​"Do you know who you really are?"

​Jooyeon almost laughed at the question but instead, she squinted at the boy questioningly.

​"Noona, you're my only hope. You're the only one who can save him." he pleaded, eyes suddenly becoming glassy due to the tears, "Do you really not know who you are? What you are?"  

​Jooyeon's heart dropped at the sight. She had no idea what he was talking about but she pitied him. His problem must have been big if he was to cry and beg a total stranger for help.

​"Look, kid. I don't know what you're talking about but I can't possibly be the only one who can help you. I've been in Seoul for as long as I can remember. What more can I be?"

​Before the boy could speak up again, his friend butted in.

​"As long as you can remember? How exactly long ago was that? I'm guessing 10 years, right? Cause that's exactly when everything went downhill for us."

​Jooyeon stared at him, bewildered. It left her in awe at how he knew that she could only remember the pass 10 years of her life. Who was he to know anything about her? Jooyeon was sure she hasn't met him before so how? How did he know?

"That's enough." Jinyoung growled.

​If the other boy was fazed by the anger visible on Jinyoung's face, he didn't show it. Instead he kept talking but this time, it was directed to the Protector.

​"She deserves to know. It's a part of her. She has a whole side of her that you kept hidden all this time."

​Jinyoung's jaw tensed but he instantly relaxed when Jooyeon placed a hand on his arm.

​"Oppa, what is he talking about?"

​He turned to her slowly, guilt ridden. His heart almost broke at what she whispered next.

"You promised not to keep anything from me...did you not?"

​Swallowing thickly, he shut his eyes and exhaled. Part of his job---the most important job was to keep her past hidden from her. That was why a Memory Charm was placed on her in the first place. She was not to learn about this part of her, her werewolf part. It was supposed to be hidden, deep within her own mind and shielded away for her own good. She was safer this way. However, at the same time, he knew he would have to live lying about their true existence. It wasn't something he wanted but it was something he had to do.

He had no choice.

​Clenching and unclenching his hands, Jinyoung made up his mind. No more lies. No more pretending. She deserves to know. Ten years with lying to her face was enough. The truth has to come out, at least one that wouldn't change anything between them. 

"You can't hide her forever." Jinyoung heard a voice spoke up softly.

​He didn't want to believe it but those words were true. If these two wolves could find her, then surely, the Council would too.

---

​They were back at their apartment unit, Jooyeon and Jinyoung seated in front of each other on the couch. The two werewolves, Jackson and BamBam had tagged along and were silently observing the pair from the kitchen. Jooyeon lifted her gaze to peek at the boy in front of her. She could see the trouble on his face and wodnered what exactly was holding him back. Why wouldn't he tell her? Those two stragers seem to know her better than she knows herself? What exactly was hidden from her?

​"Joo," Jinyoung started finally, "I want you to understand something."

​As he spoke, his eyes were kept glued to his hands in his lap. He didn't dare to look at her. He couldn't. Not after such a long time of feeding her with lies. He sensed her nod mutely and continued.

​"She thought she was doing what was best for you. She really did. The last thing she wants was to see you hurt."

​Jooyeon pressed her lips together, already knowing who that "she" was.

​"Ten years ago, a world that you've always thought was just a fairytale was corrupted by a Council. Every single last one of the Royal Blood was hunted down and wiped out. All except you. Your parents had always known what was coming but there were always a part of them that brushed it off. They thought it was just a false rumour but just in case, they wanted to make sure you were truly safe."

​Jinyoung took a pause and looked up. He stared at the girl in front of him that had her eyebrows pinched together.

​"Ten years ago, we met. I was 12, you were 10. Kids, really, barely even knowing what was to happened but, I knew what my job was. Before the Council striked, your mother had taken you to the boarder with me. She wanted to keep you hidden and the best way to do that was to send you back to where she came from. She knew you were safe there but she also knew the stubborn side of you. She knew you would come back for her and she didn't want that. Not when everything in that world was so corrupted in every way possible. Chaos was something she didn't want you to experience. She put a memory charm on you and replaced everything you knew about that world with something else. While you were under the charm, she ordered us to leave and not turn back."

​Jinyoung took a shaky breath, anxious about whether to keep speaking or not. He watched Jooyeon shrinked into herself and her knuckles turned white from her hands so hard. 

"I'm so sorry," Jinyoung whispered, "I should've---"

"Why didn't she want me to remember her?"  Jooyeon interrupted, shaky eyes fixed on her hands. 

Jinyoung froze. His heart clenched at the sight of the vulnerable girl in front of him. She looked so small and fragile, almost the same as back then when she was fed the lie that her parents had been in a car accident and did not survive. However, this time it was much worse. She had learned the truth and what had really happened to them. 

"Joo, she thought it was for the best. You knowing about our world would just---"

"Our world?"

