Dusk And Dawn ✔️

The 'Wolf' and The 'Protector'

{Note:- 'Past' arc will give a bit more information about Zhu Shen till the time he met YiJun. The 'Present' arc picks up right after Wangji leaves Shen and Zhau to talk about the murders happening in the city. 

The next update will be the Part 5 of In 'Pain' and In 'Pleasure'}

Past

When Zhu Shen was young, he often used to think that his life is better than the fairy tales his mother used to narrate to him. He had parents who loved him and a younger sister who adored him. His days were spent in fake swords play with his best-friend only interrupted by study time, which he used to enjoy as well. 

He was, after all, the Prince of his tribe. Studying texts about his people, and the do's and don't's of how to effectively guide his people was something expected of him in the future. Zhu Shen, however, never thought about the future. 

So, at the age of twenty-eight, when he had returned home from a hunting expedition with his best friend and found out that while he was away, his sister as well as the women and children of his village, were abducted by the King of Wang empire, he was angry and heartbroken. 

He had asked permission to attack the King, but his father had refused, "He has our women and children. She had no choice but to marry him." His father had said, leaving young Shen fuming. Shen knew that his father was right. He knew that it would be wrong to attack the Wang Kingdom when all the women and children of his tribe were being held hostage by him. So he swallowed his anger.

A year later, YiJun was born, and the King had set all the women and children he had held hostage, free.  

Though his sister was miserable with the King, Shen knew that she had remained with him for YiJun's sake. 

As time passed, his sister started visiting again. YiJun always accompanied her. Shen started smiling once again, for YiJun was bright and beautiful. With him, Shen had found a reason to smile again.

Then one day, the King had come to the tribe and challenged him to a duel; Shen had accepted. 

The King had cheated, and eventually, after overpowering Shen and killing his best friend, the King had left Shen for dead.

What the King didn't know was that Shen was not dead: He was transforming. His heartbeat had become faint and slow. That is when Princess Su Shin, who was passing by, had found him. Weak and dizzy, Shen did not stand a chance against her power of persuasion.

Shen didn't know how, but the moment the Princess had smelled his blood, she knew what he was. And for the next fifteen years or so, she had used and abused him.

Then one day, he had heard the Princess speak of YiJun. She was planning to do to YiJun what she had done to him. 

He couldn't let that happen. He had somehow escaped from Shin's clutches and headed to warn YiJun. But in the end, he had failed, and both YiJun and Xian had paid the price.

Because of the mental and physical abuse it had suffered at Su Shin's hands, Shen's wolf was scarred. Both Shen and his wolf had given up hope of ever finding someone who they would belong to, someone who would call them: Mine.

Present

'A split second before the bullet is fired, Zhau's brain and heart scream, 'MINE!' He doesn't hesitate before shielding Shen's body with his.

"Officer Zhau!" Shen screams as the silver bullet hits the officers shoulder, and Zhau falls. Shen, however, holds him before he hits the ground.

"Shen, a... are you ok?" Zhau asks, before falling unconscious in Shen's arms.