"Are you alright?" Someone asks and not for the first time. She doesn't answer still, her mind conjuring up all the images from the last time she has heard those bells ring.

"Listen to dad Mel be strong and fight. Take care of your mother and the kingdom if I don't come back," her father has told her before setting out to fight, sword tucked at his side. He rarely used that sword, it was the lucky sword. Unfortunately that luck didn't work in that battle, for her father never came back.

"Mel run!" Her mother shouted as arrows came raining down on them. Her mother was an Omega but she knew a few techniques of battle, courtesy of her father, "shield up pup!" She instructed as another round came down. The sound of footsteps heavy as thunder as they tried to cross the distance between the garden and the gate. The four warriors finding it hard to hold off their attackers.

"Listen princess, make a run for it okay. These two are going with you. Be a good ruler and get to Uncle Jay and lead them here okay!"

Nodding her head, a thirteen year old Meliha did as was told. Only she shouldn't have, or she should have have come back sooner. Because then atleast she would have been able to say goodbye to her mother.

She feels someone's hands on her, trying to prevent her from falling but she's too far gone. Before her eyes are the images of her dead mother, her dead people, images of destruction.

"Hey," a voice calls and she tries to concentrate on that but fails. It's too much, the blood she sees and suddenly she feels like the ground beneath her feet is disappearing, leaving her afloat.

There are hands around her, heat enveloping her, a heartbeat beneath her ears but it's not enough. She needs more, much more.

"Kiss me," she manages to get out, clutching the fabric of someone's shirt, "Kiss me."

There was voices, she doesn't understand. The hands around her are gone. She tries reaching out but there's nothing but air. Suddenly another wave of nausea hits her making her sway on her feet.

There's another pair of arms around her, steadying her, passing her to someone else. She feels the heat of another body, a smell she barely recognizes and then there's are lips on , hesitant yet firm, coaxing hers to move.

She does, reaching out blindly, it's her holdfast. She grabs a bunch of hair, pulling the lips closer, that is followed by a groan. The arms tightening around her. She whimpers feeling a hard body pressed against hers, a tongue invading , leaving her gasping and .

She feels at ease like someone is taking all her worries, all her tension away, making her relax. Calming pheromones?

A hand settles on the base of her back, applying pressure and there is a voice like honey, a command for her to sleep and she immediately follows because her Alpha commands.

Hongbin watch the woman go limp in his hold, tightening his arms around her waist to keep her from falling. The smell of Jasmine hanging onto him, her taste still on his lips.

"Hyung....," He looks up and realize that he needs to say no more. They know what he had seen in the moment of weakness she has let down the barriers of her mind.

It is like he was seeing his own childhood, the soldiers falling, the houses burning, his father dying.

They were both children of war.

"Get her to a room, we need to address the Council," Hakyeon says, his palm still against her back, calming pheromones still high around them.

It surprises him because Hakyeon rarely tells him to release those. They are Alphas, they are built for chaos not calm. And hence it has come as a surprise to everyone when the elder has almost ripped the woman out of Ken's embrace, pushing her into his arms telling him to kiss her, to release the calming pheromones knowing his were the most potent out of all of them.

He hasn't wanted it, the idea of even being close to her was absurd but now he doesn't want to let go. Knowing she has suffered just as much as him makes him want to protect her, keep her safe.

It's strange really, it's not even a valid enough reason. Almost half of the people in his kingdom, in other kingdoms are victims of war. They have lost families, loved ones yet he never felt such strong desire towards any of them. What is different about her? Why is she having such an effect on him?

"Hongbin!" He is ripped out of his thoughts as Hakyeon calls out his name in a stern voice, intention clear.

He scoops her in his arms and finds it surprising how easily she fits in them, "I'll join you in a minute," with that he starts walking towards the Queen's Chamber.

She looks fragile, every bit of Omega she hasn't been in all the time he has known her and he feels the protective instinct stir to life, shifting her closer to himself, letting the smell of Jasmine grow strong.

He places her on the bed, tucking her in carefully and watches, almost mesmerized how beautiful the woman is and without realizing, caresses her cheeks, pushing the stray hair out of her face.

Is it this easy to fall for someone?

"Well this will makes things easier for you," his mother's voice makes him draw back.

She's standing by the door, distaste evident on her face. She hates being anywhere near Mother Royal or her things.

"Mother, " he starts but she's already turning away.

"You know what needs to be done. We've waited too long son."

He knows but looking back at the woman in bed, he suddenly doesn't want to.

Hakyeon is this close to losing his cool and throwing a chair at people sitting in front of him.

"Can you stop being stubborn for this once N?" CL says, fingers tapping on the wood of the table, "you'll have to do it sooner or later."

"The war just started," before he can say anything, Leo is speaking up, "it's not like we are losing. We can win this without having to resort to do it."

