Areum sat on a boulder outside the entrance to the cave looking up at the stars. Typhoon was next to her, a lapful of acorns to his side as he ground them up to a paste in a bowl. There was a young shifter who’d rubbed up against the wrong plant and had a rash. The acorns would help.

That really wasn’t Areum’s concern.

“Do you feel that, Typhoon?”

He poked his head up and looked around. “Feel what?”

Areum frowned. “I can’t explain it. It feels like…a heaviness in the air. Like something bad is going to happen.”

“You’re imagining things. It’s probably an approaching thunderstorm.”

“It’s a thunderstorm, alright,” she muttered. “I just wondered of what sort.”

Typhoon grunted.” I hope whatever it is, comes quickly, so you can hush up.”

“Come quickly? You might regret your words, you idiot.”

Typhoon snorted and returned to his task, grabbing another handful of acorns and dropping them into the bowl.

Areum scanned the horizon, her head turning right as she gazed to the south of their cave. To the south was a long line of thick forestry, dotted mostly with trees that bore pine cones, stretching for miles and miles and miles. Because animals would decide from time to time to be the hunter and not the hunted, they had set up a patrol that covered the entire stretch of forest line. The forest line was the demarcation for those in the Wander’s Village, no one willingly crossed into the forest except to wander. No one had ever bothered them either. Prae had never bothered them.  “My son is somewhere out there. I hope he’s doing okay,” she sighed.

“Trust me; he’s completely capable of taking care of himself. If not him, that slipshod mate of his will help.” He begrudgingly rubbed his hip.

Areum chuckled and leaned back on her hands. Typhoon was right. Onew was fine–

“Nana Areum!”

Areum looked behind her to find little Sooyoung standing there, her eyes wide. “What is it, dear? Why are you yelling?”

“Hana! Hana’s back!”

My daughter, Hana? “She’s what?” she shouted as she shot to standing. Typhoon held his hand out and helped her down from a top the boulder. “What ever could she be back for? She was supposed to be gone for at least another year or so!”

Sooyoung shrugged helplessly. “They found her on patrol. She’s in the guard’s barracks. They told me they brought her in and she was hurt!”

Areum looked at Typhoon and he looked back at her before they took off for the entrance into the cave. Sooyoung and her little legs ran as fast as she could through the cave, following the way until they got to the security entrance at the back. Areum started down the steps into the brightly lit room but paused at a sound.

“I’m fine, you twit! Let me go!”

It was the sound of her daughter smacking a border patrol guard upside of his head.

Areum closed her eyes and shook her head, the worry draining from her quickly.

“Hana…they are just trying to help,” Areum said as her daughter bared her teeth at the guard holding a makeshift crutch.

Hana’s eyes closed, her forehead pinched and her frustration was evident. Areum internally groaned because she knew what she was going to say before she even said it. They’d been arguing about it for decades.

“Mother! How many times do I have to tell you not call Hana? It’s Eunsook! Eun-sook!” The patrolmen tried again to help her down from the table. She shoved him away. “Unass me! I’m not maimed! It’s just a twisted ankle!”

“I named you Hana,” Areum stressed, ignoring her daughter’s rant. “Just because your wolf doesn’t like the name Hana doesn’t mean you get to change the name I gave you! That’s your name!”

Her daughter shoved her nose in the air. “Niobe said Niobe and Eunsook sounded better than Niobe and Hana. I trust my wolf’s decisions so if you want to call me Hana, fine. I just won’t answer.”

Areum rolled her eyes. “There isn’t a pine brew strong enough to argue with you right now.” Areum crossed the room and kissed her daughter across the forehead. Hana–Eunsook was always a little testy when she came back from wandering. She didn’t particularly like it, hated it she said, but it was in her blood. Areum would get a good meal in her and she would be back to her…less than fiery self soon. That still left the question.

“Why are you back?”

Eunsook placed her injured foot on the ground, steeled herself against the table, and twisted hard to the right. There was a sickening popping noise and Eunsook yelped in pain before throwing her head back in relief. “That’s all I wanted to do ever since you boneheads picked me up at the border! This could have been solved four miles back!”

