Kim Yongsun was very conscious of the way Kang Seulgi and Irene Bae were staring at them, barely hiding their shock at their out-of-the-world story from their first meeting to the first reunion until their decision to be together. She wasn’t openly trembling since Moon Byulyi had rested a comforting hand on her thigh as she spoke on behalf of them, narrating the tale concisely and smoothly.

Byul was unaffected by the change of their expressions in her retelling and Yongsun truly appreciated having such an assured and eloquent partner. She stared at her side profile, stars in her eyes.

The beautiful, elfin doctor looked at Yongsun with unadulterated awe, comprehending the pain for having the courage to raise a pup singlehandedly as an omega mother. She was impressed by her sheer will that helped to create a fairly comfortable life for her and her son. That look of awe had her flustered but she managed to maintain her composure.

The usually cheerful and beautiful female alpha sitting next to the doctor had a complicated look on her face that gave the impression that she was constipated. Yongsun could finally believe that she was the Kang, the freshly-minted leader of the Kang clan after usurping her father. She stared out of the window, quietly digesting the tale as she formed her own thoughts.

Byulyi squeezed her thigh through her dark blue dress reassuringly, offering a gentle smile, a side of the stoic alpha that only a few privileged individuals could witness. For a heartbeat, she was lost in her killer blue eyes, so full of unspoken adoration. Her heart skipped a beat automatically. It had only been mere house since she realised her feelings for the handsome androgynous woman next to her but her heart pounded, enthusiastic to declare its belonging to the Colonel.

It felt so incredible correct that a quiet confidence surged through her soul, soothing every frayed nerve. It was also a fulfilment of Byul’s promise that she would always be by her side, weathering every storm in their lives.

The silver-haired woman blinked repeatedly, sensing an unusual gravity from Yongsun’s gaze. Yongsun’s entire demeanour softened as she simply nestled closer to her, pressing her body close to her. The way Yongsun sought comfort from her so openly made Byul feel as if she was standing on the top of the world.

“Hamzi,” began Seulgi with some heat in her tone, frowning hard. She caught the full attention of the heiress of the Moon clan. “Your son—”

“—Pip—”

“—Doldol—”

The Kang took a deep breath as if she wasn’t interrupted by the parents at the same time, trying to correct her address of their pup. “This isn’t wise.” Her comment was like a death knell on their relationship.

Byulyi shot a warning look at her best friend, silently cautioning her from exposing too much information. The younger alpha frowned, upset for her. Seulgi sighed aloud, throwing her hands into the air with helpless frustration as she slumped into the seat.

Tension was palpable in the air.

Irene tried to deescalate the strained atmosphere by kneading her alpha’s shoulders gently, easing some of her anxiety out of her mate.

Soon, the young Colonel felt Yongsun’s penetrating and enquiring gaze. There was no way she could stop the beautiful and determined manager from pursuing her line of questioning until her curiosity was completed sated. She remembered their agreement to be brutally honest with each other and relented.

“Unnie, I would have preferred to talk about this when we are in a more private setting,” explained Byulyi calmly, meeting the enquiring gaze of her future omega. She ran her hand through her silver hair absently. “The Moon clan is a chaebol. Naturally, there is a procedure for instances in which heirs have progeny out of wedlock.”

Progeny out of wedlock, just like their Doldol. She looked at Byul thoughtfully, touching her soft chin. This was the first time that Byul had broached on this subject.

“We will secure the progeny as soon as possible and begin assimilating them into the clan. The Moon clan takes the education of the progeny very seriously.”

The mated couple nodded instinctively, concurring with Byul.

Yongsun frowned at once, noticing an ugly glare. “Byul, what about their mothers?” She asked in a small voice.

Byulyi stiffened at once, knowing that her future mate had caught on. She steepled her hands together. “We’ll compensate them adequately.” She squeezed her hand pleadingly, hoping that her future mate would not get the wrong idea. “Unnie, please understand that this procedure was put in place because the progenies were deliberately produced out of wedlock,” explained the handsome silver-haired woman gently. “Our circumstances are unique—”

“—That isn’t how the clan would see it, Hamzi,” interrupted Seulgi hotly, scrutinising Yongsun closely, trying to determine her reaction to the clan’s disagreement.

Byulyi held up her hand authoritatively, holding the gaze of her best friend for several heartbeats. The sudden shift into the persona of Moonbyul, the heiress of the Moon clan was a whiplash to Yongsun, since her presence became so much larger-than-life, demanding the complete obedience of others.

Seulgi wasn’t impervious to her authority and deflated. For the benefit of the two other omegas who did not understand their silent exchange, she explained. “I appreciate your caution, Bear, but I’ll stand by my decision.” Her sapphire eyes burnt with her steel will.

