Kris cleared his throat, looking across the meditation room. Practice had gone well into the night. When he, Luhan, and Tao arrived back at the hagwon they found the pack effectively drained. The perfect time as ever to start by his standards. “There’s something we need to talk over. About the imprinting thing from a couple days ago.” Stifled quiet was the initial response, a few - namely Baekhyun, Kai, and Xiumin - too exhausted to react. Others, like D.O and Chen were still alert.

“Kai and Lay imprinted.” Kris said bluntly. It sent a ripple effect through the group, heads jerking up in surprise. Some looked immediately disturbed. Suho just exhaled, his eye twitching. If only he had the gift of flame. If only.

“They’re not the only ones.” Chanyeol bit his lip before dropping his head meekly. “I did too.”

Tao gaped at him. “What the hell! Why would you-”   

“It’s not something that’s controlled.” Lay interjected, his face starting to pink at the attention immediately pinned on him. “It just happened.”

“At least say it was with a wolf this time.” Xiumin said, half jokingly. But the four boys only exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

“It’s the same girl. A human named Lena.” Kai admitted, facing to the leaders to avoid the others’ stares. He scratched his head. “I guess... she’s supposed to be our-”

“You don’t know that yet!” Tao blurted.

Kai blinked at him “Well my eyes turned yellow.” The reason was so simple it was flimsy, but he couldn’t begin to delve into what happened with the pack. To try and explain how his mind was changing, s years of knowledge and expectations he had believed were true. Every moment he gained with you made another crack, and with enough of them everything would come crashing down. The thought was maddening. “There’s also him,” He pointed out the newest imprinted “who nearly set her on fire.”

“I didn’t-” Chanyeol crossed his arms defiantly.

“Just what the hell are you guys doing?” Suho demanded.

Lay rubbed his temples “We honestly have no idea.”

“Did the archives have nothing to help?” Chen asked, turning towards Luhan. Luhan glanced at Tao and Kris, then laid out the crimson paperback on the floor in front of him. Everyone paused, staring at the object like it was from a foreign planet.

“What does it say?” Baekhyun asked, uneasy.

“We think it’s an account of the first imprint.” Luhan went through the tale, retracing every detail of the bitter love story. The group listened without interruption, and by the end a couple faces had clouded over.

“There was a seal on that book.” Tao spoke as the silence began to stretch. “When Luhan first found it half the text wasn’t even there.”

“Like someone wanted to hide the full story.” Suho murmured. “Imprinting has supposedly been forgotten because of time. Why go through the effort to conceal anything?”   

“Who knows.” Lay spoke hesitantly. “But there might be a chance that all of us will imprint on her.”

“That can’t be possible.” Xiumin said, incredulous. “It’s one mate for one wolf.”

“Some elders or respected werewolves took multiple mates in the past.” Luhan said impulsively.

“Yeah, to match human societies when it was normal in their time.” Baekhyun stared at the paperback with a sour look “I don’t think polygamy is much of an option anymore.”

“Think about who decided what was normal and what wasn’t.” Kris crossed his arms over his chest, his face impassive. “The norms we have now were made from decades of small changes that people followed.”

“So if happened in the past, it can happen now.” D.O uttered, his voice drawing to a murmur. “It’s already started too.”

Sehun smiled, but it was a fluke. Inside his chest was tightening, like all the air inside was slowly being squeezed out. What could he say to them? “Well, our eyes can turn yellow now so that has to mean something.”

Agitated, Chen directed his gaze to Chanyeol: “Do you actually like her? Even after Sehun imprinted on her?” It mystified Chen that he was asking, that they were even talking about something like this seriously. The latter was quiet, staring down at his hands.

“I just met her.” Chanyeol said, defensive. It was clear from his twitching hands and pinking face the idea baffled and discomforted him too. “I got close to exposing a flame without even realizing it.” That wasn’t it. There was something else Chen could sense from the fire wielder, or rather something missing. Chanyeol wasn’t trying to resist, neither were the other imprinted wolves. He didn’t look averse to what happened to him at all.

“What happened that morning? I heard you guys talking about a vampire.” Chanyeol asked the four wolves, his tone gone serious.

“He showed up again, around Lena.” Kai said. “The first time he met her was her dry. We’ve tried tracking him, but there’s nothing.”

“He could be from the extended studies program.” Kris ventured.

