Hyuk sat on the ground in his wolf form. He was so young, only five years old, and yet he’d already witnessed so much pain and suffering. He’d seen most of his pack killed by hunters, his father dying right before his eyes as he hid in a hollow tree with his older sibling. That older sibling had died a few days before after getting her foot stuck in a trap. She’d chewed off her own foot to get free, but the blood loss had left her too weak to escape the hunter that come. She’d told Hyuk to run and he had, something he would never be proud of.

Now, he was alone. He was too young to hunt for any kind of game and berries couldn’t give him all the nutrients he needed in order to stay healthy or at least alive. For a werewolf so young, it was both amazing and sad that he knew exactly what kind of fate was in store for him. he knew he would die, that he was going to join his family in the afterlife. and yet, even knowing this he didn’t want to just give up. he couldn’t give up after everything that had happened, after his family had given up their own lives for his. That would disrespect their memory.

With a small sigh, he got up and started walking. He remembered seeing a human building not far from where he had slept the night before and that the scent of human was very fresh. If the humans had recently been there, that meant that there might be leftover food in their garbage cans. Even though he knew the chances of getting caught were high, he had to risk it. If he didn’t, he’d die.

Carefully, Hyuk made his way through the clearing surrounding the building. Every couple of steps, he sniffed the air. The scent of human was so fresh that he was willing to bet that the humans were just inside the house. A part of him wanted to just turn back, but another part – the hungry part – wanted food so badly that it didn’t care about the risk. The hungry part was larger so Hyuk kept making his way over to the garbage cans.

“What’s this?” Hyuk heard a human say only moments after he’d started looking through the trash can, “Hey, Yong Guk! Come see this.”

“What’s going on?” asked another human, making his way over to the first just in time to see Hyuk struggling to get out of the trash can so that he could run away.

The second human rushed over and Hyuk froze in fear. Carefully, the second human – Yong Guk was it? – lifted Hyuk out of the trash and held him up. Yong Guk looked Hyuk over carefully, frowning deeply when he realized how young and thin the pup was

“What are you going to do?” the first human asked.

“I think he’s an orphan,” Yong Guk explained, holding Hyuk close to his chest and turning to go inside, “he needs to eat.”

“So we feed him,” the first human said, “then what?”

“He’s too young to be on his own,” Yong Guk replied, “and I don’t know about any wild animal rescue places around here.”

“We can look after him!” the first man suggested, looking rather proud of himself for thinking of such an idea.

“We’ll have to,” Yong Guk nodded, “we can’t let him die.”

Silently, Hyuk listened to the two humans talk. They didn’t seem like bad humans and they were talking about feeding him and taking care of him. The only down side was that they thought he was a wolf pup. If they knew what he really was……they probably wouldn’t be so helpful.

The humans took him inside the building and Hyuk was greeted to the sight of four young children. The children were quick to show interest in him and soon he was playing with them. For the first time in a while him, he felt happy. By the time he fell asleep on Yong Guk’s bed, he felt happier and fuller then he had in what felt like forever. Smiling slightly, he decided that he’d pretend to be a real wolf for these humans. It sounded selfish, but he didn’t want to lose the feeling of happy he got from being around them.

The last thing he heard before finally drifting off to sleep was Yong Guk promising to keep him.

--

Ken ran, paws pounding against the ground as he pushed himself to go faster. He could hear the hunters chasing him, getting closer and closer with every passing minute. The younger werewolf had no idea what to do, how to get away for the people trying to kill him. his pack brothers had told him countless times that running alone was dangerous, but he hadn’t listened. Now that was going to cost him his life.

Ken was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the hill until he was rolling down it. The werewolf rolled and rolled, hitting countless rocks and bushes on his way down, until he hit the bottom. He let out a small whine, trying to get up. he had to get up or he would die.

Suddenly, something was pulling him away. Ken was in too much pain from his fall to put up a fight, so he allowed himself to be dragged around. The thing that dragged him lead him to a small cave, hidden by a think bush not far from where Ken had landed. The thing gently pushed Ken farther into the cave before letting go.

“You can change.”

Ken turned to find a young boy sitting behind him. For a moment, he panicked. How did the boy know what he was? But then everything clicked in his mind. The boy was like him, a werewolf. Silently hesitant of the pain it would cause him, Ken changed back into his human form.

“Thank you,” he bowed slightly, “you saved my life.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” the boy shrugged, “if they killed you, others might come around here looking for more werewolves. Call it self-preservation.”

“Oh,” Ken frowned slightly, a bit put off by the other’s response, “um, I’m Ken.”

“Hyuk,” the boy, Hyuk, nodded slightly in greeting, “what are you doing out here alone? You smell like a pack. A pack that’s scent isn’t from this area of the forest.”

“Um,” Ken looked down, embarrassed, “I wanted to try running by myself. Just to see what it was like. I guess it didn’t go too well, did it?”

“Nope,” Hyuk laughed a little before going silent, “they’re close. Keep your mouth shut.”

Ken nodded before going quiet. He tried to breath as little as possible, scared that the noise would alert the hunters to their location. The pair listened as the hunters as they walked by, chatting about sticking around the area in hopes of catching the wolf they had been chasing. Ken felt horrible. His pack didn’t live around here, but Hyuk’s did. Because he’d wanted to run alone so badly, he’d put a whole other pack in danger.

“Get out of here,” Hyuk sighed a few hours later when he was sure the hunters were gone.

“I’m sorry,” Ken bowed his head, “I led them here.”

“You’re right,” Hyuk nodded, “this is your fault. That’s why I want you out of here. So you don’t cause any more trouble.”

That hurt Ken a little bit even though it wasn’t exactly an unfounded statement. The words also lit a fire in him. He needed to help Hyuk, needed to make his mistakes right. He couldn’t just run back home with his tail between his legs, letting someone else fix what he had messed up. He just couldn’t make himself do that.

“I can help!” Ken cried, following closely behind Hyuk as the other exited the cave.

“You want to help?” Hyuk questioned, earning a nod from Ken.

Ken wasn’t sure if he liked the smirk that appeared on Hyuk’s face.

--

Ken ran, paws pounding against the ground as he silently prayed Hyuk had completed his part of the plan. He was getting tired and the hunters were getting closer. From the corner of his eye, Ken caught sight of Hyuk who nodded, signaling that he’d finished his part of the plan.

Ken headed to where Hyuk had told him earlier to go, dodging the net Hyuk had set up carefully so as not to let the hunters behind him realize anything was wrong. Sure enough, the hunters set off the net. Ken slowed down and watched as the net went up with the men inside. The men started to fight, but a gun shot rang out causing them to freeze.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” asked a man Ken hadn’t seen before, lowering his hand gun that he had fired into the air.

The men in the net were silent, knowing that the new guy knew exactly what they had been doing. Ken watched as Hyuk walked up to the new guy and sat down beside him. The guy patted Hyuk’s head before returning his attention to the hunters.

“Gentlemen,” the guy smirked darkly, “you know that this is a national park, correct? Hunting on these grounds is illegal. You know this, right? And yet here you are, doing exactly that. Hyuk, why don’t you help that wolf over there, get him out of here.”

Hyuk nodded before walking over to Ken and leading the werewolf away. Ken glanced back at the man, trying to figure out why he would help them. he just could not understand why a human would help what it thought were a couple of wolves. Clearly Hyuk knew the guy, so Ken decided to trust him. with one last look, Ken followed Hyuk away from the man and the hunters.

--

The pair of werewolves, now in their human forms, walked in silence.

“Who was that guy?” Ken asked, losing the battle with his curiosity.

“That was Yong Guk,” Hyuk explained, “He’s the park ranger. Well, one of them. Himchan and Daehyun aren’t here today. Yong Guk wasn’t about to let Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo come with him in case those loser hunters had guns and decided they wanted to kill some humans, so they stayed back at the base and called the cops.”

“You’re friends with humans?” Ken gasped.

Hyuk just shrugged. Silence fell again and Ken looked around as if trying to find something he could talk about. He wanted to know more about the other werewolf, but Hyuk didn’t exactly seem too open to the idea of sharing information.

“We make a good team,” Ken finally said, “we caught those hunters together, right?”

“Sure,” Hyuk said as he came to a stop, “we’re at the edge of your packs territory.”

“Oh,” Ken looked around and realized that they were, in fact, right where Hyuk said they were.

That…….kind of really . Hyuk had gotten him home, as promised, which was good because otherwise he’d be lost. But being home meant that Hyuk would be leaving, returning to his own home. Ken didn’t like that, didn’t like the idea that he might not see Hyuk ever again which was kind of crazy since he’d only just met him a few hours prior and knew next to nothing about him.

“Go home,” Hyuk said before starting to walk away, “you’ve got some pack brothers coming this way.

“Um,” Ken watched as Hyuk started walking away, “thank you for helping me.”

