You Make Her Growl 2/2
Title: You Make Her Growl 2/2
Pairing: Yunho/Yuri (mentioned Eunhyuk/Donghae)
Rating: NC-17 bestiality, het
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd probably make them get married. They are so cute together.
Summary: On the run, Yunho and Yuri find a small prowl to stay at for a moment. Until Yunho's not-so-distant past catches up to him.
Warning: het, bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic)
A/N: This ended up being such a direct sequel to You Make Her Growl, that I just changed this to be part 2 of that same fic.
Part 2:
Warning: het, bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic)
That night, they stayed at a cheap, ugly love motel smack dab in the middle of Seoul. Yunho left Japan constantly. His absence would not throw up any red flags for a little while. But in Seoul they would. He knew of the Dominant in this part of Seoul. They weren’t exactly friends. But he was stronger than Taeyang, so hopefully the other would stay away long enough for Yunho to get out of town as quickly as possible.
Yuri stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips. She glanced at the corny love phrases on the wall, smirked at the table covered in lube and toys.
“You take me to the nicest places,” she said and smiled at Yunho.
Yunho snorted. “It’s easy to pay in cash here. And it’s just for tonight.”
“Do you think the bed vibrates?”
“Probably. I won’t know. I’m going to sleep over there.” He pointed to a couch along the wall. It was neon green and obviously vinyl. Easy clean up. It would not be comfortable.
She frowned. “Why?”
“I’m not sure I can control myself sleeping next to you.”
It was her turn to scoff. “Trust me when I say that I can. Sleep on the bed, dumbass.”
“I’m not even sure I’ll sleep. I have too much to do.”
She crossed her arms, under her breasts, and god, that was so distracting. Yunho looked away, at their bags.
“I can’t just ... well, I can just disappear. But I have to disassemble everything, sell my business, redirect money to new accounts. Get us new phones. Just ... I need to do a lot of shit tonight. If everything goes the way I’m planning, and it usually does, I’ll be free of all of that in a week.”
She stared at him for a few long moments. And then she nodded. “That makes sense. Can you do all of that from a computer?”
“Most of it. I may have to stop at a bank or two here in Korea. I also need to make up a history for you, get you papers and documents. You don’t really exist right now. And if we’re leaving the country ...”
“I guess I need to start thinking more about life outside of a whore,” she said.
Yuri flopped on the bed, feet on the floor, hands above her head. The plain T-shirt she wore slid up her flat stomach and Yunho’s panther growled at him.
“Heard that,” she muttered with a smile.
“You’re sexy.”
“I know. Should I order some food?”
“That would be so wonderful. Just like you.”
She rolled her eyes, but Yunho felt her happiness at the corny compliment. He sat on the couch and pulled his laptop out of its bag. He needed a new one. He had no idea how traceable this one was. There were men and leopards that could find him if they looked.
Like Kouyou. As his assistant, Kouyou was a great asset. On the run, Kouyou was his greatest adversary.
He had to hurry.
---
Changmin considered himself to be a fair leader. His prowl consisted of three other leopards and four leopardesses. There was only one mated pair in their midst: Eunhyuk and Donghae. The other leopard was Sungmin, and his leopardesses were Minji, Bom, Dara, and Chaerin.
None of them were anywhere near as strong as Changmin. For a leopard, he was rather young, only just twenty. Sungmin explained some things to him as they were officially establishing their prowl. Leopards are born strong, or they get strong by taking over other people’s territories.
Before Changmin really came into himself, Sungmin was in charge. Changmin wasn’t really sure if he was stronger since he technically took over Sungmin’s territory. But Sungmin wasn’t any weaker for allowing him to lead. Before Changmin, they weren’t really even a prowl. Just a few cats that lived near each other and met up sometimes.
He was still getting used to it all. Used to feeling them within his mind. Used to knowing where they always were. Used to cutting out EunHae when they decided they wanted to fuck. Again.
That’s why when his leopard grew agitated and annoyed, he knew something was up.
“Someone is here,” Sungmin said to him over the phone. “Someone strong. We can all feel it. Keep your guard up. I can’t get a sense of their intentions. They are here, they are not really hiding, but they also aren’t showing themselves. It’s been three days. If they were here on nice terms ... ”
Changmin huffed. It was hard to keep your guard up when you had finals looming. “I could try to find them.”
“Not smart. What if they mean you harm?”
“So I just stand here and wait until they attack?”
“I don’t know.” And Sungmin really sounded upset. “I have never, ever felt any cat this strong. Ever. I thought you were strong. I mean, you are, but this cat ... it’s like five of you.”
Changmin shut his eyes and tried his best to breathe and keep himself calm.
“I don’t think you’d be able to find them. I’ve been trying to narrow down their location, but it’s like they are everywhere.”
Changmin knew that feeling.
“I don’t think we’re going to contact them until they contact us. If they do. Maybe they’re just passing through.”
“Maybe they’re biding their time to kill us all.”
Sungmin growled. An order to shut his mouth.
And that was not okay. His leopard growled back.
“Shit, sorry, Changmin,” Sungmin said immediately. “I am on edge.”
“Yeah, me too. Look, I’m going to try to study. I have finals next week.”
“Stay alert.”
“You too.”
Changmin hung up his phone and chugged down about half of his latte. Being Dominant wasn’t too bad. He mostly just led meetings and helped the others when they needed him. They didn’t usually need him because they had been settled by the time he’d come into his leopard. But this was a new threat. How did he protect them from this? What if this very strong leopard wanted to fight him?
He did not really know how to fight. He did not know how to protect his prowl at all.
“Shim Changmin.”
Changmin looked up. The first thing he noticed about the couple standing at his table was that they were incredibly good looking, especially together. He was tall, short dark hair, a wide smile on his face. She was just shorter than him that they fit together, and her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail. They both wore jeans, both of them were in T-shirts. Hers yellow, his green. Very normal. Very non-descript
Except the absolute power exuding from them. That was the second thing he noticed.
He swallowed, eyes wide and his panther growled, low and deep.
The man’s smile fell for a moment, eyes narrowing. But there was a soft touch on his arm, from the woman, and the smile came back.
“Do you mind if we sit?” she asked.
Changmin did not know how to answer that. They were not ordering it. Just asking. And Changmin sort of waved his hand to the two chairs at the table.
At least they were in a library, in a public place. Not the place to cause a scene. They decided to approach him here and not a deserted street. That was good. Mostly.
“Thanks, Changmin-shi. My name is Kwon Yuri. This overprotective cat is my mate, Jung Yunho.”
Changmin choked on his spit. “J-Jung ... Y-Yunho?”
“You know who I am?”
Changmin attempted to swallow. “Um, ... sort of. Rumors. Just ... Japan. Aren’t you ... what ... oh shit.” He was going to die. Jung Yunho was going to rip out his throat and--
“Calm down,” Yunho said, and that was a bit of an order, and Changmin took a few deep breaths. But his heart was still pumping too fast. “We are not here to endanger you or your prowl. We have been moving here and there through Korea for a few weeks, trying to settle. I’ve been drawn to this little seaside village just ... well, let’s say it’s not exactly the normal place that I settle.”
