A/N: Thank you for 4k reads,, it is honestly overwhelming how fast this book is growing. I'm really grateful. Sorry for the long chapter, i hope you like it
Still sleepy, Hani slowly walked down the stairs. She rubbed her eyes, as if trying to shoo the tiredness away. That morning, she had woken up by herself in bed; which, had, inevitably, made her get up and search for the missing duo. She was expecting to walk into the messy, utterly destroyed living room and kitchen; however, the Luna was surprised to see that it had been cleaned thoroughly and that there were no traces, at all, of the night before. No broken furniture, no splashes of blood, no shards of glass. It seemed that nothing had happened at all and had been nothing but a weird nightmare, Hani's mind had tricked her with. Her feet continued on their journey, spotting the empty opening on the kitchen, where the door that led to their backyard used to be. The oak floor under her feet was cold, yet, as she inched closed to the kitchen; a bright sunlight cascaded inside the room, heating up her feet. Hani could hear them talking, a muffled soft conversation. Her footsteps quickened and as she reached the opening, her eyes glowed with happiness and warmth.
"No, you can't play with that" The Alpha replied calmly to the toddler, gently taking the hammer from his hands. Fai looked up at him, for he was sitting on the grass in between Jungkook's legs, the wooden wolf was on his lap, carefully laid down. "These are dangerous, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."
Outside, the early morning was beaming with light. The sun rays were warm and gold. The birds chirped outside, twirling in the air as they chased after one another. The sky was blue, clear of all clouds. It appeared that spring was, at last, settling in the air. Closing her eyes, Hani inhaled deeply the fresh air; feeling her body relax, her heart being refreshened. Jungkook's exposed back was facing her, the sun glided across his honeyed skin. He had tied his dark hair into a small ponytail, on the top of his head. Diligently, he worked on something Hani couldn't see, due to how his wide shoulders covered her view; even Fai was swallowed in, for he was much smaller than the Alpha, and so, his body was completely hidden by his. They hadn't noticed her yet, watching them fondly from afar, leaning against the door frame.
"Pa?"
Fai's tiny finger pointed to a wrench that was laid on the floor, just a few inches away from him. His eyes were big, as he gazed at Jungkook, patiently, waiting for his answer. It appeared that he was asking if he could play with it, or so the Alpha assumed. Chuckling softly, he ruffled his hair and amusedly, told him, again.
"No, you can't. I'll give you something to play with once I'm done with this. Okay?" Jungkook went back to whatever he was doing, stealing a glance at Fai who, now, quietly watched him work. "We can go toy shopping after breakfast, and you pick whatever you like. For now, how about you help me out and give me that wrench you were pointing to"
The toddler's eyes sparkled in enthusiasm and, dropping carefully next to Jungkook the wooden wolf, he reached out his arms. Crawling slightly along the grass, Fai grasped the wrench. Using his hands as support, he got up, a bit unbalanced though, and waddled towards the Alpha. With his arms wide open, Jungkook embraced him, playfully dragging him back to his lap. Fai giggled, kicking his feet in the air in glee. Smiling, Jungkook took the wrench from his hands, mumbling a heartfelt 'thank you, you did such a good job' to the toddler. Hani still in the same place stood, smiling from ear to ear, glowing from cheek to cheek. In a way, the scene felt, somewhat, familiar to her; as if she had seen it before. It was an odd thought and hastily, she shrugged it off, before joining the duo on the grass.
"What are you two up to this early in the morning?"
At the sound of her voice, both of the boys turned their head around, immediately. As soon as their eyes met, the Alpha blossomed into a smile, grinning with all his teeth. The toddler, hastily, tried to get up on his feet; but, his inexperience made it harder for him, so Jungkook had to help him out, by raising him to his feet. Hani laughed tenderly at Fai who waddling and with his arms wide open, trying to get some balance.
"Ma!"
