[Oneshot] Enemies Beware - Part Four

[wild_jinx]

Part 03

Jongdae’s never been to Chanyeol’s den before - never even been anywhere near it. But he knows which direction it is and he just keeps running until he picks up the scent of wolves. He can smell Chanyeol, but the scent of other wolves are there too. He must be getting closer.

A twig snaps in the distance, and Jongdae freezes. It never crossed his mind that he might run into a wolf that isn’t Chanyeol. They might see him as a threat, it might look like he’s launching an attack on their den. This was a bad idea, he needs to get out here right now.

But it’s too late.

A wolf jumps out from behind the bushes in front of Jongdae. It snarls, crouched low as if ready to pounce.

Jongdae thinks there’s something vaguely familiar about this wolf. It’s definitely not Chanyeol, but perhaps the one that tried to attack him? What did Chanyeol say his name was…?

“Kris,” Jongdae says, more to himself than the wolf. The creature’s ears perk up slightly at the name and Jongdae repeats it, more firmly. “Kris.”

Something - confusion? - passes the through the wolf’s eyes as the wind picks up, carrying Jongdae’s scent over to it. It only takes a moment for the wolf to shift into human form, and standing before Jongdae is a man, and by the looks of it, he’s taller than Chanyeol.

“Your name is Kris, right?” Jongdae asks, desperately hoping that he’s right.

The wolf pounces, and Jongdae tenses, clenching his eyes shut as he waits for an attack that never comes. The only contact between them is a large, warm hand gripping harshly at the back of Jongdae’s neck. He pulls and Jongdae lets him, leaning in closer to the wolf. Thick brows furrow as the wolf presses his nose against Jongdae’s neck, inhaling.

“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Jongdae is quick to explain. “I just came to see Chanyeol.”

The wolf growls at the mention of Chanyeol’s name. He lets Jongdae go as if he’s been burned, taking a couple steps back. He shakes his head.

“Please,” Jongdae tries. “I need to see Chan-”

“What do you have here, Kris?” another voice asks and Jongdae turns to see two more wolves in human form stepping out from the trees. The new wolves stare at Jongdae darkly. “It’s a vampire,” the wolf continues, growling.

The other, younger looking wolf takes a step closer to Jongdae. He sniffs at the air, a frown gracing his soft features. “He smells like Chanyeol,” he says, confused. “Are you Jongdae?”

Jongdae almost starts to cry, he’s so happy. “Yes! I need to speak with Chanyeol.”

The youngest wolf’s face lights up at once. “Of course!” he says, practically falling over himself as he makes his way over to Jongdae.

“You’re just going to bring a vampire into our home?” Kris asks, incredulously.

“He’s not just any vampire,” the wolf pulling Jongdae deeper into the forest says. “He’s Chanyeol’s mate.” Jongdae flushes slightly at the words. He and Chanyeol haven’t talked about it, but it sounds nice. Yeah, he’d very much like to be Chanyeol’s mate.

“I forbid you to take him any further,” Kris orders, standing in front of the other three in an attempt to block their path.

The wolves simply pull Jongdae around Kris. “You can’t stop us from taking him to see his mate,” the wolf, the one not clinging onto Jongdae, replies in an uninterested tone.

“Not you too, Jongin,” Kris complains.

Jongin just shrugs, following closely behind Jongdae. “He saved me and Sehun.”

“I what?” Jongdae asks. He’s pretty sure that he’s never seen these wolves before, let alone done anything to help them in any way.

“Chanyeol told us how you collected the flowers for him,” the younger wolf, Sehun, explains, squeezing Jongdae’s arm. “One of them was a special flower that was used to make an antidote. We were both really sick.”

“Oh,” Jongdae replies. He never did remember to ask Chanyeol what the flowers were used for. It’s a matter of life and death, was all that Chanyeol had told him. He’s thankful for his small part in saving these two wolves because he doesn’t think they’d be this friendly with him under normal circumstances.

He allows Sehun to continue pulling him through the forest for a long time, until the thick trees give way to a small clearing. There’s a campfire in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by logs for seats. Sehun pulls him into a cave where Chanyeol’s scent is the strongest.

Chanyeol is there, deep in conversation with another wolf. He abruptly stops when he notices the new additions to the room. “Jongdae?” he says, rushing forward at once to pull Jongdae into his arms. “What are you doing here?”

Jongdae opens his mouth to explain but the words get caught in his throat. How is he supposed to explain how his own people killed his brother? Tears well up in Jongdae’s eyes before he has a chance to stop them. Chanyeol doesn’t say a word, just holds him close.

“The-they killed him,” Jongdae eventually tells him.

“Who?” Chanyeol asks softly, comforting Jongdae however he can.

“My brother,” Jongdae replies, sniffing. “And now they’re going to k-kill me. They’ll blame you for it. Probably kill you too, if they can.” He clings tightly onto Chanyeol, as if he’s afraid of what might happen if he lets go. “Just like they killed Jongdeok and his wolf girlfriend.”

“Jongdeok?” Jongin pipes up, taking a step closer toward Chanyeol and Jongdae. “That was the name of my sister’s boyfriend… I had never met him. I guess that’s why.”

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae cries, tears streaking down his face all over again. “I’m so sorry.”

