Back at the pack den, the five wolves were lounging around, sleeping off their full bellies. They managed to catch a small doe on the way back to the den and are currently drunk on meat. Winter was just weeks away and they needed to start storing body fats in order to survive winter well. Body fats not only keep them warm in the cold, it is also their reserves when they do not catch enough prey. They also needed to start caching their catch but that won’t happen until the weather turn colder. For now, they were contented to just hang around their den and sleep off their distended bellies.

 

 

Light snores permeated the air, and most of the wolves were splayed in a heap, legs and paws thrown in every direction. Jun Hyung had volunteered to keep the first watch, and was currently eyeing the unconscious pile of fur. But his mind wasn’t with whatever he was seeing. His mind had been replaying that instant when his and the unknown wolf locked gazes. Sadness, despair, but most of all, pain. A staggering emotion, in eyes as young as the lone grey wolf. Jun Hyung wanted to know, he wanted to know everything about the wolf, and to maul anything or anyone who caused those pain in those haunted amber orbs.

 

 

Shaking his head, he blinked. He had never felt so strongly for anyone before, not so quickly, and never at this depth, other than for his packmates.

 

 

 

What am I feeling?

 

 

 

He couldn’t make sense of the surge of emotion aroused by the lone grey wolf. Just a scent, and his attention shifts. Just a glimpse, and his world narrows. If he ever told s what he felt, they would surely laugh at him and call him a hopeless romantic. But he cannot deny his emotions, as much as he can deny the need to hunt. If it was another wolf, he would have said it was the m-

 

 

 

 

Oh .

 

 

Could it be true?

 

 

Can it be?

 

 

But me and… Him?

 

 

Jun Hyung’s mind couldn’t stop churning. Thoughts fired everywhere, jumping from conclusion to conclusion, but it all narrowed down to one thing.

 

 

 

Could it be…

 

 

That the grey wolf with the stormy pelt…

 

 

Be my…

 

 

Mate?

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

Late at night, when the gibbous moon was high in the night sky, the lone wolf woke up with a growl. Skin crawling under his pelt, he pushed himself up only to fall to the ground again. Cursing within his mind, he did it again, this time careful not to put pressure on the weak foreleg, and finally stood up shakily. Limping to the entrance of the den, he took in deep, calming breaths of the cold night air.

 

 

He should have expected it. That particular dream surfacing when he was at his most vulnerable, when he suffered a traumatising event, when his mental shields cracked. The dream was merciless, always ending with him unable to leave the den just because of the fear evoked. He whined, but cut himself off before the sound even finished. He couldn’t afford to be found right now, his psyche too fragile after the dream, after the memories he tried hard to suppress emerges to terrify him again.

 

 

But despite his efforts to forget that part of his past, it has become such a large part of who he is and the reason why he was who he is now. If his childhood had proceeded normally, he wouldn’t have been living in the wild for the past seven years, wouldn’t have spent three years with stranger packs, wouldn’t have his debilitating injury in his foreleg. But you also wouldn’t have met the black wolf, his traitorous mind whispered. He shook that thought away. The black wolf had proven to be a foe as soon as he chased after him that day, and he would remain as one until he proved himself not.

 

 

Sitting down near the entrance, making sure to mask his scent, he stared up at the brightly shining moon. That particular night, the moon was also shining brightly. He heaved a resigned sigh. His mind was intent on revisiting memory lane, and with his shields down, he was powerless to resist.

­

 

 

The clouds were minimal, the wind was clear. He had sneaked out to visit the neighbouring pack’s pups, the only wolves within the region around his age. He was supposed to be back slightly after dusk, before the adults come back from the hunt, but he was at least an hour late, judging by how high the moon was in the sky.

 

 

Oh man, if Daddy catches me out I’m screwed.

