Kris sat on the beige chaise lounge in Jieun’s bedroom as he went over Diana St. John’s journal, for the fourth time. The more he had read her story, the more he too felt connected to her. He wondered why her siblings couldn’t read it. He wondered what made him and Jieun the special ones. The first entry was written back in 1464 and he wasn’t even born yet. So, the woman couldn’t possibly be someone who he had met in his lifetime. Or could she?

It had been fifteen minutes since Kris left Jieun alone in the bathroom. He knocked on the door and opened it slightly.

“Are you alright in there?” He asked. “Not that I care, but I need to discuss with you about this woman—Diana St. John—Jieun?”

Kris was in his most unusual behaviour and he noticed it himself. He was just glad none of his siblings were around. He couldn’t care less about Jieun, but then again, she happened to be the most important person to his son – who he was trying to impress. 

Jieun didn’t answer him, so he swung the door open and saw the Alpha’s face was floating in the bathtub. He instantly pulled her out of the water.

“Hey!” He called her out, shaking her body slightly.

Kris reached out for the thick, white towel from the rail and wrapped Jieun in it. A moment later, the female hybrid choked up the bath water, finally coming back to life. She sobbed against Kris’ chest helplessly.

It was unlike Jieun to cry in front of someone, and Kris was the last person she would ever want to show her weakness to, but right at that moment, she couldn’t stop herself.

They both heard footsteps from outside the bedroom, and Kris looked at Jieun as if he was checking if she was O.K. She had nodded her head at him in reply. Casually, he then took his leave out of the bathroom.

“Where’s mum?” Wooseok asked his father as he entered Jieun’s bedroom.

“She’s in the bathroom.”

Wooseok looked at the bathroom and to his father, back and forth. “Did you just—?”

“Your mum needed some help.”

Wooseok squinted his eyes at Kris, as if his father wasn’t telling him all truth.

“I didn’t hurt her if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I know.” Wooseok breathed out, drawing a comfort now that he was sure his father didn’t hurt his mother. He noticed how the front of his father’s shirt was slightly wet.

“I might have helped took off her clothes—“

“Dad.” Wooseok cut Kris off. “It’s ok, I don’t need to know that.”

Kris smiled as Wooseok looked at him weirdly. Kris had heard his son called him ‘dad’ twice in the past twenty-four hours and he couldn’t be happier.

As if she was on cue, Jieun came out of the bathroom, her body now wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe. “Oh.” Jieun looked at her son. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Wooseok asked his mother.

“After that long sleep? Much better!” Jieun grinned and nodded her head as she reassured her son.

Kris’ eyebrows knitted for few seconds, as he tried to understand Jieun. It was only five minutes ago since she was crying against his chest. The young-looking woman who happened to be the mother to his seventeen-year-old son had never failed to amaze him so far.

“That’s good, then.” Wooseok smiled in relief but he had shot a look to his father, wondering if maybe he had done something good after all. Maybe his parents didn’t hate each other as much as he thought they did. He wanted to believe that instead.

“Right, I need to get dress and then we have works to do.” Jieun suppressed, giving the two men the signal of ‘if you understand me, please get out of the room’.

So they got themselves out of the room.

“I don’t think I had ever seen that side of your mum before.” Kris retorted as he strolled down the stairs along with his son.

Wooseok glanced at his father and stopped his track. “I would actually like to know how did you two first meet, but there’s nothing good to tell me, is there?”

Kris looked at Wooseok apologetically. “Sorry, son.”

The tall boy sighed and resumed his way downstairs.

♛♛♛♛♛

Han Wu, despite his baby face, was invincible. Only those who didn’t know him that well would dare to go against his wrath, but if you did not mean him any harm, he would not be in your way. Above all, unlike his siblings, Han had a gift of adaptation. He would get along better with the others than his two siblings ever would.

Han walked into the pub with his sister by his side, and they casually made their way through to the back room after the owner had abstractedly let them. He knocked, quite politely on the door. Soon enough, it creaked open and behind it was an old Asian woman with a full grey hair, sad looking eyes and thin lips.

“Our apologies for intruding you at this hour, but we are looking for Mrs Lee. Are you—”

“I’m not.” The old woman said and was about to close the door, when Han had stopped her.

“Please. This is regarding to Jieun Song.” Han mentioned, keeping himself calm yet his voice had meant business. “We’re friends of her.”

Victoria could only watch, as she would usually try her best not to meddle in her brother’s way of approaching the others.

After few seconds that had seem like a whole minute, the old woman pulled the door wider. She audibly sighed. “I know who you are.” She stared at the siblings.

“Look, we are not here to cause trouble, but we need your help. Jieun needs your help.” Impatience Victoria chirped in.

“Fine. Come in.” The old woman finally said.

The room was small but almost too neat to be a hideout for an elder witch.

“Did Jieun sent you here?” Mrs Lee asked them. 

Victoria shook her head. “No. I saw you inside her mind.” Victoria replied, in which only cause Mrs Lee to rest her eyes fixedly on the younger looking woman. “I was trying to ease her pain. She keeps screaming and falling unconscious ever since we got back from the Other Side.”

Mrs Lee’s eyes widened slightly. “The Other Side?”

“I’d tell you all about it, if you’d first lift the curse that one of the dark witches had set on Jieun’s pack.” Victoria presumed.

The old woman moved the tatami mat and revealed a wooden floor, before pulling a latch that had concealed the secret pathway through to the basement. She beckoned both Han and Victoria to follow her down the steps.

“You may not look like it, but I have a feeling that you care about Jieun.” Han remarked.

Mrs Lee’s expression finally softened a little. “I am her Godmother. I’ve promised her family to keep her safe for as long as I live in this world. But, the moment she told me she was pregnant…I knew I’d failed. I really wish I could tell her that she won’t have to die, but I’m afraid it’s out of my control.”

The basement was damped with cold air and smelled like an old house. Mrs Lee made her way to the huge table that was scattered with jars, herbs and other unidentified ingredients for spells.

Mrs Lee then resumed. “If only that the father of her baby isn’t a hybrid, then perhaps none of this would have happened. I could have stopped her from going to New Orleans eighteen years ago…from meeting your brother…well, us witches may have the ability to alter things, but we can’t control destiny—“

“Asking her to give her life up isn’t any different than controlling destiny, is it?” Victoria cut the woman off.

“I’d expect you to understand, but I have to remind myself that you’re not exactly like the rest of us.” Mrs Lee gave Victoria a glare. “Jieun’s pregnancy was the biggest threat to our kind. Did you know that it was baby Wooseok who set Makaila on fire? That fact alone is enough to prove our point that Wooseok is dangerous. Only when Jieun fought so hard to save her baby and promised to keep her son grounded to goodness, the Ascendants decided to give her a chance—none of this was Jieun’s fault after all, but your brother isn’t exactly famous for being good. So, that’s one of the reasons you must understand why Jieun had no choice but to keep his son away from your brother.” Mrs Lee shifted her eyes to Han.

Han and Victoria looked at each other. “You said ‘one of the reasons’. So, why else is our brother was hell-bent to stay away from his own son?” asked Victoria.

“Not from his own son." Mrs Lee shook her frail head. "But from Jieun. Though this is the only secret I’m keeping from her, perhaps I’m just so confident that they won’t crossed each other’s path ever again – but the thing is, Kris Wu is her mate. Their wolves will always be attracted to one another when they’re near each other.”

♛♛♛♛♛

Jieun visited her brother and Gayoon in the basement. They were both still in their Vargulf forms, and still fast asleep in the cage that Jieun and her pack had purposely creat