Jinyoung’s parents were both shocked and overjoyed when they answered his knock on their door just before midnight and saw that their lost son had at last returned. They threw their arms around him and wept in pure relief that he was alive, and Jinyoung wept with them for a multitude of reasons. He was of course happy to see them again. He’d missed them more than he’d even realized, and it made him feel just like a cared for and adored child when they brought him into the kitchen and right away set a stew on the fire for him and poured him a glass of mulled wine.

Naturally, they were anxious to hear the explanation for his absence during the winter when he should have returned to the village after the conclusion of the season’s fighting. He accounted for himself in the least painful terms he could—he told them he’d joined forces with the beast and bird tribes after learning what Hyun was doing in the High Laboratorium, and had been a part of the operation that had put a stop to his madness since he’d felt a share of responsibility having been his former student. He assured them that he’d been well taken care of when he’d been in Calovia, and that he was committed to King Minhyun’s proposed measures for establishing peace. He said nothing about Mark or the cubs or how he’d come to learn of Hyun’s actions to begin with.

His parents were troubled by the danger he’d put himself in, but were at least willing to agree that he’d done a noble thing, and that they were distressed as he was of the kind of evil Hyun had been capable of. They were a bit more wary of Minhyun’s ideas of making peace with the beasts, but Jinyoung spoke in the most passionate terms of how they deserved just as much understanding and respect as any being did, and that the humans were not so faultless that they could consider themselves superior to the beasts, who had their own share of merits and faults. His argument was so strong and emotional that his parents quickly assured him that they understood his perspective, and though it would take time for them to adjust to the change, they would try to keep open minds and hearts, realizing that most of what they had been told about beasts in the past amounted to propaganda and fear-mongering.

And then, he was ordered off to bed like a child to recover from what had been a long and tiring journey. But Jinyoung couldn’t sleep. As soon as he was faced with the silence, the memories came flooding back and tears fell from his eyes ceaselessly as his heart relived the pain of what he’d gone through. Mark hadn’t loved him enough to make him stay. Mark had shown him more lust and devotion in a single night than anyone would ever show him for the rest of his life, and even that hadn’t been enough to stop him from removing his scent from Jinyoung’s skin and pushing him towards a freedom Jinyoung didn’t want.

It hurt too much to think about, to the extent where Jinyoung wanted to tear his brain out rather than endure another moment. He pushed himself out of his bed and across the room to where he kept his stack of research texts, and he threw himself into reading them, allowing himself to think of nothing else but surgical procedures and how best to spare a limb from needing amputation.

In the morning, he went down the stairs to greet his parents without having gotten a single minute of sleep. “I wish to resume my work in the clinic,” he told them.

They exchanged a glance. “Of course you can,” his mother said. “One of the assistant healers has taken over in your absence, but I am sure he would be happy to have you return as soon as you are recovered and well rested.”

“Not then,” Jinyoung insisted. “Now. I don’t need to recover from anything. As you can see, I’m in perfect health with no injuries or afflictions. I want to return to my work.”

“But…you’ve been away so long…surely you would like to get settled back in?”

“This has been my home for all my life. I haven’t forgotten it or how to live here. I need to work. And King Minhyun…he wants me to work with the council here to lead the discussion on the matter of opening up the university to beasts. I didn’t come back just to sit still.”

His parents could find no reason to protest, so as soon as he’d eaten, Jinyoung went straight to the clinic to see how things were. The other healers had carried on relatively smoothly, but there was a gratifying amount of things that needed to be done. The medicinal supplies needed restocking, there were several cases of rheumatic fever that needed treating, and a few scattered cases of baffling symptoms that required further study and research. Jinyoung spent most of the morning and afternoon occupying himself with reestablishing himself at the clinic, and when there was no more left for him to do there, he went to the governing council to offer his assistance with whichever of Minhyun’s propositions needed additional support. By time he arrived home in the evening, he was too exhausted to hold a thought in his mind and fell into a dreamless sleep.

He did this day after day, devoting every hour he had to some manner of work or another—tending to patients, researching disease treatment, working with the university to expand its admission, relieving the library of its numerous propaganda-filled texts, and attending village meetings to lend his voice in support of the beasts whenever a traditionalist got into a huff over “that kind” being a threat to women and children which should not be permitted into their perfectly civilized village. He gave himself no openings to dwell on Mark and how much his heart still ached for him, or the three cubs and how deeply and wholly he missed them. Whenever Mark should intrude on his thoughts, he forced himself to work harder until the thought was gone and replaced by cold, unemotional fact.

He knew his condition frightened his parents, and even the other healers. He could hear them whisper when they thought he wasn’t listening. Was he always this melancholic, before? What on earth could have happened to sink his spirits so much? Should we ask him? Should we order him to take a holiday until he’s well again? But whenever anyone tried to approach him about his depressed spirits, Jinyoung iced them out so thoroughly that they backtracked immediately, flushed and apologetic. He didn’t want to talk about Calovia. There were no more tears in him left to cry, only an endless weight of pain, and rather than press down upon it or try to lift it off only to fail and have it slam right back down, he preferred to ignore it and simply live with the constant  heaviness on his soul.

About two months after his return, his mother burst into his study one morning, her face flushed and eyes wide with shock. “Jinyoung,” she said. “He’s here. King Minhyun himself is at our door, and he wants to speak to you. And he’s brought some manner of beast with him—a really handsome one!”

Jinyoung nearly rocketed to his feet, heart pounding. Could it be…? He hurried to the front door. King Minhyun was standing there, more properly arrayed in the splendor of a king than the last time Jinyoung had seen him. He’d put weight back on and looked strong and healthy, and there was a brightness and sense of purpose to his expression that made him look even more handsome than he had before the war. His fox ears had grown a little more, and he looked perfectly suited to them, proud and confident even though there were certainly factions in the highlands who were opposed to having a half-beast king.

Beside him, to Jinyoung’s crushing disappointment, was not Mark. It was the white tiger Baekho, who was also looking much improved since the last time Jinyoung had seen him. In fact, he looked strong enough to take Jinyoung in one arm and Minhyun in the other and lift both over his head.

“Good afternoon, Jinyoung,” Minhyun said politely. “I hope I find you well?”