Jooyeon's head snapped up to look at the older, her voice coming out louder than expected. 

"She blocked me away from that so called world. She didn't want me to have anything to do with it. She erased herself from my memories." Jooyeon cried, tears burning at her eyes. 

Her vision blurred but she kept going. She didn't know what was going on but it was like a wave of emotions had crash landed on her. She didn't know what to feel, she didn't know what to say and right now, the words that she uttered out was just her rambling on. She was anxious. She was scared. She was lost. Hwang Jooyeon was lost. She didn't know who she was. For the pass 10 years, she's lived her life thinking she was just like everybody else but she was wrong. She was different and that terrified her. 

"She erased a part of me," Jooyeon whispered. "A big part too..."

She didn't realized when she had gotten but once she was awared that she was on her two feet, she truned on her heels and marched to her room. Jinyoung jolted up to try and stop her but before he could open his mouth, the sound of the bedroom door being slammed shut echoed throughout the unit. Jinyoung pressed his lips together and sank back down onto the couch. A few moments passed before he felt the other side of the couch sank down by a weight of a certain wolf. He looked up to see Jackson eyeing him in concern. 

"She'll come around." he said quietly. 

---

Jooyeon shakily sat on top of her bed, hands coming up to her face to wipe away her fallen tears. The lump in wasn't going to disappear anytime soon and she couldn't seem to calm down at the moment. It's like she was given a new life today, one that smacked down onto her roughly. She didn't know how to accept it. There was apparently this new world she had always been a part of but never knowing until today. It freaked her out. She was different. She wasn't the typical Seoul girl who was raised in the city all her life. She was instead a girl, shunned from one world and forced to live in another that is filled with lies.Not knowing what to actually believe, she was distressed. What she thought was herself wasn't even herself. She had suddenly became someone else and it was scary. If she didn't know who she really was, then who was to tell her. Hwang Jooyeon was a stranger to herself and she didn't like it. 

Her own mother had erased herself from her memories. She erased who she really was and gave Jooyeon a false memory. So, who really was she? Who was her mother? Did she even love her? If she did, then why? Why couldn't she leave herself in Jooyeon's mind? The image of her had always been hazy to Jooyeon but she's always thought that it was due to the traumatic stress that occured when the accident happened. But now, now she knew what happened. It wasn't Jooyeon that had forgotten what she looked like. It was her own mother that didn't want her to remember. 

Tears gathered in her eyes and she gritted her teeth. Did she really have to go to that extreme to keep her safe? Why wipe all her memories of the were-world and replace it with a heart shattering one?  Closing her eyes, Jooyeon took a deep breath. She steadied herself only to let a small sob escaped through her clamped lips. 

"Who even am I?" she whispered to herself. 

---

They could smell it, the tears but none of the werewolves moved. Jinyoung was still seated on the couch, his position not changing for the pass 10 minutes. Jackson however had gotten up and somehow had made himself at home along with BamBam. Jinyoung couldn't care less. His own attention was on Jooyeon. He hated it when she cried and usually, it would take a few gentle rub on the back for her to calm down but he knew very well that this was different. This was something she had to sort out herself. You can't force somebody to accept themselves unless they are willing to. Jinyoung thought back to when they first arrived in Seoul. He had had to changed himself and at first, he wasn't willing to do it. He resented her for making him suffer and go through what humans have to go through. It wasn't a lifestyle he liked or preferred but he knew he had to change. They were just kids and the idea of him changing himself for her made him angry. Jinyoung didn't want to change himself for anyone, he was good the way he was. But soon, he learned that if he stayed the same, they would both suffer. The human world was different and it hit him hard. He got rid of his old habits and slowly, he started to change. Not for Jooyeon, not for the job but for himself. He changed to survive, to carry both of them. It wasn't long until he warmed up to the other girl. He realized she was sweeter than she appeared to be and he liked how she always, always greeted him with a smile. 

Like that, Hwang Jooyeon became the little sister he never had. He changed to adjust to the new lifestyle and although he wasn't particullarly fonded of it, it will do for now. Jinyoung hoped the girl crying in her bedroom right now would realized that although she was different now on the outside, she was very well the same little girl who always smiled at him inside. In his opinion, she hasn't changed, not completely. A new set has just been added to her, that's all. 

Suddenly, werewolves's scent whaffed against him and Jinyoung sprang up. 

"Chill," Jackson called out, "It's just the pack."

Jinyoung eyes narrowed at the boy who had walked over to the front door. He watched as the boy swung it open and grinned boyishly at 3 young males outside. He stepped aside and let the other 3 entered. Jinyoung's eyebrows pinched togehter when he recognized one of them. 