Jongdae doesn’t really pay attention to what happens after that. Chanyeol guides him over to a corner of the den and wraps him up in pelts that are covered in his scent. Jongdae snuggles into the blankets, still quietly sobbing despite the comfort the soft furs offers him. Chanyeol leaves him briefly and ushers everyone out of the room except for Kris. Jongdae hears them whispering, but doesn’t pay too much attention to the words. Eventually Kris nods stiffly and then storms out of the room. Chanyeol sighs, shaking his head.

Alone again, Chanyeol returns to Jongdae’s side. He opens the cocoon that surrounds Jongdae long enough to slip inside it as well. “I know that it’s hard,” Chanyeol begins, gently wiping the tears away from Jongdae’s cheeks with his thumbs. “But I’d like you to tell me what happened.” Chanyeol pulls Jongdae until the vampire has his head resting on his shoulder, nuzzling his face into Jongdae’s hair.

Jongdae stay silent for a long while, trying to figure out where to begin. He tells Chanyeol about his parents, about his brother being first in line for the throne. It’s only been a couple of years since Jongdeok was taken away from him, but the grief still stings like it happened yesterday. Jongdae was by his brother’s side for hundreds of years, and he tells Chanyeol stories of their childhood, how they were born, not made, and aged until they reached maturity. Chanyeol listens silently to Jongdae, doing whatever he can to ease the pain.

The more he talks about it, the more he realizes that he’s just a pawn in the elder’s game of trying to take control over the coven. They’re too set in the old ways, perceiving any change as a threat. If it were up to them, Jongdae thinks, the war between the vampires and the wolves would never end until one side is completely wiped out. He shudders at the thought.

Hours later, when Jongdae’s tears have dried up and his voice is raw from talking, Chanyeol asks him to sleep through the daylight with him, here, in the den. “You can’t honestly expect me to just let you go back there,” he reasons, tightening his grip around Jongdae’s waist. “You said it yourself, they’ll kill you if they find out.”

“But what about Joonmyun?” Jongdae asks. He doesn’t want to leave the safety and comfort of Chanyeol’s arms, but he’s not about to leave his best friend behind to stay with those murderers. “He couldn’t have had anything to do with any of this. I know him.”

“Alright,” Chanyeol agrees. “But I’m not letting you go back alone.”

“Chanyeol-”

“I can’t lose you,” Chanyeol interrupts, pressing his forehead against Jongdae’s.

Jongdae sighs, but eventually gives in. He doesn’t want Chanyeol getting caught too close to the coven because he can’t stand the thought of anything happening to the wolf either.

“I’ll take my strongest wolves with me,” Chanyeol is quick to assure him. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Okay.”

They’re ready to go when the sun sets the next day. As promised, Chanyeol has his best fighters lined up to make the trip to the coven to retrieve Joonmyun. Despite Kris’ hatred toward the vampires, it was stupidly easy for Chanyeol to convince his second in command to tag along. All it took was the mention of Joonmyun’s name, and Kris agreed to join them.

“I’m only doing this for you,” Kris reminds Chanyeol as they’re about to leave.

“Right,” Chanyeol nods, humouring him. He knows that the true reason Kris wants to go back to the coven is to see Joonmyun and make sure he gets it back to the den safely. Chanyeol knows all about the urges that Kris is experiencing, no matter how much he tries to deny it.

“Alright, it’s time,” Chanyeol announces and the wolves around him begin to shift. “A pack of wolves will draw too much attention, so we need to split up. No more than two wolves at a time.” He turns to Jongdae, placing a hand on the small of the vampire’s back. “You’re with me.”

“I’m faster than the rest of you,” Jongdae points out. “I can run on my own.”

“But I want you to ride me,” Chanyeol replies softly, so no one else can hear.

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae says, smacking Chanyeol in the chest.

Chanyeol laughs, pulling a squirming Jongdae into his arms. “Seriously,” he continues. “It’ll be safer if I take you there myself.” Jongdae reluctantly nods, face still red from embarrassment.

“Let’s go,” Chanyeol says, and then he shifts too. He growls, barking out orders for the wolves to start making their way toward the coven now. Kris and Zitao are the first pair to depart, followed by Chanyeol, with Jongdae seated comfortably on his back, and Jongin. Siwon and Minho are next, then Youngwoon and Donghae. Yixing, Sehun and the rest of the pack stay back at the den to protect it, just in case.

“Stop,” Jongdae says, tugging at Chanyeol’s fur to get his attention. “This is close enough.” They stop a couple of blocks away from the coven because Jongdae doesn’t want to risk having the wolves get too close. They’ll be able to get away with one or two wolves hidden away, but surely the guards will notice a part of Chanyeol’s pack hanging around.

Jongdae slides off Chanyeol’s back as he comes to a stop down a dark alleyway. “I’ll go alone from here,” he says.

“Wait a second,” comes Chanyeol’s deep voice right before Jongdae feels a hand around his wrist, pulling him into a warm embrace. Chanyeol hugs him tightly and Jongdae turns around in his arms for one last kiss before he goes. “Be careful,” Chanyeol whispers against his lips.

“I’ll be okay,” Jongdae promises. At least he hopes that nothing is going to happen when he gets back inside.

Chanyeol holds him like he never wants to let go. “I love you,” he tells Jongdae, loud and clear.

If Jongdae’s heart worked, he’s sure that it would have skipped a couple beats at Chanyeol’s words. “I love you too,” Jongdae replies, hugging Chanyeol back just as tightly. But after a moment, he has to tear himself out of Chanyeol’s arms. With one last longing look at Chanyeol, Jongdae takes off toward the coven.