“He is trying to ask for your permission to allow us to stay within your territory for a little while,” Kwon Yuri said.
Changmin attempted to swallow again. “Well, fuck.”
Yunho’s smile widened. “You’re pretty strong, Changmin-shi. A few weeks ago, I’d be down here trying to recruit you.”
Yuri huffed and rolled her eyes.
“Well, it’s true,” Yunho said, draping an arm over her shoulder. “Have you found your mate yet?”
Changmin shook his head quickly. “No.”
“Be glad. It changes your entire world and motivations.”
“Be glad?” Yuri said, shoving at Yunho’s side. “Be glad? You complete and utter--”
“Shh,” Yunho said. “We’re in a library.”
“You are an asshole,” Yuri whispered almost viciously.
Yunho smiled. “So, Changmin-shi. Is that okay? Can we stay?”
“I’m ... still pretty new. I don’t ... My cat is not happy. Neither is Sungmin’s. We ... we just ...”
“Your prowl is really small, and it’s pretty laid back, not a lot of hierarchy or problems in the ranks. It’s one reason why we were drawn to here. How long have you been Dominant?”
“Only ... a year. My cat surfaced when I was seventeen. Just three years ago. Sungmin told me that I ... that I was in charge.”
“Wow, you are really strong for being so new.”
“Sungmin is still mostly in charge,” Changmin said. “I’m in school.”
“I know. Top of your class too. Well done.”
Changmin tensed up. They had done their research on him. And his prowl. And probably all of their members.
“We do not want to hurt you. We are not here to take over or cause problems,” Yunho said, letting Changmin feel his sincerity. “But allowing us to stay may cause you problems. There are people after me. Other cats. Other humans. I’ve ... well, I’ve done some horrible things, Changmin-shi, and some of it may be trying to catch up to me. I promise if my presence here threatens your prowl in any way that we will leave.”
“Don’t decide now,” Yuri said. “Talk to your prowl. We have a hotel that we’re paying on a day-to-day basis. We’ll give you our cell numbers. Call us after you’ve talked to your prowl.”
Changmin nodded and took the proffered card that Yunho held out.
Yunho stood up first. “It was good to meet you.” He was so very gentle as Yuri stood too. But Yuri, Changmin suddenly noticed was strong. The amount of strength was not just from Yunho like he had assumed. But it was combined. Both of them were so strong.
Yunho’s arm went around her waist, and she shoved a hand in his back pocket. They left the library, and Changmin suddenly collapsed, head on the table. He was shaking, almost crying.
He’d just sat across from Jung Yunho and lived to tell about it.
He hadn’t been exactly honest. He knew exactly who Jung Yunho was. He was studying Japan and Korean crime families and their effect on the economy of Asia. He’d heard rumors that Jung Yunho had disappeared. And now, here he was, in their small little beach city.
His phone rang. Sungmin. He could feel Changmin’s anxiety.
Gathering up his books, he answered the call, “Sungmin. Fuck. Meeting. At yours. Now. Everyone.”
Sungmin wanted to ask, but Changmin had actually ordered it, thrown his power at Sungmin, which he never, ever did. Sungmin just said, “Yes, Dominant.” And then he hung up.
---
“Poor kid,” Yuri said while flopping onto the hotel bed. “You scared him to death.”
“He knew who I was, so he was more scaring himself.”
She scoffed at him and then frowned. “Is it safe to stay here then, since he knows who you are?”
Yunho frowned and lay down next to her. Almost unconsciously, their hands found each other and fingers entwined.
“I’m not really sure. He’s studying crime families in an economics Masters program. He is really smart. If he and Sungmin tell us to go, we’ll go. I can already feel them gathering.”
“So we wait.”
“Yep.”
Yuri rolled to her side, propped up on her elbow. “Any ideas of what we can do while we wait?”
Her smile was anything but innocent, and lust curled in Yunho’s gut. It’d been a month. An entire month of nothing but kisses and hugs. Was it time? He wasn’t sure. They’d been on edge, on the run, here to there, for so long.
He frowned.
“What is that look for?” Yuri demanded and smacked his shoulder. “You don’t want me?”
“Oh god, yes, I do. And you know it, but ...”
Yuri crawled over him, settling knees over his waist and her hands on his chest. With a smirk, she pressed down on his crotch, head tilted back. His hands went to her hips and he moaned.
“Well?” she said, fingers sliding over his nipples through his T-shirt.
He swallowed. “Yeah, okay. Take these jeans off. I know you like them. I’m about to rip them.”
She laughed and tried to climb off him, but Yunho pulled her back, back to his mouth for a kiss, and then a longer kiss.
“Better here than the love motel? Remember that place? So romantic for you to take me there first.”
“I think I can still smell it.”
“In a few minutes, you better not be able to smell anything but me,” Yuri said and finally pulled away to take off her clothes.
---
Changmin got used to the irritation. Mostly. His panther knew better than to challenge Yunho. So they allowed him to stay. With Yuri, his mate.
Changmin waited. He watched them closely. He had an outsider’s knowledge to everything that Jung Yunho was. He knew about the rumors of drug and human trafficking. He knew about the sex clubs and child prostitution rings. Yunho had never so much as been implicated in any of it. But his name cropped up enough that it couldn’t have been a coincidence.
And now Changmin knew why.
He never would have guessed that Jung Yunho, business tycoon and self-made man, was getting help from a metaphysical panther. But none of the crimes were visible now. None of the terror. None of the control. At least on the outside, Jung Yunho acted like he was happy and in love. He was happy and in love. Both of them were. He’d found his mate and just left everything else behind? Of everything that Changmin knew of Jung Yunho, it did not sound right. But it felt right.
His phone buzzed at him. A text. Even with his phone in his pocket, he knew it was from Yunho. He absolutely oozed control, dominance, obedience. His panther grumbled. He did not like Yunho here. His cat was constantly ready for a fight. Changmin beat him down a lot.
He checked it and wondered if Yunho could read his mind.
All the rumors are true. Or they were true. Not anymore. I live for my mate. When you find a mate, you’ll understand.
Changmin wasn’t sure how to reply to that.
Another text came through before he could anyway.
There are only eight of you, in your prowl, right?
Yes.
Check your surroundings. There’s something lurking. I’m going to try to fish it out. It doesn’t feel friendly.
Changmin checked with his panther. He was already so annoyed at being in the same area as someone so dominant that it took a few moments to feel past that. To something else. To something strong. Stronger than him. Not as strong as Yunho.
He sent a prowl-wide text to everyone.
There’s another cat else here. Doesn’t feel friendly. Yunho thinks the cat may be after him. Get together and stay indoors while Yunho checks it out.
