The Moonstone (5/?)
Title: The Moonstone (5/?)
Pairing: Sehun/Luhan, Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Kai/Kyungsoo, Kris/Tao
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Wolf!AU, drama, mpreg, M/M , M/F
Warnings: Highlight to read: some violence, hinted noncon and abuse
Disclaimer: They are not mine, obviously.
Summary:: Luhan's the most beautiful and cherished omega in the pack. Comparing to Sehun he's as weak as a child, as easily breakable as a baby deer - and more desirable than any treasure a man can ever possess.
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Baekhyun's POV
I don't like having too much time to think, because when I do I usually start questioning things that shouldn't be questioned. That's why I did my very best to just live my life in the pack following Kris' orders and enjoy the flow of harmony he established, happy with what I had, not expecting anything beyond what our arrangement gave me.
Perhaps it's a little unfair to state it in that kind of manner. I respect and adore Kris for what he's achieved, and since he has always taken good care of us I'm undoubtedly in his debt just like everyone else. As a pack you could say that we're quite famous, thanks to treaty pacts with other tribes whom we invited to our lands and shook hands with in the past. Our pack became recognizable in its uniqueness, praised for fierce and powerful dominant males as well as exceptionally charming submissive members. Luhan kind of had this label of the most beautiful one pasted on his forehead, a curse rather than a gift in his position, and even wolves he never met spoke of his grace far away from our territories. Naturally, as beauty emerges dark shadows are casted and deep inside my heart I always suspected that Kris favors him so much partly because Luhan's his potential bargaining chip, something that can strenghten our position even more with little to no effort. And no bloodshed.
But then Sehun appeared out of nowhere, like a ray of light warming Luhan's usually melancholic countenance. Everyone took to him fast but there was something off with this new arrangement, an unstability that made me feel insecure for some reason. Luhan, that cold and collected beauty beyond everyone's reach, swore for him like he was under some sort of magic spell, as Kyungsoo told me when he described events of that fateful day. So devoted and determined to let Sehun - a stranger - become part of our pack.
They became close, those two. Very close. And just when I finally believed that things can work out, everything started falling apart like a castle made from sand, too sudden for me to even understand what was happening.
I went in heat three weeks after Sehun and Xiumin's disappearance, the familiar tingling of need making me giddy and excited about the first night after mating. I knew Chanyeol would have smelled me by now wasn't he gone for hunting with Kris and Chen, but the waiting in itself was also quite delicious in my current state of body and mind. I lied down in our room and waited for him, toying with the hem of my trousers in anticipation, imagining his big, gentle hands running over my tender body. I licked my lips and smiled to myself.
'This time will be unlike anything I've ever experienced', I though with fondness, warmth filling my belly and hand sliding under the thin fabric of my breeches. I neither could nor wanted to do all the work, but getting a little excited for him couldn't possibly be a bad thing.
I rarely touched myself. It wasn't that I didn't like it, but after getting fucked by almost every alpha in our pack while in heat I developed some sort of displeasure towards sexuality in general, like a wound that wouldn't heal no matter what I did. It was silly and making me feel ashamed - unworthy even - and so I never really spoke of it with anyone before my confession to Chanyeol, hiding behind a wall of bright but insincere smiles.
It was different now. I was different.
'Chan...', I bit back the word. It sounded empty and robbed of depth when spoken aloud in presence of nothing but the walls surrounding me, so I decided to save every single syllable for later. I settled with little moans instead, long fingers - fingers Chanyeol liked so much, my pride and joy - wrapping around my own manhood.
''You look exquisite.''
I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to even pull my hand out of the breeches. It wasn't Chanyeol's voice.
''Why did you stop? You can go on, don't mind me at all.''
My hands were trembling as I sat up, eyes set on the unwanted visitor standing in the doorway. Why was he here? What did he want? ''Xiumin...what are you doing here? When did you return?''
''No beating around the bush, huh? It's so like you, to get down to business right away!'' The other man said, smirking. ''Same with getting down on your knees I guess. Or on someone's cock. No time to waste on foreplay, right, Baekhyun?''
