Archive of Our Own

The heat was unbearable that summer. The sun shone high above, revealing the late afternoon hour, and alongside it were the members of the pack, carrying out their usual tasks.

Yudai brought the axe down with a single strike, splitting the wood in front of him. His bare torso fully felt the sun’s rays, and with the effort, his muscles tensed. He paused only for a moment to wipe the sweat from his face with a rag, turning his head when he heard an irritated growl behind him.

Sunghoon was approaching with more logs to chop, but his eyes were fixed elsewhere on the grounds. Following his gaze, the elder saw what he was growling at. Jungwon was laughing with Jay about something the dark-haired boy had said, and was helping him wipe the sweat from his brow, since Park’s hands were full of dirt.

“If you keep growling like that, they’ll think you’re a wolf,” he commented playfully when his younger companion dropped the logs at his feet and bared his teeth in annoyance.

Yudai raised his hands in mock surrender, a teasing smile on his lips.

“I don’t get why we have to do this in the middle of summer,” Euijoo complained as he arrived in a foul mood, which had recently become his default state. He dropped the deer carcass next to the firewood and ran a hand over his bare torso, trying to “clean” the blood off — a mission impossible, considering his hands were also stained. “I mean, I know why we do it, but why in summer?”

“I don’t know, you’re the alpha, you tell us,” Sunghoon said, still not taking his eyes off the two vampires who kept laughing and planting.

The explanation was actually simple: provisions for the winter. They were not a typical pack, so they lived far from society, where no one would stare at them for being a mixed-blood group.

They lived deep in a forest, in a mansion that had once belonged to their former alpha leader. Giri had died some time ago, but he was still fondly remembered. He was Yudai’s older brother — that’s how the pack had started. At first, it was just the two of them. Then Euijoo arrived, badly injured, along with his partner, Nicholas. Their previous pack had beaten them for being “freaks.” Apparently, some packs still didn’t accept all forms of love, even among fated mates, so they fled — and that’s how they came to the house. Then came Taki, a lost pup who had seen vampires massacre his parents and escaped with the help of his older sister, who sacrificed herself to save him. Taki’s real name was Riki, but with more Rikies arriving later, they had to come up with nicknames. Yudai was heartbroken by Taki’s state and took him under his wing — they became nearly inseparable.

After a time of peace, chaos returned — this time in the form of vampires. Heeseung arrived at the house by accident during winter, when hunting was difficult, carrying a severely malnourished Niki in his arms. Euijoo was the one who helped them, and despite Taki’s protests, Giri and Yudai were the first to offer their blood to heal them. Taki couldn’t object for long — when Niki opened his eyes and they locked gazes, the younger wolf imprinted on him. It was a shock to see the youngest member of the pack find his fated mate, but they were happy for him. Still, Taki kept his distance from the two vampires for a long time before learning to trust them.

A few weeks later, Fuma arrived with his younger brother Harua and a wolf-vampire hybrid, Sunghoon. The imprinting between Fuma and Yudai was surprising, but they both took it calmly. They explained that the two wolves were half-brothers, and Sunghoon had been a hybrid kept captive by his cruel pack for entertainment. So they rescued him and the three escaped together, traveling for months—maybe longer—until they reached the forest and decided to stay with the pack. Not that they had a choice — the distance would’ve broken Yudai and Fuma the moment they met.

The next to join were Maki and Sunoo. Sunoo was a fledgling vampire, whom Maki had helped during his travels, and from then on, they had journeyed together. Nicholas and Giri were the first to see them, as they were doing work outside the house. Maki had approached with a bright smile and exclaimed, “We’ve arrived!” Apparently, the young wolf was a seer and had seen them all in his dreams. He’d searched for them for months, following the moon’s guidance. It also wasn’t a coincidence that he had rescued Sunoo from vampire hunters and helped him gain control. Sunoo was a bit resistant to everything, especially when Maki and Harua imprinted on each other. Apparently, the vampire had developed some feelings for the youngest wolf, but after forming a solid friendship with Taki and Niki, he adjusted — though he still held a bit of resentment toward Harua and continued seeking Maki’s attention from time to time.

Sunoo’s resentment lasted until Jay and Jungwon arrived. That winter day, everyone was inside the house when an overexcited Maki ran around shouting, “They’re here! They arrived!” as he dragged Sunoo and Sunghoon outside. In the white snow stood two vampires holding hands, looking a bit lost and tired. Maki seemed to recognize them, although they didn’t recognize him — but the surprise came when Sunghoon recognized one of them. He ran to hug Jay, and both cried in the snow upon reuniting. Later they shared that they had been best friends since childhood, but when Sunghoon was sold by his family to a circus, Jay couldn’t do much to help — mainly because he found out the next day and his coven leader kept him imprisoned to prevent a rescue attempt. Jay met Jungwon after escaping. Yang Jungwon was a vampire prince without a coven, which didn’t bother him — he was older than most and used to solitude. Jay fell in love at first sight, according to him, and after much persistence and chasing him everywhere, Yang softened and returned his feelings. However, their romance didn’t last long within the pack. Sunghoon seemed to have a weakness for the vampire prince and fell for him quickly. No one really understood how imprinting worked for a wolf-vampire hybrid, but that’s what they believed it was. Jungwon tried hard not to hurt Jay, but he couldn’t resist. It wasn’t betrayal — Yang ended things with Jay before starting anything with Sunghoon — but something still broke between the three of them. In Jay’s despair, Sunoo arrived. Like a ray of sunshine, he lit up the somber vampire. After much innocent flirting and time to heal, Park decided to give love another shot, fully trusting his heart to Kim.

The same situation happened again with Maki. One day, he simply asked Nicholas and Heeseung for help and disappeared for days, leaving only a note: “Sorry for leaving like this. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Please prepare more rooms. We love you. XO, Maki.” Saying Harua and Euijoo were mad was an understatement. It took a lot of effort and patience from Yudai, Fuma, and Giri to keep the two from going out after them. Niki also tried to follow Heeseung, but the younger vampire was easier to convince than the wolf couple. Two weeks later, they returned with three boys in tow. Heeseung was the first to arrive, carrying a gravely wounded wolf boy at vampiric speed. With no time to explain, he asked Euijoo, Fuma, and Giri to help save him. Hours later, Maki and Nicholas arrived. Nicholas dropped an almost lifeless human on the couch and dragged Jungwon over. Maki gently set another boy—also a wolf—on a couch and told the prince seriously that he had to turn the human. Jungwon refused. He had never liked turning humans, as it created a bond with his new fledglings. The young wolf told him the moon had said so — in his visions, the human was a vampire and Jungwon was the leader of them all. It was his duty to save his coven. The prince wasn’t fond of Maki’s usual moon-based manipulation, but he knew the wolf’s visions always came true, and Jungwon had lived long enough to know you don’t mess with the moon. So he turned him. Hours later, with all three safe, they learned who they were: Yuma and Jo were a mated pair of wolves, victims of hunters and sold to scientists. They met in the lab and imprinted on each other — this fascinated the deranged scientists, who experimented on them for months until Maki, Heeseung, and Nicholas rescued them. Jake was the name of the new vampire — just a human captured as a child to be raised for vampire breeding. Apparently, the lab and breeding center were in the same facility, so he met the wolves there and promised to help. That’s when the others arrived. A fight broke out between scientists and guards, and Jake, being only human and helping “abominations,” got more hurt than anyone.

The pack didn’t grow after that. Maki’s visions calmed to simpler things, and the seventeen of them formed a beautiful family. Until, years later, their alpha died.

The most devastated one was clearly Yudai. Giri had been his older brother and a father figure for as long as he could remember. He died suddenly — one day he went out to hunt and never came back. When they realized it was getting late, they went out looking for him. When they found him, he was barely alive. The hunters had found him, and he had tried to lead them as far from the pack as possible. In his final moments, he had shifted into his human form, and the hunters abandoned him — a wolf without fur was worth nothing.

Luckily, they managed to say goodbye to their alpha. Amidst tears and promises to take care of the pack, to everyone’s surprise — everyone but Yudai — Giri’s last words were directed at Euijoo.

“I knew it would be you the moment I saw you. Take care of our family, Alpha.”
Those were Giri’s last words.

Euijoo was in shock — it was truly a master-level plot twist. Everyone thought that if something happened to Giri, Yudai would be the successor. He looked more like a leader than Euijoo himself, who couldn’t believe it. But as soon as their alpha passed, Euijoo began to feel the change. It started with his scent — it grew stronger and also changed for everyone. He no longer smelled only of mandarins — now he smelled like mandarins, home, and safety — the scents every alpha adopts to protect their pack.

Yudai was the first to smile and show support for the new alpha. Despite the recent loss, he knew that accepting Euijoo as their leader would bring peace to his brother. The others followed immediately, and even the vampires — who weren’t particularly bound to wolf customs — bared their necks in a sign of loyalty.

And since then, there were sixteen in their small but warm pack.

Back to the present — things had been a little... tense in the pack, to put it lightly.

By now, they were all capable and mature adults, but for some reason, there was tension in the house. Maybe it was the heat — Yudai didn’t know.

“I know you don’t want to do all this in winter. Besides, hunting’s easier now. We need supplies in advance,” Yudai responded to Sunghoon’s sarcasm as he chopped another piece of wood.

Euijoo tilted his head back, exasperated. A silent Nicholas appeared behind the alpha and picked up the deer without a word, heading to the side of the house where Sunoo was waiting. The vampire was watching the scene with the same irritated look as Sunghoon. As soon as Nicholas arrived, they began skinning the animal and rationing the meat. Taki joined them a while later to help. They looked like they were taking their anger out on the poor carcass.

This was the kind of tension they were talking about.

As the alpha, Euijoo felt he had more responsibilities than he actually did. He seemed to be carrying the entire weight of everything on his shoulders, trying to fill a space that didn’t really need filling. That had caused some strain in his relationship with Nicholas. It’s not like they could break up — they were made for each other — but the older wolf was a bit stubborn, and if his partner wasn’t giving him attention, he wasn’t going to beg for it either.

Sunoo and Jay had also had their clashes. Sunoo was lively, cheerful, and affectionate — qualities that had made Jay fall for him — but lately, he seemed a bit overwhelmed by the younger vampire’s constant attention. He didn’t return the affection. When Sunoo wanted to spend more time together, Jay made excuses or just said no. Sunoo boiled with rage when he noticed all the attention he wasn’t getting was instead going to Jungwon. Maybe he wouldn’t be so paranoid if Jay and Jungwon didn’t have a past together.

Sunghoon was just as irritated. Normally, he couldn’t be separated from Jungwon for more than a moment, but suddenly, Jungwon was spending more time with Jay and wasn’t even touching him when they slept. Though part of Sunghoon knew it was his fault — he shouldn’t have called him “attention-starved” during one of their fights caused by the hybrid’s jealousy. Since then, Yang had been acting strange.

“The moon has been very quiet lately,” Maki said out of nowhere as he arrived.
He dropped a basket full of fruit beside them and looked up at the sky, where the moon’s silhouette was already rising.

They were used to the youngest member’s oddities, but it still startled them how quietly he moved.

“For the Moon’s sake, Riki! Make some noise, would you?” Euijoo complained, clutching his chest.

Maki pressed his lips together and smiled at the leader — without showing his teeth.

Maki had also been acting strange lately. It was normal for the youngest to be hyperactive and mischievous. He was always smiling and showing affection to everyone — sometimes he seemed more like a puppy than a wolf. But these days, he had been quiet. He no longer dragged Harua, Taki, and Niki into his mischief, and the place felt a little gloomier because of it. He no longer smiled that big, joyful smile that was so characteristically his.

“Fuma wants to know what you all want for dinner,” Jo arrived to ask.
Unlike Maki, they did hear him coming, so no one was startled.

Speaking of that... Maki huffed under his breath and left again. Taking the basket, he headed to the storage shed.

“What’s up with him?” Byun asked, confused, watching the younger boy’s silhouette walk away.

“Whatever he decides is fine,” Yudai replied to the newcomer.

Jo shrugged and returned to the house in silence.

“They’ve been acting like this for days,” Sunghoon added, placing another log in front of Yudai.

Maki had been acting strange around Jo. Out of nowhere, he just started ignoring him and growling when he saw him. At the same time, he also pulled away a bit from Harua — no longer seeking affection, and even sleeping on the living room couch. He had started spending more time with Yuma. Both of them seemed to know something the others didn’t. That also caused tension in Jo’s relationship with Yuma. Whatever Maki had told the boy, it caused something negative toward his partner. Everyone knew how proud Harua and Jo were about their relationship, so things felt tense around those four.

“I want to know what’s going on between you and Fuma.”
Yudai’s shoulders tensed, and his movements stopped when another guest arrived.
Niki bit into an apple, raising an eyebrow at the elder.

The vampire had a basket full of them. They didn’t necessarily need human food to survive, but they liked the taste, and it helped keep their stomachs full until the next time they drank blood — which they tried to do less frequently, especially when the options were either animals that needed to eat or pack members who could only give blood every so often without getting sick.

Yudai went back to chopping, though still stiff.

“What about you and Taki? I’ve noticed you barely look at each other,” he countered, trying to divert the attention away from himself.

Niki shrugged and took another bite.

“We want to have sex but neither of us wants to be the bottom, so we fought. Now it’s awkward,” he answered as if it were nothing.
The log Sunghoon was carrying dropped from his hands, and his mouth opened comically.
Euijoo blushed and started coughing, looking away.
Yudai, surprised, missed the wood completely, and the axe hit the ground, sticking into the dirt.

“I don’t know why you’re all so shocked. It was going to happen eventually. Harua and Maki are younger and until a few days ago, they were like rabbits.”

“There are things I don’t want to know,” Euijoo muttered, covering his ears and shaking his head.

“Neither do we, but you and Nicholas are super loud too — though we haven’t heard anything in months. No wonder Nicho’s been in a bad mood with everyone,” Niki continued, finishing his apple.

“He has a point,” Sunghoon agreed, picking the log back up.
Euijoo was still red — at that point, they didn’t know if it was from the damn sun or his embarrassment.

“But I answered your question, now answer mine. What’s going on with Fuma?”
Yudai felt the attention shift back to him.

The eldest sighed and lifted the axe effortlessly, splitting another log in half.

“I told him I love him and he didn’t respond.”
Everyone stared at him in silence.

"Well, that's more awkward than deciding who bottoms," Niki conceded, chuckling quietly.

Euijoo shot him a disapproving look.

"It's not funny, Nishimura. It hurts a wolf more than you think when their destined mate doesn't return their feelings."

Niki raised his hands in surrender, giving the older male an apologetic smile. Yudai shook his head, indicating it was okay.

"It’s just that since then, my wolf twists up every time he sees him — like he's been beaten. So I try not to look. It hurts less when he’s not in sight."
He sighed and finished his task.

"I’ve noticed how he looks at you. He loves you. He just..." Sunghoon tried to comfort him, though he didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

"Not enough, I guess," Yudai finished for him.
He wiped his sweat again and threw the rag over his shoulder.

"That’s not what Sunghoon meant," Euijoo bit his lip, clearly distressed.
"We’ve all seen that he loves you. But it’s the same with Harua — he has trouble expressing what he feels."

"You don’t have to make excuses for him, Juju. I know both his virtues and his flaws. But that won’t make it hurt any less."
He gave a small, hollow smile and ruffled his damp hair.

"You’re all so dumb," the youngest spoke again with a sigh.
The others looked at him, confused — only to notice that Niki was staring at a point in the forest. The three of them followed his gaze to see Jake hurrying into the house, and Heeseung stopping only to angrily kick a stone along the path.

"He looks so pathetic. They’ve been dancing around each other for months, and Jake still won’t give in."

Heeseung and Jake weren’t “anything” — or at least, that’s what Jake said every time someone asked about their relationship. But it was obvious to everyone that they were in love. Jake just refused to do anything about it. It made sense, considering the environment he grew up in — the slaughterhouse where kids were taught what was "right," and apparently, two men loving each other didn’t fit into those narrow minds.

Jake was great and likable. He had no problems with anyone in the pack — or with couples either. In fact, he was super close to Sunghoon, Jay, Nicholas, and especially Jungwon. He seemed to share a brain cell with Niki most of the time and liked spending time with Sunoo, just listening to him talk. He had no issues with public displays of affection, and he even seemed to enjoy being spoiled with hugs and hair caresses.

The problem was that he was attracted to another man.

Maki always smiled mysteriously whenever he saw the two of them and would say, "Time just needs time." Whatever that meant.

"Heeseung doesn’t beg more only because the floor isn’t low enough to drag himself along it," Sunghoon commented, shaking his head.

"Honestly — no offense — it’s kind of pathetic," Euijoo added with a shrug.

Right then, Heeseung shot them a look and flipped them off. Right. Super hearing. He’d heard them call him pathetic and clingy.
…Not that they were wrong.

Suddenly, everyone tensed. Those still working stood upright, and those inside came out quickly. Euijoo tensed his shoulders and stepped forward, ready to face what was coming as their alpha.

A strange scent was drawing closer. It wasn’t unpleasant — just unfamiliar. And strange. It smelled like cinnamon apple pie and... human.
Humans didn’t usually have specific scents. They just smelled like... humans.

Seconds later, the scent had a face.

A young woman emerged from between the trees. Her long yellow hair cascaded down her back. She held a basket in her hands, and a deep purple and black cloak draped over her shoulders to the ground — odd, considering the heat. She had a tired expression on her face and wobbled slightly as she saw them.

"Whoa there, Big Bad Wolf — I’m not Red Riding Hood," she said, raising one hand, clearly nervous, though she smiled gently at Euijoo.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? This is our territory," Euijoo growled, baring his teeth.