Thankfully they haven’t tightened security in the short time that Jongdae was gone, and he still makes it through the window and back into his bedroom like he hoped. Joonmyun isn’t in here waiting for him this time, Jongdae notes. He could be anywhere in the coven.

Jongdae sneaks around the mansion, going to Joonmyun’s bedroom first, but his best friend isn’t there either. Nor is he in the library. Jongdae wonders if the elders have somehow found out about him already, if they know that Joonmyun has been helping him. Jongdae hurries down the basement next, and he’s at the bottom of the stairs when he spots Joonmyun stepping out from Minseok’s room.

“Joonmyun!” Jongdae calls, running over to him. Startled, Joonmyun barely has enough time to open his arms before Jongdae to run into them. “I was so scared that something happened to you!”

“What?” Joonmyun asks, confused. “I could say the same thing about you. Where have you been?”

“There’s no time to explain,” Jongdae says, releasing Joonmyun to grab a hold of his hand instead. “We have to get out of-”

The door to another human’s room opens and out steps Luhan. “My prince,” he says when he notices the pair standing in the hallway. He gives them the same deep bow as always.

Every muscle in Jongdae’s body tenses with fright. This is it. He’s been caught. They’re going to slaughter him just like they did to Jongdeok and he’ll never be able to see Chanyeol again.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Luhan continues. He pauses then, looking Jongdae over with concerned eyes. “Is everything alright? Are you hurt?” Jongdae can tell when Luhan catches his scent, Chanyeol’s scent, because his stance changes, like he’s preparing for a fight.

Despite the fact that he knows Luhan is much faster than him, Jongdae runs, pulling a stumbling Joonmyun along behind him. “He’s going to kill me!”

“Who?” Joonmyun asks, struggling to keep up.

“Luhan,” Jongdae answers, as he reaches the stairs.

But Luhan is too quick, easily jumping ahead of them to block the only exit out of the basement. Jongdae makes sure to keep Joonmyun behind him, there’s no point in both of them getting killed.

“Joonmyun hasn’t done anything wrong,” Jongdae says, trying to keep his voice steady. “It was just me. Release him unharmed, and I’ll go with you.”

“Jongdae, no!” Joonmyun hisses, but Jongdae ignores his plea.

“What are you talking about?” Luhan asks, surprised.

Jongdae pauses. “You don’t want to kill me?”

“Of course not.” Luhan frowns down at the pair. “What the hell made you think that?”

“Where does your loyalty lie?” Jongdae asks warily. “With me or with the elders?”

Luhan doesn’t hesitate for even a second. “With you, my prince. Always with you.”

“It was the elders that had my brother killed, not a wolf,” Jongdae says, watching Luhan’s reaction carefully. He sees the shock clearly in Luhan’s eyes before they darken with rage.

“I’ll kill them all myself,” Luhan hisses, already turning on his heel to go up the stairs.

“No, wait!” Jongdae says, grabbing hold of Luhan’s arm. “We can’t fight them, we have to get out of here.”

“But my prince-”

“No, we need to leave,” Jongdae orders. He’s already been in here for too long. Chanyeol must be worried sick about him. All he can think about now is getting back to his wolf.

“Alright,” Luhan agrees. “But we’ll need to take some of the humans with us. We won’t be able to go that long without feeding.”

“Taemin and Minseok,” Joonmyun says before rushing off to gather the boys.

Luhan also disappears into a few of the human’s rooms and when he returns there are more following him. He sends a man named Ryeowook off to go find Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, to bring them back down to Luhan. “It’s not going to be easy getting out of here with the pets,” Luhan explains when Jongdae gives him a questioning look. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Ryeowook returns ten minutes later with vampires on either side of him. “What’s going on?” Kyungsoo asks as he eyes the group of humans and vampires gathered around in the hall.

“The prince has returned,” Baekhyun says, bowing low as soon as he spots Jongdae in the crowd. “I’m glad you are safe, my prince.”

“Thank you,” Jongdae replies, and when he is finished a brief explanation about the elders murdering his brother, he is relieved to see Kyungsoo and Baekhyun with the same expression of hatred and shock that Luhan had. They spend about another half an hour gathering up more vampires, ones that they know for sure are still loyal to Jongdae.

“There’s too many of us to make it out of here without anyone noticing,” Baekhyun comments as they are getting ready to leave.

“I still don’t understand why we can’t just kill them all,” Kyungsoo complains.

“There has been enough fighting already,” Jongdae replies. “I don’t want to risk losing any more members of my coven.”

“Alright,” Luhan agrees. “But we’re going to have to leave by force, or we’ll never be able to get out of here.”

At Jongdae’s nod, Luhan begins giving orders. The plan is to take them all out through the front gate. The weaker vampires will take out the human guards, make sure none of the human pets get harmed. Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and the other vampire guards will take care of any vampires still under the elder’s control. Luhan will be protecting Jongdae and Joonmyun himself.

All goes smoothly until they make it to the main entrance to the coven. The other vampires are getting too suspicious of their large group and Luhan can’t explain away the group’s presence anymore. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun spring into action at the first sign of trouble, knocking out any vampires that try to get in their way. Jongdae’s other vampires efficiently disarm the human guards and Taemin even punches a guard in the face who tries to grab him.

