Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Forty-Two

Minho had never really been much of an outdoor person. He stared blankly at the fire that crackled softly, the flames dancing in the air. He didn't know why they couldn't have just stayed at a hotel in the city; they were on the other side of the city from Jisung's pack, in another forest, now.

He sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around himself, scowling. Someone plopped down beside him, and he looked up briefly at Jisung, who stared at the fire, too. It reflected off of his eyes, those eyes flecked with gold; it was quite beautiful, really.

Their kiss popped into his mind again and his cheeks turned crimson; he hadn't thought about that in a while. Too much had been going on, and going so fast. Now that he was stuck in the middle of a silent forest, he had plenty of time to think about it.

His eyes snapped away from the werewolf, focusing intently on the fire, as though it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen; he hoped his reddened cheeks weren't visible through the dim light.

As Minho eyed the other two people who'd accompanied them, he gnawed on his bottom lip. Jeongin was already fast asleep, but Changbin... he looked as though he'd never sleep again. He stared at the fire, too, though it was evident that he was in his own little word. He and Felix were Mates, apparently; he smirked softly. He'd been right – in a way.

He sighed, knees curling up to his chest as he rested his chin atop them. If he'd told himself a month ago that all the monsters were real and that he was the reincarnation of some vampire prince who'd had an affair and been killed for it, he never would have believed it. He'd probably have laughed at himself or called the police; maybe both. In the short expanse of a month, his life had turned upside down.

He didn't know if he was happy about it or not.

Huffing another sigh, he turned to look at the sky. He didn't think they were that far from the city, and yet he could still see the stars better than he had in years. They twinkled brightly, flickering, dancing across the sky like it was their own personal stage.

"I'm sorry," Jisung said, at last, breaking the silence that had come to shroud them ever since they'd left Sun pack territory. Minho quirked a brow at him in question. "You... never should have been involved in this mess." He shook his head, sad eyes coming to rest on Minho's for but a moment before he looked away.

"You're right." Minho turned back to the sky. "I'm just a human. I don't belong in a world where vampires, and witches, and werewolves, and whatever the hell else there is exists." He shook his head, a small smile growing on his lips. "But if I hadn't been sucked into it, I never would have met the only people who've ever cared."

"The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways," Jisung said, voice quietening with each word. He quickly averted his eyes, but Minho caught the tears glistening in his eyes, and that familiar ache presented itself in his chest again.

"I suppose she does. Not that I really know anything about the... Moon Goddess." Jisung chuckled softly at that and turned to look up at the moon.

"She reincarnated you. Or, well, both of us." Jisung frowned, eyebrows furrowing, though he stopped talking.

"What?" Minho asked, tilting his head.

"It's just... everything the Moon Goddess does, she does it for a reason." It was easy to tell that the words were difficult for him to speak those words after what had happened. After all, what reason was there, really, for his father to die? "No matter how... how unfortunate they are." Their eyes locked, and Minho nearly lost himself in those eyes. Again.

He quickly shook it off. "So why... why'd she reincarnate us of all people?" Minho blinked at that and shrugged.

"Don't look at me. It's not like I know." Jisung cracked a small smile and chuckled. It was nice to see him smile again; Minho's cheeks reddened again and he winced, looking back at the flames.

A soft yawn escaped him, and he smiled sheepishly, scratching his cheek. With a soft chuckle Jisung inclined his head towards the bag that contained the blankets they'd packed. He supposed it was a good idea to get some rest; they'd be travelling quite a distance, apparently.

With another yawn he scrambled over towards it and pulled one free, laying down on the grass, ignoring the way it tickled his neck. "Goodnight."

Jisung's soft smile was the last thing he saw before sleep lulled him. "Goodnight."

~#~#~#~#~#~

Changbin stared at the flames. He was reaching out, grasping at anything that could prove that his Mate was alright and unharmed. He knew he wasn't dead; he wasn't drowning in despair, for one, nor did he feel the other side of his bond go dark. Only silent.

He was growing tired of the silence; his frustrations threatened to consume him. The longer he went without at least speaking to his Mate, the more he risked running off without the others and storming the Crimson Castle all on his own.

He closed his eyes against the headache pounding at his temples. He'd probably overexerted himself yet again. He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. The others had already gone to sleep, and he couldn't help the envious spark that flashed through him.

It was wrong, he knew; but there they were, Mates yet not, talking and enjoying one another's company while his own Mate was probably rotting in a cell somewhere, malnourished and abused.

His fists clenched, ripping blades of grass out, dirt burrowing itself under his nails. Unexplainable fury danced in his chest, pressing down on him like a heavy boulder.

"Chang... Changbin?" His head snapped up, eyes whipping about his surroundings to see if any of his companions had spoken, yet he knew whose voice it was; he'd never forget that voice.

"Felix? Lix? Are you okay, are they hurting you? You don't know how worried I was–" His words caught in his throat as he paused to take a breath. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand; there was no use crying about it.

"I'm... I'm alright, for now. Don't worry. There's someone looking out for me here." God, how he'd missed that voice. His eyebrows furrowed; who was with him? "But, listen, Changbin, don't come–" The other side of the bond returned to static.

And there was nothing but silence once more.

A/N: Yay, soooo after a whole week of fricken pain and torture, I have finally figured out the beginning for my novel. It was a pAIN IN MY ASS BRO LIKE I REWROTE THAT SHIT FIVE TIMES. UGH. But we're good now (are we really? >:0). Time's going too fast, though, like... school starts in two weeks. Two weeks. I'm lowkey crying bruh the stress is coming back reeeeeeeeeal fast

Q: What subject are you most looking forward to in this coming year?

A: Uhm, French, because a) I'm literally a native French (okay by native French I mean French-Canadian) speaker it's my mother tongue and b) it's the easy French class for English people who are learning French as a second language so c) it's hella easy for me and no stress whatsoever will come oUT OF IT. But I'm also looking forward to my Vocal Jazz class because that'll be a pretty fun class, I think. 

Lots of love,

~Junnie