Chapter Text
The people of Elysian Ridge worshipped Christopher Bahng.
Every street in town carried his influence in some form. Schools rebuilt under his policies. Hospitals funded with his money. Markets protected by his guards. Even the roads leading through the mountain town bore plaques engraved with his name.
To the public, Christopher was a miracle.
Young for a politician. Brilliant. Charismatic. Beautiful in a way that made people instinctively trust him.
An alpha blessed by the heavens.
Whenever he walked through town, people bowed their heads respectfully.
“Mister Bahng.”
“Good evening, sir.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
And Christopher always smiled.
Always.
That was the terrifying part.
His smiles looked real.
Warm eyes. Gentle voice. Calm demeanor. The kind of alpha omegas dreamed of marrying.
Nobody—not a single soul outside that mansion—would have believed what happened behind closed doors.
Because monsters rarely looked like monsters.
—
The Bahng estate stood high above the town like a king’s palace.
Massive iron gates.
Black marble floors.
Crystal chandeliers.
Every inch of the home screamed wealth and superiority.
Yet to Hyunjin, it felt colder than a prison.
He stood silently in front of the bedroom mirror, fingers trembling as he buttoned the collar of his shirt higher.
Not high enough.
Purple bruises still peeked above the fabric.
His throat burned.
Christopher had been angry last night.
Again.
“You’re embarrassing me.”
That was always the excuse.
Sometimes Hyunjin spoke too softly.
Sometimes he spoke too much.
Sometimes he looked at another alpha for too long.
Sometimes dinner was cold.
Sometimes Christopher simply wanted violence.
The reasons changed.
The abuse never did.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door.
Hyunjin flinched violently.
The door opened before he could answer.
“Mother wants you downstairs,” Christopher’s sister said coldly.
Bahng Ara looked almost elegant standing there in cream silk and diamonds. Pretty. Perfect.
Cruel.
Her eyes dragged over Hyunjin with obvious disgust.
“You look pathetic.”
Hyunjin lowered his gaze immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
Ara scoffed. “You always are.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
Hyunjin stood frozen for several seconds before finally forcing himself to move.
Every step downstairs felt like walking toward execution.
—
Dinner at the Bahng estate was never peaceful.
Christopher sat at the head of the table, reading documents while servants silently filled wine glasses.
His mother sat beside him.
Ara sat across from Hyunjin.
No one spoke until Christopher finally looked up.
“You’re late.”
Hyunjin’s stomach tightened. “I apologize.”
Christopher stared at him for a few long seconds.
Then his eyes drifted toward the faint bruise beneath Hyunjin’s collar.
His own handiwork.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“Lift your chin.”
Hyunjin obeyed instantly.
Christopher reached across the table and brushed his fingers against the bruise almost affectionately.
The touch made Hyunjin want to recoil.
But he didn’t dare.
“Pretty,” Christopher murmured.
Ara snorted softly into her wine.
His mother smiled.
Hyunjin felt sick.
—
Christopher liked marking him where nobody could see.
Thighs.
Ribs.
Stomach.
Back.
Places hidden beneath expensive clothes.
Places that allowed Hyunjin to continue smiling in public while quietly falling apart.
Christopher enjoyed that contrast.
The illusion.
A perfect alpha husband.
A beautiful omega spouse.
The golden couple of Elysian Ridge.
Sometimes, during public events, Christopher would wrap an arm around Hyunjin’s waist possessively and kiss his temple while cameras flashed around them.
People adored it.
Hyunjin learned how to smile for pictures even when his body hurt too much to stand.
—
That night, Christopher came home late.
Hyunjin heard the front doors open downstairs around midnight.
Laughter echoed through the halls.
Male voices.
His heart sank immediately.
Business nights.
Those were always bad.
Christopher’s “business partners” weren’t politicians.
They were criminals dressed like businessmen.
Men who ran underground trades beneath the surface of Elysian Ridge.
Weapons.
Drugs.
Trafficking routes.
Christopher controlled them all quietly from the shadows while presenting himself publicly as the town’s protector.
Nobody suspected him because nobody wanted to.
People preferred beautiful lies over ugly truths.
Hyunjin curled tighter beneath the blankets when footsteps approached the bedroom.
The door opened slowly.
Christopher entered smelling like smoke, alcohol, and another omega’s perfume.
His tie hung loose around his neck.
His expression was unreadable.
Hyunjin immediately sat up.
Christopher locked the door behind him.
Click.
Fear crawled beneath Hyunjin’s skin instantly.
Christopher approached the bed in silence.
Then—
“Who were you talking to today?”
Hyunjin blinked. “What?”
Christopher grabbed his jaw hard enough to hurt.
“At the market.”
“N-No one—”
“Liar.”
Hyunjin whimpered softly.
Christopher’s grip tightened.
“The butcher’s son smiled at you.”
Hyunjin stared at him in horror.
That was it?
“That’s why you’re upset?”
Christopher’s eyes darkened instantly.
Wrong answer.
Very wrong.
