Hollow like a straw man

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One Month Later

Minjun wasn't a stranger to the Head Alpha's office. He'd been in it too many times to count. The mahogany desk was every bit familiar as the never-ending stack of paperwork. On the bulletin board, letters, maps, and plans were pinned. Priority. Lines were drawn across numerous surfaces, connecting things he didn't bother to pry about. He was the right-hand, but he never dipped his feet into those waters.

His job pertained strictly to supplies and training. That's how he liked it. Dealing with politics and trade—treaties and invasions—wasn't his calling. He knew enough about it to take over if anything were to happen to the Head Alpha, of course, but the extent of it ended there.

Now, he stood at the door, back pressed to the hardened wood. Behind the desk, Seong sat with a marker in between his thumb and index finger. Papers were scattered everywhere. In piles on the desk and beside it. Torn pages drifted across the ground, abandoned. Curiosity flashed in Minjun's mind, but he didn't settle on it.

"You summoned me, sir?" He asked. The moment felt like deja vu. A time long ago—the day he lost his brother. There were no invasions he was aware of, though. For now, the werewolf race had fallen quiet.

The Head Alpha didn't lift his head, but he hummed a response, gesturing absently at the chair. He didn't take it. There were things he needed to get done today, and he was hoping to leave soon. The warriors were waiting. Training needed to be commenced.

"We need to discuss the omegas," Seong announced.

Minjun felt himself freeze. His spine straightened, tension falling into his shoulders. The omegas. What about them, exactly?

He remained silent. Waiting. The alpha didn't pay much attention to him, other than acknowledge his presence in the room. "With Jungkook presenting, it's time we start looking into their futures."

Seong's eyes lifted then. Minjun wished they didn't. It'd be easier to talk—to think—if the Head Alpha wasn't studying him. Now, it was a matter of keeping his expression cool and composed, even when his heart was thundering in his chest. At his sides, his hands bunched into tight, shaking fists.

Swallowing thickly, he asked, "Their futures?"

Another hum filled the space between them. "I've been looking into where they should go. Darktail Shadows tends to make some good offers. They've already reached out. I have yet to sign the papers—"

Minjun's lungs burned from the breath he wasn't releasing. "Darktail?" He asked, trying to sound levelheaded, but he knew he wasn't succeeding. "To Alpha Lee? You— you want to send them there?"

The mere thought of it was enough to make his blood boil. Sending the omegas away. As if he hadn't done everything in his power to raise them as his own. As if Minjun hadn't gone that day, eleven years ago, to pick up Jungkook. He tossed aside everything—even his own position—to become a father to a child that was never meant to be his.

But he did it anyway. He cared for Jungkook, Jimin, and Jin. Three little omegas whose parents entrusted their kids to him. Every day he was doing it; being the parent they needed in a world that abused them. In a world that was cruel to them simply because they didn't possess the physical strength to stand up for themselves.

The worst part is that Seong knew of his efforts. The Head Alpha had watched it all since the day Jungkook became a part of Windridge. Every single day, Minjun was managing the responsibilities as the right-hand alpha and life as a parent. Seong had commended him on numerous occasions for it.

Above all that, Minjun had been trying his best to change the minds of the wolves in his own home; change their perspectives on wolves that differed in strength than the rest. Omegas excelled everywhere else, but they weren't given the opportunity to train. It was something forbidden. Yet he was working hard despite that—trying anyway.

He stared at the Head Alpha now, disgusted with the idea of taking the omegas away from him. His omegas. Seong didn't want a trade, either. He wanted them sold. Like property.

"I know it's probably not what you envisioned, Minjun, but to refuse this offer would be foolish. Darktail Shadows leads the biggest alliance on the continent. You know this. I fear refusing them would be a greater misfortune," Seong stated. The words were meant as reassurance. Comfort, even, but the Head Alpha didn't house an ounce of remorse.

No, this was simply business. This wasn't personal.

Minjun was about to make it personal.

