A/N: This chap was supposed to be longer and take more time but you all must thank the ever briliant MoonShadin for showing me the light and asking me to break the chapter early . I hope you don't kill me for such a long chapter.

Kyungsoo walks and walks, only stopping at a river to freshen up and rest a while. He wanted to cover as much ground as possible before stopping for the night to get some sleep. But the question was, will this endless walking result into something? Something useful?

He wanders aimlessly, unsure of his where to go. Perhaps he was in transition zone of the forest. A land between two territories….. He sighed helplessly.

His priorities and decisions seemed to be failing him because where was he going? How will he find his mate? He angrily messed up his hair having a small urge to tear it up.

“Tsk Tsk.” A voice infiltrated the quietness of the forest. He shook it off thinking it was an insect when it came again. Much sharper and clearer this time, leaving no doubts. Certain pixies had taken an interest in him.

“Tsk Tsk.” It was different from before but he was sure someone was following him and…...mocking him? Hell! He knew it was his headstrong decision but the whole world needn’t come out right now to disparage his ideologies and paths he chose for himself.

Looking around he found nothing till he heard a clear voice.

“Behold! What do we have here?” A voice sang mockingly.

“A werewolf with paths unclear.” Another voice joined in and he was sure it was these voices tsking at him. Pixies were the last thing he needed at the trough of his life. It was apparent that the mischievous fairies were here to get a kick out of his pitiful state.

But he was baffled because he still couldn’t locate the source of the sound despite the clarity. Also they were grating on his nerves.

“The big bad wolf is looking for us..”  A giggle.

“Sharp senses and yet so much fuss?” More giggles and finally two tiny creatures made a show of revealing themselves. How the hell did he manage to get two annoying pixies on his tail? Not one but two…… Troubles come in a pair of course.

“So Mr.Wolf? Where are you headed to? Need our help?” one of them chirped. “Oh by the way, I am Baekhyun.” The question irritated Kyungsoo.

“To find a mate..” he replied stiffly. That’s it. He had nothing much to say about the matter.

“So don’t you need our help mister?” the one with kittenish features reminded him. He seemed a little less annoying from his friend. But the fact still remained that he wanted to be alone for a while.

“And you are..?” He questioned gruffly not wanting to reply to their questions, he himself had no clue about. He wondered if it was easy to fool pixies. He hadn’t encountered them much so he was really unsure about the extent of their wits.

“I am Chen!” he bounced in the air happily.

Kyungsoo nodded at both of them.

“Thank you Chen and Baekhyun-” Both of them looked at him with a sparkly demeanor. “But I will figure it out on my own.” Not wanting to be the subject of their interrogation again, he started walking again. He tried to ignore how their faces fell like the dimming of sunlight on a cloudy day. They seemed to be nice but he couldn’t really trust them.

These annoying pixies weren’t having it. They caught up to his strides real quick.

“Rude mister wolf is rude.” The pixie called Baekhyun pouted at him. Another ploy of sorts, to which Kyungsoo decided not to reply.

“So now you ignore us too?” Chen sounded offended. Were annoying creatures supposed to get offended this quick? “Fine let’s go Baek. Kindness isn’t accepted here.” Chen sighed grumpily pulling the other pixie with him to leave. Kyungsoo breathed through his nose but he was relieved that they were leaving instead if chirping annoyingly by his sensitive ears.

No matter how hard he tried, these questions still followed him. The ones he rather not answer right now. How could he? He didn't know them. The answers…...He didn’t know the answers right now. Maybe a day in future. He hoped.

On a reflex, he looked up at the sky again. The waxing moon calmed the resurgence of disparity that came bubbling forth, threatening to regurgitate. He appreciated the superficial calmness that blanketed him. He needed it to hide his insecurities.

It was almost midnight and he was too weary to continue. He looked for a good spot to sleep and also to look at the beloved moon till he fell asleep. It made no absolute sense but he didn’t feel lonely with the deity watching over him.

“So precise and so pristine,

A beauty calm and clear…...”

He hummed the lines under his breath with the gentle winds providing the soothing instrumentals, accompanying his smooth voice. With the image of a bright mass of stone burned into his senses, he fell asleep.