He shouted in between the giggles, once his arms wrapped themselves around Hani's leg. She responded just as eagerly, just as excitedly, shouting his name and swiftly, lifting him up, pressing smooches on his cheeks. The Alpha had gotten up, as well, and strolled towards them, smiling affectionately. He wrapped his arm around her waist and, pulling her closer to him, he kissed her lips, slowly.
"I'm trying to fix the door... and the cabinets... and the table" In between the pecks, Jungkook explained. "I just want to get our house back to how it used to be"
Sprawled on the grass that decorated their backyard were different pieces of furniture and tools. Surely, Jungkook had been there for quite a while already, judging by how he had already fixed the broken cabinets. Most likely, it had been him who had cleaned their house, removed the shards and the broken things, washed away the blood. She was thankful for it, however, it worried her; because to do all of that, only meant that he hadn't slept at all.
"And you didn't sleep?"
"No, I didn't" Leisurely, he replied guiding Hani and Fai back inside their rather empty kitchen. "I was... worried that something might happen while I slept. I wanted to stay alert, so I ended up entertaining myself by cleaning the house"
"Are we still... not safe?" Reluctantly, Hani asked, locking her eyes directly into Jungkook's. The Alpha's eyes trembled and sighing, he shifted his gaze to the plain wall of the room. "Do you think there's someone else other than Daejung hidden in our pack? Another threat?"
"I don't know" The Alpha replied shortly, assertively. Hani shivered and, for a brief moment, her hold on Fai tightened. Tenderly, Jungkook caressed her head, leaving a small kiss on her forehead. "I'm planning on getting that sorted out, today. I'm going to have a conversation with Daejung"
Hani was about to open her mouth to ask more questions concerning this 'conversation' Jungkook was going to have with Daejung, when, as she bounced Fai in her arms - the boy was slipping from her grasp - her hands noticed something that made her burst into laughter. The Alpha's eyebrows scrunched in confusion until he too, caught sight of what was amusing the girl.
"The big bad alpha that can fix anything with his hands..." Chuckling, teasingly Hani spoke, lifting Fai a bit higher and showing Jungkook the diaper that was tied by a small knot. "Doesn't know how to change a diaper properly, so he ties the ends together with a knot"
"It's not as easy as it sounds"
"Theres little bands on the side that glue to the diaper"
"How was I supposed to know that?"
"It's literally there!"
"Don't I get points for creativity, at least?" The girl's laughter echoed through the room, filling the once, silent and slaughtered tainted walls with the happiness she emanated. The Alpha rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. "I didn't want to wake you up, I just decided to give it a try. So, no complains! It worked, didn't it?"
"Surprisingly" She replied, sassily staring him down. Huffing in annoyance, the Alpha mustered a fake smile to the girl. Giggling, she approached him and cheekily, stole a kiss from his lips, replacing the fake smile for a real one. "Thank you, for cleaning the house, fixing the things and watching over Fai. We have time to practice your changing diaper skills. I love you"
"I love you" He stole another kiss from her lips, before caressing Fai cheeks. "Anyways, let's get ready, so we can go out and eat something. This kitchen is in no conditions to be used"
"You heard that, bubba? You get to eat cake for breakfast" Grinning, Hani wiggled Fai in her arms, to which the toddler replied by giggling and moving his hands up and down in excitement. Jungkook winked playfully at them, pointing to the toddler as he did so. "But first, let's fix the mess your Pa did, okay?"
