Byul had been acting strange.

Really strange.

That was Kim Yongsun’s observation after she had awakened naturally from her much-needed kip. Her partner, Moon Byulyi had seemed to anticipate that she was waking up soon because she allowed their son, Kim Dopul to jump into their bed, rousing her completely from sleep. She smiled blearily, trusting that her alpha had dressed her first before letting their son joined them. A quick peek downwards revealed that she was dressed in a silky black bathrobe with gold accents, ready to see others.

“Did you sleep well, Mummy?” Dopul asked sweetly, wiggling into her embrace like an adorable worm. His sapphire eyes were bright with love as he grinned at her, the little indents appearing under his lips.

His sweet scent of milk, sunshine and bergamot was very soothing. “Very well,” chimed Yongsun, feeling wonderful. It had been such a long time since she had felt this relaxed and awesome—ready to conquer a mountain. That must be the effects of exorcising her demons through the vigorous lovemaking, resting and waking up to her cuddly pup. She raised her head and met the nervous gaze of Moon Byulyi who was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the bed.

Byul’s side of the bed.

Her soul swelled with pure happiness.

“Look, Mummy. Byul doesn’t need a sling,” quipped Dopul excitedly, gesturing to Byulyi. “Isn’t her speed of healing incredible?” His eyes were bright with worship.

Yongsun finally paid attention to the younger woman sitting on the bed. Byulyi looked immaculate as usual and looked fully dressed for a formal meeting. She had no idea if it was her lounging attire since she only saw the younger woman dressed casually only when they went out together. She wore a dark dress shirt that was tucked neatly into a pair of equally dark trousers, giving her a foreboding and powerful presence. There were no signs of the marks that she had wilfully left on the alabaster skin of Byulyi earlier, partly because her conservative girl had concealed them. She blinked repeatedly. “Byul-ah, where is your sling?”

Byulyi ran her hand through her silky, silver hair. “The shoulder is slightly sore but I don’t need a sling.” She demonstrated by lifting both arms into the air. There was no grimace as she rolled them but moving one shoulder seemed to need more effort than the other.

“Mummy, isn’t it astonishing?” prompted Dopul, completely in awe. “Byul could not even lift her arm when I met you at the garage just now.”

Byulyi scratched her nose slightly, looking strangely mortified. “It’s the first for me,” muttered the younger woman under her breath.

Huh.

It took a while for Yongsun to understand the cause of her embarrassment, it was their partial mating that further enhanced the speed of her recuperation. Wow, she was starting to get jealous of Moon alpha since they were blessed with such wonderful physique. “I think you share this trait with your sire,” added Yongsun. “I don’t want you to prove it though.”

“Of course not, Mummy! I wouldn’t dream of getting that hurt,” promised Dopul without missing a beat. “I wouldn’t wish to worry you.” He snuggled close to her, purring out of contentment. She kissed his head tenderly, savouring this moment in which their little family were all snuggled up on the same bed. Now, she truly understood why people enjoyed lazing on their beds instead of getting out it, ready to seize the day.

She glanced at Byulyi who was still sitting on the bed. She nudged her chin towards the space and gave her puppy looks. Her generous lips lifted in a sweet smile when Byulyi sighed and joined them. She lay down and stretched out on the other side, trying to get comfortable.

Dopul glanced at the floundering Byulyi and chuckled. He grabbed her and pulled her closer so that they were sandwiching him. He purred as he burrowed closer to his parents. It occurred to him that this was the first time that they had snuggled together, watching the rest of the afternoon pass away. The scent from his parents, along with their warmth filled his soul to seams with happiness.

Yongsun glanced at Byulyi furtively and smiled when the tension finally dissipated from the younger woman’s body as she relaxed fully. After such a difficult day, she needed this moment of serenity to rejuvenate.

The view from their bed made this cuddle session even more pleasantly rejuvenating. The unobstructed view of the ocean, watching the powerful waves crash into the cliff below them, held their interest as their minds lulled. The soothing noise of the waves surging in filled the bedroom and the small family simply snuggled close to each other, admiring the ocean.

None of them wanted to break this companionable silent, choosing to savour this moment.

The feeling that Byulyi was acting peculiar never quite faded. She assessed Byulyi with another glance secretly, trying to work out this strange puzzle. The answer for this peculiar sensation of unease needed the older woman to take some time to work out systematically.

First, identification of her alpha’s bizarreness.

Her Doldol had drew them together. Despite their closeness, there was no causal touches from the younger woman, no squeezes, no touches…Nothing. The silver-haired alpha exhibited the neediness of a mated alpha which meant that she liked to give her casual affection.

No, it seemed like Byulyi was actively trying not to touch her.

