Jinki had felt the kiss and the whispered sorry across his lips. In his sleep addled haze, he mused happily about the kiss, turning over as a dream about him and his mate played heavily in his mind, a smile on his lips. The dream abruptly shifted, drifting from warm and passionate to dark and oppressive. There was nothing but flashes of color and light, a mackle of red, a hash of black.

It brought Jinki out of his deep sleep instantly. He found himself sitting up in his bed, his brow wet with sweat, his chest heaving, his hands trembling. Instantly, he reached for Minho but felt nothing but the cold side of a bed.

“I’m sorry.”

Jinki jumped from the bed, his robe forgotten as he raced to Minho’s room. He didn’t hesitate, throwing the door back. The room was dark. His bed was empty. Before he could even fix his mouth to call a guard, Jonghyun was racing into the Magnus Suite, his eyes wide.

He knew what was happening before Jonghyun even opened his mouth.

“They’re gone! Kibum…he left me a letter,” Jonghyun sputtered anxiously. “They went to find his father.”

Within the half hour, he had a small riding party consisting of Jonghyun, Nichkhun and his Firsts. He left Yifan the charge of The Fortress and they were off.

They rode hard for Wheph, using whatever shortcuts off the main road that Victoria and Tiffany could think of. And even with all of that, they just barely managed to get there.

Jinki wasn’t very familiar with fear. He’d been scared before, familiar with it the feeling. Fear sounded like Yoon’s footfalls towards his room door when he’d done something the man found inexcusably wrong. It sounded like Ditti, the sparmaster under Xiah, who was responsible for his training. He had a right hook that hurt and that was before he knocked you on your . He even understood what trepidation, anxiousness felt like. They were things Xiah taught him to appreciate and understand, that your body went through changes in these states and that you could always use them to your advantage.

But fear? The taste of it was heavy on his tongue. It was what he felt as he raced into the clearing, his gaze centered on the man with a sword at Minho’s chest.

The aftertaste was still there as he wandered around Wheph.

Jinki spent his time waiting for the Oracle’s arrival by reassuring the curious people of Wheph about the explosion. One Jinki hadn’t been present for but they’d asked enough questions for him to believe it had happened. Still, their concern for the explosion was eclipsed by his presence.

Out of the thick crowd was an older shifter who shouldered her way to the front, persistent on meeting him. She presented him with a gummy smile before she grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles.

“My son went to Prae to see the selection ceremony. Said the wolf chosen as AlphaBeta was a fine young shifter and it looks like he was right! You sure are handsome. Just as well that you were snatched up. My Clara would have made you a perfect mate. My son laughed and said you were just what our Minho needed. Said that you would take care of our Golden Son. Said you were honorable and–” She came up on her tip toes trying to peer around Jinki’s shoulder, “where is he by the way? No way he would have sent you all the way out here without visiting himself!”

Jinki cleared his throat and offered her a smile–albeit tight and awkward–as he evasively changed the topic to their Alpha search. She linked her arm with his and began to lead him towards the center of town, the crowd in their wake. “We’re looking for Yunkyum’s–that was Minho’s father–cousin, Sungmin. He recently mated; I’m sure you know this but us common folk don’t have to wait around for some auspicious “mating moon” to mate. But I’m sure you are very excited for the upcoming one! That reminds me, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be getting prepared?”

Again, Jinki offered a smile and nothing more. Eventually the crowd dissipated but he kept the older shifter close to him, trying to pry any other facts about the person who wassupposed to be his mate. He learned a lot of things, quaint little hometown stories aboutwhoever Minho was.

Yet no mention was ever made about Minho being an Omega.

At dusk, the interim castellan, overly excited with all of the high profile people visit, announced the Oracles arrival with much fanfare and noise, leading them the long way around the village–which Minho and Nichkun could hear–before leading them to what was once the small council for The Golden Shields. The castellan hadn’t offered much explanation about the former Golden Shields, a name Jinki had never heard of before, other than they were disbanded but could be called on a moment’s notice. For what, Jinki didn’t ask. But his next words chilled Jinki to the bone.

“If you stick around long enough, you should be able to meet their former Captain, Siwon. He took two others to the woods to hunt a few days. Should be back in the morning.”

They didn’t know.

Jinki groaned; he needed to tell them, and tell them fast but before he could the door opened and the three Oracles entered. Joonmyun, the Elder of Delphi, was devoid of the customary robes he wore during ceremonies, while the two prelates who trailed it in his wake still wore theirs. The Elder approached Jinki in a rush, his white roughspun pants and cotton shirt reflecting much of the low candle light.

“My Lord, you called? You said it was dire? Of extreme importance?”

Jinki nodded solemnly and motioned to a seat which Joonmyun took swiftly. The two prelates were slower to take seats which Jinki observed quietly.

The first thing Jinki did was push the broken pieces of Minho’s phial towards the Elder of Delphi, who the sharp edges of glass with curiosity. “What is this?”

“It was an olfa.”

Joonmyun smeared some of the residue on his fingers and brought it to his nose. “Ah,” he said as he inhaled the heavy scent. “What does this have to do with anything?”

