TWM | MW [✔]

17.

Wonwoo set his plan in motion on a wet night, the moon obscured by clouds. He'd played along from the moment of his arrival, pretending to be the meek, clumsy mage desperate to please. They had no idea he'd been planning his escape before he'd ever arrived.

He crept through the grass, using his magic like a shroud to keep all sight and scent of him hidden as he moved. Drogon Pack's territory was large—it would take time to make it to the boundary, and even longer to put some distance between him and the pack. But it would be worth it in the end, when he was reunited with Mingyu.

A careless footstep snapped a twig, and he froze, cursing silently. But no one sounded the alarm. The pack was still quiet. He kept moving, trying to be more cautious about where he placed his feet. Times like this made him wish he had a wolf's eyesight.

The boundary drew nearer, the prospect of escape so close he could almost taste the relief. And then he heard it. A rustle in the bushes to his left. He stilled, hardly daring to look. But when he did, he saw a pair of eyes watching him from the darkness. Fuck.

He ran, rushing headlong for the boundary, all thoughts of moving quietly forgotten. His only chance now was to be faster than that wolf. A howl followed him, the sound sending chills across his skin. A growl rumbled through the air ahead of him, and he stopped in his tracks. A second wolf stood blocking his path. Wonwoo pivoted left, but another wolf emerged from the undergrowth, baring its teeth. In desperation, he spun right, but yet another wolf waited there. These weren't just any wolves—they were Jinro's betas.

On stumbling feet, he turned, trying to get his bearings as the wolves circled him, closing in. He fell to his knees, heaving for breath, trapped once more. It was time to face facts—he was crap at escaping, and he couldn't run to save his life. There was no getting away from this—from his bond to Jinro—not now. A howl carried through the forest, and the wolves guarding him all turned to look. He followed their gazes, watching his alpha approach. Jinro was a brute, whether in his wolf form or his human. Wonwoo would never have bonded willingly to him, but neither Drogon Pack nor the Ongs had given him a choice. His only chance was to hold out hope for Mingyu. That the wolf would come, even after all hope was lost.

Jinro bore down on them, the circle of wolves parting before him.

Wonwoo stared up at him, unable to hide his fear or his anger. "I don't belong here. I have a pack and an alpha. I belong with them."

Jinro acted like he hadn't spoken. He clamped a hand down on Wonwoo's neck, over the still-tender bite mark. Wonwoo couldn't hold back a cry of pain as he was yanked to his feet. Jinro started back toward the center of the pack, dragging Wonwoo with him. He twisted and fought to escape the alpha's iron-clad grip, but it was no use.

"You're my mage," Jinro ground out. "They'll pry you from my cold, dead hands. And if you run again, I'll break both your legs."

A cold sweat rolled over Wonwoo at the threat. He stopped fighting, letting the alpha pull him along. Jinro and his pack didn't care that there was another alpha out there who had a prior claim on him. Without a bond bite, it seemed that Mingyu's claim was empty and they were happy to ignore it. What if there was a good reason for that? What if Mingyu wasn't coming for him? Maybe the rules of the wolf packs didn't allow for that. But he had to know for sure. Was there still hope for him and Mingyu?

"If I don't go home to him, he'll come for me."

Jinro didn't even slow down, marching onward toward his home. "So what? You're bonded to me, not him. Nothing can change that."

"Nothing?" Wonwoo asked, swallowing hard.

"I told you. He'd have to pry you from my dead hands. As long as I'm alive, you're mine. You think some scrawny, dirt-poor alpha is going to challenge me?"