Claimed by the Alpha || Bang Chan

Chapter 20: The True Bond

As the smoke clears from my deadly battle with Taecyeon, Bang Chan falls.

"Bang Chan! No!"

He lies in my arms, the bloodied wolf's bane dagger buried deep in his side.

"It's okay. It's okay, I–"

As Bang Chan tries to sit up, he cries out in pain, curling in on himself as the agony of it burns his body. His charred skin sizzles beneath the blade, his screams brutal and deafening.

"Bang Chan...stay still, it's going to be okay. If you move, you'll only make it worse, and..."

He shakes his head, grimacing against his burning demise.

"And what? The outcome will be the same, won't it?"

"Don't talk like that."

He looks up at me, forcing a brave smile.

"Or what? You'll scold me?"

I laugh as my tears splash his bare chest.

"Always. Someone's got to put you in your place."

He seizes, clutching his side. Blood begins to leak out past the dagger, pouring between his fingers. I reach down and, with a forceful tug, tear a strip of fabric from my dress. I ball the fabric up and press it to his searing wound. But the fabric burns away as though touched by acid.

This isn't working. I don't know what to do.

"Bang Chan, tell me. You always have an answer. What do I do? How can I help you?"

He shakes his head, the pain too much for him to bear. He can't even speak. Helplessness begins to seep into me as I stare down at him. It wasn't so long ago that this situation was reversed and I was on the brink of death. My eyes widen in realization.

"Our bond."

He used our bond to help heal me. My fingers trail along his face, noticing the slickly sallow color of his skin. I close my eyes and focus on the bond. For just a moment, color rushes back to his cheeks, his eyes gaining more clarity. But then it's gone. I take Bang Chan's hand in mine.

"It's going to be okay, Bang Chan."

"(Y/N)..."

As his voice rasps out my name, I clutch his hands tighter, reaching into myself and finding my bond.

"Bang Chan, do you trust me?"

"With...with my life."

His voice comes out dry and weak. But it's enough.

"Thank you."

I close my eyes and press my forehead to his. I reach inside myself, pulling on our bond. I find it in the center of my heart, warm like an ember, ready to burn bright.

"I've got you"

I think of all the things I've shared with Bang Chan. The arguments, the laughs, the kisses in the dark. It all stakes the ember in my heart, until it grows hotter, brighter, and bursts forth. The warmth comes in waves, passing from my hand to his, each was upon the shore lapping away his pain. Bang Chan gasps, and the color returns to his face, the sweat drying.

"Whoa..."

He looks up at me with wonder in his eyes. He squeezes my hand, his voice clearer and stronger than before.

"(Y/N)...thank you."

I gasp in relief, stroking his cheek, so grateful for the brightness back in his sharp eyes. But his body still shakes. He looks down at his wounds with a grimace.