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A maze of trees. The old forest that surrounds their house. Hyeju had never been there alone. Tonight is different. She had made up her mind, and as a four-year-old wolf who had already learned to shift and be at ease in her other skin, she knew she had to do this. Her red eyes follow the narrow strip of naked earth among the giant roots and leaves, hoping to find the answers she seeks.
Little rabbits' eyes and animals that are nesting are the only things that are scared of her presence. With every step Hyeju takes, she finds herself alone as the eyes move away and the anticipation of breaths fades. It felt strange to be on the verge of blindness. She could hear both animal and creature sounds with her keen ears. She could feel the weight of the branches' gentle susurration even in her ears. The earth's loam and the rotting leaves created a dense, close-knit atmosphere that enhanced one's sense of smell.
The lights from the windows appear to her like dots in the dense darkness as she turns the corner near her home. Her protector is still able to get to her. Even though he feels like he's hiding his heart rates well, she can hear them because he's close.
She has taken off the big coat from her mother's closet and it covers her tiny frame. It's a wise course of action. Because her body does not emits a scent --as a form of self-defence-- when fear takes over, her mother had always advised her to carry something of them with her. Learning from her mistakes, Hyeju has made it a point to carry a memento of her mother with her wherever she goes. This goes back to the time she hid herself and it took some time to be found.
Sooyoung can always find Jiwoo.
As she ventures deeper into the forest, one sense was taken away from her and the others were sharpened. Hyeju stumbles over a still ditch, but as she realizes it's there, her agility starts to take hold. Finding the part of oneself that wishes to wait to come out of hibernation is not an easy task. Her parents had told her that the wolf inside of her is still developing and that she is still not used to calling for it.
At the sound of incoherent whining, she stops. Her guardian had stepped closer as she looked around. She turns to face him and clears her vision of the darkness so that he can be seen clearly. Knowing that he can see her, Hyeju waves at him.
"For how long did you track me?" He moves closer. His suite is unspoiled by nature, clean. Unlike how she had dragged her mother's coat through the muck. He's capable of cleaning this, right?
"Ever since I left the gardens." Answering him, she is forced to look up at him. He is considerably taller. He even surpasses Sooyoung in height. Her eye level barely reaches his knees, but she's only a child.
She knows she should accept his hand when he asks for it. An emotive being, Inma. Warm, friendly touches have a positive effect on him. Though her mothers used to explain to her, it’s more rewarding feed the creature's unquenchable curiosity with her own actions. Hyeju now realizes that now, since she's a little older and capable of thinking for herself.
He asks, "Am I needed, young lady?" as she nudges them in the direction of the little one's whimpers and complaints.
"You can't hear that?" she asks, pointing to the source of the sound. She is able to directly identify it by filtering the echoes. Even the sound of water splashing and tiny paws slipping on muddy ground is audible to her.
"Not just yet. Your ears are as keen as your mother's. It's a very elevated range.” He muses. She tugs on him, and Inma lets her. Until the point where the estate's security is visible, it was simple and he came willingly. The hidden wall that is unnoticeable to the unaided eye, but is made visible to them when he is present. "You understand how your moms feel about you leaving on foot?" He comes to a stop.
Hyeju notices that he has covered her tracks before and that this is not the first time. He kneels to be close to her as she smiles at him. “But I think it needs help.” Glancing down at the small animal that had most likely fallen into the muddy ditch, she says. It tries to push itself, and she even thought it was almost there, but then it slips and falls into the muddy water. She turns its direction again, noticing the blackish water all over its white and cream fur.
"You want to help it?" She returns her attention to Inma. Hyeju nods and he immediately rises. He raises his hand, creating a opening in the wall just big enough to allow her small body to pass. "Hurry up,” he points with another hand, saying, "If anything happens, I'll be right here."
Without any delay, she dives into the repulsive shallow ditch without giving the coat—possibly her mother's favorite—any thought. With one high jump, Hyeju brings them to dry land after she swiftly grabs the scared little puppy before it escapes.
The furball scatters away from her as soon as she lets go of it. After being saved, the puppy couldn't have been happier with himself. It barks joyfully and circles around itself in an exuberant manner.
The puppy wags his tail like he wants to take off every time Hyeju even makes a mistake and steps in his direction, but the young wolf has no idea what goes on inside that overly protective skull. He appears to be the kind of guy who could run all day and never get tired of doing it all over again. The little furry thing didn't even appear scared to her, so she stayed away from it so as not to frighten it. It desires to engage in play. Sighing, Hyeju observes how Inma's eyes are a brilliant silver as he furiously surveys their surroundings from that close distance.