Jinki breathed deeply to hold his anger at bay. His patience with being lied to was very low at the moment.

“This has to do with everything. If I remember correctly, what we were told about the Blood Moon Festival was that the Blood Moon wanted an Alpha male couple to mate. For the betterment of Prae.”

Joonmyun nodded. “That’s right. That is the prophecy.” The two prelates were having a hard time keeping eye contact with Jinki, which he again noted mentally.

“So,” Jinki said, his voice low and gravely,” can you explain to me why I am two days away from mating an Omega?”

One prelate choked while the other looked like he was on the verge of tears. The Elder, however, looked at Jinki like he was insane.

“Well, I certainly hope you are not on the verge of mating ‘some Omega’. You have to mate with Minho or you’ll die, you know this. You know this because I personally told you so.” Joonmyun sat back in his chair. “Now, it is no problem to set up provisions if you have an Omega lover. You can keep them around for offspring purposes…a concubine if you will. That shouldn’t keep you from fulfilling your obligations to the AlphaBeta.”

Jinki closed his eyes. “Unless I kill him.”

Joonmyun reared back in shock. “What did you say?”

Jinki’s eyes opened and he leaned forward. “You heard me. Unless I kill him, isn’t that correct? If I end is life, then there is no obligation to fulfill. All I would need to do is to spill his blood instead of mating with him. You spookheads high on your mountain didn’t tell us that part did you? You know what’s so great about living in The Fortress? Immediate access to The Dongbang Library. My brother was kind enough to do the research for me, although I thought he’d lost his mind. But he told me something very peculiar and it just dawned on me today. He told me if my mate ever tried to betray me killing him was the only way to save my life. He told me this regretfully of course but the information is still valid.”

Joonmyun’s face was anything but understanding. “Yes, that’s true but you can understand why I don’t readily give that information out to everyone! That rule only applies to Blood Moon betrothals. You can imagine what would happen to every political arranged marriage if that got out. Wolves would die left and right! And even if that is true but why in the Gods would you want to do that? What has Minho done to deserve such from the wolf he is destined to mate with?”

Jinki chuckled and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I’m assuming you forgot what I said earlier. About mating with an Omega.”
Joonmyun was losing his patience. “What does that have to do with–“

“Minho is an Omega, Elder,” one of the prelates, the one who looked like he was going to cry earlier, said softly.

Joonmyun whipped around to look at him. “What madness are you speaking, Minseok? Minho is not an Omega. I would know. Everyone would kno–” Joonmyun paused and his gaze drifted towards the phial. “Jesu,” he whispered harshly. “That’s…”

“Impossible?” Jinki laughed, the heel of his hand on his forehead. “It’s very possible and because of your lies I am bound to a liar.” He pointed to Minseok. “Explain this. If Minho is an Omega and you were well aware of it by your admission, why then would you pair him with me?”

Minseok lowered his head and adverted his eyes and that gained him a growl from Jinki. He yelped and shied away from Jinki’s anger.

The prelate who sat in front of him rolled his eyes. “I made him do it, although we read the exact same prophecy, I had to make him do it.”

“Kyungsoo!” Joonmyun cried.

Kyungsoo ignored Joonmyun in favor of Jinki’s hard glare. “When we were given the task to decipher the Blood Moon’s prophecy we did so in earnest and with ethical proclivity–that much you must know. The Blood Moon called for an Alpha pair. To do this, Oracles offer up a pair and the prophecy either accepts it or rejects it. It’s always black and white. Here are your new rulers, these two, right here are destined. Yet this time it accepted not one pair, buttwo, which believe you me, shocked the both of us. The first pair was you, my Lord, and Wu Yifan of Mott Argan. But the closer we examined your pairing, the more we saw it would tear Prae in two. It showed us a happy mutual pairing, but it also showed us a vision of Prae, torn in two, one side drenched in blood, the other burning. War. We saw War.”

Jinki raised a brow at Kyungsoo. “And you’re telling me the other pairing, the Alpha pair that the Blood Moon demanded, was me and Minho, who is not an Alpha,” Jinki deadpanned.

“But he is, in name and spirit,” Kyungsoo forcefully pointed out. “The Blood Moon knew that. It knew. And it told us as so. Despite the shock of that revelation, we still examined the pairing between you and Minho. With you, we saw something different.”

Jinki chuckled darkly. “Oh, world peace, rainbows and happiness I presume?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said rubbing the back of his neck. “We saw war as well.”

Jinki he sat back in his chair. “You’re doing a job explaining why you did this. If our pairing led to war as well, why not just pair me with another ing Alpha like the Blood Moon called for!”

“Because, my Lord, we saw something different. Yes, there was war; yes there was blood and fire. But we also saw something in your pairing that fixed that. We saw something that only your bonding could produce. Something that would extinguish the flames, heal the wounds and stop the bloodshed.”

“And just what was that, prey tell?”

The fire in Kyungsoo’s eyes withered down to a small flame and he finally looked away. “We cannot tell you that. We cannot tell you what fate will lead you to, what fate will move in your souls and lives.”