“Whatever,” Hyuk called back, not even bothering to look back. That stung more than Ken thought it would.

“Ken!” Ken glanced away from Hyuk to find his closest friends running over to him.

“Where have you been?” N demanded, “We were worried.”

“Who was that?” Hongbin asked, pointing towards Hyuk.

“I was chased by some hunters,” Ken explained, not liking how N and Leo’s eyes darkened in anger upon hearing that, “and he helped me. His name is Hyuk.”

“Why would a rouge help you?” Ravi asked and Ken blinked in confusion.

“Rouge?” Ken whispered to himself, turning back to see Hyuk’s back as it vanished between the trees and bushes of the forest.

Ken had never met a rouge before, so maybe that was why he had no idea that Hyuk was one. Yet, it also made a lot of sence. After all, Hyuk had human friends and werewolves – in Ken’s experience anyway – hated associating with humans. For a rouge – a werewolf without a pack – associating with humans much not be that big a deal.

“You didn’t notice?” N questioned.

“No,” Ken shook his head, “everything was a little crazy to really pay attention to that.”

“Did he try to take you with him?” Hongbin questioned, incredibly curious since he’d never met a rouge either, “did he want to steal you from our pack and mate with you?”

“What?” Ken gaped, “No! Nothing like that. Hyuk helped me get away from the hunters chasing me and brought me back here when they were gone since I didn’t know the way back. That’s it.”

“Really?” Hongbin blinked, “weird. The alpha always says that rouges are always trying stuff like that.”

“Maybe Hyuk’s different,” Ken suggested, glancing off in the direction Hyuk had gone, “he was really nice.”

“If you say so,” N sighed, glancing off in the same direction as Ken, “maybe he just wasn’t interested because you’re a male.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Ken questioned, not liking the idea of Hyuk not wanting him but unsure why.

“You’re a guy,” Leo rolled his eyes, “last time I checked, you can’t give birth.”

“Oh,” Ken blushed, more than a little embarrassed to have forgotten something like that.

Actually, that made him kind of sad. He couldn’t explain it, but the idea that Hyuk wouldn’t want him because he had the wrong parts really made him want to cry. It made no sence, not when he’d only just met the other. And yet Ken didn’t feel like questioning his feelings. Maybe meeting Hyuk again would explain why he felt the way he did. Or maybe it wouldn’t. Ken found that he really didn’t care so long as he got to see Hyuk again.

“Let’s go,” N said, “the alpha wants to see you.”

“Alright,” Ken nodded, following the others after taking on last look at the last place he’s seen Hyuk.

--

“I’m back,” Hyuk called, shutting the door behind him.

“Welcome home,” Jongup smiled, looking up from whatever he was cooking.

“You were gone for a while,” Youngjae observed, “Yong Guk hyung came back an hour ago.”

“I was helping someone find their way home,” Hyuk shrugged.

“Someone?” Yong Guk raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye, “that someone wouldn’t happen to be a cute little wolf, now would it?”

“He’s a werewolf,” Hyuk shrugged, “he couldn’t find his own way back so I helped him. better that then have him wandering around lost.”

“Oh,” Youngjae frowned, “he’s from that trouble pack?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, grabbing an apple from the bowl of fruit sitting on the kitchen counter, “figured it was better if he made it home before they sent out search parties.”

“Good move,” Yong Guk nodded, “and thanks for the help with those hunters.”

“Happy to help,” Hyuk smiled.

He started to say something else when the scent of blood hit his nose. He rushed to the door, throwing it open to find a couple of his shifter friends making their way to the door from the forest. Luhan – a deer shifter – was supporting Lay – another deer shifter – who was bleeding.

“,” Yong Guk said, coming up behind Hyuk to see what was wrong, “Jongup! Get your stuff, Lay needs help.”

The werewolf helped his friends inside and stood off to the side, watching Jongup stitch Lay’s bullet wound up. Hyuk bit back a growl, knowing that Lay’s condition was the fault of the werewolf pack, Ken’s pack. Their actions were bringing hunters to the area and that put everyone else at risk. The hunters he’d saved Ken from were the third group that month alone.

“Thank you,” Luhan smiled at the humans and werewolf, “it means a lot.”

“No problem,” Yong Guk smiled back, “happy to help.”

Hyuk bit back a comment about how getting rid of the werewolves would help even more. Not because he knew hearing it would upset Yong Guk like it always did, but because as soon as he thought it he got a flash of Ken’s face in his mind and just couldn’t say the words. It was stupid and Hyuk didn’t understand it in the slightest, but he didn’t want the werewolf he’d met to go far far away. It might be for the best for everyone if pack was gone, but Hyuk really didn’t like the idea of Ken being gone too.

--

Leaving his packs territory was against the rules. Well, it was after Ken’s last experience leaving. The leader of the pack was beyond furious with Ken and had forbidden anyone from leaving without permission. Ken knew he’d get in serious trouble, even more than normal because he’d taken his friends along with him, but he had to see Hyuk again. If anyone found out he’d left, that he had gone against the alpha and talked his friends into going with him, he’d probably be run out of the pack or worse.

Heck, if anyone found out he’d left to go find a rouge he’d probably have his throat ripped out. But the rouge had saved his life and helped him get home and he had no idea why. Rouges liked to stay clear of pack werewolves and they never helped out a pack no matter what kind of danger the pack was in. the only time they did anything with a pack werewolf was when they were trying to steal a female away so they could grow their own pack. Well, that’s what Ken had been told anyway. So, that raised the question of why Hyuk had helped him.

“This is stupid,” N sighed, taking a seat on the ground behind Ken.

“No it’s not,” Ken argued, “we’ll find him.”

“You don’t know where he is,” Ravi pointed out, “the forest is massive and he’s one werewolf. It will take ages for us to find him.”

“Not if we,” Ken started to suggest, only for Leo to cut him off.

“We are not going to slip up,” the second oldest said, “Not after what happened the last time you went off alone.”

“That wouldn’t happen this time,” the group of five turned to see Hyuk making his way over to them, “there aren’t any hunters around here. Yong Guk hyung made sure of that.”

“Yong Guk hyung?” Hongbin looked at the rouge with blatant curiosity, “but you don’t smell like a pack werewolf.”

“He smells like humans,” Leo growled, glaring slightly at the new arrival.

“That’s because I live with them,” Hyuk rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “I thought that much was obvious.”

“Hi!” Ken grinned, rushing over to Hyuk, “we’ve been looking for you.” he flashed the rouge his best smile, internally pouting when Hyuk didn’t return the act.

“Why?” Hyuk questioned before a look of comprehension appeared on his face closely followed by anger, “I’m not going to join your pack if that’s what you want. I’m fine with my humans.”

“You’re a pet?” N questioned, “I mean, you called them your humans. That has to mean that you’re their pet.”

Hyuk tried to supress the growl bubbling up when he saw the five werewolves looking him over for a collar. He was no pet, he was family. Yong Guk and the others made sure he knew that every day. Jongup and Zelo even called him their brother. But these werewolves had to right to know that. They had no right to know anything about him.

“So what if I am?” Hyuk glared, “My humans are park rangers. They look after this whole area. Including your pack’s territory. You ever wonder why you never have to run from hunters every other week? That’s because Yong Guk hyung and Himchan hyung keep them out. I help them, protect the forest and everything that lives here. If that makes me a pet, then it’s better that whatever the heck you are.”

“And what does that mean?” Leo growled, getting right in Hyuk’s face.

“You and your pack are always leaving messes,” Hyuk scoffed, “those hunters only came here because of you. Yong Guk hyung can only do so much to keep your kind hidden from the general populace. And that’s not even taking into account what kind of terror you inflict on the other animals who live here.”

“What are you talking about?” N asked, stepping in between Leo and Hyuk in an attempt to keep them from killing each other. he wouldn’t put it past Leo to take a swing at Hyuk, anger over what was being said blinding him, and he had no idea what Hyuk would do.

“You always kill way more that you need,” Hyuk explained, turning his glare on the entire group, “just last month, you killed fifteen deer. Fifteen! You’re pack doesn’t need that many in one go. And I know because if you did need it you wouldn’t have left so many bodies behind. Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to keep the other groups of deer in the area from leaving? Thank god I grew up with Luhan hyung or they would all be gone.”

“Luhan?” Hongbin asked, instantly regretting turning the rouge’s attention onto himself.

“He’s a deer shifter,” Hyuk explained, voice getting a little softer after seeing Hongbin flinch. It was a harmless question, too. “Luhan is the leader of the largest group of deer, even though he’s not actually a deer.”

“Oh,” Hongbin nodded. He’d never thought that there were more than just werewolves in the world. It was a little mind blowing to find out that there were other shifters out there, that there could be hundreds in the world.