Lay cut in, his face darkening: “He’d have to leave some kind of trace. There’s nothing, not even a scent. He shows up when he wants, and then he’s gone.” His voice was becoming grave. “He knows about imprinting. He waved it like a secret card, a way to expose us, but I don’t get the point. Is this -” He gestured at himself and the other imprinted members “- actually going to get us in trouble?” For a couple moments the leaders were silent, contemplating. In Suho’s eyes, it was the crossing bloodlines - from wolves to a human - that was the key and terrifying factor. Creatures, humans, it didn’t matter the species. They always paired with their own; it was the unspoken, unquestioned way nature operated for generations.

“Maybe he just wants pay back,” Kai ventured, eyeing Sehun “you did whip him at a tree.”

“It wasn’t in front of the human was it?” Kris cut in.

Sehun blinked at the line of faces staring him down. “I didn’t exactly have the time to be discreet.” The group collectively groaned. The youngest wasn’t deterred. “If he was able to bite her then there’d be no forgetting. Physically she’d remember, and it would scar her.” Sehun crossed his arms with a sense of finality. “I don’t think my judgement was wrong.”

“He’ll come after her again.” Lay said quietly. “This is more than just a grudge. I think he genuinely hates wolves.” That grin flashed in his mind. It was what he remembered most distinctly from their encounter, and it brought a chill to his blood. It had been an authentic smile, promising genuine trouble.

The Treaties made things as peaceful as they could be, but it wasn’t perfect. ‘Accidents’ as they were called - murder, crime, even some natural disasters - sometimes had their beginnings from a not-so-normal source. Creatures that wanted something, freedom or power, intentionally wreaked havoc over both human and creature populations alike. That was the reason behind the counsels in the all major creature bloodlines: sorcerers, fae, vampires, and werewolves. They were a single line of defence, but they didn’t fail.

“This would probably be a good time to get some help.” Kris murmured, looking at his co-leader. Suho nodded slightly, but his thoughts were far away in conflict. Relations between vampires and werewolves appeared civil enough on the surface, but in older generations there was a greater strain. His father had been upfront with him about it; the reasons could change with the decades, but the two Creatures have always been at each other’s throats since their early origins. This new subject could easily turn things sour.

“She’ll need to be watched over, at least for the time being.” Kris said, pressing the side of his knuckle to his mouth. Thinking. “It wouldn’t hurt if we all kept an eye out for this particular vampire.” Silence stretched, long and uncomfortable for some of the wolves.

Baekhyun cleared his throat: “What’s she like?”

“She’s... pretty normal.” Chanyeol mumbled. “Human.”

“We got that already.” D.O gave him a weirded out look, like they were speaking in a foreign language.

“Is she pretty?” Tao asked bluntly.

“What do you think?” Sehun said, irritated.

“Is it off limits to ask? He wants to know too!” Tao pointed an accusing finger at Baekhyun, who bit back his sheepish grin.

Suddenly Luhan jolted his chair. “Chanyeol your arm!”

The fire wielder blinked down. The arm of his sweatshirt had spontaneously caught fire in the midst of their conversation.

“ NO.” Xiumin lunged away from his chair next to fire wielder, hissing like a cat at the sight of water.

“I was actually curious about that too.” Kris murmured to his co-leader, unfazed as Chanyeol swatted frantically at his sleeve. “Does imprinting make a wolf believe the mate is attractive, or do they just inherently meet the standards of the wolf?”  

“Does it really matter-?” Suho shrank back in his chair, watching as the stubborn patch of fire ate the fabric of Chanyeol’s forearm. “I don’t think physical beauty is the main point here.”

Finally with a huff of annoyance Sehun flicked out his hand. A whip of air smacked Chanyeol from his torso to his face, his clothes and hair snapping out straight behind him. The fire went out instantly, leaving a ragged curve of charred fabric around his forearm. The fleshy skin was pale but spotless.

“Thanks.” Chanyeol coughed. “That was excessive.”

“Why don’t you wear the fire resistant clothes Amara noona casted for you?!” Xiumin screeched.

“I never have to, unless I’m fighting him-” Chanyeol point a finger at the thunder wielder, “Or him!” The finger sweeped to the light wielder.

“Please start wearing it more often.” Tao said annoyedly, trying to edge out from Xiumin’s death grip.

As things calmed Kai turned to D.O: “Why not try talking to her?” His eyes held a challenging gleam in them. “See if she can change your opinion of imprinting.”

D.O shot him a disbelieving look “I don’t know her enough to have an opinion. Neither do you.”

“We can find out, we just have to talk to her.” Lay interjected.

“Right, we have to.” Chen chortled. Not only him, but skeptical frowns played on the mouths of Tao and Luhan as well. “Because we’re supposed to be mates?”

