There's a foreign feeling swimming inside Jooyeon as she stared at Mark silently. Those eyes, those brown eyes, why did they look so familiar? There was a chance that the boy in her flashback could be Mark but she still wasn't sure. For all she knows, the young boy could've been her care taker or something. 

"You sure you're okay?" Mark asked again. 

Jooyeon turned away, eyes blinking rapidly at the ground as she tried to make out the situation, "Uhm, ye-yeah. I just---Yeah, I'm fine." 

She flashed him an obvious forced smile and Mark almost reached out to touch her. Almost. Truth to be told, Mark was a bit worried. When he saw that she was in pain, he didn't know what to do. Was he allowed to touch her? Was he going to let himself give in and pull her close and whisper that everything will okay?  The answer is obvious. No. They didnt have that kind of relationship, heck, they weren't even friends. Mark didn't even know where they stood. He also made a deal with himself and he was going to keep it. 

"Should we get started?" 

Her voice yanked him out of his thoughts and although her eyes seem distant and her mind elsewhere, they both knew they couldn't afford to waste any time. The clock was ticking and Yugyeom's life was literally on the line. They needed her help and Mark would rather focus on that than his stupid feelings. 

The training was the usual, Jooyeon falling and tripping everywhere while Mark trying to conceal his irritation because of it. It came to an end finally when the sun was setting and the sky turning a beautiful shade of orange. Jooyeon remained still on the ground, eyes fixed on the never ending sky above her. Mark had left already so it was just her, alone, on the ground with her own thoughts. 

She wanted to figure out the flashback but nothing made sense. Why of all the memories it had to be the most useless one? She couldn't do anything with that information. The pack was relying on her and to say that Jooyeon didn't felt burdened would be a lie. She needed to remember quickly. If an innocent boy was to die because she didn' react fast enough then she would never forgive herself. The guilt from remembering something pointless was slowly eating at her. She really didn't want to let everyone down. The next memory, she pray, should be something helpful.

Taking a breath, Jooyeon closed her eyes, listening to her surrounding. It was calming but every now and then Jooyeon's mind would wandered off to think about the flashback. The boy's eyes seem to have imprinted themselves into her brain because she can't stop thinking about it.

"What are you doing?" a voice called out. 

It was Jinyoung. A smile creeped onto Jooyeon's face but instead of replying him, she just stayed still. The shuffling of Jinyoung's feet were heard and then he was sitting himself down beside her. 

"Did Mark go to hard on you again?" he asked softly. 

"No, I'm fine." she replied, voice quiet. 

"What's wrong?" 

There was pause before Jooyeon answered, eyes fluttering open and expression turning serious.

"I remembered something." 

Jinyoung moved, scooting closer to her body, eagered to find out what the younger remembered. 

"It's nothing important though."

"So? You still remembered something." 

"Yeah, but it's useless, oppa. Out of all things, I remembered something useless. This memory isn't going to help Yugyeom. It has nothing to do with the Council." 

Jinyoung gazed at the girl. She hadn't looked at him once since he sat down.

"Joo, listen to me," Jinyoung started, "If you feel guilty, then don't because you're not just remembering for Yugyeom. You're doing this for yourself too. Your past, useless or not, they all matter. Every single one is important because they're what made you. They're what shaped you into who you are." 

"I don't even know who I am or was. It's like I'm meeting a stranger." 

"You can forget things but you can't forget who you are, Joo. It's in you somewhere, all you need is time." 

Jooyeon was silent. Time, huh? Well, they barely got any of that. The clock is ticking and Jooyeon can't lead the pack to the right way. 

"Now, will you tell me what you remember?" Jinyoung asked, nudging Jooyeon with his hand. 

The girl sat up and turned to her protector, eyebrows knitting together.

"Did I have any friends when I was here?" she asked, a question that left him blinking at her. 

"What?" 

Jooyeon huffed, "Friends. You know, like, people you play with." 

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, "Duh, but, what does this have to do with your memory? Did you remember a friend?"

Jooyeon shook her head, "I don't know. I just saw somebody." 

"Who?" 

"Well, Jinyoung oppa, if I knew that I wouldn't have asked if I had any friends." 

Jinyoung held his hands up in surrrender, "Geez, no need to flip out." 

Jooyeon frowned, pouting slightly at the protector, "In the flashback, I'm guessing I fell into a river and he pulled me out. He kept shouting my name and for me to wake up. I don't recognize him though but he felt so familiar." 

Jinyoung pondered for a moment, mouth twisting and a low hum escaping his throat, "When I was still a trainee protector, I've only ever heard of you." 

Jooyeon tilted her head to the side, "Wait, we're not like childhood friends?" 

"Nope," Jinyoung said, popping the 'p' in his answer, "I was just assigned to you." 

"Wow, and here I thought we had some kind of deep bond." 

