Jeno's pulse raced in his veins as he leaned forward on the bike, the vehicle humming beneath his thighs as he guided the bike around a sharp corner. The sharp turn forced Jeno to tilt his entire body towards the right, his leg ghosting just inches away from the asphalt. Once the corner was cleared, Jeno pulled the bike back up and repositioned his centre of gravity. He threw a glance at his wing mirrors and spied Chanyeol's truck drift around the bend behind him.

How they hadn't been pulled over by the police force for speed through the city streets, Jeno didn't know. It wasn't as if they had been quiet about their journey, Jeno's engine had been revved countless times to encourage the traffic to move when possible. Regardless he was certainly grateful for their apparent absence since that foreboding dread still rattled his body.

He needed to make sure that Jaemin was okay.

Chanyeol had said that most of the others had cleared out shortly after they had left for campus. Sehun had gone to work, Minseok and Kyungsoo had dragged Jongdae to help them gather supplies for Mark's parents arrival, Suho had gone to his office for a face-to-face meeting with a client, and Yixing said that he needed to run to the hospital for his weekly equipment haul.

That meant that Jaemin and Haechan were alone in the house.

"Someone has crossed into our territory," Chanyeol had explained as they rushed to pack up his truck's bed with their collected items. "I can feel it. No one has texted me, so I know they're not quests. Mark's parents aren't scheduled until this afternoon so whoever these people are... we're not expecting them."

Jeno had been reminded of the first time they met. One of the first things that Chanyeol had said to them was that he had been told about their arrival, meaning that he was told to expect them. Clearly whoever had sent Mark and Jeno his way, hadn't sent anyone else. Those who were on the property right now were strangers, and Jeno was really hoping that they weren't connected to Jaemin's past.

That would just be horrible timing.

Jeno couldn't allow himself to funnel anymore ideas into that thought process, he certainly didn't need the added anxiety that it came with, not when he was still unaware of Jaemin's current state. Somehow Jeno found himself back in familiar territory, somehow managing to recall familiar landmarks that he had driven past in the stranger's car three days ago. Pretty soon they would be passing back through the property line.

"Can someone remind me how to kill one of you again?" Jeno asked into his helmet which was connected to his phone which was currently linked to the speakerphone in Chanyeol's truck.

"If it's a vampire, you have to take a wooden stake to their heart, or decapitation. If it's a werewolf..." Renjun's voice drifts from the back of the car into the speaker, Jeno's surprised that he can hear him over the sound of his own engine. "In their human form it's decapitation or ripping their heart out of their chest. If they're in wolf form it's a little easier, anything to the head or neck will do it."

"And if they're like Jaemin?" Jeno didn't want to outwardly announce the term 'hybrid' when Mark still wasn't aware of Jaemin's classification. Jaemin had been hesitant to tell Jeno so Jeno wasn't going to pass that level of information onto someone who Jaemin hadn't felt obligated to share it with.

The immediate silence that followed was deafening. Jeno's grip on his handlebars grew tighter, his own knuckles turning white. Jeno turned onto the familiar stretch of road that led to the property-line, they were still more than ten minutes away. He glanced into his right-side mirror and saw Mark filling the passenger seat, he entire body was facing to the left. Jeno followed his line of sight to his left-side mirror, where Chanyeol's image blinked back at him. His forehead was crinkled in worry lines, both hands gripped tight on the wheel.

"We don't know." His deep voice came through the speaker, his voice laced with unreleased frustration.

Jeno turned his gaze around his shoulder to look at both of the truck's inhabitants before turning his attention back to the road ahead of him. A spilt-second decision made Jeno turn the dial of the throttle forcing the motorbike to exceed the speed limit, leaving the car far behind him. The weight of the pressure burned against Jeno's chest, but he didn't care. His lungs filled with a familiar, homely scent as he passed the territory's boundary. He started decelerating the bike for the turn off into Chanyeol's property, the wheels beneath crunching the cobblestones.

He didn't even bother to kick down the balancing peg, instead he let the bike slip to the ground. It crashed against the pebbles along with his helmet and the ongoing phone call connected to his speaker. It would probably scratch up the paint job but Jeno was certain that he could swindle Sehun into getting him a can.

Jeno's eyes scanned the area, his blood cooling in his veins when he noticed the first body.

The victim was pressed against the bottom step of the staircase leading up towards the house, their blood coating the nearby cobblestones. He was a foreigner, a white male in his late twenties with rustic hair and dull blue eyes. Jeno made sure to step over him as he dashed up the stairs.

"Jaemin?" He shouted, noticing another body just inside the entryway. This victim was a tall black man with dark brown hair. Jeno couldn't tell what colour his eyes were because he was laying on his stomach, a larger pool of blood surrounding him from a wound on his neck.

Though small, Jeno noticed that there was a small trail of blood originating from the victim's head that continued in a continuous trail towards the left hand side of the house. Jeno raised his gaze and found the door leading into the living room where Jaemin and the others had claimed for their movie night. Jeno practically burst through the door.

There were another two bodies on the ground next to the couch. Jeno's mind flashes with a memory of Mark laid out on the cushions as he examined the wound on his best friend's torso. The bodies were piled on top of each other, like one had fallen above the other. There wasn't as much blood as the previous bodies, but there was still a small patch of red on the floor. It would be a nuisance to clean.

Jeno couldn't help but feel like he had reached a dead end.

He still hadn't found Jaemin and there was a strong possibility that if anyone had survived his wrath, Jaemin might not be on the property any more. The thought made Jeno's heart ache.

