Chapter Text
“Past the point of no return. The final threshold. What warm unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return"
Point of no return - The Phantom of the Opera
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“That’s the worst idea you’ve ever had, Jjun, and I’m counting on the time you decide to cook noodles for your Mom and thought it was a genius idea to drain the noodles with a tea strainer!” Wooyoung complained while Yeonjun smiled. He took his friend's mask from his hands. “Master Ji-Young won’t like it if finds out about this exchange and I heard he will be attending the bail alongside your grandmother!"
“Trust me, I know what I’m doing” Yeonjun whined with an annoyed pout.
“You said the same thing about the tea strainer!”
Yeonjun glared at Woowoung.
“It worked! So what if I drained pasta with the wrong kitchen thing? Or that I spilled half the pasta in the sink? Mom said it was delicious afterwards!”
“The poor thing…”
“Hey!”
Both alphas laughed a little with that memory. Yeonjun was 14 by then and his Mom was overworking herself with her duties. She loved the surprise but the head of the council scolded Yeonjun for it. “It's not an alpha thing, Yeonjunnie. You must be manly ”, the older man said.
Park Ji-Young would always complain about Yeonjun acting less like an alpha and more like an omega for the silliest things. Alphas can’t whine, nor try to cook something, even if it's for their omegas in need. The man even blamed Yeonjun’s Mommy for his “misbehaviors”. Yeonjun has many duties, one of them is to be the alpha role model to all the alphas in the pack. Thankfully, that man wasn’t in Yeonjun’s chambers that afternoon or else Yeonjun’s plan wouldn’t work.
If Yeonjun’s suspicions were right, Ji-Young ( JYP like Yeonjun liked to address him behind his back) would only come around towards midnight to ask if Yeonjun found a mate and then forces Yeonjun to dance with his chosen one in front of everyone and call the mating season off.
So, Yeonjun ignored his guard and friend concern and looked at himself in the mirror. Then he adjusted the mask on his face and cheeked himself. Wooyoung's clothes were a little loose on his body, since the other was more muscular than Yeonjun, but nothing that made him look sloppy. The long, dark blue viscose shirt was comfortable and accentuated the contrast between Yeonjun's slim waist and his broad shoulders. The pants looked a lot like baggy combat gear, but they went well with the thick-heeled boots and silver belt chains. The white mask, sprinkled with blue shining stones and a small raven feather adornment completed the look in an enigmatic way. And the best? Almost all of Yeonjun's face was covered, just the lower part of your chin appears. Yeonjun liked how the dark blue and white contrasted with his red hair, the only effective clue to his real identity.
“If i was not mated and if i was in your shoes, I would search for a mate, not food you can ask for the chefs any other time, Jjun-ah” Wooyoung sighed in exasperation, but put on the mask Yeonjun was supposed to wear. Gold with rose decorations on the right cheek. Yeonjun's entire outfit consisted of a raven feather overcoat with small rhinestones embedded here and there for added sparkle. An outfit worthy of Yeonjun's high class in the pack.
“And who said I’m not? Search for a mate, for the record. I would be an asshole if I asked for a bunch of ramyun just because I want to eat it. I know my privileges, but I’m not an asshole,” Yeonjun retorted and placed his hands on his tiny waist accentuated by the dark belt.
“Oh how so? The omegas or betas will think you’re mated. Blue clothes in this bail means that and you know it pretty well! And I won't dare to get close to any of them, you know I love San too much to even think of betraying him!” Wooyoung replied pitfully. If he gave his friend a spiteful look, Yeonjun didn't notice. “And what if people realize I am not you because our scents are different? What are you gonna do?”
Wooyoung was one of the very few alphas that Yeonjun trusted with his life, one he can call a “friend” even and Yeonjun doesn’t trust that many people around him. Not with the council circling around his life in all ways they can. So he allowed the other alpha sassy him around a little. It's out of worry about his future after all and Yeonjun knows he is asking too much but it is indeed necessary. Yeonjun considered that maybe he should tell his reasonings to his friend even with the risk of them being overheard by someone.
“You worry too much. It's a bail with many alphas, omegas and even betas to cover our scent. I’ve covered it and if you continue to worry so much you will soon get crinkles” Yeonjun replied and gave a friendly wink. Wooyoung rolled his eyes a little annoyed. “This needs to be done and i need your help Woo-ah”
“First, fuck off! I’m a young and handsome alpha. Second, of course I will help you, but you didn’t answer how this exchange will help you find a mate on the last day of the mating season. Soon all omegas will begin their heats and you won’t have any of them!”