Suho crossed his arms. “At one point it was what was natural guys, sought after even. Don’t think so bad of it yet.”

“It’s not any good now. It sounds like it’ll bring us trouble.” Baekhyun muttered into his hand, staring at the crimson book.

“The only way to know for sure is to meet the human.” Kris said. Despite his expression his tone was musing. Interested in the prospect. “If any of you are curious, let Sehun introduce you.”

“Why me?” Sehun’s face instinctively pulled into frown.

“Cause you were first.” Kai said, sending him a wink. The topic was finally open, ed front and centre for the pack. They all knew, and talking about it somehow made the gravity of the situation hit so much more harder for him.

He had imprinted, he had a mate.

He wasn’t even sure if they were friends yet.

“Get Chanyeol or Lay to do it… but not Kai.”

You’d think it’d be easy to find books on mythology. I frowned, going through a row of bookshelves to its neighbor. Mornings were quiet in the upper floor library, and the peace was helpful as I hunted for materials to use for history. I’d already managed to find a thick volume on celtic societies, but surprisingly the mythology books were scarce.

They have to have something. But where…

Fatigue drooped across my lids for coming to school early, but the sooner I put some effort into things the sooner we’d be finished (and maybe confident facing the merciless grading system nurtured from Mr. Im. Both were unlikely). I started looking through the directories labelled on each shelf, tip toeing on the balls of my feet. The trend of my shoes on the carpet seemed louder in the quiet around me.

Would it count as something under history? It’s not like it’d be under fiction, or maybe it is… oh wha- IT WAS HERE?

I nearly walked by the shelf labelled mythology. Most of the titles were not on the creative side: ‘Handbook on Greek Myth’ or ‘An Introduction to Greek and Roman Mythology.’ It didn’t look like there was any that focused on a specific list of gods or goddesses, so I was stumped for awhile on what to pick.

They probably have the same stuff in them, but it sounded like Apollo was the important one...

I picked one up at random, skimming from cover to cover. If there was a decent amount of pages on him I could figure this book would be just as good as the rest.

“Hi.” A deep voice intruded the quiet.

I flinched in surprise, turning around. A figure leaned again the shelf not a couple feet away from where I was standing. He held a titleless grey book in his hands. He smiled.

“Remember me?”

“W-what?” I said, my heartbeat momentarily jolting. How had I not heard him coming? There was barely any people on the main floor, and this level was practically deserted.

He closed his book, finding its place along the shelf. It hit the wood with a distinct thud. “You bumped into me, I dropped stuff, you helped me pick it up.” He trailed off.

“Oh...r-right.” I stared, entirely off guard, but then the pasty skin and dark hair pricked a memory. The encounter had been awkward, but also very short. It was weird to see he remembered me first, even more that he was actually initiating a conversation.

“What’re you looking for?” He asked.

“N-nothing in particular.” I said quietly.

“No one comes this early without a reason.”

I tried for a polite laugh, going into my book. But the sense he was watching me didn’t let up. After a moment I turned my head again, catching his dark eyes. Something about them made the hairs on my arms prick.

I turned back to the shelves, peering down at my book as if I was reading. Seconds passed, but he didn’t leave.

“Mythology.” He bristled at the directory label. “Any favorite stories?”

“Not really.”

“What about Gods? Goddess?”

“N-no I um, just started reading.”

“Interesting.” After a moment’s thought he stood next to me. My first instinct was to sidestep. My heart rate momentarily pulsed from surprise, and wariness began to grow. “I personally like Zeus. Big guy, a thunder god.”

I nodded, keeping my eyes to my book. He slid out a thicker volume from the line, rustling through the pages too fast to be reading. He didn’t seem to notice my lack of response, content to fill the silence by himself.

“There’s one story in particular I really like with him in it. Ever heard of King Lycaon?” The book hit the shelf, he picked up another. “He was the ruler of the kingdom of Arcadia and a skeptic of the gods.” I caught a quirked smile out of the corner of my eye. Humorous, but I already knew I didn’t like his story. “He decided to test Zeus by hosting a banquet and serving him the cooked flesh of his own son.” A little shiver of disgust travelled down my spine. The guy turned. Without the thick jacket his frame was thinner, almost spindly.

“Of course Zeus noticed right away and decided to punish Lycaon for the disgraceful act. He transformed him into something compatible with his character; a vicious and bloodthirsty werewolf.” The smile on his lips stretched wider, a little chuckle escaping him. “The first ever known, at least by greek records. The rest of his descendants were given the same curse, doomed to the fate because of an ill-minded ancestor.”

