Jordan sat on her bed contemplating the new situation. Chen hadn’t seemed to register the food bowl either. His head was tilted in its general direction, but he took no action.

Jordan ignored the hunger that reared its head. She closed her eyes and attempted to see the point of switching again, building a mental roadmap of the experiment. She retraced what had happened over the span of the last few weeks, starting with when Chen had ceased his aggressive behavior.

Twenty minutes later, she achieved clarity. Her eyelids slid open, and her eyes snapped onto the researchers behind the glass. She stood and walked up to the it, placing her mask on once more,now out of habit more than necessity.

The five researchers glanced up at Jordan’s approach and proceeded to gather by the control panel. The human subject cleared when she saw that she had their attention.

“I know what you’re doing.” Jordan disclosed, arms crossed and chin high. “What happens after this?” She raised an eyebrow and fixed a steely glare on the lanky team leader who stood right across from her. The intercom beeped above her.

“Really?” Carrothead’s nasally voice filtered over the speakers. “You know exactly what we’re doing? You’ve figured it out?” Jordan smirked, internally rolling her eyes at their cockiness. She didn’t think the experiment was all too sophisticated. To be honest, she found the experiment severely lacking; there were too many confounding variables.

“Alright then.” She shrugged and plopped cross-legged on the ground. “Where do I begin?” She leaned back on her hands, glanced up at the ceiling, and gathered her thoughts. When she had done so she held up her index finger. “Step 1. Make sure the werewolf won’t kill the human. I don’t know exactly why he decided he didn’t want to kill me, considering he attacked me right away, but evidently he changed his mind. I’m not going to complain. Moving on.” Her middle finger joined her index finger.

“Second step: take his food, see how he reacts, and also make me share with him. You guys assumed that I’d share with Chen out of fear when he got hangry. I’m going to take a wild stab and say that sharing food is something important for werewolves. If it’s pack life, it’s probably like a family, and families share. Anyway, you were right. I did.” She seemed annoyed that she had fallen into their mold for expected behavior. Jordan raised her ring finger. “Step 3: reduce the amount of food and see if I’d keep sharing.” Here she paused and gave a herself a light pat on the back. “And I, being a wonderful human being, kept sharing.” She then became thoughtful. “As for the full moon, I don’t know if you planned that timeline. But I assume that you wanted to see if I’d be scared of him afterwards and would keep giving him his share.”

“And now, since you know that my moral compass is as firm as a in winter, you want to test Chen’s.” She ended her spiel. “So how did I do?” She raised an eyebrow at the five on the other side of the glass. “I’m assuming after all of this you’re going to send us both somewhere else. All experiments need trials, am I right?” The corners of turned down into a thoughtful frown. “Hopefully it’s somewhere nice, I deserve a vacation.” She trailed off and contemplated the idea, completely aware of the confusion she had caused.

On the other side of the glass, the scientists were astounded. JiYong took his finger off the intercom and stared in shock at his colleagues. TOP was the first to respond, abandoning any sense of professionalism.

“How?!” He exclaimed. “I spent months researching werewolf behavior. YoungBae didn’t have a life for half a year designing this procedure!” He collapsed in the nearest lab stool and dropped his forehead on the lab bench.

DaeSung sat in front of the control panel, contemplating the smug girl behind the glass. Jordan seemed to be enjoying their turmoil. She pointed at her head and then shrugged, a universal sign of I’m a genius, I know. She then stood and sent a mocking wave in their direction, heading back to her mattress. As she turned away, the smile dropped from her face. It was a small victory, nonexistent basically. She may have figured out the experiment, but she still didn't have a way out of it.

“Well, she is a hacker.” DaeSung admitted as he contemplated her retreating back. “We underestimated that brain of hers.”

“Evidently.” JiYong finally spoke up, thoughts circling in his head. “Ignore her.” He stated to his subordinates. “She’s trying to intimidate us. Keep to the plan. All of you keep taking notes and monitoring.” He headed towards the lab entrance, shedding his lab coat.