“Yeah, I know it sounds pretty bad, huh?” Yeonjun said as he took off the mask.
Wooyoung whined exasperatedly. The odd mix of nutmeg and patchouli filled the room with impatience as the soldier got overwhelmed with Yeonjun’s stubbornness. After all, Yeonjun was asking for Wooyoung to take his place and be right next to the throne next to Yeonjun's grandmother while the reminiscent of single omegas, betas and alphas tries to match for a future mating ceremony. The already coupled up alphas and omegas would be in the bail too just to have fun and celebrate their future union. So Yeonjun would assume Wooyoung’'s role to escort omegas to the ballroom, introduce them to the available betas and alphas and then to the fake Yeonjun. After this, he would be part of the group of guards responsible for other services at the ball. His position is fortunately is at the food station, a strategically place to glance at all the ballroom and listen to bits of conversations without being noticed.
And eat when nobody pays attention to him.
“Yeonjunnie, sometimes I wonder why you like it so much to make your life harder. All the pack is claiming for their new head alpha and the only thing impeding it it's your lack of a mate. The council gave you this last bail to imprint on an omega before they pick one for you themselves and you know how JYP is. He will certainly pick one of his fellow omegas pups to spy on you. This is your last opportunity to find someone non-council related and you decided to act as a guard, whom all omegas will think is off limits!”
Yeonjun sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He knows how risky this plan is. He has just a few hours to meet the right person and then properly courts them in the few weeks before heat takes over his mate. It's not as if Yeonjun didn’t pay attention to all the single omegas during all the three weeks of the mating season but all the people he met were off. They tried too much to catch his attention and it didn’t feel sincere. Yeonjun needs a genuine match, not someone that fakes it just to appease him. Besides, betas attendance are only allowed at the mating season festival on the last day, when almost all couples are formed. Yeonjun may be a bit too romantic and idealistic about his own responsibilities, but he would hate himself if he just played by the rules the council imposed on him and accept any person just because he is desperate. The chances aren’t at his side, but he does believe in miracles.
After all, it happened before in his family. The memory of the twentieth birthday diary he received made him grin to himself and be confident about his choice. Wooyoung doesn’t know any of this and he didn’t meet Yeonjun’s Mommy either. Because of his position in the pack, Yeonjun’s first years were solely in the palace where he took his private classes with a few selected people from the Choi clan chosen by his Mom, the head alpha. His parents and Granny educated him as best as they could without the council stuck their noses into their tiny family. The obligation combat training and management school for all alphas only starts at twelve years old, and, by the time Yeonjun reached that age, his Mommy, Choi Jieun, already passed away.
A sad grin graced Yeonjun’s face and his body expelled a slightly sour smell, like overripe bergamot about to turn sour with some odd notes of green tea. At that moment, Yeonjun was a fading summer and all its memories were slowly fading away with autumn rain.
“My Mommy once said something like this to me: ‘You only know what a person really is like when you see them treat someone they think is inferior to them’”, Yeonjun whispered with his eyes closed.
He no longer remembered her voice. He was too young when she became part of the reign of goddess Luna in the sky. Jieun's face seemed blurred in his memories of her, as if behind a fogged glass. A lovely smile that he can’t quite remember but still makes him calm and safe. A warm hand that would caress his face softly and promises him that he would be safe in her arms when she hugged him before saying good night. Those were in the past. Their future were stolen because his Mommy had way too many miscarriages before laboring him and that took too much of her health. For many years he wondered “ I killed her? ” grief, sadness and the undeniable feeling of ugliness were always there until he realized something. If there was someone responsible for the early death of Choi Jieun it was the alphas under the council.
After the end of the terrible war between the Mountain pack and the Flower pack, a civil war started. The Flower pack were divided by the ones who remained (omegas and a few betas) and the ones who came back, mostly alphas annoyed with the display of disobedience. The second group were powerful and made their political rivals submit until Yeonjun’s Mom led a diplomacy act where she would represent the whole pack who remained and the alphas who returned from war could pick a representative from each family and form a council where both would reign the pack together. But no matter how much progress his Mom achieved, as long as the council exists, their pack would be all about alphas supremacy.
