There are no spoken words inside their pack right after the delivery of the victim’s dead body to Chunnyeon Arts Academy. Not even Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, who are usually blabbering about almost everything in every minute of every day, spoke after all of them saw another victim’s life taken away by someone in their brotherhood. All of them had their suspicions: anyone can be the rogue wolf. But it was only Suho who was sure who the traitor really is.

It was a few minutes before midnight when Suho decided to wear his grey school coat and journeyed into the almost-sleeping Seoul. No one had agreed to meet inside the abandoned museum this evening, but it was by everyone’s instincts that told them that something very important will be discussed inside their pack. After the treacherous incidents that happened for the last few months, trust among their group is shattering into tiny pieces like flesh being devoured by that unknown yet familiar monster.

Just as expected, Suho jumped up the rusty gates of the abandoned museum like how a swift nightingale would approach its nest. He tried his best to stop his shaking hands, and wiped away the cold sweat that had been dotting his temples. Up until now, he’s still not sure of his actions and the right words to reveal the truth that may solve the problem or may deepen the scar that has already wounded their pack.

The giant back door of the museum creaked as the swift wolf pushed it open, the walls reverberating the sound like how the elder wolves howled to worship the full moon. Suho’s light steps sounded very heavy, as if there were actual chains tied by his slender legs. Just as his eyes adjusted to the darkness at a faster rate than how human eyes would do, he finally confirmed that he was the last one to arrive.

All the members of the pack stood there, just by the cracked stained windows of the museum. This scenario may have been a pictorial for a gangster action movie, Suho thought. Everyone’s shadows reflected slightly to the right. Calm and serene faces hiding the boiling up tension that’s been waiting to be unleashed.

Chanyeol cleared his throat to break the growing silence. “We’re all here. What now?”

“Don’t be silly, Chanyeol. We all know why we’re gathered here.” Xiumin answered, leaving the unspoken truth behind.

Baekhyun, who was unusually quiet this evening, constantly looked at the ground and whispered, “Another innocent life had been taken away.”

“We all had an agreement, didn’t we?” Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows this time, scanning the faces inside the musky room.

Chen chuckled, “Well obviously, one of us couldn’t take his hunger anymore. That pact we had has been useless all this time!”

“But we’ve been doing great since we had that agreement.” Lay silently coerced.

Tao clicked his tongue several times before speaking, catching everyone’s attention, “Great?! Is this what you call ‘doing great’? Chen’s right. This agreement is nonsense since the very beginning. I’m actually blaming myself every day for even considering it.”

After hearing Tao’s words, almost all of them ranted against one another, each voice echoing down the museum’s hallway. Everyone wants to be heard, everyone wants this mess to be all cleared up.

“Stop!” This one voice topped them all. It was strange for someone like Suho to lose his control and shout at s, but his conscience can’t take it anymore. He’s unsure of what will happen, but he can’t take it seeing their pack in this noisy rumbling.

Everyone’s eyes fell upon Suho, with his unblemished white skin highlighted by the darkness. Dead silence was heard, until Kris finally broke the glass with his seemingly colder tone, “You’ve got something to say, Suho?”

Upon hearing Kris’ voice, Suho literally felt a tight choking by his throat. It seems like his vocal chords were all locked up. Ragged breaths can be heard from him, yet he’s trying his best to steady himself. His usually white skin seems to be paler in this moonshine, tiny droplets of cold sweat forming by his temples once again.

It feels like he’s inside a cage by staring only at Kris’ eyes.

I need to tell them the truth…

Everyone was anticipating for Suho’s words, but his eyes were only fixed at Kris. He’s not even sure if the traitor wears a smug or a smirk in his face.

“I…” Suho tried to start, adjusting the tight collars of his school uniform.

“…I just think that…we should not lose our temper.”

Everyone fell silent once again. It was the authority in Suho’s calm voice that made them fell quiet.

Suho failed to tell the truth, which made Kris simper. Once again, they had each other’s stare.

The city fell deeper into slumber, yet ten figures were still wide awake inside the abandoned museum. Just like Seoul, everyone was immersed in their own abysmal thoughts. Kyungsoo was with Baekhyun in one corner of the room, and in another minute Chanyeol was walking in their direction.