“You’re allowed to with our lives but you can’t tell me how in detail. That’s reasonable.” Jinki sat quiet, contemplative, his fingers steepeled under his chin. Rage welled up in him and he rushed out of his seat and around the table, snatching Kyungsoo up by his collar and slamming him into a wall. The young prelate yelped.

“You are not to tell a soul. A soul, you hear me? If this gets out, I will have you drawn and quartered and your head paraded around Prae for all to see,” Jinki snarled.

Nichkhun jumped out of his seat by the door and held a pleading hand out to his leader. “Jinki, please don’t! You know you can not threaten an Oracle!”

“I didn’t threaten,” Jinki challenged as he glared angrily into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “I made a promise.” He released his grip on Kyungsoo’s shirt and the young prelate fell to the ground. Quickly, he scampered away, hiding being Minseok.

“Tell Jonghyun to bring Minho to me.”

Sighing, Nichkhun left the room and Jinki turned to the wall, trying to collect his thoughts, his emotions but he was fastly losing control of both.

“My lord,” Joonmyun implored. “Shouldn’t we talk about this?” Joonmyun said from his seat. “Shouldn’t a solution be discussed?”

“I have a solution,” Jinki muttered quietly. “I always have a solution.”

Jinki didn’t know how much time had passed when the door of the small council room opened and Nichkhun reentered, Victoria and Tiffany behind him. In their wake was Jonghyun and finally Minho.

The thump of the door closing was the only sound for the longest stretch of time. I can do this. I can do this. Resolved, Jinki reached for his sword and cleared the sheath, the motion causing the Oracles to gasp. He raised Espada and pointed it at Jonghyun.

“You knew,” he accused.

Jonghyun’s eyes darted to the sword then up to Jinki’s angry ones. “Jinki. Put the sword down,” Jonghyun demanded.

“Don’t tell me what to ing do! I asked you a question,” Jinki said, his voice low and guttural, alive with fury. “You knew this entire time and you said–nothing–to me. Not one word!”

“Yes. I knew,” he said slowly. “But what did you want me to do? The Gods ordained this, Jinki, who am I to speak against that?”

Jinki took a step forward, the tip of the sword lying just shy of Jonghyun’s throat. “Don’t give me that . I wasn’t asking you to run around Prae and tell the entire world. I wouldn’t expect you to speak against it either! I am saying you could have spoken TO ME, Jonghyun. I am your leader, your friend!”

“And Kibum is my mate!” Jonghyun screamed back, his voice raw and hard. “It was his secret and I was protecting him. And I don’t give a damn, you can strike me down right here and right now, but you will not fault me for protecting what is mine!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Minho’s hand slowly reaching for Jinki’s blade. “Jinki…don’t do this.”

“Shut up!” Jinki riposted, his fangs elongated and gleaming. “Shut your lying filth ridden mouth!” He swung his sword from Jonghyun to Minho. The rage inside of Jinki was unmistakable; he felt it under his skin, in his bones. He felt the anger bleeding into his eyes, painting them red. “I am the AlphaPrime of Prae. Me! You were supposed to submit to me, honor me! Instead you lied! You are nothing but a lie.”

Minho opened his mouth but no words came out.

“Great,” he breathed, his chest heaving. “Great, I’m glad you having nothing to say for yourself because I wouldn’t believe it! I don’t care what those idiot Oracles told me about the war. I’m going to do what Onew should have done the moment he found out. I am going to save myself by killing you. I am going to save Prae from your treachery!”

Jinki grabbed Minho by his shirt and threw him to the ground, his entire body positively radiating with deadly intent. The ring, the ring that had meant everything to him, that signified their mutual respect for each other, their friendship, their union, his love, burned the skin of his finger. He snatched it off and threw it at him, watching it bounce to the ground.

Minho stared at the ring, his bottom lip quivering as he reached for it. He scooped it into his hand and held it close to his chest.
Jinki tried to ignore the beating of his heart, the beating of Minho’s heart, ignored the one off that was so minute that it felt like the steady beating of drums to a song, a dance they could both fall–NO! He clutched at his chest, his heart, wishing for it to stop driving him insane.

Minho looked up at him, tears lining the bottom of his eyes. “It’s okay,” he smiled. “It’s okay. I understand…”

I can fix this. I can fix this. I can fix this. He raised his sword high. I am the Alpha of Prae. I can win whatever war, I can solve this treachery, this poison. I can fix this. I can fix this. Tears leaked out of the side of his eyes. “You lied. Why did you lie to me? Why?” He knew he sounded pathetic but he didn’t care.

“Jinki, don’t!” Jonghyun yelled.

You ing fool! Lower your sword! Onew growled from inside of his head.

Jinki shook his head, trying to quiet him. I don’t need him. I don’t need either of them.

If you kill him you will die too!

No, I won’t! That’s the point! I will live! I will live to mate someone who wouldn’t lie to me like this!

Live to mate someone with someone else? Onew laughed. Do you think you’ll survive the heartsickness, you insufferable idiot?

Heartsickness? Heartsickness! I was wrong! I do not love him! I can’t! I don’t know who he really is!

He is who he is! He is who you know him as! I am your wolf! I know you better than anyone and I will know you better than anyone! You kill Minho and Caleo dies! I die! You will die. Maybe not today, maybe not in a ten years, but you will die, miserable and lonely.

