Victoria sat back and watched as her wolf took control of her body. She watched through her own eyes, as she imagined Chanyeol had before when he gave his wolf control. It was an almost out of body experience, watching your body move on it’s own, like being in a dream.

Baekhyun hadn’t dropped his glare. It felt like he was looking through her wolf and staring at Victoria. He knew she wasn’t in control. Victoria watched him as he brought his hand up to his face and pinched the bride of his nose in annoyance. Chanyeol was laughing softly next to her. Having told him about her wolf that morning, Victoria could only imagine how entertaining this was for him.

Her arms reached for Baekhyun again, and he took a step back. Victoria felt the irritated growl rising in . He looked back to her again, brown eyes replaced by blue. “Don’t take that tone with me,” he growled back at her. Sighing, he turned around and began walking away. Her wolf followed close behind him, and she heard Chanyeol fall into step.

Don’t run away again her wolf whined once she caught up to him. He didn’t spare her a glance. Having caught up to him, her wolf snatched his hand up that had been hanging by his side. An electric shock went through Victoria’s arm, nothing painful, but something she noticed would happen whenever they touched.

Baekhyun tried to pull his hand away, but her wolf clasped it tight in both of her hands, and clearly had no intention of letting go. “He’s going to yell at you,” Victoria stated, mentally rolling her eyes.

Her wolf didn’t respond, but grinned wide when Baekhyun dropped his hand, the glare clear on his face. Victoria’s jaw dropped. “What the hell?!” she shouted. “You tell him I said-”

Shut up, you’re ruining it. Her wolf growled at her.

“She’s complaining?” Baekhyun asked. He glanced at her and cocked her head to the side. “What happened to wanting to get her way?”

“That’s not what this is!” Victoria yelled. Her wolf shook her head. She’s just jealous. Victoria felt a pit of anger burning in her stomach. “I am not jealous,” she hissed at her wolf, who laughed at her.

He nodded. “I bet she is,” he agreed, and Victoria felt him squeeze her hand.

Her wolf grinned, while Victoria glared at him. The hot pit of anger began rising from her stomach and into . She felt her wolf trying to push it away. “This isn’t fair,” Victoria growled, and Baekhyun turned to stare at her. Then he smiled, a smile she had never seen directed at her. The pit rose in her stomach, and her wolf released his hands and stepped away.

She felt her hands on her head and a hot iron stabbing into the back of her skull. No! You said I could try! Her wolf argued with her. “Don’t you get it?” she argued with her wolf. The pain in her head was an unpleasantly familiar sensation. “He’s toying with you,” she continued. Her wolf stared at Baekhyun again, whose smile had long gone and been replaced with an annoyed expression.

The hot iron stabbed through her head, and Victoria felt like a rubber band had been popped against her subconscious. She blinked slowly and turned her head, glancing from Baekhyun to Chanyeol. She flexed her fingers, and then turned to glared at Baekhyun. She cleared . “That was really mean, you know,” she told him.

Baekhyun rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome,” he stated and began walking away again. Victoria followed two steps behind him.

He didn’t mean it… her wolf whispered in her head. I thought…

“I know,” she told her. She glared at the back of his head, her anger sitting still in her chest. A soft sadness had pooled in her mind. “I warned you this morning. He’s heartless.” For a second, she could have sworn he flinched, but quickly wrote it off. Her wolf whimpered in her head. “Don’t be sad, though,” she said, loud enough that she knew he would hear. “Get angry.”

They followed Baekhyun back to his house and up to his room. When he opened the door, Victoria stood back a moment, waiting for him to slam it. He noticed and held it open for them both to enter. Chanyeol took a seat at his brothers desk, and Victoria marched over to the bed she had slept in the night before. She comfortably amongst the pillows, and pulled the blanket up over her legs. She had fully believed he would yell at her or glare, but instead he sat in a bean bag chair across the room and crossed his arms.

For moment, they all sat in silence, waiting for someone to break it. Victoria looked from Baekhyun to Chanyeol, who did the same. Baekhyun didn’t look at either of them, simply pouting in his squishy chair. Victoria cleared and turned to Chanyeol. “You said you would explain,” she nodded to him.

Chanyeol nodded back. “Right, about Carmen.” Victoria curled up in the blanket, her body sore from the fight and her anger lingering. It was so exhausting to be so out of the loop and pretend it was okay. For the last two days, all she wanted was to go home, back to her life. But her life had been shadowed in secrecy, and here their were answers. In some sick way, she would rather her long-time crush treat her horribly but give her answers than go back to her happy life of luxury and be left in the dark.

