After about an hour's drive complete with doom-scrolling and objections from the backseat regarding certain radio and aux-chord control, Jeno needed something to tickle his brain before he went crazy from the suspense.

"So..." He begins shifting in his seat so he's roughly facing Chanyeol in the driver's seat.

The elder gives him a quick sideward glance before his attention is returned to the road ahead.

"Care to elaborate on the whole extracting me from class, or will I figure it all out when we eventually get to wherever it is that we are going?"

"Sorry Jen..." Jaemin chirps from the backseat, smoothing a hand against Jeno's shoulder from behind. "It's just..."

"Leeteuk is an extremely touchy subject for Chanyeol." Baekhyun supplies with a tight smile. "He means a lot to him so when he called earlier... I expected that we would be making our scheduled trip a little earlier than we expected."

"His name sounds familiar." Jeno admits, though struggles to recall exactly where he had heard it before.

"He's family." Chanyeol explains, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. "Leeteuk is the one that took me in when I ran. He made me realise that maybe it was okay for me to have a family one day."

The additional information verifies what Jeno had already suspected.

Leeteuk was only familiar to him because Chanyeol had spoken about him before. His name had come up in conversation when they were driving towards the airport to pick up Mark's parents. Leeteuk had been the man who had taken Chanyeol in, saving him from the wrath that threatened to occur to him from his previous pack-mates.

Jeno sits up a little straighter in his seat, his shoulders squaring. He turns his head around so he can put his eyes on Jaemin. The younger takes notice of his attention and smiles beneath it, squeezing his hold on Jeno's shoulder.

The human's attention shifts to Baekhyun who sits right next to the pink haired hybrid. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"They have multiple injuries, one death." Chanyeol responds to him, making a sharp left turn.

The jolt of the car makes Jaemin pull his hand away from Jeno's shoulder to stabilize himself.

"One of the injured victims is a friend of mine, we were quite close when I lived there. We have absolutely no idea what we are heading into."

"Then why are we even heading there to begin with?" Jeno wonders, gaze turning heated against Chanyeol's side profile. "You said that you think that Chase was behind this attack, right? So why the hell are you bringing the two people he wants most there? You said it yourself, we have no idea what we're walking into-"

"They're family." Chanyeol bites back, eyes flashing red. "We stick together. If something happened to us, I know for a fact that Leeteuk would have been the first person to arrive to check on us. It is only fair that we return the favour."

Where was he when those invaders raided your home when you weren't there to protect it? Where was he when the scar-faced werewolf threatened to disturb our peace? Where was Leeteuk when Jaemin got kidnapped?

"This is dangerous." Jeno continues, tightening his hold on his seat-belt. "Chase could have people hiding along the border as we speak."

"Things have changed." Jaemin explains.

His voice is heavy, a distracting contrast to the light and airy tone that is often directed Jeno's way. Its sudden presence makes Jeno turn to face him, his seat-belt going tense against his body.

"I don't want to keep hiding anymore."

Jeno's blood runs cold.

What?

His face must have revealed his surprise since Baekhyun almost bursts a lung from trying to conceal his laughter.

Jeno tries not to glare at him.

"You were right." Jaemin's voice pulls him back to their conversation.

His honey eyes capture Jeno immediately.

"I have been denying myself the opportunity to learn more about my vampire side, because I've been afraid of it. Everything that you picked up on... everything that you said, was true. I have been protecting everyone, I have been in control of the bloodlust. The vampire isn't something that I should be scared of, it only wants to help me out in the absence of my wolf. Speaking of which..."

Jaemin's gaze falls to his lap, but Jeno can still spot the soft pink blush that comes to rest on the expanse of his cheeks.

"I believe you. I think that you were right when you said that my wolf is still there, just tucked away in the back of mind because I need to shift my focus on the vampire for the time-being."

"Jaemin-" Jeno finds himself overcome with hatred for the distance between them.

He growls at the seatbelt restricting him from turning around completely. He doesn't bother to ask Chanyeol to pull over. Instead, he unbuckles the seatbelt and pulls up both of his legs so he can sit on his knees and observe Jaemin properly.

Chanyeol yells at him for performing such an action while he's driving, resorting to slaps delivered harshly to Jeno's shoulder in an attempt to get him to sit back down.

Jeno doesn't hear him over the sound of Baekhyun's loud cackling. He also somehow manages to ignore the countless painful jabs that are being delivered to his person.

Jaemin's face is bright red when Jeno finally relaxes his chest against the back of his seat, but his eyes are ready to meet his attention.

He looks shy, which isn't exactly a common look to cross Jaemin's face despite the few times that Jeno has been capable of actually catching him off-guard.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Jeno admits, his nails biting into the leather of his seat. "I don't want your dream to become a reality. I don't want Chase to get his hands on you, in fact I don't want anyone getting their hands on you."

"If you said that to me last night, I probably would have agreed with you and put myself into complete lockdown." Jaemin sighs, playing with his hands.

Chanyeol halts in his jabs and actively participates by listening closely to what Jaemin had to say. Even Baekhyun looked a little uneasy with Jaemin's blunt honesty.

"But after this morning... After that dream and what happened in the kitchen, something has changed. I can feel it. I have been so terrified of reliving my time under Chase's control, that I pushed everything that had to do with him to the back of my mind and barricaded the door. The fear manifested itself into my dream last night. You were right. I have been avoiding my vampire side because of him as well."

Baekhyun reaches across the space between them to gently take Jaemin's hand in his hold. The hybrid squeezes his hold and offers his Appa a small smile, before he returns his gaze to Jeno who waits to hear the rest.

"I've been killing myself by denying myself blood. I've been preventing myself from engaging with the people that I care about because I was afraid that I would hurt them. You showed me what I have been doing. You laid it all out for me with receipts and took the clouds from my eyes."

"Jaemin-"

"You gave me purpose Jeno." Jaemin leans forward, but even he is denied complete closeness because of his seatbelt. "You gave me a reason to fight someone other than myself."

Jeno's breath hitches.

