"You wanted to see me, My Lord," the woman stands by the door, waiting for his permission to walk in.

"Yes. Come in," he instructs, watching as she moves in. There are scratch marks on her neck and arms. He knows they spread further, obstructed by her clothes and he remembers how she had looked when he found her in that Beta's room. That had been the only reason he had refrained from hitting her or she would have gotten a pretty good beating for being in his room in that state.

He isn't a sadist and doesn't believe in using force against the weaker but this woman gets his emotions in an overdrive. He doesn't understand why he feels like killing and hurting and destroying. 

He is a level headed person, had always been. That's something he prided himself in but this woman is like a hurricane, shattering down his calm, leaving everything in a chaos.

"Why didn't you tell us about your heat?" He questions, once she sits down opposite him

"And what would that have done?" She questions back instead of answering, "Don't tell me you would've helped me with it because we both know that is a lie."

He regards her with warm eyes, "And how do you know that?"

She's silent for a while, just starting at him, "You don't like me my Lord, none of you do. The only reason you would've helped me is because of my pheromones. A forced help. And I would've hated myself for it. You would've blamed me for forcing myself on you. Just like you blame me for this marriage."

He wants to counter but she's right. They would've blamed her, not all of them but him and Hongbin definitely.

"Even so I would prefer it if you come to us rather than go to someone else."

"I didn't go to him. I didn't go to anybody," she's quick to provide, "But I understand. This made you look bad and I'll be careful in the future."

She's a level headed person as well. A trait, no doubt, acquired from years of being a ruler. He can see she's a good ruler.

"Now that we're clear on that, let's talk about why there are marks all over you?"

She looks taken aback for a second as if she just realizing her condition, "I......," It's clear she's trying to come up with something.

"Hongbin was right, isn't it? You really can't heal," it's more of an statement than a question.

There is hesitation in her eyes and then it's gone, "I can heal but my healing abilities are nowhere near yours. You are an Alpha my Lord. While I am just an Omega. The lowest in the social ladder."

"I don't understand. You can heal?"

"I can. But not as fast as you."

"The marks on your ankles, they seem quite old. Why haven't they healed yet?"

"Why am I being interrogated?" She asks instead, clearly avoiding the question.

"Is that what this feels like? Rest assured, I am not interrogating you," he assures her.

"Then what is this? A heart to heart?" 

"No. The incidence today, it made me realize we need to start over."

"What?" There's disbelief written all over her face.

"You called me a bad ruler and I realized you were right. I went head on with this, I should have analyzed the situation first. Taken facts into consideration. But I foolishly believed what was in front of me. I have been a king for years now, you can call me a bad person but you don't call me bad king. "

She silently observes him, as if waiting for him to say it was a joke and she's still a Venal woman.

"I was gone for four days. Did you....," No! She scolds herself, she shouldn't do this, " Did you even try to.....," Stop Mel, don't! "Did you even try to find me?"

"We weren't.....," before Hakyeon could answer, someone interupts.

"Yeon, there was another attack!" Leo is standing at the door, looking frantic.

"Attack?" She muses watching Hakyeon hurry out of the room. She follows behind them.

They take her to the East wing, past Hongbin's room and into a big hall which could fit at least hundred people. There are tables and chairs, rows and rows of documents on the shelves, maps plastered on the walls, spread on the tables. One particular map draws her attention, it's the map of her kingdom.

Everyone is already gathered there. All of BTS, Monsta X and BToB are there, even the army chief and his daughter.

"What happened?" She asks, eyes still on the map. There are red darts over some areas on the map.

"There was an attack three days ago," Ravi replies, seeing her go rigid on laying eyes on her kingdom's map, "There were some casualties but mostly everything is fine."

"How many?" She asks, hands the fibre of the clothes.

No one answers so she looks up, daring them to stay silent.

"Three," it's Taehyung who finally speaks, "Two guards on the outer perimeter and one civilian, a wife it would seem."

Her fists tighten, almost ripping the poor cloth, "I need to go home."

"You're not going anywhere," Hakyeon states calmly.

"And who'll stop me?" The woman is openly challenging an Alpha.

"Try and see," comes the reply. There's tension in the air, everyone feels it. But they know they are mere audience.