“How are you?” Chanyeol sat in front of Baekhyun, who was seated on the floor with his legs crossed. He then proceeded to check the forehead of the indisposed one for he noticed that Baekhyun had grown paler after the conversation.

Baekhyun bowed his head, “I’m alright.”

“You sure?” Chanyeol asked, and the other one nodded.

Kyungsoo took this chance to leave the two of them alone, “I’ll just talk to Jongin about something.”

Baekhyun watched his best friend as he approached Jongin, and took in this moment inside the abandoned museum.

He noticed that everyone had been aloof of one another, great distances to be covered for everyone to be united once again. Kyungsoo was talking to Jongin, who have his hands checking the details of the stained glass windows. He knows Kyungsoo, he might talk a lot, but when it comes to Jongin, he only talks about serious business. Maybe it’s about their pack, he thought.

Lay and Tao preferred to be alone after the conversation, both walking on the opposite ends of the room. Baekhyun found it normal for Lay to be alone; he’s that type of guy. He never talks a lot, but when he speaks, he also has this authority that Suho possesses. As for Tao…Baekhyun never liked Tao from the very beginning. He tried to be nice to him, but then he gave up. Tao is as cold as Kris, and Baekhyun never ever really gets what’s been running behind Tao’s mind. It’s just that something’s telling him that Tao doesn’t like him too.

Baekhyun expected Xiumin and Chen to be talking together, and he was right when he found them sitting at a wooden table which may or may not be infested with termites due to old age. These two are inseparable, and how Baekhyun wished that their pack will be like that bond that Xiumin and Chen share.

Just as his eyes were fixed on Suho, Kris walked to the one known for his gracefulness. Every detail of this picture caught Baekhyun’s eyes: Kris’ hand by Suho’s shoulder, whispered words in a very minute distance, Suho’s skin getting pale, and Kris’ sneer.

“I think something’s wrong.” Baekhyun whispered, yet Chanyeol heard it.

Chanyeol tried to look at what Baekhyun’s blank stare had been focusing to, and found Kris with Suho a few metres away from their position.

“You mean Suho and Kris? It’s normal; they’re close to one another.” Chanyeol reassured.

This time, Baekhyun looked at him while slightly shaking his head. “No. I think something bad is bound to happen.”

Chanyeol tried to hush down Baekhyun, who may be welling up in tears at any moment. He gently grabbed his nape to pull him closer to his chest, drawing small looping circles behind Baekhyun’s school coat.

“Everything will be fine. Trust me.” The taller one whispered.

Listening to Chanyeol’s heartbeat, Baekhyun mumbled, “Just promise me you’ll stay with me no matter what happens.”

Chanyeol knew this is not a request from Baekhyun. He will stay by him even if he did not ask him to.

He nodded and said, “I promise.”

“I’m leaving. We’re just wasting our time here.” Tao announced, his voice catching the attention of all the members.

As he was reaching for the giant back door, Jongin shouted, “No one’s leaving this museum!”

Tao had his hands on the knobs of the giant door, but instead of pushing it open, he smirked and mocked Jongin, “Don’t expect me to follow you. You’re not the leader of this pack.”

“We all agreed to not have a leader.” Baekhyun said as he stood up, surprising everyone. He’s the least likely to argue with Tao just like this.

Tao chuckled, turning around to face the meek wolf, “I know. That’s why we’re in big trouble now. Don’t you think it’s the right time to choose our leader, Baek?”

Baekhyun turned to look at Chanyeol, who just have his eyes opened in surprise. He cleared his throat before answering, “I’m not the right one to decide. We all know I hate being…this.”

Tao was advancing to Baekhyun until he’s just a few centimetres away, “Don’t start with your hating of being a werewolf. I’m sick of this!”

Unexpectedly, Tao pushed Baekhyun by the chest. The impact may have been deadly, if not for Baekhyun’s robust nature as a werewolf. Nevertheless, the smaller guy fell a few distances away, wincing as the pain in his back seeps through his nerves.

