Never Again

VIII

"Where's Hyung?"It's the nth time since Cale arrived on the Dark Continent.

"You know the basics of second genders, right?" asked Lee Soo Hyuk, who had served as his temporary guardian.

Cale nodded. Lee Soo Hyuk smiled at him and patted his head. "It'll take a few more days until Rok Soo-yah comes out."

"Um... is a rut that painful?"

"Of course, it will, especially now that his omega is here," Lee Soo Hyuk pondered, but Kim Rok Soo would never touch the child. "Just wait patiently, alright?"

"Okay,"

Anyway, the helpers of the Dark Continent, especially the old ones and females, were fawning over the young Omega. Most children on the continent are alphas or betas, and they usually leave when they reach a certain age to train. Even Choi Jung Soo's uncle, well, Jung Soo is older, but the blood is older than him - left on a journey and he's somewhere in the Rowoon Kingdom.

The Desert of Death;

The Forest of Darkness;

The Gorge of Death;

The Path of No Return;

And the Valley of Despair;

The forbidden regions in the Western Continent that were associated with the Dark Continent since time immemorial. It would be better if they had certain control over the regions, but the settlement that took place over a thousand years ago made it impossible.

"Oppa, what are you thinking?" Cale asked the old man, two bright doe eyes looking at the poor leader.

"Hah... why are you so cute, little chick!?" Lee Soo Hyuk uncharacteristically asked, "You're wasted with that lazy Rok Soo!"

"Nothing's wrong with being lazy."

Cale immediately rose from his seat and looked at the door, "Hyung!" He ran fast and welcomed Kim Rok Soo with a dash of hugs, "Good morning, Hyung!"

"Morning." Kim Rok Soo patted his head and carried him into the room. He deposited the redhead child on his lap and took the newly served tea, looking at it, checking on it, and sighing.

Lemon tea.

That old geezer's deadly tea.

Kim Rok Soo decided to ignore it and drink the tea without hesitation. The sourness crept into his throat but he can't spit it out. He placed the cup down and looked at Cale who was leaning on him.

"Have you been good?"

"I am!" soft giggles and laughter slowly filled the room. Cale tilted his head up while Kim Rok Soo looked down.

"good." Kim Rok Soo praises him while kissing the child on top of his head. s

"Are you okay now, hyung?"

"Hm."

Cale didn't ask anything anymore. He just swings his feet while sitting on Kim Rok Soo's lap. The Alpha on the other hand seemed content but his pheromones are kind of annoying right now.

"Care to lessen your pheromone?" Choi Jung Soo, who managed to speak without cursing scowled. Kim Rok Soo kept his pheromones but enough to wrap the kid on his lap.

"What an overprotective bastard." Choi Jung Soo curses under his breath, it was loud for Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim Rok Soo to hear.

Lee Soo Hyuk then speaks, "Royal Children will be coming to this place in spring."

"I wonder why you even allowed their entrance here." Kim Rok Soo asked.

"If we want to enter the forbidden regions, we need to create relationships with other kingdoms." Lee Soo Hyuk explained, "they're alpha children so it should be fine for us but not for the chick."