"You’ve got a... unique pack," the woman said, glancing around at the wolves and vampires.
Her eyes lingered a bit longer on Jungwon, then on Maki.
"My name is Aruna. I got off track while walking to visit my wife," she said with a shy smile.

Everyone relaxed a bit. There was nothing threatening about the woman — in fact, she radiated such a calm aura that it felt comforting.

"I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but now that I’ve stopped, I’m a little thirsty. Could I have some water, please?" she asked politely, bowing her head and exposing her neck — a gesture of respect and submission.

To everyone’s surprise, it was Yuma who approached her with a glass of water already in hand — as if he’d prepared it before she asked.

"Here you go, ma’am," he said shyly — a tone so unlike the rebellious Yuma that it shocked everyone.

The woman laughed heartily and accepted the glass with thanks.

"Ma’am? Oh please, child, I know I look older, but 'ma’am' feels like too much," she said playfully.
She drank the water in one go and smiled again.

"Sorry. It’s just... you look like my mother," Yuma said, blushing.

More than the gesture, it was the words that stunned them. Yuma never talked about his family before the lab.

"And you look a lot like one of my sons," she replied tenderly, touching her own stomach and caressing it.
"My children are adorable. My wife says I spoil them too much, that’s why they’re so rebellious. But I think she’s just a little jealous — she knows I’d choose them over her any day. How could I not? They came from me."
She laughed again, covering her mouth with one hand.

Maki, unnoticed, had made his way to Yuma’s side, watching the woman curiously.

"Have we met before?" he asked, frowning.

"I don’t know. Have we?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere..." he looked her up and down carefully.

"Don’t flirt with me, kid. I’m a committed woman," she teased, and Maki turned red, stammering to deny it.
"Relax, I’m just teasing. I can tell your heart belongs to someone else. It’s written all over your eyes."

The younger one swallowed nervously and looked away — only to meet the gaze of his companion.

Maki turned back to the woman and offered a small smile.

"Are you far from home? Do you need someone to walk you back?" Yudai approached slowly and smiled kindly.

"Aren’t you all just the sweetest?" the woman laughed again, dimples appearing on her cheeks, her eyes disappearing into crescent moons.
"I’ll accept the offer. Last time Red Riding Hood said no to the wolf, he ate Grandma. We don’t want that, no, no."

"I thought you weren’t Red Riding Hood," Euijoo joked, the atmosphere much lighter now.

"And you’re not exactly big bad wolves — and I don’t have a grandma," she replied, winking.
"Oh! I almost forgot."
She pulled a large, round pie from her basket. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the air.
She handed it to Yuma, who accepted it quickly.
"Thank you for your help. I baked this for my babies — please, take it. I can make more at home."

"That’s not necessary..." Euijoo began, but stopped when he saw the woman’s stern look — and the expressions of his pack around him.
"You really didn’t have to, Aruna. But thank you."

"It’s nothing. Enjoy it. It’s made with apple, cinnamon, moon bread, and lots of love."
The pack’s hearts melted a little at that.
Most of them would’ve loved to have a mother like her.

"Come on, we’ll walk you back," Heeseung approached and gently took the basket from her hands.
She smiled and thanked him as they started walking.

Immediately, Heeseung, Yudai, Maki, Sunghoon, and Niki followed her.
But before disappearing into the trees, she turned around one last time.

"Have a lovely evening, all of you. And remember — some summer nights can be magical."

She vanished into the trees, the boys trailing behind her.

"Euijoo, you should go too," Fuma said, appearing beside the alpha.

"That would leave the pack unprotected, Fuma."

Fuma rolled his eyes.

"It’s getting dark, and I don’t know why, but the most easily distracted ones all left with her. If you go with them, I’ll be at ease knowing they’ll return. I’ll watch over things while you’re gone — Jungwon will help."

Euijoo sighed and gave in.

“Alright. I’ll try to get us back as quickly as possible.”
He turned around and followed the path his pack members had taken — they weren’t far ahead.

.
.
.

It seemed impossible, but the night was even hotter than the afternoon. Inside the house, everyone was suffering. Although apparently, Jo and Jay were the ones suffering the most—since their friends hadn’t left them even a single slice of pie.

They had lost a game of rock-paper-scissors and had to wash the dishes. The others hadn’t come back yet, so there were fewer dishes. But even though it was only for a moment, it was enough time for the rest to start eating the pie—and by the time they returned, the tray was empty. They had caught the last scene of the crime when Taki quickly swallowed the final piece like his life depended on it.

“I can’t believe they didn’t leave us any,” Jay said, crossing his arms in offense.

“I don’t know what happened. It was delicious—I just couldn’t stop,” Nicholas defended himself with a smile that gave away zero remorse.

“That woman has magic hands, seriously,” Yuma added, letting out a small burp and quickly covering his mouth in embarrassment.

Fuma’s eyes moved to the clock on the wall. It was almost 11:00 PM, and the rest of the pack hadn’t returned yet. They knew everyone was fine—if something had happened, they would’ve felt it. Everyone was connected to their mates. And if anything ever happened to Euijoo, aside from Nicholas, Fuma would be the first to sense it—he was next in line to be Alpha.

Suddenly, a wave of fatigue hit everyone still seated at the table. Sunoo was the first to get up.

“I’m dead,” he said.
Taki opened his mouth to speak, but Sunoo interrupted,
“Yes, Taki—literally. I’m going to bed.”

“I’m wrecked too. I’m heading to bed,” Nicholas said as he stood, stretched his back—several bones cracking—and disappeared upstairs.

One by one, the living room emptied as everyone left for their rooms. Jay and Jo looked at each other once they were alone, and the older one smiled.

“Beers outside?”

The younger one thought for a moment, then agreed. They grabbed a few beer packs and headed to the porch hammocks, deciding to wait for the others there.

Now and then, they indulged in human pleasures. The ones least reluctant to go into town were Maki, Jake, Sunoo, and Taki, so they were usually asked to bring back treats like alcohol. The rest preferred to forage or hunt for their own supplies.

Maybe a few minutes had passed—or maybe a full hour—when the rest finally came running out of the woods. The wolves shifted back into human form as they neared the house, and the vampires slowed down to match their pace.

“You took your sweet time,” Jay said, raising his can in greeting.

“She lived a bit far, and then she invited us to dinner. She and her wife were lovely—and incredible cooks,” Niki said, pretending to lick his fingers.

“Good for you that you got a gourmet meal. The guys didn’t leave us even a bite of pie,” Jo sighed, sipping his beer.

“Nooo, I wanted some—we didn’t stay for dessert!” Heeseung groaned, grabbing a can from the pack and popping it open.

“And the rest?” Yudai asked, taking a drink the eldest vampire handed him.

“They were tired, went to bed early,” Jay replied, settling into the hammock. He looked at his friends—everyone began to sit around him, drinking and chatting. You could still sense a bit of tension between Maki and Jo—Maki sat as far from him as possible—but otherwise, everything was peaceful. They were spending time together without awkward moments or silly fights. Jay took the last sip of his drink and stood up suddenly.

“Alright, bladder’s in charge. I need the bathroom.”

“Me too. I’ll come with you,” Euijoo said, standing as well but motioning for him to go first.

They headed to the upstairs bathroom. Jay went in first, did his business, washed his hands, and came out—just as Euijoo entered and closed the door.

That’s when the door to another room opened and Jake stepped out. He was looking at the floor and only wearing thin pajama pants, waving his hand in front of his face from the heat.

“Hey man, you can turn on the AC if you’re hot,” Jay joked, since all rooms had modern temperature control systems.

Jake’s gaze snapped toward the older boy as soon as he heard him. Suddenly, it felt like the heat vanished from his body in a soft breeze. Jay briefly noticed the younger one’s eyes glint blue for a second—then Jake smiled from ear to ear.

“Oh, Jay—I hadn’t noticed you before,” he said, stepping too far into Jay’s personal space. Jay backed up as much as he could, until he hit the wall.
“I really hadn’t seen you at all. You’re very handsome.”
He reached out and caressed Jay’s face, now cornered.

“Uhh, thanks... buddy. But you’re acting kinda weird,” Jay said, turning his face away from the cold hands touching him—only to freeze as those hands slid down his torso over the thin layer of fabric.

“What’s weird is that we’re not already together. Can’t you feel it? That pull—physical, chemical... magnets attracting.”
Jake stroked his chin with his fingers, gripping the skin slightly.

Jay started to panic. When Jake leaned in as if to kiss him, Jay ducked as fast as he could and bolted out of his arms—sprinting down the stairs without stopping, Jake yelling after him to wait.

Euijoo, who had heard it all, finally came out of the bathroom with an amused smile, assuming it was just another one of Jake’s jokes to mess with his friend.

He lingered in the hallway, looking in the direction they had gone—then turned, only to bump into Fuma unexpectedly. Euijoo thought he saw a flash of blue in Fuma’s eyes before the older one smiled.

“Alpha, you’re back,” Fuma said, grinning so brightly that Euijoo gave him a nervous smile in return.
The older man wasn’t stepping back—in fact, he was grabbing Euijoo by the shirt and pulling him closer.

“Yes, yes. We all made it back safe. We’re having some beers outside—want to join us?” Euijoo tried to pull his hands away, but Fuma was strong.

“Mmmh...” the Alpha realized his friend was pretending to think.
“Why don’t you and I go to my room instead? It’s more private—and I wouldn’t have to share you with anyone.”
The flirty tone was unmistakable.

“Haha... so funny, Fuma.”

Euijoo laughed nervously—but swallowed hard when he realized it wasn’t a joke. Fuma was leaning too close to his face. Panicked, he slipped out of his own shirt, leaving it in Fuma’s hands—and himself shirtless.

“I see you’re impatient... I prefer to undress my prey myself,” Fuma said as he stepped forward again.
Euijoo paled, turned, and ran in the same direction the vampires had minutes before.

He raced toward the front door, bursting onto the porch where the rest of the pack was laughing at something—except Heeseung and Maki, who were nowhere in sight. Jay appeared to be hiding behind Sunghoon.

Everyone looked over as Euijoo ducked down, trying to stay out of view from the door and windows.

“What happened? Why are you half-naked?” Yudai asked, amused, sipping his beer.

“I think Fuma wants to sleep with me,” Euijoo whispered, his face pale.

Yudai spit out his drink and stared at him in disbelief.

“That’s what I’m telling you!” Jay whispered-shouted.
“Jake tried to kiss me and started saying weird stuff about physics and chemistry.”

Everyone stared at the two of them in shock. Right then, Jake and Fuma’s voices echoed from inside the house. Euijoo and Jay ducked even lower, while the rest of the group stood and peeked through the door.

“Have you seen Jay-Jay?” Jake asked the older wolf in front of him.

Fuma shook his head, clutching the Alpha’s shirt in his arms.

“And have you seen Juju?”
The vampire also said no, and both of them continued their search.

The others exchanged confused glances, then looked down at the two boys on the floor.

“They’re acting weird,” Yudai said, noticing a new figure heading to the kitchen.
“There’s Taki—I’ll ask him what’s going on.”
Yudai stepped into the house and followed his friend.

“Taki, do you know what’s up with Fuma and Jake?”
The younger one looked at him—and Yudai could’ve sworn his eyes briefly glowed a different color.

“Yudai,”
Taki rushed over until he was right in front of him.
“I don’t know anything about Fuma and Jake—but I do know what’s going on between us. Our attraction has always been obvious—so strong.”
He caressed the taller wolf’s arms and bit his lip.
“I never realized how strong you were, K-kun. Your muscles are amazing.”
He kept touching and squeezing the older man’s arms. Yudai tried to push him away, but soon found himself pinned between Taki and the wall.

Niki walked into the house just in time to see the scene, frowning and visibly annoyed. Meanwhile, a distracted Yuma passed by the pair on his way to the kitchen—only to spot Niki and smile.

“Taki, what the fu—”
He was cut off when Yuma grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Hey, Niki. You look even hotter than usual today. Did you do something to your hair?”
he asked while running his fingers through the albino’s hair.

Niki tried to struggle free to reach his boyfriend—but the shorter wolf was way stronger than he’d expected.

“Taki, what are you doing? Look at Yuma—he’s all over me!”
Taki glanced over with mild disinterest, then went back to petting a clearly uncomfortable Yudai.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m good right here—with Daddy K.”
He leaned in closer to the older man, planting a kiss on his neck.

The taller one shivered at the sensation, a chill running down his spine. He looked at Niki, who was glaring while still trying to push Yuma’s arms off him. Yudai was also apologizing while doing his best to shake Taki off.

Jo didn’t like the scene at the door one bit. Yuma had never acted like that with him—and it irritated him that he’d pull something like this on Niki, even if it was all just a group prank.

“We should enjoy this beautiful night, don’t you think?”
Yuma said flirtatiously—and then jumped.

By instinct, Niki caught him around the waist, and the older wolf wrapped his legs around the vampire’s hips.

“Let go of him!”
Jo never raised his voice—so his shout surprised everyone still coherent near the door.

Niki, slightly flustered and scared, did as told—but Yuma clung tighter, arms and legs locked around him.

“Yuma, stop this joke. Look—Jo’s here. You don’t have to do this,”
Niki pleaded.

Yuma buried his face in Niki’s neck and kissed it.

“Who?”
he asked, looking genuinely confused. When he landed back on his feet, he moved in again, backing Niki against the hallway wall.

“Jo. Your mate. Your other half. The man you love.”
The vampire was struggling to keep Yuma from touching him.

“Uhmm… Maki said Jo and Harua had something going on.”
Yuma smiled and ran a hand down the taller man’s chest.
“But it doesn’t matter. None of them do. What matters is us. I can make you feel special.”

Niki’s eyes went wide as he looked at Jo—who now seemed both angry and confused. The vampire saw his chance. Slipping past the wolf pinning him in, he ran for the door, slammed it shut in Yuma’s face, and escaped outside.

“Don’t leave me here!”
Yudai cried out, watching the younger ones.
He hadn't remembered Taki being that strong.

Jo ignored him and stood in front of the screen door, staring directly at Yuma, who was still trying to open it and looking around for Niki.

“There’s nothing going on between Harua and me, babe. Can you stop this joke already?”
Jo pouted slightly—knowing his partner used to melt at that expression.
But Yuma didn’t react—he just kept scanning the area.

“Niki, come back. We can’t deny the attraction between us any longer.”
Yuma wasn’t listening to anything they were saying.

“You’re scaring me,”
Niki whispered, hiding behind Sunghoon and glancing at the alpha and elder vampire still crouched on the ground.

They looked at him and pointed to the left side of the house. Niki nodded, and dragged Sunghoon with him in that direction. The four of them ran, trying not to be seen, heading for the shed.

That’s when a disheveled and frightened Heeseung came stumbling out—crashing into Jay and sending them both to the ground.

“That hurt!”
the older vampire grumbled, quickly getting up while cradling his right hand.

“Heeseungieee, don’t leave me!”
a cheerful Jungwon emerged from the shed, going straight to hug the vampire.

“Shit.”
Heeseung groaned, trying to pry the blond off him. He looked at his friends, pleading.
“Help me. He just jumped on me out of nowhere and tried to kiss me—going on about fate and eternity.”
He shuddered, locking eyes with Sunghoon as he struggled against the smaller body.

Sunghoon and Jay frowned at Jungwon. Sunghoon stepped forward to pull his mate off the older vampire—but Jungwon didn’t even glance his way. He just held on tighter to Heeseung.

“Woniee, come on. Don’t tell me you’re in on this stupid prank too,”
Sunghoon scolded.

Jungwon looked at him for a second—and Sunghoon froze. There was no recognition in his eyes—no light in them at all.

“My love for Heeseung isn’t a joke,”
he said, then turned back to the vampire in his arms and stroked his face.

“A prank? What’s going on?”
the vampire asked, still trying to dodge the cold hands.

“Everyone’s suddenly acting weird,”
Jay explained, rubbing his sore backside.
“Fuma tried to seduce Euijoo, Taki jumped into K’s arms the moment he saw him, Yuma literally climbed on Niki—and Jake tried to kiss me.”

Heeseung looked at him, shocked—and annoyed.

“Jake did what?!”
Jay raised his hands defensively.

“I mean, can you blame him? I am irresistible. But he’s not my type—and he’s one of my best friends. He’s also super close with Sunoo. I don’t want them fighting over me.”

“Calm down, Helen of Troy. Dismount your warhorse,”
Euijoo teased.

“Please, someone get him off me. I need to talk to Jake,”
Heeseung begged, still bothered by Jay’s words.

“You think I’m not trying?”
Sunghoon replied, still struggling with Jungwon—and clearly losing.

“Try harder!”

“Everyone knows Jungwon’s the strongest one in the house. It’s mission impossible,”
Niki said while watching the scene unfold.

Sunghoon squinted at him.

“Stay here. I’m going to get Yuma.”
He started walking toward the back door.
Niki looked terrified and stepped behind Euijoo.

“Jungwon, you’re taking forever with the ice cre—”
The back door opened a few steps before Sunghoon got there.

Sunoo walked out, inspecting his nails. He looked up—and Sunghoon saw a subtle shimmer in the younger one’s eyes as they met his. Sunoo smiled brightly and walked straight toward him.

“Hey Sunoo—Jungwon’s acting strange. Like everyone else apparently…”

“Shhh,”
Once they were face to face, Sunoo put a finger to the older one’s lips, silencing him. Sunghoon arched his back, trying to create distance, while his friends watched from behind.