“Look,” Hyuk sighed, “on behalf of everyone else who lives here, leave. Get all of your and just leave. I don’t care where you go, but I know I don’t want to clean up your mess anymore.”

“We can’t just leave,” N tried to argue as Hyuk turned to leave, “where would we go? This is our home.”

“I said I didn’t care,” Hyuk called back, “and I don’t think you’ll find a single person or animal around here who cares either. Those hunters, the ones who came here because of your pack, almost killed some of the other shifters who call this forest home. If it wasn’t for Jonguppy, Lay hyung would be dead right now.” Hyuk took a few more steps before turning to look back at the group, “and yet your pack didn’t even lose a single drop of blood. Funny that.”

“I didn’t know,” Ken said softly, looking down in shame. The others nodded, feeling so very stupid for not knowing any of this. They’d been too stupid, so thoughtless. They deserved every cruel word Hyuk could throw at them.

“Look,” Hyuk sighed, looking a little reluctant to say anything as he turned around and started walking back over to the five werewolves, “if you just change how your pack does things, if you start following the rules everyone else follows, start respecting the others who live here, than there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Ok,” Ken smiled, “we’ll get our pack to stop breaking the rules. We’ll make everything alright.”

“Whatever,” Hyuk shrugged, turning to leave without another word.

“Let’s go home,” N suggested, “we need to tell the Alpha about all of this.” he silently prayed that the alpha would listen, that he wouldn’t get too upset with them for disobeying his orders and completely ignore anything they said.

The others turned and followed the oldest, but Ken continued to watch Hyuk. The rouge seemed to realize someone was watching him and turned to find Ken staring at him. He paused for a moment before given Ken a nod and continuing to walk away. Ken smiled a little when the retreating werewolf nodded at him. Silently, he wondered if there were any actual rules against making friends with the rouge. If there were……well, Ken decided he wouldn’t mind breaking those rules so long as it was Hyuk he was breaking them for.

Hyuk was a big mystery to Ken and he wanted to solve it. He wanted to know how Hyuk became a rouge and how he’d come to live with Yong Guk and the rest of his humans. He wanted to know why Hyuk always seemed so cold, yet clearly cared about those living in the forest. He wanted to know what Hyuk did for fun and what his favorite food was. He’d given up trying to figure out why he felt that way, he just gave in to the need to know.

That night, after getting chewed out by the alpha, Ken fell asleep dreaming about becoming friends with Hyuk.

--

Hyuk scowled slightly as he looked up at the watch tower standing before him, half finished.

“Don’t frown,” Yong Guk sighed, patting Hyuk’s shoulder, “you don’t look cute when you do.”

“It’s an eye sore,” Hyuk replied, “it’s just…..it’s so ugly.”

“We need it,” Himchan pointed out, joining the pair as they watched the construction, “having you and the others shifters like Lay and Luhan around is great, but if you guys find a serious problem you can’t instantly alert us. You have to run to find us and that takes time, very valuable time.”

“He’s right,” Yong Guk nodded, “what if there’s a fire? We can see it from the tower long before any of you can run to the house or station and tell us.”

“And it’s dangerous,” Himchan finished, “I don’t want to risk any of you getting hurt by fire and smoke because you got too close or couldn’t outrun the flames.”

“Fine,” Hyuk pouted, “but it’s still ugly. Can’t you paint it or something?”

“Seriously?” Yong Guk gave Hyuk a look, “do you see how tall that thing is? Do you know how much time that would take? And money! I’m not made of money, you bratty pup.”

“Fine,” Hyuk sighed, “then let it stay ugly.”

“Oh,” Himchan suddenly pointed to a break in the tree line, “we’ve got a visitor.”

“Again?” Hyuk scowled when he noticed a familiar wolf watching from where Himchan had pointed, “Doesn’t he have anything better to do?”

“Apparently,” Yong Guk laughed, “no.”

“Go talk to him, Hyukkie,” Himchan encouraged, lightly pushing the werewolf in the direction of the wolf, “he came all this way for you.”

“He didn’t come that far,” Hyuk muttered, walking away to join Daehyun and the boys, “we’re right on the edge of his pack’s territory.”

“He’s back?” Daehyun asked when he overheard the werewolf’s muttering.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, trying to ignore the little flash of joy that came with knowing Ken kept coming back to see him.

“He’s dedicated,” Daehyun laughed, “I’ll give him that.”

“I’m with Hyuk on this,” Youngjae spoke up, “he’s getting annoying.” The youngest two boys, Jongup and Zelo, kept silent, just observing the older boys talking about how Ken was either cute or annoying.

“Hyuk should talk to him,” Jongup finally said, “then, if he still wants him to go, he might leave.”

“I hate when you’re right,” Hyuk grumbled before stalking off in Ken’s direction.

He walked right past the other werewolf, trusting him to follow. And, like Hyuk predicted, Ken did exactly that. Ken didn’t stop following until Hyuk felt that they were far enough away from the construction site that they wouldn’t be seen by any of the workers. He told Ken to change and the other did exactly that.

“I didn’t realize your humans knew what you were,” was the first thing Ken said.

“They’ve known since I was ten,” Hyuk shrugged, “worked out for the betterment of everyone involved.”

“How did they find out?” Ken asked, not really expecting an answer.

“I changed by accident,” Hyuk replied, avoiding looking at Ken who smiled brightly when he answered, “I was playing with Daehyun and the boys and just…..got carried away. it was fine, I’m family, but for a minute there I really thought I was going to lose my family.” Ken thought he heard Hyuk say ‘again,’ but didn’t ask. He wasn’t going to press his luck when it came to Hyuk talking to him and answering his questions.

“What are you building?” Ken asked, “It looks really big.”

“Watch tower,” Hyuk scoffed, “you should have heard us talking about it. Are your ears just there for show?” he pulled softly on one of Ken’s heard, smiling slightly when Ken shouted in protest.

“I heard,” Ken looked down slightly, “but I didn’t understand what a watch tower was.”

Hyuk bit his tongue, fighting to keep any harsh words from slipping out. Normally, he wouldn’t bother keeping such comments back. But around Ken…..he felt compelled to hold back. If he didn’t, Ken got this kicked puppy look and Hyuk hated seeing it. He originally decided that this was because Ken reminded him a lot of Jongup, so he treated the werewolf the same way he treated his sweet baby brother. But as time went by, Ken reminded him less and less of Jongup so he couldn’t explain it as that.

“Yong Guk and Himchan are going to use the watch tower to watch over the forest,” Hyuk explained with a sigh, “it’s so tall that they’ll be able to see things like fires and junk like that right away. It’s going to have a phone line so they can call the right people, like firefighters, as soon as they spot trouble.”

“That sounds cool,” Ken smiled, trying to pretend like he understood what Hyuk was talking about.

Hyuk sighed, trying hard to keep any sarcastic comments from slipping out. Calmly, he tried to explain once more what the tower was and why it was important until Ken finally understood.

“Sorry,” Ken smiled shyly, “I’ve grown up in these woods. I don’t know what all of these things are. I’ve never used a phone or seen a firefighter. Until I met you, I just stayed at home with my pack. You’re humans are the first I’ve ever seen.”

“Seriously?” Hyuk blinked, clearly surprised, “you’ve never left the forest?”

“No,” Ken shook his head, “never.”

“Then I’ll take you sometime,” Hyuk replied thoughtfully, “the next time Yong Guk goes into town, I’ll take you with us.”

“Really?” Ken smiled brightly, overjoyed at the idea of seeing the world outside of his packs territory.

“Sure,” Hyuk shrugged, “Youngjae was complaining about the refrigerator running on empty last night, so there’s probably going to be a supply run in a couple of days.”

“Thank you!” Ken laughed, pulling Hyuk into a hug. The other werewolf rolled his eyes before trying to free himself from Ken’s hold.

“Um,” Ken pulled back, looking more than a little reluctant to ask, “you’re a rouge, right?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “why?”

“Well,” Ken looked away slightly, “why haven’t you made a pack of your own? The alpha always says that rouges want to makes their own packs, so they’ll steal females from existing packs.”

“I don’t need a pack,” Hyuk shrugged, “I have my family and that’s all I need.”

“Oh,” Ken felt himself smile slightly, “that’s…..really sweet.”

“So,” Hyuk sighed, “why do you keep coming here? You’re pack can’t be too happy about it.”

“They don’t know,” Ken giggled, blushing slightly in embarrassment, “I snuck out here with the help of my friends.”

“You shouldn’t do that,” Hyuk frowned, “you’ll get yourself kicked out of your pack or worse.”

“I’ll be ok,” Ken smiled, “so long as they don’t find out, I’ll be alright.”

“You’re living dangerously,” Hyuk laughed.

Ken smiled to himself, happy that he’d made Hyuk laugh. he decided that he liked the sound of the other werewolf laughing, like seeing his smile. He resolved to do everything he could to make Hyuk smile and laugh more in the future.