The alarm sounds before they can get the gate opened and more of the elders’ vampires rush into the yard to try and stop them. Luckily Luhan’s override code still works, and he punches the numbers into the pinpad at the side of the outer security office. The humans are the first through the mechanical gate as it slowly starts to open.

“Wolves!” someone yells, and Jongdae whips around to see Chanyeol and his pack just on the other side of the gate.

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae calls and the wolf is by his side in an instant.

“Protect the prince!” someone else shouts.

Luhan attempts to get in between him and Chanyeol, but Jongdae steps in front of him. He puts his hand on the gun - loaded with silver bullets - that Luhan has aimed at Chanyeol. “It’s alright,” he says. “They’re here to help.”

“But-”

“Do you trust me?” Jongdae asks. He can see the struggle on Luhan’s face, between what he’s been trained to do for hundreds of years and Jongdae’s words. “It’s okay, really.”

Luhan lowers his weapon slowly, uncertainly. He stares in shock as Jongdae easily climbs onto the back of the huge grey wolf, as if that’s where he belongs. “Wha-”

“They’re here to help,” Jongdae repeats. It takes a moment, but eventually Luhan nods in understanding. “I’ll be fine with Chanyeol. Get the humans onto the wolves. The faster we can get out of here, the better.”

“Yes, my prince,” Luhan replies. He grabs the pet closest to him - Taemin - and lifts him onto Chanyeol’s back behind Jongdae.

“I thought the wolves were our enemy?” Taemin asks, confused.

“It’s a long story,” Jongdae replies.

When Jongdae looks around, he’s surprised to find Joonmyun on top of a wolf as well, Kris from the looks of it, with Kibum behind him. Joonmyun looks like he’s terrified at being on Kris’ back. Chanyeol notices too, snorting in amusement, even as it catches Kris’ attention and the big black wolf growls warningly at them. Chanyeol just ignores it, trotting around as he makes sure that his wolves and Jongdae’s vampires are safe.

They’re outnumbered and outgunned, but with the wolves and Luhan’s guards, Jongdae’s side is much stronger than the elders’ vampires. They seem to realize this as well, not daring to take a step outside the safety of the coven’s walls.

“Follow that wolf,” Jongdae calls pointing to where Jongin is trying to lead the vampires who cannot fight toward the den. Luhan, with Minseok thrown over his shoulder, stays close to Jongdae and Chanyeol, easily dodging any bullets aimed at them. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo have fallen back as well, taking up positions on either side of Luhan.

Jongdae stares regretfully at the coven. It makes him upset to leave the place he grew up, the only place he’s ever known, but he can’t live in a house where his subjects are plotting to kill him. “Let’s go,” Jongdae says, patting Chanyeol’s shoulder. Slowly the group begins to back away from the coven, making sure no one follows them as they make their escape.

When they arrive back at the den, it’s to the sight of the wolves on one side, and the vampires and humans on the other. Taemin hops off the back of Chanyeol as soon as he’s able, joining the rest of the humans gathered around the remnants of the campfire. Jongdae remains where he is, allowing Chanyeol to take him straight down the center of the divide.

There are murmurs coming from both sides, of fear and hate. He and Chanyeol need to put a stop to it before a fight breaks out. They worked together well enough when there was a common enemy, but now they look ready to fight each other.

It’s only when Chanyeol stops in the middle does Jongdae climb off his back. Chanyeol has shifted back into his human form by the time Jongdae turns around. He takes Chanyeol’s outstretched hand, linking their fingers together. The chatter surrounding them only gets louder.

Jongdae isn’t surprised when Luhan is the first to speak. “What’s going on?” he asks, taking a step forward.

Chanyeol squeezes Jongdae’s hand briefly before letting go again. “I’ll wait for you in my room,” he tells Jongdae, placing a quick kiss to his forehead. “But don’t wait too long. We still have to figure out sleeping arrangements for your coven.” With that, Chanyeol leads his pack into the den and out of sight from the members of Jongdae’s coven. He’s grateful for the privacy, but at the same time he doesn’t want to be separated from Chanyeol, not after everything that has happened.

He just hopes that his vampires are as open minded and understanding as the wolves are. Chanyeol’s pack has had a lot more time to get used to the idea of vampires and wolves working together, while Jongdae’s vampires have only had a couple of hours. He fears that the information that he’s about to share might be too much for some of his people to accept in such a short period of time.

It’s Joonmyun who stays by Jongdae’s side, comforting him as he starts the story from the beginning. He tells them all about the first time he met Chanyeol, and then about the second. He explains that Chanyeol setting off the alarm wasn’t because he was trying to attack them, that he just needed a flower to save Sehun and Jongin. He can see the shocked and confused expressions on their faces as they listen to his story. He wonders how many of them actually believe him.

Chanyeol wanders back to Jongdae’s side just as he’s about to explain everything he overheard the elders’ say. Chanyeol doesn’t say anything, only holds Jongdae’s hand again, but just that is enough to give Jongdae the strength to continue.

It takes both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun to stop Luhan from marching back into the coven to rip the elders apart once he hears everything in full detail. “Treason!” he shouts, outraged. “They’re supposed to be guiding the prince, not slaughtering him!”

“They would have killed me too,” Jongdae replies softly. “If they had found out about me and Chanyeol.”

