DaeSung could not help but chuckle as YoungBae and TOP guffawed and pointed at the scene playing out on the security screens. Even as he listened to the muted ringing emanating from the cell phone against his ear, he couldn’t stop himself from tuning into the conversation.

“Did you see her face?” YoungBae leaned back, laughter heaving him backwards into the couch. “Look how red she is!”

“Look at the poor guy, he’s so confused.” TOP chuckled, gesturing at Chen’s disappointed pout. “Do you think that we’re going to have to censor this video before we send it to the lab? We probably don’t want Chen’s floating around in official records.” He mused, leaning forward again.

“You know, I don’t know. That’s a good question, it’d be funny to have his ia stored in the government database.” DaeSung couldn’t help but interject himself into the conversation.

“Why, you feel threatened, YoungBae?” DaeSung’s eyes crinkled into a grin. “Want to preserve your manhood?”

“Excuse me, DaeSung.” YoungBae raised a hand to his chest. “How could I feel threatened by something of a different species? And besides, it’s not as if he’s really packing.”

“That’s true.” TOP leaned in closer to the screen. “You know, maybe it’s because he’s a werewolf, I was kind of expecting something a bit more...monstrous?”

“Well, we know a lot of the reproductive processes are different, but the general morphology is very similar-”

“As much as I find this conversation riveting.” JiYong deadpanned from his usually silent position in the corner of the room. “Can we stop talking about Chen’s junk?”

DaeSung was so invested in the conversation that he didn’t realize that Michelle hadn’t answered and he’d left a short voicemail about Chen’s ia. After apologizing for the -centric voicemail, he hung up and tried again one more time. This time, she answered on the first ring, voice slightly breathless.

“Sorry, Dae!” She greeted. “I couldn’t find my phone. It was at the bottom of my laundry hamper for some reason.” DaeSung grinned at the sound of her voice.

“Don’t worry about it! I just wanted to check in, see how you’re doing.”

“Pretty good, actually! Don’t tell anyone this, but we’ve actually started to establish some communications. We’re trying to get a spoken language in place. It’s taking some time; the centaurs are skittish and don’t interact with us for more than ten minutes, but it’s a start.” DaeSung’s eyebrows raised at the revelation. A spoken language would be groundbreaking.

“That’s awesome! That will be vital to create legislation.”

“It definitely is!” Michelle gushed. “We really couldn’t ask for more. My job has gotten infinitely easier; I’m not dressing wounds gushing blood anymore. I’d say that’s a small improvement.”

“Miniscule.” DaeSung chuckled.

“Yup! So I’m in a fabulous mood as a result. How are you doing? How are Jordan and Chen?”

“They’re bonding. There’s romantic interest developing on both sides, which we didn’t expect at the beginning. It’s more than the last time I updated you.” DaeSung’s heart sunk a bit as he heard Michelle sigh.

“DaeSung, I know I shouldn't lecture you, but please be careful about this. You know better than I do; werewolves die if they’re away from their mates-”

“They’re not mates, Michelle.” DaeSung cut in, trying to reason. “They aren’t even the same species.” Michelle sighed again.

“If you say so, DaeSung.”

The conversation continued, though slightly more stilted than before. After the call ended, DaeSung contemplated Michelle’s words. He couldn’t deny that he was excited about Jordan and Chen’s developing relationship. Not to mention, a human-variant relationship - a werewolf at that - was unheard of. But DaeSung had always assumed that while Chen and Jordan were romantically interested in each other, there would never be a pair-bond between them; biologically, the pair-bond between the two was impossible. Jordan was a human - not a werewolf. Even so, the implications of such a relationship were fascinating. The research potential that a human-werewolf relationship contained was astronomical. He glanced at the security screens, watching Jordan awkwardly fumble around to gather herself and her blanket while Chen - still - trailed behind her.

DaeSung wished he was in some parallel universe, where the footage he saw was some fantasy romance film playing out on screen. A movie with an innate happy ending where his own actions had no effect on the main characters. He wished that he could silently watch their interactions and not have to think about the potential consequences. He wished.

Jordan was an awkward person; she was used bumbling her way through pregnant pauses and awkward silences. But nothing could compare to trying to maneuver her way out from under a Chen and get them both back to the car, birthday suit and all. It wasn’t as if she could say anything to alleviate the general tension floating in the air.