--

“Hyukkie!” Ken called, rushing to hug the other.

At the last second, Hyuk moved out of the way. Before Ken could fall, Hyuk wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him up. Ken pouted, complaining about not getting to hug Hyuk but he enjoyed having Hyuk’s arm around him even more.

“What brings you here?” Yong Guk asked, making his way over to the pair.

“Hyuk said I could come with you to the city,” Ken grinned before frowning slightly, “didn’t he tell you?”

“He did,” Yong Guk assured the werewolf, “I was just playing, Ken. Hyuk, why don’t you get Ken all set? Himchan and Jongup are adding a couple things to the grocery list, so I’ll be out once they’re done.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, taking Ken’s hand and leading him to the van. Glancing back, Hyuk noticed the blush on Ken’s face, but he didn’t say a word about it.

“Ok,” Ken grinned when he saw the van, “how do we ride it?”

“First,” Hyuk passed Ken some cloths, “put these on. You might be able to run around here in nothing or close to it, but you need actual cloths where we’re going.”

Ken pouted, but got dressed anyway. He struggled a little bit, not used to actual clothing, but figured it out without needing Hyuk’s help. That made Ken grin with pride, especially when Hyuk praised him. It took a few minutes to get Ken situated in the van, but they got it done by the time Yong Guk came back. Ken decided that he really hated cars. The seatbelt might keep him safe – at least, that’s what Hyuk said – but it was so tight and made Ken feel trapped. The cloths were just as confining, but Ken could deal with them since Hyuk had told him he looked good in them.

“Ok,” Yong Guk said around an hour later, pulling into a parking space, “I can get everything we need by myself. Hyuk, why don’t you show Ken around?”

“Ok,” Hyuk nodded, helping Ken out of the car, “when do you want us to be back?”

“I’ll text you,” Yong Guk decided, “just don’t stray too far, alright? And be careful.”

With that, Yong Guk headed one way and Hyuk lead Ken another. The pair walked to the park in silence, Hyuk letting Ken take in everything the pack werewolf couldn’t believe just how many people there were walking around. While he could do without the small of car exhaust, he loved everything else. The city was so full of life and noise, things his own pack lacked. Well, in comparison to the city anyway. Back home, there were less people and not nearly enough things to make noise. Here in the city there was plenty of everything.

“Wait here,” Hyuk said, coming to a sudden stop, “I’ll be right back.”

Ken nodded and watched as Hyuk made his way over to a man selling ice cream. Ken had only tasted the frozen treat once before when Jongup had offered him some. It was really good and Ken had made it very clear to Hyuk how much he liked it. Realizing that Hyuk was getting him ice cream made him smile brightly. It was a sign that Hyuk listened to him and cared about him enough to do things that would make him happy.

“Thank you,” Ken smiled when Hyuk handed him the ice cream cone.

“No problem,” Hyuk shrugged, “figured you’d like it.”

“I do,” Ken grinned, grabbing one of Hyuk’s hands and interlacing their fingers. Hyuk glanced down at their joined hands, but didn’t do anything about it.

The rest of their day was spent walking around the park. At one point they stopped by a playground and just watched the children play. Ken glanced over at Hyuk and saw how happy the other looked as he watched the children. In that moment, Ken was sure that Hyuk wanted to have children of his own someday and that kind of killed him. He could never give Hyuk children since he didn’t have the right parts and that might very well be the difference between if their relationship grew into something or not.

“Do you want kids?” Hyuk suddenly asked, looking over at Ken.

“They’d be nice,” Ken nodded after a pause, “I guess I never really thought about it. having kids, helping create the next generation of the pack, it’s kind of always been expected of me so I never thought about it.”

“I never really wanted kids,” Hyuk admitted, “I guess it could work, depending on whoever I pick as my mate.”

“Why don’t you want kids?” Ken asked.

“I don’t want a pack,” Hyuk sighed, “my old pack……they died.”

“I’m sorry,” Ken apologized. If he’d kept his mouth shut, Hyuk wouldn’t look so pained.

“No,” Hyuk ruffled is hair, “don’t feel bad for asking. You didn’t know.”

“Still,” Ken looked down before asking another question, “how did you lose them?”

“Hunters,” Hyuk explained, “I was only little, around five, and the hunters came. They killed almost everyone.  After that, it was just me and my big sister, but I lost her, too. I guess after that, I decided I didn’t want a pack because my only memories of having one are all painful.”

“Packs can be good,” Ken found himself saying, cuddling closer to Hyuk in hopes that it would make him feel better, “you just need the right alpha.”

“I guess,” Hyuk nodded, “is your alpha good?”

“I used to think so,” Ken frowned slightly, “but now I don’t know.”

“Hum,” Hyuk didn’t say anything else.

“You’d be a good alpha,” Ken smiled, “the best alpha.”

“Maybe,” Hyuk shrugged, “maybe not.”

“I’d be in your pack,” Ken said, “if you had one.”

“I’d like that,” Hyuk smiled slightly, “I’d like to have you in my pack.”

--

“How did it go?” N asked as Ken snuck into his room.

“It went well,” Ken grinned, “Hyuk took me to the city.”

“Really?” N asked, “How was everything?”

“It was awesome,” Ken sighed, falling onto his bed, “there are so many people! And that’s just one city. Hyuk said that there are millions of people all over the world.”

“Cool,” N said, clearly wishing that he’d come with the younger and gotten to see it all, “tell me everything.”

“Cars smell,” Ken said, “Hyuk said that it’s because of the fuel used to make them run. I don’t really care why, I just care that they smell really bad.”

“Oh,” N frowned, “but are they fun to ride in?”

“Mostly,” Ken said, “they come with seatbelts that hold you in place and they aren’t really comfortable. Hyuk says that they’re supposed to keep you safe if the car crashes, but I really hate them.”

“So long as they keep you safe,” N shrugged, “so what else?”

“Hyuk got me ice cream,” Ken told his friend, blushing slightly at the memories, “and we talked through the park holding hands.”

“Sounds romantic,” N smiled, “what did you talk about.”

“Stuff,” Ken replied, trying not to give details, “personal stuff. I don’t think I should talk about it with you. Sorry.”

“I get it,” N nodded in understanding, “you don’t have to tell me.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Ken sighed in relief, “i think the only other person in this pack who wouldn’t ask would be Leo.”

“I just wanna know one thing,” N said, “what are your feelings for Hyuk?”

“Wh-what?” Ken sat up, blushing brightly, “what are you talking about?”

“Do you like him?” N asked, “I mean, I’ve always suspected that you felt something for him, but I want you to tell me to my face if you want him to be your mate or not.”

“I like Hyuk a lot,” Ken looked down at his hands, knowing that he couldn’t hide it from N, “but we could never be mates. I mean, I can’t give him children and I’m sure he’ll want that one day. Right now he doesn’t care, he doesn’t even want a pack, but later.....maybe in a few years.”

“You don’t have to give birth to have children,” N shrugged, “you know my mother and father aren’t my birth parents. They adopted me. You and Hyuk could adopt a child or two.”

“But what if he doesn’t want that?” Ken asked.

“Then cross that bridge when you get to it,” N shrugged, moving to hug the younger werewolf, “until then, enjoy your time with him.”

“Thanks,” Ken hugged N back.

--

“Hey,” Yong Guk called as Ken made his way over, “you’re late.”

“Am I?” Ken looked around. He hadn’t planned to show up at a certain time nor told anyone to expect him at all that day.

“He’s playing,” Hyuk assured him, throwing an arm around Ken’s shoulder and leading him over to where everyone else was standing.

“We’re playing soccer,” Himchan explained, “what to join us?”

“Alright,” Ken nodded after a pause, “but, um, can you explain to me how to play. I don’t know how.”

The six humans and Hyuk did their best to explain to Ken how to play and he did his best to understand. However, once the game had begun he quickly found that he didn’t understand the game half as well as he thought he did. Well, at least in comparison to the people he was playing with. Ken found himself feeling quiet embarrassed and ashamed by his failure.

“Why don’t you sit this one out?” Youngjae finally suggested, “So you don’t get hurt.”

“O-ok,” Ken nodded, quickly scampering off the field as fast as he could before anyone could see the hot tears of shame and embarrassment that were starting to form.

“I think I’ll sit out, too,” Hyuk announced, following after Ken.

“You don’t have to,” Ken said, spinning around to face the other.

“I don’t have any interest in playing,” Hyuk shrugged, “I kind of just wanna sit and relax for a while.”

“Alright,” Ken tried not to smile as he hooked arms with Hyuk who led him of the field.

Ken cuddled beside Hyuk while the other watched his human playing. It made Ken feel special, having Hyuk do things like this just for him. It made him think that maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to be something. Mates, lover, something more than just friends. He felt kind of foolish for those thoughts

“Your pack,” Hyuk said suddenly, “do they know you’re doing this? Hanging out with a rouge and humans?”

