Jeon Wonwoo liked to think that’s he was pretty normal. He didn’t have a stable job, but it’s not like he was mooching off of the system either. He did a couple odd jobs here and there and managed to pay his taxes. He always paid his land lord early, and was known to be very mannerly if not a bit quiet. The only extraordinary thing about Wonwoo was that he was a werewolf, and that wasn’t even that spectacular because he was only a Beta.

          In novels, werewolves were depicted as uncontrollable monsters that turned into enormous wolves during the full moon. However, while it was true that werewolves could switch between their human and beast form easily, everything else was a myth. Much like werecats, werewolves had eye-catching canine ears and tails. Their eyes also tended to be shades of yellow or blue, and most werewolves were larger and more physically impressive than the normal human. However, most of these traits were determined by ones ranking.

          A couple years or so after a werewolf is born; it begins to emit a certain aura. This aura, when identified by an Alpha, classifies the wolf as an Omega, a Beta, or an Alpha. Omega’s were the bottom of the chain. They were weak and slower than the majority of the werewolf population and barely had any skills. They couldn’t claim a Mate for themselves; but everyone could claim them as a Mate. However, although Omega’s were the lowest of the chain, they still had their perks, especially because any child born of an Omega and Alpha was almost always guaranteed to be an Alpha.

           Betas, like Wonwoo, were considered the middle rank. They were physically faster and stronger than humans and certain other races, but they weren’t as athletic or powerful as Alphas. However, unlike Omegas, they could claim a Mate as well as be claimed themselves. Betas made up the bulk of the werewolf population and most Mates consisted of two Betas. Wonwoo was fine with his ranking, it wasn’t like he didn’t have any perks, but Wonwoo wasn’t the type of person to have ambition for power like Alphas did.

          Alphas were the highest in the werewolf hierarchy. They could claim whomever they wanted but they themselves could not be claimed. This caused trouble when a pair of Alphas wished to be Mates, but, there were other ways that Alphas could Mate, however, this was kept a secret among the Alphas themselves. Many Betas hypothesized that it was because Alphas became weak in the moment of the Mating – allowing the more dominant of the pair to claim the other – but no one had bothered to dismiss or prove the hypothesis. Alpha’s were also the strongest and fastest of the werewolf race, but that wasn’t all. Alpha’s had a special power over the other ranks. It was often described as a sort of aura. If an Alpha wished to exercise their aura, any Beta or Omega in the area would automatically submit to their will. This led to a variety of power hungry and ambitious Alphas, but the Council of Races usually kept them reigned.

          In any case, Wonwoo wasn’t particularly interested in his culture. He knew he would have to find a Mate one day but since he was a Beta, he didn’t usually have any dealings with the politics of his world. It was usually always about which Alpha was more dominant or if an Alpha-Omega pair was made. Nothing that really, in his opinion, concerned Wonwoo. In fact, Wonwoo very rarely interacted with other people. It wasn’t like he was socially awkward or inept; he just preferred to keep to himself and his close circle of friends. After all, the only things other werewolves cared about were either power or gossip.

          “I heard that the blacksmith is looking for a part-time assistant,” a voice said, causing Wonwoo to break out of his thoughts. He looked up and smiled, as the only werewolf his age (that he could stand) sat down beside him.

          “Hi Seulgi,” Wonwoo greeted. Kang Seulgi, Wonwoo’s childhood friend and neighbour, flicked her dark brown ears in greeting. Her long chestnut hair twirled in the wind slightly before Seulgi tied it up in a ponytail. “You look nice with your hair down.”

          “Thanks, but it’s annoying when it’s windy,” Seulgi answered promptly. “If my future Mate cares about my hair then I just won’t accept him or her.”

          “Your future Mate is going to have hell,” Wonwoo laughed when Seulgi punched him in the shoulder. “It’s the truth.”

