South Coast of Silver dust region, Leytan City.
He stepped out of the private jet on wobbly feet, feeling the intense need to collapse.
It hurt him to breathe. His chest felt tight and his lungs felt like they would explode any moment from now.
King knew what it was. He understood that if he didn't rest, he might eventually collapse, and maybe, just maybe, cross over to the other side.
Despite these warning signs that his body was signaling to him, King was adamant about his mission.
He wanted to be here. Needed more than life itself, to be here.
The South Coast used to be his pride. The only place that held memories of who he truly was.
This was more than just a region to him, this was his entire world.
It's been five years since he last saw the clear blue skies of the south coast.
Five excruciatingly long years of serving punishment for a crime he didn't commit.
Although he had been released from the system's prison, his mind still kept him in a cage.
A cage of guilt that wouldn't offer him rest unless he unraveled its mystery.
A stunning young woman saluted him as he straightened to his full height.
Even in a standard soldier's uniform, her sinfully curvaceous body could not be concealed.
She was an object of every man's fantasy and the genesis of every woman's insecurity.
She proceeded to greet him with a spirited smile, bright enough to give anyone a panic attack.
Anyone except King. He was too preoccupied with his dark thoughts to notice the Amazon before him.
"Hello, Nova. "
He nodded at her dismissively, focusing on steadying his weak feet to obey his command.
He had to appear strong and healthy before his subordinates. No one should be able to tell how broken he was on the inside.
This facade seemed to work as Nova's dashing smile remained unaltered.
"Hello sir, welcome back to the south coast. I hope your flight was satisfactory?"
Nova's voice dripped with the proper amount of care a professional was allowed to have.
Nothing flirty or suggestive. Just warm and natural.
However, her twinkling blue eyes held something different.
Once again, King ignored her, focusing only on his burning thoughts.
"Have you got the results of the investigation I asked you to do?"
Upon hearing this, Nova's smile faded. Her face took on a stoic expression as she gave King another salute.
Her ever-so-professional voice boomed out a firm response to his question.
"Yes, Sir! Status Report on operation KRI. I already have some leads. At the latest, we will have the full results by tonight, Sir."
King gave her another nod. This time, it was a nod of acknowledgement.
Her response impressed him, but he didn't have the luxury of showing it as a trembling sensation washed over his body.
"Alright,"
That was all he managed to say before a raspy cough vibrated out of him.
The pain he was feeling intensified. This time, he couldn't hide his emotions.
His eyebrows creased together and his palm flew to the left side of his chest, squeezing the area as more dry coughs rumbled out of him.
This alarmed Nova as she quickly took out her handkerchief, a white silky material her mother had imprinted on her to always carry wherever she went.
"Are you alright, Sir?" She wobbled out, handing him the handkerchief.
A soldier wasn't allowed to show emotions, but she couldn't help herself. This was King. Her ever-so-strong boss, who was her idol.
King grabbed the material from her, placing it over his mouth. He coughed violently into it.
It was the kind of dry cough that shook one's body, painful enough to make its victim curl in anguish.
However, King wasn't built like that. The only amount of emotion he would allow himself to show was to clutch his chest and squeeze his face.
"I'm fine." He finally responded after a long, frightful cough.
He pulled away the handkerchief to reveal a bright red stain on the material.
Nova's alarmed gaze flew from the handkerchief to her boss. His expression stayed stoic like he had no idea what she was worried about.
Without another word, she took the cloth from him and put it away.
"I'd need to change out of these clothes first. After that, we're heading to see Ace."
King's voice was firm and steady like the terrifying episode hadn't just happened. Nova blinked at him, trying to wrap her brain around everything.
"Ace? Do you mean Ace Salvator, the Gemma of the Silverdust pack?"
At the question, the outlines of a tiny smile cracked King's lips.
"Yes, Nova, Ace Salvator. Gemma of the Silverdust pack. My father."
"Oh."
"Do you have a problem with that?" King raised one eyebrow.
She was his assistant. Her duty was to carry out his orders, not question them.
"No, sir... I just..."