"Exactly," Ken interrupts enthusiastically, "we'll kick their asses. Just like we always do. We're VIXX."

"You are not understanding," Dara says, "this is not just us against the hunters. It's much bigger than that."

"Noona we can handle this, have some faith," he says finally, eyes going to his brothers who smile at him, a ressurance.

"You better N," Hyung joong warns, "you know people are eagerly waiting for a change in the rule."

"I know," he does. Its the most appropriate time to strike and with as long as VIXX has been in power, the others kingdoms have grown pretty restless.

"Don't make us force you N, we won't hesitate to do it if it comes to it," Kyungil warns before they are all standing, a final challenge in their eyes as they walk out.

"What do we do now hyung?" Hyuk asks and he takes a deep breath.

"We fight."

She feels the pleasant hum in her body, a blanket of warmth around her, keeping away all evil. So she snuggles closer and closer until it gets suffocating, until she can feel the hard contour of her blanket against her skin.

"Don't," there is a warning, somewhere in her foggy mind, she even finds the voice to be hauntingly familiar. But the blanket is so warm so she chooses to ignore the warning.

There is something wrong with her blanket because it tries pushing her away. Opening her eyes and blinking them a few times, she finds herself holding onto an arm, a very manly arm. The smell invading her nose is dominating.

Alpha.

Slowly she lifts her eyes and yelps in surprise, letting go of the arm and scooting away and end up falling on her . The ground is cold and hard.

"Hak....Prince.....I mean Lord Hakyeon!" She mumbles, rubbing her eyes because did the biggest prick in the kingdom just sleep with her?

"Good to see you sane," he mutters, sliding off the bed and fixing his robes, "I'll send Leo to tend to you."

With that he rushes out of the room as if there's poison in the air.

"Why are you on the floor?" Leo asks as he enters the chamber, his robes a little too formal for staying in the castle.

"Hakyeon is my blanket!" She mutters still not over the shock.

"Hakyeon what?" He helps her onto her feet and then makes her sit on the bed, legs hanging off it.

"Sorry I was mumbling nonsense," she says shaking her head and accepting the hand he extends.

"How are you feeling?" He asks making her sit on the bed. At this point she has basically confiscated the Queen's Chambers.

"I am....," She starts but then remembers the bells, how she has panicked, how desperately she has held onto who ever was close enough, "I am sorry for behaving like that my Lord."

He looks at her with a frown, "It is not something to apologise for. Honestly we all panicked, with the announcement and with you. We had no idea how to calm you down."

It's not easy to get her out of her panicked state. She has been like that for four days before Suengyoon figured out how to get her out.

"Thankfully you told us what to do and Hongbin's calming pheromones did the magic."

"Lord Hongbin? Was he the one to kiss me?" She doesn't like where this is going. Why would Hongbin kiss her? He hates her.

"Yes," Leo answers and she narrows her eyes at him.

"Why?"

"Because Hakyeon said so," there's a shrug of shoulders as if it's no big deal, "but I think he would have, even if Yeon didn't tell him to."

"Don't they both hate me?"

"I don't think any of us do. They don't trust you, and you can't blame them for that."

"I can't," she accepts because it's the truth, "How is it? The war?"

"We don't know as of now. The others already rode out after the meeting, me and Hyuk will leave tomorrow, so will Hakyeon and Ravi," he informs.

"Leave?"

"Yes, as much as the others are loyal to us, they have their own territories to protect within the kingdom."

"Then why are you leaving?" The mere thought of them gone leaves a bitter taste in .

"The west is hit harder than the rest, that is the only thing we were able to get before BTS left and our messengers have not gotten back to us. We need be to there. Ravi is to retrieve noona and your friends and Yeon wants to talk to the Trinity, maybe they'll help us."

They won't. She has heard Zico's conversations here and there and knows they won't fight. But she keeps that thought to herself, maybe Hakyeon can convince them?

"Will you be alright?" She asks fumbling with her fingers.

There's no answer and she looks up to find him staring at her.

"It's war my lady, I can't promise you anything," she stared back at him as he stands up and with a pat to her head walks away.

"Wait!" She calls before he can leave. He stops at the door.

"I need you to come back my Lord," she demands walking upto him. Her hands reaching for him, her body seeking contact. He doesn't push her away, let her do as she pleases, "Come back."

"I....," before he can answer, she's already nosing at his neck, right over his scent gland inhaling the scent of Fenugreek and letting it fill her nostrils, her lungs. She needs a part of him.

He hasn't touched her as she practically wrapped herself around him but now she feels his fingers press into the flesh of her waist, with enough force to bruise but she doesn't mind.

"Lady....," there's a strain in his voice that makes her retreat and look up, into the golden orbs.

She jumps back, finally sane enough to realize she scented him, "I am......I.....sorry my Lord. I....."

"It's fine," he says, the gold shrinking back, "I should go," and then he's gone and she doesn't stop him.