Your head was pounding when consciousness found you again. At first, that was all you could concentrate on, the pain in your head. Then, slowly, you became aware of the pressure on your wrists that was digging into your skin. Before ever opening your eyes, you took in what you could already feel: your hands were tied behind your back with rope, securing you to the sturdy kitchen chair you were sitting in. Your feet were loose, but you doubted that could work to your advantage. Not with who your captures were.

“You might as well open your eyes,” a rough voice barked. “We already know you’re awake.” It was a different voice than the professor who’d caught you. This one had a bitterness under every word that warned you to tread carefully or you just might find yourself a pile of scraps. A chill ran down your spine, knowing you’d have to obey.

At a pace to rival a snail’s, you opened your eyes and lifted your head. You were completely surrounded by wolves and mates alike. Neither Luhan nor Innie were among them that you could see and for that you were thankful. Your makeshift prison was a detached garage with high ceilings and a work bench. By the dirt and track on the floor, there used to be several more cars stored in here before it became your cell.

“(y-y/n)?” Baekhyun pushed himself to the front of the crowd, his mouth hanging open.

The tallest wolf with the most threatening glare turned to him. “You know her?”

Baekhyun nodded shakily. “She’s Hae In’s cousin.”

“Oh my god,” Jongdae gasped to your left. “You’re right. I was barely paying attention the last few times I met her, but that’s her.”

The professor – Junmyeon – turned to the stunned wolf. “Did Hae In know?”

“No!” Baekhyun protested angrily. “She had no idea! If she did, she would have told me! She would never hide something like this from me!”

“It’s okay, Baekhyun, we believe you.” Junmyeon frowned pointedly at the tall wolf. “Right, Kris?”

The dynamic between the of this pack was confusing you. While your research had concluded that Junmyeon was the alpha, he seemed to be treating this other wolf – Kris – like another leader.

“Can we just get on with it?” Kris growled.

Junmyeon glanced between you and Baekhyun before sighing. “Baek, maybe you should wait outside. You said earlier that Hae In was on her way. It’d be best if she didn’t come in here.”

Sparing one last look your way, Baekhyun nodded before exiting the garage.

Kris stepped towards you, crouching down at your level in order to look you right in the eye. “Alright, hunter. Tell us the truth and we might not kill you.”

“Kris,” Junmyeon hissed, but he went ignored.

“Why do you want the book?”

“To destroy it,” you answered honestly.

“Why would you want to destroy it?” Chanyeol asked, speaking up for the first time. His words weren’t harsh or angry, simply confused.

You swallowed, knowing full well they probably weren’t going to believe you. “To keep it out of hands it shouldn’t be in.”

“I think we’ve been doing that just fine for a few generations,” Junmyeon snapped.

“But you can’t keep it safe forever.” You really shouldn’t be arguing with a room full of highly charged werewolves, but… well lately you hadn’t exactly been the most intelligent. Falling for a trap and never once thinking it might not be safe was not your usual move. You’d become too self-focused to keep up with your training, to remember that nothing was as it seemed and it always picture every outcome before taking one step.

Kris snarled. “And why should we believe you? You’re the one who shot Minseok, aren’t you?”

For a moment, you just held your breath. Admitting that out loud just might be the button that set off the already tense atmosphere. But your silence could set him off as well. “Yes, but I on-”

“Are you seriously going to try and justify that?” Jongdae yelled. He’d lept forward only to be stopped by his mate.

“Jongdae, don’t-”

“Jiyoung, go outside,” he ordered her.

“No.”

“Stop it, both of you,” Junmyeon ordered. With a furrowed brow, he nodded at you. “Go on. Why did you do it?”

“I didn’t want to hurt him.” You tried to emphasis that little fact that was probably inconsequential to them. “I just needed you to bring the book out of the museum. I couldn’t get into that room it was being held in. But also-” You stopped, the words of betrayal catching in your throat.

“But also what?”

You sighed. They needed to know anyway. “But also my father had ordered me to do it. If I hadn’t, he would have sent another unit out here. A unit that didn’t care about the book. They would have just killed you. All of you.”

