Jessa’s awe of the old Victorian style house increases the longer she’s there. The entrance way doesn’t give any justice to the interior of the house, with a large living room complete with a nook and a study that she had a feeling housed many volumes of books that she’d love to read sometime. She hasn’t seen the kitchen or the bedroom where she will be staying, but she’s sure that the other rooms are just as impressive as what she’s already seen.

The question brings her back to the present as she inhales, surprise dancing across her face as the scent of chocolate registers. “I was sent to Seoul to look for, and train an apprentice.” She admits. “But when I arrived to recruit her, the hunters had apparently gotten wind of her magical aptitude and had already ‘collected’ her.” Jessa spits out the word as if it had burned her.

Leeteuk raises an eyebrow. “Collected her?” He asks, worry etching itself onto his forehead. “Last I had checked, the hunters council only dealt with werewolves and culling my kind out of existence.”

Jessa shakes her head. “A black market of rare supernatural beings has sprung up in some of the more populated countries like England.” She tells him. “Some of the hunters have split from the council and have become bounty hunters of some sort, taking targeted supernaturals to brokers.” She sighs. “Those captured are then sold off to clients of the brokers to either be slaves, or breeders.” Jessa finds herself unconsciously tracing one of her safety tattoos through her clothing.

Leeteuk notices the action, not surprised in the least that she’s feeling threatened. “I take it that since your apprentice was targeted, then you were as well?” He’s filing the information for later on tonight when he starts reaching out through his network of friends, former Pack members and other acquaintances.

Jessa nods. “I would assume so since they had started chasing me when they realized who I was.”

“I have hot chocolate incoming.” The voice from the kitchen sings out as Ryeowook comes in laden with a tray. Leeteuk sends warm thanks through their pack bonds to the other wolf. The man always has impeccable timing when it came to comforting those who are in distress and he can tell that Jessa needs it now more than ever.

Silence ensues Jessa watches the small man bring in a tray with 2 steaming mugs on it. She’s not sure, but she could have sworn the atmosphere in the room changed from slightly concerned, to complete warmth and comfort.

She can assume that she’ll be introduced to as many of the pack members as the Alpha sees fit, and right now she’s not surprised that she hasn’t learned his given name. She waits patiently as the other man finishes setting down the steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of her.

“Oh, I just realized my manners are off.” Leeteuk brings her focus back to him as he silently dismisses Ryeowook. “My name is Leeteuk and the man who just came in with the chocolate is Ryeowook. He’s like the mother hen of the Pack.”

Jessa nods, inhaling the scent of chocolate as her body begins to fully relax. As she takes the first sip, she involuntarily moans softly at the taste, suddenly thankful that she can experience this heavenly concoction.

Leeteuk’s sure that every other wolf in the house had just heard the moan that Jessa made. He shifts in his chair, realizing that the sudden lack of females in the Pack has taken a toll on his bodily senses. “So enough of business.” Leeteuk’s sure that the combination of the chocolate and the fact that Jessa’s just fully relaxed in her seat will make the poor woman tired. Leeteuk’s not sure, but he would almost bet that she’s been subtly exerting some magic around her in order to feel safe in her surroundings. “I’m open for questions if you want to learn more about werewolves than what the stories say.”

Jessa has the decency to blush as she realizes that he knows she doesn’t know much about them. “I don’t know where to even start.” She admits. “I’ve heard the stories, but I’m more than 100% sure that most of the ones I’ve heard in my home territory are drastically different than the ones here.”

Leeteuk smiles. “That’s good you recognize that there may be regional differences. I guess then maybe we should start with some basics.” He takes a sip of his own mug, letting the warmth of the chocolate settle in his bones. “We’re not nearly as scary as you think we are.” He says. “I guess the biggest things to note are that we are actually not easily angered. I mean, sure we know you aren’t Korean, that much is obvious and we can scent out that you are a druid, and so culturally as humans we’re inclined to treat foreigners a certain way.”

Jessa nods, cradling the mug to her body as she listens to Leeteuk.

