Chapter 5

Kai woke up as the fine rays of sunlight peeked out the balcony, through the curtains. He had not slept well. During the short time that the dream had trapped him, he was dreaming of Kyungsoo, going down a long corridor. He had gone behind him, noticing his essence so close, but with each step that Kyungsoo took, he moved farther away, without hearing him call him, without hearing how Kai’s footsteps became a race that never reached the finish line.

He turned his head, brushing his cheek against the pillow and felt the remnant of Kyungsoo's essence on the cloth. He had slept for a while there last night. Kai inspired deeply. That was his place, although the young man didn’t know it yet. If only he could tell him how right it was to have him sleeping in his sheets, with him, in this house ... he sighed and got up.  He had a lot to do.

One of the first things he did was to phone an acquaintance in the police. He needed to know that the bastard who had hurt Kyungsoo was out of action ... He was.

After talking to his friend, his fear subsided, although only a little. Apparently, the man was seriously injured in the hospital, broken ribs, a few internal damages and apparently his legs won’t be working for a long time, that’s if he managed to wake up from the coma he was due to the concussion. He would not give problems from now on.

His human side felt a pang of remorse for having done so much damage to another human being, but his inner wolf gloated with delight at having eliminated his mate's threat. According to what the police had told him unofficially, of course, it was that the case had been closed as a settling of scores. "He's an ex-convict with many debts and some other problem with the southern bands, the truth is that I'm surprised they have not done more to him ... this guy knows how to look for troubles ..."

Sure he did.

You do not mess with Wolfs if you know what's good for you.

For a moment he wondered if he should go to the hospital to really make sure that man wouldn’t go near Kyungsoo anymore, but his heart was already looking away at that moment.

He took the keys, played with them for a second, thoughtfully, gave them a firm squeeze and left.

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The bell door woke Kyungsoo up. He checked the time and groaned, remembering the class he was missing at that moment. For a second the guilt filled him but after remembering the events of the previous night he mentally gave himself an encouraging pat on the back and decided he well deserved a day off.  The bell rang again.  Dragging his feet until the tiny hall he opened to Baekhyun carelessly, without really looking towards his best friend and neighbour to let him in turning around to head for the kitchen.

“You shouldn’t do that,” said a low, soft voice from the door.

Kyungsoo stopped dead. He turned abruptly and found himself looking at Kai’s frowning expression.

“I thought it was…Wh-what are you doing here?”

“You shouldn’t open the door without asking. It’s dangerous.” Kai ignored him, still standing in the doorway, crossing his arms making the plastic bag hanging from his right wrist to swing hypnotically.

 “He’s the only one I usually expect, I’m not used to other people to come here.”  Least of all you. Kyungsoo couldn’t understand why he should give any explanation about why he did things the way he did it, but the authority in Kai’s pose and his frown demanded answers. Kyungsoo could not help it.

Pleased to know that Kyungsoo didn’t open his home indiscriminately he asked:

“Can I come in? I bought breakfast…lunch?” he said, showing the bag.

“I...don’t...I have to...” Kyungsoo looked around trying to make an effective excuse. He tried to remember how his place was last time he had checked. Had he washed the dishes? Had he picked the clothes from the chairs of the kitchen?

“I just wanted to be sure you were ok?” Kai felt a slight disappointment at Kyungsoo’s doubt.

After looking Kai’s face, this time without a frown, Kyungsoo thought he saw a glimpse of sadness and even if it vanished the next second that made him feel guilty of the animosity he was showing to the man that, even though he scared him a bit, had helped him the previous night.

“Oh... sure, ahem...come in.”

Entering Kyungsoo’s home was like getting in a steamy bathtub filled with hot water, at first it was suffocating, but when you finally sink into it…

Kai closed his eyes and let out a sight. Kyungsoo’s scent was everywhere, it was really comforting and yet his heart was beating even faster than when Kyungsoo had opened the door and he had breathed the air the movement of his turn near the door had sent in his direction. He had to cross his arms in order to not embrace the little thing with bed hair and thin lines from the sheets on his chicks.

After a few moments with his hands forming a tight fist and mentally reciting the alphabet backwards, Kai opened his eye to the view of Kyungsoo running from side to side of the room with clothes in one hand and an empty cup in the other. The flat was small, the kitchen had a tiny table made for two which served as a division with the living room. At his right, there was an old greyish sofa in front of a TV that had to be pre-war at the very least and a few shelves with books and little trinkets and a door he guessed was the bathroom.

