One step forward, two steps back.

Luhan shook his head while he fiddled with the empty cup on the table in front of him. Your own half-sipped drink still sat across from him, condensation dripping down the sides as the ice began to melt in the cream-colored liquid.

What had he said to make you run off like that? Was it his family? Did you have issues with your own? Or were you thinking about all the nomadic packs you surely came into contact with over the years?

Luhan shuddered away the thoughts of how those meetings possibly could have ended.

Seeing you on the sidewalk, just barely catching you in the corner of his eye was making him think that luck was finally siding with him. Hell, there were even small moments of smiles and laughter between you. But then it all went to crap. Why couldn’t he just get closer to you? He wanted to spend time together without you running away five minutes later. Was this how Junmyeon felt when his mate kept running away? Last Luhan checked, the mate pull was supposed to pull you together, not do the opposite.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself up from the booth and grabbed both of the cups and tossed them away in the trash can before shuffling out of the shop, only answering the barista’s wish of him to have a good day with a lazy wave.

He wandered around the business district for an hour or so, just killing time and wondering of what he could do differently in the future to not make you scared or uncomfortable. His mind lingered back to when he tried to reach out to you, to comfort you, but you kept your hands firmly in your lap, determined to stay away. It seemed obvious to him that you didn’t have the same burning desire to keep that electricity again. Or maybe you were just better at fighting it.

When the sun began to fall behind the horizon, Luhan figured it was time to head home. He didn’t have to work again until Friday night and hopefully he’d get a little peace and quiet down in the basement. That didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. Maybe Sehun would want to play a game or maybe he could drag Minseok away from his mate for five minutes to kick the soccer ball around in the yard. They hadn’t done that for a long time.

Eventually, Luhan made it back to his car, sliding into the front seat with a heavy heart. When his mother told him stories about one day finding his mate, he’d always stared up at her with wide, optimistic eyes. It sounded like a fairytale, the way she worded everything. And that made sense to him. He was a creature of myth, so why shouldn’t his story of finding love be just as magical? Funny that what he got instead was some dumb, tragic retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

He just hoped they both came out of this alive.

**

“You ready for the run?”

Luhan sat up on the couch from where he was untying his shoe. An eagerness was more than apparent in Sehun’s eyes as he bounced from foot to foot off to the side of the seat.

“More than ready.”

“Then let’s go!” Sehun urged.

Hopping up from the couch, Luhan followed him while simultaneously yanking his shoes and socks off.

This was a rarity. Luhan couldn’t remember the last time they all went for a run together. It had to be before he, Kris, and Tao left. Twelve overgrown wolves running around – even in a forest this big – was too risky most of the time. Not to mention, keeping track of the more rowdy members was a bit more hassle then it was worth. But no one complained when Junmyeon suggested a pack run that morning at breakfast. Everyone was excited.  

When he passed the stairs and entered the kitchen, the room was already full of half- pack members itching to get going. Luhan peeled his shirt off, the eagerness now hitting him in full force.

Junmyeon counted out loud to make sure that all twelve were present. “Okay!” he yelled over the buzzing chatter. “Let’s go! And remember to stick together!”

A thundering herd scrambled through the backdoor, letting out whoops and hollers into the darkening sky above. Mei let out giggles of her own as she squirmed in Evie’s arms, wanting to join in on the fun. Kris grinned from ear to ear as he watched his daughter with pride.

“Be careful,” Evie urged quietly to the point that Luhan had to strain to eavesdrop.

Kris gave her a reassuring kiss on the lips before replying, “It’s just a run, baobei. Nothing to worry about.” He chuckled at Evie’s protesting pout. “I promise, I’ll be careful and come back to you in one piece.”

“Thank you.”

Kris gave Mei one last kiss on the top of her head. Reaching Luhan as he walked away, he patter the latter on the shoulder. “Shall we join them?”

Luhan beamed. “Let’s get out of here.”

Outside, there were already ten wolves staring intensely at the back door, irritated that the two older members were taking their sweet time. Both of them stripped out of their pants and threw them in the pile with the rest of the jeans and shorts to be fought over later. Once their two legs became four, the pack was off.

