Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Seventy-Three

Hyunsik approached Jisung the moment the office door closed shut; the wolf had barely even noticed that the vampire had been following him. He winced; he wasn't used to needing to actually pay particular attention to his surroundings; he'd always had strong senses to back him out. He had to be careful.

Although there was no way for the Vampire King to know of his state, he still couldn't afford to take any chances – not when he was so easy to kill. He'd been betrayed before; he doubted it would never happen again. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" he questioned as he slowly turned around, his voice soft, drained.

Minho had decided to stay with Felix while Jisung got back to his duties. As much as he'd wanted to stay, he had... quite a bit to plan and figure out before the Allied packs received the message he'd sent out.

It was obvious that the Vampire King was planning something, something big. He took in a deep breath and blew it out all in one go. He missed his dad; he would have known what to do more than Jisung. He missed that guidance.

"This is about the book I stole." Jisung's eyes slowly rose to meet Hyunsik's; they were serious, almost tense. "Whatever it is, whatever it contains, the King kept it closely guarded, more guarded than anything I've ever seen – it took me several centuries to figure out how to break the lock." Jisung tensed.

"We're in grave danger, that I don't doubt. Whatever is in this book, I think... I have reason to believe it will lead us to a way to kill the Vampire King, once and for all." His voice lowered the longer he spoke. The Alpha's eyes widened in shock; a way to kill the Vampire King?

He slowly sat down in his chair, mind still whirling to process the information. "It's... it's written in Acarthian, is it not?" he whispered, and, to that, Hyunsik nodded, almost reluctantly. He nodded once, twice, thrice, leaning his mouth against his clasped hands. This opportunity... it would only come once. And it would go quickly. He would be coming for the book sooner or later, especially if it was that important.

Especially if it harboured a secret that big.

"Would Great Wizard Moonsoo be able to read it, then?" he questioned lowly, his heart thumping slowly, yet loudly enough for him to hear it through the blood rushing in his ears.

Hyunsik nodded. "I suppose he would be able to, but we have to be smart about this, Jisung. It's the obvious choice; he'll be the first person the King attacks." Hyunsik leaned on his desk, lips pulling into a frown. "I think we should send him back to his coven, perhaps the Witches could help us win the war," it was doubtful, really, "and find... someone else who can read Acarthian, someone under the King's radar. Someone who really shouldn't be able to read it."

Jisung met his eyes again, expression grim and somber. "Someone like Seungmin." With a heaved sigh, Hyunsik pushed himself off the desk and nodded.

Jisung couldn't deny the fact that he had a point; they had to strategize very carefully. They couldn't afford to make a mistake, now, and they'd only be putting the Great Wizard in danger by keeping him around the pack. Not to mention... if anyone could convince an entire coven of Witches to help in a battle, it would be him.

Goddess knew how much they needed reinforcements.

He ran his hands along his face as he leaned back in his chair, shoulders slumping. Such a strategy presented a whole new layer of complications and problems; the first, and most prominent, being that he had no idea where the hell Seungmin was.

Hyunsik paced the room slowly. "We're running out of time, aren't we?" he mumbled, and Hyunsik didn't answer, but the wolf already knew what it was. It was only growing more and more obvious. The end was coming.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho and Felix talked for what felt like hours, the injured wolf tucked into his Mate's arms. Changbin said nothing, only grazing his thumb across his cheek. Minho couldn't help but smile at them; it was adorable, really, but, simultaneously... He felt awkward, sitting there.

He felt like he didn't belong in this room with the two happy lovers, like he was imposing on time they'd lost when Felix had been taken away – because of him. That horrible knot in his stomach only strengthened as the smile slipped from his lips.

"Minho, what's wrong?" Felix questioned, sitting up, eyes gleaming in concern. They were almost... too concerned.

He shifted uncomfortably as he blinked at him; nothing was wrong, per se – had he really been that obvious? His eyes met Changbin's, who seemed to be equally as confused as he was. "Oh, um, nothing, I'm fine." The dread in his stomach hardened, a shiver travelling down his spine. There was something about the way Felix watched him that unsettled him.

He stood, almost abruptly, and the look in Felix's eyes vanished as soon as it had come. "I'm... gonna go find Jisung," he said with a weak smile. Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving the two lovebirds to their own devices.

The moment the door closed behind him, it was almost as though a weight had rolled of his shoulders. He exhaled shakily, shaking his head, eyebrows furrowing. What was it about that look that had made him so painfully uncomfortable?

It had almost felt... familiar, for all the wrong reasons.

Where had he felt it before?

He shook it off quickly, rubbing his arms to keep a little bit of warmth – he was suddenly very cold. His steps faltered; he supposed that it was normal for him to be cold, now. His eyes fell to the ground as he continued to walk around aimlessly, but the chill only persisted, rising goosebumps along his arms, shimmying down his spine, settling in his gut.

He blinked. There was a certain urgency pressing down on him, now, and he felt every muscle in his body freeze. Something was wrong – terribly wrong. He broke out into a fast run – faster than he'd ever managed before –, his eyes wild and wide.

Where's Jisung?

A/N: Can y'all BELIEVE that this shit is 250 Word pages long??? Jesus Christ-

Q: What degree are you thinking of getting?

A: Honestly, I've bounced around a lot because I've been avoiding the obvious option, trying to settle for a career -- any career -- but the one I really wanted to do. I've now decided to say a big fat "fuck it", and I've now decided that I'm also going to study Creative Writing in university. Probably a double major with business, but I'm doing Creative Writing, and I've never felt so at peace with myself and my future. I honestly don't give a shit about what my parents want me to be or what society deems acceptable. That's what will make me happiest, and now I'm actually excited to graduate high school, which is a first. This whole year has been a whack glow-up for my personality and my person, holy shit

Lots of love,

~Emilie