Getting Dal to talk wasn’t as easy as Yongguk expected. He hadn’t planned on disclosing about the situation in Grai, worried that people would use the information against them, but the desperation to save their home and kingdom drove him to reveal the truth. He had no choice but to tell her everything that happened.

The woman kept fidgeting in her seat as she listened intently to every word the man was saying, every single detail seemingly disturbing. There was an indescribable pain in her chest as he stomach churned in disgust. His story affected her more than she had imagined and she found herself clenching her fists tightly as her whole being fumed in anger.

How could people be so cruel? She had also lost her parents in a tragic accident just a couple years ago. The feeling was horrible and she would never wish for anyone to feel the same as well, especially a young boy like the crown prince. Oh how sad and troubled he would be, knowing that their lives were in his hands. That’s just too much for someone so young to handle.

Dal suddenly felt determined to help the werewolves. If there were something that she couldn’t ever tolerate, it would be injustice and cruelty. She would do anything to right the wrongs. However this time, it was easier said than done. So much was at stake, so many lives needed to be taken into consideration. She understood that this time, it wasn’t her call to make. Even still, she promised to help as much as she possibly could.

She began with giving information, although she had to lie a bit here and there, about the white wolf – how there were rumours about a sighting many years ago. It wasn’t exactly a lie, there really were rumours about the said wolf. She was too small to remember but according to the stories she heard, it was an utter chaos back then.

Other than from folktales passed down over many generations, werewolves were completely unheard of. So when the rumours of it being sighted spread, it caused panic amongst the entire population of the village. The fact that they were described as vicious creatures in stories made everything even worse. That was one of the reasons why the Kims decided to keep its existence a secret. They were worried that people would capture it and possibly kill it.

“Have you ever met the white wolf in person?” Yongguk asked, his eyes hopeful.

“No,” Dal answered with a slight hesitation, “Now that you mentioned it, no, I don’t think I’ve met it face to face before. That’s weird because all my brothers claimed that they have.”

“Then, can we meet your brothers?”

“I’ve called one of my brothers to check up on your friend. He’ll be here in the afternoon.”

“Thank you,” Yongguk smiled, catching her off-guard; it was the first time she saw him smile and she liked it somehow.

True to her words, Minseok dropped by at two in the afternoon. His reaction wasn’t that good just as she had expected. He was angry. No, he was furious at how careless his sister was. How could she let, not just one but, six werewolves in her house so easily, especially when she knew exactly what the risks were?

However, as mentioned before, he could never say no to Dal. He just loved her so much that he could never stay mad at her for very long. There was just something about her that seemed to melt his cold interior every time. Besides, he made a promise to his parents that he would love and take care of Dal until she found herself a great husband.

“Don’t let Jongin know about this, or he would go crazy. You know how he is,” Minseok reminded his sister with a sigh before he went to attend to the unconscious boy.

The other werewolves waited nervously in the living room, praying that nothing bad happened to their crown prince. He’s been asleep for quite a while now, longer than he was supposed to. All eyes immediately turned to Dal when she entered the living room and she replied them with a reassuring smile, “Don't worry, my brother is very experienced. I’m sure he could help the prince.”

Half an hour passed just like that and finally, Minseok came out and joined them. He looked rather serious, making everyone feel more nervous. But then a small smile appeared on his face and that was how they knew everything was alright. What they hadn’t expected, though, was for the prince to walk right behind the male vampire, looking very healthy. As if he weren’t injured at all.

“He’s still rather confused so you might wanna explain a few things to him. Other than that, he’s fine,” Minseok explained.

“Thank you,” the alpha immediately said, leaning out a hand for a handshake.

The other male took his hand and shook it rather firmly, as if to warn him not to hurt his sister. Yongguk gave a small nod of understanding in return, with an equally threatening gaze. Although no further words were uttered, the two men had signed an invisible pact and they both promised never to break it; or they would pay for the consequences.

Dal approached the two gentlemen carefully, a soft smile stretched across her lips. She nodded her head slightly towards the werewolf as a signal that she would take it from there, and he immediately understood. He took a step back before leaving the siblings to themselves, the others following suit. The pack needed a meeting amongst them, too.

Still a bit worried, Jongup guided his cousin carefully back into the room, in which the latter found rather annoying. To Junhong, he was perfectly fine and he definitely could walk properly by himself. Yongguk idled in the hallway for a bit, hoping to eavesdrop on the siblings’ conversation. But then, Himchan called out for him and he had no choice but to join them.

“Are you sure we could trust them?” was Minseok’s first question as soon as the werewolves were out of sight.
Do you trust me?” Dal asked instead.

