junho will gladly play the role of (y/n)'s loving husband.

A/N HI IM BACK BUT NOT RLLY SINCE IM ACTUALLY STILL RLLY BUSY SO I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL UPLOAD AGAIN AAA.

#tw: stalking #tw: yandere #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x y/n #lovesick #male yandere #male yandere x reader #yandere dilf #yandere dilf x reader #obsession #obsessive love #yandere blog #obsessive yandere #yandere drabble #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #delusional

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seawitch62 · 2 years

Text

Fanfiction Masterlist

ATEEZ

Delusional Woods - Multiple (Seonghwa) - Suggestive

Shoo Fly! - Hongjoong - 3rd POV

Worst Date Scenario - Yeosang x OC

The Orchard - Jongho x reader

Stay or Go - Mingi x reader

The Lighthouse - Yunho x reader - suggestive

Metamorphosis - Yeosang x reader - yandere

Genie - Wooyoung x Hongjoong x reader - yandere

The Convention - Seonghwa x reader

Unfriended - San x reader - yandere

AOMG/ h1ghrmusic/MoreVision

The Trolls - Jay Park - Poem

Worst Date Scenario - Jay Park - Fluff

The Collector _ Jay Park - Humour

Backstreet Boys Party - Jay Park x Backstreet Boys - Horror

Astro

Altar - Moonbin x reader- Horror yandere

Big Bang

Cursed! - Jiyong x reader

BTOB

Birthday Cake - Minhyuk x Reader - Suggestive

Dean - Kwon Hyuk

Torment of the Demon -Dean x reader - yandere

DBSK

The P.I - Yunho x OC - Detective AU

The P.I (2) - Yunho - Detective AU

Forget Me Not - Jaejoong x OC

Once Upon A Time - Jaejoong x OC

No Exit - Junsu x OC x Jaejoong - Suggestive

The Boss - Junsu x OC

Linked by Ink - Jaejoong x reader - fluff - fantasy

The Rooms - Changmin x Minho x reader

Season of the Witch - Junsu x reader -yandere

Enhypen

Carnival of Fright - Heeseung - Horror

EXO

Worst Date Scenario - Kyungsoo x Reader

Delusional Woods - Multiple (Sehun) - Suggestive

The Honey Trap - Lay x reader - Suggestive

Flight 472 - Kai x reader - fluff

Office Dalliance - Suho x reader - smut

The Satyr - Xuimin - humour

Imprint - Baekhyun x reader - yandere smut

Truth best told cold - Suho x reader - yandere

iKON

Re-Run? - OT7 x OC

Re-Run, Re-Run - OT7 x OC

The Maintence Guy - Junhoe x reader

Monsta X

Truth Captured - Kihyun

Romantic getaway in October - Hyungwon x reader - horror

Night Terrors - Minhyuk x reader - yandere

Here Kitty, Kitty! - Joohoney x reader - yandere horror

NCT

Revenge is best served in high heels - Yandere Johnny

The Purple - Taeyong x OC - Implied Smut

The Purple (2) - Taeyong x OC

Worst Date Scenario - Yuta

Aliens Are Here! - Mark x OC - X-Files AU

Baby Doll - Doyoung x reader - Yandere

I Wonder - Haechan x reader - yandere

Mark and the guys in black - Mark x reader

Green Tea Fangs - Jaehyun x reader - suggestive- horror

The Mechanic - Taeil l x reader - yandere

Oneus

The Tribe - Leedo x OC - Fluff

Pentagon

The Sculptor - Wooseok x reader - yandere

The Rose

The Garden - Woosung x reader - yandere

Seventeen

Catnip Man Series - Jeonghan x OC - Fluff

Worst Date Scenario - Mingyu x OC

Roadside Service - Seungkwan x reader - fluff

The Shortcut - Joshua x reader

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) - Jeonghan x reader - Yandere

Party - Minghao x reader

Autons. - Vernon x reader - sci fi - horror

Shinee

Home - Kibum (Key) x reader

The Rooms - Minho x Changmin x reader

SF9

The Tribe (2) - Multiple x OC

Cancelled Flight - SF9 x OC

The 10 O’Clock - Rowoon x reader - smut

Chapstick Caper - Jaeyoon x reader

Narcissus - Hwiyoung x reader - Suggestive - yandere

Friends with Benefits - Jaeyoon x reader

Stray Kids

The Arena - Bang Chan - King of Hell

Munchausen syndrome by proxy. - Hyunjin x reader - yandere

Drenched payback - Minho x reader

The Interrogation. - Christopher x reader - horror

Super Junior

Bus Ride - Donghae x reader

UP10TION

Welcome To Reality - Jinhyuk x Reader - Yandere

Verivery

Compiler - Gyehyeon x reader - horror

Victon

Timemaster - Seungsik x Reader

VIXX

Replacement - Leo x OC - Yandere

Wanna One

Sneakers - Sungwoon x reader - fluff

The Changeling - Kang Daniel x reader

2PM

Worst Date Scenario - Jay Park x OC

The Collector - Jay

Delusional Woods - Multiple (Wooyoung) - Suggestive

Stress Relief - Junho x reader - smut

Fragrant Obsession - Jun.k x reader - yandere

Kdrama Actor

Mr. S - Lee Dong Wook x OC - Suggestive

The Marionettist.- Lee Dong Wook x reader - yandere

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7wanderingpaws · 3 years

Text

Always, Yours: Three Plus One!

Pairing: Baekhyun x reader

AUs: professor!Baekhyun AU, father Baekhyun, husband Baekhyun, family AU, domestic AU

Genre: fluff, angst, slice of life, triplet craze and more

This is a sequel to Simply, Yours! You do not need to read it first but it is recommended since you can understand the depth of the relationship between Baekhyun and OC, and their life situation.

Short plot: It all starts when you want to try to get back to your normal life as a young woman in your 20s. A simple coupon provided by your best friend and one hot trainer, Lee Junho, and your young husband, Byun Baekhyun knows he is in trouble if he doesn't up his game! Also, did you birth another baby or is that a corgi dog sitting by your couch?!

CHAPTERS:

1. First

2. Second

3. Third

4. Fourth

5. Fifth (m)

6. Sixth (m)

7. Seventh

8. Eighth

9. Ninth

10. Tenth

11. Eleventh (m)

12. Twelfth (2021/06/21)

#exo masterlist #baekhyun masterlist #superm masterlist #Always Yours #mywritings #byun baekhyun #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun fanfiction

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restlessmaknae · 3 years

Text

masterlist ✦ ikon

angst [🌪] fluff [☀] action [♦] comforting [♥]

OT7

✒ Boyfriend Season → Yunhyeong // Donghyuk // Chanwoo // Bobby // Hanbin // Jinhwan // Junhoe ☀

boyfriend!member x girlfriend!reader/you

JUNHOE/JUNE

✒ beware: woman on board! ☀

pirate captain!Junhoe x rich!Minji (OC)

When the mighty pirate captain, Koo Junhoe, has no choice but to take an annoyingly talkative rich female on board, he immediately regrets his decision. Yet, money is more important to him than his own pride.