He hit send, and no sooner than that did his entire soul shake with fear and pain. He gasped, breaking his phone when he gripped it too hard.
Shit.
Fuck.
It took too long to clear his head of the fear and pain that were not his.
Minzy. It was Minzy. In trouble. He could feel Dara’s fear too. Had she been there? Where was she?
Shit.
He lunged out of his apartment, and on four paws, ran to Sungmin’s, the prowl’s usual meeting house, as fast as he could. The back balcony door was open, and as soon as he was through, he felt Eunhyuk and Donghae on their way, following in their cat forms.
Chaerin and Bom were there, curled up with Sungmin.
Changmin curled up to his feet, slipping into his human form almost effortlessly. Almost. It dragged on him a bit to change twice in such a short time.
The first thing he did was join the other cats, curl up around them and attempt to do what Sungmin was doing and calming the girls down. He was better at it, since he was Dominant. A few moments later, Eunhyuk and Donghae were there. They weren’t as strong as Changmin, so they stayed in their cat forms and joined the pile.
Sungmin’s phone rang. He glanced at it and handed it to Changmin.
“Changmin?” Yuri said.
Changmin only growled.
“It’s Kouyou. If you know as much about Yunho as you say you do, then you know who that is. His street name is Uruha.”
Changmin’s face paled. The enforcer. Yunho’s knife. Or gun. Or chain. Or claw. Or whatever way he decided to kill you. The man was untraceable. There were over twenty known murders that were linked to him. Known murders. Who knew how many others? “Fuck.”
“Fuck indeed.”
“Two of my leopardesses are missing.”
“Yunho knows. He’ll fix this.”
Changmin swallowed. He didn’t like it, but the others in his prowl needed him too. They needed him to be strong and calming, even as his heart raced and fear crept into his mind.
---
“The girls are both alive,” Yunho said, “but with Kouyou, they’d probably rather be dead.”
Yuri huffed.
Yunho smiled at her and cupped her face in his hands. “Do I have your permission to rip him to pieces?”
Yuri smiled and pressed a kiss to one of his hands. “Of course, you do. But I may get to him first.”
“You are staying here,” he said.
“In a hotel room that he probably knows about? Are you insane?”
“Please, stay ... I can find him.”
“And I can sneak up on him. At least a little bit. If my cat doesn’t want to be sensed, she won’t be sensed.”
He shut his eyes, and it was his panther that was more or less grudgingly admitting that she was right.
“Not through the front door. Rooftops. Let’s go.”
With a bit of a grin, she spun around and out the door. Yunho followed. It was almost too easy to narrow down where Kouyou was. They’d been partners long enough that Yunho knew exactly what he felt like. He was stronger now. He wondered if that meant he’d taken over some of the prowls in Japan.
They went away from the elevators and down the hall to an emergency exit. Instead of down, they went up to the roof. Once there, Yunho shimmered into his panther form. Yuri followed suit. He was about to lunge away, when she brushed up against him, and licked his face.
Yunho almost purred and returned the quick lick.
From the roof, it was easy to feel the direction to go to, but a bit difficult to get there. They ran on rooftops for as long as they could and then dropped between buildings to prowl around alleyways. They were getting closer.
His presence led Yunho to the boarded up door of a closed store. Yuri gave him another lick to his face and then went down toward the back, leaving Yunho to the front door.
Well, more like the front window. It was already broken.
He smelled Kouyou so easily. And the girls. They were so scared. So hurt.
For the last three weeks, they had been like his own prowl.
“Here, kitty kitty,” Kouyou said.
Yunho growled.
One of the girls screamed.
That was enough. Yunho jumped through the window. As soon as pain from a knife flared over his side, he understood how not smart that was. He stumbled into the room, knocking into a shelf and sliding on the slick surface.
He got a glimpse of Kouyou and dove behind a shelf just as another knife shot his way. It missed.
Yunho shimmered back to human, the knife clanking to the floor. The wound was already healing, but fuck, it hurt. He thought of using the knife against him, but his cat was way more powerful than a knife.
“You should have known you couldn’t hide forever,” Kouyou said. “Pretty slick though. It took me about two weeks to realize you were actually gone. And with that whore of all things. What is she? Just a quick little fling? Someone from your hometown? Your mate? I still am not sure because you obviously aren’t mated.”
One of the girls screamed again.
“How long are you going to hide?” Kouyou said. “Until one of them is dead? I can speed this up if that’s the case.”
Yunho changed back to his panther and felt Kouyou do the same thing. He sprang from his hiding spot just in time to see his beautiful, gorgeous mate jump on Kouyou’s back. He had his claws in one of the girls, and ripped through her flesh to get Yuri off him.
It was a hard hit that had Yuri slamming into an old display case and landing hard on her side. Yunho fought the urge to go to her and lunged at Kouyou instead. They met with teeth and claws. Yuri attacked the back of him, getting a back kick to her side for her troubles. But it was enough.
With both of them, Kouyou still had a chance.
Yunho had seen him fight off six cats before.
In a moment, just the briefest second, Kouyou lunged for the two girls, both of whom were unconscious. His claws tore into one of their thighs, and then Yuri was on top of him again, trying to bite at his neck.
It was obvious that she’d never been in a fight before, but Yunho’s heart surged with love for her, for trying, for being so brave.
Again, Kouyou flung her off of him, claws going deep into her ribs. This time, she didn’t get up right away.
Yunho growled. Kouyou’s leopard almost grinned at him. He was between Yunho and Yuri and the girls.
Yunho was at a disadvantage.
But it was Yunho that Kouyou wanted. So it was Yunho that Kouyou attacked. Kouyou was a great fighter, always had been, and Yunho had fought by his side many many times. But Yunho was stronger. They moved through the store, knocking over shelves and swiping at each other easily.
Yuri, his beautiful mate, had moved to the girls. Even though she was bleeding heavily, she stood over them, growling at Kouyou to even dare. Fearless. Strong.
Yunho flooded with admiration for her, and attacked stronger, faster, harder.
Almost without warning, there were two more cats in the room with them. He recognized Changmin’s power, his black panther did not even pause before lunging at Kouyou. Together they beat him back, into a corner. He was still attacking, but on the losing side, defense more than offense.
Yunho stepped back.
It was Changmin’s prowl. Changmin’s leopardesses that had been attacked. The kill belonged to him.
But he hesitated, and Kouyou lunged, getting his jaws around Changmin’s neck. Changmin whimpered and fought back with his front paws, and Yunho pounced, digging his claws deep in Kouyou’s ribs and biting at his neck. He pulled, and then shook his head. With Kouyou physically weak, he threw all of his power at him with a strong order to let go. It took a few moments, but Kouyou finally released Changmin’s neck. He twisted his jaws and his neck and felt Kouyou’s bones snap under his strength. He dropped him.
Kouyou stayed still, body heaving with deep breaths.
Again, Yunho stepped back.
Kouyou growled, the sound low and gurgling with blood.