“Of course, noona. But-”

“I know that you’re just worried, I understand. I’m worried, too. But for some odd reason, I have a feeling that they could help it find its way back home.”

“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” Minseok sighed, “Just promise me that you’ll be careful, please? I don’t want anything bad to happen, especially to you.”

“Don’t worry, I promise I’ll take a good care of myself. Besides, I have four strong and reliable brothers that would fight for me, don’t I?” Dal smiled reassuringly at her brother.

The siblings shared a hug before they headed towards the pack. Minseok wasn’t a hundred percent sure about what he was about to do, but he trusted his sister. Everything that he would do regarding the pack in the future would be for his sister, for Dal. He just hoped that she was right, or he would never forgive himself if anything bad ever happened to her.

Daehyun and Youngjae were in the middle of narrating, rather dramatically, to their crown prince of what had happened over the past couple od days he was out, when they heard s knock on the door. While the two continued with their storytelling, the others turned around as the door slowly creaked open. In came Dal with a small smile on her face.

“Are you guys ready?” she asked.

Everyone except Yongguk was rather confused, but they got even more baffled when the alpha suddenly approached the lay with an even bigger smile. That was the first time they ever saw such a bright expression on his face ever since they stayed here. Dal and Yongguk were never in really in good terms, so everything was rather amusing.

“Did he agree?” the alpha asked excitedly.

“With one condition,” the male vampire appeared right next to his sister with a stoic expression on his face, “No matter what happens after this, promise me that you would never ever hurt my sister. I wouldn’t think twice to ruin your entire kingdom. Don’t think that I don’t have the strength or power to do that.”

Despite the threat, Yongguk remained calm and the smile never leaving his face. The vampire was just looking out for his family, he got that. He would’ve done the same if he were in his shoes. Therefore, as the man wanted, he promised with his life that he would never lay a finger on Dal. He knew that they had such a long way to go to prove their good intentions but he hoped that his small gesture was enough to show the man that he could trust them.

Minseok then led the pack into a room at the end of the hallway, one that they had never been to. Looking at the rows of bookshelves attached to the walls and the huge mahogany table just by the window, it must be a mini library. Or, a study room to say the least. Everything looked vintage, though. Jongup could’ve sworn that he saw the first edition of Red Riding Hood on one of the shelves near the door when the entered the room.

Dal was about to follow the others but was stopped by a hand. She looked at the hand that was grasping her arm rather tightly before looking up, and she was surprised too see the face of a young boy. His eyes were staring right into her soul, almost as if he were trying to find answers. For a brief moment, she felt some sort of spark throughout her body. And from the look in his eyes, she knew that he could feel it too. It wasn’t those kind of sparks you got when you fell in love, though. But there was definitely a connection.

“H- Have we met before?” Junhong gathered his courage to ask after a moment of silence.

“I- I don’t think so,” Dal replied, her vice skeptical.

She was sure that they haven’t met before. She had never been to Grai and this was obviously the werewolves’ first time stepping into their ground. So no, there was no way that they have ever met before. However, now that she was able to look at his face more closely, the boy did seem rather familiar somehow. And the familiar churn in her stomach she felt when Yongguk told her about Grai suddenly came back.

Have they really met before?

Meanwhile, somewhere secluded in Grai, a middle-aged man was looking out the window, staring at the night sky while enjoying his glass of whiskey. “How are they doing?” his deep, husky voice asked.

“Not that great, sir,” answered a younger male, “They were ambushed by some bandits as soon as they arrived, and it seemed like they’ve run into some hunters too, sir.”

“Oh yeah?”

“And one more thing, I’m not sure how bad it is, but the crown prince is injured.”

“Did they find the filthy wolf yet?”

The man let out an evil laugh when he saw the reflection of his assistant shaking his head through the glass window before him. “Of course they haven’t, that thing is dead!” he laughed again, turning his chair around, “So, where are they now?”

“That’s another thing I wanted to inform you, they’re staying with the… with the…”

“With who?!” the sound o the desk being slammed echoed through the empty space of the room, startling the poor assistant.

“Dal, sir. They’re staying with Kim Dal, the vampire princess.”

Author's Note

Minseok finally made an appearance. And awww, isn't he sweet being all protective over his sister? :D More informaition about the white wolf will be revealed in the next few chapters, so stay tuned! And oh, what do you think happened between Dal and Junhong? Hmm..... And that scary old man at the end, though. He'll appear more in the near future too.

Please leave some comments below. I accept constructive criticisms, but please be polite and respectful with your words. :)

See you in the next chapter!

Love, A.

Poster and Background by: ＣＨＩＮＧ Ａ ＬＩＮＧ