YUNHYEONG/SONG

✒ liar paradox 🌪

Yunhyeong x OC

I love you, she said. (Am I lying? You never know.)

✒ tears & raindrops mingle 🌪 ☀

bar CEO!Yunhyeong x jewellery shop CEO!reader/you

In which you bump into the CEO of a nearby bar when you are just as heart-broken as him, and it doesn’t seem to go well at first.

#ikon #ikon x reader #ikon imagines #ikon scenarios #ikon fluff #ikon angst #ikon masterlist #kpop masterlist #ikon action #ikon ff #ikon au #ikon fanfiction

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yoonia · 2 years

Text

Blood Moon Rising | 29

➥ Character | Jimin x reader

➥ Genre | Supernatural!au, Vampire! Jimin, Werewolf!reader, Angst

➥ Ratings & Warning | PG-13; mentions of assault, depiction of a battle, violence scene (fighting, attacks, usage of poison, minor characters death)

➥ Word count | 11,5k words

➥ Part of The Shifters Series | World Map & Glossary | Characters Guide | ⤎ Previous Chapter | Next Chapter ⇢

➥ Masterlist

➥ Author’s Note | Forgive me for the long wait, but this chapter was a struggle to work on. I should also note that as we progress with the story with more possible crossovers between stories happening in the future chapters, I will start referring to the other female characters with their OC names each time they make any appearance in the scenes. Feel free to follow and get to know more about these characters through the Characters Guide page linked above. Enjoy!

MOMENTS AGO…

The Resting Forest territory has always been known to be somewhat silent and peaceful.

Spread all the way from the foot of the Resting Mountains to the borders surrounding the shifters’ land and human towns, the thick foliage provides protection from the atrocities and threats coming from the No Man’s Land and the dreadful wastelands in the South, while at the same time, it becomes the veil that conceals them from the Hunters lurking from their secret colonies in the West.

For a long time, the forest has also served as an open route for travellers and merchants passing through. The forest represents peace, as it has held no danger nor threats towards its guests and settlers for many years. Not since the last of the Rogue War.

But that situation has changed today, as the loud sound of the battle between the Vampires happening at the borders near No Man’s Land could be heard all the way to the other end of the forest, disrupting the peace and solitude ever since the first blast reverberated through the woods. Just as yet another explosion erupted, making the ground rumble and shake beneath all the tension, the young Vampire messenger rushed through the thicket in haste. Instead of running away from the explosion to avoid chaos, he went further to approach its source, knowing that it would be the only possible place where he might find who and what he had been searching for.

Through his journey, he was quick to feel the heat from the intense battle that has kept on rising and how much it was beginning to affect the rest of the woodlands. The clashing forces from the battle had sent the local animals into hiding, and it was starting to push him back, making it hard for him to keep going forward. Yet the urgency and the dire need to carry on with his search gave him the strength to continue on his way. With the knowledge that he had no more time left to waste, he simply pushed forward, even when the thick, hot air around him was suffocating him and burning his skin upon contact, letting him know that he was getting closer to the battlefield.

“Can’t stop now. Must find him fast,” the Vampire, Yeosang, kept on telling himself as he raced faster, as he feared that he might have been too late, that he wouldn’t be able to reach the Lord Vampires’ entourage—the one that Junhoe was guiding—on time.

With each blast from the battle reaching from a close distance, he accelerated, rushing on despite knowing what was waiting for him on the other side.

Granted, the messenger had never once been trained properly to join any battle. All his life, the only thing that he had been tasked with was to send messages and news from one point to another, jumping from one hideout to the other while he acted as the private messenger between the Lords’ children and their secret allies. Being this close to a battle seemed like a terrible idea, but his instincts drew him closer, taking him towards where Junhoe might be.

At first, he had begun the search for Junhoe and his entourage out of his personal concern, hoping that he would be able to warn the Vampire of the danger that was waiting for them, before getting them all back to his hiding place where he could help reunite the Orphans—the disbanded brothers of the Travellers clan that Junhoe had somehow become apart of—with the Lords’ children that had been travelling with him.

But now, sensing that the danger has already found them, his main agenda is to make sure that Junhoe and the Orphans that he was travelling with would be able to come out of the chaos alive.

But how am I supposed to do such a thing? He questioned himself as he thought of this, cursing the fact that he had never once gotten engaged in this kind of situation before.

It doesn’t matter, because finding Lord Jimin is the main priority. As long as he is safe. He reminded himself this, just as he was reminded of the last conversation that he had with Lord Seungwon’s daughter at the gathering night back at the home castle many weeks ago. She was the oldest of the children, the leader of the heirs, and the only one who had always been keeping in touch with the homeland after the previous Lords’ ascending to the Eternal Sleep.

Yeosang had remained by her side that night. Together with her brothers, they were perfectly hidden among the crowds who had never once met the Lords’ children and were unable to identify her. They had all witnessed Jimin’s initiation as the future Lord together, keeping the powers of the Lords safe with him and out of the rebels’ reach. They had stayed a bit longer to give the youngest brother a chance to use his powers to identify the traitors that were lurking between the Elders, though his effort couldn’t provide much information when the siblings were forced to leave before anyone would notice their presence.

As his thought wandered back into that very night, Yeosang’s spirit was quick to rise as he was reminded of the message that was given to him that night.

“I’ll try to find and gather my cousins. But before then, I shall have a word with the new ‘Lord’,” Lord Seungwon’s daughter had told him then before she disappeared into the night. “Let Jimin know that I will be waiting for him at the place where the Orphans used to hide in to escape from my father’s lectures.” She chuckled lovingly. “I’ll be waiting until the break of dawn. I’ll listen to what he has planned. If he has any.”

Yeosang had already failed his duty once when he lost track of Lord Jimin and the Orphans after the gathering night, when the brothers had been so quick to depart before they all disappeared into their secret meeting point in the human town. Since then, he has vowed to never again fail on the task that was given to him and to bring Lord Jimin and his brothers to meet the heirs.

He was still considered lucky, however, when even after his failure, he had somehow been able to make contact with Junhoe, the Turned Vampire who had joined the Travellers clan and had become close acquaintances with the Orphans. Despite never joining the Blood Oath which the Orphans did with each other when they reached adulthood, Junhoe remained to be a part of their circle, so he had known then that whatever information that Lord Seungwon’s daughter wanted to give to Lord Jimin would still reach him as long as Junhoe was willing to trust them and hold on to the message.

It had taken some coaxing and convincing, seeing that Junhoe didn’t trust him enough to follow him while the Turned Vampire was already anxious about catching up with his brothers and clan mates who had already left the home castle, but Yeosang succeeded in the end in persuading Junhoe to follow him, taking him to the meeting point where he could meet Lord Seungwon’s children before they slipped away to return into their hidden sanctuary.