He kept on journeying in and out of the forests of trees. His edgy behaviour making him determined to find some settlement of wolves where he could stay for a while.

And it wasn’t long till he could smell the scent of a large settlement nearby. Finally!

A small smile grew on his face making room for some hope to get him through this. His mate might be here, might not be here but he would never know, unless he checked.

It seemed to be a decent sized pack but he had to come off as a harmless passerby or the hostility of Alphas here would surely get him kicked out before he could step a foot into their territory. A traveller Alpha was always looked upon suspiciously.

He waited for one of the patrolling Alphas to find him. It was better than to seem dangerous by evading their territorial bounds. He was sniffed out real quick.

‘What do you want Alpha?’ a large grey coloured wolf questioned him, his form tense and alert for smallest move Kyungsoo made. He was expecting a brutal confrontation that headless Alphas pounce upon the minute they see a foreign Alpha. But this one seemed to have a head after all. Saves him a lot of work then.

“A place to stay!” he yelled across. But the wolf was still tense, clouds of conflict overshadowing his features. ‘Stay here then! I will come and get you…’  

The wolf later emerged as a human aided by some Betas. He jogged across to where Kyungsoo was patiently waiting.

“How do we trust you? That you are not here to terrorise our Omegas? A Beta questioned him his tone harsh and voice and rough. Not bothering to hide the malign in his intentions.

“I am just an Alpha on a journey. Terrorising your Omegas will surely grant me nothing other than being kicked out ruthlessly and denied a place to stay” Kyungsoo answered with a practiced smile on his face, his features smoothened out from the harsh lines of worry and tension. He was aware that the Alpha was silently observing him. But the rude Beta was still scowling. Finding more reasons to be suspicious of him.

“Hi! I am Minseok. Welcome to our pack. The pack’s name is Dark Phoenix. And you?” The man smiled but he was completely unreadable to Kyungsoo. He seemed like a very closed off man.

“I am Kyungsoo from the-” he contemplated lying about his identity because as much as these wolves eyed him with distrust, he was no naíve sheep either, willing to tell his life story to these men. The feeling of distrust was mutual. But then his eyes fell on the Alpha calmly seizing him with his cat-like eyes, he felt a shudder run down his spine. He got the message that lying wouldn’t hold good with this pack.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, in hopes of dispelling the weird silence he created. “I am Do Kyungsoo of the Dragon Warrior pack.”

If Minseok recognized the pack name his face gave nothing away. It was impeccably unreadable as ever.

“You are looking for a place to stay?” he gestured his other pack members to go back to their patrols. Kyungsoo didn’t miss the small growl the scowling Beta sent his way. He tried to focus on Minseok as they started walking.

“Ah yes I am……” Kyungsoo was not sure how to proceed without giving away too much.

Minseok, however was not deterred.“Any place you are headed to?” His visage matched his words but Kyungsoo still found them discordant. “Nothing in particular……... I am just a traveller.” Kyungsoo flashed a tight lipped smile at the bulky man walking with him.

“Are you looking for something?” Minseok questioned him casually as if he was expecting the vague answer Kyungsoo was about to give.

Kyungsoo mirthlessly chuckled. “Maybe.” he grinned to himself as if he knew a secret.

His grin vanished when the next moment an arrow almost pricked his ear. His wide eyes frantically searched for the culprit.

Minseok merely smirked at his look of alarm.

“He is with me Sunhwa!” Minseok yelled to the seemingly empty woods.

Kyungsoo flinched at the authoritative tone that suddenly came from the pretty man beside him. But then again he was an Alpha.

A slender figure emerged from the darker side of the woods, appearing unfazed. “I was just practicing Minseok!” Kyungsoo was sure that the girl (he assumed) was an Omega. But he was more surprised that she was addressing the patrol leader by his first name.

Minseok haughtily threw out a ‘Sure’ chuckling to himself and proceeding on.

But Kyungsoo was sure it was far from a simple practice and the arrow was intended for him but when Minseok refused to enlighten him about the mysterious archer, Kyungsoo did not prod him any further.

First that Beta and now the archer Omega. Everyone somewhat wanted his head. A great start indeed.

They kept walking with Minseok “casually” interviewing him here and there.They stopped abruptly and Kyungsoo was glad to reach the unknown destination. Minseok gestured him to stay as he proceeded into the small house. It was then Kyungsoo took notice of his surroundings.