Yes, she shouldn't have left the estate, she’s aware of the outside ground. This is her first time crossing outside the walls . It might explain the panic in Inma’s eyes. The little furball beats her to the opening as she makes her way back toward it.
"Hey!" she exclaims, laughing along with him. "That's rude," she chases after him, and he disperses once more. She takes two steps back to maintain her distance from him even though he is not moving any faster. She stops to make sure Inma is following closely behind her.
"That won't sit well with the lady of the house." He means Sooyoung
"She is allergic to animals." Humming, Inma takes her hand again. "Can we keep it?" she asks him while he wipes a tiny stain from her cheek. He seems unimpressed. He doesn't show it by smiling or frowning, but he lets her know when he thinks her efforts are pointless.
This is not the first time she had tried messing with him, and will not be the last. Inma’s dedication to keep her safe as her sire had ordered him to, and her own when it comes to making it impossible to argue with the logic of a four-year-old wolf.
“Let’s get you cleaned first. Your mothers will be back shortly.” They head back to the estate. The puppy doesn’t follow at some point and it concerns her.
“Why is he staying there?” she asks.
"He is unable to get close." Inma is staring at the guards outside the mansion. Hyeju realizes that the small puppy is terrified of the guards' growls, which will drive it away, and that she herself will never approach a stranger wolf.
Her parents had to gradually introduce her to each and every guard. Even the five other humans caring for them are not permitted to be alone with her. She is told that it is not safe for either side. Her mothers had told her to always keep Inma with her if she wanted to explore her surroundings.
He can hide your presence – Jiwoo explains to her, tucking her under the sheets.
"Can it go outside?" she asks, as he helps her up the stairs.
“You mean beyond the barrier?” She is perfectly capable of jumping up the stairs, but the last time she played that game, he tripped and nearly missed her, ruining his clean suite in the process.
“Yes?” She nods too, knowing he no longer trusts her at all to help herself up the stairs until she’s capable of behaving herself -that’s what he’d told her.
“It cannot.” He puts her down and she frowns. He watches her and blinks. Inma does not blink, which she noticed while observing him. She counted the minutes she blinked to moisten her dry eyes. He tilts his head slightly as if trying to get inside of her head without asking. She had told him not to do that again; it was unsettling to have something rummaging through her mind. "Have I done something?"
"Don't pick me up. "I am not going to fall." He remains silent and does not question her. Hyeju looks behind her one last time, wondering if the small puppy has followed them, but she is disappointed that it has chosen to remain tucked beneath the root of a tree. "Can we feed it?" she asks, taking off her shoes while one of the maids assists her with her dirty clothes.
“Not until your parents approve of it.” Inma enters the bath with a towel in hand. “Can you go alone? Or should we wait for your parents?”
She shakes her head, rushes to grab the towel from his grasp, and closes the door. They have no idea she crossed the barrier again. Mommy Jiwoo can be terrifying, and she isn't about to find out what kind of punishment they have in store for her.
Hyeju rushes out of her room after finishing her bath and getting ready to meet her parents, but is apprehended just as she is about to descend the staircase. She turns to find Inma grasping her arm. "No running. No skipping steps."
"Okay," she says as she straightens herself. Hold the railing and slowly descend the stairs. "Are you happy now?" he asks, nodding but not smiling. His neutral expression makes it difficult to tell what he is feeling.
She hears them. Her smile is already growing, her feet are lifting her off the ground, and she jumps and skips the final step down, against Inma's wishes. The main door opens, and her eyes are filling with their presence.
"My baby!" her mother, Jiwoo, exclaims. She is already on her knees when Hyeju jumps into her arms.
"Mama!" she shrieks. Her mother sniffs her, and she gets tickled. She pulls back and giggles. "I've found a puppy." Unable to contain her revelation, she grabs her mother's shoulders, Sooyoung's black jacket slides from Jiwoo’s shoulders and falls to the ground, and her sire crouches to be at eye level with her.
“What puppy?” Sooyoung asks. They both look up and behind her. Hyeju follows their gazes to find Inma standing there, hands behind his back as he always presents himself.
"The young lady followed me to the old part of the garden while I was tending to the barrier. I discovered that a small dog had slipped inside, which she found and insisted on chasing.” He explains, not the entire truth, but a simplified and a little twisted version of it. She gives him a small smile while none of them notice her. "She helped it after it fell into a ditch, but it followed her instead of leaving."
"And it's outside again!" Hyeju looks between them and continues. She smiles, but it starts to slowly fade when her nose detects a new odd smell.
She grasps the thin fabric of her mother's dress first, then shivers. Someone else is standing at the entrance. a wolf. A strange one she'd never seen before.