"I've already spoken to Sehun and he's agreed to help me understand my vampire better. Kyungsoo and Dad have agreed to help me train to better accommodate it to my fighting capabilities. Appa already said that he was going to bring me hunting so I can get a better blood source than the blood-bags. I wouldn't have been able to do any of that if you hadn't made me aware of it this morning."

Jeno's mouth feels dry.

He had been gone for about four hours to tend to assignments and other bullshit college related matters, while Jaemin had already begun implementing a bunch of alternations to his life.

Jaemin claims to have accepted his vampire side, agreed to get the help that he desperately needed and had already made goals to achieve in order to get better.

Jaemin had done all of it because of Jeno.

Jeno had been his savior.

He had been the voice of reason that Jaemin had desperately needed. Jeno had been the only one out of a house filled with people, who could finally break through to the hybrid.

Jeno had finally made Jaemin see sense and realise that he had done more harm to himself than good.

All that being said, Jeno still wasn't sure about this whole visit to Leeteuk.

The pack had been completely devastated by the very man who had placed Jaemin into that destructive headspace to begin with. The same man who had ordered countless attacks on Jaemin's home and had even ordered two men to kidnap someone from Chanyeol's territory in the hope of proving Chanyeol's position as Alpha.

It was unlikely that the idiots had even known who it was they had in their clutches, but Jeno could rest easy at night knowing that he had killed the possibility of Jaemin's location being leaked to the madman.

While Jaemin claims to have changed and made peace with his vampire, Jeno knew that there were still going to be challenges for him to face.

Jaemin would still suffer from certain scenarios, though granted they probably wouldn't affect him in the same way that they would have had this all occurred a few weeks ago.

It was evident now that Jeno was looking at him, that there was something different about the hybrid.

It was only a slight difference, something that one would miss if they didn't pay attention. But Jeno, he had memorized everything about Jaemin.

So this something was blinding to him.

"I might not have as good of a fighting ability as I had before I became a hybrid, but I want to give it a try. I don't want the shadow of a man to dictate everything that I do anymore. I want to start fighting. I need to start fighting. I need to show everyone that I'm not weak just because of my past-"

"You're not weak." Jeno cuts through before Jaemin could continue.

Jaemin doesn't get frustrated over the interruption, he doesn't glare or bite back. He simply smiles.

A bright dazzling grin that has Jeno's heart skipping a beat.

"I know." Jaemin agrees, smiling as he says so. "But I think that it's about time that other people know that as well."

"If you're ready for this-"

"You're coming along, aren't you?" Jaemin chances a quick glance around the car, but Jeno knows that he's only trying to lighten the mood.

The hybrid relents immediately, returning his intense honey gaze to Jeno.

"I'll admit that I'm a little nervous. I haven't been around other wolves outside of our home in a long time, so I'm expecting to be a little on edge. But I'll be alright eventually. I have you there."

"I guess we can both be uncomfortable together." Jeno admits with a small smile.

It is only when he says it that Jeno quickly realises that everyone in the car has already experienced what he is like outside the house, or has had some kind of understanding towards his social awkwardness.

Jeno glances back at Chanyeol whose head is on a constant swivel from watching the road, Jeno's current positioning in the car, and the rearview mirror which gives him a perfect view of Jaemin and Baekhyun in the back without him having to turn around.

"Leeteuk is excited to see the both of you." Baekhyun clears his throat, smiling wide as his gaze remains set on Jaemin beside him.

"You told him about me?" Jeno wonders, turning himself around so that he can sit properly in his seat.

His seatbelt slips back into its holder and Chanyeol's breath comes a little easier from it.

"Of course." He replies with a not-so-subtle eyeroll. "You killed Caleb, that was going to warrant a massive outcome so I wanted him to be aware. He was just surprised as the rest of us, especially when I relayed the fact that you're human-"

"We think!" Baekhyun corrected before Chanyeol could offer the end of his sentence. "Quite frankly Sparky, I'm not entirely sure what you are, myself."

"You and everyone else in my life." Jeno huffs.

_______________

Mark groans from his spot on the ground.

His thighs burn and his muscles ache, but there is a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes as he spies the clouds drifting overhead. The ground below him is freezing, glazed over with a thin layer of frost but the cold does nothing to expect his presence.

A good run through the woods of Chanyeol's property has his skin itchy with sweat and his mind free of academic stress. The freezing soil below acts as the perfect extinguisher for the fire that runs rampant against his skin.

"Are you doing okay, hyung?" Jisung wonders, standing above him with a small wrecked smile on his lips.

Mark smiles back at him, his heart racing with excitement and leftover adrenaline.

"Hell yeah!" He cries, thumping the grass with his palm. "That was fun! I really thought that I would have been heaving for breath, but I'm surprised by my stamina."

"You're a wolf now." Jisung says as if that was enough of an explanation for Mark's current sense of wonder. "It comes with the upgrade. Heightened senses, heighted capabilities, better healing. You could run to Seoul and back and you wouldn't be heaving for breath."

"I know that this wasn't something that I ever thought was possible, nor was it something that I would have wanted to happen to me... but I can't help but enjoy the perks that come along with it."

"Yeah." Jisung laughs, falling to his knees right next to Mark's starfish body. "It can be pretty cool when you sit under it for a while. The first time that I healed was a really weird experience. It was a long gash that ran along my left side. I watched it close up right in front of my eyes and I was riding that high for a few days after. Though I should tell you that our abilities fade with age."

"Can't say that I'm surprised." Mark admits, pulling at the green beneath his fingers.

He smiles beneath Jisung's words, allowing himself to conjure up a mental image of a young Jisung watching with sparkling young eyes as his wound healed. It would have been an adorable sight, Mark wishes that he had been there to see it firsthand.

"Are you ready for the full moon?" Jisung wonders, voice falling slightly in hesitation.

The elder had expressed his hesitation towards the whole physically changing into a wolf thing. So, Jisung knew to address the subject as carefully as he could.