“Dunoo doesn’t like it when you say other people’s names when we’re together. I never realized how beautiful you are, Hooniee. Your moles look like stars…”
He traced his face with his fingers.

“Oh for the Moon’s sake, not you too!”
Sunghoon and Jay both groaned in unison.

Jay was now squinting in frustration, clearly not enjoying any of this.

“This is getting ridiculous,”
Niki complained—still convinced it was an elaborate prank.

“Sunoo, let me go—or I will knock you out,”
Sunghoon warned, getting angry.

“Is that an indecent proposal?”

Sunghoon couldn’t hide the grimace on his face as he stepped away again, though the other vampire kept approaching. He turned over his shoulder to see Jungwon’s expression and frowned when he noticed the younger was still entirely focused on Heeseung—trying to plant kisses on his cheek.

.
.
.

Maki was looking for a book in the library. The room was huge, and there were hundreds of books there, but he knew exactly which section to search in, so following his instinct he arrived at the History of the Moon section and took some books.

The name Aruna sounded strangely familiar to him. Just like the woman who bore that name. He had a hunch that the answer would be there.

He sat on the backrest of the large sofa and opened one of the books. After a few minutes of not finding anything, he switched books. Just as he was opening it, the door opened beside him, letting Nicholas in, wearing only short shorts.

They exchanged glances and Maki smiled at him, not noticing the sudden gleam in the older one’s eyes, who quickly looked down at the object in his hands.

“Hey, brother. I was looking for some information, can’t you sleep and come read something?” he asked distractedly.

Suddenly, the book was snatched from his hands and Nicholas ran his hands over the younger’s chest, invading his personal space.

“You’re right, I couldn’t sleep. I thought about reading, but maybe some action would help me sleep peacefully,” he smiled, showing his lupine fangs.

“Eh...,” Maki swallowed nervously. “You can tell Euijoo, you know, your partner.”

Nicholas pouted his lips and lowered his hands, sliding them under the younger’s sleeveless shirt.

“Mmh, but I prefer you,” he caressed his abs and Maki tensed up. “I hadn’t noticed how defined your body is. Our cub is quite a man.” He bit his lip and leaned forward, trying to kiss him.

Maki backed away, rolled backward and fell off the sofa with a thud on the other side of the floor, creating a very clear division between them.

“You’re acting strange, friend. What’s wrong with you?”

Nicholas looked at him confused.

“I’m not acting weird. I just finally opened my eyes, and I really see you, Riki. We’re made for each other.” He jumped over the object dividing them, and the younger immediately ran to the other side of the room, keeping his distance.

“Eh, no. The Moon made you for Euijoo, and me for Harua. You’re scaring me.” Slowly he began to slide toward the door, under the older one’s attentive gaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He started to approach like a wolf stalking its prey. “Want to get out of here? This is a good place, private and no one comes at night. It’s perfect for the two of us, but if you prefer a room with a bed…”

Maki’s eyes widened, and he opened the door, running toward the living room. Upon arriving at the large space, a scene he had once seen in a dream awaited him.

Yudai was being cornered by Taki against a wall, trying to talk to him but the younger just flirted more. Near the door Jo was stopped by a smiling Harua pulling at his shirt, although the scene annoyed him, he had seen it before. From the back door, an agitated Niki ran in, but didn’t get far before Yuma cornered him as well. Euijoo and Jay cautiously looked around and entered. Suddenly, Fuma and Jake interrupted, blocking their path and hugging Euijoo and Jay respectively, startling them. At the same time, Heeseung entered angry, Jungwon grabbed his arm trying to stop him, Sunghoon pulled at his partner trying to separate him from the older one, and Sunoo was hanging from the half-wolf’s neck. Heeseung frowned at Jake and Jay.

Before making any move, Nicholas grabbed Maki and cornered him against the wall, right next to Yudai and Taki.

“I didn’t know you liked to play,” Maki exchanged looks with Yudai and both seemed to be silently pleading for help.

In the living room, the buzz of voices was heard, everyone seemed to be professing love to people who weren’t their partners, and the targeted individuals looked uncomfortable, trying to move away without success. Suddenly, everyone’s strength multiplied.

“Nicho, this isn’t right. Look, I like you, you’re one of my best friends. But I love Harua. And you love Euijoo! Whatever fight you’re having, this is unnecessary.” He swallowed nervously.

“I don’t care about any of that. I love you.” He hit the wall next to his head. Maki’s eyes opened wide, and in an instant Nicholas was kissing him.

“Taki, you’re like a little brother to me. And I know you love Niki, don’t do this,” Yudai said nervously, smiling.

“I love you,” Taki smiled, and with a tug managed to lean the older one forward a bit, ending up kissing him.

“Harua, stop. You’re very sweet, yes. But I’m in love with Yuma, and Maki is my friend,” Jo swallowed nervously, pushing the younger’s hands away.

“Yuma seems very entertained with someone else right now.” And it was true. Jo glanced over the younger’s shoulder and was a little surprised to see Nicholas devouring Maki, and Taki jumping to Yudai’s lips. But beyond that, he saw Yuma kissing Niki’s neck while cornering him. “And I’m in love with you.” Surprised by his younger friend’s words, he diverted his gaze back to Harua. Harua wasted no time and jumped at the older wolf just to kiss him.

“Fuma. I feel uncomfortable, please let me go,” Euijoo tried to reason kindly, but the older one seemed to ignore any negatives.

“You can’t ask me to stay away; that would break my heart. I love you.” Euijoo opened his mouth in surprise. A second later, the older’s mouth overlapped his leader’s, leaving him even more stunned.

“Jungwon, you’re one of my most precious friends, and you’re very handsome, but you can’t do this. I love Jake. Sunghoon and Jay are here.”

Heeseung looked to the side, locking eyes with Jay at that moment; they were standing side by side.

“It’s Jay/Heeseung!” both vampires exclaimed obviously.

“Please Jake, don’t do this,” Jay pleaded.

“I don’t care about anyone but you. I love you, Heeseung.” Jungwon hung from the taller’s neck and jumped to kiss him.

“We’re made for each other, Jayjay. I love you,” Jake mimicked his prince’s move and leaned in to kiss the older vampire.

“Yuma, if you don’t let me go, I’ll hit you,” Niki murmured, now out of patience. He didn’t like being touched so much or having kisses on his neck—at least not unless it was from his cute boyfriend. And thinking of him, he saw him kissing Yudai very focused, although the older didn’t seem to reciprocate, he couldn’t shake him off either. The scene just annoyed him even more.

“You can’t deny what we have forever. I’m in love with you.” Niki clenched his jaw as the shorter one suddenly kissed him.

“Sunoo, let me go, I have to hit Heeseung! And look! Jake is kissing Jay,” Sunghoon accused, pushing the younger without success.

“I don’t care what others do, I love you,” he said and kissed him right after.

.
.
.

The morning was heavy. It was less hot than the day before, but that wasn’t why the tension lingered.

Sunghoon took a sip of coffee while staring intently at Heeseung. Heeseung stared at the table and occasionally glanced at everyone around it. Jo had his arms crossed, a coffee in front of him, and beside him sat Niki—both visibly tense and avoiding each other’s gaze. Yudai poured himself some tea while silently placing breakfast on the table, Euijoo helping him with a clenched jaw and prominent dark circles under his eyes.

Maki was nowhere to be seen.

And to no one’s surprise, the first to speak was Jay, glaring accusingly at Sunghoon.

—“I can’t believe you kissed Sunoo.” Sunghoon stared back at him, incredulous.

—“I didn’t kiss anyone. He threw himself at me,” he said flatly. “Besides, I think we’re even now.”

—“I didn’t kiss Jungwon,” Jay said, offended. “Heeseung kissed him!”

The named groaned in frustration at the memory, and everyone watched him clutch his head and look away.

—“I didn’t kiss anyone. He literally jumped on me.” He narrowed his eyes at Jay. “And you kissed Jake, you bastard!”

Jay opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Yudai.

—“Everyone was acting weird. It didn’t seem like a prank to me—this is something else. Taki would never kiss me like that.” Yudai shuddered, and Niki growled in annoyance. The older one ignored him and narrowed his eyes at his alpha. “And Fuma has never kissed me the way he kissed you.”

Euijoo grimaced and took a sip of coffee.

—“Meh. I give it a seven.” Yudai smacked the back of his head, and the comment earned a few chuckles.

—“You’re awfully calm considering Nicholas almost undressed Maki in the hallway,” Niki teased. He couldn’t miss this chance.

Euijoo glared at him—but a second later smirked sideways.

—“And I think I saw Yuma’s hands inside your pants. Oops,” he said sarcastically, watching Jo’s eye twitch as he turned toward Niki.

Niki took a sip of his juice, turning away from Jo and grimacing.

—“I give it a five.” He got a punch in the arm from Jo, along with a low growl. “Just kidding, I pushed him off right away. Besides, you better brace yourself—Maki’s going to tear your head off.”

—“Speaking of donkeys,” Jay nodded toward the dining room entrance. The mentioned boy arrived with books in hand, dropping them on the table in front of everyone. “The donkey has arrived.”

Maki gave him a weird look, then immediately opened one of the books to a marked page and pointed.

—“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Euijoo read the title. Everyone stared at Maki, confused.

—“Don’t tell me none of you read this classic?” Everyone at the table looked at one another and then looked away from the youngest. “Unbelievable. We have a beautiful library and none of you read literary classics.” Maki rolled his eyes and proceeded to explain. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the story of four lovers. Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. So Hermia and Lysander run away to the forest, Demetrius chases them, and Helena follows Demetrius because she's in love with him. Meanwhile, the fairy king is fighting with his wife and orders a mischievous sprite to give a potion to Titania, his wife, that’ll make her fall in love with the first man she sees. When he sees Helena and Demetrius fighting, he also tells the sprite to give them the potion. But the mischievous sprite gives it to both Demetrius and Lysander, making them both fall in love with Helena. Whoever drinks the potion feels uncontrollable passion for the first person they see. It’s so powerful they feel attracted to someone they’ve never seen that way before. Even if they’re in love with someone else, under the potion’s effects, they could forget them just to fall for someone new,” he explained, watching some of their confused faces.

—“Are you saying a sprite enchanted the boys to fall in love with someone else?” Niki asked, genuinely curious.

—“That’s absurd. Sprites went extinct millennia ago. And they didn’t even have magic—they were just really annoying,” Heeseung said plainly.

—“Wait, I don’t get it,” Sunghoon chimed in.

—“I understood that someone read something from the 1700s and decided to use it on us,” said Jay, crossing his arms.

—“First of all, William Shakespeare wasn’t from the 1700s—he was from the 1500s to 1600s,” Maki corrected, shaking his head. “Second, I don’t think it was a sprite—I think it was a witch.”

—“Witches don’t exist,” Euijoo said as he took a sip of coffee, earning several stares.

—“Uh, yes, witches do exist,” Heeseung looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “I was in the 1700s. It was a full-on witch hunt.” He shuddered at the memory.

—“Why would a witch want to curse us?” Yudai asked, confused.

—“I think the real question is how,” Sunghoon pointed out. “We literally live in isolation. I’ve never even argued with a witch.”

—“Well… yesterday we did have an unexpected visitor,” Jo said, and everyone remembered that woman.

—“But… she didn’t smell like a witch. Believe me, I know how they smell—I’ve had more encounters than I’d like with them,” Heeseung frowned.

Maki opened another book, revealing a drawing of a woman who looked exactly like the one they had seen the day before on their land.

—“Because she wasn’t a witch,” Maki smiled. “I knew I’d seen her before. So last night… before Nicho attacked me—” he squirmed in his seat under Euijoo’s glare “—I was trying to figure out where I knew her from. Aruna means ‘moon’s love’ in old Japanese,” he said proudly, but everyone still looked lost. Maki sighed and slapped his forehead. “Didn’t it seem strange how comfortable we felt around her?”

—“Uh, no. She was really sweet to us,” Niki said flatly.

—“Yeah, she treated us well because we’re literally a part of her,” Maki pointed to the text above the image. “Aruna is the earthly name of the Moon. She takes human form to visit her children when she wants to give them a little help.”

Everyone looked skeptical. But then Jo nodded in agreement.

—“Actually… it kinda makes sense. The only ones affected were the ones who ate the cake she gave us.”

—“There could be other explanations,” Niki crossed his arms. “Years ago Heeseung rejected a witch who swore revenge… wait, no, never mind. We burned her. Forget it.” He brushed it off and took another sip of juice.

All eyes turned back to Maki.

—“So what was the point of the spell? Because honestly, I don’t get what any of this was about,” Sunghoon asked, visibly annoyed.

—“Well, the original play has several messages—mostly metaphorical,” Maki said, thinking. “The central idea is that love is irrational, whimsical, and often an illusion, but it’s part of what makes life beautiful. It plays with the idea that feelings don’t always make sense, and that love can appear, vanish, or transform without any clear logic.” He cleared his throat and rubbed his chin. “But I think there was a message for each of us. For example, I’d already seen last night’s events in a vision—though only the part with Jo and Harua, and Yudai with Taki. I told Yuma about it, because my visions don’t come with context, and I was hurt—I had to tell the other person involved.” He glanced at Jo with an apologetic look. “So I think my message—and Yuma’s—is about the thin line between reality and dreams. In the book, what happens in the enchanted forest feels like a dream when the characters wake from the spell, and it raises the question of what’s real and what’s not.”

—“Now you know your prophetic dreams aren’t always reliable,” Jo smiled at him, holding no grudge.

—“Now I know I shouldn’t misinterpret certain things,” he laughed in relief. “Thinking about it a bit more, I believe the message for Sunghoon and Jay is the idea of magic as a metaphor for emotions.” He looked at both vampires and smirked. “The spells change who they love—it represents how emotions can shift without warning. It’s something to keep in mind. Jungwon’s heart changed when he met Sunghoon, and the same happened with Sunoo and Jay. But an indecisive heart is never healthy,” he said, locking eyes with the older vampire.

Jay nodded, understanding what he meant.

—“I love Sunoo. More than I ever loved Jungwon,” Jay confessed, drawing smiles from everyone at the table.

—“We all knew that already. You were just the last one to figure it out,” the youngest smiled at him. Then he turned to the rest. “And the final message is about the importance of balance and harmony.” He looked Niki in the eyes and smiled. “In the end, the tangles get untangled,” his gaze shifted from Heeseung to Yudai, “the lovers are paired correctly, as the deity intends,” and finally he looked at his alpha, “and the sense of order is restored. Which means every chaos has a solution.”

—“Are you saying Jake will give me a chance?” Lee asked, his eyes shining with hope.

—“I can’t believe that’s what you took from the entire conversation,” Niki said in disbelief.

Everyone burst out laughing at the younger vampire’s disgusted expression, while Heeseung glared at him.

—“Patience has always been a virtue,” Maki told the older vampire. “And you, my friend, have plenty of it.”

—“I still have a lot of questions,” said Euijoo, crossing his arms. Sunghoon mirrored him and nodded in agreement. “Like, why was I the only one who didn’t know witches were real?” The half-wolf looked at him with his jaw hanging open.

—“Well, I have actual questions,” Sunghoon said, squinting at him. “Like, who was the othe—” his sentence was cut short when several footsteps approached.

From the space separating the dining room from the living room, four people appeared.

Nicholas gasped softly when he saw them and froze in place, making Harua—who had been walking behind him—bump into his back, followed by Taki crashing into Harua, and Yuma into Taki. All three of them let out small gasps at the sight before them.

The newcomers looked around awkwardly, unsure of where to look.

Nicholas locked eyes with Euijoo before quickly shifting his gaze—only to meet Maki’s. He swallowed hard and laughed nervously.

—“Oh. my. god. Look at the time,” he said robotically, checking an invisible watch on his wrist. “I forgot I have to… um… clean the sh-shed, yes, clean it.” And with that, he bolted out the back door.

Harua looked Maki in the eyes, then at Jo, then back at Maki and gave a tight-toothed smile.

—“I… forgot that—I forgot I had to check if the pigs laid any eggs.” He smacked his forehead like it was the most obvious thing in the world and followed the same path as Nicholas.

Now with Taki in full view, he avoided looking at anyone and instead closed his eyes, waving his arms blindly in front of him.

—“Oh no, I think I’m blind, haha. I guess I should go see if Fuma or Jungwon can check on me.” He turned around, still with his eyes shut, and slammed into the corner of the wall. “Ouch.” He cleared his throat, peeked one eye open, and ran upstairs.

That left only Yuma. He squinted at Maki, then turned his gaze toward Jo, and for a brief moment, to Niki.

—“This is awkward, I’m just gonna go kick some rabbits or something,” he muttered, pursing his lips as he headed for the front door.

Silence returned once again, until Yudai spoke.

—“Do you guys think they remember anything?” he asked, setting his cup down on the table.

—“I guess the spell’s effect wore off,” Niki said with a smile.

—“I don’t know. They seemed nervous about something,” Euijoo replied with a grimace. “I’ll talk to Nicholas later—I need to check the area around the house anyway.” He stood up and left the house as well.

—“He’s being dumb. He should talk to Nicholas now,” Heeseung said, getting up and stretching. “I need a shower—I feel disgusting.”

—“Yeah, I second that,” Sunghoon agreed and followed him upstairs.

.
.
.

—“Heeseung, I think I left my lotion in this bathroom,” Sunghoon said, knocking on the door. He heard the shower stop inside.

He was standing in the hallway wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, soaking wet. He’d stepped out mid-shower because his products weren’t in his room’s bathroom. Since he shared that bathroom with Jungwon—and they were currently not on speaking terms—he hadn’t used it in days and had been showering in the hallway bathroom, so that’s where everything ended up.

