Petunia – resentment

                “You ready?”

                “Are you?”

                Yongguk sighed when Daehyun didn’t answer him properly. He knew his nervousness was plainly showing. Even Daehyun could sense it and ended up teasing him about it.

                They were currently going to try the eye drop made from Narae’s toxin because Narae thought it could be more effective. Even so, none of the clan members had any experience where they needed to put the toxin into their eyes. That’s what made Yongguk try it for himself first since he was afraid of hurting his mate with the eye drop.

                The outcome was as expected. It only felt like a drop of water into the eye. It was exactly what Narae had told them, assuring them that there was nothing to be worried of. Daehyun totally trusted her, but Yongguk still had his doubts because his mate is a human after all.

                Now with only the two of them in Daehyun’s room, Yongguk made the younger man lay his head in his lap. He tried to keep his cool before gently prying Daehyun’s eye open using his fingers. The eye dropper was positioned right above it.

                “Are you really ready?” he asked again.

                “Ready when you are.” Daehyun grinned, but then pressed his lips together to hold it from getting so wide.

                “Alright, here we go.” Heaving a deep breath, Yongguk finally squeezed down a drop of the toxin that went straight into Daehyun’s eye.

                “Ahh!” Daehyun shrieked the moment the toxin hit his eye that was now shut tightly.

                “Holy !” Yongguk let out the loudest gasp. His hands flew to both sides of his head as he was already thinking of how to repent of his unforgivable mistake for the rest of his life.

                It was only for a second though because Daehyun started to laugh boisterously.

                Yongguk rolled his eyes and put down his hands in instance. “Wow, I’ve never seen you laugh this hard before,” he remarked with a dull voice while staring down at his mate, who was clutching to his stomach and had his whole face wrinkled in laughter.

                “Is it that funny?” Yongguk asked when Daehyun didn’t seem like he would stop.

                “Yeah…” Daehyun’s voice was tiny as he was wheezing at the end of his breath.

                “Okay, that’s enough.” Yongguk squished Daehyun’s cheeks, causing the younger man’s lips to pucker. “It’s not that funny.”

                “It’s not. It’s hilarious!” Daehyun pulled Yongguk’s hand away, still laughing as loud as before.

                “You’re the only one who thought so.” Yongguk playfully pinched the pointed nose of his impish mate, making that whole face scrunch up. “Come on, we still have to put the eye drop into the left one.” He fixed the position of Daehyun’s head in his lap while brushing the strands of hair away from the man’s face.

                Seeing how well his mate reacted to having the toxin in the eye, Yongguk was less nervous than before. Again, he pried open the other eye, ignoring the way Daehyun was biting his lips to suppress the laughter that was still bubbling inside him.

                This time, Yongguk just dropped the toxin without warning, but Daehyun still managed to scream the second it got into his eye and made Yongguk jump out of his skin.

                Feeling Yongguk’s body jerked, Daehyun burst out laughing again.

                Yongguk groaned loudly. “You seriously need to stop doing that! I almost had a fatal heart attack!”

                “It’s still hilarious!” Daehyun continued to laugh his head off.

                Looking down at his mate, Yongguk couldn’t help smiling at how adorably happy his mate was being. “I got it. Won’t you stop laughing?” he asked while pinching those lines on Daehyun’s cheek.

                Daehyun took a hold of Yongguk’s wrist. He wanted to pull that hand away from his face, but guessed that all strength left his body because he laughed too much. He really didn’t think he could stop laughing, not until there was a loud bang all of a sudden.

                It scared the wits out of him, causing him to scream for real and clutching to Yongguk’s hand for his dear life. “What was that?!” he asked the latter in panic.

                Yongguk looked out of the open window that leads to the backyard, where the sound was coming from, though there was nothing to be seen from the first floor. “I think dad and Uncle Jungsu are having a shooting practice.”

                Daehyun was starting to calm down since there was nothing to be worried of. But when another shot was released, he jumped again with a loud yelp, curling and turning his body to hide his face in Yongguk’s belly while covering his ears.

