“What does being a werewolf mean?” I asked the next day when Suho and Sumi came to visit me. I could still vividly remember the other day, how my skin had felt too tight, too restrictive and how I had made that sound. And that voice . . . What, exactly, was a werewolf?

Sumi looked at Suho and Suho sighed. “Miss Song, I need you to listen to me and listen to the end. Stay calm, alright?” I nodded. “I’m going to first tell you how we started.”

I don’t know the exact date, since it was long before my birth, but there was a royal family who . . . wasn’t so kind. The father, the king, often waged war and won and drank the blood of his enemies. The mother, the queen, was cruel and jealous and would allow no one to be more beautiful than her. She would scar those she thought sought the attention of the king. They had  three sons, and one of the sons chased after women. There was one woman famed for her beauty and he sought after her. He used all his tricks on her and she fell into his clutches, convinced he loved her and she in turn fell in love with them. But the prince was cruel and left her. But he made a mistake this time, because the girl was a witch, a very powerful, and old witch. She revealed who she was and in her anger she cursed the family.

Since they were heartless in their actions, she ripped out their hearts from their chests. Their blood dried inside their bodies, but she wouldn’t let them die, even when they begged for forgiveness. With their beating hearts she summoned demons and place them inside their bodies so they would be tormented all their lives. She cursed them to be thirsty but never be able to satiate it, to hunger but never be able to eat. She cast them into the dark and made it so they couldn’t stand the sunlight to the point that it would burn their skin.

“Wait . . . are you talking about vampires?” I asked cautiously.

Suho nodded slowly.

“They’re real too!?” I shook my head. “No, no, I don’t want to know that right now. You said you’d tell me how werewolves started!”

Suho gave a tight smile. “Let me finish.”

The royal family had an elite, noble family indentured to them. Though they detested the royal family, they were a loyal family and stayed true to their sense of duty. When the witch came for her vengeance, they came to the defense of them from her. Enraged, the witch also cursed the royal guards and their families. Since they were like dogs already, they just needed the form. Inside all of them she placed demons that would force their change from man to beast.

“And that’s how we started. Or so the stories say.” Suho finished.

I stayed quiet. Then, “I have a demon inside of me?”

Suho nodded and sat a bit more comfortably. “Yes.”

Sumi quickly jumped in, sensing the spiraling mood. “It sounds a lot worse than it is. Right Suho?”

“No. It sounds exactly—yah!” Suho jumped when Sumi viciously pinched his thigh.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s a pessimist.” Sumii hurriedly said. “Over the years werewolves have learned to control the demon inside them. In a way, it’s kind of a blessing. You’re stronger because of it and you heal quicker. Here, look.”

Sumi leaned forward and unwrapped a bandage. Hyorim stared in shock to find her skin completely healed and smooth as if nothing had ever happened.

“How . . . ?”

“The Were blood contains healing properties. It accelerates the regenerative process by at least ten fold. Amazing, right?” I just stared at my leg. Monster. But something was nagging me at the back of my head as Sumi continued. “It’s even quicker when you’re in your wolf form.”

I touched my leg, thinking, as Sumi continued. Stronger. I was stronger now. The anger started bubbling up in my chest again. As a human I had been no match for those monsters. But now . . . I felt eyes boring into me and I looked up to lock eyes with Suho. Sumi trailed off as she noticed the tension.

She cleared and started again. “Um. In any case, Suho can teach you how to control your wolf.”

My eyes slid to her. “Control my wolf?”

This time, Suho answered. “If you can’t control your wolf, you’re a danger to everyone. A risk. And you will be taken out.”

His voice sounded cold now, not warm and caring as it had before. I locked eyes with him again and instead of understanding in his eyes, there was almost a . . . challenge. A dare. I felt a growl rumbling in my chest, ready to let loose. I didn’t like his look.

“Suho!” Sumi smacked the back of his head and just like that the tension broke and I relaxed. “I’m so sorry, Miss Song. He’s the Alpha of this pack so he can get a little protective and aggressive.”

“Alpha?”

She just smiled. “You’ll learn. So what do you think?”

I blinked at her. “About what?”

“Would you like to join us?”