Chapter Five
Honey

Moon looked to Eunwoo, then to the man beside him. He looked a couple of years older, his eyes were golden, his expression shrewd.

“Your Aunt is worried about you,” Jiyong said softly. “Right now, she is with my Queen, we can take you to her once we speak.”

Moon gulped and nodded, Eunwoo helping her up and leading her back inside the room. She couldn’t get her mind out off him. . . the one they called Jungkook. The thought of his name sends a delicious thrill down her body.

When the three of them were all sitting, Eunwoo next to her and Jiyng across from her, he nodded to Moon. “I’m Jiyong, you must be Moon. My son has told me a lot about you.”

Moon gaped at this. Son? Looking in between the two, she could kind of see the resemblance. The man across from her looked too young—she couldn’t help the groan that escaped her. Feeling a headache coming in. Immortals. That’s what they are.

“How are you doing?” Eunwoo asked.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the both of fine. “Fine. I just—need answers.”

Jiyong nodded, refocusing his eyes on Moon. “So tell me, where did you grow up?”

“I was born in Ulsan, but my family moved to California. We went moved back and forth a lot because I was. . .  sick. But I mainly grew up in the bay area, and I just recently moved to Korea.”

“Can you tell me about your family?”

Moon tensed. Her panic filled up the room.

“My family is dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Jiyong said softly, not pushing further. “Eunwoo told me about the marks you had. Would you show me your arm?”

Moon hesitantly pulled up her sleeve and extended her arm. Jiyong’s hand engulfed her wrist, studying its patterns.

“Did you ever wonder what they meant?”

She thought ahead, then slowly nodded. She was hesitant to share it, but the way that they are staring at her marks like it was big deal meant she had to come out. “My grandmother. . . was a shaman. She had dreams about it,”

But her family never believed her halmeoni. Thinking one of the reasons why they moved in the first place was because of much of a nutcase her halmeoni was being.

“Yeah? Mind if I ask what they were about?” Jiyong returned to his casual pose in the chair, but his eyes narrowed.

Moon hesitated, but she was utterly absorbed by him, intense and intent.

“She dreamt that she was in a dark place. Kneeling in front of an altar. Behind it, she saw patterns on the wall, like mine, written on the black stone.” She whispered.

Jiyong frowned, thinking for a moment before nodding. “Don’t you worry, we’ll figure it out, Is there anything else you can think of about yourself that strikes you as odd? Things that maybe make you different from others?”

Moon shifted in her chair, really uncomfortable with the way things were going. Eunwoo was about to speak, ready to stop the conversation.

Instead, she spilled. Everything she has been keeping in her chest. The trauma her family had experienced. The trauma she had experienced. That the cause of all her sufferings was because she was marked.

✱✱✱✱

Jungkook came awake with a jolt. As he looked at the clock on his bedside table, he was psyched when he could focus his eyes and read the thing. Grateful that his vision had returned. Then pissed off when he saw what time it was.

Where the hell was Eunwoo? He'd promised to call as soon as they were done with his mate, but that had been more than six hours ago.

He opened his mind-link to Eunwoo, calling him when he found out he was blocked. Jungkook reached for the phone and dialed his cell. When he got voice mail, he cursed and hung up.

As he got out of bed, he stretched carefully. He was sore and sick to his stomach, but able to move a lot better. A quick shower and a fresh set of leathers had him feeling, even more, himself, and he headed for the King's study. Dawn was coming soon, and if Eunwoo wasn't answering his phone, he was probably with the King.

The room's double doors were open, and lo and behold, Eunwoo was still wearing his school uniform, pacing while talking to Jiyong.

"Just who I was looking for," Jungkook drawled.

Eunwoo glanced over. "I was coming to your room next."

"Sure you were. What’s going on? Where is she?”

The King smiled. "Glad to see you're getting back to fighting form, Jungkook.”

"Oh, I'm ready, all right." Jungkook stared at Jiyong. "You got something to tell me?"

"Not really.”

"So you’re keeping my mate from me?” Jungkook’s eyes darkened at this.