“About my parents,” she corrected him. She felt Baekhyun’s eyes turn to her and ignored him. “You know what they do. You’ve always known. Somehow, you’ve always known more about my life than I ever did.” Her wolf whimpered in her chest, and she matched the sadness. “I just want the truth, for once.”

He rubbed the back of his head and turned to his brother. “It’s complicated. It’s just-”

“Then uncomplicated it,” she argued. Her voice was soft and even. Despite the conflicting emotions running through her, she tried to keep her cool. “Just start with the basics.”

Chanyeol leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands into his pockets. Realizing he wasn’t getting any help from his brother, he found his words. “Okay, so you know how we are werewolves? Well a long time ago, and I mean like a long time ago, our species didn’t live in hiding, no species did. The world was a big pool of species all fighting for the top spot. Well, there was war everywhere every species for themselves. Humans were at a disadvantage, so they started making weapons against us. They mined for silver and killed off werewolves with it. Carved wooden stakes and stabbed them through vampires hearts. Eventually, they had become so good at killing the other species that we had to go into hiding.

“Humans assumed they had killed everything off, and the war went down as fairytale. But some people knew we were still out here, and they continued to hunt and fight. They were called hunters. There aren’t many left, and for the most part they only worry about rogues of any species, but they have been known to threat or destroy a pack if they feel like it.” Chanyeol took a long breath and leaned forward towards her. “Your parents are hunters, Victoria. Well known and powerful ones. We stayed out of their way, and they left us alone.”

“Until now,” Baekhyun spoke up but avoided her gaze. He rubbed his face with his hands and continued. “They, uh, weren’t happy when we told them you were my mate. They demanded that I stay away from you. I wasn’t supposed to come anywhere near you.”

Victoria frowned at him and shook her head. “Wait when did you talk to my parents about this? They aren’t even in town.”

“Freshmen year,” he stated. “When we realized you were their kid, we obviously had to tell them first. They would take out the pack if anything came of it.” Baekhyun stared down at his hands and fiddle with his fingers. “We didn’t tell them who was your mate, just that it was someone in the pack. They told us to stay away from you or else.”

“Or else what?” she had begun clinging to the blanket, a sinking feeling in her gut. She didn’t want to believe that her parents killed people; she had always known their work was dangerous and assumed. But it was one thing to think your parents hurt people, it was another for someone to tell you they did. When Victoria thought about it, it made sense. They had been so strict on her when it came to learning to fight or use weapons.

She remember in highschool when she had gotten into a big fight with her father. It was about Tao. He father didn’t want him walking her home, even paid for a driver for her and insisted she use it. She argued that he was her only friend at the school. Victoria had never been good at making friends, and Tao was nice to her. Her father was not happy with her. Didn’t speak to her for over a week.

Her eyes fell on Baekhyun again, who was avoiding answering her. She repeated her question, and he slowly looked up at her. “Or they would kill our pack.”

“I’d like to see them try,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. Victoria looked at him, and he was shaking his head. “No offense, Vic.”

Victoria looked down to her lap where her hands were playing with the hem of Baekhyun’s blanket. She understood why he let her sit here now, why he didn’t yell. He knew all of this and had been avoiding telling her. This was why he didn’t want her. He is protecting his family. Her wolf cried in her chest. Slowly leaning back against the headboard, she released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She felt torn in two. Her wolf cried for Baekhyun, but her heart cried for her family.

“They wouldn’t do this,” she whispered. Victoria felt tears pricking her eyes. “They don’t hurt people.” She looked up to see Chanyeol shaking his head, an Baekhyun hiding his in his lap. She sat up again and ripped the blanket away. “I have to go home.”

Baekhyun’s head shot up, and Chanyeol jumped up from his chair to block the door. “Did you not hear us?” Chanyeol asked. “They are hunters. They will hunt you too.”

Victoria stood from the bed and walked towards the door, and Baekhyun stood up and grabbed her wrist. She fought against him. “They are my parents!” She shouted at him. “They won’t hurt me.”

“They would,” he told her. “They don’t want to talk this out, Victoria.”

She shook him off and continued towards the door. “And how would you know? They aren’t even home yet. I’ll get reese too-”

“They are home,” he argued. “And I know because I already tried.” Victoria stopped in her tracks. She turned to him, and he was frowning at her. “I tried to speak to them last night, and they sent me away. They don’t want to talk.”

“Why would you go without me?” Her voice was just above a whisper, but her words were clear and sharp. The ache that had formed in her chest began burning again, her anger returning.

Baekhyun held his stance. “Because of what the doctor said. Because you weren’t human.”

She scoffed at him and turned away again. “Of course I’m human.”

