Fifteen

Freed from the barreling mutt, his form quickly shoved from her reach, she wheezed, completely stunned by the ordeal. Weren’t they outside of the fight-zone?

Bracing herself, her gaze rested on the creature that decided to save her from death and she had never been more terrified in her life. Kris was absolutely livid, his breathing harsh, his eyes crimson; he was somehow more feral and animalistic that she had ever known him to be. Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, but his teeth looked sharper, his ears pointier, his hair rising.

 “This is neutral ground.” His words were no more than a guttural growl.

“For wolves.” Yongguk replied. “Besides, I thought you had your pesky human under control.”

Kris roared, his boys behind him looking on nervously. Their leader had always been more of the quiet, calm, reserved type - in fact, they hadn't seen him behave this way as long as they had known him. "And, what kept you?” Yongguk inquired, scratching his head unconcerned.

Aggravated, the giant jerked his head, and Xiumin tossed a limp wolf to the onlookers. “We had some other matters to attend to.” Xiumin remarked.

The others fell silent, Daehyun nudging the body with his snout, his immediate response a whine. Predicting his leader would soon lose his cool, Xiumin urged him to get Chaerin and the others out to safety. Slightly simmering, he confronted Chaerin’s awe-struck gaze.

But, she recoiled. 

Yongguk chose to laugh. “Yes, monsters are terrifying, aren’t they?”

Kris looked on at Chaerin, sensed her heart race. Ignoring her spiking fear, he leaned in, picked up a familiar scent that had him flinching. Straightening himself, he ordered Chen to get them out of here. “They’re a liability.”

Undesiring of pissing off his leader any further, Chen did as instructed, easily capable of shouldering the four. Chaerin silently watched as Kris entered the ring, the sight of his tall build the last she saw of him as Chen efficiently transported them to safer grounds.

This time around Daehyun was challenged by Xiumin, the oldest of his pack and not very patient with silly games. Lay danced circles around Youngjae, the exhausted self-proclaimed genius no match for his flexibility and swiftness. Jongup was brought into battle when Chen arrived onto the scene, meanwhile Tao wrestled with Himchan, his feistiness unable to me bested by the weakened instigator. Yongguk would only take on a worthy rival, in which he found in Kris.

Unfortunately, those under Yongguk’s leadership fell short of breath quickly, their stamina faltering. Their energy was past spent and earlier wounds had not yet healed over. Still, they pushed on at their leader's call.

The air surrounding Kris and Yongguk charged with electricity as they morphed, as red clashed with orange. Strength and ferocity on par, their fight continued on ruthlessly. Yongguk swiped, landed a blow, Kris bounced back, chomped on legs, on paws. His presence unnoticed, Zelo lurked, and picking at his bubbling jaw, he joined the fight, anger fueling him.

Yongguk was sprawled on the ground, his legs kicking as Kris latched onto his throat, digging his canines deeper into the skin with each passing moment. Blood trickled along his neck and shoulders when Zelo discovered them. Uncaring of whether the fight was won fairly or not, Zelo assisted his leader, his intertwined hands slamming down on the back of Kris’s head, momentarily stunning him.

Although seizing his chance, Yongguk urged Zelo to stay out of his fight and he buried his teeth in Kris – to do as much damage to his bones as possible. He was to be incapacitated without any further help from the youngest member. Kris groaned in his daze, Yongguk merciless in his barrage of attacks; Zelo's intervention gave him a much needed lead. Sharp canines scarred along Kris’s torso, red flowing from the gashes.

He throttled the potential alpha, his neck violently twisting, Yongguk’s ultimate victory within grasp until silver appeared into his view, Chaerin tagging along. Hands curled around the silver, she smacked at Yongguk, and she made to attack Zelo, but he jumped back, scurrying away as he had already tasted the pain. 

Yongguk staggered, whined, retreated. Chaerin adjusted the silver chain along her left arm, and she called to Kris, his shut eyes kicking her panic mode on. Gingerly, she touched his fur, found it matted with blood. There was just so much blood.

“Kris,” She mumbled, her fingers trembling as they laid his head in her lap. It became a mantra, softly falling from her lips, tears filling her eyes. By this time, the two opposing sides separated, Yongguk’s group gone from the zone, Kris’s pack walking to her with few scrapes. His boys neared, and surrounded the two, eyes observing sullenly.

She kissed his snout, her voice quaking, “Wake up, you infuriating bastard. You have to scold me for coming back, don’t you?”

It seemed he was obstinate even in death. Chaerin cried out, and apologized for wincing from his eyes earlier, he had just been absolutely frightening, his eyes dark, endless. They reflected a monster, but she knew he wasn’t one. Tao was the first to sense fellow werewolves emerge from the clearing – his brethren, all six of them.

Wary of them, Tao growled only to fall silent from Luhan’s snarl. Potential alpha number two stepped forth and nodded his head to Luhan, acting vice-captain, alongside Xiumin. A dark-skinned lad wittily chimed in, “I guess the alpha’s decided then.” His pack leader urged him to shut up with a well delivered glare.

Suho commanded, “Baekhyun, Kyungsoo retrieve him.” He would need a proper burial and then they had to finalize this whole alpha issue. He sighed, took in the sight of his defeated brother - he had not desired to win this way. 

The two addressed members moved to get him until Chaerin threw herself on Kris, fully obstructing them. “Who the are you? What the hell do you want with him?”

Baekhyun snorted. “Is she that ignorant?” His eyes flashed a yellow hue and the eventful night at the library rushed back to her. While she shrunk back from their hands, her grip on Kris simply tightened. Softly, Kyungsoo grasped her, and jumped when she cried, the spot he grabbed sore from a previous assault. Silence engulfed the wolves.

“Do not touch her.” Kris rasped, his long arm shielding her from them. She was too bewildered to marvel how quickly he had reverted into a human, his body bare, dirty, and gushing with rivulets of his blood. He had her in his hold, his hand resting on her back. Hesitantly, she touched his face. He was alive. Alive.

“Kris,” Chaerin wept, wrapping her arms around him. He nuzzled her, sharp red irises observing his shocked pack.