Before he could turn around and make his way back towards the front entrance, Jeno heard something echo through the room. It was faint, but persistent. It generated from the other door in the room. He could recall it from his first day there, but he hadn't had the opportunity to ask about it. He didn't know where the door led, but he needed to find someone. So, he approached it, his hands fisted just in case. The lock burst in the palm of his hand.

When the door opened, Jeno stared into the glassy eyes of Haechan who looked back at him with terror contouring his face. Jeno immediately offered him a small reassuring smile, holding both of his hands up in an elaborate surrender. Haechan let out a chocked sob at the sight of him, his body collapsing against Jeno's chest as he heaved out a breath of relief.

"You're okay." Jeno whispered, gently rubbing calming circles against Haechan's back.

He was sobbing. His entire body trembling as he clutched Jeno's hoodie, his face buried into the neckline. Jeno's heart ached at the sound. Haechan's cries sounded like a young child who had just realised that they had lost their entire family. Jeno coiled an arm around his waist, gathered his legs against his opposite arm and lifted him straight from the ground.

"Let's get you out of here." Haechan buried himself against Jeno's chest, trying to gain control of his sobs.

Jeno moved carefully back through the house, his senses heightened as he listened to the steady world around him. There didn't seem to be any sound of boots or shoes on the floorboards, there didn't seem to be elevated breathing or panicked whispers. The house around him was quiet, as if waiting for his orders. Jeno continued back into the front entryway, his eyes continuing to scan the area around him. While there may not be any sound of intruders, that didn't mean that they were in the clear just yet.

As they passed the body in the entryway, Haechan let out a surprised gasp. His eyes were wide as he took notice of the victim and the wound on his neck. His fingers curled tighter into Jeno's hoodie, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just nuzzled right back against Jeno's chest and stayed quiet. Jeno rushes down the staircase and somehow manages to avoid tumbling over the final body at it's base.

He decides that it's probably a good idea to get as far away from the staircase as possible while still keeping an eye on the house, so, he sets Haechan's legs back down on the cobblestones right next to his bike. Once that's over, Haechan makes the wise decision to uncoil his hands from Jeno's hoodie. He offers his savior a small thankful smile, but his tear filled cheeks sour the gesture. Jeno doesn't mind.

"Thank you." He whispers, trying to control his breathing which hitches as more tears trail down his cheeks.

"Don't thank me for something like that," Jeno says, gently reaching out and swiping the tears from the latter's chin. "I couldn't leave you in there by yourself. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Haechan nods, wiping away the rest of his tears. "Yeah" he continues. "I'm fine. I think I'm just in shock. I'm usually pretty calm around dead bodies, they come with the wolf." He tries to smile but he can't make it look genuine. "But, when they're in your home... it hits different."

"You're not hurt are you?" Jeno wonders, allowing his gaze to slip over Haechan's body. He's so small in the mint green hoodie that he's wearing. His bronze legs are a little bruised but there doesn't seem to be any bleeding or signs of defensive marks.

"Just bruises," Haechan concludes. "I got them from falling down the stairs," his smile looks a little more sheepish, Jeno's heart eases just a little. "they'll heal in a few minutes..."

"Do you know where Jaemin is?"

"No.." He admits, voice growing wetter as his eyes trail back towards the house. "We were in the kitchen when we heard them drive up to the property line, they were on some kind of bike..." He turns his attention back to Jeno. "Jaemin told me to go to the basement, he said that he would be right behind me, but then he slammed the door closed and I slipped down the staircase... I didn't hear anything until-" he pauses to steady his breathing. "I heard them breech the house. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know what was happening. I just heard shouting, screaming and then bodies hitting the floor. I still don't know how many there were-" Haechan looks conflicted, his gaze moving from the house to Jeno's gaze and back again. "I can't hear his heartbeat... I don't know where he is!"

"Hey!" Jeno snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders. Haechan turns to look at him, tears welling up in his eyes. Beneath his panic he looks exhausted. There are black bags beneath his eyes and his face is pale from all his tears. His body is still trimming with adrenaline, if Jeno didn't have a good grip on his shoulders, Haechan would be rushing back into the house to find his friend. "Chanyeol is already on the way." Haechan lets out a relieved whimper, his shoulders sagging beneath Jeno's grip.

"Where did the last body fall?"

"What?"

"You said that you heard fighting, shouting, and then bodies falling, right?" Haechan nodded. "It's obvious that those people didn't kill each other, so where did you hear the last body fall?"

Haechan's eyes widen, his breathing becoming laboured as he takes another glance at the house.

"The kitchen," he gaped, a tear slipping over the curve of his cheek. "I heard everything stop in the kitchen."

"Stay here." Jeno demands, glancing down the driveway. Chanyeol's truck still hadn't arrived yet. Gosh how fast had Jeno pushed the throttle?

"I'm a werewolf, I heal quicker than you do." Haechan deadpans, eyes flashing a beautiful gold. Jeno bites back his frustration, unintentionally tightening his grip on Haechan's shoulder. The wolf whimpers at the touch and Jeno takes his hands off.

"Stay here and wait for Chanyeol."

Haechan's orbs return to their natural chestnut brown, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulps down air. He nods, signaling his submission and Jeno takes it as a win.

Jeno rushes back into the house, turning to the right and heading straight for the kitchen. He has to step over another body by the doorframe, but his pulsing heart drives him further into the room. Initially, he doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The room isn't trashed and there doesn't seem to have been much of a struggle. The dining table still has two glasses left over from Haechan and Jaemin's lunch, while the draining board beside the sink still holds the cutlery and dishes from breakfast.

