Tao was hunched over his desk, trying to pay attention to the math book in front of him. He lifted his left hand to massage his temple, his head hurt like a since the others were banging on his mental wall. He had to reread the paragraph three times before he could understand the meaning of the words. He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to compose himself. It seemed like the others won’t give up. When he looked at the book again, he slammed his palm next to it on the desk. He forgot what he read so far, he had to flip back several pages and reread the whole thing. When he couldn’t get rid of his anger, the poor book ended up flying through the room.

He knew why he was angry, but he tried to suppress it. No matter how much he tried to focus on something else, like math, or other school stuff, he even tried to think about Xiumin’s non-existed love life, it didn't help.  The smaller male thought that everyone in his class wanted to get into his pants, and usually he discussed it with Tao though the tall boy just listened to the other’s babbling without commenting.  His own thoughts kept going back to Luhan. Before the thin boy was a ball of sunshine, touching him left his palms warm and tingly, but now all he could feel was Yixing, he couldn’t find a part of his body that wasn’t touched by the other boy. The so familiar anger bubbled up in his throat so he pushed the boy away and rushed past him without waiting for explanation. In the past he made sure to touch Luhan regularly, sticking his scent to him just enough to calm his wolf down.

The fact that Luhan became the alpha just made everything worse. It made his wolf furious. The others told him, that if Kris die, he’ll be the alpha. He or Lay. He didn’t, but his wolf wanted to be the alpha, wanted to have more power, more control. When Luhan’s eyes flashed red his wolf went crazy, so he closed himself off, putting a great distance between him and the others. He could still control his change, but he knew he could lost it easily, so he waited till his wolf calmed down again. And it worked. He hadn’t felt crazy rage whenever he smelt the new alpha or lay his eyes on him. It helped, that Luhan was pushing them away too, so he rarely had to face him. But today at the end of the stairs he smelt Lay all over him, and he lost it again. All the wolf wanted to do was tear Yixing apart and roll around in Luhan’s closet to make his clothes smell like him…

He hissed as the banging in his head got stronger, it felt like someone was smashing his brain with a hammer.  At this point he was willing to do everything to just stop it, so he opened the bond for them. The others presence filled his mind, for a minute or two he couldn’t even think. It was overwhelming. He tried but he couldn’t understand what they were saying, shouting at him. Then Luhan’s broken voice separated from the others and it made his blood froze.

“They gonna kill us both…” his brain didn’t work but his wolf, his instincts made his body move. He rushed down the stairs, tearing his clothes off, so he could change as fast as possible. He couldn’t even hear his bones crack as he landed on four legs, almost breaking the door out from its frame as he left the house. He caught their scent almost immediately, he tore through bushes as he followed it in a straight line, he only slowed down lightly when he could barely avoid running into a tree, almost knocking himself out. But even at this speed, he was faster than anyone else in the pack. He only looked at the dark brown wolf, Lay, from the corner of his eyes as he rushed past him. He could hear through the pack bond, that he’s urging him to hurry, he could feel Xiumin’s panic, could hear Luhan’s scared whimpering. The bond at Chen’s end was silent.

***

Xiumin panicked. For the first time he felt true terror. His alpha needed him, and he was too far away. He ran out of the library, leaving his book scattered on the table, almost knocking a lady off of her feet as he rushed out to the street. He tried to get a sniff of either Luhan’s or Chen’s scent, but his senses weren’t good enough in his human form, and the busy traffic, the fumes, the different smells didn’t help either. His eyes scanned the roads, trying to find someone familiar, who could help him, but nothing…

Biting his lower lip he hurried into and alleyway, he knew it ended in a dead end, he knew this part of the city by heart. He crouched behind a big container and tried to ignore the disgusting smell as he stripped off his clothes. His wolf was small, not as small as Luhan’s but still people could mistake him as a larger dog. He wasn’t allowed to transform in the common parts of the city, but he couldn’t just sit back and wait.