“Well enough, Your Majesty,” Jinyoung said, trying to hide his emotions behind a welcoming smile. “Come in, come in. I’ll fetch you both something to drink.”

Minhyun and Baekho obligingly came in and sat down at the table. Jinyoung quickly prepared them tea and served it to them.

“I’m surprised to see you here of all people, Baekho,” he said conversationally. “I didn’t think you’d want to come back to the highlands.”

“I see no reason to be afraid, now that the culprit has been taken care of,” he said good naturedly. “I still have a lot to atone for, so I asked King Jaebum to use me however he liked as an ambassador. I was in High Lofferin showing King Minhyun the blueprints of the village we’re planning for humans and beasts to share in harmony, and when he told me he was going to Low Lofferin to see you, I asked to join him so I could thank you again for all you did for us and see how you were doing.”

“That was thoughtful. I’m glad to see you again fully recovered and looking back in form.” He bit his lip. “How…how is everyone? King Jaebum and the Sacred Prince and…?” He trailed off, not wanting to say his name.

“King Jaebum is doing wonderfully, now that the Sacred Prince is back,” Baekho said brightly. “Prince Youngjae is nothing short of a miracle worker, and he’s got the whole kingdom in high spirits again. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ve never believed that stronger than I do now that they’re back.” He didn’t supply anything about Mark, and before Jinyoung could subtly press him, King Minhyun interrupted.

“Forget our Calovian friends for a moment,” he said. “You’re the one who needs to be asked ‘How are you?’ I swear on my life, you looked in better spirits imprisoned in the Laboratorium with the threat of death hanging over your head than you do right now.”

Jinyoung at first tried to force a smile so he could lie and say he was doing just fine, but it slipped from his face almost immediately. Tears flooded his eyes and refused to be forced back. “How can I be in good spirits,” he whispered lowly, “when I’ve been abandoned?”

“Abandoned? By who?”

“Who? Isn’t it obvious? Who isn’t here with me now?” He ducked his head, saying the name in a choked voice. “Mark.”

“Mark?” Minhyun repeated. “Abandon you? There must be a mistake. When I spoke to him after your rescue of us in the Laboratorium, he did say you would be going back to Low Lofferin to see your parents and help with whatever new measures were introduced here, but it seemed to me that he was actively planning on having you back.”

“Did he say as much?” Jinyoung asked desperately. “In certain, unquestionable terms?”

Minhyun faltered. “Not exactly. But I’m certain he made references…he said something about his daughter making a blanket for your bedroom.”

“Besides, you’re his mate,” Baekho said. “Of course, he didn’t abandon you. There’s not a beast on earth who would abandon their own mate.”

“I was never really his mate,” Jinyoung said, his throat feeling leaden. “It was all a lie, so no one in Calovia would try to have me killed.” He explained the full story to Minhyun and Baekho, starting from the beginning and going all the way up to the end when the stagecoach took him from the hut where they’d mated only in the physical sense without the proper binding. He didn’t go into detail of the private intimacies, but told them all that had been spoken of before and after.

Minhyun seemed to be pondering the matter thoughtfully when Jinyoung finished, but Baekho looked well and truly aghast. “I knew the General was a very out of the ordinary kind of guy,” he said in an awed voice, “but he must be the only one in the beast tribe to ever do something like this before. It’s just so…so weird.”

“What do you mean?” Jinyoung asked. “What has he done?”

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing. He is most certainly bound to you. That’s just how it works among beasts. You…er…how do you humans say it? e?”

“Let’s just go with ‘make love’ for the sake of avoiding you listing every word for it you know,” Jinyoung said dryly.

“Right. You make love to someone, and that’s a binding for beasts, no ifs ands or buts. So to the General, because he made love to you, you’re his mate. For life. He won’t be with anyone else other than you. But…how to explain this…? You’re his mate, but he’s not your mate because he’s not holding you to the obligation. He bound himself, but he set you free from being bound by anything. I suppose he can get away with doing that because you’re a human? You’re not really obliged to follow our mating rituals, so it’s a loophole.” Baekho’s brow furrowed. “It’s really, really weird, though. I don’t get why he’d do that.”

“I think I could clarify why,” Minhyun said, looking as if something had just dawned on him. “It’s because Jinyoung’s a human that Mark likely did what he did, just like you said. I think I understand it. Jinyoung, when you offered yourself to him, he took it as you offering intimacy as a human would. And how many people have you lain with before him?”

“No one,” Jinyoung said defensively.

“Ah…then, perhaps you aren’t the best example. Hmmm…we happened to catch a glimpse of your neighbor when we were approaching the house. A very handsome guy. How many people do you think he’s lain with?”

“I don’t know, about a dozen,” Jinyoung guessed.

“And how many has he offered to take as a life partner?”

“None of them. He has no interest in settling down.”

“Exactly. For humans, mating isn’t permanently binding. If you’re unmarried, you could do it with one person one day and do it with someone else the next and it won’t be violating any sacred bonds or promises.” Minhyun nodded triumphantly, as if he’d just made a brilliant point. “Jinyoung, since you’re a human, Mark took the intimacy on your end to be the human kind, something to enjoy in the moment without necessarily leading to forever. But for him, he took it as a beast would, and sealed you as the only person he will accept into his heart and home.”

“I still don’t understand,” Jinyoung said, shaking his head. “Why would he do that? Why would he bind himself to me if he didn’t think I was offering myself to him permanently? Why did he not want to take me back with him?”

“Well, for starters, he was probably in heat for you, and what red blooded beast would turn down getting it with-” Baekho began to say, before he was stopped by Minhyun elbowing him hard in the ribs. “OW!”

“Put more politely, he loved you, and whether you loved him to the same extent was immaterial to him at that moment because he most likely knew there would never be anyone else for him but you,” Minhyun said. “So he chose permanence, on his side. As for your side…I can’t pretend to know what he was thinking, but based on his words, it would seem that you having the freedom to make choices about your future without any sense of obligation or debt to him because of what he did for you was of great importance to him.”

“But I was choosing him!” Jinyoung insisted. “Of my own free will! And it had nothing to do with feeling obligated or indebted to him!”