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
The Alpha was marching, frustratingly, inside the pack house; harshly, he balled his hand into fists, bloodied and bruised. He slammed the door opened and he entered dragging with him a glare of hatred and displeasure; behind him, Yoongi and Hoseok shared worried glances between one another, unsure of what to do. The energy that coated Jungkook was drastically different from the one that painted the pack house. In fact, that one was so much stronger, that it washed over the Alpha in such a way, he felt his body become wobbly, ticklish. In the long dark table where he usually discussed serious matters – life or death ones, more often that anyone wished for - with his betas; a pile of toys were sprawled all over the surface and Fai sat in the middle of them. Proudly, he showed them off to Jimin and Taehyung that smiled from cheek to cheek, and eagerly nodded their heads in agreement at the babbling of the toddler, despite not knowing what he was saying. Behind Fai, Hani giggled to herself, her eyes sparkled at the tiny boy who, never forgetting her presence, made sure to reply "Ma" each time, he showed his toy to the betas. Jungkook took step forward, wanting to see them up close; and from the corner of her eye, Hani saw him, with splashes of blood corrupting his face. Her eyes met with Jimin's and the boy nodded his head reassuringly at her, understanding what she was trying to ask him. Mumbling a small 'thank you', she got up and trailed towards the Alpha whose focus had, by then, shifted to her. Once she was by his side, she gently held his arm and guided him slightly away from the room.
"What kind of conversation where you having with Daejung that caused you to look like this?"
The tone of her voice was confusing to Jungkook's ears. He was certain that she was scolding him, but at the same time, he could sense the worry that entangled with her words. Her hand dropped from his arm and exhaling deeply, she reached out for the small handkerchief that was placed on a coffee table, by her side. Delicately, she wiped the blood from his face; Jungkook watched her silently, fondly.
"I didn't want to do this either, Hani. But he's refusing to talk"
"Was it really necessary to go this far?"
"I do what I have to do..." Strongly, he stated; his eyes turning sharp, burning up with the assertiveness and the power he had in him. "To keep you and Fai safe. If that means I need to get my hands dirtied, then I'll gladly do it."
Hani looked up at him through her eyelashes. She became quiet, she didn't even gaze at him; instead, her whole focus was on wiping every trace of blood off the Alpha's face. Yet, Jungkook knew that her silence wasn't one of submission, rather one filled with thoughts. So, sighing, he touched her hand and gently, he stopped her, taking the handkerchief from her hands and replacing it by his own.
"What is it?" He asked, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb, as if coaxing her into speaking. "I know something is on your mind"
"I have an idea" Bravely, she replied; diving her eyes deep into Jungkook's. Immediately, his face hardened and, as if guessing what her next words would be, he started waving his head side to side in denial. "No, no. Listen to me at least. Let me talk to him" Jungkook opened his mouth to, most likely – she assumed – try and talk her out of it; however, she interrupted him. "I know, I know it's dangerous but, baby... You have him locked up, right? And, judging from how you look, he's probably so beaten up, he barely has any strength in him to react. You tried and it didn't work, what do we have to lose? You'll be by my side throughout the whole thing, just in case it gets out of our control, right?"
He seemed to think about it for a while, but eventually, he sighed. Then, he detached his hand from her and, peeking his head inside the room, he told the 6 boys to watch over Fai while he and Hani were absent. He motioned with his head for Hani to follow him and she did, feeling slightly unsure of her decision all of a sudden. They got out of the pack house; they went around it. Hani scanned the area surrounding them, searching for another cabin or place where Daejung could possibly be in. However, she was surprised when the Alpha halted his footsteps, once they reached the back of the pack house. She didn't see anything there, only the wooden wall. Yet, they appeared to be at the right place. Jungkook crouched down and started feeling the ground, before pulling out a weird looking carpet that, somehow, resembled perfectly the dirt and the grass, and therefore, blended with the vegetation that covered it; which explained why Hani wouldn't notice it, for, in her eyes, all that she saw was the same surface. The Alpha laid down the said carpet on the ground and, after scanning the area surrounding him, he pulled on a silver chain. It was a trapdoor and, once open, she could see the dark staircase that led somewhere deep inside earth. With a pat on the back, Jungkook told Hani to move forward; hesitantly, she went down a few steps, before looking over her shoulder, searching for Jungkook. The Alpha followed her down, but had stopped to cover the trapdoor and laying the carpet, right where it belonged – hiding that place from any watchful eye.