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, so shocked that even when I did try to speak no words left my mouth. My hands didn't stop trembling, body tense and senses screaming at me to run while I still could, but my muscles remained frozen with fear. Useless.
Xiumin had an ugly, deep wound on his neck, partly healed but still pretty fresh. And the look in his eyes - I could hardly recognize him. ''What happened to you?'' I asked, immediately regretting it.
''What happened to me?'' he mocked, taking a few steps forward. ''It's sweet that you care so much about my well-being, darling. But, say...how about you shut your mouth and just show me your concern instead? Words are cheap.''
I was on my feet in an instant, fast but not fast enough. My movements were restrained by the heat pooling in my stomach and almost painful heaviness of limbs, leaving me slower and weaker; vulnerable. Xiumin didn't waste any second, hand grabbing me by the hair and dragging towards the wall. ''That's what Kris gets for spoiling bitches in his pack,'' I heard him say, but sudden, insufferable ringing in my ears made it hard to focus. ''Picky. So picky. A few months ago you were eager for it, almost begging...and Luhan? Shit. I despise you both equally.''
My blood ran cold at the words but I had no room left to respond before my head hit the wall, hard. ''You are nothing but a pretty container for sperm,'' Xiumin spat into my ear just as I felt something warm leaking down my neck. Everything felt so light. ''Both you and Luhan. You are nothing.''
''Xiumin...I...am mated...'' I managed to mumble through the haze, vision going blank slowly. My head hit the wall once again and I spat blood on the floor, stubbornly grasping consciousness. Adrenaline pumped wildly in my veins. ''You can't... expect me to...Chanyeol will kill you when he smells your scent on me...''
''Chanyeol is not here. And if you feel like discussing matters of life and death right now...I'd be more afraid of your safety.''
I sobbed, trapped between the cold wall and his body in an awkward, bowed position. Metallic taste of blood in my mouth made me instantly sick and the feeling, doubled by an excruciating pain of my skull, proved to be almost insufferable. Maddening. ''This is not you. I don't believe it...''
We were a pack. Friends. I didn't particularly enjoy spending my sexual craze with anyone despite Chanyeol, but no one had ever been cruel among us. No one hurt me, especially not kind and gentle Xiumin. What could possibly happen in those three weeks of his absence, what changed him so much?
What made him hate me enough to do this? To betray us?
''Spread your legs.'' I heard him command, but my mind stayed blank. ''If you want to live for him.''
I shook my head.
----------------------------
Luhan's POV
I have never seen a pack that would consist of more than fourty wolves in my entire life, I didn't even suspect something like that existed. Perhaps the term 'pack' doesn't describe what I saw then, though. It was almost an army that invaded our territory, accompanied by a continuing, pounding sound of dozens of feet marching towards their goal - us. Something I was certain I will never forget.
And nobody sensed them coming.
I was staring out of the window apathetically when I saw them, perfect rows of ghostly silhouettes making no sound at all until they had us surrounded, captured in a circle of merciless cold they've summoned. Only then the pounding started, like an iron clock tolling last hours of our lives with dead precision, freezing my heart right where it was. Or where it used to be before Sehun left us three weeks ago.
The scene I witnessed looked like a painting. So surreal that I didn't even react at first, just stared at them with some sort of misplaced awe when their light armors and fur cloaks shone in the rays of morning sun, mightly and proudly. I gasped when they finally came to a halt right before our living area, cutting off every possible escape route as a tight circle of men surrounded our huts. I could see them pretty well then from where I stood, skin white like snow and rows of short, raven black hair, darker than obsidian stones.
What...what was going on?
The rest of the pack was there already, standing in the middle like deers caught in a snare trap, and although I couldn't see the look on their faces I had a good enough idea. I skimmed through their postures hastly and horror started chilling my bones at the realization that Baekhyun wasn't present. He could have been hiding just like me, I tried to reason, but my instincts screamed that something bad happened already, before we even realized that death came pounding at our doors.
What do I do? Should I go out and look for him? But if I do, they will catch me. If I don't … they will catch me anyway, just a little later.
