"Huh?"
Jihoon's breath hitched, his fingers twitching at his sides as Jake's words slammed into him like a physical blow. His mind reeled, static filling his ears. Ryan fell in love with him. That was… that was supposed to be the goal, wasn't it? The mission. The entire reason he had gotten close to Ryan in the first place—to manipulate him, to twist his loyalty, to ensure he would stan on
their side when the war came.
Success.
So why did his chest feel like it was caving in?
A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed beneath his ribs, something raw and unnameable clawing at his throat. He should be happy. This was what he'd worked for. What he'd planned. But instead, his hands felt numb, his skin too tight. The weight of what he'd done—what he'd stolen—settled over him like a suffocating shadow.
Guilt.
The realization was a knife to the gut.
Jake, oblivious to the storm inside him, merely shrugged, his tone casual. "Yeah, Ryan's fallen for you. I'm sure of it."
Jihoon's lips parted, but no sound came out. His pulse roared in his ears, erratic and too loud. He wanted to deny it. Wanted Jake to take it back, to laugh and say it was all a joke. Because if it was true—if Ryan loved him—then that meant every smile, every touch, every whispered secret between them had been…
A lie.
His own.
"What do you mean?" Jihoon's voice was barely a whisper, shaky and breathless, as if the words had been ripped from him.
Jake blinked, tilting his head. "I just said it. Ryan's in love with you. Mission accomplished, right?"
A cold sweat prickled at the back of Jihoon's neck. His fingers curled into fists, nails biting into his palms. "Don't play with your words," he hissed, desperation fraying the edges of his tone. "Say it clearly."
Jake frowned, finally picking up on the turmoil in Jihoon's expression. He hesitated, then sighed. "Well… the thing is…"
Ryan's chest heaved as he sprinted through the gilded halls of Paraidal Palace, his breaths ragged, his skin feverish. The scent of an omega in heat clung to him—wild, desperate, unmistakable—marking him in ways no one could ignore. The bite marks on his neck, the flushed haze in his eyes, the way his fingers trembled with residual need… Anyone could tell what he'd just been doing.
Who he'd been with.
He skidded to a stop in front of Jake's door, his fist slamming against the wood with enough force to splinter it. BANG. BANG. BANG.
"Open the damn door!" Ryan snarled, his voice raw.
The door swung open, revealing Jake—cool, composed, eyes sharp with guarded suspicion. But the second Ryan's scent hit him, Jake's expression twisted. His hand flew to his nose, his body recoiling.
Omega pheromones.
And not just any omega's.
Jihoon's.
Jake's jaw clenched, his fingers digging into the doorframe. Normally, he wouldn't care about another alpha reeking of an omega's heat. But this—
This was Jihoon's scent. Thick, intoxicating, claimed—and it was all over Ryan.
"J-Jihoon… he…"Ryan's voice cracked, his entire body trembling, his face burning so red Jake thought he might actually vomit.
Disgusting.
The mighty, untouchable Ryan—reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess over an omega. Pathetic. Jake's nose wrinkled further as the thick, clinging scent of Jihoon's heat rolled off Ryan in waves. He didn't need details to guess what had happened.
But he did need answers.
"First, get inside," Jake snapped, yanking Ryan into the room before some palace guard caught wind of this disaster. "Then talk."
Ryan stumbled in, but instead of calming down, his agitation spiked. "It's not time for that—we need to hurry," he rushed out in one breath, fingers twitching like he was seconds away from shaking Jake.
Jake's eyes narrowed.
"H-He's in Heat… And I Didn't—I Didn't—"Ryan's words tumbled out in a frantic rush—how he'd found Jihoon surrounded by Sakyoung's pack, how he'd dragged him away, how Jihoon had been burning up, whimpering, begging—
"I just helped him," Ryan choked out, his face so red it looked like he might combust. "I didn't—I didn't go all the way—"
Jake stared at him.
Then, to Ryan's shock, he nodded.
"So you're telling me," Jake said slowly, "he's in a motel right now. You helped him through his heat but didn't fully claim him. Right?"
Ryan's entire body locked up. His head ducked lower, his ears practically steaming. Every time Jake pressed for details—how much did you touch him? Did he ask for it? Were you alone the whole time?—Ryan's blush deepened, his soul seemingly trying to escape his body from sheer embarrassment.
Jake exhaled sharply. "It's fine. You don't need to be embarrassed about it."He grabbed his jacket, tossing Ryan a sidelong glance. "Just take me to Jihoon. You said you called an ambulance, right? Let's go."
Ryan froze.
Then—
Wait.
Jake… wasn't accusing him.
No "How dare you touch him?" No "I'll kill you for this." Just calm, clipped urgency.
A shaky, disbelieving relief flooded Ryan's chest.
He believes me.
"Man, was he flustered? You have no idea how much I was cringing." Jake gagged, making exaggerated disgusted faces as he paced around the room.
"Even though I never get embarrassed about such things, he definitely made me feel secondhand embarrassment. Fuck, he was like a teenage girl who just confessed to her crush!" Jake whined dramatically, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
Jihoon sat silently, barely registering Jake's theatrics. His mind was racing a million miles per hour, fingers absently picking at the hem of his shirt. The weight of his deception pressed down on him like a physical force.
What am I supposed to do now?
The mission parameters had seemed so clear before: get close to Ryan, make him fall in love, manipulate him to their side before the prophecy came to pass. Simple. Clean. Emotionless.
But now...
Jihoon's chest ached as he remembered Ryan's trembling hands, the way his voice had cracked with concern, how he had treated Jihoon with such gentle care even in the throes of his heat. That stupid, earnest face blushing like a schoolboy when explaining what had happened.
He's too pure for this.
Jake finally noticed Jihoon's silence. "Hey, earth to Jihoon? You're not even listening to me, are you?" He waved a hand in front of Jihoon's face. "This is serious! The plan is working perfectly. He's completely wrapped around your finger now. We just need to—"
"I know what we need to do," Jihoon interrupted, his voice hollow. He clenched his fists in his lap, nails digging into his palms. He knew the prophecy. Knew what was at stake. Knew what would happen if Ryan fully awakened as the Demon Alpha without being on their side.
But looking into Ryan's honest eyes and lying to him suddenly felt like the hardest thing he'd ever have to do.
Jake studied him carefully, the joking demeanor slipping away. "...You're not getting cold feet now, are you?"
Jihoon didn't answer. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken conflict.
Because the truth was - he didn't know what he was going to do anymore.
To be continued....