Changmin swayed where he stood.
Yunho tried not to order Changmin to kill him. The kid hadn’t ever had to do this before. He understood. To an extent. Kouyou had kidnapped and hurt two of Changmin’s prowl. Growling, Yunho pressed Changmin harder. Still not ordering. More of an encouragement.
Changmin did not want to. Every cat in the room could tell.
And then one of the girls was conscious again, whimpering and crying.
Changmin’s black panther growled, and a moment later, moved forward. It was quick, instinctive, to protect. To guard. To think of his prowl first. He opened his mouth around Kouyou’s head. The injured cat tried to attack, and then Changmin bit down, crushing his skull with a satisfying crunch.
Yunho took a deep breath of vindication.
Changmin staggered back from him, paws sliding on the floor. He moved as far as he could before he shimmered back to his human form, and then he was throwing up, back curling up as he emptied his stomach all over the dusty floor.
Yunho winced in sympathy and changed into his human form too. He glanced over at Sungmin and Yuri, both were helping the girls with their wounds, helping them change into their cat forms to help heal.
Yunho’s own cuts and scrapes were already mostly healed.
So were Changmin’s.
Yunho moved over to him and sat near him, but did not touch him. He did not want Changmin to think he was a threat.
But Changmin did not think that, and a moment later, he had his arms around Yunho’s bare waist, his face buried in his shoulder, and he was crying.
“I’m sorry,” Yunho said, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“I can’t ... Yunho, I can’t ... I can’t ... I can’t do that. Please. I can’t ...” His body lurched again, and he moved away just enough to throw up again.
“We need to get out of here,” Sungmin said. “I hear sirens.”
Yunho nodded. He pulled Changmin back against his body and tried to help soothe the human and the cat. The cat was curled up, happy to have saved his girls, but he did not like that anymore than human Changmin did. The panther understood it was necessary. But Changmin was not violent. Changmin was a student. And so young.
“Can you change back?” Yunho said. “We need to run.”
Changmin shuddered and he soaked in Yunho’s encouragement. The others had already changed and left, and Yuri stood waiting for them.
“Go,” Yunho said to his mate. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She didn’t seem happy, but she went, jumping from the window and running.
Yunho pulled Changmin to a sitting position and used his hands on his shoulders and face to get him to calm down even more. “A good Dominant always protects his prowl. I told you I’d take care of it, but you came anyway.”
“They were hurting,” he said.
Yunho nodded. “They were, and like a good Dominant, you came to their rescue. Sometimes that means death. Sometimes it doesn’t. Without you here, Kouyou may have beat me. He’s a very strong cat. He was. So thank you for coming.”
“Will this happen again?” Changmin asked, almost whispered. “With others from Japan?”
Yunho took a deep breath. “It might. I can’t guarantee it won’t.”
Changmin swallowed. “We’re too on edge to make a decision now. Let’s get out of here.”
“Spoken like a true Dominant.”
The sirens were much closer, and Yunho shimmered to his panther, Changmin following suit.
Yunho went to Kouyou’s body. The man had never been his friend. With a growl, he swiped at his crushed face and then followed Changmin’s black panther out of the store. A few of the officers saw them, but when they went inside, all they’d see is a dead cat. No human being. Even as a human, Kouyou was not really human.
A few weeks ago, some would have said the same about Yunho.
They ran to Sungmin’s house, catching up with the others just as the happy reunion between the girls and the cats happened.
Yuri was already a human, going right to the kitchen for a drink of water. There were deep, yet healing, claw marks on her ribs.
Yunho changed back as well. But Changmin stayed in his panther form for a little while, letting the other cats of his prowl gather close.
Yunho went to his mate and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You were so utterly and stupidly brave. You always have been.”
Yuri shoved him away. “Saved your ass, you ungrateful kitten.”
Yunho chuckled. “Yes, you did.”
Sungmin was next into his human form. “Is Changmin okay?”
“Mostly. The first kill is always the hardest.”
They watched Changmin struggle for a moment, and then he was human again, still on the floor. “This is all your fault,” he said, though he did not look directly at Yunho while he said it.
Yunho’s panther growled, and Yunho told him to shut up. “It is,” he said. “It may not be the last. I promised you that if your prowl was in danger that I would leave. So I am going to leave.”
“And go where?” Changmin asked. “To someone else? Endanger someone else?”
“We can’t stay here,” Yunho said.
Changmin was shaking as he moved into the kitchen. “You can. I ... I can’t ... I can’t ... Yunho, I can’t do that ... not again. Not.” He lurched and fell into Yunho’s arms, crying.
Yunho rubbed his back and held him up. When he calmed down enough, Yunho took them back into the other room and settled him on the couch. His mate threw a blanket over his body.
Yunho kneeled next to the couch. “What did you say a little while ago? We’re too on edge to make a decision. You and your prowl need to talk.”
“We can’t leave,” Yuri said and touched his shoulder. “We can’t leave them alone. What if someone followed Kouyou? What if he brought others with him?”
Sungmin was angry. Rightly so. Yunho shoved his cat deep in his soul to keep him from growling. The other two leopards and the girls were terrified.
Yunho took a deep breath. “You’re right. We cannot leave you unprotected. We’ll stay to make sure you are safe, and then we’re leaving.”
---
Changmin stared at the piece of paper on his wall. So official. Framed in black. A single thing that represented the last two years of chaos in his life. It took a long time to get it. Or at least, it felt like a long time. Yuri had convinced him to take some time off after that mess with Kouyou. The stress, the guilt, and the constant distaste in his soul had Changmin easily giving up his leadership to Yunho. Sungmin still felt a bit angry, but Yunho understood. He could be awesome like that.
Changmin still felt guilty. For killing someone. For giving up being a leader. Yunho said he was strong. But he didn’t feel that way.
“You deserve that,” Yunho said, coming up beside him. He draped his arm over Changmin’s shoulder.
“Eh,” Changmin said with a shrug.
Yunho laughed. “PhD next? You’ll have plenty of time.”
“I think so. I doubt I’m going to be able to stretch out my knowledge of the collapse of the Jung Empire over the next five years or so though.”
“I did not have an empire.”
Changmin looked at him with an eyebrow lifted in disbelief.
“Okay, fine. So I did. But it hasn’t quite collapsed yet. You’ll have to postpone it until people actually realize that it has collapsed.”
“It’s getting messy over there. Police are all over the place, finding bodies. Their crime rate has almost doubled.”
Yunho took a deep breath. “Business wise it should be fine. All my old companies have new owners, but with the prowls ... I haven’t really said this out loud yet, not even to Yuri, but I fucked up. I was greedy and power-mad. And now those down the ranks are going to have to pay for it. It’s guilt that I am going to live with for the rest of my life. Which I rightly deserve.”
“Are you ever going to go back? Clean things up a bit?”
Yunho didn’t reply for a long time. Changmin read the words on his masters degree again.
“Only if I have to,” Yunho finally said.