Again, he grabbed her by the wrist and turned her around. “No, you weren’t,” he hissed down at her. “He had proof you weren’t, and you clearly thought you were. I went for answers, and they wouldn’t even let me ask a question. They poisoned the gate so a wolf couldn’t enter, and I bet they poisoned the rest of the grounds too. That poison hurts you now. Victoria, they are getting ready for war.”

The tears that had been building in her eyes spilled over as she yanked her arm away from him. Spinning around, she shoved Chanyeol to the side. When he moved to grab her, Victoria grabbed him by his arm and turned her back to him. Ducking down and pulling with all her might, she flipped the boy over her back and her heels to race out the door. Shoving it open, she rushed down the stairs and out the house.

Baekhyun helped his brother to his feet. “Are you alright?”

“Where was that in the fight?” Chanyeol coughed and held his shoulder. The twins took their time heading out the room and through the house. The front door was still open from Victoria flinging it open. “Should we catch her?”

“No,” Baekhyun shook his head. “I’m going to follow her, obviously, but if she needs proof they will definitely give it to her.” He rubbed his head as he made his way towards the door. “I’m a bit relieve, really,” he confessed. “I thought she would attack me.”

Victoria wasn’t actually sure of the way home, but she raced through the trees anyway. No one was going to lead her home at this point, so she couldn’t have asked directions. It was safe to say the whole pack knew about her and her parents. It was safer to assume they all knew about her parents threat. But Alpha was so welcoming her wolf whispered. Victoria disagreed.

“He lost his daughter to hunters,” she said in a huff, remembering when Baekhyun accused her of being that lost daughter. “For all we know, he would encourage a fight.” There wasn’t a clear trail through the trees that she could see, so she chose a direction and started running. Her sore limbs screamed in protest, but she didn’t stop. If she stopped, the twins would catch her. She could only assume they followed her.

Something about the way she ran felt familiar, like she had taken this way before. As she burst through the trees, she knew why. In front of her was a large clearing with a fallen tree down the center. Victoria slowly her pace as she walked to the tree. Her hands shook as she climbed over it and looked down. Although the body was gone, a pool of dried blood remained, now clinging to the dirt and grass. A lump rose in as she looked ahead to a small path she had forced her way through. It seemed like so long ago, but she knew it had only been two days.

Shaking off the dread rising in her stomach, Victoria jumped down from the log and ran towards the path. There were torn up roots and fallen trees she had to dodge, but it was long before she passed a tree missing chunks of bark and stained with her blood. Victoria glanced at her knuckles and shook them out before continuing on her way. After a while, she broke out onto the path it all began on. She could see where the path opened towards the main road and rushed past it. The path ended in her backyard, and she slowed when she saw her house ahead of her.

Standing on the edge of the forest, Victoria looked up to her house. It seemed so far out of reach, and the dread in her stomach began rising up . From where she stood, she could see in the kitchen window. Her mother stood over the sink. She didn’t noticed her daughter. Taking a deep breath, she took slow steps into the yard. The grass stung her ankles as she brushed against it, but she hardly noticed. Picking up her pace, she headed towards the back door.

“Stop there!” A loud voice called. Victoria stopped in her tracks and looked around, but didn’t see anyone. “You go back where you came!” it shouted at her. “This is loaded!”

Victoria held up her hand to block the sun and looked up to see her father on the roof with a rifle pointed down at her. A lump formed in the back of . Did he not recognize her? “It’s me, daddy!” she called back and waved. She smiled at him.

The dirt in front of her kicked up, and Victoria felt backwards as if flew up into the air. “I won’t miss again!” he shouted at her. Victoria looked up at her father, tears forming in her eyes for the second time that day. She looked back into the window where her mother stood. Reese was holding her by her arms as she was yelling something. Her mother had tears running down her face.

Victoria heard it this time as the gun went off. Something grabbed her arm and yanked her away. Hot pain shot through her arm as she was lifted from the ground and onto someone’s back. Fire burned through her arm as he carried her off the property. She heard another shot go off and felt the wind rush past her face. Sticky liquid ran down her left arm, and Victoria slowly looked to see a large tear in the sleeve of her t-shirt and something red running down her arm.

The burning shot through her, and she felt a scream building in her. Wind rushed past her face as someone carried her through the trees. Her head fell against their back as all the energy left her body. Hot tears streamed down her face as she sobbed in their shirt. Her arm felt numb now, and the wind sent the blood flying off in small bubbles. She hiccuped, and the person adjusted their grip on her, holding her on his back by pulling on the arm hanging over his shoulder and holding onto her opposite leg with his hand.