CHAPTER 18

HAN JIHAN

       I stare at mom, she's staring at Jungho,  confiding the reasons for him to stay the night and that there's no need for him to drive all the way to Aleria at this hour. Jungho smiles uneasily at her as he steals glances my way. I suppress the scowl from rumbling out of my throat. I won't let him stay. I can't risk that. I don't want to.  

       "Mom, stop it. He can't, didn't he tell you already?" I say after a click of my tongue. Mom looks over at me, her gaze seizing me, and says: "No, he didn't." 

       My lips part but I drag my tongue over the lower lip to make it less obvious that I literally looked shaken. "I mean, he does have work to do so we can't compel him to stay." Mom squints her eyes at me before giving dad a side glance from where he sat across from me, beside mom. And cut her eyes to Jungho. 

       "We don't want you to stay here and burden you with shit loads of work when you go back. You don't have to feel restrained to stay." Mom says to Junho with a soft smile, nodding to herself. Dad hums in agreement and looks at me. A look that makes me want to look away. Because it's a look he gives me when he feels I'm being weird. And I am being weird ever since I came back from the meadow. I blow out a sigh as I kick the food on my plate with the fork. 

       "Actually. . . I came to stay." Jungho says, slow and low, making me snap my head up at him to see if he's joking. But the way he said gave no room for a crude joke. He offers an apologetic smile to me. I have this urge to scream at him and ask him why, why the fuck he wanna stay even after he said shits that he wouldn't have said. My jaw clenches as I throw daggers his way. Really? He came to stay? Funny. 

        "I'm going to grandma's tomorrow. It's been a while since I visited. And it will be much easier for him to leave now than staying here just to be alone all day tomorrow."

        "You can bring him too, Jih." I don't fucking want to, mom! The words didn't fly through my gritted teeth but my hand moved. I shove the fish a little too hard so that the fork pierces through its skin and clicks the plate in a clack. All three heads swirl at me as my wide eyes survey theirs. 

       "Okay, now tell me what's up with you acting like this." Dad puts his frock down and cocks an eyebrow at me. His dark brown eyes tired after a long day at work.  "You put on your best behavior around elders and alphas, don't disappoint me, Jihan." It's all well, and softly spoken yet it's all it takes for me to shrink in my chair. 

       Don't disappoint me, Jihan. 

       I never heard those words before I met Jungho, not from my father. I feel like I'm a whole new person after Jungho appeared in my life. It was embarrassment that embraced me at first, and then it became an unexpected liking toward him, but then again who wouldn't like him? He's gorgeous with his yale blue eyes that I never saw on someone. And the same blue hair that makes him look heavenly. I can't blame myself for not being able to resist his beauty but I can for forgetting my status and position in this society. And now it's something in between hostility and betrayal when I don't even know how it becomes a betrayal. 

        Guess he didn't cheat but he's still a traitor. 

       "Oh, it's fine, I'll go back now." Jungho's about to stand when mom holds his bicep and pulls him down on the chair. 

       "You're not going anywhere," she says to Jungho, and then throws me a warning stare before saying: "And, you, my son, are staying here. You won't leave the house for another week as a penalty for your misbehavior and staying out so late, don't think we let it slide." Fuck! 

       I can't believe this! And I want to say just that to them but I know better than to do that. I don't want 'another week' to be doubled. "I really miss Rain" I mumble, defeated. I don't even know why I said that. Maybe I just miss the old Jihan who got nothing to worry about, a little too much. 

       "Does it rain at your grandma's? But it's still early spring. . ." Jungho lets out so innocently that I want to wipe the innocence off his lips with mine.

        What is this? What's gotten into me? 

        A moment ago I wanted to scream at his face and now what?

       Touch him with a kiss? I can't believe that thought even dared to pass through my crazy, hazed mind. 

        I look him in the eyes with no words to fly past my closed lips. A gentle laugh from mom is not enough for me to strip my eyes off him. He holds my gaze. His eyes tell something like they do all the damn time. And like me, I drown, in my newfound serenity. 

       "Rain is his cousin's child." Jungho's eyes leave mine and slip to mom but mine never does. I watch him smile at mom, nodding his head a little. "He's just two, but a very energetic and adorable pup. We go to the valley often, you can join us if you would like to. Mom and dad would love to see you." she adds with an everlasting smile. Cheeks a light shade of pink as they meet her eyes. 

        "I would love to." He says. I wait for his words to fuel my anger and set my lungs on fire, but I only wait, it doesn't happen. But instead, something crawls its way into my heart. My omega suppresses its happy squeal and my conscious human mind growls as it tastes his lie. Everything is happening so hastily and all at once. 

       "I'm done." The chair screeches as I stand. I toss one last warning glance at Jungho and his yale blue eyes are all I can see as I march into the kitchen.