Chanyeol was fast on his feet to help Baekhyun up, while Kyungsoo loomed and also pushed Tao, but failed since the latter was stronger and taller.

“You don’t have to push Baek like that!” Kyungsoo defended his best friend.

Tao was wiping off dust from his school coat as he stood up, “I’m not the only one who’s tired of Baekhyun. We all know that!”

For a few seconds, Kyungsoo and Tao were just staring at one another, inhaling the same haughty atmosphere.

“Stay out of my way…” Tao whispered.

Kyungsoo shook his head and spread his arms, “No! You’re not going anywhere near Baekhyun.”

Everyone expected Tao’s smirk or chuckle, but no one had anticipated his next actions. Tao’s eyes had turn amber yellow, claws sprang from his fingers, and canines bared from this young man who turned into a beast of the night. If not for the moon which was not full that evening, Tao might have turned into a full beast – a werewolf who’s not hesitant to kill another of his kind.

Within seconds, Tao clawed Kyungsoo by the neck to push him away and advanced to his real target which was the poor Baekhyun, lying defenceless by Chanyeol’s arms.

Upon seeing Kyungsoo bleeding, Kai transformed just like how Tao did and tried to get into Tao’s way. Chanyeol also did the same, baring his canines to protect Baekhyun who was still on the floor behind him. Now there are three beasts that are luckily not able to fully transform into a werewolf; if not for their reliance on the gloom of the moon, they might end up killing one another in a quick instance. On the other hand, Lay was on his feet to assist Kyungsoo and tried to stop his neck from bleeding.

Howls from three beasts of the night filled the dome-like ceilings of the abandoned museum. Tao was very eager to harm Baekhyun, but Chanyeol did his best to protect the meek wolf. Right before Tao was able to bite Chanyeol’s arm, Kai held him by the neck, his claws lacerating the soft skin in the area.

Tao screamed a devilishly loud holler, and tried to reach for the intruder at his back. Tao was more agile than Kai but his movements are so predictable that Kai was able to dodge his attack. On the other hand, Chanyeol was on his attack position, ready to defend Baekhyun in case Tao slipped from Kai’s grip.

Everyone knew that at any moment, either Tao or Kai will be in a bad state, since both of them are groping each other’s necks, red blood dripping from the wound caused by their talon-like claws. Kris, Xiumin, and Chen, all in their beast states as well, tried to pull the fighting werewolves away from one another.

“Damn! You should have let me kill that pup!” Tao shouted at Kai, trying to free himself from Kris and Xiumin’s grips on him.

“Is that what you really wanted to do? Kill one of your brothers?! Well, something’s telling me that you’re the traitor of the pack!” Kai insulted, and just like Tao he was struggling from Chen’s grip on him.

Tao still continued to wriggle out of the strong hands that prevented him from unleashing his anger, “I’m not the traitor!”

“Then who?! You’re the only one in this room willing to kill! Admit it!” Kai insisted.

Tao averred that he’s innocent, and the two of them continued bashing one another with hurtful insults.

“Stop!” It was the second time this night that Suho became successful in putting this pandemonium into an abrupt pause.

Again, everyone’s attention was on Suho, even Kai and Tao.

Dead silence.

“I know who the rogue wolf is.”

Everyone’s jaws literally dropped after hearing the words that came out of Suho’s mouth. Some of them calmed down, like Xiumin who unintentionally lost his grip on Tao, but just like him, the savage wolf a while ago appeared to unruffle down after hearing such revelation. On the other hand, the fortified ones like Kai and Kris were still on their animagus forms, thinking that at any moment, once the truth is revealed, another bloody feast will be unleashed inside this abandoned building.

I have to do this…

Suho wants to escape from this encumbrance by telling the truth. He closed his eyes to the extent that he’s curling his forehead, and summoned his will to speak before his brothers, even if he’s never sure if they’ll still have this fraternity after doing so.

“Kris.”

The pungent ether inside the abandoned museum was variegated with the deathly gust of the convicted beast. Kris gave Suho a chance, but he chose to speak the wrong words. It was supposed to be a secret that the two of them should keep, yet Suho failed him.

