Despite Chanyeol’s continuous complaints about how far away the summer break is, three weeks passed quicker than Kyungsoo expected and it wasn’t long before an exhausted-looking Jongin was shuffling through the front door sometime mid-afternoon the first day of summer break. He’d obviously just woken up judging from the way the hair on the back on his head stood on end at strange angles.

Kyungsoo, a little uneasy, watched the young man raise the back of his hand to his mouth as he yawned and wondered briefly how a college student, particularly a sophomore, like Jongin could become a pack-alpha. To look at there wasn’t much about Jongin that said alpha, much less pack-alpha. Compared to his mate Kris - who walked into the house barely a minute after Jongin, arms loaded with backpacks and sports bags that were nearly filled to bursting - Jongin was slight, and mild mannered, looked almost as timid as Kyungsoo. Certainly not qualities that one would attribute to a pack-alpha.

Jongin seemed barely conscious enough to toe off his shoes as Kyungsoo watched him from the kitchen table. His game of poker with Baekhyun and Chanyeol forgotten as the lanky bar-tender dropped his hand and damn near bounded over to the returning pack alpha.

“Jongie!” was all the warning the pack-alpha got before he was being swept up in one of Chanyeol’s suffocating bear hugs, face crushed into the taller man’s shoulder as the air was slowly squeezed from his lungs. It was a terrifying experience, Kyungsoo knew, but the sleepy young man didn’t seem bothered by it. Instead he seemed to appreciate the bone crushing gesture, leaning forward and shifting all of his weight on to Chanyeol, as Kris, still laden with Jongin’s luggage shuffled past, making a bee-line down the hall to the room he and Jongin shared.

There was a muffled “Hey, Yeolie.” against Chanyeol’s shoulder as Jongin tried to bury himself further into the beta’s chest. Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow and gave Baekhyun a brief questioning glance. Are they a thing? Isn’t Kris…?

Baekhyun folded his hand, answering with a smile and dismissive wave of his hand. “Not what you’re thinking. Our Jongie is just a cuddle-bug when he’s sleepy. Chanyeol’s his number one fan-boy, and more than happy to indulge.”

Kyungsoo was not sure what to make of this new information. He’d always heard that mated pairs were protective and jealous of their mates, particularly alpha pairs who viewed potential advances on their mates as open challenges to their position in the pack. Yet here was Jongin almost literally burrowing under Chanyeol’s skin and his mate, Kris, hadn't even so much as batted an eye at the whole thing. It went against everything that Kyungsoo’s infrequent encounters with other wolves prior to joining Jongin’s pack had taught him about being a wolf.

“And Kris isn’t bothered by it?”

Baekhyun shrugged, “No, believe me if he was the whole pack would know about it and Chanyeol... well let’s just say he’d be lucky if he was still breathing afterwards. He may not look it, but Kris has quite the mean streak when you push the right buttons.”

Kris emerged from his bedroom, and Kyungsoo watched as the junior lawyer approached Chanyeol and his mate. Resting a hand on the beta’s shoulder he gestured to Jongin and Chanyeol shifted back half a step, enough for Kris to slip his arms around his sleepy mate’s waist and gently extricate him from the bartender’s embrace. Jongin whined briefly, but Kris quickly scooped him up in his arms and carried him back to his bedroom as Jongin burrowed into his chest.

Chanyeol watched for a moment as they disappeared into Kris’ room before returning to the kitchen table. As he sat down he glanced at Kyungsoo’s open hand, then his own laid out face up and cursed. “Aw, damn it.”

Baekhyun laughed evilly, taking a sip from his coffee as the bartender collapsed into his seat. “Too bad, Yeol.” He said as he laid out his own hand with an unnecessary flourish. “Looks like your chips are mine.” Reaching forward, Baekhyun claimed his winnings, pointedly dragging the plastic chips across the table.

Chanyeol dropped his head to the table top with a heavy thunk and an exaggerated groan.

“Lose again, Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo looked up to see Kris come up behind the defeated beta and drop a hand on his shoulder. Chanyeol only groaned again in response, at which Kris laughed. “Face it, dude. You at poker.” He briefly turned to Kyungsoo as he pulled up a chair beside Chanyeol, “Grab me a coffee, Soo.”

After a couple of months of living in the house, Kyungsoo had gotten used to Kris’ direct and at times abrasive manner, so he took no offense at the order as he stood up and set about making the alpha a strong black coffee. As he stood at the bench slowly pouring boiling water over the coffee grinds Kyungsoo listened to the conversation behind him.

“Fun night?” Baekhyun asked as he stacked his winnings, counting out the chips.

“Yeah, apparently got dragged out on a club crawl last night.” Kris answered with a hint of disapproval to the tone of his voice.

Chanyeol laughed. “Oh, bet they really had to twist his arm.”

