Before Miyeon fully regained consciousness, she was able to grasp on to snatches of a conversation that hovered above her.  The loud voices leaked into her brain and stained it:

a human...

what... thinking...

Tao...betrayal... stupidity... should leave...

Kai... injured...

kill... now, before... wakes...

Finally, when she finally came to, she realized she was in a cave with a fire lit and wasn't alone.  Miyeon took the time to count them...11.  There were 11 wolves in the small area, and one small attractive male about twenty years old, crouched at the fire, looking uncomfortable. One of the wolves was staring at her with familiarly soft eyes.

This scene didn't make any sense; Miyeon distinctly remembered a dialogue consisting of multiple people.  Then she remembered that whoever was talking was talking about killing her, most likely along with the boy.  She stared at him, trying to ignore the giant animals, to get his attention.  Eventually it worked, and the boy gave her a small nod, looked at one of the wolves with his large eyes, and glanced back at the girl.

The wolf followed his gaze, then started to shake.  The space around the beast shimmered, and shot glaring beams of light everywhere, causing Miyeon to look away.  Once the light died down, Miyeon was able to catch a glimpse of a man. But then the same thing started to happen to all of the wolves, and the brightness was so overwhelming that she had to cover her eyes.  

When she looked back, the wolves were gone and there stood 11 handsome guys that were about the same age as the boy by the fire.  Miyeon froze with shock and fright; whatever these creatures  were, they weren't human... and they weren't complete animals.  This was a fearsome combination, as they had the capacity to be both aggressive beasts as well as intelligent humans. Having normal wolves kill Junghan would have been much more comforting... but having these monsters around was something that she couldn't deal with.

The first person she had seen before the others (excluding the human boy) studied her with critical eyes.  He had milky white skin and exuded power, despite his rather unimpressive height. He seemed like one of the older, more mature, of the bunch.  Miyeon avoided his harsh stare, and tried to back further into the small corner she was already situated in. 

The other boys were looking at her in the same way as the first, except for one, and it wasn't the human (who was likewise examining her).  It was the boy who was in the place of the wolf who had the warm eyes; the wolf-boy who saved her life. He was looking down at his feet quietly, obviously guilty and scared.  Miyeon couldn't see much of his face, but what she could make out was very intimidating and fierce despite his vulnerable expression.  

However, Miyeon could feel nothing but terror as she looked at him and the other boys. They were going to kill her.  She was going to die at the hands of these murderers that no one knew about. She was going to die...  The thought made her want to cry and scream. 

Eventually, the boys stopped looking at her, and looked at two particular guys in the group; the first one who had observed her so brutally, and another who was frightening, with his dark look, strong eyebrows, and tall physique. The two looked at each other calculatingly, as if waiting to see if speaking first would give themselves an advantage in a fight unknown to Miyeon.

Finally, the former spoke up in a deadly gentle voice that matched the sounds of the night, saying, "The human must die." It was unnerving to be called 'human' to Miyeon, it was as if she was just an inferior insect that could be easily eliminated should he find it fit to do so.  And it seemed he did.

The latter cocked his head in recognition and said, "Yes."  Hearing this was the confirmation of her death; these two opponents were not arguing the matter, they were agreed on it. Miyeon's death was just a small component in a issue much bigger issue.   The man, as he was much more of a man than a boy, continued, "What about Tao?"  He gestured to Miyeon's savior.  The scared boy froze and looked up at the disapproving faces that surrounded him.  He was a deer caught in headlights and was about to be run over.

"He has made a stupid mistake.  It is only right that he learns from it.  Tao will be sent out to fend for himself in the woods just beyond here.  We will allow him back once we deem that he has suffered enough."  The first boy's voice was cold and indifferent, but pain was perceptible in his dark eyes.  

The scary one with the thick eyebrows pursed his lips and crossed his arms.  "Yes, he did make a mistake, but he could die out there, Suho! I'm alpha, and I say that we just cut back on his food and make him stay with D.O for a while."

'Suho' smiled without humor.  His lip curled ever so slightly as he said, "Then why did you ask me?"  His voice was laced with venom. "And also Kris, what are we, humans?  It sounds like you're grounding him. Have you gone soft?"  Suho mocked.

"Tao could die out there."  'Kris' said quietly.  

"Give up on your favoritism already Kris! It's getting old, and Tao can take care of himself long enough to stay alive." Another boy spoke up.  Miyeon immediately took a disliking to him.  He was incredibly attractive, with dimples, and mischievous eyes.  In a human, he would probably be considered a playboy, but who knows how much worse he would be as a wolf-playboy.

"Shut up, Kai." Kris said.  'Kai' laughed.

Then Kris carefully said, "A compromise then.  He stays with D.O-" Suho narrowed his eyes. "-but he doesn't get any food."

Suho stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, "For how long?"

"A week." 

After thinking for a minute, Suho said, "This is too big for just a week of punishment.  I say that he gets fed once a week for two months."  Kris nodded stiffly.  "Oh, and we cannot pay him any attention at all except for when we feed him."  The group gave their assent.  

"And now for the girl."  Suho's voice was dripping with anticipation, and made Miyeon's eyes go wide. Many of the others were looking at her with similarly hungry expressions.

Right when Suho and the pack was about to change into their wolf forms, Tao (in his wolf form) jumped in front of Miyeon protectively.

All of them looked at Suho, even Kris.  Kris clearly would not give orders on this particular subject.  Suho looked at Tao in surprise, then resumed changing into a mass of fur and anger.  However, instead of charging the two, he motioned his head towards the door, and the nine wolf-boys followed him out.

Unsure of what to do, Miyeon looked at Tao with a confused expression.  The boy changed back into a human and went to sit next to her.  

Then for the first time, Miyeon heard Tao speak. His voice was gentle and soft.  Without looking at her, he said, "I couldn't let them hurt you."  He shook his head and turned away to lie his head on the stone wall.  He fell asleep instantly.

Miyeon stared at the boy for a long time.  Finally, when she decided that her mind would not make sense of things, she pulled her knees towards her, buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

Like an owl, the boy by the fire watched them silently with his big bright eyes.

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A/N: Hello everyone!  I personally liked this chapter, and I hoped you did too!  Please tell me what you think.

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