He's about to give up and try the basement when pink hair suddenly fills his vision. In the corner of the room, right up against the back door, Jeno finds Jaemin. He's sitting on his butt, his legs drawn up tightly towards his chest. His head is laid back against the door and his eyes are closed. The sight of him brings the air straight out of Jeno's lungs.

It announces his presence into the room and Jaemin's eyes fly open. He rushes to stand up, his eyes wide as his hand tries and fails to locate the door's handle. Jeno's own eyes widen at the sight of him. Jaemin's entire lower jaw is caked in blood. Large droplets dripped from his chin onto his green hoodie before pooling on the tiles below him.

Dark grey veins pulse beneath his eyes, his entire sclera becoming a dark red mess. He gasps at Jeno's presence, his eyes immediately returning to their honey tinted form. Those bright honey brown eyes looked panicked and feral.

"Hey," Jeno called out to him, halting Jaemin in his actions. "It's okay. It's just me."

Jaemin turns so that his back is the only thing facing Jeno. It's not enough to end Jeno from getting closer to him. He can still hear the elder approach by his sneakers squeak on the tile. Instead, Jaemin tries to halt him with his words. "I didn't want anyone seeing me like this."

"No one has to," Jeno admits, only stopping once he was completely behind him. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"I mean.." Jaemin sighs, his shoulders raising and slipping as he breaths. "I meant that I didn't want you seeing me like this." His voice is wet with unshed tears. Jeno keeps quiet. "I was just talking to Haechan about it when those guys showed up. I had it all planned and Haechan was going to help.. I was going to show you eventually.. but in a controlled setting, not when they decided to invade!"

Jaemin was still facing away from him, his head titled towards the ground. His shoulders lightly shook as he allowed his emotions to crack through, his tears creating clean trails through the blood on his face. Jeno's heart ached at the sound of it, Jaemin sounded completed defeated.

"Are you okay?" Jeno whispers, gently placing a hand on Jaemin's shoulder. He tries to lightly pull him backwards in the hope that he will give in and let Jeno see his face. "This blood," he begins, "it's not yours, right?"

Jaemin allows himself to turn back around, though his eyes remain on the floor beneath their feet. "It's not mine."

"Did you get them?" Jeno wonders, letting his hand fall to grip on Jaemin's elbow.

Jaemin seemed surprised by the question, his entire body freezing at the words. His legs still work as Jeno leads him over to the kitchen sink. "Did I- Did I get them all?"

"Yeah," Jeno nods his head. He turns on the water and lets it get a little warmer before grabbing the kitchen towel and bringing it beneath the spray. "Did you get everyone who invaded?"

"Yeah" Jaemin echoes, flabbergasted by the conversation. "There were five of them.." Jeno hums. "...How are you not freaked out by this?"

"The dead bodies?" Jeno turns to him, wet towel in hand. He lightly grasps Jaemin by the chin and lifts his head just enough for him to begin wiping away the dried blood. "I did tell you that I have killed someone before, right?"

"I meant this," Jaemin deadpans, gesturing with his bloodied hand to his blood-soaked face. "How are you okay with the blood drinking? I'm completely covered in it-"

"You're part vampire," Jeno states like it should have been the first thing out of Jaemin's mouth. "blood drinking comes with the territory."

They stand in silence for a minute, Jaemin watching through wide eyes as Jeno's entire attention is preoccupied by ridding him of the blood on his face. His brows are furrowed in concentration, his tongue poking out from the corner of his lips as he gets slowed down by a particularly stubborn piece in the curve of Jaemin's chin.

"... you don't think of me any differently?" Jaemin's voice breaks, his tear filled eyes releasing more salty water to his bloodied cheeks. "... you still don't think that I'm a monster?"

"Hey," Jeno calls sweetly, his fingers gently brushing at Jaemin's forehead. Jaemin reopens his eyes, his gaze filling with the dark chocolate of Jeno's orbs. "I may have only been introduced to this world, but I'm pretty sure that a flirty pink haired coffee loving guy isn't going to become my worst nightmare. Like I told you this morning, I'm not going anywhere. You can throw me against a wall and threaten me with your fangs or claws every day of the week and I'll still find a way to flip things around." Jaemin can't stop himself from laughing, his jaw trembling in Jeno's palm. "Seeing this side of you doesn't make me think you're a monster Jaemin, it just makes me realise that there is more to you than what meets the eye."

Despite the five different blood types still coating his lower lip, Jeno still can't deny that Jaemin looks beautiful in the sunlight streaming through the window. He cleans off the rest of the blood with his towel. When he feels confident that he has got everything clean, Jeno dumps the towel into the sink and turns his attention to Jaemin's hands.

Surprisingly both himself and Jaemin, Jeno grasps hold of Jaemin's wrists. He reminds himself to be quick as he guides them beneath the water. Jaemin doesn't say anything, though his cheeks turn pink and his heart races a little faster in his chest. Instead, he watches as Jeno pours dish soap onto his blood soaked hands. He figured that he could wash his hands by himself, but then Jeno's fingers glide against the back of his palms. Jeno massages the soap into Jaemin's fingers, making sure to evenly coat the skin between them.

The water in the basin runs red but neither say anything. Jaemin is far too preoccupied realising how much Jeno meant what he had said. That morning Jeno had told him that no matter what Jaemin did or said, his opinion of him wouldn't change. Now, Jaemin had showed Jeno a side of him that not even the others in the house had seen before. Jeno didn't freak out, he didn't scream and try to run away. Instead he approached Jaemin carefully, giving him the opportunity to run if he wanted to. He asked if he was hurt and then quite literally helped him clean himself up afterwards. Jeno was certainly not what Jaemin was expecting, but what he needed.

