Crave

4 - sacrifice yourself to save another

Two weeks passed in silence from Liam, meaning that the omega was listening to the alpha's orders. Woo was in the locker room of an illegal underground boxing club. Sweat gathered on his body along with specks of blood on his fists, neck, and upper body. The blood didn't belong to him though. It belonged to the alpha he had defeated in the match. Adrenaline ran through his body, filling his veins with excitement that was starting to die down. As he sat lost in his thoughts, an older man walked into the locker room. This old man was the spitting image of the alpha sitting down. This was Woo's father, Park Songjoon.

The man was tall and had a well-built lean body despite his old age. His frame was covered by an expensive black tracksuit and there was a briefcase in his hands. He was an alpha just like Woo. They looked the same except for the wrinkles around his father's sharp eyes and the grey hair on his head. The old man sat down next to his son and set the briefcase on the ground.

"My son won again tonight." The man said proudly but Woo didn't reply.

"You're one of my best fighters, Woo. You've lost only a few fights ever since you joined my boxing team. I'm proud of you." The old man's words went through Woo's right ear and left from the other.

The father ignored his son's silence and set a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you come home tonight for dinner? Your mother has been begging to see you but you never go now. Why are you treating her like this?"

Woo smirked at the irony of those words. He picked up the briefcase from the floor, a share of his wins from the fight. Half of the money Woo won in his fights went to his greedy father, a payment for training him.

"You've changed so much, son. You're so distant." The father said on purpose and left the locker room.

The alpha set the briefcase aside and went inside a shower stall. The cold water dripped off dirty blood from his muscular body as he ran a hand in his hair. His toned arms ached with pain and exhaustion was starting to take over. After showering, he changed into a navy blue shirt and black joggers. Woo placed a black hoodie over himself and went to the parking lot. He saw his younger brother waiting for him by his car.

Joon looked at Woo with a small smile. "Let's go have a sleepover at Liam's place, hyung. Jonathan is already there."

Woo nodded and sat in the driver's seat of his Dodge with Joon in the passenger side. The wolf drove to his friend's place in silence, head replaying the words his father had said to him. Joon observed his big brother's eyes and knew it had been a rough night for him.

"Hyung." The red-haired man called out.

"Hm?"

"When will you stop fighting for her?" That question made the alpha's hands clutch the steering wheel.

"Joon, I don't fight for her. I fight because it's easy money for me." The alpha said but Joon knew it was a lie.

The beta knew that if Woo refused to participate in his father's underground boxing matches, his mother would suffer. As long as Woo was obedient to Songjoon, his father wouldn't hit her. What angered Joon was that his mom was willing to see Woo suffer like this rather than leave her husband. The woman had chosen her husband over her son. In return, Woo suffered in pain. Yet the alpha still loved his mother, protecting her while putting his health on the line every time he had to fight.

"Hyung, I want you to be selfish. I want you to have happiness." Woo ignored those words and the rest of the car ride was silent.

When the brothers reached the vampire's house, Liam opened the door. He gave Joon and Woo a group hug and let them in. The wolf's ears caught a sound of soft giggles. They went into the dining area and Woo saw Zaire in the kitchen. The omega was cooking in front of the stove while Jonathan stood next to him, telling him stupid jokes. Since when did they get close? When Zaire felt a strong gaze on him, he looked up and the smile disappeared off his face. Jonathan set a hand on the small wolf's shoulder to comfort him.