Thief of Twilight

Part Three: Chapter 88

The black wolves went into the city every day and every night. They returned from their patrol with little to no information about any suspicious activity. I could tell Yohan was becoming more and more frustrated by this. Many of the citizens began questioning if the royal palace was going to do anything about it. The nobles thought it would be best if they went back to their family homes outside of the city. Naturally, Yohan was able to reassure his people and put their fears to rest. But that didn't stop the government officials who came to the palace every morning from voicing their concerns. It also didn't help that Ji-hun was still here poking his nose around.

"I see you have yet to find a solution." he spoke over a cup of tea.

Yohan narrowed his eyes.

I've noticed some very drastic differences between the two of them. Yohan is gentle and kind whereas Ji-hun is a bit of an asshole. Yohan listens to his people. Ji-hun disregards their feelings and orders them to do what he wants. Yohan is patient with the servants and works with them on tasks that they believe they are unable to perform. Ji-hun belittles them and quickly finds someone else. Ji-hun...is very particular about the things he wants. Yohan is adaptable and will compromise. Ji-hun is selfish. Yohan is selfless. Yohan goes through the proper channels to execute laws to regulate his land. Ji-hun doesn't care and pushes them through and doesn't care if they compromise previous agreements.

"I don't understand why you don't just search every house in the city. What is holding you back?"

"I will not overstep and force my people to allow me access into their homes. That is incredibly rude."

"But you are an alpha. You can do what you want."

"Just because I am an alpha, does not mean that I can do as I please." Yohan breathed. "How much longer are you staying here?"

"Don't worry, my visit is coming to an end. Nam-kyu and Jimin will begin to whine and complain that they miss their mother." Ji-hun sighed. "But they desperately wanted to see their uncle and who am I to tell them no."

Yohan rolled his eyes.

This is beginning to get awkward. "Yohan." I reached for his hand. "I was thinking that maybe we can start a garden on the northern end of the palace. There is a lot of open space there and I think it would be nice to plant some flowers there. Can you come with me? I want to show you."

Yohan nodded his head. "Excuse us. We will be taking our leave now." he took my hand and led me away from the pavilion. Once we were far enough away, I made a slight detour and sat Yohan on one of the stone steps leading to the library.

"Just sit here and relax." I said. "You look a little stressed.

"...I see." he smiled softly.

"You looked like you were about to lose your mind back there. Is it always like this when he visits the palace?"

"Unfortunately but he has been behaving very well." he sighed. "I wish it were always like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...most alphas enjoy showing off their strength. When we were younger, he would often assert his dominance over me and my brothers. I would often ignore him but there were times when we did fight."

"What!"

"It's common among alphas. Sometimes it is harmless. Other times it is not."

"Well, it looked like you needed to get away so I thought I would help you do that."

"Thank you." Yohan stood up before holding out his arm.

I took his arm and walked with him along the stone path. "If you want to have a garden by the north wall, I can begin the preparations."