The rest of her words hung in the air the moment Nova's eyes met King's challenging ones.
"No Sir. I'd prepare the car for your travels."
She immediately stood at attention, swallowing her initial protests.
"That's what I thought," King responded with a frown, walking around her to lead the way.
Nova threaded carefully behind him, allowing her gaze to trail his retreating figure.
She watched him take confident strides, leading them to his parked private car.
He stood straight and tall, nodding polite responses to the greetings of his waiting staff as though he hadn't just returned from a devastating war.
Nova knew the terrifying cough she had just witnessed was an after effect of the war.
He didn't even wait at the camp to receive a clean bill of health before asking her to prepare a suite for him here.
He had come running down here immediately after his release was pronounced as a reward for his successful operation.
Still dressed in his war clothes, she allowed her gaze to appreciate his valor.
His soldier's uniform, now brown with dirt, was ripped in several places and his unique war boots had dabs of mud on them.
When he stepped out of the jet, she tried to ignore his bloodied face and pale look because he seemed fine.
But after his coughing fit, she wasn't so sure he was as fine as he projected.
ill or not, she expected that upon his arrival, he'd request to be taken to his suite for a proper rest instead of visiting his family first.
She wasn't surprised though, that was King. Determined, valiant, and focused.
"Am I to keep waiting for you, Nova?"
King's angry call snatched Nova out of her reverie.
She let out a gasp of surprise when she found him standing by the back door of the car, holding it open, waiting for her.
She hadn't realized she had stopped walking and was openly gawking at him.
"I'm sorry, Sir." She scrambled towards him, getting into the car while mumbling her apologies to the others.
He got in next to her and almost immediately, the driver started the car, driving them out of the airport to begin the day.
*****
The sun was smiling down on the city in its full glory when King arrived at the Salvator's resident home.
He had freshened up and changed from his soiled uniform to a more comfortable, casual wear.
Against his assistant's protest, he stepped towards an all too familiar porch, alone and unguarded.
Even though he had been away for too long, he could still remember the cream-coloured story building.
Nothing much had changed about it. There was still that old rocky porch chair he used to play on as a kid.
The chipped flower vase he used to hide stones in pretending they were treasures. Everything was still intact and unchanged.
He tried knocking on the hard wooden door but hesitated as more memories from the past overwhelmed him.
King remembered being brought here as a little boy.
He had just lost his family to an enemy attack and Ace, bless his heart, did his best to erase that traumatic incident from his memory.
When other pack members treated him like a charity case, Ace took him in as his son, silencing the scorn of others.
Not once did King feel like an outcast in this family.
Ace made sure he received all his rights as an Alpha's son and even when Lillian, Ace's biological daughter, was born, he treated them both equally.
He thought of Lillian. Warm and Affectionate Lillian, who cared for him with all that she was.
Everywhere he went, she went. Everything he ate, she ate.
He knew all about her, just like she knew all about him. He knew that she always wore socks with her footwear because her feet were always cold.
He knew that she feared her mum more than her dad, but pretended her dad was the boss.
He knew that on the outside she was always calm in tense situations, but on the inside, her mind was exploding in a million bits of panic.
He even knew personal things about her. He knew where each of her curves started and ended.
He also knew the location of all the moles on her body.
Ace had declared countless times that King and Lillian should get married, but they had both dismissed the comment as a joke.
King knew it wasn't a joke though, Ace meant every word he said.
King did care for Lillian and they would have gotten married if that unfortunate incident hadn't happened.
A bitter smile found his lips as he thought of what five years apart could do to her. Not just her, everyone.
Would they accept him with open arms again? Would they believe his story or the media's?
Before all this, he was the pride of the pack, a rising phenomenon in the entire city. Everyone sang his praises.
He had risen from an unfortunate orphan to a dark horse in the capital market, all thanks to his multifunctional company.
Now, he was an ex-convict. What would his family think?
Well, he was back now, to vindicate himself and clear everything he had lost.
For the first time in five years, King tried on a bright smile. He proceeded to knock on the door.