It also didn’t help that Chen was so touchy. Every few steps on their way to the car, he’d reach out to hold her hand, which on any other occasion Jordan would find absolutely adorable. But, in this case, every time he brushed against her, she’d turn to look at him, giving her constant reminders that he was . And that did not help the heat that kept spreading down into her gut.

Luckily, the drive was calmer. She managed to convince Chen to put on some clothes and kept the windows rolled down the entire way home, effectively blowing the blush from her face, in addition to any semblance of warmth in her body. Chen, of course, did not feel the cold and simply snuggled down into his seat to pass out for the duration of the ride, seemingly unperturbed by the mound of awkward in the seat next to him.

Jordan had relaxed by the time she pulled into the house’s driveway, her embarrassment - for the most part - had been left in the mountains behind her. She gently shook Chen awake and reached over to open the door for him. Chen seemed better rested than the first few full moons spent in the research facility. Jordan contemplated whether or not it was because his wolf finally had the opportunity to run free or if it was simply because it was calmer than before.

Like last time, Jordan coaxed Chen into the bath and was again convinced to join him. This time he was more playful, sending little waves of water her way when she least expected it. Jordan didn’t have the energy to splash back, but she couldn’t resist sticking her tongue out in response. She didn’t try to prevent the corners of from pulling upwards at the resulting smile, but pointedly ignored the feeling that her breath seemed to have been stolen away.

Despite sleeping during the drive back to the house, Jordan knew that Chen would still be exhausted from his transformation. So, she wasn’t at all surprised when he flopped face-first into their bed after their bath. He completely ignored his wet boxers, wriggling forward until his feet were no longer hanging off of the side of the mattress. She sighed at the damp patch forming on the comforter, but left it as is and headed into the kitchen. Chen needed food, so Jordan dumped a bag of chicken nuggets onto a tray to bake for his snack. It would have to do until after their nap.

When they were ready, Jordan barely managed to get Chen awake enough to sit up. He propped himself heavily against the headboard, eyelids slowly drifting shut despite the scent of chicken nuggets. Jordan only managed to get him to eat by hand-feeding him. She spent half an hour poking individual chicken nuggets against his lips and then coaxing him to chew and swallow. Glancing at the half-empty bowl in her lap, Jordan sighed and gave up, deciding that it would have to be enough for now. She put the bowl on the bedside table before laying down, too tired to bring the leftovers back to the kitchen. Chen slid back down the headboard, cuddling into Jordan’s side before falling asleep with a contented sigh. She smacked him away for a second, enough to pull the comforters around her. She didn’t want the dampness from his wet boxers to soak into her pajamas. She snuggled down into covers, welcoming sleep with a grateful sigh.

In the weeks following, Jordan and Chen’s routine did not really change. They were still the sleepy, calm moments painted with pale morning sunshine. However,there were subtle differences. Jordan’s heavy winter comforter was soon replaced by a thinner blanket as the weather warmed. The sun that flooded into the room was no longer pale and cold, reflecting off of the snow outside. It was now warm and bright, shining cheerfully through their curtains and spilling onto their carpet. Jordan seldom woke to an empty space on the mattress next to her. Sometimes, she was stirred awake by drowsy kisses peppering her face, or a strong arm pulling her into a solid chest. Other times, she woke before Chen did just to trace the lines of his face with something akin to wonder. As the days passed, she began seeking the blazing warmth of Chen’s skin against hers the minute she woke up.

They spent their afternoons in companionable silence, only broken by their language lessons. There lay the biggest change; instead of gazing intently at her between each vocabulary word, Jordan now felt his lips searching for hers between terms. Whenever she asked ‘Where’s Jordan?’ he’d answer with a whispered ‘here' against her lips.

It was then that Jordan realized that Chen really liked physical affection. For a werewolf relatively unfamiliar with the actions, he perfected it surprisingly quickly. After the first couple of times, he could not only follow Jordan’s lead seamlessly, but was beginning to take initiative. If she was at the stove, he'd wrap his arms around her waist, nuzzle against her neck and plant a kiss under her ear. In the bath, his lips caressed her back and shoulders, sneakily sliding fingers under her swimsuit to brush against her hips. When she woke up to his smile in the morning, he'd lean in to place his lips on her nose and forehead. Their moments were brief, but their effects lasted far longer.

Jordan loved it, the feeling of his plush lips on her skin. She adored the feeling of his hands on her face, her neck, her torso. She loved the slight chafe of the callouses on his fingertips.