To this day, Yeosang would repeatedly think about that night, to recall the conversation that was shared then and the information that he had gathered while he was there to witness it all. He has been using everything that he had learned as his reasons to continue to perform his duties as the messenger between the heirs and the Orphans, and to the home castle, while remaining focused on his mission of bringing Lord Jimin home and helping reunite them all together.

Because he and his brothers are the only ones who would be able to change their minds, to convince the rightful heirs of the throne to take their place, he repeated these words inside his head, just as he had done for the past few moons which he spent tracking down the Lords and following their orders. They will surely listen to Lord Jimin, especially now that he is holding the power of the Lords within him.

Yeosang continued to repeat these words as he pushed forward, using them to motivate him to continue racing through the forest, no matter how intimidating the situation around him was becoming, not letting his own fear get into his head until he could get to where he needed to be.

Another blast came from the battle, startling him. It was right at that moment when a swift movement from beyond the trees caught his attention, making him stumble just as something came into his path. It took him a moment to find his balance, his own speed became the reason he was thrown off. As he managed to straighten himself and look up, he found a Warrior Vampire standing in his way with a sneer on his face.

“I’m afraid this is the end of your journey,” the Vampire said to him with a taunting voice, drawing a threatening snarl from the messenger.

“Step out of my way. This has nothing to do with you,” Yeosang snapped at them. He did the best he could to keep his voice steady and his chin high, keeping his composure even when a few more Vampires appeared from the trees.

His body shuddered in dismay as he recognised them all. They were all members of the Warriors clan, the Vampires that had been trained specifically to protect the Vampire clan and their homeland. Except that it didn’t seem like they were here to protect him, nor were they here to stop the battle from escalating further. They were instead standing in his way, stopping him from going to the battle, which only revealed that they were nothing more but a small part of the rebellions that had been plotting to betray the entire clan.

As he was seething in anger due to this fact, another Warrior came closer, taking his friend’s side as he sneered, “If you’re going to interrupt our plans, then this has everything to do with us.”

Clenching his hands beside him, Yeosang snarls at them, “You are the ones standing in my path.”

Laughing bitterly, the first Vampire tilted his head at him. “This one has some guts on him,” he said, turning to his friends. Then he looked at Yeosang once more, his fangs appearing as he sneered at the messenger while his claws lengthen, as if they were ready to start a fight against the messenger. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to play games. Get him.”

Under his command, the other Warriors moved, leaping towards Yeosang to grab him while one Vampire swiped his claws, aiming at Yeosang’s chest. The messenger was only lucky to escape the attack from moving fast, panting as he leapt backwards to avoid the attack. His energy has depleted quite a bit after his run in search of Junhoe, though it didn’t stop him from being swift in dodging the attacks that kept on coming toward him.

But the Warriors had always been faster than most. They had always been stronger, that one failed attack was quick to be followed by another, then another, each time missing barely an inch when Yeosang made a move to slip away from their reach. Just when he was finally reaching his limit, his movement started to become disorganised and slightly clumsy, he failed to escape it when a hand captured his throat, pressing down hard to cut off his airway while sharp claws began to sink into his skin, drawing some blood.

Yeosang opened his eyes to look at his assailant as the grip on his throat tightened, and he watched in horror when the Warrior raised his other hand, ready to strike his final blow. “No hard feelings,” the Vampire said with a low growl. “But we can’t let anyone interfere when we’re already getting so close.”

Yeosang refused to close his eyes. Grabbing onto the hand that was clutching his throat in a tight, unmerciful grip, he kept his eyes open as he anticipated the blow. Except the painful hit never came, when a strong grip caught the Warrior Vampire by the wrist before he ever had the chance to swing his claws, and relief overcame the messenger when he saw a familiar face—not one, but two—standing on either side of the Warrior Vampire that had caught him. They had moved so fast that neither he nor the Vampires who had come close to putting an end to his life ever noticed them coming. Yet his relief was nearly short-lived when he realised who they were, and what they were capable of.

Lord Seunghyun’s twin sons.

The most vicious ones out of the Lords’ missing children. The ones who he had last seen resting in the depth of the wastelands just beyond the No Man’s Land, completely out of sight from the other fellow Vampires from the Travellers clan that was said to have been sent out to find them while staying far out of reach from their own cousins. The same brothers that Yeosang had been trying to lead Junhoe to find.

“Now, now…let’s not be too hasty, shall we? Are you seriously going to attack an innocent being without asking questions first?” said the twin that had a grip around the Vampire that was holding the messenger hostage, while said Vampire turned to look at his left, and then his right, finding two identical sneers facing him before asking,

“W-who are you?”

The question caught Yeosang completely off guard, surprised to find that the Warrior didn’t recognise who they were. Looking around him, it didn’t look like either of the Vampires present here to intercept his task knew who he truly was or who these twins were. Though he soon realised that neither of these Vampires was at fault. While he was merely a messenger who constantly lived in the shadows, loyal only to the Lords and their successors, the twins had been constantly on the move ever since they reached adulthood, hiding away from the rest of the clan while exploring the realm for the past century.

Long enough to be away while their father was building the clan and his army of Turned Vampires in their absence.

The fact that they had no idea who the twins were only meant that it hadn’t been that long since these Warriors were turned. A fact that sounded ironic, knowing who would have been likely to have turned them in the first place as they had all been a part of the Warrior clan.

“My…you really have no idea who we are, don’t you?” one of the twins sneered at the Warrior Vampires, his eyes wide with amusement and pure mirth, drawing shivers down Yeosang’s spine, knowing where this was going. Even though he was way younger compared to these twins, he had been following their tracks long enough to know what kind of menace they were capable of bringing into the world and to other beings around them.

The revelation drew Yeosang’s body completely stiff, wishing that he wasn’t being restrained. Fear clutched tightly in his chest as he wished that he could take a step backwards, to find a way to not become the receiving end of whatever recklessness that may come from the twins. Meanwhile, Yongguk, the Vampire who had the grip on his assailant, tilted his head curiously. “Pity. Perhaps we’ve been gone for too long. Don’t you think so too, brother?”

Stuck in the middle with nowhere else to go, the confused Warrior turned to look at one twin before turning to the other, expecting an answer. And he immediately got what he had wanted when Yongnam, the other twin, chuckled deeply and responded to his brother with, “I have to agree. Time simply escaped us while we were both out there seeing the world.”

“Stop playing games!” the Vampire between them finally snapped. “Who the fuck are you people?”

While his question motivated the rest of his gang—the other Warriors who had been standing silent around them without knowing what to do—to finally change their stance and prepare themselves to join the fight, it only drew the smile on the twins’ faces to grow even wider.

