Hazzah I found my USB drive and was able to update! The FanFiction Gods are watching after me!

So . . . slight warning. This isn't a very exciting chapter but necessary. I rather like it though haha. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this update! 

I'M BACK BABY!!!!! :D

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Lay finished with the boy and sat back in his chair. Those bastards had done some serious damage to the pup. His body would need a ton of energy to heal and that meant he wouldn’t wake up for a good while. But he had only had one bullet lodged into his shoulder whereas the girl . . . he turned his attention to the girl who was sleeping restlessly in her bed. He could only wonder what they had done to her. It made him wonder—how powerful was she that it required the Ferals to stick so many in her?

She whimpered and tossed yet again on the bed. Worried, Lay went to her side to check on her. She was sweating badly, mumbling in her sleep, the sheets clutched tightly in her hand. He noted that her nails were elongated and ripping into the bed. His eyes strayed to her face, twisted into a terrified face, to the scar marring her face. What had happened to this girl?

The gentler side of him wanted to help her however she could—she was an injured animal in mind and body. But that same knowledge stayed his hand. When cornered, an injured animal could become the deadliest enemy. He needed to talk to Kris.

Kris finally found what he was looking for. He laid the paper down on the desk and grabbed the phone, punching in the numbers written in his terrible handwriting.

“Hello?” Kris took the phone from his ear and stared at it a moment, his eyebrow furrowed. Since when had there been a female in Suho’s pack? Did he dial the wrong number? “Uh, hello?” She sounded tired and irritated.

Kris, his face taking on a redder tone, asked, “I think I may have called the wrong number.” He adjusted the phone, pressing the phone between his ear and his shoulder, checking the number written on the paper. Damn his handwriting—was that a seven or a one? “I’m looking for a man named . . .” Kris hesitated, “A man named Kim Joonmyeon.”

“Joonmyeon? Who the hell calls him that?”

Kris let loose a sigh of relief. “My name is Kris. I need to speak with him.”

“Uh-huh,” Then her voice sounded distant, as if she was holding the phone away from . “Chanyeol. Yes you, you lumbering giant. Go find Suho. Kris wants to talk to him. Oh for—!” There was a sound, like something crashed and a yelp. Kris was utterly confused. “Go find him! And I swear to go if you give me those puppy dog eyes I’m going to kill you!” And then she was mumbling, probably to herself, “I seriously need to talk to Suho about his overprotectiveness. Really? Guards now?”

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” The question let loose before he could stop himself.

“Did Suho never tell you about me? My name’s Sumi. I’m Suho’s wife.”

Wife huh? For some reason, Kris was having a hard time imagining soft hearted Suho going anywhere near this volatile woman. “It’s . . . nice to meet you?”

She wasn’t listening. “Here he is.”

“Kris?” Was that Suho? He sounded so tired and strained. “Kris listen, if this isn’t important, I’d like it to wait. We’re dealing with a problem right now, and—”

“No, I think this will be worth your time. Does your situation have anything to do with missing pack members?”

There was silence. Then, with an incredibly shaky voice, Suho asked, “Kris, oh God, Kris tell me you have my people.”

“Depends.” Kris realized he never got the name of the girl or the boy in his custody and he was regretting that now. “I have a girl and a boy. The girl has a scar on her face and the boy is fairly young, still a pup. Sound familiar?”

Something must have happened because he heard faintly, “Suho? Suho what happened?”

“You have them. How . . .?”

“We found them in a Feral den. They were pretty messed up. And that girl . . .”

“Hyorim. Her name is Song Hyorim. Kris, listen to me. Be careful with her. She’s . . . she’s a good person, she really is, but she’s temperamental.”

“You don’t say,” Kris said drily, remember Tao’s face when they had first found them and then when she had almost shifted and attacked him. The door to his study opened and in stepped Lay. Kris gestured for him to sit.

Suho groaned. “She tried to attack you, didn’t she?”

“Suho, I don’t understand something. I know your pack’s scent—she doesn’t have it, neither does the boy. It’s the main reason why I called. I didn’t believe her. What is that about?”

“It’s . . . a bit complicated. She never really was apart of my pack in the first place—I just housed her. The boy, Sehun, is—was a part of my pack.”

“Was?”

“He Submitted to her. She is an Alpha now. I’m sure you sensed the Authority inside her.”

“I see. Listen, I need you to come up and take them off my hands. I also need to talk to you about something important, something I’ve been keeping my eye on up here.”

“Alright, but I won’t be there for a while. We have some problems we need to take care of here first. And about taking her off your hands . . . that’s not exactly my call. I’ve never had authority over her, especially now that she’s an Alpha as well. It’s up to her.”

Kris sighed and rubbed his temples. This woman was more trouble than she was worth. But surely she would want to leave?

“Kris?”

Kris became more alert as Suho’s wife came onto the phone. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Ma’am? Wow, I never . . . never mind. Lay is a doctor, right?”