Their days were spent together, occasionally taking trips up to the mountains to explore the trails or paying Sylvia visits. Chen didn’t seem to like going to the supermarket very much, so Jordan often took that trip alone, knowing that Chen would greet her like an enthusiastic puppy upon her return.

There is a certain sunshine in knowing there is someone waiting behind the door, that despite the day - drizzling rain or brilliant shine - there is someone anticipating your return.

The fruits of the language lessons were becoming more apparent. Soon, Chen could ask about what things were, where they were, and when he wanted it. He began to voice his thoughts whenever Jordan left him at Sylvia’s house while she ran errands. Once Jordan disappeared from sight, Chen would wait on the sofa, usual mug of tea in hand asking after Jordan.

If Sylvia was thrown off by Chen’s sudden willingness to speak, she did not voice it. She did her usual puttering around the house, doing any cleaning or small busy work around the house while Chen waited or fiddled with the picture frames on the table.

“Where Jordan?” She heard him inquire.

“Where is Jordan, dear.” She replied affectionately, patting his head as she passed by. “She’ll be back soon.”

One day, when Jordan and Chen paid a mid-afternoon visit, Sylvia finally summoned up the nerve to ask Jordan about him.

Jordan wasn’t surprised by the question. If anything she was consistently astounded by how open-minded Sylvia had been the past couple of months. They both stared lovingly at Chen, who was passed out on the couch with his head on Jordan’s thigh.

“I don’t know a lot, to be honest. He was raised in a different culture, that’s probably all that I can say.” Jordan ran a hand through his hair. “They have a different custom and language, he’s just started to learn ours.”

“How did he end up here then?” Sylvia wondered.

“The world doesn’t like people who are different.” Jordan answered quietly. Sylvia nodded in response, gazing at the portrait of her husband across the room.

While Chen generally disliked staying in one place for too long, Jordan couldn’t help but notice that he had been unusually restless as of late. She woke up and turned to the now-rare sight of an empty, cold mattress. When she got downstairs, she saw him staring out the front door tapping his foot impatiently against the hardwood. He glanced at her as she approached him, brusquely brushing his nose against hers before gazing out the window again.

Chen couldn’t seem to keep still. He paced back and forth from wall to wall, in circles, from room to room, everywhere. His body was tense and Jordan noticed that his eyes would occasionally flare blue, for seemingly no reason at all. Occasionally, a restless whine would escape from his lips or a frustrated growl. Jordan, usually on the sofa with laptop in her lap, couldn’t help but stare as Chen made his revolutions around each room. He didn’t even pause to snuggle with her like he usually did whenever she sprawled herself out on the couch.

This continued all day. Whenever he disappeared into another room, Jordan couldn't help but roll her eyes. He had always been mildly restless but never to this extent. Finally, when he nearly broke through the front door in a distracted attempt to get outside - which he would normally never do - Jordan’s patience reached its end. She yanked him away from the door and wrestled him down on the couch for some much-needed soothing. Chen did seem to settle a bit after Jordan forced his head onto her lap. His chest continued to rise and fall more quickly than normal, but Jordan could at least feel a familiar rumbling of his purrs.

The first thing that she noticed while brushing her fingertips through his hair was the budding sweat against his scalp and the nearly unbearable heat of his skin. Jordan speculated that he must have contracted a fever after the last full moon; he was normally never that warm. Concerned, Jordan stood after supporting Chen’s head with a pillow. In the kitchen, she dampened a dish towel with cold water, folding it into a compress.

A hoarse groan sent Jordan hurrying back into the living room. Chen shook his head back and forth, forehead slick with sweat. Jordan pressed the compress against his forehead, quickly feeling his neck to check his temperature. He was even warmer than before, even though only a few minutes had passed. Chen let out an odd grunt, raising a hand to brush his fingertips against her cheek. Jordan pressed her lips against his palm, reaching up with one hand to gently squeeze his hand with hers. Chen let out another odd noise. Jordan couldn’t tell if it was a groan or a growl; but it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

Jordan wasn’t sure what to do; should she try to wrap him up in blankets to break his fever, or should she try to cool him off? She wondered if it would even be effective for him since he was a werewolf. Jordan opted for the former, standing to put on the kettle for tea and to grab a blanket from upstairs. She draped the blanket over him first before disappearing to bring Chen the tea. When she returned, he was sitting up, blanket clenched in his hands where it bunched at his hips, eyes flickering between cobalt blue and brown.