“Eunsook,” Areum said, pointedly.

Eunsook slumped back against the table and ran her hands through her short cropped pinkish blond hair. “Why am I back? War… or something. To the south of us. I was traveling alongside this place called Wheph, headed east towards the mountains on the other side of the big lake but I ended up having to hide in a tree because some fools in headbands were rounding the village people up! It’s hard explaining you’re not a villager to people like that so I hid until they left that stretch of woods. Then I ran all the way to the border.”

Typhoon raised a brow. “You ran all the way here on a bad ankle?”

Eunsook flushed, embarrassed. “Uh, no. I, um… saw a snake in the border woods. I reacted badly,” she muttered looking down. “What?” she shouted when she heard the border patrolmen snicker. “I’m really scared of them!”

“Eunsook…did you say there is a war in Prae?”

She shrugged. “That’s what it felt like. On one of the trees was this.” She paused and reached over to the side to grab one of her traveling bags. “Here,” she said as she withdrew the parchment.

Areum grabbed it from her daughter and unrolled it. Typhoon moved to look at it over her shoulder. Areum read the letters slowly, and almost unsurely. They didn’t have any real reason to learn letters here. They knew them–it was necessary for their wandering but figuring out a road sign was completely different than reading a long winded letter.

“A de–de–declaration of w…war?”

“Who are the Blue Crescents? What the is an Iutus?”

Areum frowned. “Jinki is the King of Prae. That means they’ve declared war on him; him and Minho.”

Eunsook’s brows furrowed. “And they are…”

“Oh.” A hand came to Areum’s forehead. “I completely forgot…you weren’t supposed to be back for years.” Areum paused as she thought about how to say this. “Your brother–“

“Yongi? I actually saw him about a year ago!” she began rambling on a tangent, which was something Eunsook did easily. “Still hasn’t grown any. You bore a runt, Mother. He’ll never find a mate…well, Palla likes him well enough even if he only comes to her shoulders. I think that little brat is following me.”

“No…not Yongi.”

Eunsook tilted her head. “Well, I don’t have another brother besides Yongi…” A thought hit Eunsook and she raised a brow. “No way. You’re not about to tell me that–”

“That Onew is alive? Yes, I am.” Areum paused to see how Eunsook would take it but she didn’t, she kind of just stared back at her. “He goes by the name of Jinki. Lee Jinki. He is The King of Prae.”

“And his mate’s name is Minho! He’s like…the second King of Prae. But anyways, I taught him Nana Areum’s pinky promise and he promised to bring me back clothes!”

“They have Kings?” the border patrol asked.

“Apparently,” Typhoon retorted dryly. “And their Kings are s.”

The revelation must have caught up to Eunsook because she gasped loudly. “Wait. My youngest brother is alive? Alive alive? How is that possible?”

Areum chuckled tiredly. “Come. Let me get some food in you and I’ll tell you all about it. Then we can…figure this whole war thing out.”

Eunsook complied easily, the sound of food short circuiting her curiosity. She tested out her ankle and finding it satisfactory followed behind Typhoon as he led towards the kitchens. Areum held back for a moment and looked out of a window and at the horizon littered with stars again.

A war? What a thunderstorm indeed.

----

Danye looked over her son’s sleeping form. He was curled up beside Jinki on the bed. One hand was tucked under his head, which he had angled towards Jinki’s. Sweetly, she recalled how Jinki had responded to Minho’s touch, his eyes fluttering and a smile, although small, forming on his lips.

In his other hand was a cloth he used to wipe off Jinki’s brow. The Vampyre poison was still present but Jungmo’s poison was the strongest. They were trying to burn his poison out of him by counteracting it with another. To protect him, they’d dropped him into a deeper level of unconsciousness. A fever dream.  Something Gae Shi came up with. Iseul didn’t like it very much and was very vocal about it. It took Taeyeon and Taemin dragging her from the room while the head healer administered the poison to his wound to keep Gae Shi in one piece.

That’s how a mother is supposed to act, a voice said in her head. It wasn’t Winter. She hadn’t heard much from her wolf lately. It was her conscience.