 

 

Their pack was small, just his father, the Alpha, his mother, the Alpha’s mate, his blood uncle, mama’s oldest brother, and his adopted uncle, a lone wolf that joined their pack even before he was born. Because it was so small, there was no one to keep watch on him when the adults went for hunts, unlike other larger packs that have nannies. His pack trusted him enough to keep out of trouble and in their territory when they were out hunting and technically, he was kinda keeping the trust, but his dad would know immediately when he comes back that he had been out to play with other wolves, which he shouldn’t be doing without express permission from the Alpha. And since he was kinda in a rush, he couldn’t afford to go to a stream to wash off their scent. He would just have to make do with mud. Hopefully a squirrel somewhere would help, but he would have to catch the squirrel first, and that was out of the question unless it decided to just drop in his lap. Snorting, he laughed at himself. All the squirrels would’ve ran and hid as soon as he come within a hundred metres, his hurried and careless pace making so much noise they could hear it from that distance.

 

 

Despite the threat of his father grounding him in den, the rush he felt as he ran across their territory was unstoppable. Tongue lolling out on one side of his mouth, his tail raised high, he sprinted across dead litter and over logs, scaring the birds and creating a loud cacophony of shrieks and calls. But he was unrepentant. He was having fun and in his element. But he really had to get back to den, if not for the threat of grounding, then for the food. His dad would eat his portion just to teach him a lesson, and he did not want to eat his dad’s barf like a helpless pup, thank you very much.

 

 

Slowing to a trot, he cautiously approached the den from the back, and sniffed. Damn. They were back, and they brought deer. Giving a bark of happiness, he did a short sprint and jumped on his father, and got his tail nipped in response. He twisted to snap at his father playfully and got one furry ear. But the next three seconds saw him on the ground with his father’s cold snout tickling him and before long, another joined in and brought him to a squealing, wriggling mess.

 

 

‘I surrender! You win, you win!’ he yelled, squirming away from the cold noses. They finally let him up and were grinning at him with their tongues lolling.

 

 

‘You guys don’t play fair!’ he whined, shaking off the leaves and showering the one adult male that didn’t move away in time. His father snickered at the other male, his brother-in-law, and got an evil eye that turned to the pup when he outright laughed.

 

 

‘Why is my ten year old son smelling of other wolves? I’m sure those wolves are from the neighbouring pack, and I’m pretty sure I can even name the culprits.’ His tone teasing, the Alpha of the pack knew full well what his son had done. Now it was time to make him squirm.

 

 

Oops. He gulped, glancing at his father meekly, and got nipped in the ear.

 

 

‘How many times have I told you, not to go out of the boundaries and into other packs’? Especially without permission from me!’ the Alpha might have been teasing just moments ago, but he was deadly serious now.

 

 

‘Erm, well, they sort of came over and-’

 

 

‘You let them come over?!’ Another nip, this time much sharper than the previous one.

 

 

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was bored and I haven’t seen them in ages!’ the young pup whined.

 

 

‘Stop being a drama queen, you saw them only last week.’ A new voice pitched in.

 

 

‘Mama!’

 

 

‘This time, you’re definitely grounded. Two weeks.’

 

 

‘Aww man, Daddy!’

 

 

‘Not gonna work.’ The Alpha was unmovable. His wayward son needed to learn to obey the Alpha’s orders, regardless the said Alpha was his father or not. Besides, this particular order was meant to protect the pup and the pack from outsiders. He could already see his son had enough dominance to lead a pack of his own someday, but that would only be possible when his son actually learns the lessons of caution and safety. But pups will be pups, and his was only ten years old, still at the age for play and harmless games. If only his eldest was still around, maybe then he could have someone to look after the younger pup and give him a companion.

 

 

‘… Fine.’ The ten year old wolf slumped to the ground. How was he gonna survive the next two weeks in the den?! He would be bored out of his mind!

 

 

‘Come on, let’s finish that deer.’ The Alpha his son’s smaller grey ears and trotted over to where his mate was looking at him with amusement. He nuzzled her in turn, knowing she would understand the ache of missing a son, and dug in.