“You didn’t make that very clear, though,” Baekho pointed out. “In fact, according to your account of it, you very clearly said you were repaying him.”

Jinyoung frowned. He had indeed said that, but he hadn’t meant it in that sense. Hadn’t he shown that in other ways? Hadn’t it come across in the other words he’d said?

But then he thought of the memory that had until now eluded him. How Mark had looked at him solemnly and said More than any other want I have, I want you to be free. I want you to be bound by nothing, no promises and no debts, and I want you to choose for yourself what will make you happy. I’ll be happy with whatever that is, if you can be.

And then he remembered the echo of these words Mark had spoken as he’d cleaned his scent from Jinyoung after they’d made love. You are bound by nothing, he’d said, with that painfully happy smile on his face. You are free.

Jinyoung now realized why that had made him smile. That had been the moment in his eyes where Jinyoung had been entirely released of all duty to him, unshackled from their arrangement and open to choose the future as he pleased. Even if Jinyoung did not choose him, it still mattered to him that their relationship was no longer defined by the terms of the promise they had made. It could evolve into anything.

Jinyoung cursed himself. Mark had intended to release him from the promise before Jinyoung had seduced him, but because of Jinyoung’s haste and replacement of the conversation he’d meant to have with Mark about his feelings with purely physical things, Mark had taken the action as an extension of Jinyoung’s sense of obligation to him and misinterpreted Jinyoung’s intentions entirely. If Jinyoung had just waited, if he had just talked to Mark rather than jumping right in, all of this could have been avoided and Mark would have realized right away that Jinyoung had been choosing for himself exactly what would make him happy.

Still, none of this really lightened his frustration at Mark for not being clear with his own thoughts and feelings on the matter either. “How was I supposed to know any of this?” Jinyoung asked. “How was I supposed to figure all of this out in the heat of the moment where I only had minutes to come to a conclusion before the carriage came for me?”

“I don’t blame you at all for not understanding,” Minhyun said kindly. “And I don’t fully blame Mark, either. He may be a half-blood, but he’s mainly lived among beasts, and he seems to have no idea how to blend his customs as a beast with yours as a human yet. But he’s certainly trying. It seems to me that he really doesn’t want to cage you in another arrangement again, and is doing all he can to avoid it.”

“Well, I certainly don’t want to be ‘caged,’ but I do want to be with him, stubborn idiot though he may be.” Jinyoung rose to his feet. “I have to go back to Calovia.”

“Wait just a minute,” Minhyun said quickly. “I told you already that no matter what you chose, Mark thought it best for you to be in the highlands for a while, and I happen to agree with him. The reason I came here in the first place was because I had a request to make of you.”

“It can wait until I sort things out with Mark.”

“Jinyoung, please. Baekho, could you lend me a hand here?”

“Me?” Baekho echoed. “Er… what would you need me to do?”

“Convince Jinyoung not to go running back to Calovia right away! Just think—if you were in Mark’s position, having mated with someone living on the other side of the mountains with hopes of seeing them again, what would you do during your time apart?”

Baekho’s brow furrowed. “Well, first I’d…” He trailed off, eyes widening. “OHHHHH! I get it! That’s why he—! And the cubs!”

“What?” Jinyoung asked urgently. “What are they doing?”

“Uh…nothing you need to know about right now!” Baekho said quickly with a sheepish grin. “Just, it wouldn’t be a good idea to go back to Calovia now. They’re…busy. Yeah, you’re better off in the highlands until he comes to get you.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to be the lonely maiden waiting passively for her prince now?” Jinyoung asked, his temper spiking. “I want to see him now! I’ve been so unhappy…I just want…I just want…”

“Jinyoung,” Minhyun said gently. “Of course it’s only reasonable for you to want to go and see Mark. But after seeing how much he loves you, I really doubt he would have agreed to spend a few seasons apart from you unless there was a good reason for it. And I truly feel one of those reasons was that he knew how important having someone who cares about our attempts to make peace with the beasts among the human tribes is.” Minhyun folded his hands. “With that said, I have a proposition for you. Or…well, it’s more of a command, really. As a king, I really should be using my authority more often.”

“Yes?” Jinyoung asked, still feeling a bit snappish.

“I’m ordering you to High Lofferin. I want the High Laboratorium to be reopened. Not as what Hyun turned it into, but as a proper hospital for complex surgeries and advanced medical research. And I want it to be a place that serves and researches the health and treatment of both humans and beasts, so I’m intending to admit healers from the beast and bird tribes as well as the human tribes. You are by far the best person to lead such a diverse group, so I’m appointing you the Head Healer of the reformed Laboratorium.”

Jinyoung bit his lip. The healer in him knew what an incredible offer this was. The clinic in Low Lofferin was good, but it was small and had limited opportunities to run extensive tests and engage in in-depth research into treatments and new medicines. The High Laboratorium, once returned to its original state, would give him ample opportunity to improve the medical knowledge of the highlands, and to better understand how to properly treat a beast in either of their physical forms.

“The High Laboratorium is a nine-day journey from Calovia,” Jinyoung said nonetheless. “I don’t intend to be apart from my mate in the long-term.”

“I realize that,” Minhyun said patiently. “And I’ve planned for that, in case it becomes an issue. Let’s say that the High Laboratorium is just one branch of what will be a larger project to expand medical research in the highlands and Calovia. For now, I’d like you to be stationed in High Lofferin, but you may be transferred at a later date, if you prefer.”

Jinyoung lifted an eyebrow. He was glad to hear it, but wondered why Minhyun was being so vague with the details. He wished he could demand them to tell him whatever it was they were hiding, though he doubted Minhyun would feel obliged to tell him as his king.

In any case, reopening the High Laboratorium would keep him thoroughly occupied until he was able to return to Mark, whether it was through Mark fetching him or Jinyoung going to Calovia himself. He made a vow to himself that if Mark hadn’t come back to him by the next spring, he would seek him out and show him exactly what he thought of all Mark’s ‘courtesy’ and ‘consideration’ in leaving him behind.