"They are children," he snarled, taking a small step forward. His clenched fists shook violently with the rage building within him. The control he worked hard to keep was slipping. Beneath the anger, he could feel his wolf threatening to take over. "My children at that, Seong. You are— You are asking me to send them away?"

The Head Alpha possessed a certain patience that Minjun could never understand. Some days it came in abundance. Some days it appeared nonexistent, and it was impossible to tell when it differed. He was pushing his luck, he knew that, but even if it meant sacrificing everything, he'd do it for his kids.

If it meant challenging the Head Alpha. If it meant going rogue.

Seong set his marker down, lifting his gaze again slowly. Calculated. "Quite frankly, Minjun, I'm not asking."

The corners of his vision clouded red. His wolf was there, clawing at their connection. Like a beast now awake from a prolonged slumber. The control was slipping through his fingers bit by bit. "After everything I've done for them," he said, voice lowering several octaves. "After I took them in, Seong. You'd let them go, just like that?"

Perhaps it was foolish to believe the Head Alpha had changed, but Minjun had hoped. He had faith. Seong watched the purebloods grow up under his hands. They were heavily involved in the life of Windridge's alpha. He hoped the man would've seen the wrong in the world—would've worked with him to fix the corruption. Get rid of it.

A heavy, annoyed sigh drifted in the space between them, fanning blistering heat against his skin. "They're omegas, Jun. Purebloods, at that. They're valuable—"

Another step forward, eyes threatening to flash. "Precisely why I am imploring you to change your mind—"

"Enough," Seong spoke above him. Silencing him with the authority only the Head Alpha possessed.

Minjun felt his lips clamp shut, but the anger didn't settle. If anything, it blazed within him, turning into an untamable inferno. Soon, he wouldn't be able to suppress it. He feared what would happen—how the situation would escalate—if he lost control.

When the silence grew thicker, Seong spoke again. Quieter now, but not soft. There was an edge to his voice. A sharpened tone that mimicked a blade to his throat. He felt the implication of the threat clearly. "Enough of this nonsense. I know you've been trying to prove something about those omegas, but it's done, Jeon. They are what they are. The ranks exist for a reason. They serve their purpose, just as you serve yours."

As breeders, his mind told him. The motto of the werewolf race, it seemed. Rules that existed as if they were carved in the very foundations of the earth.

Because that's what omegas were to the population. Breeders. Slaves. Weaklings. Wolves that relied on the upper ranks due to their submissive nature.

Omegas served to please, but over time, it transpired into something darker. Sinister. It transformed into a world where the powerful abused those who simply sought to make everyone's lives easier. Now, most omegas were sold or traded. Head Alphas searched far and wide for the purest. The more they owned, the greater their power. Or so the rumors said.

Minjun couldn't bring himself to say anything. If his mouth opened now, much more would spill out, and it wasn't worth the cost. Seong would never understand. He was foolish to have ever believed otherwise. He understood that now.

There would be no one in the werewolf race who would care—cherish—the purebloods as he did. No wolf would harbor his views towards omegas. Changing them was a lost cause.

He tried. For decades he tried to get people to simply understand their importance. His whole life had been written in these very walls. When he came of age, Minjun challenged his own father for the position as right-hand man. Not because he sought the power, or the responsibilities, but because it got a corrupt man out of the leadership ranks. At least then, he thought people would listen.

Minjun spent the majority of his life protecting every omega he could. His own mother. His older brother. He'd been there every single time, taking beatings from the higher-ups. Challenging other wolves. Landing himself in the infirmary too many times to count. He'd done so much, but nothing ever changed. No one ever tried to think differently.

It was foolish ambition. Dreams that wouldn't come to fruition. No matter how much he wanted it. No matter how hard he tried.

Minjun couldn't save all the omegas, but he could save his children. Whatever it cost him.

"Darktail Shadows has made an offer," the Head Alpha said, attempting to clear the air between them, but it tasted wrong. Bitter. "They want Jungkook. I'm still deciding on the other two."