It was that mindset that killed his Mommy. The alphas from the council were mad at betas for their so called “betrayal” and put a lot of pressure on his Mommy to be absolutely perfect. They forced her to get pregnant even when her body wasn’t ready for it, they gave her so much medication to impregnate and she was barely an adult. She was just eighteen years old, her presentation a few days before the mating festival. They pressed Yeonjun’s Mom to have an omega mate in hopes for a rightful heir, which only made his Mommy health conditions worse and when Yeonjun was born, she was severely ill. Jieun died when Yeonjun was only five and his Mom never mated anyone (much for the council’s anger). Her focus was on being a great leader for their pack and being the best Mom Yeonjun could have. At least, Yeonjun has a piece of his Mommy. When she was pregnant of him, she decided to write diaries about her day to share with him because of the possibility of her death. Once she started to write, she never stopped even when her health deteriorated. First the diaries then letters. Both were filled with her love and her parfum, a faint scent of basil and rosemary with soft notes of caramel apple, a scent that means the feeling of coming back home. In those, she wrote about her dreams and concerns, she talked about her past and all the silly things that made her happy. Like how she loved to cook and a few recipes that would be too sad if nobody replicates (and Yeonjun tried to cook it and got scolded by doing it, but he felt closer to her). He receives one letter per year in her sloppy and yet cursive calligraphy. Sometimes she wonders how he is and all the advice she wanted to give him, all the hugs and kisses she wanted to give, all the things she wanted to be part of. Yeonjun likes to think that she kind of is still here somehow because death doesn't erase love. Love is like rain or snow or confetti, it bathes you softly, kindly and never leaves you drenched in mud, not when it's so selfless. It becomes unconditional, timeless and brings you strength, at least, Yeonjun believes it because his Mommy taught him it.
“My mommy was a beta and she was the most special person in the world, Wooyoung. I don't want to disrespect her memory by mating someone who would disrespect her or anyone who is like her. Besides, as the future leader of the Flower pack, it's my duty to guarantee peace and balance to our pack and prevent another war. I need a mate that won’t act all nice around me and other high class people or who cares too much about subgenres. I don’t want to mate a mean person that will disrespect our people behind my back and only because their status or subgenre”
“Wait… Do you really think that after all these years the Jungs or the Kangs can do something to us ? The pack finally is financially better this year, there's no more people dying of illness from all the poisoned water and the mountain slowly is healing and because this people aren’t hungry like before. We healed the rivers they poisoned so nobody and we planted the trees they burned even! If the gods won’t curse them, it would be because of us . Why would they come back to us after we finally accepted them?” Wooyoung asked, but his tone was tense. His nutmeg and patchouli smell got stronger with worry.
Yeonjun smiled sadly at his friend and loyal guard. The alpha academy didn’t teach the true story of their pack, especially the ones around the capitol or the high status people frequented. The council tries too hard to make everyone from the new generation, especially the alphas, believe how powerful the Flower pack is and how other packs must feel grateful if the Flower pack decides to incorporate them into their territories.
Yeonjun wants to change that but he is not so sure if it is safe to do that now. Maybe as he talks with Wooyoung the council is planning the best way to use Yeonjun or maybe how they could vanish with him.
“We were the ones who poisoned the rivers, my friend. If we made all those rituals to purify the water or replant those millennial trees was to our own well being, not theirs.”
Wooyoung blinked, completely startled by the news.
“What? How do you know all that, Jjunie? And why are you telling me this just now?”
“The war wasn’t that long ago and many elders know this story, but they were sent away by the council. They live on the remote zones of our territory and work on farms with their families. It was either that or be killed. That’s how the council bought the secret.”
Yeonjun Shrugged. Wooyoung glanced at him as if he was crazy. The chambers smelled vicious with spoiled nutmeg and patchouli and bergamot and green tea.
“But my Granny is still here and she knows the truth. Besides one of my duties is dialogue with other packs and they know. Why do you think it is forbidden for our people to travel around the country? Or that only just a few guards are allowed to serve my family when we meet with another pack? You’re smart, Woo-ah, you know I am watched by them . I’m kind of just a tool in all of this but I'm not an idiot. And I am asking too much from you tonight, so you might as well know the truth.”
Yeonjun watched his friend gulp in front of him and gave him a tiny smile.
“You must know why all omegas and betas fear us, how they hide their anger with stiff smiles or how many of them despise our mere presence but still allow us to sleep with them because that’s the little control they have, if they have. They know part of that truth because our alphas always acted with this stupid mindset that one day will bring our destruction. All those fear, all those hate weren’t built by envy or anger for their fate as our teachers claim''
A bird sang by Yeonjun’s window. The sun soon would sleep and the moon would reign in the sky, bringing the bail. Yeonjun must shorten this story.
