My paws padded noiselessly over the forest floor and all of my senses were on alert for any signs of a foreign presence. I wasn’t on as heavy of a rotation as the others but I still had patrols to cover just like any other pack member. We typically did very few patrols during the day but given the heightened level of security due to the potential foreign pack presence, at least one of us were out during any given time of the day and three during the night. 

I was one of the stronger fighters but not trackers, so I wasn’t usually a vital member of patrols. Of course that didn’t mean my senses were dull by any means. My senses were far heightened compared to any human but my strength and strategy in combat were where my real strengths lay, not that often had use for them. We had to prove ourselves as a pack when we first established our territory here, but had few skirmishes since then.

It was still early morning, not past 7 yet, and I hadn’t detected anything out of the ordinary but continued to scan the surrounding area as I made my way back to the pack house from the northernmost part of our territory. All the while I kept part of my mind open to my sense with Sonja. I had been restless all night and I was sure it was because of her. I could not tell if she was simply awake for most of the night or having very restless sleep, but I instinctively knew she was not peacefully asleep. I wanted to call or text her at the very least to see if anything was wrong but I had barely gotten away with explaining how I had gotten to her apartment or knew she was unwell before, so I thought it best to not take any risks unless I was sure something was really wrong.

I checked in with Chen, who was next to replace me on patrol, as D.O and Chanyeol returned from their shifts as well. Now that it was daylight only one of us would need to be on shift at a time. I gave a short verbal report to Chen and sent a message to Suho relaying the same. After staying with Sonja while she was unwell, having a few hours of fitful sleep, and finishing with the second shift of the night patrol, I was exhausted. I used my last few drops of energy to shower off and change clothes and then I was out before my head hit the pillow.

----

“Jongin!” Sonja called out. Her quiet sniffles and fast shaky breaths echoed in every direction.

Everything was pitch black and I was disoriented beyond imagination. The blackness had a dizzying effect and I struggled to balance.

The echoes died out and all I could hear were my own harsh breaths filling what would otherwise have been a deafening silence.

“Sonja?” I finally managed to find my voice. “Sonja, where are you?” I turned every direction but couldn’t see anything other than blackness. 

“Jongin!” Sonja’s voice was echoing around me and I was unable to locate it’s source, as much as I strained all of my senses. I stumbled around, uncharacteristically clumsy, looking for anything that I could touch, feel, or see to help me get my bearings.

“Sonja! Tell me where you are, I can’t see you!” I turned wildly, unable to determine which direction I was facing.

“Jongin!”

I woke with a gasp. 

“Woah, what the hell man, you okay?” I slowly became aware that I was in my own bed at home and that it had all been a dream. My whole body was damp with sweat and my heart rate had still not slowed to its normal rhythm. Chanyeol was standing beside my bed, a look of concern gracing his features as he gave me a calculative once-over. 

“I’ve been calling you from downstairs and you didn’t respond so I came in and you were… are you alright?”

“Yeah, sorry I just-- just was having a weird dream, that’s all.” I cradled my face in my palms, swinging my legs around to rest my feet on the ground. Feeling a bit more grounded, I looked up to meet Chanyeol’s gaze. “Did you need me for something?”

“Uh, yeah sort of. Lay said you guys were supposed to have a meeting at 10:00 but your assistant said you hadn’t come in yet.” I glanced at the clock on my bedside table to find 10:24 glaring back at me in angry red letters.

“.”

“Oh, you actually did have a meeting? Usually he’s the one to forget meetings so he thought he might have made a mistake so he texted and called but couldn't reach you. I had to come back to the house to grab something so I told him I’d check in.”

“Thanks, hyung I’ll get ready and head over to the office right away.” Chanyeol was hesitant to leave at first but I assured him that I was fine and would see him at the office. I called my assistant, Jenny, and asked her to reschedule the meeting for 11 if possible and told her that I’d be in shortly. I figured that either Chanyeol or Jenny would let Lay know so I jumped in the shower to wash off the sweat from my nightmare ridden sleep and got ready as quickly as possible.

I grabbed the first few things that matched, sliding on some plaid grey slacks, a black cashmere sweater, and shiny black derby shoes, before hurrying out the door. The drive to work was short without traffic due to the late hour and I found myself walking into the building in no time. Greeting the security guards and receptionist, I made my way to the electronic security gate and pulled out my badge to scan it. I was so rushed that I almost missed the faint scent of ginger, orchid, jasmine, and pear, sharp and sweet intermingling. 

I stopped dead in my tracks. Sonja? But why would she have been here? Could it just be someone who’s scent was similar to her’s? Or maybe someone’s perfume? A beeping sound woke me from my reverie and I realize