Outside, tall figure emerged from between the crowd of assailants and my eyes instantly glued to his upright, oppressive-looking posture. It didn't take a connoisseur to realize just how wealthy he must have been, wearing robes more beautiful than anything we could get in the South, decorated with golden brooches and soft looking fur. His armor shone like a deadly wink of the sun, blinding even from afar.
When Kris faced him something inside me shattered silently. That fearsome man, my leader and brother in arms I looked up to for this whole time looked so… insignificant.
The enemy, instead, was a beast. A true, deadly beast.
It was hard to breathe with fear crushing my lungs and heart, blood turning into ice in wildly pulsating veins. I was desperate to shoot out of the room and listen to their voices, face those men, see with my own eyes up close if they were as dreadful as they seemed from the provisional shelter I was hiding in, but I couldn't.
All I did was stare with horror, stare like a marble statue until Kris turned around and looked me straight in the eye with expression so sorrowful I almost lost ground beneath my feet.
----------------------------
''So...it is true after all.'' are the first words Luhan hears after he's thrown to the ground between Kris and the man he's too afraid to look at, shivering like a child. He's dressed in a simple white robe he usually sleeps in, now stained from mud and grass, knees sore from where they hit the hard surface. ''I half expected your friend to lead us astray, but he did well in the end.''
He doesn't look up until a huge hand grabs his chin and forces him to lift his head.
''I am a lord that emerged from darkest shadows, ruler of the North,'' the man says, and only then Luhan has an opportunity to see his face clearly - he's in late forties but could be regarded as handsome in any other situation than the one Luhan found himself in, with regular facial features and high cheekbones. There's something strikingly noble about him, too, like he was destined by birth to conquer not only realms but whole continents with iron fists and fire. He almost looks like...a god, Luhan thinks and is instantly horrified when those dark orbs start drinking up his small frame. ''They call me the Ice King, and that's how you will address me from now on.''
Luhan's fully aware of everything that happens around him, and even though he didn't look at his pack mates even once when ice guards brought him down he sees their faces vividly in his mind, pale and terrified.
''My lord...your visit is a great honor,'' Kris plays along and Luhan feels their leader's hand on his head a moment later. ''I was unaware we had anything of interest to you, had I known you would be provided with the best we can offer immediately. As you can see, our pack is rather small.''
The golden-haired boy bits his lips. He heard a lot of dreadful stories about the North in his childhood, tales warning foolish travelers about profound realms of ice and never ending night where nothing but nightmares lived, so deadly that no one who ever entered or left survived. But...that's where Sehun said he came from. Was it possible that...he was the 'friend' their oppressor had spoken of?
No. No, Sehun wouldn't do this. He wouldn't bring death on our heads.
What was the purpose in all of that anyway? They had nothing to give, nothing. And just like that, they will probably die for nothing, in shame and disgrace.
''Whether your pack is small or huge is insignificant.'' the king says and Luhan can't hold his gaze anymore, scared he will lose consciousness if those dark orbs continue to pierce his skull. ''The only thing that matters is one simple fact - if you hand over what we need and obey I will let you live.''
----------------------------
Kyungsoo's POV
When I hid behind Kai's back reality stabbed me in the chest like a spear, overwhelming grief drawing tears out of my bloodshot eyes as those horrible men stared us down emotionlessly. It wasn't death I feared, but the fact that I would never see my pack again, that I lost an opportunity to tell them just how much they've meant to me, how glad I was to be found and raised as one of them. To die deprived of a chance to voice out all of those things I never said aloud, either too scared or ashamed that time wasn't right... that was what scared me the most.
''Everything will be alright,'' Kai whispered, hand reaching back and catching mine as I clung to his back. ''Don't cry.''
But how could I not? How could I not if we were about to lose everything?
----------------------------
''Do you know who you are?'' the Ice King asks coldly and Luhan's head shoots up at the realization that it's him who is addressed. The question catches him off guard, though, and for a long moment he just stares at their oppressor blankly, having dozens pairs of hostile eyes burning holes in his lithe body. He can't hear anything save for his own heart, beating madly in his chest like a bird caught in a burning cage.