"No." Mark admits with a heavy sigh. "I don't hate the fact that I'm a werewolf. Not really. I just hate the fact that it wasn't my specific choice to become one. Now, I have to deal with the fact that I am going to be in tremendous amounts of agonizing pain on the night of the full moon a few days from now. I am not ready or prepared for it in the slightest."

"Well that was kind of your fault to begin with." Jisung teases, sporting a devilish smirk that Mark is almost certain he has seen on Jeno's face once or twice before.

The sight of it sends a shiver down his back.

"Kyungsoo told you that he was more than happy to help you figure out all of the stuff that you need to know before becoming a wolf. Maybe it's not too late to speak to him about it?"

"But I remember our conversation with Chanyeol at the very beginning of this whole thing. You both said that transforming into a wolf is all about emotions."

"It is." Jisung agrees, getting himself comfortable against the cool grass. "The pain causes a bunch of different emotions which unfortunately elongates the transition. I personally was in a state of constant frustration and terror. I knew that I was a werewolf but I didn't understand at the time what was happening to me. I didn't know that by focusing on one emotion, it would speed up the process. That came later. Eventually it just became easier to handle, now I'm capable of shifting whenever I want."

"It doesn't hurt as much now as it did then?"

"Nope." Jisung confirms. "It only hurts once, during your first shift. After that, if you're lucky and learn what works best for you, it doesn't hurt at all."

"So it's kind of like sex then." Mark nods, whispering mostly to himself than to Jisung.

Unfortunately the youngest was still capable of hearing it, his face flushing bright red as he splutters out a surprised "What?! Sex hurts?!"

Mark hangs his head between his shoulders and groans. Jisung was sixteen years of age and he knew nothing about sex?

Just how isolated was this kid?

Jeno was going to kill him if he ever found out.

_______________

Jeno didn't exactly know what to expect when they arrived at their destination.

He may have speculated that Leeteuk's land would look similar to Chanyeol's, with a large house erected in a clearing surrounded by tall confucius trees.

He certainly didn't expect it to look exactly like a summer camp.

From the drive-up to the parking lot, Jeno saw a bunch of small cabins and other buildings hiding amongst the forest trees. There were cars and other vehicles sitting outside some, while bicycles and children's toys lay scattered around outside others.

Journeying deeper into the territory he took notice of a large building at the centre of it all. Though it was smaller than Chanyeol's house in height, it made up for it in length. It stretched out to either side of the clearing that it had been constructed upon, providing security for the other cabins against the elements.

Right outside the main building sat a large man-made firepit which was burning bright orange in the middle of the day. There were a few people standing around it, chatting and mumbling amongst themselves. Many with a takeaway coffee cup in hand.

Jeno tries to ignore the mucus that had settled into the back of his nose and throat which developed when their car crossed into the new territory. He groans as he dries his eyes, glaring down at the wet patches of his hoodie sleeve.

Mucus and tears.

He should have expected that.

"Don't worry." Chanyeol whispers to him as Jaemin and Baekhyun step out of the car. "We will have Leeteuk grant you access to the territory as soon as possible. We can't have you suffering while we're here."

"Thank you." Jeno exhales around a sniffle.

Chanyeol gently pats him on the shoulder and gets out of the car, Jeno follows after him with a faint huff.

The things he does for his family.

He pauses momentarily, feet hovering over the cobblestones below. He sends a glance towards Baekhyun and Jaemin who linger at the back of the car for him and Chanyeol.

Jaemin is happily bouncing on the tips of his toes, excited to see old faces while Baekhyun happily indulges him with a smile and an equally excited tone.

Chanyeol joins them with a stern expression on his face, though it quickly melts when Baekhyun turns to include him in their conversation.

Family.

It was a lot easier to say than it was probably meant to be.

Jeno smiles at the sight in front of him, finally realising that he could insert himself freely and not be turned away.

His feet feel lighter when they come to settle against the cobblestones. He throws one last glance back into the car yo make sure that he had brought his phone with him, before he closes over the door.

Jaemin is by his side within a heartbeat.

"You're doing great." He whispers into the air between them. "If there is a point today where you feel uncomfortable, or overwhelmed, let me know and we can leave."

"I'll be fine." Jeno tries to reassure him but Jaemin is persistent in more ways than one.

His brows furrow and his lips form a delicious pout. Jeno finds himself struggling to pull his gaze away from them, his nails biting into his palms as he restrains himself.

"Fine." He mumbles, looking away in defeat. "I'll let you know when I get overwhelmed."

He is a awarded with a peck to his cheek.

"Good boy."

Before he could say anything to counter Jaemin's praise, the hybrid grabs hold of his hand and gently pulls him along as they make their way back towards the elder couple.

Chanyeol smiles knowingly upon their return, Jeno unable to meet his eye.

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes." A new voice announces from a little further away.

The small group turn to seek the owner.

Jeno spies a tall man. He's shorter than Chanyeol but perhaps similar in height to Baekhyun. His hair is brown and his bangs lightly frame his forehead. He is sporting a genuine smile which makes a small dimple appear on his right cheek. He's wearing a suit and tie which is a little unusual given the laidback atmosphere of his home.

"Leeteuk." Chanyeol shakes his hand with a boyish grin. "Happy to be back here."

"Thank you so much for coming." Leeteuk beams, glancing over at Baekhyun who naturally fills the gap between them to wrap his arms around his shoulders for an embrace. "Baekhyun," the man sighs in relief against his friend's collar. "always a pleasure to have you here."

"I couldn't afford to stay away any longer." Baekhyun teases as he pulls himself away from the embrace, a tight smile on his lips. "Are you doing alright?"

"We're managing."

Jeno has been around enough people in his life to notice when someone doesn't want to speak plainly about something. Baekhyun and Chanyeol seem to notice it too, sharing a glance between one another before returning their attention to Leeteuk.

"Hi hyung." Jaemin enters into the conversation with ease, sporting a youthful grin.

"Jaemin." Leeteuk breathes a sigh of relief.

He bypasses Chanyeol and Baekhyun, and wraps the boy up in his arms. Jaemin squeals as he is twirled around on the spot, giggling as his chase after his torso.

