In his dream Sehun is so fast he knows he can outrun anyone and anything.

He’s on a roof, a lot like the roof of his apartment building, but higher. He’s approaching the edge and he knows there’ll be another fire escape, but farther away. He doesn’t hesitate. He leaps at the last moment, sailing in a high, wide arc. He lands smoothly on the top platform.

It’s even higher up here but Sehun doesn’t mind. He’s closer to the moon this way. He likes the moon, especially when it’s large like it is tonight. It makes him feel like he’s large too. Like he can do anything.

The city beneath him is loud and full of scents. He knows that, if he wanted, he could pick each one out and find its source. But he doesn’t want to. These scents don’t interest him. There’s only one he’s waiting for. One he’s expecting.

He picks up on a new scent. Not the one he was expecting, but it catches his attention anyway. It’s new, but at the same time it’s familiar. Sehun recognizes this scent, or at least the base of this scent.

It’s his own.



“He’s waking up.”

Sehun opened his eyes. Blinking away his sleepiness, he stared at the two unfamiliar faces above him. The closest guy offered a small, sympathetic smile. The other guy was tall, and seemed too excited to keep still.

“Who are you?” Sehun asked, and when he spoke he realized how dry his throat was. Pushing himself up, he pressed an arm across his mouth as he coughed. The closest guy- sitting on the edge of his bed- quickly passed him a glass of water from the bedside table. Sehun eyed it warily, making no move to accept it.

“It’s fine.” The guy said, and Sehun realized it was the same voice he’d heard waking up. “It’s not tap water. Well, it is, but we have a filter.”

Sehun wasn’t concerned about whether it was tap water or not. He just didn’t think accepting any sort of beverage in this kind of situation was a good idea.

“Where am I?” Sehun asked in his hoarse voice, really wanting to take the water. He resisted.

“Somewhere safe.” The guy put down the glass again. “But that doesn’t answer much, does it? Don’t worry, I’ll explain. First I’ll answer your other question. My name’s Junmyeon, and this is Chanyeol.”

Sehun glanced at the tall guy, who beamed at him and waved.

“Do you remember what happened last night, at all?” Junmyeon asked.

“I remember passing out in an alley.”

Junmyeon sent Chanyeol a questioning look. Chanyeol shook his head and said. “I found him on a roof, not in an alley. Though an alley would have made more sense. I have no idea how he got all the way up there, or why he’d want to.”

“Roof?” Sehun echoed. “Are you talking about when that freaky wolf chased me?”

Chanyeol looked offended. “I’m not freaky.”

Sehun stared at him.

“So you do remember being on the roof?” Junmyeon asked carefully.

“Kind of hard to forget. I almost died.”

Junmyeon looked at Chanyeol again, this time sharply. Chanyeol held up his hands in defence. “No idea what he’s talking about. The whole time I was watching him he was safe. He even made this really difficult jump to a fire escape look super easy. I don’t think I could have done that after my tenth transformation, let alone my first.”

“You call that easy? I almost fell off the railing...Wait. Did you say transformation? What are you talking about?”

Junmyeon sighed. “So you really don’t remember.”

“Remember what? I was being chased by a wolf over the roof of my apartment, then escaped downtown and ended up collapsing in an alley. What else is there to remember?”

“The part where you were a wolf.” Chanyeol said. Junmyeon immediately tried to shush him, but Sehun had already heard.

“Are you joking?”

“Nope!” Chanyeol said, ignoring Junmyeon’s silencing looks. “I even saw your wolf form. You’re not as big as me, but your fur’s a nice colour, and you’re way bigger than Junmyeon, so those are pluses.”

Junmyeon glared at Chanyeol for the last comment, then turned his attention back to Sehun with a sheepish look on his face. “I’m sorry about Chanyeol. I probably shouldn’t have let him stay in here. He doesn’t exactly have the most... tact, when it comes to explanations.”

“I have plenty of tact! Besides, I’m the one who found him. No way were you kicking me out.”

Junmyeon ignored him and leaned closer to Sehun. “I know what you’re hearing must sound crazy, but it’s true. Last night you turned into a wolf. It was your first time, so it’s not surprising that you can’t remember it. Every time you transform it gets easier to remember, and eventually you won’t forget anything at all. I know because I’m a wolf too. So is Chanyeol.”