“Very well,” Jinyoung said with a resigned sigh. “I’ll do it.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Minhyun said. “I truly believe you have great things ahead of you as a medical practitioner, Jinyoung. Your name already carries great honor in Calovia after what you did for the Feral, and your deeds will far outweigh anything Hyun did or attempted to do.” He rose to his feet. “As for the matter of your mate, well…I think you’ll have all the answers you’re looking for, soon enough. Don’t be too hard on him, all right? I think he’ll do a very credible job of making everything up to you.”

Returning to the High Laboratorium brought many mixed emotions to Jinyoung’s heart, but the degree of work on his plate kept him from getting too caught up in the memories. There was much to be done to return the building to its former state, and once that had been achieved, he’d needed to train the new healers both Minhyun and Jaebum had supplied to work under him. There were several beasts and birds among their number—a red fox, a panther, a hawk, a heron, and a snow leopard—and each proved to be capable and instructive, working closely with Jinyoung and the human healers to explain the intricacies of beast anatomy and how their diseases and treatments often differed from those among the human tribes.

When the Laboratorium was in order, they opened their door to patients, and Jinyoung was once again lost in his work and research, though when he went to bed every night, he could no longer chase away his thoughts of Mark and his longing to see him. It was made all the more difficult by the presence of the Calovian healers who often referred to him as “the General’s mate” and quizzed him on his part in the rescue of the Sacred Prince, which had grown into the stuff of legends in Calovia.

All the same, he wasn’t as depressed as he had been before. Hope had rooted again in his heart, now that he understood what Mark had done and why. He knew without question they’d see each other again. And when they did, there would be no separating them for the rest of their lives.

One afternoon when he was in his office jotting down notes on a surgery he’d conducted that morning, he heard the sound of construction from outside. He opened his window and glanced around for the source of the noise, not immediately seeing it. Then the echo of a child shrieking with laughter lingered in the air, and he gazed down towards the foot of the mountain to the south, where the road would eventually lead to Calovia. The distance was too far for him to see things in great detail, but with the help of binoculars, he could see that the framework for buildings were being raised just past the foot of the mountain. This was most likely the beginnings of the village Minhyun and Jaebum had been planning, the place they were developing for humans, beast, birds, and half-bloods to live in harmony.

If Jinyoung had had the time to, he would have liked to descend the mountain to observe their work. As it was, a summer fever spread through many households in High Lofferin, and Jinyoung was kept to the Laboratorium treating patients. Instead, he had to watch the progress of the building from his window with his binoculars. The framework for several houses and cottages were raised, and it wasn’t long before each had roofs and were given windows and doors and began to look like proper homes. Jinyoung could not see well enough to tell if the builders were beasts or humans or birds or all three, but whoever they were, they seemed efficient. As the season shifted into autumn, it seemed as if they had made good progress, and that the village might be open for people to move into before winter fell. Since it was out of the mountains, set at a lower altitude, and was south of High Lofferin, the snows would not be as bad there as they were in the highlands.

When winter fell and before the snow made the mountain road untraversable, Jinyoung returned to Low Lofferin at the invitation of the university to give a lecture on his research of surgical procedures, and also to train the healers in his old clinic on some of the new methods they’d developed at the High Laboratorium. He enjoyed the chance to see his family and friends again, and it also gave him the opportunity to gather up his belongings remaining in his family home. When spring came, he was going to keep his vow to himself to return to Calovia and be with Mark permanently.

The winter was a fierce one, but the day came at last when the snow began to melt. Jinyoung stayed in his home village for awhile longer to assure that the worst cases of fever and pneumonia in the clinic were on the mend, and resolved to set out on his journey as soon as the stagecoaches were up and running through the mountains again.

Just days before he was planning to leave, he was out on the front path leading to his family home and sweeping up some of the dust and debris that had settled there when he heard the stagecoach clattering down the road. He looked up excitedly and meant to stop the driver to ask how soon he’d be able to make the return journey through the mountains, but before he could lift his hand to flag him down, the driver slowed on his own until the stagecoach came to stop in front of Jinyoung. “Whoooooa,” the driver said, reining in the horses. “See, it isn’t so hard when you get accustomed to the smell, eh, my girls?” He rapped on the roof of the coach. “We’ve reached the residence of Healer Park in Low Lofferin,” he called to the passenger within. “You’re free to exit the coach.”

A moment later, the door to the carriage opened, and Mark stepped out.

Jinyoung nearly dropped his broom. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Mark had existed long enough as a memory in his head, a painful recollection better forced back than dwelled upon, that a part of Jinyoung couldn't fully register his physical presence as being real when it seemed more probable that he was no more than a delusion dreamed up by his desire to be with him again. But all the same, Jinyoung could smell his earthy scent on the breeze, and see evidence of things that had changed from the man locked in Jinyoung's memories: his hair had grown longer, and there were scabs on his hands that hadn't been there the last time, when Jinyoung had gazed at those hands touching his body. It was him, unquestionably him from his blazing red mane of hair to his luminescent amber eyes. Every thing Jinyoung had so desperately missed was there right in front of him.

His heart squeezed with an oppressive onslaught of emotion, from exhalting joy to sweeping relief and unhealed hurt to unsatisified desire. It took all the will power in him not to descend into exhausted tears at having waited so long just to see him again. He didn't want to cry just now. He didn't want all the confusion and despair to be instantly fixed by Mark's comforting arms as if Mark didn't need to account for causing all these very contrary and agonizing feelings in the first place.

So instead of giving into his urge to cry, he tightened his grip on the broom, lifted it, and slammed it down right on the top of Mark’s head.

"You!" he yelled. He swung the broom again, hitting him in the cheek. "You horrid...idiotic...careless...lying...lion!"

Mark didn't dodge him or defend himself, but looked amusingly shocked at Jinyoung’s outburst. "J-Jinyoung?"

"Don't 'Jinyoung' me!" Jinyoung yelled, hitting him again across the chest. “Don't act all confused as if you didn't just abandon me for an entire year! After breaking my heart and deciding with your unfortunately pea sized brain that you were the only one who was serious about mating when I was ready to give my entire life to you, you think you can just come back and I’ll throw myself at you as if you weren’t the reason I had to spend the past year working myself to death so I wouldn’t have to think of you and kill myself over and over again over you leaving me when all I wanted was to be with you and raise our family, you stubborn, stupid lion!”

"I'm sorry, Jinyoung," Mark tried to say.