"Hello there." Her tone is deep. Hyeju experiences an uncomfortable sensation and tries to flush the potent smell from her body by pressing her face against her mother's neck. The woman is still present when Hyeju peeks her head over Jiwoo's shoulder, and Sooyoung is standing close to her.
"Stop that." The woman laughs when Sooyoung warns her. She’s at her sire’s height. Black hair with striking sharp features. She’s wearing denim jeans, a dark blue v-cut shirt and a short jacket. There's another thing that confuses her. They feel the same, even though the strange woman and Sooyoung look nothing alike. "Be nice." Sooyoung adds as the woman throws an arm around Sooyoung's shoulders. Despite their striking differences, they are nearly identical. Something is familiar, incomprehensible, a heaviness that almost surrounds her.
"Who is that?" Hyeju whispers into Jiwoo's ear. When the woman catches her whispering in her mother's ear, Hyeju hides her face again.
“She doesn’t know me?” The woman steps closer. “She was just a baby back then.” Hyeju clutches her mother’s clothes for an anchor, for safety, it’s dangerous.
“Don’t be scared, baby.” Jiwoo’s voice stirs her, she takes a deep breath and that familiarity finds its place. She feels like Sooyoung. It feels like her sire is next to her. As if her eyes are closed and her mom is right by her side. “This is Jinsoul. She is your aunt.” Jiwoo pulls her away a little. “Say hello.”
A pause, a struggle. She hesitates when she keeps her head down, trying to loft her gaze, but as soon as a little is revealed from this strange woman, Hyeju dips her eyes lower again.
"It's okay," Sooyoung encourages her from a distance. Hyeju had planned to rush to her, but Jiwoo was closer. She still wants to switch from one level of safety to another that is much more protective.
Finally, but quietly, Hyeju says, "Hello." When Jinsoul smiles, it doesn't feel at all like when Jiwoo does the same. She gets the impression that she's been cornered and is about to be forced to reveal all of her secrets, including the incident where she ate ice cream in bed against her parent’s wishes. She experiences the same emotions that fill her when she sees Sooyoung at work. Hyeju peers in between the two. They don't even have a sibling scent. She asks, "Are you my mom’s sister?" shocked at how dissimilar they are from one another, but something common binds them.
“Not really,” she stands up and pulls her sleeve and reveals a black tattoo in the form of straight lines inked in the middle of her left arm. “I’m bound to her.” She points at Sooyoung. Her sire lifts her up. Hyeju round her little arms around Sooyoung’s neck and keeps her face pressed up against her mom’s. “But I am Jiwoo’s older sister.”
"So, what about this puppy you found?" Sooyoung gives her cheek a quick peck. It appeals to her. She doesn't receive many of those, and Sooyoung hasn't been there lately to give her those fleeting pecks on the cheek. Squeaking, she faints disgust.
“Mom, ew, stop that.” She complains, pushing away Sooyoung face with still puckered up lips. “It’s still outside in the garden. What if it’s hungry or cold?” Hyeju points to the door. Jinsoul is the first to move to where she indicates.
She murmurs. "I'll find it in two minutes," Saying so, she removes her leather jacket, revealing more of the dark blue t-shirt underneath. Two guns are strapped around her chest. Her coolness is appealing. Jinsoul waves at them while putting her black hair in a ponytail before walking away.
“Should we help her look?” Hyeju asks.
“She likes to work alone.” Sooyoung answers her.
"Can we at least wait outside? I want to hear.” Sooyoung chuckles. She hadn't heard Sooyoung's serene voice in a long. Being this close to her is wonderful. Jiwoo had to tell her once why she would be leaving to take care of her city. Even though Hyeju was willing to wait, her eyes betrayed her as she waited for her return. That night, Sooyoung never showed up.
They head outside, and she doesn’t complain at all when Sooyoung is the one that carries her down the too long stairs this time. She likes this. She feels tall, and up high right next to her mom.
“It’s not cold for you?”
Hyeju shakes her head. They wait a little and it doesn’t take a lot of time until Hyeju hears whimpering and too fast steps, some stumbling, heaved breath and small bark. Not seconds after, Hyeju finds the flickering of a pair of blue eyes emerging from between the trees.
She smiles, Sooyoung puts her down and she was about to take off, but someone catches her. She turns and finds Inma. When did he get here?
“I’m not going to fall this time.” She tells him.
“Take this,” he hands her a big towel. “You just showered, don’t touch it directly again until we bathe it.” She snatches the towel and waits. She doesn’t run to it, waits for Jinsoul to return with the puppy.
She holds it from the back of its neck. “Surprised you could catch it this fast.” Sooyoung remarks.