There was a murmur of agreement from Kris as Kyungsoo set the kettle down and threw away the used grinds.

“Is he going to be up for tonight?” Baekhyun asked as Kyungsoo put the coffee in front of Kris before returning to his seat.

Kris gave Kyungsoo a nod of thanks before answering. “He slept most of the way, so give him a few more hours and he’ll be ready.”

Chanyeol’s mood visibly brightened, and he shot Kyungsoo a wide grin. “Can’t wait.”

“Neither can I,” Baekhyun added, “Hope you’re ready to pay up Park.”

“Speak for yourself, Baek. I have a good feeling about this,” Chanyeol glanced across the table and Kyungsoo felt himself internally cower under the scrutiny as the bottom fell out of his stomach. To say he was nervous about the evening’s impending run was an understatement. He had been dreading it to varying degrees since he joined the pack – with Jongin’s blessing over Skype – just over two months ago. Of course Chanyeol’s betting pool hadn’t made things any better.

Now Kyungsoo felt like there was an unspoken expectation hanging over him that he doubted he could live up to and the prospect of shedding his skin in front of his new pack mates had him on edge. Sensing Kyungsoo’s nerves, Kris gave him a reassuring pat on the back as he stood to return his empty coffee mug to the sink. It wa a comforting gesture and enough to help Kyungsoo get a handle on his nerves.  

No surprise really. For someone as abrupt and seemingly cold as Kris, the junior lawyer had a gift for reading people and responding to what he sensed accordingly. He would've made a great pack-alpha in Kyungsoo’s opinion. In fact when Suho had first introduced him to Kyungsoo he’d mistakenly assumed Kris was the pack-alpha, only to be quickly corrected with a laugh and a hearty clap on the shoulder.

“I think both of you will be lining my pockets.” Kris asserted with a jest as he rinsed the mug and placed it on the dish rack. Turning back to the table he cocked his hip against the bench top. “So you better be prepared to cough up when Soo here proves me right.”

-.-.-

An hour or so after sunset, the house was buzzing with energy as the last of the housemates, Jongdae finally returns home. The moment he walked in the door Chanyeol was on his feet, jumping up from the sofa and about to make his way down the hall when Kris caught him by the shoulder. “Hold your horses, Yeol.”

“Aw, c'mon. Everyone’s home, it’s time to go.” Chanyeol complained. For the last couple of hours he had been growing more and more agitated and impatient. By nature Chanyeol was not much of a home-body and he’d been stuck at home all day, a hair’s breadth from climbing the walls. That coupled with the coming full moon made Chanyeol and the rest of the pack’s younger members restless.

Kris, of course, wasn’t moved and fixed the beta with a stern glare. “Unless you want him taking a chunk out of your ear tonight, you’ll leave him be.”

Cowered for the time being, Chanyeol returned to his seat on the sofa, sandwiched between Tao and Baekhyun. Kyungsoo - seated on the floor next to Suho - watched as Tao wordlessly passed Chanyeol the bowl of chips he’d been nursing his lap, but the beta declined. His leg jiggling restlessly as he went back to watching the action-comedy Luhan had rented for them a couple days ago. The tangy musk that hung over him made it clear that he was itching to shed his skin.

They all were.

As they continued to wait for Jongin, Kyungsoo started wringing his hands in his lap, secretly hoping that the pack-alpha slept the night away so his wouldn’t have to do this. But just as Kyungsoo began contemplating possible excuses to get out of the evening’s run, Chanyeol and Tao perked up glancing towards the hallway as Jongin stepped out into the living room, looking bright and alert, dressed in a well-loved pair of loose fitting jeans and band print tee.

Noticing Jongin standing behind the sofa, Xiumin grabbed the remote from Luhan’s lap and turned off the T.V., while Luhan nudged Yixing awake with his knee.

“You all ready?” Jongin asked, casually cracking his neck as he looked over his pack. “The sooner we get Kyungsoo out of his skin the sooner we can get this run started.”

“Alright,” Suho started up, with a clap of his hands. “Baekhyun, Chanyeol. You’re with Kris and Jongin.  Sehun, Luhan, Xiumin. You guys ride with Jongdae. Yixing, you’re with me and Kyungsoo.” He turned to Tao. “See you when we get out there.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

With that the pack was out the door and climbing into the nominated member’s cars, while Tao shrugged on his leathers and kick started his road bike. Kyungsoo followed Yixing to Suho’s car and climbed into the back seat, while Yixing slid into the passenger seat. Before starting the engine, Suho glanced back at Kyungsoo in the rear view mirror. “It’s going to be fine, Kyungsoo. No need to worry.”

