Running through the forest felt like the most natural thing to Mark. He had never been a runner. In fact, he had hated it prior to coming to this small town, but now he felt like he could run forever. The wind blowing through his hair as he ran and the feeling of the forest floor under his feet felt...right. It was different. Before, Mark had always considered himself a city person. His life was full of technology and work, but the forest tugged a cord deep inside. One of which he was afraid to let loose.

        “We're almost there.” Jinyoung disrupted Mark's thoughts to inform them of their location. As soon as they had entered the forest, Jinyoung had explained to Mark that they were heading back to his pack. They needed to tell Jaebeom what had happened.

        “That man that attacked you,” Jinyoung continued. “That was Jinhyuk. He is one of Kangjoo's most trusted wolves. He wouldn't have let you live if Jackson wasn't there. You're extremely lucky.”

        “You said he was watching me?” Mark remembered Jinyoung mentioning that. He also remembered Jackson was the one that wanted him killed. The fact that he was the one who saved him was bewildering. “Why?”

       “Why? Well, why not? You're a part of our pack now. We have a duty to each other and ourselves to keep each other safe. Like I said, we're family.” Jinyoung spoke as if it were the basic principles that everyone should know. Growing up, Mark didn't have a family. He bounced around from foster home to foster home. His family was going to be started with Eunhee. Instead, he was thrown into this world and now, here was a group of young men claiming that he was a part of their family. It was certainly new to him.

        This entire thing was new to him. Up until recently, Mark didn't believe such creatures could exist, but no matter how hard he tried to push it away and keep that locked up. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that these people were insane – that he was insane – he just couldn't deny the fact that a part of him believed it all. What he saw and what he experienced wasn't normal. It wasn't human. He wasn't human.

        “This is still overwhelming.” Mark spoke up, finally accepting this new reality.

        “Don't worry. It was for all of us. You'll get used to it.” Jinyoung offered a smile as they stepped out of the tree line and stepped onto the familiar gravel road, following it up towards the century-old house.

        As they reached the house, Jaebeom appeared on the steps, coming to meet Jinyoung. He was followed by Youngjae, Yugyeom and Bambam.

        “You managed to bring him back,” Jaebeom acknowledged. “Where's Jackson?”

        “He probably got upset again and went for a run,” Bambam answered.

        “Actually,” Jinyoung corrected, “he saved Mark. Jackson was watching Mark when one of Kangjoo's wolves approached him. He was going to kill him, Jaebeom. Jackson saved him."

        “What? On our territory!” Youngjae bursted out before the alpha could get a word in. “Unbelievable!”

        “Quiet,” Jaebeom commanded the younger and Youngjae pressed his lips together obediently. “Go on,” he encouraged Jinyoung to speak.

        Jinyoung continued to describe the event in complete detail. He told him how Jinhyuk had nearly lunged and torn Mark apart before Jackson leaped in and attacked, driving Jinhyuk away. Mark watched Jaebeom carefully. The leader's jaw tensed and it looked like he was trying not to get angry, but it was obvious that the news wasn't pleasing.

        “Jackson should be back soon,” Jinyoung finished. “Jinhyuk was definitely no match for him. Especially since Jackson wouldn't let him transform. He was stuck fighting in his human form.”

        “We need to teach them a lesson!” Youngjae let out another angry outburst.

        “What we need to do is to prepare for an attack. First things first is training our newest member. Since you two have become more acquainted than the rest of us, Jinyoung, I want you to teach Mark how to change and control it.” Jaebeom's tone was authoritative and while he was silently watching things unfold, he couldn't help but notice how the others respected him. Mark admired that.

        “Alright. I can do that. Does that sound good to you?” Jinyoung turned to Mark.

        Jinyoung was undoubtedly the kindest out of everyone he had encountered so far. He felt welcomed and safe near him. He wasn't as confused, but he still wanted to know more. He wanted to know about every pack member and he wanted to know about himself and what he was. Jinyoung, he figured, would be the one more likely to share that information.

        “Yeah. Sounds good,” Mark responded.

        “Good,” Jaebeom seemed pleased at Mark's willingness to learn. “I'll take these pups back inside and get them prepared. I'll send Jackson out to you when he comes back. Take care of Mark.”

        “Will do!” Jinyoung smiled happily. Once again, he took Mark's hand and lead him through the forest. The way Jinyoung moved past the trees and over the stumps made it seem as if he had spent a lot of time in these woods, but Mark didn't doubt that he did. There was something comforting about the shelter of the tall oaks and he figured he'd be comfortable with the territory in no time.

        It wasn't long before they reached a clearing. Jinyoung let go of his hold on Mark's hand and he had expected him to go off about breathing techniques and concentrating, but instead the other male simply sat down on the ground. He patted a spot beside him. Not knowing what else to do, Mark sat.

        “We'll talk first. And then we'll practice.” Jinyoung grinned. “I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Should I start with my story first? It's not exciting as the others.”

        Again, it was as if Jinyoung had read his mind and Mark nodded eagerly. He really did want to learn about everyone else and how they had become wolves.