There was something discomforting about his presence. I couldn’t even pinpoint exactly what it was, and that grew my unease even more. With a disinterested expression I snapped my book closed and walked up the row, leaving him behind.  

I made it to the corner when his voice called me back: “Hey!”

He hadn’t moved. Leaning his side against the shelves he gave me a smile borderlining arrogant. But there was a new glint in it now. Cold, knowing, and gleeful.

“You seriously don’t remember me do you?”

“W-what?” I was more than a little rattled now. Just what was this guy? He took one step, two. Instinctively I took more backwards, suspicion digging my brows in a glare. The smile wouldn’t leave his lips. Like this was funny to him, a game.

“I’m hurt. I didn’t think you’d forget about me so fast. Do those kingkas take care of you that well?” His words threw me off guard, but I didn’t give another second to mull it over.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I swiveled on my heel, trying not to run for the stair case. Blood raced across my ear drums but I didn’t let out a peep, straining to hear if his steps followed mine. I couldn’t catch anything besides the swish of my feet on the carpeted, but now the quiet was eerie too. I risked a glance over my shoulder as I rounded the corner, and nearly collided into someone walking up the stairs. Lay’s hands anchored me still.

“Lena-ah.” He voice was tense, partially relieved.   

Relief washed over my shoulders. “There’s someone-!” He gestured at me for quiet, eyeing the back rows warily. For a panicked second I thought the stranger had followed, but there was no one around us, the shelves filled with a discomforting quiet. I swallowed hard, my heart stuck in my throat. A couple moments passed, and when he judged it safe he led us down to the main level.

“Who were you talking to?” An edge was in his voice.

“I don’t know.” I mumbled, looking over my shoulder in case the guy started to come down. Lay walked us to one of the round tables, out of sight from the staircase. “He just came out of nowhere!” A tremble was forming deep within my gut, shuddering up my spine. Was that just some sort of joke meant to throw me off guard, or something else? Lay’s hand ghosted over my shoulders, a silent comfort. It made the clasp on my words break. “I’ve only seen him once, we bumped into each other. He was acting like we have a past or something, I don’t even know his name!”

Lay’s expression was going taunt and incredibly dark. It was a foreign look I’d only seen a few times before. I didn’t think you’d forget about me that fast. A distant part of my mind clicked the pieces together, and then realization cracked a fresh wave of disturbance over my shoulders.

“That was the person you guys were talking about.” I spoke slowly. Lay hesitated to respond. I leaned away, horror mounting within me. “He was following me.”

“No-!” Lay grasped my hands, squeezing them gently. “He’s trying to scare you.”

Well it’s working! Really freaking well!

“How’d you know I was in the library?” I asked, staring at him with a new guardedness.

“I guessed.” Something in his eyes was wavering.

Bull. I never said I was coming this early to anyone.

I couldn’t hide my distrust, and it made him hold my hands tighter. Like the act could will me to calm down, maybe even believe him. “I had a feeling something was wrong, so I started looking for you.”

“A feeling?” I echoed, disbelieving. In truth an instinctive part of me was relieved that Lay had found me when he did, but at the same time I couldn’t shake the uncertainty that always seemed to be growing, filling the crevices of my mind whenever I thought about the kingkas and their secrets.

He heaved a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. Trying to find the right words. It struck me just how much time I’d been spending around him, but I still knew so little. About him, about any of them.

“Sunbae?”

“That guy isn’t safe to be around.” He opened his eyes, and the intensity they held drove into me. Anger, frustration, and even uneasiness, all deeper than I anticipated. “He makes me want to be very… protective over you.” A bewildered kind of blush rose up my neck, but his face was all seriousness. “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t get into this.”  

“I won’t.” I said. He stared down at my hands, too caught up in his thoughts to realize how long he’d been holding them. Questions burned in my mouth, but his expression held me still. I wanted to hear the truth, but I realized there was a deeper part of me that just wanted to be able to believe I could trust him and the other kingkas. So his words gave me immense comfort, more than I wanted to admit to myself.

Lay stood, offering to walk me to my classroom. I followed him down the hall, past the glances and murmurs that were supposed to become familiar. They didn’t stop Lay from being himself, and they didn’t stop me from being on guard.

There was a nagging feeling starting to pick at me. Abrupt but intense, like little alarm bells were blaring in my head demanding notice. Something felt missing from the compact list in my head leading me through the craziness of these last couple weeks, marking what was the truth and what was the lies. The stranger’s words were still in my head, rewinding and repeating in all their eeriness.

I didn’t think you’d forget about me that fast.

As if like he had said, I had forgotten something.

~~~