Another pounding knock rattled the frame, shaking dust loose from the hinges.
"Police! Open the door!"
Police. The word slithered into my ears like poison. For a moment, my chest seized, my pupils narrowing. Then the corners of my mouth twitched, stretching into a grin too sharp, too thin.
So… the little whore went crying for help.
I dragged my blood-stained hand through my hair, smearing red across my temple. War paint. Let them see. Let them smell what they're walking into. The air was thick with my pheromones, heavy and suffocating—any omega would've dropped to their knees by now. But instead of Dohyun trembling in my sheets, I had uniforms at my door.
"Last warning!" one of them barked, voice clipped, full of authority. "Open up, or we're forcing entry!"
I laughed under my breath. Forced entry? Into my house? They thought laws, papers, and badges meant something here? That they could take what was mine with a signature and a gun? Pathetic.
I gripped the knob, the metal whining under my strength. For a split second, my hand twitched—I wanted to rip the door from its hinges, hurl it into their faces, watch the blood spray. The image was intoxicating.
But no. Not yet. If I tore them apart now, they'd bury me before I reached Dohyun again.
So instead, I breathed deep, forced my shoulders loose, and opened the door.
Two officers stood there. One tall, stone-jawed, the other shorter with eyes that flicked, sharp and restless. Behind them, the squad car pulsed red and blue, washing the street in warning light.
"Park Hyok?" the tall one asked.
I tilted my head slowly, smiling wide enough to show teeth. "Depends. Who's asking?"
"The Police," he said flatly. "We've received a report regarding a Dohyun—"
The sound of his name on their tongues split something inside me. My teeth ground together so hard I thought they'd crack. That name didn't belong to them. It belonged to me.
I let the smile curl darker. "Dohyun?" I repeated, drawing out the syllables like silk over glass. "He's resting. Didn't know a little tantrum would bring dogs scratching at my door."
The short one's nostrils flared. He could smell it—dominance, rage, absence. His eyes darted past me into the house, catching the glint of shattered glass on the floor, the shredded fabric.
The tall one's voice hardened. "We'll need to come inside. Step aside."
For a heartbeat, everything in me screamed to lunge, to sink claws into his throat and tear until the floor was painted red. My muscles burned with restraint.
But I stepped back, sweeping my arm out like a host welcoming guests. "Of course, officers," I smiled. "Come in. But… be careful. The floor's messy."
Their boots crossed into my den, their scent fouling the air. My smile didn't falter. But in my mind, I was already tearing them to pieces.
Their boots echoed on my floor, heavy, invasive, wrong. Each step felt like a blade against my skin. They didn't belong here. Only Dohyun did. Only him.
The short one's eyes swept across the living room, landing on the shards of glass scattered near the wall. His hand twitched toward his radio. The taller one noticed the torn blankets, the gouged wood where my claws had ripped through.
"Looks like you've had… an incident," the tall one said carefully.
I laughed. Low. Soft. Dangerous. "Don't we all?" I dragged my tongue over my teeth, tasting the copper still clinging to my hand. "Dohyun likes things… rough. Surely you know how omegas can be—demanding, needy."
The short one shot me a glare sharp enough to cut. He wasn't buying it. His nose twitched again. Good. Let him drown in the air I'd filled with my claim.
"Where is he?" the tall one pressed.
I leaned back against the wall, arms folding lazily across my chest, though every muscle in me screamed to lunge. "Gone, apparently. Walked out like a spoiled brat. You're wasting your time."
His jaw tightened. "Neighbors reported shouting. Crashes. That doesn't sound like someone who left peacefully."
I tilted my head, smiling wider, letting them see just enough teeth to unsettle. "Have you ever lived with an omega in heat? Chaos comes with the territory."
The short one crouched near the floor, his gloved fingers brushing across the crimson stains I hadn't bothered to clean. He lifted his hand, his voice flat. "This isn't from broken furniture."
Blood. Mine. From when the glass bit my palm.
I spread my hands, showing them the half-healed cuts, the raw knuckles. "See? No mystery there."
But inside, my chest was a cage of fire. They were too close. Too close to the truth. To him.
The taller one's eyes locked onto mine, unflinching. "If you tell us the truth about what you did to Dohyun, it'll be easier for you. Lying will only make this worse."
My laugh cracked out, sharp and wild. "Easier? Worse? You really think you decide what happens here?" I stepped forward, letting my pheromones spike, heavy and suffocating, forcing their spines stiff. "I decide. Me. Not you. Not your pathetic laws."
Their hands twitched toward their belts. Weapons. Cowards' tools.
The short one's radio crackled: "Unit Three, do you copy? Medical report confirms—significant injuries. The victim's in protective custody."
Victim.
Protective custody.
My smile dropped, my nails biting into my palms until fresh blood welled.
They had him.
Victim.
Protective custody.
The words hissed in my skull, each one a whip crack. My vision blurred red. My breath came in ragged, furious pulls. They had him. They dared to put him behind walls that weren't mine.
My lips peeled back from my teeth. "You think you've saved him?" I spat, the air vibrating with the weight of my pheromones. The shorter officer stiffened, his hand dropping to his holster. The taller one didn't flinch, but his jaw locked tight.
