The atmosphere inside the council room was suffocating.
Yu Jun sat at the head of the table, back straight, expression a mask of cold indifference. Beside him were Yul, Hyeon-u, Hyeon-ju, and Min — the only ones he trusted in this cursed world. Six elders lined the opposite side of the table, their aged eyes sharp, but their motives even sharper.
"We are saying this not to provoke you, Alpha," one of the elders said, voice diplomatic, tone anything but. "But if you do not choose a mate soon — and cannot locate the one fate has assigned you — then by law, the title and the pack must pass to your uncle."
Silence.
Min froze. Hyeon-ju's eyes widened. Yul clenched his jaw. And Hyeon-u scoffed so loud it echoed.
"You're playing with fire," Hyeon-u said darkly. "You all know what he's done for this pack. And yet you'd throw him to the side like some disposable soldier?"
Yu Jun said nothing at first. His eyes, dark as night, stared down the elder who dared challenge him, he could not believe this was what he was called for Early morning
"I bled for this land. Fought your wars. Broke bones under the moon while you slept safe behind our walls. If the title is to be taken from me, come do it yourselves."
A low growl spread under his voice. It wasn't fully human anymore. Hyeon-u's hand tightened on the edge of the table. Even Min, the ever-calm seer, leaned slightly away from the storm brewing in Yu Jun's chest.
But then—
CRASH!
The meeting door burst open. A guard stumbled in, face pale, uniform soaked in blood and sweat.
"Alpha—!"
Yu Jun stood before the man could finish, already moving. The air around him pulsed with violence.
"Border—" the guard gasped, "rouges—"
Yu Jun didn't wait. Didn't ask. Didn't breathe.
He ran.
Out of the room like he was being chased by hell itself, his feet thundering through the hallways, slamming the door behind him with a crash that shook the building. No orders. No hesitation.
His pack was in danger.
The council room fell into stunned silence. Then Hyeon-u stood, the chair scraping violently behind him.
"You see what you're playing with?" he snarled, glaring at the elders. "That's your monster. The one who saves this pack every damn time."
Yul was already moving. Hyeon-ju followed, Min trailing behind with a rare frown shadowing his usually unreadable face.
Because they knew something the elders didn't—
When Yu Jun ran like that…
Blood always followed.
---
Yu Jun ran like hell was on his heels.
Not even a shift into his wolf form — not when his control was fraying, not when his instincts screamed mate mate mate and his wolf clawed under his skin for release. He wouldn't risk it. Not now. Not when he didn't trust himself to come back.
He tore through the trees, past training fields and the south ridge, his legs pushing harder with every breath. Behind him, Yul, Hyeon-u, Min, and Hyeon-ju followed, their forms shadows darting through the forest, swift and silent.
The border came into view—burnt soil, shattered trees, and blood.
It had been years since a rogue dared to breach Yu Jun's territory. After his last rampage, no fool had crossed that line. Until today.
The guards bowed the moment he arrived, dropping their heads low, hands pressed to chests. Fear was in their eyes—not of him, but of what had happened. Of what it meant.
Yu Jun didn't say a word. His eyes swept the area—bodies, claw marks, shredded cloth, and a scent in the air that made his fangs twitch.
Rogue.
"You said some got away?" Hyeon-u asked, stepping beside him.
One of the guards nodded shakily. "Yes, Beta. Three. But we found this…"
He held out a folded, blood-smeared piece of paper.
Yu Jun took it slowly. His fingers, stained with old scars and new dirt, unfolded the page. Three words stared back at him in jagged black ink.
Miss me.
Something primal uncoiled in his chest.
The paper crumpled violently in his hand, his grip trembling, not from fear—but from the effort of not destroying the forest around him. His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening, unreadable. The wind itself seemed to fall silent.
Yul stepped forward and gently took the paper from his hand, smoothing it out as he read the words again.
The others stood around them, quiet, their expressions unreadable—but their eyes cold, dangerous. No one said it out loud, but they all knew:
This was personal.
Min finally broke the silence. "Whoever sent that… they know exactly what they're doing."
"They're testing him," Hyeon-ju murmured, his voice low.
"No," Hyeon-u corrected. "They're provoking him."
Yu Jun's eyes never left the trees. His voice, when he finally spoke, was a quiet snarl.
"Let them come."
----
---
Yu Jun couldn't breathe.
The forest behind him blurred as he broke away from the group, footsteps silent despite the speed. No one dared follow. They all knew this wasn't about the rogues anymore.
This was about him.
About the burn in his chest that never left. The weight of duty. Of a bond not fully formed. Of instincts he couldn't understand, and power he was constantly warned to suppress.
The woods welcomed him in a way nothing else ever did—raw, untamed, indifferent. Here, he didn't have to lead. Or hold back. Or pretend he wasn't slowly cracking from the inside out.
He slowed under the heavy trees and let out a shaky breath, eyes lifting to the sky that peeked through the branches. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was haunting.
But at least here… he could be himself.
Even if he didn't know who that was anymore.