          “Well yours is going to have worse than hell,” Seulgi stuck her nose into the air. The two continued to banter lightly before slipping into a comfortable silence. Wonwoo and Seulgi had been friends for so long that their relationship was entirely platonic. Once Wonwoo wondered what it would be like to claim Seulgi as a Mate, before Seulgi shot him down by saying that, ‘ew, no, you’re practically my brother’, and she was right. Wonwoo felt like he would have regretted asking Seulgi to be his Mate. They matched a lot better as siblings and Wonwoo knew that he was the exact opposite of Seulgi’s type.

          Seulgi was bright, vibrant, and extremely energetic. She was joy personified and constantly fluttered from person to person when they had been in school. Almost everyone in the Pack knew her, and the majority of those people would only tell you good things. Seulgi had flaws of course, she was bad-tempered, impatient, and couldn’t understand when people didn’t want to take advantage of the things given them, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t empathetic. Just because Wonwoo liked to ‘waste his life away’ (her words, not his) doesn’t mean that Seulgi wasn’t going to sit there and keep him company (while complaining the whole time). Seulgi was generally just a happy person, she always saw the silver lining, and dreamt big. It was her dream, in fact, to travel to the big city right outside of werewolf territory, which allowed the mixing of races. She wanted to learn about nymphs, about how elves crafted entire buildings out of trees, about how dragon fire stayed lit even underwater. Seulgi wanted to explore the world, and she had told Wonwoo, multiple times, that if her Mate wasn’t going to come and find her, then she’d go after him.

          Wonwoo was the opposite, he was happy with his life. He liked lazing around underneath the forest, watching as the clouds floated past. He earned just enough to keep living, and never did anything out of the blue. Seulgi called it boring but Wonwoo liked his life. Everything was practical and nothing was a surprise. Except for Seulgi of course, she always managed to get him to do things that Wonwoo wouldn’t have dreamed of doing. Like now.

          “It’ll be fun! Trust me!” Seulgi said, pulling on Wonwoo’s sleeve. They had been lying on the grass for an hour now and the sun was starting to set. Not like that bothered them, werewolves were mostly nocturnal (although those living in bigger, mixed cities, became accustomed to the daylight hours) and both of the young Betas could easily see in the dark. “You never go out.”

          “I do go out, but not to parties with illegal substances,” Wonwoo replied curtly, tugging on his own sleeve and trying to make Seulgi let go of the fabric. It wasn’t expensive, nothing Wonwoo owned was, but he still didn’t want it to get ruined.

          “Moonshine isn’t illegal! It’s just... hard to come by,” Seulgi stated. “Besides, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! They say moonshine makes you as strong as the Alphas!”

          “Another reason why I shouldn’t go, I don’t want to get caught in a fight between someone who thinks they’re an Alpha and an actual Alpha,” Wonwoo countered, standing up. “You can go if you want, I won’t tell anyone. But don’t get hurt okay.”

          “You’re no fun,” Seulgi pouted, shoving her hands into her dress pockets. “You’ll regret it, trust.”

          “Then I’ll regret it when that happens, now hurry up, you’re going to miss your party,” Wonwoo pushed Seulgi forward slightly, feeling a little bad. Seulgi always tried to include Wonwoo in gatherings, even when she knew he was always going to say no. She never stopped trying and that was something Wonwoo found admirable. However, it also caused her a lot of grief as many other werewolves their age about always hanging around with Wonwoo (who was not held very high in their regard).

          “They’ll definitely wait for me,” Seulgi stuck her tongue out. “See you tomorrow!”

          “Bye,” Wonwoo waved as Seulgi disappeared down the road. Sticking his hands into his coat, Wonwoo began the trek back home. There wasn’t much he had to do today, he ate dinner at the general store (courtesy of the owner after Wonwoo cleared the basement) and was looking forward to slipping into his warm bed. Maybe he was weird, other teenagers his age would be out partying like Seulgi, but it didn’t bother him. If he had to choose between his own, predictable life and anyone else’s, he’d choose his own a million times over.