"Well, if it's none other than Park Jinyoung. I knew I recognized that scent from somewhere." the alpha smirked as soon as his eyes landed on Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung's face broke into an amused smile as he walked over to greet his old friend. Him and Jaebum had trained together for some time when they were young. Both striving to work for the Royal Family, they became close friends and bonded over the harsh training that the old system offered. They got distant when Jinyoung was hand picked by the Queen, Jooyeon's mother for a special task. Jaebum wasn't jealous, no, instead it made him work even harder. However, before he could land a job, the Council striked. 

The two male gave each other a quick hug and broke apart. Jaebum introduced the other 2 pack members quickly and they sat down at the couch. 

"What brings the pack to Seoul? Werewolves rarely step foot into the human world." Jinyoung started. 

Jaebum sighed and glanced over to his pack, "We're in trouble." 

Jinyoung frowned, "Is this why that omega of yours came looking for Jooyeon?" 

"So you've heard what happened..." Jaebum trailed off. 

Jinyoung shook his head, "Not particularly. Just that he needs her help." 

Jaebum sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, "Our youngest was taken by the Council. He hasn't done anything wrong but they're going to execute him." 

"For a crime that only benefits the good of the people." Youngjae added. 

Jinyoung's gaze shifted to the other than back to his old friend. His expression darkened when he opened his mouth to speak, 

"I'm not risking Jooyeon's life." 

"Jinyoung, she's the only one who can stop everything." Jaebum reasoned, "Without her, more innocent lives are going to be taken." 

Jinyoung understood very well where Jaebum was coming from. He would've done the same, seek out for any sign of hope if Jooyeon was in that position. However, he feared for the girl. The help that the pack was asking from her sounded like a job for a well trained werewolf and Jooyeon was exactly the opposite. She was brought up in the human world and taught the ideals of a human. She wasn't werewolf material. Maybe at one time she was but it was different now. Things has changed. She wasn't raised in a way to rule a kingdom nor was she raised for the battlefield. Jooyeon was delicate, fragile and been broken more than once already. Vulnerable people should never enter a fight that they cannot picture victory. It was a death wish. 

"What do you expect from her exactly? She could barely accept herself right now and you want her to go out there and fight for our people?" Jinyoung snapped, "I'm not letting a broken girl go fight for a life she didn't even understand." 

Mark sat silently, watching as the other two spoke to each other. He could smell the worry off of the Protector but another scent knocked the air out of his lungs. It was so sweet that in that moment, it almost drove him crazy. 

Raspberry 

Mark closed his eyes and tried to calm his heartbeat. It was going crazy for some reason and he so badly wanted to find out the source of that smell. All he could smell was raspberry and it was making his mind jumbled up. His pulse sped up and it was as though the scent of raspberry was right under his nose. He needed to know where that smell was coming from.

"Mark," a voice whispered softly. 

Mark didn't answer. He kept still and took a breath, the smell of raspberry filling his lungs. 

"Hyung," 

His eyes fluttered open and he saw Youngjae peeking at him worriedly. The younger's eyes flickered in surprise when he saw the older's orbs flashed an icy blue. Mark tried to ignore the scent but it was impossible. It was too strong and so intoxicating. He couldn't think straight and his tongue felt numb. His inside was bubbling and he knew very well that it was his wolf. Why was it acting up? He was always the one who was most in control so why? What was making him act so odd? 

"Are you alright?" Youngjae asked again. 

He gave a firm nod as a reply and his suddenly dry lips. He glanced up at Jinyoung and tried to listen to what the wolf was saying. 

"She has no idea what our world is like--"

"Then, lets make her understand." Jackson blurted, "Embracing her wolf side will help her accept herself."

"She needs time." Jinyoung said. 

He was scared for the girl to be totally honest. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. He wanted to be beside her but he also knew that she needed to be alone. Before he could open his mouth to speak for her again, a familiar sweet voice spoke up. A voice that made Mark weak in his knees and his breath hitch in his throat. 

"Oppa," 

Jinyoung's head snapped towards the girl and quickl, he went to her side. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen from crying but she seem to have calmed down a bit. He hadn't expected to see her again today after she ran off on him. But it was good now that she's back. 

"Are you alright?" he asked gently, hands gribbing her shoudlers as soft as possible. 

At the contact, Mark's eye twitched in annoyance and he almost smacked him when he came to his right mind. It couldn't be. He stared at the girl in front of Jinyoung and suddenly felt hot. Something inside him burned and he felt his wolf tore at his conscience to break through. His eyes glowed icy blue and remained that color for a minute before he looked away. 

No way. 

The signs that he was showing could only mean one thing and Mark didn't want to admit to it. He couldn't believe he found her. The only one capable of making a wolf feel this way is none other than their mate. And Mark found his. Hwang Jooyeon, their last hope was his mate. 

Wow. Great timing, really. 

Another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. It wasn't as emotional as I thought it would but its alright. I hope the story is going well so far! i'll work harder to make it more interesting. anyways, see you next chapter ^^ Comment and subscribe!