***If you haven't read my note in the previous chapter, please do so before you continue with this chapter!***  

 It was lunch time and all the students were gathered inside the cafeteria, eager to get food in their system after studying for so long. Everyone settled down at each table with their own group of friends, all except for Luhan. Well, I guess there were the girls that flocked over to his table, claiming there to be no more seats when there obviously was more. He kindly accepted, but kept his eyes on Boram, who was seated at another table, looking uncomfortable and out of place. 

    "Boram!” Hearing her name, the said girl whipped her head towards the cafeteria doors to see the M boys waving at her. Immediately, she felt herself relax and grin back at them as they made their way towards her, which would have been an easy journey if it weren’t for the particular girls who tried to timidly ask if the boys wanted to join their table..

    “Where were you guys?” she asked, once they finally reached the table.

    “Ugh, don’t even,” Tao rolled his eyes, as he continued to sit down next to her. “We’re not in your class anymore.”

    Boram looked surprised at the information. “Why? I thought Father wanted us—” 

    “Yeah, but the administrators said that there’s an imbalance of the students right now, and we were the ones that registered last minute so…” Lay pouted. “But not all of us are moving, at least! Kris and I are staying with you!” He strung his arm around Kris.

    “And we couldn’t change anything without revealing who we were, which is not something we can risk right now.” Kris added.

    “Oh.” Boram blinked, her lips tugging upward.

    “Aww, look, she’s smiling cuz we’re still going to be with her!” Lay coos, practically snuggling against Kris, to which the latter grimaces. Boram just chuckled at the sight, but she didn’t say anything because she wasn’t entirely sure why she was smiling. Was it because she was glad Lay and Kris were still with her? Or was it because she felt less suffocated without all five of the boys having to watch her every movement?

    “Hey, it’s Sehun!” Xiumin shouted, and everyone’s focus was directed to the cafeteria’s doors once again. Sehun spotted Xiumin’s waving hands and he smileed as he walked towards them. 

    “I heard you three are in my class now,” Sehun said, pointing at Tao, Chen, and Xiumin. 

    “Yeah” Tao shamelessly opened his mouth while chewing to answer him.

    “Tao! Just because we’re not at the—,” Boram caught herself, “—at home doesn’t mean you left your manners there, right?” she scolded. 

    “Yes, mother.” Tao pretended to be hurt, and she couldn’t help but break out into a smile.

    Kris gave up on trying to get Lay off of him when Chen joined in as well. But his sixth sense kicked in and he slowly turned to the right so as not to gather attention, searching for anyone that looked suspicious at all. He could’ve sworn he sensed someone watching them. After quickly scanning the cafeteria, his eyes landed on a boy with golden hair. Luhan, he remembered. Kris noticed that Luhan was staring at Boram with an expression that he couldn’t pinpoint, and an alarm went off in his head. Does he know who she is? 

    Kris panicked for a second before brushing the thought away. There was no way anyone could have known Boram’s identity, or at least, Kris was certain unless the information had leaked and pretty quickly at that too. The only people in this school who knew Boram’s identity were the M boys, Sehun, and Serin, and he knew they were trustworthy.

    But it wasn’t the first time that he’d caught Luhan staring at Boram. He couldn’t believe whether Boram was just oblivious or choosing to ignore the way Luhan looked at her during class. But then again, knowing Boram, she was probably too caught up in the lesson to realize what was happening around her. Or, Kris realized, the boy might just have feelings towards her, right? And with that thought, he chuckled because oh boy, Luhan would be so disappointed if he knew who Boram actually was.

    “What’s so funny?” Chen asked, craning his neck towards the direction Kris was facing.

    “Nothing,” he murmured, turning once again to face the rest of the group. Chen just shrugged.    

⃟⃟⃟⃟

    "Dad! Dad!" Eight year old Luhan ran up to his father, Yongsuk, who was busy reading the daily newspaper. He looked up, only to catch the little boy just in time before his face could meet the floor.

“Woah, woah. Watch where you’re going! You’re gonna get hurt if you--” he looked up to face the little boy when he was caught off guard.

“But Dad, I heal quickly remember?” Luhan looked back at him mischieviously…

with golden eyes?

“Y-you only heal at a faster pace,” Yongsuk regained his posture, “That doesn’t mean you heal right away, genius.”

Luhan huffed. “Whatever. But Dad, look!” He pointed to his glowing pupils. “My eyes turned gold! And it won’t change back… Why is it doing that? Am I growing stronger? Do I get super powers?!” 

Yongsuk made a mental note to purchase some brown contact lenses real soon, and he regretted not buying them sooner. In his defense, he hadn’t expected Luhan to react so quickly, though. He has to admit, he was startled that Luhan was taking a leap towards adulthood as an Anomaly, but at the same time, he was happy for the boy. And Luhan’s golden eyes were proof of his future happiness.

“Here. Come sit,” Yongsuk patted the empty space on the couch next to him, and Luhan obeyed with a grin plastered on his face.

“The reason your eyes turned gold is not because you’re getting new superpowers,” he started.

    Luhan’s face fell, and Yongsuk chuckled. Oh, trust me. It’s something much better than just superpowers. 

    “But hey, when you’re older. Much, much older than you are right now, you’ll be a lot stronger, faster, and attentive than you are right now. Doesn’t that count as superpowers?” Yongsuk wiggled his eyebrows, Luhan giggling and nodding in response. “But your eyes changed its colors because your wolf was reacting.”

    “My wolf? It’s never reacted in this way, though.” Luhan looked confused.

    “Your wolf was reacting to… your mate.”

    “My mate..?”

    "Your soulmate."

    "As in the person I'm going to marry? Ewww," he crinkled his nose. "That's really cheesy, Dad." 

