“How even—” his words died at the back of his throat when he reminisced his father's words.

“This crystal is your possession, you've to protect it, it's like your heart, it recognises you. It will glow in the presence of its owner and that's you. You can't lose it, son. And if you do, you can't get it back until you don't claim it with a proper oath like you did when you were coronated and inherited it from me. Without this, you're nothing but just a mere serpent, my son,”

Claim, he has to claim it by taking his oath once again. He cursed Luther internally before stretching out his hand, holding it over the crystal and closing his eyes.

“I; Byun Baekhyun, the present king of Shilza and former owner of the royal crystal, takes his oath. I swear on my reverence for my ancestors and my loyalty for my people that I'll protect our royal crystal with my life,” he began.

“I'm ashamed to say that I couldn't protect it before but now that I've seen worse days without it, I realised. I want to prove myself worthy once again. I'm ready to sacrifice even my life, please accept my apology,” he prayed inside for the crystal to accept him once again and opened his eyes, he slowly pulled his hand down and touched the crystal gently.

Just when the crystal felt his touch, a green light came out of it and it started glowing to its fullest making Baekhyun smile the widest. He felt the current, the energy flowing inside him once again and he felt alive after so long, his happiness was on one another level.

He slowly brought his other hand and picked up the crystal from its place, attaching it with his forehead and heaving out a sigh, “Thank you!” he murmured, thanking his ancestors and put the crystal inside his jacket, making his way out.

✤

Four young men sat inside the prison in silence when suddenly the gate of their prison fell down with a loud banging sound making them flinch and scoot toward a corner. They saw green smoke around the doorway and a figure came out of it, they squinted their eyes in an attempt to understand who it was but the smoke was making it hard to do so.

“Perfect timing as always?” a familiar voice rang into their ears and in an instant, all the smoke was blown away. Their eyes widened when they saw their King, more like a friend in front of them. He unlocked their chains with just a snap and the next moment they were all over him.

“Hey, hey, hey, guys, calm down you're gonna choke me to death—”

Chanyeol, “Shut up!” he cut him off, hugging him more.

Kai, “We thought something happened to you!” he began with a sniffle.

Suho, “We were worried for you more than ourselves!” he added after Kai, slapping Baekhyun's back.

Sehun, “I'm glad you're okay,” he patted his back, slowly all of them pulled away and Baekhyun saw their teary eyes.

“I know you all love me so much but don't cry ew you're so cringey,” Baekhyun made a disgusting face earning a chuckle from them.

“What about the crystal?” Chanyeol asked worriedly when he remembered that Luther took it away.

“I got it back, don't worry,” Baekhyun assured and they nodded in understanding, “Let's go back then, shall we?”

✤

All of them came out of the dungeon and were walking through the corridor when Baekhyun heard someone coughing and stopped in his tracks.

“Did you hear that?” he asked the others because that voice kind of felt familiar to him.

“Hear what?” Sehun made a puzzled face.

“I heard someone's cough just now, it felt like a girl's—” he was cut off when the voice came again and this time, not just him but the others heard it too. Their ears perked up and they followed the voice, ending up in front of a room not so far away from them.

The door was slightly opened but it was dark from inside, Baekhyun came forward and slowly opened the door just to make his heart skip several beats, his eyes widened and his pupils narrowed; about to flee from the expanding whites of his eyes. The anxiety grew inside him more and more at the scene in front of him.

“L-Lisa . . .” he muttered under his breath and rushed inside the room toward her. He quickly got a hold of her ice-like-cold figure and placed her head on his lap.

The others who were shocked at such a reaction of his followed him inside. They saw the body of the girl Baekhyun was holding turning pale, her lips were greenish-blue and her figure kept shaking badly and lather kept coming out of her mouth.

“Hey, keep your eyes open,” he patted her cheeks anxiously and sniffed near her mouth, “It's— It's malady oh my god,” a gasp left his mouth and his stomach churned inside, he felt scared, but why?

Suho, “That's . . .” he tried forming words but failed.

“. . . the most rare and deadly poison,” Kai completed Suho's words, looking at the miserable sight in front of him.