The Kang hissed out of frustration, running her hand through her dark hair.

“Honey, please,” spoke Irene suddenly, squeezing her clothed thigh reassuringly. “I understand why Moonshine has made this decision—”

“—Bunny-chu, this is a nearly ten-year-old Moon alpha pup that has been raised outside the clan—"

Byulyi bared her teeth and snarled, the terrifying noise reverberating in the limousine. “—Do not insult my son and my future omega!” The rims of her blue eyes had darkened dangerously, a sign that she was shifting into full protector mode. Instinctively, Yongsun released her soothing scent of sunshine, burying herself even closer to her side to ground her protective partner. She couldn’t decide if she was touched or mildly exasperated at Byul’s quick defence of her name even though it might cost her a precious friendship. It was an outcome Yongsun did not want to see since Seulgi was truly looking out for Byul. She squeezed the thigh of Byulyi to get her attention and shook her head imperceptibly.

Byul ran her hand through her silver hair, frustrated at her request. She huffed but calmed down visibly and was rewarded with the intertwining of fingers. Even though Byul had cooled off, the two best friends were still in an impasse.

“Thank you,” offered Irene, nodding respectfully in the direction of Yongsun. The exquisite, elfin omega continued her explanation as if she wasn’t interrupted by the two alpha women. Somehow, that earned her a look of awe from Yongsun at the skilful way she intervened between the two alphas. She gave her beautiful but headstrong mate a look to caution her from interrupting her explanation again and elaborated without missing a beat. “I met Ms Kim when Moonshine brought her back to her private apartment in the middle of the night for treatment.” She paused, staring into the honeyed eyes of her mate. “Honey, Ms Kim is nothing like what you feared.”

Yongsun blinked owlishly, surprised by her ringing endorsement. After all, she had only met Dr Bae once and did not know that she had left such a good impression on her. The beautiful doctor offered a sweet smile to the manager when their gaze met.

“In fact, I believe that Moonshine needed all that time to convince Ms Kim that she could be a part of Dopul’s life. She is not one of those women who will use the pup as a bargaining chip.” There was mirth in her dark brown eyes.

All irritation vanished at Irene’s jibe at Byul. She noticed the impish gleam in Irene’s eyes, knowing that she had to swallow this insult for the sake of her future mate.

Well played.

She preferred that someone else saw that Yongsun need not settle with her or exploit her even though she had her pup. Her cherry-shaped lips curled in a lop-sided smile. “Bear, Bae-chu is on the money,” said Byul wryly. She shared a glance with Yongsun and sighed, recalling their disastrous first meeting. “Unnie did not want me anywhere near Pip initially, I had to work hard to convince her that I could be a good sire to Pip. In any case, Unnie and Pip never needed me in the picture.” Byul understood that much when she saw how Yongsun constructed a life for her and their son.

Byul’s cerulean eyes softened. “Yet, Unnie and Pip gave me a chance to be a part of their family.” Images of wonderful mornings in which they would enjoy breakfast at the table raced through her mind and a lump formed in . It had been such a wonderful privilege to partner with Yongsun to care for Pip, she was truly an inspiring, devoted, wise and diligent mother.

“And Unnie,” quipped Byul, her voice quaking slightly, earning a quick raise of brows from Irene and Seulgi. She was all choked up with emotions. The usually stoic alpha was blinking furiously, trying to stop herself from crying. “And Unnie,” repeated Byul, with more tremble, “gave me a chance to win her heart.”

When she learnt of the deep betrayal that Yongsun had suffered, and the subsequent rejection and discrimination that she endured, Byul was amazed that Yongsun could open her heart to someone else. Byul averted her gaze, putting more effort into getting her tears under control.

The mated couple looked at her in half surprise and half exasperation. Irene, particularly, knew that the silver-haired woman used to cry very easily and sighed. Yongsun gave her a fond and exasperated look, cooing wordlessly at her future partner.

Byul squeezed Yongsun’s thigh gratefully and looked at Seulgi in the eye. “Bear, I asked you and Bae-chu to be witnesses to ensure that the Moon clan could not even taking Pip away from her by force—”

“—Hamzi, why don’t you just marry her?” Seulgi interrupted with some heat in her voice. “Isn’t that the proper way?” Single omega mothers were often looked down upon and badly exploited. Surely, they would have welcomed a wedding proposal. That would have solved all of the couple’s problems.

“Why should I take away Unnie’s choice?” countered Byul with equal heat, unimpressed. Her silver brows knitted together. “It is only convenient for me if I did that.” Even though the silver-haired woman did not raise her voice, her words cleaved through their hearts and created an unending ripple of emotions.

The limousine became silent at once.