Kris’ ochre eyes were filled with rage and anger that he found himself losing control of everything. His vision turned crimson blood, the real shade of death, but that one small figure remained highlighted in this phantasm: Suho, his next victim.

The rogue’s fingers wrapped Suho’s snowy neck, the veins in his hands flexed, showing that the grip is as indestructible as the traps set by the hunters in the forest to capture puny creatures. The blood sipping out of Suho’s neck makes a grand masterpiece for Kris: a perfect scene of a great hunt in a winter night, for the cerise colour of the fluid contrasts the wounded white skin lacerated by his claws.

It was obvious that Kris is taller and stronger, thus it was stress-free for him to lift Suho up the ground, gaining whimpers from his poor victim. However, it was only a matter of time that their brothers were up on their feet to rescue Suho, even Tao who was just as agitated as Kris a while ago, for all of them know the importance of number in this barely surviving pack. They can’t afford to lose another member. The last pack of the werewolves should be alive and running, not dead and numbing.

Kris is strong, but a whole pack moving as one is imperishable. After a lot of struggle on keeping Kris away from the poor Suho, the traitor of the pack started calming himself down, thinking of ways on how to handle this situation.

“Is it true, Kris? You’re the traitor.” Lay asked as Kris was breathing deeply. He was successfully transferred by the other stronger members of their pack at the other side of the area, away from Suho who now had a red stained school coat rather than a grey one.

Kris closed his eyes, just like what Suho did a while ago when he told of the truth. He needs to think fast.

But before he found the right words, Suho convincingly said, “Yes. He’s the traitor.”

“No! I’m not the traitor of this pack!” Kris bellowed as he once again lost his control and tried to advance for Suho, but the ones surrounding him were fast enough to pin him by the wall.

Struggling, Suho stood up and narrated, “I saw you last night. You killed her!”

Tears were forming behind Suho’s eyelids, but he won’t let them fall this time; not this time, after all of the words he said, there’s no turning back. He’s not sure if this will make it all better or just put the whole scenario in a worse case.

“Is this true?” Kai asked Kris, who just glared at him. Kai glanced back to Suho for him to continue.

Suho took the signal, making sure that everyone is listening to him by looking everyone straight in the eye; for them to know that he’s telling nothing but the truth. He’s tired of all the lies after all.

“Right after we treated Lu Han to dinner, we all went straight ahead to the arcade. As soon as I entered that place, I had a bad feeling. I don’t know what that was, and I ignored it at first and joined some of you guys in playing. But then I checked on everyone and found out that Kris was missing. I asked Jongin on where he is, and he said that he had seen him went outside. I tried to locate him and I found him in an alley…And then I heard someone scream…and then I saw…”

Suho paused as the view of the corpse flashbacked in his mind.

Kai asked and prodded him, “And…and what did you see, Suho?”

Suho looked at him, then looked at Kris blatant eyes, and said, “Kris…I saw Kris…”

“What is it that you saw Kris doing in the alley?” curiosity was also filling Lay up.

Without looking away from the murderer, he only said one word.

“Kill.”

Kris tried to get away from the hands that had been holding him, “Do you really believe this nonsense?! I’m not the traitor of the pack! He’s a liar!”

“I saw you! You even blackmailed me to not tell anyone about your crime!” Suho pointed a finger at Kris, which clearly surprised everyone.

Kris showed his usual smirk, “But you don’t have any evidence against me, do you?”

Suho was taken aback. Word of mouth is never a great measure of justice. He doesn’t have any evidence.

“But I have…” Kyungsoo said, and everyone turned in his direction, surprising Kris. Kyungsoo did not see me that night. It was only Suho that saw me kill.

Kyungsoo took the chance to stand at the centre for everyone to see him. He reached for something in his pocket, and threw what he got on the floor: it was Kris’ ID card.

“You dropped it a while ago while you were stopping Tao from attacking Baek.” Kyungsoo said as he stood next to Suho.

Kris furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “How can that be an evidence against me? Don’t be a silly kid, Kyungsoo. We’re not fooling around here.”