“Good question. Why don’t we introduce ourselves?” Yongguk said with feigned excitement, before both his smile and his intimidating gaze became grim, and he growled softly at the Vampire in his hold. “But first, why don’t you let go of our little friend?” he asked, before he slowly started tightening the grip he had on the Warrior’s wrist until the first snap of bone was heard, all while he continued to whisper tauntingly, “Pretty…” Another snap, then, “…please?” Then the sound of an entire bone snapping in different places echoed in the air around them, followed by a painful cry coming from the poor Warrior.

The moment Yongguk released him, the grip around Yeosang’s throat loosened, and the messenger was freed. Yeosang fell to the ground with a groan, then watched as Yongnam slipped right in front of him, blocking him from their opponents as the twin ordered, “You might want to stand aside, little messenger. Things are going to get a bit wild over here.”

Right beside him, Yongguk’s smirk grew just as his eyes glazed over, as if he was using his senses to track down a familiar presence. “Oh, it seems like Junhoe is nearby too,” he said, before he looked up to see the sky, watching it growing red just as the sound of trees burning coming from the battle was heard, followed by a few more blasts that should be enough to warn them to run away just as a thick blanket of flame began to build up.

Instead of sharing a look of fear, wicked smiles appeared on the twins’ faces as the flame from the battle continued to rise up to the sky, red flames dancing gracefully from beyond the trees, as if inviting them to play along. “And whatever it is that he seems to be involved in sounds like a lot of fun,” he added, and Yeosang could almost feel the excitement bursting out of the twin’s body.

The other twin chuckled as he continued to face the Vampires that were starting to rise, ready to come at them. There was an excited grin growing on his face as he offered, “Shall we finish this quickly and go together to find our adopted brother to see what he’s been up to?”

“Let’s,” his brother responded, before the twin launched to welcome the fight.

Knowing that he shouldn’t take their warnings lightly, Yeosang immediately slipped away, finding protection behind a boulder just as the twins took over the situation. Watching them fight, while feeling the presence of the Vampires from the Travellers clan still fighting nearby, he began to feel hope, and he started to see that maybe things wouldn’t turn out so bleak after all.

PRESENT…

Junhoe realises too late just how hard it is to stay focused on fighting when his attention is divided into various places. As he fights, his thoughts scatter between worrying about Lord Jimin and his other companions that he has left behind to fend for themselves, to wondering about the distress that he felt coming from the messenger not too long ago, and to pay attention to the fight that he is currently dealing with.

It is not making things easier for him either when he is facing a strong opponent whose fighting style is way too similar to his, all due to their history of being trained together under their master, Lord Seunghyun, during their transition period as adult Vampires. Though he has to admit that his level of combat skills may not be as advanced as his opponent, with his lack of experience in open battles such as this one.

He had already noticed his inadequacy back during the battle against the werewolves which happened not too long ago, when he had to fight side by side with Jimin and the Lycan hybrid, Taehyung, and was only able to do so much to assist. Now, the disparity seems even clearer as he is facing his former ally, whose combat skills have obviously gotten more advanced compared to his has ever had, something that shouldn’t be too surprising for him to find.

Being turned decades after he was, Mino had always been one of their master’s strongest disciples. Even back when Junhoe was still a part of the Warriors clan, far before he made the choice to join Jimin and the Travellers clan, he had witnessed how Mino had advanced quickly ever since the day he was turned to the long days when he joined the other Warriors clan members in war training.

A long time has passed since then, and Junhoe can easily tell the difference between their strength and skills. Fighting Mino feels like facing a stone wall, when he could barely land a fatal attack on his opponent while the few hits that he receives have been able to send him a few steps backwards.

It doesn’t help the fact that Mino has the upper hand by having other Warriors backing him up in the fight while Junhoe is fighting alone. Had he—even for a moment—expected to meet these rebels the moment he separates himself from his group, Junhoe would have been more prepared to face this fight. His problem isn’t just about defeating Mino, but there is also the matter of going against his followers who aren’t there just to witness the fight, but to accommodate their leader in putting Junhoe down.

With each attack that he lands on Mino, they would make a move to retaliate, using the short period of time while Junhoe is distracted to attack, disrupting his focus and balance while giving enough time for Mino to recover before re-entering the fight once again. The pattern continues, and he can already feel his energy draining rapidly, his movements keep getting slower as the fight carries on. Even though he still manages to take down two of the younger Turned Vampires who are still no match to him, he knows for sure that this isn’t the kind of fight that he would win easily on.

And he still has the messenger to worry about.

“I can see that you can still fight quite well,” Mino comments between his attack, one that Junhoe easily evades once he is starting to be able to read his opponent’s movements. This fight has brought back a memory from the past, to the days and nights he spent sparring with Mino and his former clan mates. It had also brought him back to the day he came face to face with his former clan members to inform them that he would no longer be staying with the Warriors clan.

For the first decade ever since that day, he was haunted by guilt. The memory of the talk that he had with his fellow clan members back then had followed him for a long time, when he would recall the words that they had given him right before his departure, giving him nothing but doubt.

“You are ungrateful and greedy. You know that we’re the strongest clan among the others. You will regret this.”

Those had been the exact words that Mino and his other fellow clan mates said to him then. With the passing time, everything that happened then had become a complete blur in his mind—all the faces, the words, the actual events of that night before he finally departed under Lord Seunghyun’s well wishes—until now, when he looks straight into Mino’s eyes and feels the pain of betrayal boiling in his chest.

It wasn’t an easy feat either to leave the clan that he was brought into when he was turned. He had spent decades adjusting to his new life as a Vampire under Lord Seunghyun’s guidance, and in return, he would be given the tasks of guarding the Lord’s twin boys when they were out on their adventure, venturing outside the homeland, even if he hadn’t known by then the true identity of those twins as the Lord’s biological children. Not until recently, when he finally found out the true nature of Pure Bloods and how they were able to maintain their bloodline.

It was during that time on the road with the twins when he was exposed to the world and what life truly was outside of their homeland, and that was also the first time he began making acquaintances with Jimin and the rest of the Orphans, the Pure Blood children from the Travellers clan. It was then when he started to crave something different. He wanted to have the same chance to venture further out of their homeland, to be able to travel and see the world, to experience and visit the places that he would have never gotten the chance to live as a mere human, and to be able to learn more about the Vampires as he knew only so little of them at the time. He had wanted everything that the Travellers clan had to offer, all the things that the Warriors would never have the chance to as they were supposed to stay to protect their home and the Lords.

Today, however, none of those bad memories come back to haunt him. Not when it is finally revealed that he is not the one betraying the clan, after all. And as the fight continues, it is clear that while his power and skills may not be comparable to what Mino has today, he can still use everything that he had learned during the long years of his journey to have a better comprehension of the fight—from the various fighting forms that he had encountered while he ventured into shifters territories to the artful ways of defending himself which he had learned while staying in human towns. The knowledge helps him to evade Mino’s attacks and to use all the techniques that he had incidentally learned from the different places he had been to as he fights back.