The slap sent Hyunjin crashing sideways onto the mattress.
Pain exploded through his mouth.
Blood coated his tongue immediately.
Christopher climbed onto the bed slowly afterward, calm again.
That calmness terrified Hyunjin more than yelling ever could.
“You forget yourself sometimes,” Christopher said quietly.
Hyunjin shook violently beneath him.
“I’m sorry…”
“You’re mine.”
Christopher leaned down, gripping Hyunjin’s throat lightly.
“Say it.”
“I’m yours.”
“Again.”
“I’m yours.”
Christopher smiled softly.
Like he was pleased.
Like this was love.
—
The pregnancy happened unexpectedly.
Hyunjin discovered it alone.
He’d been nauseous for weeks, dizzy constantly, exhausted beyond reason.
At first he assumed stress was finally destroying his body completely.
Until the doctor confirmed it.
“You’re carrying,” the elderly beta said gently.
Hyunjin froze.
The words didn’t feel real.
Pregnant.
A child.
His child.
Christopher’s child.
Fear arrived before joy did.
Because Hyunjin knew Christopher.
Knew his temper.
Knew how violently possessive he became.
Knew how unstable he truly was beneath the polished exterior.
Still…
That night, while sitting alone in the dark bedroom, Hyunjin rested a trembling hand over his stomach.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Alive.
For the first time in years, something inside him whispered hope.
Maybe this child could become a reason to survive.
—
He should have known happiness never lasted long in that house.
The announcement was a disaster.
Christopher’s mother looked horrified.
Ara nearly dropped her glass.
Christopher himself remained terrifyingly expressionless.
Silence stretched across the dining room.
Then Christopher stood.
Slowly.
He walked toward Hyunjin until they stood face to face.
“You’re pregnant,” he repeated softly.
Hyunjin nodded carefully.
Christopher smiled.
But it wasn’t happiness.
It looked like rage pretending to wear human skin.
His fingers slid beneath Hyunjin’s chin.
“Tell me,” he murmured, “how do I know it’s mine?”
The room went silent.
Hyunjin felt his blood turn cold.
“What…?”
Christopher tilted his head.
“You leave the estate occasionally.”
“I would never—”
“Wouldn’t you?”
Ara laughed quietly.
His mother sighed dramatically. “Christopher, I told you he was too pretty to trust.”
Hyunjin stared at them in disbelief.
No.
No, this couldn’t be happening.
Not this.
Christopher leaned closer until Hyunjin could feel his breath.
“If this child belongs to another alpha,” he whispered, “I’ll kill both of you.”
—
After that, the household transformed into hell.
Not that it had ever been kind before.
But now?
Now Christopher watched him constantly.
Guards followed Hyunjin everywhere.
Servants whispered when he passed.
Ara made cruel comments daily.
“You probably spread your legs for attention.”
“Disgusting omega.”
“I knew you’d ruin this family eventually.”
Hyunjin endured it silently.
Because fighting back only made things worse.
And because deep down, he understood something horrifying:
Christopher wanted an excuse.
He wanted betrayal to be real.
Because then he could justify all the violence living inside him.
—
The setup happened two weeks later.
A young guard named Minho was ordered to escort Hyunjin back from the garden one evening.
He seemed nervous the entire walk.
Hyunjin barely spoke to him.
But the moment they entered the mansion—
Christopher appeared.
Several guards stood behind him.
Ara smirked nearby.
And Christopher looked murderous.
Before Hyunjin could understand what was happening, Minho was slammed onto the floor.
“Please—!”
Christopher kicked him brutally across the face.
Blood splattered instantly.
“You touched him?”
“No! I swear—”
Christopher pulled out a gun.
Hyunjin’s heart stopped.
“Christopher—”
Bang.
The sound shattered the room.
Minho collapsed lifelessly onto the marble floor.
Hyunjin screamed.
Christopher turned slowly toward him afterward.
Eyes wild.
“You humiliated me.”
Hyunjin couldn’t breathe.
“I didn’t do anything—”
Christopher grabbed him violently by the arm.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Pain shot through Hyunjin’s body as Christopher dragged him upstairs while servants pretended not to watch.
Nobody intervened.
Nobody ever did.
Because everyone feared Christopher Bahng more than they feared God.
—
The torture lasted days.
Hyunjin lost track of time eventually.
Pain blurred together.
Christopher alternated between horrifying violence and terrifying tenderness.
One moment he’d strike Hyunjin hard enough to leave bruises blooming across skin.
The next he’d cradle his face gently, whispering:
“You made me do this.”
As though cruelty became forgiveness if spoken softly enough.
Hyunjin stopped begging after the second day.
It didn’t help.
Nothing helped.
Christopher wanted suffering.
And Hyunjin was simply where he poured it.
Still, through everything—
Hyunjin protected his stomach instinctively.
Even while trembling.
Even while bleeding.
Even while half-conscious.
Protect the baby.
Protect the baby.
Protect the baby.
That thought became the only thing keeping him alive.