The wolves kept tracking down the coyotes’, they found a sample of an injecting machine laid forgotten on the ground, whereby they were actually injecting themselves with merged stem cells connected to neurons, which was found after D.O and Chen had managed to sneak into a laboratory late at night to conduct their experiments. Thus it was deduced that the coyotes started creating a higher intelligence and level of development, which led to language acquisition and even sense perception, the ability to form and make logical procedural memories, as well as their own representations of knowledge. That also meant that they were becoming stronger and more physically capable, which was a bad sign for us, as the peace was somehow seen to be threatened by their existence. But since the coyotes were still dumb enough to fall into useless traps like mice would when we’d dangle cheese in front of their faces, it hadn’t been a difficult task for the werewolves to gather them all up together and kill what they could find. But the scientist behind this scheme was still unknown, and that was the biggest worry of all.

But for now, the peace was restored, and no attacks were signaled. It would take a while for a whole population of coyotes to be reproduced again, and it would give the werewolves much more time than they needed to track out the owner of this sick experiment.

Although we managed to repair all the damages left by the coyotes, and the house looked just like it had been before the attack, I was still reluctant in moving back in. Flashbacks of the event that occurred that night kept me awake, and sometimes I’d wake up with a startled gasp, chest heaving and sweat b at my forehead. It would take everything in me to lie back down and try sleeping peacefully; for fear that I’d wake Luhan up with the bundle of emotions tugging on my heartstrings.

He did, that one night where I woke up with tears streaming down my face. It had been a flashback again, the same one I’d been having for days on end. The coyote’s face close to mine, him tearing at my clothes and touching me places I felt had been violated, places that even Luhan hadn’t laid his hand on. And somehow, when I tried to scream for my wolf, nothing could come out, anything except the shrieks of terror and pain.

“Hey, Seulmi” I was awoken by Luhan’s comforting hand on my arm, his touch providing comfort and security. I took a look at him, at his handsome face twisted with worry, and burst into tears.

“Hey hey,” He shushed, bringing me close to his chest and not letting go even when I flinched against his touch, the memory of the coyote’s wandering hands still fresh in my mind. I really didn’t feel like looking at anybody, especially not Luhan, when I was in such a frantic state, but it seemed like he read my mind, for he leaned away and whispered a soft “It’s just me, Seulmi”

“Leave me alone” I bubbled pathetically, trying not to look as if I was about to breakdown at any second.

“No way” He shot back, tightening his hold and burying his face into my neck, my back in comforting circular motions. His hand was warm, and big enough to ease my frights. I hated being dependent on him so much, I hated the fact that I needed him so much I felt like part of me was missing whenever he wasn’t around, and yet, I didn’t have the will to push him away either, because at the end of the day, I think that I needed him as much as he did need me.

“I hate that bastard,” he suddenly growled in my hair. I jumped, surprised by his ferocity. His eyes were glowing with harsh silver light, so hard they caused me to flinch again. He softened at that, nuzzling his nose into my hair and letting a soft puppy-like whine to fall from his lips, “Don’t cry”

I heaved a sigh and tried to stop the trembling of my chest, the harsh echoes of my heart. He pushed his face closer to mine, as if his warmth could radiate over to me and bring about the security I was yearning for. I had to admit, I felt better just with him holding me so tightly in his arms, when in normal circumstances I hated being so intimately close with anyone.

After some time- I don’t how many minutes have passed since we stayed huddled up like this together in each other’s arms- I sighed and pushed him away as I knew that he was tired and needed to rest as well, “Go to sleep”

“But-“ “-I’m fine” I interrupted, throwing him a look that I hoped didn’t betray the still nervous wreck of emotions twirling through my stomach.

He somehow saw right through my gaze, for he replied, “You’re not fine”

“I am,” I protested.

“Not.”

“Luhan, I’m perfectly fine”

“Then why are your hands shaking?”