Part 1
.
Pairing: Yunho/Yuri (mentioned Eunhyuk/Donghae)
Rating: NC-17 bestiality, het
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd probably make them get married. They are so cute together.
Summary: On the run, Yunho and Yuri find a small prowl to stay at for a moment. Until Yunho's not-so-distant past catches up to him.
Warning: het, bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic)
A/N: This ended up being such a direct sequel to You Make Her Growl, that I just changed this to be part 2 of that same fic.
Part 2:
Warning: het, bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic)
That night, they stayed at a cheap, ugly love motel smack dab in the middle of Seoul. Yunho left Japan constantly. His absence would not throw up any red flags for a little while. But in Seoul they would. He knew of the Dominant in this part of Seoul. They weren’t exactly friends. But he was stronger than Taeyang, so hopefully the other would stay away long enough for Yunho to get out of town as quickly as possible.
Yuri stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips. She glanced at the corny love phrases on the wall, smirked at the table covered in lube and toys.
“You take me to the nicest places,” she said and smiled at Yunho.
Yunho snorted. “It’s easy to pay in cash here. And it’s just for tonight.”
“Do you think the bed vibrates?”
“Probably. I won’t know. I’m going to sleep over there.” He pointed to a couch along the wall. It was neon green and obviously vinyl. Easy clean up. It would not be comfortable.
She frowned. “Why?”
“I’m not sure I can control myself sleeping next to you.”
It was her turn to scoff. “Trust me when I say that I can. Sleep on the bed, dumbass.”
“I’m not even sure I’ll sleep. I have too much to do.”
She crossed her arms, under her breasts, and god, that was so distracting. Yunho looked away, at their bags.
“I can’t just ... well, I can just disappear. But I have to disassemble everything, sell my business, redirect money to new accounts. Get us new phones. Just ... I need to do a lot of shit tonight. If everything goes the way I’m planning, and it usually does, I’ll be free of all of that in a week.”
She stared at him for a few long moments. And then she nodded. “That makes sense. Can you do all of that from a computer?”
“Most of it. I may have to stop at a bank or two here in Korea. I also need to make up a history for you, get you papers and documents. You don’t really exist right now. And if we’re leaving the country ...”
“I guess I need to start thinking more about life outside of a whore,” she said.
Yuri flopped on the bed, feet on the floor, hands above her head. The plain T-shirt she wore slid up her flat stomach and Yunho’s panther growled at him.
“Heard that,” she muttered with a smile.
“You’re sexy.”
“I know. Should I order some food?”
“That would be so wonderful. Just like you.”
She rolled her eyes, but Yunho felt her happiness at the corny compliment. He sat on the couch and pulled his laptop out of its bag. He needed a new one. He had no idea how traceable this one was. There were men and leopards that could find him if they looked.
Like Kouyou. As his assistant, Kouyou was a great asset. On the run, Kouyou was his greatest adversary.
He had to hurry.
---
Changmin considered himself to be a fair leader. His prowl consisted of three other leopards and four leopardesses. There was only one mated pair in their midst: Eunhyuk and Donghae. The other leopard was Sungmin, and his leopardesses were Minji, Bom, Dara, and Chaerin.
None of them were anywhere near as strong as Changmin. For a leopard, he was rather young, only just twenty. Sungmin explained some things to him as they were officially establishing their prowl. Leopards are born strong, or they get strong by taking over other people’s territories.
Before Changmin really came into himself, Sungmin was in charge. Changmin wasn’t really sure if he was stronger since he technically took over Sungmin’s territory. But Sungmin wasn’t any weaker for allowing him to lead. Before Changmin, they weren’t really even a prowl. Just a few cats that lived near each other and met up sometimes.
He was still getting used to it all. Used to feeling them within his mind. Used to knowing where they always were. Used to cutting out EunHae when they decided they wanted to fuck. Again.
That’s why when his leopard grew agitated and annoyed, he knew something was up.
“Someone is here,” Sungmin said to him over the phone. “Someone strong. We can all feel it. Keep your guard up. I can’t get a sense of their intentions. They are here, they are not really hiding, but they also aren’t showing themselves. It’s been three days. If they were here on nice terms ... ”
Changmin huffed. It was hard to keep your guard up when you had finals looming. “I could try to find them.”
“Not smart. What if they mean you harm?”
“So I just stand here and wait until they attack?”
“I don’t know.” And Sungmin really sounded upset. “I have never, ever felt any cat this strong. Ever. I thought you were strong. I mean, you are, but this cat ... it’s like five of you.”
Changmin shut his eyes and tried his best to breathe and keep himself calm.
“I don’t think you’d be able to find them. I’ve been trying to narrow down their location, but it’s like they are everywhere.”
Changmin knew that feeling.
“I don’t think we’re going to contact them until they contact us. If they do. Maybe they’re just passing through.”
“Maybe they’re biding their time to kill us all.”
Sungmin growled. An order to shut his mouth.
And that was not okay. His leopard growled back.
“Shit, sorry, Changmin,” Sungmin said immediately. “I am on edge.”
“Yeah, me too. Look, I’m going to try to study. I have finals next week.”
“Stay alert.”
“You too.”
Changmin hung up his phone and chugged down about half of his latte. Being Dominant wasn’t too bad. He mostly just led meetings and helped the others when they needed him. They didn’t usually need him because they had been settled by the time he’d come into his leopard. But this was a new threat. How did he protect them from this? What if this very strong leopard wanted to fight him?
He did not really know how to fight. He did not know how to protect his prowl at all.
“Shim Changmin.”
Changmin looked up. The first thing he noticed about the couple standing at his table was that they were incredibly good looking, especially together. He was tall, short dark hair, a wide smile on his face. She was just shorter than him that they fit together, and her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail. They both wore jeans, both of them were in T-shirts. Hers yellow, his green. Very normal. Very non-descript
Except the absolute power exuding from them. That was the second thing he noticed.
He swallowed, eyes wide and his panther growled, low and deep.
The man’s smile fell for a moment, eyes narrowing. But there was a soft touch on his arm, from the woman, and the smile came back.
“Do you mind if we sit?” she asked.
Changmin did not know how to answer that. They were not ordering it. Just asking. And Changmin sort of waved his hand to the two chairs at the table.
At least they were in a library, in a public place. Not the place to cause a scene. They decided to approach him here and not a deserted street. That was good. Mostly.
“Thanks, Changmin-shi. My name is Kwon Yuri. This overprotective cat is my mate, Jung Yunho.”
Changmin choked on his spit. “J-Jung ... Y-Yunho?”
“You know who I am?”
Changmin attempted to swallow. “Um, ... sort of. Rumors. Just ... Japan. Aren’t you ... what ... oh shit.” He was going to die. Jung Yunho was going to rip out his throat and--
“Calm down,” Yunho said, and that was a bit of an order, and Changmin took a few deep breaths. But his heart was still pumping too fast. “We are not here to endanger you or your prowl. We have been moving here and there through Korea for a few weeks, trying to settle. I’ve been drawn to this little seaside village just ... well, let’s say it’s not exactly the normal place that I settle.”
