Do-hyun's rage, a quietly simmering force up until now, broke free. He didn't yell or storm. He simply lowered his head, a low growl rumbling in his chest. It was a terrifying sound, the sound of an alpha's instincts in full display. His hands clenched into fists, the knuckles white with strain, and the warm, grounded scent of cedar was now a sharp, biting aroma of pure fury. He stood in place, his body trembling with the desire to seek retribution. The growl slowly subsided, but the scent of his anger remained, a clear promise of what was to come.
Jaemin stared, tense and ready to flee. His heart hammered in his chest, a frantic drumbeat of terror. He knew Do-hyun must be furious, must hate him for not telling him, for hiding this part of his past… for carrying the mark of another alpha.
The silence was unbearable, and he bowed his head under the weight of Do-hyun's disappointment.
Slowly, Do-hyun looked up, his eyes colder than ice. The previous hurt and confusion had vanished, replaced by a singular, chilling focus. This wasn't the man who had patiently held him through his heat, but something primal and dangerous.
Jaemin instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, his voice a shaky whisper. "Kang Do-hyun…"
Do-hyun took a slow, deliberate step toward him. He didn't stop until he was at the edge of the bed, his presence looming over Jaemin like a thundercloud.
"He used you," Do-hyun said, his voice a low, raspy growl, "used your trust, used your innocence. He didn't just mark you, Jaemin. He stole your masterpiece… your soul."
He looked down at the omega, his expression an intense mix of fury and fierce possession. "He took your music, the very thing that drew me to you in the first place, and passed it off as his own. And then he came all the way here to sabotage you again, when you were trying to rebuild your life." He paused, a flicker of pain in his dark eyes, before finishing quietly, "He took everything from you… everything that should have been mine to protect."
"Kang Do-hyun," Jaemin said, his voice barely audible. "I told you this was a bad idea. I should have told you to stop."
Do-hyun's rigid posture finally softened. The raw fury didn't disappear, but it was re-directed, contained by a new purpose. He lowered himself to the edge of the bed, his gaze never leaving Jaemin's.
"I'm not angry at you, Jaemin," he said, his voice low and raspy. "I'm angry for you. For what was stolen from you. You told me to go, but… I can't." He paused, before asking carefully, "Do you ever wish things could be different between the both of you?"
Jaemin, who had been holding his breath, let it out in a long, shaky sigh. "I won't ever forgive him," he said quietly. "Not for what he did to my music. Not for what he did to me. There's no way I could ever trust him again."
A wave of relief washed over Do-hyun, but it was quickly followed by a deeper, more primal fear. He needed to know that this wasn't just about Choi Seungcheol, but about him. He needed to know that his choice was Jaemin's too.
"One more question." His voice dropped to a near-whisper, the vulnerability now more prominent than the rage. "Am I just… Is it just because I was there? Because I'm the only one who knows your secret?" Do-hyun asked, the words catching in his throat, raw and utterly exposed. "If it wasn't me here… would any other alpha do?"
Jaemin's breath caught in his throat. He had never considered that Do-hyun would see himself that way. The profound depth of Do-hyun's insecurity, his fear that he was just a stand-in for the alpha who had betrayed him, finally sank in.
Jaemin's hand, which had been clenched at his side, slowly opened. He reached for Do-hyun's hand, and pressed it to his cheek, a silent, powerful affirmation.
"It's you," he whispered, his eyes locked on Do-hyun's. The words felt too big, too grand for the short time they'd known each other, yet they settled in his heart with the weight of absolute truth. "Since the moment we met. It's only ever you, now."
He leaned into the touch, this time with full surrender. With the physical contact, the fear that had coiled around his heart dissolved, replaced by a sense of profound relief.
Do-hyun's hand slid from his cheek to cup the back of his neck, his fingers stroking the mark there.
"I won't leave you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I won't stop fighting for you. Not now, not ever."
It was a ludicrous thing to feel, this bone-deep connection after only three short months, but the certainty of it was absolute. He watched as the last remnants of fear faded from Jaemin's eyes, replaced by a deep, trusting surrender.
The scent of cedar that had been sharp with fury now deepened, growing rich and warm, laced with an undeniable possessiveness. His body began to ache, a low burn starting in his core and spreading outwards. His vision narrowed, his world shrinking until it was just him and Jaemin. The dam he had been holding back for weeks, the one that had been tested by the omega's presence, by his innocence, by his confession of betrayal—it was finally breaking.