Seulgi’s point of view reminded Yongsun of the Nams. It was a subject that she intentionally avoided thinking in the lull of her busy days. With their heart-to-heart talk earlier in the day, Byul’s unreserved acceptance and grace had loosened the bind of shame and guilt associated to them and allowed her to embrace her memory of them.

The Nam and his wife, Eric’s parents, adored her. Ironically, their depth of adoration translated to ignoring her opinion for favour of pressuring Eric to take her as a wife as soon as he could. In their eyes, any individual would be honoured to be married into the main family of a chaebol. She had remembered the way Mrs Nam even looked forward to her inclusion in the clan since she would have a person at home to talk to when the others were busy with work.

Yongsun’s mocha eyes stung. The handsome silver-haired woman was still braced for a verbal spar, her beautiful blue eyes bright with resolve. Her protectiveness moved her deeply, like the gentle rays of sunshine in her chest, restoring her soul.

This silly, silly, chivalrous woman.

Her foolish and honourable Byul would be ever so willing to take the scorn of the world just to protect her freedom. A lump formed in when she realised, through this dispute between Seulgi and Byul, that Byul, her future mate was exceptional.

Resolve flashed in her soft mocha eyes as Yongsun laced their fingers together, looking at the mated couple before them confidently. “Seulgi, thank you for sticking by Byul’s side and be brutally honest with her.” She squeezed Byulyi’s hand lovingly, sharing a soft smile with the younger woman. “She needs to be surrounded by people like you.” She took a deep breath and continued. “You don’t have to worry about Byul. I don’t think I have spoken to Byul about this and I wish that you will also bear witness to this.”

Yongsun changed her position so that she was facing the silver-haired woman directly. Byul was cutely puzzled but remained patient, meeting her gaze. She cleared , her cheeks pinking at the very thought of what she was going to say. “Byul-ah, Doldol and I spoke. We’re ready to be completely yours.” Blush rose from her chest to colour the tips of Yongsun’s ears.

The calm façade of Byul cracked as her eyes enlarged comically. She stared at her partner owlishly, cycling between opening and closing like a goldfish—or a hamster. She reached for her own cheek and pinched it hard and yelped in pain.

“What are you doing, silly?” Yongsun chided, checking her cheek carefully for bruises. It was red and warmth to touch from the strength of her pinch. Her brows furrowed with concentration as she massaged it.

Byulyi did not care, only snatching her hand with hers. “Yong,” began the silver-haired woman hoarsely, a lump in . “Will… Will you repeat that again?” She tripped over her words and forced the question out of her lips, staring at Yongsun with hope gleaming in her eyes.

The manager sighed inwardly, exasperated that Byul still possess such insecurity. She her injured cheek gently, staring intently into her eyes. “It had always been a matter of time, Byul.” Her cheeks pinked as she looked into Byul’s eyes through her long eyelashes coyly. “Byul-ah, I want you to marry me soon and acknowledge our son as yours. What do you think of Philip ‘Pip’ Moon Dopul?”

It was a combination of names from both parents for their son; evidence of the two parents inheriting the stewardship of the pup equally.

Tears welled in Byulyi’s eyes immediately. She nodded silently as tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. She could barely believed that Yongsun and Pip were ready to become her family in such a short time.

“Omo, my crybaby,” groused Yongsun as she cleaned the fresh tears away from her cheeks gently. She couldn’t remember another occasion in which Byul shed so much tears. Was it inconceivable that she wanted to form a family with Byul, or was it because she was in front of her most trusted friends? It did not stop Yongsun from teasing the younger woman. “Omo, what would others think of their mighty, terrifying Madam if they are here?” She recalled how reverent her men were of Byul when she was invited to perform for their promotion party.

Byulyi choked from her tears but glared at her with watery eyes.

Gods, how could anyone be so cute?

Her heart skipped a beat.

Flashes of heat surged through Yongsun and an indescribable longing to kiss the pout off her face. She leaned in, intending to kiss Byulyi senseless. A loud applause resounded in the car and the couple leapt apart.

“Welcome to the family, Unnie!”

Immediately, Byulyi’s cheeks became crimson upon discovering that Irene and Seulgi were here. They would never let her live it down now. They were so lost in their own universe that she forgot about the mated couple. They clapped very enthusiastically, cheering. The mated couple pulled an equally startled Yongsun into their arms enthusiastically.

Byulyi raised a brow at Seulgi when the latter pulled her future mate in a warm and amazing bear hug. There was none of the Kang in her now, just Seulgi, her childhood friend. She frowned when she sensed that the car had slowed down.

Peeking outside, she realised that they had turned into a familiar foyer. Yongsun who caught the scenery, stiffened visibly, realising that they were at the boutique hotel they met.

Seulgi released Yongsun at once when she detected the stench of distress. Immediately, the older woman returned to the protective arms of her future arm. The Kang glanced at Byul for an explanation—no one could bully her precious sister-in-law.