Jeno, on the other hand was far too preoccupied with making sure that every droplet of blood was washed away from the basin. He wallowed in the heat that radiated from Jaemin's body which was pressed against his side as they both stood in front of the small sink. He noticed how Jaemin's torso trembled, not from tears but most likely from the depleting adrenaline. He recalls how terrified Jaemin looked when he first took notice of him, his pretty honey eyes staring widely at him as he plastered himself against the back door like an abused animal watching the return of it's master.

Jeno shivered at the thought. He chances a glance up at Jaemin who is staring out the kitchen above the sink, it overlooks the thin trail that links the backyard to the front driveway, Jeno had walked it the previous day before Minseok had halted him in his steps to inquire about his new monitor. He notices the blood coating the neckline of Jaemin's hoodie, the material making it appear dry though it continued to soak into the surrounding fabric. Jaemin had said that he didn't want anything to see him like that, so Jeno was going to do everything he could to ensure that wish.

"Take your hoodie off." He commands once Jaemin's finished with drying his hands on a brand new dish-towel.

Jaemin stares at him perplexed, his cheeks flushing pink as he glances down at his ruined hoodie. "I can't."

Jeno's brows furrow. "Why?"

"I'm not wearing a shirt underneath."

Jeno snatches the towel from the latter's hands and uses it to dry his own hands. He watches as Jaemin's cheeks blossom into a red tint, a smirk spreads itself across Jeno's lips before he could even think to prevent it.

"So you've seen me half-naked for two mornings in a row, and I don't get a peek?"

"Do-" Jaemin stammers. "Do you want a peek?" Jeno watches with a smile on his lips as Jaemin's head tilts to the side, all evidence of his discomfort disappearing with the sudden shift in conversation. Jeno feels his heart swell, happy to find Jaemin returning to normal despite his emotional reaction a few moments ago.

He coughs when he realizes that he was supposed to answer that question. Instead, he shrugs his shoulders, giving himself some more time by shifting on his feet. "I feel like I'm entitled to one."

"Entitled?" Jaemin laughs, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Are you claiming me?"

"Oh I learned about that one!" Jeno winks, putting away the towel after drying his own hands. "Apparently I can do that with my clothing. "

"You asked Chanyeol about it?" Jaemin's eyes widened. "Already?"

"Yeah," Jeno admits, brows furrowing at Jaemin's reaction. "Was I supposed to wait...?"

"I just didn't think that you would ask about it so soon? I thought that you would have wanted to wait-"

"For what? The apocalypse?" Jeno jokes and earns a harsh glare in response. He sighs before starting again. "Look, you seemed really freaked out about it earlier, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable about anything anymore. I didn't like the way that I made you cry yesterday, and I don't want to do that again. So, I wanted to know as soon as I could so I could make a better, more informed decision."

"Have you?" Jaemin looked completely terrified, like everything between them weighed heavily on Jeno's answer.

"Will the both of you please, shut the fuck up?" A new unfamiliar voice groans from the doorway. Jeno steps in front of Jaemin before he can even think about doing it, the two of them watching perplexed as the body by the door-frame pulls itself back up. The intruder cracks his neck and smirks at them, the wound on his neck beneath their eyes. "You could cut the tension in here with a knife," his fangs catch the sunlight while his eyes flash gold. "too bad neither of you will be alive long enough to act on it."

Jeno takes a quick glance around at his surroundings. He tries to stifle a laugh that wants to escape through his lips when he notices two weapon choices laid out on the draining board which were within his reach.

"Before you do that," he announces to the intimidating intruder, who blinks in surprise at Jeno's complete lack of facial terror. "What exactly are you?"

"What?" The man asks, brows furrowing.

"Oh my bad man," Jeno gently pushes both of his arms behind his back, coiling them around Jaemin's waist before using that grip to gently guide the both of them a few steps backward as the intruder stalks forward. "I'm still trying to figure out all the characteristics. "

The intruder blinks in confusion.

"Dude," Jeno deadpans. "Are you a vampire, or a werewolf?"

"Werewolf... what are you?" The guy asks, watching as Jeno lifts one arm from the pinkette's waist to rest it against the counterspace.

"Human, as far as I can tell." Jeno admits, allowing his eyes to crinkle into his amused smile. "Him on the other hand," he uses his head to gesture back towards Jaemin. "He's a problem."

"Yeah," the guy agrees, holding his neck where Jaemin's wound once lay. "A vampire living inside a werewolf den, count me surprised... only, he doesn't exactly smell like a vamp, he does look oddly familiar though..."

Jeno's breath catches in his throat, his heart racing in his chest when the guy seems to ponder in his mind for another few seconds. Jeno can literally see the realization blossom onto the stranger's face, his eyes widening as his gaze snaps back to Jaemin.

"Oh," he smiles, teeth sharpening. "Not many people remember that you still exist, I almost completely forgot about you myself. Your memory is only told in stories now but, your hair is different but that scent.. you must be Jaemin, the hybrid that Chase is searching high and low for."

Jaemin's hold on Jeno's wrist gets impossibly tighter, his breathing becoming laboured against the nape of Jeno's neck.

"That's such a shame," the guy sighs, hanging his head between his shoulders. Jeno grabs the knife's handle and holds it tight in his fist. "I really waned to be the one to kill you both, but I suppose that I should let you live long enough to say goodbye to each other..." Jaemin uncoils his hand long enough for Jeno to approach the werewolf, knife raised at the ready. "Make your last few hours count because Chase will see to it that they're the last ones you ever live."