The ground was soft under his paws. Each step sunk into the dirt, leaving behind its traces in the curves of his claws. Some of the younger wolves up ahead were yelping and playfully snipping at each other, urging them to race, to see who could go farther and faster. If Sehun or Chanyeol got a little far ahead, Junmyeon would bark out an order for them to slow down. The witch’s premonition still spooked him and if everyone was going to run together then they were going to stick together.

And the alpha wondered why he was referred to as “mother” so often.

Through the break in the trees above, Luhan looked up and took in the bright full moon hanging in the sky. It lit up the forest as if it were middle of the day, outshining the poor stars around it that didn’t have the same potency. He wondered what you thought about when you looked up at the same moon. Did you think of the ridiculous legends that told of the moon’s dictatorship over their transformations? Or maybe you just took in its beauty, appreciating it for the round rock that it was, stuck in a cycle that it didn’t necessarily ask for, but was given anyway.

Luhan snorted. It was kind of a good metaphor for his life. He never asked to be born a werewolf, but he took his first transformation in stride, realizing that he couldn’t change the way he was made. A stray thought drifted through his mind, wondering if you had a similar experience with your childhood. Being trained to kill supernatural creatures isn’t exactly in every child’s curriculum at school.

Someone nudged Luhan’s shoulder and he glanced over to find Minseok had fallen back from the grouping and was now matching pace with him.

You okay? You keep staring up at the moon.

Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just pretty. Thank god their pack telepathy wasn’t omniscient. He would have been discovered the second he shifted. But the most anyone ever picked up on was emotional ques unless a direct thought was pushed out, one that was meant to be heard.

Huh, Minseok mused, looking up as well. I guess it is.

You should try appreciating it more often, Luhan teased.

Minseok rolled his large brown eyes that were still strangely human. Luhan never really got over that fact, even though by now he should be used to the contrast. Seeing it on another wolf still gave him a weird feeling, though. I do admire the sky. I just prefer not to do it while running. Usually, one looks where they’re going.

Where’s the fun in that?

But Minseok’s warning was all too true.

Up ahead, Tao and Baekhyun had started playfully shoving each other while somehow managing to keep running. However, Tao was much stronger than the white and brown wolf and rammed his shoulder a little too hard, making Baekhyun lose his footing. He rolled several times and ended up under Luhan’s own feet, who was still glancing up at the moon. Now he went down, the air getting knocked out of him as he hit the ground and rolled a few times as well. An instinctual growl rumbled in his throat when he finally came to a stop.

Crap! Sorry, Luhan! Baekhyun whined.

Luhan shook his head and simple sent an annoyed look his way. As if being a white wolf didn’t make it hard to stay clean on a run as it was, now he was really going to have to scrub in the shower to get all the dirt he was coated in off. The only saving grace was that, as one of the older ones, he got to go first once they got back to the house.

What’s going on? Junmyeon asked worriedly as he came running back. Everyone had stopped as well to check on the two of them.

It’s my fault, Junmyeon, Tao confessed, hanging head down low.

Baekhyun yelped. Nah, it’s my fault. I started it. It’s easy to forget how strong Tao can be sometimes. You know, considering it’s Tao.

Tao growled at the implication, but Kris stepped in. Just leave it, Tao.

Junmyeon let out a huff that could be interpreted as a sigh. Okay, let’s get- wait. His ears perked up, stiff with listening so hard.

Jongdae cocked his head to the side. Did you hear some-

Shush, Junmyeon ordered. Now the whole pack was straining, trying to pick up on whatever the alpha had heard. Everyone, get behind me!

They all obeyed, save for Kris, who took his place beside Junmyeon as the fellow leader. Luhan immediately went into an offensive stance, ready to strike if need be. What could be lurking in their woods at this time? It had to be something other than a lost human or Junmyeon wouldn’t have gone on the defensive so quickly.

The air filled with tension, fur visibly standing on ends. Several wolves quietly shifted their weight from foot to foot, itching to just know. The waiting, the anticipation was increasing the adrenaline in their veins. And when a wolf got too hyped up… you might want to stay out of the way once that energy was released for your own sake.