“No,” Ken admitted, “I haven’t told them. Well, my friends know. Everyone else is in the dark about the fact I keep coming here.”

“Why?” Hyuk asked, but they both knew exactly why Ken was keeping quiet.

“I asked once,” Ken admitted, “if I could see you, talk to you.”

“And?” Hyuk glanced over, obviously curious about what Ken’s pack had said.

“They rejected my request,” Ken sighed, “they didn’t even think it over. They just looked at me, scoffed, and said no.”

“Maybe you should have listened,” Hyuk shrugged.

“Huh?” Ken looked over at the other, clearly upset but what Hyuk had said. Did he want Ken to leave?

“I don’t mean it like that,” Hyuk grumbled, “I mean that one of these days, your pack is going to figure out that you’re coming here, that you’re going against their wishes. When that happens, you’ll be in massive trouble. Do you think that this is worth all of that?”

“Yeah,” Ken nodded, not even giving it any thought. He’d decided ages ago that Hyuk was worth it. Even if he lost his pack and was left wandering the forest alone, spending the time he had with Hyuk would always be worth it.

“You didn’t think about that very long,” Hyuk muttered, trying to hide his blush, “you’ve thought about this before I take it?”

“Yeah,” Ken laughed a little when he noticed Hyuk’s blush. Without another word, Ken snuggled closer to Hyuk. With a sigh and pretend reluctance, Hyuk wrapped his arm around Ken’s shoulders.

“I should tell you to go,” Hyuk sighed, “I should drag you back and tell you not to come back.”

“But you aren’t going to do it,” Ken giggled.

“No,” Hyuk laughed a little, “I want you to keep coming here, even you’re risking a lot every time you do.”

“If you could,” Ken asked, “would you come visit me?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “just that your pack would smell me and kill me the second I got close.”

“I wish you could,” Ken sighed, “I want to show you everything I’ve grown up with. Like how you’ve shown me stuff.”

“I wish you could do that, too,” Hyuk said, resting his chin on the top of Ken’s head, “but we can’t get everything we want.”

“Yeah,” Ken nodded softly, not wanting to do anything that would make Hyuk pull back.

That moment was perfect and Ken wouldn’t change a thing about it. He’d risk punishment from his pack a hundred time over if it meant Hyuk holding him. Ken was head over heels for the rouge and he wouldn’t change that for the world. Even if Hyuk found some cute girl and made her his mate, Ken would still do the exact same things that lead him to falling in love with Hyuk over again. The pain would always be worth it.

--

Ken bit back the growl slowly bubbling up in his throat. It wouldn’t do to get angry, it would just prove to his pack that he had gotten to close to a rouge. Well, it would prove to the pack elders and his family. N, Leo, Ravi, and Hongbin already knew just how close he’d become with Hyuk. They approved of the relationship, the rest of the pack wouldn’t. The rest of the pack would run him out or kill him. They might even go as far as to kill Hyuk as well and Ken refused to let that happen.

“Just calm down,” N said, patting Ken’s head, “they’re just going to observe you for a few days. Once that’s over you can go out like normal.”

“It’s just so,” Ken paused, trying to figure out the right words.

“Annoying?” Hongbin supplied.

“Yeah,” Ken nodded, “how is being friends with Hyuk a bad thing?”

“The old pack laws say it is,” N shrugged, “so there must have been a reason for it. It’s just that the reason no longer applies.”

“And you aren’t just friends with him,” Leo pointed out, earning a small blush from Ken.

“I miss him already,” Ken sighed, stretching out on his bed, “I promised Hyukkie that I’d come see him in a couple of days. What’s he going to think when I don’t come?”

“That’s why Ravi snuck out,” N smiled a little, “to tell him what’s going on.”

“Hyuk isn’t going to like it,” Ken frowned, “he’ll think that he’s getting me into trouble.”

“He knows that already,” Leo spoke up, “he was part of a pack once too, right. He knows the rules about rouges just as well as any of us.”

Ken let out a small sigh before curling up in a ball. He wanted to see Hyuk, to just be around him. He needed to be around Hyuk or he felt……..a lot of negative emotions like sadness and unease. But thanks to his stupid pack elders, alpha, and his family, he couldn’t be with the one he loved. They would never let him be with Hyuk and that…….

Ken wondered if he should just leave the pack and run away to join Hyuk. They could make a pack of their own or they could just live together happily with Hyuk’s family. After all, Hyuk had said he didn’t want a pack and Ken could live without one if that was what Hyuk wanted. No matter what, it would be so much better than life in his pack. Mostly because then he could be with Hyuk as much as he wanted without anyone telling him ‘no.’ without any threat of getting in trouble for following his heart and the one who held it.

But his pack would never let him just run away like that. He knew that they would chase him down and drag him back. Or they would just kill him on the spot and Hyuk along with him. So he had to think of something else, some other way to get away and be with Hyuk. Since he couldn’t think of anything, he would just have to sit and wait for is shadow to leave him alone. Then he would run to Hyuk’s side and never leave again.

“I wonder,” Ken mused aloud, “if I could ever just……run away.”

“By yourself?” N asked, “Or with Hyuk?”

“Either,” Ken shrugged, “I don’t think Hyuk would every leave his family, so maybe just by myself.”

“Then I don’t think so,” Leo replied, “You don’t know how to survive on your own. Hyuk does.”

“Right,” Ken nodded with a small sigh, “forgot about that.”

“We’d be the same way,” Hongbin pointed out, “we’d all fail at surviving on our own. Even Leo hyung.”

“Yeah right,” Leo muttered under his breath, so low that the others almost missed it.

“Ken.”

They all turned to the door when they heard someone knocking. Slowly, Ken got up and made his way to the door to find one of the alpha’s guards waiting.

“What’s wrong?” Ken asked, silently scared beyond words.

“The alpha wishes to talk to you,” the guard said, “he says its time for you to be assigned am mate.”

Ken’s heart froze in his chest.

--

“Hey,” Hyuk smiled when he spotted Ken making his way through the front door, “who said you could just walk in here whenever you pleased?”

“Yong Guk,” Ken smiled slightly, “he said that I’m one of the family, so I should get to come and go like it.”

“Right,” Hyuk’s smile morphed into a more concerned look, “it’s been a while since you came by. Your pack finally let you go?” Hyuk made his way over, pulling the other werewolf into a quick hug before moving away. Ken pouted slightly at how short the hug was, wanting to have it last longer so that he could get lost in the warmth of Hyuk’s arms.

“Yeah,” Ken looked down, clearly upset, “I….have something I wanna talk to you about.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, grabbing two glasses and filling them with water, “have a seat.”

“My pack,” Ken said after both were sitting at the breakfast bar, “they’re assigning me a mate.”

Hyuk growled, the glasses in his hands shattering as his grip on them tightened. The shards cut his palms and Ken let out a small whimper at the sight of blood and torn flesh. He truly hated seeing Hyuk hurt and it pained him even more to know that he’d been the cause of this injury, directly or not.

“Hyukkie,” Ken rushed about the kitchen looking for a first aid kit, “don’t do that.”

“Stop acting like this is nothing,” Hyuk countered, “you just told me that your pack is making you mate with someone.”

“I don’t get why this bothers you so much,” Ken lied. He knew exactly why this news would bother Hyuk. But Hyuk had never come out right and said how he felt and this……well this was the perfect chance to get him talking.

“Why do you think it bothers me?” Hyuk was suddenly behind Ken and pinning him to the wall with his body, “I want you to be my mate, Ken.”

“The one they assigned to be my mate wants that too,” Ken said, wincing a little when he looked at Hyuk’s hands, “Hyuk, we really need to remove the glass.”

“But do they love you?” Hyuk asked, completely ignoring the comment about his hands.

“Do you?” Ken asked, turning around so that he could look Hyuk in the eye, “do you love me?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded before leaning in to kiss Ken, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Ken smiled when they parted, “I want to be your mate. I want to come here and live with you. I just……I want to be with you.”

“Then stay here with me,” Hyuk said, “stay, don’t go back there.”

“They’ll come looking for me,” Ken pointed out, “and they’ll know to come here first.”

“Then we’ll run,” Hyuk shrugged, “we’ll find someplace else to live.”

“But what about your family?” Ken asked, unable to believe that Hyuk would leave his family just for him.

“They’ll understand,” Hyuk replied, “and if you want to come back one day, we’ll go back.”

“I’ll stay,” Ken smiled before reaching up and pulling Hyuk in for another kiss

“Now,” Hyuk grinned when they parted for air, “you said something about fixing my hands?”

“Right,” Ken smiled, pushing Hyuk back until he was seated at the breakfast bar, “and then you can get me another drink.”

