He feels something warm and soft snuggle against his side and his senses are filled with the smell of vanilla. Reaching out he pulls the warm bundle closer. It's very soothing, the presence itself. It doesn't tick off his senses, it calms them.

A harsh intake of breath breaks his peace, followed by a small whimper and he forces his eyes open to look at a pair of brown orbs staring back at him.

Beautiful.

It's the first thought that runs through Hakyeon's head, the desire to reach out and touch her is overwhelming and he almost does. It takes him a few more moments to recognize the face and when it does, he pushes the girl away as if she burned him.

Something passes over her face but he's too busy cursing himself for wanting to touch the girl, to feel her skin against his fingertips.

She didn't expect to wake up in a hut and she certainly didn't expect to wake up next to Lord Hakyeon, arm thrown over her waist, trying to pull her closer.

He smelled like rain and she liked it, but the proximity was too much so she inhaled sharply, trying to keep his smell away but his arms continued trying to decrease the distance between their bodies.

An involuntary whimper left her as his fingers dug into her skin and his eyes snapped open, staring at her with such intensity that she wanted to shy away. And then he pushed her away, just like Hongbin had.

Even the look on his face was the same.

Disgust.

"Daddy, am I disgusting?" A twelve years old Meliha asks the sturdy figure sitting at the head of the table, having dinner.

"Ofcouse not angel. Why would you think you are disgusting?" Her father asks, abandoning the food and sharing a look with her mother who sat next to her, beautiful as always.

"Because everybody keeps running away," she explains, eyes downcast and feeling embarrassed, "even Jade sometimes, although he tries not to show it."

"It's not because you're disgusting angel," her mother's speaks up, tucking a stand of her hair behind her ear. She feels nice, her mother has a soothing touch, "it's because you're special."

She should have known better.

She's brought back to the present when a loud voice echoes through the clearing, "It's time to leave everybody! Get up and get moving!" It sounds vaguely like Jooheon but she decides not to ponder further when the Alpha is still looking at her as if he had committed a sin.

He touched you, that's the sin.

She drags her body away from him, from the hut. Her mind replaying images.

The change is sudden as she comes out, sun hitting her in the face and suddenly she can't support her weight and ends up on her .

Hyuk is reaching out his hand, asking her to take it and get up. She looks around instead, ignoring the young alpha. She's surrounded by her travel companions who seem ready for travel. The huts already dissolving into the ground leaving the only one she was occupying few moments back.

Trying to get up on her own only to fail, she tries rotating her leg.

Bingo.

It feels weird so reaching down, she starts untying her boots. Hands reach out and are helping her with the laces. She looks up to find Hyuk kneeling down in front of her.

"You don't need to," she murmurs, leaving out, 'Its a sin.'

He doesn't answer, just continue to undo her laces and then slipping the boot off her leg.

"It broke when u fell from the tree," he explains, holding her ankle which seem to be in a rather weird position. Rather than being perpendicular to the leg, her foot is attached to it at an angle of 45°

"It seem to have healed the way it was," he applies a little pressure to check if it is completely healed.

It is.

"We need to break it again and align it correctly," she suggests, rotating it again. It feels unusual and restricted. No wonder she couldn't bear weight on it.

"What!" Someone exclaims and she finds Taehyung looking at them with wide eyes, "why would you break it?"

"Because if they don't, it will stay that way and she won't be able to move," Leo has come out, followed by Hakyeon.

She averts her eyes, focusing on Hyuk instead. He at least seems to care, even if it's just for a while. She had missed it, the affection, the connection. And being an Omega it would only weaken her. Omegas live off love. Even if she is a little unusual, it is what her body requires, the contact, the touches.

"Do it," her lips, she keeps her eyes on the youngest Alpha.

"But won't it hurt?" Eunkwang asks, looking uncomfortable.

"It will," Ken answers, standing behind Ravi as if he's a shield.

"Then isn't there any other way to do it?" Sungjae questions.

"No," she wants this to be over with as soon as possible. Sitting in a clearing, surrounded by people isn't what she particularly enjoys, "Do it."

He looks up at that, his eyes narrowed. He's not used to be ordered around, not until it is Hakyeon giving the order. Also because of what he has seen on her ankle.

"They're burnt," he remarks, gripping her leg with more force than necessary.

She holds back a gasp, trying to withdraw her legs but it's already too late. He has seen it and is holding on too tight. As if he knew what her reaction would be.

She has already lost and there is no gain in pondering over lost battles so she stops trying to pull back her limb and fixes him with a stare instead.

"Are you going to do it or not?"

His eyes narrow further as he puts on hand over her foot and the other near her ankle.

"No he won't," Hakyeon's voice stops him mid action, "Not until you tell us what are you hiding."

Hiding what exactly because there are a lot of things she didn't tell them, and don't plan on telling them ever.

He really thinks that threatening her with such a stupid thing would work? Is he that naive?

"But then won't one of you have to carry me?" She avoids his eyes afraid of seeing that disgust again. Instead she focusses on the warmth of Hyuk, whose hands are still on her leg.

"No," he answers simply, "We'll just leave you here."

She dares to glance and regrets it instantly. He's looking at her as if she is some dirty, ugly creature and not his wife. She hadn't done anything to deserve the way they are treating her. Even if she did try to influence Hyuk's behavior, the five of them had a choice. They could've declined the proposal and she wouldn't have been able to do anything.

She only had herself to offer, nothing else.

"Hyuk, get away from her," he commands and she watches the storm in the younger's eyes as he squeezes her leg before letting go and standing up.

It's her against them.