Luhan looked over at his brothers. Scanning the area, he was confident that whatever was here with them, luck – and numbers – were on their side. But at the same time, he was hoping – praying – that it wasn’t you. That it wasn’t you lurking out here in the woods with a group of hunters, looking for them. If that was the case… Luhan would have no choice. He’d have to protect you even if it meant fighting his own brothers.

Relief rolled over him once the cause of the alert was finally discovered.

A smaller pack of maybe seven diverse wolves came out of the shadows, led by a dark brown wolf that was halfway between Kris and Junmyeon in size. They approached cautiously, knowing full well this wasn’t their territory and that they were greatly out number nearly two-to-one.

While Junmyeon remained low, ready to pounce at any moment, Kris immediately relaxed, even shifting back into his human form.

“Well, long time no see, Kun,” he chuckled.

Kun? Luhan took a closer look at the other pack and mentally slapped himself. It really was them!

He followed Kris’ example and shifted back into a human. After several exchanged glances, the wolves on both sides transformed. Then the unsuspecting boys in Luhan’s pack gasped.

While six of Kun’s pack were just ordinary wolf boys, a rarity stood among them.

“You have a girl in your pack?” Baekhyun exclaimed.

“It’s not completely unheard of, .”

Yup. Same old Lyn.

“Please, excuse Baekhyun, his mouth doesn’t exactly have a filter and whatever he’s thinking just comes out,” Junmyeon apologized. It was a bit comical to watch him struggled to look literally anywhere but at the female in front of him. In fact, all the boys were avoiding even glancing her way. If any of their mates found out they’d stared a little too long… well, who’d get to sleep on the couch and who would have to take the floor would be the least of their worries.

Except, there was one blonde avoiding any eye contact and it wasn’t out of decency for his mate.

“What are you doing here?” Kris asked, thankfully breaking the awkwardness.

Kun folded his arms across his chest, sighing. “A rumor reached our ears about a hidden hunter somewhere in the area.”

Luhan’s heart jumped up into throat.

No. No one was supposed to know. How did a rumor start circulating? A million different scenarios, all ending badly, played out in his head. If they knew who you were, Luhan had to get you out of town.

“A hunter?” Chanyeol growled, his fist tightening at his side. “Who? Who is it?”

Now Luhan’s heart sank from his throat to his stomach. It didn’t matter that you weren’t old enough to be involved in the death of Chanyeol’s parents. In his eyes, a hunter was a hunter and they all deserved to pay.

“We don’t know who it is,” Fin, Kun’s second-in-command, admitted.

Luhan’s mood immediately lifted. If they didn’t know that you were the hunter than he could protect you better. He’d keep you close and throw off any suspicion that might form around you. With Hae In as your cousin, you should already be out of the running, but any little slip could make their alarm bells start ringing.

“So, then are you guys just passing through?” he asked cautiously.

Kun shook his head. “We planning to spend the next week around town.” He turned to Kris – and affectively Junmyeon. “If that’s alright, of course.”

Scratching the back of his head, Kris nodded. “Yeah, not a problem. I, uh, I’d offer our place, but….”

“That’s alright,” Kun chuckled. “I’m sure that farmhouse you told us about is more than full with your pack. Still think you’re all crazy for having one so huge. And by the looks of it, the house has almost double the occupants.”

“What makes you say that?” Jongdae frowned.

“Please,” Kun snorted. “I’m not blind to the way you are all acting like Lyn doesn’t exist right now.” He turned to the taller alpha with a more somber gaze. “You, too, huh, Kris?”

Kris nodded proudly. “Yeah. Soon after coming back.”

“And he’s a father,” Sehun snorted, not missing the chance for a jab.

Kun’s mouth dropped. “A dad? Wow. Things certainly have changed.”

“It wasn’t planned,” Kris said quickly. Then his tune changed completely, everything about him softening as he thought of Evie and Mei. “But I’m happy.”

“That’s all that matters.”

“I think we should talk more about this hunter rumor,” Junmyeon suggested. His eyes flickered over to Lyn for a split second before he cleared his throat. “Maybe back at the farmhouse… and clothed.”

“Good idea.” Kun turned to s and gestured out with his head. Everyone began to shift back into wolves and follow Junmyeon and Kris back to the house. It was a quick trip. The news of a hunter possibly in their midst obviously put Junmyeon on edge and pushing him to run faster, everyone else just trying to keep up.