Several things went through Sehun’s mind as he stared at Junmyeon, most of them having to do with ‘insane’ and ‘lunatic’. But for whatever reason he didn’t brush off Junmyeon’s words entirely. In fact, after a moment he found himself saying: “I had a dream about being a wolf. It was really short, but I was on a roof.”

Junmyeon looked relieved. “So you do remember some of it. That’s excellent. It means next time you shift the transformation will go smoother and you’ll remember more of it.”

“You’re saying my dream was real?” Sehun asked, “That I’m a... werewolf?”

“We don’t really use the term werewolf ourselves, but essentially yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

“How did I become... this?”

“The same way every werewolf’s made.” Chanyeol said, then snapped his teeth at Sehun.

Instinctively, Sehun’s hand went to his shoulder. Luhan had done this to him, which meant Luhan was also like this. Also a wolf.

As his fingers brushed over his bite mark, Sehun realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Actually- he realized- he wasn’t wearing anything.

“Where are my clothes?!”

“Ah.” Chanyeol picked up something from the foot of the bed and held it out to Sehun. “That was sticking around your neck in wolf form. Looked kind of funny actually, like a cape. I’d say the rest of your clothes were completely ripped apart when you shifted.”

Sehun took the object from Chanyeol, knowing immediately by the colour it was his shirt. Otherwise he wouldn’t have known it was a shirt at all. The arms were completely ripped off and almost half the bottom was missing, leaving the edge in tatters. The neck itself was ripped so wide Sehun probably could have fit his headand shoulder through it.

“Shifting can be...messy.” Chanyeol said. “I never wear clothes I like when I know I’ll need to shift. Luckily that doesn’t happen much, since most of our powers carry over to our human forms. We only really need to shift when we’re hunting.”

Sehun made a mental note to ask what kind of hunting wolf men did in the city. At the moment he had other questions. “Where’s Luhan?”

That wasn’t the question Sehun had meant to ask. Actually, he hadn’t been planning to ask it at all. At this point, he didn’t even want to see Luhan, the guy who’d turned him into some sort of monster and left him to go through the aftermath on his own.

At Luhan’s name, Junmyeon and Chanyeol exchanged troubled looks. Junmyeon was the one to answer, his words measured. “He’s not here.”

“Then where is he?”

“With the other pack, most likely.”

Sehun was sure he hadn’t heard right. “Pack? Like, actual wolf packs? Are you kidding?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not. There are two wolf packs in the city, one of them being ours. Luhan is in the other pack.”

“Then why am I with you?” Sehun asked, then awkwardly. “Not that I’m ungrateful, or whatever, if you guys helped me last night.”

“I helped you.” Chanyeol pointed out. “But no need to thank me. It was my pleasure.”

“The reason you’re with us,” Junmyeon said, “Is exactly because Chanyeol helped you. Our pack found you first, and it’s a good thing we did, especially since Luhan was the one to turn you.”

“Why? Are you guys rival packs or something?”

“Something like that.” Junmyeon said awkwardly, then reached for the water again. “Will you accept this now? We’ve got a lot more to talk about, but you’re probably still dehydrated from the shift. That’s an unfortunate side affect.”

Sehun hesitantly took the water from Junmyeon. After his first sip he realized how thirsty he really was and emptied the whole glass.

Junmyeon watched, then said to Chanyeol. “Could you get him another? Or maybe just bring in the filter?”

Chanyeol nodded and quickly left the room. Sehun the remaining water off his lips. “So your pack and Luhan’s, you guys don’t get along?”

“If you want to put it like that.”

“Why?”

Junmyeon hesitated. “It’s...complicated. We have different opinions on very important topics.”

“You make it sound like you’re opposing political parties.”

Junmyeon chuckled. “I guess it sort of sounds like that.”

“It sounds exactly like that. Now are you going to tell me what these ‘very important’ topics are, or are you going to keep avoiding my questions?”

“No, it’s better for you to understand the situation, before you decide what you want to do.”

Before Sehun could ask about what kind of decision he had to make, there was a knock on the door. A guy Sehun didn’t recognize stuck his head in. For a moment his gaze skipped to Sehun, then went to Junmyeon. “We think he’s going to wake up this time.”