. My fingers automatically curled into fists, tight by my side, “Just cold”

Luhan looked at me with disbelief splayed across his features, and I wasn’t sure whether he was going to keep arguing with me. I kept his gaze, but before I could do anything else, he had lifted me in his arms and brought me over to his bed. He tossed me onto the mattress before crawling in right after. His arms wound around me so that no escape was available, and he pressed my body against his so that my every curve fit into his hard, chiseled structure.

Of course, I wasn’t about to go down without a fight, although I knew at the back of my mind that there was no way I’d be able to escape this iron cage, “What the--! Let me go!”

No response. Luhan’s eyes were closed, but from the small smile dangling on his lips, I knew he was far from asleep. I kept kicking at him, “Luhan!”

I yelped when he suddenly pulled me closer, noses touching. Fire crawled up my neck at a rapid speed, and my palms were sweating from the intimacy, the closeness. I wasn’t used to this, and this was the first time ever since we declared ourselves as mates that we had some alone time together. He had been part of the group that was busy tracking down the coyote trails, and was never home. Or if he were, I’d be at school. So it made it even more awkward because I really didn’t know how to act in those kinds of situations.

I kept squirming, but he growled in response, “Seulmi, if you don’t stop moving I’m going to kiss you”

At his statement, I froze.

With a chuckle, his eyes slid open, “You really don’t want me to kiss you, huh?”

I winced at his choice of words. I could see the slight hurt in his gaze, and I looked away. To be honest, I really didn’t mind all that much, especially because it was Luhan.

Luhan was someone I could trust, someone that I could count on. Maybe even someone that could hold a special place in my heart. Maybe he already did.

This was really confusing and not good for my mind, or my heart for that matter.

I mumbled something along the lines of “It’s not like I mind” which I thought had been just a breath of a whisper. Contrary to what I imagined, his ears perked immediately and his face lit up with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

And just like that, he leaned over to press a chaste kiss to my lips.

My mouth fell open on it’s own accord. My heart skipped a beat.

Okay, that was random.

But it wasn’t unpleasant; I’ll give him that.

A soft chuckle escaped his mouth at that, and then he pulled me in even closer if possible, before burying his face into the crook of my neck and breathing in my scent, just like a dog would.

Ha, what was I talking about? He was a dog.

Slowly, as if they had always been meant to be, my muscles relaxed on their own accord. It was probably just Luhan’s warmth, an automatic reaction to his secure presence that had me swooning like I had found my happy place. It wasn’t like I had asked for this to happen, but I was glad that for once, I wasn’t sleeping alone. For it was at the precise time, in the midst of dreams and illusions that the nightmares managed to scare me the most, they managed to filter through my brain and haunt me in the most horrible ways.

“ Relax,” I felt his hand, rubbing soothing circles onto my back. I bit my lip and tried to stop the flood of feelings that raged suddenly through me. I didn’t want him to hear whatever uncertainties I was so good at hiding, but there were no secrets between mates, that I had learnt all too well. To make matters worse, Luhan just nuzzled his nose against my neck and brushed his other hand onto my hair, as if his movements would calm my mind.

I don’t know how I managed to fall asleep, but next thing I knew, another nightmare had taken possession of my body, and this time as I sprang up into a sitting position on the bed – all sweaty and sticky from panic, heart beating a mile an hour- Luhan was right there, worry etched at the borders of his face.

“Seulmi, I’m here. No one can hurt you,” He growled at the two last words, “I promise you that”

“I know,” I muttered under my breath, trying to squeeze my eyes against the flashbacks roaring through me, “I’m trying.”

Luhan’s eyes watched me for a moment; silent, judging. There was something that was bothering him, and from his expression I couldn’t identify what exactly, which caused me to squirm softly in my place.

And then before I could even blink, I was up in his arms once more and he was walking down the stairs. Confused for a few seconds, I looked up at him in shock- he did have a way of making things so unpredictable that I wasn’t really sure if it was a good thing or not- and was surprised to find his face dark with something like annoyance. To be honest, it was a little freaky.

