Your heart was pounding in your chest. Never in your life had you ever seen someone with bright red eyes. Meeting them now, you knew they were danger, but you couldn’t tear yourself away. You clung to Kyungsoo, your source of safety and protection. You assumed if you stuck close to him, you’d be alright. However, he disagreed.

“(y/n), run, now!” Kyungsoo hissed as he started pushing you towards the back exit. The terrifying group of men began stalking towards you all, slowly with each step taking forever, like a cat playing with a mouse before it pounced.

You shook your head, tearing your eyes away from the group to look at your mate. “No, no, I’m not leaving you.”

He pried your hands off of his shirt and away from him, shoving you into Ji Yeon’s arms, who quickly locked you in. “Go, now!”

Before you could continue arguing, Ji Yeon cemented her hold on you, dragging you towards the exit while the other mates followed behind. You caught one last glimpse of Kyungsoo, whose back was to you, before the door slammed shut.

A crash made you flinch when you’d only taken a few steps. You looked back to find a fresh dent big enough for a person to make in the metal door. Skidding to a stop, you tried to turn back around and make sure that it wasn’t one of the boys that had been thrown into the door, but Ji Yeon’s grip was too strong on your arms. Snarls and growls echoed inside, but there was nothing you could do.

The six of you made it to a car in the far parking lot. Ji Yeon finally released you, only to shove you into the back seat once the car was unlocked, where you were trapped between Kimberly, Ming, and Jiyoung. Hae In jumped in the passenger’s seat just as Ji Yeon zoomed out of the parking lot and away from the pool hall.

“Are we seriously just going to leave them there?” you screeched.

Ji Yeon took a sharp turn to the left, making your shoulder collide into poor Jiyoung, who looked just as scared as you felt.

“Listen, (y/n),” Kimberly sighed. “You’ll learn it in time, but being mates with a wolf means when they tell you to run, you do it. No questions asked. Once they make it back home, then you can ask all the questions you want and yell as much as you’d like. Until then, you follow orders. Their first priority is to make sure we’re safe. They won’t take no for an answer, so it’s better to just go with it.”

“That’s not right,” you argued. “Relationships are supposed to be equal. Why can’t the protection be a two way street?”

Hae In turned around in her seat. “It is a two way street, (y/n). But you also have to trust Kyungsoo.”

You did trust Kyungsoo. He’d opened you up like no one ever had before. You loved him. But you needed to know that he was okay. You needed to know that he would still be there when you opened your eyes.

“Maybe we should just tell her,” Jiyoung whispered.

Whipping your head around, you furrowed your eyebrows at one of the quieter mates. “Tell me what?”

“Kyungsoo said no,” Ming reminded her. “It’s his choice what to tell her and what not to.”

You weren’t going to buy that. “Tell me what?” When no one answered, you repeated louder, “Tell me what?”

Slamming on the breaks, Ji Yeon turned around in her seat. “You want to know what’s going on? That group with the red eyes that ruined date night? They’re hybrids. Part werewolf, part vampire. They kill anything in their path because they can. It’s because that Kris that they’re even coming after the others in the first place. He just couldn’t stay away! He had to come back and bring his curse with him!”

You shrank back, never have seen Ji Yeon like this in the few times you’d interacted with her. Tears were b in her eyes. The brave, controlled façade was cracking away, revealing that she was just as fearful and worried as the rest of you were.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, dropping your gaze to the floor.

Ming wrapped an arm around your shoulder. “You have nothing to apologize for. We’re all just worried. There’s still a lot of things Kyungsoo hasn’t told you. I suspect because he doesn’t want to frighten you away.”

You wanted to argue. You wanted to insist that you wouldn’t have been frightened away. But, it made sense. Running was what you were good at. If he really was keeping things from you to make you stay, you couldn’t entirely blame him. Your history was against you.

Ji Yeon faced back towards the steering wheel, speeding along the road through the woods.

“Why are the hybrids after Kris?” You asked. “What’s the curse?”

Kimberly made a face. “It’s not a real curse. Ji Yeon’s just being dramatic. Do you know why Kris and the others left the pack in the first place?”

You nodded. And then your eyes widened. “You mean… the wolf that Kris killed in revenge… was one of them? The people who had barged into the pool hall are the same ones who’ve been chasing Kris? He actually managed to kill one of them by himself?”

How was he able to do that? Granted, you didn’t know the extent of the hybrids’ strength and power, but you remembered Kyungsoo calling the the pack that was hunting Kris special and hard to outmatch. Ji Yeon called the hybrids ruthless killers.