I can do it, Onew. I can kill him. I won’t let you stop me.

I don’t have to stop you because you can’t. You don’t have the heart. You love him. You love him too much to kill him.

I…I

Put the sword down, Jinki. Onew commanded softly.

A sob tore from Jinki’s lips as the sword clattered to the ground. He held his sword hand, the pain of the truth ripping into it like a hot knife. He looked around and it felt like the walls of the small council room were closing in on him. His knees give out and they banged against the floor painfully. But he didn’t feel the pain; he just saw the gold reflecting in Minho’s tear filled eyes. They stayed like that, Jinki’s red to Minho’s gold ones. Time stopped as they stared into each other’s eyes. Jinki knew tears were falling from his eyes but he didn’t feel the tears until Minho reached across, slowly, using the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears away. Jinki’s eyes fluttered at the intimate contact and he knew what Onew said was true. I do love him. But his anger, the feeling of betrayal would not subside. He flinched and drew away from Minho’s touch like it burned him. The next thing he knew he was on his feet, running from the room and into the darkness.

The large twin statues of Heechul and Hangeng were always visible, even miles away in Durkhai. Standing at the base and looking up they towered upwards, almost seeming to touch the sky. Tonight, Hangeng, always the taller of the two, soared higher and it looked as if a halo of stars circled his head. His mate, Heechul, looked up at him, his eyes full of affection and Hangeng cast his loving gaze down back down.




Heechul and Hangeng had mated well before the War. Heechul had been a gregarious Alpha, choosing to tailor clothing and indulge in the local gossip instead of taking up the sword he was so very talented with. He’d ascended to Alpha of Morocco Song at an early age, the former abdicating due to his growing apathy for the position. Hangeng was your typical Dinfire Alpha, quiet and brooding, quick to anger, quick to fight. They’d met when Heechul had traveled to Dinfire to outfit Hangeng’s soldiers with new uniforms, a trade he delighted in. It was love at first sight. Their love was one of the greatest love stories that existed in Prae. It saved them all.

That is what mated love was supposed to be like.

Jinki took a seat on at the base of Hangeng and looked up at the sky. Hours had passed and his rage was all but gone but he could still feel the flames of it, hot, rolling around his chest. He stared down at his hands, the hands that had almost killed Minho. He gnashed his teeth and fell back against the statue, his hands tucked across his chest.

He couldn’t even formulate a thought under the tumultuous weight of his emotions.

There was a noise, the sound of feet shuffling from the path and Jinki’s head snapped toward the sound, his senses on edge, until he saw who it was. Grunting, he sat back against the statue.

“What do you want, Victoria?

“Glad you’re glad to see me,” she teased.

Jinki rolled his eyes and repeated his question. “What do you want, Victoria? If you’re here to drag me back there, forget it. If you’re here to bother me, distract me, forget it. I would like to be left alone.”

Instead of obeying–because when did Victoria do that?–she chose a spot at the base of the statue and took a seat. “Well, lucky for you I’m here neither to drag you back, bother nor distract you.”

“But you are bothering me,” Jinki grumbled.

Victoria hummed, as if she agreed, but ultimately didn’t care.

They sat in silence, Victoria continuing to hum a song as they glanced up a mostly revealed moon, save for a very small slice towards its left end.

“You ever wonder why I refuse to give up the title of First to Tiffany?”she asked, a temporary pause to her humming, “Nobody ever ask, which is strange to me.”

“You would snap someone’s neck if they asked, Vic.”

Again, she hummed her agreement and continued to hum her song. Another pause. “At first it was because of Nichkhun. I knew him first. Bedded him first. Fancied ourselves in love for a few years even. Then it changed. It was so sudden. Here I am, planning to be the mate of the Alpha of Morocco Song and then I wasn’t. It was strange. I no longer wanted it.”

“How do you suddenly stop wanting someone?”

Victoria grinned. “I didn’t say I didn’t want him. I never stopped wanting him and I never gave him up. I just…share him with Tiffany now. I also share Tiffany with him. That surprised him, because sometimes he’s can’t see the forest from the trees. Then sometimes we share…together. Sometimes Kyuhyun gets in there like a greased monkey and we–“

Jinki’s hands shot up. “I get it. Morocco Song is a land of sharing.”

“Yes, but it suits us. Nickhun will never settle down because he doesn’t want to. None of us do. One day, one of us will give him children. And it’ll be that. It’s an understanding.”

Along the base of the statue was a pile of loose rocks. Jinki picked one up and pitched it into the open field. “I’m glad you guys can be so honest with each other.” He threw another one. “That must be really nice.”

“Understanding is nice in a logical sense but you act as if we sat down and discussed this. It just happened. Why? Because that how emotions carry people. It doesn’t sound logical but that’s because logic and emotion don’t exist in the same realm of existence. When it comes to relationships…mates,” she emphasized,” you can logic and understand each other to death. You connect, however, because of what you feel.”

Jinki sighed. “I know what you are trying to do.”