"I don't know if you need to go see her, how about that?"

Jiyong leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the desk.

"You have no right!” Jungkook growled.

"The hell he is." Eunwoo turned to Jungkook, his own eyes flashing. “She had a long day. I know it’s the mate bond talking, but give her space.”

Jiyong shook his head. "She is dying and you know that. I told her about our curse. She is to be protected under my law because she is yours,” He nodded at him, then glanced at Eunwoo. "It is her choice whether to accept the mate bond, Konstantin.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Jungkook said. When they both gave him a look, his gaze hardened. “Once we are mated, I can heal her. She can live.”

Jiyong’s brows furrowed, but his eyes were sad. “She may be saved from her ailment, but she still bears the curse.”

Jungkook let out a bitter chuckle, surprising himself. He laughed at the king’s hypocrisy. “And I will find a way to remove that curse just as you did with your queen.” He spat. His stomach sank at the memories, of the sacrifice that his father made. 

When Eunwoo rubbed his eyes and Jiyong cursed, Jungkook knew he’d won.

“Fine,” Jiyong muttered. “But if she doesn’t accept you, you strip her memories and you don’t see her again. Do you hear me?”

Jungkook knew that Jiyong was just trying to protect him from the pain of losing a mate, but the King was wrong.

He will not lose her.

“Deal.”

✱✱✱✱

Moon stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, she was in her room, in her home as if she has just woken up from a dream. Instead, she felt the marks on her skin, pulsing, itching, as if they were trying to separate from her skin and to the boy she had met. Lethe. Lycans. Wolves.

They were all real.

She clutched her chest, her heart pounded double time.

It was probably all just a dream, right? Maybe she was just. . . tired.

No. no no. It was all real.

That would be. . . impossible. Wouldn’t it? Improbable at least. Those things only existed in movies and books.

The blaring of her phone interrupted her thoughts. She picked it up from her bedside, seeing an unknown number.

“Hello?” she answered.

“I am going to take you to dinner tonight."

Moon bolted upright. That voice. 

“Did you hear what I said?”

His voice was delicious. . . and hard. Making her heart leap out of her chest.

“Okay. . . but why?” As if she didn’t already know.

“I need to see you.” His voice softened.

Moon let her hand drop to her chest, feeling like it was about to leap out of her chest. After a momentary silence, she bit her lip and mumbled, “There’s this café not from here. . . I’ll shoot you an address.”

“I’ll see you at eight,”

Then the line went dead.

There were at least a few hours before eight, and Moon carried one of the volumes Eunwoo had given her before they left and walked downstairs. She spotted Aunt Gyuri in the kitchen, already sipping on her wine, staring into space, then frowning and muttering to herself about being insane.

“Everything okay?” She asked, sitting on the chair across from her.

The woman rubbed at her temples, shaking her head. “I feel like I’m in a sitcom, where somebody is about to come out and tell us that we are being pranked.” She looked up at Moon. “Now I’m rethinking my whole life, about your grandmother’s sprouting about ghosts and demons and the supernatural.”

Moon suddenly felt depressed at the mention of this. Her halmeoni was shunned for being different, for believing in things that others didn't. Now that both of them have seen that, she can feel Aunt Gyuri’s guilt overtaking and consuming her.

“I’m scared,” Aunt Gyuri murmured. “But at the same time, I’m happy. That there’s a chance you’ll be cured. That you’ll live.” She was about to cry now.

That’s if Moon decides to mate with the. . . Lycan God. But then, the King of Lethe had assured her that she won’t be forced into a mating she doesn’t want. That they’ll have their witches and healers come up with something to heal her sickness away, something safe enough for a mortal like her.

Eunwoo said that they are both now protected under Mikros's Law. Meaning that they were like citizens of Lethe, for being the mate of Konstantin.

Still. . . even if hope showed itself, she knew that she can’t deny the attraction she felt for Jungkook. She wanted the experience of falling in love. . . dating. Normalcy.

But there was a nagging part of her mind that was afraid. Afraid of falling. Afraid of being vulnerable.