Jeno brings the knife down into the werewolf's shoulder, behind his clavicle but at the base of his neck. The man rocks backward on his feet, howling sorrowfully at the action taken against him. Jeno uses the distraction to place his back right up against the middle of Jaemin's chest, the hybrid holding him close by his hips. They watch as the werewolf in front of them howls and hisses in pain, eyeing the knife's handle in his shoulder with a heated gaze. He looks back at Jeno with surprise evident in his features, he can't comprehend how a human was capable of approaching him without triggering his heighted senses. The guy bolted for the back door, throwing it open and staggering down the steps with a series of pained hisses escaping his lips.

Jeno immediately returns his attention to Jaemin who is frozen in place against Jeno's chest. He grabs at Jaemin's cheeks and holds him close, lifting his gaze so that Jeno is the only thing filling his complete gaze. "You're going to go outside and wait for Chanyeol with Haechan. You're not going to have a panic attack. You are going to go outside and let your friend comfort you."

"Wh-What are you going to do?" Jaemin stuttered, his eyes filling with tears.

"Go outside to Haechan," Jeno pulls himself away from Jaemin. He holds Jaemin's gaze long enough to curl his fingers beneath the rim of his hoodie, his arms flex as he pulls the black material up and over his head. It messes up his hair but Jeno can't find it within himself to care right now. Instead he crumples it up into a ball which he then presses it lighting against Jaemin's stomach. "I'll be back before you know it."

"You're going after him?"

"I'm not letting him get outside the territory," Jeno declares, his hands shaking as he gently pries Jaemin's hand from his wrist. "I'm not letting anyone put your safe haven in jeopardy. Now, I'm telling you go outside and wait with Haechan, Chanyeol is going to be here soon. "

"I can hear his car coming up the driveway." Jaemin sniffed, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Then go and get him, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Jeno didn't wait around to see if Jaemin actually listened to his commands. He simply rushed towards the backdoor and threw himself down the steps. His sneakers squeaked as he raced through the wet grass towards the intimidating tree-line. It wouldn't be very long before the knife wound would heal, but for the moment the blood trail that was leading him into the forest was enough for Jeno to find the direction the intruder was heading.

The only problem with following the intruder was the fact that Jeno was racing against a werewolf with superior senses and capabilities than Jeno had. That being said, Jeno was strongly motivated. He couldn't let this intruder get past Chanyeol's property line, if he did there was a strong chance that he would lose him in the neighboring city just beyond the forest, and that definitely wasn't an option. Not when there was twelve lives on the line, the primary one being Jaemin's.

Just as Jeno was beginning to give up hope of ever reaching the intruder before he crossed outside of the pack's territory, Jeno's gaze fell on a row of ATVs which Haechan made reference to when Jeno found him a little while ago. He rushed towards the one closest to him, turned on the engine and felt it burst to life beneath his legs. Jeno grinned as he turned the vehicle around, in the direction of his target.

Pretty soon after that the distance between Jeno and the intruder decreased and Jeno could faintly make out his silhouette struggling through the brush. He pulled on the throttle of the ATV and it sped up against the foliage. Jeno watched as the intruder paused for a moment to grasp the handle of the knife still protruding from his neck. Jeno couldn't stop the whine from escaping his lips as he watched the werewolf pull it out from his shoulder before tossing it in the complete opposite direction.

Surprising the intruder, Jeno managed to catch up alongside him. He slammed on the brakes and used his lower body weight to twist the vehicle to the left. The ATV came to a sudden stop which caused the back wheels to lift from the ground, performing a wide arc as it swung to the left and clipped the edge of the intruder's side, sending him to the ground in a mess of bloodied limbs. Jeno didn't even bother to turn off the engine, he simply climbed off the ATV and walked towards the crippled werewolf, who glare up at him.

"You know I didn't think that silver would work on real-life werewolves," Jeno explains, glancing down at the leaf covered ground beneath them. "I'm also pretty sure that any doctor would have told you to leave the object in the wound, you know, to stop you from bleeding out."

"I'm a werewolf, I hear..." the guy coughed, eyes filling with unshed tears. Jeno also took notice of the mucus spilling from his nostrils. "just clearly not as quickly as I would like right now."

"That stench is a real pain in the ass, huh?" Jeno chuckles, watching as the guy somehow manages to pull himself back up. "I understand that that's what happens when you enter claimed territory, apparently you need to be invited in."

A loud growl rings out through the trees, halting them in their conversation. Jeno's head snaps in the direction of the noise, a dark furred wolf was stalking them from a couple of trees to their immediate left, his eyes bleeding red with warning. The intruder seemed terrified, his eyes wide and face growing ghostly white. Obviously this wolf wasn't on his side, which made Jeno feel another surge of confidence take hold of his being.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" A familiar voice screams into his head making Jeno stumble a few paces backward. "You could have been killed! Why the hell did you think it was a good idea to run after him like that?!"

Chanyeol?

"I'm not letting him get over the territory-line!" Jeno screams back at him, physically straining his voice over the distance. "I'll be damned if he tells anyone about Jaemin!"

"You're human?" The werewolf intruder claims, his heated gaze returning to Jeno. "How the hell are you communicating with him right now?"

Jeno shrugs his shoulders. "Hell if I know," he admits. "His voice just boomed into my head-"

"What the hell are you?" The werewolf screams, baring his fangs and rushing at Jeno who met his advances with a hand to the intruder's throat.

Jeno groans when a tree trunk gets slammed into his back, the splitters breeching through his white T-shirt and piercing his skin. Jeno hisses at the action, gritting his teeth while his arms struggled to keep the werewolf at bay. The guy snaps his jaw, fangs bared hoping to find flesh.