He realised with a shudder of surprise that they were in the main pack area judging by the bustling community settled around this small yet important-looking house.

It had to be the village Elder, Kyungsoo mused taking in the details of the house. But Kyungsoo found it odd that the house was fairly small sized compared to his own. And if Minseok went to discuss it with the Elder about him, it was most probably the Head Elder’s house he was gawking at.

The Alpha soon emerged from the house gesturing him to go in.

He took a deep breath and entered the house.

He walked by the hallways trying to spot a soul that he was supposed to talk to. He peeked by the open rooms, finally stumbling upon the one with an old man in it.

Kyungsoo sent small prayer to the moon above before entering the threshold.

The man sat before a wooden desk with his knees folded underneath him. His posture alone screamed authority. He might have been a victim of time like the rest of the mortals on this planet but nothing regarding him indicated any fragility that was said to characterise the people of his age, infiltrating and breaking them apart cell by cell. If anything, he would hold off well in a duel against Kyungsoo himself. 

Those wrinkles on his face was mere indication of passage of time, a proof that this man indeed had his fair share of experiences yet his strong persona made it clear that he wasn't meant to be taken lightly. Well, he was the Elder Alpha after all. Ofcourse he wasn't meant to be taken lightly. But knowing that fact and experiencing it were two different things, Kyungsoo realised.

He hesitantly sat down, mirroring the old man’s pose.

“Minseok told me about you, traveller. Tell me boy, is that what you seek?” his grey eyes pierced Kyungsoo’s form with an unwithering gaze.

Kyungsoo again contemplated going with the flow and avoid the truth. But his instinct told him that the old man in front of him was well aware that it was not solely about travelling. He settled for a truthful approach.

“I am looking for a mate and this journey is my last hope.” Kyungsoo muttered with his eyes downcast, unable to face the regal old man. There might be graying hair and lines of experience on his face but none of it managed to deter his aura that reeked of authority.

Kyungsoo was not sure what response to expect as he unknowingly balled his fists. His head shot up when the final verdict came sooner than he expected.

“You may stay, boy. But you better stay out of trouble too.”

The words tumbled out before he could process them. “That’s it?” his wide eyes describing the shock he felt. Something about the expression that the Elder wore hinted that it was indeed something else layering that statement but he refused to elaborate it altogether 

“Minseok will guide you to your hut.” And the old man gestured him to leave. As soon he stepped out he probably heard a tired sigh from the same room. All Alphas were same. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile grimly.

Kyungsoo walked out to Minseok in a daze of trying to figure out what did that old man see in him to let him stay based on such a short interview. Going by how the pack was, he expected more probing questions.

Kyungsoo wondered about a lot of things as he tried to sleep in his hut but that archer that tried to kill him held the most prominence in his thoughts. He was sure he will cross paths with them again. He fell asleep to the sight of serene night by the window, a sight that close to his heart and mind.

Kyungsoo must have really been tired because it was rare that someone had to wake him up. He was perfectly capable of waking up early all by himself but his own actions shocked him when he whined to Minseok to let him sleep longer and grumpily covered his face with the blanket.

“Kyungsoo….we are meeting the alphas today. I don’t think this is something you should miss. But the rest is--” Minseok watched in pure amusement as Kyungsoo threw his blanket away and zombie-walked to the bathroom, making sure to throw a disdainful glare at him.

“I will introduce you to all the Alphas in this village so they do not snap your neck as soon as they get a whiff of your scent.” Kyungsoo just nodded not looking enthused in the least bit. Minseok was still staring at him in amusement. A slight crease appeared on Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“What?”

“Nothing.” The other Alpha said haughtily. Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes and sighed apprehensively.

They were passing by the same forest through which he had entered the village. Kyungsoo might not be in a mood for the meeting but all his senses were fully alert because meeting Alphas of a foreign pack might be necessary but that did not mean he would make it out unharmed so when another arrow was shot at him he swiftly dodged it and caught it with his fast reflexes.

“Are you still gonna tell me that this was a practice shot?” Kyungsoo asked Minseok showing him the arrow supposedly intended for him. Minseok pursued his lips before looking at his feet.

