Jisung took a deep breath. He wiped at his eyes, though he knew his face was red and blotchy, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. This was not how an Alpha ought to look. He walked into his bathroom and turned on the shower.
He undressed slowly, his limbs still stiff, his heart still heavy. The warm water was a slight relief. He didn't make a move to grab the shampoo or the soap, he simply stood there, allowing the water to wash over him.
Take all his pain down the drain.
He knew it wouldn't happen, but he could still hope. He hoped this shower at least got rid of the traces of the sobs that had bubbled out of him in the middle of the night.
As he stepped out again, he pulled on the first thing he could find that Dongwook would have approved of. Cargo pants and a black t-shirt. He reached for his sneakers, hand pausing a few centimetres away. He shook his head and grabbed the combat boots he'd gotten a while ago but never wore.
He had to look at least somewhat intimidating. He needed to command respect – from his pack and others. He wasn't just Han Jisung anymore; he was the Alpha of the Sun pack, and he had to act like it.
Even when he felt as though he would crumble any second now.
He schooled his features and, with one last deep breath, he pushed the door to his bedroom open. There weren't many wolves in this hall, and he briefly wondered where Minho was.
"Hyunjin." He called through the mind link.
"Yes?" He could hear the slight nervousness in his friend's voice, and his steps faltered before he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Meet me out front." He paused for a moment. "Please."
As he progressed to the more populated areas of the packhouse, he walked by without greeting anyone, his face collected and cold. It was a façade, one he hoped he could keep up long enough. He pretended he could not hear the murmurs about him, pretended he could not see that some of his packmates looked at him in disgust or fear, or even both.
He pretended nobody was there except himself.
Hyunjin already stood in front of the packhouse, hands tucked behind his back when Jisung emerged, shoulders stiff. He looked up and jogged up to meet him. "Alpha." He bowed his head slightly, and the other couldn't help but cringe.
Now he understood why Dongwook hated it when he called him that. A lump formed in his throat, and he cleared it quickly. "Please don't." He said it with a small smile, though it was tense and strained. Hyunjin nodded quickly and turned to walk alongside him.
Though it still did not quite feel like normal; Hyunjin was one step behind him. His fists clenched discretely and he sucked in a tight, quiet breath. He did not want this respect from his best friend.
They travelled down to the dungeons from the outside entrance, and he nodded briefly at the wolves standing guard. There was only one cell in use. Jisung stopped abruptly in front of it, peering at the wolf shrouded in the darkness of his cell.
"Finally decided to show up?" He hated the smugness in that voice. "Why don't we fight again and see who wins?" He hated the cruel twinkle in those eyes as he came into the light.
Jisung leaned towards the silver bars of the cage, lips stretching in a bloodless sneer. "Last time we fought," he began, eyes glowing their ridiculously bright gold, "I beat your ass."
The wolf's eyes flashed and he growled in response, but Jisung could see the fear growing there; the weasel was looking for a chance to escape, to cheat his way out of his punishment.
He turned to the guards. "Take him out and bring him to the training fields." They nodded and bowed their heads. As soon as they left the dungeons again, he stopped and closed his eyes.
"Are you okay, Al– J-Jisung?" He nodded in response and opened his eyes again.
"Yes. Let's go."
The whole pack gathered in the training fields, coming to surround Jisung and Kyuntaek. He knew Minho was in the crowd somewhere – it was almost as though he could feel it. Grand Wizard Moonsoo, Seungmin, and even Jeongin were part of the crowd.
Kyuntaek knelt in the grass, his eyes narrowed into a sharp glare. Once everybody had gathered, Jisung took a deep breath, ensuring that his face was the perfect mask; he tried his best not to let his rage show, let his pain show. He didn't want to give him that satisfaction.
"You know why you're here, don't you?" Kyuntaek snorted and nodded, though his eyes gave away his true emotions; Jisung was glad he was scared. He deserved so much more for what he'd done. He deserved death.
He leaned forward to get a better look at Kyuntaek's face before he squared his shoulders and stood straight up again.
The silence that plagued the gathering was tense and heavy, and all eyes were on him as he gazed upon the traitor; this was a test, he knew it well. His hands balled into fists, and he clenched his jaw. Kyuntaek deserved to die – an eye for an eye, they said; or, rather, a life for a life.
"Park Kyuntaek, child of the Moon, in the face of your crimes against the Sun pack, murdering your Alpha, your leader, your protector, I condemn you..." The words died in his throat as he met Minho's eyes in the crowd.
They were wide and his face was incredibly pale; he seemed to beg for something. Mercy? Kyuntaek didn't deserve mercy. He hesitated. Was it truly his place to condemn a man to death? Was that what... was that what Dongwook would have done?