                Yongguk chuckled. “I think karma just hit you,” he remarked, but at the same time, he also linked his thoughts to his father. “Dad, why didn’t you let me know about the shooting? You know that Daehyun is not used to it.”

                “Oh, I forgot! I’ll stop now.”

                “No, you don’t have to. Just wait till I get Daehyun some earmuffs.”

                “Yeah, I’m regretting all of my previous decisions now,” Daehyun whined, his voice muffled by Yongguk’s shirt.

                “It’s okay now. I told my dad to take a break until we got you an earmuffs,” Yongguk assured his mate while patting the side of Daehyun’s .

                Daehyun drew himself back, confusion etched on his face. “What do you mean you told your dad?”

                It took Yongguk a moment to realize. “Oh, right. I haven’t told you that weredragons can communicate by linking our thoughts.”

                “What?” Daehyun had been getting used to receive such baffling news after knowing about the world of weredragons, yet he was still surprised every time he heard something new about them. “How does that work?”

                “We just simply talk in our minds.” Yongguk’s explanation was brief since it was easier to experience it rather than describing it.

                “Oh, wow. That’s awesome.” Daehyun was truly amazed and he had already started to imagine how it would feel to have the ability for himself.

                Yongguk didn’t let it run long though. He patted Daehyun’s bum again. “Now let’s have you put on earmuffs so that they can continue practicing.”

                “Alright.” Daehyun sat up on the bed, bringing his feet down to the floor. “But why are they practicing to shoot in the first place?”

                “It has always been their hobby. But I think they’re going for a hunt later,” Yongguk said, getting off the bed before taking Daehyun’s hand.

                Daehyun kept holding onto Yongguk’s hand as he was being led out of the room. “Wait, weredragons hunt by shooting? Why don’t they just change into dragons to catch the animals?” he wondered.

                Yongguk snorted a laugh. “Why would we do that when it’s clearly easier to just shoot them? It’ll be tiring to be chasing those preys with our big dragon body.”

                “Well, how about blowing fire at them?”

                “We don’t want to accidentally burn down the whole forest, Daehyun.”

                Daehyun grimaced, suddenly feeling like a fool for asking that question. “You’re right. I really should start thinking like one of you guys.”

                Yongguk smiled seeing those cute pouty lips of his mate. “That’s okay. You’re learning.” He ruffled Daehyun’s hair, trying to reassure his future Luna.

                That night, all of the clan members gathered for an unplanned barbecue party because it was weekend and the hunting was a huge success. Daehyun sat among the clan members at the long table in the patio as Yongguk was grilling the meat with Himchan not far from there.

                Jongup was also helping Youngjae at another grill. They were talking and laughing and joking around with each other. The heat and the sooty smoke were not a problem as long as they could have fun together. It was obvious for the clan members to notice, but none of them said anything about it. They were just so glad that Youngjae finally had someone who was able to make him smile again.

                Yongguk would check on his mate once in every minute from the grill he was working at. It put him at ease to see Daehyun blending in so well with the clan. The man looked so comfortable conversing with every members, as if he had been staying at the clan’s house since forever.

                Yongguk had told Junhong to get the food and drink to his mate before, and now, Daehyun’s plate was almost empty. So, he stopped a clan member who was passing by, probably had just gotten a drink based on the filled cup in his hand and was going back to the table.

                “Suwoong,” Yongguk called. The boy immediately halted his steps and came to him. “Could you take this to Daehyun?” he asked while filling a paper plate straight from the grill.

                “What? Me?” Suwoong pointed to himself, utterly flabbergasted.

                “Yeah, you.” Yongguk frowned, just finding it weird at the boy’s antics.

                “But… But I thought you told me to stay away from him…” Suwoong muttered carefully.

                Yongguk’s jaw dropped at that, but before he could say anything, Himchan cut in.

                “Really? I can’t believe you did that.”

                He turned to the beta, who was giving him an extra loathing look. “What? No, I didn’t say that,” Yongguk claimed.

