"Do it, (Y/N)." Bang Chan begs.
"Yes, (Y/N). Do it."
Your father's eyes glow red, threatening to force my hand as I press the poisoned blade to Bang Chan's throat.
"I'm–I'm sorry–"
With all my might, I relax my grip. The knife falls, clanging against the marble altar.
"I can't do it. I won't."
Hyunjin merely smirks.
"You won't have a choice. I just married you, (Y/N). That means you're my mate now. I've got complete control over you."
His eyes glow the same eerie red, threatening to command me in a way I've never been commanded before. I concentrate on Bang Chan, trying desperately to block out everything Hyunjin's saying.
"It's okay, (Y/N). It's not your fault."
I know deep down that the command will still hit, that there's nothing I can do. I look into Bang Chan's eyes one final time.
"Now..."
Hyunjin's voice reverberates with the newfound power of an Alpha, spreading over me with terrifying resonance.
"Pick that knife back up. Kill him."
I brace myself, closing my eyes as I ready myself for what's about to happen. But...nothing comes. I still feel in complete control over my body. Hyunjin growls once more, his eyes blazing crimson, as his voice comes out in a sharp command.
"I said KILL HIM."
Once more, I feel the command wash over me harmlessly.
"Hyunjin...is that all you've got?" I smirk.
"What? No!"
Hyunjin turns sharply to Taecyeon.
"What the hell is happening? Why isn't she doing as I command?"
Taecyeon pushes forward, furious.
"It shouldn't be possible. Unless..."
Sudden shock washed over him, and in an instant he grabs me by the throat, lifting me high into the air.
"Let me go!" I demanded.
"(Y/N)!" Bang Chan cried.
"You didn't bond with that bastard, did you?"
He shakes me violently in the direction of Bang Chan, still bound to the altar.
"You didn't fucking marry him, did you?"
"She didn't! Let her go!"
But something clicks in my head. Bang Chan's chained body against mine in the moonlight. His lips on my hand. His words in the dark. He made a vow to me. And I made a vow to him. Taecyeon's grip tightens around my throat, even as I meet his eyes defiantly.
"We did bond. Last night. Beneath the full moon. I swore my life to him, and he swore his life to me."
Sudden realization flashes across Bang Chan's face even as I glare at Hyunjin.
"Hyunjin, wolves can't bond twice."
Bang Chan answers almost immediately.
"No. Wolves bond for life and beyond. Now that we're bound together, neither one of us will ever bond to another."
Hyunjin lets out a roar. "Then I'll just tear the two of you apart."
I almost get a laugh out, but Taecyeon slams me hard against the stone altar beneath me, the rock shattering beneath the impact.
"(Y/N)!"
Through the dust and pain, I open my eyes, writhing beneath Taecyeon's deadly grasp. Bang Chan thrashes violently against his bonds, trying desperately to reach for me.
"Seems I no longer have a use for you, child. What a shame."
Taecyeon takes a piece of the shattered altar, raising it high over my head.
"(Y/N)! Use me!"
Bang Chan finally gets his hand free and reaches for me. I look at his desperate outstretched hand, feeling the promise of power cracks in the air between us.
"Now, (Y/N)! Please!"
In the last second, I reach out and take Bang Chan's hand. I am only able to brush my fingertips against his, but it is enough. Hot currents like molten gold braids through me. I feel everything with Bang Chan–his deepest secret, his innermost desires, his strongest fears, and his love for me.
"(Y/N)..."
His eyes flash gold and mine flash blue. Our shared power courses through us, vibrating from every inch of our skin. This feeling. I've never felt so strong. Taecyeon brings the sharp rock down, but I stop it with just my palm. Squeezing, I crumple the rock to dust.
"What?!"
Taecyeon balls his hand into a fist, but I know I can take him on. Taking Taecyeon's arm, I fling him over my body. To me, it doesn't feel like much. But Taecyeon flies backward, skidding into the crowd.
"All of you, kneel!"
I feel it now, the strength of true Alpha, buffeting out from me and ensnaring all that touches it. Hyunjin freezes in place, his body going rigid as he drops the knife.
"No... No!"
And yet, he does as commanded, dropping to one knee as my orders force him down. Taecyeon does the same, his body forcing him down as he snarls at me.
"I never imagined you'd be capable of this."
"That's because you never believed in me."
Then, all at once, his entire pack bows down, kneeling before me. He never believed in anyone other than himself. With Taecyeon and Hyunjin subdued, I lunge for Bang Chan, loosening his bonds. When he's free, he grabs me, kissing me hard. A kiss I never thought I'd have again.
"You did it, (Y/N)." he cheered.
"We both did it."
"No. This was all you."
Bang Chan's eyes go dark as he bares his teeth, looking over my shoulder.
"But it looks like this isn't over yet."
"No, Not yet."