It was dark. Hani couldn't see anything in front of her, not even her own palm, if she extended it forward. The air was stiffy, hot. It was uncomfortable. All that she could feel was Jungkook's hand on her back that, gently, guided her down the stairs.
"It's dark here but down there, there's some light. Just walk to the end of the stairs, I'm right here"
He tried to reassure her who was frozen on her place. Their footsteps echoed as they went down; the strength of the echo made Hani believe she was trapped inside a hollow box. It wasn't that long, until a small beam of light lit up Hani's feet and soon after, she was at the bottom of the staircase. A narrow hallway was in front of her, dimly lit by lamps that worked poorly. Another tap on her back and Hani continued on walking, and walking and walking till, at last, she was face to face with a steel door. Jungkook rested his hands on her hips, in order to guide her body to the side, so that he could be in front of her. He took some keys out of his front pocket and Hani watched anxiously, how he unlocked the door.
"I'm getting inside first, okay? I'll call for you when you can enter." Their eyes locked; despite the weak light, Jungkook could see how nervous Hani was. Yet, the girl swallowed dryly her fears and strongly, nodded her head at him. He left a tiny loving kiss to her forehead, before opening the door. "No risky moves. At the first sight of danger, I'm getting you out of there, got it? Either you want to leave or not. In there, I'm not nice. Whatever happens, I suggest you forget you saw it"
Hani didn't know what was happening, yet, she found it odd how quiet it was. At last, she heard Jungkook's voice calling out for her and stumbling on her feet, her hand reached for the door. Inside, there was nothing but one single chair. One single poor chair, lighted up by one single light that was placed right above it. Jungkook was leaning against the wall, staring dangerously at the slumped, motionless, figure sitting on that chair. All the determination that Hani had convinced the Alpha, suddenly, vanished from her; leaving her with nothing but her own naïve self.
"Get in, baby." Jungkook called out for her as he strolled leisurely towards the figure. Hani took a deep breath and shakingly, she started taking small steps forward, until she too, was being touched by that weak light. Up close, she could no longer recognize the boy that had stormed inside their house, the night before. Harshly, Jungkook took a hold of his brown hair and with force, he forced his head to raise. "The Luna wants to talk to you, I suggest you to be polite"
Daejung's face was completely disfigured. Hani had to hold in a scream of shock, upon seeing him. His face was bloodied, bruised, covered in dark and purple bruises. His nose had been so violently beaten, it was squashed, tucked inside its cavity. Blood drooled from his mouth, dripping from his lips, painting the ripped white shirt fully in red. He breathed with difficultly, coughing up as to clear his lungs of the blood that filled them. Hani peered at him horrified and when, slowly, she faced Jungkook – silently asking him if that was his doing – all that the Alpha did was tightened his hold on the boy's hair, causing a new stream of blood to trail down his face. He had warned her afterall; but nothing could ever prepare her for that sight.
"What does she get from talking with me?" Weakly, Daejung asked; struggling, he tried to open his eyes, so that he could face her. He stared at her up and down, before scoffing in amusement. "Does she enjoy watching people hurt, like you do? I am surprised"
It was immediate. Hani turned around, closing her eyes shut; the sound of something breaking stole the air of the room, replacing it. A painful scream ripped apart from Daejung's lips, causing a chill to run down Hani's spine. It got quiet and she opened her eyes. Something sparkled at the end of the room and allured to it, Hani's curiosity took her there. It was knife, bloody. She held it in her hand, feeling the coldness, the sharpness of the object. Tightly, she grasped it and her mind reminded her of how strong Fai clutched onto her. How he trembled in her arms, how he cried and wept, how he struggled to fall asleep, how tears still streamed down his face even after he was fast sleep. All those emotions came back to her, vivid. The girl's eyes became deadly, in a way, it appeared that they had become one with the blade she held in her hands. Swiftly, she turned around and calmly, she approached Daejung. The two boys observed her curiously, warily. Her knees touched Daejung's and she forced them apart with her feet. The Alpha threw her a confused glance but Hani shrugged it off. The knife glided down her hand, glowing fiercely under the flickering lamp, and, in a final moment of bravery, she dug the knife into his thigh. Daejung screamed in pain, squirming in his seat, in order to get himself loose, yet, Jungkook, harshly grabbed his shoulders, pushing him deeper into the chair and Hani's hand applied only more pressure to the knife.