“He is trying to ask for your permission to allow us to stay within your territory for a little while,” Kwon Yuri said.
Changmin attempted to swallow again. “Well, fuck.”
Yunho’s smile widened. “You’re pretty strong, Changmin-shi. A few weeks ago, I’d be down here trying to recruit you.”
Yuri huffed and rolled her eyes.
“Well, it’s true,” Yunho said, draping an arm over her shoulder. “Have you found your mate yet?”
Changmin shook his head quickly. “No.”
“Be glad. It changes your entire world and motivations.”
“Be glad?” Yuri said, shoving at Yunho’s side. “Be glad? You complete and utter--”
“Shh,” Yunho said. “We’re in a library.”
“You are an asshole,” Yuri whispered almost viciously.
Yunho smiled. “So, Changmin-shi. Is that okay? Can we stay?”
“I’m ... still pretty new. I don’t ... My cat is not happy. Neither is Sungmin’s. We ... we just ...”
“Your prowl is really small, and it’s pretty laid back, not a lot of hierarchy or problems in the ranks. It’s one reason why we were drawn to here. How long have you been Dominant?”
“Only ... a year. My cat surfaced when I was seventeen. Just three years ago. Sungmin told me that I ... that I was in charge.”
“Wow, you are really strong for being so new.”
“Sungmin is still mostly in charge,” Changmin said. “I’m in school.”
“I know. Top of your class too. Well done.”
Changmin tensed up. They had done their research on him. And his prowl. And probably all of their members.
“We do not want to hurt you. We are not here to take over or cause problems,” Yunho said, letting Changmin feel his sincerity. “But allowing us to stay may cause you problems. There are people after me. Other cats. Other humans. I’ve ... well, I’ve done some horrible things, Changmin-shi, and some of it may be trying to catch up to me. I promise if my presence here threatens your prowl in any way that we will leave.”
“Don’t decide now,” Yuri said. “Talk to your prowl. We have a hotel that we’re paying on a day-to-day basis. We’ll give you our cell numbers. Call us after you’ve talked to your prowl.”
Changmin nodded and took the proffered card that Yunho held out.
Yunho stood up first. “It was good to meet you.” He was so very gentle as Yuri stood too. But Yuri, Changmin suddenly noticed was strong. The amount of strength was not just from Yunho like he had assumed. But it was combined. Both of them were so strong.
Yunho’s arm went around her waist, and she shoved a hand in his back pocket. They left the library, and Changmin suddenly collapsed, head on the table. He was shaking, almost crying.
He’d just sat across from Jung Yunho and lived to tell about it.
He hadn’t been exactly honest. He knew exactly who Jung Yunho was. He was studying Japan and Korean crime families and their effect on the economy of Asia. He’d heard rumors that Jung Yunho had disappeared. And now, here he was, in their small little beach city.
His phone rang. Sungmin. He could feel Changmin’s anxiety.
Gathering up his books, he answered the call, “Sungmin. Fuck. Meeting. At yours. Now. Everyone.”
Sungmin wanted to ask, but Changmin had actually ordered it, thrown his power at Sungmin, which he never, ever did. Sungmin just said, “Yes, Dominant.” And then he hung up.
---
“Poor kid,” Yuri said while flopping onto the hotel bed. “You scared him to death.”
“He knew who I was, so he was more scaring himself.”
She scoffed at him and then frowned. “Is it safe to stay here then, since he knows who you are?”
Yunho frowned and lay down next to her. Almost unconsciously, their hands found each other and fingers entwined.
“I’m not really sure. He’s studying crime families in an economics Masters program. He is really smart. If he and Sungmin tell us to go, we’ll go. I can already feel them gathering.”
“So we wait.”
“Yep.”
Yuri rolled to her side, propped up on her elbow. “Any ideas of what we can do while we wait?”
Her smile was anything but innocent, and lust curled in Yunho’s gut. It’d been a month. An entire month of nothing but kisses and hugs. Was it time? He wasn’t sure. They’d been on edge, on the run, here to there, for so long.
He frowned.
“What is that look for?” Yuri demanded and smacked his shoulder. “You don’t want me?”
“Oh god, yes, I do. And you know it, but ...”
Yuri crawled over him, settling knees over his waist and her hands on his chest. With a smirk, she pressed down on his crotch, head tilted back. His hands went to her hips and he moaned.
“Well?” she said, fingers sliding over his nipples through his T-shirt.
He swallowed. “Yeah, okay. Take these jeans off. I know you like them. I’m about to rip them.”
She laughed and tried to climb off him, but Yunho pulled her back, back to his mouth for a kiss, and then a longer kiss.
“Better here than the love motel? Remember that place? So romantic for you to take me there first.”
“I think I can still smell it.”
“In a few minutes, you better not be able to smell anything but me,” Yuri said and finally pulled away to take off her clothes.
---
Changmin got used to the irritation. Mostly. His panther knew better than to challenge Yunho. So they allowed him to stay. With Yuri, his mate.
Changmin waited. He watched them closely. He had an outsider’s knowledge to everything that Jung Yunho was. He knew about the rumors of drug and human trafficking. He knew about the sex clubs and child prostitution rings. Yunho had never so much as been implicated in any of it. But his name cropped up enough that it couldn’t have been a coincidence.
And now Changmin knew why.
He never would have guessed that Jung Yunho, business tycoon and self-made man, was getting help from a metaphysical panther. But none of the crimes were visible now. None of the terror. None of the control. At least on the outside, Jung Yunho acted like he was happy and in love. He was happy and in love. Both of them were. He’d found his mate and just left everything else behind? Of everything that Changmin knew of Jung Yunho, it did not sound right. But it felt right.
His phone buzzed at him. A text. Even with his phone in his pocket, he knew it was from Yunho. He absolutely oozed control, dominance, obedience. His panther grumbled. He did not like Yunho here. His cat was constantly ready for a fight. Changmin beat him down a lot.
He checked it and wondered if Yunho could read his mind.
All the rumors are true. Or they were true. Not anymore. I live for my mate. When you find a mate, you’ll understand.
Changmin wasn’t sure how to reply to that.
Another text came through before he could anyway.
There are only eight of you, in your prowl, right?
Yes.
Check your surroundings. There’s something lurking. I’m going to try to fish it out. It doesn’t feel friendly.
Changmin checked with his panther. He was already so annoyed at being in the same area as someone so dominant that it took a few moments to feel past that. To something else. To something strong. Stronger than him. Not as strong as Yunho.
He sent a prowl-wide text to everyone.
There’s another cat else here. Doesn’t feel friendly. Yunho thinks the cat may be after him. Get together and stay indoors while Yunho checks it out.