To my horror, Hyunjin slowly rises to his feet, forcing his body to move through willpower alone. In one hand, he holds the poisoned dagger, his grip bone white as he glares at me.
"Get behind me."
Bang Chan tries to shove me behind him, but he doubles over, gritting his teeth in pain. He's still too weak from being tortured. I have to get Hyunjin away from him. I whisper the words, just loud enough for Bang Chan to hear.
"I'm sorry, Bang Chan. I have to do this."
Then, I raise my voice.
"God, this is boring. Hyunjin, you talked a big game. Too bad you can't back it up."
"What?"
Hyunjin gives me a death glare, then he lunges. I turn and lead him deep into the forest. I hold my dress up, running desperately. I feel Hyunjin hot on my heels, his supernatural speed almost overtaking my own. When I come to a sharp cliff, I gasp, skidding to a halt.
"Oh, little girl. This wasn't very smart of you, was it?"
Hyunjin flashes a murderous smile, licking his lips.
"It's too bad you chose to bind yourself to that useless sack of shit back there. You would have been so much happier with me."
"Happier isn't possible without Bang Chan."
A dark chuckle leaves Hyunjin's lips. He steps forward and I step back, feeling the cliff's sheer edge behind me.
"Let me rephrase. You would have been happier with me, because all of your little friends would have survived. But now, I'll kill them slowly. I'll skin that stiff bastard Felix alive. Just like your father did to his sister. I'll hang his body from a pillar when I'm done."
He takes another step toward me. I can't move back anymore.
"Then I'll kill that little boy. I.N, is it?"
Hyunjin's eyes burn like fire. He takes another step.
"You'll hear his screams longer after he's gone. They'll haunt your nightmares. Because it will be your fault. All of it will be your fault."
Hyunjin lunges then, threatening to send me over the edge of the jagged cliff. As Hyunjin barrels toward me, I summon my shifter strength, dig my heels into the ground and brace myself.
"Come here!"
But just before he connects with me, I fling myself out of the way.
"What? No!"
Hyunjin tries to skid to a stop, but he can't. He tumbles over the side of the cliff.
"Wait–"
Just when I think it's over, Hyunjin grabs hold of my ankle, holding himself up over the edge.
"Nice try. But you can't kill me. You don't have it in you."
"I have it in me to kill a monster like you."
With that, I summon the last of my strength and kick at his hand. Hyunjin falls far, his bright red eyes are the last thing I see before he tumbles into the ravine, and out of sight. I drag myself back to Taecyeon's camp as fast as I can, finding Bang Chan still standing over the subdued crowd. When he sees me, covered in dirt and scrapes, his eyes go wide.
"I'm okay, Bang Chan. It...It's over."
Bang Chan lets out a relieved sound, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. He moves to hug me. But we both stop when we hear an all-too-familiar laugh that grates through the silence like claws on metal.
"Oh, it's far from over, (Y/N)."
Taecyeon rises to his feet effortlessly with a bemused expression. My jaw drops.
"Don't look so surprised. Did you really think that little show would be enough to put me down? It was an amusing little diversion, but you're still out of your depth."
His body begins to contort then, shifting before me as he takes his truest form. Claws like knives, blood red eyes, a deformed, unhinged jaw...Taecyeon is not a wolf, but a monster from a nightmare.
"This game is over now."
Fighting this creature won't be easy, but I am not willing to give up. I grab the dagger and charge, channeling as much strength as I can into a single slash. And yet, with supernatural agility, Taecyeon dodges out of the way and pounces upon me. I pull back, but not before he snatches the dagger away from me and the strength of 50 men.
"This can't kill me. Nothing can kill me." he chuckles.
"(Y/N), we won't beat him like this. We've got to shift." Bang Chan says.
"I don't know if I can."
Bang Chan takes my hand in his.
"We have a complete true mate bond now. You can do this. Trust me."
I close my eyes, following the sound of Bang Chan's voice, letting something primal take hold within me. I can feel it now, the unstoppable flow of the tides charging through my veins. And then...in an instant…
"You did it." he says.
"It won't save you."
Taecyeon's eyes flash a dark blue, and all at once boiling water tears up out of the ground.
"Shit!"
Bang Chan darts back in just enough time to dodge the scolding streams. But unlike my last battle against Taecyeon, the water feels different this time. I think I can control it. I concentrate and blast the water back, slamming it into Taecyeon with a torrent of sizzling stream.
"Yield. Now. The pain won't stop until you do." he warned him.
"You dare to command me?"
He flexes, and something inside me shifts, my own blood pulling me down. I yelp and Bang Chan tries to charge him, but he's thrown back with a twitch of Taecyeon's head.
"Do you know how much liquid is in your body, You?"
He comes dangerously close, and I can't move. His command keeps my body locked in place.
