Your legs screamed out in pain for you to stop. But you had to keep going. Despite the wolf getting closer and the fact that you would never be able to outrun it, you had to keep going. You had to extend your life even if by the slimmest of margins.

But wolves were built for this, for the hunt. This creature’s muscles wouldn’t tire out. Its limbs were longer than your own – bigger than the wolves you had seen on TV or in textbooks. In a matter of seconds, it would catch up and you would join the other people who had fallen victim to its bloodthirsty nature.

“(Y/n)!”

You couldn’t believe it. Yixing was running towards you at an impossible speed, another male a few steps behind. Your heart leapt. As mad and as confused as you had been the past few days, you no longer cared. He was here. Irrational, he would save you.

Where you had expected him to wrap you his arms and shield you, he did the opposite. In one swift move, he jumped over you, tackling the wolf to the ground. It was the second man who caught you instead. Slamming into him was like a hitting a brick wall. The air was ripped from your lungs. You gasped for breath; your muscle fibers desperate for oxygen after being spent. Wobbling knees caused you to fall to the moist grass. The second man still kept his hands grasped around your elbows as you turned to check on Yixing.

He was wrestling with the gray wolf, arms encaging the animal around its middle. Teeth clashed and snipped at the space under Yixing’s ear. The two of them thrashed back and forth in an effort to gain the upper hand. How could he hold his own so well? The wolf’s strength had to outmatch his.

But Yixing somehow had the advantage. The wolf clawed and lashed to loosen the hold on him. Eventually, the wolf managed to sink his claws into Yixing’s arm, drawing blood. A short cry of pain escaped from Yixing, giving the wolf enough slack to escape the hold and dart off into the trees.

“Stay here,” the second man said to no one in particular. He took off in that same inhuman speed. In a matter of seconds, he was lost among the trees. Your brain shifted into autopilot. You scrambled back up to your feet and ran to Yixing, who was groaning as he sat up, the injured arm cradled across his stomach.

“Are you alright?” Your eyes flickered between his face and the arm that he kept covered.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he bought his uninjured hand up to your face, his eyes searching yours. The pad of his thumb wavered back and forth over your cheek. The heat from the contact washed over you, making you forget about the chilled wind. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” you nodded. You reached for his arm. “Let me see it.”

He shifted away, avoiding eye contact. “It’s nothing.”

“I may not be a wildlife expert, but I am a pre-med student and someone needs to look at it.”

“I’m a pre-med student, too, remember?” he said through gritted teeth. You wanted to hit him. For the comment – and for walking out on you the other day. However, it might have been counterproductive since he was already injured.

The memory of him abruptly ending the kiss, of saying that he needed to work things out before stalking out of the apartment hit you with the weight of the wolf. Your eyes stung at the sound of the door closing. It echoed hauntingly in your head. The adrenaline of the attack was wearing off. The hurt was coming back and you were no more numb to it than you were before.

“Why did you kiss me and leave?”

Yixing blinked, stunned. He shifted his weight as if he were contemplating standing to his feet. “I should go find Junmyeon.”

You rolled your eyes. It was unsurprising that he was avoiding the question. Now that you were safe, it looked like he wanted to avoid you, too. But with him distracted, you took the opportunity to grab his arm and inspected the claws marks.

No.

That was impossible.

They were already healing.

The blood was crusted over, scabbing all the way to the middle of the slashes. The edges were pink, the cells forming together at a speed that wasn’t… natural. It should have taken almost a week to get to this point, if not longer without the help of stitches.

Yixing’s throat trembled as he swallowed. He tried to pull away, but you held on. You knew if he really wanted to be out of your grasp, he would have succeeded.

The wound, the wolf, Yixing’s strength… the way he was walking around the woods without a shirt, impervious to the cold, somehow heard you scream when you found the hiker and again just now…. It wasn’t possible. You looked up to meet his eyes and gasped.

For a second, his eyes had shined amber.

Closing his eyes in a snap, he turned his head away. One breath. Two breaths. He said nothing. The he sighed. Opened his eyes. “We need to talk.”

**

Yixing had been quiet the entire walk through the woods. You’d stayed a few steps behind, hands in your pockets to keep them warm, eyes trained on his back. He never looked back to make sure that you were following him. Your continuing footsteps were probably enough.