“Mhm,” Kimberly confirmed. “No one’s sure how he did it considering the fact that hybrids are so strong they could crush your bone with just a pinch. But he did it. And, honestly, I’m curious to know how.”

Slowly but surely, your brain was putting all the pieces together. And you didn’t like the look of the big picture at all.

Thanks to Ji Yeon’s speeding, you made it back to the farm house in record time. You all scrambled out of the car and up the porch to the inside of the house.

“Junmyeon!” Ji Yeon screamed. “Junmyeon!”

Heavy, quick footsteps tumbled down the stairs. Junmyeon emerged from the hallway. By the way he looked, he must have been sleeping in bed. He had on an old worn out t-shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair was disheveled and he was trying hard to stifle back a yawn. Every other time you’d been around Junmyeon, he’d been so put together like the professor that he was. Seeing him like this was strange and made you forget for a split second why you all were in such a hurry to find him in the first place.

“What is it?” he asked, eyes scanning your worried faces. “Where are the boys?”

“Hopefully out of the pool hall,” Ji Yeon replied. Her tears were dried and she was back to looking like the alpha female, leader of the mates.

Now Junmyeon was fully awake. “What do you mean ‘hopefully out’? What happened?”

Ji Yeon’s eyes flickered over to Kris, who’d just emerged from the kitchen. “The hybrids are here. They found us at the pool hall. We got out while the rest stayed behind.”

Without waiting to hear anything else, Kris ran out of the living room, leaving the house to possibly go join in on the fight. Junmyeon groaned but didn’t stop him.

“Tao! Sehun! Luhan! Chanyeol!”

The remaining pack members came running into the living room.

“What’s going on, hyung?” Chanyeol asked.

Tao searched the crowded. “Where did Kris go?”

“The others are in trouble,” was all Jumyeon would explain. “Luhan, Chanyeol, you’re with me. Tao, Sehun, stay here and watch over the girls. Signal if anyone not friendly comes near the house.”

Sehun moved to protest. “But, hyung–”

“Those are my orders, Sehun,” Junmyeon snapped. “Stay. Here.” He turned to the older wolves. “Let’s go.”

They all ran out while Tao, huffing, collapsed down on the couch. Sehun was pacing back and forth, too pent up with energy to do the same.

“How did they find you?” Tao asked, his previous annoyance melting away to genuine concern.

Hae In shrugged, “No clue. We’re all just having a nice time and suddenly they came strolling through the door. Amazingly, they didn’t attack right away.”

Tao growled. “They like playing games. Secrecy also isn’t their priority.”

“How are they even possible?” you asked under your breath to no one in particular. You didn’t think anyone would actually care to answer, but Tao did.

“A lot of things are possible,” he sighed, running a hand through his dark brown hair. “I mean, look at us. Not to mention the witches…. But these guys, they took the possible too far.”

Cautiously, you sat down next to Tao on the couch. The others in the room – minus Sehun – settled as well, either on the floor or in other empty seats. Keeping your focus on the one who was actually giving you answers, you asked, “How did it happen?”

“Luhan is the one who knows more about this,” he admitted, “but I paid a little bit of attention. Apparently, they’re like us. Born wolves. But they decided that they wanted more power, to be at the true top of the food chain, so they tracked down some vampires to turn them.”

“That’s doable?” you asked, confounded. From the legends you’d heard, mixing the species wasn’t possible.

Tao nodded. “For some it is. Ten went searching for the vampires, only six made it through the transformation.”

“And how did they do it?” Jiyoung asked before you could. She was sitting on the floor a few feet in front of you, her eyes glued on Tao. Her knees were pulled in close to her chest with her wrapped tightly around them.

“Typically, if a wolf is a bit by a vampire, we get sick for a few days.”

Sehun scoffed. “‘Sick’ isn’t exactly how I would describe it.”

You turned to the youngest wolf. “Were you bit?”

“I got a little mouthy,” he smirked. And then it slipped away as he reminisced about the consequences. “Any physical movement was like being stabbed over and over again with a hundred knives. Not to mention I couldn’t keep anything down for days. Not exactly something I’d like to repeat.”

“I don’t think anyone would,” Kimberly mumbled.

You pursed your lips. “But you didn’t turn into a vampire – or a hybrid, I guess.”

“It doesn’t work that,” Tao clarified. “You have to exchange blood. And that’s what they all did. Found a small nest of vampires willing to try it and they allowed themselves to be food before drinking the vampire’s blood. A few days later, they woke up. And slaughtered the nest.”

“Just because?” you gaped. Those vampires – granted, you didn’t know them from Adam and they could have been murderers for all you knew – had given those wolves what they wanted, in turn just to be killed.