Letting that news sink in, Junmyeon pinched the bridge of his nose. The stress of the situation was written all over his face, integrated into his body language. The lives of his pack were his responsibility and there you were, threatening their peaceful existence. “How did you even know the book existed?”

You shrugged. “There had been rumors for decades.”

“But how did you know it was here?”

“I think that’s my fault.”

All heads turned to one of the youngest mates in the room. You’d hoped to avoid getting her in trouble. It wasn’t her fault at all. You were the one who put the bait out there. All she did was try to make a friend and help you out with your “paper”.

“Kita, what are you talking about?” Junmyeon’s words were catching in his throat.

“I think I brought her here,” the girl admitted.

With soft hands, Junmyeon took hold of Kita’s shoulders. “Sweetheart, what do you mean? Explain.”

“I just wanted to help,” she sniffed, tears clearly forming in her eyes. “You were so worried about the witch’s visions. I was just researching, trying to figure out what might be coming. If anyone had heard legends or stories of something that could hurt you. And then… I met someone in a chatroom.”

“So you just told them everything!” Kris shouted, teeth bared in anger.

“No!” Kita sobbed. “I just talked about the museum having… unique artifacts… and records….”

“It was easy to put two and two together after that,” you whispered for her.

Kita broke down completely, hiding her face in Junmyeon’s chest as he held her protectively. Jiyoung – the mate from before – approached carefully.

“I’ll take her, Junmyeon.”

The wolf nodded reluctantly before handing his mate over. The other two females left as well and then you were left alone with the pack.

**

Eight. That’s how many times Luhan called just for your phone to go to voicemail. He’d managed to sneak away from the gym and hide out in an ice cream shop a few blocks away to wait for your scheduled date this evening. But when you never called or gave the all clear for him to come over, he got worried. And then you never answered his calls, all his texts went unread. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

Finally, he did get a call. But not from you.

“Luhan, where are you?” Yixing asked as soon as he answered the phone.

“I’m still in town,” he replied. “I, uh, had a few errands to run. Is everything okay?”

Yixing sighed, exasperated. Something had happened. The med student was never like this. “You need to come back home.”

“What happened?” Luhan’s mouth went dry, terrified of the answer his brain was already coming up with.

“Junmyeon caught the hunter. They’re holding her in the garage right now. She’s not awake yet, but-”

Luhan didn’t wait to hear the rest.

Hanging up, he ran towards his car, thankful he’d driven separately from the others. He sped like mad through the forest, the engine of his car whining from the pressure Luhan was putting it under. Managing to make it back to the farmhouse in less than half the usual time, he jumped out of the car just as all the mates were headed into the house, save Hae In, who’d just arrived as well. Baekhyun was standing outside the garage and ran up to her as soon as her feet hit the dirt.

“Baekhyun!” Hae In ran to her mate, throwing her arms around his neck. “What’s going?” she asked as soon as she pulled back. “Kimberly wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone except that the hunter’s been caught.”

“They did catch the hunter,” Baekhyun confirmed, sending Luhan’s heart to his throat. “Why don’t you go inside the house and we’ll talk later.” The poor guy shot Luhan a desperate look. He knew exactly who was being held by the pack.

“What?” Hae In scoffed. “No. I want to see this monster who thinks its okay to just shoot someone.” Pushing herself out of Baekhyun’s arms, she tried to go around him to head inside the garage.

Baekhyun barely managed to catch her in time. “That’s not a good idea, Hae In. Kris is barely keeping it together as it is.”

“I’m not going to get in the way,” she argued. “Now let me go.”

“It’s your cousin, Hae In.”

As if Baekhyun had suddenly started speaking a different language, Hae In stared at him, opening mouthed and knitted eyebrows. For a second she didn’t speak, comprehending what Baekhyun had just told her.  

“(y/n)?” she laughed humorlessly. “No way.” Shaking her head ferociously, she yanked her arm free. “No way in hell it was her! She would never do that!” Not waiting on Baekhyun’s response, she shoved the door open with Luhan following after her.