If it was flesh that he wanted, Jeno was going to give it to him.

Jeno shoved the length of his forearm into the werewolf's mouth, the piercing burn of his fangs against the muscle of his forearm made Jeno groan in frustration. The werewolf's eyes widened at the gesture, his confusion providing Jeno with the perfect opportunity for Jeno to use to his advantage. With fangs impaled into his forearm, Jeno dragged the werewolf toward him. He quickly adjusted his head. They collided at the forehead, but with the additional strain of the werewolf's jaw against Jeno's forearm, the werewolf was forced into a tizzy.

The intruder wobbled on his feet which, again, Jeno used to his advantage. The sudden blindness was enough for the stranger's jaw to release Jeno's forearm which freed Jeno's arm back into his own control. Jeno curled it into a fist before colliding it against the surprisingly sharp jawbone of the werewolf. The intruder fell to the ground and Jeno flexed out his hand, dulling the pain of the punch.

Jeno realised that there weren't any stones around like he had hoped, meaning that he wouldn't be able to decapitate the man.

His head boomed with Chanyeol's voice.

"I'm coming."

Chanyeol didn't make it in time.

The intruder was right back on his feet, shoving Jeno back up against the tree. Only this time Jeno's hand wasn't able to move any higher than the man's torso. The guy made a gurgling noise, his eyes growing wide as he gasped. His fangs retracted and his golden eyes returned to their human green. Jeno's hand felt wet, his fingers curled around a beating organ.

"How did you-" the werewolf whimpered, his eyes wide as he glances down at the space immediately between them. "... you're human...?"

Jeno found himself following the stranger's gaze, his breath hitching at the sight before his eyes. Jeno's own hand was quite literally in the stranger's chest and that organ that pulsed against his fingertips was the latter's heart.

"Can someone remind me how to kill one of you again?" His voice from earlier burned in his ears.

"If it's a vampire, you have to take a wooden stake to their heart, or decapitation. If it's a werewolf..." Renjun's voice echoed towards the forefront of his mind. "In their human form it's decapitation or ripping their heart out of their chest. If they're in wolf form it's a little easier, anything to the head or neck will do it."

Decapitation was no longer an option. Somehow Jeno had managed to achieve the impossible. He had managed to push his fingers beneath the stranger's ribcage, angle his hand upwards - bypassing the lungs and other valued organs - to curl his fingers around the intruder's heart, all within the few seconds it had taken the stranger to shove him back up against a tree.

"I don't have to do this," Jeno admits, giving the guy one final chance. "You were obviously sent here for a reason, maybe we could come to compromise-"

"If you were to let me go right now, I would do everything in my power to get a message to Chase. People may have forgotten about Jaemin but those of us who can remember the stories, know that he lives. If I found him by just stumbling upon him, can you imagine how many others there will be? I meant what I said earlier, you should make the most out of the little amount of time you have left. He might even be a good fuck-"

Jeno instantly pulled the pulsing heart towards him, feeling it detach from its surrounding supports. Jeno pulled it through the gaping hole in the latter's body, the both of them watching it pulse out in the open. The intruder went to say something else but nothing managed to escape his crazed mouth. He collapsed to the ground immediately after, giving Jeno the perfect opportunity to see Chanyeol's wolf blink up at him in surprise.

Jeno dropped the heart and restrained himself from wiping the blood into his shirt.

Mark was going to freak.

"You," he points a bloody finger in the wolf's direction. "Have so much explaining to do."

The wolf whimpered, bowing it's head. Those bright red eyes gazed up through the thick black fur surrounding them. Jeno felt pride swell in his chest. He had been correct. Chanyeol's eyes had flashed red that day. Chanyeol's wolf was sporting those bright red orbs but, unlike with Caleb's gaze, Chanyeol's was far less intense. Sure, that colour was harsh against the deep charcoal colour of Chanyeol's wolf, but it didn't drag out Jeno's survival instincts. It calmed him. Brought his racing heart back down to a peaceful pace.

"Only Alphas have red eyes, huh?" Jeno halted himself from crossing his arms against his chest. Chanyeol's wolf huffed, turning back around with his tail held high. "Hey!" he called out after him. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To freak out a little!" Chanyeol's response came back harsh, his voice unstable as his wolf huffed. "I just saw you rip someone's heart out... a human no less!"

"Why the hell are you freaking out? I'm the one that did it!"

"You shouldn't have been able to!" Chanyeol's wolf snapped it's teeth, making Jeno freeze in his steps after it. "Humans don't have our strength, only a supernatural being can possess the capabilities needed to shove their hands into a chest cavity and pull a heart from it like it's nothing!"

"We both figured that I wasn't human," Jeno deadpans, hand still dripping blood. "This just confirms it!"

"It confirms that you're obviously supernatural, but neither I nor Yixing have any idea what you are. We will only continue to have more questions to ask until our friend returns from their travels after the full moon... I still have no answers for you."

"Okay."

Chanyeol's wolf stops in its tracks back to the house. "what?"

"I understand that you don't have any answers for me regarding my supernatural classification, I get that. I'm satisfied to know that I am something more than a human now, at least it's a start at getting some answers. You do have answers about some of my other questions though, like for starters, why the hell are you not classified as an Alpha when you're practically blinking red at me?"

"It's complicated."

"So is everything else in this part of the world." Jeno huffs, finding himself growing frustrated by the statement. It seemed like 'it's complicated' was everyone's go-to statement whenever he had questions about this supernatural world. "Look, if you want me to trust you, you need to start giving me something... anything."

