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The revelation weighs on her shoulders, pushing her trembling body to the ground; her pack no longer wants her.
No, her pack hates her, and wants her dead.
The thought alone makes bile rise in her throat, along with the remains of the meal from a few hours ago, and Rumi barely manages to turn around to avoid vomiting on herself.
Tears and snot fall as she gasps, trying to breathe when she can't stop vomiting and shaking. She feels sicker than ever, and a part of her wants to stay that way. At least if she vomits her guts out, she doesn't have time to think about anything.
And isn't she just as disgusting now as she's always seen herself? A dirty, lonely mess, just like she's always been?
She can't even see through the tears stinging her eyes. Mira and Zoey must have already left, leaving her to her fate because they have more important things to do.
Things much more important than their former packmate.
She wish they'd killed her. At least that way she could be spared the shame of being abandoned, of being a lonely demon without a family, a home, or a goal to fulfill.
Instead, here she is, her skin burning with fever, cold sweat covering her body, and sharp inhalations that fail to fill her lungs with oxygen.
She doesn't even mind when her elbows give way, dropping her onto her lunch. She also doesn't react when pangs run through her body, and her tongue feels gritty and dry.
It is a shameful, disgusting, and very fitting end for her. She no longer has value, not alone.
If she had her mates, it would be different. She wouldn't feel this way. No, she'd be in a cozy nest, filled with her scents and the girls she loves. There, she would feel warm, not hot, and safe.
Right now, she has nothing that gives her that feeling. Her clothes barely smell like herself, and there's nothing of Zoey or Mira around. She's not in a safe place either, and the cold floor beneath her makes her feel like she is worth less than that.
While hugging her legs close to her chest, Rumi closes her eyes, accepting her fate as an abandoned demon. If the girls don't kill her, the Saja Boys will.
Unless Jinu wants to join her in his pack, but Rumi doubts it. She thought they were friends, but he'd lied to her and cheated on her. Now that she was no longer useful, why would he keep her around?
And even if he offered it to her... would she say yes? Alone, she'll die sooner or later, but could she betray the girls like that? Celine?
No, she can't.
So that's it. Rumi closes her eyes, her teeth chattering, and tries to stop feeling the world around her.
A world she never belonged to. A world she should never have existed in.
Would Celine be sad about her death?
No, she's probably disappointed. So many years and resources wasted for nothing, how can she not be?
Her eyes sting a little more.
"Rumi!" Calloused hands grab her, pushing her face away from the pool of vomit where it rests. Rumi blinks weakly forward, pink and black blotches in her vision. Her pack hasn't left yet? Why? "Rumi, what's wrong with you?"
Another pair of hands grabs her, hooking under her armpits, and forcing her up. Their grip is firm. It has to be Mira.
Did they regret not having finished their work?
"Rumi?"
Their scents are bitter, not sour, as they had been when they both raised their weapons and pointed them at her. Rumi wishes she could understand why, but she can barely breathe, her nose blocked with snot.
Instead, she lets herself be manipulated. Used. Zoey wipes her face with a handkerchief, frowning at her, and Mira doesn't let go.
In another situation, she would feel very happy and cared for. Instead, she feels like she's being prepared for her funeral.
"Your skin is burning." Zoey caresses her cheeks, and Rumi doesn't understand why she's doing it. Hadn't they abandoned her? Rumi had already proven that she didn't deserve them, so why do they treat her with so much affection if she isn't worthy of being part of their pack?
"We have to get her home. The Saja Boys can wait." In the blink of an eye, Rumi is no longer standing, but in Mira's arms, outside on the cold street, as Zoey follows them, without her jacket, as they used it to cover her.
She doesn't remember when they left the backstage. Nor does she care. Mira's arms are warm, even if they're no longer hers, but only Zoey's.
The sky looks good that night. Or so she thought, in another blink of an eye, they were no longer on the street, but on the couch, with Zoey and Mira pressed against either end of her.
Her clothes are also different, probably because the other one had vomit on it. Now she's wearing soft, loose-fitting pajamas with a spicy scent. They must be Mira's.
Her first instinct is to bury her nose in them and sniff them, but she can't. Mira and Zoey aren't hers anymore; they're her family, but she isn't theirs.
And that would be fine, if they were like Celine, if they kept their distance, making her want what she never had. Instead, she wants what she had, what she has, because they don't stop, and she's very confused.
"Rumi? Are you back with us?" Mira strokes her hair; she's also in pajamas. Rumi wonders how long it's been since she came on stage; it feels like an eternity.
"Hm." Why does Mira keep looking at her like that? As if she were the most important thing in her life? She dumped her.
