Even if there were other people in the room, Jooyeon didn't care. She just needed Jinyoung's comforting presence at the moment.. Her hands were still trembling from shock but she hid it well. Clutching them tightly together, she stared up at the boy who has so much genuine concern and worry on his face. He blinked, waiting for her to answer him but all Jooyeon did was glance down at the ground then back at his face. She saw his eyes shifted away from hers to give the strangers in their apartment unit a look for privacy and fortunately, it worked. They emptied out the living room pretty quickly and soon, it was just only the two of them. Jooyeon took a shaky breath and meekly, almost as if she was afraid to do so, she spoke up.

 "I need to ask," she began, her voice coming out so quietly that the older barely heard her. 

Jinyoung stared down at the girl, eyes searching hers before giving a nod, "Anything, Joo." 

He saw her take another breath of air and gathered herself together, or at least try to. 

"You...You won't be like her, right?" 

There was a sense of anticipation and fear in her eyes but she held her eyes on his. They boared straight into his soul and Jooyeon prayed that the words that come out of his mouth would be of that she had hoped. 

"You won't erase yourself from my head and leave me, right?" she tried again.

This time, her hands reached forward and desperately fisted at the material of Jinyoug's shirt. He could feel her hands shaking and gently, he wrapped his fingers around her small wrists and gave them an assuring squeeze. 

"Never, kid. I'm always going to be here," he said softly, "Right here." 

Pulling her into his embrace, he held her and tried to convince her of his words through his action. He could've sworn he heard her let out a relieved sigh as she relaxed into his arms. 

Is this why she came out so quickly? To make sure that he wouldn't do what her mother did? His heart broke and he wondered what more he could do to restore her self confidence again. He wanted to make her feel whole again, not empty and broken like this. Jinyoung would never do anything like that to her. The last thing on his mind was to leave her alone. No, it wasn't that his job prevented him from doing so. But, it was that she had become a part of him and it almost offended him that she could ask such a question. Slightly hurt but also understanding, he rubbed her back soothingly and rocked her from side to side. 

"Thank you." he heard her quietly whispered. 

He softened and moved his hand to her, giving it a gentle . What did this girl ever do to the world to deserve this? She was barely an adult and had just yet to do anything to harm a person. Jooyeon was the kindest person he had ever met and he knew for a fact that never once did she acted selfishly. Sure, she got on his nerves from time to time but they were basically family. She deserves so much more and it pained him that he couldn't help her escape the heartbreaking truth.

He hated the Queen for making Jooyeon like this. He hated how she could just abandon her daughter. Even if it was to protect the girl, did she really have to go to the extent where all Jooyeon's memories of the past(including herself, the Queen) were all wiped out? How could she leave a small child all alone and at that, with some boy who she barely had a clue about? Did she have no sense of posession? Why couldn't she come along? That question bugged Jinyoung the most. Why exactly couldn't she come along? Was a kingdom more important than family? The answer should be no, but the Queen chose otherwise and Jinyoung hated her for it. Because of her, Jooyeon had no idea who her family was or what it could've been like. Because of her, Jooyeon became the girl without parents.

---

Mark couldn't stay still. He was getting more and more fidgety by the minute. His heart was pounding like crazy and he could feel his palms becoming sweaty. Taking a breath, he tried to compose himself. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, hands coming up soon after to rub at his temples. 

"What's with you?" Jackson blurted out as he eyed Mark funnily. 

He stayed silent, focusing on keeping his cool rather than answering Jackson's stupid question. He could feel eyes on him and that only made him more restless. He sat up suddenly and let out a long distressed sigh. Youngjae furrowed his brows at the older and scooted closer. 

"Hyung," he began, 

Mark glared at him and immediately the boy shut up. He had a feeling Youngjae knew what was going on. Why else did he give him a funny look when he saw his eyes change color? 

"You feeling alright, Mark?" Jaebum asked. 

Giving a quick nod, Mark swallowed thickly. To say the least, he was quite shocked by the realization of his mate. It felt overwhelming for him, like he couldn't breath or his chest was going to explode. Her scent was too much for him to handle at the moment and he wanted to smack himself for being so whipped by her. The last time he felt like this was a long time ago, a really long time ago. The feeling almost felt foreign to him but still somewhat familiar. 

Mark fell in love once before---or well, maybe love wasn't such a good term to describe his feelings back then but, it was close. Maybe it was more like admiration or adoration, he wasn't quiet sure exactly. However, he definitely knew that she made him feel something. When he was with her, he felt important, loved but he could tell that it leaned away than what you would call a 'romantic bond'. Nevertheless, Mark didn't care. He was young and reckless and decided on his feelings hastily. Perhaps that was why it almost tore him apart when she was gone. Because of her departure, he was left helpless, stuck and haunted by their memories. He found himself entering back into his own quiet world. It was the place where he once loved but now grew to hate. At the time, the silence that he surrounded himself with was unbearable but he didn't know how to escape it. It only made him shrink deeper and deeper until it was holding him by the neck, choking every last breath out of his lungs. 

