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“Vampire.”
Wooyoung swallowed nervously. The man in front of him was frowning, almost scowling, bright tangerine hair glinting in the flickering fluorescent lighting. His eyes flashed red, fingertips lengthening until they were claws.
Werewolf.
“This-” the werewolf gestured to the thick rusty iron collar wrapped around Wooyoung’s neck, a silver chain connected to it, leading to the ceiling. Two iron cuffs were wrapped around each of his wrists, silver chains attached to the wall behind him. “-is just plain fucking wrong.”
“The hunters-”
“Dead,” the werewolf cut him off, frowning harder. “How old are you? How long have you been a fledgling?”
“25. Mama only turned me six weeks ago,” Wooyoung whispered. “I was dying, and mama found me. He saved me.”
“Mama?”
“My sire,” Wooyoung explained. “It’s what Sangie calls him, so I do too. The hunters took me three days ago. I don’t- I don’t know if my coven is dead.”
The werewolf took a step back as Wooyoung started crying, rivers of dark-red, almost black, blood ran down his face. “My n-name i-is Wooy-young. Wha-”
“Hongjoong,” the werewolf replied stiffly. “You need to calm down.”
“I- I’m t-trying!”
“Try harder!” Hongjoong hissed.
“Hyung, are- is that a vampire? It is bleeding?!”
“He,” Hongjoong said. “He?”
“Y-yeah,” Wooyoung nodded, glancing up at the other werewolf in the room. He was tall, with short brown hair, his widening eyes making him look very much like a puppy. “I’m Wooyoung.”
“Yunho,” the other werewolf said. “What happened to your eyes?”
“Vampire tears. Mama - my sire - said it looks far more dramatic for fledglings. The blood lessens over time.”
“Right,” Yunho blinked. “Well… hyung, what’s the plan? We can’t exactly leave him here, even if he is a bloodsucker. No offense.”
“None taken?”
“We can’t get him out of those chains. Silver. We should call the coven.”
“Coven?”
“Witches,” Hongjoong corrected, not unkindly. “Well, four witches, two familiars and a runaway bulgae. Though Siyeon is basically Bora’s familiar, even if it’s not formally recognised by the Luna Council. Minji - the coven leader - is half-banshee. Yunho, can you call her? Tell her to bring Yoohyeon with her, but no one else.”
“You know the rest of them aren’t going to let those two come on their own.”
“Fine,” Hongjoong sighed. “But tell them to be careful. And quiet. I’m serious - we don’t need to alert the humans.”
“The coven lives just beyond our territory border, near the forest,” Yunho explained kindly. “Yoohyeon is a healer. We’ll get you out of this.”
“Who’s in this coven?”
“There’s Minji, as I said - the leader, half-banshee, and a genius potioneer; Bora has telekinesis and water elemental powers; Siyeon is a bulgae - ran away from Gamangnara and now serves as Bora’s familiar,” Hongjoong hesitated, before sitting in front of the fledgling.
“There’s also Handong - she’s a snow leopard hybrid, and familiar to both Minji and Yoohyeon - she came to Seoul from Wuhan nine years ago. Yoohyeon, as Yunho told you, is a healer. One of the best I’ve ever seen and then some. Finishing off the coven is Yubin - she has premonitions about the future and is adept at plant magic, and Gahyun. Gahyun is a kumiho and Yubin’s familiar.”
“Kumiho?” Wooyoung titled his head. “A nine-tailed fox? I’ve never met one of those before.”
“But you’ve met witches and banshees and bulgaes?” Hongjoong scoffed.
“Mama has been around a long time. He knows a lot of people. Has lost even more.”
“How old is he?”
“Old.”
Hongjoong paused. “That’s not an answer, Wooyoung-ssi.”
“Mama helped form the Luna Council. He was the vampire representative for Korea before the Imjin War happened.”
Hongjoong froze. “Seonghwa… your- your sire is Park fucking Seonghwa?”
“You know my mama?” Wooyoung blinked.
“I speak to him sometimes. On the phone.” Hongjoong muttered, scrambling away. The werewolf started pacing in front of him. “The last time I saw him in person was five years ago, when I was newly turned and freaking out because I didn’t know any other supernaturals at the time besides him and Yeosang. Oh God.”
“Hongjoong-ssi-”
“I should’ve known. I should’ve twigged when you said ‘Sangie’ that you meant Kang Yeosang.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Hyung tried to kill your sire once,” Yunho said, appearing out of nowhere.
