Leo felt her fingers dig into his arms as she pulled him close and pressed her head into his chest almost with a practiced familiarity. But something was strange, he couldn’t hear her racing heart, he couldn’t smell her emotion, he could only feel her and her gentle scent as she clung onto him, still shaking with fear. He had only come there sensing danger and as his duty as the guardian of the woods, he hadn’t expected her to be there, but his actions were faster, baser, with far more emotion involved.  

“Hyeji,” he whispered, trying to get her to let go. She couldn’t be close to him, it would be wrong but her grip now grew stronger as she shifted away from him, still holding onto his arms and when his eyes met her again, Leo was certain that he was not going to be able to look away again.

“Jaehyun?” she whispered, the words coming out unfamiliar from her lips. Leo froze at the sound of the name of his ancestor coming from her lips. Baffled, the only thing that he could say in response was.

“Taekwoon.”

How many years had it been since he had even uttered his birth name out loud? It was almost like letting someone into a secret he had kept so close to his heart for so long. Hyeji looked as confused as him.

“You’re not Jaehyun, the man who saved my grandmother?”she blinked and all of the sudden Taekwoon understood that she had found out something about the past. But what exactly it was, he wasn’t entirely sure of.

“Jaehyun was not immortal.” was all she got in response as they sat in the middle of the woods with her cycle lying on the side and the mangy dog-like creature lay unconscious by a tree. It was not entirely an ideal situation to be having this conversation but Hyeji felt like if she let go of Leo he would simply just vanish all over again.

“Taekwoon,” she whispered, tasting his name making him close his eyes, it had been years since he heard someone call his name “you’re going to have to explain...you’re not a wolf, not a monster, you look just like the man who saved my grandmother from a wolf attack. So no, you can’t up and leave right now.” Hyeji stated, looking straight at the man who looked back at her, processing the information she had just put forward. She felt his fingers lace with hers and pull her up into a standing position.

“Let us go somewhere safe.” he said knowing there was no fighting her. Picking the bicycle up with his other arm, he led her to his old cabin which he had abandoned.

Hyeji found herself sitting down beside him on the dusty mattress meeting his eye as he took a deep breath.

“Jaehyun was my ancestor who was cursed when he killed the wolf to save Joohyun, who now I know is your grandmother,” he began as Hyeji nodded in understanding, trying to piece the puzzle together now “the curse passed down over the generations and that includes me. The only way the family can counter the curse is to defend the village and town.” Taekwoon tried his best to explain his situation.

“Protect the town and village from what?” Hyeji whispered, eyes not leaving his, looking at him with utmost faith. Leo gazed back at her, eyes softening as he felt himself reaching for her hands to hold them in his.

“From us.”

“Us?”

Taekwoon tried to process and explain exactly how to explain the functioning of the curse to Hyeji “When there is birth in this family, it is in the form of a litter, just like wolf cubs, except the offspring are born with different wolf-like characteristics. Some more wolf-like and some more humane. There is always one human within the litter, in my case I am that human cub. The curse becomes weaker and weaker the more the family does the duty of protecting the village and town from the more wolf-like of the family. Just like the one who tried to attack you a while back.”

“So you protect the village and town from your siblings so that your next generation would have lesser effects of the curse?” Hyeji tried to understand as Leo nodded in agreement. There was a moment where Hyeji felt squeamish about Leo fighting and physically harming his siblings.

“That’s right...but that doesn’t mean the most humane one is any less dangerous.” he sighed, feeling her squeeze his hands.

“You’re not going to have any offspring if you push people away.” she chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere as he frowned at her.

“Most of the mother’s die in childbirth. Mine did when she was giving birth to the second litter. No one survived that. I don’t want that happening to anyone. Maybe the curse will die with me.” Taekwoon looked down only to feel her press a kiss to his temple.

“Taekwoon, there is always a way to break a curse and we will find it,” Hyeji looked determined “there is no way you’re going to push me away after telling me all of this. My ancestor is the reason you’re in this situation and that is why I will make sure to find a way to break this curse.” she said, noticing Taekwoon eye the fang around her neck “I found it in my grandfather’s diary. It is the fang of the wolf that attacked my grandmother. The thing that started everything.”

There was a silence as the two looked down at the fang before looking back up at each other their eyes widening.

“The thing that started everything.” they said together.

Merry Christmas everyone! 

I hope this chapter made sense :)

Thank you for reading!

Ryukai