As Mark drifted inside a world of shadows, voices hit him. They pierced through his skull and drilled into his brain, sending a sharp pain shoot throughout his head. The pain was almost unbearable as he tried to focus on the speakers.

        “He has to pay, Jaebeom! You can't expect us to forgive him just like that! He murdered Haejin! He didn't just kill him; he murdered him,” one voice spoke aggressively.

        The next voice was a lot calmer. It was almost welcoming – almost. “Don't think so rash, Jackson. You and I arrived after the accident occurred, but beneath the smell of car fumes and blood there was also someone from Kyungjoon's pack as well. You know very well that this man isn't the only one at fault. We will deal with things once things once we find out what this guy's story is. Besides, a war is brewing and with the loss of Haejin we need everyone we can find.”

        “You sure he's even worth it? He won't survive changing. He's too weak. Haejin obviously meant it as a way to seek revenge for hurting him. I bet this kid won't even last a few more hours.”

        Mark couldn't keep his focus any longer as the pain became insufferable and, once again, he was plunged into complete darkness.

        “You there! Are you dead yet?” One of the voices from earlier struck through Mark's unconscious state. However, the pain had failed to subside. He cringed as his eyes flickered open and was punished by the harsh light above. From what he could tell, he was lying on an old worn-out bed. The metal frame was rusted and the mattress was stained and dirty.

        He could see a figure standing nearby and it took him a moment to adjust to the brightness. Once he blinked a few times, the pounding in his head refusing to let up, he realized he was in a barred-cell. The figure was standing just outside, his head tilted slightly to the side as if he were curious of the jailed-man's reaction.

“Where the hell am I? Who the hell are you?” Mark tried to demand but his voice was barely a whisper. His throat was soar and it felt as if he hadn't used it in some time.

        “As you can see, you're in a cage,” the man spoke as if it were obvious.

        Then it came to him. The memory of this man and another speaking before – of punishing him for killing someone. They must have drugged him because he couldn't remember a thing after collapsing in the middle of the road.

        “Where the hell am I!” Mark shot up only to stumble as he became dizzy. He used the bed frame to steady his balance.

        “Calm down or you're going to trigger the change,” the man spoke. “I'll explain everything but you'll need to calm down. The change will kill you. Do you understand?”

        The fact that the man was speaking to him as if he were a child and the lack of information he had about his whereabouts was stressing the red head and his heart began to race rapidly. Kill him? Was the voice from earlier right? Was he going to be punished for an accident? He had never meant to kill the dog!

        The man continued to speak to him in soothing tone, but Mark couldn't relax. His heart was beating faster than ever. “T-Tell me who you are– Agh!”

       Mark let out a cry of pure agony as he dropped forward and grasped onto the mattress. He was jerked to the side as he felt the bones in his left leg break and another pained cry echoed throughout the room.

        “! I told you to calm down!” The man's tone was full of worry as he watched Mark helplessly from outside of the cell.

        “What's happening to me!” Mark shrieked, his hands slipping off the bed as his back arched with a sickening crack. It felt as if every bone in his body was breaking at the same time.

        The man took a step back from the cage. “You're changing. You will be dealing with the most excruciating pain you have ever felt but you have to accept it. Don't fight it or you will lose. Let it happen. Accept the pain and you won't die.”

        “Help me! Please!” Mark was desperate for the pain to stop, but it only continued as his form began to change. He stripped himself of his constricting jeans and tossed off his shirt. He didn't care that there was another man in the room as he whipped off his boxers and threw it with his other clothes. Mark was purely focused on getting the pain to stop.

        The lack of clothes helped with the uncomfortable transition, but the pain was still very much there. However, it lessened as his form completely shifted. His nose and mouth extended into a snout, his back legs were now more flexible, his ears were now on the top of his head, and, brushing against the bars of the cell, was a rusty-coloured tail.

        Turning his large head towards the stranger, Mark didn't have much time to react as a gun was pointed at him. Before he could even blink, the man pulled the trigger and the wolf stumbled back against the bed. He snarled and bared his fangs, but whatever had sunk into his flesh was beginning to take affect. His vision blurred and his movement became unstable. For the third time since he had run over the dog, Mark slipped into his unconscious mind.

        “Hey.” A soft voice reached through the bewildered thoughts in Mark's mind. It wasn't a voice he had heard before and it appeared to be gentler than the two from before. “Hey, are you awake?”

        Mark stirred, causing the bed to creak and groan under his movements. “Wh-Who's talking?”

        Blinking open his eyes, Mark was relieved to find that the room was dark. The lights above were turned off and the only lights emitted were two candles stationed beside the new stranger sitting on the other side of the cell. The candle flames casted an eerie glow on the stranger, but Mark could see a warm smile pulling on his lips. “My name's Jinyoung,” he answered.

        Mark was grateful he was finally granted an answer. Maybe this stranger -Jinyoung- wouldn't be as bad as the two he had previously encountered.

        “Are you thirsty?” Jinyoung asked as he stepped towards the cell. Holding a cup, he slipped his hand through the bars and held it out to him. “Don't worry. It's just water. I remember after my first change I was really tired and all I wanted was a glass of water.”

        Mark was hesitant at first, but Jinyoung was right. He was dead tired and his throat felt like a desert. Completely forgetting to be wary of the stranger, Mark took the cup and downed the water in one go. The cool liquid felt refreshing as it washed down his throat.

