Check-Mate

40. Phi not Khun

Is he trying to sound me out or something? I feel like he is.

"You don't have any problem with him being here, right?" He asks again.

"What problem can I have?" I lied. I know I am going to have problems. I don't think I am ready to face Chain yet. The level of anger and disgust I saw in his face yesterday was... 

I know that I will give birth to my pup soon and become a parent; being cowardly and withdrawn is not an option. I am trying my best, but I need time, just a little bit more time to compose myself.

"Does that mean that you are okay with In coming here and staying with us?" He tries to suppress the obvious smile that was threatening to break.

"I don't understand why you are even asking me this question, Khun Terk," I seriously don't want to talk about him and he keeps mentioning Chain in front of me. If he was feeling so bad about being separated from Chain, then why didn't he bring him along as well?

"Because I want your opinion, Warm."

"I don't think my opinion matters, Khun Terk. This is your pack, and you are the one who should decide who comes here and who lives here. I myself am living as a guest here. I don't think I have a say in it."

"Are you still mad at him for what happened yesterday?"

"No, Khrab." I only get mad at people who are mine, who would be mad at strangers?

"That means you are. Warm, you have known Chain for so long, you know that he didn't mean the things he said, right?" 

Yes, I have known him for years and that's why I can say with a guarantee that he meant it. His facial expression, his body language everything was screaming to me that he meant each and every word he said.

"Warm, he was just mad at Gym yesterday and he ended up taking his anger out on you. He would never want to hurt you na."

Seriously? Does this guy even hear himself?

"Don't take his words to heart, Warm."

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one who was called a whore. Well, Chain didn't use the word, but that is what he meant. Wait a minute! "How much of our conversation did you hear yesterday?"

"I..." He looks guilty.

That means he heard the whole thing. He must be agreeing with Chain too. He must be thinking that I am a characterless person since I got pregnant with his pup even without being marked. I must look too easy to him.

"I am sorry, Warm. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. My hearing ability is better, so..." He looks at me cautiously.

This is what I was talking about when I said that I regret coming here. I want to leave! I don't want to see him!  I don't want to be around him! I don't want to be here anymore! But do I have anywhere else to go? That too in my condition? I don't. I am a homeless person, living at the mercy of the enigma in front of me.

I don't dare ask him to get out. What if he gets angry and kicks me out? Now that we are not in our pack, he doesn't have to continue acting nice to me, right?

"Warm, please don't cry. I wasn't trying to upset you."

Damn it. These stupid leaky eyes. I don't know why I cry so much these days. I quickly wipe off my tears. "I am not crying." I am not a baby to cry just like that.

"Warm, even though you and he are not siblings in the real sense, you two had grown up together, right? How can you not know what his personality is like?"

What did he just say? Me and Chain are not siblings in a real sense? How did he know that? Did Chain tell him?

Gosh, Chain! My parents had put ours and our pack's lives in line just to protect you. We ought to take this secret to our graves. Yet you told this enigma? A guy you have barely known for a few days? How could you, Chain?

"Don't be so surprised. It was not Chain who told me." He says looking at my expression.

"T- Then, how did you know?" I am really curious. There is no way someone else knew of this.  

"I know it because... because I am his Phi-chaai."

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"Exactly what I said. I am his Phi-chaai. We are half-siblings."

I gasp audibly as he drops the bomb on me.

He chuckles and continues. "Our dad was an enigma. My mom was his first mate and Khun Athiti was his last. He only had two partners in his life."

"What do you mean by 'was', 'had'? Is it what I think it is?" I ask carefully.

He nods slowly. "Yes. He is gone. He died on the same day Khun Athiti did. They love each other they imprinted one another. Those people knew that killing Khun Athiti was the easiest way to get rid of our dad. So..."

"I- I am sorry." What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do?

He lets out a soft chuckle. "It's okay, Warm. You don't have to apologize. It has been so many years now." He smiles nostalgically. "Dad had always wanted to bring Khun Athiti and Chain into this pack. Unfortunately, he couldn't." He sighs. "That's why I took up the responsibility from him and started looking for Chain."

"How long have you been looking for him?"

"I don't know. Ever since the day I got the opportunity to do so I guess. It's been hard. Looking for him while making sure that my dad's enemies don't track him down before me, had been nowhere near easy." He stares at me. "Now that I have found him, I want to bring him home. This pack is his home. Our home. This pack belongs to him as much as it belongs to me."

I stay quiet. This is so much to digest. "Khun Terk, can I ask you something?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Erm, yesterday when Dad proposed that P' Gym took a blood oath... why didn't you stop him? Do you also think that he is not good enough for Chain?"

After getting to know that Chain's father wasn't as much of a jerk as we thought, I want to know why Khun Terk didn't oppose the whole blood oath thing. He is also an enigma after all.

"It's not that I think that he is not good enough. But I am worried." He admits.

"Worried? About what?"

"Gym's family. They would never accept an omega as his mate. His dad especially."

"You mean the Khun Rueangrit?" P' Gym had once told me that his father was the head of Crimson Heart Pack. 

"Yes. He is an enigma as well and as an enigma, he thinks that marking an omega is a stain. He is a ruthless person, Warm. I am afraid that he might target Chain. The only person who can keep Chain safe from him is Gym. Since Gym had marked him just like that, I want him to take responsibility for Chain's safety."

So, P' Gym's family is against their relationship? This is not happening.

"Warm?" I hear his voice and lift my head. "Now that you know everything, I hope you would call me Phi and not Khun. We are a family."

That caught me off guard. How can he switch from such a serious topic to something like this? Then again, why am I blushing?