With her, he was bright and without her, he was dull. Simple as that. She played a big part in his life and to have been gone so suddenly, it left a huge impact on him. He shrinked back into a nasty place and only had barely managed to submerged back up due to the support of his pack. He found a place to fit in but that empty spot inside his heart remained vacant. So, that was why Mark made up his mind. 

He was not going to get attached to Hwang Jooyeon, even if she is his mate. 

He was going to save himself of getting him his heart ripped out to be shoved back in again with a deep crack down the middle. He was going to save himself of the rejection, one that could turn his life into a complete mess.

Mark Tuan was not going to love.

Because, the last time he did, it took him to a place that he did not want to go back to. Love was dangerous. So instead of affection, he was going to give Jooyeon apathy. It was a pathetic excuse to make him stay away from her but that was probably the only thing he could think of at the moment. He would fool himself into thinking that he hated her instead of wanting her. No matter how strong the bond of a mate is, he was going to keep himself away. 

The situation made him feel like he's walking on thin ice. There was probably about 25% chance of things going nicely but Mark didn't want to risk it. She was human, meaning she has the right to either deny him or accept him. While she could go on and about with her life like nothing ever happened, Mark would suffer. He would be the one to pay the price of rejection. The pain of being denied by a mate could make a wolf go insane. They would always feel incomplete, like a part was missing and it was true. A part of them, their final piece to make them whole was their mate. If to be rejected and tossed aside, they would go mad and eventually their wolf will loose control. The self awareness that having been denied by their final piece will kick in and with time, it'll drive them to the edge and push them over the limit. A werewolf's heart could only bear so much. However, if accepted, they'll obviously feel complete and even gain more strength. Nothing could go bad for a wolf when your mate accepts you...

Except...maybe not so much for Mark. He was still afraid to love and the idea of offering his heart to another still terrifies him. The last time was a lesson to be learned and he was not going to make the same mistake twice. But, this was his mate. Was she not made to love him and only him? Jooyeon was different though. She was part human and that scared him the most. He couldn't win with this situation, could he? 

This was going to be on her. She was to make the choice. His fate was in Jooyeon's hands but for now...

He was going to stay away. 

---

They parted away from one another and she took a step back, breathing in deeply. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands and nodded once. 

"No point in crying." she mumbled to herself, "I can't just sit around and keep on moping about who I really am."

Jinyoung blinked at her, slightly caught offguard by her sudden shift in personality. This girl was trembling and crying in his arms a few seconds ago. 

"I want to know who I really am so that's exactly what I'm going to do." 

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow, "So you're not freaking out about being part were-wolf at all?" 

Jooyeon paused before continuing a few seconds later, "N-No...I mean, I am but, with having just seen a wolf literally turned into a dude...I really don't get to go all dramatic and freak out about how werwolves don't exist." 

Jinyoung's face broke into a smile at her words, "We exist alright." 

"Yeah," 

"You know, Joo, about your mom," Jinyoung tried to start but she quickly cut him off. 

"No. Please. I don't want to talk about her right now." Jooyeon gulped, "I'm still trying to figure out why she did what she did but I'm sure on one thing right now---well two. One, crying and isolating myself away from everyone who claims to actually know who I really am is not a good idea. You guys are the only people who can help me figure myself out and two, there is a little boy in there who thinks I can help him and if I'm not who I think I am, maybe I can help." 

"Jooyeon, you're rambling." Jinyoung frowned. 

"I am not! I'm serious, oppa. I didn't believe what he was saying before because I thought I was like everyone else. Turns out, I'm not--which on the side note is actually really scary and I'm trying really hard to not freak out right now--and oh my god, I'm rambling." Jooyeon breathed out, hands flying up to cover . 

Chuckling, Jinyoung patted her head and bened down to her eye level, "Told you." 

Sighing, she dropped her hands and frowned at the older, "I am serious though. I'm not like everyone else. I'm not like you and I'm definitely not like the people here. It's like I don't know where to put myself anymore. But there's this chance that the boy out there is offering. It could be something that will help me realize who I am." 

Jinyoung stared at her. He truly wanted her to figure herself out but the so called chance that BamBam offered her required her to put her life on the line. 

"Hwang Jooyeon, you are the last Royal Blood. I understand that what BamBam asked of you could be somewhat of a push to figuring yourself but you'll also be putting yourself on the line." he spoke his mind. "One good look your way from the Council and they'll immediately send all their followers after you. They'll haunt you down."

Jooyeon frowned, taking in the new facts that Jinyoung had told her. She was scared of danger, who isn't honestly but if she continued just as she is now, she'll never truly know what she's capable of. She'll remain oblivious of the world that she was once apart of. A world that had been ripped away by her mother who claimed it was for her own good. Jooyeon was old enough. She was going to be making her own choice and sitting back just ignoring a whole different part of her was not how she was going to start fresh. This new life that had been smacked down onto her, she was going to make the most out of it. In order to seek your true potential, a little risk must be taken.

"I just won't let them catch me then." she smirked before turning her back on him and marching towards the kitchen where the other wolves were gathered. 

"Stubborn little brat."