Muchen dragged Shao out of the room and into the kitchen where it was quiet and empty. He let go of his wrist only when they were fully inside and the door swung shut behind them.
"Now tell what the hell is going on with you. And don’t you dare deny it, Shao," Muchen said firmly, pointing a finger at him. "I see you. I see the look you had. That’s not the Shao I know."
Shao wiped his face with a loud sigh, turning away for a second. "Get out of the way. I need to get him," he muttered, stepping forward.
"Shao!" Muchen grabbed his arm and shoved him back, pinning him lightly to the wall. "You... if you go there now, you might hurt soone."
That made Shao stop.
He stood frozen against the wall, chest rising and falling a little too fast. His head slowly dropped down, his eyes staring at the floor.
"I think I’ve... finally lost it..." he mumbled. "I’ve gone crazy, Muchen..."
He slowly slumped down against the wall, dropping to the floor with a soft thud. He looked... small. Defeated.
"I... I told you earlier I can’t control myself," he said quietly. "I thought I could. But no. Now I’ve lost it completely. I want him."
His eyes lifted up to et Muchen’s, wide and raw.
"I want him to be mine. I... I want to be the only one to see him. I want to keep him for myself. I want to lock him up and—" He choked for a second, looking down again as his hands tightened into fists. "Oh god... I’ve beco just like that monster..."
He took a shaky breath, his voice trembling even more now.
"I... I’m doing everything he did... W-wanting, controlling, grabbing sothing like it belongs to . What have I... b-beco..."
His voice got softer and softer, until the words were barely coming out. His shoulders were hunched and shaking slightly.
Muchen crouched down beside him, silent.
Yunfeng had already told him. The signs were there—extre alpha traits starting to surface. At the ti, Muchen thought it wasn’t that bad. But now?
Now he saw the truth.
If Shao was left unchecked, he might actually take Jai and disappear. Lock him away sowhere. Keep him all to himself.
He didn’t say anything. He just sat beside him on the cold kitchen floor, watching his friend crumble.
Then the door creaked open.
Lu Zhi peeked in, raising a brow. "Is everything okay?"
Shao instantly shot up from the floor, stiff like a rod. "Everything is fine," he said quickly, avoiding their eyes, and walked right out of the kitchen.
Muchen stayed behind, eyes narrowing.
He glanced at Lu Zhi, who stood in the doorway looking confused.
"Lu Zhi, co here," Muchen said, his voice quieter now.
The young boy stepped inside. "What’s up?"
Muchen hesitated, then asked carefully, "Did your brother ever... tell you anything about being abused? Or..."
Lu Zhi blinked, shaking his head. "No. It was always just us and Mom, until a few years ago. Why? Why do you ask?"
Muchen frowned deeper, rubbing the back of his neck.
"...Nothing," he muttered. "It’s nothing."
But his gut told him it definitely wasn’t.
Shao rushed through the hallway, his footsteps quick and uneven. His thoughts were spinning, his breath tight in his chest. Just as he turned the corner, fate seed to intervene.
Jai walked out of the next room, his face streaked with tears. They glistened down his cheeks before he quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand, sniffing softly. As soon as their eyes t, both of them froze.
Shao’s heart skipped a beat.
Seeing Jai cry like that—raw, unguarded—it sent a shock through him. But after everything just now... after what Muchen had said... after what he had felt...
He couldn’t trust himself to be near Jai. Not right now.
So, without a word, Shao turned his face away and walked past him, quickening his steps. He dashed into his room and slamd the door shut behind him.
Jai stood there, staring after him with his mouth slightly open. His brows furrowed in confusion, but before he could think more, a voice called from behind.
"Jai!"
It was Grandpa Kailun.
Still dazed, Jai turned around. "Yeah?" he muttered.
"Co in here."
Jai nodded slowly and stepped into the room. His grandpa was standing by the window, facing away, with one hand resting at his side—and in that hand was a pistol.
Jai frowned. "Grandpa... why do you have a pistol?"
The old man glanced over his shoulder, calm as ever. "Sit down, kid. We’ve got a lot to talk about."
Jai’s heart pounded in his chest as he sat down carefully, still clutching his shirt tighter around his collar without realizing it. He tried to ease the tension with his usual chattiness.
"Is it... is it about your powers? By the way, it’s a really cool one. With your power we could totally use it for periter checks and such, right? Like if there are zombies nearby you could—"
"Jai."
His grandpa’s voice was steady.
Jai stopped.
The old man walked over and sat opposite him, placing a glass of water on the table. "Here. Drink."
"Oh. Thanks," Jai said, quickly picking it up and taking a few big gulps. "I was getting thirsty."
"Yeah... I figured. Is that why you did sothing like that in the supermarket?"
Jai nearly choked.
The water sprayed out as he coughed hard, eyes wide.
"H-Huh?" he stamred.
"I heard you bought a whole lot of juice bottles. I was asking about that."
Jai blinked, his face bright red. "O-oh. That." He let out a forced laugh, still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah, I just... really wanted so juice, that’s all."
Sweat was starting to form at his temples.
That one sentence—sothing like that in the supermarket—had hit too close to the truth, if only for a second.
"I can bring you so juice if you want," Jai offered quickly, standing up with a nervous smile. His legs were already half-turned toward the door. "You know, since I bought so much."
He didn’t want to be here anymore. Not in this room. Not with this topic floating in the air.
"Jai," his grandpa said again, just as he reached the door.
"Yeah?" he turned back, hand on the doorknob.
The old man’s expression was unreadable as he looked up at him. "Be careful who you give your heart to."
Jai’s fingers tightened around the doorknob.
For a second, he stood completely still, the words sinking in deeper than he liked.
"...I... I’ll rember that," he said softly, then gave a strained smile. "I’ll go get your juice."
And with that, Jai slipped out the door and ran.
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