          Wonwoo took the kettle off of the stove and placed it on the side before turning the stove off. The kettle continued to whistle while Wonwoo grabbed a mug but it began to quiet down when Wonwoo released some of its contents into the cup. Placing the kettle back, Wonwoo grabbed the mug and walked over to his couch. Night had fallen a long time ago and although Wonwoo wanted to sleep, he couldn’t. There was a feeling of uneasiness, probably because Seulgi still hadn’t come home.

          Seulgi usually partied and played until dawn, but she would always keep Wonwoo updated. If two werewolves were especially close, they would develop a sort of telepathic bond. This also occurred in Mates, but it could happen to anyone that was close. Friends, family, coworkers, as long as the circumstances were right. In this case, Seulgi was never shy of using their bond to talk to Wonwoo when she was bored at parties. Wonwoo couldn’t count the number of times Seulgi had gone to a party but ended up talking to Wonwoo through their bond the whole night. In any case, Wonwoo was getting increasingly worried as he saw the sun begin to rise. No party, especially involving moonshine (which would burn the moment it was placed in sunlight), ran this late. Seulgi should have been home by now, or else she would have notified Wonwoo.

          Trying to calm his nerves, Wonwoo sipped his tea. He looked down at the book he had been reading and tried to find his place. Tapping his foot on the floor, Wonwoo felt himself slowly relax as the effects of the tea and the story of the book brought him out of his worries. That is, until he heard a disturbing shout in his mind.

          Wonwoo... a voice whispered. Looking up, Wonwoo closed his book and concentrated harder. The voice was soft, almost nonexistent.

          Seulgi? Wonwoo asked, waiting for a reply. Communicating through telepathic bonds could be irritating, it took a lot more power than Wonwoo liked, and if the receiver wasn’t strong enough, then sometimes the message wouldn’t pass through. Seulgi!

          Wonwoo... I, I’m sorry. Seulgi voice came back a bit stronger, but still a lot weaker than normal. I, I should have listened to you, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

          Seulgi what are you talking about? Are you okay? Where are you? Wonwoo began to pace frantically, annoyed that werewolves had so little magic. A magician could easily find Seulgi with a spell but Wonwoo was helpless.

          I, I think I’m near the old tavern. Come quickly please, I think he’s coming back. Wonwoo. Wonwoo hurry. I can hear him, he’s coming back. Help me. He- Wonwoo dropped his mug when the connection was cut off. He stood in quiet alert, ears pricked for any signs of the connection returning but there was nothing. Either Seulgi was playing a trick on him or someone stopped their bond.

          Grabbing his jacket, Wonwoo ran out of his apartment. The cold night air hit him in the face but there was no time to go back and grab a warmer jacket. Wonwoo’s eyes adjusted to the darkness within seconds but even that wait was too long. Seulgi was in trouble. Wonwoo’s panicked mind tried to remember which path to the old tavern would be faster but he couldn’t think. Growling, he randomly selected a path and ran as fast as his legs would let him. Realizing that his human legs just weren’t fast enough, Wonwoo changed into his wolf form mid-step. His pale limbs turned into canine ones, eyes changing from a deep brown to a startling ice blue. The moonlight shone off of his silver fur and Wonwoo raced through the trodden path. His large paws dug into the dirt, powerful hind legs kicking dust into the air. His breath came out in short gasps, yet even when his lungs were empty he continued to run.

          Bursting into the clearing in front of the old tavern, Wonwoo caught his breath, ears twitching to pick up any signs of Seulgi. He couldn’t smell her, all he could smell was something sweet mixed with sweat. Changing back into his human form, Wonwoo wrapped his jacket closer around his body and slowly walked around the tavern.

          “S-stay away,” a soft, broken voice warned when Wonwoo walked behind the old building. Looking closely, Wonwoo saw one of the bushes shaking slightly; he walked closer and carefully pushed them back, before gasping at the sight. Seulgi was lying on the grass, cuts and bruises covering every inch of her body, while tears stained her once rosy cheeks. Her clothes were ripped and the only thing covering her upper body was the remains of her dress. There was no mistake as to what happened, and Wonwoo felt his body fill with anger.

