2- Dinner. Together. Forever

The locker room was almost empty by the time I showered and changed.

I took my time, letting the hot water beat against the bruises blooming on my ribs from last night.

Ael had gotten a few good hits in before I pinned him.

I pressed my fingers against the darkest one, hissing at the pain, and smiled.

He'd been thinking about me. He must have been, to fight that hard.

My phone buzzed as I was pulling on my jacket.

Mother: where the fuck are you? You want to disgrace me? Make him mad at me when he’s barely ever home? I don’t even ask you for anything, you fucking idiotic piece of shit. Just be home to share dinner with your family but you think you’re all high and mighty because you’re an Alpha, don’t you?

I read it twice, then deleted it.

The drive home was quiet. I kept the windows down, letting the cold air slap my face, as the bruises on my ribs throbbed.

The Kim estate loomed ahead, the gates opening as soon as I got close enough.

I parked my car in the garage next to Ael's motorcycle—the one he'd been riding last night despite being drunk off his mind. The leather vest I'd confiscated was still in my trunk, wrapped in a plastic bag.

I grabbed it before heading inside.

The dining room was already set when I walked in with everything ridiculously expensive as Mr. Kim sat at the head of the table, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his presence filling the room even in silence.

He was an Alpha's Alpha— broad-shouldered, sharp-jawed, with eyes that could make grown men flinch.

Next to him, my mother sat with that practiced smile she only wore when he was around.

And across from them, Ael.

He looked like shit.

His nose was swollen, a bruise bloomed beneath his left eye. His lip was split.

His eyes were on the table.

“Neven.” Mr. Kim's voice was smooth. “Glad you could join us.”

“Apologies for the delay, sir.” I bowed slightly, then took my seat across from Ael. “I was certain you’d be busy after your previous meeting proposition with the governor. It seems it must have gone well for you to be back.”

Mr Kim smiled. He was nice to impress. But I wasn’t the one he wanted. “Cheon-sa. Are you even aware of this meeting?”

Ael was not talkative when he wasn’t drunk. He was quiet. Extremely quiet. Like he wasn’t present at all.

“The governor's office reached out to me directly,” Mr. Kim continued, his voice carrying that edge of disappointment he reserved specifically for his son. “They wanted to discuss the new trade regulations. I had to find out from my secretary that my own son had been invited to the preliminary meetings and didn't bother to show up.”

Ael said nothing.

My mother's smile flickered, her eyes darting between them like she was watching a tennis match she desperately wanted to end.

“Cheon-sa.” Mr. Kim's voice dropped. “Look at me when I'm speaking to you.”

Slowly, Ael raised his head. The bruise under his eye caught the chandelier light. His father's gaze zeroed in on it immediately. “What happened to your face?”

“Fell.”

“You fell.”

“Off my bike.”

Mr. Kim set his glass down with a click that echoed through the dining room. “You got into a fight with that stupid gang of yours, didn’t you?”

It wasn't a question.

Ael's tongue flicked against his split lip. I saw the piercing again. “I’m tired.”

“I am tired of your frequent misbehaviors.” Mr. Kim frowned. “You dropped out of school. You hang out with the worst crowds. You get in… in fights? Do you have any idea who you are? Who I am?”

Mr. Kim's voice didn't rise. It never did.

Ael's jaw tightened. I watched the muscle jump beneath his skin, watched his fingers curl into fists on top of the table.

“Answer me.”

“I know who you are.” Ael's voice was hoarse. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“Clearly, you do not. Since you desire to be a burden, I’ll let you go.” He continued to be so calm. “I’ll hand you over to the Park family. They have a daughter that’s an Omega and are desperate for an Alpha heir, even a defective one like you. At least then you'd be useful for something— securing an alliance instead of embarrassing me every time I turn around.”

What?

A tightness spread through my chest. The need to claw at my neck grew. My hand on my fork itched but I held it down. I had to.

My eyes moved to Ael. Watching him. Waiting for him to refuse. To fight.

He would have fought me if I said those words.

He didn’t. “I understand—”

“Chairman Kim.” I never spoke when he was talking to his son. I knew my place. I knew what Mother would say. Even now, I could sense her scent spiral into a panic as she stared at me, her eyes wide with fear. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “That seems unnecessary.”

Mr. Kim's head turned slowly toward me, his expression unreadable. “Unnecessary?”

I set my fork down. “Cheon-sa is still young. The Park family. They have a reputation. They are desperate because their daughter is difficult. She's rejected every Alpha they've presented. Sending him there wouldn't secure an alliance— it would create a scandal when she rejects him too.”

My mother's chair scraped against the floor. “Neven—”

“It's fine.” Mr. Kim raised a hand, and she fell silent instantly. His eyes hadn't left mine. “Go on.”

“Cheon-sa has value. The Parks would see any match with him as a favor to them, not an alliance between equals. But if you wait— if you let him mature— you could secure something better. Someone who would elevate your position instead of dragging it down.” I looked at Ael. “He’s your son at the end of the day. He just hasn't found a reason to apply himself yet.”

Ael's scent found me again. Confusion. Suspicion.

I was so close to telling him to stop or I’d have to pin him face down to the table.

“And what reason would you suggest?” Mr. Kim asked.

I turned to look at Ael then. Really look at him. “Let me mentor him. I'm at the top of my class. I have connections. If he's going to be useful to you, he needs someone who understands how to navigate the world you live in. Someone who isn't afraid to push him.”

“Neven.” My mother's voice was sharp now, cutting through the room. “That's not your place.”

“I'm speaking to Chairman Kim.”

The slap came before I could brace for it. The sting bloomed hot but I didn't move. “Apologize. Right now—”

“Enough.” Mr. Kim's voice was quiet, but it filled the room like thunder. My mother froze, her hand still raised. “Behave yourself, woman.”

She listened.

Mr. Kim studied me for a long moment. I could feel his eyes watching to see if I’d crack and disappoint him.

But I couldn’t afford to do so.

“Interesting,” he said finally. “You'd take responsibility for him? If he fails, if he embarrasses me again, that failure would be yours as well. Your mother will also have to answer for it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what do you get out of this?”

I smiled, the same gentle smile I wore that made people believe anything I said. “The satisfaction of being useful to you, Chairman Kim.”

He didn't trust me. I could see it in his eyes. But he also didn't care enough to dig deeper. “You have until the end of the semester. If there's no improvement in his grades, his behavior, his… general presentation, then the Park arrangement proceeds as planned.”

I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

My mother was staring at me like she wanted to kill me. I would pay for this later— she'd make sure of it. But later it didn't matter. Later was a problem for a version of me that didn’t exist now.

Right now, there was only Ael.

Here. Beside me. Where he belonged forever.