His mind barely registered Seong standing up from the office chair, holding a piece of paper in his hands. It wasn't until the Head Alpha stood before him did he realize he was being offered something. Minjun looked down, swiping at the sheet hurriedly, movements stiff. "It isn't what you want. I know that, but look it over, Minjun. I don't want to make this decision without you."

His teeth clamped down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood. The metallic taste poured down his throat, salty and unpleasant. He couldn't stomach the thought of looking at the man before him, but he did it anyway. One last time.

"Is that all?" He asked, voice surprisingly cool despite the rage.

If Seong suspected anything amiss, he didn't comment on it. Instead, the alpha raised a hand in a dismissive wave, humming once more. Like this entire conversation was no big deal. Like he wasn't trying to break up a family just for money. "You're dismissed. Report back to me tomorrow regarding your standing on the offer."

Despite everything, Minjun smiled. A deadly grin. The corners of his mouth stretched into a tight, grim line. He felt his eyes flash once, as a clear, undeniable threat. But the Head Alpha didn't catch it. He was too busy sifting through the endless paperwork.

"Yes, alpha," he spat.

Spinning on his heels, Minjun stormed out of the office, shutting the door with a deafening slam. Strong enough to rattle the walls and reverberate down the hall. He wouldn't be surprised if it caused the wood to splinter. Not that it mattered. Nothing did now. Nothing but saving his children. The family he had worked so hard to create all these years.

There would be no deal. No transaction. Jungkook wasn't getting sold. Jimin and Jin weren't splitting up from him.

He'd sacrificed his entire life already—just to give them a shot at theirs. This was just another piece of that sacrifice, even if it meant leaving behind everything he'd ever known. Still, Minjun would do it for his children. If it ensured they'd be safe. If it guaranteed their happiness.

After eleven years of hard work, he wasn't letting it vanish overnight. No. Seong would have to kill him first, but Minjun wasn't going to grant him the opportunity to try.

They were leaving this place.

Tonight.

*

Hyun Jae found him in his suite an hour later.

She walked in without knocking, but her presence wasn't unfamiliar in this space. Oftentimes she'd lounge in his room when he wasn't even there. His suspicions had always been there, regarding her feelings and thoughts—he harbored his own—but life kept getting in the way. Eventually, they seemed to exist in each other's bubbles like it was the norm. Maybe it was.

Minjun barely heard her walk in. She was quiet with her footsteps. Her existence wasn't noticed by many, but he always spotted her. Hidden behind the crowds. Tucked away in the supply room. This time, she crept all the way to the end of his bed before his gaze lifted.

The anger still pulsed through him, shaking his hands with uncontrollable fury. Heat spilled from his shoulders like water.

If he expected surprise from her, Hyun Jae didn't show it. "You're... leaving?" She asked, voice quieter than he'd ever heard it.

There were so many things to say, but Minjun didn't know where to start or how to say them. Her faith in the Head Alpha had always been shaky, he knew that, but what if she still chose to stay? What if he asked her to leave behind her life, just as he was doing, and Hyun Jae refused?

What if he left without ever getting to tell her about his feelings?

"Seong is selling my children," he settled on, voice trembling with rage.

Her eyes grew wide, but the shock quickly morphed into an anger that mirrored his own. "He's what?"

Minjun didn't feel like wasting time. He shoved his fist back into the backpack, pushing as many things into the fabric as he could. How did one pack their whole life away into a small bag? What was important to take? What was worth leaving behind?

Hurriedly, he tossed the offer letter towards the foot of the bed—where she stood. It drifted in the air, swaying, until it landed. As silent as a leaf. "Darktail wants Jungkook," he stated. "Seong is going to sell him, whether I agree or not."

She crumpled the paper in a quickened movement, chucking it into the low-burning fire behind the grate. "There must be something you can do," she huffed. Her scent was stronger now. It shot off her skin like fireworks. She smelled of them, too. Hints of gunpowder. "You're the right-hand, for fucks sake! Isn't there something— Surely he can't do this."