"Why don't I show it to you?"
Taecyeon looms above me, his gaze that of pure primal rage. His jaw unhinges itself, opening unnaturally wide and leaning in for the kill.
"(Y/N)!!!"
"It really is all over."
When I am an inch away from Taecyeon's razor-sharp teeth, a chorus of howls sounds throughout the camp. A fierce battle cry.
"Get the hell away from her!"
Lee Know lunges through the gate of Taecyeon's encampment, flanked by every able-bodied would in Bang Chan's pack. Taecyeon drops me, taking a step back as he looks at my horde of stampeding allies.
"You didn't really think I'd let you two run off on your own, did you?" Felix smirks.
"I thought I told you all to stay back." Bang Chan growls.
"You did tell us to stay back, but we weren't going to abandon the woman who saved our pack from that fire."
A smile breaks across my face as hope blooms in my chest.
"Everyone...show no mercy." I yell.
"Don't worry. We won't." Changbin grins.
"We'll tear him limb from limb for you, (Y/N)." Han cheers.
My pack lets out another how, one of pitched fervor, of coming bloodshed.
"Some post wedding entertainment? Lovely." Taecyeon smirks.
"Everyone, let's end this now!"
Felix encourages all the other pack members. At once the pack lunges at Taecyeon, tearing into him with the fervor of the forsaken.
"Get off me, you pathetic mongrels."
As they attack, Bang Chan pulls me back behind the stone altar, the two of us shifting back into our human forms.
"You okay?" Bang Chan asks placing his hand on my cheek.
"Yeah, but the pack–"
Taecyeon lets out a shriek as someone sinks their fangs into the back, forcing him down.
"I will not be defeated by the vermin."
His body shudders with power, shifting back into his human form as he throws the young wolf off him a surge of strength.
"They're not going to be able to hold him much longer."
Another wolf attacks Taecyeon from the side, but he grabs them by the tail, slamming them to the ground.
"(Y/N), we're the only ones who have a chance at stopping that monster for good." he told me.
"How do we stop him?" I asked.
"He's distracted, and with our new bond, we're stronger than ever. If we hit him now, and hit him hard, we should be able to finally end this."
Felix lets out a scream as Taecyeon slams him into the ground, sneering down at him.
"I should have killed you when I skinned that pathetic sister of yours. Allow me to rectify that mistake."
"You'll never win, you monster."
Felix gritted his teeth. Bang Chan's aura simmers with the power of our bond. That same magic flows through us as we lock gazes.
"(Y/N), we need to move. Now."
"Let's do this, Bang Chan. Together."
Bang Chan pulls my body against his, his lips sealing over mine as the power of our true bond reaches its highest point. I can feel our connection to Bang Chan, to each member of this pack, flowing through both of us with crackling fervor. He pulls back with determination.
"It's time to end this."
"Right!"
The two of us lunge forward, shifting mid leap to meet Taecyeon with claws and fangs. Taecyeon grabs me by the throat, reaching out with surprising strength, but Bang Chan shreds him from behind with a mighty swipe of his claws.
"Agh! You mongrel!"
Taecyeon lashes out with the dagger in a sudden flash of silver. He manages to land a blow to Bang Chan.
"Bang Chan!"
"I'm fine! Focus on Taecyeon."
My father turns his attention to me, baring his fangs.
"Perhaps it's time I finish this."
He starts to shift once more, fur sprouting from his skin.
"Oh, no you don't."
Before he can finish his transformation I tear into him head on, taking his neck in my jaws and driving him down to the ground. He struggles beneath my grip but I bite him hard, forcing him to submit with a sickening crunch. Miraculously, he goes still beneath me. I shift back. Power flows through me as I stand over my fallen father, and I command him one final time.
"Yield."
I command. A force with the strength of the very ocean itself pours from my being. Taecyeon struggles. He tries to move, tries to fight me, but he is overcome by my command. He is powerless to stop it.
"If only your mother were here to see this." he smiled.
"Yeah? You're about to join her?"
"It's to be patricide, then?"
He practically spits his next sentence out.
"This will be the first, since that boy killed your mother. You didn't have the power to do it yourself. You may think you've won, but look around you. Look at my pack. My horde."
I glance around at the massive army that is Taecyeon's pack. They all stare me down, their expressions unreadable.
"You don't have what it takes to command them."
"Taecyeon's been defeated. They'll follow us now, (Y/N)." Lee Know shouts.
"We can give them a home." Han yells while looking at Taecyeon's pack.
"Yes, we can." Bang Chan agrees.
I look closer now. Some of the wolves have hope in their eyes and others have fear.
"We've always taken in those who need a home, (Y/N). Alphas to the banished."
I stare at Bang Chan, who smiles even in the face of all this pain. Then, I turn to the beaten down members of my father's pack.
Bang Chan's right.