Jinyoung laughed, hand reaching out to pinch Jooyeon's cheek, "We do. Aigoo~ Just not while we were in this world. You were a princess and I was just a commoner training to land a job at the palace. Don't forget you're royalty, Jooyeonnie." 

Jooyeon pursed her lips but chose to stay silent and urging Jinyoung to continue. 

"There used to be a rumor about you sneaking off. Well, I guess it's not much of a rumor because one time, I saw a bunch of lady in waitings and butlers running through the halls trying to find you. You weren't exactly a prim and proper princess that the Queen wanted you to be."

Jooyeon rolled her eyes, "Anything else you wanna diss about my past self?" 

Jinyoung chuckled, "Oh, hush."

"You think the boy has something to do with me sneaking around?" 

Jinyoung shrugged, "It's possible. There weren't many children running around the palace. The ones that are there are either because they're a trainee protector or visiting with the other royal family...and that didn't really happen often." 

After a few moments of comfortable silent and enjoying each other's presences, Jinyoung suddenly stood up and offered Jooyeon a hand. 

"Come on. Let's get your mind off of this." 

"If you're going to make me watch some lame movie, I'm bailing."

An eye roll was what Jinyoung gave her and Jooyeon smiled teasingly. 

"This is better, trust me." 

Letting go of her hands, Jinyoung quickly disappeared behind a tree and when he came back out, he was in his wolf form. With a jerk of his head towards the forest, Jooyeon followed. The two chased after one another, keeping in mind to not wander too far from the lodge. Even if they did, Jooyeon wasn't afriad. She has Jinyoung with her, the protector who swore with his life to keep her safe. 

The pair continued to race around the perimeter of the forest, not even aware of the fact that somebody---well, 2 bodies on the second floor of the lodge was watching them. 

"She looks happy." Jackson commented. 

Mark frowned unknowingly and Jackson almost snickered out loud. The older was so obvious. 

"Wouldn't hurt to be a little more forward, hyung." 

Mark's head whipped towards the younger and the look on his face immediately shut Jackson up. 

"I'm not pushing her to anything she doesn't want." Mark murmured. 

Jackson sighed, "How would you know what she wants and what she doesn't? Hyung, she's human, yeah, but that shouldn't be something to hold you back."

Mark closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Before he could defend himself, Jackson continued again. 

"Unless, it's not because she's human." Jackson frowned, "Hyung, if you're not going to do anything about it, you could end up getting hurt." 

"I'm not not doing anything about it." 

"I don't see you doing anything about it either." Jackson retorted. 

"Jackson--" 

"She's your mate, hyung. Why can't you just let yourself love her?" 

"Just drop it, Jackson." 

"Holding back isn't going to do you any good. Your past shouldn't tie you down this much. She's half were-wolf so shouldn't you be doing something to pull her wolf out? If her mate isn't holding back then maybe---"

"Drop it." Mark growled, letting a threatening sound escape his throat. 

Jackson tensed, the rest of his opinion hitching instantly in his throat. He was just trying to help but he also knew he was pressing on too much. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, the front door slammed open and BamBam's voice was ringing throughout the lodge. There was a hint of desperation and fear in his voice but that was enough for both Mark and Jackson to scrambled down the stairs to the younger. 

"Hyung!" BamBam cried out, eyes b with tears and a brown parchment paper gripped tightly in his right hand. 

Jackson was first to reached to the youngest, "What happened? Are you hurt?" 

His eyes roamed the youngest's body, searching for any sign of pain. BamBam shook his head and handed the paper to Jackson who uncrumbled it and read the content along with Mark. 

"His execution date. It's tomorrow." BamBam sobbed, hot tears trailing down his face. 

The two older males instantly paled and just like BamBam, horror started to bubble inside them. Jaebum and Youngjae came down not too long after sensing an odd energy in the house. Youngjae gasped at the sight of a crying BamBam and like always, he rushed over to the younger to console him. Jaebum took the paper from Jackson, gaze hardening as he read over it. On the top of the page was a deep blue wax seal that represent the Council. It wasn't a joke, this was real. Yugyeom was set to die tomorrow and the pack had no lead on how to get him out. 

As if on queue, Jinyoung and Jooyeon bursted into the house, smiling and laughing at one another and totally oblivious of the tense atmosphere. Jinyoung seem to have picked it up after he realized that everyone was gathered by the door. 

"Something wrong?" he asked, eyes shifting to the alpha. 

Jaebum simply reached over and handed Jinyoung the paper. Jooyeon peaked over and what she saw made her head spin. The execution date screamed at her and all the assuring words that Jinyoung had told her earlier quickly fled her mind. She felt useless and the guilt that was nibbling at her before was now swallowing her whole. Everyone had been relying on her and all she gave them was disappointment. 

"Jooyeon," she heard Jinyoung's voice sounded.

