“What the hell are you doing here?”

 

Muffled clashes could be heard from the pool table with drunken cheers coming from guys holding beers, the floor were filled by dancing people jumping together on rhythm as music blasted out at full volume through the speakers, but the bar was surprisingly less crowded than the club itself.

 

“Drinking and having fun, as you can see.” Bobby didn’t even spare one glance at the man appearing in a nice dark blue suit with his gorillas standing behind him in a safe distance, he just drank his whisky peacefully.

 

“And you have to do that in our territory?”

 

“This isn’t your territory, and you are not king, so stop acting like that if you could throw me out of here.”

 

“Look around, mongrel. Your kind won’t be found here.” Hanbin growled in a deathly tone that amused the other to a level that went higher than the rooftops.

 

“Finished?” Bobby raised an eyebrow turning his upper body in Hanbin’s direction, his usual smirk slowly taking place on his face. “Because you’re boring as hell.” He took the last slip from his glass, then put some money on the table before he stood up to leave, not because of the vampire’s unpleasant interruption, but he simply had somewhere else to be.

 

Hanbin stood very close to him, almost touching bodies as he took a full turn, blocking his way a bit as he tried to look threatening, but Bobby only grinned wider at him; it was like he couldn’t be bothered by anything.

 

“Heard you got an invitation to the witches’ wedding.”

 

“Every leader’s house got an invitation.” Bobby looked at the other in some form of disbelief, because it was almost in the law to show respect towards the species by inviting their leaders to such an event, although it was always like dancing on sharpened knives. But it could have been very dangerous if someone important was left out from the guest list or didn’t show up when it was necessary.

 

“I was kind of hoping that they didn’t get enough ink to print your name.” Hanbin pouted his lips like some child (a quite arrogant and sarcastic one among all).

 

“Keep your high hopes up, maybe next time all your wishes will come true.” Bobby flashed his best smile at him, patting his shoulders before finally started to walk away. If the topic was about hopes and wishes, he truly hoped and wished that someone won’t be at the party from the vampire’s circle. But just as Hanbin’s, his dreams also seemed to shatter when the vampire shouted his last words after him.

 

“Junhoe will be there.”

 

, Bobby cursed heavily in his mind as he walked out of the door without looking back to see the cold smile that crept its way up onto Hanbin’s lips.

 

---

 

 

“Chanwoo, come on! We’re going to be late!” Donghyuk shouted standing in the doorway of the living room, looking elegant (and extremely handsome) dressed in his black suit. He peeked at his watch for the hundredth time, letting out a sigh because his brother could never get ready on time.

 

“Easy, cousin. It’s not that big of a problem anyway, at least we’re gonna arrive in style.” Bobby sipped his usual whisky calmly sitting on the sofa, an amused smile playing on his lips as he thought about the entrance they could make. It was a very tempting image to fantasize about, but he wouldn’t mind it either if they had to stay at home for a proper reason (however he couldn’t come up with one even though he spent the whole night thinking of excuses).

 

Donghyuk gifted him with a deep scowl. “You don’t want to insult them, do you?”

 

“It’s not an insult, Donghyuk-ah. We are going to show up, have a decent conversation with them as it’s expected. The others are already making bets about which house won’t be smart enough to be there.”

 

“Don’t start a quarrel now you two, Chanwoois almost ready.” Jisoo quickly chirped in, although she knew it wasn’t anything serious, these boys simply loved bickering over anything if the situation provided it. Bobby smiled at his girlfriend in return, kissing her hand while intertwining their fingers.

 

Jinhwan examined his family from the corner of the room, feeling a weak urge to smile at the lovely sight of the couple, but his lips remained still along with his features. He had no other choice than to represent his father at the wedding as the king was still abroad with the queen, and honestly Jinhwan was happy about his duty, it felt good to take part again in the community life after a long hiatus.

 

“I’m here! Sorry, I swear I don’t do this intentionally, time just hates me…” Chanwoo kept mumbling as he fumbled with his buttons on his wrist, not even sparing a glance at anyone in the room, he knew the looks on their faces already.

 

The witches’s headquarters was outside of Seoul in a big palace what was invisible for human eyes and highly protected with different kind of spells, but tonight a couple of guards were standing at the gates and doors as the outcome of the big amount of dangerous guests ready to set foot on their territory.