        Jinyoung seemed amused as he let out a chuckle. “I'm glad you survived the change. Congratulations. Jaebeom will be pleased we have a new member. C'mon, let's get you acquainted with everyone else. I promise you can trust us.”

        Mark sat up in the bed only to realize he was completely . Looking around the cell, he spotted his clothes nearby, but he felt uncomfortable dressing in front of another male.

        “I get it. I get it. You're shy. You'll get used of it once you start changing more. All of us have. Jackson even walks around the house .” Jinyoung chuckled as he turned around. Relieved that the man had understood, Mark stepped off the bed and began changing into his clothes.

        Once he he was done dressing, the dark haired male pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He swung the gate open, a smile still on his face as he gestured with his head for him to follow. “You woke just in time. I'm sure everyone has gathered in the den by now.”

        Mark stepped out of the cell and Jinyoung turned around and led him up a set of stairs. He thought about darting past Jinyoung and out of the house, but he didn't know how many people were waiting upstairs and he didn't think he would be able to outrun anyone in his current state. Not to mention that he had no idea where his car was.

        As if he could read his thoughts, Jinyoung glanced back at the red-head. “I promise I won't hurt you. You can trust me. I know things are very confusing right now but everything will be explained once we meet with the others.”

        They walked up the stairs and Jinyoung opened the door. It led to a fairly large dining area. The table was long and placed in the centre of the room. The room itself looked as if it were from another century. It seemed to be very old-fashioned to him. Completely different from the modern, technology-filled life he led.

        “Just in through here,” Jinyoung informed, but Mark could already hear voices drifting from the other room. As they entered the room, Mark stopped. The den looked as old-fashioned as the dining room. He didn't think this house held any sort of technology at all.

        Five sets of dark eyes locked onto him as he entered and he swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. He was in a room with six other men and Jinyoung turned to look at him, opening his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance.

        “You bastard!” One of the men leaped out of the chair he was sitting in and lunged at Mark. Fortunately for the red-head, two others grabbed a hold of the angry man and dragged him back. He seemed to be fighting with every ounce of his being.

        “He's going to pay for killing Haejin!” Mark recognized the voice as one from before.

         “Knock it off, Jackson. We all know it wasn't on purpose.” The speaker was the same chillingly calm voice he had heard earlier as well.

        The two who had stopped the charging man shoved him away and the man, Jackson, fixed his ruffled clothing. “Screw this and screw you!” He jabbed a finger in Mark's direction. “I'm going for a run.”

        Jackson stormed out of the room and Mark flinched as he heard a door slam shut. Clearing his throat, the calm speaker turned his gaze on Jinyoung. “Thank you for bringing him up here, Jinyoung. Now,” he faced Mark, “you would like some explanations.”

        Mark realized this was the man who had freaked him out earlier. He could also recall him shooting him. Anger raced through his body, but he forced it down for now. There were four guys here and he didn't think he could take them all on. “Yes,” he answered simply.

        “I'm Jaebeom, the leader of this pack. You have already become acquainted with Jinyoung and the man that wants to kill you is Jackson. Don't mind him. Haejin was someone very close to him-”

        “I don't know anyone by the name of Haejin,” Mark spoke up, but he figured that was the dog he had hit. He knew animals were like family, but to be this mad about accidentally killing a dog? It was confusing.

        One of the men that had helped hold back Jackson stepped forward, his face contorted into a look of fury, but with one warning glance from Jaebeom he sat back down.

        “The feisty one right here is Youngjae,” Jaebeom nodded towards the male who had been ready to fight. “The other one who helped hold back Jackson is Yugyeom.” Although Yugyeom looked older and more masculine, he held a childish aura around him and he gave Mark a shy smile.

        “Lastly is Bambam. He looks like the youngest, but that would be Yugyeom. I'm sure you'll find those two the friendliest out of everyone. They're both young and naive.” Jaebeom tried to lighten the tone with a bit of teasing, but it was futile. The atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable. “Now onto the most important bit. The explanation for Jackson and your change, Mark. Before you ask, we took the liberty of searching for your I.D.”

        Mark felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of these strangers digging through his personal belongings, but he remained quiet.

        “What we are...it's not known to the world. To regular humans, we don't exist. The animal you hit with your car was not a dog. It was a wolf and it bit you. This particular wolf bite is like a poison. It affects you immediately after bitten. It's why you changed. I don't know if Haejin intended to kill you or wanted you to join the pack in his place, but you have to accept it now. Mark, you're a werewolf.”

        Mark had been listening carefully to the leader speak, but at his last statement he snorted in disbelief. “You're all insane. All I did was run over a dog. That's it.” But he couldn't help that nagging feeling that somewhere, deep down, Jaebeom was right. Although he had been trying to suppress the memory, Mark could remember his body breaking and his bones rearranging themselves.

        He edged towards the door and when he realized no one was going to challenge him for leaving, he took his chance. He walked passed the group of men, opened the door and closed it behind him, letting out a sigh as a fresh breeze caressed his skin. As he looked around the property, Mark was surprised to see his car parked nearby. Looking around to make sure he wouldn't be stopped, he headed to his car. A small smile tugged on his lips as he felt in his pockets and found his keys.

        Inside, Yugyeom, Youngjae, and Jinyoung moved to stop their newest member from leaving, but Jaebeom raised a hand to halt their actions. “Leave him. He has a family who is worried. Let's not draw suspicions. He's in denial but he will be back.”