“Right,” Hyuk smiled, watching as Ken walked away to get the first aid kit. He wanted to pull Ken back to him, but he couldn’t do that while he still had glass in his hands.

As soon as Ken had finished fixing his hands, Hyuk pulled him in for another kiss. Ken moaned softly, allowing for Hyuk to slip in tongue into his mouth. The whole thing was new for Ken, but Hyuk clearly had some kind of experience. Realizing upset Ken a little, but he wasn’t about to let Hyuk know about his feelings. So what if Hyuk had kissed someone before he’d met Ken? he was Ken’s now and that’s what mattered. Not whatever guy or girl had kissed him in the past.

“I’m going to pack some things,” Hyuk said when he finally pulled back.

“Huh?” Ken blinked, not understanding why Hyuk needed to pack anything.

“We’re going away together, right?” Hyuk smiled, “well then we’re going to need some things.”

“Right now?” Ken blinked.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “the sooner we leave, the larger head start we have for when your pack comes after us.”

“Don’t you want to tell your family?” Ken questioned, followed after Hyuk as he headed off to his bedroom.

“I want to,” Hyuk nodded, “but we have time. They aren’t coming home for a few days and by that point your pack will have figured out that you’re not coming back. They’ll come here first so we need to be gone by then.”

“Alright,” Ken sighed, throwing his arms around Hyuk’s waist and resting his cheek against Hyuk’s back, “I’m sorry, Hyuk.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Hyuk told him, turning around and brushing their lips together, “nothing about this is your fault. You’re giving up a lot of things too.”

“I love you,” Ken whispered against Hyuk’s lips before they pulled apart.

The pair set to work gathering things from Hyuk’s room. Ken didn’t understand why Hyuk wanted cloths, but chalked it up to how Hyuk had been raised. Money was another thing Ken didn’t understand, but Hyuk assured him that it was important if they wanted to buy something like a house. Ken told him that they didn’t need a house, that sleeping in a cave or something was fine, but Hyuk was adamant that they would have a house. Ken was secretly overjoyed to hear that having always dreamed about having a big house with him mate, but didn’t say anything for fear of making Hyuk feel like he had to get them one.

--

“Did you hear that?” Ken asked, tilting his head to the side in hopes that it would help him hear the noise again.

“I heard something,” Hyuk nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked around. He didn’t think that anyone from Ken’s pack was that close to them, but you never knew and he would not risk anything happening to his mate.

“This way,” Ken said, starting to walk off in the direction he thought the noise was coming from. Hyuk was quick to move in front of him, leading the way and making sure that if anything attack it would hit him long before it touched Ken.

The pair walked in silence, the soft sounds of crying getting louder until they found a young boy curled up by the base of a tree crying his eyes out. Hyuk froze, the sight reminding him of times he hated to recall. Ken’s heart shatter to see the young child on his own. It hurt him even more when he saw Hyuk’s face and connected the dots. Sniffing the air, both realized that the boy was a werewolf like them, something that hurt both even more.

“Hello,” Ken called out, making his way over to the child slowly. The kid backed away, looking scared.

“What do you want?” the kid asked, trying and failing to sound brave.

“We heard you crying,” Ken explained, “are you alright?”

“Here,” Hyuk smiled slightly as he handed over the deer meat to the young werewolf boy in front of him.

Slowly, the child took the offered meat, consuming it so quickly that Hyuk worried he might choke. Even though the child knew taking food from strangers could be dangerous, he was too hungry to care. He hadn’t eaten in ages and knew he would die soon without nourishment.

“Chew your food,” Ken teased the child, reaching out and handing the little boy another piece of meat, “it’s not going to get up and run away. Enjoy it.”

“A-Alright,” the boy nodded and this time he chewed the meat slowly.

“Your pack,” Hyuk said slowly, carefully so that he didn’t accidently upset of scare the child, “they’re gone?”

“Yes,” the boy looked down sadly, ashamed, “they called me a cursed child and through me out. Then they moved away.”

“Stupid old myths and laws,” Hyuk scoffed before he returned his attention to the child, “What’s your name?”

“BamBam,” the little boy said.

“It’s nice to meet you, BamBam,” Ken smiled, “my name is Ken and this is my mate, Hyuk.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” BamBam gave them a small, hesitant smile.

Hyuk silently watched Ken interacting with the young werewolf and a small, knowing smile appearing on his face. He knew that Ken wanted children – he’d mentioned it a few days ago in passing – but since neither had to correct parts they couldn’t produce any. Now here was BamBam. Ken was already smitten with the boy and Hyuk could tell by the little glances Ken kept giving him that he wanted to take BamBam in.

“BamBam,” Hyuk spoke up, “would you like to come with us?”

“What?” the boy looked at Hyuk, clearly confused, “Why? Why would you want me?”

“Ken likes you,” Hyuk shrugged, “and I know that you’ll grow up to be a great werewolf. That is, with the right mentoring you will be great.”

“But I’m cursed!” BamBam shook his head, “Why would you want a cursed wolf in your pack?”

“I don’t believe in curses,” Ken smiled, holding a hand out to the boy, “so, will you come with us?”

BamBam paused for a moment before taking Ken’s hand. Hyuk simply smiled from the side lines before pulling out some more food for the boy.

“Let’s go,” Hyuk finally announced, “it smells like rain, so we best find shelter for the night.”

“Um,” BamBam asked, looking the pair over, “what are you wearing?”

“Well,” Ken giggled, “I’m wearing Hyukkie’s shirt. Hyuk is wearing his own cloths.”

“Cloths?” BamBam questioned, “Why are you wearing those?”

“I was raised with humans,” Hyuk explained, “after my pack was destroyed, my human family found me and saved me from starvation. I grew up wearing cloths so I’m not used to just…..walking around in the buff like normal werewolves.”

“Oh,” BamBam nodded before looking over at Hyuk with hopeful eyes, “can I wear something?”

Hyuk smiled, grabbing a shirt out of the bag Ken was holding and passing it over to the young child. BamBam struggled a little getting his arms and head through the right holes before getting the shirt on the correct way. Ken swooned over how cute BamBam looked in the oversized shirt, material hanging off of his small frame and slipping off one of his shoulders no matter how many times he tried to fix it.

“You look cute,” Hyuk smiled and BamBam grinned brightly.

--

“He’s so small,” Ken commented as the pair watched BamBam sleep, cuddled up in a couple of blankets.

“He is,” Hyuk nodded, pulling the blankets wrapped around them tighter.

“I don’t understand how they could kick him out,” Ken sighed, resting his head against Hyuk’s chest and listening to his heart beat, “over some stupid old myth of cursed children.”

“Your pack would have killed you for becoming my mate,” Hyuk reminded him, “that’s just as stupid.”

“I wonder how they’re doing?” Ken sighed, “Your family and my friends. Is the alpha making life hell for them? Or has he chilled out with old age?”

“I’m sure that they’re fine,” Hyuk replied, “as for your alpha…..I don’t know and I don’t care.”

“So long as I have you,” Ken smiled, “I don’t care either.”

“Get some sleep,” Hyuk said, lightly shoving Ken in the direction of BamBam, “I’m going to keep watch for a while before joining you.”

“Alright,” Ken said before heading over to the sleeping child.

Hyuk observed the two for a while, smiling softly as he watched them cuddle. They looked like a father and child and it warmed Hyuk’s heart. Maybe…..maybe having a pack wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he could find others like BamBam. Like himself. Maybe he could provide a home, a safe place for rouge werewolves. It was an idea worth giving some thought anyway.

--

“Storm looks bad,” JB commented, looking out the mouth of the cave with Hyuk.

“Yeah,” the older werewolf nodded, scowling softly, “and it’s going to get worse.”

“How do you know?” JB asked, looking over at his alpha and father figure with amazement.

“I can smell it,” Hyuk smiled, ruffling the other’s hair, “you’ll be able to do the same with experience.”

“Cool,” JB grinned before skipping off to join the other children.

Hyuk started to follow as a loud crack of thunder rang through the air. Ken let out a yelp and Hyuk rushed to his mate’s side.

“Shh,” he whispered against Ken’s ear, “everything will be alright.”

“What’s wrong?” JB asked, moving over in hopes of helping comfort his mother figure.

“Ken doesn’t like thunder storms,” Hyuk explained, “there was a……an incident shortly after we left his pack.”

“Some lightning hit a tree,” Ken said, voice just above a whisper, “it went down and Hyukkie……I really thought I was going to lose you.”

“Shhh,” Hyuk pressed a kiss to Ken’s lips, “everything is alright, Ken.” he looked up and JB and smiled, “don’t worry about us. I can calm him down.” JB nodded and moved over to the others.

Hyuk pulled Ken closer to him, allowing his mate to muffle his sobs in his chest. In another part of the cave, he could hear BamBam’s soft breathing accompanied by the breathing of the other werewolves that he had added to their pack. Looking over, he smiled slightly at Jackson and Mark curled up on either side of BamBam. Across from them, JB sat keeping an ever watchful eye over his pack brothers.