"I am so glad to see you safe."

"You heard about my situation?"

"Your kidnapping? Of course." Leeteuk gently places the hybrid back down on the ground, smiling sadly. "Chanyeol texted me immediately, he wanted to see if I heard anything or if anyone had made their way past our territory. I had half a mind to send out a few of my own scouts to try and locate you myself."

"It wouldn't have been worth it." Chanyeol explains, regaining his friend's attention. "His scent was gone by the time we got out to search for him. We wouldn't have know where he was if it wasn't for Jeno."

Leeteuk finally turns to look at him then.

His eyes are intense as they trail over Jeno's face. Jeno manages to stand beneath his gaze with squared shoulders and a small smile on his lips.

Jaemin immediately returns to his side, providing him with warmth and comfort. Jeno allows him to link their fingers together.

"Nice to meet you sir," Jeno bows his head. "I've heard a lot about you from Chanyeol."

"As I have with you." Leeteuk nods to acknowledge the bow, his eyes lingering on Jeno momentarily before his eyes flick back to Chanyeol. "Is he alright? His eyes are-"

"You need to grant him access to your territory." Chanyeol responds with a steady smile.

"Oh goodness!" Leeteuk's eyes are wide when they land on Jeno again. He looks panicked, glancing around for something over Jeno's shoulder. "Right, yes, of course! Please, follow me!"

Jeno, the ever cautious person that he is, allows Jaemin to lead him as their group follows after Leeteuk who begins to pick up speed while walking in the direction their car had just come.

Jaemin stays close as Leeteuk guides them into the area surrounded by cabins. There are more people here than back in the centre of the mini-village, so Jeno's grip grows a little tighter against Jaemin's palm.

The hybrid makes no mention of it and simply chooses to walk with his shoulder gently pressing against Jeno's back.

"Everyone who is injured has been taken to the infirmary, I'm glad to say that they are all making steady progress. Chase's forces were using silver which as you all know, makes healing for us a little difficult so I'm glad to seem everyone recuperating at the moment. I also spoke to Donghae shortly before your arrival. He requested that we drop in and say hello when we have some time to spare."

"We can do that immediately after we settle Jeno down, is that alright?" Baekhyun wonders, glancing at the youngsters who both nod their heads in agreement.

Leeteuk doesn't object.

"Here we are." He announces shortly after, pointing towards a strangely altered tree on the edge of the clearing.

Jeno spies it for a moment, recognising it as a similar tree to the one that Chanyeol had led him to on his own property. This one, however, was extremely close to the village, unlike the one that had taken some time to get to on Chanyeol's territory.

He gently takes his hand out of Jaemin's hold, the hybrid waiting patiently as Jeno crosses out of Leeteuk's property. His lungs immediately fill with air and the tears that had been plaguing his eyes, clear.

When he crosses back inside the boundary, he's happy to find the faint stench has disappeared along with the uncomfortable side-effects of being in a new pack's territory.

Jaemin meets him on the other side with a bright smile, offering out his hand again. Jeno takes it and they begin the walk towards the infirmary.

"Forgive me for asking, as Chanyeol has already indicated... But I want to ask you myself. Are you sure that you're not a wolf?" Leeteuk looks a little uneasy, his brown eyes lingering on Jeno. His body is practically radiating anxiety.

"We don't know what I am." Jeno confirms with a slight dip of his head. "But until we find out, I still prefer to label myself as human, at least for the most part."

"I was thinking on the drive up here that it might do us some good to speak with Rebecca, if she's available?" Chanyeol explains, looking over Baekhyun's head at his old friend.

Leeteuk nods in agreement.

"Absolutely. Thankfully she was unable to attend the gathering with your Skylar this year so we still have her here with us, she might be able to give us something to go on."

Leeteuk's eyes linger still. Jeno finds himself starting to grow a little annoyed beneath the attention.

"Forgive me," the Alpha apologizes, lifting his gaze. "it is not every day that I have had the opportunity to meet a human who is credited with killing the likes of a man like Caleb."

"You should have seen what he was capable of doing with his hands." Chanyeol comments with a nervous laugh. "Ripping out a werewolf's heart when claiming to be a human isn't exactly an easy thing to do."

His words make Leeteuk's steps halt completely, his eyes widening. "My word... are you truly that capable?"

"He is." Jaemin beams, snuggling closer as they pick up their steps.

Jeno feels his cheeks burn while his heart skips a beat in his chest. Hearing how proud Jaemin sounds of him, was making his ego inflate just a little.

"It was mostly luck." Jeno admits, though it earns him a pinch from Jaemin.

"That makes sense." Leeteuk comments a little while later, when the group had succumbed to silence. "Not everyone is capable of killing one of the Seven."

"Uh..." Baekhyun groans, hanging his head between his shoulders. "Don't remind me."

"Forgive me." Leeteuk looks ashamed for having mentioned it. "Let me make up for it by changing the subject."

Baekhyun smiles in thanks and Leeteuk launches into a short monologue of what had occurred the previous evening.

"Two of our wolves were stationed on border control last night, they divided the territory into two and agreed to meet in the middle after their initial round of checks. Minho knew that something was wrong when Irene didn't report back, he left his post to find her and then raised the alarm when he could. But, as you could probably already have guessed, they had made it into the village by then."

Jeno listens intensely, though he can't help but wonder what specifically forced Leeteuk to have to change the subject away from this strange 'seven' business.

Whatever it was, it clearly meant a lot to Baekhyun because his immediate response was one filled with barely concealed rage.

He decides that it is probably best to file it away for later inspection.

Perhaps Chanyeol would be willing to shed some light on the topic when the other two members of their party were preoccupied sometime later that evening.

"I was woken upon their presence of course, but I wasn't exactly sure where they were. Then, the fires started. We were fairly quick to put them out, but between the flames and the fangs, we were grossly outsmarted. Coming in the dead of night was already hard enough when almost everyone else was already asleep. Mrs. Young unfortunately succumbed to smoke inhalation. She was too old for her wolf to completely heal her, so she will be greatly missed. We're planning on laying her to rest on the night of the full moon."