We reached the kitchen and he gently placed me onto the kitchen counter, although Kyungsoo had reprimanded all of us numerous times that we weren’t allowed to sit on tabletops because it just wasn’t right and it was disgusting as a healthy hygiene, specially concerning food, Luhan practically dumped me there before moving to the fridge. I watched him with unsure eyes, frowning as he dug into the contents of the fridge.

“What are you doing?” I muttered loud enough for him to hear me. But there was no answer. My gaze fell onto the clock on the other side of the wall. It read 3:30 a.m. About that time, the wolves would usually come back from their night shifts. But no one was outside right now, and I was glad, for otherwise I’d have to explain the reason behind my restlessness. I guessed that Luhan considered my emotions as well before planning on whatever he had concocted inside his head, and for that a burst of gratefulness simmered inside my chest.

Something was into my hands. Jumping at the sudden action, I looked down and saw steamy brown liquid, with pieces of marshmallows floating at the top. My eyes flew to Luhan’s face, and he raised a brow.

Hesitantly, I raised the cup to my lips and sipped.

Hot Chocolate.

Heaven.

I couldn’t help myself but groan in satisfaction, and it was only when I heard Luhan’s chuckle that I realized that I wasn’t alone. My head whipped up again, only to notice the short distance between our bodies. His hands were placed on the counter, trapping me in his heat. I felt my head spinning when I met his gaze; so gentle and soft, yet filled with something else, something I couldn’t quite read. It was weird, it made my heart skip beats, and I didn’t like it at all.

“My mother used to boil hot milk and marshmallows when I couldn’t sleep” Luhan’s voice was deeper and more rough, resulting goose bumps on my arms. He reached out unconsciously and removed a strand of hair that was stuck to my lip. I was left astounded by his sudden affectionate action. Since when had he become so bold? I thought as he continued talking like everything was perfectly normal, “But I know that you hate milk. So I changed it a bit”

I softened. Luhan could be a bastard, but he definitely was raised up as a good son, “Thanks” I murmured, raising the cup to my lips and continuing to down the drink as a sudden spark of thirst overtook me.  

And it was true, that after I was done, I felt full and happy inside. I was content, calm, at peace. It was the most satisfying feeling in the world, so satisfying that a small smile tugged at my lip.

“Why didn’t you tell me that it was haunting you?”

I didn’t dare look up at him, knowing full well that my nervousness was radiating off me in waves. It was stupid of me not to reply either, for he could read my thoughts as easily as if I had spoken them.

“Why should I?” I my lips.

As soon as I did, his gaze momentarily froze, eyes flashing silver for a millisecond, “Because I’m your mate.”

“So you say I should bother your about stupid nightmares when you’re out and about all night, having other things to worry about?” I scoffed and placed the mug next to me on the counter, “I’m not a damsel in distress, I can take care of myself”

“It’s not just some stupid nightmares,” Luhan replied, eyes darkening, “He attacked you that night”

“I know that” I growled back, “But it doesn’t make it easier to annoy you about it”

“It won’t annoy me” his nostrils flared.

I sighed in exasperation, “Whatever” I used my hand to push at his shoulders, “I’m going back to bed”

He was faster than I thought. Grabbing onto my hands, he pulled me flush against his chest, so that I felt his heart beat rhythmically. I was shocked by the fact that it seemed to beat at the same rhythm as mine did. What was this kind of sorcery? Is this some kind of joke?

“You,” he murmured while his breath fanned out over my face. I felt the heat rise from my neck, and I had to admit that I was getting used to this familiarity of blushing so frequently, though I hated it, “You need to trust me.”

I scowled, trying not to show how weakened I was just by his touches, “let me go, Ahjusshi.”

“Promise me,” He whispered. I shivered at the sound of his alto dropping down a few octaves. I would never admit it to him out loud, but his voice got to me in ways I couldn’t understand, “Promise me that you’ll tell me.”

“Why?” I couldn’t help but blurt out loud. I knew that deep down he cared. But it was so unfamiliar, so foreign to me. No one had ever bothered to care before. Why must it start now?

