𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

Chapter 9

After the disaster that was the festival, and Seungkwan’s latest argument with Vernon, he was looking forward to a few days of doing nothing but chores. So when Vernon sat down at the kitchen table the next morning and looked at him expectantly, he all but groaned.

“Something on your mind?” he asked the alpha, with studied casualness.

“I’m heading up to the packhouse later this morning. I thought you might like to come with me.”

Seungkwan had expected Vernon to suggest another visit into town or a grocery run. Not that.

“Um…”

The prospect was suddenly daunting. Before, when he’d thought it was just a kids’ home, it seemed like no big deal. But now, knowing it was so much more…

“Are you sure? I thought you didn’t want me up there too soon.”

“Well, you’ve met a lot of the pack already. And we’ve met you. Seokmin extended the invitation. But if you don’t want to go…”

Seungkwan almost jumped at the offer to stay behind. Would it be rude to refuse the invitation when these people had taken him in for a whole month? Very rude, he guessed. If Stewart was here, he’d be glaring daggers at Seungkwan for even hesitating.

“No, no. I’d love to come. Thank you.”

There. A response that would have made Stewart happy, even if it did send butterflies through Seungkwan’s stomach. Logically, he knew there was no need to be nervous. He’d met all the alphas of the pack already. He was certain there wouldn’t be any unpleasant surprises waiting for him.

“Great,” Vernon said. “Let’s get the chores out of the way, and then we can head over.”

As he worked, Seungkwan still couldn’t shake his nervousness. It was silly, really. He’d been here almost a week. If anything bad was going to happen, it would have happened by now. Unless this was one of those cult-like packs he’d read about online. Maybe there was some weird form of indoctrination going on? One that involved daily chores, brunch, pizza, and a mostly wholesome town festival? He snorted at the thought, pushing the wild conspiracy theories to the back of his mind. All that had happened was that the alphas had met him, decided he wasn’t a crazy person, and invited him on a visit to their packhouse. There was nothing more to it.

They walked the quarter-mile from the cottage to the house, making their way along a winding path through the trees. Vernon let them in through the front door.

The first thing that struck Seungkwan was how quiet it was.

“I always thought packhouses would be noisy places,” he commented as they stood in the hallway.

“The kids and some of the adults are out on a day trip,” Vernon said, closing the door behind them. “And Seokmin’s clinic only runs in the afternoon. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

He showed Seungkwan the reception room, a small living room, and a games room that seemed to be aimed at younger kids. The kitchen was next, but just as they stepped through the doorway, a voice called Vernon from the other side of the house.

“That’s Zane,” Vernon said. “I’ll just go see what he wants. You take a look around, grab a drink if you’re thirsty.”

He strode out the door, leaving Seungkwan to his own devices. Seungkwan circled the room slowly, taking in the large breakfast counter and the plentiful space. If he could cook, he imagined this would be a lovely kitchen to work in. So much light, so much room. There was the faint aroma of freshly baked bread that made his mouth water. He stopped at the back door, peering out at the neatly trimmed grass of the garden that led into the wild scenery of the woods. It must have been lovely for the kids to have all that space. He recalled his own childhood, always feeling trapped, boxed in. There was never room to run, to play.