"I will speak to her family and relay our condolences. I'm sorry that we won't have an opportunity to stay for it, but we have a new wolf of our own back home that we need to tend to-" Chanyeol explains.

"Among other things." Baekhyun continues, looking a little coy for what was supposed to be a serious conversation.

Chanyeol gently nudges him in the ribs before turning his attention back to Leeteuk. "Will you forgive us for not attending?"

"Of course. I wasn't exactly planning on you guys sticking around for very long anyway. Not when Chase's forces could still be lingering, though some easing news was reported shortly before your arrival from Stella. They haven't found any lingering presence in the immediate area surrounding the territory so I believe that it is safe to say that their forces have retreated. At least for the present moment."

"Is there any reason as to why they sporadically attacked you?" Jaemin wonders, quite literally taking the words clean out of Jeno's mouth. "Chase never does anything without a reason."

"I fear that it may have been to simply showcase his strength and his growing numbers. He has attacked many before for similar reasons. I dare say that it was merely a test of will, perhaps to show us that we are not as untouchable as we might think we are." Leeteuk responds calmy.

However Jeno recognizes the flame of frustration hidden in his eyes, he has seen it be reflected in a mirror many times himself.

"Regardless of his reasoning, he has injected fear into the hearts of my people. As I have already explained to Chanyeol on the phone earlier this morning, many of them wish to run and hide in the mountains. Others want to fight. I, myself, have reasons to invoke the latter."

"I know the feeling..." Jaemin sighs, his grip getting tighter on Jeno's hand. "It is only recently that I have made up my mind about what my purpose is in this war."

This seems to have given Leeteuk whiplash, his neck cracking as it snaps in Jaemin's direction.

Jeno tries to conceal his wince.

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm sure that Dad has told you about my struggles." Jaemin begins by gesturing to Chanyeol.

The use of his new term of endearment stupefies Leeteuk momentarily, but he is back to nodding along fairly quickly.

"Let's just say that I no longer want to suffer beneath them anymore. I have a new driving force now, I want to fight for my freedom. I've made the choice to stay. I've spent too long in hiding already and nothing has changed. Maybe with me coming forward, I could shift the tables a little."

"More people would definitely listen to reason if they see the hybrid standing alongside them." Leeteuk agrees, proudly sporting a grin. "I must say Jaemin, you have certainly surprised this old man. I must admit, I expected you to allow Chanyeol to hide you for much longer than this."

"I know." Jaemin admits, turning to look at Jeno who squeezes his hand in silent encouragement. "But someone recently got through to me." He turns back to Leeteuk, his wolfish blue orbs flashing up at him. "Now it's about time that I get back what I lost."

"Well I will certainly support you in any way that I can. It is not every day that you gain a leg up in this war. Your support will certainly sway a bunch of the more hesitant folk to join our cause against this tyrant. However, I must admit... I don't think that our initial plan of getting you to speak to my people is a good one, at least right now."

"What?" Jeno halts in his steps towards the infirmary, his head immediately turning to Chanyeol who is already standing behind Baekhyun in a ridiculous attempt to defend himself. "You were going to let him talk to people? Here? After everything that has happened? You wanted to do that now?"

"No!" Chanyeol rushes to dispel the tension setting in Jeno's jaw. "No, we were only speculating an idea. We didn't actually say that we were going to do it. The same was going to be discussed about Baekhyun too-"

"Have the both of you lost your fucking minds?" Jeno hisses, glaring at Chanyeol.

He somehow finding himself brave enough to send a glare to Leeteuk as well, who seemed surprised by the look.

"There is no way that you are going to do that. We need Chase to think that Baekhyun and Jaemin have absolutely nothing to do with either of you, so that we can keep them safe until we can bring them into this fight. They are quite literally the two people that Chase wants most in this world. We are not letting anyone know that they are involved in this rebellion until it is absolutely necessary."

"I know." Chanyeol relents, holding his hands up. "I know. You make a good point. They're both aces that we can use later on in this war, not now."

"Damn right not now." Jeno seethes.

For a moment, just one small, tiny moment, Leeteuk swears that he caught a faint red outline appear around the circumference of Jeno's brown eyes.

He blinks to find it gone.

A mere trick of the light, surely.

"So, we're still hiding?" Jaemin whimpers, pouting. "I was so ready to start the ball rolling!"

Jeno's shoulders sag and any trace of frustration immediately disappear. He turns away from Chanyeol and focuses his entire attention on the pink haired boy by his side.

Leeteuk observes them with a furrowed brow, his glance returning to Chanyeol who simply nods his head at the quiet question he wants to ask.

Well.

This certainly is an interesting display of events indeed.

"Come with me." He announces to the group, turning on his heel and leading them in a completely different direction to their original destination.

Daehyun can wait.

Leeteuk confirms with a delicate nod of his head.

There is something much more important to tend to first.

_______________

Mark lets out a heavy huff.

His eyes are strained, his mind feels like it is melting beneath the weight of his skull and above all else, he feels like a complete and utter idiot.

He has tried to do this stupid exercise but has been having zero luck.

He's been staring at the blank kitchen wall for 45 minutes now and yet he can't seem to concentrate long enough to do the homework that Kyungsoo has assigned for him.

"Emotions are the key to unlocking your wolf." The chef had began his lecture with a plateful of cookies and a glass of ice cold milk.

It was pretty obvious from the get-go that he managed to gain Mark's attention almost immediately with the promise of cookies as a suitable reward for every piece of information he managed to retain.

"Our wolf side is connected to our emotions because they are what link us to our human sides as they are more complex than the wolf's. They feel everything that we do but they don't understand it very well, so for example when we feel both frustrated and sad, the wolf will mistake that sadness for additional anger and it may explode with fury. Singular emotions are easier for it to control, therefore it is what we would recommend to those shifting for the first time."

"So it can be any singular emotion?" Mark had wondered, hoping that he had understood the lecture.

Kyungsoo offered him a cookie and Mark took the win in stride.

