OH MY GOD, GUYS WHAT HAVE I DONE?! AFTER YOU READ THIS CHAPPIE, PLEASE COMMENT SO I KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK! I THINK I WILL SURPRISE SOME OF YOU~

SKYE’S POV

"He’s dead." Luke said. He swallowed hard, taking his hand away from checking Baekhyun’s pulse. The pale wolf was absolutely motionless, his chest ceasing to move.

"Wh-what?" Jongin stuttered, looking down in disbelief. He dropped to his knees next to Baekhyun, laying his ear against the dead wolf’s bare chest.

"Hyung~" Jongin whispered, stretching his arms around Baekhyun. His head fell to the side, blood coating the back of his pale neck, and I reached out to touch it with shaking hands.

"He can’t be dead." Kris said, his voice ragged from coughing. He dropped down next to Jongin, eyes wide, and touched Baekhyun’s forehead.

"Kris." Tao rested his hand on Kris’ shoulder, but the alpha didn’t turn to look at him. Suho was crying silently, tears flooding down his cheeks, and I saw similar tear tracks on Kris and Jongin.

"This is all very touching, but we have to get out of here." Luke cleared his throat awkwardly. I saw he looked uncomfortable, and I saw a trace of sadness in his eyes from watching the grieving wolves.

"He’s right." Kris cleared his throat, standing up and gently picking up Baekhyun. Tao took Chanyeol-who was still unconcious-and Suho nodded.

"We still have to get Lu Han and Sehun." Suho said. We turned to go, Jongin shuffling after us sadly, when we were stopped by a small group of boys.

"How many of you are there?" Luke hissed, seeing that these boys were also carrying two unconscious figures.

"They’re not with us." Suho whispered back. Kris’ eyes narrowed, flashing red, and I recognized Lu Han and Sehun as the figures being carried.

"They have Lu Han and Sehun." Kris said, preparing to run at them. I caught his arm at the last second, pulling him back gently.

"Wait, I know them." I said. I looked in disbelief at Seunghyun striding at the front of the other boys I had stayed with in the city.

"You do?" Kris asked back, looking surprised. I nodded, looking at them closely.

"They’re friends." I said.

"We’re not here to harm you. We’re here to help." Seunghyun called, holding his hands out. Kris nodded, and we all walked up slowly to the others.

"We found these mates of yours when we were looking for Skye." Jiyong said gently, gesturing to Lu Han and Sehun. Jongin took Lu Han and Daesung and Seungri kept Sehun. They were unconscious just like Chanyeol, and we needed to get them home.

"Here." Taeyang held out a dark green bottle to Suho, who looked at it curiously. "Give it to the ones poisoned with aconite; it’ll cure them."

"Baekhyun!" Kris said suddenly, smiling a little. He set Baekhyun down, tipping the wolf’s mouth open and taking the bottle from Suho. He trickled some into Baekhyun’s mouth, but it only dripped back out and stained the wolf’s throat green.

"It can’t bring back the dead. I’m sorry, my friend." Taeyang said gently, resting his hand on Kris’ shoulder. The tall man nodded stiffly, swallowing, and it was painful to see how broken he looked.

"Give it to that one." Taeyang said, looking at Chanyeol. Tao took the bottle from Kris-who had stopped moving-and poured a little in Chanyeol’s mouth. After a few seconds, Chanyeol started coughing, finally turning on his side and retching up black fluid. Tao rubbed his back soothingly, picking him up again when he was done. Chanyeol was back to being unconscious, but he looked a lot better.

"We really need to go." Luke said suddenly. I had forgotten he was there, and so had everyone else. We all nodded, picking up everyone who needed to be carried, and wondered where to go next.

"I can just flash us into the woods. I have to do it a few people at a time though, I’m not strong enough to go all the way." Jongin said. We nodded, and he disappeared with Suho, Tao and Kris, taking Baekhyun and Chanyeol with him.

"How have you been?" Seungri asked me quietly. I shrugged, still stunned by Baekhyun’s death. He nodded, going with Lu Han and Sehun next. Jongin appeared and took everyone else, leaving Luke and I for the last trip. We waited in silence until Luke cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I’m sorry...about your friend." Luke said quietly. I gave him a surprised look, glancing up at him and then back to my feet. Was it stupid that I already missed Baekhyun’s sullen attitude? The sarcastic jokes he would’ve been spewing if he was...if he was alive. I swallowed a sob, pressing my palm to my mouth, and shook off my thoughts.