“Being on the road had never stopped me from exercising my skills,” Junhoe responded between the counterattack he threw against his rival. Catching Mino’s hand just in time before he could bury his claws into his shoulder, Junhoe leans in and adds, “I would also think that I had probably advanced more than you think, since I’ve learned a lot of new things while I was gone.”

A raging hiss escapes Mino as he fights to escape his grip, only to move far too late as Junhoe uses his other hand to send out a fatal blow right onto the Warrior’s chest, sending him flying back until his back hits the massive tree across the opening. Just then, another Warrior takes the chance to attack from the side, using the moment of distraction to steal an attack. But Junhoe has expected this to happen, and the Vampire is soon sent out flying to join his buddy as he falls away. Only that his fate isn’t quite the same, as he lands right at the small opening where the thick foliage around them doesn’t reach, allowing the sunlight slipping past the thick branches to burn him to crisp.

Exhausted from the continuous attacks, Junhoe isn’t quite ready when danger rises, as Mino quickly recovers and orders the remaining Vampires to attack him all at once. Three shadows jump in right at that moment, countering all the attacks while Junhoe falls in his exhaustion. He nearly laughs in disbelief as he sees the very same people he had been worrying about—the messenger that he was trying to rescue and Lord Seunghyun’s twin sons, the same Vampires that he had watched over and cared for a long period of time ago.

Relief washes over Junhoe as he watches his master’s sons pushing back his assailants so easily while the messenger remains close to act as their shadow before helping him get up from the ground.

“Looks like you have some interesting company. I hope you don’t mind if we invite ourselves to your little party?” Yongguk greets Junhoe with a voice that sounds almost too cheery, just like a little boy who had just found a new toy to play with.

Junhoe grunts as he stands back up on his feet and joins his adopted brothers. “By all means,” he says, still feeling the laughter bubbling in his chest as a wave of emotions overcomes him. “You might even enjoy it knowing who they are.”

The twins raise their eyebrows curiously as they both turn to look at him at the same time. “And who might these bastards be?”

Junhoe smiles, though he keeps his eyes on Mino when he answers, “They are Lord Seunghyun’s disciples. At least, they were. Your father was the one who turned them.”

The answer seems to intrigue them for reasons that Junhoe cannot seem to understand. That is, until Yongnam turns to the Vampires that they are facing, looking at every single one of them before saying, “That’s funny. We just met your brothers back there. Let’s just say that they will no longer be joining the party now.”

Mino, whose eyes have grown wide ever since the moment Junhoe mentions their master as the twins’ father, is quick to look uneasy. “The actual sons of the Lords. I thought you were merely nothing but a myth,” he suddenly says with disbelief, drawing a low chuckle from the twins.

“Oh, sorry to disappoint you. But—” Yongguk taunts him with a shrug, before he suddenly vanishes, and in a blink of an eye, is suddenly standing merely an inch away from Mino, giving the rebel a taunting grin as he playfully starts poking on his chest. “—as you can see, we are pretty real.”

As if he wants to prove a point, Yongguk doesn’t waste any time and throws the first punch, launching the entire fight to continue. This time, however, with the sons of the former leader of the Warriors clan fighting by his side, the fight escalates to a new level. Junhoe can soon feel the imbalance of power between both sides, especially when whatever it was that the three of them had encountered before reaching here had somehow managed to turn the twins to become completely unhinged. It seems like the more they fight, the more excited they become, and they seem to be enjoying it as their powers are unleashed and the more they become unrestrained in their attacks.

From the side, as he joins them in the fight, he watches in awe from the corner of his eyes as the brothers move so fluidly and efficiently, taking down their opponent one threat at a time. They move as if they are a single entity, as if they share the same mind, as one would send an enemy to the other and each time they work together to bring a Vampire down.

Junhoe feels a shiver in his spine when he witnesses one of the twins throwing one Vampire into the air, coincidentally timing it together with the blast resounding from the nearby part of the forest that it almost seems as if he is moving in the same rhythm as the battle going on nearby. Then fear laces through his heart when he watches as they continue to unmercifully put an end to the final two Vampires guarding Mino from their attacks. One twin takes one opponent in his hand, breaking the Warrior’s neck with nothing more but a flick of his wrist. Then the other twin makes his move, taunting his victim for a brief moment before he reaches out, and his hand disappears inside the Vampire’s chest, which simply dissipates into dust merely a blink of an eye later.

Have they always been this ruthless? He silently wonders as he slowly steps back, not completely sure if he should feel wary or hopeful to have such force joining his side.

Has their time away from home factored in the change that he is now seeing from them?

Does this have anything to do with their reluctance in claiming their rights as the heirs of the Lords?

Before Junhoe can even figure out the answer to his questions, Yongguk suddenly snaps ahead. One minute he is standing merely a few feet away, then a moment later, he has his claws buried in Mino’s collars while he lifts the rebel far above the ground with his legs kicking and his fangs extending, hisses of threats coming out of his mouth in his refusal to surrender.

“Our father would be disappointed to see what have become you,” Yongguk says to him with a snarl while looking straight into the rebel’s eyes. “Since he isn’t here to give his punishment for your impudence, I suppose it is our job to do it on his behalf.”

Junhoe quickly snaps out of it and steps closer to stop him. “Lord Jimin might want the information that he may have,” Junhoe warns the twin, remembering that they are on a mission where they would need to gather as much information and evidence as possible before planning their next move against the rebellions.

To this, Yongguk merely tilts his head while giving him the kind of smile that doesn’t necessarily put anyone at ease. “Don’t worry, brother. Even if he seems to be preoccupied right now, I’ll make sure that Jimin can see everything,” he responds with a grin, right before his eyes glow in silver light and his fangs begin to lengthen in a threatening manner. With a loud growl coming out of his mouth, he snaps forward and latches his mouth onto the Vampire’s neck. The rebel cries out in pain as the young Lord’s fangs sink into his skin and he continues to drink his blood, and Mino continues screaming until his voice slowly fades, completely helpless as Death unmercifully takes away his soul in the hands of his former master’s son.

On the other side of the forest, Mino’s final cry is drowned under the rumbling sounds of the battle. Neither of the brothers has caught on to what is happening on Junhoe’s side while they have their own plight to deal with.

Jimin stands right at the center of the battle with Jinhwan and Hyun standing ready by his side, while most of the Vampires that had been launching attacks after attacks against them have also stopped progressing. Many of them remain in their position, though there seems to be nothing that they could do but stand frozen the way Jimin does as they all watch the scene unfolding right in front of their eyes with wonder and a deep feeling of dread. At the same time, everything else around them is in motion, pulsing and flowing and breathing, and it takes a while for everything to sink in and for him to realise that the entire forest is the one moving.

“What the actual hell is happening right now?

Jinhwan’s question barely registers to Jimin when he is too stunned, unable to react or respond, though his brother’s overflowing emotions manage to penetrate into his mind, allowing him to feel the shock and fear that his brother shares with him. Disbelief runs through him just as intensely as they both witness the sight before them that looks awfully similar to a fever dream.

