"Blood bond?" I heard myself echo like an idiot. "What blood bond?" 

"It's something werewolves do before they mate," Luhan cleared his throat, eyes darting here and there as he tried to avoid eye contact. I could tell that he was uncomfortable just by the tension of his shoulders and the way his jaw clenched when he thought I wasn't looking. "I told you about it at the very beginning, remember? When you asked me why we couldn't mate yet?" 

"Right," I said as the memory made a blurry appearrance in my mind. I didn't really recall nor pay attention to whatever he had to say back then but I did remember something about werewolves being intimately attached for that to happen. 

"So, isn't it just some kind of pact?" I asked out of curiosity, and also because it was fun to see him squirm in his seat. I let a smile dance across my lips and Luhan shot me a glare, which I answered with a smug grin. 

"It does involve making a blood pact over holy water," He said, "And it's usually done before--" He cut himself off suddenly, biting the inside of his cheek and causing even greater curiosity. 

"Before what?" I repeated, prompting him forward. 

He took a deep breath, exhaled and spouted all the words in a rush, "Before the mating process happens."

"Oh," my brain tried to put two and two together, eyebrows furrowing in thought, "Wait, the mating process entails--" And then it hit me. Mating process. Of course. 
Why was I so dense? 

Why was I so ing dense? 

"W-Wait a minute," I stammered, blood rushing to my cheeks while I felt heat suddenly crawl across the back of my neck and causing a series of tingles to dance down my spine, "Wh-Why bring it up now? Is there like a particular season or s-something?" 

"No." It was my turn to squirm under his gaze this time, "But I just wanted to let you know." 

"Why?" 

"Because," he closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again and staring straight at me with so much intensity I forgot how to breathe, "Because Kris just talked to me about it and I thought that it might be better to tell you earlier rather than later." 

I didn't know what to do with this information, except that I wanted to get out of that house as soon as I possibly could. Not because I wanted to get away from Luhan, not because I was afraid or anything like that, but because I wanted to make sure that I actually knew of all the implications I was getting myself into. 

These past few months with him had been blissful, wonderful, magical. There was no word to describe it other than using those three adjectives. I couldn't lie to myself to say that I wasn't happy despite my poor familial situation at hand. He'd been the best at making me forget, at making me accept my flaws for what they are and with him, I felt like I was someone better, someone that could actually care and someone that actually had the potential of doing something with her life other than just being a burden. He believed in me when no one else did and that was the most important thing anyone could ever give me. 

It wasn't that I needed someone to believe me in order to life a satisfactory, fullfilling life. But we were all human and having that little extra push in the right direction, having someone close to your heart with whom you could share everything was literally the source of happiness that kept me moving through all these hard times.
Whenever it got tough, I managed to think of Luhan and everything was just a little, even a little, bit better.

"Seulmi you're literally steaming with thoughts, I can practically hear you from over here," Kyungsoo's voice brought me back to reality as I realized that I had been standing at the counter for the past ten minutes, supposedly waiting for my tea to infuse.

I turned hurriedly, hoping he wouldn't catch what I was thinking about. But from the expression on his face, I could tell that the cogs were already working in his brain. 
"Did Luhan say something to you?" He went straight to the point.

My face flushed. It hit a little too close to home, "No." I mumbled, but he threw me a 'are you kidding' look and I caved in without protest, knowing it was useless when he'd already seen right through my facade. 
"He told me about the blood bond." I blurted ou before I could chicken out of the situation and watched the said wolf's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. 

"He told you about that?" Kyungsoo's eyes were wide and round, rounder than I've ever seen them be. He spared a glance behind him to make sure that no one was present, before leaning forward onto the kitchen table, "Did he tell you everything comes along with it?" he asked in a hushed murmur. 

I nodded, "Yeah." 

"Well," Kyungsoo folded his arms across his chest, a contemplative look crossing his face, "That's what I call progress." 

