CARNAL DESIRES | | NCT

Chapter 16

Jisung knew roaming the woods was against his father's orders, but it was in his nature. He wasn't built for the battlefields like his brothers. Despite being an alpha,
the young wolf preferred to be on the sidelines. Taking after his omega mother was something he took pride in.

He wasn't violent and he wasn't aggressive. However, that didn't mean he couldn't protect himself. Sure he was only sixteen, but he still trained just as much as his brothers to keep himself guarded. Hence why he chose not to heed his father's instructions. He needed a break and he was determined to get it.

The sun hadn't set yet, which meant that he had enough time to do whatever wanted before his father and mother got back from the Fae kingdom. Ever since prince Haechan went missing, Jisung noticed that his parents spent most of their time with the King and Queen. Due to their loyalty, it sort of felt like their duty to stick by their side throughout all of this.

Sometimes the young wolf wondered if he and his brothers would be the same way as they got older. Would they suddenly dedicate their lives to the new heirs? That thought alone scared him. Not because he wasn't willing to but because he was afraid to.

"Jisung?" The young wolf heard a soft voice call his name from a distance. His heart stopped at the realization. He didn't hide well enough, which meant that he was certainly in a lot of trouble if that someone knew his name. "I'm not sure as to why you chose to hide, but I won't tell anyone I saw you."

Now that Jisung had steadied his heartbeat, the voice sounded familiar in a way, so without another thought, the young wolf slowly stepped from behind the big willow tree and into the pathway filled with marigold flowers.

"Thank you...?" Jisung tilted his head shyly, embarrassed about not knowing who the boy was.

"Chenle," the warlock chuckled.

"Chenle," Jisung repeated, his eyes widened in surprise. He was Prince Haechan's advisor...and one of the only warlocks left in their lands. God, did Jisung need to interact with others more often. "I'm sorry," he clumsily bowed.

"Oh-no— why would you do that?" The young warlock ran forward to stop the other from bowing to him.
"Because you are from the royal family...."

"But I do not have royal blood running through my veins...please," Chenle shook his head, "no need to be formal with me."

"I'm sorry," Jisung apologized.

"Stop saying sorry, Jisung," Chenle giggled, the sounds comforting the young wolf in the warmest way possible. "Sorr—," Jisung stopped himself, "right!"

"You're a funny wolf," Chenle clicked his tongue in amusement. He had never met a wolf so passive as the other.

"R-really? But I didn't say anything witty." The warlock looked at Jisung in disbelief before bursting into a fit of laughter. On the other hand, the wolf stood there confused and unsure of what to say to Chenle.
"You're adorable, really," Chenle said as his laughter died down. "Nothing like your older brothers."

"You know them?" Jisung flushed red.

"I know almost everyone that stepped foot into King Johnny and Queen Doyoung's palace."

"Wow," the wolf said in awe. Chenle must have taken his duties very seriously to remember such information. "You do not know much, do you?" Chenle decided to pick up one of the flowers. He wasn't sure as to why he was trying to keep a conversation with the wolf, but something urged him from the inside to do so.

"What makes you think that?" Jisung nibbled on the inside of his mouth. He wasn't that obvious was he?
"I can see it in the way you speak to me. You did not even know my name, but I can somehow already read your facial expressions like an open spell book."

"Well, that's because I trust you," Jisung blurted out. "And so does Prince Haechan...right?"

Chenle stared at the wolf in astonishment. Why did his heart flutter when the male said he trusted him? "He does," the warlock cleared his throat. "Of course he does."

"You must miss him," Jisung said softly.

"I do," Chenle nodded before averting his gaze to the ground. He's been doing a good job keeping it together since Haechan disappeared, yet the moment Jisung brought it up, tears finally threatened to escape his purple eyes.

"So do I." "I hope he is okay."

"He is," Chenle wiped his tears, "he has to be."

"I'm sorry for ruining the atmosphere," Jisung pouted, his wolf ears slightly raising from his white hair. He hadn't learned how to properly control his wolf as yet, so most times his ears or tail would pop out if his emotions ran too high.

"It's fine," Chenle smiled. But the other still looked upset, so without thinking, the young warlock stretched his hand out to rub the visible ears that stuck out to the side. Soft. That was Chenle first thought as his fingers traced the white cupped fur.

In response, Jisung's ears perked up from the contact. His face burned with emotion, the evidence of small snowflakes contrasting perfectly with the color.

"Y-you—"

"They're soft," Chenle said, his eyes glimmering. Unconsciously, Jisung pushed his head into the warlock's palm more. "Cute."

"Wait—," Jisung caught himself and pulled away from the other in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," Chenle quickly apologized. Maybe he went too far with the other. "N-no, no— it's okay...I— I liked it," Jisung blushed. "A bit too much...actually."

"Oh," for the first time since their conversation, Chenle's pale cheeks flushed red. "Umm— maybe we should go back..home."

"Huh?" Jisung's eyes widened, "y-yes, home! My parents...Jeno! Chenle, my brother is going to be furious once he realizes my absence at home."

"Then...I think it's best you get going now," Chenle chuckled. "Can we...," the young wolf started to say, "can we meet again soon?"

Could they, really?

"Sure," Chenle smiled. "Here," he handed Jisung the single marigold that he picked up, "until we see each other again, make sure to nurture this flower and keep it healthy." Jisung slowly took the flower from the warlock and held it close to his chest. For a few seconds, he couldn't remove his gaze from the beautiful blossom that stared brightly at him.

"But wait," Jisung finally looked up again, only to see that the other was no longer standing in front of him. "How will I know when to meet with you again?" The wolf mumbled to himself.