"You're sorry? You're SORRY? I'll...I'lll...I'll show you something to make you sorry." Jinyoung whacked Mark one more time for good measure before throwing down his broom and throwing himself into Mark's arms, at last unable to hold back his tears. His entire body was shaking with wet sobs, and he buried his face into Mark’s shoulder. “You had better…you had better tell me you’re never leaving me again…you had better be taking me with you or I swear…I’m your mate, Mark. I’m supposed to be with you.”

He heard a sound over his own tears, and felt Mark's grip on him tighten as he pressed his face into Jinyoung's hair. Jinyoung could feel dampness against his scalp and realized suddenly that Mark was also crying. He took a step back, forcing Mark slightly away from him so he could see his face. As quickly as that, Mark's cheeks had become streaked with tears, his eyes red as more fell from them. Jinyoung almost couldn't believe it. He remembered that Nia had claimed she'd once caught him crying in Jinyoung's cot, and there had been that time in the den after the children had thrown their tantrum where Jinyoung had wondered if he'd become a little overwrought in the moment. But seeing it directly was a different thing. Mark was the General, the Red Death, a pillar of strength who so rarely showed weakness that would suggest he was capable of crumbling. And here he was doing just that. His defenses had completely fallen, exposing the same raw wounds Jinyoung had been living with.

"M-Mark?" Jinyoung murmured.

"I'm sorry," Mark said again in a choked voice. "Please don't cry, Jinyoung. I never meant to hurt you. If I had known...I would have explained it sooner...I swear...I never wanted you to hurt again because of me."

Jinyoung, almost entirely startled out of his own tears, reached up to brush the dampness of Mark's cheeks. "Mark..."

“I missed you so terribly," Mark whispered, his voice faint. "This whole time, I wanted nothing more than to be with you. But I knew...I knew I had nothing to give you yet, outside of what I already had. I thought it would be cruel and unforgivable to make you stay when you'd sacrificed and undergone so much to get home, half of it because of me. I didn't know...I didn't know...and if your pain was even half of mine, I did an even more cruel and unforgivable unkindness to you in making you feel it.”

“Was it like the others said?" Jinyoung asked quietly. "You took us mating as me doing nothing more than repaying you? You thought I didn’t really mean it?”

Mark brushed his tears, nodding a little. “It's not that I think you're an insincere person by any means. But you were in a stressful situation for so long, and I had...I had done things I shouldn't have that may have unsettled you when you were at your most vulerable. I should have been more cautious in the ways I spoke to you and touched you when you were navigating what was in many ways surely a traumatizing situation for you. I should have never let my emotions and desire for you leak out so much, Jinyoung." He swallowed. "I fell in love with you in the midst of our arrangement, and it killed me to have to lie and play pretend with you as my mate when I so desperately wanted it to be true. I hated myself for ever binding you in a lie and compelling you to be with me in ways you wouldn’t have otherwise. And it scared me that if I ever tried to make you my mate in actuality, I might misstep and make you feel compelled to say yes by duty and attachment to my children instead of any real affection for me. I wanted to do anything within my power to avoid that. I wanted to make sure the decision was entirely yours, and that if you became mine, it would be a choice made with you entirely free of any promise or obligation or tie to our arrangement from before.” He Jinyoung’s cheek. “But I made a mistake, didn't I? I was so determined on setting you free that I didn’t listen to your feelings properly or understand your heart. I saw your love, and I turned a blind eye because you were trying to give it to me before I properly released you from the previous promise. I am so, deeply sorry for that, Jinyoung. I never, ever wanted to give you another reason to cry or suffer because of me.”

“Why didn’t you wait for me to make my choice after you unbound me?” Jinyoung asked. “Why were you in such a hurry to send me away? Was it because you were afraid of what I might say?”

“Yes, that was part of it. And because I felt some time away from me might show you what you really wanted to do with your life, and uncloud anything that may have made you uncertain or confused during your ordeal. Also, there were duties we both needed seeing through. After the war, the highlands needed you just as much as I, and I needed to return to the children, and…well…to prepare a proper home and life to offer you. I'd always intended to return to you after time had passed and learn what you would choose to do now that you have your freedom. I would see if there was still a place for someone like me in it. And, if you could find it in your heart to love me, I would ask you to marry me so we might never have to be apart again.”

Jinyoung froze. “W-What?”

“That is how it is done with humans, isn’t it? Mating is impermanent, but marriage is a lifelong and lasting bond, exactly what I want to have with you. But before you can marry someone, you have to have something more than just yourself to offer them. You have to have a future, a life that can be shared. And I knew without question that you were worthy of nothing short of the best I was capable of creating for you.”

Jinyoung shook his head. "I was already so happy, Mark. I would have never asked for more from you."

"Happiness alone can't keep you safe in a world like this, Jinyoung. Happiness couldn't take away your sadness when you felt like your world was split into two. I always wish to give you happiness. But I also want to give you all the things that will keep you happy not just right now, but for the forever I intend to spend with you." Mark knelt down, taking his hand. “Just as I promised, Jinyoung: after the snows melted and the passes were clear, I came here for you, to ask you to marry me and be the father of my children and to let me love you and cherish you as your mate. You are not obliged to say ‘yes,’ of course-”

“Obliged or not, I’m saying yes,” Jinyoung said, cutting him off. “Yes, I will marry you. And don’t say anything more about obligation or promises. You said so yourself: I’m bound by nothing. But that ends now. I want more than anything to have a lifetime bound together with you.”

“Are you quite sure?” Mark asked gravely. “It seems to me that you want more to attack me with a broom than kiss me.”

“I can want to do both, you great, darling fool. And right now, I want to do the latter.” He pulled Mark up to his feet and kissed him with all the love in his heart, fingers tangling into his hair and body melding into his. Mark lifted him up into his arms and spun him around joyously as they kissed, and Jinyoung could feel his delight in every part of him. He’d suffered too, and Jinyoung wished with all his heart he could have realized Mark’s love for him much sooner, and acknowledged his own love instead of pretending it away. But what was done was done, and if they put that suffering behind them and surrendered to the love they felt, there would be so much more to do. They could write the future as they wanted, a true and genuine story born from what had started as a lie.