“Sunhwa!” he used the authoritative tone again.

This time Kyungsoo was sure where the lithe figure emerged from which he was sure was ‘Sunhwa’

“Yes Alpha!”

“Stop making a target out of our guest” Minseok calmly but sternly. Kyungsoo felt relieved at the support. He regarded the archer with gleeful eyes.

“Sorry Alpha but nothing better than moving targets.” The Omega yelled with a delicate shrug of shoulders. And that statement effectively managed to drain all of smug particles in his body. Was this girl for real?

“I cannot deny that I suppose but please don’t shoot our guest.” Kyungsoo cast his disbelieving wide eyes at Minseok next. “Bu-but-” Kyungsoo stammered in utter shock as Minseok waved the Omega girl away. “We must make haste Kyungsoo.” The said Alpha simply gaped briefly wondering if this pack was weird and they had some weird ritualistic sacrifices and he was unknowing lucky candidate. Why was Minseok so nonchalant about this…….

Meeting the Alphas drained whatever small amount of energy he had managed to accumulate. He wasn’t sure why he felt so lightheaded recently. He hoped it was because of change of location. And that over confident Omega archer bothered him more than she should to be honest because in this foreign land of unknown wolves he had to maintain his cool. He couldn’t afford to pick fights here.

But something within him itched to have a talk with the archer. The itch made it impossible for him to stay still so he decided to head out for a walk. He hadn’t even strayed far from the main settlement and he caught another arrow swishing past him.

He did not have to think before he broke out in a run to chase after the scent of the archer.

With a jolt he realised that the archer wasn’t still either. The intensity of the scent kept changing depending upon how close he got or how farther she managed to run. She smelled like fresh strawberries. Not his favorite scent but it wasn’t off-putting either.

“Omega!” He yelled hopelessly. Using titles was formal way of talking to strangers. It wasn’t meant to be disrespectful or downgrading.

He got another surprise when the source of the scent stopped abruptly. He jogged up to where she stood

“What do you want Alpha?” the voice spoke tiredly.

“I want nothing from you if you can just explain as to why do you want to kill me with these.’ He pointed at the quiver of arrows strapped to her back.  

She scoffed before answering “I don’t have any reason to trust a foreign Alpha just because the Village Elder does. I am merely doing my duties and being wary of you is all.” He really couldn’t believe this girl but at the same time he did. He wasn’t very trusting either.

“Are you a hunter?”

She had to be one. Her skills were nearly perfect. But she didn’t need the security of these weapons when her wolf could hunt better than any trained human. Wolves were natural predators and more precise than any weapon to ever exist.

“Does it bother you?” She threw another question at him in response to his question.

“I don’t really know if it bothers me or not but does it not bother your Wolf? Nothing better than to hunt as wolves.” A small smirk grew on his face. “Or your wolf isn’t agile enough to hunt?”

She replied in a cool voice, “Don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong. And it certainly doesn’t belong in this pack-” She looked at him dead in the eye. “Especially not in my matters.” Kyungsoo was impressed by her confidence but he wasn’t going to show it. He raised his palms up in mock surrender.

“I look forward to the day you will successfully shoot me then.” he gestured to her arrows. “With these”

She scoffed, “ It’s too early to be this conceited but-” she gave him a once over. “Whatever.” she rolled her eyes and darted off in a random direction. Kyungsoo smiled and shook his head at her behaviour.

That same night a hunt was organised by the Alphas and Betas of the pack. Omegas could join but mostly they preferred not to unless they had an urge to run. And some of them stayed back to guard their pack land so their percentage participating in hunts was much lesser comparatively.

He had obtained permission from Minseok to join in on the hunt. He really missed the thrill of chasing and catching the prey as he did with his packmates back home as the leader of the hunters

He was almost sure that the pack wouldn’t let him join. But he had to fulfill their conditions to be able to join in and that was that he was to stay with Alphas when running and he would be asked to return if he tried to join with Betas and Omegas. He was also not to run off with any of the pack members alone into the forest or he would be barred from any of the hunts in the future.

He supposed that the conditions were just and fair. Nothing too demanding in his opinion unless he had weird ulterior motives which he did not. And his motive was already well known around this pack. He wouldn’t be surprised if it made it to the neighbouring pack as well.Word about the mysterious new Alpha spreads quicker than any plague known to man.

