Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Part 1 - New Moon

A lonely white wolf stood on the hill, observing the wonderful view of the mountains and valleys covered in blankets made of green forests. Summer was in full bloom, honouring their eyes with meadows of colorful flowers and their ears with the melody of gracious birds.

It was the right time to come back home. Even if she didn’t know yet how the home felt like. She was here to find out. 

The wolf gracefully jumped off the small rock it was using to observe the neighborhood, and then ran down the hill, straight into the forest. The woods welcomed it with the nice coolness of the air, bringing the wolf a lot of relief after standing in the full sun for a while. The animal huffed silently, breathing in the fresh, humid, smelling of moss and rotting leaves air. 

Then, out of nowhere, the white fur on the wolf’s head started to sparkle and shine. It took a couple of seconds, and suddenly a girl was sitting in the place where the wolf previously stood. Her hair was long, brown and just as shiny as the white fur previously covering her body. Her eyes were curious and attentive. 

“What did you see?” A boy, in his early twenties, muscular but a bit short, asked. He came out of nowhere, as if from a shadow, bringing an aura of seriousness into the place. The way he passed a set of clothes to the girl sitting on the ground spoke familiarity achievable only for the closest of companions. 

The girl accepted the clothes wordlessly, waiting until she was fully covered to speak.

“Nothing more than previously. It seems fairly calm there.” Her mind seemed to be somewhere else. Maybe somewhere years ago.

“So, are we going, or not?” There was urgency in the boy’s words. They had been waiting a while already. They wanted to act, move–

“Yes, we’re going. But not to Moon Grove yet. That would be too dangerous for you now. We’re gonna stay in the neighboring town, Moon Valley, or whatever its name is. Then we’re gonna patiently observe the situation and wait for the right moment to announce our presence and take control over this land.”

The boy huffed with a bit of annoyance, but nodded anyway. She was the boss, and he could only follow. 

“Lead the way, alpha.”

(...)

The moon shined brightly that night, urging Mina to leave her room. It was very close to the full moon - the time that usually made her energized and eager to part ways with her lovely computer for a few hours… Only that these days, she was busier than ever, and didn’t really have much time to just go out of the house and run freely like she used to in high school, and even during the college years. Which was truly a shame, because the summer that year was wonderful. Not too hot, with just the perfect amount of rainy and stormy days, but also not too humid too, allowing her to open her window fully at night without the fear of an army of insects storming her sanctuary. But, as she mentioned, she was too busy for anything else than work. 

And it was all her own fault.

Okay, not exactly. It was a bit of a huge simplification to say that, but Mina tended to think like that lately. Because how else was she supposed to say that because of her being single, she was scheduled to work longer than anyone else? If she said her thoughts out loud to anyone from her family, they would probably dismiss her idea and tell her that it was stupid. And they would probably be right. Still, Mina liked to think this way, and no one could take it away from her. Sana was excused from doing that work because of her demanding job, Tzuyu because of the long hours of her internship and because she had a girlfriend she wanted to visit often. Mina worked from home and she was single, so apparently , she had tons of spare time to help everyone around her. 

Yup . Being a programmer was awesome. She could be as well working on a new NASA project (not that she was, but… she could), and her family would still see it as silly playing with her computer. Contrary to their opinion though, she was really working long hours and earned her money honestly. 

However, that night, for some reason, the moon was calling her stronger than any other one. She tried to focus on her work, changing her position on the chair fifteen times (finally ending up with her legs almost on her neck). She also tried adjusting the display settings of her monitor, because suddenly the blue light started to hurt her eyes. She turned off the music, then she turned it back on, then she found a podcast to listen to, then she turned down the volume of her headphones, then she found a livestream on Youtube where her favorite gamer played the newest part of Witcher... And then she realized that, at least for the past hour, she made totally no progress with her code. 

She was stuck. And not even that there was some error she couldn’t fix, or some hard thing to solve. No, she was just procrastinating. 

Sighing tiredly, Mina took the headphones off and saved the local copy of her project. Then she also turned off her three monitors, not wanting their light to attract any potential insects and housemates into her room, thinking that she was there. 

Not bothering to use the door, Mina quickly slipped her clothes off, and jumped out of the window, landing on the small roof at the back of the house, located over the back door. Then her way down was already easy; the roof wasn’t high over the ground, especially for someone athletic and strong like Mina. 

The girl landed gracefully on the ground, feeling the pine needles instantly getting into the soft skin of her feet. She tsked silently, then immediately changed into her wolf skin, which was harder and able to protect her paws from the harsh forest grounds. In times like those, she grew quite fond of this feature of her body that she knew so well and that became such a pivotal aspect of her life. She couldn’t imagine not being able to use it anymore, and opposite to some members of her family, she even liked their curse. 

Yeah, you’ve heard her right - the curse. One that didn’t allow them to leave too far away from Moon Grove and their own pack, but also left Mina a comfortable excuse for not wanting to leave too far away from her own room. One that some of them deeply despised, and one that Mina didn’t really mind. A curse anyway, even if sometimes welcomed.

The air was heavy with something that night, as if anticipation maybe, or hope. Mina traversed through the wilderness silently, like the ultimate predator that she was, catching all the interesting smells while on the run, noticing the tropes of all the other wild animals living there and finally finding one she could definitely recognize. Intrigued, she followed the smell, until it started getting more and more intense, and suddenly she found herself on a clearing, lit up with the moonlight. 