Junmyeon tensed, then inclined his head slightly and rose. To Sehun, he said. “I’m sorry, but I have to see to this. I’ll be back soon. If you want to get changed, there’s some clothes in the bag by your bed.”

After Junmyeon left Sehun got up, wondering about the reason for Junmyeon’s quick departure. ping the bag, Sehun was shocked when he found some of his own clothing inside. After a moment he got dressed, puzzled the whole time.

Chanyeol came in just after Sehun finished changing. He handed Sehun another glass of water. “I see you found your clothes. I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I hope I picked some good things. Your closet’s really messy, by the way.”

“You broke into my apartment?” Sehun asked. At this point, he shouldn’t have been surprised by something like that, and he wasn’t really. But he was irritated.

Chanyeol shook his head. “You left the door unlocked so I didn’t have to break in. But don’t worry, I locked it when I left. Which reminds me.” Chanyeol dug something from his pocket and tossed it to Sehun. “There you go.”

Sehun caught the object easily. It was his key. “How did you even know where my apartment was?”

“I followed your scent.”

“My scent? Like a dog?”

“Yeah or, you know, a wolf. Junmyeon sent me to find your place.” Chanyeol wrinkled his nose. “It was kind of difficult, even for me. Your new scent hasn’t solidified yet, so I had to track your old, human scent, and that’s already started to fade. Still, I’ve got the strongest sense of smell out of everyone, so I was able to find your apartment.”

“Everyone?” Sehun repeated. “How many of you are there?”

“In our pack? Four. Er, five now. Actually, it would be six, counting that other guy we picked up.”

So he was a part of their pack now? “You picked up someone else? Like me?”

Chanyeol nodded. “I was still out trying to calm you down when the others brought him back. You’re a really antsy wolf, you know that?”

“Surprisingly enough, I’m also feeling like an antsy human at the moment.” Sehun sighed. He really didn’t know how to process all of this, let alone how to handle it. “So what now?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “Junmyeon will know. He’s our leader, after all.”

“Leader of the pack?” Sehun asked, and when Chanyeol nodded he said, “So I’m a member of your pack now?”

“If you want to be. We don’t force anyone to join us, unlike the other pack.”

Ah, so that was one of the important topics they disagreed on. “So how did you find me last night?”

Chanyeol shrugged again, but there was an odd look on his face. “It was the full moon, so I was just out around the city. I picked up on your scent and followed you. Even though everyone has a different scent, there’s something the same about every wolf’s scent, so that we can tell who is and isn’t one of our kind.”

Sehun remembered his sort-of-dream, and how he’d picked up on a scent that he instinctively knew was his own, but also different. Now that Sehun was completely awake, he realized, he had started to pick up on scents again. The entire room was covered in that wolf smell, along with other novel scents. But again, there was a familiar scent lingering. And again, he couldn’t place it.

The bedroom door opened and Junmyeon appeared. “Chanyeol, why don’t you take Sehun out? You can help him get used to his new abilities.”

“Sure. Does that mean the other guy’s awake?”

Junmyeon shook his head. “Another false alarm. I think he’ll wake up soon, though, and I’d like to be there when he does. Judging from the state we found him in last night and how long it’s taking him to come to, he must have had a rough time.” Turning to Sehun, Junmyeon said. “I’m sorry I have to postpone our talk. I promise I’ll explain everything later and answer all of your questions. For now, please go with Chanyeol. He’ll look out for you.”

Sehun wasn’t exactly sure why he’d need someone to look out for him, but he followed Chanyeol into the hall anyway. There were doors lining both sides of the hall, and at the end it opened up into a large living room and kitchen. There was a table shoved in the corner of the living room, and Sehun immediately noticed it was missing a leg. Not only that, but it looked like a corner of the table had been ripped off.

Seeing what had caught Sehun’s attention, Chanyeol said. “Yeah, Baekhyun can get a little temperamental when he shifts…”

As Chanyeol snatched up a jacket hanging over the couch, Sehun felt a hand on his unmarked shoulder. He glanced back at Junmyeon who said. “I really am sorry about this. I’ll see you later.”

Unsure what to say to Junmyeon’s apology, Sehun just nodded. Junmyeon pulled back and went to the nearest door, where they were keeping the other guy they’d picked up, Sehun guessed. Curious, Sehun tried to get a look at his fellow victim when Junmyeon opened the door.