''My...my name is L-Luhan, my lord...'' he utters, throat dry. The man just waves his hand.
''I didn't ask about your name.''
Luhan stops himself before he furrows his brows, painfully aware that a slightest mistake can prove to be his last. He wonders if maybe he should try to get up - it's hard to keep his head and neck in such strained position, the man he faces is tall like a mountain - but decides against any movements just in case. ''I'm not sure...what kind of answer are you expecting, my lord. There's not much more to me than my name, nothing that could be of any interest to...''
He doesn't manage to finish his sentence before countless voices of ice soldiers raise behind their king, agitated and accussing. ''It's him! He's lying!''
Luhan breaks eye contact with the leader and turns his head to stare at the crowd in front of him. To his utter surprise, this simple gesture silences every single man,pale faces turning into expressionless stones like nothing ever happened. What...?, he mutters to himself, but then the fearsome figure facing him speaks again, his foghorn voice resounding inside the very ground behind their feet.
''Perhaps,'' he says with obvious amusement and the dull sound makes Luhan's blood turn cold and head dizzy. ''Or maybe he's just...sadly unaware of his legacy.''
Luhan's pulled up to his feet then, legs weak and unable to support his suddenly clumsy body. Kris is behind him in a flash, hands grabbing his narrow shoulders and holding still. Luhan tries to say something, anything, like for example deny those ridiculous implications that he has some sort of special lineage to boast about and make those men see their obvious mistake - he is but an orphan, a nobody -, but then he feels his leader's hand covering his mouth and stills immediately. ''My lord...you still didn't tell us what is it that you need.''
There's a movement among the crowd then, and from where he stands Luhan can catch a glimpse of something all too familiar, a shine of silver and -
''First, let me present you with two gifts,'' the Ice King says, and although the golden-haired boy's eyes are focused elsewhere, searching frantically for any sign, he can practically hear a smirk in his voice. ''I believe you won't be able to fully grasp the situation until you understand just how much I can offer.''
Luhan doesn't register immediately what happens in the next few seconds, there's just too much of everything - too many colors, sounds and rapid movements around him, too much chaos and grotesque noise. His eyes fall on something seemingly strange and only after a few heartbeats does he realize just what he's looking at; who he's looking at.
''Baek...Baekhyun?'' he mutters dazedly without realizing it, involuntarily taking a step back. Chanyeol's lean frame blocks his vision in an instant.
Thanks to Kris' wisdom and guidance, Luhan hasn't seen much bloodshed in his short life. They fought, obviously, like every other pack, but hunting and facing foes is something much different than watching one of their own being tormented...or killed. Especially someone you care so deeply about.
Baekhyun is alive, that much makes him let out a pained breath of short-lived relief. His condition, however...
''How could you do this to him?!'' Chanyeol screams at the top of his lungs and suddenly Luhan feels a single tear leaking down his own cheek at the horrific picture, freshly mated pair and a pool of blood all around them. That's not how it was supposed to be. ''Baby, oh baby...please...''
Kyungsoo cries loudly into Kai's sweat-soaked shirt and the atmosphere of absolute horror gets so insufferably intense that Luhan has to cover his mouth and force himself to calm down at any cost. He can see other pack members right in front of his eyes, hugging up to Baekhyun's limp frame and preventing Chanyeol from charging recklessly towards an enemy he can't possibly defeat.
They are all clutching desperately at the thought that maybe they can still miraculously survive this somehow, Luhan realizes, and just when he opens his mouth to beg the Ice King to end this finally another voice cuts in - a voice Luhan wishes he could forever bury in the darkest depths of his hatred and simply forget.
''I sincerely hope that he wasn't carrying your cubs already, Chanyeol.'' the manner in which he speaks is so perfectly steady and unamused - almost bored - that for the first time in his life Luhan imagines himself clawing out Xiumin's eyes and then ripping his throat open. ''But if he did...you can try again, sometime? If he doesn't have one of ours by then, I mean.''