The forest had come alive.

Jimin keeps repeating these words as he tries to understand the situation, all while convincing himself that he isn’t dreaming. With his own eyes, he watches in awe as the trees are swaying as if they are marching into a war dance. Their aged, yet undeniably strong roots come rising from the ground in which they have been buried deeply for many decades, breaking the earth apart and knocking the few Vampires that had been standing far too close.

He marvels at the magnificent sight of thick branches and long vines reaching out far ahead of them, moving so fluidly as if they are mere massive-sized human limbs trying to touch their surroundings, so captivating and yet so intimidating at the same time. It seems even more surreal when the vines begin to stretch out towards the rebels spreading before them, knocking them off one rebel at a time and wrapping themselves around the ones that are trying to fight back. The vines appear like delicate fingers as they easily lift the rebels off the ground before tossing them away until they all disappear into the darkest side of the forest.

That is the moment Jiho and his followers finally snap out of their shock. Jimin can sense the intense ripples of the battle rising once again the moment Jiho turns around and their gazes meet each other. With a threatening snarl coming out of his mouth, Jiho begins roaring out commands after commands to set his loyal followers into action. The obedient ones soon part into two groups—with the first group turning back to face Jimin and his companions to carry on with the fight that had been put to halt, while the second group turns to face the moving trees, ready to defend themselves against the vines that are still reaching out to clear them out of the way and stopping them from coming any closer.

Meanwhile, those who are on the outer line of offence seem to be indecisive, caught between following their duty to fight back and listening to the urge of finding their escape, seeing now that the forest no longer remains silent under the chaos that they all had brought onto this peaceful place. Though it doesn’t really seem like the forest is making it their main priority to chase away the intruders stomping down their territory as they continue to move towards the line of Vampires, as the foliage seems to also be moving and swaying around methodically towards where the fire has been building up, doing everything they could to thwart the burning flames. It somehow gives a sense of relief for Jimin, as he has felt so powerless with his inability to do anything to stop it when the blaze was first ignited, but it only makes him feel more intrigued, for this is something that he had never once—even during those long years of travelling past this forest in the past—ever heard or seen happening in this territory.

“I’ve never heard a thing about the Resting forest holding any kind of magic that would make this possible. Have I been wrong this whole time?” Jimin finds himself questioning this as Jinhwan and Hyun slink closer to his side, forming a small, protective circle as they brace themselves against the incoming threats rising around them and fighting off the Vampires that have continued their assaults.

As they continue their fight against Jiho and his underlings, they quickly notice that they have nothing to worry about in regards to protecting themselves from the raging forest. Because for each time a wild vine comes reaching out close enough to their group, instead of laying an attack on them, the vine would find purchase on the rebels, almost as if their attacks are emphasized at making sure to keep the rebels away from Jimin and his companions.

“I sense no magic, but I do sense something similar to—” Mage Hyun begins to respond after fending off an attack, though he is unable to finish his words when the rumbling happening beneath his feet suddenly intensifies, as if the ground is breaking further apart.

At first, the three of them start looking around, wondering if the trees are the ones making this happen to knock everyone down, destroying even those who are not standing in their paths. But then they begin to realise that the trembling on the ground is no longer coming from deep inside the earth nor it is coming from the moving trees. They seem to be coming from somewhere else. Somewhere beyond the foliage. And they are coming towards them at a speed that could only be made by a certain group of animals.

A whole pack of them.

“We’re getting some company,” Jimin says to his companions who are looking around in alert, still trying to figure out what is causing this sensation and searching for danger, as they too have noticed that the vibration under their feet doesn’t seem to coincide with the madness rising around them.

“Good company or more bad ones?” Jinhwan asks him in return, still unable to look away from the trees around them, though he seems to have realised where their new company seems to be coming from as he is looking far into the darkest depth of the forest in his search.

Jinhwan tries his best to stay calm, yet as the rumbling seems to gain closer while the vile and desperate Vampires around them are growing more reckless in their assaults, fear grips his chest from within and his voice trembles a little when he softly pleads, “Please tell me they’re the good ones.”

Just then, before either Jimin or Hyun get a chance to answer him, flashes of beasts come jumping out of the shades, striking down the rebels on the outer offence line, both those who are still attacking the trees and those trying to escape.

Everything happens so fast that neither Jimin nor Jinhwan can have a clear view of what is actually happening. The smoke coming from the fire isn’t helping the case either when it is still far too thick for Jimin to see what happens beyond. But then the sounds of deep growls and snarls grow louder against the roaring blaze of the flame still dancing fiercely around them. As a part of the walls of flame slowly subsides on one side of the woods, the beasts emerge from the darkness, with their leader howling into the sky, announcing the start of a new battle.

Werewolves.

Jimin releases a growl as he sees them coming. The last battle that he had to face against werewolves is still fresh in his memory, just as fresh as the mating mark now pulsing on his shoulder. With his fangs shown through his warning hiss and his claws extended by his side, Jimin braces himself to face the fight that is coming to him. As Jinhwan and Hyun both take their positions on either side of him, Jimin comes to a harsh realisation that neither of his companions had been in the same battle before, making him doubt if he would be able to come out of this alive without the help of those who have fought against werewolves before.

Jimin prepares to take a hit as he watches a pair of werewolves jumping out of the trees and going straight at him in full speed. But the attack never comes. As if the gods above are on his side tonight, both werewolves break apart from their line of attack and leap into the air, landing straight on top of the Vampires who were attempting to attack Jimin from behind.

“What are they doing? Are they on our side?” Jimin hears Jinhwan questioning him. He starts to look around, and then all so suddenly, he is taken back to the day he spent with you before leaving, and he can hear your voice speaking to him, reminding him of what you said to him then—

“I shall have a talk with Alpha Namjoon and request for his aid. Perhaps I can convince him to fight alongside us now that we all know the true nature of Haerin’s wolf. He is one of the biggest allies that my father trusted the most. Seeing that he has my parents under his pack’s care at the moment, he might be our last hope in going against the Rogue King.”

With your words echoing through his head and seeing the werewolves forming a line of offence against the rebels, Jimin immediately becomes more alert and tries his best to identify the wolves.

The week that he spent travelling with you and Taehyung had allowed him to become familiar with your pack imprints. Both yours and Taehyung’s. Using his memories and the newly formed mating bond that he shares with you, Jimin steps aside from the fight and does a quick survey to find either you or Taehyung among the werewolves now spilling the battleground.

But after scanning the area a few times and taking a whiff of the air around him, Jimin is soon met with disappointment, realising that their new company had not come from either your pack or Taehyung’s. The new scent surrounding him throws him off for a moment, before he begins to recognise what he is sensing from them—the familiar scent that he had stumbled across in the past during his travels becomes the biggest giveaway to help him identify them, while the sight of the flashing silver fur lining up their sides, chest, and hind legs, a signature colour that is mostly known to be the physical imprint owned by one specific pack of shifters.