I throw him a scowl. "That's not funny." 

"So what? Are you going to run away now that he's told you about the whole process?" 
I shook my head, "I just--" Raking my fingers through my hair, I contemplated on the various reasons as to why he'd want to tell me this sooner rather than later. Was there a time limit as to when wolves could mate? Or did he just want me to know what I was getting myself into before it was too late? 

Or did he mean that he was ready to take the next step? 

Thoughts of the particular night of the party had me flushing as pink as a salmon, and Kyungsoo didn't fail to notice the heat crawling up my cheeks. 

"Did something happen?" was what he asked. 

I shook my head despite the small nagging thought at the back of my head telling me that something had definitely happened to trigger this, and though I wasn't certain, it was clear that it had something to do with the party. 

"Don't run away," it was as if Kyungsoo could see the panic racing across my thoughts. His own eyebrows were furrowed into a concerned frown while his lips were pressed together into a tense line, "running away won't solve the problem, Seulmi."

"I know that. I mean, talking to him would be the for the best, but--" I broke off suddenly, too embarassed to finish the sentence. 
Thank god Kyungsoo was smart enough to figure out the rest for himself, "Hey," He said quietly, leaning across the counter and gazing at me with gentle brown orbs that shone in the morning sunlight, "Luhan loves you. He wouldn't do anything you wouldn't like, okay? You have to trust him on that." 

I looked away, gulping. "I know." I muttered mostly to myself.
"Then talk to him," He jerked his chin towards the other room. "I can feel his restlessness from miles away. Boy's been out all night hunting." 

Surely enough, as I popped my head out of the back door and squinted against the harsh sunlight beating down on my face, I noticed my wolf's figure sitting on a sunny parch of grass exposed to sunlight. His head was tilted back and he had his eyes closed, mouth slightly parted to enjoy its basking rays. 

He felt my presence before I could say anything, for his head quickly whipped around and landed straight on my figure.

I froze. 

"Hey?" I hurriedly greeted in case he thought I had been standing here just gawking at him like an idiot.

Luhan blinked before slowly pushing himself to stand up. I strode over the grass and met him halfway, and as he looked down at me with pupils flashing with silver, I got a whiff of the turmoil of thoughts that coursed through his mind and tumbled over each other. 

Even when there was nothing to worry about, he was still concerned. And right now, I felt his anxiety picking up at the thought of having said something stupid, trying to scramble the ways he could make it right again where I was concerned, wondering if what he'd told me had been a bad decision at the bad time. 

All that I managed to read from him, I denied it with a shake of my head. But his eyes were telling me another story, still swimming with some kind of guilt. I pressed my lips together as he attempted to stumble over his words to murmur: 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." he swallowed, "It wasn't right of me. I didn't want to pressure you or anything, it's just that when Kris talked to me about it I started panicking because I--" 
"Hey," I interrupted him before he could go on into this small rant, seeing how our talk just two nights ago had really beaten him up and eaten away at his rationality, "It's fine, I'm fine. I don't think you made a mistake by telling me the truth." 

"I don't want you to think that I'm after you because of that," he replied, "It was definitely not what I had in mind. But I didn't want to hide it from you because I knew how reluctant you are with those kinds of things. I just wanted you to know, for your own good, as to what you were getting into." 

His concern rang with genuineness, causing my heart to flutter slightly at the thought.

"Thanks," I mumbled, though unsure whether I was thanking him for telling me or thanking him for having been so considerate in his thought process. Looking back up into his swirling silver orbs and tracing the planes of his face, I let a smile slip through and break through my face. 

That caused Luhan to frown, "Why are you smiling?" 

My smile instantly vanished, "Why can't I smile?" 

"Because you're smiling for no reason and that's creepy." 

"Excuse me?" I scoffed, "Ahjusshi, I think we already established who's the e here." 

He rolled his eyes at my comment before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and propelling me towards the backdoor once again, "Let's get breakfast." 

