Chanyeol lay awake in his bed, his fingers tracing the wolf charm bracelet hanging around his wrist, yet somehow he was dreaming, falling into himself. He wasn’t touching the bracelet but soft golden locks of hair, and he wasn’t staring up at the ceiling but instead gazing into her eyes. Yeri’s brown eyes, her warm smile. Chanyeol curled up into a little ball, insecure and lonely, and longing endlessly for his lady. Ever since Joy had called him and told him about her dream, the one about Yeri’s death, Chanyeol hadn’t slept properly, nor had he eaten or taken care of himself. How could he, knowing he lived among her murderers who were his own wolf brothers?

“Chan?” Baekhyun asked softly as he entered his best friend’s quarters. He saw his state and immediately closed his arms around Chanyeol. “It’s okay, Chan, I’m here now.”

“Everything hurts,” whimpered Chanyeol. “I try to be strong but…in the end, she’s what I see, what I crave. Why did she have to go, Baekhyun…?”

“I know, I know,” Baekhyun whispered, shutting his eyes tightly against Chanyeol’s hair. “Let it all out, it’s okay…”

“Why do the good ones always have to die?” Chanyeol’s voice was laced with so much pain that Baekhyun couldn’t bear it. When his friend was hurting, Baekhyun was too.

“Because they’re too pure for this rotten world. So the angels take them first, to save their souls.”

Another thought hit Chanyeol, crashing into him like a wave. “W-what about those hybrids? Tell me, they used Yeri’s blood, didn’t they? You can’t keep feeding me your lies, Byun Baekhyun!” He was turning frantic, his voice rising in anger. “Hyuna murdered my Yeri! Kai was there, too! Joy saw it in her dream. Tell me who else was involved!”

“Stop,” said Baekhyun, shaking his head. “You’re just making this harder on yourself. Yes, Hyuna led the killing, and Yeri’s blood was used to help create the hybrids, along with some of our pack members’ DNA. They tainted her blood with a spell so that it would give the hybrids strength and power, enough for them to finish their last developmental phase.”

“I’m certain that Sehun and Kai were involved in the murder. They’re Hyuna’s dogs; they bark on her command and follow her everywhere with their tails wagging in the air.”

“I agree with you completely. I also highly suspect Yunhyeong, Jinhwan, and Junhoe. There’s no way the five we’ve mentioned aren’t involved with this whole mess, and there are probably a few others, too. Now we just need proof.” Baekhyun got up and adjusted the chains that dangled from his clothes.

“Let’s make them pay,” Chanyeol decided, joining Baekhyun by the tent’s entrance. Baekhyun studied his eyes; there was only menace that glittered in the dark depths there.

“Let’s make them pay,” agreed Baekhyun, his hands curling into hard fists, ready to destroy everything that stood in their path.

“Is it…safe?” asked Jungkook hesitantly as he gazed at the neon green liquid in his glass.

RM chuckled, acting at ease as if he had done this a million times. He came over to stand behind the human boy’s chair and guided the drink to Jungkook’s mouth with his strong hands. “Just sip and feel it settle in.”

All of the Bangtan clan minus Jin was present, along with Joy and Jungkook, and they were all ready to drink the absinthe and follow the instructions written carefully within the spell book that V had placed on the dining table.

Joy drank her share, the mild bitterness and herbal undertone of the absinthe already making her feel dizzy and lightheaded. She was prepared to face anything in the Dream World so long as Jimin stayed by her side. “Don’t let go of my hand,” she whispered to him.

He smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry. I’m right here.” Jimin held her hand in his, and Joy no longer flinched from his cold touch.

“If anything goes wrong…don’t you dare come crying to me.” Jin appeared with his arms crossed over his chest, looking like a stubborn prince.

Suga stumbled over to him, clearly in a state of stupor from drinking too much. “…I still love you, bro.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “I’ll be waiting right here for you to come back. You better not do anything dumb there, Suga. I love you too.”