Victoria shrugged. “I’m just talking, bub.” Victoria picked up a loose rock from the same pile as Jinki’s and pitched it, the rock disappearing into the tall grass. “That old shifter lady cornered me earlier. Talked my head off. Want to know what I learned?”

“That she likes her carrots mashed because she doesn’t have any teeth?”

“Ha!” Victoria laughed. “No,” she deadpanned. “Did you know that entire village knew Minho was an Omega? He has no clue. It’s like the great village secret.”

Jinki glanced at her sharply, surprised. “I asked almost every villager in Wheph. They mentioned nothing about it!”

“Why would they? You’re his mate.”

Jinki didn’t know why that mattered. “And they just handed that information over to you just like that?”

“Well, no. But I’m smarter than you. I also listen better than you. ‘Minho was always a special child.’ ‘We always made sure to let him know he was important just as he was.’ ‘We keep the secrets of those we love. It’s the Wheph way.’ Apparently the town discovered it the night the Blue Crescents attacked Minho during when he was a young man. ‘The night we knew he was different…special,’ she said.”

“A village of liars,” Jinki muttered.

“They also said,” Victoria continued on like she didn’t hear him, “that he was the best leader they’d ever had, a combination of his father’s strength and his mother’s sweet disposition. He cared for the villagers as his great grandfather had and he was good with coin like his grandmother. The success in the village was phenomenal, apparently–like a golden age in Wheph. The moment they heard he was AlphaBeta of Prae they prayed and rejoiced because they knew that same success could reach other villages. You see, the villagers here care about Prae, almost to a fault. It was a little creepy.”

Jinki stiffened at hearing such good things about his mate. He had spent his time crafting this evil persona, one he knew didn’t exist, but one that would help him understand why someone he cared so much about would deceive him so.

“Jinki, can I ask you a question?”

“You’re going to ask me regardless, so go ahead.”

“If you’d never discovered this, withstanding this war, withstanding what horrors we’ve seen so far, do you think you would have been happy being mated to Minho?”

Jinki’s posture stayed rigid, the question shocking him. He hadn’t even asked himself that question.

“To me, as gargantuan of a lie it may seem to you, there seems to be very valid reasons why Minho did what he did. Also, to me, it seemed like, going by that speech you gave me, that you were willing to do whatever it took to make sure that the union between the two of you was successful. And also…to me…I always saw you as the emotional base, the fire, the strength. If one lie, one small lie that kept Minho alive this long, long enough to meet you, was enough for you to abandon him, I can’t see how your mating would have lasted anyways.”

“You don’t understand. It is not just me; there is an entire clan collective that might find out.”

“It is just you because you have the power, the intelligence to figure this out. Think about it. Minho was smart enough, worthy enough to be chosen and mated, as he was, to a wolf as powerful and influential as you. That was purposely done by the Gods, you have to believe that. And none of us will utter a word, you know that. The only people that know about this are actively trying to start a war, sympathetic to Minho’s cause, or dead. If anyone has the power to make this work in favor of this collective you speak of, it’s going to be you.”

“I never thought of that,” Jinki said quietly.

“This situation doesn’t call for logic. It calls for emotion.” Victoria stood up and dusted her hands off.

“Emotions are what make bonds…well bonds. Remember why you fell for him, damn your pride and be happy. It’s okay to be happy. It’s okay to be selfish. ”




Minho sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ceiling of his old home. He felt…well he tried not to feel anything. Just the feeling of the sheets under his body, the smell, so comfortable and familiar to him. The only asive thing was the headiness of his own scent.

He remembered when Kibum had come to him the moment he was back in his suite. The suppressant was running thin, the poison was winning and he could feel it. He knew by morning it would be completely gone. Kibum promised, just as he had before Onew kidnapped him, that they would go to Wheph and have Jungsoo brew up another batch. Minho had smiled and shook his head. He remembered the look on Kibum’s face when he showed him Onew’s gift.

“No more suppressants, Kibum. No more sneaking, no more having your father lie for me. I can fix this. Soon, I’ll resolve this.”

Kibum gave him a small olfa, small and portable that he could wear around his neck to hold him over for a few days until he decided to take the medication–which he’d planned for the following morning. Except he never expected Jinki to barge into his room that night. He never expected to confess to him how he felt, the apology that wasn’t planned. He never expected Jinki’s gift–the rings. He never expected the passion to erupt between them.

He never expected the next day to be a whirlwind, the opposite end of an emotional spectrum. He never expected to find himself in Wheph, his life just barely saved. He never expected that he wanted to tell Jinki the truth.

He eyed the satchel laying on the small sitting table that carried what he called his savior medication. What good would it do now?

There was a knock at the door and Kibum poked his head in. “How are you?”

Minho chuckled lightly. “That’s the fifth time you’ve asked me in the last ten minutes. I’m fine.”

Kibum’s lips twisted at Minho’s admission before he stepped into his room. He made his way to the bed and took a seat beside him.
“I couldn’t sleep. Jonghyun’s whining is driving me crazy.”

“I’m sorry,” Minho said quietly.

Kibum snorted. “No need to apologize. An apology won’t save my ear drums. He’ll stop feeling sorry for himself and quiet down.” Kibum leaned back on his hands. “Thank you, Minho.”