"You're not even denying it." I snorted as we ducked under the doorway and made our way to the kitchen, where Kyungsoo had been joined by Mihye and Krystal. They all turned to look at us as we entered the room, with the said male wolf casting me a knowing glance while Krystal wriggled her brows at me suggestively, to which I rolled my eyes in response. 

"Breakfast?" Mihye asked as we sat down at the kitchen table. 

"Sure," We both agreed and moments later had two plates of eggs and toast placed before us. Kris walked in just as we were about to dig in, too busy fixing his shirt to notice where he was going. 

"Woah there, mister." Mihye placed a hand on her mate's chest to halt his footsteps. He obeyed and let her tie the buttons properly. When she was done, he dropped a kiss on her forehead before greeting us all. 

Is this how we were going to be one day? I thought to myself as I scooped up food from the plate and thoughtfully chewed on its delicious taste. Will there be a day where we'd be that comfortable with each other? Where he'd gravitate towards me as naturally as the moon rotated around the earth? Would he see me and me only? And would I see him? 

The thought was scary and intimidating, and yet, I couldn't help but bite back a smile. 

It was also exciting. 

A few weeks went by without much disruption. I started applying to a bunch of colleges in a diverse range of fields as I was still unsure as to what I wanted to do in my life. My part-time job kept me busy for most of the time and as the days progressed, so did my relationship with Luhan. For every chance we got, he managed to bring me someplace new to explore the city, traveling to places I've never seen before and wasn't even aware existed. We brunched at various locations, walked along various trails and explored the foilage around the outskirts of the downtown. He taught me how to skate and I taught him how to skip rocks along the riverside. It felt like he was my closest friend, one that I was so comfortable I could say whatever I wanted and acted however I wished. He accepted my quirks and my little habits, laughed at my flaws and imperfections but always reminded me how perfect I was for him in every way. And that was more than I could ever ask for. 

It wasn't until the end of April that I discovered what I really wished to do. I had dropped by Luhan's workplace to drop off his forgotten lunch, popping in the school courtyard and looking around for the recognizable mop of brown head when my eyes fell upon a hunched figure at the bottom of the stairs. Frowning, I realized that it was an older woman who was grabbing to hold onto the railing with shaky hands as she struggled to pull herself up.

Without thinking twice, I approached her with hesitation, unsure how to ask her whether she needed help in case she felt offended. 

Thankfully, her head lifted as she spotted me lingering by the stairs. She proceeded to nod at me in greeting before stepping aside. 

"Go ahead, girl." She said, and it was then that I realized that she thought I needed to go up the same staircase. 

"Oh no," I shook my head quickly, "I was just passing by and I was wondering if you needed help." 

A small smile curled her lips upwards, "I need all the help I can get these days," which I took as an agreement.

I gingerly grabbed onto her arm and supported her as she mounted the staircase with a slowness that made my chest twist with sympathy. I guessed that having a good pair of working feet weren't a given for everyone, and I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened to her if I hadn't been there. 
She thanked me numerous times when we reached her desired floor but I brushed off her thanks and told her it was no problem, my eyes lingering on her form as she walked down the corridor. I flet like I should've said something to help her some more, but I didn't want to come off as rude and she probably wanted her independence as much as she could. Becoming old was somewhat of a curse, I thought to myself as my gaze fell upon the cemented steps from which we'd emerged earlier. If only they had better staircases to accomodate to older people, that would be of a great help for society. 

And then it hit me. 

I actually could do something about that. 

There was such a thing that would enable me to do that. 

It was a fleeting idea, an abstract notion that really didn't make any sense at this point in time. But then as I pondered over the thought, I realized with growing determination that this actually would be a great career opportunity. 

I wanted to help people, and I could do so by applying design skills to the social world, making a better envirronment for everyone. 

"Seulmi?" 