“I love you so dearly, Mark, my mate,” Jinyoung whispered when they broke apart. “I’ve wanted to say that to you for so long.”

“And I love you with all my heart and soul, my one.” Mark smiled fully, cheeks straining. “Give me your hand,” he said.

Jinyoung extended it to him. Mark took it and pulled out a ring from his pocket. It was gold and set with an amber stone surrounded by diamonds. “Beasts don’t have this tradition, but Chungha told me of it. She said it would have a very important meaning to you. Does it?”

“Yes,” Jinyoung said, a smile of his own spreading across his face. “Since rings are shaped in circles, we humans believe it means our love, just like a circle, will have no ending. And…just like beasts know by scent that I belong to you, this ring will show humans that I have a mate, someone I belong to and who belongs to me. The ring has both these meanings.”

“Then I’m proud that you will wear it.” He pressed his lips against Jinyoung’s cheek. “I miss my scent on you.”

“You were the one who washed it off in the first place,” Jinyoung said accusingly. He then paused. “Still…I would like you to put it back on. Properly.”

“I will gladly do so when the moment is right. But for now, I understand there is another human custom I must adhere to. Come, Jinyoung. Let us tell your family.”

Jinyoung may have been amused by Mark's comically formal and traditional profession to Jinyoung's parents of his love for their son and desire for their acceptance of the engagement if he hadn't been so sincerely touched by it. Mark very genuinely outlined all the ways he was prepared to take care of Jinyoung as his husband—he had a good home ready, ample access to food, and, as the leader of Calovia’s defense, he was well equipped to protect him from any possibility of harm. He explained how he had adopted the three cubs of fallen soldiers, and how they already loved and adored Jinyoung as a father and were eager to have him return.

To call Jinyoung’s parents bewildered by this was an understatement. They were polite enough not to make a show of staring at Mark’s ears, tail, and claws, and they did their best not to react in alarm when he identified himself as not only a lion, but the lion general humans had been taught to fear. However, they couldn’t in any way hold back their surprise that said lion general was interested in marrying their only son.

“Y-You mentioned nothing of this to us when you returned last spring,” Jinyoung’s father sputtered. “You did not mention raising anyone’s children, or…or having a special affection for anyone you’d met!”

“I didn’t mention him, because thinking of him made me sad, then,” Jinyoung explained carefully. “I was in love with him, but separated from being together with him, and it made me very unhappy to think of it. I know you noticed my depressed spirits…it was because of this. It was because I thought we would be unable to be together. But now that I know we can be, I truly couldn’t be happier. Please try to understand that.”

“But it is very far for you to go.” His mother fretted. “Calovia! I do not wish to seem selfish, Jinyoung, but you’re the only child we have. To have you be so far—to be unable to rely on you in our old age, to be unable to easily meet these children you will be raising…!”

Before Jinyoung could speak, Mark stepped in. “I’d never ask you to sacrifice your relationship with your son,” he said solemnly. “I don’t know if this will set your mind at ease, but…” He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a letter. “For you.”

Jinyoung’s parents took the letter and quietly read it to themselves. They gave no indication of what it said, but when they next looked at Mark, there was a hint of respect in their eyes.

“That is very generous,” Jinyoung’s father said.

“Your happiness is such a great part of Jinyoung’s happiness that I would never think to neglect it,” Mark said.

Jinyoung’s mother turned to her son. “Jinyoung…you’re very sure, then, that this is what will make you happy?”

“Without the slightest doubt,” Jinyoung assured her.

His parents exchanged a glance. “In that case,” his father said. “It’s not our place to intrude upon it. You have our blessing.” He looked at Mark sternly. “Of course, this comes with the condition that you take very, very good care of our son. This whole business of leaving him to be miserable is unacceptable and should not be repeated. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Mark said, standing at attention. “I will see to his happiness every moment of my life.”

“Then we'll think very seriously of the proposition you have written out for us. For the time being, please allow us to serve you in our home for the evening. Er… what in particular do you enjoy eating?”

They wound up enjoying a very fine dinner of roasted venison, and to Jinyoung’s immense relief, his parents warmed up considerably to Mark as they got to know him. Mark was unfailingly polite and friendly, and his curiosity about Low Lofferin and Jinyoung’s childhood endeared him to them. When they learned that his father was a former villager—one they had both known—they shared stories with him of their memories of his father, which moved Mark to the point where he almost got on the ground to thank them.

When dinner was over and evening fell, Jinyoung contrived an excuse to his parents about needing to go to the clinic to gather a few things for his coming journey to Calovia. Mark offered to him, just as Jinyoung expected he would.

The moment they were safely inside the darkened entryway of the clinic, Jinyoung pushed Mark against the wall and kissed him fiercely. The ache inside him was so great he could barely handle it, and even though a part of him had wanted to torture Mark a little in punishment for having made him wait alone for an entire year before coming back to him, the need inside him was so great that it refused to be ignored. He pressed his hands against Mark’s chest, feeling the same urgent heartbeat within him.

“No misunderstanding, this time,” Jinyoung whispered into his lips. “I’m not doing this as repayment. I’m not doing this to amuse myself. I’m doing this because I love you.”

Mark gently cupped his face, holding his eyes for a moment. “I don’t deserve it, my mate. And yet…even though I should beg you to find someone more worthy, I can’t. I’ve thought about this so much…you have no idea how many nights I dreamed you into my head, how many times I’ve mated with you…made love to you…and how much I hated waking up without you in my arms.”

“It was like that before, wasn’t it?” Jinyoung asked breathlessly. “That first time…you knew what you were doing. So you must have thought about it before, when we were in Calovia together. When did you start?”

Mark flushed a little. “After…after hide and seek.”

Jinyoung was surprised. “So soon? That was very shortly after we arrived.”

“It…it may have been a physical thing, before it turned into an emotional one. When I pounced you to the ground that time, the smell of you overwhelmed me. It’s hard to describe to one who is not a beast. The best I can describe it is that you smelled of us having made love all over you, so…it put the thought into my head. And once I knew you better, it just rooted itself deeper.”

“And you said you missed that scent, didn’t you?”

“Terribly.”

“Then put it on me and never take it off again.”