“Probably testing out the change,” Sehun suggested.

You looked back and forth between Sehun and Tao. “And what exactly did change?”

“You mean besides super strength, super speed, and super senses even greater than ours or a vampires?” Tao mocked. He simply rolled his eyes at your dirty look. He sighed. “They can’t change into wolves anymore. You know that weird man-wolf-thing they like to do in the movies? It’s more like that now. They’ll never be full wolves again.”

“Not to mention their fangs are more like tusks,” Sehun murmured.

“You’ve seen them up close?” Ming questioned.

Sehun nodded. “I was in the diner that night. One of them started to transform after Kris punched him. It was… scary.”

“Unnatural,” Tao added acidly.

Hae In gave him the side eye. “I don’t think you’re one to talk considering werewolves were created by magic.”

“Magic is technically natural,” Sehun whined. “If Soomi was around to hear you say that, she’d turn you into a tree!”

“Who’s Soomi?” you asked. This name was a new one.

“She’s a witch,” Kimberly answered. Then smirked. “And Junmyeon’s crush.”

“Junmyeon’s… crush?” you repeated skeptically. Wasn’t he the one who was against non-mate relationships?

“It’s never going to happen,” Sehun clarified. “It’s just fun to about it.”

Ming suddenly stood up, heading towards the door to the front parlor. “I can’t stand waiting in here. I’m going out on the porch.”

Tao jumped to his feet. “But-”

You followed Ming out. “Me, too.”

No one else tried to stop you as hurried to catch up on Ming’s heels. She was already sitting down on the porch swing when you hit the cold night air. Neither of you were wearing coats or other protective material, but you didn’t care.

For a few minutes, it was silence, both of you just scanning the empty field, searching for any sign of your mates in the dark. Your breath was visible as it floated from your lips and your body shivered to keep warm.

“Yixing isn’t a fighter,” Ming whispered suddenly.

Your eyes widened at the sudden confession as you turned to her. “What do you mean?”

A small smile pulled at the corner of . “He’s a gentle soul. Can’t stand to hurt anyone. He’s studying to be a doctor. He likes the idea of helping people, healing them. He’s not built for fighting them. But I need him to come back.”

You weren’t sure what to do or say. The urge to comfort her now as she did for you in the car itched in your arm, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Affection towards other people that weren’t Kyungsoo was still difficult for you. You felt guilty, but not knowing what else to do, you just sat there quietly.

“Kyungsoo can hold his own though,” she reassured you. “He’s always been able to take care of himself.”

Nodding, you rubbed your hands together to try and warm them up. Then you straightened up.

Something moved on the horizon. You squinted, trying to get your eyes to adjust and concentrate even with only the porch light to illuminate your surroundings. Then they began to really emerge from the trees.

“They’re here!”

You jumped up to your feet, running down the steps and into the field. One of the many silhouettes in front of you sped, coming closer until you could see his face. You collided with Kyungsoo, breaking out into tears as the others clamored out of the house behind Ming.

Reunions were happening all around between the wolves and the mates, but you blocked it out, just taking in Kyungsoo and the fact that he was there, alive in front of you. Taking a step back, you looked over your mate, taking in the scratches and blood on his face.

“I’m okay,” he said in a strained voice. That was worrisome. You figured he’d be happy that he made it back to you. His arms were taut around your waist, clinging to you.

You reached up to his face, running your thumb over his cheekbone. “What happened?”

Before Kyungsoo could reply, Hae In started yelling.

“Baekhyun? Baekhyun!”

Junmyeon, with his shirt and sweats now torn nearly to shreds, ran up to her, holding her in place. “Hae In, I need you to calm down. Please.”

“Where is he?” Hae In gasped. Still getting no answer, she started fighting against Junmyeon’s hold before escalating to punching him in the chest. “Tell me where he is! Why isn’t he here?!”

“Hae In, calm down, please.” It was obviously how much Junmyeon was fighting to remain collected himself.

She broke. Tears flowed down her face as her knees buckled, caught just in time by the alpha.

“Minseok,” you heard Ji Yeon say, unable to take your eyes off of the usually sarcastic Hae In as she sobbed in Junmyeon’s arms while he rocked her back and forth. “Where is Baekhyun?”

“They took him,” Minseok replied in a dead, monotone voice. “The hybrids took him.”

Kyungsoo pulled you in closer and you buried your face in his chest, conflicted. You felt your eyes start to water in sympathy for Hae In, but you almost felt tremendous guilty as you were thankful it wasn’t the one who held you now that was at the mercy of the deadly hybrids.