He hit send, and no sooner than that did his entire soul shake with fear and pain. He gasped, breaking his phone when he gripped it too hard.
Shit.
Fuck.
It took too long to clear his head of the fear and pain that were not his.
Minzy. It was Minzy. In trouble. He could feel Dara’s fear too. Had she been there? Where was she?
Shit.
He lunged out of his apartment, and on four paws, ran to Sungmin’s, the prowl’s usual meeting house, as fast as he could. The back balcony door was open, and as soon as he was through, he felt Eunhyuk and Donghae on their way, following in their cat forms.
Chaerin and Bom were there, curled up with Sungmin.
Changmin curled up to his feet, slipping into his human form almost effortlessly. Almost. It dragged on him a bit to change twice in such a short time.
The first thing he did was join the other cats, curl up around them and attempt to do what Sungmin was doing and calming the girls down. He was better at it, since he was Dominant. A few moments later, Eunhyuk and Donghae were there. They weren’t as strong as Changmin, so they stayed in their cat forms and joined the pile.
Sungmin’s phone rang. He glanced at it and handed it to Changmin.
“Changmin?” Yuri said.
Changmin only growled.
“It’s Kouyou. If you know as much about Yunho as you say you do, then you know who that is. His street name is Uruha.”
Changmin’s face paled. The enforcer. Yunho’s knife. Or gun. Or chain. Or claw. Or whatever way he decided to kill you. The man was untraceable. There were over twenty known murders that were linked to him. Known murders. Who knew how many others? “Fuck.”
“Fuck indeed.”
“Two of my leopardesses are missing.”
“Yunho knows. He’ll fix this.”
Changmin swallowed. He didn’t like it, but the others in his prowl needed him too. They needed him to be strong and calming, even as his heart raced and fear crept into his mind.
---
“The girls are both alive,” Yunho said, “but with Kouyou, they’d probably rather be dead.”
Yuri huffed.
Yunho smiled at her and cupped her face in his hands. “Do I have your permission to rip him to pieces?”
Yuri smiled and pressed a kiss to one of his hands. “Of course, you do. But I may get to him first.”
“You are staying here,” he said.
“In a hotel room that he probably knows about? Are you insane?”
“Please, stay ... I can find him.”
“And I can sneak up on him. At least a little bit. If my cat doesn’t want to be sensed, she won’t be sensed.”
He shut his eyes, and it was his panther that was more or less grudgingly admitting that she was right.
“Not through the front door. Rooftops. Let’s go.”
With a bit of a grin, she spun around and out the door. Yunho followed. It was almost too easy to narrow down where Kouyou was. They’d been partners long enough that Yunho knew exactly what he felt like. He was stronger now. He wondered if that meant he’d taken over some of the prowls in Japan.
They went away from the elevators and down the hall to an emergency exit. Instead of down, they went up to the roof. Once there, Yunho shimmered into his panther form. Yuri followed suit. He was about to lunge away, when she brushed up against him, and licked his face.
Yunho almost purred and returned the quick lick.
From the roof, it was easy to feel the direction to go to, but a bit difficult to get there. They ran on rooftops for as long as they could and then dropped between buildings to prowl around alleyways. They were getting closer.
His presence led Yunho to the boarded up door of a closed store. Yuri gave him another lick to his face and then went down toward the back, leaving Yunho to the front door.
Well, more like the front window. It was already broken.
He smelled Kouyou so easily. And the girls. They were so scared. So hurt.
For the last three weeks, they had been like his own prowl.
“Here, kitty kitty,” Kouyou said.
Yunho growled.
One of the girls screamed.
That was enough. Yunho jumped through the window. As soon as pain from a knife flared over his side, he understood how not smart that was. He stumbled into the room, knocking into a shelf and sliding on the slick surface.
He got a glimpse of Kouyou and dove behind a shelf just as another knife shot his way. It missed.
Yunho shimmered back to human, the knife clanking to the floor. The wound was already healing, but fuck, it hurt. He thought of using the knife against him, but his cat was way more powerful than a knife.
“You should have known you couldn’t hide forever,” Kouyou said. “Pretty slick though. It took me about two weeks to realize you were actually gone. And with that whore of all things. What is she? Just a quick little fling? Someone from your hometown? Your mate? I still am not sure because you obviously aren’t mated.”
One of the girls screamed again.
“How long are you going to hide?” Kouyou said. “Until one of them is dead? I can speed this up if that’s the case.”
Yunho changed back to his panther and felt Kouyou do the same thing. He sprang from his hiding spot just in time to see his beautiful, gorgeous mate jump on Kouyou’s back. He had his claws in one of the girls, and ripped through her flesh to get Yuri off him.
It was a hard hit that had Yuri slamming into an old display case and landing hard on her side. Yunho fought the urge to go to her and lunged at Kouyou instead. They met with teeth and claws. Yuri attacked the back of him, getting a back kick to her side for her troubles. But it was enough.
With both of them, Kouyou still had a chance.
Yunho had seen him fight off six cats before.
In a moment, just the briefest second, Kouyou lunged for the two girls, both of whom were unconscious. His claws tore into one of their thighs, and then Yuri was on top of him again, trying to bite at his neck.
It was obvious that she’d never been in a fight before, but Yunho’s heart surged with love for her, for trying, for being so brave.
Again, Kouyou flung her off of him, claws going deep into her ribs. This time, she didn’t get up right away.
Yunho growled. Kouyou’s leopard almost grinned at him. He was between Yunho and Yuri and the girls.
Yunho was at a disadvantage.
But it was Yunho that Kouyou wanted. So it was Yunho that Kouyou attacked. Kouyou was a great fighter, always had been, and Yunho had fought by his side many many times. But Yunho was stronger. They moved through the store, knocking over shelves and swiping at each other easily.
Yuri, his beautiful mate, had moved to the girls. Even though she was bleeding heavily, she stood over them, growling at Kouyou to even dare. Fearless. Strong.
Yunho flooded with admiration for her, and attacked stronger, faster, harder.
Almost without warning, there were two more cats in the room with them. He recognized Changmin’s power, his black panther did not even pause before lunging at Kouyou. Together they beat him back, into a corner. He was still attacking, but on the losing side, defense more than offense.
Yunho stepped back.
It was Changmin’s prowl. Changmin’s leopardesses that had been attacked. The kill belonged to him.
But he hesitated, and Kouyou lunged, getting his jaws around Changmin’s neck. Changmin whimpered and fought back with his front paws, and Yunho pounced, digging his claws deep in Kouyou’s ribs and biting at his neck. He pulled, and then shook his head. With Kouyou physically weak, he threw all of his power at him with a strong order to let go. It took a few moments, but Kouyou finally released Changmin’s neck. He twisted his jaws and his neck and felt Kouyou’s bones snap under his strength. He dropped him.
Kouyou stayed still, body heaving with deep breaths.
Again, Yunho stepped back.
Kouyou growled, the sound low and gurgling with blood.
Changmin swayed where he stood.
