ʜɪꜱ ᴘʀᴇʏ || вαηg ¢нαη

Chapter 18: Quiet Snarl

Author's note: Thank you guys for being so patient with my slow updates, and for showing this book so much love! I hope you continue to enjoy my work, both current and future! 

Thank you all so much!! I love you my Jelly Donuts!! <33

ϕ҂⋆*ღ⊀ ❝Chan PᴥV ❞ ⊁≬≭೨⋆*

Stretching my limbs, the sound of each joint popping caused Jisung to look over at me. I started with my wrists, all the way down to my feet, the sound of cracking following. Noticing what I was doing, he must've considered it a good idea because he proceeded to copy me. The only difference was, he- and I have no idea how- managed to crack his spine. The sound was so loud, almost as if he recorded the sound of a potato chip snapping in half and amplified it.

This caused a reaction from everyone in the pack. It felt like all eyes were on him. Being the introvert he is, he realized rather quickly, awkwardly laughing it off. For some reason, this made my throat suddenly feel somewhat dry. A meek cough escaped my throat. All eyes were on me now. The airs on the back of my neck stood up from the silent pressure within the atmosphere.

"So," A voice breaks the silence and, more importantly, the stares. I shifted my gaze, only to meet eyes with the one and only that I was hoping I wouldn't. "What brings you back here, Alpha?" Changbin's tone sounded pissed off, his expressions perfectly suiting his words.

I stopped stretching. "I..." I started, trying to find the right words. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

That's when Woojin piped up from behind two other wolves, Yunho and Lucas. "Chris-"

Everyone seemed stiff by his sudden attentiveness. It must've been because of our bad history that everyone seemed on edge by our interaction. Just looking at the worried expressions on everyone's face made my heart sink a little. Have I really let them down that badly?

I don't deserve to be Alpha, do I? No, I can't think like that. Father always said that negative thinking is the first thing that leads to a leader's downfall.

"Chris, listen.. I'm sorry," Woojin apologized to me, his eyes staring directly into mine. This action made me rather uncomfortable, causing me to turn my head. "I know we've never been on the best terms. Especially after-"

"Don't say it," I growled at him. He let out a sigh and continued to speak.

"-But please, understand where I'm coming from. After-" I shot him a nasty glance as a warning. Thankfully he understood the message and continued once more. "-you were having a difficult time with it all. We all were. You needed time to get into the right headspace. Meanwhile, I just did what I had to do to keep our pack safe. I didn't have any bad intentions, I promise,"

"Promises are for those with false hope," I retorted, letting out a huff of air in an angered manner.

Jisung, who seemed to be troubled by our arguing, shot me a look of regret. The innocent look in his eyes still hasn't changed, not since we were just pups. I still remember the days that we used to play with the other wolf pups, rolling around in the mud, completely arrogant of the cruel world around us. Look how much we've changed.

I could tell by the look on Jisung's face that he wanted to say something, but couldn't gather the courage to say it. Ever since he was younger, he'd always have that habit; it was like a specific look in his eyes, almost as if he was pleading for something.

"Jisung," I whispered in a low, groggy voice to the anxious wolf. "Say it, or you'll never be able too,"

I couldn't tell if I scared him or not, but still, I watched him. Jisung gulped, the sound of his heart beat pitter-pattered loudly, ringing in my hyper-sensitive ears. All the other wolves could hear it too, you could read it on their faces like a magazine. The sound of his heavy breathing seemed to echo in the still silence of the cave.