 

 

 

 

He was being lulled to sleep by his mama’s warm tongue grooming his fur and his uncles’ warmth surrounding him. His daddy took the first shift of the watch and his uncles would take over him later, but for now, he enjoyed his father’s silent presence on the other side of mama, grooming her fur and she did his own. His pelt is a mixture of his parent’s, his father a classic grey; his mother a more solid black. His own was a solid, dark slate grey all over his body except for some whites on his belly and the bottom side of his tail. His uncles were both greys too, making his mama’s the outstanding one among the pack. Blacks weren’t as common as greys, but then again, wolves, in the wild or lycans, are greys in majority, with the exception of the royals, who has some silver and light gold pelts in the bloodline. But those metallic colors weren’t seen in wolves outside the royal blood. He was envious of his mama’s black pelt though, and always said so, and always end up having to take it back when his father tickled him to near death. Chuckling at his father’s childish antics, he wished he could remain a pup forever, with his pack. Though it would have been nice if Dong Ha was here too, but he understood his brother’s need to form a pack of his own and have his own pups. Someday, when he grew older and strong, he would set out to find his brother and meet his nieces or nephews.

 

 

Soon, his mama’s ministrations lulled him to sleep. But before he could enter dreamland, he needed to do something.

 

 

‘Goodnight, Daddy, Mama, and Uncles.’ He murmured, knowing their keen ear would pick out the sound.

 

 

‘Goodnight, puppy.’ His uncles replied.

 

 

‘Sleep well, son.’ His father reached over to nuzzle his nose.

 

 

‘Goodnight, my little storm cloud. Have nice dreams, baby.’ His mother’s familiar voice was the last thing he heard before he slipped into dreamland.

­­­­­

 

 

‘… baby, run! Run!’ his mother’s desperate scream tore him out of his sleep. He jerked awake, heart pounding and a foreign scent in his nose. He blinked and looked around, not comprehending. But before he could do anything, something, or rather, someone, grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him into the air.

 

 

‘Mama?! Daddy! What’s going on?’ he screamed, his legs kicking desperately in the air but not hitting anything.

 

 

‘Hmm, this is a pathetically scrawny wolf here. A pup?’ a deep voice boomed above him, sounding strange but yet, a little familiar. Oh! It was a human voice. He understood human speech, since he was a human for three days of each full moon, but these humans are not of their kind. They were not even Weres, who were wolves the three days of the full moon. These were full humans, and his pack was in their grasps.

 

 

‘Ohho! Lookie what we found! Five little wolfies!’ another voice boomed, and a new figure came into his line of sight. He was still dangling from the first human’s grip, and this new human is the only intruder that he could see. This one was walking a little weirdly, swaying and staggering. He didn’t know what was happening, why these humans were here. And where was his pack?! He twisted and struggled, trying to free himself from the human hands that held him, but only received a teeth jarring shake and got thrown to the ground. He tried to sprint away, but the second human caught him, and raised him like how the first did. He tried to reach any body part within reach, trying to nip and hurt his captor, but a whack to his head quickly stopped that. But the good news is, this new view let him see where his pack was, but what he saw made his blood turn cold.

 

 

All four adults are now tied to trees and had their snout muzzled. He let out a small whine when he saw blood on his father. The visual impact finally alerted the young pup to the strong scent in the air. But there was something else too. Sharp, sour and overpowering, he had only scented this when they went into town during the full moon and walked past places with bright, flashing neon signs. He had disliked the scent immediately.

 

 

 

‘Dong Woon!’ his mama whined, catching his attention.

 

 

‘Mama! What is going on? Why are they here? Mama, help!’ he cried out, scared and confused.

 

 

‘Baby, just hold on for a while more. These humans are drunk and will probably pass out in a while, you just have to hang on till then. Then we will free you and escape, okay?’ his mama’s voice soothed his young confused mind, trusting his mother to take care of him.

 

 

‘okay, Mama, I-’

 

 

‘HEY! Shuddup, pup! Your ing whining is irritating me! Shuddup!’ the human holding him squeezed tight, his grip on his neck tightening. Black spots danced in the young pup’s vision, as he struggled weakly against the hold. Faintly, he could hear growls and angry shouts but he was too preoccupied. He thought he would pass out when the choking hold finally loosened and he could breathe again. The human holding him threw him onto the ground, and he lay there, catching his breath and looking around. What he saw had his heart sinking. His father was unconscious, along with one of his uncles. The other uncle was conscious, but looked so broken, blood coloring his normally grey pelt dark red. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and tied something to his throat. He realised it was a belt, and felt it being nailed down to the ground by the second human. This time he panicked and pulled with all his might. The moment he pulled, the noose tightened, but he didn’t give up. He was a wolf, and he would not be collared! Black spots once again danced through his vision and the next thing he knew, it turned black.