"Oh god, I'm so glad you're better now!" Zoey's arms squeeze her tightly, suffocating her. "We were very worried when you fainted."
Oh, that's why there are so many things she doesn't remember, she fainted.
"Hm."
"...Rumi?"
"Maybe she needs water, Zoey. She threw up a lot back there." Mira gets up, strides to the kitchen, and comes back, with a full bottle of water in her hands. "Here, drink."
Rumi just looks at her, her side now cold without Mira's warmth against it, and keeps her hands on her thighs. She doesn't have the energy to reach out. She just wants to sleep.
Mira notices this, sitting down next to her and pushing her against her side, and with a warning, starts giving her the water.
At the care, some of the tension in her body disappears. It's not that she understands what's changed, or why the girls no longer point their arms at her, so she keeps her guard up, but she allows herself to enjoy it, as short as it may be.
"Can you talk now?"
"Yeah."
Zoey leans closer to her.
"Your voice sounds so hoarse. Are you sure you don't need more water?"
"Yes." Her throat was still sore, but she was fine. "I just want to sleep."
The girls shared a look.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Mira said, "you're burning up, but you're shaking more and more."
"I'm cold."
"Do you want us to bring you more blankets? I have a turtle one that's super soft and thick."
They...didn't really understand what was happening to her, did they?
"I'm not cold from blankets," she murmured, looking down. "I'm cold because I'm without a pack."
"Pack?" Mira frowned.
"Family. Mates." As if her body wanted to prove it, she shuddered more violently. "Without them, I'll die."
And Rumi could feel it. Her brain was muddled, her vision was getting smaller, and her sense of smell, most importantly, was completely gone.
She had little left. Maybe a few hours. And even though she was accompanied, she didn't feel any less alone.
"WHAT!?"
Rumi grimaced, her ears twitching at the noise. She can hear the faint but rumbling purr in her chest, her body's last way of helping her relax before it was all over.
"Rumi, you're not going to die." Mira's eyes were wide, having straightened up on the sofa, and gripped her shoulders tightly. It would probably leave a bruise, since her skin is weaker now. "We did this, didn't we? How do we fix it?"
"We'll do anything, just tell us, please."
"I-" Rumi couldn't look at them. "I don't know. You- you stopped being my pack when you raised your weapons at me, I don't know how to make you...my pack again."
Mira looked like she was about to throw up.
"Fuck." She cursed, her eyes darting wildly back and forth. "A pack is...a family, right? You felt threatened when we pointed our arms at you, so you need to be made to feel safe and...loved?"
"I don't know."
Zoey nodded, bouncing in her seat.
"Yes, yes, that makes sense! We just have to show you how much we love you, and everything will be okay!" Her smile was shaky. "But... how do we do it?"
Mira bit her lip. "I have an idea."
And without further ado, she grabbed Rumi in her arms again, getting up from the couch, and heading to her room. Zoey ran towards them, jumping off the couch, and arriving first.
"Zoey, can you gather all the soft blankets you have, some of my clothes, and your softest stuffed animals, please?"
"Yes!"
Zoey ran off, while Mira carefully placed her on the bed.
Just a few minutes later, when Rumi could barely keep her eyes open, Zoey arrived, a pile of blankets and things in her arms, and dumped them on the bed.
"Okay. Zoey, grab Rumi. I'm going to tidy this up." Carefully, she placed each soft blanket on the bed, leaving the stuffed animals at the far end, and her clothes on top of a pillow.
It wasn't a nest by any means, her mates didn't know how to build one as that was her job, but still, Rumi felt her eyes sting at the sight of them trying.
Carefully, Mira took her from Zoey's arms, letting Zoey take the edge next to the wall, Rumi the center, and herself the edge closest to the door.
Something lightened in her chest at the weight of the blankets on her, not much, but still, Rumi felt more awake than she had a few seconds ago.
"Okay, now what do we do?" Zoey mumbled, biting her fingernails.
"I don't know." Mira bit her lip.
Rumi could have said something, but she didn't want to. Her more instinctive side wanted to see if her mates friends knew her well enough to find out for themselves.
"I know!" Zoey brightened. "Rumi, you don't feel accepted for being a demon, do you? Then we have to prove that we're okay with that!"
"But how?"
"Uh, well." Zoey's cheeks turned red. "Her patterns are her biggest problem, aren't they? We can... kiss them."
"Oh."
Rumi's heart raced. Or maybe it had finally started beating at a normal rate, she wasn't sure.
"Rumi, are you comfortable if we take off your shirt?" Mira finally asked, looking at her with concern. Rumi didn't talk, but she nodded. "Okay."