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Pairing: Sehun/Luhan, Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Kai/Kyungsoo, Kris/Tao
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Wolf!AU, drama, mpreg, M/M , M/F
Warnings: Highlight to read: some violence, hinted noncon and abuse
Disclaimer: They are not mine, obviously.
Summary:: Luhan's the most beautiful and cherished omega in the pack. Comparing to Sehun he's as weak as a child, as easily breakable as a baby deer - and more desirable than any treasure a man can ever possess.
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Baekhyun's POV
I don't like having too much time to think, because when I do I usually start questioning things that shouldn't be questioned. That's why I did my very best to just live my life in the pack following Kris' orders and enjoy the flow of harmony he established, happy with what I had, not expecting anything beyond what our arrangement gave me.
Perhaps it's a little unfair to state it in that kind of manner. I respect and adore Kris for what he's achieved, and since he has always taken good care of us I'm undoubtedly in his debt just like everyone else. As a pack you could say that we're quite famous, thanks to treaty pacts with other tribes whom we invited to our lands and shook hands with in the past. Our pack became recognizable in its uniqueness, praised for fierce and powerful dominant males as well as exceptionally charming submissive members. Luhan kind of had this label of the most beautiful one pasted on his forehead, a curse rather than a gift in his position, and even wolves he never met spoke of his grace far away from our territories. Naturally, as beauty emerges dark shadows are casted and deep inside my heart I always suspected that Kris favors him so much partly because Luhan's his potential bargaining chip, something that can strenghten our position even more with little to no effort. And no bloodshed.
But then Sehun appeared out of nowhere, like a ray of light warming Luhan's usually melancholic countenance. Everyone took to him fast but there was something off with this new arrangement, an unstability that made me feel insecure for some reason. Luhan, that cold and collected beauty beyond everyone's reach, swore for him like he was under some sort of magic spell, as Kyungsoo told me when he described events of that fateful day. So devoted and determined to let Sehun - a stranger - become part of our pack.
They became close, those two. Very close. And just when I finally believed that things can work out, everything started falling apart like a castle made from sand, too sudden for me to even understand what was happening.
I went in heat three weeks after Sehun and Xiumin's disappearance, the familiar tingling of need making me giddy and excited about the first night after mating. I knew Chanyeol would have smelled me by now wasn't he gone for hunting with Kris and Chen, but the waiting in itself was also quite delicious in my current state of body and mind. I lied down in our room and waited for him, toying with the hem of my trousers in anticipation, imagining his big, gentle hands running over my tender body. I licked my lips and smiled to myself.
'This time will be unlike anything I've ever experienced', I though with fondness, warmth filling my belly and hand sliding under the thin fabric of my breeches. I neither could nor wanted to do all the work, but getting a little excited for him couldn't possibly be a bad thing.
I rarely touched myself. It wasn't that I didn't like it, but after getting fucked by almost every alpha in our pack while in heat I developed some sort of displeasure towards sexuality in general, like a wound that wouldn't heal no matter what I did. It was silly and making me feel ashamed - unworthy even - and so I never really spoke of it with anyone before my confession to Chanyeol, hiding behind a wall of bright but insincere smiles.
It was different now. I was different.
'Chan...', I bit back the word. It sounded empty and robbed of depth when spoken aloud in presence of nothing but the walls surrounding me, so I decided to save every single syllable for later. I settled with little moans instead, long fingers - fingers Chanyeol liked so much, my pride and joy - wrapping around my own manhood.
''You look exquisite.''
I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to even pull my hand out of the breeches. It wasn't Chanyeol's voice.
''Why did you stop? You can go on, don't mind me at all.''
My hands were trembling as I sat up, eyes set on the unwanted visitor standing in the doorway. Why was he here? What did he want? ''Xiumin...what are you doing here? When did you return?''
''No beating around the bush, huh? It's so like you, to get down to business right away!'' The other man said, smirking. ''Same with getting down on your knees I guess. Or on someone's cock. No time to waste on foreplay, right, Baekhyun?''