All heads turned to see who had entered the garage when the door had slammed up against the wall, including yours. Luhan nearly roared at the sight of you tied to a chair. He took a step in your direction, but you gave him the slightest shake of your head, telling him no. So you hadn’t told them even though it might have helped you. But why did you want to keep hiding it now? Did you think it would keep him safe? They wouldn’t hurt him.

Hae In gasped at the truth in front of her. “(y/n)!”

“Hae In, get out!” Kris ordered.

“Screw you, Kris!” Hae In shouted back. She tried to run to you, but Baekhyun came up behind her and trapped her in his arms. “Let her go! She didn’t do this.”

“Innie.”

At the sound of your soft voice, she stopped fighting against Baekhyun’s hold. “(y/n)?”

“Just go, okay,” you begged her softly. “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s not true,” Hae In sniffed. She was crumbling right before their eyes, the mate that was always sarcastic and rolling her eyes was falling apart. “Just tell me it’s not true.”

You shook your head. “I can’t tell you that.”

All the fight left Hae In in an instant and Baekhyun was able to carry her out of there without any more difficulty.

“Do you see what you do to people?” Kris growled, turning back to you.

“I had no more of a choice than you did,” you spat back. “I grew up in this. I didn’t know anything else.”

Jongin scoffed. “Some excuse.”

Luhan wasn’t going to be able last much longer if the hostility kept up. Whether you wanted him to stay back or not, he had to speak up. They couldn’t hurt you if they knew the truth.

“Maybe we should listen to her. Give her a chance to explain,” Junmyeon suggested. He was becoming Luahn’s only hope right now, given the death glares everyone else was sending your way.

“Listen? To the hunter?” Kris was beginning to shake all over. Not good. Not good at all.

“She has a point-”

“No, she doesn’t!” Kris’ eyes flashed red, making everyone shrink back. The alpha was coming to the surface. “A hunter is a hunter. They shouldn’t get any mercy. Did they show Chanyeol’s parents mercy when they hunted them down? Or how about when they faked a car crash after killing my own?”

All the blood drained from your face, making you paler than the white paint of the car behind you. “C-car crash?” you gasped.

Kris you. “Yes! Hunters like you killed my parents and then made it look like an accident!”

Your demeanor of bravery was cracking; Luhan could tell by the way you were grinding your teeth. “Was this almost ten years ago?”

Kris narrowed his eyes at you. “Yes… it was.”

Releasing a sigh, you hung your head.

“Do you know about that?” Yixing asked in his usual, quiet voice. At least someone was keeping their head.

You whispered so softly they all had to strain to hear you. “That was my parents.”

Kris lost it.

Before anyone could calm him down or get him out of the garage, Kris shifted, scraps of clothing flying through the air in all directions. Then he lunged for you.

Luhan didn’t even have to think. He hadn’t fully processed what was happening when he was suddenly on all fours, protecting you by pitting himself between you and the large red-brown wolf that had once been Kris. The rage had taken the alpha completely and he attacked the object standing in his way. Kris locked his jaw around Luhan’s neck and threw him to the side.

“No!”

Shaking off the hard landing, Luhan jumped back up and lunged at Kris. The alpha was nearly twice his size, but Luhan had to stop him. This time, Luhan got a hold on Kris’ shoulder with his teeth, flipping him over so they were both on their backs. Two more wolves joined in on the fight, trying to keep Kris at bay as he struggled back up to his feet. The alpha kept snapping at the three of them, but at least he didn’t attack any further, showing some sign of remember his pack members.

“Stop! Please!” you sobbed. Luhan jerked his head to look at you. Tears were streaming down your face. Immediately, he was by your side, the tears away and wrapping his body around the chair as best he could to ward off anyone else who dared to try and harm you.

“Luhan?” Sehun was standing in front of you two, . Apparently, he’d been one of the wolves that helped break up the fight. “What are you doing?”

Junmyeon took a step forward, throwing his hands up as soon as Luhan growled at him. His instincts keeps you safe were still running at high volume. He had no conscious control whatsoever over who he deemed a friend or foe.

“Well,” Jongdae scratched the back of his head as he let out a nervous laugh, “this complicates things a bit.”

“I’ll say,” Junmyeon grumbled. To Luhan, he asked, “Can you calm down enough to shift back? So we can talk about this?”