It was Minho’s turn to snort. “For what? Ruining your life? Jonghyun’s life? Dragging the both of you down with me? Don’t thank me for that. But I’ll find a way to make sure you two aren’t punished for my crimes. I promise.”

Kibum was quiet for a moment, Minho’s proclamation going unanswered, before he moved to stand in front of him. “You’re my best friend, Minho. Really the only friend I’ve got. I know everyone knows me but you? You’re my best friend and I don’t–I can’t take that lightly. Everything I did, I did because I love you and I believe in you. Damn what anybody else has to say. You are my best friend and if I had to lie again, I would without a moment of hesitation. So, it’s me who should be saying I’m sorry because this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t risked everything to come help me look for my father. “

“Which turned out to be a trap for me,” Minho replied sourly.

“So what! He’s alive. Alive! And I know he’s alive because I looked at him and I touched and hugged him. I even yelled at him. He is alive because of you. Because you helped me. I will find him and I will bring him home. So, yes, I’m sorry.” Kibum rushed forward and threw his arms around Minho’s neck. “I’m so sorry, Minho,” he whispered.

Minho knew his apology stretched to more than getting roughed up today. He knew that after today, they would be returning to Prae and Minho’s life would change, quite possibly for the worst. So he soaked up Kibum’s comfort for as long as he could but even with Kibum’s warmth, tears sprung to his eyes, so when Kibum pulled back, it was the first thing he saw.

Minho tried to keep his bottom lip from trembling by drawing it into his mouth but he couldn’t. The reservoir holding his emotion in check leaked and exploded and a quiet sob tore from Minho’s throat.

“I don’t care about being an Alpha of Prae. I don’t care. I never did. I spent most of the time trying to get out of it. But I cared…I care about him, so much and…I’m going to lose him.” Minho bent forward as the sobs wracked his body. “I’m going to lose him.”

Kibum took his seat and pulled Minho into his arms and Minho stayed there until he was out of tears.




Kibum was the first thing Jinki saw when he finally found Minho’s house out of this confusing circular hellhole Wheph called a village. The Choi household wasn’t a house of grandeur or importance as other Alphas homes; it wasn’t in a special location, it didn’t have any special appeal. It looked like any other house. Hell, it might have looked worse.

Kibum opened the door for him when he knocked. He didn’t expect Kibum to look apologetic and for the most part he didn’t, but Jinki could still see a hint of remorse in his striking, angular eyes.

He took a look around Minho’s front porch. A vision of a younger Minho, lost in his sorrow, despondent as he stood on this very porch, came to him. In front of him were three others, young but still older than him. In their hands were gifts from their clans, welcoming Minho into the fold. Jinki remembered him looking handsome despite his red eyes and sullen expression. That despite the horror of the previous night, he accepted his role standing tall and his head held high. He remembered admiring the new young Alpha for that.

“How is he?”Jinki said, his voice low.

“Miserable,” Kibum replied simply to which Jinki nodded.

Ah,” he scuffed his feet on the door mat. “I can come back in the morning,” he said for a lack of better words. It wasn’t like Kibum was letting him in anytime soon.

“Are you going to throw him aside?”

Jinki looked up at that but didn’t answer. “Can I see him?”

Kibum sighed loudly before taking a step back and letting him into the house. “He’s in that first bedroom. The only one down that hallway.”

Jinki nodded as way of thanks before making the short walk down the hallway. He raised his hand to knock but decided against it. If Minho knew it was him, he’d probably lock the door, maybe in anger, maybe in fear.

Minho was lying on the bed, his hands threaded over his eyes, his body still. He stirred when the door open, the thick wood creaking along on old rusty hinges. He looked up from his position on the bed and Jinki felt his heart thud painfully. The moon casted a brilliant white light into the room and he could see more in that light than he wanted. Minho looked tired, his eyes puffy and red, his mouth fixed in a frown.

Jinki walked deeper into the room, taking his time to look around the room Minho spent so much of his time in. On the wall was a beautiful embroidered map of Prae, a rainbow of colors and textures, making up the land they lived in and ruled over. On a hodge–podge shelf in the corner were a set of figurines, carved out of bright cedar wood and dipped in a wine mixture to give it a shiny pale red finish. One was carved to show a young family. Center of the figurine was a tall man, his head held high and a small smile cornered on his lips. His arms wrapped were around the middle of a woman almost as tall as him with very kind eyes and a braid that almost swept the floor. To his right was a young woman, tall, lanky, her head leaned against the woman’s shoulder. To the left of them was a toddler, a toothy grin and wide eyes.

“Your family,” Jinki asked as he picked up the figurine.

Minho was silent but Jinki saw him move to sitting on the bed in the corner of his eye. “This is where you grew up, huh? I’ve never seen the inside of it. Always from the outside, right before they ushered off to the meeting hall that day.”

Minho remained silent as he stood from the bed and took a seat at the table. He crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down.