Danye kept trying to brush off her own demons because this was the time her son needed her. She’d been berating herself all day. She glanced over at the chaise Iseul was sleeping on. Iseul had told her so in the secret room but the need to get that out of her, off her chest, was so powerful, so overwhelming, so…selfish.

Kibum was right. She could have attempted to check in on him. The moment she changed her scent, the threat to Minho was minuscule, non-existent. All she had to do was walk through those gates and–

“You should get some sleep,” came a sleepy groggy voice from across the room.

Daye looked up from internally berating herself. Minho sat up in bed and stretched, the bones in his back popping from him being in one position too long. He glanced at her, expectantly, the sleep still heavy in his eyes.

“No. I’m fine. I’m used to taking long night patrols, so this…this is nothing. You’re the one who needs the rest. You need the rest more than anyone else.”

Minho scratched the back of his neck. “I haven’t done anything yet. I’m flying by the seat of my pants. I’m probably going to mess this up.” He paused and looked down at his hands. “I wasn’t raised or trained for war. Fighting, yes. Minjung and Julien made sure I knew how to defend myself. But battle plans and battalion formations? When Jonghyun and Yifan started babbling on and on about them, I felt like I was drowning.”

Danye rotated on her own small cot to fully face him. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this but I’ll tell you anyways. Use the people around you. Part of leadership includes choosing people who can support you. You and Jinki have done a fantastic job in choosing the people around you. From what I’ve heard, Jonghyun lives and breathes Dinfire military life and Yifan has already experienced war in his lifetime. Nichkhun, your other Captain, is the most resourceful man in Prae. You’re not drowning, you’re floating. Swimming is next.”

Minho looked up at her, then back down. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

The following silence was awkward and painful. Danye decided to fall on her proverbial sword.

“I’m sorry, Minho.”

Minho looked up, but didn’t look up at her. “No,” he said, his voice hard as stone. “You don’t get to apologize until you answer all of my questions.” He stood up from the bed, slipped on a burgundy gold robe and a pair of hard bottom slippers. He bent over Jinki’s still sleeping form and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be right back love,” he whispered before turning to her. “Take a walk with me?”

Danye nodded and followed behind him to the door.

They walked down the corridor Minho had turned into a private healing sector for Jinki as well as his personal command post. They flowed through the twisting, winding halls of the Healer’s Alcove, effortlessly, a task that has been harder previously.

Outside was a tall freestanding limestone wall with a small pond behind it. Moonlight poured down on it, reflecting off the water and casting an ethereal glow across it. Minho walked towards it. There was a stone bench on the other side of the wall, which he took a seat at. He indicated to the other side of the bench as he toed his slippers off.

“They didn’t talk much about the inside of the Fortress when I was a child. We knew it was a thing, this big formidable place that none of us had a chance of getting in. Even father had no interest in traveling the days across Prae to get to it. So, when I found myself being the owner of it, I soaked in everything about it. This wall? Carved directly out of the Salt Kys Mountains, blessed by the High Eunuch at the time, a man by the name of Ahn Chilhyun and transported here the moment the final nail was put in the door–it was a Wheph citizen who had the honor since we designed and built it. People come here,” he said as he slid his feet into the pond, “to wash away their troubles.”

Danye looked at her son for a moment before she followed his actions, pulled her boots off and slipped her feet into the pond water. The water was cold, chilled by the night air, but refreshing after having your feet stuffed in leather all day. Sort of like her life, cramped, inflexible, but dependable and rugged, tough leather protecting the insides which were soft and vulnerable.

“I could have come back,” she admitted. “There were so many times when I could have come back. And I keep asking myself why. Why didn’t I come back? I’d lost my mate, his first born and I needed to hold on to every little bit of what made me…well me. So why didn’t I come back?”

“Freedom?” Minho guessed quietly.

“No,” she chuckled lowly. “There is nothing free about a life in Toleran. It’s bearable don’t get me wrong, rich in culture and life, but it’s a very distinct culture and life, and it’s incredibly hard to shake that. I was freer in Wheph than I ever was in Toleran.”