“You what?” Wooyoung snarled.
“In my defense, I thought Seonghwa was the rogue vampire that killed my brother,” Hongjoong sighed. “Seonghwa and Yeosang helped me find who actually did it, and convinced me to hand the bloodsucker over to the Luna Council.”
“Here,” Yunho said gently to Wooyoung. “I found some wipes, let’s get that blood off you, yeah? The coven will be here soon. Hyung, stop pacing.”
“He’s gonna kill me,” Hongjoong’s face paled. “Seonghwa’s gonna fucking kill me.”
“You didn’t do this to me,” Wooyoung said softly. “Seonghwa would’ve killed the hunters, probably. But you said they’re dead?”
Yunho nodded. “San and Jongho - two of our other packmates - are disposing of the bodies. Mingi - my mate - is writing the report for the Council.”
“Fucking paperwork,” Hongjoong spat. “Who knew being a supernatural would involve so much fucking admin?”
Yunho sighed, and began gently wiping the blood from Wooyoung’s face. “Wooyoung-ssi, has your coven taken you to a Halazia gathering yet?”
“Hala what?”
“Halazia. The gatherings Seonghwa hosts for vampirekind in Seoul. No? That’s probably where they’ll be,” Yunho stood up, turning to Hongjoong. “Hyung, you stay with Wooyoung-ssi, I’ll go looking. I have an in. Well, San does, anyway.”
“Do I even want to know?” Hongjoong asked tiredly, taking the wipes and continuing from where Yunho left off.
“Probably not.” Yunho grinned.
“Thank you,” Wooyoung sobbed suddenly. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Wooyoung-ssi, shh,” Hongjoong said, trying not to panic. “You don’t want to shed more tears, right? The coven - the witch one - will be here soon. We’re getting you out. We’ll get you back to your coven, little vamp. There’s no need to cry.”
“We got lucky, I suppose,” Yunho said. “That the Halazia gathering is tonight.”
“We’re almost there, too,” San said. “Jin-hyung said once that Halazia gatherings change locations frequently to avoid being stumbled across by humans. Hobi-hyung texted the coordinates.”
“Remind me again how exactly you managed to befriend vampires? And fated mates at that?”
San sighed wearily. “I’ve said this a thousand times already. Their coven leader owns Borahae - y’know, the gym for supernaturals that’s near the river? I’ve never actually met Namjoon-ssi, but Hoseok-hyung was there when I first got my membership.”
“And you flirted with him in front of his fated mate.”
“Once!” San protested. “I flirted once, not knowing that Seokjin-hyung was his fated mate. You’ll understand when you meet Hobi-hyung. He’s really pretty.”
“I don’t understand your vampire kink, man.”
“I do not have a vampire kink!” San scowled. “I found one vampire pretty. Okay - two - Seokjin-hyung is also extremely pretty. Finding them pretty does not mean I have a kink!”
“Sure,” Yunho rolled his eyes. “It’s just down this alleyway, right?”
San squinted at his phone. “At the end, through the door on the left and up the stairs. Jin-hyung said there’s a gathering on the roof tonight.”
“Oh, brilliant.”
“Since when were you scared of heights?”
“I’m not,” Yunho said. “But we’re werewolves, about to turn up uninvited to a vampire gathering. I’m not scared of heights, but I am scared of the possibility of being thrown off a fucking roof.”
Before San could reply, he was suddenly pinned against the ground. The werewolf blinked, looking up at a man just a bit shorter than him, who had blonde hair and a birthmark by his left eye.
Pretty, San thought. Really pretty.
“Flattery won’t stop me from killing you, mutt,” the pretty man said quietly. “Nor will it stop my sire from killing your friend. I suggest you explain yourselves. Quickly.”
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” a deep voice snarled.
“I- shit. We’re looking for Park Seonghwa and Kang Yeosang. I’m Jeong Yunho, that’s Choi San. We know Kim Hongjoong.”
“You’re his Pack?” Deep Voice asked.
“Yes, he’s our Pack Alpha!” San exclaimed.
“That doesn’t explain how werewolves found Hala-”
“Hoseok!” Yunho cut in. “San knows Jung Hoseok and Kim Seokjin. They told us. We came looking for you because Hongjoong-hyung found your fledging.”
“Wooyoung,” Pretty Vampire looked at San, stunned. “You found our Wooyoung?”
