Just as the class bell rang, Hongbin made a beeline for Go Woori, who was just collecting her books to get ready for her next class.

"Hey."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Hongbin."

He placed his hand on her desk, leaning against it in what he thought was cool, but it was rather awkward considering he slipped a tiny bit. 

"So...what do you need?" she asked.

"The tests's coming up, isn't it?" Hongbin replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "Well...um...I'm actually a bit behind on the matter, so I was hoping you could help me with it over the weekend."

She seemed taken aback by the question. "But don't you have Taekwoon to help you?"

"I would usually ask him, yes, but this time he said he's a bit busy this time," Hongbin exhaled lightly. "But he said I should ask you." He looked up at her with expectant eyes. "So will you help me out?"

She caved a little. "Okay," she agreed, "I'll help you study." She put one past book in her bag. "If you want, we can start off today itself. We can go over to the library after school and study."

He nodded, smiling. "That sounds good."

She beamed back at him. "Meet me at the gate," she told him before waving bye and going off.

Hongbin's smile quickly fell from his lips as he recalled the events that had played out just a hour earlier.

"We need to keep an eye on her so we can get her away to safety when the hellhounds come for her," Sanghyuk stated the obvious.

"What do you suggest?" Wonsik inquired.

"It seems one of us will need to approach her," Sanghyuk's tone dropped in pitch slowly as he realized the connotations of what he just said.

Taekwoon,  however, turned to Hongbin. "You should do it," he said.

Immediate silence fell over the group of four as Hongbin turned to Taekwoon, surprise on his face. Wonsik and Sanghyuk's eyes flitted between the two, between Hongbin's astonished look and Taekwoon's steady gaze.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Between all of us, you have the best chance of getting close to her," Taekwoon pointed out.

"Wouldn't the more logical choice be you or Sanghyuk?" Hongbin asked, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb towards the younger in question. "You're closer to her than any of us , so don't you think you should go?"

Taekwoon took in a deep breath and placed a hand on Hongbin's shoulder. "It is precisely because I'm close to her that I know something you don't."

His hand then went around to the back of Hongbin's neck, pushing it slightly so he was forced to bend down a bit. He himself leaned in slightly and looked up at Hongbin's lowering his voice.

"She has a crush on you."

He then felt a light tap on his arm, snapping him out of his trance. Jerking back a bit, he turned to see Woori there, looking at him in slight worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. "You were staring into space."

He quickly nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine."

She gestured with her head towards the open street. "Then, shall we head to the library?"

He moved his head in what could be  called a nod. "Yeah, sure."

They began to walk down the road and Woori began to strike up a conversation. While he politely nodded and added in monosyllabic answers when asked for a response, his attention was elsewhere. He kept looking around the two of them, especially behind, his brown eyes focused on the bushes.

In the dark shadows, the young Wolf saw nothing but the hellhounds.

His lack of enthusiasm seemed to finally get to Woori. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" she asked. "If you want, we can always do this another time."

His attention back to her with those words, he quickly waved his hands. "No, no, it's alright, it's alright!" He paused for a moment, his behavior suddenly dawning on him. "I must have not been very sporting, huh?" he sheepishly asked.

She chuckled. "Definitely not."

He nervously rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm guess...I've just been a bit...consumed by things lately."

He turned his eyes downward to avoid looking at her. He then felt her patting his arm.

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me what's wrong," she said. "I know you'll say everything's alright, just like how Taekwoon's been acting lately. But I just want to say...how about you forget about all that, just for now? Focus on your studies for one day, pass that exam with flying colors."

He considered her proposition before a smile finally settled on his face. "I kinda like that."

"So no more worries about whatever it is you're worried about?"

"It's a deal."

She began to talk to him, and this time, Hongbin listened. As he listened, he found that this girl was pretty funny. Her jokes made him laugh, and it had been a while since he'd laughed like that.

He began to relax. He felt his proverbial hackles lay down, and his ears set at the sides of his head, the tension from his muscles seeping out instantly.

Perhaps, he thought, perhaps things might actually be okay for once.

They spent hours in the library, hours that he had no idea passed. When they left and he began to walk her to her home, she sneakily slipped her hand into his.

Unconsciously, his fingers began to curl and his hand held hers gently.

"Did something happen?" was the first question Taekwoon asked him once he reached home. 

He raised an eyebrow. "Why is that the first question you ask me the second I return?"

"What happened?" Taekwoon persisted.

The former was very interested in what the Alpha had undergone, perhaps a bit too much, as that was the question he posed again the second he stepped out of the shower.

"What happened?" he asked in his monotone.

"Geez," Hongbin drew back. "You'd think a guy needed a little space."

Taekwoon didn't move from his spot near the door, blocking the way into the bedroom. He kept his intense eyes focused on Hongbin, the poor guy unable to get to his bed.

He finally sighed. "Nothing happened," he informed. "We just went to the library and studied. Then I dropped her back at her house and came home."

Taekwoon raised an eyebrow. "I was referring to any signs of the hellhounds," he said.

"Oh..." Hongbin slowly said. "Well, nothing happened on that end either."

Taekwoon just gave a soft hum and began pulling out his futon for the night. Hongbin pursed his lips slightly at his strange behavior, but then shrugged it off to get ready for bed. 

In bed however, Hongbin found that he couldn't sleep. Rolling around for a while, he finally settled with his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey, Taekwoon-ah," he called softly. "You still awake?"

The soft hum from the other side of the room told him all he needed.

He sighed deeply. "I...lied earlier today," he admitted. "Something did happen, but not the kind you were expecting."

There was silence, but he knew Taekwoon was listening closely.

"I...we...when I was with her, there was something different," he said. "I stopped thinking about everything."

"Everything?" Taekwoon asked.

"The hellhounds, losing the pack, Minhyuk, Sooyeon and Soojung-noona, Jaejoong, my parents..." Hongbin trailed off. "We've been through so much pain...when I was with her, that pain lessened."

"Go on."

"I mean...it was still there, of course, but it wasn't as...consuming as it was before. When I was with her, I could just focus on the present, on my studies, on being a....well...somewhat...normal kid." 

Taekwoon gave a light chuckle. "I think that's called liking someone," he said.

Hongbin shook his head. "No, I don't think I like her," he said. "At least not like that." He looked at his hand, his vision perfect even in absolute darkness. "I liked that feeling, of momentary happiness. I never wanted it to stop. I wanted to see her again, to keep seeing her. If she makes the pain easier to bear, I want to see her more."

"Yeah, that's the feeling you get when you're beginning to like someone," Taekwoon pointed out. 

Hongbin stayed silent, and this time it was Taekwoon who spoke up. "You know what? Good for you. You deserve peace after everything, and perhaps all of us will find peace in one form or another. If Woori's your peace, I say go for it."

Hongbin looked over the edge of the bed. "You're not mad?" he asked. "Isn't she like a sister to you?"

Taekwoon hummed in disagreement. "No, our relationship isn't like that. She's just a close friend." Hongbin returned to his original position staring at the ceiling. "If it had been Taejin you'd fallen for, however, I would not hesitate to tear you apart."

Hongbin grinned cheekily. "Well, she was pretty cute."

"Don't push it," Taekwoon warned. "I guess that's enough for tonight. Get to sleep."

He heard a bit of shuffling as Taekwoon turned to the other side. When the sound of his friend's breathing was the only sound in the room, Hongbin turned his head to the side, looking at the blanketed mound.

His ears were not playing tricks on him, he definitely heard Taekwoon's voice crack at the end of that last sentence.