[KIYOTO]
Once again, Kiyoto was dumbstruck, not by the king, but by their Alpha.
The man they were standing up for.
The man they were ready to fight the world for. It was a surprise that had still not faded even as the mad king looked at Jiminie like the entire constellation was in the Alpha's eyes.
Gods, he was beautiful even then.
But the unexpected stared at them still. They had not expected that their alpha would stand up for the madman who had ruined their lives. Maybe Agust had manipulated their alpha, but damn, the shock on their faces was something else.
They had never seen their alpha defend King Agust so openly.
Not even when Agust had come to their gates bleeding and bruised.
Hell, Jiminie had only saved Agust because of his friends' intervention. That much they had seen and they had known it was true. Maybe he was defending Agust because it was the only logical thing for him to do, right?
Well, the entire pack that had gathered was not even sure how to process the fact that out here, where they were the most vulnerable, with the stench of grief in the air, the alpha was defending the king.
The king was shocked, just as was the entire pack.
He had not expected this, and that added to the confusion of the Kiyoto people.
The mad king stared at Jiminie this time like he had finally gotten what he wanted, but with something that even Agust himself couldn't experience. It was a feeling he wasn't even sure how to put into words.
And that right there was dangerous. It was not easy to accept, yet even then, there was no way out of this that was easy and manageable. They all just had to make do with what was there for them, right?
"Of course you would defend him. How despicable," Luna Park laughed coldly. She was not ready for what her son had done.
This right here was the push she needed to remind herself that Jiminie wasn't supposed to be the Alpha. That Jiminie was still a kid at heart, and he didn't know the first thing about power.
But was that the truth, or was it just the mad woman trying to find reasons to justify her betrayal of her son over the years?
Jiminie didn't respond to his mother.
And his silence…
It spoke more than words could ever.
King Agust stepped forward, not letting Jiminie speak for him. His Erasthai had already suffered, and Agust would murder anyone if he had to watch his Erasthai be humiliated again; he was never going to let anyone talk down the love of his life.
"I didn't order the ambush," the mad king said slowly, his voice steady as he scanned through the crowd of Kiyoto wolves. He knew they had no reason to trust him, but a part of him, maybe the naive part, was hoping that they would believe him.
That they would trust in his love for Jiminie.
But then they saw Jiminie be broken by Agust's love two years ago.
Was that supposed to make them believe him now?
Oh, but it was a hard bargain the king was trying to strike right now, even as the wolves stared at him. Of course, they didn't believe him was evident in the whispers that flowed through the crowd.
No one cared to believe him, but at least they were hearing him. That was more than the king had expected. Maybe would work his way to earn their trust. But that was an affair, wasn't it?
"…But the realms will learn. They will understand the hard way why it was never a good idea to ambush Kiyoto while I still live," Agust said determinedly.
He was making a silent promise.
An oath to avenge that which was forced on Kiyoto.
It was a silent promise of justice and vengeance in the way that only he knew how to. He was a king, but here, these were his kinsmen and women. These were people who were family to him.
Sure, they hated him to hate the moment, but he would be there for them. He would make things right, even if it would take him ages to make it happen. Perhaps it was a good thing that they were all gifted with long lives here, right?
The king's threat was like a blade that wasn't disguised yet, a blade that was being sharpened, a blade that would find the right people to rip through, and he was going to make it happen.
That much the entire Kiyoto could see.
Even Jiminie saw it.
And he held back his proud smile because this was not the moment for him to be fanboying over his man. This one screamed serious commitment, and he was happy that Agust had made that decision.
The pack members however, were not sure how to respond to that.
Others smiled grimly, while others flinched at the threat in the king's words.
They knew the mad king.
They had all seen what he always did and how ruthless he was.
They knew that he would not lie to them, which was crazy because just moments ago, they were more than ready to walk away from this place and go back home, while trying to protect Kiyoto even better from the king and his kin.
Thankfully, the warriors looked expectant. They were less angry, or maybe that was what they were showing him. The result of his threat. The king was giving them hope, and some were biting into it already.
Because they all trusted that the king would do right by Jiminie, at least this time. It was their only hope anyway because only the mad king of Helia was going to be able to deliver the justice they needed for their fallen.
Luna Park didn't like the sound of anything August said. She hated that a part of her was leaning towards the promise of destruction that gist had given them. It was probably a low point for her, but she wasn't about to say it out loud.
Her jaw was still tightened, refusing to lean into the king's promise openly.
But Jiminie saw it.
He saw the way his mother's eyes shone with silent hope. The way his mother's anger towards August still lived in her eyes even when she hoped for a better day, courtesy of the mad man she despised more than anything.
"Hmm," Lee Tang huffed, his expression never changing. But his eyes held something else. Something calculated as he watched Jiminie and Agust standing too close to the border.
Maybe it was just his spite for the mad king, but the few people who noticed Lee Tang's expression shifted uncomfortably. It was unsettling to an extent, yet they didn't say a word.
Some of the people looked at Agust as if to confirm what they had all always suspected. That the Beta was in love with the alpha, a union that King Agust was already opposed to because Jiminie bore the king's mark.
Jiminie was a Lycan hybrid.
Jiminie was better and stronger, yet Lee Tang's eyes still held some affection for the man that he would never be able to have. Of course, those who noticed the expression on Lee Tang's face didn't say anything.
But they didn't even need to.
It was there.
Everyone else who knew Lee Tang could see it clearly.
And perhaps it was a choice that many would not understand until sometimes in the future.
When love and hate stood in the middle of the pack's grief, bound by something that was way too dangerous than the war that was raging between Kiyoto and Helia. But perhaps time would allow, right?
"I'll show you how to use them," the king said, his words earnest as he looked at his Erasthai and his people. He was not going to ask much for them, just that they trust the alpha. But even he knew that he was not in a position to say shit now.
And so, he taught the pack how to use the plaques to cross the border between Kiyoto and Helia. He experimented with the warriors, civilians, and even the royals of Kiyoto, including the Luna Park.
Eventually, once everything was done and dusted, there was nothing left for the king to do here.
And Agust was so ready to leave… gods, he was ready to give them their peace of mind.
Well, that was the plan.
Until Jiminie held his hand firmly yet gently, as the crowds dispersed, his gaze softening.
"Don't go… not yet. Please stay," Jiminie whimpered, his voice low and defeated.
"My beautiful Jiminie…" Agust whispered like a desperate prayer.