Taking a deep breath, Zoey and Mira tugged at each end of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Beneath it, she still had her bras on.
"Should we...?" Zoey asked, her fingers hovering in front of the skin on her stomach.
"Yes." If they were going to do this, there was going to be no fabric in the way, so with a blush, Rumi turned away, leaving Mira able to pull off her bra.
Her restless, inky patterns moved across her exposed skin. Lines crisscrossed from her neck to beneath her pants.
Rumi had never been so exposed before, not even a few hours ago, when the girls saw her patterns for the first time, and her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and hope.
The girls first touch was tentative, gentle, but still managing to raise every hair on her stomach and arms. Zoey ran her calloused fingers over her patterns, stroking them gently, and Mira rubbed them, looking at them thoughtfully.
Before she could start wondering why Mira was looking at her like that, Mira bent down, and kissed the pattern on her neck, causing all the patterns on her skin to move, and turn a dark purple.
"It's working." Zoey murmured, mouth agape, ears red, as she bent down to follow Mira's lead, kissing the patterns on her shoulder.
Rumi shivered, not from the cold, and let out a low moan, which prompted Mira to lower her head, and lick every irregular line of her skin, nibbling at some parts.
Zoey wasn't far behind, moving down to her breasts, where, after taking a deep breath, she licked one nipple.
"Zoey!?" Rumi screamed, unable to stop herself.
"Let us take care of you, Rumi." Zoey pulled away from her nipple, smiling at her. "Let us show you how much we love you."
Rumi couldn't think of a response, before Mira, following Zoey's example, bit her nipple, making her convulse on the bed.
"You're so sensitive." She murmured against her skin, licking it to stop the sting, and moving down to another of the patterns.
"She is." Zoey, with one of her hands, caressed the nipple she had licked earlier, and moved closer to kiss her neck.
Rumi's brain still felt like mush, but this time, she was sure it was for a very, very different reason. One that had to do with the throbbing in her legs.
"Her patterns now shine."
"I think I like this shade. It's like my hair." Mira tugged at the elastic on her pants, pulling them down, and pushed the blankets over them away.
Rumi barely had time to be embarrassed before Zoey's lips landed on hers, driving any thoughts out of her head.
At least, until Mira pulled down her panties, and settled between her legs.
"Your patterns really are all over your body, huh?" She murmured with a smile, lifting her legs and resting her on her shoulders, her breath against the sensitive skin of her thighs. "I wonder how we didn't see them before."
Rumi really wished she could have said something. She would have, but Zoey's tongue was rubbing against her fangs.
Instead, she let out a stifled moan. One that Zoey's mouth gladly consumed.
"I think it's time to kiss both of your lips." Mira mocked, lowering her head and...
Holy shit.
Rumi's body shot upwards in vain as Mira's tongue traced her folds, instantly finding her clit, and playing with it.
If it weren't for the firm grip of her hands on her hips, nor Zoey's hand on her waist, Rumi would have ended up jumping out of bed.
And shit, wouldn't that be the worst part, now that her mates were finally taking care of her, as she had apparently wanted for many years?
She wanted this moment to last forever.
"Wow, Rumi. You're lighting up the whole room." Wiping the drool from her lips, Zoey breathed heavily. "Mira's really good with her tongue, isn't she?"
"Y-yes."
"Hm, I can't be left behind." Laughing, Zoey lowered her face to her neck, licking it. Rumi writhed, moaning uselessly. "You are very sensitive here."
"Hm-hmm"
"I wonder if..." Without warning, Zoey bit her neck.
And Rumi? Rumi screamed, shuddering as her patterns blindingly lit up the room, and her thighs trembled. She couldn't even notify Mira, cumming on her face and filling her with her juices.
"That was fast," Mira licked her lips, laughing as she slipped from her thighs. She was the picture of sensuality. "So? Are we your pack again?"
Rumi blinked at her for a few seconds, her brain still catching up.
"Yes? Yes!" Her voice was embarrassingly high-pitched. "Mates. You're my mates."
"Good." Mira settled in beside her, grabbing her chin and guiding her into a kiss. Rumi moaned as she tasted herself. "Your turn, Zoey."
"Oh, I want to put your golden eyes back on!"
"What?" They weren't going to stop now? "Girls wAiT- OH MY."
"Shh, we have to make sure you feel really loved. And we have all night to do it." Mira bit her ear.
"All the- ah! Night!?"
Rumi was going to die, certainly, and not for any reason she had originally thought. However, her traitorous chest only let out a happy purr.
At least she had her mates back?