SERIN
I watched as my father's expression faltered, his mask of authority slipping just enough for me to catch a glimpse of something raw...fear. It was fleeting, but it was there, and I couldn't deny the satisfaction that surged through me at seeing him lose control for once. He looked at me, at Junghyun and Inseo, then at Kairan. For a moment, the room felt like it would crack under the weight of silence.
"I would... appreciate it if you all stayed" he finally said, his words clipped and cautious, before turning on his heel. My mother followed him without a word, her sharp gaze barely sparing us another glance as they exited the room.
I stood frozen for a moment, letting the tension seep out of my body. My father's attempt to hold on to his crumbling control was almost laughable, but his words still rang in my ears. Staying in this house felt like willingly walking into a trap, and I hated every second of it.
"They're scared" Inseo muttered, leaning against the table, his jaw tight. "They don't know what to do now that we've stopped playing their little games."
Before I could respond, Kairan's voice cut through the room, calm and low. "The doors of the main house are closing."
I blinked, turning to face him. He was casually swirling the wine in his glass, but the way his eyes glinted told me he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared. "What?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
"They're locking us in" he said, setting the glass down. "The gates,they've just bolted them all. I can hear the latches."
Of course, he could hear that. Being an enigma meant his senses were sharper than anyone else's. There were so many things about Kairan that I didn't fully understand yet, but I trusted him implicitly. If he said we were locked in, we were locked in.
I laughed bitterly, crossing my arms. "So, they're keeping us here one way or another. What's next? Chains and collars?"
"They'll try" Junghyun said coldly, his lips curling in disdain. "But they've already lost."
"They don't know what else to do" I said, shaking my head. "They can't stand that they don't have control anymore. They're desperate, and desperate people do stupid things."
Taejung, sitting at the far end of the table, spoke up for the first time. His voice was softer than usual, but the weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. "This is why I left" he said, his gaze fixed on the table. "This pack.....it suffocates. They break you down until there's nothing left of who you were, and then they try to rebuild you into their idea of perfection."
His words stung because they were true. My parents had always tried to force me into a mold I was never meant to fit. For years, I fought to keep pieces of myself intact, but I couldn't deny how deeply their expectations had scarred me.
I straightened my shoulders, forcing myself to stand tall. "We're not staying here longer than necessary" I said firmly.
Kairan moved his hand on top of mine, his towering presence grounding me. He lifted my hand, brushing his lips against them in a way that sent warmth rushing through me. "You lead" he said softly, his voice a quiet promise. "I'll follow."
His words made my chest tighten in the best way possible. No matter how dark things got, no matter how heavy the burden felt, I knew he would always stand by me.
_
_
The wineglass trembled in Kairan's hand, the delicate stem looking like it would snap under the pressure of his grip. His expression was unreadable, but the storm brewing behind those molten golden eyes told me everything I needed to know.....he was angry. No, more than angry. Furious.
The maid had left just moments ago, her message about the summons to the main hall lingering in the air like a sour taste. My brothers had already moved ahead with their mates, Junghyun's jaw clenched tight as if Tae's earlier words still lingered in his mind. But Kairan hadn't moved. His possessiveness radiated off him in waves, suffocating and yet intoxicating at the same time.
I stepped closer, gently prying the glass from his hand and setting it down on the table. "What is it?" I asked, keeping my voice soft, though my heart raced at the intensity of his gaze.
His jaw tightened, and he finally looked at me, his eyes flickering with something primal, Hades. His wolf was close to the surface, clawing to be let out. "You don't have a mate mark" he said, his voice low, strained. "He's telling someone about it."
I froze, my breath hitching. "Who?"
He didn't answer, and I realized this wasn't about who...it was about what it meant. He continued, his tone dripping with barely restrained rage. "Hades doesn't like it. I don't like it."
There was more to this. I could feel it in the way he avoided my gaze, the way his hands twitched as if resisting the urge to grab something.....or someone. He had heard something, something he wasn't telling me, and it was tearing him apart inside.
I thought back to what I knew of him. Kairan was unlike any alpha I'd ever known. Alphas were possessive by nature; they claimed their mates as soon as possible, marking them in a show of dominance and control. My own brother, Junghyun, had marked Taejung just fifteen minutes after realizing he was his mate. He'd been an impatient eighteen-year-old alpha faced with a twenty-one-year-old omega, and his wolf hadn't wasted any time. I blame the pent up sexual frustration of years.
But Kairan? He was different. He was an enigma, literally and figuratively. His wolf was Hades, a name that evoked darkness and dominance, and yet he never forced anything on me. He waited, always giving me the space to make my own choices, even if it killed him inside.