“Team Leader, where are you going?” TOP looked up from his tablet. JiYong turned to the researcher. He didn’t answer right away.

“I’m going to report our progress.” He replied slowly. With that, he disappeared through the door with a quiet swish of his lab coat. TOP raised his eyebrows at JiYong’s vagueness, but didn’t question it. His team leader always knew what he was doing. He turned back to the window.

“He still hasn’t eaten.” YoungBae noted. “That’s odd. What’s he doing?”

“Thinking.” TOP responded. “Look at him. He’s biting on his lower lip. His head is tilted and eyes are narrowed. He keeps glancing at her.” He answered, pointing out each behavior with his stylus.

The werewolf stayed in the same position for a while. When he finally did move, the movement was so seamless no one noticed. He made no noise, gave no indication. Jordan only realized that he moved when the clink of the bowl reached her ears.

    He strided over to the middle of the room and set the bowl down. He slowly sat down next to it, a small groan of discomfort escaping his mouth. His wolf-inflicted injuries had not yet healed. When he finally got himself settled in a cross-legged position, he placed his hands in his lap and cast a long look at Jordan, a rather bored expression on his face.

    Jordan raised an eyebrow at him. Did he expect her to go over there and eat with him? Like they were friends? In her opinion, just because she trusted him to not kill her didn’t mean that they were suddenly chums. Her eyebrows furrowed over a disapproving glare. Boredom battled with disapproval until Chen finally relented, and scooped up the bowl with a shrug.

    He ate with his hands, Jordan noticed. It wasn’t uncivilized by any means, it just seemed wild. He ignored the utensils and constructed a small separate tower of the rice, meat and vegetables with his hands. Then he’d quickly duck his head down and eat the tower. It reminded her of the motions that dogs went through to eat. It made her wonder what wild werewolves ate. She assumed that they hunted, but couldn’t imagine that they would cook the meat. Did they eat their kills raw? Did their stomachs have that capability?

    She closed her eyes, losing sight of the chewing werewolf to the back of her eyelids. The hacker thought back to the thousands of files she had stolen two years ago. She filtered past the gruesome memories of mutilated centaurs and fuzzy-eyed fairies. She focused on the werewolves and the attached DNA experiments. Humans had wanted their capabilities because in a sense, werewolves were better than humans in every respect. They had amplified senses, superior strength, unbeatable stamina, and an uncanny ability to adapt to whatever environment they lived in. However, they had to deal with the complications of the full moon, and the dangerous implications of having a wild animal share a body.

    Jordan hadn’t noticed any particular differences in Chen’s physical appearance. She opened her eyes again. She examined him from afar, setting an internal goal to remain objective.

Jordan first noticed he wasn’t overly tall, a far cry from the monstrous depictions in the media. His eyes, nose, and ears didn’t display any wolfish qualities, hiding their amplified abilities under a human facade. He was tanned, probably remnants of years wandering in the wild. His hair seemed to have the same texture as human hair. Jordan noted that it hadn’t seemed to have grown in the months she’d seen him. Chen was also well-built. His muscles weren’t obnoxious, however, like the men who dedicated their lives to the gym. They didn't shout their presence, they whispered it. But they were there, even an action as simple as eating caused the muscles in his arms to bob. Against her will she felt a burning rise in her cheeks. In her ribcage, Jordan felt her heart beat just a slight bit faster.

    Jordan knew that her attempt at being objective had failed when Chen glanced at her. She knew why: he could hear the shift in her heart beat. He might have even felt the temperature change as well. She shifted her gaze and ignored him. Unbeknownst to her, Chen gave himself a cursory glance, a self-satisfied grin crossing his face. He finished the meal, leaving half, and crossed the room to his bed again. When his back was turned, Jordan snuck another glance at his silent movements.

The way he moved signified an understanding of his body that most humans didn’t possess. The way he moved was fluid. When he was still, he was a statue. He was silent, only producing sound when he did so intentionally. Jordan wondered if all werewolves looked and moved like he did. No wonder humans were envious. No wonder they wanted to separate the wolf and use their DNA for their own.