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

The next three days was pure hell for the young wolf pup. He already saw his uncle beaten to death in front of him, and his parents tortured. These humans treated them like toys, for them to play with, for them to kill. From the conversation between themselves, Dong Woon learned that these humans were hunters. Their guns meant to bring down game such as moose and big, twelve-point bucks. The guns capable of bringing down those prey was certainly able to bring the wolves down too, even though they were larger than their wild counterpart, they were definitely no match in size for those big game the hunters kill.

 

 

Another pained whine filled the air as a blade sliced through muscle and hit bone. He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at the torture these humans were inflicting. He now knows that he was the one who had led these monsters here to their den, when they had spotted his sprint home three days before. They had thought he was a deer and had gave chase, but instead found their den and the pack of wolves. They claimed they had wolves bite them before, and this was their revenge, but who knows if those humans were speaking the truth or not. The humans might not understand them, but they sure as hell understood the humans, though it did nothing to get them out of the predicament they were in. His mother was grieving her dead brother, and she wasn’t in a good condition herself. They broke her back leg, cut her up some, but the worst was his father. He was the biggest wolf there and the humans take erse pleasure in kicking the out of him.

 

 

His guilt was eating him up from the inside, knowing he was the one who caused the death of his uncle and brought this hell upon them. He wasn’t spared either, but other than a knife wound in his shoulder, and a couple of bruised ribs, the humans don’t touch him much. They were too engrossed in breaking the largest wolf, and the pup didn’t know how long more this hell is going to last. It has been three days, and the hunters didn’t seem to be stopping.

 

 

 

 

 

It has been five days since the humans had stumbled onto their den and made them their playthings, and they were finally getting tired with playing with the wolves. Not that there were much left to play with. His father and last remaining uncle didn’t survive the harsh beating they took and even their healing factor isn’t strong enough to save them. Dong Woon was almost out of his mind. His young mind was unable to understand why these humans had captured and tortured them without reason. Now his father was dead, his uncles were dead, his mother nearly dead with the grief and her injuries.

 

 

The humans had told him that they were saving him for the last. They told him, with their faces twisted into sneers and jeers, that once they killed his mother too it would be his turn. When he heard that his blood froze. Not his mama. He fought against his restrains with renewed strength, desperation lending him the strength he did not have, but the leather belt that was his jailor did not give. He knew his mother did not have much time. They weren’t fed, and they didn’t have water for the past five days. His mother’s body on the verge of giving up, and the grief for his father’s death only making matters worse. And the hunters knew it too. Which was why they released her from her bonds and dragged her to where he was tied down.

 

 

‘Can’t have your mother die on us before we had enough fun with her, can we?’ one human said, his voice causing a wave of nausea to rise and swamp him. He heaved, but only bile emerged from his abused throat. The hunters laughed at him, amused.

 

 

‘Aww, you poor little puppy, sick because we’re about to kill your mummy.’ Another cooed in a high pitched voice which only brought up more bile. He knew what was going to happen. And he didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to watch when they finally killed his mother. Didn’t want to watch the senseless death of yet another pack member, all because of his stupid, careless . He should have been more careful, more silent, more diligent in concealing his tracks when returning to the den. But he didn’t know. He didn’t know the hunters were around, didn’t know the hunters were actually sick enough to hunt innocent animals to torture just for the fun of it, didn’t know he wasn’t safe even in his own territory. He was jolted out of his thoughts by a sharp pain in his shoulder. One of the fours hunters had knifed his right shoulder, right where the old would was at, twisting the knife before pulling it out. He yowled in pain, the sound only serving to increase the human’s excitement, and the pup was stabbed in the same spot again. This time, only a pained whimper emerged. The humans looked disappointed with the response.

 

 

‘Come on boys, let’s kill this and then we can have the young ‘un all to ourselves.’ One of the monsters said, his voice full of anticipation.

 

 

Dong Woon shut his eyes tightly, dreading the future but knowing what was going to happen. He heard whimpers and screams, but he didn’t dare to open his eyes. He didn’t want to see, didn’t want to know. He just wants this hell to end. He wished fervently this was just a very very detailed nightmare and he would wake up with his pack still safe and sound. He clenched his eyes tightly, praying for everything to stop.

