Taesan’s POV

’I’m leaving the house’ I say to grandfather and he doesn’t look up, he just keeps cleaning the weapon, his favorite gun.

There are splatters of fresh blood on it and he’s meticulously wiping it, he doesn’t care that the source of the blood is still in the room, staining his rug dark red.

’I’m leaving-’

’I heard you the first time, damn it! Now I lost count of the number I was on’ he yells and drops the gun on the table to glare at me, he looks livid as he growls at me.

’I’ll take my leave now’ I say and bow and he slams the gun on the table, my legs ache from standing too long.

Doctor said I haven’t healed enough from the breaking to talk unassisted, and I said, fuck you doctor.

Here I am, clenching my teeth to ward off the pain.

’Where are you going?’ grandfather asks me with a mocking tone, always looking down on me.

’I’m moving out of the house, grandfather’ I hiss and he throws his head back to laugh.

They call him the laughing devil, he is always laughing with devilish amusement, I fucking want to jam his gun down his throat and pull the trigger.

’And going where? You have nothing, your parents are dead and you feed off my table as my heir’ he says and places both hands on the table.

’Go back to your room, perfect your shooting before I break your other leg’ he says and I don’t move.

Partly because of the intense pain on my leg and mainly because I want to spit in his fucking face.

’Are you glaring at me boy?’

’I am starting my own life, building a world that is mine from the ground’ I say and his mockery dissolves, showing a hint of fear.

’You don’t have what it takes, boy’ he says.

’I do, and I’ll prove it’ I say defiantly and he smiles, tilting his head backwards slightly, and giving me a wicked smile to show me the metal in his teeth.

I will eat you up.

’Fine then, build your world, if you succeed it’s all yours...and if you don’t, like always, you will be mine’ he says and I nod.

I already know I will succeed, I am only nineteen years old with no plan for college education, but I know I will make it, I will fight till I make it.

And when I do, nothing will stop me from ending this monster who wears the face of a man.

’Ah, son, what even do you plan?’ he asks me.

’Fashion’

’My doors will be waiting for your return, little tiger’ he says and nods at me.

He called me tiger to mock me, but I made myself into the mountain tiger, the beast that wins.

The thick smell of burning vanilla snaps me out of my thought and I rush to the wardrobe and open it.

The omega I hid there has his hand slapped over his mouth, his eyes are wide and full of tears, he looks terrified.

"Shit" I growl as I pull out of the wardrobe and pull him to my chest.

His entire frame is stiff with fear and his breathing is light, shit, he feels like he isn’t breathing properly and I press my mouth to his.

He gasps as I breath into his mouth before his fingers curl around my arms and he begins to sob.

Fuck.

I pull him to my seat and make him sit on my lap.

Once he’s seated, he immediately curls into me with his fingers gripping the sleeves of my shirt and his nose pressed into my scent gland, and I let him.

His vanilla scent fluctuates between burnt, bitter and harsh as he cries.

"Sorry, I don’t know why I’m like this" he sobs into my neck, the wetness from him is uncomfortable, but I don’t push him off, I just hold him in my arms.

How can I deal with that fucker called Daeshin? How can I make every moment painful for him? How can I get him to sob like this?

Maybe I’ll get Seoha to do it to him...

"Don’t cry anymore, you can’t work with teary eyes and you know I demand perfection" I say to him like his tears isn’t squeezing my heart in my chest too.

I take my handkerchief out of my pocket and wipe off his tears.

"I’m sorry" he apologizes, keeping his head down.

My alpha growls at how broken he looks and sound.

He should fear only me, he should cry only because of me, not some incel with the mind of a teenager, not the man who feeds off of omega.

"Look at me" I order the omega and he looks up, his bottom lip is trembling and his nose pink as he obey.

He always obey, fascinated by him, I run my thumb over the plump flesh of his lip.

"Tomorrow, you resume work as my head designer" I say and his mouth falls open, he looks shocked, and I love this look on him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Wh-what?"

"Prove your worth and it’s your position forever" I say and he looks down as his hands, a small habit of his that I have noticed, he does it when he’s...shy?

The omega shudders before speaking again.

"Why are you helping me?" he asks in a small voice and I slide my hands down to his waist, noticing just how small it is...

’Perfect to hold when I pin him against the table and...’ my alpha starts and I move my hand up to hold his jaw, tilting his face upwards, that wet look in his eyes...

"You came to the den last night" I say and he blinks.

"You dare to save the man that you owe, don’t you realize that my death clears your debt?" I ask and he breaths in through his mouth, I watch the way his eyes go out of focus, like he’s sinking under.

Fuck, help me.

"Ye- no- huh?" he asks and I curse under my breath, why is he everything I want wrapped in everything I don’t want?

"You risked your life for me, didn’t you read the journal?" I ask and he nods, pressing his lips together to swallow the saliva pooling in his mouth, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob.

"I did, I read it all..."

"Then you know that I tear men apart with my sword, that enjoy sneaking into the night and ripping people to shred" I say, my voice dipping lower and his eyes focus on mine.

He looks lucid as he responds to me.

"I also know that you are a kid that was broken too soon...a father that loves too much...a leader that seeks justice" he says.

"You’re stupid, fuck, you really are a stupid little deer" I whisper to him and his eyes flutter shut as my breath hits his face.

"They all look away from you" he says and my heart skips a beat, it’s a feeling I only felt once...when Sooin called me dad for the first time.

"If looking at you makes me stupid, then I’m stupid, I’m stupid but I want to be with you..." he says.

I have never hated anyone more.