“Because-“ he broke off. His orbs were back to silver, shining so brightly in the darkness of the kitchen that I found myself under its spell. His gaze took my breath away and turned my legs to jelly. Why was I so annoyingly like a schoolgirl that had a crush on a random stranger whenever he was around? I hated feeling so weak; I was torn between either hitting him in the face and ignoring his existence. He tried again, “Because I—“

“-Don’t you dare, “ I cut him off, “say one more word about being my mate and stuff because it’s seriously starting to piss me off—“ His lips dove down to cover my protests away, letting the words dissipate on my mouth.

His hands released my wrists to bring my body closer, wrapping around my waist and leaving warm trails of heat when his fingers slid under the material of my large t-shirt. I stiffened considerably, still reluctant about all those lovey dovey things, but Luhan looked like he had been practicing for ages, for he pressed his mouth even harder against mine if possible, almost bruising.

His lips were so sinfully sweet that I found myself reciprocating his actions. A soft grunt left him when I hesitantly pressed back, passionately staining my mouth with his own when he leaned over, my spine dipping back onto the counter.

Oh my god, what the heck were we even doing?!

Was I seriously making out with Luhan, on the ing kitchen counter?!

I wanted to push him away, but something inside of me- I don’t know what the that was anymore- whimpered in desire. I realized that I had actually whimpered out loud a second too late as Luhan responded with a y growl of his own.

When we broke apart for air, I was practically lying down on that damn counter, his forehead pressed to mine as we caught our breaths. His orbs swirled with misty silver and white, so intense on my brown ones that I wanted to squirm and look away.

“This is the reason why,” He whispered tenderly, before reaching up and pressing his lips lightly to my forehead.

I only blinked in shock.

What?

What was that even supposed to mean?!

He wasn’t helping me in the least, and he knew it.

“What” I just blurted out loud dumbly.

Luhan continued watching me, and I was busy trying to avoid his gaze at all costs, when the door to the kitchen suddenly opened.

“You do not want Kyungsoo to find you like that”

I yelped at the appearance of Lay, who bustled into the kitchen and went directly for the fridge. Instantly, my hand shot down to push Luhan’s hands away as I tried to wrestle my way out of the silver wolf’s grip, but he didn’t seem at all fazed by Lay’s presence. I thought that it would have been enough to make him jump by miles, but what was even more surprising was the fact that he just pulled me upright and kept his hold, like it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

When, hello, no it wasn’t.

“Found anything?” Luhan asked as another wolf came stumbling through the door. Heat overtook my face and my body suddenly became warmer in Luhan’s arms at the questioning look that Chen threw over to us, “And here it goes again. I wish I had a mate”

“Not anything new” Lay answered before chucking a water bottle at Chen, “Don’t worry Chen, she’ll find you, or you’ll find her”

“Luhan” I hissed in his ear, trying my best to push his chest away. He was so annoyingly ignoring me that I had to scoff. Really, he was going to play that game?

“I’m beat” Chen chugged down its contents, eyes narrowed as he sent us a pointed look. I avoided his gaze at all costs and grabbed onto Luhan’s forearms before trying to pull them away, cheeks dusty with pink.

“I hope you realize just how unhygienic you are” Chen then commented with a hint of a smirk. I felt like wiping it off his face. With a punch.

“Shut the up” I snapped back, ears turning red with part shame and part frustration at the fact that the silver wolf holding me down was acting like everything was just fine and dandy, like he was used to doing this everyday. Embarrassment swirled in the pits of my stomach, causing me to become hot and uncomfortable in his grasp. Luhan only tightened his hold in response before dipping his head down to look right into my brown orbs, his own silver irises alighted with amusement.

Oh, so he was finding it funny now, was he?

Wait till I kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine.