 

Butlers opened the doors for the arriving ones, bowing their heads and murmuring greeting words as it was part of their job to recognize the well-known (and sometimes even respected) leaders and make them feel welcomed. The inside of the palace was glowing from lights, fancy decoration, and maids waiting to fulfill the guests’ wishes and nice background music that was played by professional instrumentalists.

 

Junhoe hated these parties where everything was about fake interactions between the species that hated each other and sent each other to hell covered up with nice words. All of these things made the peace to be just a word that meant nothing, that the intrigues were made behind the backs and there was no official war.

 

He picked up a glass of champagne from a tray held by a waiter, because it was merely the beginning of the night, but he already wanted to go home and never come out of the mansion to see these people again. If he wasn’t the son of the vampire king (giving him the prince title he hated in this particular moment) he wouldn’t care about politeness and keeping the so called peace remained, because all of it was founded by hypocrites.

 

The only thing he was pleased with was the fact that not many dared to approach him due to the fact that beside his father only one other king existed in their world, and everyone else was just called a leader. It wasn’t surprising that they feared the vampires and werewolves the most because they had royalty.

 

“Wow, these witches sure know how to live.” Jennie looked around with an impressed smile while clinging on Hanbin’s arm. Her boyfriend snorted at the comment as he had more experience with them, thanks to being Junhoe’s best friend and right-hand man.

 

“Maybe this is the reason why they can’t be trusted, then.”

 

The king and his wife soon left them to enjoy the party on their own while they were doing necessary rounds of greetings with the other guests, so they headed out to find the table with their names on it until the ceremony has begun. There were many invitees outside already, some of them with familiar faces, some completely unknown.

 

They sat there for a while talking to each other, Junhoe only speaking up if he was directly asked, when a sudden round of whispers ran down the tables, and everyone looked at the doors where the new guests stood. Hanbin was already cursing under his breath while Junhoe turned around too, frozen in his place as he was dazzled by the sight.

 

“Is that Prince Jinhwan, the heir of the Kim clan that everyone talks about?”

 

“He is even more beautiful than they say and he is a man… What would a girl look like in their family then?”

 

“And wow, talking about some genes, his brothers are hot as well.”

 

“Yeah, but Prince Chanwoo was adopted when he was still a baby, though.”

 

“Hey, but wait a minute! What about those scars on Prince Jinhwan’s neck? Do you think this is the reason why we haven’t seen him for five years now?”

 

Junhoe gulped when Jinhwan’s gaze slowly find his, and he turned away from him as fast as possible like he was burnt by those brown eyes. He felt a little dizzy as his thoughts were swirling in his head, mixed with the whispers that started becoming louder and he put a hand on his chest right above his heart, hoping that the fast beating would die down before his family members came back to their senses to hear it.

 

Princess Yejin was quick to stand up to greet the Kim family properly when they came near them, and with that everyone was watching them now, tensed waiting for the outcome of the act. Everybody seemed to relax a little as the young heir was nothing but only kind towards the vampire princess, no smile on his lips though.

 

Junhoe closed his eyes for a second as Jinhwan’s sweet voice rang through his ear, grateful that his girlfriend on his right was more fascinated by the newcomers she’d never met than to notice his strange behaviour. He felt Hanbin’s hand on his shoulder, so he glanced up to see the meaningful look in his friend’s eyes, that reminded him of some things, making him arrange his features with his usual poker face.

 

“Aww, he is cute.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Hanbin growled, looking annoyed with his girlfriend. “I am your boyfriend, so I am supposed to be cute, not some werewolf prince you hadn’t even met three seconds ago!” Everyone at the table snickered a bit at the retort, except for Junhoe of course.

 

“Oh my love, you’re rather terrifying sometimes than cute, but I only got eyes for my handsome boy.” Jennie’s fingers trailed along Hanbin’s profile, and the smile on her face melted the grumpy man’s heart.

 

“And what’s wrong with him, anyway? Don’t think we didn’t notice your blank faces, boys, when he walked by!” Lisa elbowed on the table and pointed a finger around. Her eyes were curiously searching for her boyfriend’s, but Junhoe wasn’t fully present at their conversation.

 

“Ah, what do you mean? He is just a werewolf, even though we live in peace, he is our natural enemy, so we don’t have to like him.” Yunhyeong cleared his throat as he looked at the other two. “Right?”

 

“Right. We don’t know him, and we don’t even want to, so can we change the topic?” Hanbin added with a firm voice while the only thing Junhoe did was consuming the rest of his champagne and searching for another.

 

This was going to be a long night.