“So what was it?’ Minho asked, turning to her slightly. “Did you not–“

She placed a finger over his lips. “You’re going to say ‘love you” and I don’t want you to ever fix your mouth to say that or your heart to believe that. I loved you–I love you, Minho. You are so precious to me, my little magnificent gem. You want the truth?” She pulled her feet from the pond and stood. “I am a coward.”

Her son narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t speak.

“I am one of the most decorated den fighters in Toleran. I am fearsome and intimidating and when people hear Akoko’s Pride before a match, they tremble in fear. I strike fear in the hearts of so many people…yet you were the person I am the most afraid of.”

“Me?” he uttered, his voice breaking and fresh tears coming to his eyes. Danye panicked. She expected disgust or anger at her revelation, not sorrow. “I…get it. I’ve been told all my life that I was…a liar…an abomination. Your abomination. I am a stain on the pure Choi Alpha line, I know that.” He turned slightly away from her. “I would want to stay far away from me too. I would be afraid to be associated with me, know me.”

His confession knocked the wind out of Danye and a sharp pang resonated in her heart. She rushed over to Minho and took his face between her hands. “No, no, my love. No.” She peppered the crown of his head with kisses. “You are perfect. Perfect. I would not change one thing about you, not a hair on your head, not your status, not one thing. I am scared of you because I failed you. Are my reasons righteous enough to make up for abandoning you? That in my absence, you suffered the loss of your father and sister and I still did not show my face? I’ve been scared of facing you for so long.”

“I would have forgiven you. I would have understood,” Minho said, his voice small as he looked up from her, tears still shining in his eyes. “I would have had no choice but to understand you. I know what it’s like to have to shelf who you are to survive.”

“It’s because you are a better person than I am, and you always will be.” She kissed the crown of his hair again, for good measure, hoping her sincerity bled through. “But I understand if you don’t forgive me. I understand if you need to take your time.”

“You’re forgiven,” Minho said bluntly.

Danye pulled her chin in and looked down at him.

“You came back. You didn’t have to. You didn’t. Iseul would have kept your secret until you died. Just like I know Kibum has kept mine. Because of friendship and love. But you came back anyways. You’re not a coward.”

“Minho.”

“I need my family, Mother. I need them so desperately now and you are a part of my family and I’m doing what I can, what I need to do to keep you near me. You are about to be a grandmother and all.”

Danye chuckled nervously before she plopped down hard on the stone bench. “A grandmother.” She exhaled loudly.

A thought struck Danye so hard at uttering the word grandmother. Minho is pregnant. Minho is an Omega. Minho is a mage.

Minho standing up interrupted her thought process. “I should get back in there and check on Jinki.”

A second thought hit her. It’s worth a shot.  “Son.”

Minho paused before turning around. “Yes?”

She bit her lip. “It’s about Jinki.”

Earlier…

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

Iseul paced back and forth in front of her son’s bed and Danye wanted to grab her by the shoulders and force her to sit down.

“It could work! You said it yourself. You felt how inherently powerful he was during your writ magic. And to think! He could feel his mate’s location! An unconscious mate! If he’s that powerful, Apparition Magikus should be a breeze!” Iseul exhaled. Her son groaned and she slapped a hand over .

“A breeze she says. Do you remember what happened when we tried it? I damn near killed you!”

“Lots of reasons why thaat happened! None of them apply here!”

Danye looked over at her son-in-law sleeping silently in the bed, her gaze dipping to the bandage. She didn’t know Jinki well enough to be as anxious as Minho, Iseul and the Mageis were but she also didn’t want to see him suffer. She also knew she didn’t have a strong enough relationship with Minho to hold him together if he fell apart in grief.

And there was this war.

“I’m not saying you’re right, but if this were to work, how? I can’t teach him Apparition Magikus.”

Iseul sniffed. “You just said you almost killed me last time. Why would I let you teach him high level magery, Danye?”

Danye glared at her.

“I’ll teach him but it won’t be hard. He’s a feeler. All we need is the crystal and a spell that helps us isolate the energy output.”

