A/N: I'm sorry for the late and short update. I'm burdened with university and as a second year dental student, life is getting more and more hectic. I try to find little time here and there, when I don't feel like collapsing in exhaustion, to work on this story. I plan on writing a back story for all the members. In the mean time, do enjoy this chapter :)

Nineteen year old No Minwoo joined the pack a little over four years ago when he was a still a pup. He was abandoned by his previous pack after they deemed him too weak and left him to fend for himself. Donghyun found him wandering in the forest a week later, scared and starving, and promptly brought him back to their den. Once he had gained back his strength, Minwoo trained hard with the pack to prove that he was anything but weak, albeit Donghyun's countless reasurrance that no, he didn't need to prove anything to them. He used his small size to his advantage and became the most agile wolf in the pack, moreso than the twins.

Thus, being confined in a library with nothing to do but read books caused Minwoo to become restless. He kept glancing out the window towards the open field, itching to let his wolf loose and run. It had been a week since he had visited the forest due to Donghyun’s somewhat overbearing protectiveness. With a sigh, Minwoo averted his gaze back to the book in front of him.

‘Why did I ever agree to go to a library?’

He had collected several books about mythological creatures and went to a secluded corner to study them. This was his sixth book and not a clue could be found about murderous witches killing werewolves.

‘Maybe I should just go home. Donghyun hyung wouldn’t want me to be out so late.’ He shook his head at the thought. ‘No, I shouldn’t give up! Who else is going to do the research if not me? The twins? Pfftt.’

Minwoo set the book down and picked up the seventh and last book of his pile: Le Petit Chaperon Rouge. He skimmed past the yellowing pages and finally stopped when he came across an intriguing paragraph.

Little red riding hood and her grandmother, having survived the initial attack, were furious with the wolves. They spent nights in the cabin coming up with an elaborate plan to kill any wolves that dared to harm them again. Thus, when another hungry wolf set his eyes on little red riding hood as his next meal, they put their plans into action. Little red riding hood made her path to the cabin obvious and easy to track. Her grandmother prepared a cauldron full of water that was boiled with sausages and placed it directly beneath the chimney. The wolf, being lured by the smell of the sausages, climbed down the chimney. He fell  straight into the boiling cauldron and drowned.

Minwoo frowned as he reread the passage. He never knew that the little red riding hood killed wolves. Though this book might just be a work of fiction, exaggerated after passing down from generation to generation but nonetheless, it was still a clue that might shed some light into their current situation.

Rising from his hideaway, Minwoo rushed to the librarian to borrow the book. He looked around for Masie but found the floor to be empty. They had promised ealier to meet each other at the front desk after separating in the library.

It’s getting dark; I can’t wait for her. Donghyun hyung will be so mad.

He turned to the librarian. “Excuse me ma’am, but if you see a brunette girl in a white dress, can you tell her that I have to go home?”

The woman raised her eyebrows at him. “Oh you mean the girl that walked in with you?” Minwoo nodded.

“She ran out of the library thirty minutes ago, despite the rules clearly saying absolutely no running in this building.”

Minwoo was shocked to hear her statement. Why didn’t Masie wait for him? And why was she in such a hurry? He decided not to ponder anymore. Grabbing the book, Minwoo made his way back home.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sun had just set when Minwoo arrived. He saw the boys, minus Donghyun, sprawled out in the living room.

“Hey, did you guys just get home?” he asked, clutching the book close to his body.

“Not really, we came back about an hour ago. Surprised to see the den empty,” Kwangmin who was perched on the coffee table watching TV, answered. It was a really bad habit of his to be sitting so close to the TV, Minwoo noted. His twin, however, was seated on the back of the sofa. Minwoo huffed in exasperation when he saw Youngmin's boots on the seat.

"Yah, Donghyun hyung will be so pissed if he saw your dirty shoes on the couch," he warned. Youngmin rolled his eyes but due to fearing their strict leader, followed Minwoo's warning and removed his shoes.

The youngest wolf smiled and turned to search for Donghyun when Kwangmin's words suddenly registered in his mind.

“Wait, Donghyun hyung isn’t back yet?” Minwoo frowned in confusion. He shouldn’t have taken that long to buy meat. It was only 10 minutes away by foot.