“I remember,” Jinki chuckled, “there was this guy in Durkhai named Rufus. Rufus hatedWheph. We never knew why. He grumbled in meetings, cursed under his breath whenever your village was brought up. He did it for years. Then we found out that when he was young, he’d fancied your mother–Danye?–and had moved the sky and earth to prepare to ask her to be his mate. You could imagine his despair when he found out that she only had eyes for your father. He told all of us this in a drunken rant, his mate scowling at him. It ended up being really hilarious because–“

“Jinki,” Minho called out, his words mumbled from between his arms. “Don’t do this.”

Jinki turned around. “What am I doing?”

“This,” he stressed as he raised his head to look at him. “I don’t,” he sighed, “I don’t need you to act like you care about me right now. Don’t put on this act because you think you have to. Just…tell me what you want me to do, but tell me now, tell me right here. If we don’t mate, we die. I don’t want you to die. I don’t even want to think about it. So, kill me, here, now. Blame it on bandits if you have to. Tell everyone we were attacked again on our way back to Prae. Tell them what you need to. But…” he pressed the back of his hand to his eyes. “I want to die here, on the same lands my father and my sister lived and died on.” He let a whoosh of air go, his shoulder deflating before he laid his head back down.

Jinki tilted his head. “What was your father like?”

Minho raised his head again, his face a wash of disbelief. “What…what does that have to do with anything?”

“Because I didn’t have one! I had a monster who used to beat me because he felt like it. I had to walk around Durkhai, bruised, mortified because everyone knew and no one ever did anything about it.” Jinki’s fist clenched at his sides. “I want to know what it was like to have a father who would do anything for his son because I know it is the only way this could have worked. The love of your father.”

Minho glared at him silently but Jinki didn’t back down from his defiant gaze. Eventually, Minho sighed. He rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. His eyes fluttered up to Jinki then past him. Jinki followed his line of sight…to the figurine.

“I was sixteen when I went into my first heat. It was a few weeks after my Coming of Age ceremony where the entire village had celebrated…for days. It was so ridiculously long but so much fun. I was raised by a family of Alphas, trained as one, taught to lead as one, celebrated as one. So that’s what I was until my body told my family that I wasn’t. I didn’t understand what a heat was, especially a first one. Those are especially hard because the body changes.” Minho paused and reached for his satchel. He withdrew a small round ball. He stared at it for a few moments before he placed it down on the table.

“I was terribly sick…they thought I was going to die. My father had Jungsoo tend to me through it and Jungsoo suggested a suppressant to get me through the rough of it. But it worked too well. It not only eased the symptoms of my first heat but it suppressed my scent…changed it. My father made the decision that night. To hide it, keep it a secret, raise me as everyone knew–as an Alpha. Not because of pride or power…but because he knew that the Blue Crescents would never accept me as Minjung’s heir any other way. Somehow they still found out. I still have one, a heat, but at this point they are mild beyond recognition.”

“So all of that about paying off a debt?”

Minho nodded. “That was true. I paid it off. But it was years after they’d murdered my father and sister for trying to protect me…protect me and my secret. I didn’t learn the truth until their 20th death anniversary. Siwon told me.”

Jinki walked to the table but didn’t take a seat. “Explains why you panicked when you were called to be AlphaBeta.”

“You understand now when I told you it was impossible, I meant it.”

“Yet it still happened. We still happened. In more ways than one.”

Minho made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat. “It wasn’t supposed to get that far! I told you it was a mistake.”

Jinki’s lip curled, deciding that anger was a better emotion to deal with than the way his heart clenched painfully. “Glad to know that you think that. Even after all of this time, you still think that.”

Minho sighed like Jinki was physically causing him pain. “Jinki,” he groaned. “For once, take your off of your own shoulders and try to understand what I am saying instead of looking for something in my words that is going to hurt your high and mighty feelings! You keep saying you care about me but you don’t understand me! Have you ever?”

“You ever consider that’s because you never let me in?” Jinki cried back. “You ever considered that if you told me, just told me–“

“Told you?” Minho threw his head back and laughed. “You say it like it’s so easy. Like you would have reacted rationally.”

Jinki chuckled, the sound devoid of humor. “There is no way you ever cared about me. Not even a little bit. You lived thinking you could trust only so few people and I was never one of those people. I practically prostrated myself for you and–“

“I care, Jinki. I do.”

“You have an incredibly ty way of showing it.”

Minho shrugged pitifully. “I didn’t think I deserved to be with you,” he said quietly. “You were more than I expected. You are like the center of gravity and no matter what I did, between you and Onew, I couldn’t escape caring about you. I started to think I could have…”

Jinki took a step closer, his eyes searching. “Could have what?”

Minho eyes jutted to his before quickly looking away. “Have you,” he said, standing. “But I see that my wishes are impossible. Make your decision. What are you going to do? I just want to know when I’m going to die.”

Jinki stepped even closer taking in Minho’s new scent. It was earthy, more natural and understandable to his senses. He missed Minho’s old scent terribly but this one wasn’t thatbad. Just…different. “I’m not going to kill you, Minho. I… I can’t. I can’t hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

“Onew was the only thing that kept you from lobbing my head off just hours ago. I saw it in your eyes. I saw it, Jinki,” Minho said, his lip curled almost in a snarl. “I said this and I meant it–don’t do this. If your feelings didn’t keep you from trying to kill me before then don’t rely on them now. If you can’t do it, have Jonghyun do it. I’m sure he’d love to for what I’ve put him and Kibum through. Better yet, have Toggo do it! Maybe that’ll stop this stupid war before it can even start. Find yourself a real Alpha so the two of you can live in peace and mutual dogged companionship.”