                “But you did. I remembered it clearly from Uncle Dongwan and Aunt Minjee’s anniversary party,” Suwoong said in a timid voice, looking at the young alpha, but didn’t dare to lift his chin.

                “You remembered it wrong then,” Yongguk argued. “I didn’t tell you to stay away from him. I told you not to be so touchy feely and leave your scent on him.”

                “That was before I knew Daehyun hyung is your mate. Trust me, I’d never do that to your mate, hyung,” Suwoong assured with all his heart.

                Yongguk chuckled a little. “Of course. I know you wouldn’t. I just didn’t expect you’d take it seriously. Do you really think I’d be that possessive of my mate?”

                “Yeah. It’s obvious...” Himchan mumbled from the other side.

                Yongguk heard it all and rolled his eyes. “Alright. I might be a little possessive. Just a little.” He joked before placing a hand on Suwoong’s shoulder. “I have no problem with you being a close friend to my mate. You are one of the clan members and you’ve known him earlier than I do.”

                Suwoong could finally breathe out a relieved sigh. “Alright. It’s good to hear that, hyung.”

                “Well, that is as long as you don’t leave your scent on him,” Yongguk told the boy with a smile.

                Suwoong could clearly see that the smile didn’t reach Yongguk’s ears. “Of- Of course!” he tried to smile in return, but his lips were quivering.

                Yongguk nodded while patting Suwoong’s shoulder. “Now, could you please bring this plate to my mate?” he asked and Suwoong took the plate that instant, making him smile at the boy again. “Thank you.”

                Later that night, the food was almost finished, yet the clan members were still outside, except for the children who had to be put to sleep by their parents in the house. The rest of them were chatting, drinking and just having a good time with each other. That was until some of them needed to make the regular rounds of the town.

                Yongguk had gone to his mate ever since he finished grilling and he was still asking him if he wanted to eat anything more, even when Daehyun said that he would really throw up if he were going to have another bite. They sat close to each other and were basically glued at their sides. Daehyun had always liked to hold Yongguk’s hand, playing with the long fingers once in a while and would lean towards the older man every time he laughs.

                They were so into each other that anyone in the clan could see how Yongguk was stalling and how Daehyun was not ready to part with him when it was time for the rounds. Nonetheless, Yongguk still had to go.

                “I’m off now,” Yongguk told his mate while looking around. When he thought no one was paying attention, he quickly pecked Daehyun’s cheek.

                Daehyun blushed so hard at the thought of Yongguk kissing him in front of the clan. Yongguk too had his face reddened at his mate’s shy reaction, moreover when he noticed that the clan did actually pay attention to what he just did. They were giving him teasing looks, unlike Jongup who was glaring at him. Even so, he just brushed them off before kissing Daehyun again on the lips. It was something he would do every time they had to part with each other. He would never leave his mate without a kiss.

                Daehyun’s face was burning by now. He didn’t know if anyone had seen what just happened since all the voices were casually talking besides the sounds of them tidying up the place. But even if no one was looking, he was still embarrassed to do that with the clan members around.

                “Alright. Take care,” he said softly to the young alpha.

                The sight of his cute mate was really asking for another kiss from him. “See you later,” he said after kissing Daehyun’s lips again.

                “O-Okay, see you,” Daehyun replied with a deep shade of red all over his face.

                Now that Yongguk, Himchan, Minsu and Sungjoon had gone for the rounds, the rest of the clan members carried on with the cleaning. Junhong and Suwoong volunteered to do the dishes, but Youngjae and Jongup still helped them bringing the dishes to the kitchen.

                “Can I help with anything?” Daehyun asked since he was the least busy compared to everyone else.

                “It’s okay. The boys could take care of everything,” Eunbyul said. “Do you want another drink?”

                “Oh no, thank you. I don’t think I could handle any more,” Daehyun politely refused because he was in fact a lightweight drinker.