“As wolves, we tend to be mellow. Like I said, we are not easily angered, and it takes a lot to set us off, even the new pups in my Pack. Many of us are a bit older than we look, but at the same time, we’re closer to our perceived age than you think.” Leeteuk takes a breath. “We grow like humans do up until we become of age. Do you know anything about that?”

Jessa shakes her head. “I know that coming of age is like becoming an adult thing, but that’s a cultural thing I thought?”

Leeteuk smiles. “That is true for humans, but for werewolves it is a lot more.” As much as Leeteuk’s inner wolf wants to keep important information from the druid, he’s grateful that his wolf isn’t fighting his reasoning for exposing their kind in such a way. Leeteuk genuinely wants the truth about werewolves out in the open for those who are curious about the supernatural species. “When werewolves come of age, we also find out our ranks. Werewolf ranks are a lot more different than you’d expect. There are Alphas, like myself, who start their own packs, then there are Beta’s who help the Alphas with daily Pack duties. Gamma’s are the third tier of rank and they are probably the least talked about. Gammas are the packs’ educators. They teach the young underage pups about all the pack duties in addition to the human levels of education. Deltas are the fourth rank and probably the second most important. Deltas are the healers of the Packs and become the doctors, or nurses that treat wounds and help the next rank give birth. The final rank, and I think most important are the omegas. Omegas are the ones who are the nurturers. Omegas are typically the members of the pack who are best suited to carry our pups and take care of our Pack houses.” Leeteuk explains carefully. He doesn’t want to sugar coat any of the ranks lest one of his own pack members hears him.

“So is the coming of age the same physical age as humans?” Jessa asks, taking another sip of the sinfully delicious drink. She may have to beg Ryeowook for the recipe if he’s willing to part with it.

“Yes and no.” Leeteuk replies. “I think the human’s coming of age is typically 19, but for werewolves it’s actually 20. Werewolves also stop aging soon after we come of age. For some we stop the same year, and for others it can be as late as 30.”

“Oh, so that’s why you all look so young.” Jessa comments.

“Some of my pack haven’t hit their coming of age yet, but their parental pack was decimated by a group of hunters 6 months ago and our regional Alpha cared for those who survived until new packs could be found.” Leeteuk explained. “If you don’t mind, I am going to have 2 of my pups with you as protectors when you need to do any druidic things outside.”

Jessa felt grateful suddenly. “Thank you.” She murmurs, her head bowed. She hadn’t expected the werewolf to be overly concerned with her safety.

Leeteuk could hear some of his pack moving restlessly on the second story of the house, and judging by the way Jessa kept moving, she was quickly tiring to the point of falling asleep. “I think though, that this should be a good place to end our chat for now. I hear my pack getting restless for our post-hunt meeting, and you look like you need some rest.”

Jessa nods, knowing that Leeteuk was more observant than he looked. “Working in tandem with nature to conceal myself from the hunters earlier took a toll on me.” She admits.

He stood up, holding a hand out for Jessa to take. “I will show you to your room. I regret that we don’t have any females here in the Pack so you may have to use some of the extra sleepwear from one of my smaller members.” Leeteuk tells her.

“Oh, um, thank you.” Jessa blushed. She’d been ready to tell him that she didn’t use sleepwear, but she was a guest in a house full of men, never mind the fact that they were werewolves. She wouldn’t want to tempt any of them.

Leeteuk took her through a doorway that was off to the side of the study and down a short hallway. “This will be your room while you are here.” He opens the door to reveal a small bedroom perfect for a single person. “The two pups that will be protecting you are the other room at the end of the hall. I think we’ll do introductions in the morning after you’ve gotten some sleep. There is a bathroom down here, in between your room and the study that you may use. There should be a little cubby in there with the words Guest on it with a toothbrush and other things.”

Jessa smiled. “Thank you. I don’t know how I’m going to repay you for your kindness.”

Leeteuk smiles back. “Don’t worry about it for now and get some sleep.” After bidding Jessa goodnight, he returns back to the living room to find that most of his pack has already convened.

