Kwon JiYong stood before the observation glass and stared at its occupants. It was the fourth week of testing and the second week of Step 2. Day by day, the meal portions had been intentionally diminished. Today, the meal was now one-seventh of the original portion.

    “The food will be delivered in a few minutes.” TOP reported to the team leader. “Do you think she’ll hold out?” They gazed at the two figures, both stirring into the waking world. Jordan sat upright, her usual morning groan echoed through the speakers. DaeSung, on the other side of the room, pushed the usual button to open the bathroom door, but she didn’t stir. The researchers knew why. The food left wasn’t nutritious: rice and cabbage, and there wasn't nearly enough of it. She was losing energy fast.

    “She’ll be fine.” DaeSung called out from his place by the control panel. The other researchers, the team leader especially, assumed that Jordan would give in to selfishness, but he struggled to imagine that the girl behind the glass would let her morals break. She had gone to jail for defending werewolves, he couldn’t imagine she would let one starve by her own volition.

    He was right.

    Jordan was hungry. She couldn’t deny it. Prison had its downsides, but one rare upside was that she was always well fed. Contrary to popular belief, prison food was pretty decent. She was sure that everyday citizens would be thrilled to know that their valuable tax dollars were going to nourishing meals for murderers and hackers. But here, the portions were small and she was now sharing with a werewolf. Not to mention that the meals had been reduced to once a day and seemed to be shrinking with every passing mealtime.

    Though neither one complained, Jordan could tell they were not getting enough. Both would rather starve than show weakness to their captors behind the glass. But she wasn't going to let him starve, not on her watch. She ignored the cramping hunger in her stomach and continued with the routine they had established: She picked up the bowl, ate half, and then shoved the bowl over to the other side of the room. Chen would eat the rest, and then push it to the pick up area.

    Today’s portion was minute. It only amounted to a bite each. The meat that usually graced the plate had disappeared a week ago. Now, it was just a single scoop of rice and limp vegetables. Jordan sighed with concern and glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping werewolf.

    She scooped up half, slid it into , and pushed the bowl over to the other side. Jordan crawled over to her bed and sat against the wall. She held the rice in and carefully chewed, swallowing the rice grain by grain. She tried to make it last, savoring each dry grain and every soggy leaf. She fell back asleep soon after the last morsel slipped into her aching stomach.

    Chen lifted himself into a sitting position, equally as lethargic. He saw the bowl and its lacking contents, and looked over at the girl slumped against the wall. His eyebrows furrowed as a concerned look flitted across his face. He hesitated before taking the bite of food, wolfing it down in an instant. He stayed awake, however, a heavy silence descending on his shoulders.

    YoungBae documented his observations of Jordan while TOP took notes on the werewolf.

    Chen was tense. His shoulders were raised and flexed, as if supporting a heavy weight. He gave a sad little huff. His ever-present smile fell for a rare moment and formed a smooth line. His eyes flickered cobalt blue for a moment as he looked at the white ceiling. TOP knew, however, that he wasn’t looking at the blank white space. The werewolf’s gaze was focused on the blue sky miles above them and the moonlit nightfall that would soon follow. Hunger would be the least of everyone’s worries.

Jordan awoke to the sound of thick glass screeching on  the walls. She gaped as a glass wall descended, several inches thick and utterly impenetrable. She glanced at Chen to see his reaction. He wasn't surprised, in fact he seemed rather resigned to it. He didn’t look at her, he simply gazed unseeingly at the floor, his elbows on his knees. He looked like he was sitting at a bus stop, waiting for his journey to begin.

The minute the glass completed its journey, his bus arrived. He jerked to his feet; his eyes shone a brilliant blue. A snarl ripped through his teeth, barely burying the harsh scream lying just below it.  

Jordan jumped towards the corner of her bed, startled. She’d never seen a werewolf transform before. Werewolf research was kept from the public by the government, thus the entire process was a subject of speculation.

It was awful to watch. The snarling died away, now replaced with the sound of Chen's human screams. His skull morphed, stretching out to form a snout, his screams became muffled by the sound of reforming bones. His neck lengthened, the bones cracking and popping as they multiplied and clicked into place. His back lurched forwards, forcing him into a crouch. His spine strained against his skin as the discs shifted with snaps that sent shivers and goosebumps across Jordan’s skin.