        “Myself,” Jinyoung began. “Well, I was always bullied throughout high school. I wanted it to stop so I tried to stop it. I ended up nearly jumping off my school roof, but Jaebeom found me. He was a young teacher there and he convinced me of a different life. He was convinced that since I fought for that long I would be able to push through the pain of changing. As you can probably guess, I did and I remained loyal to Jaebeom ever since.” The way Jinyoung smiled when he talked about his pack leader made Mark's heart long for that; to have that bond with someone and to have a family like that. Now he was unsure if he'd be able to have that with Eunhee. “Jaebeom saved my life and I would give it up for him any day. Which is why I'm still in the pack. That, and it's my family. I was the second he turned and the third to join. Haejin was turned before me and Jackson joined after.”

        Mark was instantly curious at the mention of the brute he met previously. “If Jaebeom didn't turn Jackson, who did?”

        Jinyoung shrugged. “I heard it was Kangjoo. He's the alpha of our rival pack. I hear stories that Jackson was a member before he met Haejin in a brawl. The two had a sort of Romeo and Juliet connection. Y'know, Jackson from Kangjoo's pack and Haejin from Jaebeom's. Haejin was the second member and once they grew closer, Jackson switched packs. Of course Kangjoo was furious, but Jackson has proved himself to be loyal. It's why he was so mad when you killed Haejin; the two were close.”

        Mark grew defensive at the accusation. “I didn't kill him! I mean...I didn't mean to, honestly. He jumped in front of my car.”

        “Right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you. I know he was chased by Kangjoo's pack. Jackson and Jaebeom were not far behind when you hit Haejin.”

        The red head frowned. “I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to kill him. By the sounds of it Haejin seemed like a great person.”

        Jinyoung let out a nostalgic sigh. “He really was. He kept Jackson in line and he got along with all the members. It's a shame he was killed, but it happens. We lose family members in brawls and since this war has sparked up it was only a matter of time before we lost another. We just have to make sure it doesn't happen again.” Jinyoung stood up and offered his hand. “We should practice.”

        Mark took his hand and was helped to his feet. “Does it always hurt changing?”

        “You bet it does. But I kind of like the pain. I like turning into a wolf. I feel more free and it feels comfortable. I'm a wolf and I accept that part of me and so do you otherwise you wouldn't have beaten the poison. You're one of us now.” Jinyoung grinned. “Now, it will hurt but you'll get used to the pain like the rest of us. Focus on changing your body. You know what a wolf looks like. Just imagine that form. You've got a pretty good looking form if I do say so myself. Jaebeom tranquilized you when you freaked out after your first change and we've never had a red wolf in our pack before. You should be proud!”

        Somehow, Mark didn't feel all that proud, but he still wanted to get a hang of this thing. He wanted to make up for killing their beloved family member. He knew he wouldn't be able to replace him, but if he fought in this 'war' he figured he'd be able to at least gain some positive ground with Jackson.

        “Every bone in your body breaks and reforms itself to fit that of a wolf.” Jinyoung tilted his head. “Changing while is best. It hurts more when you're wearing clothes because they limit your movement and it takes longer.”

        Mark was hesitant about stripping in front of Jinyoung, but he didn't speak up as the other pulled his own shirt off. Surprised, Mark averted his gaze once Jinyoung began ing his jeans. Instead, the red head focused on taking off his own shirt. He turned completely around as he stripped himself of the rest of his clothing.

        “You're shy now, but you won't be after awhile. We've all been in front of each other.” Mark heard Jinyoung laugh and he could feel his cheeks warm up from embarrassment. “Don't focus on that. Focus on the wolf. Let him come out and don't fight the transition. Accept the pain and it'll make things easier.”

        Trying to ignore the fact that Jinyoung was behind him, Mark closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. His eyes outlined the form of a wolf, but his concentration was broken as a sickening crack was heard, his arm bending at an awkward angle. Following suit, the rest of his body began to change shape, causing agonizing pain. Tilting his head back, Mark let out a cry and his face soon began to morph into that of a wolf. His nose changed into a long, pointed snout, his ears moved to the top of his head and the cry turned into a pained howl.

        As Mark changed, he could hear the spine-chilling breaking of bones coming from Jinyoung's direction, but unlike Mark, Jinyoung didn't make any sounds except for muffled grunts here and there. Completely in his wolf form, Mark turned around to see Jinyoung. However, Jinyoung was now on all fours and covered in dark brown fur. This was it. This was his first time transitioning and it only proved everything to be true; he was a wolf.

I just want to thank everyone who is taking the time to read my story. It gives me more encouragement to continue writing. I'm pretty bad at starting stories and finishing them, but I managed to come back to this after six months and I'm really glad I did. I'm sorry nothing really happened his chapter but I had to stop otherwise I'd be dealing with writer's block. next chapter I'll make up for it! Thanks you so much for reading, subscribing, and upvoting! All of it is appreciated. ♥
-Storm