Donghyun paced. He did that a lot, pacing. He stood on the ledge of the rooftop where they had battled the witch and paced. He refused to call her by her name. He refused to address her as anything more than "wench" or "witch." 

He felt stressed.  

He had the boys to worry about, the pack, the city, the humans, the witch. On top of that he had to worry about Emma.  

Donghyun regretted having treated her so harshly back at the restaurant. Her blood still crusted his nails; his punishment for having lost his temper. His right side ached beyond belief. A sting had settled behind his eyes, on his brain; it showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.  

He had no idea where to begin. Everyone had reacted adequately. Donghyun should've gotten home and gotten some sleep, but his brain kept turning.  

He wasn't even having coherent thoughts. In his mind, blank wheels turned, fueled by emotions. First came anger, as it always did; it spun the largest wheel.  Then came regret. Always, regret. Donghyun regretted so many things and he wasn't even halfway through his lifespan yet. Exhaustion made the wheels rusty. Stress kept them going.  

Donghyun could not make heads or tails of anything anymore. It frustrated him. It angered him. It made him lash out and hurt those around him. 

He thought of Emma. She had looked so shocked, so furious when she'd seen her own blood on her hands. She had probably never seen so much of her own lifeblood in her entire life. All she had been through since she arrived were Donghyun's attacks and accusations.  

Why? Why did he have to lash out against her? The daughter of House Vogel did nothing to deserve such uncouth treatment.  

Yet thinking about Emma made him feel so unbalanced, so nervous, that he couldn't help but feel angry. He didn't understand why. Donghyun hated not understanding, hated being ignorant.  

"Hyung." Hyunseong jumped up onto the ledge, bringing Donghyun's pacing to a sudden stop. "Hyung It's freezing out here." 

Donghyun gave a dry laugh. "Really, Hyunseong?" 

Hyunseong smiled. "It was worth a shot." 

He lowered himself onto the ledge, dangling his legs from the edge, swinging them gently. Donghyun didn't sit, he crouched low, his hands clasped with his elbows resting on his knees. They stared out into the night, both admiring the skyline. 

"Aren't you going to ask?" Hyunseong said after a few minutes of silence. 

"About what?" 

"About Emma-noona." 

Donghyun pursed his lips. Hyunseong's eyes were focused on the horizon, but they might as well have been on him. Donghyun could feel their weight even when Hyunseong chose to look at something else. If anything, that action multiplied their weight.  

"What about her?" 

Please log in to read the full chapter