Jordan set the mug on the table before holding his face between her hands. His eyes continued to flash, though Chen’s behavior didn’t change. His eyes flicked between features on her face, his breaths quick and shallow. Jordan tensed for a moment, breath trapped in her chest as he suddenly pulled her towards him to brush the bottom of his chin against the top of her head.

She let him scent her. Chen brushed his cheeks and his palms against everything: her face, her neck, her torso. He did it obsessively, scenting her once, twice, three times, each time pressing his nose against her skin to make sure his scent was ingrained there. When he finally seemed satisfied, he slumped back into the couch and closed his eyes without letting her go. Jordan pushed him to lay down and tucked him in, hoping that he would sleep for the rest of the night.

Once he fell asleep, Jordan slipped from his grip and headed upstairs to do the same, hoping that his fever would break sometime during the night.

The next morning, when Jordan flung her arm out to the side, she was reminded that Chen was not next to her. Chen’s fever flashed across her mind and she immediately dashed downstairs to check on Chen. He was asleep, though it didn’t seem restful. His head shook back and forth, sweat shining on his face. He didn’t seem any cooler; in fact, his temperature felt even higher than before. Jordan didn’t know what to do other than let him keep sleeping and make breakfast for herself.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Jordan ignored the dishes from breakfast and checked out the news on her phone, scrolling aimlessly through various articles and videos. She rolled her eyes at news of a celebrity surprising everyone with his marriage announcement and sighed at the ongoing investigations of corrupt politicians.

She was in the middle of an article about filibusters when she heard the floor creak. Jordan looked up and saw exactly who she was expecting: Chen. His gaze was oddly pointed, fixated on her face.

“Chen?” Jordan murmured. He came closer, hands moving to cup her face. Instinctively, Jordan let her eyelids fall closed, lips curling up at the press of his lips against hers.

He was feverish, breaths trembling against her skin. The vibrato in the air trickled into her veins, buzzing pleasantly through her system. Jordan distractedly set her phone down behind her before settling her palms on his chest, fingers pressing deep to discern the heartbeat beneath. Chen’s lips parted, hungry, as he slipped his tongue into Jordan’s mouth. She welcomed him in, his feel, his taste.

He suddenly pulled away, resting his forehead against Jordan’s, before ducking down to press against her neck. A breath hitched in , abruptly ending any thought as she felt a slight nip on the junction between her neck and shoulder. Chen worked magic on her neck, and somewhere in the back of her head Jordan wondered when he had learned this, because it was not something she had ever taught him. Her skin buzzed at the contact, stinging slightly at his treatment. Chen soothed the rawness with a before traveling back upwards, brushing his lips against her skin and placing butterfly kisses on her neck, below her ear, on her jawline.

“Ch-Chen?” She stuttered, mind drawing blanks again as her grip on his shirt tightened. He stopped his ministrations and trailed the tip of his nose against the side of her face. He placed his forehead against hers. There was something deep and dark in his eyes now as he insistently pressed his lips against hers. The buzzing in her veins heated, flowing deeper and lower, at the feeling of Chen against her.

It was then, as Chen curled his tongue behind her teeth, that it happened.

Chen froze at the sound of Jordan’s moan, but only for a second. Jordan suddenly felt Chen’s hands on the back of her thighs, easily lifting her onto the countertop. The disorientation did not last long, however, as she felt the heat of Chen’s body fitting between her thighs, pressing unrelentlessly against her. Jordan moved her arms up to Chen’s neck, wrapping them around and pulling him closer, pressing him to her. She gripped his hair, clenching tight. Chen’s moan sent reverberations through her chest.

They became frantic, a mess of movement and sound as they laid bare their emotions on the countertop.

Jordan wrapped her legs around Chen as he pressed her harder into the countertop, his kisses ravenous. He snarled against , teeth nipping lightly on her lower lip as his hips began to roll. Jordan tensed at the feeling of something hard grinding against her inner thigh.

The heat in her system dissipated, freezing into nerves and fear.

“Wait.” Jordan pulled away, pushing away at Chen’s chest. “Chen.” Jordan caught a glimpse of his eyes; they were an unyielding cobalt blue. Pushing progressed to shoving as fear flooded her spine.

“Stop. Chen. Chen! Stop.”

Something registered, and Chen froze at the tone in her voice. His eyes flickered brown for a moment as he shook his head back and forth, face contorted with confusion. Backing up slowly, brown eyes now panicked, he stared wide-eyed at Jordan before abruptly letting go. Taking two full steps back, Jordan saw a shudder run through his body before he turned and bolted out of the kitchen.

