Areum rubbed her temples as she walked back to her house after school.

The whole day felt like it dragged on twice as long and she couldn't wait to be out of her classes and back at home. Even Yang and Yoomi couldn't get her out of her funk.

But coming home wasn't as relieving as she wanted it to be since she knew that Jackson wasn't going to be at her house to welcome her back.

He wouldn't kiss her until she was laughing under him or until she threatened to kick him out.

And he wouldn't be pressed to her side, warming her up as they drifted to sleep.

"Stupid, idiot, prince." She muttered as she pulled her keys out and unlocked her door.

She swung the door open and dropped her bag on the ground as she took in the sight in front of her. Two small wolves were chasing each other around her living room as Jaebum tried to pull them apart.

Jinyoung was using a fire poker to prod the wooden logs that were crackling in the fireplace. Her eyes flickered to Ara's bedroom to the open where she could see Mark sitting on the edge of her sister's bed with a dumb smile as he smoothed his palm over her sheets.

Youngjae walked out of her kitchen with a sandwich stuffed in his mouth as he strode into the living room, ignoring her while he switched on her television.

"What the hell is going on here?" She snapped irritably.

Everyone froze and glanced at her, even the two small wolves, as her eye twitched.

"Oh you're home!" Jinyoung said with a huge smile, oblivious to her deadly aura.

Her eyes swept over the room before she shut them and clenched her teeth, "What are you doing in my house?"

Jaebum scratched the back of his head, "Jackson wanted us to keep a close eye on you, so we thought that the best way to do that is to live with you until he came back."

Areum's jaw dropped, "L-Live with me?"

Mark walked out of Ara's room, "The panthers know where to find us, but they don't know where to find you. Our best bet is to be around you 24/7, not to mention it'll be easier for us to know that you're safe."

"Don't worry, we'll pay for the groceries and your bills since you'll be dealing with more people than normal." Jinyoung said with a grin.

Areum stayed silent as she let everything sink in, causing the boys to shift uneasily. "H-How did you get into my place?"

"Ara gave me a spare." Mark said timidly, gauging her reaction.

BamBam shifted back into his human form and crossed his legs while staring up at her with large puppy dog eyes, "Are you mad? Don't be mad. We didn't mean to break in."

Areum let out a breath and looked around her house before her heart started to untangle, "I'm not mad. I'm a little surprised, but…I'm actually kind of glad. It's-it's hard being here alone."

Jaebum gave her a sad look and opened his mouth to say something comforting when Youngjae cut him off, "We bought you groceries, can you make us dinner now?"

Everyone groaned, including Areum, but she saw the way their eyes seemed insincere. She sighed, "I'm only doing this for you guys today, then you're either going to have to take turn making dinner or we start getting take out. I'm not your goddamn maid."

Everyone cheered as she walked into her kitchen. She looked at the produce in the plastic bags before pulling the ingredients out and pushing her sleeves up to her elbows. 

She washed her hands and began chopping the vegetables when someone walked into the kitchen. Her heart jumped and for a second she thought that it was Jackson because he always made it a habit to be in the same room as her.

"Sooooo…." Mark started as he leaned up against the counter beside her.

Her lips turned up in a half smile, "Yes, you can sleep in Ara's room, just make the bed in the morning."

Mark bit down on his smile and watched her fingers move deftly across the board. His grin faltered at the memory of Jackson urgently telling his pack about Mino and his abilities and even though they barely kept up with his words, they all remembered one thing clearly.

"You guys keep her safe for me. That's your first priority, if you need to stalk her every move, then do it. Keep her out of Mino's way, but don't tell her what he's capable of. If she starts acting strange, he might feel strained in his head and his powers might come out."

"How are you holding up?"

Areum's hands stilled over the cutting board and he watched as she blinked rapidly before resuming her task, "I'm fine."

"I doubt that."

She shot him a glare, "You don't know me enough to say that. Just because you're ing my sister, doesn't mean you know who I am."

Mark's eyes widened and his mouth opened as he took a step away from her in shock. Areum was usually harsh with Youngjae, but she had never snapped at any of the other boys before…especially Mark.

Areum's back tensed as if her words just registered in her mind. She dropped the knife and reached her hand out to him, "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that."

Mark laughed softly, and squeezed her hand, good naturedly before letting go, "Getting edgy because he's gone?"

Areum dropped down on a chair and rubbed her eyes. "When I first met him, I did whatever I could to avoid him. It was easy for me to forget about him, but now he leaves for one month and I feel like everything is dragging on 10 times slower."

"That's the great things about being mates. The bond is that strong." Mark said lightly.

Areum frowned, "Yeah but, I've been independent my whole life. Even with Ara, I still try to take care of myself by getting a job and not bothering her with my school problems because she deserves that. She's worked so hard when we were young and the least I could do is hold out on my own. But now I feel like I've lost my independence to the point where the way I feel and the way time passes is affected by someone else."

Mark crossed his arms, "I think the thing about you  is that you act like the only way you're allowed to act is tough. You act like depending on someone else, especially a guy is a sign of weakness, but it's not. You're tougher than Jackson, but that doesn't mean you can't be attached or reliant on someone else. Missing someone doesn't mean that you've lost your independence and who you are, it means that you care about someone almost as much as you care about yourself."

"Is this how you feel towards Ara?" She asked while peering up at him, her fingers curling around Jackson's collar.

"Being away from your sister is probably the worst thing I've ever had to do, but I know that it's only time. She'll be back soon and that's what important. I'll eventually get to see her and hold her so I'm willing to wait patiently until she finishes her transfer program. But that doesn't mean I don't miss her like crazy. She's the most amazing person I've ever met and every morning I wake up depressed that she isn't beside me."

She watched his face intently and saw the way his eyes rimmed with a soft green. "You're just making me miss Jackson even more." She muttered.

Mark snickered and pulled out a piece of paper and slid it over to her, "He told us not to give this to you because you would distract him, but here. Give him a call when you can."

-----

Jackson was walking down the streets of Tokyo, distracted.

He spent the whole day reading ancient texts to the point where he felt like his brain was going to explode.

He wouldn't leave the couch until his mother and father had to physically lift him out the door and tell him to get fresh air.

Jackson pulled his sweater up so that it covered his mouth and shoved his hands in his pockets. Now that he was away from all of Mason's old books, he just kept thinking about Areum.

She would've been back from school now.

He wondered how her day was.

How Yang and Yoomi were treating her.

Or if any of the panthers approached her.

Or if she was still missing him.

Because he was going out of his mind, missing her.  

He never realized how much of a pain it was to be responsible until he had to leave Areum.