Massacre
The Monday morning of the final school week was strangely peaceful. The penthouse was filled with the smell of expensive coffee and the low, comforting hum of a family that had successfully held the fucking line.
Shen was already dressed in his school uniform—crisp, black, and lethal—but he wasn't eating. He was standing by the large kitchen island, a thick, slate-grey folder spread out in front of him.
"Dad," Shen called out as Hua Yong walked in, looking every bit the Enigma King in his morning silk robe. "I need you to look at the Phase Two logistics for the summer merge. I’ve reinforced the firewall on the overseas accounts, but I want to make sure the board doesn't find a goddamn loophole to skim from the top while we're at Uni."
Hua Yong took a slow sip of his espresso, his iridescent eyes scanning the documents with a terrifyingly sharp focus. He flipped through the pages, a small, proud smirk tugging at his lips.
"It’s airtight, Shen," Hua Yong rumbled, tapping a specific clause on the third page. "But I’ll personally sit in on the board meeting this afternoon. I'll make sure those bastards understand that if they even think about touching a decimal point, they’ll be answering to me before they ever see you. I’ll send you the update.
"Thanks," Shen whispered, finally closing the folder. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. With his Dad handling the corporate snakes, he could focus on the school snakes for one last fucking week.
The breakfast was quiet—a rare moment of calm before the fucking storm. Liang sat across from Shen, his color finally back to normal, his ribs only giving him a dull ache when he moved too fast. They ate in a comfortable, shared silence that spoke louder than any words.
"You ready to be a student again for five days?" Liang teased, nudging Shen’s foot under the table.
"I'd rather be back in the office," Shen sighed, grabbing his bag. "But I guess we have to graduate if we want to run the world."
They headed down to the garage, the armored SUV idling as they pulled out. They made the familiar three-door stop. Min-ho climbed in first, looking unusually distracted, followed by Min-ji, who was busy tying her hair back and checking her tablet for the morning's logistics updates.
"Move over, loser," Min-ji muttered, shoving Min-ho toward the middle seat so she could sit by the window. She glanced at the front seat, her eyes landing on the iridescent mark on Shen’s neck. She let out a low whistle. "Damn, Liang. You really claimed him, huh? The office was one thing, but showing that off at school? You're gonna cause a fucking riot."
Liang just smirked in the rearview mirror. "Let them riot. I'm just marking what's fuckimg mine."
The school gates felt small after a week of running a multi-billion dollar empire. The students parted like the Red Sea as the black SUV pulled up, the King amd the God returning to their throne.
As they stepped onto the pavement, the air shifted. The rumors were everywhere—about the hit on the field, about the blood-red suit at the office, and the mark on Shen's neck that practically glowed under the morning sun.
But as they reached the main entrance, a small, familiar figure was standing by the trophy case. It was Yuki, the Omega from a few weeks back. He looked nervous, his fingers twisting the strap of his bag, his scent—a soft, sweet lily—wafting through the hallway.
The second he saw the group, his eyes locked onto Min-ho.
"Min-ho!" Yuki called out, his voice small but determined.
The group stopped. Shen, Liang, and Min-ji shared a knowing look. Min-ji leaned over and whispered to Liang, "About damn time."
"Hey, Yuki," Min-ho said, his voice dropping into that protective, gentle tone. "You okay? Did someone mess with you again?"
Yuki shook his head quickly, stepping closer until he was standing right in Min-ho’s space. He looked up, his eyes wide and fucking pleading. "No, I'm fine. But... can I talk to you? Alone? Just for a minute before first period starts?"
Min-ho blinked, his heart fucking hammering against his ribs. He looked back at his pack. Shen and Liang were already starting to walk away with smirks on their faces, and Min-ji just gave him a thumbs up before following them.
"Go on, Hero,'" Shen drawled over his shoulder. "We’ll save you a seat in Econ. Don't be late, or the teacher might actually grow a pair and give you detention."
Min-ho flipped them off behind his back before turning back to Yuki. "Yeah. Of course. Let's go to the courtyard. It's quiet there."
The courtyard was quiet, the morning mist still clinging to the stone benches. Min-ho stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, his heart hammering against his ribs like a fucking trapped bird.
Yuki looked up at him, his cheeks flushed a soft pink. "Min-ho... I really like spending time with you. You’ve been so good to me since that day in the hall. I... I want to get to know you better. Like, for real."
Min-ho felt a surge of heat rush to his face. "Y-yeah? I mean, of course, Yuki. I’d love that." But as he spoke, his voice trailed off. He was fucking vibrating, his Beta instincts clashing with the massive, soul-deep realization that had been fucking rotting in his brain for weeks.
