Kyuhyun swallows hard as he’s ordered to remain standing while Leeteuk tells Kangin to go check on Jessa. His wolf is too satisfied by his events earlier to even rouse himself at the idea that Kangin’s going to go check on his mate.

“When did the protective urges start?” Leeteuk asks softly, folding his arms across his chest while he stares at his foolish beta.

“A few weeks ago.” Kyuhyun admits. “The desire to protect her started when we met, which I told you, but it turned into a desire to just be near her in a room. Today was more intense. She had some grime on her cheek that I wanted to clean away.”

“And did you give into that urge?” Leeteuk asks.

Kyuhyun nods, his face burning in shame. “After we came out of Jimin’s room, I couldn’t help myself from cleaning it off.”

“.” Leeteuk mutters, sighing. “That’s probably what set her off.” He explains. “Druids are kind of similar to us. They have an animal side.” He says when Kyuhyun gives him a confused look.

“Oh, that I know. Hers is a wolf….” Kyuhyun says, suddenly realizing what that meant. “.” He groans, burying his head into his hands. “That’s why my wolf was attracted to her from the beginning and wouldn’t go into his normal slumber.”

Leeteuk smiles at the way Kyuhyun starts putting the puzzle together. “I talked with her clan leader a few days ago. Since we’re still dealing with the bounty on her head, the Black Hunters around our place, and now the lost brother of our youngest Pack members suddenly showing up on our doorstep, she said that Jessa would be feeling confined and possibly not as in control of herself on the full moon.” He decides to give pity onto the younger wolf, waving his hand. “You might as well sit down for this.”

Kyuhyun is grateful for the release of the command for him to stand, gratefully sinking down into a chair, wincing at the soreness in his legs and abs from the motion. “What do you mean?”

Leeteuk takes a breath. “Druids are more attuned to their animal nature than other supernaturals, making them more akin to being distant cousins. Jessa’s clan leader mentioned that Jessa is still a young Druid and the only wolf, and so in their world she’s more like a teenager, kind of like Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung. She’s prone to being more impulsive.” Leeteuk takes a breath. “And she’s more likely to give into her animalistic nature and urges especially during a full moon, and especially since her spirit animal is a wolf.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes grow wide. “Does this mean what I think it means?” He asks, the information sinking in.

Leeteuk nods. “Partially. Jessa made a bad decision several months ago while on a mission for her clan in Morocco and slept with someone because of the urges. He apparently asked her to stay, and she told him no. At the time, he was under the restraints of a local supernatural council that forbids the capture, kidnapping or detainment of any other supernaturals unless they’ve committed a crime. He issued the bounty on Jessa’s head a few months later once he had been replaced on the council.”

Kyuhyun shifts, feeling his anger at the unknown person growing for putting a bounty on his mate’s beautiful head. “So we’re dealing with the aftermath of a one night stand that grew complicated?” He asks, frowning.

“Yes.” Leeteuk answers. “We also need to discuss the fact that you mated and bonded with her.” He looks at Kyuhyun wearily. “We can’t change the fact that you claimed her, but as you know it’s up to her if you remain a mated pair or if she chooses to reject the bond.”

“Yes Alpha.” Kyuhyun replies, nodding his head.

“You do know the consequences of a rejected mate bond, yes?” Leeteuk knows that they’ve all gotten the same training, but he wants to make sure that Kyuhyun knows what will happen.

“Yes, Alpha, I do.” Kyuhyun doesn’t want to think of what his life would be like if Jessa rejects the bond. He can feel her in the back of his conscious, a ball of warmth that is sound asleep in his bed, his heart speeding up in affection for his cute little mate and feeling his wolf snuffing sleepily in happiness.

“The other issue we have now is, if she chooses to accept the bond, you have a serious decision to make.” Leeteuk goes on. “First, we can’t let anyone outside of us, Kangin and her clan leader know that you two have mated and bonded. It would escalate things with the bounty on her head, and I’m sure that the guy would put a bounty on your head too, but probably to kill you instead of capture you alive.”

Kyuhyun swallows hard as he nods in understanding. “So after tonight if she accepts the bond, will still have to act like we are unmated.”

Leeteuk nods. “Yes. Now, since you missed the post hunt meeting, and the meal, I will fill you in on things. The strange wolf is the older brother of Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook.” He tells Kyuhyun. “His name is Seojin, or Jin for short. He’s the one we’ve been looking for the past 5 months.”

“Do you think he’s associated with the Black Hunters?” Kyuhyun wonders.