For a moment there was quiet punctuated only by Chen’s labored breathing. Then the real screams of pain began. The joints of his legs stretched and shortened to fit their new proportions. His finger joints retracted into his hands, forming fleshy paws. His fingernails thickened and jutted out from his newly formed paws. The teeth in Chen’s jaws swelled and sharpened.

Jordan marveled at the creature before her; was this the full moon transformation? It was hunched over and hairless, with canines and nails jutting out from a wolf in a human costume. She hoped this was the case, hoping that Chen’s pain was over.

It wasn’t.

Jordan watched in horror as fur began forcing itself from under his skin, enveloping him with fur in a variety of colors: white, black, grey, red. Chen's wolf was much larger than its human counterpart; the sweatpants he used to wear torn off and thrown to the side.

The human cries were no more. Now, wolf growls and snarls took their place. Jordan gaped at what stood before her.

He was huge, as large as a bear. Jordan inspected every inch of him from her safe haven. The front of his chest and legs were covered with white fur. His back was covered in grey-black fur intermixed with a reddish-brown.

The wolf’s form wasn’t the most unsettling part. It was his eyes: they were an oddly supernatural element, starkly separate from the wild nature of the body. The eyes that once shone a warm brown were long gone. The pupils were obsidian surrounded by an iris of light cobalt. They glowed as it angered and seemed to flicker with changes in emotion as it beheld the room.

But the “human” aspect of Chen was gone. Since their first encounter, Chen hadn’t wanted to kill her. But his wolf did. It snarled, the vicious sounds echoed off the walls. Despite the meticulous soundproofing, the five researchers could still hear the growling, howling, and snarling coming from the sound systems of the other eleven research labs. For the next two days, that would be the soundtrack to their lives. The wolves were angrier than ever, and all the more murderous.

The wolf in Chen didn’t recognize Jordan. All it saw was another subject that it didn’t recognize or like. It threw itself at the glass, teeth scraping at the barrier.

Despite the force of its attack, the barrier held. The teeth didn't even leave a scratch. The scrabbling of the massive paws didn’t send tremors through the wall. Jordan sat, numb, and watched as the wolf tried in vain to kill her. The echoes of its howls reverberated in her skull.

    Jordan shrank back, closed her eyes and covered her ears with her palms, to no avail. Even if the sound was muted, the snarls sent fear coursing through her veins. A small whimper escaped as the noise continued. Her brain had long grown used to near-silence, and this cacophony of fury was worse than any torture she had been previously subjected to.

    As the hours passed the wolf quieted, though it’s violent attempts to escape remained. It hurled itself at the walls, clawing, scraping and biting. Deep down in her consciousness, Jordan felt a pang of pity as she watched him. While the human part of the werewolf had given up, the wilderness of the wolf had yet to accept its captivity.

    Several hours later, it ceased. It sat crouched in front of the observation panel glaring at its captors, a deep rumbling growl an ever-present hum in the background. The five researchers met its gaze. DaeSung and YoungBae couldn’t help but shiver under the icy stare.

    “Does it seem angrier to you?” Youngbae muttered to his coworker. DaeSung nodded mutely. TOP threw a pen at Youngbae’s head.

    “Of course it’s angrier. It’s been in confinement for more than a year. They need space to roam. The longer it’s in captivity, the antsier it will become.” TOP said. “It’ll be worse for Team Kris, I don’t envy them.” If they really strained their ears, they could hear it. The howl of an Alpha, calling for all of its wolves. They could practically see it: the massive Alpha snarling, canines gnashing as it sought its pack. The humans could hear it as the noises filtered through the microphones, but not the wolves, not through their soundproof glass and lifeproof prison walls. They could not hear their Alpha's call.

Jordan finally managed to fall into a restless sleep in the wild din. The massive wall of glass ensured her safety until the full moon waned. At least for a little while, she could do as she pleased. The small daily meal arrived, though the portion had shrunk again, and she ate it. It seemed she didn’t need to share, which her stomach thanked her for. But they didn’t feed the wolf, which only fueled it’s malignant rage.

    The next morning was greeted by calm. Jordan noted the wolf's limp as it wandered through the room. The wolf had done more damage to itself than its surroundings. It paced slowly, and lagged with every new length of the room.

    The wolf finally paused by the divider, panting. It fixed intent blue eyes on the girl on the other side. The hostility had faded, it was clear that something human had taken its place. Jordan carefully walked up to the glass, putting a hand against it, in front of his snout. Their gazes met, cobalt and chocolate. The look in those eyes seemed tired and sorry. Ashamed, almost. Before Jordan could observe further, his eyes rolled back in his skull.

