The message from the talisman was simple. His uncle's work, naturally—elegant but to the point. The Ongs had taken Rina, Jinseok's missing beta. She'd be released unharmed once Wonwoo was returned to them. Mingyu would never let him go, but the pack wouldn't survive more loss. It wouldn't be just one, either. They'd keep taking wolves—or worse—until they got what they wanted. Wonwoo had to go back.
Jinseok's hunters weren't paying much attention, and Mingyu had taken off in such a hurry that he hadn't left any of his betas to watch over Wonwoo. It wasn't hard for him to slip across the boundary, though he was careful to cross at a section that he'd reinforced himself. He focused hard to dampen his energy with magic. It would make it harder for Mingyu to sense him crossing. Once outside the pack, he broke into a run, using the sun to guide him. Even his weak sorcerer magic had been enough to use the talisman to send his uncle a reply. It meant that when he finally emerged from the trees onto a road, there was a car idling there, waiting for him.
He got in the back, nodding to Shindong, his uncle's right-hand man.
"Let Rina go."
"Rina? Oh, you mean the wolf. All in good time, Wonwoo. Your uncle wants to see you first. He needs to ensure that you've been returned unharmed."
The driver got them on the road, the sudden motion pushing Wonwoo back into his seat. It took him a minute to figure out what Shindong had meant. His uncle wanted to make sure that Wonwoo was still useful to him—that he hadn't been bonded. Only then would he let his leverage go. Wonwoo would talk to him; he would make him understand that he belonged with Mingyu. What they had was a true bond. Not a training bond, not whatever profitable arrangement his sorcerer 'family' had seen fit to make for him.
"How did you capture Rina?"
From what Mingyu had said, a lot of sorcerers wouldn't tangle with wolves directly. Yet, there was no sign that Maken Pack or any other wolf had been involved.
Through the rearview mirror, he saw Shindong roll his eyes. "Magic. Wolves are arrogant enough to think that they have all the power."
"I'm not sure you proved them wrong by capturing Rina."
As far as Wonwoo knew, she was one of the youngest, and therefore weakest, of the hunters. They hadn't tried to capture Jinseok or one of the older betas. It had been a calculated move on their part. But that was his experience of sorcerers—risk as little as possible for the most gain.
"Here we are, going to all this trouble to rescue you. Are you sure you want to piss me off?" Shindong asked.
"You didn't 'rescue' me. I walked out of there of my own free will once I realized you'd taken Rina."
The expression on Shindong's face changed, becoming guarded.
"It's taken us weeks to find you. Your uncle's been so worried."
Wonwoo scoffed and turned his gaze to the window, staring out. He knew what his uncle had been upset about—the break in his training contract, the potential of losing his value if they didn't get him back. If he was going to get everything he wanted, then he'd have to find a way to spin this that would convince his uncle there was something in this for the Ongs. But first, he had to make sure Rina was returned safely.
They drove into town, the familiar sight sending a wave of nervous anticipation through Wonwoo. The car pulled up at the gates, which opened to let them in after a brief pause. Wonwoo's stomach did somersaults as they drove down into the underground lot beneath the house. He wasn't looking forward to facing his uncle again, though somehow he'd known he would always end up back here.
"Your uncle is waiting in his office," Shindong prompted when Wonwoo was slow to get out of the car.
Wonwoo rolled his eyes and climbed out, traipsing after Shindong as he led the way upstairs.
"Where's Rina?"
"Safe."
"That's not an answer. I want to see her."
Shindong turned to him, incredulous. "You think we'd bring a feral wolf here? We're not that foolish, Wonwoo. The wolf is safe and being kept offsite. When the time is right, she'll be freed."
He paused in front of Ong Sunho's office door, knocking and waiting for a response before opening it. "Go on in."
Wonwoo steeled himself and walked inside. The room was empty except for Sunho at his desk. He rose to his feet when Wonwoo came in.
"My dear nephew. You've been returned to us safely. Thank the heavens."
It wasn't the heavens they needed to thank.
Sunho crossed the room toward him, putting his arms around Wonwoo in the lightest of embraces.
"You've been through such a terrible ordeal. There's a healer waiting upstairs, a bath's been drawn, and a fresh set of clothes laid out. We'll have you feeling yourself in no time."
His hand not-so-subtly found its way to the nape of Wonwoo's neck, and his eyes narrowed in fury when he felt the bite mark there. His other hand gripped Wonwoo's upper arm tightly as he spun him around.
