Jinri's POV

I couldn't sleep.

I was feeling refreshed after a nice bowl of stew Kyungsoo had so kindly made for me. He and Chanyeol had come explain to me what happened earlier; a power surge is how they described it. I was stressed and the pent up power seemed to have activated Kyungsoo’s ability. My body, probably sensing it was in danger, decided the best course of action was to combat with fire, greatest natural enemy to the earth. They told me I was only there for a few moments; Luhan found me wrapped in vines and lit up like a summer bonfire.

And so now, I was lying in bed, staring up at the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling and contemplating how the hell I was supposed to get through the ceremony that was taking place in a few hours. I could hear shuffling sounds coming from the hallway and figured the boys were waking up to go on their run. I knew they were just as jittery as I was; according to them this was one of the biggest events they had to attend as a pack.

There was so much that was expected from all of us, as individuals, and as a pack. But what could we expect in return? It wasn’t like the Council was being forward with what they wanted from me or anyone else. They just expected us to go along with everything. And what else could we do but follow – after all, it was the council that paid for the house, food, everything we had to survive. They were the ones calling the shots, and unless we wanted to incur their wrath, we had to follow their rules.

When did I become we? I guess it began the moment I took the vow to join the pack. I mean it would be official in a few hours, but there was no turning back now. I was knee deep in everything, and I didn’t want to just forget it all. I had escaped the hellhole that was Sena’s house, I found a missing brother, I had magical abilities. I had found a family in the least expected place, and I was happy.

Happy.

There was a war going on around me, a war I had an integral part in, and I was happy. Nothing had prepared me for the moment that I could say I was truly happy, and here I was, middle of the night, confessing it to the ceiling stars. It would have been far too much to say it out loud, but I could deal with keeping this revelation to myself for now.

++++++++

“Jinri, wake up. Breakfast is done.”

A soft hand pushed the hair out of her face, causing her to wrinkle her nose in confusion. The last thing she remembered was counting the stars stuck on the ceilings and wall. Guess it had worked. She blinked and found herself looking up at Baekhyun, a cheeky grin plastered on his delicate features.

“Good morning sunshine,” she mumbled, sticking a tentative toe out of the blanket to test the coldness of the air. “How was your run?”

“It was good,” Baekhyun responded. “But I’m hungry, and Suho refuses to let anyone eat until you’re down there. So hurry up.” He danced out of the room before she could answer and she rolled her eyes.

A glance at the clock told her it had only been a few hours since she had fallen back to sleep. And it was just a few more hours until Yeon Jinri would be formerly inducted into the Pack of Twelve, as a member of the Ulrica, and as a Tamer. So to say she was nervous was an understatement.

She stood and made her way over the desk, where she found a box containing the dress she was to wear to the first day of the Howling. It was the one she had picked out with Taemin; a beautiful red and gold gown that made her feel especially pretty and important. She would never admit feeling that way to anyone, but it was a nice thought she kept to herself.

Leaving the dress in its box, she went down to the kitchen to find that all of her housemates were present, sitting (surprisingly so) patient and waiting for her to take a seat. Baekhyun was right, and she could see why Suho hadn’t let anyone touch the food: everything looked extravagant. There were plates of fruit and several piles of delicious looking pancakes. Breads, jams, jellies, cheese of all kinds accompanied eggs, sausage and other very inviting looking breakfast foods. Jinri sat down in awe.

“You’ve certainly outdone yourself this time, Kyungsoo,” Jinri remarked, unsure of what she wanted to eat first. D.O. shook his head and motioned to the envelope sitting on her plate.

“It wasn’t me, though wish it had been,” he chuckled. Jinri examined the envelope first then tore it open to reveal a rather simple congratu