Yixing agreed and turned back in his seat, shooting Kyungsoo a warm smile. “We’re just going for a run, no big deal.”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo answered, trying to sound more relaxed than he felt. He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this edgy. It wasn't like he hadn’t gone on a run before, though it would be the first time he wouldn’t be doing a run alone. The prospect of shedding his skin in front of his new pack made his stomach turn. His self-consciousness turning sour on the back of his tongue as Suho pulled out of the parking lot and out into the street.

The drive out of town was quiet. Yixing curled up in the front seat asleep, while Suho kept his eyes on the road. In the back seat Kyungsoo was beginning to feel the itch under his skin, and started wringing his hands again to ease the urge to shed his skin as he watched the full moon out the window.

Eventually Suho pulled off the high way and down an unsealed road that skirted the edge of the wilderness. The canopy of the trees soon obscured the sky and after a few minutes Suho brought the car to a stop. In the wash of the headlights Kyungsoo could see Tao standing by his bike in nothing but a black tank and jeans talking with Jongin and Kris as the rest of his pack-mates built a bonfire.

Cutting the engine Suho glanced back at Kyungsoo and offerd him a smile. “You’ll be fine.” With that he tapped Yixing on the shoulder, rousing him from his sleep. “We’re here.”

Yixing answered with a murmur and a shake of his head before climbing out of the car. Suho and Kyungsoo followed.

The moment he stepped out of the car Kyungsoo felt the itch beneath his skin grow hot. He scratched absently at his neck to relieve the feeling as he, Yixing and Suho walked over to the rest of the pack crowded around the bonfire. As they drew close Jongin stepped forward and placed a hand Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Since this is your first run with us I wanna play things safe. Not that I don’t trust you, but I need to know we have a handle on your wolf even if you don’t.” He explained, before nodding to Tao, who stripped off his jeans and tank top. The discarded clothes barely touched the ground before Tao ran out his claws and curled them under the skin of his stomach, tearing it open.

Kyungsoo gagged as Tao pealed back his own flesh, tearing away chunks of skin and muscle, exposing a swath of bloody, matted black fur underneath. He watched, disgusted and horrified as his pack-mate tossed the useless flesh on the bonfire. The sickly sweet smell of burnt meat wafting over the pack. Kyungsoo had shed his own skin before. He knew what it entailed, but he had never seen it before and for the first time in his life the thought of shedding his skin made him physically sick and he turned away retching.

When Kyungsoo turned back to the fire, the taste of bile on the back on his tongue, a huge black wolf was standing were Tao had been. Its coat damp with a light, bloody sheen and pile of clothes at its feet. Torn flesh hissed and spit on the fire as Jongin gave the wolf, Tao, an approving pat on the head. Tao was the biggest animal Kyungsoo had ever seen, standing almost as high as Kyungsoo’s hip. He could’t help but step back, intimidated, right into another large wolf - barely an inch smaller than Tao - with a dark brown coat standing where Suho had been, the beta’s shirt, pants and skin at its feet.

“Ok,” Jongin started, giving Tao a gentle scratch behind the ear before continuing. “Tao and Suho should be enough. So go ahead, Kyungsoo.” He gestured to the fire and Kyungsoo's feet suddenly felt like lead.

“Go on,” Yixing encourages and Suho gently nudged at the back of his knees urging Kyungsoo forward until he was standing by the bonfire.

Kyungsoo looked back at Yixing, and to Jongin with Tao beside him, then glanced at the rest of his new pack around him. They were all waiting. Waiting for Kyungsoo to shed his skin and show them his wolf. The spotlight was on him and Kyungsoo just wanted to turn tail and go him, but the itch under his skin was only getting worse. He could feel the ache in his nail beds, he claws begging to be run out.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing down his nerves, Kyungsoo let the heat under the itch rise up. His claws ran out, the pain dulled by the adrenaline of the shift, and curled them under his skin. The itch began to fade as he pulled at his flesh, tearing it from his shoulders, arms and chest slowly exposing his wolf to his new pack. Another rush of adrenaline flushed through his veins as he clawed at his back and dropped to his haunches, shaking the remains of his flesh from his coat.

Inhaling deeply Kyungsoo savored the crisp, bite of the evening air as he felt his bones shift and grind, reshaping themselves. As his wolf emerged Kyungsoo scented his pack-mates for the first time. All around him was a mix of sweet, citrus and musk dominated by a sharp, spicy accent that Kyungsoo could tell was coming from Jongin. He reeked of pack-alpha.

“Well, me.”

The murmur caught Kyungsoo’s sensitive ears, drawing his attention to Chanyeol, who was standing a few feet behind Jongin. The beta appeared gob-smacked as though someone has just slapped him across the face. Glancing around his pack-mates Kyungsoo noticed that almost all of them had similar expressions.

“Pay up, Park.” Baekhyun demanded, eyes locked on Kyungsoo as he absently held his hand out to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol half-heartedly slapped Baekhyun’s hand away. “No way. You didn’t bet this.”

“None of us did.”