Yunho tried not to order Changmin to kill him. The kid hadn’t ever had to do this before. He understood. To an extent. Kouyou had kidnapped and hurt two of Changmin’s prowl. Growling, Yunho pressed Changmin harder. Still not ordering. More of an encouragement.
Changmin did not want to. Every cat in the room could tell.
And then one of the girls was conscious again, whimpering and crying.
Changmin’s black panther growled, and a moment later, moved forward. It was quick, instinctive, to protect. To guard. To think of his prowl first. He opened his mouth around Kouyou’s head. The injured cat tried to attack, and then Changmin bit down, crushing his skull with a satisfying crunch.
Yunho took a deep breath of vindication.
Changmin staggered back from him, paws sliding on the floor. He moved as far as he could before he shimmered back to his human form, and then he was throwing up, back curling up as he emptied his stomach all over the dusty floor.
Yunho winced in sympathy and changed into his human form too. He glanced over at Sungmin and Yuri, both were helping the girls with their wounds, helping them change into their cat forms to help heal.
Yunho’s own cuts and scrapes were already mostly healed.
So were Changmin’s.
Yunho moved over to him and sat near him, but did not touch him. He did not want Changmin to think he was a threat.
But Changmin did not think that, and a moment later, he had his arms around Yunho’s bare waist, his face buried in his shoulder, and he was crying.
“I’m sorry,” Yunho said, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
“I can’t ... Yunho, I can’t ... I can’t ... I can’t do that. Please. I can’t ...” His body lurched again, and he moved away just enough to throw up again.
“We need to get out of here,” Sungmin said. “I hear sirens.”
Yunho nodded. He pulled Changmin back against his body and tried to help soothe the human and the cat. The cat was curled up, happy to have saved his girls, but he did not like that anymore than human Changmin did. The panther understood it was necessary. But Changmin was not violent. Changmin was a student. And so young.
“Can you change back?” Yunho said. “We need to run.”
Changmin shuddered and he soaked in Yunho’s encouragement. The others had already changed and left, and Yuri stood waiting for them.
“Go,” Yunho said to his mate. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She didn’t seem happy, but she went, jumping from the window and running.
Yunho pulled Changmin to a sitting position and used his hands on his shoulders and face to get him to calm down even more. “A good Dominant always protects his prowl. I told you I’d take care of it, but you came anyway.”
“They were hurting,” he said.
Yunho nodded. “They were, and like a good Dominant, you came to their rescue. Sometimes that means death. Sometimes it doesn’t. Without you here, Kouyou may have beat me. He’s a very strong cat. He was. So thank you for coming.”
“Will this happen again?” Changmin asked, almost whispered. “With others from Japan?”
Yunho took a deep breath. “It might. I can’t guarantee it won’t.”
Changmin swallowed. “We’re too on edge to make a decision now. Let’s get out of here.”
“Spoken like a true Dominant.”
The sirens were much closer, and Yunho shimmered to his panther, Changmin following suit.
Yunho went to Kouyou’s body. The man had never been his friend. With a growl, he swiped at his crushed face and then followed Changmin’s black panther out of the store. A few of the officers saw them, but when they went inside, all they’d see is a dead cat. No human being. Even as a human, Kouyou was not really human.
A few weeks ago, some would have said the same about Yunho.
They ran to Sungmin’s house, catching up with the others just as the happy reunion between the girls and the cats happened.
Yuri was already a human, going right to the kitchen for a drink of water. There were deep, yet healing, claw marks on her ribs.
Yunho changed back as well. But Changmin stayed in his panther form for a little while, letting the other cats of his prowl gather close.
Yunho went to his mate and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You were so utterly and stupidly brave. You always have been.”
Yuri shoved him away. “Saved your ass, you ungrateful kitten.”
Yunho chuckled. “Yes, you did.”
Sungmin was next into his human form. “Is Changmin okay?”
“Mostly. The first kill is always the hardest.”
They watched Changmin struggle for a moment, and then he was human again, still on the floor. “This is all your fault,” he said, though he did not look directly at Yunho while he said it.
Yunho’s panther growled, and Yunho told him to shut up. “It is,” he said. “It may not be the last. I promised you that if your prowl was in danger that I would leave. So I am going to leave.”
“And go where?” Changmin asked. “To someone else? Endanger someone else?”
“We can’t stay here,” Yunho said.
Changmin was shaking as he moved into the kitchen. “You can. I ... I can’t ... I can’t ... Yunho, I can’t do that ... not again. Not.” He lurched and fell into Yunho’s arms, crying.
Yunho rubbed his back and held him up. When he calmed down enough, Yunho took them back into the other room and settled him on the couch. His mate threw a blanket over his body.
Yunho kneeled next to the couch. “What did you say a little while ago? We’re too on edge to make a decision. You and your prowl need to talk.”
“We can’t leave,” Yuri said and touched his shoulder. “We can’t leave them alone. What if someone followed Kouyou? What if he brought others with him?”
Sungmin was angry. Rightly so. Yunho shoved his cat deep in his soul to keep him from growling. The other two leopards and the girls were terrified.
Yunho took a deep breath. “You’re right. We cannot leave you unprotected. We’ll stay to make sure you are safe, and then we’re leaving.”
---
Changmin stared at the piece of paper on his wall. So official. Framed in black. A single thing that represented the last two years of chaos in his life. It took a long time to get it. Or at least, it felt like a long time. Yuri had convinced him to take some time off after that mess with Kouyou. The stress, the guilt, and the constant distaste in his soul had Changmin easily giving up his leadership to Yunho. Sungmin still felt a bit angry, but Yunho understood. He could be awesome like that.
Changmin still felt guilty. For killing someone. For giving up being a leader. Yunho said he was strong. But he didn’t feel that way.
“You deserve that,” Yunho said, coming up beside him. He draped his arm over Changmin’s shoulder.
“Eh,” Changmin said with a shrug.
Yunho laughed. “PhD next? You’ll have plenty of time.”
“I think so. I doubt I’m going to be able to stretch out my knowledge of the collapse of the Jung Empire over the next five years or so though.”
“I did not have an empire.”
Changmin looked at him with an eyebrow lifted in disbelief.
“Okay, fine. So I did. But it hasn’t quite collapsed yet. You’ll have to postpone it until people actually realize that it has collapsed.”
“It’s getting messy over there. Police are all over the place, finding bodies. Their crime rate has almost doubled.”
Yunho took a deep breath. “Business wise it should be fine. All my old companies have new owners, but with the prowls ... I haven’t really said this out loud yet, not even to Yuri, but I fucked up. I was greedy and power-mad. And now those down the ranks are going to have to pay for it. It’s guilt that I am going to live with for the rest of my life. Which I rightly deserve.”
“Are you ever going to go back? Clean things up a bit?”
Yunho didn’t reply for a long time. Changmin read the words on his masters degree again.
“Only if I have to,” Yunho finally said.
Part 1
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