“It must be Luther's doing,” Sehun said making Baekhyun grit his teeth angrily just by the thought of it.

“I don't know who she is, Baekhyun, but we need to get her to Shilza,” Chanyeol began kneeling down near them.

“Keep your eyes open, Lisa, please! We'll save you!” Baekhyun begged, almost tearing up at her condition. Chanyeol saw something in him he never did before, something for that girl he was holding onto. And just by his reaction, he could say she really meant a lot to him.

Maybe they missed something when they were locked in the dungeon because he has never seen him like this, he has never seen his eyes glistening his tears for someone. He was his best friend and he knew him that much. He held his shoulder making him look at him.

“We need to take her to Shilza, Lady Eleanora will save her, okay?” he tried making him understand and calm down. Baekhyun nodded his head vigorously and quickly picked up Lisa in his arms and all of them quickly made their way out of the castle.

✤

BLACKROSE PACK

Happiness is in everything, and I dare you to invite it in. It is in the rain, cool and fresh, just as deeply as the sunshine bringing forth different emotions. Happiness is enjoying the moment, being present for that gift that is living, and allowing it to become intense; intense to the limit your bones engulf it feeling breathless & overwhelmed yet peaceful, feeling the beauty of serenity.

And that's exactly what all of them were feeling, the end of wars with the arrival of their loved ones, is there anything else a person seeks for?

The curtains were drawn apart and the small bedroom lit up. Alpha Jeon sat on the bed while resting his head on the headboard. After a long time, he saw such familiar faces whom he loved that the feeling bubbling inside his heart was unexplainable.

Looking at Luna praying with so much reverence, her words thanking the goddess with everything in her heart. Jimin and Jungkook standing beside him looking at him attentively and waiting for Mr Chou to assure them of his life and well being.

Ji-Hyun keeping his hand close to her made him chuckle inside and then pity looking at her daughter's puffy red face. The whole Lockheart family was gathered there, waiting for the Gamma's words, there was a silence in the room that he was not getting so fond of.

He stared at Luna who's eyes were closed, Ji-Hyun who kept her head low looking at her father's hand in her lap.  Jungkook and Jimin were staring at Mr Chou as if he stole their toy once and they were keeping an eye on him if he dared to do a thing like that again.

Others were standing near the bed looking at him with the same expecting eyes and he felt warmth after so long. Those cold forests with those bloody pathways in his long sleep where he wanted to open his eyes so badly but he never got to.

He tried crossing over to the other side but there was no end as if his life was long dissolved in despair and grief. But at that very moment when he opened his eyes and saw his family surrounding him with happy tears on their faces. He knew he would have done anything for this, for their smiles, for his mate's warm hug, for his sons to be happy, for his family's safety.

“Mr Chou?” Jungkook finally said something after an eternity of patience. Alpha Jeon craned his neck to look at his son who felt very mature and grown-up, not someone whom he knew before.

“Yes Prince, it seems like Luther bonded Alpha Jeon with his own blood venom.” Mr Chou pressed his hand on Alpha's hand again feeling his pulse. Jungkook's eyes turned lethal just by the thought of Luther's dirty blood flowing in his father's veins.

“How did Alpha wake up then?” Jimin asked curiously, not getting the point.

Jungkook, “Yes, why Alpha was just sleeping if vampire blood is venomous?” he added another question with his brother's.

Mr Chou, “I think he bonded Alpha with his blood and kept him stuck in a darkness; a darkness where his mind had no control over his body,” he turned to look at Alpha Jeon and asked, “Alpha, were you having continuous nightmares while trying to wake up?"

Alpha Jeon sighed and then nodded, Mr Chou went back to noting down the details but the scribbling of raw ink on those sheets wasn't the only sound in the room. Several jaws clenched together at Mr Chou's words and Alpha could feel the rage crawling out from his sons.

Alpha, “Jungkook! Jimin!” both of them looked at him, their eyes relaxing, moulding into softness, "There's no point getting angry anymore. You two need to be calm and mature . . . the pack looks up to you,” he said the last words gazing at every young one in the room, Luna came forward a little pressing her hand on his assuringly, Alpha smiled gently.