He focused his attention on Kyungsoo again, who was at that moment muttering things like “I wasn’t expecting visits” and “It’s not usually like this” or “Please, could you lift your foot? You’re stepping on a shock”

“What? Oh yeah…sorry” said Kai lifting his left foot so Kyungsoo could take the last piece of clothing that was around the space.

Inventory count: Three shirts, one dirty and two clean drying up in the backs of the chairs, a couple shocks fugitives of the last laundry recollection and two teacups.

He couldn’t avoid noticing the redness in Kyungsoo’s face as well as from his scent that he was embarrassed. Kai smiled softly.

“You should see the way Suho has his room, is so messy…You could eat on the floor here, I’m impressed” said Kai showing approval as he brushed his finger against the wall with a big and surprisingly comic gesture to show the invisible dust in it.

Kyungsoo understood what Kai was trying to do and with red still in his checks he smiled gratefully.

Kai’s heart made a jump. He was not going to make it alive.

Leaving Kai arranging the “brunch” in the kitchen, Kyungsoo left really quickly to the bathroom to get dressed and to clean himself a bit.

Really, Kai thought that he could live forever with the view of a just out of bed Kyungsoo, warm and soft smelling of dreams and clean sheets, but he nodded and he got ready to set the food on the mini table.

When Kyungsoo got out of the bathroom, with jeans and a yellow sweatshirt and toothpaste in the corner of his lips they took a sit and they talk.

They talk. A really awkward and full of silence talk but in full sentences with actual meaning. Kai learned that Baekhyun, the guy Kyungsoo was opening the door before, was the same Baekhyun he asked in the bar about Kyungsoo, he was his friend and neighbour.

“Like Spiderman,”

“Well, yeah, you can say that…he’s also very fond of extravagant clothes,” said Kyungsoo amused.

Kai also learned that Kyungsoo was taking account lessons and that he loved cheese.

On the other hand, Kyungsoo found out that Kai worked and lived with Sehun and Suho and the partner of the later, Yixing. That Kai was the director of the Research and Development department in the company and Suho of the Financial one and that Kai hated categorically to wear shocks.

Another thing Kyungsoo was learning is that Kai was a rather calm person, instead of the bully he had thought last night. He seemed to be more… sensible? Well, at least the mythical creatures and the superpowers weren’t part of his speech today. He was also attentive, passing him anything he needed without having to ask. The dark-ish demeanour he usually showed in the club appeared to be diminished, and even though his movements and that passive-aggressive posture were still present… he… liked it.

When they finished eating, now more relaxed with a cup of tea, Kyungsoo asked with a serious tone.

“Kai, what are you doing here?”

Because I need to be closer to you, even though you don’t know why yet.

Because you’re my mate and I’m destined to you.

Because yesterday you scare me so much facing the possibility of you getting hurt and losing you that I need to check you are safe.

Because I want to touch you.

Because…

 “ I know yesterday was a difficult day and I think – well, it has been told- that my actions may have made it worst…so I wanted to make sure you were ok” said Kai lightly, trying to not put more weight in his words than Kyungsoo could understand.

Kyungsoo felt a pang of remorse. The man in front of him might have saved him from something serious and he’d just realized that at no time had he been really grateful for meddling in other people’s business. He was not used to this kind of kindness from a complete stranger.

“Also wanted to tell you that that person, he’s in the hospital, you know? he’s doing fine… um… a bit battered but, well, yeah…he won’t be a problem for you anymore… ”added Kai as an afterthought scratching his neck uncomfortably.

He stared at Kai, remembering for a moment what he saw at the alley. Pushing aside those memories he looked at him again. In the light of day, Kai was even more handsome than in the blinding lights of the club. He had a peaceful aura (maybe a bit shy in that moment). Even though he had been frowning, 7 times, he had counted them. Maybe Baekhyun was right and the violence he saw was not all that Kai was… apart from being a werewolf of course. He mentally rolled his eyes recalling that belief. Also in daytime, that belief was more eccentric than alarming or threatening.

“I didn’t really thank you for helping me last night… I’m sorry yesterday I wasn’t showing my gratitude, I was, really but…” But I didn’t want that the one I feel attracted to was having rare thoughts or acting in a different way than the rest.  After finishing that thought, Kyungsoo realised that, even if he still was aware and really cautious about every movement Kai made, he, indeed, was still feeling attraction. And that was the real problem, cause he thought he could really really like this new Kai he was discovering but he also knew he wouldn’t be able to cope with the other Kai, the fierce one. If a person that strong loses their mind even for just a moment or if in an argument he gets really annoyed... The look on Kai’s eyes was warm, really warm, with an expression he was not entirely sure he understands, that look made something stir in Kyungsoo’s lower abdomen and he needed to remind himself that he was a simple man with a simple life goal with no desire of complicated things.