“Nope,” Kwangmin responded distractedly.

With a pout, Minwoo collapsed onto an old arm chair while still clutching onto the book. He was really hoping to discuss this matter with the leader as soon as possible.

Hyunseong, who was playing with cheese balls, looked up at the noise the boy made and saw the red book in his hands. “What’s that Minwoo?” he pointed out.

Minwoo quickly hid the book under the cushions. “Uh just some research,” he answered while laughing innocently. Instantly he regretted his choice of words when four heads swivelled around to stare at him. He maintained his innocent smile.

“Well?” Hyunseong prompted. “What kind of research?”

“Oh just, you know, about recent uh, events,” he answered nervously. It wasn’t that Minwoo did not want to share about his findings with the members, but he needed to consult with Donghyun first, to avoid making a fool out of himself. That certainly had happened on more than one occasions.

Thankfully, Hyunseong just shook his head and went back to throwing his snack around. The rest of the members too lost interest in him and resumed their previous activities. Silence filled the room with the exception of the sound from the TV. It was then that Minwoo noticed that the boys looked quite forlorn.

“How was the run?” he asked. “I wished I could’ve joined you guys. Did you meet the noonas?”

Suddenly, the room was surrounded by a tense atmosphere. Jeongmin released an uncharacteristic sigh while ruffling his hair. “We couldn’t get into contact with the Sistar pack. We've searched everywhere and there wasn’t even any trace of their scent in the forest.”

A bone-chilling fear struck Minwoo. Where had their sisters gone to? “Do you think they moved?” he voiced out.

“They wouldn’t have moved without telling us first,” Hyunseong retorted. He fiddled with the ring adorning his finger. “Especially not without telling me. I’m just so worried.”

Speaking of worries, Minwoo glanced at the clock, noting that almost an hour had passed since he had arrived and still no signs of Donghyun. He was getting really worried and combined with the news about Sistar’s disappearance, Minwoo was ready to break down. He took a deep breath and willed away the panic rising within him. This was not the time nor situation to be a baby.

Fifteen minutes passed and the fear that Minwoo tried so hard to quell resurfaced. He was about to suggest to the other boys to go find Donghyun when his sensitive ears heard the sound of iron gates opening. He leaned back into his chair, a small relieved smile gracing his lips.

“Donghyun hyung, where have you--”
 

Minwoo’s words died on his lips once he saw Donghyun’s face. His eyes were glowing and burned with rage and his large fangs were bared, with traces of blood on them. Minwoo’s eyes shifted downwards and saw a crumpled paper in his grip.

The older man strode into the room, all but calm. Much to everyone’s surprise, Donghyun threw a paper onto the ground while screaming in rage. Minwoo, having never witnessed their leader in such a state, froze in shock.

“Hyung,” he whispered fearfully. Minwoo continued to watch as Kwangmin picked up the paper by his feet and read it. The boy’s already wide eyes enlarged further.

“Not another one, hyung!” Kwangmin gasped out in horror. “Another wolf killed!”

“Read carefully, it was not just a wolf. It was Bora,” Donghyun snarled. Kwangmin reread the headline. A corpse with BF mark. He glanced down at the same initials tattooed on his right wrist. Immediately his face contorted with rage. He let out a growl, feeling the fires of fury coursing through his veins.

Minwoo couldn’t believe his ears. Bora? Yoon Bora? The cheerful noona who always attended to his needs? The same smiling noona who had nursed him back to health? Killed? Slowly he got out of his seat, intended to read the paper himself but he was pushed out of the way by Hyunseong. He all but snatched the paper from Kwangmin and studied the pictures with pure horror.

“No no no, it’s not true,” he breathed. “She can’t be dead, hyung. You don’t know for sure if it was her.”

Donghyun closed the distance between them and grasped his shoulders. “I went to the site, Hyunseong. It was her blood,” he spoke gently but firmly.

Hyunseong collapsed to his hands and knees, his breathing labored. He then threw his head back and released a sorrowful howl. The rest of the wolves, stirred by their instinct, joined his howl and together, created an anguishing melody to mourn for the loss of a sister and for one person, a lover.

To be continued