The room inside looked a lot like the one he’d been in. Small, with a single bed. Sitting next to the bed was the guy who’d come to get Junmyeon earlier, as well as another guy with large eyes that Sehun didn’t recognize. Just past them he was able to make out the unconscious person in the bed.

It was Jongin.



Sehun and Chanyeol walked through the city, after leaving what Sehun discovered to be an old apartment complex. They were in a part of the city Sehun wasn’t very familiar with, but he only noted this distantly. The majority of his focus was on Jongin.

Had he been bitten by Luhan too? It would make sense. A lot more sense than Sehun getting bitten. That night at the club, it had looked like Luhan and Jongin were in some sort of relationship. Whether it was serious or not, it would still make more sense for Luhan to bite Jongin. So why had he turned Sehun too?

Sehun stuffed his hands in his pockets, scowling at the sidewalk. He didn’t understand any of this.

“So about your, er, new abilities, as Junmyeon called them.” Chanyeol started awkwardly, obviously unnerved by Sehun’s silence. He couldn’t help it though; he had a lot to think about.

“You mean the heightened senses and ability to jump twelve feet?”

“It doesn’t have to be twelve, specifically. But yeah, that’s basically it. And increased strength and speed. You know, wolf stuff.”

“Great.” Sehun said sarcastically. Somehow he wasn’t excited about these new ‘abilities’, not when they came with a painful, supernatural transformation. “Thanks for the explanation.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?”

Sehun didn’t say anything, just kept glaring ahead.

“There’s something else you should know,” Chanyeol said, “About our abilities. All of us are better at certain things than others, and what we’re good at depends on who turned us. You’re really fast, and also really agile, which made it tough to catch up with you last night. Luhan’s the same.”

Sehun bristled when he heard Luhan’s name. Not only had Luhan ruined his life, but now he’d ruined Jongin’s too.

After a moment, Sehun asked. “So the person that turned you had a strong sense of smell.”

Chanyeol’s voice sounded a little off when he replied. “I guess so.”

“What do you mean you guess so?”

Chanyeol didn’t reply right away. When he did, his voice still didn’t sound right. “I don’t know who turned me. I can’t remember it. No one remembers actually being turned, or who did it to them, until they see the wolf that turned them again. I don’t really understand it, but apparently it works that way to protect the purebloods, so that if they don’t want to return to the person they turned they don’t have to and that person will never know who did it to them.”

That explained why Sehun hadn’t been able to remember Luhan until he saw him again. But something else Chanyeol had said caught his attention. “Purebloods?”

“Yeah. Pureblooded wolves. The kind that are born that way, not turned. Junmyeon told you about that, didn’t he?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol looked worried. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell you about it yet...”

“No, Junmyeon told me to ask you whatever I needed to know.” Sehun quickly said, seeing an opportunity. If he could gain enough information from Chanyeol to really understand what was going on, then he wouldn’t have to go back to the apartment if he didn’t want to. He could ditch Chanyeol and pretend this whole mess had never happened. Provided he wasn’t forced to shift again.

Just as Sehun was giving himself a mental pat on the back, he realized that wouldn’t work. Even if he wanted to leave this ‘pack’, he couldn’t. Not when they still had Jongin.

“So why would a pureblood want to turn someone?” Sehun asked, deciding he should still try to find out as much as possible.

“Did Junmyeon really tell you I’d explain?” Chanyeol asked. Sehun nodded enthusiastically and Chanyeol’s doubt vanished. “Alright. In that case, the more humans purebloods turn the more powerful they become. Not only does it make their abilities even stronger, but it’s like making an army for themselves. See, a pureblood can command the people they turn to do anything, and they have to do it.”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “That can’t be possible.”

“It is.” Chanyeol said, then in a quieter voice. “I’ve seen it happen before. We all have. That’s why we joined this pack. The leader of the other pack, he’s a pureblood, and he believes it’s only right for purebloods to use their power over the people they turn. Not only that, but over the pack itself. The leader of a pack has that commanding power over everyone else in the pack, whether he turned them or not. He can even command other purebloods. That’s why Junmyeon left and made his own pack.”

“Since Junmyeon’s the leader of your pack does that mean he has that power over you guys?”

“Technically, but he’s sworn to never use it. And he hasn’t. We all trust him not to.”

