Chapter Text
Onew was beyond pissed off at the other. The other being a lanky were-wolf by the name Minho. Onew being a vampire was meant to be the sworn enemy of the other, the pack and the clan’s feud going back generations- not to make it sound like a Romeo and Juliette story. But here Onew was, stood in front of Minho who had Onew as a mate. He had been taken about 6 months before and now they had taken Taemin who was supposedly Jonghyun’s mate. It was driving Onew insane. With a growl, he stalked off towards the cliffs near-by; it was where he always went when he needed to think and when he desperately tried to contact her.
Vampires weren’t monogamous by any means but rarely- extremely- they found a soul mate of sorts, Onew was lucky enough to have found his. But because of this wolf he was taken from her and he resented it. There was one thing he just didn’t understand, and that was just how wolves managed to be monogamous their whole lives, dedicated their bodies, hearts, and souls to one person for their lifetimes. Onew had lived many but most of them were dedicated to her but only after being on the earth for 1200 years, had he found her.
Onew was in the middle of angrily kicking around stones, throwing sticks and trying his hardest not to cry as he knew that despite his distance from the pack they could all hear what he was doing and what he said. Taemin approached him slowly, footsteps quiet and cautious almost as if he feared frightening Onew away. When the younger was finally stood side by side with him, he opened his mouth and in a quiet voice he said,
“She never stopped looking, hyung, every day she would go out and scour the woods for any sign of you. Any semblance of hope. She never gave up, even when everyone else did.” With a hand now on Onew’s shoulder he could feel the other silently sobbing, Taemin knew he missed her, they had been insperable and the love that radiated between them was something the young vampire had never seen before.
“Thank you, I wish I could go back even if only to say goodbye” Onew responded regret hanging heavy in his words as well as love and longing. With a sigh the older turned to go back to the pack; now ready to face them again, they had probably heard every word said and every meaning behind those spoken words. Onew wasn’t sorry they had heard.
Another month had gone by when Onew felt it. The link snapping back into place and what he heard wasn’t pleasant. It was a scream of his name. Onew’s mind was barely awake but his body was more than awake and he knew that Taemin had heard it as well. He met the other on the outskirts of the ring of tents.
“So how did you want to do this, hyung?” Taemin questioned concern written in his eyes as his own thoughts span a plan in his own head.
“I’m not sure, but we need to find her.” Onew murmured as his feet took him forward each foot fall getting faster as desperation, hope and longing bloomed in his chest.
It didn’t take them long once they caught her sent in the wind, the pair ended up at the perfect circular clearing. They watched on from the shadows as the two vampires in the middle fought- Leo and her. Brother and sister now battling.
“Why would you do this! You knew what you were doing” She all but screamed at him as once again she landed a kick square in his chest that sent him backwards few feet.
“You know why I have to! Please sister just take the bags and go. Take them and don’t come back.” Leo said as the ground seemingly shook with the force the two leeches rushed each other. It wasn’t long until the fight came to an unspoken end, with Leo turning his back on his sister for the last time. He left her stood in the clearing tears in her eyes. Not only had she lost her king, her other half but she had also lost her younger brother.
That was when Onew and Taemin emerged from the shadows in which they were previously hidden. The two boys knew the wolves had followed their scent, they had been gone too long.
“Noona…” Taemin cautiously called out walking slightly in front of Onew. The surprise on her face as the pair came into view was beautiful and it broke Onews heart to see what was once a strong woman was now a scared young girl who had nowhere to go anymore.
“Taeminnie! I’ve missed you” She murmured, her eyes shining with tears that were yet to fall. She welcomed the younger into her arms, into an embrace meant for long lost relatives. Before she slowly pulled away and cupped Taemin’s face looking deep into his eyes. All the while Onew watched on from afar not wanting to intrude on the moment taking place,
“You’ve grown up so much” She said and looked passed Taemin, her blue eyes landing on Onew. She walked away from the blonde and straight into her mates’ arms. Taemin knew when he was intruding and went to stand with the wolves that had long since appeared but surprisingly were only watching the intimate scene before them, absently Taemin wiped his eyes. He hadn’t even realised he was crying in the first place.
She wrapped her arms around Onews neck and buried her face in his neck as Onews arms slowly found the power to move and wrapped like a vice around her small waist.
“Ji Hye, Angel, you don’t understand how much I have missed you these past months!” He said into her hair as a teary smile worked its way onto his lips.
“I missed you as well! I never stopped looking” Ji Hye said her eyes scanning over Onew in front of her as she took a step back. He was clad in a beautiful black suit, one that she recognised, it was the one that she had forced him to buy 2 weeks before he disappeared.
Taemin with the wolves struggled to placate an angered Minho as he watched the scene unfold. As far as Minho was concerned Onew was his and always would be.
“I thought you said Vampires don’t have mates?” Jonghyun asked the blonde who had an arm around Minho just in case.