Luhan's voice steered me back to reality, and it was then that I realized I had been standing there for a full five minutes with nothing but a creepily wide smile on my face. My expression instantly dropped into a scowl out of impulse. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked, clipboard in hand. He was wearing a white polo shirt today, with black gym pants and a whistle around his neck. He looked like a real sports coach.

"Why else would I be here?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the stupid question. 

"Obviously not for the kids," he muttered loudly enough for me to hear. As he reached my figure, I didn't hesitate to whack the back of his head with my hand. He yelped at my force, grabbing a hold of the said area before narrowing his eyes at me in what I assumed would be threatening. 

I shook the brown paper bag in front of his face, "Did you forget something?" 

He made a grab for it, but I was quicker at pulling it out of his grasp. His scowl deepened, "Give me that." 

"Magic words." I singsonged.

I didn't miss the eyeroll the wolf gave me, before muttering a soft, almost inaudible, "Please give me my lunch, Seulmi." 

"Good boy," I reached out to pat his head in a joking manner, but he'd made a grab for it before I could, stuffing it under his arm and pulling his tongue out at me. I couldn't help but find his childish behaviour endearing, for it made me wonder what kind of guy he'd been back in high school. Sure, Luhan's physical body had stopped aging the moment he'd found Viviana at the age of 24, and though he'd stayed the same until he finally found me and our lives were synced to age together, he still had years and years of experience, ones that could render him comparable to an old man. 

"What are you laughing at?" He threw me the scariest glare he could muster, which I returned with another smirk. 
"You." I chuckled, "who else?" 

"We'll see who'll be laughing once we get home this evening," He stated stonily. 

My stomach flipped upside down at his words, and it didn't help that his orbs suddenly flashed with silver as he said them casually, tone suspiciously bouncing with more underlying meanings. 

I was horrified at my reaction. Who was I to even think that way? I wanted to slap myself for being so shallow and for thinking of such thoughts, especially in a school courtyard of all places. 

"Don't go tainting all those innocent kids with those erted thoughts of yours." Luhan dropped the comment so casually and with a smirk so infuriating that I felt like the tables had turned all too suddenly, all too fast for me to enjoy this small initial victory.

I could feel the heat travelling all the way up my face, "Didn't I tell you to stop reading me?!" 

"Sorry, couldn't help it when you're practically screaming them out loud." He shrugged, though not seeming at all apologetic. His eyes were teasing, his mouth pursed into a snicker as I grumbled some incoeherent words uner my breath before stomping past him. 

His hand shot out, wrapping around my waist and turning me around so quickly I barely had time to react before he landed a kiss onto my nose. 

I froze, butterflies exploding in the middle of my chest as he cupped my cheek, eyes crinkling in amusement at my surprised and flustered expression, "Cute." 

"I am not!" I managed to wrench myself from his grip and ignored the desire to melt right into his embrace and curl up at his side, though I knew he could feel my inner thoughts ringing through due to the bond. I stomped away and didn't turn back when he cried out that he'd meet me at home that evening, not caring whether various curious faces peered out at me as I walked past the classes. 

Ugh, I hated him so much sometimes. 

Melody felt his stare before she actually saw him. It drilled right through her, warm and fiery and boring holes through her skull as she lifted her gaze from the customers before her to catch his eye. It felt like magnets drew their orbs to each other no matter how and no matter where and when. It was unsettling, a knot that tied her stomach together until it felt uncomfortable. She didn’t like feeling so defenceless, so open to a man she practically knew nothing about. 

“Ma’am? Excuse me?” The middle-aged woman, who’d been busy trying to keep her kids from misbehaving, waved a hand in front of her face. It was enough to snap her out of her daze, “Yes?” 
Melody proceeded to take her order, hands deftly working as her thoughts raced across her mind and tumbled over each other. Why was he here? What was he doing here? And more importantly, why didn’t he tell her that he was coming? 

It was practically a whole city’s drive away and she knew that it hadn’t taken him five minutes. God no, it was probably closer to a three hour drive at the minimum.