Luhan easily shakes off the two vampires holding him down and marches straight over to where Jongdae and Chanyeol are sitting instead. Determined, he gets down onto his knees in front of them, bowing until his forehead touches the dirt. “I won’t fail you again, my prince,” Luhan declares. “I swear that from this day on, I will do whatever it takes to protect you and this coven.”

Jongdae glances around at the small number of vampires that they managed to save. “There’s not much of a coven left,” he replies sadly.

“No,” Luhan replies, looking up. “As long as you’re still with us, that’s all we need.”

Jongdae doesn’t know what to say, he just nods, trying to keep himself together as the rest of the vampires - and some humans - shout their approval. Even Chanyeol agrees too, pulling Jongdae close to his chest as he says, “You can start a new coven here, with my pack.”

Jongdae’s so overwhelmed with happiness that tears well up in his eyes and spill down his flushed cheeks before he realizes that he’s crying.

Despite the fact that everyone agreed that there is no reason to fight each other anymore, living together with the vampires is hard on Chanyeol’s pack. Some of them get along like nicely, but there are others who find it difficult to trust the vampires, who they have hated for so long. Chanyeol doesn’t blame them. After all, if would have taken him a lot longer to learn to trust Jongdae had he not imprinted.

Chanyeol finds that it’s the omegas that get along with the vampires the best, accepting them into their home as easily as taking in a lone wolf. Sehun especially has been making friends with a number of vampires, but there’s one in particular that he seems to favour. Chanyeol often sees him clinging onto Kyungsoo’s arm, happily chatting away. The vampire, in Chanyeol’s opinion, appears to be the type to have a cold attitude, but he doesn’t seem to mind Sehun’s company at all. In fact, he might actually enjoy it.

Even stranger still, Sehun is actually happy about the extra hunts they need to go on for the new mouths to feed. The vampires don’t need much, since they brought their own sources of food with them, however their humans’ snacks need to be provided for. Kyungsoo is one of the few vampires to join the hunts, much to Sehun’s delight.

Not everyone is as glad to have the vampires around during hunts as Sehun is though. Kris seems to be in a constant state of pissed off with the vampires around, which isn’t surprising since he still hasn’t accepted his feelings toward Joonmyun yet. Chanyeol knows he will, eventually. He just needs some more time.

Another wolf who has trouble with the vampires joining the hunts is Jongin. It’s odd, since he doesn’t appear particularly bothered by the vampires in general. Chanyeol knows he’s quite fond of Jongdae as he often sees Jongin laughing and joking around with the vampire. But when it comes to the hunts, Jongin is irritable. There isn’t a peaceful hunt with Jongin around.

Jongin even goes as far as lashing out at a vampire when he’s supposed to be focused on the deer he’s chasing.

“What the fuck is your problem, dog?” the vampire, whose name Chanyeol forgot, yells as he dodges Jongin’s attack. The rest of the wolves on the hunt take offense to the insult, growling warningly at the vampire.

Jongin barks, crouched low to the ground, and Chanyeol is forced to shift into his human form, stepping in between them before either of them get any more physical. “Jongin, stand down,” Chanyeol orders, and the wolf immediately backs off. “The rest of you get back to the hunt.” The vampire looks like he wants to argue, but Kyungsoo makes sure he does as he’s told.

“What were you thinking?” Chanyeol asks, once they’re left alone in the forest. “Are you trying to start another war?”

“No!” Jongin replies as he shifts back into human form too.

“Then what’s gotten into you?”

“I-” Jongin starts, but promptly shuts his mouth.

Chanyeol sighs, he knows how stubborn Jongin can be when he wants to. “Look, I know you don’t like the vampires being here-”

“That’s not true, I like the vampires,” Jongin corrects. “I just don’t like that one.”

“Oh?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him.

“He’s a bully,” Jongin explains after a moment of staring at the trees.

“A bully,” Chanyeol repeats. It’s a poor excuse, but Jongin still nods insistently.

“Have you seen the way he treats the humans?” Jongin continues, a slight growl punctuating his words. “He acts like he doesn't care about their wellbeing. He’s just using them for blood.”

Chanyeol just stares at Jongin, confused. “The humans are there to provide blood for the vampires,” he replies.

Jongin huffs. “No they’re not!” he shouts.

“None of them are being held here against their will, Jongin,” Chanyeol argues, gently. “They’re here because they chose to be.”

“They have feelings too,” Jongin mumbles stubbornly. “They deserve to be treated better than that.”

“What’s with the sudden interest in humans? You were never interested in them before…” Chanyeol trails off as a thought occurs to him. It’s not all the humans that Jongin is concerned with, just one. “Oh.”

Jongin doesn’t reply, just turns away and looks at anything but Chanyeol as his face turns pink.

“It’s Taemin, isn’t it?” Chanyeol asks softly. “Have you imprinted on him?”

“I don’t know,” Jongin replies, shrugging. “I haven’t actually talked to him yet.”

Chanyeol hums. “Well, that’s a good place to start,” Chanyeol suggests, throwing his arm around Jongin’s shoulders. “Try getting to know him first and see how you feel after that.”

Jongin lets Chanyeol lead him through the trees as they take their time making their way back to the den. “Okay,” he eventually agrees.

Jongdae comes up to greet Chanyeol just as he returns from home from the hunt with Jongin. “We need to talk,” Jongdae tells him, looking rather serious as he pulls Chanyeol into the den, far enough away so that they won’t be overheard.

“What is it?” Chanyeol asks.

