[CONTENTID1]Wolfsbane[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twelve[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“I love the dress you picked! And I know Baekhyun will love it too,” Yerin said as she walked next to Yoonhee. They carried shopping bags, chattering while they headed towards the café on the other side of the street. “If you wear it on your next date, he won’t keep his eyes off of you!”

“Maybe I will,” Yoonhee answered. She was in a good mood since this afternoon had been fun. Shopping with Yerin was surprisingly entertaining. They had squished themselves into a changing room together and taken silly selfies wearing the clothes they had picked out. Yoonhee’s picture folder was filled with hilarious photos. She wondered if she should send one to Baekhyun.

“So that’s the café you mentioned?” Yerin asked once they reached their destination.

“Yes. They serve the best latte, and they have amazing cakes too. You should try their cheesecake!”

“I don’t think I ever had cheesecake,” Yerin mumbled.

Yoonhee’s eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. “What?! You can’t be serious! You’re missing out!” she said and took her friend’s hand, leading her into the café. Someone did not particularly crowd it today, so they easily found a small table in the back where they had some privacy. Shimmering golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the tables were decorated with little candles. A waitress took their orders as soon as they had a look at the menu.

“Looks very homey,” Yerin commented while she gazed around. She leaned back in her seat. “It’s been a fun day. We should do this more often!”

“Gladly,” Yoonhee smiled. She valued her friend’s advice when picking out new outfits, and it had been exciting to choose clothes for Yerin, too. With her height, the vampire might as well be a model.

“I wonder what Baekhyun is doing right now,” Yoonhee mumbled.

“Want to hear something cute about him?” Yerin asked, leaning over the table. “Baekhyun talked to me before we left. He said not to tell you, but I think you deserve to know because it’s honestly so adorable! He was worried about you, and he demanded that I keep you safe today.”

“Sounds like him,” Yoonhee answered, feeling slightly amused. “But you’re my friend and not my bodyguard.”

“Well, I understand his concern. Your kind is not as resolute as a vampire. It wouldn’t take much to hurt you. I don’t mind being your bodyguard for today,” Yerin teased with a cheeky smile. “Yoonhee baby.”

Her friend sighed in exasperation. “No weird nicknames, please,” Yoonhee grumbled. “I already got enough of those.”

“What do you mean?”

“Baekhyun made up a ton of nicknames for me since I moved in with you. Haven’t you noticed? Just when I think he runs out of ideas, he comes up with something new,” Yoonhee answered. “Buttercup is his favorite.”

“He calls you buttercup?” Yerin giggled. “I didn’t expect him to be so sweet. Before he met you, he was a serious person. He used to be worried about his soulmate being dead or unreachable.”

“Why would I be unreachable?” Yoonhee wondered.

“Hmm… he hasn’t told you much about his past, has he? Perhaps you should ask him about it,” Yerin suggested. “It’s not my place to tell you.”

“I know nothing about his past,” Yoonhee frowned and gazed down. “It’s a little worrying, now that I think about it.”

“He must have his reasons,” Yerin answered. “Don’t be concerned. I know he will tell you if you ask him to. I doubt he could say no to his buttercup.” An amused smile curled the vampire’s rosy lips, and Yoonhee mirrored it.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He is stubborn!”

Yerin chuckled. “Nonsense, he’s infatuated with you. I wonder… have you kissed yet?”

“No?…Yes? If kisses on the neck count,” she sputtered her response to which the older vampire grinned.

“Ah, you’re so cute! It’s like I’m watching a romance movie where everyone is rooting for the main characters.”

“You love making fun of me,” Yoonhee sighed, her lips twitching in amusement. “Enough talk about me and Baekhyun. What’s up with you and Junmyeon? I saw you wearing matching rings. Does that mean you’re married?”

Yerin’s demeanor changed once her friend brought up her soulmate. Her expression softened. “We got married about ten years ago. And we threw a huge party! It was an amazing day. I could show you pictures when we’re home.”

“I’d love to see your wedding dress,” Yoonhee grinned. “I bet you looked like a princess! Junmyeon must have been flustered.”

Yerin cracked up. “He blushed when he first saw me,” she admitted, making her friend swoon.

Since Baekhyun had promised Yoonhee to check if everything was in order with her flower shop, he left the mansion shortly after the two women. Taking his car, he reached the city center in no time and even found a parking space right in front of his destination.