                “You can go inside if you’re tired,” Minjee said while wiping the table. “I don’t think we’ll finish drinking soon enough.” She winked at her sister-in-law with a smirk and received a nod in agreement from them.

                “That’s okay. I really like being outside actually. It feels nice,” Daehyun genuinely admitted.

                “I see… No wonder Yongguk always takes you out for a walk,” Minjee pointed out.

                “No wonder they are each other’s mate,” Eunbyul added just to tease the future Luna.

                It made all of them laugh a little, moreover when Daehyun became red-faced again. However, the fun was short-lived.

                “Shhh!” Dongwan told them to quiet down before looking at his wife. “I think I smell something,” he said, worry filled his eyes.

                Minjee nodded at him. She looked at everyone else, who seemed to realize the same thing.

                “I think you’re right,” Jungsu muttered. He stood up to observe the surrounding.

                All of them followed suit, staring at the direction the scent was coming, which could be the backyard door.

                Minjee went to Daehyun. She took his arm and pulled him to stand on his feet. Then she just stood there, a little ahead of the younger man while holding his hand.

                Everything suddenly turned eerie. Daehyun had a thought that something bad was going on, but he didn’t know what it actually was. “What’s the matter?” he whispered to Minjee.

                “It’s the Massifs,” she replied under her breath. It made Daehyun’s hair stand on end.

                They finally showed themselves. The rogues had easily climbed the tall wall and entered the backyard. They were not in a rush though. They really took their time walking through the backyard, but their eyes were staring straight at the Empyreans.

                The other members in the house had also detected the trespassers’ scents. Youngjae told Jongup about it and ran out to the patio again with Junhong and Suwoong. Wonjun was right behind them.

                “Are the kids in the room?” Minjee asked Wonjun.

                “Yeah, with their moms.”

                Jongup quickly went to his brother, shielding him with his body even when the Empyreans were all standing in front of them.

                Dongwan turned to look at his wife beside him. “Should I tell Yongguk and the rest?”

                “You should. What’s the point of doing rounds when all of the rogues are here?”

                Even when it was weekend, the town was quiet like any other nights. The four of them who were on duty tonight had split up all over the small town.

                It was Yongguk’s turn to keep a lookout over the downtown. Most of the places that were still operating were for entertainment, like bars and arcades. There were a number of people walking along the illuminated streets, seeming casual and carefree.

                Yongguk knew that the whole town was aware of the crimes happening lately, but the people at the downtown could have known that those things wouldn’t usually take place where a lot of people might be watching. Despite that, he still should be constantly on guard.

                Not long after starting the round, Yongguk was suddenly hit with a strong scent. He stopped dead in his tracks on the sidewalk. But he couldn’t afford to waste any time. So he began making his way towards the direction of the scent. His steps quickening little by little that he was almost running the closer he got to it. All sorts of question were playing in his mind, only to be left unanswered when the scent led him to a bar.

                Standing in front of the entrance, he contemplated whether he should go in or not. He was scared but also curious. However, before he could decide, a woman suddenly came out.

                She was a beautiful young lady with long hair and round eyes that were looking straight into Yongguk’s. Both of them knew they were wearing the same shocked expression while seeing each other.

                Yongguk wanted to ask and get all the answers, but at the same time, he didn’t. The woman seemed to feel the same. Nothing came out of their mouth. Yongguk didn’t know how long they were going to stare at each other as if they were looking at a ghost. But then, he received the clan’s link from his father.

                “Yongguk, the Massifs are here!”

                That moment, nothing else matters anymore. His thought was only to get to the clan’s house as fast as he could. And he did.

                The Massifs were approaching. Their gaze and scent were intimidating, but the Empyreans stood rooted to the ground.

                “What do you want?!” Dongwan shouted when the rogues were still at a distance from him.

                “We want you to stop messing with us!” The leader, Jiho yelled back. “We didn’t even bother you in the first place! So why can’t you just mind your own business?”

                “Our business is to watch over our territory and you’ve always been a bother!”

                 “We’re only interested in humans! Why would humans concern you?”

