cassiopeia ꒱ markhyuck

twenty one

The next lucid memory Donghyuck had was waking up inside of an unfamiliar bedroom, his hands bound to the bed frame behind him.

For a split second, he wondered if he had traveled back in time, if he was transported back to when he was held captive in Mark's palace when he first arrived in this stupid place, but once his brain was fully awake and caught up, he remembered the true reason he was here.

They had arrived at the neighboring palace, and Donghyuck had been in the worst of another one of his pre-heat fits. He remembered being in Mark's lap, being pushed away from Mark, and then eventually being dragged into the palace as he screamed and cried out for Mark to save him. He remembered fighting the nurses, thrashing as they tied his wrists to the bed and trying to kick them away, and then he remembered them giving him some sort of sedative that knocked him out.

A myriad of different emotions crashed over him at once. He was humiliated, for how he had acted in front of Mark and all of the other guards, and how he had completely lost control of himself and his instincts to such an extent. He was scared, being restrained once again in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar palace, especially while he was in one of his most vulnerable states as an omega. He was mad at the nurses for using force against him, he was mad at Mark for not helping him and allowing him to be tied up again, and now more than ever... he felt homesick. He desperately wanted to just go back to his tiny college dorm, where his heat suppressant pills were waiting for him in the medicine cabinet, and his bedroom was already prepared to accommodate for his needs. He tugged at the ropes miserably, trying to free himself, and he felt tears of frustration pool in his eyes as he realized that he wasn't even free to make himself a nest that could help him feel more comfortable in this unfamiliar bedroom.

"Hello?" He called out, continuing to tug at the ropes that confined him even if it was fruitless. "Hello? I'm awake now, can somebody please come and untie me?"

Silence. Donghyuck groaned, thunking his head back against the headboard. He turned his attention to examining the knots in the fabric binding his wrists, trying to determine if any of them were loose enough that he could use his teeth to untie it, when suddenly the bedroom door swung open.

He squeaked, startling a little, but when he looked up he just saw Mark standing in the doorway, looking worried and apologetic. Donghyuck's own reaction to seeing the king confused even himself, his anger for the alpha still simmering under his skin, but he also couldn't deny the wave of relief that crashed over him at seeing a familiar face.

"Donghyuck," Mark breathed, slowly approaching the bedside, "are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Donghyuck scoffed, pointedly looking at the silk around his wrists. "If you're asking about my pre-heat, then I feel fine, I don't have symptoms right now. As for being tied up, however... I'm starting to lose feeling in my hands, and I'm not too thrilled at having to be restrained again like some sort of kinky prisoner."

Mark flushed a little, looking sheepish as he scratched at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Donghyuck. You know we had no choice... you were hysteric, we wouldn't have been able to get you in here safely otherwise."

"You certainly didn't seem to be interested in trying any other method," Donghyuck sneered, "I was reacting well to you, you could've at least tried to help."

Mark's jaw clenched, and he let out a long, deep sigh. "Do you seriously think I wasn't trying to help you? If I had gotten even five feet closer to you when you were in that state, there would be a mating bite on your neck. I did what was best for you, believe it or not."

Donghyuck went red in the face at the realization, but he still couldn't back down. Even if his relationship with Mark had improved, being tied up was putting him in a bad mood, and Mark was the only person around to take it out on.