All Byulyi needed to do was nod and Seulgi comprehended at once. Her face darkened with anger as she shared a knowing look with her mate.

“It’s here?” Irene asked in quiet voice, whipping her head to stare at the boutique hotel. She was completely outraged. This boutique hotel was nothing spectacular and it was definitely not a suitable place to hold a decent engagement party for the leader of a chaebol. “We should ask the chauffeur to turn around,” huffed the beautiful doctor, folding her arms across her chest.

“Bunny-chu, we can’t. Byul must attend this party,” reminded Seulgi, anger weaved in her voice. She mirrored her upset mate, folding her arms too. “Besides, I have to be here to make sure that the Lee kept to his promise to us.” She had spared the rest of the original main family in exchange for shares in their broadcasting company, a kindness.

“Geez, how can someone be so petty?” Irene lamented. She was glad that she did not have to interact with Krystal when the latter was Byul’s fiancée.

“Or conniving,” added Seulgi solemnly. “Remind Hamzi that they were once very much in love until she was willing to drop on a single knee to propose to her in private despite their formal engagement.”

That was the motivation that Yongsun needed and she mustered all her strength. She righted herself, forcing herself to calm down. The omega wolf within her that recognised Byul as hers and snarled at the idea of someone else trying to lay their hands on her alpha. A switch was flipped on and fire burnt in the mocha eyes of Yongsun.

Byulyi was flattered that her future mate would rise to the occasion to defend the ownership of her. Her cherry-shaped lips formed a -eating grin, relishing Yongsun’s possessiveness of her. She chuckled, warmth saturating her soul. “It looks like my omega is ready for the circus show,” crooned Byul, pride shinning in her eyes. She tidied her sleek, ash-brown hair with utmost tenderness. “I’m looking forward to your dedicated protection.” She threaded her long, slender fingers through her wavy hair, ensuring that her future bride was immaculate.

“Wow, I never knew that Moonshine here is capable of gentleness,” teased Irene, cuddling with her alpha. Mirth danced in her eyes as she took potshots at her longtime friend. The way the new couple was all lovely-dovely urged her to cuddle with her adorable and protective bear and enjoy this maudlin mood. She was glad that her cuddle bear was of the same mind, kissing the back of her knuckles and enjoying her closeness.

Not for long.

The petite doctor nearly sighed out loud.

“Honey, it was never about Hamzi’s capability,” commented Seulgi calmly. She brushed her lips against her knuckles. “She had not met a partner that could inspire such devotion.” There were plenty of examples of powerful and cold Moon alphas becoming putty when they met their destiny.

Ever since Byul had broken up with Krystal, she had never dreamt that her best friend would actually fall in love. She had never believed that Byul was in love with Krystal since it gave off a strange feeling.

Byul raised a brow, slinging her arm along the back of Yongsun as they relaxed on the seat. “Ditto, Bear.” She smirked, tilting her head towards Irene openly. “Only Bae-chu would believe that you’re sweet and gentle and forget that some Moon alpha blood runs in you.” Her smile became slightly feral.

Seulgi tut-tutted, shaking a finger at her. “My dear Hamzi, it’s just some Moon blood from three generations ago. I’m not of the main line.” She gave an absent shrug. “I’m just blessed that I get to grow up with my mate.” She turned to look at Irene and smile at her. Irene rolled her eyes at their odd competitiveness.

“Heir Moonbyul and Kang, we’re approaching the lobby,” announced Mr Moon through the intercom.

“Thank you, Mr Moon,” answered Byulyi at once. She remembered something at the last moment and added. “Remember to pick us up in an hour’s time.”

“That sounds perfect,” agreed Seulgi, straightening herself. She brushed the imaginary dust away from her jacket, readying herself for the party.

“Unnie, we’re alighting first,” spoke Byulyi calmly, caressing Yongsun’s cheek with her knuckles lovingly. She smiled when all she saw was resolve in her honeyed eyes. “I’ll be by your side tonight, my omega.”

Yongsun could not help but preen at that endearment.

The car soon rolled to a gentle stop.

They saw two lines of well-dressed bellboys in suits, waiting to open the door to the armoured limousine. The paparazzi were kept away from the entrance, a short distance away. They were reminded that the Lee Chaebol made its fortunes through the media industry and this was likely to be their work.

Byulyi took note of their positions as she got ready to alight first. When the heavy door opened, the sounds of camera clicking and noises from a crowd faraway flooded her senses. The young Colonel stepped out of the vehicle with careless elegance, ingrained into her from a tender age. She was like a model who stepped off the cover of Vogue magazine. Dressed in the summer service officer dress with all her accolades and decorations only set everyone into a frenzy.

Clicks went off with greater fierceness.

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