Was it because Doldol was sharing the bed with them?

The sheets were fresh, a sign that her attentive and conservative alpha had changed them after their lovemaking. Byulyi’s resolve to conceal their lovemaking was ironic since it was their pup who encouraged her to join his sire in her rest, knowing full well what adults got up to behind closed doors. A part of her melted at Byul’s sweet desire to safeguard Doldol’s innocence.

“Doldol, what do you think of the name, Phillip?” Yongsun spoke suddenly, breaking the relaxed silence. The couple had spoken about changing Dopul’s name when he was formally recognised as part of the Moon clan.

Dopul’s gaze vacillated between his mother and his sire hesitantly, studying their countenance. “Why Phillip?”

“I got the name from Great Expectations,” elaborated Byulyi, meeting his gaze. “It was Pip’s real name.”

“Ah,” remarked Pip, scratching the side of his nose. He had a contemplative frown. “Really, Byul? Pip only wants to be known by this name ‘Philip’ when he was receiving his schooling to be a gentleman in London. He used that name to fit into the snobbish London society.” He touched his chin. “Is that why you’ve selected this name?”

Byulyi blinked owlishly. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought so far, Pip.” Her lips curled in a lopsided smile. “I guess you could identify with Pip even more in that sense.” She cleared . “No, I only gave you this name so that ‘Pip’ could remain your formal nickname.”

This nickname for Dopul meant a lot to Byulyi. It was a reminder of their extraordinary reunion. They had no idea that they were related but they were still able to forge a strong bond. Byulyi’s gaze became a trove of love. “Mummy gave you the name ‘Dopul’ which bellied all her wishes and hopes for you. I was hoping that your name reflected our bond too.” A lump formed in . “What do you think, Pip?”

“Philip ‘Pip’ Moon Dopul?” The handsome little boy mused.

The younger woman shook her head vehemently. “Philip ‘Pip’ Moon-Kim ‘Doldol’ Dopul,” corrected she at once, smiling faintly. “What a mouthful. A long name to sound important like Albus Percival—”

“Just Dumbledore, Byul. Stop showing off that you know his full name,” countered Dopul, rolling his eyes openly. “If you exclude my nicknames, my name isn’t that long.” He folded his arms across his chest.

Mirth danced in her eyes. “But you didn’t disagree that long names make someone sound important—”

“—Geez, Byul, I’m not so fictitious,” argued Dopul, looking mildly annoyed.

“Fictitious huh,” teased Byulyi, looking awfully younger. “I’m sure that there is a simpler synonym for fictitious.”

“Byul, I can’t help it if I’ve excellent vocabulary,” snorted Dopul, giving her an unimpressed look. “You could like stick to the ‘I don’t need to pretend.’” He shrugged absently. “It suits you, Byul.”

The sapphire eyes of Byulyi gleamed as she geared herself up for the challenge. “Does it now, my pup?” Byulyi crooned silkily. She sat up, looking all fired up. Pip, naturally, mirrored her posture, sitting up too. Neither silver-haired alpha seemed like they wanted to bow out of this absurd wordsmith competition that came out of the blue. The adorable and lively bantering between the two very attractive alpha became a soothing lull in the background as she continued to work out the mystery behind Byulyi’s open avoidance of her.

“Unnie?”

She snapped out of her contemplation and noticed that the two alphas had stopped their competition and stared at her with identical expressions of concern.

“Huh? Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts.”

Byulyi and Dopul traded a look. “I think it is about time to prepare dinner,” spoke the silver-haired woman, running her hand through her hair. “We’ll have to do everything by ourselves.” She looked slightly sheepish. “I had only hired a team just to maintain the property regularly.”

It wasn’t a problem that they had no staff. Yongsun did not mind but Byulyi felt embarrassed that she did not offer the best to her family.  “Do we have groceries?”

Dopul nodded eagerly. “Hyun brought some groceries and restocked the pantry when you were resting. Mummy, why don’t you rest more? Byul and I can handle dinner. We’ll call you when it is done—”

“—No, I have stayed in bed long enough,” stated Yongsun, stretching, arching her back like a cat. The robe parted to reveal her cleavage and she was surprised when Byulyi did not secure the robe and tidy her appearance. “Anyway, we have agreed that I will manage dinner.” She sat on the bed, cross-legged and adjusted her bathrobe to cover herself properly.

Dopul deflated at the reminder.

“What is this agreement?” Byulyi asked, puzzled.

“It’s an agreement that Mummy and I have,” explained Dopul, realising that Byul had no idea of their arrangement. “I’ll take charge of breakfast and Mummy will manage dinner.”