And now, he was waiting again. Waiting for me to understand the depth of his anger, his need, and his restraint. My heart ached for him, for the weight he carried in silence, unwilling to burden me with it.
I reached up, my fingers brushing his cheek as I made my decision. Slowly, deliberately, I pulled my hair away from my neck, baring the sensitive skin there to him. His eyes snapped to the exposed area, and for a moment, he looked like he'd stopped breathing.
"Kai" I said, my voice low and steady, though my heart pounded in anticipation. "Mark me."
The air between us shifted, the tension thick enough to drown in. His blue eyes darkened,
"Luna..." His voice was a growl, low and dangerous, and it sent a shiver down my spine. He stepped closer, towering over me, his hand coming up to gently cradle the back of my neck. The gentleness of the touch was at odds with the feral hunger in his gaze. "Do you understand what you're asking for?"
"I do" I whispered, meeting his gaze with unwavering resolve. "I'm yours, Kairan. Completely. Mark me.""
Something in him snapped. His lips crashed against mine, fierce and demanding, yet careful in a way that made my knees weak. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him as his possessiveness bled into every touch, every kiss.
His mouth moved lower, teeth grazing the skin of my neck, and I felt the sharp intake of his breath as he hesitated, even now. "You're mine, Luna" he growled, his voice rough, full of unspoken promises. "No one else will ever question it again."
"Then prove it" I challenged, my voice trembling but steady.
With a low snarl, he bit down, his teeth sinking into my skin with a mix of pain and pleasure that sent a shockwave through my body. My hands clutched at him, nails digging into his shoulders as his mark seared into me, a permanent claim that tied us together in a way nothing else could.
He pulled back, his lips brushing the mark reverently, as if apologizing for the pain. "Mine" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Forever."
"yours" I replied, breathless, my heart swelling with love and desire as I met his gaze. His eyes glowed fiercely, but there was no mistaking the tenderness beneath the dominance.
We stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other, the weight of the world outside fading away. Whatever awaited us in that hall, I knew we would face it together.
The atmosphere in the hall was thick with tension, almost palpable. I could feel it even before we entered, but as the doors opened, the shift in the air became undeniable. It wasn't the first time I had felt this; it was the kind of tension that signaled that something unpleasant was brewing.
Kairan walked beside me, but everything about him screamed ownership, protectiveness, and dominance. Before, he would have lingered slightly behind me, always keeping an eye on me, his presence protective yet subtle. But now? Now, his hand rested firmly on the small of my back, a warm and steady claim that sent shivers down my spine. His eyes scanned the room, cold and calculating, daring anyone to challenge him or look at me the wrong way.
There was no mistaking it anymore...Kairan wanted everyone here to know that I was his. The quiet dominance he exuded was almost suffocating. He didn't have to say a word; the weight of his presence did it for him.
Inside the hall, the usual suspects were seated: my parents, Junghyun, Inseo, and their mates. But there were others, unfamiliar faces that immediately put me on edge. Sitting across the room was a man I vaguely recognized....the son of the leader of pack named Kantar. I had never interacted with him directly, but judging by the way Junghyun's jaw ticked and Taejung's glare promised murder, I could tell something had happened.
Before I could ask, Inseo leaned closer to me, his teeth gritted as he whispered, "Look, Noona, they're Kants." He pronounced the name with such venom it sounded more like a curse.
Junghyun raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a dry smirk. "Did you mean Kantaran?"
Inseo gave the group a slow, deliberate once-over, his eyes narrowing as his lips curled into his usual mischievous grin. "Nope. Kant sounds right to me."
The absurdity of his statement nearly made me laugh, but I quickly bit it back, aware of the sharp gaze of Kairan beside me. He didn't laugh. He didn't even smirk. His focus was on the alpha and the group with him, his eyes narrowed slightly as if calculating their worth...or their threat.
Junghyun's smirk deepened as Taejung muttered under his breath, "Inseo's got a point for once." Tae was leaning casually against Junghyun's side, but his body was coiled tight, ready to spring if needed. There was something about his posture that struck me as different. Usually, Tae was sassy and unbothered, but now he was tense, almost protective, in a way that mirrored Kairan.
"What's going on?" I whispered, my voice low enough that only Kairan could hear.
His hand tightened slightly on my back, his lips brushing my ear as he murmured, "Hades doesn't like them." His tone was calm, but there was an edge to it, a warning.
As if on cue, my dad spoke and it drained the blood completely from my body