⚠️ Warning! Mentions of violence ahead! ⚠️

YOONGI POV:

It hurts. Hurts seeing him again. Hurts being so close and in front of him again. Hurts that when I stand in front of him it makes me feel small, makes me have to consciously fight the urge to cower and back away and hide, to shield myself from his predatory hungry eyes. He hasn't changed. Not a single bit.

And I hate him for it.

Hate how even though Minnie lost his control, and made a step forward I had already seized hold of his tongue and with every ounce of bitterness and rage and agony had torn it off- but what I hated hadn't been ridding him of the vile thing but how vile and familiar the wetness of his tongue was, mind flashing to memories of that tongue on me, of his mouth mapping new courses over my body, trying to keep the ruse of love and passion whilst I was screaming and begging for him to stop.

And that when it landed on the floor with a wet smack, he had the nerve, the audacity to look at me in the eyes and be disappointed and betrayed.

"I believe you were told another wrong word and we'd get rid of your tongue for you." I hiss, feeling hatred and disgust for him.

And suddenly it seems like all the pain in the world isn't enough for him and yet I feel disgusted, perturbed by the way I want to hear his cries, hear his pleas to be ended.

It's daunting, scary to think that I'm on the edge of a slippery slope and my footing keeps becoming unsettled and weak, that I can't stand my ground.

When I look at Chul I wonder...what is it that I truly want?

Do I want him to pay? Yes.

Do I want to see him in pain? Yes.

Then why is it a part of me shivers at my own actions, why do I cower from the coldness I can feel seeping through the bond?

"I prefer him much better like this. Should've done it ages ago." Jiminie retorts angrily.

"I had to hold back the urge believe me." Joon confesses, voice tight and his usual warmth missing.

I turn to look at him, finally drawing my eyes away from Chul to peer at him.

I'm not the only one shooting slightly confused looks. His

Did something happen?

He shrugs, though his posture is stiff and his shoulders tense.

"I was getting updates from JB and I don't know how the Ims restrained themselves. Especially when he seemed so sure he would rip our baby mate apart slowly and in front of our eyes...what was it you said Chul? Your new toy? You wanted to taste her in ways more than one? You filthy sick bastard." Joonie hisses, eyes burning crimson, flames of anger flickering in them as he finally moves forward.

The soft, clumsy adorable plant-loving mate all of us adore is gone in that instant, behind a solid line of defence.

"You've ruined so many lives, you've hurt my mate for centuries and now you set your eyes onto our youngest? You're lower than filth." He says, voice tinged with disgusted hysteria- as if he truly can't believe such vermin exists.

I can't believe it either. And I've been thinking over this for centuries and still failed to find an answer.

"Do you have not a single feeling of regret, of shame or anything except pleasure?" he continues, stepping forward and gently moving around me with a squeeze to my waist.

Maybe he'd noticed, maybe that was why he was giving me those moments to collect myself, to keep myself together as he talked to Chul instead.

And I realised with the reassuring squeeze of his hand on me, that he'd silently told me that he would take over, that if I wanted an out, a break or I wanted my involvement to only go thus far then he'd take over, that I didn't need to push myself any further and was allowed to retreat into the safety my mates provided.

I take the respite, stepping back to gently take (Y/N) into my arms, noting immediately the chalky complexion and the way her throat bobs nervously, avoiding meeting the sight of the dismembered tongue. She ducks herself in close, body straight and stiff but I feel her noticeably melt into me, sinking back into my chest as if trying to meld the two of us together.

Joon towers over Chul's form, looking imposing and intimidating, radiating authority and power and command from every pore, demanding Chul's attention, and for a moment I see fear flicker in his eyes alongside the pain.

"Do you know that legally we're entitled to do much much worse to you and the law would permit us? That each of the families you tore apart are entitled to ordering a brutal death for you?" Joon asks, voice levelled and sounding informed and cool as he peers at him.

"It's s mercy to you that we're not like you, that we won't stoop to your level, but all it'll take is one touch..." Joon says slowly, finger coming to rest on Chul's throat, pausing as the flames in his eyes simmer.

"And I could send the most poisonous plant essence to seep through your veins. And it won't be like what the venom does, it'll make you feel like you're skin and bones are melting, that your insides are bubbling and boiling and frothing. It'll make you feel like acid has been rubbed into your skin, that it's crawling and being torn apart by the teeth of thousands of insects." He says.

But then he removes his finger.

"But doing that would make me feel that I've stooped to your level." He says a disgusted face as he reins himself back in and retreats away from Chul. But he must've done something because Chul convulses, body spasming sporadically and garbled wet groans slip past his throat.

And yet I still see the lack of care, see how mentally detached he seems to be. Because despite the physical pain he's been in, he doesn't seem to regret, doesn't seem to feel any guilt. It was (Y/N) who came to me last night and pointed it out. Pointed out as she curled into me that whatever pain he seems to endure doesn't make him understand his doings, doesn't make him actually realise that what he's done is worse.