“No, but really, if Kyungsoo sees you guys practically screwing on the counter, he’s going to be furious” Lay chuckled with a raised brow. They seemed much more entertained than grossed out, and then it hit me that for them, it mustn’t be a big deal, seeing that they saw those kind of things everyday ever since they got their mates. After all, this house was full of young, hormonal wolves that had to constantly satiate their thirst.

But I hated thinking of myself as just something that could relief Luhan of his manly pains.

I wasn’t about to play nice with him, if that’s what he was thinking.

I managed to catch him off guard by sending my foot into his knee, causing the silver-eyed wolf to lessen his grasp on my hips enough so that I could jump down and run away from the bloody counter. I would never look at this kitchen the same way ever again and it was all thanks to Lu-ing-Han and his ability to send blood rushing to my face.

I escaped through the back door, relieved to feel some kind of rejuvenation as the wind whipped my hair away from my face and managed to cool down the heat that had accumulated through my cheeks, tainting them scarlet. I was becoming so weak to his advances, so pliant against the want and mutual affection, the desire and yearning for his touch. It was amazing and horrifying at the same time. Haerim had warned me, just like the others had before, but was it really right to feel such tightening bonds with someone I barely met? Okay I did know Luhan, had known him for some time now, but it didn’t feel right not to know him that well, not to be able to speak to him.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him; it was just that I never got the chance.

And most of all, before the intimacy, before the physical show of affections and stuff, I just wanted to know him.

Because in the end, I was just scared of hurting him the most.

“Hey”

I whipped around to see the said boy lingering by the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. Frowning, I turned back towards the landscape I had been admiring and said without looking at him; “What do you want?”
 

I felt him move until his warmth was right beside me, arms practically touching. Out of instinct, I cowered back from him, not really sure how to deal with such situations and so many emotions all at once.

“We should go back to bed” Was what he finally said after a long pause of silence.

But I had so many unsaid questions, so many things that I had to figure out. My brain was a huge jumbled mess of emotions. Luhan was the cause of it, and I did not want him to find out how affected I was by all this though it was getting harder and harder to hide things from him. He was just there, speaking to me in my mind, knowing exactly which steps I was going to take. I didn’t know whether it pleased or annoyed me the most. At times, I wished to be left alone, because I needed the space to process and take in whatever was happening to me. But he was a constant ring in my mind, always at the back and hiding deep within my darkest thoughts.

I wouldn’t deny the fact that at any random moments of the day, my thoughts flew over to think of him.

“Seulmi” He said, nudging me slightly with his elbow. I sighed and ruffled my hair, “Just give me a minute.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” He replied, “not after everything that happened to you.”

Gosh, could he be more overprotective? I felt like rolling my eyes. For god’s sake, I was only on the back porch, and it wasn’t like the house wasn’t filled with young, fresh-blooded werewolves that had the fastest instincts I’d ever seen in an animal before.

“Something’s wrong” he suddenly pointed out, rightfully poking fun at the bruise I’d been nursing. How I detested how right this statement seemed to be.

Cocking his head to the side and scanning his brown orbs over my face, he pressed his lips in a taut line, “Seulmi, what are you thinking about?”

“I hate it,” I snapped, “I hate this.”

When silence was his only reply, I ploughed on like a stream that had just broken over its obstacle, flowing out from me as smoothly as water.

“We don’t even know each other. I don’t know what your favorite color is, or what you like to eat, or what you’re allergic to,” my words got choked up and coiled with emotion as I tried to spit them out of my throat, “I don’t even know where you come from, and yet we’re acting like we’ve known each other for ages”

He opened his mouth to reply back, but I cut him off with a shake of my head, “Don’t try to say otherwise, because it’s the same for you. Do you even know my ambitions? Or what I believe in? Or much I hate the peanut butter and jam combination? Do you even know a single thing about me? Honestly, I feel like we only know each other because of that bond, and trust me, whatever bull you’re gonna say about the bond being stronger than any relationship and blah blah blah, it all starts from knowing each other and slowly getting comfortable, more intimate. Not like this. Not like we were forced to start acting like there’s something when clearly all this is just physical”

Once the words flew from my mouth, part of me wished they hadn’t. I had hurt him, I could see it in his eyes, in the way his lips turned down and pressed into a straight, dense line, in the way his eyes averted and his eyebrows dipped down into not quite a frown, but as if contemplating the meaning behind the words I just spat out without any primary consideration. It pained me to see him in such a debatable state, to see him mentally trying to fight with his own self, but I had to get it off my chest, and knowing that I was being honest relieved some of the issues that had been worrying me ever since I got to know that I was his mate.