 “Kyungsoo, it’s ok, really.” Replied Kai, in a soft voice trying to appease the caution Kyungsoo was still feeling around him, he dilated his nostrils searching for the reassurance of his calming abilities when he noticed the slight change in Kyungsoo’s scent.  His heart quickened and, as he recognized the soft but spicy notes of desire mixed with Kyungsoo's fresh scent he almost fell off the chair.

“Thank you, for all you’ve done.”

“Anytime,” Kai said in a low voice, lowering his head slightly to hide the smile that inevitably came to his face.

“And tell me, are you going back to the club tonight?” asked Kai while Kyungsoo was doing the dishes. Kai had wanted to help – cause his mom used to say so–  but staying so close to Kyungsoo with foamy and slippery hands was … dangerous. It was already hard enough to stay at a safe distance from the smaller as it was. And even if Kyungsoo was more relaxed than last night, he still flinched whenever Kai approached him more than necessary. Being in this house made Kai thought that that phrase “heaven in hell” was completely accurate.

“I guess I should… but I think I want to stop working at night time…”

 Kai sighed with relief. Working at nights in a club o something similar was a job most of the time honest with which he has no problem but in this case, he would prefer to see Kyungsoo working in a very boring and dull but highly secured bank. With guards, a lot of guards… and maybe a few guns.

“The only thing is I still need to pay for my tuition and this apartment so I don’t know how to do it yet”

“Why don’t you work at my company?”  Kai said without thinking.

Kyungsoo stopped rinsing the second cup and looked up in surprise.

“And what would I do in there?” asked Kyungsoo, half hopeful and half afraid to even think about working in a company the size of which has Financial and Research and Development departments. “I haven’t even finished the accounting course I’m taking and I don’t have any other training… the only thing I could do there is being in the way, but thanks.”

Inside Kai’s mind, it was already forming a plan of action about finding Kyungsoo a job in the company. It was perfect! That way, he could be in a professional and safe environment, without drunkards, in a 9 to 5 shift and near him. He needed to ask Sehun, who was working at another branch office taking care of everything related to human resources and recruitment to help him.

“What they are looking for its support staff, we are on a staff shortage because our client portfolio is increasing and they want to introduce interns. You could take it as an apprenticeship, so you can keep up with your lessons and then go for full time. ” Kai was already getting excited. He could already see Kyungsoo with a folder in his arms walking down the corridors of his building. He would surprise him in the photocopier room and steal all the kisses that he had not yet been able to give him...

“Well, I guess I could try… I’ll think about it.” Kyungsoo said doubtfully.

They exchanged phone number with Kai’s promise of letting you know about the recruitment and the plea of call me if you need something, anything Kyungsoo walked him to the front door.

After closing it, both of them let go a sighed and while Kyungsoo rested his head on the door asking himself where his self-preservation was, Kai was already taking his phone to his ear.

“Sehun, I need your help,” he said as his footsteps sounded in the tiny corridor.

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The club in the afternoon was nothing like at nights. It seemed massive and full of echo sounds. It seemed impossible that at the peak of the night it was almost difficult to manoeuvre in the space were now could dance comfortably a dozen of elephants and their partners. 

He went out the little office his boss had beside the kitchen with, definitely, his worst headache after staying there hearing his boss yelling at him for disappearing and giving an explanation about what happened last night. His boss was such a sweet man. Then, he went looking for Baekhyun who was scrubbing the dance floor with Jongdae. 

“I did it, I quitted.”

“Well, I guessed that,” Baekhyun said, resting his arms on the top of the mop and pointing at his ears.

“Hey, Kyungsoo! What happened yesterday? Are you ok?” Jongdae said while approaching them.

“Yeah, I’m good. Hey sorry for last night, I saw that guy getting beat up and I freaked out a bit and left” Kyungsoo said, with the same excuse he had told before.

“We were scared that you got yourself in trouble. The police came this morning. It seemed that that man was in a gang or something and someone witnessed a group beating him up.” Jongdae said, excited and fearful. “Did you make the call?”

“No, I hadn’t my phone with me… ” Kyungsoo said while looking Baekhyun out of the corner of his eyes. “I… just… the scene was pretty horrible and I went home-”

“Well done, Kyungsoo! I’d do the same!” Baekhyun said going to the rescue. “Who knows what would happen to the witnesses… don’t you have class this morning?”