    The shift back to his human form was much smoother than the initial transformation. The bones and joints shifted back simultaneously with his fur. The hairs melded back seamlessly into the skin, and the bones shrank with no sound at all. Chen’s face returned to its usual structure with his prominent cheekbones and sharp jawline. He stood next to the wall, panting, sweat dripping from his brow. Jordan looked away, realizing the lack of clothing, and hurriedly walked back to her end of the room. She sank down on the bed and did her best to keep watch on him without invading his privacy.

    She startled as his eyes rolled back again and he collapsed onto the floor. Jordan swiveled her head to look at the researchers, wondering if they were going to take any action. There did seem to be movement behind the glass which reassured her in an odd way. She glanced back at the werewolf, and noticed that his skin was stained with bruises. They covered his hands, forearms and sides. The sting of pity hit her chest again.

    The glass wall did not rise. Instead, yet another hidden door opened, and a team of scientists wearing armored lab gear stormed in. They tranquilized the already unconscious werewolf, and dragged him away. Jordan pounded on the glass, eyes wide with concern. Where were they taking him?

    Her question was answered soon enough. After an hour of pacing around her half of the room, the door reopened with a screech of metal, and the werewolf was unceremoniously dumped back into the room.

    They hadn’t seemed to have done anything except dress him in sweats again. He lay collapsed in a limp heap in front of the door.

    The glass wall rose at an excruciatingly slow pace. When it completely retracted, Jordan carefully approached the unconscious werewolf, crossing the halfway point for the first time. She didn’t like looking at him in his state, and felt the need to remedy it. He looked pathetic and exhibited none of the pride he normally did. He was curled in the fetal position, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. She fought the fear pounding in her chest, and placed her forearms under his armpits.

    He was feverishly warm. His skin was nearly uncomfortable to touch. Jordan wondered if that was the temperature he normally ran at. She would have to figure that out later. Her first objective was to get him onto the bed so he could get some rest. He was heavy, almost too heavy. She tried to channel all of her strength into her thighs as she lifted his limp body. Jordan managed to get his torso a few feet off the ground and onto his bed. She then doubled back to lift his legs onto the mattress as well.

    When she had finished, Jordan clambered back onto her own mattress to wait out the day.

    “Interesting.” DaeSung nodded his head approvingly. His three coworkers surrounded him at the control panel. “I thought she would be terrified of him after seeing his wolf.” He swiveled in his chair at the panel to view his coworkers. “Her moral compass is admirable. We chose a good one.” He gave the girl a mental thumbs up.

    “I think she disassociates Chen from the Wolf.” TOP mused. He examined the human subject. “Which is valid. Werewolves’ wolves are usually significantly more vicious than their human side, no matter their personality.”

    “Well,” DaeSung interjected, “We’ll just have to see how they interact when he wakes up. When will that be, Team Leader?” He swiveled his chair to face JiYong. The team leader walked over to a clipboard on the lab table. He squinted at the chart.

    “The sedative was administered more than an hour ago, he should be awake soon.” He glanced back at his team. “The food should be delivered as well.” YoungBae nodded at the suggestion and left the lab.

    “She’s asleep.” DaeSung noticed. The girl was indeed slumped on her mattress. The stress of the previous days seemed to have taken their toll.

    “Tell me when he wakes, would you?” TOP set down his tablet. “I need to go to the bathroom. I haven’t pooped in days.” The rest of the team rolled their eyes, despite the fact they were all experiencing the same issue.

    “I need to go as well.” JiYong agreed. The duo left the laboratory, leaving DaeSung alone.

    “I need to poop too.” He muttered to himself. He pouted to himself, “But I need to ‘watch the lab for trespassers.’ Like anyone is going to steal anything.” He huffed. He propped his feet up on the edge of the panel and placed his hands on the back of his head. He drowsily tracked the lack of movement going on in the observation room. He jerked awake when YoungBae waltzed in, chin held high. DaeSung narrowed his eyes.

    “Weren’t you wearing a shirt?” He scanned his coworker’s bare chest under the lab coat.

    “The 2Ne1 team is working right now.” YoungBae answered with a grin. “I wanted to make their experiment a little bit more ‘entertaining’.” DaeSung raised a questioning eyebrow at his attitude although he was accustomed to it at this point.

“Are you sure you aren’t feeling threatened by the werewolf over there?” He pointed a thumb at the sleeping werewolf. “His muscles are better than yours...” He pointed at the werewolf through the glass. “Look at those biceps. Look at those abs. You’re threatened. Admit it. If he were fully human, even I would have a crush on him.”