"Ready to go?" Jongin rested a hand gently on my shoulder, meeting my tear-filled eyes with his own. I nodded, and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, Luke and I were standing right where the woods met the road, with the others.

The walk back was melancholy, Suho and Tao crying as we walked. Seunghyun and his friends were respectfully silent, and Luke and I trudged along. When we reached the camp finally, it was 5 o’clock and the pack was sitting around the fire having dinner. Yixing looked up, seeing us, and waved his hand with a joyful cheer. The others turned around with smiles, standing and running up to greet us, and stopping dead in their tracks.

"What’s going on?" Yixing asked, looking from the crying wolves to those they carried. I shrugged, sitting down on a log by the fire and swallowing the lump in my throat painfully. It didn’t take long for the news to spread, and soon the clearing was filled with the painful howls and sobs of the stunned, vacant wolves. I held Jongin while he cried, rubbing the second-youngest wolf’s back until he finally fell asleep.

I stood, wrapping my jacket I had gotten from my tree house around me tightly and walking over to where Luke was sitting. I sat down next to him, wondering what he was thinking.

We were quiet for a few moments while I looked around. Jongin and Kyungsoo were asleep on the ground, twitching in their nightmares. Yixing had disappeared with Lu Han, Sehun, Chanyeol and Taeyang into two different tree houses, both Yixing and Taeyang trying to heal the hurt wolves. Tao, Xiumin and Chen were sitting by the river, comforting each other as they cried. Suho and Kris were sitting by Baekhyun’s body, holding a silent vigil. Luke looked over at me, frowning.

"They have feelings." Luke said simply. Those three words held great volume, showing me he was starting to learn already what I had. These boys weren’t monsters. They were just boys, boys who were struggling in the world. And now they were one less.

CHANYEOL’S POV

I opened my eyes slowly, my dry lips and wincing at the immediate pain of the biggest headache I’d ever had. Looking up, I saw Yixing standing over me sadly, healing something wrong with my chest. It hurt terribly, and I closed my eyes against the pain.

"You’re awake." Yixing said dully. The events of before came back to me suddenly, and I wondered how Baekhyun and I were home.

"Where’s Baekhyun? Is he okay? I tried to put out the aconite fire fast enough, but he was coughing and I don’t-" Yixing caught me off by raising his hand, shaking his head.

"Chanyeol, you’ve had a trying ordeal. What you need now is to sleep and rest. Just relax, don’t worry about Baekhyun." Yixing said in his calm voice. I nodded, knowing he was taking good care of Baekhyun and healing him up quick like he was doing with me.

When he was done, I felt myself slowly drift off to sleep. I welcome it, not able to wait until I could see Skye and Baekhyun again. I hoped Skye was okay...

I woke up a few hours later, my headache mostly gone. I opened my eyes, surprised to see Yixing sobbing quietly next to my bed. He looked up, seeing me watching, and slowly wiped the tears that tracked down his cheeks.

"What’s wrong?" I asked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Yixing cry, and I felt a sinking feeling. "Is it Skye?"

"Chanyeol, get some rest. I’ll tell you in the morning." Yixing said, giving me a heartbroken look. I shook my head, sitting up a little.

"No, tell me. I have a right to know." I said. Yixing sniffed loudly, withering under my stubbornness. Yixing nodded, swallowing visibly before hunching his shoulders.

"Baekhyun’s dead." Yixing whispered. I stopped breathing for a second, tensing up and freezing in disbelief. After a few seconds, a slow smile spread across my face.

"Yixing, you’re a terrible actor. Baekhyun can’t be dead; what’s really wrong?" I asked. Yixing shook his head, and my smile wavered.

"Baekhyun’s dead." Yixing repeated. My smile slipped off my face along with my tears, and I shook my head in disbelief.

"No." I said. Yixing nodded, squeezing my hand gently. I shook him off angrily, giving him a glare. "No! No, no, no! Baekhyun isn’t dead!" I yelled.

"The others are trying to sleep." Yixing tried to hush me, but I pushed him away.

"Baekhyun!" I yelled, stumbling out of bed. I almost fell when my knees gave out, but managed to narrowly catch myself on the bed. Yixing made as if to catch me, and I growled at him.

"Get away! This happened because you failed! Because you couldn’t heal him!" I yelled. Yixing gave me a stricken, hurt look like I’d slapped him, and shook his head.