V cleared his throat. “Well, then, let’s get started, shall we?” He winked at Joy, his gray eyes sparkling with mischief.

They switched off the lights and instead lit seven candles, one for each of them, so that they were sitting at the table in complete darkness except for the fiery shadows that danced on the walls around them. RM filled their glasses again, urging them to drink the absinthe.

“Let’s see now what the Dream World holds for us,” he said, and Joy let herself crumble into the deep wave of unconsciousness.

“Wait outside and keep guard,” Chanyeol said to Baekhyun as he snuck inside Kai’s tent. It was a mess, with clothes and shoes strewn all over the place, so he had to search for a long time. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally came across a tied-up bag that had been buried underneath a pile of shirts. His fingers quickly worked to undo the knots and pull the strings apart, and he emptied the contents out onto the ground.

“Baek, come here.” A furry light-up jacket splattered in blood dangled from his fingertips.

Baekhyun exhaled. “Jesus.”

Chanyeol dug through the rest of the clothes, finding Yeri’s striped sweatshirt and white skirt that were smeared in dirt and dried blood. The sight turned his stomach, making him feel ill and making his blood boil in his veins. “I knew it. Ah, this, they’ve been keeping her clothes… this is evidence, it has their DNA all over it. We should call Joy and Jungkook over here.”

“Get the bag for now. Let’s go find those bastards Sehun and Kai.”

Chanyeol quickly gathered up the clothes and shoved them back into the bag before following Baekhyun to Sehun’s tent, where Sehun, Kai, and a few other pack members were lounging.

Baekhyun wasted no time. His eyes found Kai by the corner and he grabbed him by the collar, landing a punch right in his face. Crack. Chanyeol heard the audible sound of Baekhyun’s fist connecting with Kai’s nose, breaking it. Blood trickled down Kai’s chin and fell onto his shirt.

Sehun leaped up from his bed in sheer alarm. “What do you think you’re doing? Have you lost it? Come to your senses!”

Baekhyun spun around to face him. “You’re the one who’s lost it, doing everything Hyuna asks of you without a second thought! You killed his girlfriend,” he spat.

“My, oh my,” Sehun mocked him, faking a shocked expression to the amusement of Kai, D.O, and Yunhyeong. “And what proof do you have?”

“This,” Chanyeol said, his words laced with venom, holding up the bag for all to see. “We know what you did, and we won’t let you get away with it.”

“You won’t go against your own pack brothers,” said Yunhyeong, clasping his hands together which only irritated Chanyeol more.

“We will,” he argued, “Because the day you took Hyuna’s side and watched Yeri die, you died for us!”

Sehun was trembling with fury. “You’re the real traitor here! Failing in love with a human girl and even fighting with your pack over her. How pathetic!” He pounced at Chanyeol, tackling him to the ground and wrapping his hands around his throat, squeezing with all of the strength he had in him.

D.O.’s eyes were as wide as marbles. “Sehun, stop! That’s enough!”

“Die!” Sehun didn’t loosen his grip around his neck, even as Chanyeol tried to gouge out his eyes. “Yes, I was there that night! I watched her blood leave her body, and I liked it. You wanna know why? ‘Cause in that moment, I saw a future where we would rule over all the lands. We’d be unstoppable, all thanks to her sacrifice.”

“…Yeri never agreed to it…You guys forced her to…” choked out Chanyeol, his face bright red as he struggled to breathe.

Baekhyun saw his chance. He snuck up in a heartbeat behind Sehun and slashed his dagger across the boy’s ankle. He howled in pain, stumbling backwards and losing his grip on Chanyeol, as Baekhyun stabbed him in his left side. Blood spilled out of the wound, bright red and staining right through Sehun’s baby pink shirt. He began yelling for Suho, causing a commotion in the camp.

“What…what have you done?” asked D.O., horrified.

Baekhyun flashed a white, sharp-toothed grin at his wolf brother. “This is our revenge, brother.”