"I will," the wolf comes up to stand right in front of him. Jeno holds his gaze as Chanyeol breeches the gap between him. The wolf's head gently rubs up against Jeno's legs. Jeno is suddenly very aware of just how tall Chanyeol's wolf was in comparison to Caleb's. "Just not right now. Let's talk later tonight. You have someone who really needs you right now, waiting at the house."

Jeno can't help but cringe at the memory. Jaemin's terrified eyes, his laboured breathing.

Dread starts to pool in his stomach when he realizes that the white shirt that he's trying to avoid getting any blood on right now, was once a black hoodie. He lets a groan rip through his lips as he realizes what he did.

"I gave him my hoodie..."

The wolf snorts and Jeno can tell that it was meant to be laughter had the werewolf been in his human form.

"That was quick."

"I obviously wasn't thinking about it at the time!" Jeno snaps, throwing both of his arms in the air. He groans again when the dripping blood from his hand ends up splashing against his white T-shirt. Mark was definitely going to freak out. "Come on!" He screams into the universe, watching as the fluffy white clouds peacefully drifted by overhead.

"He's wearing it... in case you're wondering."

"I wasn't.." Jeno cried without the tears.

"He's not going to see it as a gesture," Chanyeol tries to comfort him, but Jeno finds himself growing hurt by the reassurance. "He explained about the blood. We all got the idea."

"Is he okay?"

"He's waiting to see if you come back." Chanyeol explains, red eyes blinking up at him. "He's grown really attached to you, you know?"

"I know." It was the first time he was admitting to it. It felt good to admit out loud for a change. "They all have, I've never felt this way with so many people before. It's nice, it feels like..." Home.

Chanyeol seems to know what he's talking about, despite the fact that Jeno doesn't actually say it. The wolf continues to nuzzle against his legs, and Jeno even finds himself running his clean hand through the black fur.

"Think we have time to stop by the lake before we go back?" Jeno wonders, glancing down at his hand. The blood was starting to dry in some patches, but for the most part his fingers still dripped onto the leaves below them.

"He's panicking," Chanyeol explains, his voice riddled with sorrow. "I'm sure that everyone will understand."

"Mark's going to react terribly," Jeno groans, getting nudged by the wolf to start walking. He's led back to the ATV, the engine still purring. "He doesn't like the sight of blood." At Chanyeol's head tilt, Jeno feels an obligation to explain. "His own, he can handle. But if it's the blood of other people... not so much. He fainted once when we were in the campus clinic because he caught sight of someone else getting a blood transfusion."

"You did a really brave thing today," Chanyeol explained once Jeno was sitting comfortably on the bike. "Not just anyone would willingly rush after a werewolf to protect someone else."

"I think that we've established long ago that I'm not quite like other people."

Chanyeol's wolf lips pulled backwards, exposing his teeth. Jeno didn't feel threatened. He simply smiled back at Chanyeol and gave his head a light pat. The teeth imprints of the werewolf were bloodied but not bleeding. He counted himself lucky that the intruder wasn't an Alpha, otherwise this interaction would have been a very different one.

Chanyeol led the way back through the forest, keeping his pace slower so Jeno could follow him through the rough terrain. He was happy for the slow pace, especially since it allowed him a few moments to think.

Everything had happened so quickly, and it didn't look like it was planning on ending anytime soon. Usually Jeno considered himself capable of thriving amongst the chaos. The deadlines of his assignments and exams made him that way. Balancing his studies with ice hockey was difficult but Jeno quickly developed a routine to deal with the craziness of his schedule. That being said, even the strongest person needed time. Jeno figured that he might get some time to breathe when Mark's parents arrived later tonight.

His stomach pooled with dread when he realised that house was completely trashed, there were bodies and blood everywhere and not a lot of time left before they had to welcome two guests to the property. Jeno wanted to groan in protest, beg the universe to give them a little more time. He even contemplated sending a message to Mark's God just to be on the safe side-

"I wouldn't worry about the cleanup." Chanyeol explains as if he were capable of reading Jeno's mind. He might possess that ability since he was telepathically communicating with him right now. Jeno wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, though he would definitely have to keep that filed away for future reference. "Renjun and Jisung started when we got back. The others are on their way. We'll have the place back up and running by the time they get in, don't fret."

It eased Jeno's racing heart for the rest of the journey back to the house.

It wasn't until they had arrived a few trees away from the house and it's allocated clearing that Chanyeol started to halt in his tracks. They were still covered by the woodland so Jeno brought the bike to a halt, waiting for more words to fill his mind.

"They can't see me like this, no one has in a long time."

"I'm honored to have had the opportunity."

The wolf snorts its laughter. "It was the only way I could reach you in time... I haven't revealed this form to anyone in the house yet, it would scare them too much. They're not ready."

"I think you need to give them all a bit more credit," Jeno admits, reaching out with his clean hand to lightly touch the top of Chanyeol's head. "you care for them in ways they haven't experienced in a long time. They love you as if you're family. Your appearance may be a little terrifying at first, but I can guarantee you that they'll understand with time."

"I'll show them soon," Chanyeol declares, his front paw lightly stamping the ground. "when I'm ready."

"Take as long as you need."

Chanyeol turns to look up at him, his red eyes searching for something that Jeno hoped he could provide. The wolf seemed satisfied nonetheless, turning to the left and racing off through the trees. Jeno wallows in the silence of the forest for another minute, controlling his breathing and calming his racing heart. With a deep breath, he pulled the throttle of the bike and pushes himself through the trees and into the backyard of the house. He raced the ATV over the grass and towards the front yard where he had left Haechan and instructed Jaemin to go to.