At first, Luhan didn’t want to. But when he looked up at you, your nod and reassuring smile made him change his mind.

When he was human again, he still stayed glued to your side. “She’s my mate,” he declared.

“I think that’s obvious,” Kyungsoo deadpanned. Luhan shot him a look, but didn’t reply.

Kris, now human again as well, glared. “How long have you known?”

“Since she first came here,” Luhan admitted.

“Did you know she was a hunter?”

He nodded.

Junmyeon swore. “Luhan, why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Because of this right here!” Luhan gestured to the crowd gathered around you. “You’re all so out for blood, you wouldn’t stop to think that she might not be like the rest of them!”

“We wouldn’t have done anything drastic.” Luhan actually felt a little guilty having been the cause of the stress weighing Junmyeon down right now. He was torn between the laws of the wolves: to protect a mate or protect the pack. “We would have figured this out.”

But still. Luhan couldn’t help the anger inside he had towards s. “Tell that to the looks she’s getting right now. She’s not like the others, Junmyeon. She’s been trying to keep the other hunters away. She’s known that I’m a wolf and she knows that she’s my mate and she accepts me anyway.” He reached down and caressed your cheek with his thumb, you naturally leaning into his touch.

“I’m sorry, Luhan,” Junmyeon sighed. “I understand where you’re coming from, but she still admitted to being the one who shot Minseok. We can’t just let her go on your word. However,” he glanced at Kris before continuing, “we won’t harm her. She’ll stay out here, with you watching over her. At least until we can figure out where to go from here. Can you live with that?”

Luhan looked down at you. He hated the idea of you having to stay tied up like this. You weren’t going to hurt anyone, but there wasn’t much Luhan could do. And Junmyeon was giving him the option to watch over you, which he would have done anyway, instead someone else who might not be able to control their anger.

“I’ll be fine,” you insisted.

Still not liking it, Luhan gave in anyway. “Okay.”

Junmyeon nodded. “I’ll be back with some new clothes for you. Everyone else in the house. No one is allowed near the garage without my express permission.”

A few of his brothers grumbled under their breaths, but at least they all shuffled out of there without further protest or fighting. As soon as you were alone, Luhan took your face in his hands, inspecting nearly every inch of you.

“I’m fine,” you told him, your normal level of defiance back in full swing. But you weren’t completely without marks. Long, finger-like bruises decorated your neck.

With a shaky hand, Luhan pressed against the purple marks, making you flinch. “Who did this?”

“Well, technically, I did break into his office.” Your roundabout way of giving him the answer almost made him laugh, but this was no joking occasion.

Pushing himself up, Luhan said, “I’ll go get you some ice for that.”

“Don’t bother. It won’t do any good at this point.” You grunted a few times, wiggling your shoulders back and forth before bringing your now untied hands to your lap. The rope was tossed to the side and you rubbed your wrists that were bright red from the homemade handcuffs.

Luhan dropped his jaw in amazement. “Were you able to do that the whole time?”

You smirked. “Of course. I didn’t just learn how to shoot a bow. Self-preservation and escape are typically on the curriculum for hunters-in-training.”

Now finally calm ever since he learned that you were here, Luhan dropped to his knees and pulled you into his chest. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if something would have happened to you.”

“I’ll always be okay,” you promised. It was an impossible promise to make, but you still said it, so he was going to hold you to that.

**

After Luhan was satisfied that you really were fine and mostly unscathed, Junmyeon came back with the clothes he promised. The alpha didn’t bat an eye at the fact you were no longer tied up, simply shaking his head before leaving you two alone again. It was another few hours before one of the mates – Jiyoung, you were sure – brought you each a tray holding a bowl of soup and some buttered bread. You didn’t eat much of your own, only taking bites at Luhan’s insistence.

Soon, both of you became drowsy and ready for sleep. Your body was exhausted, pleading for a little rest. Luhan found some slightly dusty blankets hidden in a storage bin and laid them out on floor in a makeshift bed. Once you were comfortable, he took the spot beside you and pulled you in close. It didn’t take long for both of you to drift off.