"Were you the one who killed Zhelan?" He glared at her, refusing to tell her anything at all; so, Hani, dragged the knife to the right, closer to his inner thigh, enlarging the wound. Daejung hissed in pain and his eyes, bulging, stared at the blood that poured out of his leg. "Answer me and I'll take the knife out. Don't? I'll drag it until it cuts your body in half. Starting here" Daejung's eyes met Hani's, cold and sharp. He appeared to be deep in doubt, debating about what to do. She took notice of it. The knife was dragged a bit more to the right; the sound of flesh ripping apart filled the room. "Don't make me switch with him. The Alpha won't be as comprehensive as I am... Talk while you still have oxygen in your lungs. Did you or did you not kill him?"
"Sh*t, fine. I did it, okay?"
"Why?" Quickly, she fired back, but Daejung didn't even face her. Sighing, Jungkook grabbed his chin and forcefully, he turned his head towards her. So, the knife was dragged again, this time, cutting open his inner thigh. "I want to know why you did it. What was the reason, the motive?"
"I was not supposed to kill him, it happened"
"Killing someone the way you did, doesn't simply happen."
"He wasn't talking"
"Like you aren't now?" The Alpha chimed in, grinning evilly at him. His fingers dug into the boy's collarbones, pulling apart the bones that connected them to his back. "Should we do the same to you, then?"
"I was there the whole night! The whole night I waited patiently for him to answer my questions!" Daejung screamed in frustration, jolting up from the chair. "I saw the sun rising on the horizon and I knew my time was up. I had to do something or else he'd get me! He'd kill me! I had no choice than to make up for the fact I couldn't get any answers from that f*cking old bag" Gritting his teeth in anger, he leapt forward, as if trying to reach the Luna. Suddenly, his eyes became teary, his body faltered on the chair – numb. "I wouldn't have done it... if he had just... told me. He would have been alive if he listened to me. I had no other choice."
"We know you tortured him." Coldly, Jungkook replied; not being moved at all by the small tears that dangled from Daejung's eyelashes. "What was so important? What was the information you were planning on getting out of him by force, if he didn't cooperate? Who forced you to do this?"
"It's not that simple!" Daejung shouted, closing his eyes frustratingly. "You don't understand... Not even I do!"
"Then, explain it" The blade was pulled away from his thigh by the Luna; she spoke calmly to him, with patient kind eyes. A mask of fake compassion. "Tell us what you know"
"I..." He mumbled, blinking his eyes rapidly. Blood dripped on the floor, creating an imaginary countdown that the mates attentively accompanied; waiting, debating how long it would take for their patience to run out. "The boy. My mission was to find information concerning the boy"
"What boy?!" The Alpha asked, his heart beat in a frenzy, driven by panic; the same way Hani's heart did. He circled him and meeting him face to face; he leaned down, connecting his eyes directly with Daejung's, before snatching the knife from Hani's hands, and carving it deeper into the open wound. "Daejung, what boy?"
"The one with the scar on his cheek" In between groans on pain, he confessed. Hani's body froze, not knowing what to expect of the things the boy was telling them. She waited, overwhelmed by fear. "That's what he told me... Ulric. To find out more about the boy with scar on his cheek. I went to Zhelan with that goal in mind, but he wouldn't tell me anything about the toddler. Nothing!"
"Why would Ulric be interested in a child?"