Danye’s shoulders deflated and her head drooped forward. She wasn’t going to be able to talk her best friend out of this no way, no how, she didn’t know why she was trying. “Fine. You prepare the spell. I’ll get the crystal.”

Iseul jumped up and down clapping her hands and squealing. Again, her son groaned and she yelped.

“I don’t know why they considered you the good girl out of the two of us. You’re nothing but a troublemaker.”

Iseul grinned. “The good thing about being a troublemaker is knowing how to get out of it to begin with.” She winked.

Danye threw up her hands and walked out of the room.

-------

“What kind of magery is this?”

Minho looked around the room. Every mage he’d ever known in his life was in there–it wasn’t like he knew too many but to say that simple fact was enough. Taemin and Taeyeon stood by their brother’s bed while his mother stood at the foot of it. His mother was by his side. In her hands was a small pinkish blue crystal that she held like it was the most important thing in the world. Minho was used to being the greenthumb, the novice in situations and today was no different.

“It’s called Apparition Magikus. A form of red magic. It’s a little bit…illegal to use,” Taeyeon said nervously, “but I can’t think of a more important reason than to break the law. And not because he’s my brother,” she quickly assured, “but Prae needs both of you.”

“Okay…” Minho said, uncertain. He didn’t care about the law. He cared about Jinki. He also cared about the fact that everyone in the room forgot he’d learned about his mage powers less than two days ago and he was completely ignorant of whatever the hell they were talking about.

“Don’t be nervous. The sort of mageism you possess is similar to Taemin. You’re a feeler, a spiritualist.”

“You won’t need the years of studying that I needed,” Taeyeon said, pouting.

“Same with me,” Danye said, a grin thrown in Taeyeon’s direction. The young mage’s pout turned into a smile.

“What we are trying to do is called Protegéieren. The simplest way to explain this is: our wolves are a huge part of our souls. Spiritually, they are pure raw energy, or ki. The strongest, purest energy in existence. If you’ve noticed, a mage cannot heal themselves. They can try, but it will never be a complete healing. A mage, however can heal another. That’s applying the ki we possess and affixing it onto another person. You’ll be doing that with Jinki.”

“So I’ll be healing him,” Minho said carefully.

“No,” Taemin said, shaking his head. “Caleo will.”

“Ah.” Minho nodded slowly like he understood.

“Apparition Magikus, when performed correctly, will draw out the wolves of those who are binded. You and Jinki, of course, are binded, at the soul level, so there is no doubt that this will work. You can call forth your wolves for a number of things such as a form of healing, protection and companionship. In essence, Caleo will become Jinki’s companion and Onew will become yours, binded to you, until the spell is called off.”

“When that is done,” Taeyeon said, taking over, “we can apply Caelo’s ki to Jinki and try to draw both the venom and the poison from his body. I do have to warn you, it will be taxing on your body. Jinki cannot lend any energy to this spell. It will all come from for you.”

Minho exhaled. “If it will help Jinki, I will do it.  No matter how hard or how long or how painful, I’ll do anything to save him.”

“Good,” Iseul said. She withdrew a knife and placed it in Minho’s hand. Minho frowned. “Because this is going to be a long night.”

-----

Gikwang jolted out of his sleep, momentarily confused by his surroundings. It was raining and he was hidden way in layers of thick hide and fur, despite the warm summer weather, keeping him dry. He was on the back of a horse, two strong were digging softly into his sides, the reins of the horse gripped tightly in their hands.

“You’ve been sleeping like a baby the entire time,” a thick deep voice said by his ear. “Typical.”

Thunder.

He heard laughter to his left, and glanced over from up under his hood. Mir was riding one step back from Thunder’s horse. Gikwang sneered at him before straightening up in the saddle. During his quick nap, he had begun to slouch and lean back against Thunder’s hard chest. He didn’t want the cocky, self-assured Alpha to get any ideas, despite how warm and sturdy his body had been while he dozed.