"Park Hyok," he said, voice iron, "you're under arrest for suspicion of abuse, unlawful confinement, and assault. Put your hands where I can see them."
The words cracked like thunder. Arrest. Me.
My chest seized with something between laughter and a snarl. I raised my hands slowly, mockingly, every movement deliberate. "Suspicion? That's all you've got?" My voice dripped poison, low and shaking. "You don't know what we had. You don't understand."
The shorter one stepped closer, cuffs ready. Big mistake.
In a blink, I lunged. My hand clamped around his wrist, twisting hard until the metal clattered to the floor. He yelped, but I didn't stop—I slammed him into the wall, the crash echoing through the house. My free hand curled into claws, ready to rake down his throat.
"Park Hyok! Stand down!" the tall one barked, weapon drawn now, voice sharp, commanding.
I laughed, wild and cracked. "Stand down? You think bullets scare me?" My grip tightened on the struggling officer, his pulse hammering beneath my fingers. I leaned close, inhaling his fear like a drug. "I could tear him apart before you even pull the trigger."
The taller officer's gun leveled with my head. "Let him go. Now."
For a heartbeat, silence. My heart roared in my chest, my body trembling with the need to rip, to destroy, to show them no one touches what's mine.
But Dohyun's face flickered in my mind—fragile, trembling, whispering my name in that broken little voice. Mine. Always mine.
I shoved the officer away so hard he crashed to the floor, coughing. My arms spread wide, chest heaving, grin splitting my face. "Arrest me, then! Drag me away! But know this—" my voice cracked into a roar, rattling the walls—"he's already mine. He'll always be mine!"
The taller officer didn't hesitate. The crack of a taser split the air, electricity slamming into my body like fire. My muscles locked, jerking violently, the taste of metal flooding my mouth.
I hit the floor, twitching, breath torn from me. Cold metal clamped around my wrists. My roar turned into a choked laugh, raw and broken.
"Run, Dohyun," I hissed through clenched teeth as they dragged me toward the door. "Run as far as you like. I'll come for you. Even in chains… I'll find you."
The night swallowed my voice as they hauled me into the flashing red-and-blue.
The cell stank of metal and disinfectant. Cold. Sterile. Empty.
Not like my house. Not like the den I built for Dohyun.
I sat on the steel bench, cuffs biting into my wrists, ankles chained to the floor like I was some rabid dog. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, white and merciless, making the blood on my hands look darker, dirtier.
They thought this cage could hold me.
I leaned back against the wall, laughing under my breath. A low, broken sound that echoed in the silence. If Dohyun could see me now, would he cry? Would he beg them to let me out? He always looked so pretty when he cried.
The door screeched open. Two detectives stepped inside. One tall, built like stone, with eyes that cut. The other smaller, glasses perched on his nose, carrying a file thick with papers.
They sat across from me at the metal table. The tall one spoke first.
"Park Hyok. You know why you're here."
I tilted my head, smiling lazily. "Because I let you put me here."
His jaw clenched. The one with glasses opened the file, sliding photographs across the table.
Bruises. Cuts. Finger-shaped marks on pale skin. A body trembling under fluorescent light.
Dohyun.
My smile twitched, lips pulling tight. My fingers itched to snatch the photos, press them to my chest, whisper that he looked beautiful even when broken. Especially when broken.
"This is what you did to him," the detective said coldly.
I chuckled. "What we did. He wanted it. He begged for it. That little omega loves when I—"
"Enough." The tall one slammed his hand on the table, making the photos jump. His voice was iron. "What you call love, we call abuse. Unlawful confinement. Assault. Rape."
The word hit the air like a gunshot.
I laughed louder, harsher. "Rape? You think I'd need to force him? He chose me. He's mine. He'll always be mine." I leaned forward, letting the chain clink as I moved. "You don't understand what we are. What I made him."
The one with glasses didn't flinch. He slid out another paper—medical records. "He was pregnant," he said quietly. "You forced that, too."
For a moment, the room tilted. My heart thudded against my ribs, not from guilt—never guilt—but from rage. How dare they twist my gift into something dirty? How dare they reduce what I'd done for Dohyun into numbers on a report?
I slammed my cuffed fists on the table, the chains rattling like thunder. "I gave him everything! I turned him from a pathetic recessive into a dominant! I carved power into his body with my own hands. I planted my seed in him. He should be worshipping me!"
The tall detective's eyes were flint. "Instead, he reported you."
The words dug into me like claws. Reported. Him. My omega. My mate. My everything.
My chest heaved, breath tearing in and out. A laugh slipped from my throat—high, cracked, shaking. "You think a piece of paper will save him? You think your cages, your laws, your pathetic little badges mean anything?" My voice rose, snarling now. "I will tear down every wall between us. I will burn this city to the ground before I let you keep him from me!"
The tall detective stood, chair scraping. The smaller one quietly gathered the photos, closing the file.
"Trial's coming," the tall one said, voice hard as stone. "And this time, Park Hyok… you won't walk out free."
The door slammed shut behind them, leaving me with my chains, my rage, my laughter echoing off the walls.
I tilted my head back and whispered into the empty cell, like he could hear me across the city.
"Run, Dohyun. Speak. Cry. Tell them everything. But when these bars break… you'll crawl back to me."