Bright white light penetrated the darkness behind his eyelids. His ears perked up, suddenly aware of every minute sound; sounds that still remained unrecognizable to him under the pressing pulses of lingering pain. A touch, too cool to be that of his brothers’, pressed against his cheek. His eyes snapped open, the glaring lights abusing his dilated pupils. A growl ripped through his throat as he bolted up. His leap from the bed landed him in a crouched position before the trespasser.

The lights continued to stab his sensitive eyesight and the pain that ripped through his right arm and shoulder ran down to the base of his ribcage almost made him crumble. He stubbornly held his ground, growling his threats. The intruder took a step back then changed their mind and moved towards him. The sound of their footstep small and light. He blinked furiously, growling heavily. His balance threatened to leave him with each pressing second, the pain on his right side increasing the longer he stood.

“Please—”

The sound of a female voice sparked a lingering rage within him that had not yet fully disappeared. His mind turned to bloodlust. He wanted her dead. He was going to kill her. Viciously.

He would tear at until she could only grasp at life with death lingering just out of reach. He would claw her body, raking the flash away from her bones. He would then gnaw on her until the marrow within her skeleton made him sick. Only after his bloodlust was sated, then and only then, would he allow her to die.

And even that would never be enough.

Fiercely fast and without warning he lurched at her, sharp teeth bared. The girl jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding a deadly collision. As the werewolf whirled in a renewed attack, the girl rushed toward the door, the only door in the room that was just too far away. He was right behind her, ready to kill her without mercy.

Then, suddenly, she stopped. She shielded her head with both her arms as she dropped into a defensive crouch. He would be upon her in seconds.

“Hyunseong!”

The door was smashed to pieces milliseconds after her desperate cry, his brother flying at him unexpectedly. The shock of seeing one of his own was enough to slow him down. He could have prevented their c