“It’s about Kris,” Jongdae replies and Chanyeol sighs in relief, thinking along the lines of something a lot worse happened, like they were under attack. “Joonmyun’s terrified of him!”

“I know,” Chanyeol replies. As if he hadn’t noticed the way Kris has been following Joonmyun around, stalking him like a predator hunts down its prey. And he’s seen the way Joonmyun shies away from Kris, hiding behind Luhan and Kyungsoo for protection.

“If you knew, why haven’t you done anything about it?”

“It’s not that easy,” Chanyeol replies. “Kris and I grew up together, I know him better than any wolf. The more we push him toward Joonmyun, the more he’ll fight back.” He pauses, sighing. “We’ll just have to wait until he comes around on his own.”

“But Joonmyun-”

“He’s safe here,” Chanyeol assures him. “I'm sure that Kris imprinted on him. He would never do anything to hurt Joonmyun, and he’d never let anything happen to him either. Try not to worry so much about it.”

Jongdae looks like he still wants to protest but he keeps his mouth shut. Chanyeol tries to ease the tension out of him by kissing it away. Jongdae easily melts against Chanyeol’s lips, reaching up to tangle his hands in the wolf’s hair.

“At least we’re not the only vampire-wolf pair anymore,” Jongdae informs him when Chanyeol breaks the kiss to lick a wet trail down Jongdae’s neck.

“Oh?”

Jongdae moans as Chanyeol gently bites down on his skin. “Yeah, Jungsoo has been spending a lot of time hanging around that one alpha.”

“Youngwoon,” Chanyeol replies. He had noticed that too. “It seems that Jongin also has a crush on Taemin.”

“Really?” Jongdae asks, but it comes out as more of a gasp when Chanyeol gets his hand down his pants. “But Taemin’s a human.”

“It shouldn’t have happened under these circumstances, but I think our people were always meant to be together,” Chanyeol explains as he works on getting Jongdae’s clothes off. Leaving kisses down Jongdae’s chest, Chanyeol continues, “At the very least, you and I were meant to be together.”

Jongdae would have probably voiced his agreement had Chanyeol not chosen that moment to wrap his lips around his cock. All thoughts of any other wolves or vampires are pushed from Chanyeol’s mind as he focuses on pleasuring Jongdae. His mate, though he hasn’t left his mark on Jongdae yet, hasn’t officially claimed him. With everything that’s been going on, he hasn’t found the right moment to ask.

Jongdae’s fingers tighten in Chanyeol’s hair, moaning as his hips buck slightly. Chanyeol smiles around Jongdae’s cock. He knows Jongdae so well now, knows exactly where to touch and how to hard to press to have Jongdae falling apart underneath him. Jongdae’s voice cracks as he comes, spilling against Chanyeol’s tongue.

“Tasty,” Chanyeol murmurs, licking Jongdae’s cock clean. Jongdae blushes from the compliment and oversensitivity, pushing Chanyeol away with a hand on his forehead. Chanyeol just smirks, admiring how beautiful a satisfied Jongdae looks spread out in his bed.

“What about you?” Jongdae asks, reaching over to palm the bulge in Chanyeol’s pants when the wolf makes no move of taking things further.

Chanyeol catches Jongdae’s hand just in time. He brings it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the inside of his wrist. “Later,” Chanyeol promises. “I have important alpha things to do.”

Jongdae whines in protest but he quickly shuts up when Chanyeol kisses him. He’s already half asleep by the time Chanyeol covers him with a blanket as he leaves to go check on his pack.

Chanyeol wakes up shortly after the sun has set and he tightens his grip around Jongdae’s waist, pulling him closer. Jongdae stirs in Chanyeol’s embrace, curling towards the warmth. He easily finds Chanyeol’s hand, linking their fingers together.

In the other room, Chanyeol can hear the sounds of his wolves beginning to get up from a good night’s rest. The vampires are starting to wake up too and there’s a bit of chatter between the two kinds. They’re getting along easier, Chanyeol notes. It’s only been about a week, but the wolves and vampires are starting to fall into a routine of learning to work together in order to survive.

Everything is as it should be, but Chanyeol doesn’t want to get up just yet. He buries his face into the back of Jongdae’s neck, snuggling closer, content to just cuddle until he’s needed by his pack.

The first sign of danger comes in the form of a deafening howl. It has Chanyeol’s attention at once, his eyes snapping wide open and his ears perk up, listening intently. Whimpering follows the howl, and there’s a moment of silence before the panicking starts. The night is full with the sound of wolves growling, vampires hissing and humans screaming.

Chanyeol regrets thinking that they’re finally starting to get along, if they’re picking fights again so early after having just woken up.

Heavy footsteps ring throughout the den as Chanyeol and Jongdae scramble to pull on some clothes. It’s Luhan who bursts into the room. “Chanyeol, Jongdae,” he addresses them, not bothering with formalities. “It’s the old coven. The elders have sent vampires to do their dirty work. Be careful.” Luhan swiftly exits the room without another word, leaving the couple behind to stare at the empty spot where he had just been, bewildered.

“Shit,” Jongdae curses after a moment and he darts out of the room after Luhan.

“Jongdae, wait!” Chanyeol calls after him, following as well, but by the time he makes it outside, Jongdae is nowhere to be seen. He is pleased to see that Jongdae’s vampires and his wolves are working together to defend against the enemy vampires. Off to the side, Kyungsoo and Sehun have gathered up the humans, omegas and the vampires who don’t know how to defend themselves, taking them away from the danger.