“Pip, how do you manage the breakfast in the mornings I’m not around?”

He quirked a brow, surprised by the question “There are other alternatives that do not need the use of stove like cereals, yogurts, salad. I could check online if I ran out of ideas too.”

Byulyi flashed a thumb-up, impressed.

The mother naturally glowed in pride.

Byulyi clapped her hands together, gaining their attention. “The agreement doesn’t seem to apply to me. I guess I could ask Unnie to stay in bed while I prepare our dinner—”

“—No, Byul. Just give me a moment. I’ll get changed and head down to prepare our dinner.” She declared briskly, sliding out of the bed. The ache seemed to have retreated to something more manageable. “Doldol, you may return to your bedroom to game if you like.”

He pouted at once, disliking the idea that his parents would be spending more time together in the kitchen alone. “Mummy, why don’t we prepare dinner together?”

Byulyi sighed, scrubbing her face with a hand. Her family must be the only one who fought for the opportunity to complete domestic chores instead of resting. “Unnie and Pip, why don’t you work on dinner instead? Too many cooks spoil the broth after all.” She could take this time to check in on the team instead.

Dopul and Yongsun spun around and stared at her, shocked. “No, no, no, you’ll join us in making dinner together,” decided Yongsun firmly. “Doldol, make sure your Sire is in the kitchen with you. I’ll get dressed right away.” She strode to the walk-in wardrobe to get changed while the two alphas headed down to the kitchen first.

It was an open-concept, spacious kitchen with very limited appliances. It was connected to an open-air kitchen where they could barbeque or use the rudimentary wood stove that blended with the calming surroundings.

Byulyi made beeline to the freezer and sighed. “Um, we have a lot of frozen pizza pies.” She scratched her nape absently, realising her mistake. She ought to have told Hajoon to buy groceries for a small family instead of sticking to the usual. Second knew that she loved pizzas and would always load the freezer with a variety of pies. It was her lifeline since this meal was easy to reheat and store.

Pip joined her to check the freezer so she left the door open. His eyes widened at once. “Wow, that is a lot of pies! There isn’t space for anything else.” He frowned. “Let me check the fridge then.” He opened the door and found some fresh fruits and cartons of beer. His silver brow knitted at once. “Just pizza and beer? That’s unhealthy.”

Byulyi shrugged. “It’s the perfect meal for me—"

“—But it isn’t kid friendly, Byul,” sighed Dopul, scratching the side of his nose.

“What isn’t kid friendly?” asked Yongsun as she stepped into the kitchen. She was awestruck by the vast space of the kitchen. She did not think that the younger woman would dedicate so much space to this part of the house. She approached the two alphas who were standing before the large fridge.

Byul automatically stepped away smoothly so that she could have a better look at the contents. She wouldn’t think too much of this considerate gesture if the younger woman had not been acting strange. She glanced at the taller woman briefly before her eyes were attracted to the stack of frozen pizza pie that filled out the freezer. “Wow, that is a lot of pizza!” She shifted the pies around to check if there were other food and found nothing. “There is enough to last us for months,” remarked Yongsun, her eyes wide. “Are we holing up here?”

“—and there is sufficient beer too, Mummy” added Dopul wryly, pointing to the fridge. “We are light on fresh food.”

Yongsun peeled the door of the fridge open and confirmed Dopul’s observation with her very eyes. She frowned at the sight of them. “No fresh ingredients. What about the pantry?”

“Just snacks and Ramyeon,” quipped Dopul. “These feel like rations for a war.”

Byulyi chuckled warmly at his comment. “I guess you could see them that way. Anyway, beer has always been a substitute for fresh water since medieval times—”

“—But it is terrible for the development of the brain,” argued Dopul, folding his arms across the chest.

“Relax, we have water here.” She gestured to a small tap that produced filtered water at any temperature. “We are only staying here for the weekend.” She kept her tone causal. “I guess it will be pizza night then.” She rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, ready to start cooking their dinner.

“Really?” Yongsun asked, surprised. After all, Lady Moon was trying to track Doldol down by following her and Byul. “Is that really sufficient time?” It was simply two days. Could Byul resolve the issue?

Dopul glanced at his parents warily, realising that his parents were keeping secrets from him. From the rushed way that Hyun transported him to this property, he had sensed that something was not quite right.

The silver-haired woman nodded absently. “Peperoni?” She fished out three pies from the freezer. “I don’t know where Joon gets these pies but they are very good. Where would you like to have our dinner?”

The villa was built simply for the enjoyment of the family since it did not boast of rooms to host guests. There was a small, cozy breakfast nook with a round table. There was also an additional dining spot outside, sheltered by a glass roof, so that they could enjoy the scenery. From the breakfast nook, they had a clear view of the infinity pool for security reasons too.

