You

3

Jisung awoke with aching neck and back, having slept upright to avoid disturbing the younger person peacefully sleeping in his lap. Glancing at his mostly destroyed watch, he saw it was already 2 pm.

"Ugh, what about my classes? The professor will be furious if I miss too many days," Jisung fretted.

Suddenly, the door swung open, causing both Jisung and Felix to flinch at the noise. Felix, his hair tousled in every direction, stirred from his sleepy haze and peered around until his gaze settled on the door.

"Oh, it's just you guys," Felix mumbled in his deep morning voice, surprising Changbin and Seungmin as they entered.

Jisung, accustomed to Felix's morning demeanor, gently pushed him back onto his lap, continuing to play with his hair.

"I'll ask again, which pack are you from?" Changbin inquired, clearly expecting a specific answer.

"And I'll ask once, what do you mean by pack?" Jisung countered, seeking clarification.

"Let's start with the basics," Seungmin suggested, settling himself on the floor across from them.

"What are your names?" he inquired.

"I'm Han Jisung, and the guy in my lap is Lee Felix," Jisung introduced.

"How old are you?" Changbin joined Seungmin on the floor to ease the discomfort of standing.

"We're both 19," Felix answered, lifting his head off Jisung's lap and resting it on his shoulder.

"Good morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?" Jisung asked, wrapping an arm around Felix.

"Okay, just cold," Felix replied, still groggy from the uncomfortable sleep.

"So, what is yo—" Changbin didn't get to finish his question since he was cut off.

"Let me stop you right there, papi. We're innocent and want to go home," Felix interjected, his tone desperate.

"How can you claim innocence when you knew the meeting spot, sneaked in, and eavesdropped on our conversation, all on the night our rivals failed to show up for the exchange?" Changbin questioned skeptically.

"I stumbled upon that old building in the forest a week ago, and your security isn't exactly top-notch. We didn't intend to eavesdrop; we were just exploring and planning to leave," Felix defended.

"Sure, keep the excuses coming," Changbin retorted, his patience wearing thin.

"What excuses? We're just kids who want to go home!" Jisung protested, frustration evident in his voice.

"You're just eager to return to your pack and report everything, aren't you?" Changbin accused.

"Wait, what? No, I just want to go home, take a shower, and eat ramyun without worrying about cancer," Felix exclaimed longingly.

"This is all part of some twisted plan of yours. Just admit you're part of the Black Moon Pack," the shorter man insisted.

"Black Moon what?" Jisung exclaimed, bewildered by the accusation.

"Maybe not the Black Moon Pack, perhaps the Rose Pack," Seungmin speculated.

"Do you want a pack of roses? I don't understand," Felix said, tears forming in his eyes from the confusion.

Seeing his friend distressed, Jisung gently pushed Felix's head onto his shoulder, rubbing his arm in an attempt to comfort him and calm him down.

"We'll leave you alone if you just tell us the truth and stop playing games," Changbin stated, although it was a lie.

"We're not playing games. We've told you everything we know. We don't know about any packs or anything; we're not even spies. We just want to go home," Jisung insisted.

He ended his statement by resting his head on top of Felix's and curling his knees to his chest, trying to find some comfort since it seemed like they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

"Hyung, I really think they're telling the truth," Seungmin communicated via mind link to Changbin.

"I think they're just good actors."

"Come on, they look so helpless."

"Don't fall for it," Changbin responded sternly before walking out of the room.

Seungmin followed closely, and the door was locked once again.

Incoming call
Changbin

"What did the spies reveal?" Chan inquired.

"They're sticking to their story, Chan. They act clueless no matter how much we press, and Seungmin believes they're innocent," was the response.

"Did the cameras capture everything?"

"Absolutely," confirmed Changbin.

"Send the footage to me and Minho. We'll review it and see what's going on," Chan directed.

"Alright. Anything else?" asked Changbin.

"No, that's all for now. We'll be back in a few days. Keep me updated if anything important comes up," Chan instructed before ending the conversation.

Chan ended the call and returned to his seat beside Minho at the dinner table, which was expansive enough to accommodate eleven men, each sporting wrinkled beards and substantial guts, clutching fat cigars.

"You know, Chan," remarked the elderly man with a chuckle, "we were just discussing how absurd it would be if a respected alpha like yourself ended up mated to a pathetic human."

The table erupted in laughter, and Chan joined in, saying, "Oh, I couldn't even fathom it."

Minho shot Chan a questioning glance, then took a large bite of steak and mind-linked Chan.

"What happened to 'I will accept them no matter what'?" Minho questioned.

"Of course, I'll accept them no matter what, but sometimes these posh oldies need a bit of humor. It doesn't mean it's true," Chan replied.

Minho found this reasoning reasonable, especially since the dinner was primarily for business purposes. However, the idea of being "mated to a human" still twisted something in his gut.