          “Seulgi,” he said, unable to keep the fire out of his voice. The girl looked up, recognizing her childhood friend, and sobbed loudly, unable to keep her voice quiet. “What happened?” Wonwoo asked gently, gathering Seulgi into his arms. The girl trembled, shaking, not from the cold, but from the violence she had just witnessed. Wonwoo held her close to her chest, trying to warm her up, before taking his jacket off. He wrapped it around Seulgi, ignoring the goose bumps on his own arms, and rubbed her back gently.

          Standing up, Wonwoo picked Seulgi up softly. The girl continued to cry into his chest as Wonwoo walked home. Her sobs persisted until they entered Wonwoo’s house but Seulgi’s tears kept falling. Even after Wonwoo wrapped her in a multitude of blankets and laid her on the guest bed, Seulgi wouldn’t stop crying.

          “Alphas,” Seulgi whispered while Wonwoo was checking her wounds. He looked up sharply. “They, they were at the party. They weren’t from our Pack, but they took it over easily. A couple of young ones wrecked havoc, ruining tables and stuff like that. I don’t think anyone got majorly hurt though. Until they discovered the moonshine. No one else tried it, we were saving it for midnight, but the Alphas finished it within minutes. It really does make you stronger Wonwoo. The Alpha’s aura... It was intense. No one could withstand it. Some weaker Betas immediately threw themselves at the Alphas Wonwoo, asking to... to...” Seulgi’s voice caught. “They were taken away, probably to bed. Other Betas that tried to resist were forced. I ran away the minute the first Alpha saw the moonshine. I ran as fast as I could Wonwoo, but they caught me. They acted as if it was a game. Told me that if I hid for a total of ten minutes they’d leave me alone. They didn’t Wonwoo, they knew where I was the whole time and only showed themselves when I thought I had won. They tore at my hair, ripped my clothes, punched me and called me names. They broke my wrist and twisted my ankle. One of them had a knife Wonwoo. He stuck it into my gut, and twisted it. I screamed, they laughed. I don’t know where the blade is Wonwoo. When he pulled it out there was only a hilt. It doesn’t even hurt anymore; I think I lost too much blood.”

          “, we have to call a medic or something,” Wonwoo immediately stood up. He paced the room, trying to figure out if he should risk leaving the apartment in order to go out and get a healer. “Stay here okay, if anything happens, send me a message.”

          After making sure Seulgi was as comfortable as she could be, Wonwoo raced out of his apartment. The nearest healer was a couple streets away and it took even longer for the healer to gather her required materials. The three of them (the healer’s apprentice came along as well) burst into Wonwoo’s apartment and Wonwoo was immediately pushed to the side as the healer and apprentice worked their magic.

          Wonwoo watched as the apprentice drew up hot water in order to steep the variety of herbs that the healer had brought. Werewolves didn’t have much affinity for magic so they often had to rely on homemade remedies. If they were lucky, they’d be able to contact a faerie or magician from the connecting territories but Wonwoo didn’t have time to send a message to any other city. Seulgi was losing blood, fast, and the healer was still unable to find the dagger blade.

          “Here,” the apprentice approached Wonwoo around an hour later, causing Wonwoo to break out of his sleepy daze. He had been sitting on a chair in the corner of the room while the healer tended to Seulgi’s wounds. “She’s still in critical condition so it’s not good to move her, you can stay at my house instead since I’m going to be here. Make sure not to steal anything.”

          “Do I have to leave?” Wonwoo stared at the key dangling from the apprentice’s fingers. “I’d rather stay here.”

          “It’s better if there are less people to interfere with the healing process,” the apprentice answered curtly. This hadn’t been the first time she had to deal with grieving family members or close friends, and it had proven better in the long run for loved ones to stay away from the patient until he or she returned to a more stable condition.

          “Fine,” Wonwoo sighed, knowing that it was useless to argue. He grabbed the keys from the apprentice and silently sent Seulgi a message. Stay strong okay, I’ll see you soon.