“I don’t suppose that these wolves were sent here by your mate,” Hyun calmly says as he shakes off an attack launched against them as a couple of Vampires still manage to escape the clutches of the forest and the incoming wolves, determined to finish what they had started and take Jimin and his group down.

“No, they were not. But I do know who they are. They are the pack that resides at the foot of the Resting mountains, the Blue Moon Pack. They are the ones who have been protecting this forest and its surrounding territory. It would only make sense that our extraneous fight has called for their interference,” Jimin answers briefly as relief slowly comes to him the moment he manages to identify them more properly once he gets the chance to look at them up close.

“Are they friends?”

“If I am right about who they are, then they would be—no, they were known to be allies to my mate’s pack,” Jimin says, remembering everything that you had told him about them.

“You can identify the Blue Moon Pack based on their imprints. As a part of the alliance who are still closely acquainted with both the shifters community and the Vampires clan, they carry a sweet scent which differentiates them from others, one that doesn’t resemble any threat in order for them to easily blend with any company they might come in contact with,” Jimin recalls your words, reminding himself about the connection that you have had with them. “They had always been our pack’s strongest and most loyal ally, and their loyalty has always been for our founding Alphas. That’s why even after I had lost my Fated, the Alpha’s second son, and after our mating which marked the alliance ended with his passing, they still kept their pledge of alliance to our pack, because they had made their pledge specifically to my father.”

Hoping that the situation has yet to change with your pack’s takeover, Jimin continues to do a thorough scan between the werewolves that are now fully engaged in the brawl against the Vampire rebels on the other side of the battleground. Doing his best not to lose his focus on fighting off Jiho and his underlings, Jimin struggles to find one specific wolf between the fighters from the Blue Moon Pack who would be the one closely bonded to you.

The one wolf whose presence and role would matter the most.

“Junmyeon, the current Alpha and my former brother in mating is a large grey wolf with a pair of white streaks on the side of his face and silver fur all over his chest, and he carries the scent of burnt vanilla which comes from his pack’s imprint, though you might be able to sense his Alpha blood the moment you are near. Blue Moon Pack wolves are never shy in showing off their ranks, even towards outsiders,” your words return to him just as Jimin finally sees him, the Alpha, the grey wolf which appears much larger than the rest, his striking appearance makes him stand out as he leads the pack, running in front of his fighters as they march towards the Vampires that are slightly stronger and can move faster than their massive paws. Watching him move, Jimin quickly recognises him as the same wolf that had released his warning howl to announce their arrival earlier in the battle.

The grey wolf turns to look at him just then, his golden eyes glow brighter as his gaze meets Jimin’s, as if the Alpha wolf is trying to identify the Vampire the same way Jimin is doing the same to him. Leaving behind the brawl between his pack members and the rebels, the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack makes his way towards Jimin and his companions with a couple of wolves planking either side of his. Judging from their size and postures, Jimin can only assume that they are either the Alpha’s second-in-command or his enforcers, staying close to assist the Alpha in battle while providing protection as he leads them into the battle.

Jimin watches as a few Vampires come into his path, yet Alpha Junmyeon takes them all down easily, tearing them apart with his canines and massive claws as he marches through them. Within moments, the Alpha and his defenders are standing by Jimin’s side, and the newly formed group work together to fend off the multiple attacks coming at them from Jiho and his loyal followers that still remain.

Jimin has been so caught up with the fight and the chaos that he only notices belatedly that the flames around them have been diminished. Only the scent of burning ashes remains, accompanied by the scent of blood which is coming from the battle, as the wounded have increased with the werewolves taking part in it.

The sound of a loud snap catches Jimin’s attention, and he turns just in time to watch as one of Jiho’s underlings slashes a young werewolf fighter with his sharp claws, throwing the beast out of his path. A thick branch extends from the massive oak tree that is right at the center of the battle, capturing the fallen werewolf with its vine before the Vampire manages to snatch him right back in to give him the final blow to end him. Another vine snaps out, catching the Vampire in its clutch before it begins to squeeze tightly, drawing a loud, painful roar from the helpless bloodsucker.

The giant oak tree doesn’t stop there, as its branches continue to reach out between protecting the werewolves and slapping the rebels away. Looking up from where he is standing, Jimin continues to analyze the tree’s movement as it seems to be moving and swaying towards them. Though the tree doesn’t seem to be straying too far from its original position across the opening, but far enough for its strong branches to reach out to where they are all standing, confirming their suspicions about the forest taking their side and protecting them from danger.

Jimin feels his brother stopping right next to him as they watch the scene together, finally realising now that the forest has been moving systematically and in tune with the werewolves’ attacks, as if everything has been planned out and they are working together in defeating the intruders.

“Do you think the werewolves have anything to do with what the forest has become? Do they have a mage with them?” Jimin hears Jinhwan speaks softly to him once he has caught on to what is happening and is asking the same questions that are plaguing Jimin’s mind as he watches the scene curiously.

The answer comes instantly from Hyun, the moment the Siren mage returns to his position beside Jimin. “No, they don’t. That’s what I was trying to tell you both. I sensed no magic from around us, but I do sense a Vampiric presence, a dark power that is much similar to yours, Lord Jimin.”

“You’re right, this isn’t the work of a magician, nor it is from the werewolves, though I’m quite sure that they are in this together,” Jimin says, as he keeps his gaze on the moving vines that still have the screaming rebel in their clutches, playing him like a paper doll as they continue to swing the bloodsucker back and forth—as if he is nothing but a puppet to play with. A smile immediately grows on Jimin’s face when he realises this, and he slowly begins to understand what has truly been happening and who is behind all of this.

“No,” he says, as his grin slowly grows wider. “This is the work of the Puppet Master.”

Hearing Jimin’s words, Jinhwan’s head snaps in shock. “Well, shit—I was not expecting that at all,” Jinhwan muses with a surprised chuckle.

His eyes scan the top of the trees more closely before they grow wide when a figure appears at the top of the massive oak tree. Up there, perching comfortably between the thick branches while remaining partly hidden under the layer of shaking leaves, Kim Hanbin appears in sight, their dear brother who had been missing ever since the night the brothers were ambushed by the rebels at Ambrose’s tavern.

“Hello there, brothers! Have you all missed me?” Hanbin greets them with a wide grin while leaning forward, allowing them to see his face more clearly. He keeps his arms raised at his sides, his fingers continue moving and dancing as if there are invisible threads attached between each tip of his fingers and the moving branches and vines around them.

Jimin laughs at himself, unable to believe that he had in fact forgotten his brother’s powers and skills. It is a special ability that has been passed on from generation to generation within General Kim’s family bloodline, perfected by General Kim—Hanbin’s father—himself during the time he was in power. It had become the secret weapon which had been beneficial during the Blood War, one that had played a part in bringing the Vampires their victory in the war against the Royal Vampires and their followers.