"Lord.....," She doesn't get to finish what she was about to say as the door is pushed open and Timoteo comes in, followed by Jade.

"Lord N, the situation on the Eastern border is becoming worse," it's Timo's voice.

Upon seeing her there, Jade runs to her, enveloping her in his embrace. Her body relaxing under his touch after a moment's hesitation. It feels nice to finally get some warmth, the caring body contact. 

She feels herself starving for it. For Jade's touches, for his gentleness.

"I've missed you so much Mel," he mutters in her hair, "so so much."

"Easy there warrior," she couldn't help the smile that blooms on her face.

"You are injured," Timo decides to speak up, his eyes going from her head to her toe, trying to determine the extent of damage.

Abruptly breaking away, Jade checks her as well. Eyes narrowing and focused on the people behind her.

"Did they hurt you Mel?" He questions, voice like steel and she knows he won't hesitate to attack them, there and then if she says yes.

"No," she answers, "they didn't. My heat came early."

"But why.....?" It seems he realized the answer before finish his question.

"Not that everyone is here," Hakyeon's voice draws everyone's attention, "let me ask the only question that matters," his eyes seek hers, "What is the source?"

She goes still after hearing the question, her companions not as surprised as her. 

"What?" She seems ready to pounce at him any moment.

"I asked what is the source? That's what they are looking for right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Princess," Timo addresses her, "we managed to take a hostage. He spilled everything when they interrogated him."

"He must be lying then," she's adamant.

"If he's lying," it's the first time Seohyun speaks and the room goes silent. An effect Meliha had only seen Hakyeon could have, "then her kingdom isn't that important. We should focus more on the West borders."

"Mel," Timo warns.

"No," but it's obvious she won't yield.

"Very well then, you could leave. We need to discuss some internal matters," then Hakyeon folds the map she had been eyeing and goes to the other table.

She stays at her spot, ready to retaliate but then deciding against it, she walks out, Jade right behind her. Timo joins a few moments later.

"I don't essentially like them Mel but right now we need their help," Timo reasons.

"I don't trust them one bit Timo, everything will be ruined if this doesn't go our way."

"It's a risk either ways Mel," she's surprised to find Jade siding with Timo. As far as she knows, he should be the first one to decline their offer of help.

"They helped us a lot Mel, had it not been for them, the casualties would have been in hundreds," he explains seeing the look on her face.

"Mel," Timo tries again.

"Fine," she gives in.

They are in the middle of an argument when she walks back in.

"......BToB is not the right choice for this," she hears the army chief's gruff voice.

"But them being tree fae would give us the strategic advantage. The west border is all forest," Leo states.

They stop when they sense her, "Is there something you need?" Minhyuk asks.

"The source," she motions for Jade and Timo to walk in and then closes the door. Their eyes are trained on her and once again she's reminded of why she hates meetings, "We were a relatively small kingdom. We're barely average in anything, be it trade, arms, wealth. And hence nobody paid any attention to us."

She wants to stop, but Timo's hand on the small of her back forces her to go on. She watches VIXX's eyes flicker towards her back and then back to her face.

"That was until the Invasion of North," they've heard about it. It has been years now. They were barely hitting puberty when they heard about the attack, "The hunters had this thought that if we weren't doing well in anything, how were we surviving? How was it that even with our kingdom almost closed off from everyone, we haven't vanished? Where were we getting the food? The resources?"

"That's when they found out about the source," should she continue? Is this really the right thing to do? What if they want the source for the themselves after hearing about it? 

Sensing her hesitation, Jade takes her hand in his and gives it a light squeeze, as if saying, it's alright.

"It is the origin of all the life in our kingdom, everything from us to the plants, it came from the source."

"Then why do they want it?" Wonho asks.

"It's believed that the source can heal even the deadliest of illness, that it can even bring back the dead." 

There. She has laid down the very life of her kingdom bare in front of them.

"Is it true?" Hyunsik questions.

"I don't know," she replies, holding onto Jade's hand.

"They weren't able to get it during the first invasion right?" Hakyeon asks. 

She nods.

"Then why wait so many years before trying again. Wouldn't it be easy for them to just try to acquire it when you were at your weakest?"