The trip was a short one for him but a grueling one for Thunder and Mir. While the three to four day trip to Wheph wasn’t easy, especially considering their circumstances, once Gikwang was delivered into the safe custody of the Blue Crescents, the two of them had to ride back hard for Durkhai. Under Xiah’s rule, a law of sorts calls VENIAT existed. Thunder, although ousted from his short lived seat as Alpha of Durkhai now commanded a chunk of Xiah’s army.

Very foolish on the Durkhai Alpha’s part. Very convenient for Thunder.

“How far are we from Wheph?”

“Another day or two,” Thunder answered.  “It’s getting dark, so we’ll be setting up camp soon. You free to rest more until we do so.”

Gikwang shook his head. In actuality, the little bit of sleep he’d gotten was the most sleep he’d had in a week. Ever since they started to put their plan, the fuse to the kettle, in motion, Gikwang couldn’t find the ability to sleep if he wanted it.

Conflicting emotions were part of the cause, the anxiety of his crimes were another. He’d committed the highest level of treason, punishable by death, and Gikwang couldn’t imagine under what kind of pain that death would come. Then again, he hardly doubted that a man as great as Yoon would lose this war. It was impossible.

But then there was the Alpha Beta. While Jinki was a reprehensible, arrogant , the Alpha Beta had been…not so much of one. He had been far kinder than any Alpha Gikwang had had the displeasure of meeting. Often, he forgot that no matter how high he climbed in Prae’s social ladder, he was still very much considered a vulnerable, weak Omega. Some never let him forget that. Jinki never let him forget that. Minho didn’t seem to care.

It could because Minho understood him.

Gikwang sighed. It didn’t matter now. Minho would die for his lies, his crime against nature, Yoon’s friend Toggo would say. Still, Gikwang thought Minho was brave. Much braver than he was.

They pulled off the main road and down a path that led to a clearing. Heavy branches and thick leaves covered most of it, blocking most, if not all of the rain. Mir tied his horse off and went to work erecting the tents. Gikwang noticed the number and frowned.

“Why are there only two tents?”

Thunder looked up from where he was speaking softly to his horse. “I don’t know these woods and I’m escorting an Omega, who, by the smell of it, is nervous. You think I’m going to have you in your own tent?” Thunder turned back to his horse and began scratching it between its eyes. “You’ll sleep with me, just as you rode with me.”

Gikwang started to sputter and Mir pointed at him, laughing. “What are you making a fuss about? It’s just sleeping arrangements. Man, you are nervous!”

“I’m not nervous!” Gikwang glowered as the two of them continued to ignore him in their preparations.

A fire was started and they shared a quiet meal around it before Thunder gave the command to retire. They had another hard day’s ride and they needed to be rested.

Gikwang stood at the entrance to their tent, glaring at the two bedrolls until a firm push at the small of his back had him stutter stepping inside.

“That one is yours,” he said pointing to the one of the right. “I know it’s not the silk and satin you’re used to; cotton and goose feathers is the best I could do. You’ll be comfortable enough throughout the night.”

Gikwang muttered a quick ‘Thank you,” before he slowly removed his outer garments, flexing his feet as he pulled off the boots and heavy coat. He began to lower his pants, but shot a look over in Thunder’s directions to see if he was looking. No, he was already under the covers, his back turned to him. Sighing, Gikwang finished undressing before sliding into his own bedroll.

“The way you’re acting, you would think I was trying to take advantage of you,” Thunder said gruffly from his side.

“I never know what you’re thinking,” Gikwang answered. And it was true. Thunder was…weird. His intensions were always a mystery, his thoughts always shrouded, his emotions always hidden behind his eyes. Behind his jokes and his supposed aloofness, Thunder was an enigma.

“I’m thinking you should shut up and go to sleep already.”

Gikwang huffed. “Going. I’m going.” He his side, trying to get comfortable and he was met with the sight of Thunder’s back, his shoulders wide, his neck, half hidden in a pillow, strong. Thunder would have made someone a good mate. Then he remembered something that Mir had said.

“You volunteered to take me to Wheph…to see someone right? Sally?”

Thunder grunted. “Sulli,” he stressed. “And no…she’s…she doesn’t belong to me, anymore. Apparently, she never did.”

“Oh.” Gikwang observed Thunder’s silence and decided to just go to sleep if the conversation was done. Thunder surprised him.