          “Wonwoo... Are you going to come see the trial?” a soft voice asked, causing Wonwoo to look up from his spot on the ground. He sees one of Seulgi’s close friends; he never had the time to learn her name, standing with her arms clasped behind her back. She was dressed in a black dress, with a yellow bow around her neck. Seulgi’s favourite colour had been yellow, and it was customary for one to wear an article of clothing associated with the deceased werewolf up until they were fully buried. Wonwoo himself was wearing a lemon yellow ribbon around his arm, something Seulgi had given to him on his last birthday.

          “No, he’s going to be sentenced to death right?” Wonwoo replied, eyes examining the other werewolf’s sad eyes. “I already know what’s going to happen, the trial is just customary. They’ll kill him after the decision is made.”

          “Yes,” the girl nodded, biting her lip. “To be completely honest, I’m surprised he turned himself in. Usually Alphas... don’t do that sort of thing.”

          “Of course they don’t, Alphas think they own the world. That bastard basically forced Seulgi to stop moving because of his stupid powers,” Wonwoo hissed, clenching his fists. “The only reason he turned himself in was because he didn’t have any other options and he thought that if he said he was guilty he’d retain some kind of pride.”

          “There’s nothing we can do Wonwoo,” the girl sighed, running her hands through her hair. She was sad as well, Seulgi was well liked by everyone but she had died on the operating table because the mage from the capital city hadn’t come in time, but it seemed like Wonwoo took this whole incident to heart. “That’s how our society is, Alphas control everything and we all have to creep around them and try to live our life.”

          “And that’s stupid,” Wonwoo said, standing up. “I’m going to pay my respects to Seulgi, but that’s it. I’m leaving.”

          “Wait, what do you mean you’re leaving?” The girl looked up in surprise, eyes widening at Wonwoo’s words.

          “Leaving the pack, I already told the leader and he let me go. I don’t have any family remaining here anyways so there’s nothing left for me – especially because Seulgi is gone now. Plus, Seulgi said there were three of them, but only one of them got caught. I’m not going to stay in a pack where Seulgi’s murderers are still running around freely,” Wonwoo spat, disgusted at the social hierarchy of his race.

          “But... What about Seulgi?” Seulgi’s friend, looked at Wonwoo sadly, pity and empathy shining in her eyes.

          “Seulgi wanted to explore the world,” Wonwoo said quietly. “She wanted to see faeries and dragons, elves and nymphs, vampires and werecats... But now, now she can’t. So I’ll do it for her. I’ll go to the capital, where races mix like water, and I’ll record everything. I’ll come back every year, don’t worry, and read about my adventures to Seulgi at her resting place. But for now, I have to live for both her and me.”

~ ♦ ~

THIS WAS REALLY SAD. I’M SORRY. I didn’t know how to write Wonwoo’s back story and then I had this idea in the middle of mass (yes I think about Seventeen and my fics during church I just get ideas randomly okay) and it just seemed to work so yeah. This is one of my longest chapters, almost at 4000 words aha. I might’ve gotten a little carried away so I edited some of the darker content out. Seulgi was originally supposed to suffer a lot more but I made it less so because then it’d be too sad.

So, speaking of Wonwoo. Did you know that Wonwoo has become my bias wrecker in this Mansae era? In Adore U it was S.Coups and now it’s Wonwoo... Hip Hop Unit more like Bias Wrecker Unit am I right?

Moving on, I might be posting a character overview chapter (right after the table of contents) and maybe even a map? I actually made a rough map of the entire continent so I could see where the different race territories started and stuff and if you guys want it and think it’ll be useful for story purposes then I’ll add it but for now I’ll probably just put the character chart.

Once again, thanks for reading and I do not own anything in this story other than the idea and plot, any similarities to other works of fiction are purely coincidental or have been used as sources of inspiration. Please do not repost this anywhere without my permission; plagiarism isn’t nice!

Hope you’re smiling!

~ alateni