A lone wolf sat there, staring at the silver circle in the sky. It looked distracted, almost half asleep. Mina quietly sat beside her packmate. 

The silence and the moon accompanied them for a long while. They couldn’t say anything, and even if they could, it wasn’t necessary. Silence was fine. Silence was comforting. 

Sana decided to turn back to her human form almost an hour later. Mina didn’t feel forced to do the same at first, initially content with just staying by her friend’s side, but the sad and tired smile on Sana’s face changed her mind immediately. 

“What’s wrong?” The worry didn’t let her stay quiet for any longer. At first, Sana just shrugged in response.

“I don’t know… I’m- I’m just thinking, probably too much.” She said enigmatically shortly after. Mina internally rolled her eyes, not impressed with the amount of information that she received.

“About?”  

One another sigh from Sana.

“About life, you know… about me and Dahyun…”

Oh, so there lay the problem. Well, it was quite easy to guess, if Mina looked at it now, with how often Sana talked about it lately. She mostly told them about good things, like Dahyun’s part-time work with children, the exams that she passed with flying colors. But their phone calls weren’t as frequent as before, probably because of how busy Dahyun was with her education and work. 

Mina just hoped that there wasn’t anything bad happening between the couple.

She hesitated before asking, knowing well how sensitive the issue could be to some people. She knew Sana pretty well, the girl was usually open about her feelings and emotions, but after all, there wasn’t just her feelings involved this time. It was Dahyun’s business too, and maybe Sana didn’t want to disclose it to anyone else. 

“Sana… I’m sorry if it’s a bit of intruding, but… Do you and Dahyun have any trouble? You know, she’s my friend too, but you’re my sister first and foremost. You can say anything to me.”

The way Sana’s eyes widened immediately made her calm down a bit. Sana’s voice was defensive though, when she definitely denied that idea.

“No! No…” She sighed. “It’s just… I don’t know, probably I’m tired and starting to come up with things that don’t exist.”

Mina was dying to wipe the pout off her face and exchange it for the usual smile.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes. Yes, thanks for asking. You’re not intruding by the way. I’m glad that you care.” Sana smiled at her reassuringly, grabbing her hand to squeeze it.

Mina stared at the girl with sympathy.

“She’s gonna be back in a few days. And not just for a few days, but for the whole two months.”

“That’s not the issue.” Sana hung her head. “I mean, I miss her so much, but I understand that she has to focus on her education first. That’s what I’m actually worried about. I kind of think lately that I’m stopping her from living her life to the fullest. Like… She’s still partially stuck in Moon Grove, because I can’t put my foot outside of it, she had to commute so much, because I can’t go there, and I bet that if she was free of those things, she would be probably already living in the city, having a proper career–”

“Sana.” Mina’s hand landed on the girl’s shoulder, stopping the monologue. “Dahyun loves you so much. She’s happy to come back to you every time. I’m also sure that she loves Moon Grove, and living here. That’s obviously something you guys should talk through between the two of you, but… I think you’re really tired and too much in your head. How about taking a few days off from that work of yours, going outside and touching some grass?”

Sana snorted, despite the seriousness of the situation, hearing Mina’s choice of words. 

“Sure. I’m the one that should take a few days off. How about you, huh? If you’re not in front of your computer, you’re working in the bar. I barely see you these days. Do you plan to code during the full moon too?”

“No?” Mina whined, knowing well that Sana was probably right. So they both worked too much. So what? “But I already promised Momo to take the shift tomorrow, and before that, I have a morning meeting with my team, before which I still have to finish my task.”

“Is this a suggestion that we should already be going?” Sana hummed. “But it’s so wonderful here. Look at those views… It’s Dahyun’s favorite place not without a reason.”

Mina raised her eyebrows, before standing up.

“Should I understand that you’re sleeping here tonight then?”

“Maybe…” Sana’s dreamy gaze measured the mountains.

Mina shook her head with disapprovance, hiding her fond smile.

“No, you’re not. Come on.” She offered her hand for the girl to take. “Race me back home? But no cheating, you can’t turn.”

“Sure.” Sana accepted the hand innocently, using Mina’s strength to lift herself up. Then a mischievous sparkle danced in her eyes and Mina was graced with the memory of a younger Sana, the one that didn’t carry so much responsibility on her shoulders. The image was so vivid in front of her eyes, that she almost missed the moment when the girl set off, turning into her wolf form practically in the middle of the move. 

Then all that was left for Mina was to watch the dust still flying in the air behind Sana’s tail.

“Hey! We were supposed to not turn…” She tried to object. Then a sigh left her lips, when she turned too, jumping between the trees and disappearing into the night. 

(...)

The bar, located in the town neighboring to Moon Grove - a cozy place called Moon Valley - was a fairly new occurrence. Even though the building itself probably remembered the times when Mina’s grandparents were born, for the residents of the small town, the fact that the place was bought by two young women and completely rebuilt, still appeared as something worth the biggest fuss and the hottest gossip. 