It was unnerving how much she knew about his pack and how he didn’t even know she existed until half an hour ago. “That’s correct.”

“Fantastic. Let me talk to him.”

Kris was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to take a command from someone, especially a woman. Not knowing what else to do, he said, “Yes, ma’am. He’s actually right here.”

He handed the phone over to Lay.

“Hello?” Lay glanced at Kris, then away. “I see. Nice to meet you.” There was a long silence and Kris was itching to know what was being said, especially when Lay raised a hand to his mouth. His face grimaced but there was a light of understanding. What the hell was being shared?! “I see. I wondered . . . yes. No, no I understand. I’ll act accordingly. Thank you for telling me. It’ll make things a bit easier. Yes, I look forward to meeting you too.”

Lay leaned forward and handed the phone back. Kris gave Suho a look that said secrets would be spilled later. But Lay gave him a look that said, “You can try.”

“Kris?” Suho again.

“When can I expect you?”

“I’m not sure.” There was a sigh. “We have a member yet to be found and my wife is probably going to give birth to our child any time now. The best I can give you is about a month.”

“A month!?” Kris said incredulously.

“It’s the best I can give you. Finding our lost brother is turning out to be a challenging task. Right now, Sumi isn’t able to go anywehere and we need to make sure the baby will be fit for travel. A month, Kris. It’s the best I got.”

Kris let loose a small snarl and he heard Suho retaliate with his own small snarl. “Fine. A month. I’ll see you then.” Kris slammed the phone down in irritation, running a hand through his hair.

“Didn’t go as planned?”

Kris glared at Lay. “What the hell was she talking to you about?”

Lay’s face grew serious. “I don’t think it’s my place to say. But . . .” Lay sighed, his shoulders slumping, “I feel like not telling would place us all on a road we could avoid. That girl, Hyorim. She wasn’t born a Were.”

“Impossible. Turning a human into a Were is forbidden.”

“When have Ferals cared for laws?” Realization dawned on Kris’s face.

“Ferals attacked her?”

Lay nodded. “They did more than that, brother.” Kris rested his head in his hands. Monsters. “Sumin wanted to tell me so I could understand better. They attacked her, her, and left her for dead. Sumin said she doesn’t trust males and hardly lets anyone near her. And now with what’s she’s gone through recently . . .” Lay shrugged in defeat and Kris listened intently, “Knowing this, she’s in a delicate position right now and we have to be careful. If we’re not, something could trigger her to attack, or worse, turn over herself to the demon inside.”

Kris felt for the girl, he really did, but everything Lay had said only hardened his resolve—she had to go. He couldn’t risk the lives of his pack for one broken girl.

“As soon as she and the boy are healed, they go.”

Screaming, I woke up. I was shaking badly and I tried desperately to stop. I had dreamed about the night everything had changed. I was helpless, screaming and begging for them to stop, but of course they didn’t. And this time, no one came for me. I was left to die in the dark woods as the ground tried to swallow me.

Movement made me snarl and whirl, the wolf just under the skin, ready to take form. It was that boy, Xiumin. He looked startled and unsure of what to do. In his hands was a tray of food. At the smell, my stomach rumbled.

“Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I brought you food.” He slowly and cautiously placed the tray on the bedside table. As he bent down, I noticed there was someone else in the room. My heart hammered in my chest—this one was . . . intimidating looking. He was tall and comprised of lithe muscles with dark hair and a scowl etched into his face. He looked relaxed, but I knew better. He was leaning my way a little, in a position to attack me. He was a possible threat and my wolf sensed it.

We locked eyes and the tension in the room was almost tangible.

“Tao, leave.”

The order cut through the air and I looked at Xiumin, a bit surprised. Seeing this baby-faced man ordering the one of all edges was odd. Tao hesitated, but obeyed.

“Sorry. He’s a little on edge.” Xiumin apologized. I said nothing, keeping my eyes on the unknown male. Xiumin rubbed his neck and gave a bashful smile. “Um, right. I suppose you want to be left alone now, huh? Yell if you need anything.”

He gave a small wave and left, the door clicking behind him. As soon as I was certain he was gone, I pounced on the food. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate. I devoured everything on the tray. After I was done, I got out of the bed and went to Sehun’s side, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. I grabbed his hand and rubbed soothing circles with my thumb. He was deep asleep and I wondered when he would wake up.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you better.” I whispered.

“Considering he’s still alive, I’d say you did a good job.”

I looked up to see Lay on the opposite side of the bed. How had I not heard him? Or maybe the better question was, why was I comfortable with his presence?

“I got out all the wolf’s bane bullets. But he was injured pretty badly—it’ll take him a lot of energy to heal so he won’t be able to wake up for a while.”

“How long?”

“I’m not sure. That’s up to him.” There was silence between us for a few moments. “Kris called Suho.”

That got my attention. “And?”

Lay smiled. “They’ll be coming here in about a month.”

“A month? Why so long?”

“Something about a baby being born and a pack member still missing.”