“I’m taking a day off,”  Kyungsoo said when a voice called for Jongdae from the first floor.

“See you guys!” Jongdae said waving at them.

“Should’ve told him?” Kyungsoo asked. Asking himself why he still didn’t mention Kai nor what had really happened the night before.

“Later, he’ll understand. What are you going to do now? Looking for a job?” Baekhyun asked starting to mope again.

And while the mope went up and down the floor, Kyungsoo told him about his morning visitor.

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He was going to be late. .

Kyungsoo re-knotted the tie, wrong by the way, and while fixing his hair he thought he was crazy. He couldn't be in his right mind.

After a couple of days of tranquility, going to the supermarket, cleaning his house from top to bottom, studying and listening to Baekhyun telling him Go for it, You can do it or Call him, the phone went off and he found himself standing in the middle of the kitchen with a wooden spoon in his hands and his glasses slipping off his nose, not knowing whether to answer the call or not, looking at Kai’s name on the screen.

When Kai had told him he will call, he really didn’t believe him, not really. But he did.

And there he was, with Baekhyun's suit, going to be late to the interview.

The first sight of the building was somewhat intimidating, it was not one of those super companies that left you with your mouth open, but it was close enough. He looked up, reaching the last floor and he felt tiny. Small and inadequate. He went in.

Tenth floor, down the lift corridor, first door on the left.

Kyungsoo founded the door, he guessed, because there wasn’t a sign on it and spotted a few chairs in one side, so he took a sit while a bunch of people were walking up and down the corridor with papers, and folders and perfectly knotted ties and expensive clothes. He gulped.

To the right of the lifts, he saw an area of desks and cubicles where the sound of phones, the speedy typing and the general buzzing from conversations formed an environmental noise that he wanted to be part of. He squeezed with anxiety the folder where his short CV was.

The minutes passed slowly and Kyungsoo remained still alone in the row of chairs. Shouldn’t be someone else there for the interviews?  With every second passing by the thoughts piled up inside his head, forming scenes and horrible thoughts his brain kindly provided to alleviate his anxiety. 

This was the correct place, right?

 Was it the wrong day or time?

Any minute now, someone would spot Kyungsoo and tell him to go home cause he didn’t belong here, or that there had been a mistake and they were not recruiting interns. Or seeing his CV they would laugh and tell him to go home... He should really go home…What was he doing here? He should be looking for a job in a café or something, this was a mistake. What could he contribute to a company like this? Kyungsoo's insecurity increased at times but he still didn’t move a muscle. He remembered reading somewhere that fidgeting and biting his lips were a sign of nervousness.

He turned his head abruptly when the door finally opened, just to slam shut again.

It opened a bit and-

SLAM! It closed again with even more force.

He heard a whispered conversation. ¿What was happening? ¿Just a look at him and they’re having second thoughts?

The door burst open and a really tall man came out smiling and straightening the collar of his shirt.

 “Do Kyungsoo? Hello, my name is Park Chanyeol, I’m going to interview you for the intern position.” The man said. He extended his arm and Kyungsoo shook it in a firm and professional handshake.

 “Ok,” Kyungsoo said, nervously. He didn’t like men so tall or with so many teeth.

“Well, please come in.” The man led the way into what looked like a meeting room with a big table in the middle and a door ajar at the end of the well-lighted room. The tall man looked carefully at the door, cleared his through and pointed the chair closest to the door for Kyungsoo to sit down.

Kyungsoo handed the man his CV and waited for the interview to begin. In the end, it turned out that the tall man was quite nice, his smile seemed really sincere and the interview was formal but comfortable. He asked him about his accounting course and if he could take charge of checking emails, confirming meetings and other support tasks.

 “The directors of this company don’t usually have a personal assistant because they are quite independent so on each floor, there is a manager and a support team for them. I am the manager of this floor, I take care of the departments of Research and Development and Marketing and among my functions are to arrange meetings, classify documentation and organize a bit that there are no problems with the projects that are in progress. Or in case the directors need any support at meetings or any other task, me or someone of the team we accompany them.  As the client base has increased we’re a bit overwhelmed and you interns will be of great help, I am sure. And if you also have knowledge of accounting that’s always a plus.”  The man finished smiling and getting up.

Kyungsoo also got up somewhat confused. So they gave him the job?

"Thank you," Kyungsoo said shaking the manager's hand, "Then when will I know if they accepted me?" He asked with a small mouth, not wanting to look impertinent or anxious.