As a wolf he could easily run through the city into the direction of the woods. He barked angrily when he couldn’t catch the green light and he had to stop till it turns back from red to green again. He wasn’t in the middle of the city, but still the traffic was heavy, the drivers careless. He couldn’t just run across the street. He could get hit by a car, even die if it hit him in the head, crushing his skull….

People stared at him, and it just made him even more panicked. He had to remember himself that he would stare too, if a big grey 'dog' would sit next to the crosswalk, waiting for the lights to turn green. He spent an agonizing moment there, then the cars stopped and he started running again. Using shortcuts he moved fast, the first line of trees got into his vision. He could even smell Luhan now… They weren’t that far. He wanted to cross another, empty street when a sudden rush of pain in his side almost knocked him over, making his breath hitch. It took him almost a whole minute to realize that he wasn’t the one who’s hurting. He felt the pain through the pack bond. No… He was late… His heart beat hard in his ears as he forced his legs to run again.

***

Lay spent his day in Luhan’s room, rolling around in his bed, touching everything he could reach. He knew he played dirty, but it didn’t matter. Luhan will thank him later when he won’t have to deal with the pack’s stuff, and he could be the boy he was before Kris’s death. He called his work finished when he only could smell himself in the room, and only a faint smell of the owner remained. Luhan and his wolf will get used to his scent, and they won’t want to be far from the source of that smell. This was step three. He already did the first and the second one: earning the victim’s trust, and making close body contact, regularly. He looked up on the internet how to force someone into mating without being obvious of it, and so far, it worked. He just closed the door behind him when he heard Chen in his head.

“, Yixing, I hope you’re close, we’re in trouble. I’m with Luhan, we’re near the eastern edge of the pack’s territory in the forest. We gonna have company soon, four-legged company. You better hurry, Luhan is more than freaked out.” Chen’s always calm voice trembled lightly, Lay moved before he could completely understand what his packmate said. Were they off their territory? Why? Why aren’t they running if they’re in danger? And why the is Chen out with his Luhan alone?! His rising anger only fueled him, he was a big wolf, he was strong, but he always lacked in speed compared to the others. He blamed it on his size, but Tao slightly was larger than him and he could almost keep up with Luhan’s speed. The others only laughed at him for it, teasing him for being a professional dancer who could be outran by a math nerd.

When he saw something black rush past him from the corner of his eye, he knew they could reach Tao. He hoped at least the tall boy could reach them in time. If he won’t, Lay will blame himself. They were both in the house, but he was in such a hurry that he didn’t informed the black haired boy. He was already deep in the woods when he remembered that the boy kept his pack bond closed.  He cursed him and himself too, banging on the walls till they opened.

***

Chen took deep breaths, keeping his eyes on the bushes, waiting for the other wolves to arrive. He tried to keep his head, and his bond clear too. He had to concentrate. The others were on their way, he just had to keep the wolves busy till they reach them. Together, they could win, they were a strong pack. He could keep his alpha safe till they arrive. His alpha, who was a trembling, whimpering mess between his legs…

He heard the nearby leafs scrunch under the wolves, and a few seconds later he saw them. Four wolves in different shades of brown. He didn’t know them at all and it made him twitchy, he didn’t know what to expect. They were staring at each other, but suddenly the wolf in the middle looked lower than his eyes. Chen bent his legs, trying the hide Luhan more, and when he looked up again, he could swear that the other wolf was smirking. He saw it coming. His muscles twitched as he readied himself for a jump. Chen knew he had to move too, but he was waiting for the right moment…

The unfamiliar wolf leaped into the air, when suddenly the leaves on the nearest bush rustled.  Chen crouched down, pressing Luhan more into the ground just in time as a huge black wolf jumped over them, crashing into the brown one in the air.

I know, I know, kinda...

Nothing happened in this chapter, but I have to build up the tension or something like that, righ? ;)