After a long moment of tranquility, I dared to take a peek at his face. It was calm, collected, but he was biting his lip as if trying to contemplate what to tell me.

Finally, his lips, he said, “My favorite color is green, like the forest on a dewy chilly morning. I like to eat Italian food but somehow can’t digest cheese. I come from China and both my parents are dead after the war that broke out within werewolves and other species a very long time ago when I was only just a baby.”

“Your ambitions are to be successful in whatever you want to pursue as a career, and you’re afraid that you won’t be able to get a stable job after your education. That worries you. You believe in karma, and yet hate everything that has to do with religion and whatnot even if your parents are true believers of God on Earth,” He continued on as if he’d been given an assignment to read off by heart, and my jaw dropped open in astonishment, “I didn’t know you hated peanut butter and jam but I know that you don’t like milk, and I could go on about the way you bite your lip when you’re nervous or how you make a face whenever you think of something painful, or how you randomly sing in the shower.”

He peered over at me, “Do you want me to continue?”

I was left stunned and more than shocked at his sudden revelation. It felt like he had recited it off by heart from somewhere, and I couldn’t quite believe that he knew all of this. What surprised me the most was that he seemed to be so sure of himself, and that he did not even go wrong on one single aspect.

His hand reached out suddenly, grabbing the back of my neck to pull me close, forehead to forehead. His stare pinioned me down in place and I squirmed under the intensity of his gaze.

“I know it’s hard. I know it’s sudden” he breathed and I felt sincerity shining through his eyes, “I understand how frustrating it must be to have my presence at your side 24/7 when sometimes you need space. I guess that sometimes, you want me out of your face” He let out a small laugh, “And I know how you feel so confused about yourself, about our relationship, where this is going. You’re scared, I’m scared too. I don’t want to force yourself into things you’re not ready for. You can take as much time as you wish because I’ve been there. But I’m just asking you—forget the bond we have, forget that there’s even a connection that binds us—it’s just me. You and me, trying to make this work.”

I gulped down the sudden lump that formed in my throat. He was right; we just had to take it slow. Whatever that is.

“I just want you to give me a chance” he lifted his eyes to mine, silver orbs flashing, “even if I’ve been a numerous times. Not that you were splendid because most of the time you’re being a yourself.”

A chuckle left my mouth at his words, which I couldn’t deny. I had to admit that he was being rightfully wise and his words actually made sense to me.

I nodded slowly, letting my gaze fall back down to stare at our feet, the tip of our slippers touching.

He was right.

I should take this just one step at a time, and give him the chance he deserved, the chance that slipped out of his hands twenty years ago.

PLEASE JUST SHOOT ME BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SOOO DAMN LONG. AND I'M SINCERELY SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS FIC FOR LIKE A CENTURY. 

I've jsut been really stuck with this story, I haven't felt inspired at all to write this out and I've also been distracted a lot with my other fics. For those that have been waiting this long, thank you so much for sticking around even though I'm not that active on this fic and I'm updating after so long, and for those that have unsubscribed, I apologize for being so inconsistent and understand if you have lost interest in this story. 
BUT BUT BUT...here is a super duper long chappie that i've just written out, and now that I know where this fic is going, I feel inspired to write out the scenes and how it will end so please give it one more chance. :) 

How did you find this chapter? :) Comment your thoughts down below! <3 

again, so sorry for updating this now after ages, and thanks to all of you, old or new subscribes or those that have stayed with me for this entire journey that is not ready to end yet :) <3 I love you guys.