YoungBae spluttered in indignation.

“Me? Threatened by him?” He dramatically gasped. “Never. And besides, werewolves are naturally muscular since they’re always running around in the wild. It’s not fair to compare. I’m in a lab all day, I work hard to get this body. You know, I spent nearly four hours in the gym the other-” DaeSung cut off his coworker before YoungBae could start bragging about his athletic accomplishments. To his relief, something was happening, and he was provided a legitimate reason to silence him.

    Chen stirred. His face scrunched as he registered the aches and pains across his body. He flexed his shoulder and rotated his arms a couple of times. As he did, he seemed to notice something was off. He sniffed at his biceps, and then narrowed his eyes at the girl across the room, smelling the air again.

    Silently, the werewolf got off of his bed and slid into a crouch. Cautiously, he crossed the room and scented the air. He approached Jordan, getting closer to the bed, his nostrils flaring. He was close enough to touch her now. As he rose to look at her face, his eyebrows quirked for a second, and relaxed. His movements were slow. His hand raised and brushed aside a strand of hair in front of her face. With a small exhale, he retreated to his bed, still spent from the full moon.

    “What was that?” YoungBae exclaimed. DaeSung thought for a moment, fascinated.

    “He must have caught her scent on him from when she carried him to his bed.” DaeSung tilted his head with a small smile. “I think,” He paused to look at YoungBae “I think that our werewolf trusts her.”

    The clatter of the automatic food delivery startled the individuals in both the research unit and the laboratory. Jordan startled awake, nerves jangling. Her bowl had arrived, the portion tiny as ever. She got up to get it. As her fingers closed around the metal edge, she glanced over at the werewolf. He was looking at her too, a curious and tired energy shining in his eyes. Jordan considered the bowl in her hands and thought about the two days she ate and he didn’t. With a sigh, she walked to the middle of the room, and slid the untouched bowl to him.

    Chen’s eyebrows raised and his head tilted in response. He slowly slid from his mattress and to the floor. He winced as his back bumped against the bedframe. He tugged the bowl towards him and ravenously ate half. He paused when he saw the remainder, and slid it back towards Jordan.

    She pushed it to Chen again.

    He shoved it back to her.

    Jordan sent him a glare that could slice diamonds, and for a final time pushed the bowl back. She crossed her arms, turned, and strode back to her bed. When she turned around again, Chen was eating the other half. When he finished, he sat back back and closed his eyes with a satisfied sigh. His hand, red with bruises, rested on his stomach.

    Jordan kept her small grin to herself. She had done something good in this hellhole. Small as it was, the thought was a comfort to her.

    YoungBae and DaeSung were sporting identical smirks when the two remaining researchers returned.

    “Did we miss anything?” TOP asked. DaeSung and YoungBae swiveled around in their chairs with devious grins.

    “Everything.” YoungBae exaggerated. “Absolutely everything.”

    “What?” JiYong exclaimed. He crossed his arms at their smug silence. “Come on, YoungBae.” DaeSung rose from his chair.

    “In short, we can move to Step 3.” He patted his team leader’s shoulder. “TOP.” He called out to the blue-haired researcher. He held up the tablet in his right hand. “Be grateful I took notes for you, you little brat. I don’t get paid enough.” He placed the device on the nearest lab table. “Now,” He headed towards the plexiglass door. “If you don’t mind, I am going to take a .”

    He left the rest of the team in confusion. JiYong turned to look at the bare-chested, well-informed member.

    “Can we move on to Step 3?” He attempted to clarify. DaeSung could be mischievous and his fellow researchers was never sure what was sarcasm and what wasn’t. YoungBae smiled, this time it was genuine.

    “We can.” He nodded. “Trust me. It was amazing.” He pointed at the tablet. “Daesung wrote down the entire exchange. You should read up.” With that, he swiveled back around to face the glass window. Somewhere within him, he began to cheer for them, the unlikely duo.

    The next day at noontime, a food bowl was delivered.

    Jordan didn't receive anything. But Chen did.

...

As usual, beta'd by the simultaneously amazing and idiotic HunHan623. I'm sorry that these updates aren't super consistent. I've started college again and I'm adjusting to the schedule. However, since my beta starts school next week and I will hopefully have figured everything out by then, I should (fingers crossed) be getting chapters out every Thursday.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment! :)