Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Sixty-Two

Jisung pushed through the crowd that had formed around the pack's border, heart thundering in his chest, forcing himself to keep a steady pace so Minho wouldn't fall too far behind; he'd refused to stay behind at the packhouse, and although he'd never admit it, he felt better having Minho near, where he could protect him.

The Vampire King wasn't going to give up, of that much he was certain; they'd only gotten away due to pure chance. A barely concealed shiver coursed through him at the thought of what might have happened had they not been interrupted.

His eyes slid towards Minho, whose own gaze darted about, almost nervously. As much as Jisung wanted to linger and discern the cause behind the subtle downwards curl of his lips, the slight furrow in his brow, he knew he needed to focus on more... important things.

As he made it to the edge, his shoulders sagged in relief. "Stand down," he ordered the wolves poised to strike, teeth bared. They all turned to look at him in disbelief, but with a hard look from him they all obeyed.

The red in Hyunsik's eyes faded, a bundle clutched securely in his arms. It was impossible to tell what it was he was holding, but his heart lurched at the thought of it being what the King had been so adamant about finding.

He shared a closed look with the vampire, and nodded; it wasn't difficult to discern that whatever it was Hyunsik had come for, it was best to keep it from the ears of others. Minho stepped closer to him, staring at the vampire warily; he resisted the urge to flash him a comforting smile, his hand twitching with the desire to grab onto the human's, mere inches away from his own.

He shook off those thoughts, instead focusing on the heated gazes of his packmates; he could feel their anger in the air around them, and he clenched his jaw. This wouldn't result in anything good, but he knew talking to Hyunsik – about that bundle, about everything – was much more important than his reputation; though he supposed it wasn't like he had one anymore.

Silently, he pushed his way back through the crowd, beckoning the vampire to follow him. His hand reached out and latched onto Minho's almost of its own accord, and the human's cheeks turned red, though he did not look up from where his gaze had drifted to the ground.

As the three walked, getting further and further away, he could feel the eyes of the other wolves on his back, burning holes into his skull, sinking into his skin; he tried not to think about it, how he was just losing more and more of their faith as each day progressed.

He wondered what Dongwook would have said – what he would have done.

He clenched his fists and shook his head, sucking in a tight breath; it didn't really matter what his father would have done – he was dead. He'd never had to deal with a situation like this during his reign as Alpha – it was up to Jisung now.

He knew that, he knew he'd do what he thought was right – Dongwook would have, too. The tightness in his shoulders eased, and he could breathe just a little easier with that thought in mind.

Just do what's right.

Soon enough they were within the packhouse again, and Hyunsik looked at him once more, expression grim and serious. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Where's Felix?" Jisung's eyes widened, though his own face settled in its own gloom.

"This way. He's... not doing too good." He noticed Minho flinch from the corner of his eyes, and his grip tightened on the human's hand. Sadness overtook Hyunsik's features as they continued on in silence.

He gripped the bundle in his arms tighter.

Soon enough they made it to the infirmary; it was deathly silent there, and the door's hinges creaked loudly – accentuated by the stark contrast – as he pushed it open. Changbin sat next to Felix's unmoving body, and Jeongin occupied another bed, the pack nurse moving deftly between the both of them, quietly treating them; she'd been Commanded to keep quiet about Jeongin's true... identity.