Track 71. FAVORITE CRIME by Olivia Rodrigo | ♩

Rara didn’t know if it was the hormones or her emotions, but as soon as Suho stepped inside her apartment, she hugged him so tight as if she was trying so hard to piece him back together—and to think that she was the one broken and in tears. 

Suho embraced her back, calmed her down, and sat with her on the couch. She wiped her eyes with wrists, trying to muster up the courage to speak. 

“Junmyeon, I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s Baekhyun’s, right?”

Totally blindsided, Rara blinked at him furiously. He knew? “I-I guess...since he’s the only one I’ve been—” She paused in disappointment. ing. “—but I was so sure that this wouldn’t happen bec—”

Suho breathed out as if something was relieved off his shoulders. “Oh, thank God, it’s his.” He exclaimed. “I wouldn’t know what to do if it belonged to someone else.” 

...What the is happening? “Excuse me?” 

He sighed and looked at her apologetically. “It’s about time I tell you the truth.” 

“T-the truth?” Am I getting bamboozled in every single universe?

And then Suho revealed everything. 

Months ago, long before Suho ‘confessed’ his feelings for Rara, Baekhyun had already imprinted on Rara. The playboy reached the end of his chronicles when he found out that his end game was not a princess trapped inside a castle but a queen who ruled her own kingdom. The best option was to try to gain Your Highness’ respect and affection, however, the inevitable deepening of his affection towards his mate also came with the arousal of fear. Rara was intimidating. Not to be messed with. And even with the solidification of his eternal duty as her protector, he’d rather not ruin their platonic relationship. She was one of those people who ruled out his tendencies towards women because he was a good friend to her. 

So this Baekhyun actually wanted to remain friends even after he imprinted, which is what my Baekhyun didn’t want to do, or at least, told me he couldn’t pull off. 

Baekhyun didn’t disclose this matter to the rest of the pack, however, given the werewolf telepathy, they knew of such a thing. When confronted, he even denied it, maybe because Rara’s older brother was present. They wanted Baekhyun to tell them the entire truth, with his own mouth, about this important subject and yet, in his cowardice, he continued to sweep it under the rug, even though the mountain of dust that represented his feelings just kept showing up and piling even more. So long as he had a broom for sweeping and a carpet to hide it in, there was no telling when he’d finally speak to his brothers or Rara herself. 

So the pack took the matter into their own hands.

The only way to get him to confess was to feel as if Rara was going to be taken away. That means they needed a competitor to go up against Baekhyun. And not just a random competitor, they needed someone that would ring alarms in Baekhyun’s head, to force him to tell Rara his true feelings. 

Suho volunteered to be the bait. He was the leader, the alpha wolf. It was his second skin to be kind and nice, which appeals very much to Rara. He’s perfect for the job. If Baekhyun saw their commander making a move on his mate, surely he’d step in.

Or so they thought. 

He still didn’t spill the beans.

Instead, he gradually poured them into the shadows. Sure, he had Rara bound behind closed doors, but he made her believe that it was lust, and she did—no problem. But in reality, he couldn’t care less about that. If Suho had her in daylight, he'd take whatever crumbs she had to offer at nighttime. And that’s what he did. 

So my Baekhyun was right. The survival rate of a platonic type of relationship between us zeroed the second he imprinted on me. It wouldn’t last long even if we tried tooth and nail. This parallel universe is the proof. 

But what the ...I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or I’m just plain angry that because this Baekhyun is an enormous grade A weakling, it resulted to pregnancy. I’ve been bedeviled with guilt for nothing and now…! A baby…!

“So...you don’t really like me?” Rara asked breathlessly. 

“Of course, I like you. As a friend.” Suho chuckled. “I pretended to like you the way Baekhyun does. Like, um, more than a friend.”