“We listened to Hyuna because she has the right idea.” D.O. was scowling at Baekhyun, looking like no other than Satan himself, dressed in black leather and sporting a collar full of spikes around his throat. “Yeri had it coming. Humans have no place in werewolf society. Remember that, Baekhyun.”

Yunhyeong jumped to D.O.’s defense. “Those hybrids are more powerful than anything you could ever even imagine, Baekhyun. You saw them last time when we all went over to the lab. Just wait until you see them now; they’re incredible!” His eyes lit up with pure admiration; Baekhyun saw that he was just as greedy for revenge and power as the rest of Hyuna’s dogs.

More of Exo and iKon were now gathering inside Sehun’s tent, some watching the fighting and others trying to help Sehun. They had laid him down on his bed and were putting pressure on his leaking wounds as he moaned in pain.

The tent’s entrance flapped open again, this time to reveal a very angry looking Junhoe flanked by Jinhwan and Chanwoo on either side. “What’s going on?” demanded Junhoe, his eyes hunting around the tent for answers.

“Where are Suho and B.I?” Yunhyeong rushed to the front to meet Junhoe in concern.

“They’re inspecting the hybrids with Hyuna; they left me in charge until they return. The full moon is tomorrow, remember? Our new family will be joining us.” Junhoe glared at Baekhyun. “You, over there. Is this your doing?”

Baekhyun shamelessly faced Junhoe, who was five years younger than him and totally unfit to be in charge of the camp in the absence of their pack leaders. “That’s right, it’s my doing. I wanted to kill Sehun because you killed her.”

Junhoe threw his head back and roared in laugher; it was an ugly sound. “You still don’t get it, do you? We had to. The hybrids needed her blood to grow strong. It could only be hers; after all, she had formed a blood pact with some of you, so her blood was already somewhat tainted and bound to wolves. By performing the spells on her, her blood was further marked for our own use.”

Jinhwan put his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders, his long, lean frame topped with blond curls and a black hair band. “Now, alongside the hybrids and Hyuna, we shall establish ourselves as the dominant species and take back control of our lands. We will drive those filthy vampires out of the Dark City once and for all, and we will not even bow down to humans. We will get rid of their weak police force first, and then wreak havoc upon the citizens. They never stood up for us. But we’ll make them regret it. Baekhyun, just think about how wonderful it’ll be. We’ll no longer be forced to live out here in tents, bound by the city lines.” He leaned closer and whispered in Baekhyun’s ear, “We shall rule.”

“He needs a doctor,” cried Lay. “He’s losing too much blood!”

“We can’t cross the boundary line, Lay,” Chen pointed out sharply. “Even in his state, no hospital or doctor will help him. They would gladly watch him die.”

“He can’t die!” Kai was on his knees by Sehun’s bed, grasping his hand tightly, and he was hysterical. “He can’t leave us like this! We need you, Sehun! Fight through it! You have to fight through the pain!”

Sehun didn’t respond; instead, he was turning paler by the second, and the cloths that the pack members had used to stop his bleeding were all completely soaked in red. Baekhyun smiled as he realized what Chen decided to say out loud.

Chen shook his head. “It’s time to say our goodbyes. Sehun won’t make it.”

Kai slowly rose from the ground, shaking uncontrollably, and he spun around to face Baekhyun. “You’re a murderer!”

“And you’re no better than me,” replied Baekhyun as he stabbed Kai right through his heart. “You snuck around in Yeri’s bedroom while she was sleeping, going through her phone. You betrayed her, and when she called out for you in her last few moments, you stood there watching. You just watched while the blood was drained from her body.” The younger boy gasped in shock, feeling for the dagger in his chest, and sank to the floor again, his breath leaving his body in ragged, short gasps.

The tent erupted into pure white fury at that moment. Junhoe snarled at Baekhyun to step outside of the tent, and he obeyed, he and Chanyeol following Junhoe outside to the fire they’d made in the middle of camp.