“This is nothing,” she huffs. “Playing hide and seek with Yerim is a lot challenging than this.”
“Too fast for you?”
“She keeps teleporting away. It’s so aggravating.”
She does not know who this Yerim is that gives Jinsoul a hard time during hide and seek, but that can be for later. Hyeju refocuses her attention back to the puppy, now presented to her. She lays open the towel and wraps it around his small body. She brings him to her chest, noting the fast rhythm of his heartrates. She dims down her scent and tries to hold him gently. The teachers had taught her to keep herself in check, to always maintain balance around her. Giving in to emotions will stir conflicts.
“Why didn’t you bring her with you?” Sooyoung and Jinsoul are still in their conversation. “Maybe we can finally introduce them to each other.”
“Jungeun took her to see Heejin. They’re teaching her to use her magic less. She floats and teleports everywhere.”
Hyeju cancels that conversation and heads to where Inma is, and holds the puppy for him to carry.
“Are you going to check on him?” she asks.
“I shall.” He answers, takes the puppy from her. He places a hand on its head and the puppy loses consciousness.
Hyeju doesn’t like this at all. Is this how he puts her to sleep whenever she cannot? Has it been just seconds to take her to dreamland?
At the start of every day, Yerim watches her mother prepare breakfast. It’s simple. Scrambled eggs, coffee for one, because her mom doesn’t like the smell of it.
“Honey, finish your breakfast. Heejin waits for you in the training room.” Her mother instructs. Usually, she has her phone in her hand at this time, going through daily habits, but for the last two months, they’ve relocated into this side of the mirror. The good thing is that her mother stays around her a lot more than before, instead of drowning in her work and duties to the king. On the other hand, she’s away from her partner and Yerim is away from her mom. Jinsoul is not here, not with them. It’s never the two of them together for a long period.
She finishes her breakfast, drinks her orange juice and leaves to brush her teeth. Once in her guardian’s room Yerim is met with Heejin’s supreme presence, finding her hovering just a little above the ground, eyes close, sitting with her legs folded, meditating.
She waits, doesn’t bother her until she had her blackened eyes open. “You’re late.” She stinks of magic.
“I was eating.” Yerim mimics Heejin’s position and waits for instructions. “What am I learning today?” she feels her other half out of control again. Without her other teacher, her wolf is not in balance with her newly gained powers. The magic floats much stronger on this side, unlike how dead it almost is on normal Earth.
“Anxious?” Heejin reaches for her head, places a hand on her crown and dims down her waking wolf.
“How do you do that?” Yerim’s breath is back to normal when Heejin removes her hand, her lips forming an ugly smirk. She’s gloating.
“You’re to learn how to defend yourself, not darkened by arcane magic.” She refuses, and here she thought her guardian didn’t care for the rules her mother had set for her. Yerim is taught teleportation to disengage from any situation, but Mage Hunter Hyunjin makes it hard to even use magic. She’s taught to shield herself from dark magic, but Heejin makes it hard to keep the shield up without rotting it.
This continues for an hour long. Heejin and Hyunjin are tossing her around like a playball.
“How do I win?” she stands up, Hyunjin is playing with a knife she keeps throwing at her for the fun of it.
“Be better,” Hyunjin points the knife at her as Yerim wipes the sweat from her forehead. They’ve been arguing about something she doesn’t understand for the past hour. “And watch your feet,” Hyunjin slides a foot down, but she concentrates and finally makes a move, summoning her magic to push away the hunter with a blast. Yerim does not expect the outcome when Hyunjin is pushed back.
“Don’t use your anger, use your head and concentrate more.” Heejin speaks from her chair.
“You can do it, baby.” Her mother encourages. The last time her mother had demonstrated how this works, had made things too easy. It’s like she was doing it with her eyes closed. Her mission is to snatch the red ribbon from Hyunjin’s belt, located on her back, and her mother had done that in ten seconds. She’s been at it for more than the required time.
“Alright, time’s up.” Heejin says after thirty minutes had passed. Yerim collapses on her back on the floor, feeling like it’s been hours since her first try. “You're not paying attention.” Heejin looms above her, jabbing her in the cheek. Yerim dislikes her condescending guardian.
“You keep stealing away my shield.” Moreover, Yerim is unable to push Heejin's bothersome hand away from her.
“The exercise requires you to use only your teleport and push spells, not shield yourself against Hyunjin's dagger.” She points, “She did not even move from her starting position.” Hyunjin waved mockingly from her vantage point. She even completed push-ups throughout their fight. It is not fair!