“I don’t have a reason to believe so. The poor thing was caught by a rogue pack that was discovered last week by the Hunters Association. He was beaten, starved and used as a means of pleasure by the rogue pack and Yunho neglected to inform me that he’d be coming out tonight.” Leeteuk sighs. “He’s going to rest here for a bit and decide if he wants to join his brothers in this pack, or if he’d rather go to another pack that has some good ties to ours.”

By the time Leeteuk dismisses Kyuhyun to bed, he’s exhausted, his head throbbing with the need for sleep. He also needs time for the bond to settle within himself, which is why sleep is usually the first thing that happens to a mated couple during the first 24 hours they are bonded.

He crawls into his bed, grateful that Leeteuk didn’t forbid him his first night to be snuggled up to his new mate. Jessa’s snuggled deep within his blankets, still completely out from their mating earlier. As Kyuhyun settles into the bed, he feels Jessa shifting next to him, hand curling up beside his body, relaxing him into a dreamless sleep.

**

Jessa wakes in the morning, feeling more satisfied and relaxed than she’s been since she was a teen. Stretching, she touches the warmth of the body next to her and Jessa realizes suddenly that she’s in one of the beds of the Pack she’s staying with. ‘, who did I sleep with…was it one of the pups?’ She panics until she takes a deep breath, trying to center herself. The familiar scent of Kyuhyun invades her nostrils, calming her in a way that she knows shouldn’t be possible.

Sitting up, she finds that Kyuhyun’s knocked out beside her, his face relaxed, making him look much younger than he really is. Bits and pieces of last night start tricking into her memory, flushing her cheeks. She had with the unpredictable shifter! She takes a breath and realizes that there’s a new presence in the back of her head. ‘What the hell?’ Jessa prods at the presence, realizing that the warm bundle in the back of her head reminded her of the shifter lying in bed next to her. ‘, did he?’ She reaches up and palms around her neck, wincing in pain as she feels an indented area of skin. ‘….this marked me!’

Kyuhyun stirs, feeling the agitation and the slight panic through his mate bond, cracking one eye open to see that Jessa’s fully conscious and panic is slowly setting in on her face. “Jessa?” His voice is laden with sleep, making it raspy and deeper than normal.

Jessa shivers at the effect his morning voice has on her body, her druidic animal nature closer to the surface than she ever remembers it to be. “What the hell did you do last night to me?” She hisses, allowing anger to overtake the panic.

“I, uh, well, we mated.” Kyuhyun clears his throat, trying to make things sound more positive than he thinks she’s feeling at the moment. “You jumped me after we took care of Jimin.” He says.

“What the hell did you do to my neck?” Jessa crosses her arms, realizing that she’s wearing one of his t-shirts.

“Well, um, my wolf kind of took over and acknowledged you as my mate. He, uh, he marked you to show we are bonded.” Kyuhyun feels several sizes smaller than he really as Jessa’s fury bleeds through the mate bond.

“.” Jessa curses. She brings her knees up to her chest, locking her arms and rocking back and forth. “My clan leader is going to kill me….no wait…the guy who put the bounty on my head is going to put a kill out for you if he gets wind that we’re mated!”

Kyuhyun stares at Jessa, surprised. “You….you’re not going to reject the bond?”

Jessa stops rocking, raising her head and looking at Kyuhyun. “My spirit animal is a wolf.” She explains, sighing. “I can’t reject the bond once it’s been made. As a wolf druid I’m bound to my decisions and if my wolf spirit accepted the mating, it means she’s accepted the bond as well.” She narrows her eyes at Kyuhyun. “That doesn’t mean I forgive you for claiming me wolf!” She raises a finger to point it at him.

A knock sounds on the door, and Kyuhyun crawls out of bed, clad in a t-shirt and boxers. Jessa can feel her cheeks heating up in a blush as she stares at muscular legs. She realizes as well that she’s pretty much except for the shirt she’s wearing. “Jessa, are you ok?” Leeteuk’s voice soothes the anger inside Jessa as the Alpha comes into the room, Kyuhyun trailing behind him like a puppy whose been scolded.

“Yes, I’m ok.” Jessa replies, keeping the blanket covering her body as much as possible.

“Let me see your claim.” Leeteuk says, holding out a small jar of salve. “Donghae gave this to me for you. Said it would help with the healing process and reduce the pain as well.”

Jessa nods, and bares her neck for Leeteuk to see the perfect indentation of teeth on the left side of her neck. He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, opening the jar and putting some of the salve on his finger before gingerly touching the indentations, wincing as Jessa hisses at the contact. “I’m not rejecting the bond, if you want to know.” Jessa tells Leeteuk, trying to take her mind off the pain.

“Kyuhyun told me.” Leeteuk murmurs, “The question is, is this something you are ok with, or not?”