Was Jinyoung whispering? Because suddenly, she could only hear the sound of her own breathing ringing in her ears. She felt fuzzy and her hands were starting to feel a bit numb. The moment her eyes landed on the Council's wax seal, that was it. It seemed to be the last wave that crashed into her, big and harsh. Jooyeon couldn't look away but her head was swimming and she barely had a grasp on her balance. Her body felt light and in her head, she could hear voices speaking, ones that seem to be growing louder by the minute. 

"Jooyeon-ah!, this way!" 

Jooyeon shook her head, an attempt to rid herself of the approaching headache. A light gasp pushed through her lips as she stumbled backwards, hands flying to her head. A sharp pain shot through her mind and before she could collasp to the floor, Jinyoung quickly pulled her into him. 

"Joo, what's wrong?" 

Jooyeon didn't answer, couldn't. With each seconds that passed, the pain grew more unbearable but it didn't come alone. Images flashed before her eyes but she could barely pay attention to them with the voices in the back of her head yelling and the pain beating her down. A memory of the Council's symbol appeared in her mind , one much like the wax seal but what followed knocked the remaining oxygen out of her lungs. 

Everything was burning, fire catching on to everything around her. Little Jooyeon was afriad, body shaking as she hid herself behind a pillar. People were screaming left and right and Jooyeon knew she should probably get out of the palace but she couldn't. Not without her parents. Her little hiding spot didn't remain safe very long before she was being yanked backwards a few moments later. Her scream was caught in when she came face to face with a man covered in cuts and black ashes.

"Found you, little princess." he snickered.

Jooyeon struggled, twisting free out of his grip way too easily for a girl her age. She didn't waste a second before she striked him in the face, the man stumbling back from the punch. Jooyeon skipped a lot of lessons that her mother bombarded onto her but one she always made sure to show up was self-denfese.

While the man was busy fussing over his possibly broken nose, Jooyeon made a run for it. She raced down the familiar halls that was now caught in fire. When she turned the corner, she crashed into a body, screaming and thrashing even before she got a good look at the person. Hands grabbed her shoulders gently and gave her body a shake. 

"Sweetheart!"

Jooyeon stared at her father, relief flooding over her body quickly. Tears blurred her eyes instantly and it was only then that she realized she's been shaking. The King engulfed his daughter into a tight hug, pressing her little head onto his chest. Jooyeon could hear his heartbeat, it was just as fast as hers. He was equally scared. The pair broke apart and quickly, the King pulled his daughter towards an unfamiliar hallway. It was dark and probably the only hallway that the fire did not reach yet. The hallway was pretty much empty except for a picture of the late king hung at the end and the Council's flag, hanging limply on a pole. 

"Hurry now. Come on." her father rushed. 

His hand let go of hers as they reached the end. What Jooyeon didn't expect her father to do was pulled the picture away from the wall like it was some kind of a door. 

And it was. 

It was the secret passage. 

Quickly, the King helped his daughter up onto the little passage that led to Gods knows where. Jooyeon turned to her father, about to ask if this was safe. He didn't let her speak however. 

"Go. Hurry. Follow the passage. Your mother will be on the other side." 

"But, dad, what about you?" 

The King gave a forced smile but before he got the chance to answer, voices boomed into the halls. 

"This way!" 

The King smiled again at his daughter but before he could shut the passage, Jooyeon grabbed his arm. 

"Daddy." she croaked, tears b at her eyes agin. 

"I'll be right behind you, sweetheart." he smiled, pain visible in his eyes. 

He shutted the passage, the picture shielding out all the outside lights. Jooyeon sat in the darkness, breath coming out shaky. She heard sounds of struggles and couldn't help but tear a little hole in the back of the picture. Through the holes she created, she could see her father, the King on his kness in front of a group of people. Maybe she shouldn't have poked a hole because what came next almost made her scream. One of the men did not hesitate as he pierced the King with his sword. Hands flew to as Jooyeon muffled her cries that threatened to come out. Hot tears dripped down her face and Jooyeon found herself scurrying away from the entrance and deeper into the passage. 

Turning onto all fours, she scrambled her way out of the secret passage, the image of her father's last moment edged deeply inside her mind. True to his words though, her mother really was waiting on the other side. The lady pulled her daughter out of what seemed to be a hole in the ground. They were in the woods, far from the palace and the crawl here was probably quicker than expected due to Jooyeon trying to get away from both the place and the memory of her father's death. 

"Jooyeon, answer me." 

Through hazy visions, she could see Jinyoung's worried face but the pain in her head was too much for her to comply to his request. It was like she's been whacked in the head. Well, in a way she was, with her own memories rather than an object. Her eyes fluttered shut and the last thing she remembered was the feeling of a warm hand sending waves of comfort through her veins before darkness completely consumed her. 

---

I feel like this story is moving too slow :( i'll pick up the pace in the next chapter. Put some conflict and whatnot into the next ones so you guys don't get bored haha. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chap. also the words in Italic is the flashback in case you guys get confused. ^^ Comments are appreciated. ANYWHO PCE see you in the next update.