There were technically beds in the back they could have used, but neither had the patience to wait another moment. As soon as Jinyoung was sufficiently prepared, Mark lifted him up and had him against the entryway wall. Jinyoung held onto him by his neck, burying his face in it and inhaling the familiar aroma of his skin. Every part of it felt like a raw and aching absence being filled, a feeling so gratifying to him that it was a struggle not to be overcome by tears again. Instead, he surrendered himself to Mark’s earnest need to make him happy, to make up for past mistakes and heal the wound of misunderstanding between them. He greedily took each of Mark’s hungry kisses, his aimless , his choked out words into his ear about how good it felt, how perfect it was inside him. It was a frantic, urgent, and starving act, one that spoke of long unfulfilled desire that needed quick satisfaction, and though neither of them lasted long and they were quickly reduced to messy cries of release, it was exactly as Jinyoung wanted it. The time for slow and steady would come later; in that moment, the most important thing was getting out everything he’d been repressing and letting go of the sense of sadness and loss to face the joy and discovery ahead.

Mark inhaled Jinyoung’s neck as he slipped out of him and settled him back to the ground. “There,” he murmured. “I’m back all over you.”

Jinyoung inhaled Mark’s skin in turn. He could smell traces of himself in Mark’s distinctive scent, a hint of something flowery, like jasmine, something he’d never experienced before, except in brief moments in the hut together before the rose water scent had replaced everything.

“I just realized,” he said, returning his sloppily untied robes to his shoulders. “Why did no one ever comment on you not smelling like my mate in Calovia? You never asked me to…er…rub my scent on you.”

Mark shook his head. “I told everyone that humans didn’t smell strongly enough for their smell to carry over when mating. I made you endure a lot of indignity in the name of your safety, and I wasn’t about to make you put your scent all over me if you didn’t need to. When I returned to Calovia, everyone made a big fuss over how much more like you I smelled, especially Jackson and BamBam. They thought it meant that you and I had only been mating very conservatively before, but had 'gone at it like wildcats' once we had more privacy, as they phrased it."

"Ah? Then let's see how big of a reaction we can make when you go back and absolutely reek of me," Jinyoung said, ruffling his hair. 

Mark smiled at him affectionately. “Well, we do have a rather long trip back, don’t we? I’m sure we’ll find some time to enjoy ourselves along the way.”

As it turned out, they didn’t have as much time as they thought they would. Thanks to the growing presence of beasts and birds in what had previously been all human territories, hostlers had trained their horses not to get spooked at their scent, which made it possible for them to take the stagecoach up to High Lofferin. A handful of others shared the coach with them, and since all the inns they stopped at were crowded, they were forced to share rooms with the other travelers. It wasn’t until they reached the capital proper that the others dispersed, having reached their intended destination.

“I take it we’re going the rest of the way on foot,” Jinyoung said, stretching out languidly on the bed. They’d finally gotten a room to themselves in the inn, and had enjoyed their privacy thoroughly.

“It’ll be faster to continue by stagecoach,” Mark said.

“But the stagecoach doesn’t go to Calovia,” Jinyoung reminded him.

“Yet. That's in the works. But for now, it does go to Calofferin.”

“Calofferin?”

“The new village our two kings formed. Now that it’s been established, the stagecoach route has extended there.”

“Ah, so people are living there now? I saw it when it was under construction from the window in my office in the High Laboratorium and watched it progress every day.”

Mark grinned. “I thought you might. That’s why I gazed up the mountain every afternoon when on break from working. I thought you might be looking down on us. It helped me feel that slightest bit closer to you, though it took all the strength I had not to climb the mountain and bring you down before we were even prepared.”

Jinyoung blinked. “You were one of the builders?”

“Don’t look so surprised! I’m far stronger in this form than I look.”

“So we were so close that whole time, without me even knowing? I thought of going down the mountain so many times to see the construction. If only I had.”

“I’m sure your patients wouldn’t have agreed with you on that. Besides, having you down in the village would have spoiled the surprise.”

“What surprise?”

Mark smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see soon enough.”

The next day, they continued their journey by stagecoach down the mountain and arrived in the new village, Calofferin. There were still buildings under construction and proper roads being laid down, but a great amount of progress had already been made on it.

“I’ll show you around,” Mark said, helping Jinyoung alight from the stagecoach. “Right here is the village square. We have a general store open for business already, and a store for clothing and shoes. The library is still being built, and beside it is what will be the Low Laboratorium, when it’s finished. King Minhyun thought you might like to have a say in the finishing touches, since it will be your new base of operations.”

“Mine?” Jinyoung repeated. “But Mark…it’s certainly closer to Calovia than the High Laboratorium, but still not very close to where we’d be living in your den. Don’t you think it’s too far for me to work here? I’d rarely get to see you.”

“Actually, it’s just a two-minute walk from where we’ll be living,” Mark said. “As soon as King Minhyun and King Jaebum proposed the idea and location for this village, I knew. I knew it would make the perfect place for me and you. It’s close enough to the human settlements in the highlands that you could go back to the High Laboratorium when you needed to, or visit your family if they remain in Low Lofferin. It’s also close enough to Calovia that we can visit Jackson and Yugyeom and BamBam and Jaebum and Youngjae if we so choose. And not only that, but…” He flushed a little. “I was chosen to lead Calofferin’s governing council. As a mayor, I think King Minhyun called it.”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened. “Mark…that’s fantastic! I’m sure you’ll make an incredible mayor! But what of the children?”

Mark took Jinyoung’s hand. “As if I would neglect to provide for my own children here, as well! Come with me.” He led him down one of the paths and stopped in front of a cozy house very similar in style to the one where Jinyoung had lived in Low Lofferin. It was painted white and had a roof with red shingles and a bright red door with a brass knocker in the shape of a lion’s head. There was a small plot of dirt in the front which looked like a freshly planted garden, and next to it was a tall tree with a rope swing tied to one of the branches.

“I built this with my own hands,” Mark said. “For you. Our den was a serviceable home when it was just me and the children, but I don’t intend to make you spend the rest of your life sleeping in a cot or on the floor. I wanted to give you a home where you could be just as comfortable as we were. I’m sorry that it meant we weren’t together for the past year. But please know that I thought of you at every moment and put all my dreams for us together into every bit of this house.”