"Everyone, you're welcome in our pack."
The beaten pack member's eyes widen, as though they don't quite believe what you're saying.
"You don't need to be afraid. You don't need to worry anymore about being punished, or where you'll find your next meal. Today is a new day. The dawn of a new era."
Some wolves begin to inch forward, happy tears in their eyes. Bang Chan take my hand.
"You won't be held responsible for any actions committed against us while under Taecyeon's sway. Know that you will be joining our pack with open arms, and we will ensure every last one of you is taken care of. And all of this is thanks to (Y/N)."
I look to Bang Chan. He smiles and tugs me forward.
"Like me, she grew up here. She knows the darkness this place holds. But she found a way out. For her. For me. For all of you."
"Weak. They won't respect softness."
And yet, in spite of Taecyeon's harsh words, the members of his old pack all kneel before me. Some cry, others thank me. Someone throws mud at Taecyeon, hitting him square in the eye.
"Agh! Bastards! Cowards! All of you!"
I look down at Taecyeon. If he ever comes back, he could seize control again. He could start this whole war all over again. I swore I'd bring an end to this for our pack. I promised I'd finally end Taecyeon.
"Sand always finds its way to the bottom of the hourglass, (Y/N)." he grins.
"You are not as intelligent as you pretend to be." I tell him.
"No? Listen to this before you arrive at that conclusion."
Taecyeon leans in close.
"All this decay with time. There's a natural order. And you're not at the top of it. Eventually, everything finds it's rightful place, and mine is to kill you and grow my army." he chuckles.
"Taecyeon... This is all over. Just accept it."
"Over? No, no it's not."
He lets out a horrible laugh, looking over the gathered wolves.
"You aren't strong enough to lead, (Y/N). One day soon you will stumble, and I will come out of the dark and take it all back."
I turn away, but Bang Chan blocks my path.
"(Y/N), you need to act."
"...I know I do. He's my father. My tormentor. It's only right that I make this decision."
I look from the pack, to Bang Chan, to Taecyeon. The permanence of my next words weigh heavy.
"What are you going to do with him, (Y/N)?"
"Yes, (Y/N), what are you going to do with me? I'm positively shaking."
Taecyeon's eyes flash blood red and he stands with a sudden surge of power. Before Taecyeon can attack, my eyes flash blue and I summon a spear of water forward. It wraps itself around Taecyeon's neck, forcing him to his knees.
Real shock flashes in his red eyes.
"Wh-what?"
"You said that all things follow a natural order, didn't you? For a long time, I didn't believe that."
I clench my fist, and the water squeezes my father's neck until he's blue, lifting him into the air.
"After all, what's natural about the life I've had to live? The hardship I've had to overcome? But now, standing here..."
I lift him higher and higher, until he's practically above the trees.
"I think I finally know what you mean."
"(Y/N)..."
Every wolf gazes up at the fallen monster that is my father, writhing in pain beneath my watery grasp.
"Taecyeon...any last words?"
He bares his teeth in a twisted grin.
"Maybe you really are my daughter."
A low laugh boils up from Taecyeon's throat. Then, he laughs openly, defiantly.
"You'll never hear me scream." he laughs.
"Want to bet, Taecyeon? I'll kill you slowly and make you scream." I challenge.
"You can't even make a threat with your wolf eyes blazing. You don't mean what you say."
"I was just saving my power. For this."
On my final word, my eyes erupt with blue light, shining so bright the wolves around me shield their own eyes.
"Scream, Taecyeon."
"Nev--"
It's all he manages to get out, before I send a final surge of wrathful power up. The water freezes around him, sucking in slowly, before pulling him apart, limb from limb.
"SCREAM!"
The water grips, tears, ever so slowly shredding this merciless man before the masses. His mouth twists, and right before the end, he releases an agonizing scream.
"AAAGHHHH NOOOO!!!"
His face contorts in pain and for the first time, I see him for what he is; A weak man. His screams echo through the camp as he finally dies. Then, I turn back to Bang Chan. My heart soars as I fling my arms around Bang Chan's neck, crying into his shoulder.
"We did it."
He chokes, wrapping his arms tight around me.
"Yeah. We–"
Suddenly, Bang Chan loses his balance, stumbling forward.
"Bang Chan?"
That's when I see it, the poisoned dagger still lodged in his side from the struggle with Taecyeon.
"No!"
I rush to his side, leaning over him. I place my hand over the hilt of the dagger, but jolt back in shock. Bang Chan's skin is burning, charring like coals in a fire, slowly, torturously. He cries out in pain.
"No...no, no..."
He falls and I catch him, praying against what I know to be true.
"(Y/N)? What's happening? What's wrong?" Han rushes to my side asking.
It's one simple truth I can't run from, weighing me down with lead-like fear.
"Bang Chan's dying."