Just as he promised, Kyungsoo was right outside on the sidewalk waiting for you when you said goodnight to your boss and exited the bakery at the end of your shift. Like a reflex, your hand slipped into his with ease as soon as he was within reach. He wedged his fingers between yours, securing you to him as he smiled down at you.

It still amazed you how comfortable and at ease you were with Kyungsoo. Just his presence made your entire body relax. This feeling was something you’d never experienced before and you hoped that it would never fade away. It was a state of grace that you could be satisfied living in for the rest of your life.

Keeping close to him, you leaned into his warmth, resting your other hand on his forearm as the two of you walked to your apartment. The air was especially cold as the sun crept closer to the tops of the trees. A particularly harsh wind bit at your skin, making you walk faster to get home and to the warmth.

“Are you still up for tonight?” Kyungsoo asked you as you unlocked your front door.

You shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“Fun,” he mused. You stepped inside and he unwrapped your scarf from around your neck. On the very last wound, he leaned in and kissed your frozen nose. “How was your day?”

“Fine,” you answered, trying not to blush and failing miserably. Why did he have to be so cute with you? If he kept it up, you were sure you were going to combust. “Just another day.”

“Ah,” Kyungsoo acknowledged as he took off his wet shoes. It’d snowed a bit earlier in the day, but none of it had stuck, melting as soon as it hit the ground. “At least it wasn’t bad.”

“No, definitely not bad.” Pursuing your lips, you asked, “Is that what you’re wearing for tonight?”

Kyungsoo looked down at his outfit. He was wearing a simple cream knitted sweater and nice jeans. You loved his sweaters. They were just like him: a warm hug in the middle of winter. It made you wish that spring would never come just so he could keep wearing them. One of these days you were going to end up sneaking into his closet and slipping a few into your bag to take home.

Wow. You were definitely lovesick at this point. You were already close to the “stealing his clothes” stage.

“Do you… not like it?” Kyungsoo asked, confused.

“No, no, no!” you panicked. “I love it! I was just checking so I could figure out what I should wear. I didn’t want to be over or underdressed.”

His face brightened up. “You can wear whatever you want. You’ll be beautiful either way.”

Okay, now your cheeks were blushing furiously. How could he make that cheesy sentence so heartwarming?

Nodding erratically, you told him, “I’ll just change real quick. Be right back!”

You ran into your bedroom, closing the door and turning to your closet. Considering how you lived your last few years, you didn’t exactly have “date” clothes. Over and over, you pulled shirts out and held them up to you as you scanned yourself in the mirror. Nothing seemed to be good enough. Kyungsoo’s jeans indicated that you weren’t going to a five-star restaurant, so you were safe there, but the shirt was important. The spectrum of too casual and over the top was too great.  

Forgetting the top for a moment, you went over to your dresser and grabbed a fresh pair of jeans. As they were of the skinny variety, you had to do a little mini workout and jump up and down to get them on. You were actually huffing a bit by the time you got them buttoned.

Okay, that part was done.

Knowing how easily you could get cold, you focused in on your sweaters. This was already taking too long. Closing your eyes, you swore that whatever you picked blindly would be what you went with. Your fingers clung to soft fabric and you tugged it off the hanger, opening your eyes. And nearly groaned.

It was your off white sweater. While of a slightly different material than Kyungsoo’s, from far away they just might look the same.

Oh, well. You figured that maybe if you wore your red infinity scarf with it, maybe no one would notice.

As quickly as you could, you put on makeup, deciding just to leave your hair as it was. Stepping out of your room, you cleared your throat. Kyungsoo was sitting on your couch with his back to you, scrolling through something on his phone. When he heard you, he stood up and turned around, grinning at you.

“Just as I thought,” he said softly. “Beautiful.”

You scoffed halfheartedly. At this point, you were sure you could come out in a garbage bag and he’d still say the same.

Kyungsoo held out his hand for you to take. “Come on. Apparently, they’re already at the meeting spot waiting for us.”

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry!” Of course you would keep everyone waiting.

Pulling you to his chest, he kissed your hair. “Don’t fret about it. Usually, Baekhyun is the one making us wait so it’s about time he knew what it was like.”

That didn’t completely put you at ease, but you’d drop it for now. You had something else to worry about. Like surviving a night surrounded by other people. You still didn’t know the other mates very well and you had no idea how well you would be able to make conversation with them.

Grabbing your coat, Kyungsoo helped you slip it on before leading you out of the safety of your apartment.

Sure enough, everyone was already gathered in the little square at the center of down town’s entertainment hub, gather around in a huddle. Ji Yeon waved to you as soon as she spotted you, peeling away from Minseok and running up to you.

“(y/n)!” she exclaimed with a giant smile. “You came! Baekhyun kept saying that you were going to back out.”

“I did not!” Baekhyun argued, earning an elbow to the stomach from Hae In. Jongdae snickered until he received a dirty look from Jiyoung.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Jongin grinned. His arms were around Kimberly’s waist with his chin resting on her shoulder. You liked how sweet the position looked and wondered if it felt just as nice. Before you could figure out how to get Kyungsoo to do the same, Yixing spoke up.

“We should probably head to the hall before all the spots are taken,” he suggested.

“Where are we going?” you asked in general.

“The pool hall,” Minseok answered, pointing in the direction behind you.

“Oh.” You’d only played pool once or twice before. To say you weren’t good at it would be an understatement.

“Let’s go!” Jongdae tugged Jiyoung along , the rest of the group following behind.

Inside the pool hall was dimly lit, the main lighting hanging just above the billiard tables. The boys paid for the two tables in the back and grabbed the sticks as the girls headed for the bar. You, on the other hand, stayed suction cupped to Kyungsoo’s side. From the way he kept his grip on you steady, he didn’t seem to mind.