"The shift, which is what we term the transformation of the human into the wolf, is painful. It's only painful the first time because our bodies have never done it before, however, that doesn't mean that the next time that you do it, you won't feel a little uncomfortable. You will, but overtime and with consistent shifting your body will grow accustomed and the pain will eventually disappear entirely."

"That makes sense." Mark mumbled beneath the mouthful of crumbly cookie.

"Due to the painful experience that comes with one's first shift, your human side will go through a series of emotions which is only natural. Terror, worry, sorrow, hurt, anger. The list could go on, especially when certain circumstances are at play when one shifts for the first time."

Mark dunked the remainder of his cookie into the milk and plops it into his mouth.

"Bitten wolves are lucky in that their first shift correlates with the first full moon they reach after being bitten. Born wolves have it a little harder since their first shift can occur any time after puberty, though it mostly occurs alongside a severely emotional occurrence."

"Such as?"

"I can use Chanyeol as an example, he won't mind."

Kyungsoo sits himself down in the seat directly across from Mark, who perks up at his sudden shift.

"He was born a wolf, and had just reached puberty when he was driven out of his pack. Members of his former pack were sent to kill him so his guardian told him to run. He was terrified that they would find him, worried about leaving his guardian behind to deal with the consequences of his escape, upset about his whole life getting flipped upside down, angry that the people he thought were family were trying to kill him-"

"Jesus Christ."

Kyungsoo seemed a little shocked to hear the religious reference, but he continued on with his explanation.

"The emotion that took hold of him that night was fear. Had he not focused his attention on one specific emotion, it is highly possible that Chanyeol never would have lived to be with us today. It was fear that triggered the wolf, and it was fear that saved his life that night."

"A singular emotion." Mark echoed, reciting the words that Kyungsoo had finished his initial point with.

"You can prepare one if you want." Kyungsoo explained, reaching across the table to steal one of the cookies from Mark's plate.

The younger can't find it within himself to scold him for stealing his food, his mind already running through possible scenarios in his mind.

"I would recommend trying to pick one to use as an anchor for yourself. When I had my first shift I had a memory that I often associate with one singular emotion, I kept repeating it in my head over and over... It made the shift easier to handle and it sped up the process as well."

"I don't know if I have any memories that I would associate just one emotion with... I am-" Mark had paused in his words, reevaluating. "I was a pretty emotional guy before the whole bite thing."

"Why don't you start focusing on one emotion for the time being?" Kyungsoo had encouraged, smiling gently.

Mark felt like a lost cause.

"Try and recall a memory of your own that you might see as being linked strongly with another emotion."

"Okay." Mark agreed, feeling more determined. "I'm sure that there is something."

"I would recommend something to you first though, just as a precaution. Try not to let it be a memory filled with anger or frustration. We mean it when we say that your wolf has heightened senses, that means that its emotions are also extremely sensitive."

"How so?"

"Remember when I told you about that fear that allowed Chanyeol's shift to speed up?"

Mark nodded his head.

"He developed severe anxiety after that. Your wolf holds onto that emotion and uses it as its driving force to come out, which means that whatever emotion that you do end up picking... It will take it to the max."

"So if I focused on anger..."

"You'd be murderous."

Mark lets out another frustrated sigh.

He has been staring at the blank kitchen wall for long enough and was still getting absolutely nowhere. He didn't have a memory to hold onto with a singular emotion attached to it.

There was the time when he moved from Canada to Korea, he had left his parents behind at the airport. He had felt sad about leaving them, but also excited to be going somewhere new to make a life for himself.

There was the time when his hockey time won their first championship. That was supposed to be an exciting and celebratory time, but he had received word that his grandmother had died. His parent hadn't wanted to tell him about it before the game, but it tainted his memory of it nonetheless.

Though Mark still didn't think it was a memory best suited for a singular emotion because as he looks back on it now, he does see the happy interlaced with the sad.

"Glare any longer and you might make a hole."

Mark follows the voice, turning around in his seat to spot Renjun at the fridge.

He offers a small nervous smile, but doesn't plan on lingering. He takes out the glass jug containing his favourite herbal beverage and reaches up to grab a glass from the overhead cabinet.

The clack of the glass against the marble echoes throughout the room, slicing through the tension.

"I'm struggling to do Kyungsoo's homework." Mark admits, though he silently reprimands himself for drawing out the conversation when it is evident that Renjun doesn't feel comfortable around him right now.

"Oh, does he have you searching for a memory with a singular emotion?"

"You know about that?"

"He did it with Haechan." Renjun explains, attention divided between carrying the conversation and pouring out his tea of choice. "He thought about his parents abandoning him. He was depressed for weeks afterwards but at least the shift didn't hurt as much after that."

"Wait what?" Mark splutters, raising from his seat with wide eyes.

Renjun observes him for a moment, before turning on his heel and returning the jug to the shelf in the door of the fridge.

"It happened before he was bitten. They had found out that he was gay and threw him out of the house. He found himself in foster care and he was unfortunately taken in by a few of Chase's minions looking for new additions to their army. He ran the first chance that he got and found Kyungsoo who brought him straight to Chanyeol. Sehun filed the paperwork and ever since then, Kyungsoo has been his legal guardian."

"He never told me-"

"He doesn't mention it because he claims that it will always bring down the mood, but he doesn't mind other people explaining it for him. Prefers it even. Apparently talking about uncomfortable situations makes him nauseous, so he tries to make light of said certain situations. Anyway," Renjun lifts his glass from the counter and starts heading in the direction of the exit. "good luck with your assignment."

"Renjun, wait." Mark reaches out a hand, and his fingers gently coil around the younger's wrist.

They both pause at the skin contact, their eyes drifting down to find the source of the heat.

Mark gently lifts his hold.

"We need to talk."

"I know." Renjun whispers, shifting his gaze to the glass in his hand. "I haven't found the right words to say to you. You deserve answers and an explanation but Jeno was right when he told me that there was a time and place for them. You're getting ready for your first ever shift, this is when things are going to be so heightened for you that it's probably a bad idea if we were to speak now."

