Beneath The Skin

THIRTEEN: Clear As Mud

"Hyung. When I said I claimed you, I meant exactly that. You see, and you might laugh at what I'm about to say and I don't blame you, but hear me out before you think I'm crazy okay?" He waited till he got a response while closely observing any sort of other reaction from the other man. Like, perhaps, doubt? Seokjin gave a slight nod of his head.

"I am a werewolf. In fact, I am an alpha werewolf. My father was an alpha and his mate, my mother, is also an alpha. In my world, when an alpha finds their mate, we need to claim them. Our lives depend on it. If an alpha who found their mate doesn't get to claim, they actually end up going insane. Then the pack will have to decide on their fate. Which most of the time, they end up being killed because an unclaimed mated werewolf becomes a danger to himself and to society. The 'hickey' you have on your neck is my mark. Every werewolf's mark is different. Any werewolf around you will know that you're mine. If you look closely, you would notice that it's not actually a hickey but it's more intricate than that. It's like a seal." A pregnant pause while Namjoon observed Seokjin. "But you know all about marks, don't you hyung? Since, you've also put one on me." Namjoon stated bluntly.

Seokjin met Namjoon's eyes and however much he wanted to deny the younger man's last statement, he couldn't. That actually meant that Namjoon saw his mark on him. But first thing's first.

"You said your father was the alpha? WAS?"

"Hhmm, you caught that huh?" Namjoon acknowledged. "Yeah. He was murdered 10 years ago. The night I was taken from our dorm room. The night I last saw you."

"Murdered?"

"Yeah. In his sleep. The men that took me that night were actually sent by my mother for my own protection. They took me, well more like sent me away. They were also the ones that faked my death. And I know this is 10 years too late but I'm sorry hyung that they had to drug you that night. You were pretty aggressive if I remember correctly. Anyway, I landed in LA with Sejin hyung. Just the two of us with the clothes on our back to keep us company."

"I'm so sorry Joonie." Seokjin reached for Namjoon's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you. It was hard being a 19 year old and in a foreign land to boot. I wouldn't know what I would've done if I was by myself. I probably wouldn't have made it." Namjoon stated, recalling the past. "I stayed away to make the murderer believe that I really died."

"I thought you really died Namjoon! For 10 years, I didn't hear a single news about you. I searched, I waited. Like an idiot, I had this firm belief that you weren't dead. I convinced myself that I would know if you died. But then, I hear nothing from you." Seokjin almost sobbed, remembering those times when he feared that Namjoon could really be dead.

"I'm sorry hyung. I would've contacted you if I could. You have no idea how much I wanted to. Especially when you started to become famous and all I saw was your face on TV. I felt like you were purposely mocking me then. Making me feel guilty each time you flash your smile to the camera. At some point, I even stopped turning the TV on because every time I see you on the screen, my guilt comes right back to the forefront."

A long silence followed. "Now hyung, let me ask you a question. I've come to realize now that you're not human. When I was taken that night, I saw you fought two of the men with not much effort. I thought it was my imagination then, but I could've sworn I saw claws, fangs and your eyes were of different colour. After tonight, I am certain it wasn't my imagination." Namjoon pointed to his tattered clothes, with a smile, to emphasize. "No human I know have teeth that can pierce through skin with that much precision and delicacy. And the taste of your blood. Fuck! It's like ambrosia and aphrodisiac combined, hyung. I'm getting hard just thinking about it." He added while crossing his legs. As if that would stop him from wanting his mate again. "I don't want to say it, but your blood is addicting! Anyways, what are you?"

Seokjin broke eye contact and started pacing the floor. Well, here goes nothing.

"I am a vampire. I feel that you already suspected that, didn't you? I am a vampire prince to be exact. I am the second son of the current Primus of the South Korean coven.  Wow that was a mouthful." Seokjin remarked with a self deprecating smile. "Anyway, you probably have heard of my father since he is the CEO of the biggest import-export company here and around the world. Well, as you can clearly see, I am not following in his footsteps but that's another story all together." He let out a huge sigh. "Yes, I do know all about marks. Vampires also leave marks but not as obvious as the one you left on me. We are very discreet and secretive beings. A total opposite of what I am, as you can see." Seokjin explained, waving his hand from his head to his toe to emphasize. "Anyway, speaking of secretive, I didn't realize your kind still exist. Although, I never really paid that much attention when my father was trying to teach me about other supernatural beings. I was in denial of my own existence, I guess." He ended with a shrug.

"You marked me, didn't you? This bite mark" Namjoon pointed to his groin, "does it mean the same thing as mine does?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, vampires only leave their marks on their beloveds. That mark means that your life is now tied to mine. Because I have taken more than a drop of your blood, it means that all your extreme emotions will be felt by me. So basically, if you die, I die." Seokjin announced as if he was talking about the weather. He stopped pacing and turned to Namjoon. "So you've claimed me huh? How did you know I was your mate?"

"I didn't. Well, not until 8 days ago when I landed. I was in my rental car, driving away from the airport when my nose was assaulted by this most amazing scent. My werewolf stirred right away. It was demanding me to find the source of the scent. And then I saw you coming out of the airport, doing your usual thing, waving to your fans. That split second when we made eye contact, that's when I knew. But then I saw you holding hands with your 'lover' and my werewolf went berserk. I nearly transformed right there and then just so I can separate the two of you." Namjoon explained.

Seokjin acknowledged that explanation with a nod, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So what does that mean for us?"

"Well, claiming doesn't necessarily mean that I'm off the hook. You have to accept my claim and if you do, then we are basically...(dare he say it, out loud)...married." Namjoon stated.

"And if I don't?" Seokjin challenged.

"If you don't what?" Namjoon asked, his heart almost dropped.

"If I don't accept your claim. What happens then?"

"Well...I might be able to function for a few years. But eventually my werewolf's grief for losing his mate will take over and the human in me, will cease to exist. Then I might as well be dead." Namjoon explained.

"Let's say, I decide to accept you. What do I need to do?"

"Well, we would need to do a blood exchange." Namjoon stated.

Silence.

Seokjin resumed pacing, clearly deep in thought. Namjoon let him. He just sat and watched his mate go back and forth...back and forth. After what seemed like an eternity later, Seokjin approached, his eyes focused on him. Slowly. Shortening the distance between them, one sexy stride at a time. Until he came to stand right in front of him. Namjoon had to look up to maintain eye contact. Then surprisingly, Seokjin widened his stance, placing his legs on each side of the arm chair. He slowly lowered himself on Namjoon's lap, placed his arms around his torso and leaned his head down on Namjoon's shoulder.

"Well then. Shall we start?" Seokjin whispered in Namjoon's ear.

Seokjin's breathy whisper was just a bit too much to Namjoon's high strung nerves. Never mind the fact that he was sitting on his lap, his face an inch away, his scent on full blast against his nose, and fuck it all, his groin flushed against his cock. It was the perfect position!

Seokjin started to place teasing bites on Namjoon's neck, concentrating on that area where his carotid artery lies beneath the skin. He could feel the minute Namjoon's body tensed up. The younger man grabbed Seokjin's hips, so tight that it'll probably leave another bruise after, and started grinding their groins together. At this time, Seokjin's fangs had broken through his gums. As he was about to pierce through Namjoon's skin....

"KIM NAMJOON! OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR THIS INSTANT! Or I swear on your father's soul, I will break it down!" Namjoon's mother yelled on the other side of the hotel room door.