"(Y/N)!"
I look up in horror as a huge boulder crashes down the mountain–heading straight for me. When it is inches away, Bang Chan smashes into my side, hauling me out of the boulder's deadly path.
"That was close." I say with my heart beating out of my chest.
"No kidding."
Suddenly, the ground shifts beneath our feet…and gives way. We both stumble, and plummet straight for the ground.
"Shit!" Bang Chan yells.
I stifle a scream as Bang Chan wraps his arms around me. He twists and hits the ground first, absorbing the impact.
"Th-thank–"
"Move!"
Bang Chan throws me off just as another enormous boulder crashes down, landing directly on top of him.
"Agh!!" Bang Chan yells in agony.
"Bang Chan!!"
I stumble back to him, but stop short. Half of his body is pinned beneath the impossibly large rock.
Oh, God.
He howls in pain, struggling beneath the incredible weight of the boulder.
"Bang Chan…everything is going to be okay."
"I'm glad one of us is calm."
"You…you saved my life."
"Yeah, well…don't say I never did anything for you, omega."
Bang Chan takes a long, shuddering breath as I try to find a way to help him.
"The others. Maybe they can help us."
I shout for help, but there is no response on the cliff above or in the dense forest beyond.
"The rockslide probably took out the path. We're separated." he informs me.
Using his free hand, Bang Chan shoves at the boulder, his face twisted in pain. I see the rock shift a small amount before he hisses, jerking back.
"Please let me help you, Bang Chan!"
"How are you going to help?"
"By stopping you from breaking something else."
I huff and shake my head.
I'll have to move it myself.
I place my hands on the boulder, shoving all of my weight against it. Nothing. I try again and again, using my shoulder, running into it, using all I've got. But it won't budge.
"Come on!"
Panic begins to overtake me. I shove at it again.
"I can't move it. I–I don't know what to do. I–"
"(Y/N), stop."
Bang Chan's calm voice makes me whip around to face him, my heart hammering in my chest.
"What do you mean stop? How the hell do you expect me to move this thing if I stop?"
For a long moment, Bang Chan watches me, his expression unreadable as he lets the quiet of the forest overtake us both.
"Kiss me."
For a long moment, I forget to breathe. I can hardly believe my ears.
"W-what? Now is not the time!"
"It's the exact time, actually."
He gives me a brief, pained smile.
"We're true mates, (Y/N). Remember?"
I nod slowly, recalling what he said about power and strength before. It all happened when…
"When we touched. Okay, so I'll just grab your hand and–"
"Not just any touch. Intimate touch. The more intimate we are…"
…the stronger he becomes.
My heart pounds in my chest as heat creeps up my face.
"You're saying if I kiss you…it will make you more powerful?"
"You don't believe me?"
He laughs, but winces against the painful weight of the rock.
"(Y/N), please. We have to try."
I stare down at the man before me. The man who took me, the man who saved me. I feel that pull in my chest again. The bond. And somehow, I know that what he's saying is true.
"Okay. I'll…I'll try it."
I kneel beside him, moving my hand to his neck.
"Try not to look so worried. I'm the one with half his body crushed by a rock."
"Hush."
Then, I lower my mouth to his. I intend to do nothing more than brush my lips against his…but when our lips touch, an all-consuming heat flames between us. It erupts from my chest, spreading through my body to the very tips of my fingers.
Oh my God.
Bang Chan pulls me closer, his tongue twisting with mine, until I'm not sure where I end and he begins.
"(Y/N)…"
The heat has completely overtaken me, flickering beneath my skin, unbearable and addicting all at once. When I pull away, Bang Chan's eyes glow bright gold, as if holding the light of the sun.
"That's it."
Bang Chan places his large hand on the rock. Then, with a low snarl, he shoves. As if it weighs nothing, the boulder rolls off of Bang Chan, away from both of us.
"Wow."
