The birds’ chirping woke a certain girl from her slumber. She refused to open her eyes, hoping that the amazing dream she had from last night will linger a little bit longer. However, as knocking can be heard from the door, she groaned, knowing good things can never happen for her.

Her eyes wandered around the unfamiliar room. Without thinking much about where she is and what had happened, she thought of getting up. As she tried to move her arm, her body ached all over, causing her to flinch and let out a yelp. A girl came barging into the room and she look at her dumbfoundedly whereas she was greeted with a smile and a tray of food.

At that moment, Yujin felt overwhelmed. The things she considered just a mere dream is now happening in front of her. She began to sob, surprising the blonde girl who patiently observed her reaction. She quickly put aside the tray of food onto the table and approached Yujin, pulling her into an embrace.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay now. We are here for you.”

She tried comforting Yujin as the thin, lanky girl started to cry a river.

“What’s wrong, Chaeyeon?”

Another voice resonated within the room as a beautiful figure popped her head by the the widely opened door. Yujin was mesmerized by her beauty as she elegantly walked towards them, looking worried.

“Sakura, she seems a bit troubled. I think it maybe a PTSD or something like that.”

The blonde named Chaeyeon replied while turning her head at the medium-lengthed hair girl who owned a pair of doe-like eyes. Her hair was all white, as pure as snow and her aura gave off a vibe of royalty.

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Is it that bad?”

She seemed concerned as she approached Yujin and held the younger girl’s chin, examining her messy face, smeared by tears and snot. She chuckled upon seeing the girl trying to clumsily wipe her tears away with her sleeves. Sakura snapped her fingers and suddenly, a ball of water emerged out of nowhere. Yujin didn’t look surprised by it and just dipped her face into the water, washing her face thoroughly.

“That’s better. Your smile suits your face than those messy cries.”

Sakura uttered the words sweetly which made Yujin blush. Chaeyeon faked a cough, attracting their attention and Sakura just smirked at the blonde. Chaeyeon directed her eyes towards the tray and then shifted her gaze at Yujin, making Sakura realize what she is trying to say.

“Eat well, Chaeyeon even brought you some food. Her cooking skills are really good.”

Sakura nudged Chaeyeon to bring the tray closer to Yujin and the girl loyally did it. Yujin seemed overwhelmed as she is served with warm food. It has been a while since she got to eat other people’s cooking, not just an old, stale bread or some grass broth.

She held up the spoon and dipped it into the bowl of soup before bringing it to . A burst of delicious taste exploded in that she had to close her eyes and savor the moment. Satisfied with the girl’s reaction, Sakura left the room while reminding Chaeyeon to make Yujin clean before bringing her to the audience chamber.

“Make sure you clean her thoroughly. We will introduce her as the latest addition to our family.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Chaeyeon bowed her head while crossing her right hand across her chest. Sakura sighed and left Chaeyeon to attend Yujin’s needs. The younger girl’s head perked up upon hearing the word family. She thought she misheard it last night when she inquired who they were. It seemed they have a lot of things to discuss afterwards.

She swiftly gobbled her food and emptied the glass of water. Chaeyeon chuckled as she muttered, “Hyewon might have a rival after this.”

Yujin jerked her eyebrows upon hearing another new name. Her stares made Chaeyeon realized that she is already done with her breakfast.

“Well, it might be a bit late but I am Chaeyeon. Nice to meet you, Yujin.”

Chaeyeon extended her hand towards Yujin who is surprised to know that this certain stranger seemed to know her. Although feeling suspicious, she still grabbed the hand and replied, “Likewise.”

Chaeyeon checked Yujin’s injuries and was glad that she is recovering. Even the girl herself is amazed at her rate of healing which usually takes her months to be fully healthy. This made her grow even curious about the bunch of peculiar strangers.

“Well, clean yourself for now. I’ll you to the audience chamber afterwards.”

Yujin nodded and went to the toilet to have her warm shower. When she exited the bathroom, she noticed that a pair of fresh clothes was already available for her to change in.

After putting on her blue, cotton clothes, Chaeyeon popped her head into the room.

“Ah, I’m glad the clothes looks good on you. Do you want to retrieve your belongings afterwards?”