“You’re not mated. Why?”

The question made him frown. Did Thunder not know what a eunuch’s duty was? “I’m…not allowed to mate, in any form or fashion.”

That caught Thunder’s attention because he turned over, propped himself up on one elbow and looked at him, incredulously. “Can’t mate…as in…no ing?” He scoffed. “I thought that was a rumor! No wonder you’re such a ing tight ! Nobody has loosened it up for you!”

Gikwang gasped. “You’re such a crude, foul-mouth–“

“I’m not sure how you managed to go so long without someone testing your dedication to your job. I can barely control myself around you. Your scent is amazing, you look amazing, and despite your glaring personality flaws…you’re alright to be around some days. You deserve someone to treat you…and your body, right. Your job .”

Gikwang was silent. He didn’t want to acknowledge or speak on anything Thunder just said. He had his vows, he had his duty, he had his morals and scruples to think about.

“You’re thinking too hard. You’re not a eunuch anymore.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” he grumbled.

Thunder shrugged. He glanced Gikwang over once before something flashed behind his eyes, red, maybe gold. He blinked and Thunder was hovering over him, a look on his face, dark, fervid. Gikwang was not impressed. “Oh, for ’s sake, go back to your bed. I’m not sleeping with you.”

Thunder dropped to his knees at Gikwang’s side and the eunuch was almost bowled over by the scent of Thunder’s attraction, his lust, his desire. “I never said anything about sleeping with you.”

“Then why are you–“

“I said someone needs to treat you right, your body right.”

“Stop worrying about things that don’t concern you.”

Thunder rolled his eyes and placed a firm, heavy hand on Gikwang’s chest, pushing him deeper into the folds of his bedroll.

Gikwang pushed back at him, slapping at his hand. “Quit ing around, Thunder, and go back to bed.”

Thunder tilted his head. “Make me.” The feral look in his eyes darkened and rustic gold stared back at him.

Gikwang narrowed his eyes. “I’ll scream.”

“Yeah, ing right. In pleasure. And you don’t get to act unaffected. Everything about you has been affected by me since you’ve met me. I get under your skin, you and your properness and haughtiness and unquestionable resolve. I affect you.”

Gikwang gulped. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yes. It. Does. Want to know something, eunuch? That “nervousness” you feel that you probably trying to pass off as guilt or whatever bull notion fits your narrative today, is not nervousness. You’re wound up, you’re tense. I could literally snap you in half you’re so stiff. You’re literally begging for some kind of relief, something to ease the tension. Your problem is, you think it’s in your head.” Without warning, Thunder shoved his hand down Gikwang’s bedroll and between his legs. “It’s not in your head. It’s your .”

Gikwang gasped and his eyes fluttered at the heady sensation. “I–I–“ he tried.

“Tell me to stop and I will,” he whispered as he slowly lowered himself to lie beside Gikwang. He carefully pushed the bed roll open, flinging the flap to the side. “Let’s see this willpower you think you have.” He laid a hot, wet kiss below Gikwang’s ear and he began to him through his clothes. Gikwang’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he moaned.

Thunder chuckled, his voice deep. “I was half expecting to find that they cut you. Isn’t that what they do to eunuchs? But no…no, you’re down there, all stiff and half a mess, aren’t you?”

“T–they don’t c–cut Omegas,” he stuttered.

“Ah,” was Thunder’s only response.

Gikwang knew the dynamics of , of rutting, mating. His job depended on it however knowing and feeling were two different things. When he was younger, he was too busy studying to fool around with anyone in Ves, and his climb to the top, to his position now left him devoid of the desire.

He didn’t know what it was like to be touched.

He didn’t know what it was like to be touched.

Thunder rotated his wrist and Gikwang felt like he was on fire.

Is this what it’s like to be touched?

Out of sheer desperation, out of wonderment and astonishment and maybe some resentment that someone like Thunder, someone who could make him forget his vows, his duty, could make him feel like this, he grabbed Thunder’s thick forearm and stared up at him in the darkness of the tent.