I stare in shock, my skin still crackling with power. Bang Chan chuckles quietly, looking at me rather than at the boulder.
"Yeah. Wow."
He moves to stand, but his knees give way and he swears in pain.
Can he walk on his own?
"Here. Take my shoulder."
I bend down and put his arm around my neck.
"Are you sure?"
"Please. I can break cement, you think I can't handle you?"
Leaning on me, Bang Chan manages to keep pace as I hunt for shelter.
"It's getting dark and we're in Taecyeon's territory. If they find us–"
Suddenly, we hear a chorus of howls in the distance.
"Was that Lee Know and the others?" I ask.
Bang Chan's eyes darken.
"No."
I swallow back fear and keep going. As darkness falls around us, we both come across the mouth of a cave. We travel deep into the cave's cool depths, until I find soft ground and a fresh spring pool fed by a waterfall.
Wow, this beautiful.
"Let's rest here." Bang Chan suggests.
I ease him to the ground and he hisses through his teeth, panting and damp with sweat.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
"What? Am I okay?"
"You feel from a cliff, so yeah. I'm asking if you're okay."
"So did you. You took the blow and you were crushed and–"
"Just answer the question, (Y/N). Are you okay?"
His eyes flash as he looks up at me from the ground, his breathing labored.
"I'm fine. But you look like you could use a doctor."
"Sorry for not looking more dewy and radiant."
Bang Chan tries to laugh, but a sharp pain stops him. He clutches his ribs and doubles over.
"Fuck."
He could have broken something.
"Okay. Take your shirt off."
"Sorry, sweetheart. Don't think I'm up for any playtime right now."
"I'm SO disappointed. Nevertheless, I'll need that shirt to come off. I need to see how badly hurt you are."
"Seriously?"
"Yep. But don't worry. I won't steal your virtue.
Bang Chan grumbles, but gingerly pulls his shirt up and over his head.
"There. Happy?"
His lean, athletic body shines in the dim cave light, the reflection from the nearby pool dancing on his skin. But he is riddled with fresh swollen bruises. Red, angry cuts lick his flesh.
"Not sure if these are from Hyunjin or the rocks."
"Bang Chan…"
I bring my fingers close and he flinches, looking away.
This must hurt him more than he's admitting.
"Lie back. I'll bring something that can help.
"But we lost all our supplies in the fall. We don't have anything."
Ignoring him, I walk the rim of the cave, searching the vegetation that grows near the water.
There should be some here…yes!
My eyes land on what I'd hoped to find; a small patch of golden yellow flowers. I begin plucking their petals.
"This isn't exactly a great time to start gardening."
"This is pot marigold. Otherwise known as Calendula. It has healing properties."
"I…didn't know that."
"Are you impressed, Alpha?"
"I guess you could say that. I didn't know you had knowledge of medicinal plants."
"I hike a lot. You pick up things here and there."
I grind the petals into a paste, mixing them with the fresh spring water.
"This salve will speed up the healing process, and take away any chance of infection."
I kneel close to Bang Chan. He eyes me and the golden ointment as I hold it out for him to take.
"Well?" he says.
"Well what?"
"If you're going to play doctor, you should do it properly."
Bang Chan stretches out slowly, the angles of his physique sharp in the moonlight.
"Could you put it on me?"
"The reason being…?"
"If I'm being honest…it's hard for me to move much at all right now."
Bang Chan shifts slightly, and I catch a flash of pain in his eyes.
"Please? I won't bite."
"Okay. But you really have to hold still."
Bang Chan puts up both hands, a wicked smile on his face.
"Wolf's honor."
I take the golden yellow ointment between my palms and rub until it is nice and warm. Then, I press it to his skin. Bang Chan sucks in a sharp breath, but he quickly relaxes under my touch as the medicin begins to take effect.
"Woah."
He closes his eyes and leans back, as I carefully move my hands over his injured ribs. I almost lose myself in the rhythm of my movements, my fingers brushing over the slopes of his abs. He groans.