Soon, the tree line broke out onto a back road. The bone-colored dirt whirled through the air as the wind picked up, no longer hindered by the thick woods. Yixing headed for the driver’s side door. You shook my head. You were not getting in the car. 

Yixing frowned. Then sighed. “(Y/n), please get in the car.”

“No.”

“I promise, I will explain everything. Just get in the car.”

“No.”

You were not in the state where even he could make me comfortable, safe inside the metal container. You were too on edge. Too full of fear and uncertainty. So, rather than do what he asked, you sat down on the ground, your back leaning against the back-right tire, rocks poking at your skin through your jeans.

Yixing closed the door and came around to your side of the car. The gravel shifted underneath his weight as he sat down on your left. “I didn’t want to do it this way.”

You finally looked at him fully. “Do what?”

“Tell you about me,” he answered. That was a relief, at least, He’d planned on telling you what was going on. Someday. You wondered for a moment how his original plan went, if there was one. But you pushed it away. What did it matter now?

“You’re not… normal, are you?”

He flinched at the question. And you immediately regretted your word choice.

“I’m sorry.” Your gaze fell to the rocks shamefully. “That was mean. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” In your peripheral, you saw his hand twitch towards you. Part of you wished he would take your hand, that he would hold you close while he explained. But it seemed neither of you wanted to cross over too far. “But you’re right. I’m not… normal in the human sense.”

The human sense. Did that make him an alien? You almost laughed at the picture in your head. Your aunt had taken you to see too many sci-fi movies growing up. She liked looking at the leading men, she’d always told you. The ones who were smart and attractive were the ones to shoot for. You risked a quick glance at Yixing, who filled that criteria very well. Ashamed of the thought, you shifted slightly, praying that your face wouldn’t give away what you were thinking. Yixing, however, misinterpreted the movement.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He sounded so defeated your heart cracked. “I just want to explain.”

You were making this talk even harder than it already should have been. “I know. I’m sorry, that’s not why I moved. I, um – there was a rock. Poking.” You cringed. Even you could hear the lie in your voice. But Yixing nodded, pretending to accept it.

“I….” He fumbled for the words to say. It was the least confident or sure of himself that you had seen. This was him being completely vulnerable. He was going share his biggest secret with you.

You weren’t sure where the thought came from, but once you’d arrived at that station, you didn’t look back. Perhaps… maybe if you shared with him, then he would be more comfortable explaining everything.

“My parents died in a car crash,” you said.

Yixing’s eyes went wide with confusion. He wasn’t expecting that either.

It wasn’t something you talked about. Even with your aunt, you tended to skirt around the issue. She knew not to force you into a car and pretended that walking was the end all be all and that she was overly concerned with reducing admissions. Though she cared about the planet, you both knew it was for your own sake.

“I wasn’t with them. I was staying here with my aunt while they were helping out in a country abroad.” It was a painful place to go back to. You were so young, too young, when they had died. “I remember the representatives of the international organization coming to let us know. About the car crash. We had to have closed caskets. I didn’t really get to say goodbye, not really.” It was becoming hard to swallow, but you kept going, despite the tears pooling and stinging. “I had nightmares for weeks about being in the car with them. I scream at them to get out, to brake, to do anything to prevent the crash.”

You looked at him, hoping that your trembling was well hidden. It wasn’t. But it finally made him cross the thin threshold between you. He grasped both of your hands between his own and brought them up to his lips. They were warm and soft, just like that day on the couch.

“That’s why I don’t like cars,” you went on when he lowered your hands, still clinging to them to let you know that he was here. “Buses I can handle for some reason, but regular cars—” you shook your head.

“But you rode with me that day without any problems?”

“Because I was focused on you.”

Anyone else would have smiled at that – either out of shyness or pride. But Yixing did the opposite. He frowned so deeply a harsh line cratered between his brows. His gentle grip around your fingers tightened. Maybe your own vulnerability did the opposite of what you had intended. You wanted to say that it was alright, that he could tell you anything and you wouldn’t run away. That you were already in too deep – which was partially true.

You were in deep. But you could also be cowardice.

Yixing breathed in deeply, then let out a frustrated groan. “Why is this so hard?”

“Just say it.” You wanted to come off as encouraging, but your voice was weak. You squeezed his hands, to convey it a different way.

“I’m….” He breathed in sharply. “I am a….”

In his hesitation, the pieces were slowly falling together.