“Chanyeol!” Kris yells, running over to him. He skids to a stop in the dirt just shy of knocking into Chanyeol.

“What happened?” Chanyeol demands, staring at the chaos around them. There’s a huge, bloody gash in Kris’ shoulder and that’s not even the worst of the damage that Chanyeol sees. “How did they find us?”

“They must have followed us into the woods that night,” Kris explains, wheezing harshly. “They’ve probably been scouting us out the whole time. I’ve noticed vampire scents lingering in the woods, but I thought they were our vampires. Damn vampires all smell the same to me.”

An enemy vampire chooses that moment to attack, wielding a bloodied silver knife aimed at Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol doesn’t see it coming, but Kris does. He strikes at the vampire before the weapon has a chance to connect with Chanyeol. Once Kris has the enemy pinned to the ground, he uses his good arm to drive the makeshift wooden stake in his hand through the vampire’s chest. It makes a sickening shrieking sound until it completely disintegrates into a pile of dust that is picked up and blown away by the wind.

“They’re fast,” Kris comments, getting back to his feet. “But once you catch them, they’re really easy to kill.” He tosses the stake in his hand, watching it flip around in the air before catching it again in one smooth motion.

Chanyeol nods, following Kris as they make their way over to where another enemy vampire is fighting one of Jongdae’s. Chanyeol distracts the enemy long enough for Kris to pounce from behind, knocking it away from Kyuhyun. After the enemy has been reduced to dust, Kris picks up the extra stake from the ground and hands it to Kyuhyun. “I trust you know what to do with this,” Kris says. Kyuhyun nods stiffly, and thanks them before he darts off to help Zhou Mi.

There’s no sign of Jongdae when Chanyeol looks around again, but they do appear to outnumber the enemy, even with the humans and omegas hiding somewhere safe. Chanyeol gets separated from Kris after a minute, when he goes to save Jongin, who has gotten himself cornered by three vampires. Chanyeol manages to scare away one of them and together he and Jongin have no problem taking out the other two.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks, looking Jongin over for damage.

“I’m still in one piece,” Jongin replies, giving Chanyeol a crooked smile.

“Good.” Chanyeol returns the smile, ruffling Jongin’s hair affectionately until the younger wolf ducks away from him. “Keep it that way.”

“Have you seen Taemin?” Jongin asks, looking around. “And where’s Jongdae? I thought he was with you.”

“Taemin is fine. He was in the group of humans that was with Sehun and Kyungsoo. He’ll be safe with them.”

“And Jongdae?”

Chanyeol doesn’t reply right away. He’s upset with Jongdae for leaving without him and mad at himself for not being fast enough to keep up. “We got separated,” Chanyeol explains eventually.

“You’ll find him,” Jongin says, attempting to be reassuring. “There weren’t that many enemy vampires around anyway. I’m sure he’s okay too.”

Chanyeol pauses, staring at Jongin as something occurs to him. “You’re right,” he says, glaring.

“Chanyeol?” Jongin asks, confused. “Are you okay?”

“They’re up to something,” Chanyeol says, more to himself than Jongin.

“Up to what?”

“Gather all the fighters around the campfire,” Chanyeol orders, ignoring Jongin’s questions. Something isn’t right. The number of enemy vampires here is nothing compared to how many there were left at the coven. No, this wasn’t a fight, but a distraction. A sinking feeling of dread pools in Chanyeol’s stomach as he waits for Jongin to finish collecting everyone.

When the last of the elder’s vampires have been taken out, and everyone is standing around the campfire like he wanted, Chanyeol’s heart aches. He’s glad to see that he hasn’t lost any wolves, but most of them are sporting an injury or two - nothing time won’t be able to fix with a little help from Yixing. The vampires appear to be in a better state, just out of breath from outrunning the vampires who were trying to kill them.

But worst of all, Jongdae isn’t among them.

“Where is Jongdae!?” Chanyeol growls, fearing the worst. There’s a moment of silence as everyone looks around.

Luhan curses. “My prince, I have failed you again.”

“He’s not dead,” Chanyeol snaps. If he concentrates hard enough, he can still make out Jongdae’s scent lingering in the air. He follows his nose until it starts to lead them away from the den. The scents of other vampires are with him, ones he doesn’t recognize. They must have used the fighting as a way to get to Jongdae.

Chanyeol growls angrily. He should have never let Jongdae out of his sight. Or better yet, he should have known that those damn vampires wouldn’t have just left Jongdae leave like that. Of course they would have retaliated, Chanyeol just marched in there with his pack and took away nearly half their damn coven. There’s no way that they’d just let him go without a fight.

Jongdae is still alive, he has to be. Chanyeol would know if anything has happened to him, just like when he could sense the danger whenever Jongdae went too long without feeding. He’d be able to feel it if Jongdae was staked. Chanyeol shakes his head, pushing those dark thoughts out of his mind.

Jongdae is still alive and Chanyeol is going after him.

Jongdae regains consciousness with a terrible pounding in his head. He’s overwhelmingly dizzy and it’s a long moment before he even summons up enough strength to open his eyes. The world spins in front of him, slowly going in and out of focus. He knows one thing for sure though, he’s been in his room before. He’s been taken back to the coven, inside the throne room.

