– Ye Jun's House, Morning
The house was buzzing. There was no other word for it. The energy clung to every wall, vibrating with excitement, nerves, and the unmistakable scent of frosting and too many floral candles.
Balloons lined the hallway. Banners with "Happy 21st, Junie!" stretched across the living room. There were pastel-colored lanterns swinging gently in the backyard breeze, and somewhere in the kitchen, Ari was arguing with the cake delivery person over missing edible glitter.
Ye Jun stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold below.
"Why do we need five different types of juice?" he muttered.
"Because not everyone likes peach," Hana called from the living room without even turning around. "And it's your birthday, so you'll drink all of them with a smile."
Ye Jun groaned, pressing a palm to his forehead.
He was grateful. He really was.
But this much attention made his skin itch.
The doorbell rang again, followed by loud voices.
"BIRTHDAY BOY!"
Kwang and Ryung burst through the front door, nearly tripping over each other as they shoved a poorly-wrapped present into Ye Jun's hands.
"We got you socks," Ryung announced proudly.
"They're not socks," Kwang hissed.
"Oh—right. We got you—surprise socks."
Ye Jun blinked. "I'm terrified."
Hanjae and Jin followed behind them, each holding a gift bag and wearing matching smug grins.
"We got him something better than socks," Jin said. "But we'll save that for the party."
"Let's just say it might vibrate," Hanjae added with a wicked wink.
"HANJAE!" Ari shouted from the kitchen. "I WILL END YOU!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Hana walked over, wiping her hands on a towel. "Ye Jun, go shower. We'll be starting soon."
"I'm clean," Ye Jun tried.
"Emotionally, maybe," Kwang said. "Physically? You smell like fear."
Hana grinned. "Go on. Jin will help you dull up."
Ye Jun froze. "Jin—?"
Jin already had his hands around Ye Jun's shoulders. "I promised your mom I'd make you the prettiest birthday boy this town has ever seen."
"Save me," Ye Jun mouthed at Hanjae.
"Nope," Hanjae replied. "I want front-row seats."
– Yu Jun's Car, Afternoon
Yu Jun tightened his grip on the steering wheel, jaw set, teeth grinding.
He'd rather be anywhere else. Literally anywhere. In a pit of rogues. In the middle of a storm. Hell, even in a six-hour meeting with the Elders.
But no. He was headed to a birthday party.
A kid's birthday party.
He shouldn't even be going. It wasn't like he knew the boy. He hadn't cared when Hyeon-u first handed him the invitation, thinking it was another dumb attempt to socialize him.
But then—
"It's from Ari and Hana," Hyeon-ju had said casually that evening, flipping through his phone.
Yu Jun had paused.
"…Ari and Hana?" he repeated.
"Yeah. You remember them, right?
Yu Jun's eyes were fixed on the road, but his mind was spinning elsewhere—stuck in a knot of names and revelations.
Hana.
She had been the top of their class at Alpha School—unshakable, smart, respected by even the old bloodlines who didn't believe in female Alphas. He remembered her eyes, sharp and calculating. Her quiet power. How she never raised her voice to win a fight, yet always came out on top.
He never forgot how she walked out one day, never claiming the title that was rightfully hers.
Ari.
That name was harder to place until the rumors caught up to him years later. A Beta. A fighter. One of the survivors of the Southern Pack Massacre. She'd come back from the ashes with blood on her hands and a mate mark on her neck.
No one had expected it.
No one had expected them.
Two women.
An Alpha and a Beta.
Bound by the Moon Goddess. Refusing to be separated. Raising a family in a world that barely understood them.
But never, not once, had Yu Jun heard they had a child.
Let alone a son old enough to be celebrating his Twenty one birthday.
" Back to earth Alpha, you're driving," Min's voice broke through the fog in his head, dry and cautious.
Yu Jun blinked. The car had drifted slightly to the edge of the lane. He corrected it without a word.
Min gave a soft cough from the passenger seat, but didn't press.
They pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. Colorful ribbons marked the gate. Two teenage girls—probably cousins or neighborhood kids—stood by the path handing out little party favors.
Yu Jun parked the car neatly at the edge of the lot and stepped out without waiting for the others.
Min scrambled to unbuckle. " Hey—uh, maybe wait for ? Hyeon-ju was trying to grab—"
But the Alpha was already walking.
Long strides.
Dark suit.
Expression unreadable.
Min watched him go and muttered, "Why do I always end up babysitting the brooding ones?"
Yu Jun didn't bother with the front. Too loud. Too bright. Too many people.
He circled around the side of the house, weaving through the shadows until he reached the back deck. Laughter spilled from the yard where guests gathered under pastel tents and fairy lights, but he kept his head down.
The sliding door to the kitchen was slightly ajar—left open on purpose, maybe. He pushed it open with one hand and stepped inside without a word.
The kitchen was warm, filled with the smell of vanilla, spices, and buttercream. A dozen trays were stacked on the counters, and someone had drawn tiny smiley faces on each cupcake. Chaos hummed faintly in the background, but this room—this moment—was calm.
Two figures stood in the middle of it.
Ari was kneeling beside the fridge, rearranging drinks in an ice bucket.
Hana stood near the stove, arms crossed, sipping black coffee from a mug that said "Alpha of Sass" in peeling gold letters.
Neither of them looked surprised.
"Still hate people, huh?" Hana said dryly, not even turning to look at him.
Yu Jun let the door slide shut behind him. "Still eavesdropping without ears?"
Ari looked up and smiled. "Yu Jun." Her voice was soft but filled with warmth.
She stood and crossed the kitchen in a few easy steps, pulling him into a hug before he could move. She smelled of rosewood and old comfort—of home, if such a thing had ever existed for him.
Yu Jun didn't hug back. But he didn't pull away, either.
"You're taller," Ari said into his shoulder.
"You're shorter," he replied flatly.
That made Hana snort into her coffee. "Gods, I missed this sulky bastard."
Ari finally released him with a warm pat to his chest. "Thank you for coming."
"I wasn't going to," he admitted.
"We know," Hana said with a grin, finally turning toward him. "We bet you'd arrive through the back like a burglar. I won."
"You always do."
She raised her cup like it was a toast.
Yu Jun's eyes swept the room, taking in the framed photos on the wall. One in particular caught his attention—a blurry shot of someone with messy dark hair and a hood up, standing between Ari and Hana, all three smiling.
He narrowed his eyes.
Hana noticed.
"Curious?" she asked.
Yu Jun shrugged. "Didn't know you had a kid."
"We don't," Ari said with a smile. "We have Ye Jun."
Yu Jun blinked. The name hit something inside him. A low echo. A memory from the hotel… the elevator.
He filed it away silently.
"And how is he?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Hana's grin turned just a little knowing. "You'll see. He's around some where.