And that at times the best way to deal with things was to leave an impact on the mind.

But it still pains and irks me, bothers me, ruffles my protective instincts to take (Y/N) with me as I move forward, as the two of us come to stand in front of Chul and watch as his filthy dark orbs set onto us, flickering with emotion. Watch as blood gushes from the open mound in his mouth, maybe I'd accidentally torn the inside of his throat. But when I remember the bruises that have just faded from (Y/N)'s skin, I feel glad.

"Chul I hate you. I hate you now and I hated you every single day you had me trapped. I spent centuries silently hating you and when I escaped I hated how much of my life you'd stolen from me. And just as life was moving to that completion you came back. And I hated you most because of what you did to my baby mate, hated you more than for what you'd done to me." I confess, feeling my voice shake slightly, arms involuntarily tightening around (Y/N)- mind flashing with pained tormented memories of her hot sweet blood filling my mouth.

He'd violated her in the worst way in my eyes. He'd taken from her, her very existence, he'd pushed me to the only option which was to turn her to keep her alive, and he'd ruined a moment which should've been intimate and cherished and full of happiness and trust. Not a limp unresponsive figure in my arms as I'd prayed for the venom to work.

His eyes linger on (Y/N), silently assessing- and it's as I was speaking that I saw hurt flash across his eyes.

My hand slides up from her waist to come to cup the side of her neck, she arches it slightly in my touch- displaying the soft trusting vulnerability as she allows me to touch her, rub soothing circles into her skin- sending love and tenderness through my touch.

Chul's eyes fill with pain, the beginnings of grief.

"You see this. This is how you're meant to treat the one you love, you treat them as if they're the most delicate, fragile, and priceless thing in your life. You hold them close because you want to feel them near you all the time. Allowing someone near your neck as a vampire is a big show of trust and intimacy, and you violated mine. But this...you'll never get close to this. I never felt this with you." I say, all whilst I cocoon her body with mine, unconsciously feeling comforted by her closeness.

There's a wet wailing sound that comes from Chul, the sound of loss as he takes in the way my body lovingly cradles hers.

"I love her, I love every bit of her...I never loved a single part of you Chul- because you took and took and never gave. You used me. And you know something...only seven people have that right over me. Only my mates can touch me intimately." I say, eyes fluttering slightly when I feel myself get caged from behind by the strong broad strength of Jin hyung, of the way (Y/N) tilts her head back to press a kiss to my throat.

Warm, safe. Even as her lips wobble slightly.

"The truth is Chul, he was never yours to begin with. And at the end of the day he belongs to himself, he chooses who to be with. And he chose us." (Y/N) says, voice slightly thick and wavery but still underlined with corded strength, firm and unmovable.

She meets his eyes even as her other hand drops to where mine rests on one hip, squeezing gently.

And that seems to trigger it, seems to trigger the shattering in his eyes as I visibly see the moment where his world falls apart, where the veils of his illusions are crushed under our words, where the hazy intoxicating fog of his fantasies clear up- and he's left seeing the black and white picture of reality.

That he's alone, he's defeated and we're not. That he doesn't have me and my mates do.

That I love them but never loved him.

And the thick tears that roll down aren't still in grief or sorrow for his actions but rather for what he's lost, for the vision he'd dreamt of that's been snatched out of his hands.

Even until the last moment he's only mourning what he's lost, not the losses he inflicted.

And at some point the healing charm that had stabilised him seems to dissipate with our final words, because he shrieks- howling and groaning in agony as his neck jerks to a side, lolling pathetically, head bowed. Finally defeated. Finally gone.

And the warded restraints keep him still on the chair, but we can see how he writhes, how it seems that he seems to be burning from the inside, writhing from an agony that none of us can know.

But the grim look that Joon gives makes me wonder just what it was he'd done; maybe it had been a slowly activated poison.

And though Kookie looks shaken and presses himself tightly into Tae, his eyes don't waver and stray off the sight- taking in the memory of the defeated demon.

And I feel (Y/N) begin to tremble, hear the wavering gasp as she turns away from the sight, hands fisting over her ears- unable to bear the sound, eyes flickering back and forth between red and her usual colour- instincts warring with the softness she's always had.

And when I see her pupils dilate and push the red to become a thin rim and her body falls towards the ground, knees buckling, I catch her, cradling her trembling form close.

Because one nightmare might've ended.

But another more deep, personal one may have begun.

The hardest battle of all.

Healing. And moving on.

-----

There's no-one but the house to witness the way all eight of them hurt when they arrive back to the nest. No-one but themselves to see the haunted, hurting looks in each pair of red eyes, all of them silently yearning for comfort and seeking it by latching onto the nearest mate.

All of them hurt. All of them feel guilt.

Because it had been a long time since any of them had actively sought out to hurt, it had been centuries- centuries of learning to control, learning to adapt, and learning to recognise and stop impulsive thought.

And each and every one of them were recollecting what they'd done.

