The seashore is the rocks and the sand, the rough and the smooth, the brightest of blues to contrast with the soft white-golds and greys. The sky was clear and the water was freezing cold, the shore was sloppy, and with every wave of the ocean little by little.

The sand kept going and coming back as if two soulmates arguing but still not ready to let go but the love story of the shore and sea wasn't the concern at that time. The unconscious body of Alpha Kim and the slowing rhythm of his heartbeat was giving shivers to Luna.

As soon as she heard about him she ran to the shore barefoot. She didn't even give herself a second glance in the mirror, she just cared to get to him. The image of a Queen wasn't her perturb but the life of her mate was. Her breathe hitched looking at his condition. His body was bluish and there were bruises on his arm and neck as if he fought a very fierce battle.

Taehyung & Y/N were there too holding his hand praying for him to open his eyes, there was no limit of the tears flowing down everyone's eyes. Jungkook kept his hand on the small of Y/N's back rubbing it to give her a sign of consoling.

He had no idea about what actually happened. But he knew Y/N and the whole Lockheart pack was going through a lot, the mental breakdown he saw was evident enough.

"I knew you will be alive! Please, wake up, honey! Look at me please, I need you, we all need you!" Luna sobbed hugging Alpha Kim close to her chest.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes remembering the moon goddess. A lone tear dropped down from the sides of her closed eyes and she leaned to press a kiss on her mate's lips. It was a prayer, her prayer to the moon goddess for her mate's well-being, a prayer for her mate to heal, a kiss full of conviction; a healing kiss.

"We need to get Alpha to the palace, he needs a healer," Jungkook spoke, looking at Luna with an assuring gaze, and she nodded with teary eyes.

With his orders, the Deltas came forward getting hold of Alpha's body. Luna wasn't ready to let go of his hand and she walked with them.

Jungkook grabbed Y/N's shoulders pulling her up in his arms. She needed an embrace full of warmth and Jungkook gave her exactly what she needed. How amazing a mate bond is right?

His hands rubbed on her back in soothing circles giving her a sense of belonging, The smell of sea mixed with his was an alluring feeling, and his words were like butter on her burning heart.

"It will be fine . . .  I'm here,"

✤

Crying had always been a healthy release, it made us feel light-hearted when we let it out instead of bottling up within ourselves but for Martha, it was a habit now. She stared around her as if she was in a pit. Her surroundings were exactly the same, but they gave her no emotion.

The blue feeling washed in like an unwanted wave, knocking her sandcastles flat. Then what? Was she supposed to construct them again? Get that bucket and spade out and make it pretty all over again? She sat. No more building, no more castles. She had given up on everything now.

She sat and stared out of the window, more tears, no surprise there. She let them fall, not raising a hand to stop them. They splashed down onto the bed in a rain-like pattern and soaked in leaving dark splotches on the crimson-coloured fabric.

Why did he have to do that? Why did Jungkook have to keep her alive? It was her all along, it was her because of whom everything happened and is happening again. And she couldn't do anything to stop it, she felt helpless and useless, she felt like there's no meaning in her living now.

It'd be better if she just died a peaceful death. But she wanted to see him; her son; Yeonjun. She didn't even get a chance to meet him or explain him about anything. How had he been by himself? She wanted to meet him for one last time and tell him about everything that what she actually is; a traitor, a stigma.

She wanted to feed him his favourite food. She wanted to sing him a lullaby and caress his hair while he slept in her lap for one last time. Another stream of tears flowed from her eyes when she reminsced her time spent with Yeonjun; even if it was not a lot. She wanted to see him so bad.

A knock on the door interrupted her moment and she wiped the tears from her face and shouted thinking it was any maid asking her to eat again. It had been days since she ate anything, she didn't even gulp a drop of water. She had become thinner and no longer had the energy to move or do anything.

“Go away! I told you I'd not eat anything!” she shouted in a weak voice, a cough escaping her mouth right after that.

But the man on the other side of the door sighed, feeling a heavy weight over his heart. He took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob, opening it. The door creaked open and Martha turned her neck to see someone, she least yet expected to see. Tears brimmed in her eyes seeing him standing there.

Jungkook...

He stood there with a plate of food in his hands. He looked at Martha. She wasn't the same Martha he knew before. She looked at him like the fire in her eyes had been dowsed with ice water, if anything it made the blue more pale.

He was not used to it, it unnerved him. It was like she just crawled right back inside some invisible shell and no matter how hard he would try she was unreachable.