“Here,” Junhoe snarled. “We’ll settle this right here. Let’s duel in our true forms, like the animals we really are.”

Yunhyeong and D.O. took their positions by Junhoe. “We’ll join,” they declared.

They all burst into their werewolf bodies, shedding their clothes and human skin for thick animal fur. Their teeth transformed into deadly rows of razor-sharp fangs, and their fingernails extended into claws as sharp and long as knives.

Junhoe growled, leading in front of his two sidekicks, his golden fur longer and coarser than the others. Chanyeol stepped forward this time, never one to back down from a wolf fight, and lashed out at Junhoe. His claws scraped across the other wolf’s face, causing him to howl in pain, and he pounced on him. They were wrestling and rolling around through the dirt, pebbles and rocks flying up in the air like loose dust. Baekhyun took on Yunhyeong, shoving him against one of the tents and biting him hard just above his right paw. Yunhyeong roared and kicked him off as D.O. attacked Baekhyun from behind, his jaws snapping above his head. They were standing up and trying to get a good grip on one another, snarling and clawing. Baekhyun kicked out from underneath him, managing to get away before diving back in to catch D.O. in a headlock. They danced around, D.O. flailing as Baekhyun increased the pressure around his neck and twisted it until he heard a fatal crunch sound.

D.O. dropped to the ground where he lay motionless, his head twisted at an unnatural angle, blood matted onto his black fur like sticky paint. Yunhyeong rushed over to him, whimpering as he nudged his side. Baekhyun circled around him, ready to attack. He sprinted forward and bit Yunhyeong’s side, not letting go of the skin he had caught between his teeth as if Yunhyeong was his prey. He was weaker and smaller in size than Baekhyun- clearly no match for him, unlike D.O. Baekhyun held the younger wolf down while he ripped into his flesh.

Chanyeol was struggling to end his fight; when he would finally manage to get in a good bite or two, Junhoe would roll again so that he would pin Chanyeol down again. Junhoe was far too good at dodging his attacks. He would need to develop a better strategy, but what else could he do? Chanyeol tried to kick him off, but Junhoe was stronger than he’d thought. Maybe he’d underestimated the young wolf whose temper burned hotter than fire itself.

The sudden howls of their pack pierced their ears, their urgent voices echoing throughout the camp and the thick forest. Baekhyun tensed, frozen above Yunhyeong’s lifeless form, as he realized what the sounds meant. The rest of the pack was calling out to Suho and B.I for help. Baekhyun whipped his head around to see nearly the entire pack in their wolf forms, their ears pulled back and their steps cautious. A few of them who he recognized as Jinhwan and Bobby raced over to hold Junhoe back and were able to steer him away from Chanyeol, breaking up the fight.

Lay barked at Baekhyun, a clear warning that if Baekhyun didn’t leave his kills, there would be trouble. Baekhyun chose to heed his warning and left the two dead wolves where they were, joining Chanyeol by the outer circle. They stood side by side, now two outsiders among their own kind.

Two wolves appeared by the outer edge of the forest, running urgently towards camp. One of them had fur that was a mix of white and gray with pale blue eyes- Suho- and the other a dull blend of tan and dark gray with alert, yellow eyes- B.I.

Chanyeol felt wet drops hit his fur and looked up at the sky, startled to see icy white snowflakes drifting past him to the ground. It marked the beginning of the fifth snowfall that year. Some of the younger wolves lost focus and began to play around in the snow, carefree and excited. Suho wasn’t fazed at all by it. He stepped forward into the center of the circle, taking up his ultimate alpha position, and waited for Chanwoo and Donghyuk to bring forth all of the dead bodies. They dropped them in front of Suho one by one to let him confirm the deaths. Sehun and Kai, both in their wolf forms as all werewolves were brought to their true bodies in death even if they hadn’t turned just before dying, along with D.O. and Yunhyeong.

Suho regarded his pack with sad eyes, and let out a pained howl that seemed as lonely as the dead of a winter night. B.I joined him, followed by the rest of the wolves in unison as their voices blended in with the chorus of howls and whining. They howled to the moon for the brothers they had lost.