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, so shocked that even when I did try to speak no words left my mouth. My hands didn't stop trembling, body tense and senses screaming at me to run while I still could, but my muscles remained frozen with fear. Useless.
Xiumin had an ugly, deep wound on his neck, partly healed but still pretty fresh. And the look in his eyes - I could hardly recognize him. ''What happened to you?'' I asked, immediately regretting it.
''What happened to me?'' he mocked, taking a few steps forward. ''It's sweet that you care so much about my well-being, darling. But, say...how about you shut your mouth and just show me your concern instead? Words are cheap.''
I was on my feet in an instant, fast but not fast enough. My movements were restrained by the heat pooling in my stomach and almost painful heaviness of limbs, leaving me slower and weaker; vulnerable. Xiumin didn't waste any second, hand grabbing me by the hair and dragging towards the wall. ''That's what Kris gets for spoiling bitches in his pack,'' I heard him say, but sudden, insufferable ringing in my ears made it hard to focus. ''Picky. So picky. A few months ago you were eager for it, almost begging...and Luhan? Shit. I despise you both equally.''
My blood ran cold at the words but I had no room left to respond before my head hit the wall, hard. ''You are nothing but a pretty container for sperm,'' Xiumin spat into my ear just as I felt something warm leaking down my neck. Everything felt so light. ''Both you and Luhan. You are nothing.''
''Xiumin...I...am mated...'' I managed to mumble through the haze, vision going blank slowly. My head hit the wall once again and I spat blood on the floor, stubbornly grasping consciousness. Adrenaline pumped wildly in my veins. ''You can't... expect me to...Chanyeol will kill you when he smells your scent on me...''
''Chanyeol is not here. And if you feel like discussing matters of life and death right now...I'd be more afraid of your safety.''
I sobbed, trapped between the cold wall and his body in an awkward, bowed position. Metallic taste of blood in my mouth made me instantly sick and the feeling, doubled by an excruciating pain of my skull, proved to be almost insufferable. Maddening. ''This is not you. I don't believe it...''
We were a pack. Friends. I didn't particularly enjoy spending my sexual craze with anyone despite Chanyeol, but no one had ever been cruel among us. No one hurt me, especially not kind and gentle Xiumin. What could possibly happen in those three weeks of his absence, what changed him so much?
What made him hate me enough to do this? To betray us?
''Spread your legs.'' I heard him command, but my mind stayed blank. ''If you want to live for him.''
I shook my head.
----------------------------
Luhan's POV
I have never seen a pack that would consist of more than fourty wolves in my entire life, I didn't even suspect something like that existed. Perhaps the term 'pack' doesn't describe what I saw then, though. It was almost an army that invaded our territory, accompanied by a continuing, pounding sound of dozens of feet marching towards their goal - us. Something I was certain I will never forget.
And nobody sensed them coming.
I was staring out of the window apathetically when I saw them, perfect rows of ghostly silhouettes making no sound at all until they had us surrounded, captured in a circle of merciless cold they've summoned. Only then the pounding started, like an iron clock tolling last hours of our lives with dead precision, freezing my heart right where it was. Or where it used to be before Sehun left us three weeks ago.
The scene I witnessed looked like a painting. So surreal that I didn't even react at first, just stared at them with some sort of misplaced awe when their light armors and fur cloaks shone in the rays of morning sun, mightly and proudly. I gasped when they finally came to a halt right before our living area, cutting off every possible escape route as a tight circle of men surrounded our huts. I could see them pretty well then from where I stood, skin white like snow and rows of short, raven black hair, darker than obsidian stones.
What...what was going on?
The rest of the pack was there already, standing in the middle like deers caught in a snare trap, and although I couldn't see the look on their faces I had a good enough idea. I skimmed through their postures hastly and horror started chilling my bones at the realization that Baekhyun wasn't present. He could have been hiding just like me, I tried to reason, but my instincts screamed that something bad happened already, before we even realized that death came pounding at our doors.
What do I do? Should I go out and look for him? But if I do, they will catch me. If I don't … they will catch me anyway, just a little later.