"Then maybe we could speak after the full moon? You know, when I'm not as emotionally charged as everyone thinks?" Mark knows that he's asking for a lot, but in truth he believes that he deserves this.

He was completely devastated when Renjun left, depressed even.

He couldn't sleep peacefully at night and during the day he couldn't get out of bed. Jeno had to take on Mark's entire schedule just so that Mark would have a life to get back to when he was finished mourning his heart and his feelings.

At the time all Mark wanted to know was, why?

Now, he has an idea as to why Renjun had left the way that he did.

But he needs closure. An explanation of some kind to help him get through whatever emotional turmoil that had reappeared when they arrived on Chanyeol's doorstep.

Renjun finally glances upward.

His eyes are still that smokey grey that had captured Mark's attention in the first place, except now, they had lost their shimmer.

Maybe this breakup had been hard on Renjun too.

"Okay." He whispers. "After the full moon."

_______________

Leeteuk had led them to the other side of his property.

Away from the cabins and the loitering people, away from the main building and the cobblestone walkways. Into the forest to the north of his territory and past a bunch of similarly shaped trees and shrubs.

There were no significant landmarks to pave the way.

Though Jeno does notice that Leeteuk's nose would scrunch up every time he sniffed at the air directly in front of him.

He guided the group past fallen trees and offered aid to Chanyeol who was helping Baekhyun down from a particularly steep hill.

Eventually their destination came into view and the sight of it brought the air straight out of Jeno's lungs.

Carefully situated amongst a grove of trees, stood a stone cabin with moss covering the roof and a plum of black smoke rising from its chimney.

Small white stones were embedded into the ground, spaced out evenly to form a surprisingly comfortable footpath.

Beneath the front window lay a bed of colourful flowers of all shapes and sizes. Jeno recognized a couple of them from a flower store located near campus, that he had accompanied (read: been dragged to by) Mark to when he was buying Renjun some bulbs for their anniversary.

The door they came to was made of wood with a strange runic symbol engraved beneath the small square window placed at eye-level. Jeno notes the iron grilling that ran along the bottom of the door. It had been teased upward to form blooms by the waist.

A shadow danced behind the glass once Leeteuk gently knocked against it.

The door opened without a sound, an older woman standing in the doorway.

Her lips immediately curl upward when she recognizes Leeteuk, though her eyes become guarded when she notices the people that he had brought along.

She sends Baekhyun a glance first, recognition causing her shoulders to sink and a warm smile to return to her full pink lips.

"Baekhyun!" She beams, pushing her door open a little further to embrace him. "It's incredible to see you again!"

"Rebecca." He smiles, bowing his head.

"Forgive our intrusion." Leeteuk copies Baekhyun's gesture, smiling apologetically when she steps out of their embrace to turn to him. "But we need your help with something very important."

Her bright green eyes flicker between Chanyeol and Jaemin, her brows furrowing when her gaze falls on Jeno. She returns her attention to Leeteuk, stepping out of the way for the group to enter her home.

"Yes." She agrees firmly. "You do."

Jeno doesn't exactly know what he was expecting when he crossed over her door's threshold. Perhaps a cabin with walls similar to the exterior stone structure that he had seen outside, or a simple room with a bed and a table.

What he wasn't expecting was a large open floor planned cabin with wooden walls, a gorgeously constructed fireplace complete with an iron railing for the metal pot she had resting above the open flames.

He certainly didn't expect to see the individual rooms cornered off with thin colourful tapestries depicting beautiful meadow scenes and plants hanging off hooks screwed into the walls above.

Jeno was certain that the cabin was small when he had viewed it from the outside. But this floorplan was definitely not possible given what he had seen.

"It's magic." Jaemin explains, somehow having personal access to Jeno's confused mental ramblings. "Rebecca is a witch."

"A simple extension spell." She announces over the sound of the fire's crackling. "I couldn't possibly live comfortably with all of my possessions if the cabin had been true to its original size."

"I did offer to build you a better one, but you refused." Leeteuk reminds her with a teasing smile on his lips.

The woman merely rolls her eyes and crosses her arms against her chest as she sits herself down on the couch next to the fire. "I had already set down my roots by then! It would have been terribly inconvenient for them if I was to uproot them without any prior warning! They had just grown comfortable, I would have set their growth back by another five years if I had tried to move them again."

"And how exactly are your primroses doing?" Baekhyun wonders happily. Jeno spies him over by the front window, carefully stroking one of the petals of a plant that Jeno has never seen before in his life.

The witch giggles and shakes her head. "They're fine. I should have known that upon your return you would be most interested in the ingredient used in a love potion."

"I'm a romantic at heart, you know that." Baekhyun chuckles and Rebecca playfully rolls her eyes. "It came in handy that time in Rome."

"Yes," she sighs. "It did provide you with vital information regarding Chase's plans in China."

"It did." Baekhyun beams, pulling himself away from the window sill.

Jeno watches as he waves it goodbye.

"So," Rebecca turns her gaze back to Leeteuk who still lingers by the doorway with Chanyeol. "What can I help you guys with?"

"This is Chanyeol, you haven't met him before but-" Leeteuk begins, but is unable to finish his sentence once Rebecca stands up with wide beady eyes.

Jeno watches slightly perplexed as she turns to face Baekhyun with a small smirk on her face.

"That's him? That's your Chanyeol?"

Baekhyun's cheeks blossom bright pink. He's unable to look up from where he's gazing at the floor, so Jeno immediately tosses a sly glance at the tallest in the room who is sporting a small blush of his own right now.

"Oh, Baekhyun! He's very handsome. I can see what you meant-"

"Okay!" Baekhyun yells, rushing forward to clamp a hand over Rebecca's mouth.

The witch glares at him but continues to talk regardless of the obstruction against her face.

"Rebecca!" He scolds. "We can talk about my love life another time! This is important."

She sags against his hold and relents. Baekhyun takes his hand away with an apologetic smile.

"Fine!" She huffs. "You can continue Leeteuk, but you can skip the whole of Chanyeol's backstory, I already know all about him."