When Aunt Gyuri took a phone call from work, she walked over to the couch and sat with the volume in her hand.

Konstantin, Lycan God

Just seeing this name made her heart race. The entry included a sketch of the five Lycan Gods, and Moon traced the beast that called to her, with the tips of her fingers. No one would recognize that this was Konstantin, only she did. Like her soul knew that this beast belong to her. Her eyes dropped to the information on the rest of the page, which detailed how the Lycan Gods had been cursed to a mortal body of their choice, a curse with a mate with a short lifespan as a punishment from the Goddesses.

Below the Lycan Gods, are the Lycans created by Goddess Artemis, she has tried to create a creature as strong as the Lycan Gods but they weren’t powerful enough. At the bottom are the wolves, there were more wolves than Lycans, and some of them had packs in the mortal realm. But the fourteen packs in Lethe are ruled by King Jiyong.

She continued reading until she came to the list of their power; her eyes widened as she read it, and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid or awed by him. They had many powers. . . besides shifting to a powerful Lycan, they can survive 800 years of captivity with no food. Possessed enhanced strength, reflexes, coordination, speed, agility, durability, endurance, and regenerative abilities superior to that of Lamias. Lycan Gods also have great spiritual energy and are known to have an innate ability to perform magic.

Additional powers include charm—the ability to sway mortals and lesser beings at will.

Moon sat back in her chair and decided she had more questions than answers.

She looked at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was passed seven. Contemplating on maybe canceling on him tonight and hiding in her bedroom. Aunt Gyuri had already gone to her late night shift, having already missed two days of work.

She can fill the anxiousness in the pit of her stomach. Nervous about meeting him again. From the last time they met, he couldn’t see well. What if he finally sees her and gets disappointed? What if this was a mistake?

She groaned, “Gods, Santa, Zeus anyone! Please give me a sign if I should go or not.”

Silence.

“I need to see you.”

Ugh! Damn it! Muttering curses under her breath, she shot to her room to get ready.

✱✱✱✱

Moon got off the bus and walked to the café parking lot. Looking around at the cars and minivans, she wondered how the hell she'd agreed to meet some man for dinner.

Then again, she wasn't retaining much. Tomorrow morning she was going to the doctor's for a follow-up, and with that hanging over her, she was in a daze. Take last night, for instance. With the whole ‘You have a mate!’ news and that there are creatures that go bump in the night. She could have sworn she needed another medication.

As she got to the entrance, she tightened herself up mentally as best she could. She owed the poor guy she was meeting an effort to be alert, but other than that, she didn't feel any pressure. She’ll make it clear to him that they can be friends only. Split the check. Nice to meet you; see you later.

Which would have been her attitude even if she hadn't been distracted by the whole Russian roulette medical lottery hanging over her head. Aside from the fact that she's sick, she was way out of practice with the whole dating thing and not looking to get back in shape.

And she didn't look like a party, either. Her long dark hair was down. The creamy Irish knit sweater she had on was baggy and warm. Her khakis were comfortable, and her flats were brown and scuffed at the toes. She probably looked like a homeless person.

This isn’t a date. Not a date. You don’t need to dress up for him. She repeated to herself like a mantra.

When she walked into the café, she found the hostess and was led to a booth in the back corner. As she put her purse down, she smelled green peppers and onions and looked up. A waitress whipped by with a sizzling iron plate.

The café was busy, a great cacophony rising up from all the life in the place. While waiters danced around with trays of steaming food or piles of used dishes, families, couples, and groups of friends laughed, talked, and argued. The mad chaos struck her as more awesome than ordinary, and sitting by herself she felt utterly separate, a poser among the real people.

They all had happy futures. She had. . . ptsd and more doctor's appointments to go to.

With a curse, she clipped her emotions into place, t off the panic and catastrophizing, leaving behind nothing but a resolve not to dwell on her sickness tonight.

Moon thought of topiaries and smiled a little, just as a harried waitress came up to the table. The woman put down a plastic glass of water, spilling some.

"You waiting for someone?”

"Yes, I am."

"You want a dr