“JB,” Hyuk called out softly, “get some rest.”

“But you’re busy looking after Ken,” the young werewolf frowned slightly, “please allow me to focus on them.”

“I can look after everyone,” Hyuk assured him, “you need your rest if you’re going to help constructing any sort of building for our pack.”

“Don’t understand why we can’t just stay here,” JB sighed, moving closer to other three.

“A house is more comfortable,” Hyuk shrugged, “besides, we only decided to sleep in here because the storm in so bad.” JB nodded before he fixed the blankets that his brothers were tangled up in. Curling up on Mark’s other side, he drifting off to sleep quickly.

“He’s working himself hard,” Ken whispered, pulling away from Hyuk’s chest a little so that he could be heard clearly, “maybe too hard.”

“We should find more pack members,” Hyuk frowned slightly, “older with more experience. That should take a lot of stress off of him.”

“Or we could go home,” Ken suggested, “I’m sure Yong Guk and the others miss you. My pack has probably given up by now. It has been a year since we left.”

“They’ll know,” Hyuk sighed sadly, “the second we set foot back there, they’ll know we’re back. I can’t put you or the kids at risk like that.”

“That’s my alpha,” Ken giggled, nuzzling Hyuk’s neck with his nose, “always looking out for us.”

“Once the storm let’s up, we’ll start building,” Hyuk promised, pressing a quick kiss to Ken’s lips, “I think I promised you once that I’d build you a house, a big one like you’d dreamed. I think it’s about time I delivered that.”

Ken was about to answer, but a loud clap of thunder drew a scared yelp out instead. Hyuk smiled softly, whispering in Ken’s ear that everything would be fine as he wrapped his arms around his mate tighter.

“You look so cute.”

Both jumped up at the new voice. Hyuk quickly pushed Ken back towards the four children, placing himself in between as he growled at the new person who had entered the cave.

“Wow!” N cried, hands raised to signal that he came in peace, “easy, Hyuk, easy. I’m not here to fight.”

“N?” Ken turned around, half way through waking up the kids, “what are you doing here?”

“Looking for a home,” N smiled sadly, “got kicked out of the old one. Same with Leo, Hongbin, and Ravi.”

“Kicked out?” Hyuk raised an eyebrow. He stopped growling, but his body stayed tense, ready to attack N if he tried anything.

“The alpha,” N frowned slightly as he tried to find the right words, “he’s gone crazy. Having you run off with Hyuk…..not being able to find you…..it changed things. We spent four months looking for you with no luck, so the searches were called off save for the occasional trip to Yong Guk’s place to see if you’d come back for a visit. After that…..things went back to how they were before you two met.”

“Meaning what exactly?” Hyuk asked.

“Killing bunches of animals without care,” N sighed, trying to brush back some of his wet hair, “it wasn’t long before those animals started to leave and the hunters started to show up.”

“Oh no,” Ken gasped. BamBam who was closest wrapped his arms around his mother figure’s waist in hopes of making the older feel better. Ken flashed him a small smile, silently thanking him for taking to make him feel better.

“Things….got worse after that,” N explained, “Leo, Ravi, Hongbin, and I tried to stage a revolt against the alpha, but he was just so strong and he still had so many pack members loyal to him.”

“So you had to run,” Hyuk summarized, “and you came looking for us?”

“Actually this was chance,” N laughed lightly, “a happy coincidence. Leo picked up your scent about a week ago. We lost it yesterday thanks to the rain, so we went looking for shelter instead.”

“Where are the others?” Ken asked, trying to look around N to see his friends.

“Just outside,” N said, “we didn’t know if we would be welcome here or not, so I thought it best if just one of us went in.”

“You’re welcome,” Hyuk decided, “if you want to join our pack, we’ll be happy to have you.”

“Happy to hear it,” N smiled before turning around to call the other three in.

Ken was happy to greet his friends that he hadn’t seen in over a year and Hyuk was happy to welcome them as well. Stories were exchanged of things that they had missed. Hakyeon explained that Yong Guk had ended up moving away with Himchan and the boys and Ken hugged his mate tightly, trying to comfort him. Hyuk just rested his head on Ken’s shoulder, growing silent unless directly asked for the rest of the night.

“Best get some sleep,” Leo said much later, looking over at the children who had already curled up together.

“Right,” Ken smiled, going to fetch some blankets for his friends.

Hyuk, silent as the grave, returned to his original corner of the cave and waited for Ken to return to his side. He watched as Ken smiled and laughed with his friends, thankful that something good had come from everything that had happened that night. So long as his mate was happy, he could be happy as well. It hurt that he could never go home no matter what happened, but he could try to smile for Ken’s sake.

“I love you,” Ken whispered, curling up beside his mate, “I’m so sorry about your family.”

“They’re safe from whatever your old alpha does,” Hyuk sighed, “so I can’t be too upset. Yong Guk needed to do what was best for them. I would do the same thing if I meant keeping you and our pack safe.”

“We’re a real pack, aren’t we?” Ken giggled softly, “how does that feel, alpha?”

“Better than I thought it would,” Hyuk said, looking thoughtful, “I’ve played with the idea once or twice in the past, but this…….it feels better than I ever thought it would.”

“I love you,” Ken smiled.

“I love you, too,” Hyuk smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Ken’s lips, “always.”

--

Ken was happy. Very happy in fact. He had his mate, four young werewolf children who he regarded as his own offspring, and his four closest friends from his old pack had joined them. To make things even better, the pack kept growing. Some wolves came from his old pack, cast out by an alpha that they all agreed had gone crazy, others came from packs scattered all over the country, cast out for a variety of reasons (mostly stupid reasons if you asked Ken).

They had only been a pack for about a year and they had already gotten so big. It was mind blowing for Ken to realize just how many rouge werewolves existed in the country. But their pack was a home for them all and it made Ken proud beyond words. Even better, some of the rouges were like Hyuk, werewolf children raised by humans. Many of them had jobs too which created a source of income for the pack so that they didn’t always have to hunt for food and they could buy materials to build houses and other things that they might need.

“I’m happy,” Ken said, curling up closer to Hyuk as the pair rested in their bed.

“Good,” Hyuk smiled slightly, just enjoying the feel of the morning sunlight coming through their bedroom window.

“How many new pack members have we gotten this week?” Ken questioned, shifting around so that he was sitting on Hyuk’s stomach.

“Around eight,” the other replied, “Leo found a couple of young kids who’d been cast out and N brought in three teens who’d run away from arranged mates. The rest found us. We’re getting a reputation.”

“A good one I hope,” Ken giggled, leaning down to kiss his mate’s lips.

“We’re known as a safe place for rouges,” Hyuk smiled slightly, pulling Ken down to rest against him, “I think that’s a good reputation, but that’s just me.”

“Not just you,” Ken pointed out, “I think it’s a good thing. So do our pack, or else they wouldn’t be here.”

“N doesn’t think it’s a good thing,” Hyuk’s smile faded a little, “and I think he might be right.”

“Why?”

“Having a reputation,” Hyuk explained, “means that people know where to find you. If they know that……well, they can find you.”

“Obviously,” Ken playfully rolled his eyes.

“Everyone can find us, Ken,” Hyuk sighed, “even your old alpha.”

“Oh,” Ken’s playfulness faded a little.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded.

“But,” Ken sat back up, a confident look on his face, “I know you can take him, Hyukkie. You’re our alpha, you’re my mate. Even if he comes here, I know you can take him down.”

“I love you,” Hyuk said, running his fingers through Ken’s hair before pulling him down for another kiss.

“I love you too,” Ken smiled before getting out of bed, “I’m going to make breakfast. Anything you want me to make in particular?”

“Not really,” Hyuk yawned, “make whatever you like.”

Ken smiled, watching as Hyuk fell asleep again, before leaving for the kitchen. He knew that the threat of his old alpha wasn’t something he should brush off so easily, but he couldn’t help it. He knew Hyuk could take the old werewolf, he knew that his mate wouldn’t let anything happen to their pack. He was confident that they had nothing to worry about, so he brushed off the threat for the moment and got to work making breakfast.

Hyuk woke up several minute later to the sounds of laughter coming from the bedrooms down the hall from his and Ken’s room. With a small smile he got up and pulled on a shirt before going to search out the source of the noise. Ken still didn’t understand his insistence of wearing cloths, but he’d stopped commenting about it when he realized that it kept anyone from seeing Hyuk in the buff.

“Hey,” Hyuk smiled as he watched JB, Mark, Jackson, and BamBam playing, “what are you four doing up so early?”

“BamBam had a nightmare,” Mark explained, “since he couldn’t get back to sleep, we decided to have some fun.”