“It would be too presumptuous to assume that was their reason. You know, when I told my papa that I was selected to be trained to be an elite guard, he was relieved. It's a good job, a noble job especially for a young alpha without a name. But he wasn’t happy either. I wanted to know why and I asked him. Do you know what he said to me?”
Yeonjun shakes his head.
“‘Because now all you will ever care about is to be stronger until you don’t remember why be stronger’ , it's what he said. I remember replying that I would never forget. I would be strong to protect the ones I love, my future omega, my future kids… Then I become an elite guard and all they ask me is to be stronger “to protect”, to conquer for our pack because it's our rights. And if I'm not strong enough, I'm not respected here because then I would be weak. It's an easy trap, Jjunie”
Yeah, Yeonjun gets it and he nods.
The omegas who live in the villages around the Capitol are built a bit differently, a little braver. It's not as if the omegas and the few betas in the Capitol aren’t afraid of the alphas, but their fear is more subtle, hidden in careful smiles and bows. Yeonjun is aware that some omegas and betas think the Choi’s surrendered to the council’s schemes. His Mom tried her best to contain those false beliefs by giving voice to those who can’t as much as she could. It was Yeonjun’s mother who fought until her last breath to purify the rivers their pack poisoned to exterminate all the Jungs and Kangs, the most powerful families from the Mountain pack. She was the one who proposed to replant all the area around the mountain too. Maybe that’s why she died so suddenly last year. Yeonjun wants to believe that she was just overworking herself and that she wasn’t murdered, but he would lie if he didn’t say he has his suspicions.
It still hurts him badly. Everyday he wakes up and remembers her and how he barely could say goodbye. It was too sudden. He was out of the city with a fellow group of alphas who he trusted to purify part of the Imjin River when that happened. In a moment, Yeonjun was in a small village helping its wolves to ask forgiveness from the River god, in the next moment he received the news about his Mom fever and how she was hallucinating. By the time he came, she was barely awake. He only had time to say how much he loved her and that he would carry her legacy with honor and she was gone with a peaceful smile. JYP and the other council members caught him crying and their first words were “ tough it up boy, alphas can’t cry. Deal with it ” instead of welcoming words. His mother’s funeral was a sunny day, not even the rain allowed him to cry in peace. But Yeonjun must live on and he won’t disappoint her.
Wooyoung seems deep in thoughts after this. His guard and friend came from a village near the forest. In Wooyoung's village, wolves were close to nature and Yeonjun is sure that Wooyoung won't cut his ties with that connection. He grew up worshiping the Forest and Rivers gods with more devotion than the people in the Capitol. Wooyoung’s scent is heavy in the room.
“So, if you say the truth and I bet you’re telling me the truth, then…” Wooyoung took off his own mask and sat by Yeonjun’s bed facing him. Nutmeg and patchouli turned sour to match the equally sour scent of bergamot and green tea. “The Gods are fair but to every act there's a consequence and their punishment… ”
“I’m afraid our punishment is near. Although our pack seems stable, small villages near the rivers haven’t profited from fishing and you know how abundant our rivers are. Neither can they find termite and matsutake mushrooms, the ones we trade with other packs. In addition the former relationship our pack had with the Golden pack is shaken after Kim Namjoon, an omega, assumed the head of the Golden pack and mated to a Jung, no less. I’m sure our dearest council members think our pack is powerful and stable enough to overpower the Golden pack right now”
Wooyoung’s eyes widened in panic. The patchouli and nutmeg smelled rotten with despair and filled Yeonjun’s chambers pitifully. Yeonjun tried to overpower that scent with his own bergamot and green tea calming pheromones in hopes to make his friend focus.
“But that's crazy! The Golden pack is huge and nobody tries to fight them because they’re blessed by all the gods! It's…! Its suicide! The council can’t be that ambitious… It will destroy us!”
A bitter grin graces Yeonjun’s face. He agrees. Yeonjun is aware how the council will try to use his mating ceremony to jeopardize all that tiny stability his family worked so hard to build. When he successfully picks a mate, he will have to present them to the Flower pack and all their allies, including the Golden pack. It would be polite to invite all head alphas from other packs to attend his mating ceremony, so Yeonjun would invite Kim Namjoon and his mate. Then by the time Yeonjun leaves the night to consummate the bound, it would be the perfect occasion to kill Namjoon. Or anyone who would represent Namjoon, probably, Kim Seokjin and his omega mate Jeon Jungkook.
It would be war.