 

The ceremony wasn’t too long, and some find it interesting as it had individual marks regarding the witches’ habits, starting with the ebony coloured wedding dress Chaeyoung wore walking down the aisle. For the rest of them it wasn’t anything new, just a simple wedding where they attended out of obligation.

 

“You didn’t tell me your prince is going to be here.”

 

Bobby sighed as he stayed leaning on the bar without sitting on a stool.

 

“You made it to your mission to interrupt my lovely time at bars?” He wasn’t in the mood to drink anymore, so he only played with the half full glass in his hands. “Plus we have like four princes in total, including me, by the way. You should start respecting that.” He was aware of which one Hanbin just referred to, but didn’t feel like make it easy for the vampire.

 

“You can be a prince as much you want, but you are not from my kind. You are not even the son of the king like the other three, you’re just a cousin.”

 

“Then why do you talk to me in the first place? That bored with your own prince?” Bobby glanced up to the direction of the other, and Hanbin was about to grab him, but a voice stopped him from doing so.

 

“Can’t you two take a break from killing each other at public places?” There stood prince Donghyuk looking absolutely annoyed, however he resembled a sulky child with his angelic features more than an angry man they should be afraid of. “I’m getting tired of clearing up the reports about two men looking strangely like our Prince Jiwon and the vampire Kim Hanbin, arguing at places where everyone can see and hear them.” His sweet voice didn’t match with his cold eyes that were very unusual considering Donghyuk was generally a cheerful person and it fit more for the vampires to have that kind of look than the werewolves who were rather feral.

 

Bobby just sighed glancing at his cousin, but not bearing to look at him, he chose to look at Hanbin instead whose expression was unreadable. Still, Donghyuk managed to make him silent and that meant something.

 

“Well, this is my cue then.” Hanbin said abruptly, avoiding the gaze of the blonde haired prince that suddenly felt so heavy as if some weights were pushed down on his shoulders.

 

“If I were you, I would show some respect after what I’ve done.” The werewolf prince remarked without sparing the vampire a look. “That goes double for you, hyung.” He walked past the stiff Bobby ignoring the pain that crossed his features and ordered some cocktail the bartender recommended on his request.

 

Hanbin stayed still for a moment, slowly turning his head at the direction of Bobby and the two exchanged some glances the most peaceful way they’ve ever communicated. Then it was indeed time for the vampire to leave, in order to prevent the attention they could get if they continued being in each other’s company.

 

Bobby cleared his throat after he had enough of watching Hanbin disappearing in the crowd, he gathered all his courage to face his cousin who was more scary than anyone would think and was capable of doing things no one could dream of, but above all: he was the little brother of Jinhwan, which was the very important keyword in this situation.

 

“Where are the others?”

 

Donghyuk hummed as a sign that the question was acknowledged, though he took his time with the cocktail before answering, being completely aware of what his cousin was trying to do here. “Jisoonoona went to look for the newlyweds while Chanwoo refused to leave Jinhwanhyung alone who got involved in a conversation with the hunters, and I thought I should find you and then make an excuse for my brother to get going finally.”

 

Bobby felt worried immediately, stepping back to Donghyuk, who wasn’t in the mood to look at him yet. “Isn’t he enjoying himself?”

 

“He’s enjoying that he can do something for his people again, but I don’t think he is actually pleased to be here under these particular circumstances.”

 

“Yeah, then let’s fetch him and get the hell out here.”

 

Both nodded in agreement before they went on separate directions, Bobby to find his girlfriend, and Donghyuk back to his brothers so he could make up an excuse for all of them leaving so early.

 

---

 

 

Jinhwan was lying still on his bed, hands tucked behind his head as he was staring at the ceiling, but his eyes were seeing something more meaningful than the navy blue surface.

 

Stolen kisses behind trees quickly turned into heated make-outs, what escalated to feelings they didn’t ask for and to promises they never kept; or like one of them never intended to keep.

 

“I love you.”

“You shouldn’t. But if we’re going to hell for this, then we’ll burn together.”

 

But why had hell a place for only one of them?

 

A hand unconsciously slipped to the rough skin on his neck, fingers lingering around and following the way of the scars up and down so smoothly as if they were a part of some magnificent work that was worth to be worshiped.

 

Screams echoed in his mind while his fingers curled around the wound that felt so fresh suddenly like he had gotten it seconds ago, however in reality there was no physical pain at all caused by it.

 

A woman’s shriek repeated over and over again coming with the growl he knew he’d never forget, then his body moved on its own, bringing him forward in a matter of seconds without giving a thought of turning back.