The young wolf sits up, having had enough from both of them for the day, “They’re bullying me.” She runs to her mother welcomed in a warm embrace, “She couldn’t even stand still when she was fighting you.” Yerim complains to her mother and receives back-pats.
“What a baby.” She hears Hyunjin say, and Yerim sticks her tongue out in annoyance. “Yeah, like that will keep you from getting caught by the Hunters."
“Why are you not catching us now?” Yerim has to know. It was never clearly explained to her. Yerim only knows that Hyunjin follows Heejin like a shadow wherever she goes. Her mother had stated that she will eventually understand how they are connected, but that doesn't satisfy her insatiable curiosity.
“Do you want me to?” Hyunjin has her dagger hovering in the air. Yerim sinks further into her mother’s embrace. “It would be as easy as catching a little mouse.” Hyunjin is wicked, perhaps even more so than her guardian. It's most likely the reason they are initially connecting.
“You wish,” Yerim's mother's presence is the only thing keeping her from shaking in terror. Yerim enjoys being in her mother's arms, just like any four-year-old does.
“Let’s clean you up, we’ll have sandwiches after.” Jungeun carries her all the way to the door.
Hyunjin comes right behind them, “We’re leaving soon,” followed by Heejin. As she opens the door, she says "Look after the mansion.” The door leads to a very gloomy-looking forest rather than the great hall. Yerim shivers as the cold creeps in. Something stirs inside her again and tries to take charge when she smells the air. Her eyes shine with a different vision, the dark forest becoming slightly clearer to her, and it leaves a bad taste in her mouth..
When her mother sees Yerim trembling in her arm, she covers her eyes and moves it to the top of her head. Yerim's heart begins to calm, her breathing returns to normal, and her body temperature rises to provide her with warmth. Moving her away from the door, her mother gives her a kiss on the temple and whispers in her ear, "I got you, it's okay." The bath is where they’re teleported. As Jungeun places her on the ground, Yerim gently wipes at her eyes.
“What was that place?” She asks when her mother returns with towels and a change of clothes.
“It’s not a good place.” The water runs and she watches her mother dipping a hand in the tub and heats the water to a comfortable range. Yerim is giving the okay to jump in it.
“Mommy,” she calls, the water is reheated again when Jungeun washes away the soap. “When can I see Jinsoul again?” She can call her mom, but it was Jungeun’s idea. It makes her mother laugh and she likes it.
“Do you miss her?” If she claimed not to miss her sire, she would be lying. Yerim nods, pleased with herself a little for admitting it. Every time she sees Jinsoul, her presence is very much like a breath of fresh air. She is unyielding and strong, so very strong.
It’s enough to know that Hyunjin respects her. Heejin tells her that there might be a day where the entire world might turn on you, then she points to Jinsoul who was observing a painting a little further away from earshot and says, “This one over there, will do everything in her power to protect you.” It was from that moment that Yerim had started to think for herself, and the first thing she does after hearing those words uttered by her guardian, Yerim only observes Jinsoul as much as she could.
“What are you thinking?” Yerim opens her eyes after she thinks there is no more soap on her face. She finds her mother smiling at her. “You really missed her, ha?” She blushes and stands up.
“Can we go back just for a little bit?” She asks, worried that Jungeun might decline, but she’s only met with lopsided grin that fluster her even more. “It’s been a month.” She murmurs, knows it’s impossible for her mother to miss.
She hears cooing directed at her a tender pinch to her left cheek. Jungeun picks her up and rounds one big towel over her entire body. “Let me get you ready.” Her mother carries her out of the bath into their shared bedroom and along the way she adds, “We’ll eat then go back.” Her mother dries her hair and body. Yerim chooses what to wear. She rummages through her bag and finds what she’s been looking for.
A denim short jumpsuit, with her white sneakers. Yerim pulls her the option and her mother gives her two thumbs up. As she’s getting her hair done for her, Yerim can only think of Jinsoul’s scent finally filling a gap created for the last month.
After passing through the portal, Yerim watches for her mother to shut it. In her parent's bedroom, they are. She recalls watching Jinsoul wake up to even the smallest of movements, catching her when she tried to sneak into this room at night. Yerim would quickly run to a welcoming arm, inviting her and she would cuddle up on it.
However, it is not frequent. Occasionally, she would slip inside and discover her mother sound asleep. Yerim would proceed to climb the bed and scent at Jinsoul's pillow, all the while going unnoticed by her mother. She would continue to sleep there until dawn, and Jinsoul still hasn't come back to their house.
“She’s here.” Jungeun says. Yerim runs to the door, she opens it and heads down the stairs. She knows her footsteps are stomping all on the wooded floor and she knows Jinsoul had heard her by now.