“They don’t, at least it is exceedingly rare, those two were an exception, they were to rule the clan together. They would have done a good job as well.” Taemin clarified a hint of sadness in his voice as he thought back to when the pair had married the first time.
Ji Hye walked to the tree line leaving Onew stood expectantly in the centre of the clearing while she grabbed three bags from where she had managed to hide them quickly. She handed two of them to Onew while the other she left at her feet.
“I thought you might appreciate a few things, the other one is for Taemin” She murmured a hint of sadness in her voice, Ji Hye knew their time together was almost up. Onew nodded sadly eyes watching the girl in front of him, he had spent so many of the past months resenting Minho for taking him and now he truly understood the meaning of the saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder. She went to walk away from him and he couldn’t let her go just yet. Wrapping an arm around her lithe waist he placed a messy open mouthed kiss on her lips, hoping that all the emotions he felt, reached her, so she could understand how much he was hurting and how much he loved her. Once they pulled away, faces mere centimetres apart, his arms around her and her own arms around his neck. Onew knew the wolves were watching but in this moment with her in his arms once again he couldn’t bring himself to care, even if the world was to end in that moment. Onew wouldn’t have cared.
“Do you remember our vows?” He asked voice quiet and slow, a small dreamy smile on his lips.
“Of course, I do, Onew. That was stupid question” She answered voice equally as quiet as she was seemingly unaware of the silent audience that surrounded them. They were lost in each other and as Taemin had thought before, their love for each other radiated like the sun from the pair.
“I will be by your side, I promise. Your world will never darken, for I will be your light. I love you, my queen” He began with a kiss to her lips and ended with one. Onew felt at peace now, he could finally face the world he had been running from.
“Your eyes will never dim, for I will be your hope. I love you, my king. Together or apart, I will always be by your side” JI Hye responded immediately and punctuated I the exact same as Onew did. Then at the same time they lost themselves in each other’s eyes as they murmured in sync,
“For I love you always. Here’s to our eternity…” By the time, they reached the last syllable tears were racing down their cheeks. With one last kiss they broke part, she beckoned the audience forward and Taemin was the first one by her side, wrapping her in a hug. Tearfully she pulled away, her eyes never leaving Onew.
“I’ve had my eternity with you. I don’t mind letting you have a life time without me. We have many more ahead of us and if you don’t want to find me, then I won’t be mad. I could never be mad at you, my king, my love, my heart. You have all of me and you always will.” She picked her bag up, wiped her face of the tears that were still falling as Minho took his place behind Onew. With a sad smile on her rose red lips, she turned waved goodbye to Taemin and blew a kiss to Onew.
“Goodbye my King.” Ji Hye said sadness dripping from her voice as her feet carried her away from the group, where she was going she didn’t know yet. Ji Hye just had to leave, all ties to her and the area had been severed and taken; she had no reason to stick around.
“Goodbye my Queen.” Onew said albeit quietly but he knew it had reached her ears when she nodded and her shoulder shook with silent sobs. He turned towards Taemin who also had tear tracks down his pale cheeks. That was it. The princess and now queen had walked from their lives, if only for a matter of years. But no one knew what the future held. Maybe their paths will cross once more but then again maybe they won’t.
With a sigh, Onew bent and clasped the bags at his feet, he was aware of Minho behind him but was in no mood to acknowledge the wolf who ripped everything he knew away from him. He handed one bag to Taemin as he stood up straight, a dreamy, sad smile on his lips. Minho reached out to take hold of the smaller vampire, his wolf wanting to scent Onew and get rid of the girls smell that was on his mate. Onew shook out of the wolfs hold a glare in his eyes, so strong that Minho flinched as if he had been slapped.
“This is your fault, Wolf” Onew said with as much venom as he could manage with his voice cracking due to the tears still running down his face. He walked around the wolf and towards the pack who parted easily for him to pass through, though the incessant whispers among them were picked up by his ear. He held his head high and strode with an air of confidence back to his cliffs, he wanted to be alone, he needed to be alone. He needed to be able to fall, to crumble so that what he planned to do.
Back at the cliffs once again, Onew opened the bag and the first thing he saw was a piece of paper with Ji Hye’s messy scrawl on it, it read: My love, I don’t know if giving you these things is a good thing or not, but nonetheless I hope you treasure them. They always were important to you. Little mementos of us throughout the ages and throughout the life times we spent together. Onew wetted the paper with yet more tears, absently he thought he had cried more today than he had most of his life times. Having lived for so long he stopped getting attached so easily he thought.
Meanwhile Taemin made the trek back to camp with the wolves, several questions floated his way on the delicate breeze but he answered none as he strode out in front, shutting himself off from the pack. His hands clasped the bag as if it were a life line, the last thing tethering him to his humanity. Taemin’s mind wandered back to when he was first turned.