It was a hard rattling sound that escalated into the house, alerting its occupants.
"Who is it?" A familiar voice called from within.
He knew who that voice belonged to before the door flung open to reveal its bearer.
Ivy's brilliant smile had him holding his breath.
Upon seeing her, an overwhelming rush of pent-up emotions cascaded through him, sending his heart pounding in an erratic rave.
This sent pain shooting through him, but he stopped himself from showing it.
She still looked the same as the last time he had seen her. Ivy was in her late-50s, but she still looked as youthful as a twenty-something-year-old.
If he didn't already know her, he'd mistake her for Lillian's sister.
King held onto his breath the moment recognition flashed in the older woman's eyes, turning their welcoming demeanor cold.
Her smile faded and her lips curled open to announce her suspicions.
"Are you? Is this... King?"
Despite the rapid change in her attitude, King maintained his smile.
"Mum," He called out, struggling to keep his voice calm.
His voice came out shaky, not because of the internal pain he was struggling with, but because of how much he had missed his family.
Seeing Ivy now unraveled a lot of memories he tried to keep at bay. He couldn't stop himself from tearing up.
"Don't call me mum! I don't have a son like you!"
Her hate-filled pronunciation traveled directly to his heart, causing him to shudder.
Yet again, he forced himself to stay calm, fighting back the onset of another terrifying cough.
The disdain in Ivy's gray gaze crushed King. It was enough that the whole world convicted him for that heinous crime, but not his family.
He opened his mouth to plead his case but got interrupted by a different voice.
"Ivy, who's here? Whoever it is, they are a guest. Hurry up and invite them in, will you?"
Following the statement, an older-looking man walked towards them.
A cigarette pipe hung loosely from his lips and the smoke from the pipe pooled around him as if announcing his presence.
Unlike his wife, Ace looked his age, maybe even older.
King's smile returned as he studied him for changes he had missed.
He noted that his belly, once small and round, had grown into a big jut that his shirt could barely contain.
"Dad, you really should stop smoking. It's bad for your health." King grinned, meeting the older man's eyes.
Another warning tremble enveloped him as King watched Ace let out a slow trail of smoke.
Ace plucked out his pipe from his mouth, looking at his wife with wide eyes.
"Is that..." He dropped his pipe onto the floor, pinching his arm.
King nodded to confirm his argument, his grin spreading into a toothed smile. When was the last time he smiled so heartily?
"King. My boy... is that you?"
Ace's surprise was evident in both his face and voice.
"Today is blessed by the heavens!" He exclaimed, throwing his head back for a chummy laugh.
"What are you doing standing out there like a stranger boy? Get in!" He exclaimed again, gesturing his palm to urge King in.
King's smile dissolved then. His feet remained unmoving as he shot a cautious look at Ivy.
Still blocking the doorway, she stared back at him in open scorn, daring him with just her eyes to take a step in.
Sensing the tension, Ace stepped closer, shooting his wife a warning glare.
"Ivy let the boy in. Don't you see how exhausted he is?"
"I'm not letting a rapist into my house on such an important day!" Ivy fired back her glowering gaze, never leaving King.
"I'm not a rapist! I didn't do it." King defended himself, pained that she would even say the words.
Whatever demeaning insult Ivy was going to throw back at him got halted by Ace.
"Let's not do that here. Let him in, okay?"
Ivy widened her eyes, directing her gaze at her husband. The two exchanged guarded looks that King didn't understand.
"Fine," Ivy muttered after a long uninterrupted staring contest with her husband.
She cast an icy stare at King. "Can you come back another day? Today's very important for us..."
She paused, contemplating how best to deliver her next words. After a moment's thought, she continued with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You see, I wouldn't like you to ruin this day for my baby girl. She's had enough pain to deal with in the past years. It's time she is finally happy."
King shook his head slowly, unsure of what she was getting at.
"Mum, what are you saying?" He didn't bother to hide the waver in his voice.
From the way Ivy's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, King knew whatever would come out of her mouth next wouldn't be good.
"Our Lillian is getting engaged today."
