Chrysanthemum – fidelity

                All members of the clan were gathered in the living room the next day. Even the kids were playing among themselves in the corner. It was because of Dongwan contemplating whether it is best to carry on with the night patrol or to stop it altogether after the Massif’s threat last night.

                “I want to keep doing what we have been doing,” Yonggguk spoke up, standing next to the long sofa where Daehyun was sitting with Minjee and Narae.

                “Don’t get me wrong. I’m against their violent act towards humans, but I don’t want my only son or any member of the clan to get killed,” Dongwan said from across the room, too tense to sit on the single sofa beside him that had been left unoccupied by the others.

                Daehyun couldn’t agree more with the alpha leader, but he just kept quiet. He doesn’t think an opinion coming from a mere human like him would matter.

                “You’re the next leader, Yongguk. It is our job to protect you,” Himchan intervened and sided with Dongwan.

                Yongguk shook his head.  “If I were really to be the clan’s leader, then it is my job to protect the clan, our territory, and everyone that lives in it,” he stated firmly while looking at each of the members. “Your job is not to protect me, but to protect each other and our territory with me. All we need to do is stick together and have each other’s back.”

                Everyone just stared at Yongguk. The young alpha had exceeded their expectation yet again. Even Dongwan’s stance was shaken up and it had never happened before.

                “Alright. We’ll keep doing the lookout.” Dongwan nodded at his son. “But all of you need to be extra careful this time.”

                Yongguk took the leader’s command very seriously. “Of course. I’ll- ”

                His sentence was cut off when an outsider scent’s permeated the air. The clan members seemed to pick it out too. Only Daehyun and Jongup were left with no clue, wearing a confused look on their face when everyone turned silent all of a sudden.

                Later, the doorbell rang.

                The outsider was a young woman, wearing a tracksuit and carrying a backpack on her shoulder. Her eyes wide in surprise when a bunch of people opened the huge door for her.

                “Um… hi…?” she greeted awkwardly.

                “Hello there…” Minjee said carefully, being aware of any possible danger.

                “Oh, uh… I’m Ahn Heeyeon. I’m a lone sky dragon and I come in peace.” She gave them her most genuine smile.

                The Empyreans exchanged looks with each other. “How do you find us here?”

                “I didn’t plan to. I was just flying around the forest and then I saw this huge mansion. I went closer to check it out, but I smelled other weredragons. So, I decided to give my greeting,” she explained and watched how the clan members were giving looks at one another. She knew too well that they were talking about her through the link. When they seemed to get suspicious of her, she quietly added, “…and probably find my mate…”

                The clan whipped their head to look at her again. “What?” Minjee asked.

                “My mate…?” Heeyeon muttered, suddenly feeling small when all eyes were staring at her.

                “Who is it?”

                She scanned the clan members one by one. When she found the one she was looking for, she pointed straight at him. Now, all eyes are on that man.

                Yongguk had seen it coming. He clearly remembered that woman as soon as he laid eyes on her. But at the way the woman recognized him back, he just shook his head. “You must be mistaken. I’ve already found my mate.” He glanced at the man holding his hand.

                The moment Daehyun heard Yongguk’s voice beside him, his heart dropped to his stomach.

                Heeyeon too was in utter disbelief. “Then, what happened last night?”

                “Nothing?” Yongguk shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing happened.”

                “You’ve met her last night?” Himchan asked the young alpha.

                “I bumped into her. And that was it. We were called to come home after that,” Yongguk gave an explanation while looking around at every members of the clan.

                “Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Himchan asked again. “Did you even tell Daehyun?”

                “I forgot, you know, with the Massifs crashing our lawn. And I just didn’t think she would turn out to be my mate,” Yongguk clarified. But it was all lies. He didn’t forget. He kept thinking about it throughout the night. He couldn’t lie to himself when a tiny part of him had a thought that the woman could be his mate. But later on, that thought was pushed to the back of his mind because the woman’s scent was not attracting like Daehyun’s. The only thing the led him to her last night was curiosity.

                “Wait, what do you mean nothing happened?” Heeyeon argued. “Our scents brought us to each other. We stopped and stared at each other at the same time.”

                “That’s because your scent… Your scent…” Yongguk found himself loss for words. Everything he could think of to describe her scent would only make it more convincing that she is his mate.

                “My scent…?” Heeyeon lifted her chin, the sharp look in her eyes urging the young alpha to come clean with everybody.

                Yongguk casted his gaze down with a sigh. “Your scent’s quite strong…”

                Heeyeon nodded her head, satisfied. “You know we are mates and you can’t deny it.”