His eyes left Minho's, and despite his heart screaming for revenge, to kill him then and there and be done with it... he knew, deep down, what Dongwook would have done. "To trial by Moonbell. May the Moon Goddess determine the fate of one of her children, and let her scorn not befall any of us."
The tension in the air dissipated.
Even though he hated his decision, wished with all his being that it was different... he knew it was the right decision to make. The fear had melted away from some of his packmates' eyes while Kyuntaek's eyes widened.
Sometimes the Moonbell was worse than death; it all depended on where you were struck, how the Moon Goddess felt it necessary to punish. Regardless of what happened, Kyuntaek would be banned from the pack. A rogue he'd become.
That in and of itself was a punishment, though alone it was not fitting of the crime. None of the Allied Packs would take him in – ever. Even if he were dying and bleeding. The crime he had committed ensured that.
He loosed a quiet breath as the crowd broke into a fit of murmurs. He slowly released his fists. Now was not the time for anger; he could not afford to let his anger get the best of him, not when he had such a fragile reputation already.
As he surveyed the crowd, he knew there were more than just Kyuntaek who didn't think he was fit for the role of Alpha of the Sun pack. He'd prove them all wrong; he'd show them that he deserved his father's position and his praise.
He would make Dongwook proud of him.
~#~#~#~#~#~
The night had fallen; the moon was high in the sky amongst all the glittering stars. It was a full moon this night, and it fell perfectly. The Moon Goddess's judgement was strongest when the moon was full.
Whatever happened, whatever the results, nobody could refute them. Not even him.
Hyunjin handed him the bow, and he started to mumble the incantation he did not know, and yet it came to him as though he'd spoken it since he was a mere child. His vision started to blur around the edges, growing darker and darker.
The last thing he saw before he completely lost his sight was Kyuntaek squirming and resisting the wolves who tried to put him in place.
Jisung really wished Minho had not come. This could get ugly very, very quickly, and he did not want him to see such a thing, perceive him as a monster.
He could feel when Kyuntaek finally stopped moving, though he still trembled in fear of what was to come. The first bell rang, and he nocked the arrow. He felt like he was floating, now.
The second bell rang, and almost of his own accord, he drew; he was barely aware of anything anymore except the bow, an extension of his body, and his heartbeat slowing... Almost as though invisible hands guided him, he aimed, allowing the calm to wash over him, allowing the Goddess to carry out her judgement using his body.
On the third ring, his hand released from the string; he barely even realized it had happened until he was shot back into reality at the sound of a startled cry, vision returning in a flash.
Kyuntaek screamed as the silver arrow lodged itself in his shoulder, pushing him up against the silver wall behind him. He writhed, tears streaming down his face.
When the echo of the ring finally faded, Jisung grabbed the edge of the arrow and yanked it out. With another cry the wolf fell forward, downright sobbing now. Jisung felt no pity for him; he watched on with cold eyes.
"Take him to the border." He nodded towards the two wolves who'd escorted him here in the first place.
Kyuntaek's head snapped up. "W-What? You can't do that!" His eyes were blown wide in fear and agony, and Jisung couldn't help the sick satisfaction he felt as he saw that. He deserved to be afraid, after what he'd done. "I'm part of your pack!"
Jisung paused and turned on his heels. He crouched down next to him, eyes slowly starting to flash golden, though not as much as they could be; just enough to warn him that he was treading on very, very thin ice. "You lost the right to call yourself a brother of the Sun the moment you murdered your Alpha."
He stood again as the two wolves grabbed him by the arms and hauled him up, ignoring the whimpers coming from him. "Do you really think they'll follow you?" he spat, his own eyes glowing now. "You're a monster."
Jisung smirked coldly. "If I'm a monster... then you're the one who woke me up," his voice lowered, "and if I ever lay eyes on you again... this monster will tear you to shreds."
With that, he turned again and motioned for them to leave. "Hyunjin, are the preparations for the Burial completed?" His beta came up beside him and nodded. Jisung exhaled; one more thing. One more thing, and then he could drop his façade.
A/N: This chapter was really hard to write, mostly because I really had to research some stuff and read people's stories 'cause I didn't want to misrepresent anything and yikes I'm too empathetic for that sometimes HHHHHHH
Q: Do you think that aliens exist?
A: Yes. I mean, I think it's pretty impossible that in the entirety of our universe and galaxies and yada yada, of which only a small portion we've actually discovered and explored, that there is only one planet with living creatures. Like, bruh. They may be in some faraway galaxy, oblivious to our existence as well. So like -(*.*')-
Lots of love,
~Junnie