My heart constricted as I turned back to Sehun. Sumi was going to have her baby? It hurt—I thought I would have been there for that. And a missing member? Who?

“They were very glad to hear you and the boy were safe.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. I could just imagine the relieved look on Suho’s face. But the part about a missing member was really tugging at me and all I could think of was Kai and Baekhyun left behind, injured and outnumbered. Had one of them . . . died? Had one of their bodies not been found? “Was . . . was everyone okay?”

“I’m assuming so . . . why? You look worried.”

“Sehun and I were with two others before we were taken. We were sent by Suho to clear out some Ferals. We got separated during the attack. I never knew if they survived . . .”

“Well, I can’t answer that, but next time we call, I’ll ask. Or better yet, you can.”

I gave him a look of appreciation.

“Hyorim,” I started. How did he know my name? But I guess Suho probably told him. “I want you to know you are safe here. We won’t harm you, provided you don’t give us a reason to. Trust us.”

Trust? There was no one in this world I could trust apart from Sehun. And even then, I had my reservations. But . . . why did I feel so content hearing him say those words?

“I’ve been meaning to ask. Who is the boy to you? Is he your mate?”

I snorted. “God, no. He’s . . .” What was he, exactly? A friend? That didn’t sound right. A Brother? Better, but something still felt off. Finally I gave up searching for the word and said, “He’s special.”

“You seem to have a close bond.”

“Yeah . . . yeah, I guess we do.”

There was a comfortable silence between us as we just sat there. I watched Sehun and continued rubbing soothing circles onto the back of his hand. And I started thinking. About everything. How Sehun had made me his Alpha. How we had been held by Ferals. My fist clenched. Ferals? Kai had said that they weren’t clever, weren’t organized, that all they relied on were instincts and strength. So then . . . were the people who held and tortured us really Ferals?  My eyes slid to Lay who was watching me curiously. And how had they found us? The attack had been organized, like they knew exactly . . .

“When you came to attack the Ferals, how did you find them?”

Lay seemed a bit surprised and leaned back in his seat. “Not all that hard really. They aren’t very subtle.”

“But they’re clever.”

Lay didn’t say anything for a moment. “Uncharacteristically so, yes. Hyorim, what are you thinking?”

“Those Ferals, your attack. They weren’t at all normal. They were clever, organized. They planned and held together. Usually Ferals can’t handle too many of the same kind around for too long. But there was never once a fight or . . . or anything. And your attack. You were watching them, weren’t you? You knew exactly what and where to hit. You had to, or else you would have been overwhelmed.” I watched Lays face carefully, trying to piece together things as I went. “And there have been more Ferals than ever . . . you know something. I want to know what.”

Lay gave a breathy laugh and stood up. “My God. How long have you been thinking all that?”

“Just now.”

Lay rubbed his face. “You’re clever. But you’re right. We’ve—”

The door opened and in stepped Kris. Like before, I could feel the power residing within him and I felt my hackles rise. He was a potential threat, physically and in another way only my wolf seemed to understand but I didn’t, making me even more nervous. Neither one of us wanted him near. I let loose a warning growl but he didn’t flinch and instead returned my warning growl.

“Show some respect.” He snapped.

“Kris.” Lay groaned, but there was a warning tone in it.

Kris sighed and relaxed his posture. H scowled at me and said, “I apologize. I came to see how you were doing.” He turned to look at Lay. “And I need you to go and check up on the women. Seems like they trust you and Xiumin.”

“Then let Xiumin take care of them. I’m busy right—”

Kris shook his head. “No. That woman Xiumin spoke of before is difficult. Xiumin has a pretty good scratch on his face from trying to get too near. He needs your help.”

Lay gave a snarl and rubbed his temples. “That woman! I’ve never met someone so infuriating!” Lay calmed down and sighed. “Alright, I’ll go. But you know . . .” he glanced at me and I wondered what he was planning. “Why doesn’t Hyorim come with us? I’m sure she’d like to stretch her legs and see something other than these four walls.”

I felt incredibly torn. I didn’t want to leave Sehun’s side, not until I knew for a fact he was better and could function on his own. But . . . Lay knew all too well how being confined felt for one of our kind. It was suffocating. But he would never know how it was much worse for me. So much worse.

“I—”

“No. She stays here.”

I glared at Kris. Everything about him rubbed me the wrong way. I want to bare my teeth and get into a pissing contest with him. He’d see I’m not so easily cowed. But the way my wolf reacted so strongly to the command was a little alarming. “I’m going.” I snarled.

Kris me and I could feel his power laying over me, but I didn’t care. For some reason, I had to show him he had no effect on me. I had to show him. I had to. Lay laid a hand on Kris and they locked eyes. Something went on between them and Kris huffed and tried to relax. “Fine. Don’t try anything funny.”

Lay gave a sigh of relief relaxing himself. “And this is why two Alphas shouldn’t be in a confined space together. Alright. Follow me, Hyorim.”