She moved her eyes, brimmed with tears more slowly, like they were heavy, an effort to move. She weakly stood up from the bed, she was sitting before. She took steps, slowly, as if all her energy was sucked out.

Jungkook was hurt, beyond hurt, seeing her in this state but he couldn't help her. He saw her steps stumble and she was about to fall when he quickly put the plate on the bed and held her in reflex, preventing her from falling down.

“M-Mother,” the words escaped his lips without even realising, forming a very slight smile on Martha's face.

"J-jungkook," her voice came out as a mumble, she was beyond happy hearing Jungkook's voice after so long. The love she had for him was more than anything, she did many wrong things but she kept him safe from everything as well. She never wanted to harm him.

In the start it was just a punishment she gave herself but later on Jungkook became a vast part of her life, she loved him like her own son, he was her pride. She always wished for the time to turn back to the past, when she cradled him in his arms, helped luna take care of him.

The time when Jungkook came running to her after his training asking her to make him bath, how he'll follow her throughout the palace when Luna was busy. The time when Jungkook will put his head in Luna's lap but won't leave her hand, asking for both of them to sing a lullaby for him.

For others, he was a cold arrogant brat, but for them the softest ball of happiness ever. The time when Jungkook started calling her mother, he was just a child. He pecked Luna and her forehead, cupping their cheeks with his little hands, and said, "I've too mothers!" She was more than happy. If she ever knew her life will be shattered like this after Luther let her go, she would have preferred death.

"Eat something," he wanted to hug her but was hesitant, he was still confused about everything. He had no idea about what to believe. And his questions had only one answer; Martha.

She nodded hundred times with a pursed lips smile. She tried standing straight with her shaky legs. Even if she stumbled she somehow went to sit on the bed and turned around patting her side for Jungkook to sit.

He bit his lower lip trying to calm his hurting heart. Martha's state was his doing after all and his heart indeed took that blame. He sat near her placing the place in between them on the bed. Martha opened her mouth like a child looking at him with pleading eyes asking him to feed her.

This wasn't the natural behaviour she always did, but at that time she was a part of a royal family forced to make an image in front of everyone. However, now there was nothing she needed to think about. Her son was right in front of her, she just wanted to smile one last time without any care about anyone.

Jungkook picked up the spoon filled with rice, moving it near her mouth, he had no idea why he was so weak at that moment, his hands were trembling. He had a bubbling fear in his heart and he just felt like accepting anything Martha was asking for. The silence was killing him.

But the soft features of Martha chewing the food like a happy kid finally getting what she wanted after days of being stubborn and crying. She was never alone. There were guards and maids all around her even here in a secret room but she felt like the most lonely person ever.

And having Jungkook near her at that moment she felt blessed. Ever thought about how our whole life changes just for a person? So weird yet such an amazing thing it is right Jungkook kept looking at her satisfied smile. Even if he wanted some answers he at that moment felt guilty and hesitant.

He was scared of her reaction, how he is supposed to tell her that Yeonjun is no more. She was already so broken, so fragile she'll never be able to take it but as if Martha read Jungkook's thoughts, she asked grabbing his hand resting on the bed.

"I-I know that I'm at no place to ask for anything . . . but," her eyes teared up once again. The smile that formed on her lips after such a long time vanished in flurries. Jungkook's other hand tightened grabbing the bed sheet, he adverted his gaze down to the plate.

"But please, can I meet Y-Yeonjun . . . one last time?" she mumbled the last part looking at him begging. What was he supposed to answer? His breath hitched, he tried swallowing but the lump was stuck in between. He hated the feeling of feeling emotions at that moment.

"I'm okay if you can't—" her words died in the back of her throat when Jungkook looked up at her with eyes red and filled with tears to the brim.

"He's no more . . ." he whispered and Martha's hands dropped back in her lap. She slid away from him on the bed, her lower lip quivered looking at him shocked, she stood up from the back just to fall back on the ground.

"Mother," he bent to pull her up but she just kept staring at him with wide eyes.

"I understand y-you want to p-punish me, but please don't lie?" she grabbed his hands, pressing them tightly.

"Please . . ." regret crawled up her spine, filled her veins, and caged her heart. Jungkook grabbed her shoulders pressing her head on his chest hugging her. He was hesitant but at that moment it felt like he needed that embrace more than Martha.