Truly, it had been only a few months since the opening of ‘Strategy’, but in Mina’s opinion, the people should already let it go and stop staring at her as at the eighth miracle of the world, when she stood behind the bar and served the drinks as a favor for her sisters, who couldn’t for the love of God decide who to hire as their bartender. But the bar was Jeongyeon and Momo’s baby, so despite being really busy with her work, and despite not being really socially prepared for the job, and despite being a bit bitter that no one else had to help with it, Mina still took over some of the shifts, allowing her sisters to take a break from being the big new owners. 

After the first month, or two, when she already caught the grip on how to interact with the customers, and how to prepare all the drinks, it was even a fun way to spend her evenings. Obviously, she got only half of the wage she would normally earn while doing the job, but it was per her personal request, simply because she wanted to help Momo and Jeongyeon recover after all the expenses they had when buying and then renovating the place. 

Most of the evenings during the week, like tonight, were quite calm. Mina spent them occasionally serving a beer or two, keeping the place clean, and simply admiring the amount of work they all put into making the bar look so cozy and warm. Some of the days were busier, when someone decided to celebrate their birthday or a promotion with a couple of drinks, or when people simply got their monthly pay and could afford to drink out, and then she had to stop with the daydreaming and actually move her ass. That was nice too, sometimes, both for the budget of the bar, and for Mina’s sanity. 

But, as she mentioned, luckily tonight was one of the calm days. The patrons sat by the counter, sipping their beer, Momo was by her side, learning how to do the finances under Mina’s watchful eyes, and Jeongyeon was in the back, preparing a burger ordered by an old man that Mina knew lived nearby. The time went by really slowly. 

It was nearly ten, when Momo glanced at her gracefully, closing her laptop.

“Thanks for the help. I’m always nearly sure that I’ve done it well, but then one can never be sure, right? So thanks for checking.” 

“No problem, I struggled with accounting too, in the beginning. But you’ll get a grip on it soon, I promise.” Mina patted her back.

“You know what… I think I’m good here for tonight. You can go home already, if you want. We’ll be fine on our own with Jeongie.” Momo offered, looking around the place with her watchful eyes. There were a few people sitting at the tables, but generally nothing that couldn’t be handled by just one person. 

Mina nodded.

“Fine, I’ll just check what this guy wants, and then the bar’s all yours.” She pointed at the young man that just entered the place. 

He was short, but clearly well-built, with his hair dark as night. His face was handsome, but looked definitely unfamiliar to all the residents of Moon Valley. A few curious pairs of eyes followed the guy as he approached the counter. 

“Hi, what can I get you?” Mina smiled her best polite smile, as always trying to appear welcoming. “Beer, whiskey? Maybe something to eat?”

The man didn’t react to her cheerful tone at all. To be fair, he didn’t even look like he knew why he found himself in the bar.

“Hi, ummm…” He scratched his head, not even once looking at Mina and focusing on the menu on the left. “Ummm… A pizza, maybe? Or… Or maybe some pasta.” 

Mina waited patiently for him to read the menu until the end. He seemed really unsure and definitely didn’t ooze confidence. Now that she could look at him a bit longer, he was probably in his early twenties, even younger than her. 

She tried to discreetly sniff the air, trying to catch any smells coming from him that could probably tell her anything about his mood or emotions, but there was literally nothing. In times like this, Mina really felt like cursing out loud her own faulty nose. Because that’s how she always thought about it. Just as her human brain had troubles with understanding people's emotions, her wolf nose sometimes failed to catch smells and for the love of God, she couldn't understand what they meant. 

“Okay, I’ll take the spaghetti, and… And a small beer.” The guy finally decided, and Mina nodded with relief that she was finally spared from standing uselessly in front of him. She rushed to pass the order to Jeongyeon, and then grabbed a clean mug to fill it with the golden liquid.

Since Momo seemed to temporarily get lost somewhere, she then grabbed the food Jeongyeon finished preparing, and delivered it to the old man waiting for his burger. In the meantime, the black-haired unsure guy was already almost finished with the beer. Mina’s eyes almost opened with amazement. 

Would it be unusual for a bartender to ask what he was doing in Moon Valley? Probably not. Was it unusual for Mina to interact so eagerly with someone she didn’t know? One hundred percent yes. But… She was so curious…

As it turned out, fate was favorable for her that night, because just at that moment, the old man with the burger, as if reading her mind, turned to the unsure guy. 

“Tell me, young man… What brings you to Moon Valley?” He asked, inevitably causing the attention of the whole bar to focus on them. Mina’s ears were wide open too; she absolutely  needed to hear this one, even if just to pass it later to her sisters. 

The unsure guy turned slowly towards the old man asking him the question. There was something hard to decipher flashing in his eyes just for a second, before his hand grabbed the mug to finish the beer. 

“I guess you could say it’s family.” He smiled politely. 

“Oh, are you visiting someone? I don’t really remember you from around here, so you surely had to avoid meeting your family before, right?” The old man laughed. The guy’s polite expression didn’t change.

“I’m not visiting.” He shook his head. “But… I guess it depends really on what you consider as a family, right?” He hummed, leaving the old man a bit dumbfounded. Then, completely unbothered, he turned back to the counter, taking his phone out of his pocket and seemingly ignoring his surroundings. 

Mina’s eyes connected with the old man’s ones and the girl shrugged helplessly. Surely, that guy wasn’t one of the locals. He was definitely way too impolite for that. 

“Gimme one more, sweetie.” The old man called out to Mina, pointing at his own mug of beer. “This evening’s just starting to be interesting…”

(...)