"Am I hurting you?"
"Hurting me? No. On the contrary this feels…"
I steal his words as I rub the marigold into a particularly dark bruise, easing his pain instantly.
"This feels really good."
As I finish applying the medicine to his chest, I notice a dark, angry cut curving over the back of his shoulder.
"Can you sit up? I want to check that out.
Bang Chan does his best to sit up, his eyes half-lidded from my handiwork. Sure enough, there is a fresh wound along his back. I apply the salve carefully. As I rub between Bang Chan's thick shoulder blades, he groans again, his head tilting back.
"You really do have a magic touch, (Y/N)."
"Thank you."
I finish, and pull my hand away. Bang Chan's body practically deflates as I leave him.
"Damn. I could have done that all night."
I eye his broad, smooth back. Though it is free of wounds, I imagine it's badly sore.
He landed on his back to save me from that fall. He saved my life. I should thank him with a healing massage.
Bang Chan moves to lie back down, but I place gentle, marigold fingers on his back to stop him.
"Hmm?"
"Stay still."
Bang Chan glances at me over his shoulder questioningly. I place my hands on his body again.
"You must be sore here."
I press my palms into his taught muscles and his eyes close on a sigh.
"And here."
He groans with pleasure as I move my hands lower, running them over his lower spine, just above his belt.
"Thank you. For catching me."
I slip my fingers over his hot flesh, feeling our true mate bond spark. Bang Chan feels it, too.
"I'd never let you fall."
He says the words almost automatically, as if I'd pulled them from somewhere deep within him. We both stop. His eyes open and he turns to me.
"That was…that was great. Thanks."
"Y-yeah. It was the least I could do."
My eyes travel down his chest, now painted yellow with the calming salve. I stare at the scars there. The jagged claw-like marks.
"Bang Chan…do those still hurt at all?"
Bang Chan follows my gaze down to his torn flesh. He looks away.
"Yes. But not in the way you think. A wolf did this to me. A long time ago. And the memory pains me every day.'
Bang Chan stares at his reflection in the pool of moonlit water, his eyes growing sad and distant.
"You may not know this but…a lot of us were born to Taecyeon's pack. We lost a lot back then."
"We? As in…you, too?"
"Yeah."
So, Bang Chan and most of his pack were once under my father's control?
"I wish I'd known sooner."
"I'm sorry. We don't talk about it much. The memories are…painful to say the least."
"Did you…did you lose anyone?"
"...My parents…"
The cave grows very still. Bang Chan bows his head.
"I was 12. They were killed by…"
"By my father?"
Bang Chan nods, his throat rising and falling as he swallows hard. I think I see a shine of tears in his once-sharp eyes.
God. I can't imagine the pain he's in. He looks so alone.
Slowly, carefully, I move to sit closer to him.
"I'm so sorry, Bang Chan. I know the pain of growing up without parents but…I can't imagine the pain of losing parents who raised you. Who loved you."
I place my hand on Bang Chan's shoulder. His eyes widen a fraction, as if no one has ever done this for him.
"Thanks. Losing people you love…it's the worst pain in the world."
He looks deep into my eyes. The shimmer of his power, and his past, float just beneath the surface.
"Those are the real scars."
"Yeah. They are."
"Bang Chan stares, unblinking, into my eyes, as though he's swimming in them. He leans in close… Like a bolt lightning, my true mate bond shocks to life. We both gasp, and I lift my hand from his shoulder.
"Hey."
"Sorry, I…bet you're getting tired."
I move to stand but he takes my wrist and stops me.
"No, I almost forget. I have something for you."
Bang Chan reaches into his pocket and removes a small object.
"This is why I was gone this morning."
Bang Chan takes my hand and places the object on my palm. It is the bracelet I've had since childhood.
"My bracelet! You went back to town for this?"
It's your piece of home. I didn't want you to be without it."