“So the leader of the other pack...” Sehun swallowed, not wanting to ask but needing to know the answer, “is it Luhan?”

“No. It can’t be Luhan. Well, I guess it could be now. In order to lead a pack, a pureblood has to have turned at least one person.”

Sehun frowned. “What do you mean it couldn’t have been Luhan?”

“I mean,” Chanyeol said, “That as far as we know, you’re the first person Luhan’s ever turned.”

Sehun didn’t know what to say. Before he could come up with something, Chanyeol’s head whipped around and he peered at something in the distance. Sehun followed his gaze but there was nothing there, just the street corner.

“What is it?” Sehun asked.

“I caught something. A scent.” Chanyeol started walking again, more alert. “Let me know when you catch it too.”

In less than a minute Sehun picked up the scent. He tensed. It was familiar, and this time he remembered where it came from.

“It’s the wolf that chased me.” Sehun said, then at a curious look from Chanyeol. “I mentioned it earlier. A wolf came to my apartment and I had to escape over the roof.”

“It’s a good thing you did.” Chanyeol said. “That’s Jongdae, from the other pack. If he’d caught you, you’d probably be under their control. If not worse.”

“Worse?”

Chanyeol gripped Sehun’s shoulder and turned him around, walking briskly. “Time to go. Before he picks up our scents.”

“Wouldn’t he have already?”

“No. He’s not very good with scents. Despite that, he’s got the uncanny ability to find who he’s looking for. Plus he’s fast. And sneaky. If he sees us, no way are we losing him. I’m surprised you lost him last night.”

“I jumped off my apartment’s roof onto a fire escape and he left.”

“Like you did when I was following you? You must have really enjoyed that jump, to go back and do it again. That makes sense, though. He’s fast, but he’s not very agile. He’s kind of clumsy, actually.”

“How do you know all that?”

“Because I know who – ” Chanyeol stopped, cleared his throat, and said, “Because I’ve had to deal with him before.”

“Is he a pureblood?”

Chanyeol didn’t answer, his gaze snapping over his shoulder. A second later Sehun realized the scent was stronger.

“He’s coming.” Chanyeol said. “He’s probably caught my scent. Yours still hasn’t completely solidified, so it’s weaker. If we split up he’ll follow me and you can get away. Do you remember the way back to the apartment?”

Sehun nodded.

“Ok, head back, but only after his scent has faded. Don’t lead him back there.”

Sehun nodded again and Chanyeol gave him a brief, encouraging clap on the shoulder, before edging into a crowd crossing the street. Sehun kept walking in the direction they’d been heading. The scent of the other wolf didn’t get any weaker, but it didn’t get stronger either.

Sehun tried to be quick without looking like he was in a hurry. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, just in case this other wolf could see him from wherever he was. Sehun suddenly wished he was wearing a hat, or a jacket with a hood, something to better cover his face and hair. The wolf knew what he looked like after all.

Why was he being chased? Did they want to make him join their pack? That seemed the most likely reason, but Chanyeol had mentioned the possibility of something worse. Sehun wished he knew what Chanyeol had meant by that.

Sehun glanced around, wondering how much farther it was to the apartment. It was starting to get dark, which meant he must have been sleeping all day. Now Sehun was concerned not just about the wolf from this other pack, but the possibility that he might shift again if night fell before he reached the apartment.

Just as he got to a crosswalk he was pretty sure he and Chanyeol had taken earlier, Sehun picked up a scent. It wasn’t the scent of the wolf chasing him, that one had finally faded, but it wasn’t Chanyeol’s scent either. Still, it was familiar in more than that it was a wolf scent. It wasn’t Luhan’s, so that meant it had to be from one of the wolves at the apartment. Maybe it was even the scent of the apartment itself, and he’d been heading in the wrong direction. Turning away from the crosswalk, Sehun followed the scent.

Sehun found himself going down an alley as the scent got stronger. It only took him a couple of steps to realize the back of the alley was blocked by a wall. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to see it, not now that night had fallen. That was another of his wolfish abilities, he reasoned. Night vision.

The wall didn’t look that high. Sehun kept walking towards it, deciding this would be a good opportunity to test out some of his other new abilities. He wasn’t in as much of a rush to get back to the apartment now anyway. The scent was strong, so he knew he was close, and there was no sign of the other wolf. Chanyeol’s plan had worked.