“Outside? It looks like a wonderful day,” decided Yongsun, getting excited at the thought of just enjoying dinner with her loved ones near the sea. She stared out at the sea and smiled, little indents appearing under her generous lips.

“Sure, Mummy. I’ll set the table,” consented Dopul, wishing to feel useful. He searched the kitchen for tableware and rinsed them at the sink. Whistling a tune, he walked out of the kitchen to the patio to set the table for three.

All Byulyi needed to do was to remove the packaging and heat each pie individually. She stood in front of the microwave oven, monitoring the reheating process. “How do you find the time to cook, Unnie?” She was amazed at the feats that Yongsun seemed to be able to complete.

Yongsun chuckled as she dug out some fruits from the fridge. “We have planned days where we dine out, not too many since it is very difficult to find healthy food. Sometimes, we will also resort to this if I had a very long week. But I save my time by planning ahead and preparing everything at one go.”

The younger woman nodded absently. “If we do decide to live in Moon Mansion, then it will be a weight off your mind.”

Silence stretched between the couple.

“Are we?” Yongsun asked hesitantly.

Byulyi turned to face her partner and smiled reassuringly. “That’s up for discussion later. It involves Pip too. We should seek his opinion later.”

Yongsun stared at her incredulously. “Seriously? I thought that alphas decide on such matters?”

The silver-haired alpha laughed, mirth dancing in her eyes. “How could alphas truly decide on the matter of the location of a home? Think about it, Unnie. If they have an omega, their home is wherever the omega makes a nest.” She leaned against the counter with careless elegance. “You’re my home, Unnie.”

Yongsun cringed at her greasiness, nearly dropping the fruits on the ground. “That’s so greasy.”

“It’s the truth,” defended Byulyi, mildly amused by her grimace. “We can talk about that over dinner. However, there is a matter that I need you to decide, Unnie.” The laughter disappeared from her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. “The media got a wind of our first official date at the Lee’s engagement party. All they managed to dig out was that you were my date to this party and your name, Solar Kim. What do you want to do with this news?”

The older woman recalled that unpleasant engagement party. There was that brief confrontation by Lee Dahee and a failed attempt to drug Byulyi. Naturally, this news was suppressed to protect the reputation of the chaebols involved. It was easy to see that releasing news about Moonbyul’s new mysterious partner would gain the attention of the public. “Is it truly up to me to decide if this news is released?” She asked hesitantly as she washed the fruits.

“Of course, Unnie,” confirmed Byulyi without hesitation. “My team is waiting for your decision.”

“Oh.” Yongsun focused on cleaning the fruits in the sink, flabbergasted. She was so used to Byul’s highhanded ways that she had assumed that the younger woman would have decided on her behalf.

“Unnie, you prefer if we work as equals right?” Byulyi asked warily. “My instinct as your alpha is insisting on making the decision to protect you. In the spirit of cooperation, I thought it was better to leave the decision to you. Is it abrupt? Do you need more information to make this decision?”

Yongsun’s eyes stung when she realised that this headstrong alpha was compromising to make their relationship work. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. “What happens if we allow this news to be released? Solar Kim is my professional name and a lot of people in the showbiz do recognise that name due to Jinie. That means that you’ll be associated with a talent manager.”

Byulyi nodded as Yongsun used her as a soundboard.

“It is only a matter of time that everyone knows that we’re together,” mused Yongsun openly. She washed a knife and a cutting board and began working on the fruits expertly. “What other options do we have to announce our relationship publicly?”

“We could hold a press conference and announce our betrothal instead. That way we would control the narrative,” explained Byulyi causally, monitoring the reheating of the pies.

“Ah,” hummed Yongsun, giving the idea some thought. “We would be more prepared for that too. It gives the company some time to get use to the idea that a manager in their employment and not a talent is engaged to the heir of a chaebol.”

Byulyi hummed a sound of acknowledgement. “If that appeals to you, Unnie, I’ll get my team on it.” She opened another package and placed the frozen pie on another plate.

Now, they were in familiar territory. Yongsun was usually the one who had to do damage control for Hwasa. It had been a long and ardurous journey trying to convince the more conservative elements in the society to not view Hwasa as a maverick. She had to spend an hour speaking to a committee of concerned parents to drop their charge against Hwasa for public indecency. “It just feels surreal that someone else has to do this job for me.” She started plating the fruits carefully. They might be simple, but she always wanted everything to be aesthetic.

“Unnie,” spoke Byulyi, turning around to look at her solemnly. Her stern tone gained the complete attention of Yongsun. She stopped arranging the slices of f