Then she stops. In the living room, she sees her sire and with one smile directed at her, Yerim feels all light on her feet and almost skipped her way there.
But she’s rooted in her spot, swallowing a lump of spit when her senses are suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of an unfamiliar alpha. She can tell the woman dressed in an all black suit is an alpha by the sharpness of her scent. She smells like flowers, but sharper. She smells like all attention in the room must be on her. Her uncle had taught Yerim how to distinguish an alpha wolf. He brings her out stands near her and asks if she could spot one.
The woman’s eyes are darkened naturally and at the slightest of provocations, they might change into something vibrant.
“Hey puppy.” The nickname makes her jump. Yerim feels like she’s allowed to breathe again when she hears Jinsoul’s voice. “Come here.” She diverts her eyes from the woman right back at her sire. She tries to take a step forward, but at the corner of her vision, Yerim still sees the woman dressed in all black.
“Oh!” then she looks back, sees her mother had already followed and is standing right behind her. “Sooyoung!” Jungeun has a smile on her lips. The woman stands up and Yerim watches them hugging each other. “It’s good to see you.” Yerim uses that opportunity where the woman’s gaze is diverted from her and runs for Jinsoul. Her mom picks her up, sets her on her lap and sinks her face right into Yerim’s neck.
“Are you okay?” Jinsoul whispers to her, pecks her cheek thumbs at her upper arms.
Yerim feels uneasy and grabs hold of her sire’s collar while her mother and the other woman continue to converse, laughing at something that the other says. Yerim is uncomfortable the more she observes this alpha getting so close to her mother; she is unsure of what is making her so alerted.
“Yermi-ah.” She turns away from them, Jinsoul’s hands tighten just as they hold her. “What is it, baby?”
“Who is that?” Jinsoul raises an eyebrow in response to Yerim's query. She notices the playful expression on Jinsoul's face.
“You can’t tell?” Jinsoul turns her in her lap and she finds them separating, the woman returning to her seat and her mother is heading to sit next to Jinsoul. Yerim is unaware, but for that split-second that Jungeun passes them, Jinsoul’s eyes linger on her until she’s on the couch.
She lands to her feet after Jinsoul moves and places her on the ground. She can't release her grip on Jinsoul's arm. "say hi to our guest, sweetie." Her mother gives her instructions. Yerim turns to face Jungeun, who is seated on the couch with her arms and legs crossed and her shoulder resting against Jinsoul's.
They are both at ease, she notices. With that in mind and how Jinsoul’s arms release her and she leans her back on the couch, Yerim takes that as her queue and starts walking to the woman.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sooyoung.” The woman speaks in a lacy voice. Too humble to belong to someone that looks this intimidating, but Yerim thinks is suits her perfectly. Her hand extends asking for Yerim’s small one. “What’s your name?” The smile on her face is reassuring and makes her less cautious.
“I’m... my name is Yerim.” She reaches into the woman's bigger hand. It's rough and warm in a way that's distinct from Jinsoul's. Not in the same way as Jungeun's, but soft nonetheless. Firm, but not in the same way as her uncle.
She then hears a sound. a heartbeat rhythm that is familiar. Those ought to be coming from Jinsoul's location behind Yerim, not from where the woman is sitting. She is first caught off guard by it. They are in sync; she listens more. The heartbeats of this alpha and her sire are in sync.
The woman's hand is still holding hers. She reaches and lays the other free one right on top of the woman's chest. Yerim's ears were not deceiving her. Their hearts are continuously beating twice, then once more, and then again after that. It continues like that for as long as she’s listening to it.
"You can hear that?" Sooyoung speaks softly to her. Yerim responds with a nod. “Few people are able to tell.” Sooyoung adds.
“Hear what?” Jungeun from behind her asks. She looks at a proudly smiling Jinsoul. Her mom responds to Jungeun’s question but Yerim could not focus on that.
Her hand is still on Sooyoung’s chest when the alpha grabs hold of her arm. It feels like a completely different kind of wolf. In response, she raises her shoulders and tries to yank herself back. She panics because she feels imprisoned and handcuffed, and her movements impaired.
She closes her eyes when she feels being pulled on. The moment she senses the woman’s nose near her, she whimpers and it feels as if her weight is shifting in and out of this plane.
Yerim teleports and lands on Jinsoul’s lap. Her mom, surprised “Woah,” indicates she’d found the right person to run to. “Sorry about that. She’s not used to strangers yet.” Jinsoul explains, holding her close, enveloping her in the safety of her arms. Yerim presses her face into her mom’s chest and refuses to respond to anything anymore.