But then again, she had always fought battles where she was at a disadvantage and it never bothered her because there are no allies in war.

Then why does she feel disappointment in the pit of her stomach. Taking a deep breath she curls her fingers in a fist, feeling the wedding band dig in her palm, her eyes settle on the insignia on the hem of her cloak.

That's why. Because she dared to hope that it would mean something. Her wearing their symbol would mean something to them as well.

Idiot. It doesn't.

Uncurling, she presses her palm flat against the ground and stands up, supporting her weight on her good foot and clutching a tree for help.

"Then go right ahead. Don't let me keep you here," she challenges, in another breath before hitting her distorted foot against the tree trunk.

There's a distinct sound of cracking as pain shoots up in her leg and she falls down, biting on her lip to keep the scream in.

It hurts.

The pain blinds her senses for a second and when she comes to be, they're still standing there, staring at her.

"Well?" She mocks feeling the warmth spread in her limb.

"Fine," it is clear that Hakyeon is upset but she could care less, "Let's go." And then he was gone, followed by Hongbin a second later.

The others exchanged looks before disappearing out of the clearing one by one. Hyuk, Taehyung and Hyungwon remaining the last ones.

She can see reluctance on their faces but decides to focus on realigning her foot correctly.

When she looks up, they are gone and she's alone.

Don't expect anything, telling herself, she decides to rest for a bit so that her foot could heal correctly.

Minutes pass as the heat spreads through her leg almost reaching her stomach and then dissipating slowly. Once all of it is gone, she rotates her ankle to find it as good as new.

Taking a few more moments to adjust her brain and body for the journey, she finally stand up and immediately feels how weak her body is. It is starved of affection, of love and simple touches, her body thrives on skinship and it had been derived of it so it needs more food.

She needs to hunt.

But is phasing a good idea? She don't know the territory, the terrain or what kind of creatures lives here.

She didn't have a choice, either she'll have to take the risk or continue sitting in the clearing till someone comes for her, which was unlikely and she'll have to hunt even if that happens.

Another deep breath and she moves out of the clearing, shedding her cloak and hanging it on a branch, the rest of the clothes follow and once she's she phases.

There's heat in her chest and pain all over her body as her body transforms into that of a wolf but it's over as soon as it came and she finds herself on all four, wind brushing against her white fur. It's feels liberating.

It's time to eat.

It doesn't feel right, leaving her like that but she had behaved like a brat, challenged him even and so he had. It had been anger but she had refused to cooperate.

"Hyung," Hyuk sounds unsure, as if he doesn't know what he's trying to say, "will......," his eyes meet Hakyeon's and then lower down, "will she be alright?"

"I....," He starts and stops, scolding himself for almost saying, 'I don't know' and changes it to, "None of my concern!"

The younger looks like he wants to refute but holds his tongue, looking at the trees instead.

"She'll be fine," Changsub provides, "the crazy woman broke her own ankle. She's got guts," it almost sounds like admiration.

"She's crazy alright," Kihyun mutters, a smile on his lips.

"But does the crazy woman know how to reach the summer court?" Namjoon questions and none of them have any answer.

There's shuffling behind them and they turn to see Leo stop, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up," then he's gone without waiting for a reply.

He comes back to the clearing only to find her gone.

Idiot woman.

He looks around trying to determine where she ran off to but there's nothing to give it away. So he lifts his head and takes a whiff. He isn't sure what she smells like because he hasn't imprinted her smell into memory yet. But he vaguely remembers it resemble Vanilla.

Another whiff and he picks up a sweet scent. Without wasting another second he takes off in the direction. It only takes him a few moments to find a cloak hanging on a tree, definitely hers. He finds more clothes as he continues ahead.

Why would she undress in the middle of a forest?

His question is answered when his ears pick up rustling sounds from ahead followed by a distinct howl.

She phased!

He picks up speed as the sounds ceases and it's silent once again. His speed decreases as the smell intensifies and finally he's merely walking, taking care not to make any unnecessary sounds.

As he nears another smell hits his nostrils.

Blood.

That scares him, if there's blood that means she could be hurt, maybe that is the reason she phased.

Carefully waving through the trees, he comes across a small space to see a half eaten deer lying on the ground, blood splattered everywhere, its body parts are missing from random places.

It seems as if it has been eaten in a haste.

Running through the trees again, keeping her scent in the back of his mind, he catches glimpse of black hair whipping in the wind and skin.

She is trying to hide.

Maybe she hadn't realised who it is yet.

The sound of footsteps reaches his ears and he stills for a second, the sound is too low to be caught by normal ears but he is not normal, has never been and Hyungwon never cared about being found out.

The appearance of the lanky Vampire throws him off guard, regaing his brains he takes off as the footsteps near and manages to catch her by the wrist before Hyungwon comes out from the trees.

Pressing her back against his chest he wraps the cloak around her body, still not letting go.

She seems ready to elbow him in the face but stops as he whispers in her ear,"It's me."

His face rests in the crook of her neck and she smells heavenly. The dominant vanilla is mixed with a hint of citrus and he can't seem to get enough of it.

Subconsciously he pulls her closer, his hands gripping her waist.

!

"Hyung?" Hyungwon's voice calls from behind them and he's thankful because had it not been for the vampire, he would've done something only to regret it later, "What are you doing?"

Willing his body to follow he turns her around, keeping his eyes on the ground and ties the cloth around her body, covering her ness. Even the thought of Hyungwon seeing her makes him want to burn someone.

"Nothing," replying, he takes her hand in his and tugs at it, "Let's get you home."