“What exactly happened here? What’s the meaning of all this?” Suho and B.I sat on Suho’s bed in his tent staring expectantly down at Junhoe, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jinhwan, and Chanwoo for answers. Suho was getting more impatient by the minute. “Junhoe, I left you in charge. Answer me.”

Junhoe cleared his throat, his gaze cast upon on the floor. He was visibly shaking in fear as he replied, “From what Xiumin told me, Baekhyun and Chanyeol barged into Sehun’s tent, where Sehun, Kai, Xiumin, D.O., and Yunhyeong were all lounging. They came in with a bag containing Yeri’s bloodied clothes and accused Sehun and Kai of helping murder her. Then Baekhyun…killed them. He stabbed Sehun first, and then I entered with Jinhwan and Chanwoo. Other pack members were rushing inside the tent as well. I…” he paused, biting his lip. “I confronted Baekhyun and Chanyeol…but Kai lost it and by provoking Baekhyun he also got stabbed. So I ordered Baekhyun and Chanyeol outside the tent for a duel, in our wolf forms.”

Suho’s eyes were burning right through Baekhyun. “Go on.”

“Baekhyun killed D.O. and Yunhyeong in battle while Chanyeol and I fought. Then the pack began calling to you for help, and you and B.I arrived.”

“Show me the bag,” commanded Suho, and Chanwoo obediently brought forward the plastic bag and emptied the contents for all to see. “These really are Yeri’s clothes. I can smell her blood.” Suho had Yeri’s sweater pinched between his fingers, taking a whiff of her scent. “Where was this found?”

“In Kai’s tent,” Chanyeol answered. “He had been hiding her clothes this whole time! That was our proof that he had taken part in the murder, and that’s why we confronted him with it. Joy had also contacted me recently. She told me she has psychic dreams in which Yeri’s spirit guides her to search for clues related to her death, and this time she showed her what really happened on the night of her death. Kai, Sehun, Junhoe, Jinhwan, Yunhyeong, and D.O. had all been present during her murder, as they confessed as much to us, and none of them stopped Hyuna. That means they’re just as guilty as that filthy vampire.”

“And we’re sure there were more, too,” Baekhyun added, meeting B.I’s unreadable expression. “There are more traitors among us, hiding in the shadows behind the crime they’ve committed. They helped kill a human girl, and now her death must be answered for. The humans demand the truth. The war is here. If we don’t conduct a full investigation and turn in whoever else was involved, we will all meet the humans and vampires in battle.”

Chanyeol fought hard against himself to prevent his voice from breaking, as emotional as he was with all the talk of Yeri. “Is that really what we want? Do we wish to go to war and risk losing more of our pack brothers?”

B.I grimaced, absentmindedly touching his silver lip ring. “The other option isn’t so simple, either, Chanyeol. Our pack will still be divided with some of our own being handed over to the humans. And when Hyuna finds out some of her favorites were killed, she’ll be in a rage.”

“But those werewolves shouldn’t have gone behind my back and plotted with Hyuna in the way they did. Junhoe, Jinhwan…I’m disappointed in you two as well.” He swung his legs off the bed and stood, towering over the two younger iKon boys. Before Chanyeol could even blink, Suho’s fist smashed into Junhoe’s face, once, twice, three times, until he was crumpled weakly onto his side on the tent’s floor. “The humans are off limits; you should know that by now. The truce was in place to protect their kind against creatures like vampires, creatures like us. They’re weak; it’s pathetic to have to stoop so low as to harm them. Because you guys thought it was such a good idea to listen to Hyuna and be so concerned about the hybrids, you ended up causing the humans to want to start a war against not only us, but vampires too. And Yeri wasn’t just some human; she was one of us, human girl as she was, she was bound by werewolf code. She and Chanyeol loved each other very much. Junhoe and Jinhwan, the two of you shared relations with her, too. She swore to keep our pack secrets; she swore in blood. Didn’t you even stop for one second to think about the damage you were causing Chanyeol, your own wolf brother, or on our pack altogether? You put us all in reckless danger.” He Jinhwan then and gave him a hard slap across his face. Jinhwan recoiled, his fingers flying up to touch his cheeks where a huge red mark was forming.