Heeseung opened the bathroom door, his wet hair slicked back, also wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He held out a few bottles with Sunghoon’s name on them.

The door across from the bathroom opened, and out came Jake and Jungwon, laughing about something—until they stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing the two half-naked men standing in the middle of the hallway.

—“Good morning,” Heeseung greeted with a smile. Sunghoon followed suit.

—“G-Good… afternoon,” Jake replied nervously, glancing at the watch on his wrist, which read 1:17 p.m.

—“Did you sleep well?” Sunghoon asked, staring directly at the blond.

—“Like a baby,” Jungwon replied, scratching the back of his head. “You guys?”

Heeseung and Sunghoon exchanged a look.

—“Same,” they said in unison.

—“Great…” Jake cleared his throat. “Uhh… will you be long? I was gonna shower too.”

—“I’m not finished,” Heeseung answered with a flirtatious smile. “But I wouldn’t mind your company in the shower.”

Jake turned bright red and looked away from the older man’s face, quickly scanning his body from top to bottom.

—“Oh, right!” Jungwon suddenly said. “We forgot to make the bed, Jake. So careless of us.” He immediately dragged him back inside and slammed the door shut.

—“Something weird is going on here,” Sunghoon said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the white door of Sim’s room.

.
.
.

Jay was cooking lunch at almost three in the afternoon. Yudai was helping, although sometimes the best help is just staying out of the way.

He wasn’t even sure if anyone wanted to eat—he was just making lunch in case someone got hungry. But he hadn’t seen anyone around in a while. They all seemed to be hiding, or maybe avoiding certain people.

He finished stirring the sauce and turned to look for something in the fridge, crashing straight into Yudai’s back, who was frozen in place.

—“What the fu—” he started, glancing over his shoulder only to find Fuma and Sunoo standing in the kitchen doorway.

The two inside the kitchen were a bit startled, but Sunoo was the first to move.

—“Jongseong, you and I are talking right now. And that’s not up for debate.” —Kim ordered, marching toward the library door across the living room. Yudai gave Jay a little shove to make him follow quickly.

A few seconds later, only Yudai and Fuma remained in the large kitchen. Fuma opened his mouth to say something, but Yudai turned and shut off the burner, ignoring his partner.

—“Yudai, we need to talk.” —the named one clenched his fists on the counter and closed his eyes, exhaling.

—“So we only talk when you feel like it. How original.” —he let out a humorless laugh.

—“Yudai…”

—“Not surprised, honestly. That’s how it always is.”

—“Yudai…”

—“We fight, you ignore me, I try to fix things, you keep ignoring me, and then when I’m the one who doesn’t want to talk, you show up and demand I listen.”

—“Yudai…”

—“It’s exhausting, Fuma. And I don’t know if I want to keep up this rhythm for the rest of my life…”

—“I love you.” —the words hit him like a brick. The older boy’s shoulders tensed as he sighed.

He slowly turned around, surprised to find his partner less than a meter away.

—“What?” —he asked, nearly breathless.

Fuma gave him a tender smile and took his hands, caressing his knuckles.

—“Yesterday… I had a strange dream, I think. Anyway, I woke up feeling awful, I could barely breathe. It felt so real. And I realized the fear I had of saying those words is nothing compared to the terror I feel at the thought of losing you.” —his eyes were glistening, hints of tears that never fell.

—“Fuma… I don’t know what to say.” —Yudai actually did, he just couldn’t find the words.

—“I hope… I hope you can forgive me for hurting you. I never meant to.” —he looked him in the eye and nervously pressed his lips together. —“Can you… can you say it? Please…” —his voice broke on the last word.

—“I…” —he saw the pained look in the younger boy’s eyes, clearly about to pull away. Yudai stopped him by cupping his face in both hands and kissing him. Fuma responded instantly, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him desperately. The taller one’s hands slid down to the other's waist, gripping tightly. Yudai sighed into his mouth, satisfied—it felt like forever since they’d kissed. He pulled back just a little, just to admire the younger boy’s face, who kept his eyes closed, still waiting for their lips to meet again. —“God, I love you, Fuma. I love you so much.”

Then Fuma moved quickly and kissed him again. Yudai lifted him slightly, and the other wrapped his legs around his hips without stopping the kiss. He sat him on the counter, hearing something fall nearby but not caring what it was, and slid his hands under the younger boy’s tank top just to feel his skin.

Fuma pulled back and looked into his eyes with a happy smile.

—“I love you.” —he repeated, running his fingers through the older one’s black hair. —“And even though I love you, I have to say: the kitchen is not a place where I’ll have sex.” —he laughed when the taller one pouted in disappointment.

—“Fine, just kissing you for eternity is enough for me.” —their lips met again.

They stayed like that for several minutes, kissing slowly, unhurried, just enjoying the moment. They only separated again when a strange sound came from across the room. It sounded like a moan followed by the rhythmic thumping of wood against a wall.

They both burst out laughing.

—“I’m not going anywhere near that library for a while,” —Yudai joked.

—“Maki and Nicholas are going to kill them,” —Fuma teased, amused.

And they went back to kissing.

.
.
.

Jay closed the door behind him, following Sunoo into the library.

The younger boy stopped in the middle of the room, crossed his arms, and fixed Jay with a cold, serious stare.

Park swallowed nervously.

—“Jay, be honest. Do you want to break up?” he asked without the slightest hesitation.

Jay’s eyes widened in panic and he shook his head.

—“What?! Of course not, Sunoo!” He stepped closer, but Sunoo backed away by exactly the same number of steps.

—“Well, that’s what you’ve been making me feel these past few days.” He looked at him, hurt. “I tried to get closer to you, but you kept chasing after Jungwon. That’s totally unfair to me, Jay. I’m not a toy you can toss aside when you’re bored or think I’m not enough. I have feelings, and it hurts. It hurts a lot.”

—“No, love. It’s not like that, I just…” Jay stammered, terrified, unable to find the right words. “I love you. Please believe me,” he pleaded.

—“That’s a little hard to believe, honestly.” Sunoo avoided his gaze. “You say you love me, but the moment you see Jungwon and Sunghoon drifting apart, you ignore me—running after Jungwon like he needs you more than I do.”

Jay trembled slightly, scared of what he was about to ask.

—“D‑do you… want to break up with me?” His voice cracked slightly.

Sunoo met his eyes, biting his lip sadly.

—“I love you, Park Jongseong…” Jay was about to sigh in relief—until he heard the rest. “…but I love myself more. I know when to leave a place where I’m not valued. I’m used to it.”

He gave a pained smile and tried to step around the older vampire to leave. Jay stood frozen, but when he felt Sunoo brush past, he snapped out of it—grabbing his wrist and pinning him against a nearby bookcase.

Sunoo let out a small yelp of pain, glaring at him.

—“What’s wrong with you, idiot?” He tried to shove him away, but failed.

—“You’ve had your say. I listened. Now it’s my turn.” Jay wouldn’t let him escape. He slipped his leg between Sunoo’s and gripped both of the younger boy’s arms, pinning them above Sunoo’s shoulders. “I love you, Kim Seonwoo—more than you think. I love you so much more than I ever loved Jungwon. I’ve never felt like this in my life, and maybe it scared me so badly I didn’t know how to deal with it. My heart isn’t supposed to beat like a human’s, but every time you smile at me, I swear it’s alive. And that is freaking terrifying for a vampire.” Sunoo couldn’t help the small smile that escaped his lips. “After everything that happened last night…”—Jay felt the younger boy tense at the mention but decided to tackle that later—“I realized I can’t spend my eternity without you. It would be a horrible, miserable existence if I don’t have you—if you never look at me again, if your eyes stop searching for me. I’ll start believing that stupid legend about vampires turning to ash from sadness.”

Sunoo frowned.

—“But that’s not a legend. Vampires really do turn to ash when they sink into deep depression.”

—“Huh?” Jay blinked, confused.

—“Yeah.” Sunoo nodded. “Maki told me. The family that took him in were vampires. When the wife was killed by hunters, the husband turned to ash right before his eyes while crying.”

—“That’s… wow.” Jay actually knew nothing about the younger pack mate’s past; it surprised him. “Then it’ll probably happen to me—and it’ll happen if you leave me.”

Sunoo looked half‑amused, half‑annoyed.

—“Guilting someone with your own death isn’t very romantic—or healthy.”

Jay groaned, desperate.

—“The point is I love you. And I don’t want to live without you. I’ll change whatever you want. If you don’t want me talking to Jungwon anymore, I won’t—just… don’t leave me.” He inched closer to Sunoo’s lips.

Sunoo sighed against his mouth, looking him straight in the eyes—softer now, but resolute.

—“I don’t want you to change anything, Jay. And I don’t want you to stay away from Wonnie, either—he’s our coven leader, our friend, and he’s adorable.” He smiled slightly. “This is your last chance. Just remember I hate giving second chances, because if you disappoint me again, it’ll be my fault for trusting you.” He slipped from Jay’s grip and jumped up to kiss him.

Jay was startled for a moment, but immediately wrapped him up in a fierce embrace, kissing back with urgency. Sunoo hopped, locking his legs and arms around the older vampire, who pressed him against the bookshelf.

"Fuck, I missed you so much. Jay groaned in the younger's mouth. He turned the tide of his kisses to the pale neck of the other vampire, who gave him access by tilting his head to the side. Sunoo began to move, rubbing her butt against the eldest's growing crotch. "Don't provoke me, I don't have lubricant with me. He clenched his jaw already excited.

"When did that stop us?" Sunoo shrieked sharply as the eldest put him on the ground for a moment, pulled down his pants and flipped it over, pressing his cheeks against the old books. Jay bit his own arm, letting blood flow from the self-inflicted wound. With the other hand he took his own blood between his fingers and began to insert them into the child's bottom. Sunoo rolled her eyes in pain and pleasure, blood was never a good lubricant, but it was a guilty taste the couple had since they started dating. Five minutes later, Kim moved her butt back, sinking her fingers deeper into it. "Jay, please..." he begged in a sob, he wasn't even close to being ready for something bigger than fingers, but fuck if he didn't want it at that moment. "If you don't fuck me already, I'll explode."

Jay laughed at the drama, but he obeyed orders. He twisted it and made his legs wrap around his waist again, pulled down his own pants, and thrust into the narrow hole. Sunoo screamed in a groan and his eyes filled with tears, Jay tilted his head to the side and the lesser vampire dug his fangs into him instantly.

Without waiting much longer she began to dress him tightly, listening in the room to the noise of the wood against the wall and the pounding of their bodies as they collided, added to the grunts that both of them let out enjoying that moment so much.

.
.
.

Maki entered the shed with a basket in hand. Jay had sent him to get some ingredients, but he forgot that Nicholas was also there, cleaning.

To the younger wolf’s surprise, he really was doing it. He had a rag in his hands and was scrubbing one of the shelves where they kept the canned goods brought from the human town every now and then.

Nicholas froze for a moment, then turned around to lock eyes with the younger one. Maki gave him a big smile, lifted the item in his hands, and stepped further inside. The older one stared at him intently.

“Jay’s cooking. I came to grab a few things.” He walked over to the vegetable drawers and picked out a couple. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the older wolf still staring at him. “Brother, I know I’m handsome, but if you keep looking at me like that, I might start to melt,” he joked with a laugh, thinking his line was funny, though the other stayed serious. He cleared his throat, sensing the awkward vibe, and changed the subject. “Has Euijoo-kun talked to you yet?”

That name seemed to snap Nicholas out of his strange trance, because he immediately moved—just to set the cloth aside and approach the younger one slowly.

“No, he hasn’t talked to me. In fact, he’s barely paid me any attention for weeks,” he complained, frowning.

Maki sighed. His leader could be so dense sometimes.

“You know him better than anyone, you know how he is.” Maki shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Maybe we need to lock you two in a room so you can finally tell him everything you’re thinking.” He smiled brightly. “We should do that. Moon, I’m so smart.” He patted his own shoulder proudly.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and gave him a side-smile.

“How are things going with Harua?” If the younger noticed the sudden topic shift, he didn’t mention it.

“Well…” Maki sighed. “Honestly, it’s completely my fault. So when I get a moment alone with him, I’ll beg for his forgiveness. I’ll even get on my knees. I was a jerk.”

“Have you ever felt like the Moon made a mistake pairing you two?” The question caught the younger wolf a little off guard.

Maki looked at the older one as if he had just insulted him, but a second later, his expression softened.

“That thought has never crossed my mind, because I love Harua with my whole heart.” He gave a small, sad smile. “But I know where that question comes from. You feel insecure with Euijoo. He’s trying so hard to be a good leader that he’s forgotten how to be a good partner. Don’t worry, things will work out once you talk. He said he’d come find you after checking the territories, though honestly, he should’ve talked to you a long time ago.” He placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort and smiled. “You can be sure that if he doesn’t talk to you on his own, the rest of us will make him.”

Nicholas pressed his lips together and, in a sudden motion, hugged a surprised Maki, who returned the gesture once he heard him sob.

“Sometimes I wish my partner had been someone like you,” he murmured into his neck.

Maki tensed a little but gently rubbed his back.

“That’s not true—you love Euijoo. And honestly, this combination,” he said, referring to the two of them, “would be a disaster. We’re too alike. The saying goes that opposites attract. Like Harua and me, or Euijoo and you.” They both chuckled a little, Nicholas hiccupping between tears.

“But I know we would’ve tried,” he pulled back to look him in the eyes. “No stupid silences or fighting for attention, because I know you always put the other person first, their needs, and you respect their opinions. I think that’s what a partner should be—someone who stands by your side, lightens your burdens and helps you carry them. But ever since Euijoo became an alpha, he sees me as another burden. He doesn’t even ask for help like he used to, like he’s trying to prove something.”

Maki sighed and gently brushed away the older one’s hair, now stuck to his face from crying.

“I think Giri set the bar way too high, and he still sees how most of us go to Yudai instead of him for things. Must be some kind of alpha ego,” he chuckled humorlessly. “And I think you’ve put me way too high too. I’m just a guy—I’ve got plenty of flaws. And behind closed doors, things aren’t always sunshine and rainbows with Harua. Not saying we fight all the time, but we do argue, and we fix things by talking. But sometimes I hate always being the one who gives in. It’s frustrating to always be the one who backs down. You have to set boundaries, or they’ll treat you like a doormat.”

Nicholas laughed at that last bit and pulled away a bit more.

“Look at you, you’ve grown up so much. Since when are you so mature?” Maki’s skin prickled, a strange déjà vu hitting him, but he calmed himself and smiled. “I’m glad to see you smiling so much again,” Nicholas said, glancing from his eyes to his lips.

Maki ran his tongue over his lips, suddenly nervous. He was about to reply, but was cut off by the older one’s lips pressing against his own, freezing him in place.

.
.
.

Euijoo shifted into his human form as he reached the pen behind the house. Harua was crouched in front of the chicken coop, feeding the birds, with a wicker basket full of eggs by his side.

“Did you check if the pigs laid eggs too?” the alpha teased, earning a smile from the younger one.

“That was really stupid, wasn’t it?” Harua asked, looking up at him. Euijoo nodded in agreement. “It was so pathetic—I just felt awkward and needed to get away.”

“Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he sighed.

Harua turned his gaze back to the chicken, then slowly stood up, picking up the basket in the process.

“It’s going to be hard for him to forgive you.” The older one knew exactly who he meant. He tilted his head back to look at the cloud-filled sky—it was a clear day. “You’d better talk to him soon. More than angry, he’s depressed. And that worries all of us, because a depressed wolf… is a dying wolf.”

Euijoo bit his lower lip in frustration. He understood that too. For mated pairs, it was crucial to renew their bonding marks regularly, but he had been so busy he couldn’t even remember the last time he had been intimate with Nicholas. And a faded mark was a death sentence for the one who bore it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to have sex with Nicholas—Moon goddess, no. His mate was insanely gorgeous. But lately, he had been so exhausted that pleasure hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“That’s my next task. Do you know where he is?” he asked, relaxing his tense shoulders.

“Last I saw, he was cleaning the shed,” Harua shrugged. “Come on, I need to put these eggs away. If he’s in there, I’ll give you two privacy. If not, I’ll help you find him.” They smiled at each other and started walking alongside the house.

But after a few meters, Harua’s steps slowed, his expression turning uncomfortable. Euijoo noticed and stopped, concerned.

“What is it, Rua?”

Harua rubbed his chest.

“I don’t know. I feel strange.” He shook his head and exhaled. “Forget it, let’s go.”

They were getting closer to the small shed, its door wide open—revealing a scene that froze the blood in both wolves’ veins.

Nicholas was tightly hugging Maki’s neck while kissing him slowly. The younger wolf didn’t seem to be kissing back, but he also wasn’t pushing him away. He was just standing there, motionless, eyes half-lidded, his hands resting on the older one’s waist.

Euijoo couldn’t think. His mind went blank and then burned red. This wasn’t anything like the night before—last night, Maki had at least tried to push Nicholas away. And now the older wolf kissed him gently, not with the spell-induced urgency from before. Feeling his legs move on their own with fury, Euijoo yanked Nicholas back. The older wolf gasped in surprise, followed by a frightened cry when Euijoo punched the younger wolf straight in the jaw.

Maki didn’t even flinch. He didn’t make a sound—just fell backwards from the force and stayed seated on the ground. Euijoo had no presence of mind to check on him—he just tried to lunge at him again to land another blow.

But to his surprise, two bodies got in the way to protect him. Nicholas stepped in front of him, pushing at his chest with both hands to hold him back, while Harua had rushed to Maki’s side, shielding his head and turning his back on Euijoo to block any further attack.

