FORBIDDEN

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

"Hey... can I ditch you for a bit?" Zhan asked, standing at the apartment door with one shoe half on and a suspiciously casual smile stretched across his face.

Yibo, wrapped in a burrito of blanket on the couch and scrolling on his phone like he was investigating something criminal, raised an eyebrow without looking up. "What, are we calling abandoning me 'ditching' now? That's a bit generous."

Zhan sighed dramatically, grabbing his hoodie from the back of a chair. "Relax. I'm not ghosting you. I just need to go out for something.I'll be back before 10pm"

Yibo finally glanced over. "Lemme guess — another secret moonlight crystal to charge or some sketchy fortune-teller's appointment you forgot to cancel?"

Zhan put a hand on his chest, feigning offense. "Excuse you. I have layers."

"Like an onion. A suspicious, sneaky onion."

Zhan laughed. "Fine. Just think of me as your mysterious roommate with mysterious errands."

Yibo narrowed his eyes but shrugged. "Alright, onion boy. But bring food when you come back. And if I hear even a whisper of some cursed alley cat following you, I'm locking the windows."

Zhan grinned. "No promises."

---

The city's night air was brisk, still holding the freshness left behind by the earlier rain. Zhan pulled his collar up and moved swiftly through the dimly lit streets, past shuttered shops and quiet cafes, until the familiar scent of damp earth and burning wood signaled he was entering the old quarter — the territory of the Dark Pack.

The glow of Yibo's apartment, with its bad lighting and comforting clutter, faded behind him. Here, the silence pressed tighter, the shadows longer, as if time moved differently under the ancient trees.

He stepped through the stone arch into the clearing — the Circle — and the atmosphere shifted. A breeze whispered against his neck like a secret.

Before Zhan could call out, a voice dropped from above. "You walk like you're running from a bad date."

Zhan didn't even flinch. "Zhou Cheng, if you leap out of one more tree, I'm planting you in one."

Zhou Cheng dropped with catlike grace, grinning. "Aw. You missed me."

"I missed having ten minutes of peace without you embarrassing me in front of Yibo."

Professor Shen stepped out from behind a moss-covered stone, adjusting his coat like he had all the time in the world. "Embarrassing? I thought we were helping your mission."

"Helping?" Zhan barked a laugh.

"You showed up at school unannounced, stared Yibo down like he owed you his lineage, and Zhou Cheng keeps making cryptic comments that sound like dating advice from a demon."

"I am charming," Zhou Cheng noted, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder.

"You're infuriating," Zhan snapped. "And you're going to blow my cover."

Professor Shen looked calm, as always, but the edge in his eyes was sharp. "You're getting defensive. That's interesting."

"I'm getting interrupted.*ñ There's a difference."

Zhou Cheng folded his arms. "You sure you're not getting attached?"

Zhan stepped in closer. "Watch it."

Shen raised a brow. "Then prove us wrong. File your report. To the Alpha. Let's hear how fragile your mission really is."

With a scowl, Zhan turned on his heel and stalked past the two of them toward the heart of the woods. The trees thickened, gnarled and ancient, until they parted at the roots of the largest oak, beneath which stood the Alpha of the Dark Pack.

Cloaked in black, his presence was less a figure and more a shadow that watched, listened, and waited.

Zhan dropped to one knee. "Alpha."

The Alpha's voice rolled out like distant thunder. "Speak."

"I am here to file a complaint."

There was a pause, like the trees themselves leaned in.

"Professor Shen and Zhou Cheng," Zhan said, "are compromising my mission. They're too visible. Too curious. And they're getting in Yibo's head."

"You believe your cover is at risk?"

"Yes. If this continues, he'll start asking questions I won't be able to dodge."

The Alpha regarded him in silence for a long moment.

"You wish to work alone."

"I need to work alone. I've built something. A routine. He trusts me. But they're making him doubt. If he finds out too early—"

"You fear he will turn against us?"

Zhan hesitated. "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. But I need the time to do so."

Behind him, footsteps approached. Zhou Cheng. Then Shen.

Zhan stayed kneeling.

The Alpha finally spoke. "Shen, Continue being a teacher there. Zhou Cheng, staying a student. Your involvement in the mission is suspended. Zhan will continue the mission independently."

Zhou Cheng opened his mouth but said nothing. Shen gave a single, almost imperceptible nod.

The Alpha turned back to Zhan. "And you, Shadow Pup, be warned. The heart makes a poor compass when the truth is your map. Do not lose your way."

Zhan bowed his head. "Understood."

---

Back at Yibo's apartment, the clock blinked.

9:52 PM.

Yibo stared at the door, frowning.

He got up, stretched, and checked the fridge. Nothing.

"Why do I even trust that guy with food responsibilities..." he muttered.

Still, he flipped the porch light on.

Somewhere beneath all his grumbling, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Better come back with food, Zhan."

The night wind brushed past the window.

He always came back, but Yibo was starting to wonder: what if one day, he didn't?

But the room, even empty, felt like someone was on their way home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And in the forest, as the Alpha turned away and the clearing emptied, only one figure remained watching Zhan from the shadows.

A whisper in the trees. A warning. Or maybe a wish.

END OF CHAPTER 12