 

 

‘HOI! That pup is not looking! Open his eyes, dammit! We wouldn’t want him to miss out on the fun, too!’ maniacal laughter and rough, blood slicked hands scrabbled over his face, trying to pry his eyelids open. He resisted, but those eyes opened in shock when his right foreleg snapped, his scream bubbling out from his already abused throat and he only heard laughter and more laughter. Hands grabbed hold of his face and forced his eye to remain open. He couldn’t even blink, because if he did, the knife being held perilously close to his exposed eyeball would sever the organ like butter. He could attest to the sharpness of the blade, the keenness of the edge. His entire body trembled with his fear, for himself and for his mother, but he could do nothing. The men had guns, and he was just a ten year old lycan, considered a mere pup in the wild. They had no chance right from the start.

 

 

 

They forced him to watch as they slowly killed his mother in front of his eyes, until she breathed her last breath, until her blood stopped flowing and the flies start settling. Now he was alone in this world, his pack gone, his parents gone. And he was the sole reason they were dead. And soon, he would join them. But he knew it was going to be a while before those monsters from hell let him die. They would milk out each and every last drop of pain from his small body until they were satisfied. These monsters weren’t human, they were insane psychopaths. And he was powerless in their hands.

But no way was he going to let them win just like that. They might have broken him, but they hadn’t killed him. He would bide his time, and he would not go down without a fight. He would fight as his father had.

­­

 

 

Running with a broken leg wasn’t easy, but when the alternative was death, there really isn’t any choice. He had bided his time, and the humans had deemed him a low threat since they had only regarded him as a pup. But he was a lycan, and he would not die without a fight. They had left him tied to the belt with only slight injuries, bruised rib, broken leg and a shoulder wound, and they had enough fun for the day. they loosened the noose around his neck a little, toying him with the possibility of escape they thought would be impossible, but they didn’t know something the young wolf did. He was a Lycanthrope, and that might be his saving grace. He waited until the hunters had ate and drowsy before going to work. The looser noose meant he had greater mobility and he could finally turn his head around. The leather might be strong, but it was no match for the sharp canine teeth of the wolf, and the young grey wolf managed to bit through it easily once the humans were snoring away.

 

 

At first, when he finally released himself from his prison, he could only lie there, panting. He couldn’t believe he was free. But he knew if he didn’t move soon, he wouldn’t be free long. Struggling to his feet, he nearly yelped in pain when he put his broken foot down. He bit down on his tongue so hard it bled.  Slowly, and as silently as he could manage, he limped gingerly past the sleeping humans and steadily into the forest surrounding the den. When he finally made it to the edge of the treeline, he looked back to the carnage that was once his den. It was difficult to believe a week ago he was still a ten year old, living peacefully with his pack here, right in this den. The den was no longer the safe haven and his occasional jail, it was now the bloodsoaked hell where his life had been forever altered. No longer was he the innocent pup, the youngest of the pack, and the most doted on. Now, he was an orphan who had gone through hell. Whether he would emerge from it alive and intact would remain to be seen, but he would be damned if he let the humans have the satisfaction of seeing him die under their hands.

 

 

Seeing his pack members thrown in a broken, bloody heap, he felt a tsunami of grief crash within him, but he couldn’t afford to grief now. He knew he needed to run, and he would never ever come back to this wretched place ever again, so he needed to say goodbye. Finally, he tore his eyes off the unmoving heap of fur that was once his entire life, and limped away, towards his freedom, hopefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[a/n: hey guys! :D erm, so yeah, this is quite a long chappie isnt it? lol. its un-betaed so forgive me if theres any errors and what nots. im not sure if it came out the way it was in my head, lol. but please do gove me comments! its the first time im writing such a dark theme, and i know i shouldnt be doing this at midnight when im sleepy and all, but yeah. i really wanna know what you guys think of this chapter and your comments would be very appreciated.

and, as i said earlier, im starting school again, so updates would be hazardous. i'll try, and i think things could be better once i get my 3G, but in the meantime, read this, and tell me what you think ok? ^ ^ thanks you readers~]