“What the hell’s wrong with you, idiot?!” Nicholas shoved him again as he tried to get past him.

“What’s wrong with me?! Me?!” Euijoo snapped. “They were kissing!” he shouted in rage. “You’re my mate!”

“Oh, really?” Nicholas replied sarcastically. “Could’ve fooled me lately.”

Euijoo pressed his lips together and looked down, where Harua, with tears in his eyes, glared at Nicholas.

“Your relationship problems don’t give you the right to kiss my boyfriend,” he said furiously. Nicholas had the decency to blush and averted his gaze.

“Why are you defending him?! He was kissing back!” Euijoo shouted, pointing angrily at Maki on the floor.

Harua clenched his jaw and looked down at the younger wolf still in his arms.

“He’s having a vision. He’s not aware of his body when it happens,” he said in his defense.

All eyes turned to Maki, his face now clearly visible. His eyes were still half-lidded, his mouth slightly open. Blood trickled from one side of his lips from the punch, but if you looked closely, his eyes were glazed over, and a faint purple glow shimmered within them.

“Wasn’t he only supposed to have visions when he’s asleep?” Nicholas asked, curious.

“It happens when he gets a strong shock too.” Harua shot him a murderous glare and pointed toward the exit with his head. “Go. This state could last a while. And honestly, if I keep seeing your face, I will commit a crime,” he added coldly, still addressing Nicholas, who swallowed hard, clearly regretful.

“I’m sorry... I don’t know what came over me, I just—”

“I don’t care what happened between you and my boyfriend to make you kiss him. Just... go.”

Nicholas’s remorseful expression made Euijoo clench his jaw. He grabbed his mate’s arm and dragged him out of the shed, heading toward the back door. Despite Nicholas’s protests, Euijoo managed to pull him all the way into their shared room and shoved him inside, locking the door behind them.

“What the hell was that?” Euijoo confronted him angrily now that they were in private. “Maki? Seriously? He’s the pup of the pack—he’s like your little brother!”

Nicholas pressed his lips into a line and avoided his gaze.

“I felt alone, and he was there. He was sweet... and nothing like you,” he replied, voice tight with emotion.

Euijoo bit down on his lower lip. The words stung, and the urge to cry bubbled up—but he held it in.

“Did you even think of me? Or of Harua? Your actions were incredibly selfish, Nicholas.”

“You were the last person I thought about,” he finally said, looking him in the eye, visibly angry and on the verge of tears. “And yeah, I forgot about Harua for a moment—but what about me? Damn it! Why can’t I be fucking selfish for once?!” he shouted, pacing the room. “It’s humiliating, Euijoo! The whole damn pack knows you treat me like crap, everyone sees I’m dying because of you. But of course, you don’t give a shit. I tried to talk to you! But nooo, the alpha is too tired. I tried spending time with you, but again, nooo, these jobs aren’t for someone like you, Nicholas,” he mocked in a higher-pitched voice. “I’m tired! And I don’t want to die! Damn the day the Moon paired me with you!” he screamed, finally unable to hold back his tears.

The younger one took a step back, clutching his chest. Those words felt like a stab straight to the heart. His lip trembled slightly, and he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

—Y-you didn’t mean that. —he tried to reason with an empty smile. When the older one looked away, he walked toward him with trembling steps and fell to his knees at his feet, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face in the other's abdomen. —I love you, Nicholas. I was a fool, an idiot, a jerk, any adjective you want. But please, don’t ever tell me you regret us. It’s horrible to feel like you don’t love me.

—It’s hard to love someone who slowly kills you. —he looked away from the younger one.

—You know it’s not like that, my love. Please look at me. —he pleaded. —What do I have to do for you to forgive me? Do I need to give up leadership? I’ll hand it over to Fuma. Do you need to hit me? Hit me as hard as you want. Do I have to kneel for days? I’ll stay like that until you tell me to stop.

—What..? No, Euijoo, this isn’t about—ahg. —Nicholas pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling frustrated. —It’s useless trying to make you understand. I can’t do this.

—Then explain it to me! —he shouted, frustrated too. —Tell me what I need to understand, Nicholas.

Nicholas shoved him, angry. The alpha remained sitting on the floor, staring up at him with surprise carved into his tearful face.

—Do you think that by saying sorry, I’ll go back to being that pathetic Nicholas? The one always chasing after you, begging for attention? The one who stays up just to get a crumb of affection? —he asked rhetorically, his face reddening with anger. —Fine. Let’s say I forgive you—what happens then? —He clenched his jaw. —Are you magically going to stop acting like the super Alpha? I don’t think so. The moment I say “Yes, Juju, I forgive you,” you’ll go right back to being the same idiot as always. Maybe you’ll reinforce the mark or whatever, but as soon as you’re satisfied with my words, you’ll go back to ignoring me, prioritizing things that any other pack member could easily do if you just asked. You’ll go back to being Leader Byun Euijoo, the perfect Alpha no one asked for.

Nicholas’ eyes couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, letting them fall like waterfalls.

—T-that’s unfair, —Euijoo stammered. —Everything I do is to protect our family...

—Here we go again... —he laughed bitterly and moved away from the younger one, sitting on the bed. —Arguing won’t get us anywhere, Euijoo. I forgive you—or whatever it is you want to hear. —he pulled at his shirt, touched the patch around his neck and slowly peeled it off. —I’m tired, I feel like I didn’t sleep at all last night. Close the door when you leave, please.

Euijoo was crying even louder, but Nicholas didn’t react.

When the patch was fully removed, Euijoo could see the bite mark—yellowing and fading into an ugly bruise. He swallowed a horrified gasp and rushed over to the older one, taking his face in one hand and caressing the mark with the other.

Nicholas squirmed uncomfortably, trying to pull away from the sudden touch. That only made the alpha tighten his grip and force him to look at him.

—I swear on the Moon that I love you with my life, Wang Yixiang. And you know I keep my promises, so I promise never to push you aside again—not even for the pack. —he leaned in to kiss him, but the older one pulled away before he could.

—If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you, it’s that you’re a good liar. No, Euijoo, I don’t believe a word you say. But I told you I’m fine. I forgive you. —once again, he tried to dodge his touch, but the younger one didn’t let him.

—Fuck, Nicholas! —he yelled angrily, and Nicholas froze at the rare outburst.

He felt himself being pulled backward onto the bed, and the next second, Euijoo was on top of him, devouring his lips hungrily as if he had never tasted them before.

Euijoo grew impatient when Nicholas didn’t return the kiss with the same intensity. Slightly annoyed, he pressed hard on the mark on his neck with one hand, while the other slipped under his shirt, caressing his waist.

Nicholas gasped in pain from the pressure on his neck, and the younger one took the opportunity to slide his tongue into the other’s mouth, exploring it without being reciprocated.

The older one moaned uncomfortably, trying to push the alpha off him, but with no positive results; the younger one was stronger and more persistent.

He stopped resisting.

Euijoo felt the older one cease to oppose and kissed him more tenderly, until he felt their mouths quieting external sobs. When they slightly separated, he saw the man crying, staring at him with resentment in his eyes. Byun pressed his lips together and his eyes filled with tears again.

—I hate you. —said the older one before grabbing him by the neck and attacking his lips, this time being the one to initiate the kiss.

Euijoo sighed contentedly and immediately returned the action vehemently. Nicholas was still crying the moment he took off his shirt with trembling hands and unbuttoned his jeans. It continued like this even as Euijoo delicately prepared his entrance.

"I love you Nicholas. I love you, fuck. He said over his lips as he slowly began to enter it.

Nicholas stopped crying, biting his lips with a mixture of pleasure, pain, and guilt. He did not respond to the younger boy's words, but he moved, penetrating himself even more.

"Now-move now." he managed to say.

Euijoo groaned starting with his thrusts. He seemed impatient, like a virgin in his first time, giving uncoordinated thrusts and kissing the face of the eldest while admiring his face, contemplating his beauty.

He grunted as he saw the older man open his mouth with pleasure. She immediately placed her lips on the opposites, it was not in itself a kiss, but at least her lips were touching.

It was Nicholas who broke the touch, tilting his head to the side, exposing his neck with the fading mark. Euijoo gasped contentedly and without letting go of the swaying of his hips, he bit Nicholas' neck, stoking the mating mark and making the older one on his abdomen with a cry of pain and pleasure.

Euijoo could feel the familiar jumble in his lower abdomen, and without letting go of the other's skin, he came inside the elder, feeling the knot form inside, bringing them together.

—I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. —he murmured like a mantra in Wang's neck, with his mouth feeling the familiar metallic taste of blood and unable to break away from it. Nicholas said nothing, he just looked at the wall beside him, staring into nothingness. Euijoo felt himself tremble, his eyes burned. —Say it Nicholas, for God's sake, just tell me you love me.

Nicholas gulped and bit his lip.

—I-I can't... —he held back the tears.

Euijoo trembled violently and bit the older man's shoulder again, this time without fangs. Nonetheless, Nicholas felt the pain and shouted.

—You love me dammit, you can’t stop loving me over a stupid mistake Nicholas... —the older man didn’t reply and Euijoo felt the tears fall from his eyes, directly onto the other shoulder. —Don’t do this to me love... if you don't love me I-I... I can't live without you. J-just-

—I love you.

Euijoo fell silent. Something calmer hugged him tightly, feeling relieved.

They said nothing. Nicholas had a distant look fixed on a point, and Euijoo...

Euijoo forced himself to believe that Nicholas was not lying to him so that he would remain silent.

.
.
.

Harua tenderly stroked Maki’s hair. The younger was still in his trance; several minutes had passed since he had been like that. He decided to get comfortable on the cold floor, resting the younger’s head on his lap, and since then he stroked his silver hair, tracing his features with his gaze.

His jaw tensed for a moment when he saw the younger’s slightly parted lips; they were lightly swollen and shiny, with a bit of blood from the wound Euijoo had caused him.

He was pretty pissed off when he saw the scene of Nicholas kissing his partner, but luckily he realized Maki’s condition, knowing that his body went into pause with the visions, and that surely the older wolf had caught him by surprise, with no time to do anything.

In a quick movement, Maki’s body took a breath; his chest rose at the same time, and immediately he sat on the floor with his eyes wide open.

Harua watched him silently, seeing him moan and touch the area affected by the blow, in pain.

“Fuck! Why does my jaw hurt?” he asked, not noticing his little partner beside him.

“Euijoo hit you,” he answered, and the younger startled, finally realizing his presence.

“What? Why?” He moved his chin from side to side, stroking his chin and standing up.

“Because he saw you and Nicholas kissing.” The younger wolf froze in place, and immediately Harua imitated his previous action, standing in front of him.

Maki looked at him, scared and remorseful, trying to read the older’s expression. Harua didn’t seem to show anything; he was expressionless while they made eye contact.

“I... don’t remember that,” he murmured, swallowing saliva.

“Sure you don’t.”

“Are you mad?” he asked cautiously.

Harua sighed and shook his head.

“I’m not, Maki.” He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“You sound mad.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Your voice sounds mad.”

“Because I answered and you’re still insisting. I’m not mad.”

“You got irritated, that means you’re mad—” Maki stopped talking when a slap on his cheek made him turn his face; he felt a sting and a metallic taste very similar to blood gathered on his palate. Harua had just given him a hard slap, in the same spot where Euijoo had left the bruise, and fuck, he almost forgot how strong his partner could be. Slowly he turned his head forward, locking eyes with the older, who had his brow furrowed. Maki smiled sideways. “That slap hurt a lot.”

Harua clenched his jaw and looked at him, now truly angry.

—"Damn it, Maki! Yes, yes, I'm angry! You're an idiot." —he approached and grabbed his shirt with both hands, pushing him until he collided with the wall. —"But I'm not angry about what happened between that idiot Nicholas and you! I've already gotten over that since what happened with Taki years ago." —Maki pressed his lips together trying to stay serious; it made him feel affectionate to see his boyfriend so dominant yet still having to look up to face him. —"I'm fucking angry because you're a childish idiot."

“Harua, I’m sor—” —another slap, this time on his uninjured cheek. “Why was that for?!” —this time he reacted faster; that slap hurt, but not as much as the previous one.

“Because...” —his eyes welled up. —“because I don’t deserve any of what you’ve put me through.” —tears flowed uncontrollably, his fists released the younger’s clothes and began to hit the other chest, not very hard. —“Out of nowhere, you stopped talking to me, you didn’t even look at me, you ignored me. A-and, all that secret stuff with Yu-yuma and now this with Nicholas. You left me alone, Maki, alone and wondering what I did wrong for my life partner not to want to see me. I didn’t deserve that, damn it.”

Maki felt his heart stop and then beat painfully again; seeing the older’s desolate crying hurt him, and it hurt even more knowing it was his fault.

Grabbing the older wolf’s arms, he stopped his blows. Harua struggled, trying to push away his big hands, but Maki growled and hugged the smaller one tightly, stroking his head despite the protests. Until Harua calmed down in his arms.

“I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry. I’m an immature idiot who didn’t know how to react wisely to a stupid thing taken out of context.” —he bit his lower lip as he heard the older’s strangled sound. —“The story is very long, and I’d rather tell it with everyone present. But in short, something happened last night—” —the smaller body tensed in his arms. Maki raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but would leave it for later. —“what happened, I saw in one of my visions. It was about you and Jo… kissing.”

Harua quickly pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, displeased and annoyed.

“What? That never—” Maki interrupted him, placing a finger over his lips.

“Shh, calm down. Now I understand everything, but at that moment I couldn’t think rationally.” He stroked the older’s lower lip with his thumb, slightly opening the other’s mouth and tracing its inside, his gaze fixed on it. “Like I said, I’ll explain it better when everyone is gathered. But I want you to understand that I’m really sorry, baby, these days without you were hell on Earth.”

“That’s totally your fault,” murmured the older, leaning even more against the younger’s marked chest. He flirtatiously ran his tongue over the other’s thumb and began to suck it, their eyes never leaving each other.

Maki smiled slyly, causing the shorter one to bite his finger.

"You can't be mad at me for long, can you, baby?" Maki hissed between her teeth and sank her finger even deeper into her wet mouth, feeling how she was touching behind the opposite tongue. Harua groaned in pleasure. "The moment I give you an ounce of attention, you look at me as if you want to live all day on top of my cock. He mocked when he saw the eldest's flushed cheeks, he let out another moan and, moving his hips, rubbed his growing erections slightly.

Harua let go of the younger's finger with an obscene, Pop, and licked the thread of saliva that attached it to his mouth.

"It's your fault for being so handsome. He snorted annoyed when he saw the younger's dimples and then jumped to his lips, kissing him with annoyance.

Maki reciprocated with equal vehemence, allowing Harua to press him against the wall as he squeezed his waist and pulled him closer to himself, as if it were possible. Closer and the next step would be to merge.

Slowly, the taller man's hands moved to the older man's butt, squeezing the pompous balloons, and causing Harua to moan in his mouth.

"God, I missed this already. Maki stammered on the opposite lips, and then left kisses on her cheeks and nose.

—Keep in mind that you don't deserve it. —said the older one, stroking the silver-haired companion's hair, allowing him to leave kisses all over his face.

—Yes, I know. Today you are particularly sensitive; usually, you would argue more. —He stopped distributing kisses, just to look at him directly, with an eyebrow raised.

Harua seemed to tense for a moment but relaxed immediately.

—Last night... I had a strange dream, I don't remember much, but... —he bit his lower lip. —I remember feeling that you were leaving, just... you were abandoning me. For no reason, with no motive, no excuses, you vanished into thin air, as if the bond that united us was breaking from your side. That, honestly, scared me a lot; even my wolf was restless all morning until I kissed you. —he confessed shyly, looking away, but without separating from the warm body holding him.

-Baby... that will never happen. -Maki calmed Harua by making him look at him and giving him small kisses on the lips, without going beyond the innocent touch. -I would never leave without you, only when I die will you get rid of me. -he said trying to sound funny.

He only managed to make Harua lightly hit him on the shoulder and frown in annoyance.

-Never say that Riki, you will never die. We will live for hundreds of years, together. -Maki laughed, amused by the sweet gesture of lips. -And I know you could leave without me, once you were gone for weeks with Heeseung and Nicholas. -his face showed disgust at the last name mentioned, but he quickly composed himself. -And I know it was to bring Yuma, Jo, and Jake. But you abandoned me.

Maki sighed.

"I told you it was to keep you safe. He brushed her hair from her forehead and stroked her cheek. Heeseung's mind-reading ability was necessary. I also needed someone who spoke Mandarin, everything was calculated. Also, I left a note, we would be back.

"They were days of horror for me, Hirota Riki. He pricked his dimple annoyed. "But that's it, it's in the past. You came back and brought those three fools, who we love, so it's forgotten. And if you have a vision that requires you to leave, or involves both of us, you'd better tell me. he demanded, squinting. "Because if something like that time, or whatever happened these days, happens again, I'll cut your balls Maki." And believe me, love, it will hurt me more than you.

Maki swallowed sage, knowing that it was not just an empty threat coming from Harua.

"All-everything?" He stammered nervously.

Harua narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously.

"If Hirota, everything. Maki dodged her gaze. Harua gritted her teeth, and a hand reached for the younger's pants, squeezing her pack tightly. Maki groaned in pain, and looked at him again with pleading eyes. "In case it wasn't clear, it wasn't a simple threat.

"You know, I can't tell you everything before it happens," he said almost breathlessly, as he struggled to get his hand out of the painful place.

"Is it because of the vision you just had?" The younger didn't answer, just inhaled and exhaled tremblingly. Harua firmed her grip and Maki squirmed slightly. "Speak...

