King ran, propelling himself deeper into the dark as shrieks that rattled his bones roared out from behind him. He kept pushing his legs in a hurry, yet he felt like he was running a neverending empty road. The bloodcurdling shrieks winded closer, pulsing terror into his system, carving a stream of adrenaline into his body. His heart pounded against his chest, his body covered by sweat.

King felt trapped and lost. When he looked over his shoulder, suddenly, he saw a flash of a hideous face that reaped a small scream out of his throat. Screaming, King stumbled and fell back. But a second later, mindless confusion replaced his fear when he felt silk on his back.

King sat upright. He looked around and found himself seated in a red-velvety bed, candlelight illuminating the place into a romantic tinge of risque reverie. Slow, soft music played in the background. Then he looked at his body and found himself dressed in... laces.

When King heard shuffling, he looked up at the foot of the bed, and his eyes widened, heart racing at an alarming rate when he saw Yusef. The man was top-naked, looking at him with suggestive azure eyes. Slowly, the alpha crept over the bed.

"H-Hey! W-What are you d-doing?" the fright tangled King's tongue. He couldn't move his body while the man crept toward him. But before he could actually do something, he was brought to a halt. He shuddered when he felt hands curl around his torso, fingers tracing an erotic trail on his skin.

King shouted, trying to budge away from his restraints, yet Yusef pinned his wrists easily on the sheets. At this point, his face down to his ears was tomato red while the alpha loomed over him. I told you, Yusef said, you are our mate.

After a few heartbeats, King screamed... before his eyes snapped open.

"Meow."

... Meow?

King looked up, sweating and finding a pair of wide blue eyes. He blinked a couple of times before realizing that a cat was sitting on his chest, staring at him. Purring, it rubbed itself on King before it was suddenly lifted away.

"Are you all right?" Zacharias said, staring at King. He had heard the latter's muffled cries outside the door and immediately rushed in, arriving at King, who had just woken up. His voice gave King a heaping sense of truth, bathing his head with reality.

King bolted upright. "I-I'm all right!"

Zacharias moved his cat away from the bed. "Did you have a nightmare? You were shouting."

"Kind... kind of."

"What did you dream about?

King frowned while his hand went to his nape. It's not like he could just say that he dreamed of his brother nearly take advantage of him.

Zach seemed to have noticed his discomfort. "I apologize if I'm being too intrusive. I was just curious since you were screaming out that Yusef is a bastard."

King's face took on a flushed tint.

Zach slightly chuckled. "Don't worry. I don't fully disagree."

Zacharias dropped his cat on his desk and moved toward his dresser. He took out a match on top of it and ignited the lamp near the table, creating a little light that cast around him. "It's all right. You can go back to sleep. It's still evening."

King turned to look at the clock on the wall. "It's two."

"Apologies. Make that morning."

"But why are you still awake?"

"I had to finish some documents."

King's gaze unconsciously followed the older man in their dimly lit bedroom. His abdomen tightened as he watched him undressed out of his business casual, hands slipping on the waistband of his slacks. But Zach paused, seeming to sense his watchful gaze. He looked at King over his shoulder. King immediately darted his eyes away, mentally spitting profanity at himself.

A small amused smile discreetly pulled the corner of Zach's lips.

"S-So, uh," King cleared his throat, "where have you been if you don't mind me asking, sir?"

"I just went to attend to some concerns that needed to be addressed regarding the pack."

"Oh."

There was a sudden intrusion of awkwardness afterward. King remained silent as he let Zach change into his night outfit. He placed a hand on the back of his nape, frowning from embarrassment. After a nerve-racking couple of seconds that seemed like it took an entire section from King's life, Zach paced towards the sofa, unfolding the blanket he was temporarily using. The cat went to his side, purring as it nuzzled him.

"We can switch beds, you know," King said.

"Hm?" Zach mumbled while pulling his covers.

"I mean, this is your bed."

"It's all right, don't worry about it. I don't mind. You need it more than I do." Zach continued to relax on the sofa. "Plus, the couch is not as bad as it looks. I can even lay on the floor."

"Don't you have any spare rooms?"

"There's a lot of empty rooms around here, but I'm afraid I can't leave you stationed somewhere else by yourself. My brothers aren't as calm as I am," he explained. King shuddered at the thought.

"So... are you three... triplets or just regular siblings? I don't really seem to see any gaps in your ages."

Zach spooned his head in his right hand. "We're actually fraternal triplets, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh." King pursed his lips, hesitant to voice out his next intruding thoughts. "About what you had said earlier—"

Zacharias slightly turned his head to look at him.

"—you're not just really jesting around, are you?"

"... Do I look like the type of person to jest around?"

"... So are you still planning on..." King held the words in his mouth again, but Zach waited for him to finish. The lad's face turned beet red. "You know... Still pursue?"

"... What would you do if I said 'yes'?"

hhgbaknwbsikjudfchyua, King thought.

Zacharias chuckled as if he could read right into his thoughts. "You don't have to think too much about it; we're not going to force ourselves on you. You're free to decide on your own once we return you back to your pride." The warm and gentle look he gave slightly whisked King's anxiety away. "But for now, you should rest. It'd be bad if you stressed yourself out too much, you're not fully healed yet."

King nodded, and Zacharias stared intently at him again. "Are you done with the interview?"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask too many questions!"

"It's all right," the alpha smiled at him, and King felt his heart skip a beat, "I find it amusing to talk with you."

ahfhjbhjbygvbgvb, King thought again. Somehow, Zacharias knew how to push his buttons.

"Now sleep, your companions will be here tomorrow. Do you sleep with a lamp on or not?"

"It's alright the way it is."

"All right then. Good night, King."

"Good... night to you too."

Zach went to sleep; King laid back on the bed. Now that he had been buried around the alpha's scent, he noticed the distinguishable fragrance of vanilla. It was gentle and soothing, and King didn't mind being around this presence.

***

Shush, Grammarly.