"But," Yuki continued, looking down at his shoes, "I know you're always with Shen and Liang. I don't want to get in the way. Do you think... maybe I could stick with you guys? At lunch? If Shen says it's okay?"
"I’ll ask him," Min-ho rasped, his throat feeling like it was fucking full of sand. "He won't mind. He's a dick, but he's my best friend. He’ll say yes."
But inside, Min-ho was fucking screaming. Get to know him better? He didn't want to just know Yuki. From the second this sweet-scented Omega had walked up to him weeks ago, shaking and asking for help, Min-ho had been done for. He knew it in his marrow—Yuki was his mate. He didn't want a study buddy, he wanted to claim him.
Lunchtime hit, and the tension in the Kings Boot was at an all-time high. Shen and Liang were sitting close, their shoulders touching, looking like they were already planning their next corporate takeover. Min-ji was across from them, tapping away at her tablet.
Min-ho sat down, his tray rattling. He looked like he was about to burst into flames.
"Yo, Shen," Min-ho blurted out, not even touching his food. "Yuki... the Omega... he wants to know if he can sit with us. Like, from now on. He wants to get to know me or whatever."
Shen tilted his head, his iridescent eyes narrowing as he studied his friend’s frantic state. "And? Why are you fucking vibrating like a cheap pager, Min-ho? If you want the kid here, bring him here. I don't bite... well usually."
"It’s not just that!" Min-ho hissed, leaning across the table, his voice a frantic whisper. "I’m fucking scared, okay? I’m scared to fuck this up. He said he wants to get to know me, but I’m head over heels for this guy. I don't want to just know him. I want him to be my boyfriend. I want to tell him he’s my mate right now, but what if I freak him out? What if he just thinks I’m a nice Beta who helps people and doesn't see me like that?"
Liang let out a low chuckle, kicking Min-ho’s shin under the table. "Look at you. You're actually a romantic mess. Just tell him, you idiot. You saw how he looked at you this morning. He wasn't looking for a bodyguard, he was looking for a reason to fucking smile."
"He's right," Min-ji added, looking up from her screen. "The scent of lily is all over your jacket, Min-ho. He’s already marking you in his own way. Stop being a pussy and go get your man."
Min-ho looked at his pack, his eyes wide. "You really think so? You think I won't blow it if I tell him I’m obsessed with him?"
"Min-ho," Shen said, his voice dropping into that serious, fucking lethal tone. "You’ve spent the whole time looking out for us. It’s your turn to take what’s yours. If he’s your mate, he already knows. Now go find him before I decide to give him a talk myself."
The cafeteria at St. Jude’s was a minefield of social hierarchy, but the Kings Table was the eye of the fucking hurricane. Min-ho stood up so abruptly his chair clattered against the linoleum, drawing eyes from three rows over. He didn't give a shit. He was fucking done playing it safe.
"I'm doing it," Min-ho repeated, his voice cracking with a mix of terror and adrenaline. "I’m going to find him."
"Library," Min-ji said, not looking up from her tablet. "He always goes there ten minutes before the end of lunch to double-check his pre-calc notes. Go, before you lose your fucking nerves."
Min-ho bolted. Shenwatched him go, a rare, genuine smirk softening his lethal features. He leaned back, his shoulder brushing against Liang's, the physical contact grounding him. "He’s going to be a disaster," Shen murmured.
"He's going to be fine," Liang rasped, his hand finding Shen’s under the table, squeezing tight. "He’s part of the Gao-Shen pack. We don't fucking lose."
The library was silent, smelling of old paper and floor wax. Min-ho found Yuki tucked into a back corner cubicle, his small frame hunched over a textbook. The scent of lily was faint here, but to Min-ho, it was like a lighthouse in fucking fog.
Yuki looked up, his eyes widening as Min-ho practically skidded to a halt in front of him, breathing hard. "Min-ho? Is everything okay? Did Shen say—"
"Shen said yes. You’re with us now. Always," Min-ho blurted out, his hands trembling. He didn't sit down. He couldn't. He was still fucking vibrating with the force of the truth. "But Yuki, I need to say something. And if I don't say it now, I’m going to fucking explode."
Yuki bit his lip, his face flushing. "Okay..."
"I don't want to just know you better," Min-ho hissed, his voice a frantic, desperate whisper. "The first day you walked up to me—shaking, asking for help—I was finished. I didn't help you because I’m a nice guy. I helped you because my soul recognized yours. I’m head over heels for you. I want to be your boyfriend. I want to be the one you run to for everything. I know you're my mate, Yuki. I know it in my blood."
Yuki froze, his breath hitching. For a long, agonizing second, the library was deathly fucking still. Then, slowly, Yuki stood up. He reached out, his small hand trembling as he rested it over Min-ho’s hammering heart.