    Yongsuk chuckled, and playfully knocked on Luhan’s head. 

    “But Dad, my wofl chose its mate… How will I know it’s her?” 

    “Remember how I told you your senses will be a lot sharper as you get older?” Luhan nodded. “Well, that also applies to your mate. You’ll feel a strong bond towards her, and your feelings for her will be far stronger than any human.. It’s kind of hard to explain… but you’ll see what I mean when you get older. You two will be inseparable.” Yongsuk smiled.

    “Oh, I won’t know right now?” 

    “No, silly.” Yongsuk snorted. “You’re too young! And besides, your wolf hasn’t fully matured enough yet. Why do you think you’re so weak?” And with that, Yongsuk pushed his shoulder a bit, smirking as if to challenge him. 

    Luhan gaped. “You did not!” 

    “I mean, I am stronger than y—“ 

    Luhan tackled Yongsuk to the ground with a battle cry as mighty as an eight year old could manage. Arms flailed everywhere, hitting the coffee table, and Yongsuk eventually feigned hurt as the young boy tried to sit on him. “Okay, fine! You win, you win! Now get off me!”

    Luhan just stared back with his doe-like, golden eyes (which Yongsuk still couldn’t get used to) as he made himself comfortable on top of Yongsuk’s stomach. “So, Dad.”

    “Hm?”

    “Did you know right away that Mom was the one?” 

    Luhan never got an answer except for the pained look on Yongsuk’s face.

⃟⃟⃟⃟

    "Dad! I'm home!" Luhan brushed off his shoes with his feet and walked into the living room, tossing his bag onto the couch. His father, Yongsuk, peeked out of the kitchen door and frowned.

    "How many times do I have to tell you not to throw things? What if something brea--"

    "Dad, I'm not gonna break anything," Luhan grinned, "You don't have to worry about me controlling my strength anymore. I haven't trained for twenty years for nothing."

    "Hey, hey. Don't be so confident about that. You still haven't learned to control your emotions, remember? Especially when you get angry. I still haven't forgotten when you almost transformed to your wolf form in front of--"

    "Fine, fine, I lose! Stop pointing that thing at me, and go take a look at the fish you're frying. It's burning." Luhan pointed his head towards the kitchen.

    Yongsuk sniffed the air. "No, it's not."

    "Yes, it is." Luhan tapped his nose. "Wolf, remember?"

    Yongsuk's eyes widened. "Right." He ran back into the kitchen, just in time to save the poor fish from burning. "Stupid wolf boy," he chuckled. "Luhan! Why don't you go change and come down to eat dinner!" 

    The two sat across from each other as they ate, just like they always did. Yongsuk would make sure that everything was set before eating, and he would always start off with—

    "So how was your day?" 

    Luhan looked up from his food. "Alright, I guess." he shrugged.

    "How's it going with Boram? Is she still not responding in any way?" Yongsuk was already familiar with the situation. How could he not be? Luhan complained almost every day about his mate and how his wolf was frustrated beyond compare.

    Luhan sighed, "Yeah, pretty much."

    "It's been a while since school started though.. She should have shown some response by now.." 

    "I know, Dad. That's why it's so frustrating." 

    “And you said you’re sure she’s an Anomaly?” 

    “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. The way she behaves, it’s not like anyone else. In fact, I think she’s even as cautious as me! There wouldn’t be any other reason, right?”

    "There must be some explanation as to why, but.. " Yongsuk trailed off.

    "I know, I wish I knew why too, but.. what would I know? It's not like I've had another mate before." he scoffed. 

    "Luhan... I’ve been thinking about it since the first day you told me, and I can’t think of any other reason. Don't take this the wrong way, but... are you sure she's--"

    Luhan stopped eating midair and gave Yongsuk a look. "Dad. I know it's her. It has to be! You told me I would immediately know--"

    "And she's supposed to recognize you too--"

    "I know! I don't know why she isn't, but I know it's her, okay? I just know."

    "I believe you, Luhan. And I know how hard it must be for you--"

    "No kidding. I've waited and trained all my life for this, and now..." Luhan leaned his head against his palms in frustration. “I don’t know, maybe she isn’t an Anomaly. But even you know how rare that would be! I mean, I thought she was an Anomaly like me, who grew up faking their identity. If I did it, then that means someone else can, right?"

    Yongsuk just silently stared back at him. He knew what Luhan was going through. Having your senses, your mood, and your emotions heightened was an advantage most of the times, but it also meant that when your wolf was feeling down, you felt about as ten times more miserable than any other humans felt. At the same time, though, Yongsuk couldn’t do anything about it. Only Luhan could be the one to learn to control his wolf. 

    "She was just like me, different from everyone else. I could see it and everyone else could see it. She had a hard time interacting with the others, like me, but she was different towards me! I could've sworn—“ Luhan stopped. He hadn’t told Yongsuk yet about his first encounter with Boram by the creek. He wasn’t sure how he would react, especially if he knew that Luhan had been in his wolf form. His wolf had just reacted instinctively that day; he didn’t mean to sneak out. 

    “You know, I don’t understand what’s happening and why it’s happening this way, but just try to be more patient, all right? And keep your wolf under control.” Yongsuk reminded him, pointing at his eyes. Luhan’s eyes had illuminated brightly so that even through the contact lenses, Yongsuk could see the shade of gold. Luhan stared at him until Yongsuk finally saw his eyes dim to be hidden again. 

    “I know, you tell me that all the time.” Luhan stood up from the table and cleared his plates before heading up into his room silently. Once he entered his room, he shut the door behind him and trudged towards his window without bothering to turn on the lights. The darkness of his room seemed to match his sullen mood perfectly, even though the moonlight shining through the glass felt warm against his skin. He looked up at the moon and softly sighed. Boram.. how long must I wait?