The woman's voice is still soothing, "It's my bad," but it doesn't make her feel better. “I should’ve asked first.” There is little chuckle that follows from her, “I thought when Hyeju let you hold her, then it wouldn’t be different for Yerim to let me.” Yerim hears her own name and it shouldn’t sound so strange to her. She has already heard it more than she can count, by many others. Her playmates, her parents, her uncle and even Hyunjin’s annoying voice was not this different.
When Yerim peeks behind her shoulder, she sees the woman looking down. Yerim holds her mom tighter. “I thought she was going to attack me.” Yerim says, looking at Jungeun.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Her mom tickles her earlobe. She turns back to face the woman, who is staring at her with gentle features.
She slides down her mom’s lap and approaches her again. “Hi,” she says, extending her big hand again, just like she did the first time, and Yerim feels a little heat rise up her cheeks. There's a pleasant scent lingering about her.
“Hi.” Yerim echoes. She brings herself closer and looks up to stare at her face. This alpha is beautiful. “Your heart is connected to Jinsoul’s.” She says.
“Jinsoul’s?” the woman repeats in question. Yerim sometimes forget to call her mom around strangers. It’s a little joke they have running around between the three of them. Her uncle laughs when he hears her call her mom, Jinsoul.
“I mean, my mom.” She reddens once more at her mistake. Yerim hears a grunt from behind her as Sooyoung laughs. “Are you bound to each other?” Sooyoung’s eyebrows lift at the question. She probably did not expect it. her lips form a lopsided grin and Yerim thinks, this alpha is really beautiful.
“We are.” It makes her giddy. They have a unique bond between them. Yerim had previously seen and learned a great deal from her guardian, but she had never witnessed anything so genuine and pure between two people who are not even related by blood. Wolves are not trusting to strangers, they fear each other more than they fear any other creature. Wolves keep it to themselves and away from the scenes.
Even as a direct relative of the Monarch’s bloodline, her family is as conservative as any other packs. “I see you on TV sometimes.” Yerim says. “My mom says you’re the leader of Busan.”
“I am.”
“That’s so cool.” Her excitement kicks in, all kinds of questions come fludding out. “Are you also married just like my mom?”
Jinsoul’s loud laughter fills the living room.
“I am.” Her voice remains gentle throughout.
“Do you have children?” Jinsoul is wheezing from the back, and Sooyoung rolls her eyes at her. Her mom is embarrassing them in front of the guest, but she cannot be bothered with her right now. She wants to sate an urgent curiosity that might leave her wanting more if she to never ask those questions.
Sooyoung chuckles again, places a hand on her crown and ruffles her hair, “Just one, she’s at your age too.” Sooyoung answers. She sinks a hand in the inner pocket of her black jacket and pulls out her phone. She shows a picture of three individuals. Yerim can tell the one standing to the left is Sooyoung, the woman hugging her from the side in a beautiful dress, a little shorter than Sooyoung has a radiant smile. The third and is about her own same height is holding a small dog in one arm and the other is holding Sooyoung’s hand.
“That’s aunt Jiwoo!” She springs in her spot. “She’s your mate?” Sooyoung nods. Yerim remembers her aunt the first time she visited them. It was the first person she had immediately taken a liking to. She’s always so happy and positive. She also gave Yerim a lot of cookies and made it their little secret.
“And that’s Hyeju.” She zooms in, Yerim smiles a the picture. She likes it. they look happy together.
“Tell her I said hi.”
“I will.” Too focused on the picture, Yerim does not notice the small peck that she receives. Her cheeks burn again. She lowers her head and makes her way back and slowly to her mom. “I should get going, the king is expecting me.” Sooyoung stands up and so do both of her parents. Yerim is carried by Jinsoul, held safely in her arms.
“Let me know when you’ll leave, I want to see you.” Jinsoul speaks to her. They shake on it then Sooyoung hugs Jungeun again.
"Look after yourself, and give Jiwoo my kisses." They separate, but Yerim still doesn't understand why an alpha's touch on her mother bothers her. Perhaps she is unaware of the nature of their friendship and does not understand their reasons. Will she ever allow an alpha wolf to touch her in the same way?
“It was nice meeting you, Yerim.” The alpha addresses her, she waves then exits the apartment. When the door shuts, Yerim is placed on her feet.
“I didn’t know you were back.” Jinsoul says, they were already retreating to the living room. Yerim runs to the couch and snatches the remote control before her mom could. She’s met with a raised eyebrow, but nothing comes after that when she gives her mom a big toothy grin.
“Someone missed you.” Jungeun’s voice is heard coming out of the kitchen.
“Did they now?”
