Emma awoke slowly. She found herself in a soft, comfortable full-sized bed surrounded by fluffy pillows and covered by warm blankets that smelled of man. The scent prickled her nose, familiar, friendly. She was not disoriented; she knew exactly where she was and why. What she didn’t know was how long she had been asleep.

            Carefully, quietly, Emma wound, tightened her aura around herself, concealing her scent, her beating heart, her entire presence from the young pack of wolf-men. Feeling well-rested and confident, she sat up.

            The room had no windows, the walls were covered with old announcement posters displaying the time and date of old bands’ performances. The bright lamp on the bedside table provided the only light. In a corner opposite the bed, there was a desk, a stack of notebooks piled up on the surface. Surrounding the desk were carefully assembled shelves filled with books and worn journals. A guitar had been placed beside a keyboard, both displaying signs of constant use.

            Emma’s curiosity was aroused. She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress, blinking at the sight of baggy sweatpants covering her legs. Taking a moment to inspect herself, she found that she had been changed into men’s clothing, her blue dress—undoubtedly now tattered and bloodied—had been removed and replaced by said sweat pants and a black tee.

            She smiled. “Hyunnie.”

            The soft snort of a canine drew her attention to the end of the bed. There, Hyunseong slept soundly in his wolf form. She inhaled sharply, her breath catching in awe of his dark coat. She had always known that Hyunseong had possessed one of the most beautiful pelts, but its beauty had dimmed in the chambers of her memory. It was darker than black and would shimmer in a thousand shades of amethyst as light reflected off of it. She longed to touch it, the fur that was softer than silk.

            Biting her lip, Emma shook her head, refocusing on the room. She had not seen Hyunseong in decades, while she may still think of him as a close dongsaeng, he may no longer see her as his noona. Silently, she lowered herself from the bed, the black socks on her feet keeping the chill of the stone floor away.

            The wall alongside the bed was interrupted by two doors. One of them, slightly ajar, revealed the tiled floor of a bathroom beyond. The other sparked her curiosity. With light feet, she made her way to it, careful not to awaken the sleeping wolf. She knew the entrance to the room was across from where she stood, so this door was something else. She wondered what kind of dirty little secrets she might find inside, something she could tease Hyunseong with later.

            Eagerly, she pushed the door open. A light flickered on as she crossed the threshold, revealing a closet full of nothing but clothes. Her shoulders slumped, feeling disappointed at how anticlimactic the revelation had turned out to be, until she realized that every item within was of an expensive brand.

            The items were organized by sea