He surveyed the group gathered for the Hunt. But his eyes stayed a beat longer when he spotted the same Omega that had tried to shoot him. She smirked at him and that’s when he came to senses that he should stop staring. He was quick to snap his head away but he failed to hide the telltale sign of being flustered as he fidgeted on his paws uneasily. He closed his eyes in silent mortification. He was sure that he would definitely find a mate like this.sarcasm intended.

But he couldn’t help it since that Omega baffled him completely with her bow and arrows. He was almost sure that she couldn’t hunt in her wolf form

At Minseok’s familiar snout raising up to howl at the moon, their Hunt finally began.

Today the full moon seemed to be unusually bright.

Compared to how he ran as leader in the past; free and unrestrained, this time he made sure to keep a close distance with the current leader. He had to constantly remind himself that he wasn’t free to run off on his own.  

But that did not mean he could not explore the forest at all. Minseok had told him to stay close enough for him to be able to smell Kyungsoo and vice versa otherwise he had the allowance to stray a bit and look for more prey. He strangely felt as if Minseok trusted him but he also did not. One thing was sure. Minseok knew more than he let on and he was constantly observing him.

This Hunt really felt like a test of sorts. There really had to be a catch somewhere in these turn of events. His trust itself was a test, Kyungsoo concluded.

He ran at the speed of his thoughts. Trying to release some extra pent up energy before he could really focus on hunting. He sniffed a little to check if he could still smell Minseok before proceeding on.

Kyungsoo looked around in wonderment because he was sure that he had never visited this area before. It looked slightly different from the rest of the forest. A bit too lively for nighttime but he wasn’t complaining. The area literally glowed under the light of moon as if the moonlight fuelled the night blooming flowers he spotted scattered around the area. And by their scent he could tell they weren’t like anything he had smelled before.

He heard familiar hum coming from somewhere close to this place. He froze when he realized that there was another person in this clearing with him. His limbs stiffened up in a tense posture, ears standing up in complete alert.

He tried to silently approach whoever this person was. When he made it to the edge of the clearing, he vaguely saw a figure dressed in all white, sitting on a rock sullenly. He tried to go closer but Minseok’s scent was growing fainter with each step. And then his paw retreated having frozen up mid air.

Staying rooted to his current hiding spot, he observed the person who was humming a random tune in his glowy white robes. The sight had him entranced but he whined lowly when he couldn’t go closer to investigate. His whine must have been audible because the figure whipped around. The humming stopped, the spell broke and Kyungsoo dashed away before that mysterious person could locate him.

He shook his head to clear it and focus on his Hunt. The growing intensity of Minseok’s scent strangely comforted him.

From then it was nothing new for him to catch a deer. But his mind was full of strange events from earlier and he wasn’t even doing his best to catch a prey. All those years of Hunting did come in handy for once. For he had to return with something for the sake of his pride as an Alpha.

The dinner with the whole pack went smoothly albeit he was flustered once again when he noticed that Sunhwa had caught a deer too. He too knew he could do better than this but his mind wasn’t cooperating much today.

He quietly nibbled on his share of meat when the Omega boldly approached him and sat beside him. It didn’t go unnoticed by the other packmates because he felt their eyes trying to drill a hole in him. Many were still wary of him so he was alone for most part. And he didn’t mind because social interactions weren’t his idea of fun either. He was perfectly fine being alone

“What was your position in your pack?” She asked with her mouthful of food. She really ate like a kid, he noted, possessing none of the elegance Omegas usually possess to seem more desirable. But then again he would take this over any of the pretentious some of the Omegas did.

He swallowed his food before replying, “A Hunter.” He felt the need to say more but he wasn’t sure how to keep this going. The Omega noticed none of his inner turmoil.

She guffawed as soon she heard his answer. “Are you sure Alpha?” She turned her head away, her body shaking with silent tremors of laughter. “Your catch does not indicate so”.

“Or is your wolf not agile enough to hunt today…..Alpha?.” she added the last part to lessen the blow.

And before he could even respond the Omega had moved on to her group of friends. Kyungsoo’s pride should have suffered some great bruises by now but he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at her words. He rather found the whole ordeal more interesting than off-putting.