But the disgust of those memories was cut off by a prick of irritation; Chen had left the bowl in the middle of the room. By doing so, he was forcing her to move closer to him. She wasn’t sure if werewolves knew psychology, because he seemed to know exactly how to annoy her. Reluctantly she slid from the mattress to the floor, and wormed her way over to the center of the room. Chen’s eyes followed her movements with amusement.

Jordan contemplated taking the bowl back to her bed to eat, but a rare bout of laziness seemed to have overcome her. She shook it off, her usual job was sitting at a computer after all. She wasn’t an athlete. She nabbed the spoon resting on the floor, wiped it off on her tank top and slowly tried to savor the dull flavors. If the experiment was going the way she knew it was going, it would disappear soon.

The next day, when the food was dropped again, the werewolf did the same thing. Chen moved the bowl to the middle and sat there. Jordan scowled at him until he decided to eat by himself. He’d devour the food piles he made and return to his bed. Then and only then would Jordan move to the center of the room.

DaeSung and YoungBae watched their exchanges with amusement.

“They’re like the same person, have you noticed?” YoungBae chuckled. “They both like to mess with us. And now they just aggravate each other.”

“Remember the time he mooned us?” TOP chortled from his seat at the lab table. “In the beginning when he wasn’t angry?” DaeSung died with laughter at the memory. He clutched his tablet for dear life.

“Do you remember Team Leader’s face?” He managed to choke out through his guffaws. The entire team collectively snorted, bent over with mirth. For a moment, they failed to pay attention to the game of cat and mouse happening in the other room. Though in this case, it was a game of cat and cat, because both were too smart and stubborn to be outsmarted by the other.

Jordan, as much as she hated it, gave in first. After a week, Chen stubbornly refused to touch his food unless she sat down with him. She made him wait about two hours, to no avail. When the hunger had become too insistent, she reluctantly dragged herself to the center of the room, grabbed the spoon and shoved a spoonful of rice into . She had no clue what Chen was being stubborn about. The food portions were already diminishing. There was really only one bite of meat left, and the rice and vegetables had been reduced as well.

She decided that she would have to teach the werewolf how to eat efficiently. At the current rate he was going, he would finish everything on the plate in one bite. Not only was his eating method loud and messy, it was also incredibly detrimental in the long run. He rapidly chomped down on the rice, attempting to rid himself of the ache in his stomach. Jordan tried to nurse the growing irritation back into calm as the piles disappeared, but failed. She intervened before she could stop herself.

He was about to wolf down his bite when she raised her hand in his face. His eyebrows shot up as he looked up at her. She was startlingly reminded of a puppy when he did so. Jordan ignored his reaction and beckoned for him to move his head away from his food. With her spoon, she divided up the little mountain. A small growl snuck past Chen’s teeth when she touched his portion. Her hands shot up, on either side of her head in a defensive gesture. Jordan moved one hand again, pointing at the small piles with her spoon. She pointed to a pile, then his mouth, repeating the process with every tiny mountain. She was relatively certain her message was clear enough.

Chen lowered his head and up every little mountain in one inhale. He chewed while grinning cheekily at her.

Jordan left the space, suppressing the urge to smack him upside the head with her spoon.

Meanwhile, the team leader was busy. His team remained unaware, but he was setting up the logistics of the next stages. Specifically the third trial of the experiment. Kwon JiYong drove all across the country to the different offices to finalize funding and talk to the other team leaders. He wanted to make sure that his experiment would be perfect. He would not have his first project as leader be a botched one.

He had found a nice area. Standing in front of the site, the researcher thought that it was suitably rural, but close enough to a town center where it wouldn’t be inconvenient for the two. He contemplated the risk of providing her with internet, and the possibility of potential injury with someone so close by. His phone buzzed before he could continue.

“This is Team Leader Kwon.” He recited into the receiver.

“Ah, JiYong.” A voice he did not commonly hear trickled over.

“M-Mr. President!” JiYong stuttered. He fumbled with his suit and tie, even though he knew he wouldn’t be seen. “How can I help you?”