"I'm really sorry . . . but mother, trust me, it wasn't me. I never attacked him. I tried talking to him . . . but he . . . he—" his chest tightened. Martha cried in his arms hitting his chest helplessly, she was shocked and was confused about whom she needs to blame.

"He jumped off the cliff," Martha looked up at him pushing herself away from him, "Listen to me, please, Mother . . . at least you need to," he grabbed her shaking wrists pulling her back.

She just stared at him with wide eyes, a puzzled and confused expression mixed with guilt and sorrow plastered on both of their faces. Jungkook told her everything that happened in the past few days and Martha said nothing but the tears kept streaming down her cheeks.

"Yeonjun, a vampire . . . how?" he looked at her with questionable eyes.

"There's a very bad m-memory, I never shared with anyone, Jungkook," she wiped her tears from one hand and from the other hand pushed herself up trying to stand up.

Jungkook helped her stand up and reach the bed. He looked at her confused. Her hands searched under the pillows. There was a small gold vial in her hands when she turned around to look at him, she wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

"Sit," she asked patting the bed for him. Jungkook sat down looking at her hands which held the vial tightly.

"Yeonjun was Luther's son," she stared looking out at the sky covered with the hues of pinks and oranges, peeking out of the black clouds surrounding the sky.

"What?!" the shock was evident on his face. It wasn't like he never predicted this after seeing Yeonjun with those vampires and Martha in the forest with Luther but hearing it as a fact from her was still shocking for his mind to accept.

Martha shallowed hard before continuing, she kept nothing and let out everything. She wanted to erase her memories, she hated them. She felt outrageous remembering them. But this time she had something in her mind that kept her going.

She told him how Luther raped her, killed her mate, how he used her in the name of her family, how he ruined her while saying he loved her. With each and every word Jungkook's hands tightened, forming into a fist on the bedsheet.

His knuckles turned white with his tightening grip. His heartbeat accelerated. How badly he wanted to rip off that filthy vampire's head that very moment.

He wanted to kill that Luther a million times and every time a more terrible death. But he was dead already, if he ever knew what he did to his family before, he would have made him pay with a million times more of it.

"I wanted to meet Yeonjun. I owe him a lot but sadly I'm not worthy of that chance I think. But Jungkook," she averted her gaze back to him and grabbed his hand from one hand. Jungkook looked up at her with bloody red eyes. Martha smiled sadly before putting the vial in his palm, he looked up at her questionably.

"Do me a favour. . . let me die by your hands, it'll be an honour. Please," she smiled through tears pressing his hands, pleading.

"No, no mother no . . . You deserve a life, don't do this!" he dropped the vial on the bed and standing up to leave. Martha grabbed his hand once again making him sit down, she cupped his cheeks making him turn to look into her eyes.

"Son, even if Yeonjun isn't here, you're my son too right? Help me with this. I beg you to just stay by my side till I die, I've been alone for long enough," she pleaded picking up the vial once again.

"Mother, please . . . I can't," he pleaded but Martha was determined to end her sufferings. She opened the vial, the poison, wolfbane was deadly but the scent was uniquely sweet, she pushed the vial in his hand and lifted it up to her lips.

His mind was a mess he was falling apart already and before he could realise, she gulped the stinging liquid down. She took a deep breath before falling down on the bed. Jungkook's hands were shaking when she placed her head in his lap.

Martha smiled looking at that. There was a time when he slept in her lap and now she was taking her last breath in his lap. Fate played really well.

"I did many things wrong, but never meant to harm you, Jungkook," she smiled, trying to raise her head a little. Looking at her failure to control herself he bend over, she lightly pressed a blessing kiss on his forehead.

"I w-wish you to have all the happiness—" she coughed out blood.

"I'm so sorry, Mother," he let go of everything and cried hard hugging her body that was getting colder with time.

"It's n-not your f-fault," she caressed his cheeks looking at his detailed features one last time.

"You grew up in such a handsome y-young man," she patted his shoulder lightly trying to show how proud she was, "I love you . . . my son," those were her last words when she finally embraced death with peace in mind. A smile was still on her lips.

Jungkook hugged her even more tightly, no one was there in the room to judge him at that time and it wasn't like it mattered. He lost a person who was like his mother. And no matter how much he tried to make himself steady, he wasn't ready to accept Martha leaving him alone.

"I love you too mother . . . and I always will,"

┈────────┈ ⋅• ✤ •⋅ ┈────────┈

We'll miss you Martha💔 You were one of our favourite characters and doing this to you literally made our heart ache so much but that was the only option😭 Rip queen💐