This made him even more curious about this Omega called Sunhwa. She was definitely an interesting personality because not every Omega has guts to take digs at a stranger Alpha in middle of the whole pack.

He smiled to himself at the prospect of knowing this Omega some more.

But at night when he went to sleep, it wasn’t the Omega occupying his thoughts, it was the mysterious figure in the woods. The purity of light of the full moon today reminded him of the glowing robes he had seen. Now that he thought of it, he found it strange to see a person in the middle of nowhere with the moon high up in the sky. It was mostly the time for wolves to Hunt so everybody steered clear. And not to mention that strange clearing he had come across.

In his ten years of being a hunter wolf, he had never seen a clearing like that. Neither of those scents seemed familiar to him. His tired brain computed it as unique nature phenomenon so he could finally fall asleep.

The impact of that incident did lessen over the course of next few days with the lessening intensity of the moonlight. But his praises still remained faithful to the Lunar deity. He prayed for a mate everyday and he had this growing feeling that his prayers might have been answered finally.

Sometimes he wandered aimlessly in the forest looking for that clearing. But he never even got close. Sometimes he sneaked out at night hoping to find it since he has stumbled upon it at night but there was no luck in that case whatsoever.

The Rowan Moon

A small seed of hope,

Under the nurture of resolve.

Shall survive steepest of slopes

So that the dream never dissolves.

The onset of new month brought along an onslaught of activities in the village. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits for the Fire Festival called Imbolc. Spring was around the corner and this festival welcomed the Spring with great enthusiasm. Each pack had different ways to celebrate Imbolc but they all celebrated it in the name of Goddess Brigid who was believed to be looking after their hearth and homes. Especially their hearth fires.

His memories about this festival were a bit blurry because as a child he mostly spent it running around with other children and rest of it was spent carrying out his Father’s responsibilities for the setup of this festival. What he used to enjoy as a kid was merely reduced to a chore in his adolescent years.

So his current actions were a cumulative of all these years as he felt like it was his moral responsibility to help around in the village.

His sudden entrance in the bustling scene had certainly aroused a lot of curious glances from people but he wasn’t entirely unwanted either, after all who doesn’t appreciate help when the preparations never seemed to end.

Whenever he would leave, he would wistfully eye the candle-lit homes of the village and reminisce the celebrations back home. He wasn’t the type to feel homesick usually but it was hard not to feel homesick amidst the roar of the celebrations and energetic aura of festivities.

The warm glow that enshrouded the village left behind a gentle burn of nostalgia in the walls of his heart. It captivated his eyes, the way the village radiated sudden warmth and energy like Spring itself but still a shadow to the image in his memories.

Recalling might have gone too far when he found himself cleaning his place on his own accord, a task that he always avoided back home. But lighting candles in a shabby place didn’t sit well with him either because it simply wasn’t done anywhere.

He set out on another of his evening walks to ogle the beauty of this village, and silently draw comparisons between this village and his, when he stumbled upon Sunhwa again. And that too not without her archery gear. He shouldn’t really be surprised.

“Slacking off again?”

Kyungsoo smiled in response. “I don’t know about myself but you surely are.” And that definitely set of a trigger in 3...2..1-- “Excuse me?” her narrowed eyes screaming subtle incredulity.

He jutted his chin in the direction of her hunting gear. “This itself is a mockery to the community of hunter wolves.” He noticed the shift in her eyebrows to a deeper frown but he still continued, “Shame, isn’t it?” Turning to look back at her with counterfeit pity he shook his head.

“What is?” She snapped like he had expected her to.

He smiled serenely at her, then turned away to face the darkening sky, “If only you could put the same efforts in hunting as a wolf, you would have excelled Minseok by now. It’s in our nature to be natural predators.”

The chuckle he got in response was pretty unexpected, “Then what do you suggest, hunter wolf?” was she really giving in so easily? It was his turn to frown. “You Alpha wolves are all same,” she tsked to herself, “putting hunting on the highest pedestal.”

He ignored that last comment. It annoyed him for some reason.

He looked at her dead in the eye before speaking, “Practice hunting…” he said as she raised one curious eyebrow. “with me?”

She smiled while shaking her head as they came to a crossroad