As he entered the shop, he noted a strange smell lingering in the air. He scrunched his nose. Ruby red dyed his irises. He was on high alert in an instant. Someone had been here, and Baekhyun knew exactly who. This particular smell reminded him of one he had found in Yoonhee’s former home when he had picked her up for their date. It belonged to Sooyoung.

Baekhyun smoldered with resentment. It had been the right decision not to let Yoonhee return to her shop yet—Baekhyun didn’t want to imagine what might have happened to her had she been alone with that abusive bastard. Sooyoung showing up here, where he was anything but welcome, was a deliberate provocation. He likely knew Yoonhee lived with her soulmate now… and he had to be aware Baekhyun would notice his scent.

His lips formed a grim line. He approached the counter where he spotted a piece of paper with a note on it. “I will make your life hell, ,” he read, voice cracking in anger. He grabbed the paper and crumpled it, making sure Yoonhee would never see it. She had gone through enough. The last she needed was this lowlife calling her a .

It was the last straw. The very last. Baekhyun’s blood boiled in his veins. He saw red. No matter what he had promised to Yoonhee, he couldn’t keep it. He couldn’t let this despicable man live. Sooyoung posed a threat to her life and whether she liked it or not, he had to be eliminated. Baekhyun couldn’t show mercy any longer. Sooyoung’s time would run out today.

He decided against taking his car—it was too slow, so he left it in front of the flower shop and relied on his supernatural speed to reach his destination. The location of Sooyoung’s flat was ingrained in his mind—he had accompanied Yoonhee home often enough, and he regretted not paying more attention. Perhaps he would have discovered the terrible truth about her former relationship much sooner if he had followed her inside at least one time.

He should have done a better job at protecting his soulmate.

Baekhyun entered the foyer of the apartment building and followed the bastard’s familiar scent until he reached a door at the end of a long and empty hallway. Using his heightened senses, he checked whether anyone was home. He heard a heartbeat from behind that door—actually, he heard three different ones. Sooyoung and two other people were in there.

Baekhyun didn’t care about the other two. He needed to stop Sooyoung no matter what. His lips curled with disgust. A well-aimed kick brought the front door down. It stood no chance against his monstrous strength. The noise shattered the silence in the building like a gunshot.

He clicked his tongue and entered the flat with the arrogance of a predator who already knew his prey wouldn’t slip through his fingers. Ruby eyes flitted from door to door as he made his way through the apartment. In the living room, he found him.

Sooyoung sat on the sofa, casually putting his arm over its backrest and smirking at Baekhyun. The air in the room was freezing. Sheets of ice covered the leather of the sofa as the wizard let his magic spread. Baekhyun wasn’t fazed by his ridiculous little show and stopped in the middle of the room, glaring him down.

“I’m sick of your ing games,” he snarled, his tone of voice promising a devastating end for Sooyoung.

“Hello, Baekhyun. Took you long enough to show up. Frankly, I expected you a bit earlier,” Sooyoung countered, his smirk not vanishing. “Aren’t vampires known for their bloody revenge?”

“I respected Yoonhee’s wish to forgo revenge, but you overstepped a boundary, and I can no longer turn a blind eye.”

The wizard laughed and shook his head. “So the held you back. Did she cry again? You should have slapped her. That always shuts her up.”

Baekhyun was done. He couldn’t fight his explosive rage anymore. His bloodred eyes focused on Sooyoung’s jugular. Muscles tensing, he lunged towards Sooyoung, going straight for his neck.

But he never reached it. Suddenly, several things happened at once. The only warning Baekhyun got was Sooyoung’s victorious grin. With his vampiric instincts screaming at him to be cautious, Baekhyun pivoted and narrowly dodged a silver bullet that had been meant for his heart. His head snapped around. He locked eyes with two hunters.

It was a trap. Like molten lava, this realization burned itself through his mind. Baekhyun growled threateningly, about to crush the foolish humans with his bare hands—but when he tried to move, he couldn’t. His legs were frozen to the ground.

“You’ve lost, leech,” Sooyoung taunted and slowly got up. “I will teach you what it means to get in my way.” His voice was not lighthearted anymore. It had changed, was filled with loathing.

One of the hunters raised her gun and aimed at Baekhyun a second time. He gritted his teeth and struggled to break free of the thick layers of ice. Cracks formed on its translucent surface—but he wasn’t fast enough. A bang echoed through the apartment. Searing pain ate exploded in Baekhyun’s torso. It hurt so bad, he couldn’t even tell where exactly the bullet had hit him.

But one thing he knew for sure. It was coated in poison. The numbness that spre