Evie was still in the kitchen going through and organizing the fridge like she always did when the house was empty. It was the only time she could throw out old food without having to argue with one of the boys about why it was no longer any good and why they shouldn’t consume expired food. She was shuffling the trash can around in an attempt to free up a little more space before packing in more moldy fruit. At the sound of bare feet hitting the wooden floor, she looked up.

“You guys are home early,” she frowned.

Kris didn’t waste any time walking up to her and giving her a quick kissing before answering. “We, uh, ran into some old friends that need to talk to us.”

“Old friend- oh goodness!” Evie shielded her eyes the moment Kun’s pack entered the kitchen. Luhan barely caught himself in time to stifle the laugh. While they were all dressed at the moment – and Evie was used to the occasion run-in from a forgetful wolf getting back from a run – the others were still very much in the .

“Baobei, why don’t you go grab the clothes sitting in the front parlor that were packed for donation?” Kris suggested.

“I would be more than happy to do that.” Evie scurried out of there like she was running from a wild bear. When she came back, she held the white trash bag of old shirts and pants up in her line of sight.

“Where’s Mei?” Jongin asked sadly, taking the focus off of the awkward moment.

“She’s already down for the night,” Evie answered. “But, you know, I think I’m going to go check on her.” Dropping the bag, she ran for the staircase and disappeared into the basement. Out of the corner of his eye, Luhan caught Lyn rolling her eyes. Yeah, definitely hasn’t changed much.

“Nice catch,” Kun joked with Kris.

The latter shrugged with a wide smile as he looked towards the stairs. “I like to think so.”

Already, the others were rifling through the bag, tossing clothes at each other to make sure everyone got the right sizes. Lyn stayed back until the male members of her pack had their share. She never liked getting in the middle of their rowdiness, thinking she was a bit above that. But Luhan couldn’t judge too hard. It had to be tough, being the only female wolf in a pack of obnoxious boys.

When she reached for a black shirt that was lying on top of the pile, Tao stopped her with a hand around her wrist.

“Wear this one.” He held out a red sweatshirt Luhan was pretty sure used to be Sehun’s.

Lyn took it, whispering an awkward “thank you” before pulling it over her head and slipping into a pair of basketball shorts that Evie had insisted Kris throw out. After that little exchange, Tao slipped out the back door while Lyn rejoined her group.

“So, how did you hear about this supposed undercover hunter?” Junmyeon asked as soon as everyone was comfortable.

“An omega we were chasing away from our territory told us,” Kun replied.

“While he was laughing,” Fin added. “Chuckling like he was watching a clown get beat upside the head with a foam bat. As if we couldn’t handle one little hunter.”

“One little hunter can easily become a bigger group,” Kun warned. “Besides, if one is hiding among us, we need to be prepared, find them before they can call for reinforcements.”

“And you’re sure he wasn’t just bluffing?” Minseok questioned. “Being an omega and all?”

Kun shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he was. But considering how dangerous hunters can be, especially with their tactics these days, I’d rather look like an idiot and search for something that might not be there than sit back and do nothing, getting us all killed.”

“I’d rather know the truth as well,” Yixing commented.

Junmyeon nodded, taking it all in. “Alright, then. We’ll start searching around town in our spare time. Looking at wrists for their mark, checking into anyone who might be new, and following through on anything slightly suspicious. We’ll always go in at least pairs, maybe more, giving us the advantage. Kun, if you don’t mind helping out with that.”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you.” Junmyeon sighed. “And thank you for passing this information on to us. I greatly appreciate it.”

Nervousness built up in Luhan’s limbs. Looking at wrists? You’d done a pretty good job at hiding yours since that first night, but what if Hae In saw it? Did she know you had it? Would Baekhyun say something about looking out for the tattoo to Hae In? Or would he actually keep quiet in order not worry her? With that wolf, there was no way to know for certain.

There was only one conclusion. Luhan would have to stay close to you, watch over you whether you knew it or not. He couldn’t let something bad happen to you, but he also needed to know the exact reason that you were here. If you weren’t here for them, he could work with that. But if you were here to stake them out or cause any harm to the pack, that was going to be a much harder battle to win.

Especially with the additional angry wolves now in the mix.