Hongbin’s POV

    I heard the door from Hyuk’s bedroom slam shut and his footsteps as he rushed down the stairs. Once outside, he shifted and took off a very fast pace. He carried his clothes in his mouth. I made a quick decision and followed him out into the snow. I rolled my eyes involuntarily as m bare feet met the cold ground. I stripped and shifted before running after him.

    I followed him to the edge of the forrest. It wasn’t hard to go unnoticed. He ran with single minded determination until he reached the edge of the woods. I hid as he changed and watched him strut out into the open. There was a single house nearby. He knocked impatiently on the back door. I heard a woman scream, but she opened the door and let him in.

    Unfortunately I was too far away to hear their conversation. After a few minutes he left. Even with the distance, I could see that he was grinning from ear to ear. I shifted back and dressed. When he entered the woods I confronted him.

    I stepped out from hiding and grinned slyly at Hyuk, “So, you got yourself a secret girlfriend?”

    He laughed, “Nah, it isn’t like that. I mean it wasn’t like that.”

    “What happened? Why did you rush out like the house was on fire?”

    He waved his hand to dismiss my question and began to remove his clothing. “I only want to say this once, so let’s  gather everyone.”

    I also began to prepare shift, “Have you noticed how rapidly the number of people included in ‘everyone’ has grown?”

    Hyuk grinned back at me, “12 is a good number. It should be done for a while. “ He dropped to his hands and knees. He arched his back and shifted forms.

    I chuckled and followed suite. We raced home and decided to wait until tomorrow to call everyone together.

    We made plans for everyone to get together at 5pm. I decided to spend my day with Soyoung. Since she bit me, she had been avoiding me. I knew she felt guilty and no matter how much I insisted that she didn’t have to be upset, nothing would ease her mind.

    Haewon came over early in the day, when she arrived without Soyoung and Miyoung, Wonsik and I left immediately for their home. When we arrived Miyoung answered the door alone. She smiled sadly at Wonsik and pulled us each inside.

    She looked at the ground with her bottom lip trembling. “She won't say anything. I can’t get her to eat. I-I don’t know what to do.”

    Wonsik nodded and pulled her to him patting her hair gently. “Don’t worry. Hongbin will take care of her.” He pulled her back and looked into her eyes, “And I, will take care of you.” He lightly brushed her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

    I was a little uncomfortable seeing Wonsik act so tender. I left them to their moment and made my way to Soyoung’s room. I knocked, but didn’t receive an answer. After a moment I knocked again, this time not waiting for an answer. I turned the handle and walked in.

    Soyoung was laying on her side with her back to me. Her blankets were pulled over her head. By her bed sat a tray with porridge. I walked over and sat at the end of the bed. First I rubbed gently on her back, and then I pulled down the blankets.

    She had her eyes closed tightly, and I could see that her cheeks were tear stained. As upset as she was, she still wanted to be comforted. She turned and sat up so that she was facing me. She opened , and for a moment I thought she was going to say something. She closed and bowed her head. She fell forward into my chest and her shoulders began to shake.

    I was nervous. I didn’t know what to do with a crying girl. I tried to remember what Wonsik had done and copied his actions. I pulled her tighter to me, and ran my hand down her tangled hair. She cried harder for a moment, but the sobs eventually ceased.

    She tried to smile at me, “I can’t believe I hurt you like that.” Her lip wavered, but she didn’t shed a tear. She reached out and gently ran her finger across my lip. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

    I nodded, “We are what we are. We can’t change that.” I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “And it’s not like I pushed you away. You pulled back first.” I smiled at her.

    She chuckled softly, “Our fangs secrete a chemical that causes you to experience increased endorphin production. You probably wouldn’t have stopped me. If I didn’t stop. I could have killed you.” Her voice broke.

    I smiled, “I don’t think you could have drained me through a cut on my lip.”

She ignored my comment. “The scariest part was the strength I felt after. I felt like all of my senses were enhanced. It was an amazing feeling.” As she began to sound more like herself. “Miyoung felt week, so I wasn’t prepared for a rush of strength. I wonder if the poison prevented her from feeling the rush.”

This didn’t sound good. If she did get a rush from shifter blood, what if she became addicted? “I don’t know that we should test the theory.”

She smiled, “Of course not. I’ll never hurt you again. I don’t bite.” Her face started to fall again. “It’s something I used to take pride in.”

I made Soyoung wash her face and shower. Once she was finished the four of us settled down to spend the day watching movies.

Sorry for the awkward and short chapter.

I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

Here is Binnie when he is a Fox: