𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 | 𝑱𝑱𝑲 ✓

♡ Chapter 12 ♡

Chapter Twelve: Twilight

The night had bled into dawn by the time Jungkook reached the gates of Melantha with Y/N in his arms. The sky had begun its gentle shift from inky black to hues of violet and soft pink, but the light barely touched the cold stone walls of his fortress. As they neared the grand entrance, the weight of the moment began to settle between them, two strangers bound by fate, both wondering why their paths had crossed in such a violent, unexpected way.

Y/N's leg throbbed in pain, but her thoughts were far from her wound. She couldn't stop glancing up at Jungkook, his expression unreadable, the same face she had painted invaded her thoughts. How was it possible that he existed, not only in her imagination but here, real and solid, holding her as though her safety was his own concern?

Jungkook, for his part, focused on moving forward, his mind tangled with questions he wasn't ready to ask. He could feel the familiar stirrings in his chest, the pull that had brought him to the forest in the first place, the same pull that had guided him to her. His wounds were slowly knitting themselves together, but the confusion in his heart lingered.

Was this girl a threat? Or was she something more?

As they entered the castle, Jungkook carried Y/N down the shadowed halls, past wide-eyed creatures who dared not meet his gaze. He descended into the lower levels of the fortress, to a chamber rarely used but well-kept, a place of healing where injured allies were tended to in secret. The room was dim, the light from flickering candles casting shadows on the walls, and it smelled faintly of herbs and iron. Jungkook set Y/N down gently on a plush chair, careful not to aggravate her wound any further.

"I'll get the healer," he said, his voice low but commanding. "Stay here."

Y/N nodded, though her eyes followed him as he left the room. She couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that their meeting wasn't by chance. There was something ancient, something deeper at play. The way he had looked at her in the forest, the quiet protectiveness behind his cold exterior, something about him felt familiar, like an echo from another life.

Moments later, Jungkook returned, followed by a tall, cloaked figure, a vampire healer who moved with an ethereal grace. The healer's hands glowed faintly as she inspected Y/N's wound, her fingers delicate as they removed the silver blade from Y/N's leg. The pain was sharp, but Y/N gritted her teeth, refusing to cry out.

Jungkook stood back, watching in silence. His arms were crossed, his face a mask of calm, though inside, the storm still raged. His eyes never left her frame. He wasn't sure why he had gone to such lengths to protect her. He was the Prince of Darkness, cold and unfeeling, the scourge of enemies who dared trespass in his domain. Yet something about this girl had shattered through the walls he had built.

When the healer had finished her work, Y/N's leg was wrapped in soft bandages, the wound no longer burning with the searing pain of silver. The healer nodded to Jungkook and then, with a graceful bow, exited the room, leaving them alone once more.

"You should rest," Jungkook said, his voice softer now but still edged with the authority he wielded so effortlessly. "The sun is rising, and you'll be safe here until nightfall."

Y/N hesitated, staring at the floor, before finally speaking. "Thank you... thank you for everything. I don't know why you did it, but... I'm grateful."

Jungkook's eyes flickered toward her, dark and unreadable before he turned away. "You don't need to thank me," he said, almost too quietly. "I don't know why I did it either."

Silence hung between them, heavy and charged. The soft candlelight flickered, casting long shadows on the walls, but neither moved. Y/N's thoughts whirled with a thousand questions, yet none of them seemed right for the moment. She felt drawn to him, a magnetic pull that made her want to understand the man who had rescued her, who carried the same haunted look as the figure she had painted.