"They believed the source was destroyed during the invasion," Timo replies, "They almost wiped us off with that invasion. Had the source been there, it would've healed us, helped us recover. But it didn't."

"Then what made them think its still there?" Suga wonders.

"We got back on our feet," She answers before Jade can open his mouth.

Hakyeon narrows his eyes. She's hiding something, still.

Suddenly Hongbin gets up from his seat and walks to her which surprises all of them. He has been trying to avoid her since that night she had been to him. Then why get close to her now?

Although he did not say anything, the maids were quick to gossip. Hakyeon knows Hongbin feels guilty about hurting her physically.

They have seen war and blood and death when they were just kids. That has affected them all. And while Hongbin would not mind breaking a person psychologically, he hates physical injuries, he hates blood because that reminds him of his own father's death.

Once in front of her, he pulls her forward. Letting Timo's hand fall off her, "Liar!" He whispers, forcing her hand out of Jade's grasp.

"I.....," She starts as he makes her walk away from her companions and towards the others, "am not lying."

"I don't believe you either," Leo speaks, eyes trained on Hongbin. It's clear he's a little wary of the younger.

"One of ours betrayed us," again it's Timo who speaks, like Leo his eyes also follow the Alpha as he pushes her into Hyuk's lap. The youngest going stiff for a moment and then blushing furiously.

"So the source still exists?" Namjoon questions.

"We believe it does," Timo grabs Jade as he tries to move forward, no doubt trying to get her away from VIXX, watching Hyuk's arms go around her torso.

"And where is it now?" Seohyun asks, watching Hakyeon. She feels something different about him and didn't like it.

Meliha tries to get up from Hyuk's lap, but Ravi grasps her shoulder, making her stay in place, "We don't know."

Hakyeon looks at her for a second and then back to everyone in the room, "Paniel, Illhoon, Minhyuk and BTS go to The North. I think there'll be another attack soon."

"Rest of BTOB is to accompany Monsta X to the West borders. You two," he looks at Jade and Timo, "you will go there as well with Seohyun noona."

"Don't command them, they don't belong to you!" Meliha retaliates.

His eyes turn to her, golden orbs giving him the predator like aura as he moves to her and takes hold of her chin, "You belong to us, so anything that belongs to you automatically belongs to us."

Seohyun understands the change that has been bothering her.

Possessiveness.

He has become possessive about the woman. And she hates seeing it right in front of her eyes.

"Lord Hyuk, I am fine. Put me down!" She wiggles in his hold but that doesn't bother him in the least.

"No, you're still recovering. You shouldn't be moving around so much," he snuggles her closer to his chest as she continues to struggle.

"Lord Hyuk!"

"We're almost here," gesturing for the guards to open the door, he walks in with her still in his arms. Another topic for the maids to gossip.

Setting her down on the bed, he sits on a chair by the bed, "I'll send for Yoona noona. Stay in bed and don't stress too much ok. We'll handle everything." She misses his body heat already.

"I am not a child," she gives him a glare.

"I know. But you got us so worried when we returned and there was still no trace of you."

"What?"

"When we heard that you ran away after Hongbin hyung pushed you or whatever and that you were injured, we tried to find you but then the news on attack on your kingdom and a breech on the West borders came and we had to set out to settle things. Then we came back today and you were still missing."

"But then the Beta walk by smelling like you. Next thing we know, you are found in his room, wearing his clothes and smelling like him."

"It wasn't what it looked like," she defends.

"I know but anybody would have thought the same thing we did. Nevermind everything's fine now."

"Is it?"

"As I said don't worry about it. We are here to worry."

"Thank you," she doesn't know what came over her but she mutters the words.

He regards her with a smile.

"It's alright," with that he stands up and walks to the door, "and call me Hyuk. Lord Hyuk seems a bit old fashioned."

Maybe she could worry a little less, just maybe.

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I will have to thank #parboni for dropping in comments and suggestions. Honesty I tend to lose interest in writing a story once the readers start losing interest in it. 

So this chapter was possible because of the comment. Thank you once again.

Enjoy reading and don't be petty with the feedback or I'll be petty with the updates.