Jinyoung felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was so beautiful, so perfect. The yard was big enough for the children to play in, and the garden would work well as a place for Jinyoung to grow and harvest his healing herbs and medicinal ingredients. It was also situated nearby other homes, unlike the den in Calovia which had been isolated from the rest of the lion tribe. He could even see some of the neighbors out next door, a human couple with a young daughter about Nia and Palla’s age, who was playing with a rubber ball. He couldn’t have chosen a more suitable place for himself and their little family if he’d tried.

And then, the red front door opened and three children spilled out. Jinyoung felt a rush shudder through him, similar to the one he’d felt when Mark had returned to him. It was as if another missing piece was returning to his heart, and he was at last whole and complete in his happiness.

“PAPA!” Nia shrieked, darting out and instantly launching herself into Jinyoung’s arms. Jinyoung held her tight and spun her around, laughing in sheer delight at everything about her, from her tawny curls to her adorable, home sewn dress. She’d grown since he’d last seen her, but he could tell she was still the loving little girl he remembered her to be. His little girl.

“I knew you’d come back,” she said triumphantly. “I knew you and papa were in love and going to get married. You are going to get married, right?”

“Yes, we are,” Jinyoung said, showing her his ring. “I’ve learned I should listen to you since you’re a clever little girl who knows far more than me.”

“Codswallop!” Palla yelled, jumping up and down with her arms outstretched. Jinyoung set Nia down and lifted up Palla, laughing as she greeted him with a hearty to the face.

“Codswallop,” he said back. “Just look at how much you’ve grown!”

“Don’t you just love Calofferin? We all helped build it! I put up the swing all by myself.”

“And I helped Papa paint the door,” Tanie said. He’d grown even more than his sisters, and, if Jinyoung wasn’t mistaken, matured quite a bit, too. His mane had begun to grow in a little more, a soft, sandy brown. “Uncle Baekho taught me a lot about how to build things, so I also helped Papa make the bed inside, and the table in the kitchen. Can I show you Unc—Papa Jinyoung?”

“I’d love to see everything,” Jinyoung said, heart near to bursting. He set Palla down. “Please, show me the inside.”

Nia and Palla took his hands, and Tanie led them all inside. The kitchen was first, with its fireplace already outfitted with a cookpot and cabinets full of ingredients for Jinyoung to prepare his own meals so he wasn’t bound by the results of Mark and the cubs’ hunts as he had been in Calovia. As promised, there was a little table inside, which had been painted white and topped off with a vase filled with handpicked roses. “I found the roses,” Palla told him.

“I’m making a tablecloth, but it isn’t finished yet,” Nia said. “It’ll be really pretty when it’s done.”

“This is our bedroom,” Tanie said, leading Jinyoung into the first room down the hallway from the kitchen. “We still like sleeping on the floor, but Papa got us little cushions in case we want to sleep in our other form, too. We also got human toys at the general store. They’re so much fun! Nia and Palla got dolls, but I got really neat blocks that you can build things with. I made a bridge, see!”

“It’s very nice,” Jinyoung said. “But this room isn’t big enough for all of us to sleep, is it?”

“You and Papa have your own room,” Palla said glumly. “I said I wanted you to sleep with us, but he said grown-ups need alone time, and that we’d understand when we’re older.”

“I’ll show you!” Nia said, dragging Jinyoung to the second room. “I made the blanket on the bed! Look, look!”

The room was mostly filled by a wide, wood frame bed with a thick mattress covered by a blanket made of sewn together squares of fabric. In the middle was a heart made from two different pieces of fabric. One Jinyoung recognized right away was the soft blue Nia had cut out from his tunic when he’d left. The second was a light pink fabric Jinyoung believed belonged to one of Mark's formal robes.

At the foot of the bed was a thick oak chest to store clothes and blankets, and beside it was a washbasin and mirror. There was even a desk to the side, stacked with little notebook for Jinyoung to fill as well as a huge tome with ‘The Complete Anatomical Guide of the Beast and Bird Species’ written on the spine.

“Do you like it?” Mark asked softly, coming to stand beside Jinyoung. “I thought often of the nights we’d be able to spend together when I built this room, and of all the mornings when I’d wake up with you in my arms. I always liked those nights when you slept entwined with me better than when you had to sleep in a cot across the room.”

“I think I’ll like this better, too,” Jinyoung said softly, resting his head against Mark’s shoulder. “The winters will be cold, won’t they? I hope you’ll keep me warm in those months most of all.”

“Always.” He pecked Jinyoung on the top of his head.

“Ewwww, don’t do grown up stuff while we’re here,” Tanie groaned. Maybe he hadn’t matured as much as Jinyoung had thought. “Hey, Papa, when are Grandmama and Grandpapa going to be here?”

“They haven’t decided if they’ll come yet,” Mark said. In response to Jinyoung’s confusion, he explained, “I’m keeping one of the houses open in case your parents wish to join us here, to be closer to you. I put the details in the letter I presented to them so they would have time to reflect on it before making a decision. The children are hopeful that they’ll come. They’d love to meet them.”

“I’m sure my papa and mama would love to meet you, too,” Jinyoung said. “They’ve always wanted me to have a good family with sweet and kind children. They’ll be so happy to find out that my children are the sweetest in the world.”

The three of them beamed. “We love you, Papa,” Tanie said, tail swishing back and forth rapidly.

“We’re so happy you came back,” Palla said. “We missed you so so so so so SO much!”

“When are you going to get married?” Nia wanted to know. “Soon, right?”

“Very soon,” Mark said, wrapping an arm around Jinyoung’s waist. “I think that would be the perfect way to make our happy family even happier, don’t you?”

A/N: I was seriously considering ending this chapter at Mark stepping out of the carriage, but because I'm a nice authornim, I decided to just make this a long chapter :D And you guys were calling me so evil last week!

Sooooo, there are just two chapters left! One more for Mark x Jinyoung, and one Jaebum x Youngjae solo chapter. I'm feeling double generous, so next week will be a double update! It's the Thanksgiving holiday next week in the US, so updates will be one Tuesday, one Saturday, since that's when I'm available :)

Thanks for all the love and support so far!