It’s when everything was blocked by Jinsoul’s body when she launches herself at Yerim’s unexpected small one. She gets tickled and screams her lungs out, trying to protect her sides from Jinsoul’s attacks. “Mommy, help!” she screams for her mother, but she cannot see her anywhere.
“Weren’t you supposed to be learning how to control your magic?” Jinsoul stops. It gives Yerim the window to catch her breath and refill her lungs with air again.
She giggles as she protects her belly with her arms, “Mommy made sandwiches.” She answers. “We wanted to eat them together.” She admits. Jinsoul’s attention is diverted from her to where Jungeun is standing.
They exchange something she cannot decipher, a conversation that floats in between them Yerim cannot tell what is it about. Jinsoul turns her direction again, and her reaction is to immediately lift her arms again to cover her belly. “Can you get my phone from upstairs. I left it in my jacket when I changed.” She is helped to her feet by Jinsoul. Yerim happily obliges and heads upstairs.
Opening her parents room, she looks for a jacket on their bed. Yerim searches all pockets, then hits the jackpot when she finds it. When she presses the button to the side, she sees a picture of herself in her mother’s lap when they went to the beach. She was a baby back then. Jinsoul had never changed that picture.
She heads out with the phone in her hand, but stops when she hears thudding. A grunt that follows soon after. She makes her way down the stairs, “Mom?” She calls then hears a rushed movement before she comes around the corner.
Her parents are sitting next to each other. Her mother is fixing her hair and Jinsoul has her mouth covered. Sharp eyes turn to gaze her way, and she approaches them. “Good, you found it.” Her mother’s cheeks are flushed a little and breath heaving. It’s as if she just ran a mile. Yerim dismisses whatever this is. She only thinks that it was weird, but if they are acting weird together, then she does not complain. She takes her rightful place on Jinsoul’s lap and her legs on her mother’s thighs.
“Are you comfortable, princess?” Oh! Oh, no. That voice is bad news.
“I thought we agreed you’d knock first.” Jinsoul speaks first when Heejin appears from the corner where the stairs are. Did she come from her parents’ room? That does not make sense. Yerim did not feel the disturbance in the air. The portal must’ve opened a while ago. Was she there when Yerim had entered the room? She did not feel Heejin’s presence anywhere in the apartment.
“Jungeun texted. I thought we agreed it was either of the two.” Her remark does not sit well with Jinsoul. Yerim knows that they don’t agree on most things, that Jinsoul was not so adamant on sending her there. She had heard that argument between her parents, accidently. They were upset with each other, and she could tell they had been avoiding each other for days, but something had happened between them, and everything just went away.
“Well, if that was the case, then don’t mind me.” Jinsoul picks the remote control and shuffles through the channels.
“Are you ready, Yerim?” Yerim looks at Heejin in question.
“Ready for what?” And didn’t she leave to somewhere else with Hyunjin? Is it done? Are they back or is she hear for something else? There are more questions in her head. Yerim only looks at her mother. “ready for what?” she repeats.
“You’re leaving with Heejin.” Her mother answers. “Your uncle cannot look after you. He had left the country because of work.” It’s not the first time this had happened.
“What are you two going to do?”
This is where Jinsoul sits up right and adjusts Yerim on her lap. “It’s for work. We’ll be back as soon as possible.” Jinsoul brushes on her hair. Yerim feels that her time is limited with the both of them. There is always something. It’s never the three of them for too long. Something always happens and it interrupts their time.
She leaves her comfortable seat, “Yerim-ah.” Jinsoul calls her, but she only shakes her head. She walks to where Heejin is standing and waits her for her to get them out of here. They were supposed to eat the sandwiches together, spend the evening together, share her discoveries and everything she had learned with Jinsoul. She feels a hand grabbing gently on her arm, being pulled in a hug. It should annoy her “I’ll make it up to you,” but her mom is kissing her cheek and scenting her like she’d miss her. Yerim cannot be annoyed at Jinsoul, because Jinsoul is never annoyed at anything she does.
Like that one time she spilled milk all over the expensive sofa that Jinsoul was happy about. She was lectured, but there was no irritation. Or when she sneaks into their bedroom at night and she knows she shouldn’t, but Jinsoul always receives her. she’s always tucked in safely in her arms and she’d sleep knowing that nothing can harm her. There is more, there is a lot because she’s rational and allows her curiosity to get the best of her.
She gives Jinsoul another kiss and says, "It's okay," before turning to face her mother. "But when you're through, come get me."
“Of course, sweetie.”
She embraces them. She reciprocates their affection for her. She is proud to point at the two of them and tell everyone that these are my parents, and they are prepared to defend her. She will always think of them as her parents.