“I want to meet with you. Today, if possible.” The president answered. JiYong checked his watch. He had several meetings lined up, but he would have to cancel them. If it was for his employer, he would have to, no matter how much it inconvenienced him. No one missed a meeting with the president.

“Of course. What time would you like to meet?” He asked politely. His employer suggested a time. JiYong glanced at his watch. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. He wouldn’t be able to make it on time, even if he sped through all of the speed limits.

“I’m sorry, President, if we could push it back just one hour-”

“Oh, I’m sorry JiYong,” The voice cut him short. “Am I inconveniencing you?” Even through the static of the phone, JiYong could feel the danger raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

“Not at all, President.” The subordinate hung his head and closed his eyes in resigned frustration. “I can meet you at that time, as planned.” He gritted his teeth and hurried to his car. If he was going to make it in time, he would have to speed, cut through all stop signs, go through stop lights, and take no breaks for the next three hours. He sincerely hoped there were no cops on the road that day, because he was going to have to break many laws.

Despite the short notice, JiYong did make it in time, flustered and scatterbrained from the numerous crashes he'd almost caused due to his irresponsible driving. The researcher dashed through the main building of YG research, sweeping back his hair and fixing his suit in the process. He hurriedly greeted the secretaries as he made for the elevator.

    JiYong practically flew through the corridors leading to the President's office. He stopped short just outside and adjusted everything once more. He internally cursed his orange hair. He had never met the president before and never fathomed he would. When he made sure that his external appearance, save his hair, was immaculate, he knocked on the door.

    “Come in.” The familiar voice called out from inside. JiYong pushed open the heavy wooden door. The office was enormous, comprised entirely of glass, marble, and redwood. YG’s president sat behind a grand desk that matched its surroundings. “Ah, JiYong.”

    “You wanted to see me, Mr. President?” JiYong bowed.

    “I did.” The President gave the researcher a pointed stare. “I’ve heard you’re causing quite a big bang in the werewolf-human relations experiment.” JiYong couldn’t help but let a small smile slip onto his face. He bowed humbly.

“I’m thankful to have been afforded the honor of leading the project, Mr. President.” His employer quickly brushed his words to the side.

“Tell me who the subjects are.”

“Chen, Mr. President.” JiYong hesitated to say the human subject’s name. He was perfectly aware of how she related to YG’s president. “He’s one of the betas.”

“And the human subject?” The president narrowed his eyes at him, aware of the researcher's attempt to conceal the information. JiYong winced imperceptibly, hesitating before he responded.

“Jordan Chang, Mr. President.” He let the dreaded name slip from his mouth.

The silence resonated. The president’s face was perfectly expressionless. JiYong was terrified, feeling the tension crackle in the air.

“JiYong.” The president leaned back in his chair, fingers resting against his chin. “Have you heard of Jordan Chang? Have you heard about what she did to this company? Two years ago?”

“We pulled prisoners from the assigned facilit-”

“You knew what she did to us. This company.” He slammed his hands on the desk, rattling its contents. “And yet you placed her in this experiment?” JiYong took a long inhale, carefully evaluating his next words.

“We did not expect for our experiment to have achieved such success with that particular subject. As a scientist,” Here JiYong paused and looked his employer in the eye. “I used the resources I was provided and acted according to the protocol I was instructed to follow. With that in mind, I will not stop this trial. I will continue until it fails.” The president leaned back in his chair at this small rebellion.

“When it fails,” He reiterated, eyes cold. “Make sure it fails completely. I will not keep that loose end lying around. She has been a thorn in my side for too long: Jordan Chang. Evidently I didn’t do enough to get rid of her the first time.” JiYong felt a chill go down his spine at the cold tone.

“Yes, sir.”

***

Hellllloooooo everybody! Once again, thank you to da stoooopid but truly stupendous and majestic HunHan623.

Herein begins our new schedule! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Leave comments, constructive criticism, whatever you want, I read it all!

Special acknowledgements to Ghostotter, Shooka24, and XaceX13 for upvoting this story! I really truly love you guys and appreciate it!

See you next week!