Kyungsoo flashed his sweet smile, yet his eyes had that same intensity that Suho had a while ago. “There were drops of blood on your ID. I smelled it, and I can tell that it was not from any wound of yours. Our blood smells different…as compared to a human’s blood.”

Baekhyun picked up Kris’ ID and smelled it.

“It’s human blood.” He confirmed.

Kyungsoo reached for Suho’s shoulder, “Suho’s telling the truth. Kris is the traitor of our pack.”

Upon the confirmation of the evidence against the rogue wolf, Kai advanced and punched Kris by the jaw. His knuckles hurt from the impact of the blow, but he’s satisfied to hear a bone crack and to see blood dripping from Kris’ mouth.

Everyone expected for Kris’ counterattack, but the murderer just laughed a sinister laugh echoing down the hallways of the abandoned museum. He managed to free himself from Chanyeol and Lay’s grips on him, but still he did not attack Kai.

“You’re the traitor of the pack.” Kai said, more to himself than to Kris.

Kris snickered once again and spread his arms as he said, “You don’t have to say it, Jongin. Just believe it. Yes! I’m the traitor of the pack! Are you guys happy now?!”

“But how can you do this? We all had an agreement!” Kai defended, stepping closer to Kris.

At any moment, these two beasts may try to kill one another, making the others surrounding them ready for the possible turning of events.

“That agreement is all ed up from the very start, Jongin! A werewolf can’t live without eating human meat! Doesn’t that make any sense to all of you?! I know you also have this same hunger that I feel, which drives me to kill.”

Kai shook his head, “I’m not like you, Kris.”

The both of them were just a few meters away from one another, yet they still remain calm.

“I’m also not like you, Jongin. Even the bet that we had last full moon is nonsense. You can never be the leader of this pack.” Kris teased.

Kai just smirked, “Neither do you…”

Confusion just keeps on rising as the night deepens. Xiumin interrupted the conversation by asking, “What? You had a bet?”

Without looking at the curious guy, Kris answered, “Yes, Jongin and I had a secret bet, but I don’t think it still needs to be hidden now.”

“A bet about what?” Chen asked.

“The leader of this pack.” Jongin and Kris said at the same time.

Chanyeol shook his head in misunderstanding the whole context, “Wait…we all agreed to not have a leader, right?”

“Yes, you’re right. After the first incident of murder, Kris and I decided that we should now have a leader.” Kai confirmed.

Kris explained, “Jongin and I agreed that whoever catches the deer of the dawn first will be the leader of this pack.”

Mixed opinions were heard from the small crowd.

“That’s impossible. Neither a single person nor werewolf had encountered the ‘deer of the dawn’. We’ll just waste our time.” Tao complained.

Baekhyun backed him up, “Yeah, I agree with Tao. We’re not even sure if it’s real.”

“Don’t be close-minded! What if the deer of the dawn is just in the city? Nothing will happen if we’ll just wait for it. There will come a time that we’ll hunt for it eventually.” Kris hollered.

Silence gloomed the place after hearing Kris’ opinion.

“I think he’s right. Our time’s running.” Lay said.

Kris smirked and said, “I think we should divide our pack.”

“We can’t just do that! Only an elder wolf can divide a pack.” Suho countered.

“But there are no other elder wolves left. I think Kris is right.” Kai surprised everyone with his agreement to Kris’ proposal, but then everyone thought that if Kai said so, it will be for the betterment of their pack.

Suho recited the rules of dividing a pack, “If there are two alpha males inside a pack, they should battle out one another.”

“Jongin and Kris had done that many times already. We all know that no one wins.” Lay reasoned out.

Suho nodded and continued, “Then, if that’s the case, the division of the pack will be by the virtue of choice. Whoever thinks that Kris will be the first one to hunt the ‘deer of the dawn’, go behind Kris. The same goes to Jongin. However, just like what is stated in the council, the divided pack should have the same number of wolves.”

After hearing the instructions from Suho, all of them made a choice and went behind the two alpha males of their pack one by one. On the other hand, Kai was glowering at Kris, and his eyes were telling the traitor that he will never let his treacherous business slip away. Kris just leered for he knows that he will never be under Kai’s supremacy.