The last things she saw were his eyes, flickering blue and brown with passion and an apology.

It took nearly twenty minutes and a mug of strong tea for Jordan’s heart rate to regulate and for her thoughts to stop racing. When it finally did, Jordan flushed with embarrassment upon remembering that the kitchen had a camera. Having the entire research team witness her hormonal make out against the kitchen counter was not something she had intended.

But at the same time, she had no idea what was happening, and they were currently her only source of reliable information. So she shoved down her mortification and picked up her cell phone. It rang once before she heard them pick up and Jordan rolled her eyes when she heard the smirk behind DaeSung’s greeting.

“How you doing, Jordan?” Jordan did not have the patience for his teasing.

“Care to explain why Chen suddenly wants to jump my bones?” Jordan sniped. “Any connection to his raging fever?”

“Maybe you just fill him with passion, Jordan.”

“I really don’t have the patience to deal with your bull right now.”

“Why, you got other problems to take care of upstairs?” Jordan could hear the guffaws of the other researchers in the room.

“Nope, but apparently I have four murders to arrange, so I’ll be busy with that.”

“It’s just a joke, Jordan.” DaeSung chuckled. “Long story short, he’s in rut.” Jordan’s mind drew a blank.

“You’re speaking a different language.” She heard DaeSung sigh over the phone. He took a few seconds to reply.

“I guess the easiest way to explain to you is that it’s like mating season? It’s a little different for werewolves though, their rut depends on the individual. It’s when the wolves look for mates or if they want to conceive children.”

“So what the am I supposed to do about Chen?” Jordan nervously ran a hand through her hair. “Tell him to and hope it helps?” She couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“I’d just leave him alone to figure it out himself.” DaeSung chortled. “To be honest we’re all surprised he could pull himself out of it for a second to get away. Most werewolves can’t get out of their rut once they’re in it. They are literally victims to their hormones. His hormones will balance out in a couple of days; hang in there Jordan.” Jordan leaned against the counter with a frustrated sigh. It looked like she had a long couple of days ahead of her.

“Alright, thanks.” She hung up, turned around, and banged her head against the kitchen cabinet. Why did these things always happen to her?

Picking up her laptop from where it usually sat by the couch, Jordan peeked into the security cameras to find where Chen was. He was nowhere to be found, which should have been concerning. But Jordan knew that he wouldn’t leave the house especially if he was feeling vulnerable. She could only then assume that he was either in the bathroom or their bedroom, the only rooms with disabled security cameras.

JiYong was fascinated by Chen’s actions. A werewolf pulling himself from a rut to leave its perceived mate was unheard of. The logical side of him hypothesized that the wolf was aware that Jordan wasn’t a werewolf and deemed her unfit, but that didn’t explain his disappearance. Usually, if a werewolf thought another wasn’t suitable it would go about its business and continue looking for a better mate but Chen had rushed upstairs instead of out the door.

JiYong’s idealistic side, however, yearned for a more romantic explanation. He wanted to believe that Chen heard her. He heard her tell him to stop, and he obeyed. He may not have understood the definition of the word, but he understood her actions, rolling back his fundamental instincts to make sure that Jordan was safe, to make sure that he wouldn’t break Jordan’s trust.

The balances were tipping. He wanted to believe one side over the other.

JiYong dared not admit which side was winning.

***

A great big hug to shooka24 and HunHan623 for beta'ing this chapter. I love you both <3.

Special shoutouts to: MudCaked, bvbblexo, arnarth2609, DecemberRains, Vaalya, ohplsno, Tatari, mokatlady4486, Luminousdevil, originme0324, Jaslynn, Black_Keys, BlueBlossomXX, Xanthophyll, pinio91, Monggu-88, osbdyc, sukasuka, ELFish_Anchovy, and Tammil! Thank you guys so much for upvoting I really appreciate you guys' love and support!

Quick question-answering session! (I'll answer them in the author's note in most cases in case other readers want to know)

1. I have the entirety of this story planned out. I had it fully mapped out when I first started writing it. (If I don't plan out my plots first I never actually complete the story)

2. Are we entering a final arc? No, but judging from comments I think you guy were expecting that answer. How many chapters are left? You'll just have to see XD

As usual, leave comments, I read each and every one of them! I want to know you guys' opinions! Constructive critique is welcomed and encouraged.

Have a great day and see you next update!