Jin hurried away to the bathroom, splashing water onto his face and when he'd raised his head and met the eyes of his reflection he wondered, what sort of monster had Chul seen in them that he had shivered in fear with just being in his presence? And that thought sent silent tears to trickle down, fists clenching onto the sink as he wondered just how far he'd fallen.

Hobi and Joon sat on the couches silently, side by side- leaning into each other unconsciously but both thinking how the day they'd never thought would come had arrived. When they'd used their abilities not to help or bring forth beauty and new life, but to inflict pain. That the hands they recognised today looked alien, wondering why it was they had a hard time feeling regret.

Tae peered at his fangs and sadly prodded at them, wondering why it was it had been so easy to inject venom, to produce it and collect it in a vial, wondered why he'd felt pride at being able to help even in ways that didn't require him to physically tear into the monster. Wondered why it was he'd been both horrified and yet tugged to the sight of Chul suffering, of seeing him become defeated. And curled next to Kookie who was just silent, breaths coming out randomly- sometimes sharp and harsh and grating, sometimes soft and gentle and barely there.

Jimin tagged along with Yoongi, not wanting to let him be alone in such a delicate moment of vulnerability, entering his room and darting forward just in time to catch their mate who was sinking to the ground, hot tears splashing against his cheeks and words coming out in broken mumbled phrases, heart aching and overflowing and unable to coherently verbalise what it was he was going through.

And (Y/N). (Y/N) went to each and every one of her mates and offered silent comfort, offered hugs and gentle touches as she gathered them up one by one and took them to the nesting room, brushing away hair and silently wiping away tears. Pressing small light kisses to their cheeks and drawing blankets over them.

And when they all eventually dropped off into sleep one by one, she unfurled herself from the armchair and padded out the room, the door slipping shut quietly behind her.

She walked down and ventured further into the living room to enter the kitchen.

And she baked.

She baked to numb her mind with the thousands of thoughts and feelings. She baked robotically so she couldn't feel the way her heart was twisting and turning.

She baked mindlessly so she could stop thinking, even if it was for one batch, or the one after.

And when the counters were filled and there was no space to put any more food down on, she sunk to the floor leaning against a cabinet and cried.

Cried for the way her heart felt both full and empty. Cried for having gotten revenge and yet felt so disgusted for being happy. Cried for being relieved and cried for being unable to process that it was well and truly over.

She cried because she wasn't human. Cried because she couldn't feed as a vampire. And cried because her head felt light whilst her heart felt heavy.

And yet it seems like despite all her attempts, she was unsuccessful because no sooner than she breaks down do seven figures enter the kitchen, eyes alighting onto her figure.

And despite having tried so hard to hide away. She couldn't.

And at some point through the tears she realised she didn't need to.

She didn't need to hide ever again.

(THERE YOU GO! SO! OF COURSE ALL EIGHT OF THEM HAD DIFFERENT MENTAL BURDENS AND GUILTS! BUT YES THEY DIDN'T REGRET IT AND I WON'T MAKE THEM. THE GUILTS COME FROM WHY THEY DON'T REGRET, WHY THEY FEEL HAPPY AND PLEASED. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY ARE 'VAMPIRES' BUT FEELING TOXIC EMOTIONS IS ALSO A PART OF LIFE, NO PERSON IS PERFECT AND I WANTED TO SHOW THAT. THIS ISN'T TRYING TO ROMANTICISE OR GLAMOURISE VIOLENCE AND TORTURE IN ANY WAY- SO I HOPE IT DIDN'T COME ACROSS AS THAT. IT'S TRYING TO SHOW THAT PEOPLE HURT, AND PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE THE ONES WHO HURT THEM FEEL PAIN TOO. BUT CHUL IS GONE! AND I'D PLANNED FOR HIS END TO BE THAT MOMENT OF MENTAL ACCEPTANCE OF HIS LOSS, OF HIS WORLD SHATTERING- IT MIGHT SOUND SUPER CRUEL, BUT I FELT HE NEEDED THOSE DELUSIONS TO BE SHATTERED AND THAT'S WHEN THE PAIN MATTERS, THAT'S WHERE IT'S STRONGEST. I ALSO HOPE THAT THE VIOLENCE, WHICH WHILST I DOWNPLAYED A LOT JUST TO AVOID BEING GRAPHIC, CANNOT BE AVOIDED BECAUSE VAMPIRES ARE AUTOMATICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH BLOODLUST AND SO ESPECIALLY FOR THEM THEY COULDN'T HAVE LET IT GO. SO THAT ALL SAID I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THE CHAPTER AND ARE READY FOR THE SLIGHT ANGST BEFORE THE HEALING! STAY SAFE AND TAKE CARE!)

Zero o'clock. Because time both starts and ends at this point. Because the past day comes to a close and is concluded and because the next day commences. The only moment in time where there's an overlap. And at this point there's both the ending of something traumatic and horrific and the beginning of something sweet and hopeful.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3