The lights of the multiple police cars shone brightly in the earliness of the July morning. The air was a bit humid, because of the previous night’s rain, strengthening the various smells of the woods. 

Sana’s hands were shaking a bit as she walked behind the sheriff through the forest, watching out as to not get her shoes dirty with the mud. It was inevitable, as she was soon about to find out, but for now, she preferred to focus on this task anyway, distracting her thoughts from what, or maybe rather who, was awaiting her in their destination.

She couldn’t avoid it in the end.

“A man, in his late sixties. The family you can see over there found him while they were hiking. They state that he’s from Moon Valley, but honestly, with the amount of wounds, it was hard to even find where his face was supposed to be in the beginning, not even talking about his identity, so they might not be exactly correct.” Mark, Sheriff’s deputy, stated right when they arrived. “I’ll be honest, sheriff. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“Me too.” Sheriff, a man in his early fifties, had a lot of experience. He had been leading the police forces, responsible for taking care of the residents of Moon Grove and the neighboring towns, for over twenty years. If he had never seen anything like this before, Sana was excused from panicking a bit. 

It was her first dead body since the moment she decided to become a police officer nearly five years earlier. But what could she do? People in Moon Grove simply didn’t kill each other. They died of old age, or maybe because of some diseases. But not… Not this! Whatever it was. She had a bit of trouble keeping the dinner from last night inside her stomach.  

“What did the doctor say?” Sheriff asked Mark, who was still busy with taking the photos of the body. Sana knew she was probably supposed to do some notes, but her eyes couldn’t focus on anything else than the blood covering the man’s stomach, on the intestines lurking at her from his insides, on the throat parted in half. 

Yeah, she was a wolf. But a peaceful and good one. She had never murdered a mouse, not even talking about a human being. 

“He has to do the autopsy to be sure, but for now… It seems that it was a wolf’s job. Maybe even a few of them. We don’t know why the victim found himself in the middle of the forest at night, because the wolves surely didn’t attack him in the town. From the traces here, I would say that he had barely even fought before he died. He either came here on his own feet, or was carried here by someone else before the wolves fed on him.”

“Hmmm… Seems like you’re right.” Sheriff nodded his head. “No traces of fight, the ground looks pretty much untouched. Did he have any IDs with him? Do we know his name?”

“Yeah, it’s here. Jackson’s already asking people in the town about him.” Mark provided, focusing on his camera.

Sana didn’t look anymore. Her mind was focused on one word - wolves. It appeared in front of her eyes, it rang in her ears. 

Did- Did she hear him right? She surely had to overhear something, because it definitely couldn’t be a job of any wolf living in this area. She knew them all, they were her family. Not murderers. They could never kill anyone. It was either some kind of bizarre mistake, or… Or they had intruders in their neighborhood. 

Sana gulped, the whole blood flowing away from her face just at the thought of that. Who could even do something so… so cruel? She couldn’t even look at the man’s massacred body, because it was causing her to feel nauseous, and someone was ready to do this to the poor man…

“Officer Minatozaki? Minatozaki! Hey! Sana? Oh, damn. Don’t tell me you’re gonna faint.” 

“No. No, sir.” Sana wiped her face, trying to focus. “I’m- I’m fine.” 

“Good. Just tell me earlier, okay? Don’t want you to fall down here and ruin some of the traces, just in case the doctor suddenly says that the wolves came later and just finished someone else’s job.” Sheriff scratched his neck.

Sana hesitated a bit, but then she suddenly felt brave enough to speak up.

“Wolves don’t usually attack humans.” She noticed, trying to sound absolutely like she had read it on Wikipedia, and not knew from her own experience. “Unless they are really hungry and desperate, but that hasn’t happened in decades in those forests.”

The man patted her shoulder reassuringly. 

“You’re right, officer. That’s why I was adamant to believe it when I got the phone call from Mark in the morning. Seems like it happened though after all, right? Well, we’ll see what the doc says later. For now… I think It’s worth digging a bit in this case,  even if just to check why the wolves suddenly decided to change their normal behavior and attack a human being. How about you join Jackson in Moon Valley and ask people there a bit, huh? I think Mark and Bam are fine here.”

“Ye-Yes, sir. Copy that.” Sana wiped her hands on her pants to dry off the sweat from them. Then she threw one last glance at the old man’s body, the image of it forever imprinting in her mind. 

On the way back to her car, following the Sheriff just like she did earlier, Sana realized that she was now a different person than before. And she was never going to get that old self back. 

(...)

The atmosphere was tense that evening, when Mina allowed herself a break and crawled out of her cave to the outside world in search of food. Chan was walking in circles around the living room, when she arrived downstairs, looking like a storm cloud and pulling his hair out his head. 

“We have a problem.” He said to Mina right away. The girl raised her eyebrows. 

“Okay? Are you sure? I’m doing pretty good right now.” She shrugged. 

Chan scowled at her.

“Be serious. Sana’s on her way home. Apparently a group of wolves murdered someone in Moon Valley last night.”

Mina’s eyes widened instantly and her heart fastened its pace for a moment, making her sweat out of the nerves. 

“But… You… You don’t think it’s me, right?” She gulped. “I- I could never. Definitely.” 

Not even talking about the fact that she was at work last night, Chan couldn’t seriously consider that she was responsible for murdering a human being, right? That was ridiculous. He knew her better than that.