Maki felt like she was swallowing dry.

"You're not going to like it...

"Try me." He countered decisively.

The tallest sighed, knowing that he was speaking, or he would lose the crown jewels.

"I don't know exactly the time, but we're going to—"

.
.
.

Heeseung looked at the door of his room, startled when it suddenly opened and a nervous Jake entered through it.

The older vampire was lying on his bed, with his laptop on his legs while he worked. He was quite focused, so the interruption confused him only for a moment.

When he realized who it was, he smiled, took off his glasses, and set the laptop aside to sit up properly.

—Hello, beautiful, how can I help you? —Jake pressed his lips, as if hesitating to come in. The younger pressed his lips, and with determined eyes, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Although after that, he stayed standing there, pressed against the door and with his eyes fixed on the older one. —Jake... I would never mind your presence in my room but, did something happen? You look strange.

He didn’t say a word, not even when he started moving quickly towards Heeseung, nor when he pushed him onto the bed, nor when he straddled him, and even less when he suddenly kissed him.

Heeseung gasped in surprise, but composed himself in a second and returned the kiss, taking control of it like an expert. He growled in pleasure in the younger's mouth; this, kissing Jake, hadn't happened since... NEVER.

Maybe the younger was still under the spell's trance, maybe he was being manipulated. But damn, Heeseung would take everything he gave him, even if it was selfish not to be in his senses. But... kissing Jake only happened in his wildest and most intimate dreams; he wouldn’t miss a single detail of that moment.

In those moments, he thanked the moon for not needing to breathe, because it felt like they were like that for hours. Just kissing peacefully, without any rush, but with hunger. Heeseung explored the younger boy's mouth with his tongue, trying to remember every detail, delighting in Sim's sounds of satisfaction when he did something he liked, like lightly biting his lower lip just to run his tongue over it afterwards.

The kiss lasted until Jake slowly pulled away, with a thread of saliva connecting their mouths while looking at the older vampire with misty and satisfied eyes.

Jake ran his tongue over his lower lip, breaking the thread that connected them, and Heeseung sighed in admiration. Jake closed his eyes and buried his face in the older one's neck, who hugged him at the waist with one hand and let the other move to the younger boy's long hair, caressing it tenderly.

Only two minutes of silence passed, counted, until Jake spoke, still muffling his face in Heeseung's neck.

—There was a boy my age on the farm... —he began. Heeseung said nothing, just continued his caresses, indicating that he was listening attentively. —His name was Jisung. We were twelve years old when he arrived, he was introverted and very shy, and I felt my heart clench when no one wanted to talk to him in the first few days, they even ignored him and left him aside. I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to be his friend, even when that led to my own ostracism with all the other kids, but I couldn't understand the animosity towards that little boy. —he paused to take a calm breath, feeling the body beneath him as something comforting. —When he turned sixteen, I realized that the boy I had grown up with and considered my best friend... was much more to me, I liked him a lot. —Although I didn't understand much about the topic of love, I decided to tell him, and he felt the same way. We were, uh, together, maybe for about three months, kissing in secret, sneaking out to the terrace at night to look at the stars, exploring a bit of our... uh, our bodies. —she felt a little embarrassed at the last part and laughed nervously, shifting her body slightly. —One day we let our guard down, or we were too confident, I don't know. We were kissing at the back of the farm, next to an old oak tree that no one ever visited. And one of the maids caught us, doing devil's work, as she called it, and told the guardians. —she paused again.

Heeseung felt something wet fall on his neck, and Jake began to sob lightly. The older vampire hugged him tighter, turning them both onto their sides, face to face. He slid his hand through Jake’s black hair and wiped the tears that fell uncontrollably.

—Calm down, beautiful, you don’t have to tell me if it makes you feel bad. —he tried to soothe him and placed a kiss on his head.

Jake shook his head and sniffled, moving close again to the older’s neck, burying his face there. Apparently, he liked that spot.

—They took me to a very dark place, kept me there for days, only gave me water and hard bread. They said I deserved it for the aberrations I had committed, and that it was to purify me, because I was contaminated. —he trembled slightly, remembering that event.

—Oh, beautiful, you know that’s not true...

—Now I do, but back then I didn’t know them yet. —he said, biting his lip. In that moment he was able to stop crying. —W-when they freed me, Jisung was no longer there. They said his family had come back for him.

—That means that... —Heeseung swallowed hard, knowing well what it meant for someone to leave the farm.

—At that time I didn’t know. I only understood that what I had done was an aberration, and that it was good that the other part that made me commit them was gone. —he placed his hands on the older’s chest, making circles while sniffing his neck. —When you and the others rescued me a few years later, and explained where I had been... Jungwon calmly told me what was really happening with the children there, so I figured out what happened to Jisung. But I also realized something else... —he swallowed hard. —The children rejected Jisung because the guardians favored him, a lot. Jisung was always marked, a vampire had claimed him since he was a child, he only waited for the exact moment to find him... —he knew exactly what he meant, he was always destined to disappear without warning.

—I’m so sorry, beautiful. —he placed another kiss on his head, entwining his fingers in the long hair. —I truly regret everything that’s happened to you, being just a child... I can’t understand what you suffered.

Jake pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes and smiling faintly. Heeseung looked at his lips, red and tempting to the sight, wanting to taste them again...

To his absolute surprise, Jake leaned in to kiss him again. This time they didn’t spend as long exchanging saliva, just until Jake pulled away with a bright smile and a playful look in his eyes.

—And what about you? How was your childhood? Or your adolescence? —he asked timidly. He reached for the older’s hand and toyed with his fingers, fascinated by the size difference.

Heeseung made a thoughtful sound from his throat, something like a growl.

—It was boring. You know I was born in the Joseon dynasty, seventeen-oh-one to be exact. —he intertwined his fingers with the younger’s and stroked his knuckles with his thumb. —I was a noble.

—Of course you were. —the younger vampire snorted amused.

—Hey! —Heeseung pushed him, pretending to be offended, but with a smile that betrayed his amusement. —What does that mean?

—Nothing. Go on. —he chuckled, playing with the older’s fingers again.

—My father was a court official, so I grew up with a silver spoon. I spent my days playing with the servants, studying, and I was even good friends with the crown prince. Being the youngest of two brothers, I didn’t have many responsibilities, but I did my part. —he told him calmly.

—And how did you end up... you know, a vampire? —Jake wasn’t sure if he could ask that, but he was curious anyway.

Heeseung stopped moving, as if he hadn’t expected that question. He sighed and withdrew his hand, bringing it to the younger’s face and stroking his cheek.

—It’s not a super heartbreaking story but, it still bothers me a little. —he confessed with a throat clear, preparing to tell it. —I married a noblewoman, an arranged marriage. —he said immediately. —I didn’t love her, she was just a good friend to me, but she was in love with me.

—That sounds narcissistic, Lee. Did she confess it to you or did you sense it? —he teased, trying not to feel jealous. He didn’t have the right to that yet.

—She confessed it to me. —his lips curved into a grimace of disgust. —I don’t want to sound narcissistic, like you said, but I was very popular even back then. I was considered the most handsome in town and caught the attention of the wrong person. —Jake teased him lightly about that. Heeseung pinched his cheek playfully, the younger complained and fell silent. —A vampire came through one day, got obsessed with me, especially when I didn’t give her the attention she wanted. One night, she entered my house and murdered my wife, then forcibly turned me into a vampire.

—Out of nowhere? —Jake asked surprised.

—According to her logic, by turning me she bound me to her for eternity and eventually I would fall at her feet. —he said disgusted.

—What happened to her? —he couldn’t contain his curiosity asking.

—You know better than anyone that fledgling vampires are much stronger than the old ones...

—No way, you killed your maker? —Jake was shocked.

Heeseung pursed his lips.

—At the time I had no idea what I was doing, I didn’t even know vampires existed until I became one. I tore her head off in my anger, I immediately started feeling sick and was unconscious for days. People believed I had killed my wife and tried to take my own life, so they waited for me to wake for my death trial.

—But you’re here...

—I had an awesome older brother. —he smiled looking at a spot on the wall, as if remembering someone. —Heli helped me escape one night. Although I told him what happened to me, he didn’t see me as a monster, he understood me and when he said goodbye to me far from town, he just asked me to be happy and do what I wanted with my life. He wanted me to be free, he was my confidant... —he said sadly.

—He knew you liked men. —Jake guessed. And the older’s melancholy smile gave him away. —Sounds like an awesome big brother. What happened to him?

—I visited him once, in seventeen seventy-four. He was seventy-five years old and dying. —he remembered sadly. —He was very surprised to see me, for me no time had passed, so it must have been shocking to see his little brother the same as the last time he said goodbye. I sat and told him all my travels, adventures, the freedom I could experience and the people I’d met in the process. He died the next day. But he was happy, he and his wife were one of those lucky marriages, they loved each other even before they were engaged, Sooha died five years before, but she was a great woman and had two children he was proud of, he even named one Heeseung. He said it was to remember his favorite brother.

—He loved you a lot.

—And I loved him. —they exchanged looks and laughed softly.

Jake leaned in to place a kiss on the older’s lips, it was just a touch of lips, and he pulled away right after. Heeseung bit his lip and taking his face, kissed him properly, like God intended.

They heard some sounds—very similar to moans—and the rhythmic thump of wood hitting a wall. They both pulled apart, looking surprised, and then burst out laughing once they realized what it was.

—Those are...

—That’s Sunghoon and Jungwon’s room. —Heeseung made a face of disgust.

—That definitely sounds like a reconciliation. —Jake laughed loudly.

Heeseung just stared at him, completely entranced by how beautiful the younger vampire was.

—Jake... it’s not that I’m complaining or anything, but... why did you kiss me? What does this mean? —the question made the smaller vampire stop laughing.

Heeseung bit his lower lip nervously, afraid that after all of this, the younger one would go back to treating him the same as before—pushing him away and avoiding his feelings.

—If I tell you, I’ll sound like an idiot. —he laughed awkwardly, avoiding the amber eyes of the taller vampire.

—I’d never think anything bad of you, beautiful. To me, you’re perfect. —Jake’s lips trembled slightly, and his cheeks flushed more than any normal vampire’s would.

—I had a weird dream... —Heeseung looked at him, surprised and confused. Did that mean he didn’t remember the night before? —In that dream, you were with someone else. I couldn’t make out faces, just yours, but I knew the person you were with wasn’t me. And that terrified me more than I wanted to admit, because your eyes weren’t searching for me like always, and you weren’t smiling flirtatiously at me, but at someone else. I didn’t like how that dream made me feel, like you were slipping through my fingers. Like not facing my feelings would cause me to lose yours. —he swallowed hard and looked into the older vampire’s shining eyes. —And I realized that would be my future if I didn’t do something about it... watching you with someone else as soon as you decided I was too complicated.

Heeseung looked at him with tenderness and caressed his hair and face.

—Oh, beautiful, I never would’ve given up on you. —he placed a kiss on his nose. —I waited more than three hundred years to find you; I could wait hundreds more. I’m the epitome of patience—I would’ve won you over, even if it had to be at a snail’s pace. —he leaned in to kiss the younger vampire’s full, glistening lips again.

Jake pulled back with a smile.

—I don’t know what you saw in me. —he caressed the older vampire’s face with admiration. —You’re beautiful, and now you’ve just confessed you’re a noble. And I’m just... me. An orphan with nothing special.

—The real question is, what didn’t I see in you? —he placed his hand over the younger’s on his face. —You’re beautiful, smart, thoughtful, kind, sexy, brilliant—and I could keep listing adjectives that describe you perfectly. You’re the very image of the boy I always dreamed of having by my side, and I love you, Jake. —Jake’s mouth opened in surprise. —It doesn’t matter if you can’t say it yet, like I told you, I can wait years to hear it, because you have to be ready first. But I wanted to say it—I love you.

—I don’t know what to say... —he stammered. —I don’t know if I love you, because it’s a feeling I’ve never experienced. But I do know I care about you a lot, Heeseung. I care about you more than I ever cared about Jisung... even way more than I care about the rest of the boys.

—And that’s more than enough for me. —Heeseung leaned in again, just to nibble on the younger’s plump lips. —And I hope you understand that you’re not going to pull away from me again. Now that you’ve kissed me, there’s no way I’m going to stop—I’m a bit addicted.

—I’m yours, you can kiss me all you want. —he whispered against his lips. —I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Their lips met again, endlessly.

.
.
.

—Are you hiding from me? —Niki asked as he climbed the attic stairs.

He had been looking for Taki for a while, until it finally occurred to him to check up there. The attic was the older boy’s safe space—he always went there when his mind drifted to a dark place or when he just wanted to be alone. It was also the place where they had confessed their feelings and decided to give their relationship a chance. Well, mostly Taki, given his aversion to vampires and the fact he had imprinted on one. It had been a delicate process.

But that’s another story.

Niki had always respected his boyfriend’s space. Sometimes, he needed his own as well, but today he had been searching for the wolf everywhere, following his scent. Still, Taki had always been slightly more agile, with the best sense of smell in the whole pack.

It didn’t take long for the vampire to realize the wolf was deliberately avoiding him every time he got close. Cornering him in his safe place was playing dirty.

Once fully inside, he spotted his partner’s figure. Taki’s wolf form wasn’t one of the largest in the pack—although larger than Harua and Yuma’s—it still looked small to anyone used to giant wolves.

But even if he was smaller compared to the others, Taki’s animal form was still too big for the tiny attic space.

Niki walked slowly toward him, watching as the wolf avoided his gaze, eyes fixed on the round window above. With a sigh, the vampire sat down next to him and began to pet his back.

The wolf melted under his touch. A second later, he laid his head on Niki’s lap, and Niki rested his other hand there, gently stroking him.

Minutes passed in silence. The wolf breathed calmly while the vampire admired him, running his eyes over Taki’s brown fur, always fascinated by his partner’s animal state. Then, with the sounds of bones shifting back into place, the wolf transformed back into Taki.

Taki remained with his head in Niki’s lap, but instead of continuing to stare at the wall, he locked eyes with him. The vampire smiled softly and caressed his hair and cheeks.

—I wasn’t avoiding you. —he said at last, lips forming a slight frown.

—What’s wrong, pup? —asked the pale-haired boy, pinching and gently stretching his boyfriend’s squishy cheeks.

Taki whined a little, but didn’t stop him. What he did do, though, was hesitate before speaking his next words:

—If I don’t have sex with you… would you look for someone else? —Niki froze, staring at the shorter boy in disbelief. —Don’t look at me like that, it’s valid to wonder. I’m a wolf—I fall in love with one person for life. That’s imprinting. But you’re a vampire. Nothing ties you to me. You could just let me die and go off with whoever you want— Ouch! What the hell?! —he cried out when he got pinched hard in the stomach, squirming in discomfort.

—You deserved that—for the nonsense you’re spouting, Takayama. —Niki looked genuinely annoyed. —I would never leave. And you know I’m not with you because of your imprint. If I hadn’t wanted to be with you, I simply wouldn’t have. —he moved, removing Taki from his lap. Taki sat up beside him on his knees, looking a little regretful. —I’m in a relationship with you because I love you. And it’s been a process—you know it, I know it, the whole pack knows it. We spent years in this push-and-pull, Taki. Believe me, if I hadn’t wanted this, —he gestured between them, —I would’ve walked away a long time ago.

Taki chuckled nervously.

“I was a real headache back then, huh?” —Niki nodded solemnly, giving him the point.
“Honestly, it’s a miracle that after everything I did, you stayed with me.”

“I have to admit some things hurt,” —Niki said, pulling him closer so he straddled his lap, one hand on his waist and the other caressing his cheek. “But you’re adorable in your own way, and that’s what made me fall for you. The more we argued, the harder I fell for your charms.”

“I get it. I’m irresistible.” —Taki smirked, earning a playful smack on the butt from a mock-annoyed vampire. He bit his lip, staring into Niki’s amber eyes.
“I might’ve been avoiding you a little…”

“I knew it.”

“But… that doubt was stuck in my head and… I couldn’t shake it off. But I felt humiliated even thinking about asking you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, pup. I understand. Just don’t do it again, or I’ll get mad.” —he bared his fangs slightly, trying to look intimidating.

Taki laughed and hugged him.

"You're about as scary as a baby kitten," —he teased. He immediately felt his partner’s fangs glide along his neck, sending shivers down his spine and briefly stealing his breath.
"Are you hungry?" —he asked, a little eager; part of him loved when his vampire fed from his blood.

"Not really," —Niki replied, running his tongue over the wolf’s pulsing vein.
"But it’s always a pleasure to drink from you, pup."

"Then what are you waiting for?" —he tilted his head further.

"Thanks for the meal." —and with that, he sank his sharp fangs into the older boy’s skin.

Taki groaned in a mixture of pain, from the new intrusion, and pleasure, because the pain and caresses that the vampire owes him, pleased him. Niki moaned too, blood already running down her throat.

A brief thought crossed Taki's mind; Is this how it will feel to fuck?

Their hips moved involuntarily, causing friction on their penises. Niki squeezed the other's waist, grunting and increasing her movements. He separated his mouth from his neck, a trail of blood falling from the corner of his mouth, Taki took his face in his hands and with glassy eyes looked at the crimson stain. He ran his tongue from the child's chin into his mouth, being gladly received in a messy kiss, relazing faster and firmer movements in the lower area.

He took the white hair in his fingers and pulled it tightly, Niki moaned in his mouth, pleased. The kiss found order at some point when the vampire took control. But it didn't last long when Taki began to direct his kisses to the chin, leaving a path to the junction of his shoulder and neck.