 

Knock knock

 

Jinhwan’s eyes popped open and widened in shock as he found himself in his bedroom again and not stuck in the past, the mattress bouncing under him a little. He gulped, getting up to see who wanted to have a talk with him before he could immerse in his mind again, this time though in full panic.

 

“Hey, hyung.”Chanwoo’s adorable smile was plastered on his face as usual, and it melted the elder’s heart even though he had seen it plenty of times previously.

 

“Hey, Chanwoo-yah.”Jinhwan’s voice was lifeless but his brother didn’t mention it, and he was beyond grateful for that.

 

“Would you like to take a walk with me in the garden? I’m heading out for some fresh air and I thought you could use some too.”

 

Jinhwan would’ve liked to stay in his room and deal with his demons by himself, but he knew Chanwoo had gone through some bad times lately, so he agreed to the proposition without much thinking, hoping that the fresh air and his big brother’s company would do some good to the young boy.

 

The house was unusually quiet when they exited from it, no sign of Donghyuk, Bobby or any of the maids; they didn’t care about it much, everyone had their own businesses and Jinhwan hated anyway when everyone payed too much attention to him just because he had some shadows of the past yet to leave behind. He hated the looks he got, the way everyone tiptoed around him like he was some lunatic on the loose; he had never once lost his temper in his life, so the behaviours that surrounded him hurt him more than any of his scars so far.

 

They don’t even know the whole story about me, just assume they do.

 

Right, even his parents had no clue that this wasn’t just about his injury.

 

Chanwoo sighed in relief as he breathed in the air, keeping it in for a long moment before letting it out, Jinhwan waited patiently for him to take his time, enjoying the chilly breeze a bit himself.

 

“Sometimes I wish I was a human too or at least not a son of the king.”

 

Jinhwan smiled at his brother, it was bittersweet. “I get where that’s coming from, but I don’t think it would be better, Chanwoo-yah. Human life has its hardships too, though I agree on being just a simple werewolf and not a prince.”

 

“Right? We wouldn’t have to attend these fancy parties and could live in the countryside far from all the drama happening here.” Chanwoo looked at the sky with a slight smile, thinking about a peaceful life they could have. He peeked at his brother carefully before asking, “How are you, hyung? After the party.”

 

Every muscle in Jinhwan’s body became tense, he could tell the implication behind those words, and although he didn’t want to, he knew he should talk it out with someone,Chanwoo was a perfect choice for that.

 

“I thought I was fine before we went to the party, but it seems like some of my past keeps hunting me and I can’t throw the feelings away that easily.”

 

“You still…?” After all these years?

 

“Yeah.” A sad smile appeared on Jinhwan’s lips as he finally looked at Chanwoo. Always.

 

The young werewolf was about to answer when a howl broke through the air along with paws pounding on the ground disturbing the momentary silent, the two brothers shared a look that could tell everything they felt in that moment before they turned to face the raging beasts with familiar growls echoing in their ears.

 

---

 

 

Junhoe woke up to the sound of chains rattling and a terrible headache he didn’t know he could get up until now, the rusty smell of blood alarmed him as he slowly started regaining his senses, so he sat up without hesitation, blocking out the pain that followed his movements, and after a couple of blinks he finally saw the body chained up next to him and the sight freaked him out.

 

“Jinhwan?!”

 

“Stop yelling, idiot!” The wolf groaned while clenching his eyes, grimacing because of the loud voice didn’t do good to his damaged ears and with that to his aching body, he tried to holding onto his chains to prevent himself from falling forward as he supported his back on the cold wall. When he finally managed to sit still he let out a broken sigh.

 

Junhoe gulped as his eyes were roaming all over the petite male’s body beside him, signs of fighting clearly showed through his wounds and the terrifying part was that blood seemed to just float from everywhere, so he couldn’t even tell where he was hurt badly.

 

“Stop staring, it’s creepy.” Jinhwan murmured without opening his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing instead.

 

At any other time Junhoe would have been maybe happy as this old habit of the wolf’s didn’t appeared to fade, but he was more concerned about the boy’s well-being right know than to let nostalgia take over him.

 

“What happened to you?” It was a silly question and Junhoe wasn’t able to think of a better one, he almost couldn’t hear himself talking over the fast beating of his heart.

 

However, Jinhwan on the other hand found the question very reasonable, being aware that there was more behind this whole story, going back for years. Which he didn’t understand, why was the vampire prince kidnapped too?