                “No, I never said that.” Yongguk stared at her again. “I told you I’ve found my mate and whatever idea that you have about me is false.”

                “What nonsense are you talking about?” Heeyeon’s face twisted in irritation. “He’s certainly a guy! He can’t be your mate?!”

                The words struck a raw nerve and Daehyun felt himself shrunk. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe, as if there was a deep cut in his heart. Slowly, he untangled his fingers from Yongguk’s, turned around and started to make his way inside. Without his walking stick, his steps were small and careful with his hands stretched out in front.

                “Daehyun?” Yongguk was about to go after the younger man when an arm blocked him.

                “Sort it out.” Jongup told Yongguk with his head tilted towards the girl before catching up to his brother to lead the way.

                Yongguk turned back to the said girl, who was still throwing Daehyun a quizzical look at his awkward movement. Then, he eyed his father, asking for some help through the link.

                After taking a deep breath, Dongwan asked the young woman, “Listen, Heeyeon, how old are you?”

                “I’m 23.”

                “And your rank?”

                “I’m an alpha.”

                Dongwan turned to look at the clan members. They seemed amazed to know the fact even though they tried to hide it behind their serious expression.

                “Are you from this town?” Dongwan asked the girl again.

                “No, I just moved here.”

                Dongwan nodded at her answers. He opted for asking small questions since they barely knew her. “Alright. So, this is the first time you’ve experienced something like this? Like finding your mate?”

                “Yeah,” Heeyeon admitted firmly.

                Dongwan heaved a long sigh, giving a brief look at the clan members before looking at her again. “Well, Heeyeon, I think all of us need some time to figure this out. So for now, why don’t you head home first? We promise we’ll keep in touch with you.”

                “Just what the hell is happening?” Daehyun breathed out when they both sat on his bed.

                “I don’t know, hyung,” Jongup said, letting out a long sigh after. “Even the weredragons are confused as hell. What can we, humans, say about it?”

                There was a pause in the conversation, but it was gradually getting longer and longer. Daehyun was getting lost in his thoughts and Jongup kept glancing at his brother being restless while fiddling with his fingers.

                “Is she beautiful?” Daehyun’s voice was quiet as he broke the silence.

                Jongup looked up to his brother. The older man seemed anxious and it put a frown on Jongup’s face. “No,” he answered after a moment.

                “Tell me,” Daehyun pleaded, staring into nothingness in front of him. His jaw clenched, his glassy eyes were close to tears.

                “I told you no,” Jongup tried to convince his brother, but using a harder tone.

                It made the tears started to well up in Daehyun’s eyes. “Just tell me the truth…”

                “If you want me to say what you want to hear, then don’t even ask about it,” Jongup retorted, feeling disgruntled.

                Daehyun broke down at last, turning into a crying mess in a split second. He tried to hold it back as much as he could since his brother was with him, but the anxiety of breaking up with Yongguk was growing more and more inside him until it was too much for him to bear.

                Jongup’s heart sank at his brother’s quiet sobs. It had always been the most painful thing for him to watch. So he scooched over to Daehyun before pulling him into his arms. He rubbed Daehyun’s back patiently until his hug was returned.

                “You’re the most beautiful person in the world, hyung,” Jongup said on the spur of the moment.

                Daehyun could hear a hint of a tease in Jongup’s voice. “You said that because I’m your brother.” He pretended to sulk, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

                Jongup was also smiling at Daehyun’s adorable demeanour. “I’m just telling you the truth.”

                “As the future leader, you need to think about this carefully,” Dongwan said when he was alone with Yongguk in his study.

                “But, it doesn’t make sense! We all know that weredragons only have one mate,” Yongguk replied while leaning against the wall with arms folded across his chest.

                Dongwan sighed heavily. He was sitting on his leather swivel chair, but facing his son instead of his computer. Eyes glued to the floor, he rubbed his chin as he was in his own train of thought. A moment later, he looked up at his son. “I’ve never imagined I’m going to say this, but… are you totally sure that Daehyun is your mate?”

                Yongguk’s face immediately changed. “Dad, seriously?”

                “No.” Dongwan raised his forefinger, a signal for Yongguk to hear him out. “I mean, you know, I’ve seen a lot of weredragons playing around with humans. Since they don’t know when they would really find their mates, they would be in a relationship with whoever they want; humans or weredragons. And when they finally found their mates, they’d leave their lover and spend the rest of their lives with their true mates.”

                Yongguk scoffed. “You think I’d be like one of those bastards? Me? Your own son?”