“No! No, relax.” The man stopped for a moment, his face softening. “I didn’t mean it like that. I said that we have a problem, because it’s obviously not us. And it’s gonna put us in a lot of danger, because no matter who it was, the possible consequences may be directed at us, and… Ugh , let’s just wait for Sana. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think it is. Maybe it’s just some stupid mistake.”

Apparently, it wasn’t a mistake. Sana confirmed Chan’s suspicions right after arriving home. The woman’s face was almost white, her eyes tired after the whole day of work. Mina felt an urge to hug Sana tightly, but Jeongyeon beat her to it. Sana literally melted into Jeongyeon’s arms, looking as if she was on the verge of tears. 

“How are you holding, Sana-yah?” Jeongyeon was quick to console the poor girl, slowly stroking her hair. “Do you want some dinner? Maybe something to drink?”

Sana’s whine was so long that it could probably sound overdramatic, if not for everything that Mina heard from Chan just minutes earlier. 

“After days like this I really regret becoming a police officer.” Sana mumbled. “And no. I don’t think I can swallow anything after… after what I’ve seen today.”

“You have to eat, baby. You’re gonna lose all of your strength without food to lift your spirits.” Jeongyeon reasoned, pulling the exhausted Sana towards the kitchen. “Try to eat some soup first, okay? Then we can discuss whatever needs to be discussed.”

It was obvious that both she and Chan wanted to interrogate Sana right away, the two of them acting the most parent-like towards their little patchwork family, but the questioning needed to wait this time. Mina secured herself a spot nearby, with a bowl of food of her own, suddenly too nervous to go back to work. 

Could it be that some other wolf, unrelated to their pack, really violated their territory like that? Generally, the forests far away from Moon Grove, towards the other neighboring towns, weren’t considered theirs anymore, but they still visited them frequently. And during over ten years since Chan approached Mina in primary school to confront her about being a bit different from their other classmates (meaning being able to change into a wild animal), through the times they spent building their pack and then living together as a family, the only foreign wolves they had met in those woods were Sana and Tzuyu, both of which joined them immediately. No one else had ever dared to intrude on their territory, let alone commit the grave violation of murdering an innocent human being.

They had some rules for a reason. It was hard for them at the beginning anyway, even without people from the town hunting them for being a danger for children and adults. Their pack was peaceful, not bothering the locals even once. Heck, the people from the town were their neighbors, classmates, and coworkers. They didn’t want to cause anyone any trouble.

Mina suddenly didn’t feel like eating dinner anymore. She could understand Sana now, and she didn’t even see any dead, massacred bodies today. 

Despite the initial lack of appetite, Sana finished her meal quickly, the events from the whole day taking a clear toll on her body and making her more hungry than a… wolf.

In the meantime, Tzuyu joined them, having finished her day as an intern in the local veterinary clinic, and got nearly as shocked by the news as Mina, Jeongyeon and Chan.

“How is that even possible? Literally yesterday we went through the woods near Moon Valley with Yeji, and there were no strange smells around. Nothing. How could they do it then?” She opened her eyes wide with worry.. “We would hear something, or smell the blood.”

“That’s the case, I thought the same thing.” Sana agreed with much more energy than she had before eating. Then she groaned. “ Ugh… I shouldn’t be telling you any details, because  it’s part of the investigation, and it’s technically a secret, but the doctor didn’t say for sure that being bitten by an animal was the cause of death. Maybe, but the chances are really low, it’ll turn out that an animal attacked the guy later, after something else happened for him to die. So let’s not panic yet.”

Chan picked up on that tiny bit of hope right away. 

“Yeah, I agree - let’s not panic yet.” He immediately agreed. The proposition he came up with surprised Mina though. “In case it was some wolf’s job though, we have to deal with it before it blows up in our faces. First of all, we have to find whoever, or whatever, has basically eaten the poor guy alive. We can divide into smaller groups and patrol the woods for a few nights, search for any clues. Then, if we find them, we can politely ask them to leave.”

“And if they’ve already left?”

“Then we’re at least gonna know that we’re safe here.”

“Don’t you think it’s too dangerous?” Mina’s worries kicked in right away. “If they killed an innocent person, what would stop them from hurting us, since we’re technically their enemies?”

“But we’re not helpless and weak. We’re not as vulnerable as humans.” Sana picked up on the idea. “We have to at least try, right? Without it, we’re basically sitting and watching our peaceful life here go to hell.”

As far as Mina was concerned, unfortunately she had to agree with the last sentence. And she wasn’t feeling like moving out of Moon Grove. She absolutely loved the forests around it, and also, her family lived there. It would suck if she had to leave them behind.

When she looked around the room, at each one of her packmates, she realized that the case was mostly decided already anyway. Sana was probably going to follow whatever Chan decided, always trusting her friend. Jeongyeon, despite not talking much, seemed to be rather determined to protect their territory. Momo was probably going to trust their gut and just follow along, and the kids were mostly still a bit too young to look at things responsibly and worry about their well-being, eager to just act and put their sharp teeth to work. Minho loved them all too much to refuse trying to protect them, just because it was potentially too dangerous. 

There was only one person whose opinion Mina wasn’t sure. Sana had to think similarly, because she asked: 

“Tzu, what do you think about it? Can you help? Or do you go to the capital this weekend?” 

