“Chanyeol.” Aera shook the tall sleeping boy awake. “Chanyeol.”

          “What?” he growled. The feeling of a nearing new moon was getting to him. When he opened his eyes he saw a startled Aera. “Oh, hey.” He sighed with a husky voice.

          “Kris said we should eat before… you know.”

          “Did you put the extra clothes in the woods?” he asked.

          “I sent Baekhyun and told him to put it three miles away from here. I coated it with perfume so we could find it easier if we had to find it. I just hope we won’t have to.” They didn’t want to repeat the situation they had that morning that involved her innocent eyes being corrupted by his body.

          “Don’t worry. We’ll be ok.” He told her. They looked at each other for a while before Aera went out to sit next to Chen.

          “You ok?” he asked, flashing her a sincere smile.

          “Yeah. Just a little.” She admitted with an uneasy smile. She jumped and gasped when she felt something touch her waist and lay on her shoulder. Her head turned to see Chen with his head resting on her shoulder and his arm securely around her waist.

          “You’ll be ok.” He told her in a dreamy tone. “I’ll be sure of it.”

          Aera just sat there for a minute as Chen embraced her slightly, comforting her but making her heart race at the same time. He had never done something so bold like this. He was always the laid back guy with his cool charm, not a skinship monster.

          “Ch-chen.” She mentally hit herself for stuttering.

          “Hmm?” he sighed. His voice was so calm she didn’t want to falter it.

          “I…”

          “You know how worried I was when you and Chanyeol disappeared last night? It made me realize something.”

          “What is that?” her voice was stressed and her heart raced faster.

          “You don’t have to say anything, in fact I don’t want you to give an answer. But those moments of worrying about you, made me realize that I really care about you.”

          Aera could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a second. He eyes were wide and open, as if she was going to say something but she couldn’t find the words to say. Her body was frozen in place and she could feel his soft hair brushing against her neck and his hand gently gliding across her waist.

          “Am I hallucinating?” she uttered after a long silence.

          Chen let out a chuckle and then he did something that took her by complete surprise. She felt a small peck on her neck, right on her moon scar, and it sent child through her body. His breath lingered on her skin before he put his head back on her shoulder.

          “You’re not hallucinating.” He told her, and as if to prove it he laced his fingers through hers. She finally turned her head and looked at him in the eyes. “You don’t have to say you feel the same way, but I just wanted you to know. To know why I look at you a lot in class. Why I like you coming over to the house. Why I like it when you wear my shirts and cover them in your scent.”

          “Chen…”

          “Don’t say anything. When we get back to Seoul we’ll have to be normal again and face our real life problems. Here it is just me and you, but there, there’s Soomi, Tao, and Xiumin.”

          She found it strange that he brought up Xiumin, but she brushed off the thought. He was right about going back to real life. But why does that mean it couldn’t be just him and her? There they would just be a young couple head over heels for each other, not two wolves who run wild together.

          “So she’s with Kris and his pack of misfits.” Suho muttered to himself. “Well that won’t do. She doesn’t belong there, she belongs here.”

          “Hyung, what are you talking about? So what if she’s there with them? She’s just some she wolf.”

          “Ah, there is where you are wrong my pup. She is more than just a she wolf. Would I take interest if she was merely that?”

          “I guess not… What is she then?”

          “She… is my reminder.”

          “A reminder of what?”

          “A reminder that I had made a mess and that I should clean them.”

          The moon was at its final peak of the cycle, shining down in a beautiful yet haunting way. The woods were once again silent, almost deathly silent. Everyone was at the agonizing moment of struggle where their inner demons were fighting the one inside them. As difficult as struggling was, giving in was not an option.

          Chanyeol gritted his teeth as another wave of heat went through him. The chains were constricting her bulking figure and did not allow him to escape. Across the way Aera had her eyes closed as she shut off the rest of the world. If she saw anything it would just break down her mental state and any voice she heard was ignored.

          ‘Aera, come to me. You belong here with me as your true self. Slip up, just once and let the immense power consume you. Let out the beast.’ His voice tempted in her head.

          “H-hey Chanyeol! How’s it going over there?” she asked to distract herself.

          “Just peachy!” his voice was just as strained with hers and thick with sarcasm. “What about you?”

          “Oh I am just living the life.” She growled. Another wave had hit her and she doubled over as much as she could in her restraints. When she slightly opened her eyes she could see someone standing in front of her. She quickly closed her eyes and looked down.

          “Hey, Aera, it’s just me.” That familiar and sweet voice cooed to you. By reflex she looked up but was meted with the person who didn’t own that voice. His eyes glinted with danger and his smile was maniacal and sinister.

          “Let out the beast.” He told her. She closed her eyes and kicked out her foot to hit the person. Surprisingly she did hit someone and that someone groaned out in pain.

          “Chen, back away from her.” Kris demanding tone ordered. Aera looked up to see Chen a few feet away from her. He had actually been there but she had seen Suho.

          ‘Damn these hallucinations. Why am I the only one that gets them!?’ she raged on the inside.

          “Aera, are you ok?” Chanyeol asked. The two of them only spoke to each other as distractions from their struggles.

          “Just fine. You?” she asked in a hurried tone.

          “I feel myself sli