“(y/n), do you want to play the first game?” Yixing offered.

You shook your head, letting go of your mate just long enough to remove your coat and drape it on the back of a chair. “I’m okay. I’ll just watch the first round.”

The girls came back with an entire tray of alcoholic drinks. Spotting the two pitchers of beer, the boys attacked it, filling their glasses almost to the brim. Hae In also poured herself a cup, finishing off the second pitcher. Kimberly handed you a peachy-pink colored drink.

“(y/n) doesn’t really drink,” Kyungsoo frowned.

Too late, you’d already taken a sip and even let out a satisfied, “mmm.”

Kimberly giggled. “I guess she does now.”

Even Kyungsoo laughed, pulling you in front of him so you could lean back into his chest. Apparently you didn’t have to think of a way to get a back hug after all.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early for couple’s outfits?” Baekhyun teased, his eyes scanning you up and down with a snicker.

So much for no one noticing. Embarrassed, you turned to bury your face into Kyungsoo’s chest.

“(y/n) can wear whatever she wants,” he defended.

You heard a loud “Ow!” come from Baekhyun. Since Kyungsoo still had you in his embrace, you figured Hae In had come to your aid.

Kyungsoo and you simple watched in silence at both of the pool games played out in front of you. Jongdae was especially good, both making up for Jiyoung’s missed shots and practically destroying Minseok and Ji Yeon. Baekhyun and Jongin were pretty evenly matched, giving you no clue as to who would end up taking that round. In the end, Hae In ended up pocketing the eight ball, winning the game.

“Come on,” Kyungsoo pushed you towards the pool table. “It’s our turn.”

“O-oh, okay.” You chewed on your bottom lip. Ming gave you a very encouraging smile as she approached the table as well.

Baekhyun and Hae In moved over to the other table to face off against Jongdae and Jiyoung. Kyungsoo broke the triangle, sending a striped ball into one of the pockets. You just stood off to the side awkwardly as Yixing took his turn, scoring a solid. Great. Your turn.

Taking the stick from Kyungsoo, you bent over, clumsily trying to line up the stick to the cue ball. Behind you, Kyungsoo gave off his telltale chuckle.

“Try it like this, baby.” Coming up behind you, he slid his hands over yours on the stick, rearranging your grip. His chest was pressed into your back and his cheek was just a breath away from yours. And, god, he’d called you “baby.” Your heart was going wild. By the look on Kyungsoo’s face, he definitely could hear it.

With his help, you were able to hit one of the stripes into a corner pocket. You gave out a little cheer and then immediately regretted it when you remembered where you were.

“I think that counts as cheating,” Jongin teased from the table behind you.

Yixing just shrugged, watching Ming miss her shot. When her turn was done, she stepped back, coming to stand by you.

“That’s the only reason the boys like coming here,” she laughed. “It’s a great way for them to show off and get close to us.”

You giggled along with her until your eyes caught sight of a small mark near the spot where her shoulder and neck met, exposed by her wide collared shirt. She caught you staring and you quickly looked away. You knew how uncomfortable it was to have someone to stare at a scar.

“It’s okay,” Ming reassured you. “It’s just my mark.”

You frowned. “Your mark?”

Ming tilted her head. “Yeah. You know, when-”

“Ming!” Yixing called out, interrupting her. She clamped shut. Your eyes trailed over to Kyungsoo, who, for some odd reason, seemed worried.

You stepped up to him. “Is everything okay?”

He plastered on a fake smile. “Of course. It’s your turn, by the way.”

It was obvious that he was just trying to distract you, but your curiosity as to what just happened was too great.

“What was she talking about?” You asked as you took the pool stick. “What is a ‘mark’?”

Again, he tried to divert your attention with a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? Now, try to aim for the nine ball.”

You pouted, hating the way he was blowing off your question. He’d always answered you before, no matter what. So why was he being like this now?

Before you could line up to take the shot, Jongdae’s phone rang in his pocket. Pulling it out, he answered it, his eyes widening at whatever was being said on the other side of the call. In fact, all the boys  suddenly looked worried while you mates were left in the dark.

Kyungsoo snatched the stick out of your hand, tossing it down on the table that housed the incomplete game.

Jongdae simply told the caller, “we’re on our way” and then hung up.

“What’s going on?” Jiyoung asked, reaching for his hand.

Gripping it tight, Jongdae responded, “We have to get out of here and back to the house. All of us.”

“Is everything okay?” Ji Yeon asked. Unlike Jiyoung, her voice wasn’t scared. It was authoritative, demanding an answer.

“We’ll explain on the way,” Minseok promised.

“Too late,” Yixing growled. The boys all turned to face the entrance, taking protective stances with their respective mates.

A group of five menacing looking men walked through the front entrance in a “V” formation, their eyes scanning the room. Soft growls erupted from the wolves around you.

While you didn’t understand who the strangers were or why the boys were suddenly on the defensive, you felt sure that the new arrivals were dangerous. Very dangerous. From the way they moved so seamlessly insync with each other to the predatory way they stood, your stomach clenched in instinctive fear. Kyungsoo reached back, grabbing your hand reassuringly.

“We’re close to the exit,” Minseok whispered. “On the count of three, we should run for it. I think we can get to the cars in time.”

“I agree,” Yixing whispered back. The others nodded in unison.

“One.” Kyungsoo shifted silently to wrap an arm around your waist. “Two.” He started turning towards the emergency exit in the back. “Three.”

Before anyone could take that first step, all five pairs of eyes from the threatening group snapped in your direction.

You gasped.

Their eyes were an unnatural red. A sinister grin spread across the face of the one in front and your heart sank.