“How is she?” Kyuhyun surprises all of them with the question.

“She’s ok. Probably not quite ready to trust us fully in protecting her at this point, but I expect each and every one of you to help me with ensuring that she comes to no harm while staying here.” Leeteuk tells his pack, looking at every single member.

“Why was she in our territory?” Jimin asks, squirming as his brother pinches him on the neck. “Yah! Hoseok! That hurts!”

“Both of you stop it!” Eunhyuk, one of the few Gammas in the pack hissed at them.

Leeteuk holds back a sigh at the antics of the younger members of his pack. Hoseok still acts like a young pup, teasing and joking around with his brothers when things are going ok in their territory, and his blinding white smile attracts a lot of attention that he relishes, but when things get serious, Leeteuk knows that Hoseok will step up as any good beta in training should.

Glancing around at his pack, Leeteuk feels a sense of pride and satisfaction at the random assortment of wolves he’s been blessed with leading. His beta, Kangin, is sitting off to the side, head bobbing as if he’s trying too hard to fight sleep off. Ryeowook is curled up on one end of the couch, one hand holding a book open, and the other tangled in the black mass of hair that belongs to his best friend Jongwoon.

Clearing his throat, Leeteuk sits straight, letting a little bit of his Alpha influence wash over his pack. The others stop what they are doing in order to look up at their leader, waiting for him to speak. “Tonight, we had a very successful hunt.” He says. “Not only did we catch one of the finest animals in our territory tonight, but we also saved a life.”

If anyone wasn’t fully paying attention to Leeteuk’s words when he started speaking, they surely listened hard now at the mention of life saving. “Our guest’s name is Jessa, and she is a druid from Eastern Europe. She was sent to Seoul to acquire an apprentice, but two hunters got to the poor girl first.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Leeteuk sees Kyuhyun shifting uncomfortably. He’s shocked more than anything that the normally cool and aloof werewolf is suddenly concerned with their guest. Leeteuk files the information for later when he can talk to Kyuhyun without the others present. “What do you mean two hunters got to the girl first? Was she a wolf?” Donghae, one of the deltas in the pack, asks.

Leeteuk shakes his head. “No. Jessa has informed me that there is a black market growing around the sale of rare supernatural beings like druids and werewolves.” He takes a pause to let the information sink into his pack. “The two hunters that were after Jessa in the woods tonight have become a part of this black market venture. I think we need to be more diligent within our territory.”

“Are we at a heightened risk because of it?” Kangin asks.

“At the moment, no I don’t think so. Between Siwon covering our tracks tonight, and the aid of Jessa’s magical influence within the forest, I think the hunters have been thoroughly misguided and are far enough away for the moment that we should be ok for now.” Leeteuk replies. “But I think we do need to step up training for Taehyung and Jungkook.”

The two youngest members of the Pack, along with Jimin, still are not of age and have been confined to the house during full moons and major hunts. Leeteuk hates that he has to confine members during a time when the Pack is bonding through a hunt but it’s one of those long held rules that have been passed down to protect those who aren’t at a capacity to fight and hold their own, especially if one of the 3 pups ends up being either a delta or an omega.

Clearing his throat, Leeteuk grabs the attention of his pack. “I’m putting both Taehyung and Jungkook on guard duty with the druid when she goes outside.” He announces, knowing the announcement is going to rub some of the pack the wrong way.

“Why those two?” Eunhyuk complains, getting smacked on his arm by Donghae. “They won’t present for another 2 years!”

Leeteuk raises an eyebrow at Eunhyuk’s outburst. “And you, Gamma, are saying you would do a better job?”

Eunhyuk shrinks a little under the sharp tone. “No, I….I just don’t see the logic in such a decision Alpha.” He stutters, his eyes averting from Leeteuk’s to look down at his hands.

“I think it would be good for them to learn something a bit more hands on. I know they won’t come of age for another 2 years, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useless.” Leeteuk explains.

