"I want to know why you do it."
"Why I do what." he asked, stripping off his overcoat.
He flung it over the back of the couch without much thought as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Why you always save me. Every time I'm in trouble you always come...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Yunho's POV
Leaving her knowing what would happen was undoubtedly the hardest thing I had to do. As much as I wanted to be selfish and be the mate she needed, I couldn't. I never loathed my gifts as much as I did in the moment I realized they would prove useless to her. If the situation were different, and she needed me, I would have laid everything I had at her feet to be her first choice. Instead, I was stuck here, my feet rooted to the floor of the front foyer, belonging to the home of the dragon that would be taking my place. I stared down at the dark marble, seconds away from letting the unbearable pain in my chest swallow me. A deep sigh to my left hardly registered as Hongjoong was the first to make his way through the front entryway, deeper into the castle.
"I need a fucking drink."
With hardly a thought, I followed him into the nearest sitting room, drinking not being a half bad idea. Hongjoong ran a hand through his hair, attempting to fix the disheveled silvery mess, while his eyes scanned the cart stocked full of various liquors. I didn't bother waiting for him to choose, swiping a bottle of whiskey before carrying it across the room and perching myself on one of the windowsills. I popped the top off, bringing the drink to my lips for a few large gulps to get myself started.
"This sucks." Wooyoung huffed, dropping himself haphazardly onto one of the couches.
He threw one arm over his eyes, grumbling under his breath as San took the open seat beside him. I didn't bother vocalizing my agreement, we all felt the same way about it. I could feel the sea of emotions riding the bond between us, mirroring my own restlessness and misery. Underneath it all was another emotion that I knew didn't belong to any of the seven currently in the room together. My grip on the bottle's neck tightened as I shoved the thought of tapping into that connection further down, where it was hopefully inaccessible. Maybe after a couple of bottles it would be.
Easier said than done when the bond between us and Yeosang flared to life.
Mingi's expression twisted in despair, his eyes slowly meeting mine from across the room. I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat burning more than any whiskey, as I looked away. While that single gentle thrum in my shared bonds pulsed beckoningly, I could feel my heart breaking. The desire to slip into that moment with Yeosang, to feel what he felt with Y/N, was overwhelming. Even more so when I considered the possibility that it might be the only time I'd get to experience at least a sliver of that happiness.
With great effort, I lifted the bottle again, drowning that urge and my heartache simultaneously.
"What if..." San's voice was quiet, but it pierced the silent room as if he had shouted, the tremble in it catching everyone's attention.
He rubbed his palms over his thighs, gripping his knees to keep them still as he took a steadying breath.