Outside, tall figure emerged from between the crowd of assailants and my eyes instantly glued to his upright, oppressive-looking posture. It didn't take a connoisseur to realize just how wealthy he must have been, wearing robes more beautiful than anything we could get in the South, decorated with golden brooches and soft looking fur. His armor shone like a deadly wink of the sun, blinding even from afar.
When Kris faced him something inside me shattered silently. That fearsome man, my leader and brother in arms I looked up to for this whole time looked so… insignificant.
The enemy, instead, was a beast. A true, deadly beast.
It was hard to breathe with fear crushing my lungs and heart, blood turning into ice in wildly pulsating veins. I was desperate to shoot out of the room and listen to their voices, face those men, see with my own eyes up close if they were as dreadful as they seemed from the provisional shelter I was hiding in, but I couldn't.
All I did was stare with horror, stare like a marble statue until Kris turned around and looked me straight in the eye with expression so sorrowful I almost lost ground beneath my feet.
----------------------------
''So...it is true after all.'' are the first words Luhan hears after he's thrown to the ground between Kris and the man he's too afraid to look at, shivering like a child. He's dressed in a simple white robe he usually sleeps in, now stained from mud and grass, knees sore from where they hit the hard surface. ''I half expected your friend to lead us astray, but he did well in the end.''
He doesn't look up until a huge hand grabs his chin and forces him to lift his head.
''I am a lord that emerged from darkest shadows, ruler of the North,'' the man says, and only then Luhan has an opportunity to see his face clearly - he's in late forties but could be regarded as handsome in any other situation than the one Luhan found himself in, with regular facial features and high cheekbones. There's something strikingly noble about him, too, like he was destined by birth to conquer not only realms but whole continents with iron fists and fire. He almost looks like...a god, Luhan thinks and is instantly horrified when those dark orbs start drinking up his small frame. ''They call me the Ice King, and that's how you will address me from now on.''
Luhan's fully aware of everything that happens around him, and even though he didn't look at his pack mates even once when ice guards brought him down he sees their faces vividly in his mind, pale and terrified.
''My lord...your visit is a great honor,'' Kris plays along and Luhan feels their leader's hand on his head a moment later. ''I was unaware we had anything of interest to you, had I known you would be provided with the best we can offer immediately. As you can see, our pack is rather small.''
The golden-haired boy bits his lips. He heard a lot of dreadful stories about the North in his childhood, tales warning foolish travelers about profound realms of ice and never ending night where nothing but nightmares lived, so deadly that no one who ever entered or left survived. But...that's where Sehun said he came from. Was it possible that...he was the 'friend' their oppressor had spoken of?
No. No, Sehun wouldn't do this. He wouldn't bring death on our heads.
What was the purpose in all of that anyway? They had nothing to give, nothing. And just like that, they will probably die for nothing, in shame and disgrace.
''Whether your pack is small or huge is insignificant.'' the king says and Luhan can't hold his gaze anymore, scared he will lose consciousness if those dark orbs continue to pierce his skull. ''The only thing that matters is one simple fact - if you hand over what we need and obey I will let you live.''
----------------------------
Kyungsoo's POV
When I hid behind Kai's back reality stabbed me in the chest like a spear, overwhelming grief drawing tears out of my bloodshot eyes as those horrible men stared us down emotionlessly. It wasn't death I feared, but the fact that I would never see my pack again, that I lost an opportunity to tell them just how much they've meant to me, how glad I was to be found and raised as one of them. To die deprived of a chance to voice out all of those things I never said aloud, either too scared or ashamed that time wasn't right... that was what scared me the most.
''Everything will be alright,'' Kai whispered, hand reaching back and catching mine as I clung to his back. ''Don't cry.''
But how could I not? How could I not if we were about to lose everything?
----------------------------
''Do you know who you are?'' the Ice King asks coldly and Luhan's head shoots up at the realization that it's him who is addressed. The question catches him off guard, though, and for a long moment he just stares at their oppressor blankly, having dozens pairs of hostile eyes burning holes in his lithe body. He can't hear anything save for his own heart, beating madly in his chest like a bird caught in a burning cage.