Sehun was a few steps away from the wall. Crouching down, he turned his attention to himself, trying to figure out the right position he should be in to jump. It felt more natural to crouch than run at the wall, so that much had to be right. Should he just jump and trust his body to know the rest?

Suddenly, the scent Sehun had been following overwhelmed him. His attention snapped to the wall, where a shadowed figure crouched, watching him with glowing red eyes.

“You’re doing it all wrong.” The figure said, his fangs flashing in a quick grin. “You’re way too close. If you jump from there you’ll hit the wall.”

Sehun slowly rose to his feet. His every sense was alert, and he was ready to flee if that’s what was required. But also – surprisingly enough – he was ready to fight ifthat was required.

“Just a bit of friendly advice. No need to be so defensive. This isn’t official business, anyway.” The figure tossed something to Sehun, who instinctively caught it. “I thought I should return that.”

Sehun looked at the object in his hands. It was his cellphone.

“Oh, and also, Luhan misses you.” 

Sehun’s gaze snapped from his phone to the top of the wall. It was empty.



It took Sehun almost an hour to find his way back to the apartment. Following the other scent had taken him really far off course. Still, somehow he managed to make it back.
Chanyeol was there, pacing back and forth in the living room. One of the wolves Sehun had seen earlier was sitting on the couch, speaking to Chanyeol.

“It’s not your fault. You did the only thing you could. The stupid puppy should have been able to find his way back on his own.”

Chanyeol turned to reply to the guy on the couch. In doing so, he spotted Sehun. Chanyeol broke into a broad, relieved smile.

“He did find his way back on his own.” Sehun said to the new guy, who’d turned around to follow Chanyeol’s gaze. “And you look more like a puppy than I do.”

The guy glared at him.

“Are you ok?” Chanyeol asked, rushing over to Sehun. “He didn’t catch up with you, did he? I thought he was following me but then I lost him so I was worried he went after you.”

“No, he didn’t.” Sehun said. “I just got lost on my way back.”

“It’s not that hard to find.” The guy on the couch muttered.

“Actually, I’d like to think it is.” Junmyeon said, appearing from the hall. “That’s why we picked this spot, so we’d be hidden. But I’m glad you made it back.” Junmyeon said this part to Sehun, then waved at the guy on the couch. “Sehun, this is Baekhyun. I’m sorry if he’s being rude. He’s not in a very good mood.”

“Of course I’m not!” Baekhyun snapped. “The other pack turned two more innocent guys, and one of them almost didn’t wake up!”

“Jongin’s awake?” Sehun asked, startled.

Junmyeon and the others seemed just as surprised as they looked at him. Junmyeon said, “You know him?”

Sehun nodded, but he didn’t want to explain right away. “Can I see him?”

Junmyeon still didn’t seem to know what to think, but he nodded and directed Sehun to the right room. Opening the door, Sehun found the wide-eyed wolf from earlier sitting next to Jongin’s bed. He was talking to him quietly, while helping with the tray of food in his lap. Realizing he himself hadn’t eaten since the day before, Sehun was suddenly hungry.

But none of that mattered when his gaze landed on Jongin himself. He was paler than Sehun had ever seen him, face drawn and eyes hollow. He looked too weak to even cut the steak in front of him.

Hearing the door open, Jongin looked up. Seeing Sehun, his eyes seemed to gain a bit of their light back as they widened. “Sehun?”

Sehun was about to speak when he noticed something. A bite mark, on Jongin’s upper right arm.

Sehun’s jaw clenched. “Luhan did this to you, didn’t he?”

Jongin stared at Sehun in surprise. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

“I don’t know.” Jongin finally said. “I don’t remember.”



Sehun sat by Jongin’s bed. The tray had been cleared away and the others had left, giving them some time alone. Now that they were finally here, together, Sehun didn’t know what to say.

“This is weird, isn’t?” Jongin asked. Evidently he didn’t know what to say either.

“Yeah.” Sehun couldn’t keep his eyes off Jongin’s bite mark. “Have they... explained everything to you?”

“Most of it, I think. I don’t know. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo took their time, but I found it hard to process. I’m still finding it hard.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Neither of them said anything for awhile after that. When Jongin finally spoke, he wouldn’t look at Sehun. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“About getting you involved in this. If I hadn’t taken you to the club...”

