Moon's Beloved

Junghyun sat on the couch in the quiet studio, his head in his hands, fingers digging into his hair. The truth about his mate replayed in his mind like a broken record. Everything was falling apart, Taejung's departure, the possibility of betrayal by someone close to them, and now his noona's calm, almost too calm, explanation of the situation.

Inseo, usually the bright spark in any room, was sitting beside his brother, rubbing soothing circles on his back. His humor had vanished, replaced by the quiet concern of a younger sibling who cared deeply. He glanced at Ii Hyeok.

Ii Hyeok lingered nearby, awkwardly silent. He wasn't used to these family moments, and it was clear he felt out of place. Kairan, however, was calm and collected as always, his sharp gaze fixed on Serin, who sat beside him and across from her brothers, her back straight and her expression steady.

Serin broke the silence, her voice soft yet firm. "Junghyun, I know this is hard to hear, but we need to piece everything together if we're going to figure out what happened."

He finally lifted his head, his eyes blazing with frustration. "Piece what together, noona? That someone we trusted lied to Taejung? That they convinced him to leave me?" His voice cracked slightly, and he looked away, embarrassed.

Serin leaned forward, her tone softening. "I don't know who it was, but I have my suspicions."

"What suspicions?"

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "The month after Taejung left, he called me. He sounded... frantic. The first thing he asked was if Junghyun was engaged to Lisa."

Junghyun's head snapped up. "Lisa?" he repeated, his disbelief evident.

"Who is Lisa?" Kairan asked, his gaze narrowing.

"She's a daughter of one of the prominent families in our pack" Serin explained, her tone tinged with annoyance. "Mother always pushed the idea of Junghyun marrying her. For the sake of alliances and strengthening the pack, of course."

Junghyun's jaw tightened. "I never gave her a second glance. Why would Taejung even think I was engaged to her?"

Serin exhaled, shaking her head. "I asked him that, and when I told him it wasn't true, he was... shocked. Almost like someone had told him otherwise."

Kairan frowned. "So your mother likely planted this idea in his head?"

Serin nodded. "It's possible. But it doesn't end there. Tae kept asking about Jung's safety. I told him there was nothing to worry about, but he seemed so paranoid. And then…"

Junghyun leaned forward, tension radiating from his body. "Then what?"

Serin hesitated, her gaze dropping to her hands. "Then he said, 'It's too late.'"

His fists clenched, his frustration boiling over. "Too late for what? To tell me the truth? To fight for me?"

Serin shook her head. "I think whoever convinced him to leave had leverage. Something strong enough to make him believe he had no choice."

Kairan's voice broke through the tension, calm and authoritative. "I can look into this."

Serin turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "And how exactly would you do that?"

Kairan gave her a faint smirk. "I have my ways Luna."

Before Serin could respond, Junghyun groaned, rubbing his temples. "This is too much. First Taejung, now this. It's like nothing in my life is mine anymore."

Inseo, sensing the heavy mood, leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "Hey, at least one good thing came out of this."

"What good thing?" Junghyun asked warily.

"Lisa is still single!" Inseo teased.

Junghyun glared at him, Serin rolled her eyes. "Inseo, not the time."

The lighthearted moment was interrupted by Serin's phone buzzing on the table. She glanced at the screen, her brows furrowing.

"Who is it?" Inseo asked, craning his neck to see.

"Mother" Serin said flatly.

The tension in the studio was palpable. Serin stared at her phone for a moment, hesitant, before her brothers urged her to answer.

"Answer it, but in speaker" Junghyun said, his voice taut with frustration.

Inseo added, "hyung's right. We all need to hear this."

With a resigned sigh, Serin hit the speakerphone. "Hello?"

Immediately, her mother's sharp voice came through. "What took you so long to answer? Do you think I have all day to wait for you, you useless girl?"

Serin flinched, her hand instinctively gripping the phone tighter. The men around her were visibly reacting...Kairan's jaw clenched, Junghyun's hands were balled into fists, and Inseo was mumbling curses under his breath. But Serin took a deep breath, maintaining her composure.

"Sorry, Mother. I was busy" Serin replied, her voice calm but firm.

"Busy?" Her mother scoffed. "Too busy to respect your parents? You've always been a disappointment, haven't you?"

Junghyun couldn't hold his anger any longer. "Is she always like this?" he muttered, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Serin's response was quiet, tinged with sadness. "Always."

Her mother continued, her voice sharp and biting. " I heard you found your mate. Who is it? Your father and I need to know."

The words hit Serin like a physical blow. Her stomach clenched, She looked at Kairan his presence keeping her calm and she managed to keep her voice steady. "Kairan Karassu."

For a long moment, there was nothing but stunned silence. Then, her mother spoke, her voice low and full of disbelief. "Kairan Karassu? The enigma?"

Serin held her breath, but her gaze hardened as she waited for the inevitable storm to break.

"What about him, Mother?"

The line fell silent for a moment before her father's enraged voice cut through. "How the hell is that possible?"

The loud sound of a door slamming echoed through the phone, signaling that he had stormed off. The three siblings in the room exchanged a look of stunned surprise.

Inseo blinked, still processing. "Dad's... mad?"

Junghyun's brows furrowed. "I didn't expect this."

Serin sighed, her gaze briefly flicking to Kairan, who stood silently beside her, his expression unreadable.

Her mother's voice came again, this time sharper than before. "An omega with an enigma? Are you insane? This is unacceptable!"

Serin's grip tightened on the phone, but her voice remained steady. "Why is it unacceptable, Mother?"

"Why?" her mother snapped. "Because it's unnatural! Alphas like him are dangerous, destructive. And enigmas? They're a whole other level of trouble! You think you can handle that?"

"I don't think I can handle it" Serin replied, her voice calm yet unyielding. "I know I can."

Her mother's voice rose another pitch. "I forbid this! Do you hear me? I forbid you from being with him!"

Serin's tone finally cooled, her respect thinning. "You have no right to forbid me from anything. I'm not a child anymore, and I won't allow you to dictate my life."

The room went still at the sharpness in her voice, and even Kairan raised an eyebrow, impressed by her composure.

Then her mother's next words dropped like a bombshell. " You ungrateful bitch! I gave birth to you!! You will ruin everything...It took me so long to push Taejung out of Junghyun's life. Inseo did it himself. But you—you're still giving me the worst kind of pain!"

The words hung in the air, heavy and damning.

The words hit Junghyun like a slap in the face. His eyes widened in shock and fury. "What the hell did you just say?" he growled.

His mother faltered for a moment, realizing her mistake and her son's presence, and tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean it like that. I just—"

But Junghyun wasn't having it. "No No No. No more backpedaling. Tell us the truth."

Her mother's voice wavered slightly, but she refused to back down completely. "I did what I had to do, Junghyun. It's for this family."

The shock was immediate. Junghyun's face went pale, and Inseo recoiled. This was the moment they'd all feared—Serin's mother, the source of so many hidden hurts, had broken down and admitted everything.

She no longer had the energy to hide behind her facade.

Junghyun's voice broke the silence, low and filled with disgust. "You pushed him away for your own selfish reasons. For control. I can't believe this."

Serin stood tall, her face a mixture of pain and determination. "It's over now, Mother. I'll be the one bringing Tae back. I'll make sure Inseo and II hyeok stay together. And I will be with kairan for eternity whether you like it or not. And if you tried even a little to hurt any of them..... I'll make sure you know what I am capable of lyana"