“Well, let me tell you what I know about our true story before we go out. It's a lot to endure but i promise that all i want to do is not repeat the same mistake again”
Long before Yeonjun was born, the Golden pack established themselves in the north bank of the Han River. They’re the biggest pack in all Korea because of their numbers and territorial control but they tend to solve their conflicts with other packs by diplomacy. The way the Golden pack treated their omegas, alphas and betas with fairness always bought a deep respect by the smaller packs, so nobody really wanted to fight them. Many say they’re blessed by the gods even. It took a few centuries for the Flower pack to establish themselves at the south bank of the Han River. When it happened, the Golden pack gifted them with an ancient scripture written by the moon goddess as a sign of acknowledgement of the new alliance with the newest addiction pack by the Han River. If every line of those scriptures was followed, the pack would prosper for eternity and hypothetically this was the secret of the Golden pack strength. The reason they were blessed.
The scriptures contained details about how each sub genre had a mystical function. Alphas were like the sun who, with its strength, would lead and protect everyone with their power and effort. Omegas were like the goddess Luna herself who, with her wisdom and empathy, created life in their wombs safelly; they would protect within homes and mediate wherever their presence was required. When an alpha and an omega were brought together by fate, they could be blessed with an eclipse: a beta heir, a blessing. Betas were the balance of the sun and the moon, strong as alphas and with the wisdom of an omega, the culmination of the two subgenres.
Unfortunately, the Flower pack was always a combative one so the former leader, a member of the Lee Clan, decided not to follow the scriptures. He probably thought “ how a few lines written in an old parchment could ditch the success of a whole pack? ”, so he ignored it. Besides, the major goal for the pack was to dominate all the wolves camps from the south bank of the river, make them submit their loyalty and work mainly for the Park and the Lee clan. To achieve their goals, the leaders from the Flower pack had a huge focus on strengthening their alphas; diplomacy wasn’t well acknowledged by them. Why tho if they could get what they want by pure force? So alphas must be strong, tough and excellent warriors. All alphas must attend the academy to train as soon as they're teenagers. Alphas were teached to always protect and love their omegas and the omegas were taught to always endure hard times and provide wisdom for their alphas. The omegas were the ones who choose their alphas for every heat and all their will must be cheered and protected at that time. For this sole reason the Moon Goddess blessed the pack with many betas. Formerly betas had more freedom, their only forbiddance was to cross alpha’s authority.
Then the Flower pack finally found a nemesis who rivalry their military tactics with a dull sense of freedom: the Mountain pack. Everything changed at this moment.
The Mountain Pack was formed mainly by the Jung clan and the Kang clan, they were a pack who lived near the Imjin River where many medicine plants were abundant. On top of that, there was a rumor that one of the traditional families from the Mountain pack were blessed by the goods and their bloodline could heal all illnesses, including alpha pregnancy. All subgenres could impregnate if in rut or heat, but only omegas could labor safely without health issues after that and have as many kiddos the couple wants. Betas have many miscarriages and their whole pregnancy is at risk, but alpha pregnancy is suicide for the impregnated alpha, but the son of two alphas is a powerfull one. The Flower pack wanted that. Consequently the war started. The Pack’s leader decided to take all the alphas to combat the Mountain pack and left the Omegas with a few betas.
Nobody thought the war would last for almost fifty years, hence the smaller packs decided to attack the omegas left in the Flower Pack. The few betas present at the time took control over the situation fighting as much as they could but since the numbers were outdating their efforts, the only solution left was to claim help from other packs. That meant creating a bond with other packs by marriage proposals within omegas from Flower pack and alphas from the Pearl Pack. That strategy worked and the people left in the Flower pack were protected from vicious smaller packs like the Rainbow pack and the Snow pack. While that happened, the alphas from the Flower pack were cornering the Mountain pack members by poisoning the rivers and incinerating the forest around the mountain. In hopes they got more soldiers and get the blessed bloodline, those alphas even raped the war prisoners, no matter the genre. Many children were born that way and soon were turned into soldiers too. After many years suffering those horrors, the Mountain pack surrendered and the Flower pack’s alphas came back home. They were not pleased with what they found and instead of congratulating Beta’s effort to save the pack, they were punished. Beta's shouldn’t took the matter on their hands, they were supposed to call back help from the alphas and their actions were received as “betrayal”. Needless to say, this wasn’t well received by the people who were left in the pack. Furthermore the news about all the horrors the alphas did back in the mountains scared the omegas too and all those led to a series of protests from betas and omegas, which displeased the alphas so much that a civil war began. Luckily it didn’t take too long. Yeonjun’s Mom was the head of the Pearl Pack and she proposed that even if the betas weren’t supposed to ask help from them, a bond were formed in their packs, so they must unite. She would be the head alpha with all the powers to represent the Flower pack to other packs while the alphas who went to war should form a council to rule the military of the Flower Pack and other pack related stuff. And as much the Flower Pack alphas aimed to conquer other packs, at least they acknowledged all the good the Pearl Pack did. Other than that, Yeonjun’s mom was a young female alpha, so they must have thought they could control her so they agreed with those terms.