“Let this be, for now, you just got up and,” she turned to look at Jungkook gesturing him with his eyes, “And Jungkook eventually prepared a lovely surprise for you,”

A tint of red engulfed his milky earlobes hearing his mother's words, he could sense the tease in her words and the muffled chuckles of his hyungs behind him were provoking his heart to start beating even faster.

“Surprise?” Alpha's brows raised in amusement, feeling ecstatic and shocked at the same time, “Quite new . . . I missed something really interesting, I guess?”

Jungkook cleared his throat looking at Y/N who kept fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves, her embarrassed reaction felt so pure and delightful to him. He felt like kissing her then and there and then he smiled realising how easy it was for him to get a reaction out of her now.

It felt like a gift for him to finally look at her rosy cheeks when she blushed, how hesitantly she tucked her sunbeam hair behind her ear whenever she was embarrassed. The way she kept scratching her nails while fidgeting with her dress out of nervousness.

Her reactions kept provoking him to tease her even more. He gulped shaking his thoughts away, he wanted to proudly face his father while introducing him to his and the pack's future Queen, his moon, his love, his mate.

“I found my mate, Alpha!” he looked him into the eyes reflecting the emotions his father always asked him to look for. Alpha's lips tugged up in relish, he arched an eyebrow at Luna and then noticed every single face in the room before looking back at his son in anticipation.

“And where is she?” he knew his son well, in a situation like this leaving his mate alone somewhere? His son won't do a reckless thing like that so his curiosity kept rising when he saw no new face present between them. Jungkook took few steps ahead intertwining his hands with Y/N, and a smile tugged up her lips, the crescent ends of her eyes sparkling in return for his affection.

“Here is the Queen of your son's heart,” there was a galaxy sparkling in his eyes when he looked down at his mate, Y/N's cheeks were failing hard to hide the rosy tint of love. Luna elbowed Alpha to get his attention who was watching his son with a hanging jaw and shock mingled with amusement filled in his eyes.

“I feel like I was sleeping for an eternity,” Luna giggled by his side.

Luna, “My son went from an arrogant jerk to a little squishy kid in a second . . . and trust me this is new, very new!”

Luna opened her arms signalling Y/N to come near her and she gladly did. She stepped near her leaning in to hug her, it was a motherly embrace. And looking at how Luna cared about her the whole family of Lockheart was assured.

Alpha Jeon was the happiest to get his best friend's daughter as his son's mate. The bubbling happiness in his heart was fidgeting restlessly to hug his friend, to celebrate it with him.

“Where's Ji-sun?” his eyes lingered around the room and suddenly the happiness on everyone's face faded. A sudden silence fell in the room, Alpha stared at everyone in anticipation but no one said anything.

“Yeon-ah?” he adverted his gaze to his friend's mate whose sparkling eyes were now pooled with tears. She was still not over it, she felt sad but her responsibilities were too much for her to afford a breakdown, but the grief never left her.

She kept it buried deep inside her, she was unable to reckon how irreversibly far he travelled away from her in just a blink of an eye. And remembering it, again and again, was like crumbling a part of her like paper.

She swallowed trying to get the stinging lump in her throat down but nothing was helping her to get her tongue working. She knew this time she will never be able to get herself together, but Alpha Jeon had the right to know.

“Ji-sun die—” her words got cut off by a guard's urgent knock.

“Your highness, we found a person on the seashore!” his voice was concerned and announcing urgency.

“Person?” Jungkook looked alarmed, all of them were alarmed.

“The Alpha of Lockheart,”

✤

The heart was unaware what it was wishing for...

Don't know what desires it was seeking for...

Now, what can I say, it's all the almighty's game...

A moment it breaks you, making you cry so hard that you forget what smiling was like...

And the very next moment, caresses you like the serenic rain...

Indeed, life is a game and only those are rewarded who don't just deserve the victory but they know how have it...

┈────────┈ ⋅• ✤ •⋅ ┈────────┈

Omg sorry I forgot I was supposed to update daily since all of you voted for daily updates😭 I'm so sorry, I'll keep a reminder from now on. Hope you liked this chapter💗 Vote and comment if you did!💫