“Minho, I know I was angry and I deserved to be angry, I deserved to be that angry but I’m not giving you up just beca–“

“No! I’m not going to live my life mated to someone who doesn’t want to be with me. Someone too cowardly to kill me, so he chooses to just settle.” Minho picked up a dagger that Jinki recognized from earlier, the one he stabbed into Ogg’s heart. “It’s not that hard. Just do it.”

“Stop it,” Jinki said quietly.

“Stop what?” Minho snarled, grabbing Jinki’s hand and pointing the dagger at his chest. “Do it! I’m freeing you, you !”

“From what?” Jinki yelled back as he slapped the dagger away. “From you? Then no!”

“Coward,” Minho hissed. “You stupid, obnoxious cow–“

“I LOVE YOU, Minho!” he proclaimed, stumbling back. “I love you,” he repeated quietly. “I love you so much it makes me stupid and I hate it because you hurt me! You lied and hurt me and this, this what you’ve done? It is a crime, a crime punishable by death and I’m supposed to be some kind of impartial objective leader but I can’t do that to you, let that happen to you and damn it! You should have refused!–“

“I did! I tried!” Minho yelled, poking Jinki’s chest. “And you hated it so much Onew attacked me!”

The room fell quiet, both of their chests heaving as they stared at each other, neither backing down.

Jinki couldn’t take the silence, he couldn’t take what was not being said, the lack of nothing when there was so much there. So he decided to fill that silence, that space with himself. He pressed forward and gathered Minho into his arms. Minho’s arms wound around his, desperately like Jinki might disappear if he let go. Minho lips brushed across Jinki’s forehead and Jinki closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. “Why are you so stupid?” Jinki whispered into his shoulder.

“I’m not stupid. You’re stupid,” Minho bit back, childishly.

“Yeah. I am. But…” Jinki paused to place his cheek against Minho’s, softly rubbing against it with his own. “Can you trust me? Trust me to fix this? That I can fix this so we can be together?”

“You still want that?” Minho pulled back and looked down at him. “Truly?”

Jinki smiled. “I never wanted anything else.”

“Then can you trust me? Trust that I can fix this on my own? Right now?”

Jinki raised a brow. “How?”

Minho reached for the small brown ball on the table. He held it up between them before he placed it in his mouth and bit down on it. After a few chews, Minho swallowed. Jinki looked at the entire exchange in silence, wondering exactly what was happening but then he smelled it. He smelled Minho’s natural Omega scent dissipate, only to be replaced by the scent that Jinki had grown to love.

“That was a gift from Onew. He said it would permanently alter my scent. No one will ever be able to pick up my Omega scent. Ever again,” Minho said quietly.

“Is that dangerous?”

“I don’t believe so. Onew would never give me something that would hurt me. I didn’t have the time to take it with what all has been going on but...I want you to be proud to have me at your side. I don’t want you to have to lie for my sake.”

Jinki grinned before laying their foreheads together. “I’ve always been proud of you, you dummy,” he said softly before kissing Minho lightly across the lips. “I’m sorry.”

Minho returned the grin. “I’m sorry, too.”

Jinki gave him a look before maneuvering Minho back towards the wall behind him. Jinki sank into Minho’s embrace, his lips finding his neck. Minho sighed as Jinki’s plush lips found his pulse. “You think all of this can be fixed with your sorry apology?” he said against his skin.

“Without a doubt but…do you think you can accept an apology from a sorry liar?” Minho stopped Jinki’s ministrations with a slight prod to his chest. When Jinki looked down their rings were cradled in Minho’s hands and there was a look so full of emotion, apprehension, on Minho’s face that Jinki felt his heart surge. Quietly, he plucked the rings out of Minho’s hand and turned his hand over so he could slip the wooden ring on. Minho did the same, sliding the ring onto his finger.

“Never take that ring off again,” Minho said quietly.

“Never.” Jinki slid his hands up Minho’s chest, up his neck, until he cradled his face between his hands. “Do you remember the question I asked you?”

Minho searched his face for the answer, slightly confused.

“Are you mine, Minho?” he whispered.

Minho’s smile was small, but it was absolutely brilliant. “I am. I am yours, Jinki. Always.”




They spent the rest of the night, talking amongst each other, all the little things that they’d held back from each other, flowing around the room for the other’s eager ears.

Sometimes before dawn, they fell into Minho’s bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms; their excited babbling from earlier boiled down to quiet sleepy mummers that ghosted over the top of their pillows. Minho watched Jinki fall asleep, his face wearing the toll of the previous day like a mask.

Minho felt the stirrings of exhaustion catching up with him and just as his eyes drooped closed, a small voice in the back of his head giggled.

“Hello, Minho,” the voice said, calm, reassuring and friendly. “I’ve missed you.”

“Caleo,” Minho breathed just he fell asleep.