"I'm not sure" Quickly, Daejung stated; however, the Alpha wasn't having it and growling, he pulled the knife out, only to stab it on the Daejung's other leg. An agonizing scream exploded from his throat and his lips trembled, as he tried to muffle the sobs. "A witch! The witch! It was her id-idea. I overheard them talking about it. She had seen something, on the fire. I don't know what it was but it worried Ulric. He marked him, so that I knew who he was, once he arrived here."
The mates shared a worried glance between them. The thought was frightening, it unsettled them, made them restless. Above all, it awakened a part of them that had been numb until then; their minds worked at the same rhythm, connecting the same dots that persisted in their head. That, in a way, Ulric was involved in everything in their lives, which meant, he was 10 steps ahead of them and that, if they didn't catch up, most likely they'd end up dead. The same way it had happened in the past.
"B-but Zhelan didn't say a word to me, at least nothing worth telling Ulric" Daejung persisted on talking, stealing the attention of the mates. Tears rolled down his face freely, mixing with the blood that covered him, head to toe. "All that I know is that he found him in the woods, by himself. In the woods up north, north of Ulric's territory. There was nothing on the toddler, not even clothes. He brought him to the pack, raised him. He kept him hidden from Ulric, for some reason but eventually, he found out. And, ceasing the opportunity, Zhelan fled with the toddler"
"Why not bring him with him, on the day he scarred him?" The Luna inquired, resting her hand tenderly on Jungkook's shoulders that trembled in anger. "Why wait until he was here?"
"I don't know... I really don't, Luna" Pleading, waving his head side to side, Daejung sincerely told her; tears continued to stream down his face. "Zhelan just told me that. And when I asked why he kept the toddler, he just smiled and said he was special but I don't know what that means! That's why I went to your house, as a last desperate move to finalize my mission... bringing you and the toddler to Ulric. I did it so I could be freed from him..."
"Her, too?!" Raging, Jungkook shouted; shaking Daejung's shoulders harshly. "Why? Why does he keep on trying to steal her away from me? Why not kill me when he showed up at the pack? Why not drag her from my arms right there and then?!"
"I-I...A-Alpha... He has a special affection towards the Luna. I-" Daejung's words were cut short; abruptly, he swallowed them, once he felt the blade being pressed strongly, against his neck. "I think... I think it's the witch. She influences Ulric a lot, tells him what to do. He's waiting for something to happen, both of them are. They warned me to... stay alert, keep the toddler away from you two. Ulric needs the Luna, fears the toddler and wants you, Alpha, dead... I believe"
"The circle on your backyard. The wooden wolf on Zhelan's mouth." Jungkook dropped the blade to the floor, allowing Daejung a few moments of peace. "Was that a message?"
"The circle I don't know what it means... I put it there because Ulric has been obsessed with them lately. I'd figure it would be a way of... of giving him praise, honour him, to let you know he was behind it. There's a man called Lucca, he's close to Ulric and he has many of those circles on his notebook." The image of the notebook Taehyung's scout had taped to her skin, sparked in Jungkook's head. His eyebrows scrunched in curiosity. "About the wooden wolf... Ulric asked me to place it there, if I chose to kill Zhelan that is. I found it odd, I didn't even know where I was supposed to get a wooden wolf from. Luckily, for me, Zhelan had one."
The interrogation stopped there. Jungkook turned around, not even sparing Daejung another glance. Hastily, he grabbed Hani's hand, guiding the dumbfounded girl out of the room. The steel door was closed behind them, the sound boomed, haunted the dark hallway. Both of them, had their minds running in circles; shuffling with all sorts of theories and possible answers as to why this was all happening to them. Yet, it was the Luna who spoke and, despite it appearing to be a random question, it shook the Alpha to his core.
"Was there something we did in the past that provoked all of this? Did we... somehow endangered Fai's life, without knowing?"
"Whatever, it was.... I hope Ulric is aware he's going to die for it. He has triggered a wrath he can't possibly contain, and in it, my name is the only thing he'll hear. I'll torment him, even after his corpse is under my feet. I'll kill him, a time for each time, he has killed me."