By doing that, the Pearl pack became part of the Flower pack, just like the Mountain pack too. That’s how Yeonjun’s future was to be the Flower pack leader but also be just a tool for the council, someone they could easily poison to their own interests. Yeonjun’s Mom was a wise woman and she always prepared him for all the wild scenarios the council would put him in and all her concerns were about her people, the former Pearl pack formed mainly by the Choi clan and the Mim clan. The moment the Pearl pack integrated with the Flower pack, those innocent wolves must suffer from the Gods' fury because of the mistakes the alphas from the Flower pack did.
Yeonjun wouldn’t allow that to happen
“Damn, I didn’t know how twisted everything is, nor can I understand all the plots against you, Yeonjun, I can only give you my loyalty. It's not much, but i hope the Gods known that not all people in this pack would vouch for such vile actions”
Wooyoung sighted defeated. His shoulders were tense and his eyes full of determination. He smelled all dense and angry, all for the right reasons. Yeonjun felt relieved.
“I know. And I hope that too, my friend. Keep this to yourself. Don’t even tell San about any of this. He would be in danger.” Wooyoung nodded and both prepared to leave. They put back their masks on. “ Shall we assume our roles for this delightful night?”
Wooyoung rolled his eyes but didn’t complain. That was a little progress.
“On your left pocket there’s a letter I want you to give to my Granny. She will cover for you after reading that. Just stick close to her and nobody will notice a thing. Everyone knows how close I am with my family.”
The guard nodded and Yeonjun wished him good luck before going out of his own room. Yeonjun adjusted the mask on his face, then straightened his clothes and walked to the golden gates of the rose garden. The Black and White bail would take place in the ballroom especially created for the mating season on a very secluded part of the palace’s rose garden with a lovely view of the Blue Lake. When he got there, Yeonjun gritted his teeth. A line with a few betas of marriageable age entered the ballroom through the back doors. As if this outrage wasn't enough, all the betas were blindfolded. It was as if they were slaves about to be sold and Yeonjun hated the damn council even more. He almost hoped the Gods would punish those stupid alphas, but at what cost?
He took a deep breath to control himself and especially his own scent. There weren't many alphas outside, so if any of the guards conducting the betas sniff the air, his plan would fail before it starts. To calm himself, Yeonjun walked away from the gates and went to the majestic fountain dedicated to the god of the forest near the ballroom’s golden gates. There were a few benches circling the fountain, white rose bushes with a soft shade of pink in the center also decorated the area that smelled all too sweet. The alpha took a breath and looked at the sculpted bunish face of the God. Yeonjun doesn’t know why, but that face was quite familiar and yet Yeonjun was clueless why. He sighted as a breeze left the rose scent away. He wasn’t very devoted to the Gods. His life was filled by the duty of always being the strongest alpha and let the council think he could be controlled while he must ensure that their evil plans won’t warm innocents. Yeonjun lacked the time to properly worship them because he’s always passing out from tiredness or stress. But he recognized their existence, he feared them and revered them as much as he could in his silent prayers.
Before the bells resounded the arrival of the omegas, Yeonjun was overcome by an impulse. He made sure the alphas escorting the betas into the ballroom were out of sight and walked over to a beautiful white rose and plucked its petals to throw them into the fountain. Then joined his hands and prayed with all his despair.
“My lord, I know that my people have disappointed you in the past. They destroyed your kingdom, they acted as if they were gods and they still think they can do whatever they want without consequences. Allow all of us, the ones who disagree with these wrongdoings, to right their actions. Allow us to prove that we can learn from their mistakes, please. Allow me to find someone who will help me cleanse this pack's honor before your eyes tonight, my lord."
The bells that announced the arrival of the omegas sounded loud throughout the palace. Yeonjun adjusted his mask again, cast a hopeful look at the fountain, but all he saw were white petals in the water. He sighed and ran to the Golden gates.
When he turned his back to the fountain, the white petals turned crimson.