It was only when she managed to satisfy all her customers that she finally got the chance to see him again, but that was because he stepped to the counter as soon as the space was vacant. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked sharply and hoped that it didn’t come off as rude. She’d made a promise to herself that night at the party, that she would try being civil and would be on her best behaviour so as not to push him away. 
But that had come so easily in her nature, it was merely out of habit of making sure that nobody would question her more than they should. 
After all, keeping her distance was playing it safe. 

“I had special ingredients to buy for today’s dinner and turns out that they didn’t have it at the local store,” was his response. 
She didn’t have to smell his scent to seek out his blatant lie, but she did anyway. It was foul and made her nose scrunch up in slight irritation, but she decided against saying anything and carried out his order of 50 slices of ham and 60 slices of cheese precisely. 

As she placed the meat into the slicing machine and pressed onto the button to start slicing up the pieces, she couldn’t help but glance back at the said wolf’s figure, who was still waiting by the counter with one hand in his pocket and the other holding on to his basket. Her heart skipped a beat at the tingling sensation that tickled the back of her neck, but she didn’t want to give in to her instincts. Not just yet. She’d made a promise to herself and to her mother; that if she were to find a mate then she’d have to fight the bond for as long as she possibly could until she was sure that there would be no consequences. 
Her promise would clash with whatever she’d talked about with Kyungsoo the night before, but this was her mother’s only request. 

It was what killed off her mother after all. It was what doomed their whole family in the first place. 
The stupid curse, she thought at the back of her mind. That stupid curse was the cause for all her worrying. Everything would’ve been just fine if not for that curse. 

She felt the sting before she could register it, and when she blinked down at her bloodied finger, she heard a crash behind her. Head snapping back, she turned in time to see Kyungsoo's body jumping over the countertop and reaching her side, body warmth radiating concern onto her own. 

He grabbed her hand and examined her injured limb, and she realized that she had actually cut herself without noticing. 

"Oh ," she hissed, but Kyungsoo reacted before she did, quickly dragging her over to the nearby sink. Running her hand under water until the blood had stopped flowing, it was obvious that the wolf beside her was much more concerned than she was about her well-being, for she could smell it rolling off him like waves, washing over her in an attempt to soothe her pain. 

And it did help, just a little. 

When her manager spotted her bloody finger, he deemed her too unfit to work and ordered her to take the rest of the day off to rest, which was why she was ushered out and found herself in Kyungsoo's car, of all places. 

"It wasn't for the groceries, was it?" she asked as soon as he started the engine. 

Kyungsoo glanced at her before placing his gearstick on reverse, "Would it have made a difference if it was?" 

She made a face, "Yeah." 

He didn't say anything as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and to the streets. She told him of her address and was surprised that he didn't ask for further explanations, eyes darting around the roads as if he was deciphering the mental map he'd stored in his memory. Gazing out of the windowpane and noticing the rain gliding down the glass, Melody put a finger up and traced the shapes. It was cool to the touch, cool enough to keep her thoughts rational and sane in the presence of the warm figure radiating heat only a few centimeters away.

"Do you work there permanently?" Kyungsoo broke the silence after a few minutes with his question. 

"After I graduated from high school, my mother passed away and I didn't have enough funds to go to college so I decided to get a part-time job to help me out." Melody didn't look at him, instead focusing her gaze on the outside envirronment, "I've been doing that ever since."

He didn't press further and Melody assumed that it was just in his character to do so, to give her space and let her mull over her thoughts without having the constant pressure of his questioning beating down on her. 

"What about you?" She turned to him then, many questions buzzing through her at the thought of this man, who had practically been a stranger a few weeks ago, and was now known as her so-called mate. And yet, she still had no clue as to what type of person he was, as to what were his ambitions or what his beliefs were. Of course he didn't look all that dodgy, and yet she was still unsettled at the fact that this was the person she was fated to be with. 
Sometimes, she really hated the prospect of having her life tied to someone she barely even knew, someone who hadn't even been part of her life and had suddenly barged in without warning.