"Those brutes..."
Whatever else he was going to say was forgotten when he caught sight of the bond mark on Wonwoo's neck.
"Only a waning bite. They didn't bond you. That's a relief."
He urged Wonwoo back around to face him, smoothing his expression back to concern. "Don't worry about a thing, Wonwoo. You're among family now. You're safe."
Wonwoo swallowed the words he wanted to say and focused on what he needed to do first.
"The wolf you took..."
"Ah, yes. Of course. Best to get that out of the way before we have Samhain Pack beating down our doors."
He pulled a talisman from his pocket, almost identical to the one Jinseok had handed Wonwoo earlier. The metal seemed to glow in Sunho's hand.
"Wonwoo's been returned. Let the wolf go." He tucked the talisman back in his pocket. "There, done. Why don't you go get cleaned up, and then you can tell me everything about what you've been through?"
Knowing he needed to buy time for Rina to get back to the safety of pack territory, Wonwoo played along.
"Yes, Uncle. Thank you."
"We're so relieved to have you back," his uncle repeated, returning to sit at his desk and waving Wonwoo toward the door. Just like that, he was forgotten. Another item ticked off his uncle's to-do list. So much for family.
*****
It was almost four hours later before he saw his uncle again. In that time, he'd showered, changed his clothes, and eaten a meal. All in his 'room,' which was little more than a comfortable cell. One of Shindong's minions stood guard outside his door the whole time, ensuring there was no easy escape until his uncle called for him.
This time, Sunho didn't even rise from his desk when Wonwoo stepped into his office.
"That's much better, Wonwoo." His critical gaze lingered on Wonwoo's head. "Though your hair is a little long—nothing that can't be easily fixed. Shindong, ask the barber to stop by tomorrow. And the tailor. A new suit will help my nephew feel like a new man."
He gestured Wonwoo into a chair as Shindong slipped from the room.
"You must be relieved to be home."
Wonwoo bit back the retort that this wasn't his home, struggling to keep his tone civil.
"Not particularly. I only came back to make my position clear."
His uncle's expression turned cold.
"Excuse me? Is this any way to speak to me after I painstakingly arranged your rescue from the brutes who abducted you?"
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean any offense. It's just that you don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it to me," his uncle demanded between gritted teeth.
"His name is Mingyu. He's Samhain Pack's watcher. It's... it's a true bond, Uncle. We're meant to be together."
His uncle's eyes flicked from his face to his neck, his expression calculating.
"That isn't a permanent bond bite."
"No. He was giving me time; waiting until I was ready. His pack needs me, Uncle. And I want to be with them, be part of them. I could make a difference there."
"You've only just begun your training..."
"To be a sorcerer. But I'm not a sorcerer, I'm a druid—born and raised. That's my true destiny."
His uncle scoffed.
"Kitchen sink magic. That is not a destiny, Wonwoo. Sorcery is a majestic art, a craft perfected by our family over generations. You would never turn your back on it, surely."
"In a heartbeat," Wonwoo vowed.
He pushed to his feet slowly, watching the emotions flicker across his uncle's face before he smoothed them away with righteous anger.
"Do you really think that I'll let you leave here to return to those wolves? Because of some little infatuation? What kind of an uncle would I be to let you make such a foolish, dangerous decision?"
Wonwoo had known it was stupid to hope that his uncle would somehow see things his way. He wouldn't get free of his sorcerer family without a fight. But he had a lot to fight for.
"I know exactly what kind of uncle you are. The kind who looks at me and sees profit, not family."
"I only want what's best for you, and our family."
"Power, wealth, influence—that's all you care about. Don't pretend otherwise. You never cared about your brother's bastard son until you learned I was a wolf mage. You were happy to ignore my existence until you realized there was something in it for you. Well, you can send me back to Maken Pack for training for as long as you like. I'll never do another ounce of sorcerer magic as long as I live."
"Training?" His uncle tutted and shook his head. "No, the time for training is over. The only way to break this infatuation of yours is to find you a suitable wolf to bond with. And I have the perfect one in mind. We'll get you trained up after you're settled."
Wonwoo took a step back, shaking his head. "No. I won't bond with anyone except Mingyu."
A cruel smile crossed his uncle's face. "My dear nephew. You say that like you have a choice."