Hyun Jae stepped forward, heavy stomps echoing in the silence that followed. "Minjun," she called, sounding angry and broken. Like she couldn't believe how everything had changed. She wasn't the only one.

He looked at her despite the ache in his heart. Despite, for a moment, not wanting to. "Tell me there's something you can do," she whispered.

Minjun wanted to tell her that there was. That he could march back into the Head Alpha's office tomorrow morning and demand that his family stay with him, here, in Windridge. Even with his title—with the respect he had earned from the wolves of this very pack—there was still nothing. This was his only option.

Abandoning the backpack, he lifted his hands, pressing them gently into her cheeks. They were warm in his palms. Soft. Her eyes widened, just a bit. Surprised but not scared. "I can leave," he whispered.

Her eyes flickered back and forth over him. Studying his emotions. Trying to understand what he was thinking, but she didn't need to go that far. He'd tell her everything—if she'd let him. If she wanted to know.

"I can leave, and I can take them with me," he said, voice soft. The anger was still pulsing around him in waves, but Hyun Jae made it easier to bear. Easier to manage. "I'm the only one who can guarantee them a happy life."

She blinked slowly, taking it in. He watched her eyes turn glassy. "There's nothing else, is there? This is your only option—"

His hold on her face grew stronger. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention. To plead. "Come with me," he said.

Minjun knew what this was asking of her. Even if there was nothing that tied her down to Windridge, the pack was still home. He was asking her to leave this life—this sanctuary—for him and the omegas. To turn rogue and wander the world. He knew by asking that he was risking everything between them.

But he had to try. One last time.

"I love you," he whispered, so soft the words were barely audible. He didn't dwell on her reaction. He couldn't stomach the rejection if it came. "I've always loved you. You've been there every step of the way, Hyun Jae. I know what I'm asking. I know it's probably not fair. But I want— I need you there with me."

In his chest, his heart thundered loud enough to echo in his ears. "Please," he begged, "come with me."

Her hands fell over his, pressing to the back of his palms that rested against her cheeks. A tear cascaded down until it reached the tip of his thumb, hot and heavy. For a moment, Minjun braced himself. This was the moment she'd walk away. This was their last time together, then it'd be over.

But she leaned into his touch. Slowly. Cautiously. Like she didn't quite know how. "I've always loved you, too," she said, voice on the verge of breaking.

The world around him slowed. The edges of his vision seemed to disappear. Everything fell away but her. She remained, clear and strong, just as always. Before the omegas. Before their positions.

"There is no other way?" She asked—tried. Hope, maybe. For what it was worth.

He shook his head. Minjun, of all people, wished there were. "No." His voice came out strong despite his feelings. "There isn't."

Hyun Jae's eyes traced over the backpack, now forgotten on his bed. Hazel eyes swept over the furniture. A quick glance that didn't linger on much of anything. Then she was back to staring at him. "When do we leave?"

We.

The relief made his shoulders sag. It hit him hard, sending him stumbling backwards. She was coming with them. She would sacrifice everything. Minjun owed her the world.

"Tonight," he mumbled, mind racing a mile a minute.

Her expression hardened. Not out of anger, but control. He could tell a plan was forming in her mind. She dipped her head in a single nod. "Okay. Pack the bags, I'll grab the rations. Tell the kids. We'll meet back here in three hours."

She rushed off before he could say anything else, shutting the door gently. For once, he could hear her footsteps retreating down the hall, hurried but strong. Minjun wanted to focus on the task at hand. He needed to, but it felt impossible when so much had come out in so little time. The biggest secret he harbored was said aloud, and Hyun Jae said it back.

Still, he shook his head quickly, scattering the thoughts aside. There would be a time to dwell on it. To think about her feelings and the truth of them. To feel the weight of the words she confessed alongside him, but that moment wasn't now.

Right now, he needed to get things sorted; needed to pack the bags and lay out the plan. He had to determine where they were going to go.

In his eleven years as a father, he'd never failed them.

Minjun didn't plan on starting now.

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They're off then (:

I love confessions

I purple you<3

~Pisan.