Jessa sighs. “Even if I wasn’t ok with it, it is something I cannot break. My spirit animal is a wolf, and apparently she was more in control than I was, which means she accepts the mating and the bond as well. She wouldn’t have let his wolf claim me if she didn’t want it.” She explains softly. “And truthfully I’m ok with it, I just wish I had been asked before he did it.”

“What do you want to do? We need to contact your clan leader to let her know of your change in status since you are accepting the bond.” Leeteuk states. “Right now the only people who know that you two are mated are us in this room, Kangin and Donghae.”

Jessa bits her lip. “Give me some time to come to terms with it. My freedom means a lot to me.” She whispers.

“Do you want me to send you to the Hunters Association?” Leeteuk asks. “See if we can arrange some other lodgings for you?”

“No!” Jessa yelps, suddenly upset that she even mentioned needing time.

Leeteuk chuckles at her sudden shift of emotions. “It sounds like your bonds haven’t fully settled in yet. I am partially to blame for that, I kept Kyuhyun up for quite a bit last night.”

“What do we need to do to settle the bond?” Jessa asks, uncertainty in her voice.

“Spend as much time with each other as possible today.” Leeteuk replies, applying more salve to the claim. “I’d suggest skin ship too, but if you are uncomfortable touching each other, just being close will help.”

Jessa glances up and sees Kyuhyun has disappeared into the bathroom to give her and Leeteuk some privacy. It calms her a little and she remains quiet while Leeteuk finishes putting the salve on. “I’ll send Kangin up with some food later for you.” Leeteuk says, capping the jar. “Until the bond settles more and you take a shower, I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to come out among the rest of the Pack.”

“Of course.” Jessa nods, realizing that she probably reeks of Kyuhyun at the moment, her own scent being overpowered by her new mate.

“I’ll also send up some books for you to read on what it means to be a mated pair and basics for wolves.” Leeteuk adds, remembering that most of her wolf knowledge came from outside sources. “It’ll help fill gaps in your knowledge and give you some insight on things, and some clothes.”

“Thank you, Leeteuk.” Jessa says, looking up at him and finding that he’s got a soft look on his face.

Leeteuk nods once, seeing that Jessa’s not completely downtrodden by the sudden change of events. He stands up from the bed, ruffling her hair with his clean hand as he sets the jar of salve on Kyuhyun’s desk. “Make sure you reapply the salve after your shower, and every 3 or 4 hours for the next week to keep it from getting infected.”

Once Leeteuk leaves the room, Kyuhyun steps out of the bathroom, his hair damp, and the scent of his soap invades the room. Jessa sighs and leans back against the headboard. She knows in truth that she couldn’t have found a better person to be her mate, though she’s still sore about the fact they didn’t discuss it before their animalistic urges overrode their sanity.

Jessa’s been around the world and back enough times to know that when her druidic nature wants something, she gets it, no matter the cost. She’s not as in tune with her druidic nature when it’s not full moon nights like her elders in the clan and…

“.” Jessa face palms herself, feeling like dirt as she sinks into the bedding.

“You ok?” Kyuhyun asks, voice tender and soft.

“I need to call my clan leader.” She tells him, refusing to peak out from her hand as she can practically hear him slipping into some clean clothes.

“Is your phone in your room?” Kyuhyun asks, his voice much closer to her than before.

Jessa nods. “It’s on the dresser charging.”

“I can go get it and some breakfast for us if you want the privacy to take a shower?” Kyuhyun offers. He already knows that Jessa’s been told not to leave the room.

“Please?” Jessa asks, keeping her face hidden.

Kyuhyun wants to touch her, lean over and see her embarrassed face and kiss her before going to get the things she’s requesting, but he eyes her body posture and decides that they are better off starting slowly. He’s pretty sure that Jessa is not as in touch with her spirit wolf at the moment and so the basic instincts to strengthen their bond won’t be as known to her. He quells the desire to kiss her and walks to the door. “I’ll be back in a little bit.” He murmurs loud enough for her to hear before slipping out into the cool air of the hallway, shutting the door firmly behind him.

A/N: Sorry I was intending to have this up yesterday (1/27) but I ended up having to wait b/c the hubby put a new router in (our old one was...well starting to fail), and then I got into 4 episodes of Joseon Gunman (Lee Joon Ki speaking in Japanese is kind of hot!). I'm up to episode 19 and I'm so damn sick of everyone trying to kill off Joon Ki's character that I'm suprised I'm actually going to finish watching the series. 

Anyway! So today was spent catching up on sleep and then I had to do admin stuff for some Minecraft servers we run for the Anime convention we volunteer for which time cuz it's Minecraft. So now it's nearly 1am my time and this note has gone on long enough. Don't forget to let me know what you think and HI to all my lovely subbies and those who comment!