She asked nervously. Apparently, Yujin doesn't know that her former village had been burnt and its villagers have been slaughtered by one of the werewolves. She sighed in relief when Yujin shook her head.

“There’s nothing valuable over there. I’ve got my Mom’s memento and Dad’s sword already. Other than that, I can easily replace them if I work hard enough.”

Yujin replied with a tad of sad smile. Sure, the shack held her dearest memories while living there but it also witnessed her being abused by the villagers. She didn't harbor ill feelings towards them but she’d rather not to go back there after experiencing last night's incident.

“Is that so. Well then, let’s head to the audience chamber. They must be waiting for us and are itching to see you again.”

Chaeyeon replied cheerfully to lift up the atmosphere which turned suddenly sullen. Yujin smiled and followed Chaeyeon as close as possible. She was mesmerize upon exiting her room.

It seemed that she is living inside a rather large house, even possibly a castle as there was a long stretch of the hallway as soon as she stepped out of her room. She quietly praised the structure of the house as it appeared to be quite old but still well-maintained.

As she busied herself looking around, enamored at the house, she didn't notice that Chaeyeon had stopped in her tracks, bumping lightly on her back and immediately apologized. They stood in front of a door where a wolf's head with a large ring was attached on it. Chaeyeon grabbed the ring and used it to knock the door thrice. A soft voice giving permission for them to enter made Yujin nervous again. She is far from being a shy kid but when she is surrounded by unknown yet charismatic strangers, she couldn’t help herself at being a bit intimidated.

As soon as the door was pushed wide open, Yujin felt a rush of chill running through her spine upon seeing a majestic creature sitting leisurely on a throne. By her sides, there were three other persons standing as if escorting the royalty. Two of them stood on the right, looking sharp and even quite resembling each other. The only difference between them is color of their hair. One of them had pink hair and another one had brunette color.

Chaeyeon entered the room and Yujin hastily followed her. Their entrance made the other three turn their head, observing every inch of their move while Chaeyeon crept closer towards the throne. As soon as she arrived at the foot of the throne, she kneeled on one knee and bowed her head.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, my lord. I have brought Yujin with me to have an audience with you.”

After saying that, Chaeyeon scurried over beside another girl with ethereal beauty. Her jet black hair and emotionless upfront made it difficult for Yujin to guess what was on her mind at the moment. Yujin stood there silently, clueless on what should she do as Chaeyeon had left her abruptly.

Do I bow to this girl too? If I’m not mistaken, her name is Sakura.

Yujin took a peek at the girl as she overheard her conversation with Chaeyeon from earlier. When she was about to bow her head, Sakura opened , greeting Yujin first.

“Nice to meet you, Ahn Yujin.”

As those words spit out of Sakura’s mouth, Yujin felt a terrifying aura enveloping the room. It made Yujin petrified as Sakura became totally opposite from when she appeared warm and approachable. At the moment, Yujin felt that she was almost certain of getting engulfed by the white haired girl who sat on the throne, not giving a damn about her surrounding.

Hot! My body's burning!

Yujin couldn't hold herself as the excruciating feeling flushed throughout her body. She can feel her bones melting and her skin burning as if she is walking on fire.

Her groan turned into a long howl which made everyone except Sakura jerked their eyebrows.

My bone… It’s melting… Someone help me!

Yujin kneeled in her place as she slowly transformed into her werewolf form. Even though she was panting heavily, she can faintly hear a girl with duck lips whistling while watching her undergo transformation. Not even one of them moved an inch from their place, as if they were not afraid of possibilities that Yujin might be going berserk.

Her body felt like it was grilled on fire and the feeling still lingered even though she had completely turned into a werewolf. She panted, trying to hold herself from going rampant. Her ruby necklace that dangled from her cloth glowed radiantly in front of them.

At that second, the girl with pink hair and stoic face moved and crept closer towards Yujin, which made the younger flinch. She held the urge to slash the girl even though she had done nothing wrong towards her. However, she was stunned, looking and analyzing the flawless features of the girl as she approached her.

The girl then touched Yujin’s necklace which made her want to retort at the girl’s action. She instinctively moved her claws to rip the girl apart but her body defied her command. It’s as if she was being chained by an unseen force that rooted her on the floor.

She was perplexed by her sudden forced transforma