When he rounded the corner of the house, Jeno let out a gasp at the sight before him.

Haechan was leaning against Mark's shoulder, while Renjun stood next to them conversing with Jaemin. Jisung had wrapped his arms around Jaemin's shoulders, holding him against his chest as they all stood in a semi-circle next to Chanyeol's truck. The bike that Jeno hadn't bothered to position properly had been righted and placed next to the truck, but on the other side of the group's huddle.

For a moment Jeno saw Mark's life without him. A brand new werewolf surrounded by his fellow pack-mates. It seemed peaceful and loving. A bunch of people taking comfort in each other from the harsh reality of their lives. They looked like a family.

But then Jaemin heard the purring of the engine beneath Jeno's legs. His head snapping away from the group to stare across the short distance. He was wearing Jeno's hoodie with the hood pulled up against his face and the neckline pooling against his neck. Jaemin looked like he was the exact same size as Jeno to a quick glance, but over the past few days Jeno had noticed that the latter's shoulders weren't as broad as his own, which made Jaemin look two sizes smaller than Jeno.

His plush pink lips released a wet gasp as his eyes filled with tears. He struggled out of Jisung's hold which gave Jeno time to throw his leg over the ATV and stand on the cobblestones of Chanyeol's driveway. Jisung released his hold and Jaemin appeared in front of him within blinking speed, teary eyes locked on Jeno who let out a shaky breath at his sudden presence.

"I can take a lot," Jeno admits, holding Jaemin's gaze. "but I'm still not entirely used to that thing you do."

"What thing?" Jaemin's voice cracked between his words, his lips struggling to hold back his relieved smile.

"Where I just blink and suddenly you're everything I see." Jeno explains, watching as Jaemin's tears finally fall from his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"You're asking-" He pauses to breathe through his hiccups. "You're asking if I'm okay?"

"Yeah, you were threatened by him and-"

"You're bleeding." Jaemin interrupts him, his hands slipping through the holes in the sleeves of Jeno's hoodie. Jeno keeps his arms out of sight. "I can smell the blood and your shirt is covered in it."

"I'm fine."

"Jeno," Jaemin's eyes turn stern, his lips trembling as he tries to gain control of his tears. "Let me see. Please."

Glancing over Jaemin's shoulder, Jeno keeps an eye on Mark who watches them converse from the side of the truck. He's smiling, happy to have his best friend back and safe, but completely oblivious to the blood all over him. Haechan seems to be distracting him for the moment, but Jeno didn't want to take the chance. His attention turns to Renjun who, although happy for his return, raises a brow at him. Jeno gestures to his shirt and watches as Renjun takes notice of the blood smeared into the fabric. His eyes widen in alarm before he starts to walk over to Mark and Haechan, entering the conversation with practiced ease.

Jaemin's eyes are harsh when Jeno returns his attention back to him. He clears his throat and bows his head, before bringing both of his arms back around. The bite marks and the blood makes Jaemin's eyes widen. Jeno watches as those unfamiliar grey veins develop beneath Jaemin's lower lids, pumping blood into his eyes which made his sclera bleed red. Instead of getting nervous about the possible implications that it could mean, Jeno is surprised to find Jaemin nuzzling against the neckline of his hoodie and breathing in the scent. The veins immediately disappear and his eyes return to those beautiful honey brown orbs Jeno had grown quite attached to.

The hybrid's attention shifted from the bloody hand to the hand containing the werewolf's bite marks. Jaemin's lips tremble at the sight of them. His breath hitches and tears start to stream down his cheeks, his fingers lightly ghost over the outline of the wolf's bite. The touch sparked a tingling sensation against his arm, one that Jeno couldn't help but lean into.

"You were bitten?" Jaemin's voice is quiet but it seems to have gathered the attention of the group behind him, they start to rush over to them but Jeno holds up the hand and they halt.

"He wasn't an Alpha, golden eyes are for Betas only, right?" Jeno speaks to Jaemin but his eyes linger on Jisung who looks the most terrified out of the group. The youngest nods his head and his shoulders seem to dip from the clarification. "The blood isn't mine, I ripped his heart out."

The words make Jaemin stumble backwards in surprise. "You-"

"Can confirm," Chanyeol announces his presence with a small smile as he walked around the edge of the house. "Definitely wasn't on my Bingo card for this week, but the universe seems to like proving me wrong."

"You ripped out a werewolf's heart by yourself?"

Even Renjun stared on in awe. His surprise gave way for Mark's fainting spell, making him slide straight down to his knees before collapsing backwards onto the cobblestones beneath them. Jisung released a quiet squeak, but immediately returned his attention to Jeno who could only roll his eyes at his friend's expense. So much for making preparations for this.

"I'm fine," he reassured the group, before turning his attention to Jaemin who he held contact with. "I'm fine." He echoed.

"You idiot!" Jaemin cried, colliding against him. Before Jeno could even comprehend what was happening, arms were wrapped around his shoulders and a head was planted against his chest. Jeno took one look at the others who visually melted at the sight before allowing his arms to slip around Jaemin's waist. He tries to avoid getting any of the blood onto his borrowed hoodie, but Jaemin whimpers at the unfulfilled embrace and Jeno's forced to comply with his wishes.

He coils his arms around Jaemin's hips and pulls him flush against his chest. Jaemin squeaks at the movement, but quickly accommodates himself against the base of Jeno's neck where he nuzzles his nose. A puff of air tickles Jeno's neck, before the man in his arms goes slack. Jeno catches him in his arms and holds on tighter as Jaemin completely comes apart in his arms.