“Yes,” San nodded as best as he could. “I can call hyung, he’ll confirm it.”
“Are you talking about Jung and Kim, or Hongjoong?”
“What answer will make you trust us?”
“Neither,” Deep Voice scoffed. “Yeosang, let the other mutt go.”
“Yes, mama,” Yeosang said, pulling away from the werewolf. He hesitated, before offering a hand to help San up.
“Thanks, pretty,” San grinned once he was standing. “I’m San.”
“Kang Yeosang. And don’t call me pretty,” he sassed, but shook San’s hand anyway.
“If you’re quite done flirting with my childe,” Deep Voice - Seonghwa - snarled, dragging Yunho up on his feet. “Can one of you fucking phone Hongjoong already?”
“Yes, Mr Park,” Yunho whipped out his phone (screen thankfully intact), scrolling through his contacts to find his Pack Alpha’s. “Um… Mr Park?”
“What?”
“You should know that some friends of ours - Kim Minji and her coven - are helping us too. We couldn’t free Wooyoung alone.”
“The chains were - are? - pure silver,” San added.
“They locked up Youngie?” Yeosang’s face fell.
“He’ll be okay, pretty,” San promised. “Yoohyeon is an extremely talented healer.”
“I said don’t call me pretty,” Yeosang whispered, a single bloody tear falling from each of the vampire’s eyes. “Mama-”
“I know, Sangie,” Seonghwa’s voice was softer than before. “He’s safe. He’s alive. We’re bringing our Wooyoungie home.”
“Mr Park,” Yunho cleared his throat. “Would you like to speak to-”
Seonghwa didn’t quite rip the phone from Yunho’s hand, but it was a near thing. “Hongjoong?”
“Seonghwa?” Hongjoong asked. “Is that you?”
“You promised me,” Seonghwa said by way of an answer. “Hongjoong, you fucking promised me not five days ago the wards were secure.”
“They were,” Hongjoong said softly. “Seonghwa, I swear to you I personally checked the wards ten times. No human should’ve got through. And, as it turns out, no human did.”
“Hunters took my fledgling!” Seonghwa seethed. “There had to have been-”
“Seonghwa. The hunters weren’t human.”
“What? Hoongjoong-”
“Shapeshifters. The hunters were shapeshifters. They look human, but-”
“But they’re not. So they can bypass the wards, and leave them unbroken.”
“Exactly. They’re dead, by the way. Mingi, one of my packmates, is drafting the paper- oh fucking hell, do you have to keep biting so much? I swear if these scar-”
“Hongjoong?”
“I didn’t realise fledging fangs would be this sharp.”
Seonghwa blinked. “Hongjoong, is- is Wooyoung feeding from you?”
“Yeah.”
“Happily?”
“I mean, I guess so? As happy as he can be when he’s hungry. I wasn’t gonna let him starve.”
“Hongjoong, you’re a werewolf.”
“No shit, Seonghwa.”
“Don’t fucking sass me,” Seonghwa hissed. “Wooyoung, my fledgling, is happily feeding from you, without any complaints. Feeding from a werewolf. Werewolf blood is supposed to taste horrendous. That one time I had to feed from you is burnt into my memory. It tasted fucking awful.”
“Thanks. I feel unbelievably loved right now, Seonghwa.”
“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa warned. “Don’t you see what this means? There’s only two scenarios in which a vampire will willingly drink wolf blood. One of which - a wolf being a vampire’s fated mate - can’t be happening here because Wooyoung’s still a fledgling.”
“What’s the other scenario?”
“Holy shit!” Yeosang yelled, startling the werewolves. “Mama, did Wooyoung-”
“I think so,” Seonghwa nodded. “Sangie figured it out.”
“Of course he did,” Seonghwa could practically hear Hongjoong’s eye roll. “Well, c’mon then. Spill. Don’t leave me in suspense, Seonghwa. Why is my blood appealing to your fledgling?”
“Are you sitting down?”
“What? Yes, I’m fucking sat down, why-”
“I think Wooyoung imprinted on you.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means- Hongjoong, it means that Youngie - his inner vampire - sees you as his sire. As a parent.”
There was a long pause, and Seonghwa would’ve thought Hongjoong had hung up, if he didn’t hear the ragged shuddering breaths from the werewolf.
“Oh,” Hongjoong breathed. “Oh, shit.”