Back when he was a child, Jimin had witnessed Hanbin utilising this power more than once, when young Hanbin used to play around with his powers during the time the Orphans and the Lords’ children were playing in the woods surrounding their home castle. Hanbin’s ability to control everything that he touches with his bare hands, whether they are living beings or inanimate objects, had given him the nickname that the Orphans had used to call him with growing up.

The puppet master.

Many decades had passed since the last time Jimin witnessed his brother playing around with his powers, controlling the small things that he had found during the times they were preparing to start their journey as young Travellers—from wooden furnitures, shrubbery, handmade puppets, his own pets, to his own friends and brothers who became willing victims to help Hanbin practice his skills. Seeing Hanbin in action now, Jimin believes that his brother has found a way to expand his powers further, becoming much stronger and bolder with his powers. As if he knows that Jimin is marvelling at his special skill, Hanbin gives him a smug smile while lifting his chin up, not showing any signs of knowing how worried his brothers had been about his disappearance.

The battle is slowly coming to its end, with the rebels being completely defeated and the wounded ones retreating. But the reunion with their missing brother wouldn’t be the only family affair that is about to happen when Junhoe suddenly returns, appearing from beyond the line of trees with merely a few bruises that are already healing while looking worse for wear, but still standing strong and alive, much to Jimin’s relief. And he is not alone. Following right behind him are the identical twins, Yongguk and Yongnam, the sons of Lord Seunghyun. Jimin has no idea whether to feel relieved or intrigued that they are arriving just in time to catch up with the last of the battle. He can only feel sorry for the rebels who are trying to escape only to be caught by the twins. Knowing what the twins are capable of, he can already tell that their fate wouldn’t end well in their hands.

With the flames having been successfully extinguished, the forest rumbles with its one last move, and the massive trees that had become a part of the fight are slowly retreating into their designated positions, settling down right where they belong. All but only one of them remains—the old oak tree that Hanbin is currently riding on, still looming above the battleground as he stays to watch over the end of the fight.

“Shall we finish up here as well?” Mage Hyun asks him, referring to their remaining opponents who are now at the mercy of the werewolves assisting them. Most of the pack members have retreated as well, leaving behind the Alpha and his enforcers who seem to be handling the situation perfectly well.

Jimin knows that he still has some unfinished business with the rebels, as he had identified at least a few who had been there on the night he was poisoned. But Jimin is out for blood only for one particular Vampire, the one who is responsible for setting things in motion—the rebellion, the poisoning of the Lords, the ambush against his brothers, and most likely, the distribution of poison all the way to the East side of the continent, where the werewolves packs reside.

From the corner of his eyes, Jimin catches the sight of Jiho slipping away, taking the chance of the final pause of the battle to find his escape. Jimin knows that he wouldn’t be fast enough to stop him from running, yet he still tries his best, using the last will of power that he has to follow Jiho before he could get too far.

Seeing this, Hanbin, who still holds control of the old giant oak tree that he is perched on, raises his arm to reach out towards the Vampire’s path. Under his will, one of the trees in his escape path sways, and then its long vines snap out and wrap themselves around Jiho to stop him from escaping into the dark woods. The Vampire can only release a loud roar in rage when he is lifted off the ground, completely powerless when he has both of his arms pinned to his side.

“Is this one giving you trouble, brother?” Hanbin calls out tauntingly while he swings Jiho back and forth right above Jimin’s head.

“He’s the one behind everything,” Jimin responds to him while trying his best to stay calm, while his answer triggers Hanbin’s rage, knowing exactly what he meant. As he clenches his grip, the vines wrapping Jiho’s body tighten around him, causing the Vampire to cry out in pain. The sound of his bones snapping under pressure echoes through the woods, and Jimin quickly turns to stop his brother from going any further.

‘Hanbin, keep Jiho alive. He has all the information that we may need,’ Jimin sends out his command into his brother’s mind who simply nods at him, though his angry frown slowly turns into a wicked smile when Jimin begins sending images into his head, letting him know what he has planned for the traitor.

Standing right under his former comrade, Jimin looks down to see the leather pouch dangling from Jiho’s waist and growls, knowing what the trickster merchant has in his possession.

‘And it seems like he has a lot of things to answer to us,’ Jimin adds while staring straight into Jiho’s eyes, threatening him silently, and feeling pleased when he can see a glint of fear flashing under the traitor’s challenging gaze when he looks back at him in defeat.

While Jiho and his captured underlings are being taken away by the members of the Blue Moon Pack to a safe place where they would be confined for a premeditated time, Jimin returns to join his group, leaving Hanbin to watch over the transfer of the prisoners until he can join him later. Junhoe had found Jinhwan and Hyun while he was away. The twins and another Vampire who seems to be a messenger are also present with them.

“Junhoe was supposed to bring us to you,” Jimin says to the twins as he comes to them, skipping all the formal greetings and the pleasantries altogether.

Yongguk shrugs at this and glances at Junhoe before finally answering. “So he said. But we heard that something was boiling in this peaceful forest, so we figured it would be interesting to take a look and see what was happening. We were getting bored sitting back in the wastelands without anything fun or exciting to do anyway,” he explains calmly, while Jimin and the others immediately perk up at what he had just said.

“The wastelands,” Jimin muses, surprised to know that the twins had set foot in the deserted area of the continent that no one had dared to venture into. No wonder that he and his brothers had so much trouble tracking them down. Out of all the places that the Travellers clan had ventured into, the wastelands is the last place that would come to anyone’s mind.

Because nobody had ever gone to the wastelands. Not since the Ancient War.

“How many of you were there? What were you doing there, exactly?”

Hearing his question, Yongguk only grins widely. “Now that, is quite a story to tell. But we should probably have our cousin explain it to you since he knows how to word things better,” he says while tapping his chin as his twin brother chuckles deeply beside him.

Jimin raises his brows as he exchanges gaze briefly with Jinhwan. “Your cousin?”

Yongnam opens his mouth to answer, but then stops himself when he catches someone approaching them. “The werewolves will show you where to go,” he says, looking over Jimin’s shoulder to let him know that someone is there to speak with him.

Turning around, Jimin is surprised to find that the Alpha is standing right behind him. Now appearing in his human form, while wearing a simple attire of all black to properly present himself in front of the Vampires, Alpha Junmyeon lowers his head to politely greet him.

“Forgive us for the interruption. My name is Kim Junmyeon, the current reigning Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. I would like to invite you and your entourage to visit our pack to rest and recover after the battle,” he says to Jimin. His eyes glow with faint golden light when he looks straight into Jimin’s eyes, smiling warmly as he adds, “There are also a few guests that we are currently hosting in our pack who might be pleased to be reunited with your company. I’m sure you would be interested to see them as well.”

➥ Author’s Note | the brothers are (mostly) reunited! Celebrate Kim Hanbin's return and stream BTBT by B.I (Hanbin)! Thank you for reading!

➥ Special Appearance: B.I (Hanbin)

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