Feeling that he was coming, he bit in the area, thus leaving a temporary mark of mating between them. Niki must have felt something too, because soon both moaned and came in their shorts.

They stayed silent in that position, somewhere between exhausted and sufficiently ecstatic. The first to break the silence was Taki, laughing; the whole situation seemed hilarious to him. Niki also laughed, just because the wolf's laughter seemed funny to him, even more so, he didn’t know the reason for his boyfriend's laughter.

'I love you, silly vampire,' he affirmed, giving him repeated kisses on the cheek. 'I feel disgusting.'

--And I love you, puppy. --she caressed the wolf's back. --Let's stay like this for a moment, then we'll shower together.-

-That sounds like an incredible plan.

.
.
.

Jo stepped into the forest with firm strides, his gaze searching all around. He reached the stream that lay a few kilometers from the house, and there he saw his partner.

Yuma was in his wolf form, the white fur unmistakable. He didn’t seem to be doing anything particularly important, because the moment he heard him approach, he stopped walking and shifted back into his human form.

“I can’t do it.” —the older wolf passed by his side, heading deeper into the forest and ignoring the younger one. “I can’t...”

Jo didn’t need him to say anything; he simply understood. With a sigh, he turned around and followed him.

“Stop, Yuma. We need to talk.” —he ignored him and picked up the pace. “Please, love, it’s time.” —the older man didn’t flinch. “Maki already told me.” —that made his steps halt instantly.

Jo took the opportunity to get closer, stopping just about a meter from his partner. Slowly, Yuma turned around, facing him with a poorly concealed look of surprise on his face.

“He told you?” —he asked, incredulous.

“Yes, he told me this morning. All of us, actually.”

“Why?” —he frowned, annoyed. “He always says he can’t share his visions before they happen…” —his eyes widened more than usual, staring at the younger one with doubt.

Jo bit his lip and nodded slowly.

“Last night…” —Yuma took a step back, hurt by what he’d just heard. “No, wait, it’s not what you think.”

“It’s not what I think?” —he snapped, irritation in his voice. “Seriously? There’s no excuse for kissing someone who’s not your mate, Jo. Does Maki know?”

“It really isn’t what you think.” —he sighed, frustrated. He didn’t know how to begin explaining the chaos of the previous night. “He does. He saw it with his own eyes, before Nicholas kissed him.” —He could see the surprise in the other's expression after those words. “And before you kissed Niki.”

“I never kissed Niki!” —he exclaimed confidently, though his eyes twitched slightly. “God, just the image of that makes me want to vomit.” —he faked a gag.

“It happened, I saw it clearly.” —now Jo seemed to be the one annoyed. That surprised Yuma — his partner was the most peaceful in the pack and never got mad at him, or anyone. But seeing him frown, clench his jaw, and growl the words stirred something in his lower half. He quickly shook off those thoughts — this wasn’t the time. “Look, I wouldn’t know how to explain it well. We agreed to meet in the living room after everyone talked to their mate, and Maki would explain it again.”

“Try.” —he growled. “I need to know now.”

“In short...” —he chose his words carefully. “The woman who showed up yesterday enchanted the cake you ate. Those of us who didn’t eat it weren’t affected. But those of you who did, well, apparently it made you fall in love with the first person you saw and gave you some kind of super strength. You jumped on Niki, Harua saw me when I was trying to talk sense into you and clung to me. Same with everyone else. Then he kissed me, you kissed him, and that was Maki’s vision.” —he explained quickly.

When he finished, he covered his head with his arms, bracing for impact. Yuma had asked for an explanation, but Jo knew his partner like the back of his hand. It sounded too fantastical to believe, and Yuma was a realist — if the explanation didn’t satisfy him, he’d never buy it.

But to his surprise, the blows didn’t come.

Lowering his arms slowly, he saw his partner staring at him intently, lips pressed tightly together. Then he looked down at the ground, thoughtful, before returning his gaze to the taller man and sighing.

“It makes sense.” —he said.

“Really? You believe me?” —he asked, surprised.

“Yes, I do. Why? Shouldn’t I?” —he raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes! I mean, no!” —he corrected himself quickly. “I mean, it’s all true. I’m just surprised you believed me so easily — the story sounds a little…”

“It’s very fantastical.” —he admitted. “Sounds like that play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“You know it?”

“Of course, it’s in our library. Nicholas recommended it to me a while ago, he really likes that play.” —he shrugged. He leaned against a nearby tree and looked at the younger man attentively. “You haven’t read it? It’s… good.”

“No...” —he shook his head slowly, taking a few steps closer to his partner. “But I will.”

Yuma raised his head more and more as Jo approached.

“What you said… it does sound like something a witch would do, so yes, I believe you. But I’ll still listen to Maki’s explanation — I understand him a little better.”

“Yes, he’s quite smart.” —he bit his tongue not to say she wasn’t actually a witch — that would just complicate things.

“So…” —he looked away from the taller man. “You kissed Harua… How was it?”

Jo growled at the absurd question.

“Yuma.” —he noted the tic in the shorter man’s jaw and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know what you want to hear, but I didn’t pay attention. I couldn’t take my eyes off you and Niki.” —he placed one arm beside the older man's head, trapping him against the tree. “You were kissing him in a way you’ve never kissed me, and touching him too much. It was awful to see.”

“Alright, enough. Let’s not talk about that. I feel like throwing up if you say Niki’s name one more time.” —he shook his head, snapping out of it.

“Now that you know the truth, you won’t ignore me again, right?” —he stroked the soft black hair of the older man with one hand, which slowly slid down to his jaw.

“I won’t apologize…” —he swallowed nervously, avoiding eye contact. “I can’t.”

Jo’s gaze softened, and he held his face in both hands, cradling it gently.

“You know I’d never ask you to do something you can’t, love.” —he gave him a small kiss on the lips and pulled away right after. “I just want us to go back to how we were.”

His plump lips, squished by the pressure on his cheeks, trembled slightly. Yuma nodded in agreement.

Jo knew about his partner’s trauma with apologies, and when the older man decided to give them a chance, he promised he’d never make him apologize. Jo could do it for both of them.

Yuma leaned forward, standing on his tiptoes, and gave the younger boy another kiss, this time lasting a few seconds longer. Just as Jo was about to intensify the kiss, placing one of her hands on the older boy's neck and the other on his waist, he pulled away, kneeling on the floor.

"I can't say it verbally, but maybe I can spy on my mistakes in other ways." He looked up while playing with the suspenders of the other boy's pants.

"W-what? Here?" Jo looked around nervously. He didn't know if he should stop him; he felt half embarrassed and half aroused. They hadn't been intimate in weeks, and Yuma was too sexy for Jo's sake.

"No one's around, don't be a prude." He pulled down his pants, freeing the younger boy's semi-erect member. "You pretend to be all innocent, but I know you better than you think." —The older wolf's small hand wrapped around the member, his warm breath fanning over the tip before he ran his tongue over it, like a kitten testing.

All under the watchful, dark gaze of the younger wolf, who sighed, grabbed the dark hair and pulled it back, forcing him to look at him.

"You asked for it," he murmured, pressing his partner closer against his cock.

"Of course," he replied with a crooked smile.

Honestly, Yuma loved teasing him.

.

.

.

Sunghoon froze when he entered the room. Jungwon was lying on the bed, a stress ball in his hand, staring intently at something on the ceiling.

The prince didn’t even flinch when the door opened — that’s how Sunghoon knew his boyfriend had been waiting for him.

“You took your time.” —the blonde said without looking at him.

“I was looking for you.” —he admitted, closing the door behind him. “But I got distracted listening to K and Fuma’s drama. Then I went outside and caught another dramatic moment between Harua, Maki, Nicholas, and Euijoo—seriously, it was pure gold. I spied on them secretly. If they found out I saw them, they’d—” he stopped when Jungwon’s gaze finally turned to him.

“I know you want to talk, but now you’re rambling.” —the blonde set the ball aside and patted the other side of the bed, signaling for Sunghoon to lie down with him.

Sunghoon obeyed the silent order — he was never good at disobeying his adorable boyfriend — so he laid down beside him in silence. Both stared at the ceiling, saying nothing for several minutes.

“I’m really sorry for what I said back then, I don’t think you’re a...” —he hesitated to repeat the words he’d used in their fight.

“Attention-seeking whore?” —the blonde finished for him.

Sunghoon quickly turned, leaning on his elbow and looking at his partner with guilt and pain.

“I’m so sorry, Woniie. I really don’t think that, I just... you know, I’m way too insecure and you’re so pretty I always think the whole world wants to steal you.” —he leaned in and hugged him around the torso, burying his face in the shorter one’s neck and staying like that, inhaling his scent. “I promise I’ll change. Don’t leave me...”

“I don’t want you to change, Hoon.” —Jungwon sighed. With the hand that wasn’t pinned, he stroked the arm that was wrapped around him. “And I won’t leave you. Believe it or not, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I waited centuries for you.” —Sunghoon let out a satisfied growl at those words.

Jungwon always said it — that he’d waited centuries to find him — but Sunghoon never truly understood what he meant. Whenever he asked for a more detailed explanation, the blonde would dodge the topic.

Sunghoon had decided to stop asking; it never led anywhere.

“I love you too. Way more than you love me, and that’s scary — really scary — because if one day you leave... I don’t know if I’ll be able to go on.” —that made Jungwon tense up.

With a push, he moved the hybrid back to break the hug and face him. This time, Jungwon wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer.

“Hoon, I want this carved deep into that little head of yours. I will NEVER leave you. I appreciate Jay, he helped me a lot when we met, but what happened with him isn’t even close to what’s happening between you and me.” —he ran his fingers through the long black hair of the half-vampire. “I know how you feel, I’ve never dismissed your feelings, believe me. I know what it’s like to watch the person you love being pursued by someone else.” —Sunghoon bit his tongue, holding back the question of how exactly he knew that. He didn’t want to start another meaningless argument. “I don’t even know how I’m going to look Sunoo in the eye without wanting to rip his head off.”

That made Sunghoon look at him in surprise, unable to help it.

“You... you remember what happened last night?” —he asked breathlessly. “The others didn’t seem to remember anything...”

“They might not remember anything — or maybe they had some weird dreams.” —he chuckled. “But me? It takes more than a Moon spell to make me forget that I love you, Park Sunghoon.”

“Wait, you knew everything and still ate that cake?” —he shook his head, confused. “No, wait, did you fake it? But you kissed Heeseung!” —besides being shocked, he sounded annoyed.

Jungwon rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t fake anything. I was under the spell — my body acted on its own — but my mind was all me the whole time. Unfortunately, I do remember kissing Heeseung. Just like I remember Sunoo kissing you.” —he mumbled the last part through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed.

“You’re adorable when you’re jealous.” —Sunghoon leaned in to kiss him on the nose, then his cheek, and finally his lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you jealous before.”

“Because there’s never been a reason. You love me, I love you, everyone here has a partner, and I trust you, dummy — even if you don’t trust me.” —he returned the kiss to his lips.

“I do trust you, kitten. It’s everyone else I don’t trust.” —he hugged him tighter. “They’re all beasts who would snatch you away if they could — because you’re the most beautiful in the whole pack.”

“I disagree.” —he said with a playful laugh. “I think the most beautiful in the pack is you. Then K, then Heeseung... then Euijoo and then me. Well, I think Harua’s pretty adorable too... and Jake, yeah, like a little puppy — the best fledgling I’ve ever raised.” —he laughed at the black-haired one’s pout.

“I don’t like you thinking the others are cute or handsome. To me, you’re the most beautiful and sweet being on the planet. Then me. And the rest? They don’t matter — they’re just mere mortals.”

“Your jealousy is adorable.” —he pinched his left cheek affectionately, then kissed him — a kiss that lasted much longer than the innocent ones they’d been sharing.

“Wait, Won.” —Sunghoon pulled away, wanting to ask more questions. Jungwon seemed to want to escalate things instead, because instead of stopping, he followed a path of kisses from the jaw down to the pale neck of the half-vampire. “I have questions. How do you know who gave us the cake? Why didn’t it affect you like it did the others? When—”

Jungwon silenced him with another kiss, sliding his hands inside Park's shirt, caressing his abdomen and moving up slowly, brushing his nipples with his fingertips. Sunghoon stifled a moan in the blond's mouth, melting at the touch.

"I can answer your boring questions," he said, tugging at the opposite lower lip with his teeth. "Or we can spend the time doing other things..." He ran his tongue over the half-wolf's lips, outlining them. "I want to ride you, Hooniiee."

Sunghoon was never the strongest warrior, especially when it came to Jungwon. A large part of him needed answers to the many questions the vampire had always avoided, and new doubts. But the part of him that was obsessed with his boyfriend told him to give in. It had been days, almost weeks, since they had had any intimate moments. And he already missed him, too much.

Sunghoon growled, his eyes flashing unevenly, as he turned slightly and hovered over the vampire, looking down at him with desire.

"I hope you know what you're asking for, kitten." He leaned down and bit the other's jaw, causing Jungwon to moan and grab his hair, pulling it.

"You can do anything with me, love. I won't stop you." He smiled arrogantly. He moaned again when the black-haired man grazed his fangs against his neck, causing a small, imperceptible cut.

Sunghoon didn't respond.

Jungwon was grateful for his partner's lack of restraint when it came to him. He didn't want to answer questions now.

It wasn't time for him to hear the answers yet.

.

.

.

The room began to fill with couples, entering one by one and sitting wherever they could find space.

Fuma and Yudai were the first to settle in, sitting side by side on the large couch, with the older one throwing his arm over his partner’s shoulders and keeping close. Jay and Sunoo arrived next, both laughing about something and holding hands. The dark-skinned vampire sat on the single-seater and immediately pulled his boyfriend onto his lap, under the amused gaze of the two wolves who had overheard their reconciliation.

A few minutes later, Heeseung and Jake arrived. The elder vampire looked like the happiest being to ever walk the Earth—if his ear-to-ear grin said anything. The fledgling looked happy too, maybe less intensely, but still genuinely content. They came down hand in hand, and Heeseung would occasionally press kisses to the younger’s cheek. Jake blushed and tried to dodge them, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. The moment Jay saw them, his eyes widened and he shouted, clapping. Yudai joined in with a whistle as they entered. Sunoo and Fuma just laughed, happy for their friends.

“I’m really happy for you two.” —Fuma smiled warmly at them, and Jake blushed.

“Thanks, buddy.” —Heeseung said, sitting beside him on the couch. Without needing a word from the older vampire, Jake sat on his lap, earning more teasing from Jay, which was answered with a wave of the hand.

Laughter and quick footsteps echoed down the stairs. Niki and Taki appeared, both with wet hair, laughing about something and playfully pushing each other. There were small patches on their necks, stained with tiny red droplets. Jake wrinkled his nose at that — the smell of blood still tempted him intensely.

The youngest couple arrived and sat on the floor, on the rug, side by side with their legs intertwined. The older ones looked at them curiously. Feeling the stares, they turned their gazes toward the group.

“What’s up?” —Taki asked, frowning.

“You guys already...” —Yudai wasn’t sure if he should ask, but the obscene gesture he made with his hands said it all. Fuma pushed him in disgust, Jay and Heeseung laughed, while Sunoo grimaced and Jake looked at them incredulously.

The wolf and vampire couple looked at each other, smiled, and then faced the older ones.

“Why? Wanna know who was the bottom?” —Niki asked with a grin.

“Don’t talk like that, you’re like... twelve.” —Jake complained.

“I’m years older than you.” —Niki looked at him, confused. “I turned into a vampire during the Japanese occupation of Korea. You weren’t even born yet.”

“Yeah, well... you look nineteen.” —he muttered, crossing his arms.

“That doesn’t make sense—” —he stopped when Heeseung shot him a deadly glare. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to Yudai. “Sorry to disappoint, I know you’re very interested in our sex life, but we’re still waiting for the right time.”

“I’m not interested in your sex life!” —the older wolf exclaimed, blushing a little.

“But you asked.” —Taki teased and shrugged, elbowing his boyfriend in the arm.

“My money’s on you, Niki. Don’t disappoint me, tiger.” —Jay said with a click of his tongue.

“Why not me? I can be a great top too.” —Taki protested, glaring at the vampire.

“Well, size does matter. Don’t ever believe otherwise.” —Niki nodded at his own words. Everyone booed him playfully at the comment, and at how Taki lunged to strangle him.

In the middle of it all, the front door opened, revealing Jo and Yuma. All eyes turned to the newcomers — Jo looked slightly flushed but happy, and Yuma had messy hair, very swollen lips, and the smell of blood...

“What happened to your knees?” —Taki asked, not removing his hands from his boyfriend’s neck.

Yuma looked down — his knees were dirty and scraped, one of them bleeding lightly. He gave a sideways smile and looked at his friend.

“Lately, I’ve been really into praying.” —there was a moment of silence, and all eyes landed on Jo, who with each passing second looked more red than human. Groans and protests echoed as they understood the double meaning. Yuma shrugged and went to sit on the floor beside Taki. “You asked.”

Jo made his way to his partner’s side, avoiding the others, not wanting to make eye contact. He felt uncomfortable knowing that now everyone was aware of what he and Yuma had been up to.

A few more moments of chatter passed before Sunghoon and Jungwon arrived. They came down laughing, with the blonde clinging to Park’s back and playing with his earlobe.

They stopped at the doorway, and the vampire jumped down from the half-wolf’s back. Sunghoon sat on the armrest of the couch, next to Yudai, then grabbed his boyfriend by the waist and pulled him close, hugging him.