"We need your help finding out what he is."

Jeno watches as everyone turns to look at him, Leeteuk's finger pointing directly at his chest.

He tries to offer the witch a smile, but he's extremely uncomfortable beneath all of the attention. His hand grip tighter against Jaemin's palm, the younger immediately filling his sight as he steps in front of him with a broad smile on his lips.

"You're doing great." He whispers, squeezing Jeno's hand in encouragement.

"Alright." Rebecca nods her head and comes to stand right next to Jaemin.

She's shorter than him, so Jeno has to lean his head forward a little bit to hold her eye contact.

He's pleased to see that she is smiling up at him, like she somehow knows that her easy appearance will be enough to quell Jeno's building anxiety. She glances down at their joint hands and shifts herself to Jaemin's opposite side so she wouldn't break their hold.

"Is there anything that I need to do?" Jeno wonders.

His voice makes her raise her head again, but he lets out a breath of relief when she kindly shakes her head.

"No." She goes on to verbally confirm.

The words acting like water against the flames of Jeno's burning mind.

"But would you mind if I were to touch you? I need to be able to feel what I'm working with."

"Oh..." He slides his free hand up against the side of his jeans, hoping that it isn't as sweaty when he offers it out to her.

She politely declines and Jaemin reaches over to take it instead, sporting a small smile.

Jeno watches as Rebecca raises up her left hand, her eyes fixated on the hoodie across Jeno's chest. His body jolts at the sudden contact, not having been used to feeling other people touching him.

He calms down when Jaemin's thumbs start to trace circles against his wrists.

"Just try to relax." She whispers.

Her eyes are kind when he searches her gaze. Jeno's heart rate starts to relax, especially once he turns his attention back to Jaemin who lingers even closer now that Rebecca had given him the space to do so.

Suddenly a bright green glow flashes against his chest. Jeno glances downward to realise that the light is coming from the centre of Rebecca's palm, the same one that she had pressed against his chest.

Her eyes are closed, her brows scrunched upwards as her light pulses against Jeno. Her lips part to reveal two of her upper teeth, white like snow.

Jeno's breath catches in his throat when he sees her eyes snap open, the entire orb glowing the same shade of her iris; sage green.

Jaemin's grip on his hands tighten, trying to ground Jeno in the moment. But it's barely enough, especially when he could be told what he is at any given minute.

Then, it happens.

He feels a punch to his gut as his vision goes black.

He sees images of Emma, her brown hair curling around her face as she cradles him against her chest in an airport, her dark eyes scouting the area around her.

The image changes to the bound beast he has seen before.

It blinks its red eyes at him through the mirror, reminding him of its presence and of the danger associated with it. He watches as his own fist collides against the reflective surface, banishing the beast to its mirror domain.

Emma is in front of him again, humming the melody of the mantra she had taught him to control his anger. She hasn't noticed him yet, too focused on writing into the diary that she's kept since as long as Jeno can remember.

"They can never know." She whispers, her voice haunting as she finally looks up from her paper. "No one can ever know."

The beast is back, surrounded by shadow and darkness. Its bright red orbs are the only light, the only indication of its presence. There's a flash of red and Jeno notices the chains binding it to the ground.

He hears its whimpers, and its cries.

He realises that the danger that he had always associated with it, isn't associated with the beast. The danger stems from the one who has chained it.

You're not dangerous. He hears his own voice whisper. You just want freedom.

It's at that exact moment that he sees the beast's eyes soften.

Jeno gasps as he is pulled back into reality.

Rebecca scrambles away from him, her own eyes wide in horror as she pants for air.

Jaemin immediately refills Jeno's vision. His pink hair, his cookie-dough scent, his delicate warm touch. Jeno collapses into the hold that Jaemin has on his cheeks, worry etched into every crevice of his face.

"Are you okay?" His voice sounds strained. There are tears in his eyes.

Jeno heaves for breath, nodding his head. He places his hands on Jaemin's wrists and gently guides them away so that he might be able to look for Rebecca.

She's standing just a few feet away from them, shock all over her face. She's staring down at her own hands and tries to take even breaths.

"Rebecca?" Jeno tries, finding his voice hoarse and heavy. "Did you see any of that?"

She looks up then, eyes wide. She shakes her head. "I didn't see anything."

"You didn't see those?" Jeno's brows furrow. "My memories?"

"No," she continues. "I didn't see anything. It was strange, just complete darkness."

"What does that mean?" Jaemin's voice is wet, his hands gripping tight into Jeno's hoodie. "Do you know what he is?"

"No." She repeats herself, her hands forming fists. "I can't see what he is. That's never happened to me before."

"What do you mean?" Chanyeol wonders from his place next to Baekhyun.

"I'm usually able to tell what people are by their memories or sometimes just by touching them, but this..." She turns her frightful eyes back to Jeno. "This is different. You've blocked me."

"What?" Baekhyun's own eyes widen, his knuckles growing bright white against Chanyeol's hand. "Are you sure? Are you completely sure?"

"His body is radiating ancient magic. Magic that I have absolutely no clue on how to read." She speaks solely to Baekhyun now, like he would understand all of the gibberish that she was sprouting. Judging by his wide eyes and lower jaw, Jeno figured that he might actually be capable of following her.

"I'm an earth witch, my magic is associated with the earth so I will see things differently than Skylar would. There are vines," she continues, her mind racing. "Like, all over him. I have seen them around others before, around their hearts or the heads or certain organs, but these..." she shakes her head. "they're everywhere."

"He has ancient magic in him?" Chanyeol steps into her focus. Baekhyun reaches out to place his other hand against the taller's forearm. "What do you mean?"

"Not in him," Rebecca shakes her head. "On him. It means that," she turns on her heel and observes Jeno properly. "Whatever you are, people were never meant to find out about it."

She turns back to Chanyeol, leaving Jeno with another hundred questions to ask. Her eyes are scary, her gaze harsh and strong.

"The second that Skylar gets back from the gathering, bring him to her. In the meantime, do not let him out of your sight."