If she'd had a choice, then she'd definitely want to choose her own mate. 

Or choose not to have one altogether.

"I work independently as a patissier," He told her, one arm casually steering the wheel as the other rested at his side, "I usually make cakes or snacks for wedding events or birthdays." 

"You like baking?" 

"I love it." He flashed a smile at that. It was genuine, filled with light, "It was my thing ever since I was a little kid."

Her heart squeezed uncomfortably but she brushed it off, "Were your parents good in the kitchen as well?" 
"My dad was a chef, and my mother was a lawyer. It was a weird combination from the very beginning but somehow they made it work." He to a familiar road that would lead to her house, "they were total opposites, from the way they behaved to their personalities, to their way of living. My dad was a pureblood wolf who came from a family of royal descendents, and yet my mom's family was conservative and very humble." 

He suddenly cleared his throat, pressing his lips upon realizing that he had talked a little bit too much about himself, but a warmth rushed to his side almost instantly and erased all his worries. It was Melody, who he could feel was looking at him with a soft smile on her face, a gentle expression that suggested she was enjoying this; enjoying the way he poured out his heart without restraint.

"Do you see them often?" came her question, as bold as she was. 

Kyungsoo was taken aback for a second, before he cleared his throat and replied, "My dad died during the Werewolf War and I sometimes see my mother on occasions. Mostly though, she stays with her sisters. I think it's better this way. Otherwise she gets lonely." 

Melody nodded in agreement and silence filled the car once more, the rain drumming onto the windowpanes in a peaceful, rythmical beat.

There was more to Kyungsoo than what met the eye. At first sight, she'd thought of him as the usual wolf kid that had grown up into a normal family. Somehow, Melody resented those types of people, jealous at the prospect of not having had what they had been given to freely, annoyed that she had to fight every day of her life while they resided in the comfort of their own homes. Some part of her thought it was childish to harbour such feelings, and yet she couldn't help herself. The immature part of her being really wished that someday, she'd be able to experience what it felt like to be cherished, to be part of something bigger, to be given importance. 

Melody had spent her entire life being told that she was doomed. That was how she'd been trained to think. It was a harsh and a foul reality to live in, and yet it was her reality. 

But Kyungsoo was something else. Kyungsoo made her feel guilty for having her judgements before actually getting to know him. He had his own fair of struggles, had his own obstacles he had to brave to arrive at where he was right now, and somehow, being here by his side just made it slightly better. It gave her a small sense of comfort, even though that was minimal. 

"You're staring." Kyungsoo noted. 

That jolted her out of her daze, "N-No I'm not." Hurriedly, she faced the side door and cursed inwardly for having been caught. 
The young wolf laughed and the sound was surprisingly clear, it made her insides twist and her head spin deliciously. It was light and joyous, a sound that she could get used to, even. 

God lord, what was happening to her resolve? 

And heree is another chapter update! Not many Luhan x Seulmi moments but there is lots of movement throughout the plot. This story won't go for too long so I'm trying to tie the loose ends together before it ends.

But anyway, I love Luhan and Seulmi's interactions they're just so pure and genuine :,) I can't wait to write out what happens to them and see how their relationship progresses. 

Also, CAN WE ALL APPRECIATE CUTIE SOO AND HIS MATE MELODY BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST SO FLUFFY URGH I CAN'T.  

/whispers/ should I make a Kyungsoo spin-off just for my selfish needs even though I should really be focusing on my other writing projects /whispers/. 

Thanks for all the love and support, as always :) Thank you for reading!

love, 

- nutmeggu 

P.S: If you guys didn't know, I am trying to edit and rewrite a story of mine in order for it to get published. Any kind of support is welcome and really appreciated, so if you guys want to check out its editing process and read the story, here it is:

E n t i t y (CLICK!)