"You're already in," said Chanyeol grinning from ear to ear, giving him an amicably pat in the shoulder, "If you like the conditions and the schedule is ok, we can sign the contract now."

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The first impulse that Kai had when he was notified from reception that Kyungsoo was inside the premises was to meet him and taking him to his own office and…well, accompany him to the meeting room where Chanyeol would be doing the interview and desire him good luck. God, he needed to have him close, even for just a moment.

The last few days were really difficult for him. His inner wolf was craving for his mate and keeping it at bay was a continuous pain. After the conversation with Sehun, Suho had recommended him to stay away just a couple of days from Kyungsoo so that the plan could work well. The idea was to make him enter to work at the company in a professional way, not through the back door as the boss’s mistress – to be honest; every one chuckled a bit at the irony- because if things turn up well, Kyungsoo would be so much more than that.

The intern position wasn’t Kai’s invention. There were actual interns working at the company, but every one of them had joined the company through direct recommendations. It was a good opportunity for the younger Wolfs or the indirect family members of the packs to gain experience before joining full force in the work world. The issue here was that Kyungsoo was not a formal member of the pack, and as Suho pointed out again (who every time he talked spoiled Kai's best plans), as Kyungsoo was not used to their habits he probably wouldn’t feel comfortable if he went to work because of the connections and not by merits of his own. If Kai was continuously around him it would’ve been very obvious that Kai was up to something, so he had to spend the next days observing Kyungsoo in order to soothe his inner wolf but being careful to not being seen.

He was gorgeous. He had seeing him going shopping at the groceries store, where he had witnessed his kind side when the small man was helping a women to reach the tomato sauce even though he had to stand on tiptoes himself, or when he had helped an old lady by carrying a big sack of rice on his shoulder from the shelf to her shopping cart.  He saw him getting out his house with Baekhyun and leaving his class, where he almost got caught for being mesmerized without a proper hiding place. If Kyungsoo would have noticed him tailing him… this behaviour was a very Wolf behaviour, expected and desired for both parts when the hunting and mating were in process, but Kai also knew that in the human world was named as stalking and a very large fee and a restraining order. There was a moment of tension when a classmate put Kyungsoo in a headlock jokingly. That made his inner wolf growl and as he was going to the rescue of his mate when the short man surprised him by getting off, easily, with a smile in his face and a quite good judo lock.

He recognizes his scent the moment the short man got off the lift.  He had his heart kind of stopped and now he could finally live again. He ran to tell Chanyeol that Kyungsoo had arrived, giving him advice about how to conduct the interview, be professional for God’s sake, and a few warnings. When they arrived at the meeting room through the inner door, Chanyeol arranged the table with papers at Kai's insistence to make it look like a formal interview while he approached the door. Kai opened the door a few inches and his mate’s scent hit him so hard after those few days without properly smell it that had to slam it shut, with his heart hitting his ribcage and a powerful tension in his groin. He growled.

“What are you doing? He’s going to see you-” Chanyeol said in a sing-song voice.

“Ok, ok, tell him to come in” answer Kai trying to steady his breath, nervously, while Chanyeol started to open the door-

SLAM!

Kai’s hand closed the door at once frightened and hook Chanyeol’s collar, almost choking him in the process as he whispered quickly “I’m not supposed to be here”.

“Then go and let me do my job,” Chanyeol said, rubbing his neck and chuckling. It was very funny to see Kai in that state.

“Ok, yeah. Make him sit in that chair,” Kai said pointing to one in particular.

“So you can smell and see better?” Chanyeol asked, knowing that Kai would be behind the inner door throughout the interview. These Wolfs, seriously, he thought.

The interview went well, he could notice Kyungsoo's nervousness, but Chanyeol was doing a good job, he was kind and cheerful but not overwhelming as he used to be, so little by little the conversation about tasks and questions became more comfortable. His inner wolf growled slightly when Chanyeol patted Kyungsoo on the shoulder, but from Chanyeol's smile, he knew that gesture was aimed at him, and since he knew the human's sense of humour for years, he decided that his manager would need the arm to work and he let it go.

He allowed himself a sigh of relief. It was happening. Kyungsoo would work in the company.

The wait was becoming eternal.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH for your patience! You are a blessing!! I'm currently studying for a very tough public examination and between that and my actual job...Also, this chapter was hard for me to write because is a transition chapter and I found very difficult to go from point A to point B, I hope you understand...

I keep changing the POV, if its hard to understand let me know, please!

So many Subscribers and comments! Every time I read them I wanted to hug you and hide in a corner, ashamed, for not being able to update...Sorry and thank you!!