I smile, turning the bracelet over in my hands, the same way I did when I was young.
"Thank you."
Bang Chan watches my face, his own expression growing soft.
"(Y/N)…I can understand why you've been fighting so hard to escape us. I would have done the same thing. Omega or not, wolves aren't meant for cages."
"The truth is…something about the pack feels right."
"How do you mean?"
"It just feels…good. I don't know. You're like a real family…it's not something I'm used to, but it's nice."
"A real family, huh?"
Bang Chan nods slowly and I'm suddenly reminded of I.N.
"We'll get I.N back, Bang Chan. As soon as you're healed."
"Yeah. We have to."
Bang Chan gingerly stretches across the cave floor, resting his head in the mossy ground.
"We should really get some rest."
"Yeah."
I suppress a small shiver, the cold, damp air sinking into my bones. Bang Chan watches me with a critical eye.
"Are you cold?"
"Oh…I've been worse."
"That's not exactly reassuring."
Bang Chan reaches a hand out to me, a playful smirk in place.
"Come here."
I raise a skeptical eyebrow at him.
"Why?"
"It's going to be rough night either way, but it will be more bearable if we're closer.
His smirk turns almost devilish, alluring in a way that makes my stomach flip.
"Is that another line?"
"No. Just an invitation." he chuckles.
I try to ignore the flush in my cheeks as I stare him down.
"Okay…thank you."
"It's no problem. I just don't want you to freeze."
Flushing, I scoot closer and slowly ease myself down beside him. He tucks an arm around my waist, his nose nuzzling into my hair.
"I'm softer than the ground if you want to lean on me."
He gently pulls me closer to his body, to his warmth. I feel the bond hum quietly between us. But more than that, his arms feel warm. Safe.
"I'll sleep better with you against me, too."
My eyelids feel heavy as his warmth envelopes me.
"Are you always this warm?"
He chuckles lightly. The sounds reverberates in his chest, rumbling between us.
"Would you get mad if I told you it was a wolf thing?"
"No, I wouldn't."
I can't stop the smile that creeps up on my face.
"You getting used to me?"
I close my eyes, sleep inching in on me like a fog.
"I might be warming up to you."
I feel his arms tighten around me.
"Goodnight, (Y/N)."
As the fog of sleep rolls in in earnest, I bury my face in his chest.
"Goodnight."
I drift to sleep, peaceful and warm in Bang Chan's arms. But when darkness takes me, that same tormenting nightmare resurfaces. The smell of blood and smoke. The crackle of flame. Someone screams my name.
"(Y/N)!!!"
Before I can process what it means, I'm yanked away by a loud voice.
"Get off me!"
Is that Bang Chan?
The sun burns my eyes as I open them. That is, before a long shadow blocks its rays.
"Rise and shine, gorgeous."
I shoot upright in terror. Two men wrestle Bang Chan's arms behind his back.
"(Y/N), run! Don't–"
His words are the last thing you hear before Hyunjin knocks me out cold. When I open my eyes again, my head is throbbing.
"Wh-what happened?"
I sit up inside what can only be a prison cell. The ground is cold, the lights dim.
"(Y/N)."
Bang Chan's voice comes as a gravelly whisper of relief.
"Bang Chan…are you alright?!"
"I'm fine. But–"
"You're finally awake. Good."
I whip around as two men walk up to my prison cell. One of them is Hyunjin, smirking. But it's the looming man beside him who catches my attention.
"So good to see you. Tell me, are you well?"
He stares down at me like I'm an insect, no feeling in his chilling eyes… Eyes that remind me exactly of my own.
"Who…who are you?"
"Ah, of course, how rude of me. I forgot you wouldn't recognize your father."
My gut lurches. I suddenly feel sick, dread rushing up my throat like bile. The man's face splits into a smile, unnaturally wide and so cold that it could burn my skin.
"Welcome home, (Y/N). I've missed you."