"I was so scared," Yuki whispered, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I thought you were just being a hero because that’s who you are. I didn't think a Beta like you would ever want a fucking mess like me."
"You aren't a mess," Min-ho growled, his hand covering Yuki's, pressing it harder against his chest. "You're mine."
Yuki let out a small, broken laugh and crashed into Min-ho’s chest, burying his face in his neck. "Then yes. Boyfriend. Mate. Whatever you want, Min-ho. Just don't fucking leave me."
Back at the lunch table, the peaceful vibe fucking shattered. Shen's phone buzzed against the wood. He pulled it out, his eyes darkening as he read the message from Hua Yong.
[FROM: DAD]
The board meeting was a bloodbath. Mo Ran and three others tried to block the logistics seized. I handled it—they’ve been retired indefinitely. But Shen, listen, One of them leaked that the Lis are planning a move on the school transit routes this afternoon. They know you’re back at St. Jude’s. I’m sending extra Enforcers to the gates. Don't leave the building without the full detail.
Shen’s iridescent eyes flared a violent purple. He slid the phone toward Liang, his jaw tight.
"Phase Two just got moved up," Shen whispered, his voice a razor’s edge. "They're coming for us at dismissal."
Liang read the text, his silver-gold eyes turning predatory. He didn't look scared, he looked hungry. He looked at the mark on Shen’s neck, then at the entrance where Min-ho was walking back in, holding Yuki's hand with a look of absolute triumph.
"Let them fucking come," Liang growled, standing up and buttoning his blazer. "They think we’re trapped in here. They don't realize we’ve just been waiting for a reason to finally fucking end them."
The atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted from teenage gossip to a suffocating, ancient tension. Min-ho walked back to the table, his fingers laced tightly with Yuki's. The Beta looked transformed—his shoulders were broader, his gaze steady, and the scent of lily and was swirling around them.
But the triumph didn't last five seconds.
"They’re hitting the transit routes at dismissal," Liang rasped, his voice dropping into that lethal, kingly register. "Mo Ran leaked the schedule. The Lis aren't trying to outmaneuver us anymore—they’re going for a desperate snatch-and-grab in broad daylight."
Shen stood beside him, his iridescent eyes flaring a violent purple, the mark glowing against his pale skin. "They think they can corner us at school? Idiots. They just gave us a reason to finish this before graduation."
"Min-ho," Shen commanded, his voice a razor’s edge. "Take Yuki. Get to the back of the SUV. Do not let go of his hand. If anyone so much as breathes on him, you have my permission to level the fucking parking lot."
Min-ho’s expression went from lovestruck to fucking lethal. He squeezed Yuki’s hand, his Beta instincts flaring with a newfound dominance. "Nobody touches him. I’ve got him."
Dismissal wasn't a normal exit, it was a tactical maneuver. As the pack stepped through the main glass doors, three black sedans were already idling at the curb, blocking the driveway.
"STAY BACK!" a mercenary roared, stepping out with his hand on a sidearm. "Give us the heirs!"
Liang let out a dark, guttural laugh that made the nearby students scatter in terror. He stepped forward, his blood-red tie loosened, looking every bit the King he was born to be.
"You want the heirs?" Liang roared, his voice echoing off the brick walls. "I'm right fucking here! Come and take me!"
The Enforcers detached themselves from the shadows like ghosts. Ten armored SUVs screeched around the corner, boxing the mercenaries in. It wasn't a fight, it was a fucking execution. Shen moved with a predatory grace, his Enigma pheromones dropping the men to their knees before they could even draw, while Liang leveled anyone left standing with a fury that left the pavement cracked.
In the middle of the chaos, Min-ho stood over a trembling Yuki, his eyes fixed on the perimeter, looking like a true warrior-king.
Ten minutes later, the street was fucking silent. The Li mercenaries were face-down in the asphalt, zip-tied and broken.
Shen stood in the center of the wreckage, his breathing steady, a single drop of someone else's blood on his cheek. He pulled his phone out and hit speed-dial for Hua Yong.
"Dad," Shen said, his voice cold and final. "It’s over. Tell the board that Mo Ran’s retirement is now permanent. And tell the Lis... they have until sunset to leave the city, or we stop using lawyers and start using fucking shovels."
Liang walked up behind him, wrapping a possessive arm around Shen’s waist, his chin resting on the Enigma’s shoulder right next to the mark. He looked at Min-ho and Yuki, then at Min-ji, who was already sending the Clean Up signal.
"We’re done playing students, Shenny," Liang whispered.
"Yeah," Shen breathed, leaning back into his Mate's heat. "Let's go home. We have an empire to run."