[JIMINIE]
"What the fuck?" So Hee asked, and this time, she was furious, but not at Jiminie.
"That's not the answer I need, So Hee-ah. We both know that someone else is with my mate in the palace. If I am to endure this kind of pain for as long as I live, then I at least deserve to know why the fuck Ming Chang Zhu is coming for my people," Jiminie said.
He was done standing on the sidelines and hoping for Agust to come home. Last evening was all the proof he needed to know that the man was coming and Agust had fallen back; which could only be to protect Jiminie.
As unfortunate as it had all seemed at the time, even with the pain he was feeling right now, this was all the proof that Jiminie needed to know that Agust was once again trying to push him away.
Maybe if he got hurt enough time, Jiminie would have enough of the pain and choose to reject the man, which was not as hurtful to their bond anyway, but Jiminie was a man in love and hell was not going to come between him and his mate.
He had long made his choice and accepted whatever was coming for him, so he wasn't even scared of that reality. He would fight, until his last breath. He would fight for his love and his people and he would fight anyone who stood in his way then.
"I don't know what you're talking about," So Hee said dismissively and Jiminie stared at her, his face blank and cold while he waited for her to correct herself. She may have been the enforcer of the Lycan king, but here in this territory, she could easily mean nothing.
She was technically nothing to Jiminie, but then they had to work with the reality of Agust seeding her here to keep Jiminie safe. It was not a long shot, but Jiminie's patience was a thing for the old books. He had a short fuse with everyone save for Agust.
"Even if you look at me like you are now, that won't change. I don't know what you're talking about. Can you please leave and let me wallow in my loneliness as the only Alycia in this pack, please?" So Hee pleaded and Jiminie chuckled darkly.
He had been played by the Lycans for a while now and it seemed that each time, they kept forgetting that he was the alpha. And not just any alpha; he was the most powerful werewolf alpha in the realm.
Maybe So Hee needed a reminder, right? Or maybe this was just her way of trying to keep her promise to Agust about making sure Jiminie was safe. But even then, was it worth pissing Jiminie off?
"I see. We can do this the easy way like civilized people, or we can do it the hard way, and I have a feeling the hard way will piss you off more than it will piss me off," Jiminie said and So He scowled at him.
He was threatening her, giving her an ultimatum, which is something she had never been given by a wolf, much less one that was in so much danger right now. Maybe Jiminie needed to be tied up, right?
Because what the fuck was even going on right now?
"Oh, yeah? And what would the hard way be?" So Hee asked disinterestedly. It is like she was sure that Jiminie wouldn't do anything to put his people in danger. Of course, that was a given, but then with Jiminie, there was no telling what to expect.
The man could do whatever he wanted and the people of Kiyoto would follow him without asking any questions. Maybe it was because they were loyal to him, and trusted him with their lives, but would Jiminie fuck that up?
"You can just wait and see. But first, are you sure we can't do this like civilized people? It will save both of us time and mental strain. I know for certain if we get to the hard way no one will be left out of the mental torture.
"Again, are you sure we can't be civilized?" Jiminie asked with a smile and that creeped So Hee. For a moment, So Hee considered coming clean and getting Jiminie to know what the horrors of Ming Chang Zhu were, but it was too risky.
Jiminie was meant to be safe, to be protected, and to be kept away from the chaos of the Mings. It was not much for the Lycan, but for the werewolves, it would be a prison, especially for Jiminie. Maybe he just had to stop, right?
"I will not be bullied into letting you do whatever you think is the best for you," So Hee insisted and Jiminie let out laugh, one that remained So Hee that this was the time that the civilization adoption went out of the choice list.
"Well then, let it be known that I tried the easy way and you refused to tell me shit," Jiminie chuckled before he began walking away, leaving So Hee staring at the nurses that were constantly forming on his body.
That shit hurt, a lot. It was driving Jiminie crazy and the jealousy he was feeling was driving him nuts. He just couldn't let So Hee see that it was affecting him. He didn't want to be protected, but damn Agust for hurting him like this.
Couldn't the man even take a break and see for himself that all of this was hurting the man he loved? Or was that just something that they could play around with like the universe didn't mean shit to them?
"Jiminie—" So Hee began when she saw the marks increasing. She could feel her chest tightening at the sore sight and she wished she could make it better for Jiminie. She hated to see this happening, but then there weren't that many options for her, right?
"Agust's pet, Jung Hyuk is at the palace, isn't he? That's why you're here, to make up for any dumb shit that happens there... He's the one doing this to me, to lay his claim and remind me that I won't ever have Agust, no?
"But then he isn't at the gates of Kiyoto; and for some reason, he won't be coming. I suppose he doesn't know that Xiao Xiao bears my mark, does he, So Hee-ah?" Jiminie asked and So Hee paled.
She had never thought that Jiminie would be this well-informed. If she didn't know any better about the battle between the wolves and the Lycans, she would have thought that the wolves had a spy in the royal court.
It was the only possible explanation for the information Jiminie had because there was no way in hell that Agust would ever let Jiminie know that someone was coming, much less Chang Zhu or even that Jung Hyuk was in the palace.
Who the hell was this werewolf alpha, and what information did he have access to?
"You—"
"Don't insult my intelligence and lie to me about the man in my mate's bed, So Hee. So, you can tell me about Ming Chang Zhu, or I will walk towards Chang Zhu and ask him myself why he wants me," Jiminie said calmly as he held So Hee's shocked stare.