You were attacked by a wolf. Yixing was always so warm, unbothered by the wind or the cold. His eyes had shined like amber and he’d been able to hold his own against that gray wolf – that was much larger than it should have been.

“A wolf.”

Yixing stared at you with pure shock as you finished the confession for him. He dropped your hands before running his shaking fingers through his hair. A few strands stuck up. You reached up and smoothed the few pieces down. He leaned into the touch.

Now the wolfish-like qualities shined through. Like the way his eyes half closed as your fingers went deeper into his hair.

“You’re not scared?” he said quietly.

“Terrified,” you half-laughed. Because you were. But… you were also intrigued, curious. “But not of you,” you clarified. A small smile crept up his lips. A sad, still unsure smile. “The gray wolf, though? Yeah, that scares me.”

A strange emotion flashed in his eyes, but it was gone before you could fully read it.

“They won’t hurt you. Ever. I swear it.”

You withdrew your hand, only because the blood was starting to flow down from your fingers, making them numb. “I believe you.”

“There’s more I need to tell you.” Yixing scooted closer until his leg was pressed up against yours. More heat exploded through your skin. By instinct, you leaned into it slightly.

“The other one who was with you is a wolf too?”

Yixing let out a laugh. “Yeah. That’s Junmyeon. He’s… our alpha.”

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline. “Our? How many of there are you?”

“In our pack? There’s tw- nine.” He cleared his throat. “There’s nine of us in the pack.” You frowned at the trip but didn’t press on it. Yixing turned until he was fully facing you. Grabbing your hands once again, a serious expression settled on his face. “But that’s not what I need to talk to you about.” He traced the back of your knuckles with his thumb. The air grew heavy, as if a bubble had been formed around the two of you, blocking out the outside world.

“What is it?”

“(Y/n)….” He raised his eyes. Again, they flashed that golden amber. “In my world, a wolf has one person for their life. One person that was made for them and that they were made for. There’s a pull once we meet them that we can’t ignore. We protect them and rely on them. A wolf’s mate.”

Mate. Like… soulmates? That really exists for them?

Letting go of one of your hands, Yixing reached up and caressed your face. His knuckles drew down your cheek, starting at your temple and stopping at your jaw before going again. With the affection written all over his face, the pieces began to fall into place.

“Me?”

The smile on his face was enough.

“How long have you known?”

“Since that first day when our classes combined. The second I saw you. I knew.”

You liked your lips as you tried to put together the words to say. “That’s why– why I’ve been so comfortable around you?”

He nodded, slowly, deliberately. “The pull isn’t as strong for the mate, but it’s always there. Bringing us closer.”

Those weren’t just words. The two of you were inching closer.

His mate. You were his… mate. He was a wolf – a werewolf ­– and you were his mate. This gentle, dimpled boy could turn into a wolf. Right?

“How do you change?”

Yixing blinked at your random question. Then chuckled. “Its hard to explain. Unless you’ve experienced it….” He shook his head. “It’s like a ripple, through your bones and muscles. Then the animal comes out.”

“Can I… see your wolf form?”

“No!”

The harsh response made you jump back. Yixing shook his head in a violent snap, like he was trying to shake away the outburst. “I’m sorry, but… it’s not always safe.”

I swallowed thickly, now slightly scared for him. “Do you… not know who you are when you’re a wolf?”

“No, no, we keep our minds.” Yixing squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “It’s hard to explain.” Standing up to his feet, he held out his hand for you. “Come on. There’s a lot I still need to tell you. It’ll be easier if I show you my world.” He lifted the corner of his mouth. “I promise I’ll drive slow.”

Sighing, you took his hand and let him guide you into the passenger’s seat of his car. The anxiety of being inside a vehicle began to sink in. But as soon as Yixing was next to you, he took your hand and the anxiety shrank away. With his free hand, he turned the car engine on and started driving down the backroad.

**

The farmhouse made your jaw drop. It was a two-story, whitewashed beauty. It was old, a century maybe, and so far away from town. Yixing had driven almost forty minutes to come to the clearing where the house was located. Truly beautiful.

Whatever the impression the outside gave you, the inside turned out to be on the other side of the spectrum.

Voices bounced from different rooms all the way to the small foyer. They layered over each other, making them practically indistinguishable. You couldn’t pick out single words or even if the tones were joyful or argumentative. You hoped for the former. Yixing squeezed your hand and then placed a soft kiss on the crown of your head.

“Stay here,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.” His fingers slipped from yours and he disappeared deeper into the house.