“Ken should have breakfast ready,” Hyuk said after sniffing the air, “why don’t you all get dressed and head down.”

“Ok,” the boys smiled before rushing about, grabbing shirts and track pants at random. Once dressed, they rushed past him and down to the ground floor of the house.

Breakfast was finished quickly and the boys ran off to go play with their friends. Ken just laughed as they rushed to thank him for the food before leaving. Hyuk rolled his eyes before finishing his own meal.

“You’re cooking is amazing, love,” Hyuk said, nuzzling his mate’s neck.

“Thank you,” Ken grinned, “what are your plans for the day?”

“I was planning to scout around with Leo and N,” Hyuk replied, “maybe see if we can find new pack brothers. Or some new game. Our supplies could always use some restocking.”

“I hope you have fun,” Ken smiled, “I’ll be here waiting for when you get back.”

“Oh?” Hyuk raised an eyebrow, pinning Ken against the kitchen counter, “does my y mate have some kind of….plans for tonight?”

“Well,” Ken giggled, “the kids wanted to spend the night at their friends’ place, so that leaves us with the whole house to ourselves.”

“Really now?” Hyuk said, running his lips along Ken’s throat and drawing a moan from him, “well, then I guess I’ll have to speed things along. Be back as soon as possible.”

“I can’t wait,” Ken whimpered as Hyuk pulled away.

“See you in a few hours, Ken,” Hyuk said, giving his mate a quick kiss before heading out.

Hyuk found Leo and N waiting for him on the front porch and the three headed off into the woods. The next hour was spent wandering around, just looking for signs of someone stumbling into their territory. Leo found tracks from some deer and Hyuk decided that they would come back later with more pack members. Other than that, they found nothing. It wasn’t until they started on their way back that Hyuk picked up a scent he never wanted to smell.

Given it had been over two years since the last time he’d smelled the scent, but he could remember it clearly like it was yesterday. It was the scent had been on Ken when they first met. The scent that Leo, N, Hongbin, and Ravi has until they were kicked out of their pack. It was the scent of the alpha.

“Go back,” Hyuk growled, “get Ken someplace safe.”

“What?” N looked around, realizing that something was wrong but didn’t realize what right away.

“Your old alpha is here,” Hyuk hissed, “go. Get everyone ready. If I howl twice, everything is alright. But if I howl once…..”

“Get the pups, females, and Ken out,” Leo nodded his consent, “alright.”

The pair took off and Hyuk watched them go silently. Once they were out of his sight, he turned and just waited for the old alpha to show his face.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Hyuk knew it was only a matter of time before Ken’s old alpha shows his face. People knew where to find them, find their pack. And that was beyond dangerous when you had someone who was hunting you. Hyuk never wanted anything to happen to his mate. Several times, he’d considered taking Ken, BamBam, JB, Jackson, and Mark and just....leaving – maybe he’d take a few others like N, Leo, Ravi, and Hongbin. But he couldn’t just leave the rest of the pack. They had come looking for a family and Hyuk couldn’t take that way.

“Long time no see, rouge,” the alpha growled, glaring down at Hyuk.

“Wish it was longer,” Hyuk replied, “I was hoping that you’d die before finding us.”

“Boy,” the alpha scoffed, “I’ve stayed alive this long just so that I could kill you and the one who ran away. Ripping out the throats of your pack will just make things better.”

“You’ll never touch my pack or my mate,” Hyuk growled, “you crazy psycho path. I’ll kill you before you can kill any of us.”

“Are you really so foolish as to think that this is a pack?” the alpha laughed, “This is a group of runts, cursed monsters, and rejected fools. I’ll be doing the world a favor killing them.”

“Shut up,” Hyuk hissed, “you think killing my pack is a good thing? The only good thing would be me killing you. I’d be freeing whatever is left of your pack from your rule. I’d be getting retribution for everyone who’s died as a result of your psychotic actions.”

With that, the pair changed into their wolf forms and charged at each other. Teeth sunk into flesh and claws drew blood. Both yelped in pain before returning their attention to the fight, to killing the other. Hyuk had youth and strength to his advantage, but the alpha had experience and fought dirty. Although for all his dirty moves, Hyuk had to win the fight. He couldn’t lose, he couldn’t die until the alpha was dead. That kept Hyuk going no matter how much it hurt.

“Hyuk!” he heard someone call as he pulled back from the alpha.

The alpha dropped to the ground, dead, and Hyuk slowly turned to find Ken running towards with Leo and N right behind him. Hyuk shifted back into his human form, howling in pain thanks to his wounds. As soon as he was on two legs, he started to fall, his injuries too great. Ken managed to catch him before he hit the ground, crying as he called for Hyuk to open his eyes.

--

Ken curled up in the porch swing, watching as his children ran about the trees behind their house in their wolf forms. They looked happy as they played, weaving in and out of the treeline and tackling each other. His children were perfect, adorable beyond words, and getting older with each day that passed. Already they were in their late teens and Ken knew that his time having them under the same roof was growing short. Soon they would be moving out and into their own homes, finding their own mates and starting families of their own.

Mark had expressed interest in going to America for a while. Jackson wanted to try living with the human in the biggest city the country had to offer for a couple of years. BamBam and JB both planned to build their homes within the pack’s territory, but they also wanted to spend some time exploring the world before they settled down for good. Ken’s time with them was indeed growing short, but he wasn’t sad. Well, not completely anyway. He was still sad, still going to miss his babies, but he was so happy for them. So happy to see them going off and doing what they wanted, following their hearts.

“They look happy,” Hyuk said, dropping down beside his mate, “so do you.”

“Because they are,” Ken nodded, moving to rest his head on the other’s shoulder, “because I am happy.”

“You know that you should be inside,” Hyuk reminded Ken, “you’re still getting over that cold and it’s, well, cold out here.”

“But I want to watch the kids play,” Ken pouted, “I’m not going to get to do that for much longer.”

“Don’t pull the cute act with me,” Hyuk growled playfully, nipping lightly on Ken’s ear, “you’re sick, so get your inside. I’m sure the kids don’t want to see you get sick again. Especially when it’s because you were out here watching them.”

“Fine,” Ken sighed, getting up and reluctantly going inside.

Hyuk followed behind him, limp a bit more prominent then normal due to how tired he was. Ken instantly felt bad about that. He’s been really sick the past several days and Hyuk had worn himself out looking after him. Add that to his duties as alpha of their pack and Hyuk was almost dead on his feet.

“You should rest,” Ken sighed, pulling Hyuk down beside him on the couch, “you work so hard, you deserve some time to yourself.”

“Mm,” Hyuk nodded slightly, moving to rest his head on Ken’s lap. Second later, he was asleep.

Ken watched his mate sleeping, lightly brushing his fingers over the scars that peeked out from the material of Hyuk’s shirt. One long one ran along the length of his neck, ending just below his ear. Another stretched across his right eye, robing it of its ability to see, and up to his hair line. All of them were the eternal reminders of when Ken had come so very close to losing Hyuk. His old alpha had done a pretty good job of trying to kill Hyuk and Ken would forever hate him for that.

It was a miracle that Hyuk had survived, that he’d managed to win and protect their pack. But that didn’t matter anymore according to Hyuk. His scars and limp didn’t matter because the old, crazy alpha was dead and they were both alive. Their pack was alive and thriving. Their children were happy and healthy. Life was as close to perfect as it could get so the imperfections didn’t matter.

“Go to sleep,” Hyuk said, apparently not as asleep as Ken thought it was.

“I will,” Ken smiled, “I was just watching you.”

“Here,” Hyuk sat up, changing their positions so that he was lying down with Ken resting on top of him, “now sleep.”

“I love you,” Ken said, wrapping his arms tightly around his lover and mate.

“I love you, too,” Hyuk replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Ken’s head, “always.”

The pair drifted off in each other’s arms, happy and content.

No sooner were the pair asleep then their children came inside. JB was quick to hush the others once he noticed his parents sleeping, a soft smile forming on his face at the cute scene. Behind him, Mark and Jackson faked gaging noises, but they found the sight just as heartwarming as JB.

“I want to have that,” BamBam giggled.

“Just not any time soon,” Mark teased the youngest, “you’re still a baby, BamBam.”

“I’m not a baby,” BamBam scowled, “I’m sixteen.”

“So a baby,” Jackson laughed.

Just as JB turned to hush them, Hyuk opened his good eye. As soon as the teen werewolves noticed, they shut their mouths and rushed back outside. Hyuk and JB shared a small smile before the younger headed back out as well. Hyuk glanced down at Ken, smiling softly at his mate’s sleeping face before rejoining him in dream land.

A/N: this AU was a lot of fun to write. Very happy with how it turned out. Kind of wish I’d brought B.A.P back in somehow for the end, but…..couldn’t really think of a way to do it so *shrug* I was also tempted to toss in a bit of , but....the story is fine without it