Chapter 184: Jointly Stupid
Taesan’s POV
He’s all alone with that dog.
What if he spends time thinking all by himself and then he comes to his senses?
"Stone"
The old woman catches me with my fingernails between my teeth as the girls point and gasp at almost everything they come across.
A basket? Gasp.
A crab? Gasp.
An old boat? Gasp.
They are lost in their world and I’m fucking dying of anxiety in mine. I’m thinking of my plan and wondering how I can make it work.
"What is on your mind, Stone?" the annoyingly kind grandmother asks, and I turn to look at her soft face.
She is wearing a hat to keep the sun away. It’s casting a shadow over her eyes, but I can tell that she’s looking at me with the warmth of a mother.
I don’t want to think of my grandmother...the unfortunate woman that died by the hands of her husband for only being able to give birth to one child.
"What if he rejects my plan?" I ask, putting my hand away from my mouth to preserve my scary imagery.
A mafia lord doesn’t bite on his fingernails out of anxiety. No, a mafia lord is confident that his mate won’t say no to him.
Fuck.
I blame that idiot Junho for rubbing his softness on me.
"Why do you think Seoha will reject you?" Grandma asks and I tilt my head.
The sun is hot, and I squint to avoid it, still watching the girls as they hold hands and chatter in front of us.
"Why would he accept me?" I ask back and the old woman tsks.
"That boy let him mark him, and you think he will say no to anything...are the both of you jointly stupid?" the older omega asks and I make a face.
Am I stupid too? I call Seoha stupid all the time, forgetting that I must be stupid too for letting him capture my attention.
I went from being the mountain tiger and the captain to being the man who craves an omega’s smile.
"I have never brought anyone this close except one mistake I made when I was young" I explain and she takes my hand in hers.
The contrast between our hands is glaring, but the comforting is richer than anything that I have ever had in my hands.
"We can always start somewhere, son. Talk to him, share your thoughts and ask him what he wants" she says softly.
"Granny, what is this?" Sooin calls our attention, pointing at a stand of traditional snacks.
"Do you want them?" the old woman asks, and Sooin nods so hard that her hair flies all over the place.
"Let’s get it"
Grandma runs the three of us like a general, and I don’t complain. I carry the things that she bought, holding Sooin with the other hand.
When we return to the house, like last time, I find Seoha sleeping with the omega stealing dog lying next to him.
He looks cute, cheeks smushed against his arm as he snores softly.
We don’t wake him, we silently cook with grandma, and only wake Seoha up when it’s time to eat.
Eventually, the dinner ends and the girls distract themselves with the traditional snacks, listening to grandma’s explanation for each of them.
"Come with me?" I ask Seoha, and he nods, letting me steal him away from everyone else.
"See you two later" grandma says, wriggling her brows mischievously and I groan at her antics.
I take Seoha to my car, opening the door for him to get in, and when he does, he thanks me in a soft voice.
He looks dreamy, smells soft, and looks like a pleased omega.
Clueless of what to do in order to make this feel like a romance, I stay quiet and I drive us to the place I marked him; the river by the mountain side.
"Oh...Taesan" Seoha gasps when he realizes where we are, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of everything.
The serene waters, the full moon, the softly swaying trees.
"Do you remember the last time we came here?" I ask him, and he nods, still looking around and not looking at me.
"Look at me" I snarl, and his head snaps towards me in obedience.
I command; he obeys. I dominate; he submits...I never want to lose him.
"I have so much to say, but you leave me tongue-tied, omega...are you a witch?" I ask, holding his chin and tilting his face upwards.
"I’m not" he whispers, eyes dropping shut as he rubs his cheek against my rough palm.
"Do you remember everything?" I ask.
"Yes, we became one" he says and I lean in, pressing my mouth to his.
’I will swallow you up, I want to swallow you up so that my system learns you, so that I die when anyone tries to take you’ my devoted alpha howls in my head and I groan, throwing my head back to slow our pace.
I want to bite him again. Deeper this time, a bite that will never heal.
"I love you, do you know that? Little thief?" I ask and he nods, not removing himself from me.
"And- and I’m insane, damaged...do you know?"
"You’re not damaged, you are just hurt" he says like the naïve fool he is, and I don’t hold back the laugh that slips out of my mouth.
"You’re so naïve"
"Do you hate it?"
"Never" I confess, kissing the tip of his pretty nose.
"Then I will never change, I will stay like this for you" he whispers, breath catching in his throat as my hands slide up his side.
"I don’t believe in the moon goddess, Seoha" I say and he blinks like he’s asking ’why don’t you believe?’
"I don’t believe in the moon goddess, but you make me doubt my disbelief" I say and his bottom lip jut in a pout.
Beautiful...so beautiful.
"Be mine"
"I’m already yours, Taesan" he smiles at me with brown eyes that are swimming with tears.
"No...be mine, soul and body" I say as I pull the collar I have been holding in my pocket for a long time.
The public claim on my omega.