The girl appeared too deep into her thoughts at first to hear the question, but when her eyes finally lifted to connect with Sana’s, there was determination there that Mina hadn’t seen before. Tzuyu’s usual calm demeanor was temporarily mixed with a hint of anger.

“No, I’m staying to help. Jihyo still has a few exams left anyway, I don’t want to bother her there.”

Chan accepted her answer with a big smile and a pat on her shoulder.

“Great. She wouldn’t be safe here anyway. We don’t need people walking around the forest until we don’t solve this issue. Sana…?”

Sana guessed what he meant and shook her head right away. 

“Dahyun’s coming back tomorrow one way or another. She’s already packed and returned the keys to the apartment. She can’t stay there anymore.” She explained. It wasn’t any kind of surprise for Mina, she actually chatted with Dahyun quite often, so she was up-to-date with the girl’s living status. Dahyun, and Chaeyoung who lived with her, had the apartment rented only to the end of the school year. It was nice enough of the owner to let Dahyun stay a few days longer so the girl could finish with the piano classes she had been giving to kids as a part-time job. 

“So we have to keep an eye on her.” Chan sighed, scratching his head. Then he straightened, glancing at each of them as if they were a team of soldiers preparing for a battle. “Remember, keeping the family safe is our greatest priority. Also, no one stays alone in the forest, we can’t risk that.”

His voice carried a determined, confident tone. Mina felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like that their peace was disturbed. She didn’t like changes. No, she liked the safety of their forests, the night walks in the light of the moon, the mundane boredom of her days.

“We’ll handle it.” Sana put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. She was looking at Chan, probably only sensing instinctively that Mina didn’t feel right and wanting to reassure her. “The news will probably spread around the town soon, if it hasn't yet. We don’t know how the people will react, but it quite likely won’t be joy, so let’s prepare to avoid getting too close to the town in our wolf forms. Also, Mina and Jeongie…”

Both girl’s eyes immediately snapped to Sana.

“According to the victim’s friends and neighbors, he was a regular in ‘Strategy’. You two, and Momo too, are probably going to be called to give your testimony, since you were probably one of the last people to see the man. Don’t be scared, it’s nothing bad, just a normal procedure. I’m just giving you a heads-up, because the officers will probably come to the bar tomorrow.”

“Great. I can’t wait.” Jeongyeon groaned, falling down onto the couch tiredly. “Nothing helps business more than dead clients.”

Mina only gulped, already feeling the stress crawling up her stomach and causing it to twist uncomfortably. Actually, she thought she would prefer it if Sana didn’t say anything. Now she was probably going to be too nervous to do anything productive, not even talking about having a good night’s sleep. And the project was waiting…

Maybe it was a good idea after all to catch that murderer and let them taste a bit of their own medicine for disrupting their peace? 

(...)

Officers Wang and Tuan truly came to ‘Strategy’ the next day, right after Jeongyeon opened the bar. Mina was not there yet, but the officers insisted on talking to her too, so Momo reluctantly called for her sister. Right after the girl arrived, officer Wang explained briefly that they just wanted to gather the witnesses’ testimonies and that no one should be worried about anything. 

Mina had a weird feeling that he wouldn’t be so smiley, if he found out who they truly were.

“We found out from Mrs. Kwang - the victim's neighbor -  that the victim, Mr. Lee, used to come back home around eleven in the evening every day, right before she was heading to bed. She emphasized that he was pretty fond of his routine and rarely did anything outside of it, that’s why it really surprised her when Mr. Lee didn’t come back yesterday. Apparently he used to be a regular in your bar. Is that right?”

Jeongyeon was the one to answer, seeing how both of her sisters squirmed nervously in the presence of the officers.  

“We opened the bar barely a few months ago, so ‘a regular’ might be a bit of exaggeration, but generally that’s right. He used to come here very often. His wife died many years ago and his son lives far away, so he doesn’t– well, didn’t have anyone around. When he found out we were renovating this place, he came here personally to tell us how happy he was that there would finally be a place in Moon Valley where he could spend time after work with people around, not alone at home.” She explained. Mina didn’t know that fact, so it was a surprise for her too, but she could recall the man often picking up a conversation with her, or any of her sisters, so Jeongyeon’s story sounded pretty believable.

“So he came here every night?” Officer Tuan made sure, when his partner noted it down in his small notebook. Once again it was Jeongyeon who answered.

“Almost every. There were some days when he didn’t show up. Once a week, sometimes more often.”

“And you remember this because…?”

“He was a nice man, everyone liked him. Besides, as you mentioned, he was pretty much a regular. He ordered a burger every time, and drank a mug of beer, sometimes two. The same thing all the time. Also, he sat at the same place…. You learn to remember such things.”

“And do you know why he didn’t show up on those other days? Since Mrs. Kwang pointed out how much he liked his routine…” It was officer Wang’s turn to ask. Jeongyeon only shrugged her shoulders, and so did Mina and Momo. They skipped to the next topic.

“Did he have a lot of friends here, among the bar’s patrons?”

“Not exactly ‘friends’, I wouldn’t call it like that.” Mina felt brave to fulfill this time, since it was her that stood on the front most of the time. “Just… friendly faces to drink a beer with? He usually chatted with other patrons, but sometimes he just sat here in silence. Last night… There was a guy here, a new one. No one’s seen him in Moon Valley before, so he immediately drew everyone’s attention. They had a little chat with Mr. Lee, and the guy wasn’t the happiest when he was asked questions. But they didn’t argue, or anything, if that’s your question, officer. They just chatted, and then the guy left long before Mr. Lee even finished his beer.”