''My...my name is L-Luhan, my lord...'' he utters, throat dry. The man just waves his hand.
''I didn't ask about your name.''
Luhan stops himself before he furrows his brows, painfully aware that a slightest mistake can prove to be his last. He wonders if maybe he should try to get up - it's hard to keep his head and neck in such strained position, the man he faces is tall like a mountain - but decides against any movements just in case. ''I'm not sure...what kind of answer are you expecting, my lord. There's not much more to me than my name, nothing that could be of any interest to...''
He doesn't manage to finish his sentence before countless voices of ice soldiers raise behind their king, agitated and accussing. ''It's him! He's lying!''
Luhan breaks eye contact with the leader and turns his head to stare at the crowd in front of him. To his utter surprise, this simple gesture silences every single man,pale faces turning into expressionless stones like nothing ever happened. What...?, he mutters to himself, but then the fearsome figure facing him speaks again, his foghorn voice resounding inside the very ground behind their feet.
''Perhaps,'' he says with obvious amusement and the dull sound makes Luhan's blood turn cold and head dizzy. ''Or maybe he's just...sadly unaware of his legacy.''
Luhan's pulled up to his feet then, legs weak and unable to support his suddenly clumsy body. Kris is behind him in a flash, hands grabbing his narrow shoulders and holding still. Luhan tries to say something, anything, like for example deny those ridiculous implications that he has some sort of special lineage to boast about and make those men see their obvious mistake - he is but an orphan, a nobody -, but then he feels his leader's hand covering his mouth and stills immediately. ''My lord...you still didn't tell us what is it that you need.''
There's a movement among the crowd then, and from where he stands Luhan can catch a glimpse of something all too familiar, a shine of silver and -
''First, let me present you with two gifts,'' the Ice King says, and although the golden-haired boy's eyes are focused elsewhere, searching frantically for any sign, he can practically hear a smirk in his voice. ''I believe you won't be able to fully grasp the situation until you understand just how much I can offer.''
Luhan doesn't register immediately what happens in the next few seconds, there's just too much of everything - too many colors, sounds and rapid movements around him, too much chaos and grotesque noise. His eyes fall on something seemingly strange and only after a few heartbeats does he realize just what he's looking at; who he's looking at.
''Baek...Baekhyun?'' he mutters dazedly without realizing it, involuntarily taking a step back. Chanyeol's lean frame blocks his vision in an instant.
Thanks to Kris' wisdom and guidance, Luhan hasn't seen much bloodshed in his short life. They fought, obviously, like every other pack, but hunting and facing foes is something much different than watching one of their own being tormented...or killed. Especially someone you care so deeply about.
Baekhyun is alive, that much makes him let out a pained breath of short-lived relief. His condition, however...
''How could you do this to him?!'' Chanyeol screams at the top of his lungs and suddenly Luhan feels a single tear leaking down his own cheek at the horrific picture, freshly mated pair and a pool of blood all around them. That's not how it was supposed to be. ''Baby, oh baby...please...''
Kyungsoo cries loudly into Kai's sweat-soaked shirt and the atmosphere of absolute horror gets so insufferably intense that Luhan has to cover his mouth and force himself to calm down at any cost. He can see other pack members right in front of his eyes, hugging up to Baekhyun's limp frame and preventing Chanyeol from charging recklessly towards an enemy he can't possibly defeat.
They are all clutching desperately at the thought that maybe they can still miraculously survive this somehow, Luhan realizes, and just when he opens his mouth to beg the Ice King to end this finally another voice cuts in - a voice Luhan wishes he could forever bury in the darkest depths of his hatred and simply forget.
''I sincerely hope that he wasn't carrying your cubs already, Chanyeol.'' the manner in which he speaks is so perfectly steady and unamused - almost bored - that for the first time in his life Luhan imagines himself clawing out Xiumin's eyes and then ripping his throat open. ''But if he did...you can try again, sometime? If he doesn't have one of ours by then, I mean.''
Chapter 4
Chapter 6