Jungwon cast a glance at Sunoo. When the latter smiled, the blonde returned the gesture—though it was a strained, toothy one—and Kim couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by Yang’s stare.

Heavy footsteps echoed again from the staircase. Nicholas walked past everyone without looking, in a hurry, and sat in the other single-seater sofa, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the floor, jaw clenched. At the same time, Euijoo was following him but couldn’t catch up. He sighed when the older one sat alone and moved to sit on the armrest beside his boyfriend. But as soon as his butt touched the surface, Nicholas stood up and walked over to the large sofa, sitting on the other end next to Heeseung and Jake.

Everyone was watching them. The tension in the air was palpable—a stark contrast to the laughter and joy from moments earlier. Euijoo exchanged glances with Yudai, who looked at him questioningly. The alpha sighed and shook his head. He clenched his jaw and crossed his arms, casting a lost gaze toward his mate, who still refused to look at him.

In the tense silence, another door creaked open, and seconds later, Harua and Maki entered. The older one was laughing and the younger was teasing him about something, but the heavy atmosphere silenced them the moment they stepped into the room.

“Yikes, who died?” —Maki’s attempt at a joke didn’t quite land, though it did lighten the mood a little.

Nicholas finally looked at someone, which made the leader’s jaw tighten.

“What happened to your face?” —Fuma asked, visibly worried.

“This?” —Maki touched the corner of his lip, where a bruise was forming in a purplish-yellow hue, and a cut looked like it had just stopped bleeding.

“That hit must’ve hurt—and your cheeks are a bit swollen, dude.” —Sunoo said with a grimace.

“Didn’t think Rua would hit you that hard.” —Taki teased lightly.

“I did slap him, but that lip injury wasn’t from me.” —Harua crossed his arms and shot an annoyed glance at the pack’s alpha.

Eleven pairs of eyes turned to the leader, surprised.

“Harua, enough. It was a misunderstanding.” —Maki tried to smooth things over, though he didn’t seem to be the only one upset.

Yudai and Fuma both looked furious, as if hitting the youngest was a war crime.

“Why the hell did you hit him?!” —Fuma confronted, his brow furrowed.

Euijoo’s nostrils flared. He looked at his second-in-command, then at Nicholas, who still wouldn’t look at him but stared at Maki with visible sadness. Finally, he turned his eyes to the youngest in the room.

“I’m sorry, Maki. I shouldn’t have hit you.” —he apologized, offering no further explanation.

“No hard feelings, Alpha. Harua explained it, and honestly... I don’t remember anything.” —he shrugged.

“You don’t remember?” —Nicholas’s melancholic voice was meant to be a whisper, but in a room full of beings with enhanced hearing, it was heard by all.

Euijoo and Harua both visibly tensed, confusing everyone. Heeseung looked at the wolf to his right and exchanged glances with Nicholas. Just one second was enough for him to glimpse a flash of his mind.

The vampire’s mouth fell open in shock, and without meaning to, he exclaimed:

“Wait—you kissed Maki again?” —reactions were mixed. Gasps came from those who hadn’t been affected by the spell the night before. Euijoo growled in frustration and Maki let out an exasperated sigh. The rest just stared at both wolves in disbelief.

“Wait, again?” —Nicholas caught the repetition in the elder vampire’s words. He frowned in confusion. “I only kissed him today.” —he admitted.

“Again...” —Harua, who had also caught the implication, narrowed his eyes at Maki, then Nicholas.

“Uhhh...” —Heeseung looked around, unsure what to say.

Euijoo sighed. Standing up, he moved to the center of the room and clapped three times to get everyone's attention.

“Alright. Something very strange happened last night, and apparently some of you don’t remember it.” —he looked around the room. “So we need to talk about it. Maki was the one who figured it out, so he’ll explain.”

Maki stepped into the center, all eyes on him again. He cleared his throat, suddenly nervous without knowing why.

“Okay, this might sound crazy, but everyone who ate the cake yesterday was put under a spell.” —he began to explain everything again, this time for those who hadn’t heard. As the story unfolded, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed—twisting in disbelief—but by the end, they all believed it, especially after Jungwon admitted he remembered everything and confirmed it was true. “And that’s it. Now we’re all here, and everything’s back to normal.”

“You’re saying I really kissed Niki?” —Yuma asked, his face turning green. “Oh my god, I’m gonna puke. Jo.” —he grabbed his partner’s arm, who stood and helped him toward the window. The wolf wasted no time and fulfilled his threat, and everyone heard the gagging and disgusting splash.

“This is deeply offensive. Honestly.” —Niki looked at him incredulously, while some in the room tried to hold back laughter.

“For some reason, me too,” Taki muttered, eyes narrowed.

“You're cleaning that up,” Harua told his friend once Yuma had finished throwing up and came back to his senses.

Yuma raised a hand in agreement.

“Eu, for your information, my mate kisses like a god,” Taki said, annoyed. The older wolf looked at him in disgust. For some reason, that offended Taki even more, and he hooked an arm around Niki’s neck, pulling him back to plant a kiss on his lips—in front of everyone.

Groans of disgust and laughter filled the room when they saw a tongue sneak out, and Niki leaning into it, getting closer to his partner.

“This is considered sexual assault in some states!” Sunghoon exclaimed playfully.

The two teens pulled apart and looked at Yuma, squinting teasingly.

“Why are you so calm?” Yuma asked Taki. “They just told you you kissed the closest thing you have to a father figure—I’d at least move continents.”

Taki glanced at Yudai and smirked.

“Nah, K’s number three on my list.” The couple laughed at the others’ confused looks.

“List?” Fuma raised a brow.

“You know,” Niki waved a hand dismissively. “The free pass list couples have.”

“I still don’t get it,” Yudai said.

“Don’t tell me you guys don’t have a list,” Taki rolled his eyes when no one responded. “It’s a list of people you’d be allowed to sleep with and your partner can’t get mad.”

“That’s absurd. I’d kill Jay if he touched someone else while with me.” Sunoo said with a smile. Jay swallowed hard but chuckled nervously. He knew Sunoo wasn’t joking.

“Well, we do have one. Obviously, we never thought any of it would come true.” Niki smirked. “Taki’s list has K at number three, right below Sunoo.” The vampire laughed when Jay growled at the wolf. Taki smacked him, and Sunoo blushed slightly, smiling.

“You bastard—your list has Sunoo too, in fourth place.” Now it was the vampire getting growled at by Jay. “Right below Heeseung and Jungwon.” Niki flinched when he noticed the looks Sunghoon and Jake gave him. “I’m not going down alone,” he whispered with a mischievous grin.

“Shouldn’t that list only include celebrities?” Maki asked, scratching his chin.

“Do we look like people who know celebrity names?” Taki replied.

“Fair point.” The youngest nodded.

“Besides, a few years ago we went to a J-Hope concert and hypnotized him into kissing us,” Niki added with a shrug. “The number one on both our lists is already checked off.”

“You two seriously disturb me.” Yuma looked at them with a grimace, still looking a little green.

“Aww,” Niki smiled. “I think you have a nice smile.” What he meant as a compliment only made Yuma grimace harder.

Jo pulled Yuma closer, hugging him and narrowing his eyes at the vampire.

“You guys really veered off topic,” Euijoo said, scanning the room. “But I’m glad you’re taking it lightly.”

“I’m screaming inside,” Jake admitted. He glanced at Jay, and when their eyes met, both pretended to gag.

“Jungwon, how do you remember everything?” Maki asked the blond vampire.

Jungwon made a face. He could dodge his boyfriend’s questions all day, but there were more persistent people in this pack.

“Oh, a long, long time ago, a powerful witch gave me her protection.” He lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing the side of his abs. He traced a spot with his fingers and murmured something, making a pentagram appear. It looked like a tattoo, but not one made with normal ink—this one wouldn't heal instantly. “I’m only affected by magic if the witch casting it is stronger than the one who protected me. Or if it’s the same one.”

Sunghoon gently traced the mark, fascinated—he had never seen it before.

“So you remember everything,” Euijoo said, nodding without expecting an answer.

“Doesn’t this feel a lot like what happened in Gangnam?” Sunoo asked, glancing thoughtfully at Maki.

Maki raised a brow and smirked at his friend.

“I think we remember Gangnam very differently.” They both laughed, clearly sharing an inside joke.

Harua felt a twinge of jealousy, so he stepped between them, glaring at the vampire. Jay hugged Sunoo tighter, trying to reclaim his attention.

Nicholas slowly approached the younger friend, stopping a few steps away.

“Maki... I’m sorry I kissed you.” The room fell silent. All eyes were on the two boys in the middle of the room. Maki smiled and waved it off.

“No problem, bro. You were under a spell—you didn’t know what you were doing.”

“I meant today. Earlier. No spell. I’m sorry.” The tension in the room could be sliced by any breath—so everyone held theirs. The spectators shifted their eyes from Nicholas to Maki, from Maki to Euijoo, from Euijoo to Harua, from Harua back to Nicholas, and so on.

“No hard feelings, man.” Maki looked like the most relaxed one in the room, completely unaware of the silent rage emanating from his companions. “You’re not the first to hug me, cry, and then kiss me.”

Two groans of distress escaped the room. Taki hid his face in his hands, trying to disappear from his boyfriend’s line of sight, who stared at him in disbelief. And Sunoo could feel a few stares burning into him, so he rolled his eyes, unsure where to look, shrinking in Jay’s now-tense arms.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Yuma’s laughter broke the silence. Jo beside him covered a chuckle with his hand.

“Seriously?” Harua turned to Maki, stunned. “Taki I expected... but Sunoo? Really?”

“That was supposed to be a secret, man,” Taki muttered, annoyed.

“I didn’t say anything,” Maki defended, raising his arms. “You guys outed yourselves. You’re terrible at keeping secrets.”

Niki couldn’t take his eyes off his boyfriend.

“Maki? Are you serious?” His disgusted expression offended the boy in question, who gasped and clutched his chest dramatically.

“I am deeply offended,” Maki declared.

“When did this happen?” Niki ignored him, still questioning his wolf.

“Uhh...” Taki glanced at the younger boy, who shook his head along with Harua. “It was before...” he gulped. “Remember when I said I wanted to give us a try?” Niki nodded slowly. Maki slowly tried to hide behind Harua—though not very effectively—as they both stepped back quietly to escape attention. Taki cleared his throat. “Like... an hour before that.”

Niki’s mouth fell open, somewhere between surprised and confused.

“Wait—so you kissed him and that’s when you realized you wanted to be with me?” Niki nodded, looking a little satisfied. “That’s fine. That means it was disappointing. He must be a terrible kisser.”

—He doesn’t kiss badly! —Harua’s voice was the loudest, but three quieter voices were heard as well. Harua felt a vein pop out on his forehead when he realized that Taki, Sunoo, and Nicholas were defending his boyfriend’s kissing skills.

Maki blushed when they looked at both of them; they were quite far from the others, but when his partner spoke, the attention focused on them. He felt the heavy stares from the involved couples, but also saw the uninvolved ones smile with amusement. Yuma looked at him as if he had grown another head, and Heeseung looked proud, just like Yudai.

—If it makes you feel better... —Taki began, staring intensely at Harua, who tensed up. —You kiss amazing too.

The laughter of Yuma, Heeseung, and Yudai echoed, contrasting with the surprised and speechless faces looking at them.

—Oh my GOD. —was Sunghoon’s contribution, hiding his laughter in Jungwon’s neck.

—Harua? —Fuma looked bewildered, staring at the three younger wolves with disbelief.

—Taki, you have to shut your mouth. —Harua said through gritted teeth, feeling like Niki was going to kill them any moment.

—It’s fine, friend. —Taki looked calm and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. —Niki can’t get mad, it was before we started dating. And you and Maki became a couple at that time too. —He shrugged and smiled at them with a sly grin. Harua and Maki swallowed hard; their innocent smiles betrayed some mischief. —It was just sex.

A less-than-masculine scream escaped from Maki and Harua when they saw Niki running toward them. They quickly positioned themselves behind Euijoo, who stopped the vampire with a shove. The rest laughed incredulously at what they had just heard; Taki stuck his tongue out playfully at his friends. But his smile disappeared when his partner looked at him with narrowed eyes, clearly very annoyed.

—I thought you were a virgin. —Taki swallowed hard. The atmosphere cooled quickly; the vampire didn’t seem to be joking. —But are you telling me you slept with both of them?

—At the same time. —Yuma added fuel to the fire.

Other shouts were heard when the two wolves behind the alpha saw the vampire try again to go after them. He was stopped both by Euijoo and Nicholas, who stayed by their side.

—Niki, I understand your anger. But it’s irrelevant; you and Taki weren’t anything when it happened. —Euijoo tried to calm him.

—Niki, it was a joke. Calm down. —Taki stood beside his partner.

—You didn’t sleep with them? —Niki frowned, staring at the wolf with narrowed eyes.

"Well..." the vampire growled, moving forward. He was stopped by the wolf, who grabbed his arm, and now he was the annoying one. "Seriously, Nishimura, you're being an idiot. What's the point of me sleeping with both of them? We were nothing at the time, and it's hypocritical of you, because you've had sex with other people before meeting me."

"It's not the same," Niki said, her jaw clenched.

"He shouldn't have said that," Sunoo muttered, although yes, everyone heard it.

"What?" Taki blurted out, an annoying vein popping out in his neck. "Why aren't reasons, motives, or circumstances the same?"

"Because you didn't know the people I supposedly slept with." Niki swallowed. "Besides, they're Harua and Maki, our friends. I can't believe you slept with them." She pointed at them with her arm. They both looked at each other and tried not to laugh. —And now you're telling me you lost your virginity to both of them. Then I'm not understanding the reason for our previous argument. If you're not a virgin, why don't you want to sleep with me?

"First," Taki began, holding up a finger. "I didn't lose my virginity to these two jerks. I lost it when I had my first heat at thirteen, with a friend in my old pack." Second," he held up another finger. "The concept of virginity seems stupid to me. Who the fuck cares if you had sex with someone or not?" Third," he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, smiling sideways. "I think this is a conversation that should be private, rather than being shared in front of everyone, but since you want to know, I never said I got fucked."

Niki, Nicholas, and Euijoo, who had their backs to the hiding couple, turned to face them. Harua pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. Maki, however, looked a little paler than usual.

Harua looked at his partner and hit his chest with the back of his hand. Maki shook his head and looked at all the faces staring at him, focused and somewhat doubtful.

"Sorry. What were you saying? My blood pressure dropped when I heard "girl" and "sex" in the same sentence." His body shook with a shudder. "My worst nightmare is heterosexual sex."

"Maki, did you hand over your treasure?" Sunghoon earned a smack from Jungwon when he asked that with a mocking smile.

"This seems inappropriate to talk to everyone here." Fuma stood up and smiled awkwardly at the younger wolves.

"You know, I don't visualize Harua as a top," Heeseung added thoughtfully.

"Well, it's not something you have to visualize." Jake punched him in the shoulder.

"What are we talking about now?" Maki looked at Harua, confused. "There are so many topic jumps that I've already missed."

"Taki screwed you," Jay replied from the couch, hiding her smile behind her boyfriend's shoulder.

Maki frowned and nodded slowly.

"I have no problem talking about my sex life, although it seems like a private topic to me." He shrugged. "We were hormonal and a little lonely, so we slept together. I have no problem with the bed thing; a man's G-spot is somewhere around there."

"I can't imagine Maki being a bottom." Jake held his chin and looked the younger wolf up and down.

Heeseung bit his shoulder, fangless.

"You don't have to imagine it."

“Well...” Sunoo said thoughtfully, then gave a sideways, mocking smile. “Before the pack, our Maki was kind of... a slut. You should've seen him in Gang—Mmmm—”
Maki rushed toward his friend, and without caring about crushing Jay, threw himself on top of both of them to cover Sunoo’s mouth.

Maki cleared his throat, hearing some laughter and the groans of the pair underneath him. “Shut your big mouth, or do you want me to tell them what really happened in Ilsan?”
Sunoo’s eyes widened dramatically, and he quickly shook his head.

“I do want to know,” Jay said as he watched Maki stand up.

“Nothing interesting happened,” Sunoo blurted out as he got off his boyfriend’s lap. “It’s getting late, I need a shower.”

With that, the vampire ran upstairs, watched by everyone. Once Kim disappeared, they all turned to look at Maki questioningly. The younger wolf just shrugged and began walking toward the dining room.

“Do you guys know what wolfsbane does in tiny amounts mixed with mistletoe?”
Leaving the question hanging in the air, he disappeared.

The room fell silent for a moment, until Jungwon let out a near laugh, Nicholas looked surprised, and Yuma chuckled to himself.

“What? What’s the joke?” Niki asked, looking at the three who seemed to get it.

Yuma stood up, still laughing, and headed for the door.

“You guys really need to read more, seriously.”
The wolf walked out of the house, presumably to clean up his mess.

“If I remember correctly...” Nicholas thought for a second. But in the end, it was Jungwon who spoke.

“It’s a drug. Mistletoe and wolfsbane, with a bit of vampire and wolf blood—it turns into a drug... kind of like marijuana for humans,” the prince explained, crossing his arms with an amused smile. “And it’s a bit tricky to make. If there’s too much wolfsbane, well, it won’t kill the wolf but it’ll leave him in bad shape. Too much mistletoe, and the vampire will lose his mind.”

“Interesting...” Taki exchanged looks with Harua, and both of them took off running in the direction Maki had gone.

“Wait, Taki, we still need to talk!” Niki followed after his partner.

“Wait!” Yudai jumped out of his seat, running after the younger ones. “No drugs in the house!”
Fuma sighed fondly and followed after them too.