Your sleep didn’t last very long before you were roughly shaken awake. With a gasp you sat up, ready to attack as a fist went flying out.

“I guess now I know why you were always so defensive when I woke you up.”

Rubbing your eyes, you blinked away the tiredness until your eyes concentrated on Innie kneeling down in front of you. Behind her was Kita and Jiyoung, who kept glancing at the door nervously.

“What’s going on?” you asked cautiously.

“We’re getting you out of here, duh.” Innie grabbed you by your arm pulled you up to your feet. A small growl rumbled in Luhan’s chest as his arm that had been draped over your hips fell to the floor, but besides that he didn’t move.

You frowned. “That’s weird.” You were sure he would have woken up from that, especially with him being on such high alert.

“Actually, we kind of drugged everyone,” Kita confessed. At your shock expression, she explained, “We crushed up sleeping pills and put them in the soup. Except for yours and ours.”

That was… impressive. “And they think I’m diabolical.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Innie groaned. “Come on. You can take my car. Kris is still pissed and, honestly, so are a lot of the guys. Besides, I think there’s something else you need to do.” She gave you a very pointed look that you knew all too well. That was the thing you loved most about your cousin. The two of you could read each other’s minds and she was quick to put things together. Yes, you probably needed to give the wolves some room to calm down about you being Luhan’s mate before one of them accidentally killed you, but there was something else that needed your attention even more: your family.

Giving Luhan a quick kiss on the cheek, you whispered a goodbye to him before tearing yourself away and following the others out.

“So, what’s your plan?” Innie asked as she handed over the keys.

“Get back to the compound, convince them that the book never existed and then destroy all the files on this place.” Much easier said than done. “They don’t know anything about you guys save for that there’s a pack here. If I can erase those files, they might not remember the exact location or name of this place.” As farfetched as it sounded, it’d actually happened once before, on accident. The techs couldn’t retrieve the information and they weren’t ever able to remember the name of the town they thought might be hiding wolves. Sometimes, the organization relied a little too heavily on technology. “Or, if I can’t do that, I’ll just change the crucial information.”

“Okay, then,” she nodded. “You’d better get going before everyone wakes up. I’ll deal with the fallout.”

You laughed at her brash way of thinking. “You’re insane, you know that?”

Innie raised an eyebrow at you. “Runs in the family.”

Not knowing when you would see her again, you pulled your cousin into a bone crushing hug. She returned the embrace with equal force. As much as you didn’t want to, you let go. Opening the car door, you looked to the others who’d aided in your escape. “Thank you.”

They nodded back in reply.

You didn’t want to leave. Even on the floor of that garage, you felt at home. Because you were with Luhan. Given a little time, you knew that the others… well, maybe not have warmed up to you, but would have eventually tolerated your presence. Leaving the life of a hunter behind would have been easy for you. Even though you were behind the wheel and the engine was running, you couldn’t bring yourself to close the door.

“It’s okay to go for now,” Innie whispered as she bent down. “He’ll understand.”

You swallowed back the tears that were threatening to surface. “Will he, though? What if I don’t come back?”  Would there be a way to return without alerting your family and bringing the hunters down on the pack? You didn’t know if it was possible.

“But you have to. What about Luhan?”

“That might be exactly why I can’t. If that means protecting him and the rest of you, I might not be able to come back. I can’t risk leading them here. Besides-” You stopped, unable to let yourself travel down that road.

It took Innie a second to realize where else your thoughts were going. “What will they do to you?”

You shrugged. “Probably just lock me up. Or shun me. One of the two.”

It was lie. Complete and utter bull. But you let Innie believe that, finally closing the door and driving away from the isolated house.

Being locked up would be the merciful thing for them to do to you. Because you weren’t just asking to walk away from the organization because you simply decided that this life wasn’t for you.

No. No, in their eyes, you’ve committed treason. The ultimate betrayal against mankind by associating with the enemy. It didn’t matter that you were a wolf’s mate. Because of who you were – because you were one of them, the hunters – you doubt you’d be shown the same kindness.

It didn’t matter, you told yourself over and over again. You just needed enough time to keep the pack safe, then… then they could with you what they wanted.