“Alpha, we are grateful that you are putting this task on us.” Taehyung speaks up before anyone else can speak up. He bows to Leeteuk, with Jungkook repeating the words and bowing as well a moment later.

“Now that protecting our guest is settled, I think, it is time to close out this month’s hunt and meet.” Leeteuk said, spotting Kangin’s head bobbing again. “We are all exhausted from the run and some of us still need showers.” He noted.

With just a tad bit of grumbling, one by one the members drifted off to their respective rooms. “Kangin, wake up.” Leeteuk smiles as he watches his beta’s eyes flutter open and widen in surprise.

“I didn’t sleep through the whole meeting did I?” Kangin shoots up, panic crossing his face.

“No. I kept it short since you and Siwon were busy covering our tracks and making sure the hunters can’t find us easily. Leeteuk answers. “Go shower and sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

Kyuhyun’s stayed behind to help Ryeowook clean up the various mugs around the living room from the hot chocolate. Leeteuk touches the youngest on the arm, motioning him to follow as Leeteuk heads closer to the study. “Yes Alpha?” Kyuhyun wonders if he’s in trouble.

“I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve noticed you seem to have taken an interest in our guest.” Leeteuk says.

Kyuhyun’s grip on the mug tightens and the action isn’t missed by Leeteuk. “Is that a problem?” Kyuhyun asks.

Leeteuk smiles, placing a hand on the taller man’s shoulder. “No. I was just curious. Is your wolf interested as well?”

Kyuhyun relaxes, realization crossing his face that he’s not being reprimanded. “I…we both aren’t sure really. I mean he took notice of her when we were escorting her here.” He looks down at the mug he’s holding.

“Has your wolf said she’s a potential mate?” Leeteuk doesn’t want to ask but he has to know for sure if he’s going to be dealing with an emotional and irrational wolf.

Kyuhyun shakes his head and Leeteuk lets out a breath. The younger wolf sighs and sits down, the mugs forgotten in his hands. “I don’t understand this.” He whined. “The moment I shifted from my wolf form to human form, he was still awake and alert until you dismissed me earlier.” Kyuhyun looks up at Leeteuk, uncertainty on his face. “He’s still not totally asleep now either. He’s restless and it’s frustrating because I’ve never had this happen before, not even when I went through puberty.”

Leeteuk smiles, understanding how Kyuhyun feels. “I think what your wolf has, is a budding crush on our little guest.” He says lightly, trying not to tease the young wolf. “Most of us go through this in our parental packs.” Leeteuk sat down next to Kyuhyun. “My first crush was some omega that ended up going to another pack after she’d had her first heat.” He told Kyuhyun, hoping the story will help the younger understand his feelings are perfectly natural.

Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “Did your wolf do the same thing mine is doing?” He asks, frowning.

Leeteuk nodded. “Almost identical.” He replies. Kyuhyun hums, deep in thought at the information. Leeteuk stands, patting him on the back. “Go get some sleep, stew on it for a bit. Spend some time with her and let me know if anyone gives you grief. “He advises the conflicted werewolf.

“Thanks hyung.” Kyuhyun’s rare in his use of honorifics with other members of the pack, but for once Leeteuk is grateful that Kyuhyun recognizes the importance of the conversation. He watches Kyuhyun stand up, carrying the empty mugs into the kitchen before disappearing up the stairs to his room.

Sighing, Leeteuk knows he won’t get much sleep tonight because of the new information Jessa has provided to him. After asking if Ryeowook needs any help in the kitchen and getting shooed away by the small omega, Leeteuk takes a quick shower before heading to his office.

A/N: So my finals are over, and I pretty much took the rest of yesterday off to veg out completely after the mega ton load of stress I was under. I'm still kind of upset I failed one, but I think going part time will probably work out for the best. It also allows me to continue writing regularly instead of writing like crazy for the next 3 and a half weeks and then going cold turkey till May. Anywhoo, the story is starting off a little slow but it'll pick up fast, I promise. Let me know what you think!