 

“I should ask you the same.”

 

“I was with Yunhyeonghyung when they came out of nowhere and ambushed us. I was dragged away by them, then they knocked me out somehow, I don’t remember much. I don’t even know who they are.”

 

Jinhwan hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t seem to say anything further, so Junhoe spoke up again. “How bad are those wounds?”

 

“They’re healing.”

 

Thank God! Junhoe heard the huge stone fall from his chest while he closed his eyes as well, but unlike the other, he opened them after a few seconds to examine the boy’s features. He was so weak in this moment that he didn’t fight with his inappropriate feelings, he’s had enough battle with himself because of them already.

 

The silence he adored so much with every inch of his was now suffocating, he almost felt its non-existing hands reaching out and curling around his neck, intended to choke him, maybe till he gave up and pleaded for air (or he was brave enough to say those words which were now sitting on top of his tongue and which he swallowed back down again like they had never been there to begin with).

 

The mild sound of heels clacking filled the place, Jinhwan groaned out of irritation while his eyes adjusted to the light that suddenly lit up the room when the heavy door on their left opened with a creak.

 

The vampire pulled his legs up a bit on instinct, pressed his body closer to the wall and with that he leaned more towards Jinhwan, arms brushing against one another, and for a moment, both of them felt like they were electrified by the touch.

 

“Rise and shine my little pigeons!” The woman clapped twice and as her cheery voice reached Junhoe’s ears, he responded with an ugly grimace. “Aww, don’t be so grumpy, my love! Look what a beautiful day we have here! My favourite wolf being tied up next to the most handsome vampire I’ve ever seen! Isn’t that a great company? We’re going to have so much fun!”

 

Junhoe considered that this must be just a wicked joke someone enjoyed to play with them, because this woman (a werewolf to be precise) went against all the laws of nature. She almost drooled with such an intense hunger in her eyes that sent shivers down the prince’s spine, her voice being so cheery but sharp at the same time like she was ready to bite at every second.

 

The most terrifying part was that her breathing was actually getting heavier with each passing moment like she couldn’t hold herself back from attacking. He peeked over at Jinhwan, who maintained the eye contact with her, seemingly unbothered by her strange behaviour. They had to know each other if they both were wolfs, right?

 

One of the tattooed and muscular guards brought a chair for the still nameless lady to sit on, and she descended on it like it was her precious throne, crossing her legs as she leaned back comfortably, disappearing into the dark where the chair was placed.

 

Junhoe felt a need to ask, to say something, anything at this point to break the silence, but couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth, even though he wanted to know badly why they were here.

 

“Why Junhoe? He was never involved in any business concerning our kind.” asked Jinhwan quietly.

 

“But he was involved with you!” The woman shot back almost in a hysterical tone, making the boys freeze in their place. “You think I’m that stupid to not know? I spent five years, five beautiful years of my life which I should’ve spent with my lover instead, to dig up your dirty little past,” shining tears appeared in her eyes as she moved all of sudden, “You’ve made me work so hard for it, Jinhwan, but I was so happy when I found out about your little secret.” Those tears were quickly replaced with a smirk on her lips, showing her bright white teeth for a moment.

 

Junhoe kept staring at Jinhwan, who kept staring at the woman in front of them lurking back to the shadows.

 

Before one of them could reply, she spoke again. “Honestly, my little pigeons, it caught me by surprise finding out you used to be madly in love with each other and managed to hide it from everyone. Oh, yeah, except for your dear friends, which I think was a huge mistake, but hey, it’s not my place to decide that, right? And besides, who does not enjoy a little drama?”

 

She clapped her hands again. “But why do I speak so much? I’m sure Junhoe could tell the story of that rainy day on the train station five years ago better.” Her voice became low like it wasn’t even coming from her anymore.

 

The silence falling upon them was full of pressure, Junhoe slowly tilted his head towards Jinhwan, feeling the ache of his heart spreading through his body as he saw the teary look of the wolf’s eyes, refusing to look at the vampire.

 

And with that, everything he buried over the five years came back to Junhoe. Like how soft the other’s skin felt under his touch, how it felt when their bodies were pressed together while their tongues were dancing on the music of their beating hearts, how he found home in the warmth radiating from the wolf’s hug. He wanted it again. All of it. He wanted to fell asleep again listening to the sound of Jinhwan’s even breathing, to hear his laugh which filled his heart with life, to have him by his side whispering sweet words to each other, and to hold him in his arms and this time, never let go.

 

---