The hum officer Wang let out was a bit too long in Mina’s opinion. She knew that meant that more questions were incoming. She just hoped they would finish until the first customers arrived at ‘Strategy’ for the early dinner.

“Do you remember anything the guy said?”

“Not really, sorry. I was busy serving the drinks, but I guess there was something about the guy visiting his family. I’m not sure whether he confirmed or denied it though…” 

Unfortunately, both of her sisters were somewhere else at that moment, so no one could provide any more information. 

“Excuse me, officer, but…” Jeongyeon butted it, before the guy could ask them more questions. “As we’ve heard, Mr. Lee has been attacked by an animal, right? Did you probably find out something more about this, with all the questions you’re asking…?”

Both officers glanced at each other, probably wondering whether they should reveal anything about the ongoing investigation. The gossip in the town was already spread, people were saying things, creating their own theories, solutions, pointing out reasons for why the wild animals could attack one of their own. Adding more fuel to those discussions couldn’t be wise.

“We’re just checking every possibility, we can’t confirm nor deny that the cause of Mr. Lee’s death was connected with the presence of other people.” Officer Tuan said vaguely. “For now, we’re just trying to establish what he was doing in the middle of the forest so late at night. That man you mentioned… What did he look like?” He glanced back at Mina, who sighed, before digging deep into her memory. She wasn’t great with faces.

“Dark hair, that’s for sure, quite short. He was short too, only a bit taller than me.” Her face scrunched in the visible effort to recall anything more. “His voice was deep.”

A low voice from behind interrupted her internal battle.

“Don’t we have cameras pointing at the bar and outside the building?” Momo noticed, surprising Mina, who until now was utterly convinced that her sister wasn’t even aware of the CCTV system in her own building. “The image should be clear enough to see the guy.”

This information managed to please the two police officers, and they both smiled gratefully at Momo. Mina didn’t spare more time before bringing them to the computer in the back, where all the recordings from the cameras had been stored. Looking for the actual recording of the moment the guy came to the bar wasn’t hard - after all it was barely over a day since that time, and Mina watched the video with both officers standing behind her back. 

It revealed nothing more except what the girls already said, with the man leaving long before Mr. Lee. Both Wang and Tuan were happy though with the material they managed to obtain, and patted Mina’s back on their way out, expressing their gratefulness for all the help. 

“Please, keep your eyes open, ma’am. If you see anything suspicious, contact us, or your sister. We have to put forth our greatest effort to protect our land from anyone who’d like to put our lives in danger.”

Mina had only enough social battery left in her to nod vaguely, promising to be watchful. Then she sighed deeply, seeing that they were both finally out. She was happy to go back to her usual duties of restocking the alcohol and cleaning up the glasses left there the previous day by whoever served the clients then (Mina was nearly sure it wasn’t Jeongyeon). The interaction with the officers took only a little bit more than an hour, yet now she felt more drained than after her whole usual shift. She could only hope that the rest of the day would be a bit easier for her.

Busy with washing the dishes, she didn’t notice that she didn’t stop the recording on the computer, and the video kept playing on the monitor behind her back in fast forward. The people kept walking out of the bar in a funny, unnatural way, sometimes stopping to chat, sometimes heading towards the nearby town center, sometimes getting into waiting cars. The hour displayed in the left corner of the monitor changed into eleven p.m., when a figure with dark hair walked slowly out of the forest, at the back of the building, nearly getting out of the reach of the CCTV. The footage was clear as the day before, but then it suddenly skipped a few frames. When it got stable again, a big black wolf stood there instead, looking around watchfully. 

The animal disappeared between the trees before anyone could notice anything suspicious happening in the town.   

(...)

Contrary to Mina’s fear, the rest of her shift turned out to be really peaceful. Obviously, people that came to the bar talked about the terrifying incident in the forest a lot, cursing out  the brutality of the wolves responsible for Mr. Lee’s death, which made the girl nearly nauseous from the nerves, but that was all. No one yet came up with any wild idea to maybe blame any of their neighbors for being said wolves, or even haunt the wild fauna of the Moon Valley’s forests in search of revenge. Most of the town residents were simply sad that such a thing happened to one of them. 

The time flew slowly as the clients exchanged their comments and worries, including Mina in their discussion from time to time, when she found herself nearby. It was what one could describe like a sleepy day. The world seemed to move in a slow pace, a bit dull and wearisome.

Then, out of nowhere, a woman came into the bar, and suddenly the world around Mina came back into life. It was as if everyone else faded into the background, playing extras in the movie of this girl’s life, while she was walking through the bar towards Mina. She didn’t seem to look at anyone in particular, not even at the bartender herself, just glancing at the walls and smiling to herself, while her hair gently brushed her shoulders and neck as if playing with non-existent wind. Mina didn’t have to wait for her to get closer to recognize that this woman there - she was Mina’s type. That… That was it. Mina could literally stop looking at anyone else ever, because this woman single-handedly checked every box on Mina’s list of must-haves in a potential girlfriend. She was fairly tall, but not too much. She had shiny hair, as if she walked straight out of a hairdresser's and she had cute little bunny teeth shining out when she smiled. And what a smile that was… Mina’s own smile turned dreamy on its own just looking at it.