                “Because there’s more human in ourselves! Unlike all of you who are more like animals!” Dongwan retorted.

                Jiho scoffed. “So you’re going to ignore my warning?” He glared at the Empyrean’s alpha until they were finally standing before each other. s were right behind. “Don’t you remember what happened to your son? I killed one and I wouldn’t doubt to kill another,” he threatened with an evil snicker.

                Dongwan never faltered. “And why would you think I’ll let you do that?”

                Jiho rolled his eyes. He knew his plan to scare the Empyreans off was not going to be so easy, but he was still annoyed because of it.

                “Wait, aren’t those the humans?” Jaehyo voiced out all of a sudden, making all of the Massifs turn their heads to the direction he was looking at.

                Daehyun flinched in surprise. Chills ran through his body. Even the hands that were holding tight to Jongup’s started to feel clammy.

                “Now.” Jiho looked back to Dongwan with a frown. “Why are these humans here?”

                Dongwan shrugged his shoulders. “It’s none of your concern.”

                “Humans among the weredragons?” Jiho snorted a laugh. “Do you think I’m stupid enough not to know? No wonder you like humans so much. There’s cultures’ fusion between weredragons and humans in your clan!” he remarked before throwing his hands up angrily. “How could a weredragon mate with a human? A low class creature? It’s degrading the entire weredragons race!”

                “What race are you talking about?!” A voice shouted from the sky.

                Everybody looked up and caught the sight of three sky weredragons perching on the rooftop with Yongguk riding on the back of one of them. They then descended from there, landing in between the two clans, forcing the Massifs to back away.

                Yongguk got down from the back of Himchan’s dragon form and stood right in front of Jiho. “You’re all rogues. Weredragons race has long disowned you,” he said in a calm manner.

                Daehyun was sure now that it was really Yongguk after hearing that voice again. It made him feel a tiny bit relieved, but kept hoping that nothing bad would happen to his lover, or even any of the Empyrean members.

                “Isn’t it funny when we rogues have humans as our slaves when your clan has humans as equals?” Jiho mocked.

                “So what? I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Yongguk shrugged. “Don’t you think you should be the one embarrassed? Even humans can be accepted into a weredragon clan, but you?” He looked to each of the Massifs before turning back to their leader. “You were kicked out,” he uttered as if trying to knock some sense into them.

                For a moment, Jiho just stared at Yongguk. “You’ll regret it one day,” he said with his jaw clenched in irritation.

                “If you’re done talking bull, you should just get lost.” Yongguk ignored the warning.

                The corner of Jiho’s lips curved up into a devilish smirk. “Let’s see who’ll laugh in the end.”

                The Massifs finally retreated into the woods using the same way when they broke in, only walking a little faster than before. The Empyreans breathed out a long sigh of relief. Himchan, Minsu and Sungjoon were still in their dragon form, waiting for their clothes to be brought out by Sooyoung before they could change into humans again.

                Yongguk turned around and looked at each of the clan members. They were all gazing at him with respect, including his parents. Yongguk would never stood in the lead when his father or his late twin brother was around. Something had definitely changed in him.

                Dongwan patted Yongguk’s back while Minjee caressed Yongguk’s cheek with a smile when their son came to them. Yongguk pulled a small smile in return. Then, he went straight to his mate, taking his hand gently from Jongup’s hold. Daehyun easily recognized the scent of the young alpha, so he tightened the hold on the latter’s hand.

                Yongguk could see how Daehyun was really frightened by the previous situation. He couldn’t do anything except for taking Daehyun into his arms. The younger man was still slightly trembling in his embrace, but he believed it would all be okay because Daehyun had hugged him back, resting the sweaty forehead in the crook of his neck while trying to breathe properly again.

                No words were being said, but both of them knew how grateful they were to have another chance to be together again without anyone getting hurt. Yongguk couldn’t describe how relieved he felt when nothing bad happened to Daehyun. All he could do was holding him tight and giving a long kiss on the head of his precious mate.