[PARK]
Nothing was going right, that much Jiminie knew of. He was the alpha of his pack and was supposed to be the strongest of werewolves, yet two weeks after the interaction with Agust, Jiminie was hurdled in his room.
No one heard from him or even saw him. Most of his pack members assumed that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because he had been kidnapped by the psychotic Lycan king.
His mother hadn't come back since he kicked her out and while Jiminie was running the pack, the only communication he had with his mother was through the mind links. Every other thing that needed his attention was left at his door every morning.
No one knew what was going on in the alpha's mind and no one would tell, really. Just him and him alone, but he hadn't been himself. He didn't even know what was happening to him in the first place.
"Mimi… Open the door, son," Luna Park tried again today. She always came to do this every morning in the hope that she would be able to see her son. But then each time he sent her away. It was like he didn't want to do anything anymore.
Luna was expecting her son to tell her to leave him alone, however, when the door to the alpha's room opened and Luna Park got a glimpse of her son, she wasn't sure if she needed to be happy or if she needed to be worried.
There was a dead stench coming from the room, but the man coming out of the room looked nothing like the stench there. If anything, he looked like the alpha Kiyoto had known for years on end.
He looked better and brighter, even though his eyes weren't a reflection of what he looked like. His eyes were dull, bored, and lonely. If Luna didn't know any better, she would have assumed that her son was missing someone.
Then again, Jiminie hadn't introduced anyone to her, or even mentioned any mate bond that could have him in that state. However, the Luna decided not to prod, because there was no telling what the heck would happen now.
"Mimi?" Luna Park said as she took in the sight before her.
"Do you need something, Mother? I have to be in the office to tend to some things, before addressing the pack," Jiminie said and Luna Park just stared in silence.
She wasn't sure what to say really, so she just moved to the side and watched as her son grabbed the documents on the floor and made his way to his office. Of the things that scared Luna Park, a cold Jiminie was at the top of the list.
"Tell the servants to come and clean this room, Tang," Luna Park said to his key warrior, and enforcer, Lee Tang. He was easily what many would consider Jiminie's best friend and as he stood there he couldn't help but hope for brighter days.
"Yes, Luna," Tang said, before leaving the Luna too.
Three hours later, the alpha's room was clean, the alpha was ready with his address and the luna was still worried for his son, while Lee Tang was watching his best friend in silence, wondering what the fuck had happened to him.
"Is everything ready for the address, Tang-a?" Jiminie asked and his enforcer looked at him worried. It had been a while since the alpha had been this cold and honestly, it was creeping him out.
"Are you okay, Jiminie? If you're not feeling well we can postpone the address. You haven't been signed in weeks and all of this just doesn't make any sense," Tang said and Jiminie sighed defeatedly.
Of course, he knew how absurd this looked but he was done staying on the sidelines. He needed to do something and keep himself busy, because if he didn't, he would be trapped in the cycle of Agust's smile, and Agust's protection.
He would be trapped in the love that was so forbidden and a fate that he couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried to. He belonged to Agust, his body, mind, and soul was functioning just for the barbaric devil of a Lycan King.
Jiminie knew he would want to meet the king soon, but he was fighting it off.
He refused to be reduced to just the Lycan king's mate. He had a name, and as long as he was still on this side of the boundary, he would make sure to be what his people expected. And that was their alpha.
"I am. Come on, let's go. And don't worry too much, it's not like Agust will come and kidnap me this time," Jiminie said, adding the last bit ever slowly but his best friend had heard him.
There was so much that had been left unsaid between the best friends and while it would take a while for them to get over what had happened, Lee Tang could only hope that Jiminie was okay.
He knew that man way better than anyone else and if there was something that needed their attention they would have to face it one way or the other.
"Okay, let's face this," Tang said, unsure of what he was supposed to say.
His best friend had been hurt one too many times and it seemed like there was no surety that everything would be alright. Even then, they could simply wait and hope that the realm would not be unbearable for Jiminie again.
Walking outside the pack house, Jiminie was nervous. He had been away from his people for a while and when he finally came home he had hidden himself. It wasn't something that they could just ignore.
The Alpha was suffering, but hadn't Jiminie always been in that state for a while? Agust coming into his life had just magnified the horrors that Jiminie had to live with and through.
To many it was worrying because they weren't sure if the alpha was in the right state of mind to be leading them. They wanted to let him have some time alone, but the longer Jiminie stayed away from his reality the more he was inclined to lean towards Agust.
"Greetings, Kiyoto," Jiminie greeted when he got to the waiting wolves who looked anxious even more than he was for the address. Maybe this was the hardest part, right? But then what of the possible attacks by the Lycans?
Jiminie had immense anxiety but then that didn't matter as much. He had come out to show them that he was still their alpha and they didn't have to worry about intimidation from the Lycans or any others that wanted to attack them.
They were powerful.
"I know you'll have questions about what is next for us, now that my father is dead. I will not try and coat things for you. We're not in the right position for this, but then it is a truth we must face and a reality we must brace for.
"The Lycans are coming, harder than they ever did. They will try their best to prove that me surviving the Lycan king wasn't possible. They will try to prove to themselves that they are always going to be superior to us wolves.
"It is an unfortunate truth, but a truth nonetheless. Which is why, I am here," Jiminie said and the wolves looked at him. What the fuck did he even mean by that? What was going to happen to them and their home?
Most of the wolves had come to Kiyoto to seek refuge and undeniably, the number of the Kiyoto wolves had increased significantly in the past five years. It was because they had trust in the reigning alpha, Park Jimin.
They knew that he would stand up for them, so why did they feel like the alpha was about to give them the worst news today?
"I will give all of you a choice," Jiminie began and gasps were heard around the pack.