Thunder looked at this hand clutching his. His eyes shifted to Gikwang and there was a softness there. “Tell me to stop, Gikwang and I will,” the sincerity thick in his voice. He rotated his hand some kind of way and Gikwang shuddered. He shuddered terribly and clenched his teeth so hard he thought he was going to crack his jaw.

“Do you want this?”

Vile. Vile. He had his vows. This was vile.  He nodded yes.

“Good. Relax,” he crooned. “You’re still so tense,” Thunder whispered in his ear, his tone playful and amused. “I guess I’m not doing a good enough job, eh? That’s fine. I can fix that.”

Thunder paused for a moment and Gikwang thought it would be enough for him to regain his sense, to realize this was Thunder making him feel dirty and so good at the same time.

You find him attractive.

Not now.

Go ahead and say it. You want him. You desire him. Your annoyance for him was a mask, it was always a mask. Be honest with yourself. Or at least, don’t lie to me.

Please, not now!

Gikwang found that his momentary distraction was enough for Thunder to have discarded his undergarments and was now kneeling in front of him. “Thunder–I–I–“

“Tell me to stop and I will stop,” was all he said, was all he ever said and it pissed him off because his wolf was right. He wanted him. He was curious, incredibly curious, and his lust was so full-bodied right now, he was sure the tent was drenched in his scent.

This is what you get for ignoring me. Duty, heh. You still have needs, Gikwang. It’s okay to be a slave to desire.

Thammavong, please! Gikwang yelled internally, trying to push his wolf to the back of his head.

Gikwang felt his thighs being pushed back, pressing against his chest. He gasped because he was open and presented and vulnerable. He never imagined he would be in this position. He felt a wetness between his legs and tried to wiggle out of Thunder’s hold, his face red with embarrassment.

“Sit still,” Thunder growled and Gikwang watched with a mounting mix of mortification, curiosity, and lust as Thunder’s head lowered and disappeared between his legs.

“What–“

The first press of Thunder’s tongue against his clenched hole was enough. Vile. Vile. Ecstasy. Vile. Gikwang, who never knew he was whole to begin with, fell apart, piece by piece, his vision a hash of white as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Thunder began to piece him together, slowly, pulling him back down to earth and into his arms. When Gikwang looked up, Thunder was looking down at him, a soft grin on his face.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it,” he said softly, the softest he’d ever heard him speak. He nuzzled Gikwang’s neck tenderly and the younger shifter was amazed and confused as the amount of affection in Thunder’s eyes.

“Why did you do that?” Gikwang asked, his voice precautious and a little bit scared.

Thunder looked at him for a long moment. “I don’t know,” he admitted as he placed light kisses down Gikwang’s jaw. “I just know I’ve wanted to see you fall apart since I’ve met you…so I could put you back together again.”

“That was wrong. It was a mistake. “

“I know.” He reached behind him and grabbed Gikwang’s pillow. “But,” he said as he rearranged it behind him so he could lie down, bringing Gikwang with him. “Ever since I was born, not one thing I’ve ever done has been for me. It’s always been my father. What my father wanted. What my father’s mate wanted. What my father’s friend wanted. I wanted something for me. I’m…I’m not taking you to Wheph. You’re coming to Durkhai with me. I’m sure my father would be okay with me having one thing I want by my side. ”

“Your father is a great man.”

Thunder grunted. “My father is really great at using people and making them believe it’s of their own volition. It’s fine if you feel that way. After all, you’re like the son he never had.”

“That’s not true. He–“

Thunder shushed him as he rolled them over their side, his arm falling over Gikwang’s middle, his nose against his neck. “I don’t want to talk about him. I want to talk about you,” he said gruffly. “Tell me something good about you. Or bad. Tell me about our childhood. Tell me what a normal childhood is like.”

Gikwang hesitated, then relented, relaxing in Thunder’s arms. He let go, something he hadn’t done since he was a child. He forgot himself, his duty, his vows. He stopped being the High Eunuch and was just a normal shifter for once. And, as Thunder listened to him intently recount his childhood, Gikwang decided that if anyone could give Thunder what he wanted, for once…it could be him.