However, instead of being seated on the throne, he’s chained up to a post erected in the middle of the room. And it’s the oldest of the elders who sits on the throne now, Jongdeok’s crown resting on his head.

“That crown doesn’t belong to you,” Jongdae mumbles, words slurring together. He’s not sure if they understand him, but at least it gets their attention.

“Ah, he’s awake,” the elder calls. After a round of disapproving shouts Jongdae realizes that the elder isn’t talking to him, but addressing the rest of the coven, the vampires who stayed behind when Jongdae left. It’s only when the elder stands up from the throne, making his way over to where Jongdae is being held prisoner, does he speak again, directly to Jongdae this time. “For your crimes against the coven, you have been sentenced to be put to death.”

“Crimes?” Jongdae repeats, incredulously. “What crimes? I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Silence,” the elder snaps, raising his hand as if to slap Jongdae across the face. Jongdae doesn’t even flinch. After a moment the elder regains his composure, lowering his hand to brush off non-existent dirt from his shirt. “As I was saying, the coven has found you guilty on multiple occasions where you have broken our law.”

Jongdae lets out a sort of hysterical laugh. “I haven’t broken any laws.”

“Oh, but you have,” the elder insists, hissing. “Fraternizing with the enemy, plotting to take over the coven, to name a few. These are crimes that cannot be forgiven.”

“I’m the crown prince! I’m supposed to take over the coven one day.”

The elder turns his nose up at Jongdae. “You’re not a prince anymore. I’m the king now.”

“You’re nothing but a power hungry old man,” Jongdae snorts. This time he does get backhanded across the face for his words.

“Silence!”

“Did you have my parents killed too?” Jongdae asks, struggling against the ropes that hold his wrists above his head. “If I hadn’t ran away would you have killed me just like you murdered Jongdeok?”

There are murmurs spreading throughout the crowd of vampires behind Jongdae, as if they weren’t aware that the elders killed Jongdeok. The elder quiets the chatter with an impatient wave of his hand. “Your brother was punished for breaking coven law, just as you will be.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong and neither did I. You can’t do this to me!”

The elder laughs. “I can, and I will.” Turning to a servant, he says, “Bring me the stake.”

“I’m your prince!” Jongdae shouts, struggling even more against the bonds. Fear and regret bubble up inside Jongdae, paralyzing him as the servant obediently hands the stake over to the elder. Jongdae’s not afraid of death, but certainly doesn’t want to die. There’s still so much he has to live for; he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life happily by Chanyeol’s side.

The elder ignores him, raising the stake high in the air despite Jongdae’s pleas.

There’s really no escaping death this time, Jongdae thinks bitterly as he stares up at the sharp stake. What a horrible way to go - killed by the people who were supposed to love him. He wonders if it’ll hurt having the stake driven through his heart or if he’ll feel anything at all.

The elder pauses just as the stake is a couple inches away from piercing through Jongdae’s heart. His face twists and he makes a sort of screeching noise before he dissolves into dust that falls down into a pile at Jongdae’s feet. The stake bounces as it hits the tiles on the floor and rolls away, but the crown’s fall is cushioned by the pile of clothes the elder had been wearing. Jongdae looks around, trying to see what happened, but he’s held securely in place by the ropes digging into his skin.

The guards from either side of Jongdae disappear too, more piles of dust popping up in their place. That’s when he hears the growling and the shouts from behind him. From the sounds of it, his vampires and Chanyeol’s pack have come to rescue him.

His hopes are confirmed when a familiar grey wolf jumps into his field of vision. “Chanyeol!” he cries, relieved.

Chanyeol bumps his head briefly against Jongdae’s hip, before he lowers his muzzle to Jongdae’s feet. He clamps his teeth around the rope binding Jongdae’s ankles, biting and pulling until it snaps. Chanyeol does the same to the ropes around Jongdae’s wrists, standing on his hind legs to reach.

Jongdae would have fallen down to the floor if Chanyeol hadn’t been ready to catch him. Despite his stiff limbs and aching muscles, Jongdae throws his arms around the wolf, running his fingers through the soft fur. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he whispers, words catching in his throat as he clings onto Chanyeol tightly.

It only takes a couple of seconds for Chanyeol to shift into his human form, wrapping his arms securely around Jongdae in return. “Nothing could keep me from you,” Chanyeol replies, cupping Jongdae’s face briefly in his palms. “I love you.”

By the time Chanyeol gets to his feet, pulling Jongdae up with him, the fight is over. Jongdae’s vampires and Chanyeol’s wolves stand triumphantly throughout the room, standing in mounds of dust, clothes and abandoned weapons.

“We did it,” Luhan cheers, breaking the silence that had settled over the throne room. “We have take back our home!” The throne room erupts with cheers, from vampires and wolves alike.

Kyungsoo is one of the only vampires not participating in the celebration. He quietly make his way over to where the remains of the elder lies, picking up the fallen crown. He brushes as much of the dirt off of it as he can before holding it out to Jongdae. “Long live the rightful king,” he says.

Jongdae thanks Kyungsoo as he takes back his crown. The weight of it is heavy in his hands. “Jongdeok was the rightful king,” he whispers. “Not me.”

Chanyeol wraps his arm around Jongdae’s shoulder, tucking him into his side. “Your brother would be proud that you have finally put an end to this useless war.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Jongdae replies, nodding. He takes comfort in the fact that it’s probably what his brother would have wanted.

Epilogue