"No! He was dead when he arrived!" Yixing said back. I sagged, feeling like I’d been punched in the chest.

"What?" I asked. Yixing nodded, and I collapsed back on the bed. "My fault. It’s my fault." I murmured.

"No! It’s no one’s fault. This was an accident." Yixing said. I shook my head, feeling anger stir in the pit of my stomach.

"No. This was a murder." I said. Yixing nodded, shushing me again and tucking me under the blankets.

"You need to rest. I’m right here if you need me." Yixing said. I nodded, rolling over on my side and drifting off to sleep.

My fault.

TAEYANG’S POV

I sat down heavily in a chair, looking at the slumbering wolves in bed. Lu Han and Sehun-I had recently learned everyone’s name-had not been drugged with aconite, only a sedative. I had taken care of their injuries and they would wake up in the morning fresh and ready for the terrible news they would receive.

I frowned, resting my head in my hands and sighing. This wasn’t like losing a family member; for the wolves it was like losing a part of themself. Baekhyun’s death would rock this pack for many seasons to come, and I couldn’t be sure the pack would survive. I had already talked to Seunghyun and Jiyong, and they had agreed we would stay with the pack for now, making sure they were okay. I had grown to really like the wolves, and my heart ached for them. My little clan was scattered around the clearing below, doing simple things like making food and helping the wolves remember to eat, anything to help.

I was proud of them, but wished this hadn’t happened. If only we had gotten there in time. If only Baekhyun hadn’t been injured. I laughed bitterly at myself, wishing for things that weren’t possible. I sighed, standing up to check on the wolves and continue my vigil of healing.

SKYE’S POV

I heard Chanyeol yell Baekhyun’s name, and felt something inside me crumble. Tears finally started slipping down my cheeks, the lump in my throat seemingly getting bigger than Asia. I covered my sobs with the palm of my hand, muffling them and biting down hard to distract myself.

A gentle arm around my shoulder made me look up at Chen, and he sat down next to me. We didn’t do anything but cry together, but I remember how he had stopped Baekhyun from hurting me. And that made me remember everything else about Baekhyun.

How much he cared about his pack. How he had followed me into the woods and "saved" me from Eunhyuk. Him laughing at my terrible joke, and begging Jongin to come back get me after I threw myself from his back. How he had gotten the head injury that inadvertently killed him by protecting me. It was my fault. My fault he was dead. It had been my plan to go into that awful city, and Baekhyun was dead because of me.

I couldn’t take it anymore, shrugging off a sleeping Chen’s arm and running towards the edge of camp. I was smart enough not to go far, but it wasn’t long before I collapsed on the ground and sobbed. I wrapped my arms tight around myself, squeezing to keep myself from exploding into a million pieces. I crying too hard to make a sound now, my mouth open in a silent scream and tears cascading from my swollen eyes.

It felt like hours before I couldn’t cry anymore, rocking back on my and wrapping my arms around my knees. I wiped away a few stray tears, a headache pounding at my temples, and looked around. I recognized with a jolt the tree where Baekhyun had pushed me up against the tree, the day that Chen had helped me. I hiccuped, swallowing another tear, and bent my head down to brush away another tear.

"Skye." A low, melodic voice said. It came from somewhere in front of me, but I didn’t dare look up. It was my mind playing tricks on me, there was no way Baekhyun was in front of me saying my name.

"Skye." Baekhyun said again. I still stared at the ground, shaking my head.

"Stop it! Stop it." I whispered, pleading with my trickster mind. I jerked back when a pair of black Converse entered my field of vision.

"Skye, please look at me." I looked up, eyes traveling from the black Converse, to the black skinny jeans to the loose black tank top. From the black hair to the dark brown eyes and the perfect mouth.

"Baekhyun." I shook my head. Baekhyun was not standing in front of me. I was delusional and tired and kidding myself.

"It’s really me." Baekhyun reached out his hand, and I shrank back. I shook my head, not believing what I saw.

"How are you alive?" I asked. I reached out to touch his shoulder, screaming when my hand passed right through.

"I’m not."

Oh my god, what does everyone think of this? Yes, it’s a ghost Baekhyun! And he can still communicate/be seen by everyone! Come on, I need some comments! I need to know how you guys like it before I can update, so I can’t update tomorrow if I don’t get some comments by 11 o’clock am.

Kamsahamnida, saranghamnida!

-Sujin

<3