Left alone, the gravity of the situation was beginning to weigh itself down.

Without having seen him actually transform, you believed that Yixing was a… wolf. It was hard to understand why you believed it so readily as a person who reveled in science and biology, but you did. The one thing that you were still wrestling with – that you were his mate.

What exactly did that entail? Were you now considered his “property”? Would you have to move into this crowded place far from the city? It wouldn’t be so bad, but you did want a choice in the matter. The idea of having to get up earlier just to make it to your morning classes made you hesitant.

School. The university.

You were still planning on moving out of town, away from here, to go some place new. You were a tree without roots, begging the wind to take you some place where you could settle on your own. Would Yixing be alright with you wanting to go somewhere far away? Away from him? Or would he demand that you stay?

Maybe you weren’t ready for this. Maybe you needed a few days to process it all. Why did you agree for Yixing to bring you here? You took a step back, contemplating running. Two things stopped you.

One: You had no idea if that gray wolf was still running around the woods or if… Junmyeon. That was his name. You didn’t know if Junmyeon had caught it.

Two: The voices that had been bombarding your eardrums abruptly stopped.

Like the soundtrack suddenly cut off in the middle of a movie, it was pin-drop quiet. Disturbingly so. Your own breath was the only noise to focus on. Then came the footsteps. But they came from behind you.

The front door squeaked open and in walked a very pretty woman with long brown hair and a surprised smile.

“Um, hi!” she greeted, confusion meeting her eyes. “Who are you?”

“I’m (y/n).” You hoped that you made your voice loud enough that she heard you. The sudden silence of the house made you afraid to speak any higher than a whisper.

“Ji Yeon.” Her smile was warm, inviting. She glanced around the living room. “The house is never this quiet.”

“That would be because of me.” More footsteps echoed off the floor. Soft and carefully placed. Yixing reappeared in your view.

Ji Yeon raised an eyebrow. Then caught on to something. “Oh.” She forced a cough. “Is… Minseok in there?” Yixing nodded. To you, Ji Yeon said, “It was nice to meet you, (y/n).” She gave your shoulder a squeeze and then left through the way that Yixing had come.

Yixing’s hand was stretched out for you to take.

“You don’t have to meet them now. If you want, I can take you upstairs instead.” He was giving you a choice. And you almost took the second door. “I just… I want you to know what you’re getting into.”

You took his hand and nodded towards the short hallway that you’d seen him come through. A gentle squeeze reminded you that he was there. The wooden floor pattern shifted directions, informing you that you were now in a different room. You forced eyes to go up. And swallowed back a squeak.

It was one thing to be told the number of people that were in his… group. It was another to see them all packed into a country kitchen. Junmyeon was not among them, but Ji Yeon had found the one you could only assume was named Minseok, as she was now wrapped up in the arms of one of the shorter wolves, her back leaning into his chest. She looked so content, being there. Happy. The image of you in an embrace like that with Yixing made your face warm. But you weren’t sure you could handle the intimacy of it in front of the others.

The thing that stood out to you most, however, was that Ji Yeon was the only other woman in the room.

All seven other bodies were male. Different heights, different face shapes, different hair colors, but still male. Interesting.

“(Y/n).”

Yixing’s voice, though soft, startled you. His smile faltered at seeing you jump. Again, he squeezed your hand. Only this time, it felt more like he was afraid you might run away at any second. “This is… my pack.”

You waved sheepishly. It was hard to resist the temptation to hide behind Yixing like a child forced to meet their parent’s friends or distant relatives.

“Fate certainly got this one right,” one of them whispered for the whole room to hear.

Minseok reached over grabbed the back of his neck. “Watch it, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun pouted as he rubbed the reddening spot. “You mated wolves are so touchy.”

A tall male with ears that slightly poked out from his head laughed loudly at his friend’s retort. You didn’t think it was particularly funny, but maybe there was an inside joke you were missing.

Yixing went on to introduce everyone who was currently staring at you. You repeated the names in your head to try and remember them, tagging a descriptor to it like when you were memorizing the bones of the human body.

Chanyeol was the one with ears. Baekhyun had the very pointed chin. Minseok had the catlike eyes. Kyungsoo, blank stare. Sehun, nose. Jongin, tan skin. Jongdae was the only one staring at you with contempt rather than confusion.

The back door to the kitchen clicked open, pausing the introductions.