It was Suho who made the first step for he already knows who the right one to choose is: Jongin. He would never ever go to Kris’ pack. After all of the betrayal that he had done…never.

The next one to make a move is Tao, and it was already obvious; he chose Kris. By this choice that he made, he had shown the others that like his new leader, he also had the same hunger that he’s been hiding for a very long time: the urge to kill.

Lay chose Kai, and the inseparable Xiumin and Chen went to Kris’ flank.

During this time, Kris was wearing his usual smirk. Tao’s agility and savagery would be very useful for the Hunt, and Xiumin and Chen’s teamwork is a strong base for their pack’s unanimity. Everything is working as planned. Just one more addition to his pack…

On the other hand, worry can be reflected behind Kai’s eyes. He’s not thinking of the Hunt for the “deer of the dawn”; he already knows what steps to do for Lu Han’s safety from Kris’ pack. He’s neither worried for his own pack’s concord. s may not be the strongest and fastest on their previous pack, but he’s sure that they will do the same in case they discover who the real victim is. Instead, he’s worried of the last three wolves waiting to make a choice: Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol.

The last three wolves looked at each other in the eye, sharing the same doubt and uncertainty. Baekhyun beheld his best friend’s stare, and he knows that just like him, he wanted to be on the same team, preferably Jongin’s. In Kris’ team, the two of them would be the weakest and most useless component of the pack. It will only be a matter of time that the ferocious wolves on the left side of the room would choke them to death. He can read the message behind Kyungsoo’s wide eyes: we’ll always be together.

Baekhyun then glanced up to Chanyeol, who was also unsure of their position in this abandoned museum. They shared a promise a few moments ago, and now they’re here, waiting for their shared seal to be broken into tiny heart-piercing pieces. Just the thought of Chanyeol without his side brings tears to Baekhyun’s usually cheerful eyes, but he also can’t leave his best friend behind, who has been with him for all these years. To some extent, both of them had given him different levels of assurance and protection, which Baekhyun had highly appreciated. He can’t…he just can’t…

Neither the three of them can barely move their legs to the direction that will dictate their fate forever.

“We don’t have the whole night for your decision. One of you should choose…” Kris coldly said, his eyes piercing through the three figures across them.

Upon hearing this, Baekhyun held both Kyungsoo’s and Chanyeol’s hands. If they can only be in the same pack…

The next turn of events was unexpected. It was Chanyeol who made the decision: he can’t let Baekhyun and Kyungsoo be apart from one another, and he can’t also be rest assured that they will be safe in Kris’ pack. It will be better if he’ll be the one in Kris’ pack, and the two of them in Jongin’s. Just before he stepped forward, he squeezed Baekhyun’s small hands, the hands that perfectly fit his wide palms. He seized the sensation given by the meek wolf’s touch, for this maybe the last time that he’ll be able to feel the warmth that never failed to give him radiant energy. Without looking at the one he loves, he muttered a barely audible whisper, “I’m sorry for breaking my promise…”

Chanyeol knows that tears were flowing out of Baekhyun’s eyes, but he can’t wipe them from his face since he now made his choice, no matter how much he wanted to.

Kyungsoo then hugged his bawling best friend. Now that Chanyeol’s gone, he promised himself that he’ll be the one to protect Baekhyun no matter what. He’ll be safe in his arms. Kyungsoo felt guilty; if he just summoned up all the courage to be in Kris’ side, leaving Baekhyun safe in Chanyeol’s company and Jongin’s pack, his best friend would not be drowning himself in tears.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve gone to Kris’ pack.” Kyungsoo whispered to Baekhyun, who just shook his head and said something which was muffled by his sobs. Kyungsoo knew that Baekhyun understood everything, but he still thinks that it’s his entire fault. Soon enough, they joined Kai’s pack as they were both welling up in tears.

Now, as the dawn was breaking and seeping through the night sky like blood staining the marble floors, two packs of werewolves left the abandoned museum. The once united brotherhood of the last pack of werewolves rambling this earthen territory of humans was now alienated, varying with their brutishness and aptitudes, all geared up for one thing: the deer of the dawn.