“You didn’t make me go.” Sehun said. “It’s not your fault.” It was Luhan’s fault, but Sehun didn’t say that.

“It feels like it is.”

“Whatever. Feel that way if you want. Just know that I don’t blame you.”

“Thanks.” Jongin reached up, running his fingers over his bite mark, like Sehun often found himself doing. He wondered if Jongin was aware he was doing it.

“I really can’t believe this.” Jongin said. “I mean, I always felt like there was something about Luhan, something unreal, but I never thought it would be anything like this.”

Sehun nodded. He’d felt like that too, when he first met Luhan. From his surreal beauty to the way everything faded around him, Sehun had been enraptured. But he’d stupidly thought that was attraction. Even if it had been, to a degree, he now knew it was more.

Then Sehun realized something. He stared at Jongin. “You remember Luhan?”

Jongin frowned at him, “Of course. Like I said before, we were dating. Not sure if we still are. Depends on if I can forgive him for turning me into a wolf freak or not.”

Sehun’s mind spun with the information Chanyeol had given him. “I thought you said you didn’t remember.”

“I don’t remember the night he bit me or turning into a wolf, but I remember everything else. Why wouldn’t I?”

Sehun didn’t know what to say. What did it mean that Jongin could remember Luhan? Hadn’t Chanyeol told him that couldn’t happen?

“Thirsty?” Sehun asked, getting up from his chair. He ignored the puzzled look Jongin gave him as he nodded. “Ok, I’ll be back in a sec.”

Sehun left, closing the door quietly behind him. He wanted to ask Chanyeol about this, why Jongin could remember Luhan when he wasn’t supposed to remember him at all. Actually, he’d ask Junmyeon. That would probably be a more reliable source.

Just as Sehun was about to go into the living room, he heard the others talking. Deciding to listen, he stepped back so he was completely hidden in the hall.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” A voice Sehun hadn’t heard before said. It must have been Kyungsoo. “He told me everything he could remember, and the only things he’s forgotten are those that happened last night. It has to be some sort of weird side-effect, the fact that he can remember, since he was the full moon.”

“Maybe.” Junmyeon said, but he sounded doubtful. “That, or he and Luhan could have had such a deep connection he remembered him anyway, and only forgot the bite and transformation because of the trauma.”

“A connection?” Baekhyun demanded, sounding incredulous. “Isn’t that kind of fanciful?”

“There are stories of it happening before.” Junmyeon said. “If a wolf turns its perfect mate, they remember the other even if they forget about the bite.”

“Ridiculous.” Baekhyun scoffed, but Chanyeol spoke over him, sounding anxious, “Is that really true?”

“I don’t know.” Junmyeon said. “I think it is. Stranger things have happened.”

“But if that’s the case,” Kyungsoo said. “Won’t Luhan come back for him?”

“If that’s really true, they’ll all come for him.” Baekhyun said. “And if Yifan gets to him first, he’ll kill him.”

For a moment, there was silence in the living room.

“What about Sehun?” Chanyeol suddenly asked. “Why would Luhan turn Sehun if he already had Jongin?”

“He turned Sehun before Jongin, right?” Baekhyun asked. There was a pause, in which Chanyeol likely nodded. Baekhyun continued. “Then Sehun was probably just practise. It was Luhan’s first time turning someone, right? I bet he wanted to get it right when he turned his ‘perfect mate’.”

Baekhyun said the term sarcastically, but the words still felt like a slap across the face to Sehun.

“He wouldn’t have done that.” Chanyeol said, but he sounded doubtful when he asked. “Would he?”

The others were quiet a moment, then Junmyeon said. “It would explain everything.”

Sehun turned away, walking silently down the hall. He’d heard enough.

Instead of going back to Jongin’s room, Sehun slipped into the room he’d awoken in earlier. He locked the door, then leaned heavily against it, sliding to the floor.

He’d been practice. His life being destroyed had been nothing more than practice so that Luhan – beautiful, mysterious Luhan – could get things right with Jongin.

Sehun’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Surprised, Sehun pulled it out. The only ones who ever texted him were Jongin and Zitao. It couldn’t be Jongin, and he still didn’t know what was going on with Zitao.

The message, as expected, wasn’t from either of them. It was from an unknown number.

It said: Luhan wants to see you.