Junmyeon stuck his head in through the open space, a mixture of blood and mud splattered on his face. He scanned the room and then settled on you.

“I had a feeling you would be here.” To the rest of the room, he said, “Can someone run up to my room and grab a pair of pants for me?”

“I’ll do it,” Sehun volunteered. He passed by without a glance towards you.  

Junmyeon looked to Yixing. “We’ll need to talk.” His grim eyes flickered to you. “Tomorrow.”

Yixing nodded before tugging you back towards the stairs you passed by earlier wordlessly. He led you down the long hallway, to a nondescript door. Once inside, he closed the door and leaned his back against it.

You wandered around with your eyes, taking in the small details that made this space his. The somewhat crumpled sticky notes with reminders and page numbers for studying that were scattered on the bulletin board. The stack of notebooks with frayed edges. The slightly tousled purple comforter. It all said who the owner of this room was.

You sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure of how to proceed. “It’s nice out here,” you said to try and break the awkward tension that had built up.

Yixing let go enough to give a small smile before joining you on the bed. He kept space between you, folding his hands so they dangled between his knees. “It’s home.” Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the wall ahead. “There’s a lot that I still need to tell you.”

You nodded. It was obvious that you were only exposed to the top portion of the iceberg that was his life.

“Its dangerous. Our world. Not just the one wolf that you saw today. We can be dangerous, too. I can be dangerous.” He scrunched his face and shook his head.

You placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping the slight tremble wasn’t noticeable. “You can tell me.”

He kept that same pained expression as he whispered, “I thought I was causing the attacks.”

You almost withdrew your hand. But you knew what that would signal to him. So, you forced your hand to stay. Heat radiated out from underneath his shirt. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been… blacking out. Losing time. Whenever it happened, someone has turned up dead – or hurt. Then that hiker said he was attacked by a gray wolf—the kind of wolf I turn into—”

That whole day flashed in your mind. Yixing finding you, the panicked look hidden under smooth features, his abrupt departure. “That’s what you meant when you said you had to figure things out?”

“Yes. I couldn’t risk you getting hurt because of me. I still can’t.”

Can’t? But there was a different gray wolf harming people. “But you haven’t hurt anybody, have you?”

“Not that I know of.” He stood up to his feet and began pacing the short length of the room. He turned quickly enough that you were shocked when there wasn’t smoke rising from the floor. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. Not until I’ve figured this all out. You were safer away from me.”

He regretted bringing you here. Despite your own doubts and questions, that stung. “But that other wolf came after me.”

Yixing shook his head. His face hardened into a deep frown. It took the softness out of his face, making him look like a different person. “I don’t know if that was a coincidence or not. If he didn’t know that you were connected to me – to the pack, then he does now.” Through a burst of pent up anger, he slammed his palm down on the desk, rattling the pencils, a few rolling off onto the floor. Neither of you moved to pick them up. “I should have stayed away. The moment I knew. I’m supposed to keep you safe. All I did was make it worse.”

Standing up to your feet, you crossed over to his side of the room. It only took a few steps before you were right in front of him. He refused to look at you. Even when you cupped his cheek in your palm. “I feel safe with you. Which is something that hasn’t happened before. You protected me today. And I’m sure you will again tomorrow. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over something you can’t control. We’ll figure out what’s making you black out. Together. I’ll help. Just let me help.”

His eyes finally met yours. They flashed from dark umber to golden amber. Then he swooped in and capture your lips with his. He gripped you tightly, pressing you into him so space or air remained between you. One hand warmly pressed against the small of your back, the other holding your jaw. He pushed forward, again and again until your knees hit the back of the bed. And then he gently laid you down, barely breaking contact.

You broke the kiss first, lungs urgently needing air. Yixing lied on his side next to you as he stole a few more kisses. The skin where his hand held your face was burning, but it was a pleasurable sort of pain. The kind you wanted to feel over and over again.

“Stay with me tonight?” Desperation dripped in every word he whispered. It shined in his eyes. “Please?”

You nodded. Leaving him now—it felt wrong. You wanted to stay. At least for now. You had no clothes for tomorrow or toothbrush or any other necessities, but still you would stay. Ran wouldn’t notice anyway. Plenty of questions still needed answering. Doubt and uncertainty repeatedly rang through your mind.

Tomorrow. You would ask them tomorrow. And then you would think long and hard about your future.

Tomorrow.