“I’m…sorry,” he whispered, his voice weak from shame.

“If you ever go behind my back and do such a thing again, I’ll kill you both with my own two hands, do you understand?” snarled Suho, burning hot with fury.

Junhoe nodded through his tears. “We understand. W-we won’t deceive you again, Suho. We w-won’t kill again. Just please don’t turn us in to the humans. Please,” he begged, latching onto his ankle.

Suho shook him off in annoyance. “You’ll beg Chanyeol for forgiveness later, too.”

Outside, the sounds of horns blaring and shouting reached everyone’s ears. B.I frowned and ordered Chanwoo to go see what was happening. Junhoe slowly got up and brushed off his red bomber jacket, reassuming his usual smug look.

Chanwoo returned, breathless and clearly flustered. “H-humans! The human police force is here!”

B.I swore loudly and hopped off the bed, following Suho out the tent, and the rest of them were close behind. Police cars were parked in their camp, their tires leaving skid marks in the thickening snow. Multiple police officers were arguing with some of the pack members, telling them to back off and call their leaders forward.

“We’re the pack leaders,” Suho announced, face to face with the police chief. “Why have you come here? This is our territory. If you’re lost, I can give directions.”

The chief was enraged. “Cut the bull. We’re here to deliver a message on behalf of the Dark City’s human society.” He glared at them. “Three humans have now been declared missing since Yeri’s death. For all we know, they could be dead too, and we’re certain it’s your doing, along with the vampires.”

B.I raised his eyebrows “Innocent until proven guilty.”

The human’s green eyes held nothing but contempt for the werewolves. “We asked the vampires to cooperate with us and they refused. We know Hyuna sides with you wolves now. You won’t tell us what she’s planning, will you? I thought so. We consider our truce to be broken with them, and this deal with you is no longer safe, either. Just watch, you animals. We’ll run you off this land, too. Get ready for the war. And if you can’t fight, I suggest you’d better run.”

Suho chuckled. “Never challenge a werewolf. At the end of the day, you’re just a weak human, and we’ve roamed these lands way before your ancestors even existed.” He snarled, “Get your cars out of my camp. Right. Now. Or else I’ll flip the switch and give you some permanent scars.”

The chief was slowly backing away to his car, along with the rest of his crew. “We won’t let Hyuna harm more innocent humans! Enough is enough! We’re coming back here in two days, when the snow sits at its thickest.”

Exo and iKon watched wordlessly as the humans hurried back into their cars and sped off their land, leaving behind clouds of puffy smoke in their trails. Suho and B.I almost immediately began barking orders and planning line formations- who would be at the front, who would guard at the back, etc. But Chanyeol couldn’t put his heart into any of it. Am I just supposed to fight against Yeri’s people? Is this my cursed fate, to live out eternity as a feared animal? Didn’t Yeri die so that we could have so much more? He remembered conservation in the days leading up to her death. Yeri had said she wished the werewolves weren’t forced to live out here in isolation, that they deserved more power and respect from her people. Perhaps Chanyeol was beginning to understand the notion of the hybrids, as they would protect Exo and iKon and ensure victory. After all, where else in the world could he go? Forbidden by the law codes to trespass into the Dark City where Joy and Jungkook were, he accepted that he belonged right here with his wolf brothers.

And though he and Baekhyun had delivered some vengeance for Yeri’s murder, there was still one culprit left to finish off, even if they couldn’t figure out who else was involved.

Hyuna. With a of his lips, Chanyeol swore on Yeri’s spirit that he would be the one to drive the stake through Hyuna’s heart when the time came. For Yeri.