                Dongwan groaned while rubbing his face. “I don’t know,” he breathed out, shaking his head.

                “What makes you think I’m just playing around with Daehyun?” Yongguk stepped closer to the older man. One hand placed on the table as he was slightly leaning down to meet his father’s eyes. “Do you think I’d introduce him to the clan if I wasn’t serious about him? Don’t you remember how much pain I was in when he had almost rejected me?”

                “I don’t know!” Dongwan threw his hands in the air. “Okay?” He stared at his son, making the younger man step back. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

                “Really? Why does it seem like you wanted me to go for that girl?” Yongguk asked with his brows furrowed.

                “I’m not. Trust me, I’m not on anyone’s behalf. You know I have nothing against Daehyun. I like him very much,” Dongwan cleared the air by voicing out his genuine thought. “But this is quite a serious matter. Once you are mated, your strength will increase, your senses will heighten and your wounds will heal faster. But none of those will happen if you mate with the wrong person. And after you are mated, there’s no turning back. You are the future leader. You need the boosts from your mate more than anyone. So, you must be careful making your choice. Take your time to think about it,” he advised.

                Averting his eyes to the other side of the room, Yongguk was silent for a moment, giving a thought about his father’s words. Then, he took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at the older man again. “There’s no need. She’s not my mate. Daehyun is.”

                Jongup went to open the door when someone knocked on it. It was no other than the young alpha of the weredragon clan.

                “Did you settle everything with that girl?” he asked.

                Yongguk shook his head. “Not really. My father just told her to go home for now.”

               Jongup narrowed his already small eyes at the latter. Yongguk raised his brows at him, but he just stayed like that for almost half a minute before ending it with a bitter sigh. Then, he finally stepped out of the room and left.

                Yongguk went into the room right after that because the young Jung didn’t concern him as much as the older one. When he pushed the door wider, Daehyun was sitting crossed legs on the bed, his back leaning against the upholstered headboard.

                “Hey,” Yongguk said softly to let Daehyun know that he was there. “May I come in?”

                “Sure,” Daehyun muttered without lifting his head.

                Yongguk closed the door before walking over to the bed. His eyes landed on the wooden figure in Daehyun’s hands. It was something he got for Daehyun after searching all over the town for a good wood carver, just to make the figure looks exactly like his dragon form. It was worth the effort, seeing how happy Daehyun was when he received it.

                Yongguk sat in front of the younger man, one leg folded on the bed while the other still on the floor. He tried to look at him, but Daehyun held his head low. His wispy bangs were covering half of his face from Yongguk’s view. Daehyun didn’t even move a muscle, except for his thumbs that kept rubbing the wooden figure.

                “Are you crying?” Yongguk asked.

                “Am not,” Daehyun quickly denied.

                Yongguk was silent for a second, then asked again. “Were you?”

                This time, Daehyun hesitated because he was about to tell a lie. So, he missed the timing to respond confidently.

                Yongguk already got the answer when he saw Daehyun’s mouth opened and closed in soundless stutter. He finally reached out and lifted Daehyun’s chin. Daehyun’s face was still red and swollen, and the said man didn’t try to hide it anymore.

                “You shouldn’t be crying,” Yongguk said while caressing Daehyun’s damp cheek. “I’m sorry I did this.”

                Just like that, Daehyun could feel his anxiety rising up again. “If she’s your mate, then who am I?” he voiced out, even when he was struggling to keep his emotions stable.

                Yongguk immediately took Daehyun’s hand in his grip. “You shouldn’t think too much about it. I’ll figure it out somehow.”

                “But… if she’s really your mate, you’ll have to m-mark and bond with her. You’ll have to leave me…” Daehyun whimpered. Tears pooling in his eyes, threatening to fall again.

                “I won’t. You’re the one I love and I believe in our love,” Yongguk vowed earnestly, tightening his hold on Daehyun’s hand. “And I need you to believe in it too.”

                Daehyun sniffled, choking back his tears. How else would he believe in their love? He couldn’t stop thinking about Yongguk since they first met. Just by thinking about Yongguk make him smile like a fool. And being with Yongguk made him the happiest man in the world. Deep down, he knew Yongguk is the one for him.

                “I always have,” Daehyun said, from the bottom of his heart.

                It put a small smile on Yongguk’s face. He climbed to the spot next to Daehyun, an arm wrapping around the smaller man. He let Daehyun’s head fell onto his chest and arm around his torso. His hand instinctively Daehyun’s hair before a kiss was pressed on top of Daehyun’s head. This is the way how everything should be. For now or forever.