Silver Lining

~~~~~~☽~~~~~~

Chan returns.

He doesn't know why he thought it would be a good idea, but he does. There was that nagging thought in his head that if something were to happen to the omega because of his accidental slip of the tongue, because of his alpha pack leader pride being too big to push aside and confront Felix once again, then he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Even if Felix doesn't want him, he needs him; he needs as much help as he can get and the ferals are only moving closer as the days go on.

And it is these thoughts that eat away at the resolve to never risk showing his face at the florist shop ever again; this is bigger than the two of them and their personal problems, this is bigger than his stupid wounded pride. This is about nothing more than another werewolf stuck between a rock and a hard place, another lone stray in need of assistance. He would be even more of an idiot to let Felix go at a time like this.

But the store is even less recognizable after the week that passed: more nasty words are sprawled on the walls and the entrances are boarded up from the inside. Broken glass litters the floor, as if rocks were thrown in. The door is locked and chained as well as barricaded and Chan can only hope that the two residents living inside are unharmed, he can only hope that they are inside the building at all.

Should he try knocking? Just to know if they are alright? Would they even humor him after the trouble he has caused, the hurt he has caused? Would they even hear him or know it's him?

He takes a step back, looking up at the blinds-covered window, now seeing the source of the broken glass if the busted pane and crooked shades were anything to go by. He swallows roughly, wondering if whatever that was thrown had hit the omega or had inflicted more damage to something inside.

He could call out to them, he could refuse to leave until he's acknowledged but... then what?

There would be one of two people he will face: an angry Lee for upsetting the omega and most likely strengthening his will to stay in the village even more out of pure spite or an even angrier, betrayed, and wary Felix who, for the first time, had kicked him out rather than ran away.

Chan wouldn't know what to say to either of them; he wouldn't be able to look Lee-hyung in the eye and say, "I'm sorry I ruined you and your basically adopted son's life; I'm sorry you're going to completely lose your business and that the entire village hates you; I'm sorry I couldn't control my unmated alpha tendencies and acted like a dump pup yet again that ruined your most precious flower; and I'm sorry for lying about causing it all in the first place and I'm sorry for lying to Felix about it too," and then, with a pause, he'd probably add just to get everything off his chest, "Also I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the ferals that will be on their way soon and I'm sorry that I won't be able to protect you or anyone for that matter because all the packs, including mine, don't really care about people and wolf rules are that if I choose people over them, I'm not allowed back into the wolf pack pact and therefore will be shunned from the hyungs who pretty much raised me and probably by my family of strays too. And you would probably be a lot better off if I took Felix with me because his scent won't be as strong on you but I'm sorry I messed up any chances of that happening too."

And then Felix- Felix would be an even longer list of apologies that he wouldn't even be able to say all the way through without tears springing to his eyes and a promise of endless love and devotion sitting at the tip of his tongue.

It's too soon, the air still tense; they aren't ready, haven't had enough time for reflection and tempers to simmer down. It has only been a day. He can wait another day. The ferals won't be here for another week or two, if they come at all; he has some time.

And it would still technically be illegal for anyone to actively seek harm upon Felix for being a hybrid (there aren't laws in place that forbid werewolf residency, after all; no matter how much some of the villagers wish otherwise). So eventually the hype to hate werewolves will eventually die down some, right?

Though, there was nothing stopping the town authorities from turning a blind eye, from discreetly looking the other way in a demonstration to the atrocities that may or may not take place against the florist shop that had been there for as long as Chan could remember. There was no backlash from the graffiti, no backlash from the vandalism and harassment and blatant displays of violence towards the store owner and his apprentice; the sheriffs weren't looking for the perpetrators nor did they have any intention to investigate those who were unafraid to publicly direct their scorn towards the people dwelling in the building as suspects. The folks here know exactly who everyone is; the sheriffs know exactly who's causing the ruckus and they just don't care because if their town is freed of yet another canine mouth, then better for them. Less dog-related scapegoats; less resistance and chaos and disobedience from the easily riled villagers; less worry of a possible wolfish incident.

Lee and Felix had good reason to be boarded up but he does not think that people will go far enough to blatantly break down the store and either drag the silver-haired hybrid from his bed or slay him where he stands. He doesn't think anyone could quite get aware with murder; every pack in a fifty mile radius would assure that they wouldn't. Kidnapping and "relocating" ? Possibly... But the silvernette would definitely put up a fight; he would not go easily and was far from being a damsel in distress. If Lee didn't hear the scuffle it would cause, then a simple howl from the omega would let every other werewolf know of the actions taking place.

One bad event was all it took for people to go from tolerating of a werewolf's presence due to a lack of blood drawn from purely the surrounding packs' hands to a revival of their bitter hatred for anything that's different, anything that doesn't quite fit their molds and therefore poses a threat to their perfect little bubbles that they call a world. One bad event is all it will take for the once peaceful packs to turn completely against the people too, hell bent on revenge for the countless centuries of discrimination instead of their usual resigned indifference.

But Chan finds people more predictable; he's less worried about the villagers. His concern lies with the other creatures; the creatures that will have no regards to casualties, obstructions, laws, packs politics, and territory boundaries. The creatures that had given in to their wild side a very long time ago; creatures that lack understanding and reasoning and sympathy and humanity ; creatures that were simply nothing more than feral creatures .

These man-made barricades and precautions won't stop a beast that has caught whiff of a beauty inside, no matter how much they hope it would; and unfortunately, since Chan is now seen as one of those unwelcomed beasts too, he can only hope that it never comes to him returning to this spot to see no one left behind in their wreak of carnage.