Then… 

“Hey, there!” The woman greeted, and her voice filled Mina’s ears, hugging them with its colorful timber and touching just the right neuron connections inside Mina’s brain. “Can I possibly get a drink from a beautiful woman like you?” 

The grin was full of confidence, and the girl was visibly even too sure of herself. Now that she stood so close, allowing Mina to precisely discover all the curves of her body and face, the bartender had a feeling that she’d seen her somewhere before. 

So it was probably the nerves and shock of meeting the woman of her life that caused Mina to open her mouth, and before she could stop herself and think about what she was doing, she was already asking:

“Have we met before?”

And then it was too late to take those words back into her mouth, and she could only observe in embarrassment how the girl’s eyes seemed to really look at her. The wide grin didn’t leave the woman’s face even for a second, as she measured Mina’s face slowly, something akin to recognition flashing in her eyes. Mina had to wait additional minute or two, before she was finally granted with any kind of answer from her client, the tone of the woman’s voice tinted with surprise:

“Wow. I believe we actually have.” 

Chapter Text

Mina sighed tiredly, closing the back door to ‘Strategy’ and putting the key into the keyhole. She turned it two times, securing the first lock. Then she proceeded with the second lock, higher up, once again turning the key two times. It took her three pushes on the handle to be sure that the door was indeed locked, then she glanced at her smartwatch to check the time.

“Quarter past two, the door is locked.” She muttered under her nose, rolling her eyes right after. Well done, Mina. You’re now talking to yourself. “Remember it, dummy, or else you’re gonna turn back to check once again, like last Friday.” 

She didn’t like closing. It put unnecessary pressure on her to make sure that everything was turned off inside the building, the alarms were on, the door was locked. A lot of things to mess up and then she was going to be blamed for something bad happening to Momo and Jeongyeon’s business. During the last months, she developed a serious kind of obsession to check everything twice, or else she had to turn back from her way home and check once again. It was a bit concerning, she had to admit. Everything to keep her mind calm though…

Finally walking away from the door and turning towards the forest, Mina let her arms relax as the fresh night air abused her nose and mouth. It was a great contrast to the heated atmosphere of the bar’s kitchen, where she spent the last fifteen minutes cleaning up the last utensils Momo forgot to wash up earlier. 

The night was silent and calm, but Mina’s mind wasn’t at all. She knew she needed a few minutes of walking, and then everything would finally start to settle inside her brain, but for now it was impossible for her to gather her rushing thoughts. One face was filling most of them tonight, and Mina wanted to groan at herself.

It was such a shame that the beautiful woman she met that day turned out to be such an irritating person. She was seriously so gorgeous and all, if not for her annoying overconfidence and unnecessary mysteriousness. Don’t get Mina wrong, she liked people who were intriguing and made her work to discover some interesting pieces of their personality, but come on! Not too much! Mina just wanted to know where the heck they had met before for the girl to know her name, and for Mina to not remember the girl’s one. And yet that irritatingly sexy woman kept laughing straight into Mina’s face as the poor bartender flushed pink trying to come up with places and moments where she could see such a face before. 

Even now the slight embarrassment was still there, as Mina recalled the way the girl looked at her with amusement as she helplessly squirmed under her gaze, searching through her memory and coming up with the dumbest of answers. Ugh , she had to forget that pitying gaze quickly. Maybe it was a one time thing for the woman to come to ‘Strategy’? Maybe Mina wouldn’t have to deal with her ever again (even if that thought made her feel a bit of disappointment)?

But honestly - why? Why did such a beautiful person have to be so obnoxious? 

Never mind, Mina was not letting this experience spoil her night. It was getting closer and closer to the full moon and she was feeling so great when the light of her silver friend fell on her skin. Half of a smile slowly crawled on her face, as she hid behind a tree, collected her clothes into a bag and changed into her wolf form to traverse through the forest faster. Ready to go, she picked up the bag into her mouth and jumped between the trees. 

Various smells filled her nose while she ran. There were distinct remnants of a moose walking through the area not long before. Then she picked up a trail of a hare and followed it for a while, until a family of four animals showed up in front of her in the distance. She observed with amusement as they hopped away in a hurry, scared of the big wolf, not knowing that it didn’t plan to even touch them. 

Chan’s order about not spending too much time in the forest alone for safety reasons didn’t even cross her mind, until something white and shiny didn’t flash at her from between the tall pines on the left. Mina’s heart fastened its pace immediately, her pupils getting bigger to absorb more light and follow the weird occurrence more closely. It was sneaking quickly from one thick trunk to the other, but what could it be? Mina didn’t recall any animal having this kind of coat in their area. Maybe rabbits during the winter time, but this creature here was at least ten times bigger than a rabbit. 

Surprisingly, despite her general tiredness and the late hour, it didn’t take Mina’s brain long to find out that what she was seeing was actually another wolf. A strange one, with a color of fur Mina had never heard of before, but a wolf nevertheless. Luckily, in her current form, Mina couldn’t curse, because otherwise she surely wouldn’t be able to stop herself from a loud ‘ Fuck me… ’. Because what the heck was that?! A white wolf? 

A wolf! So close to their territory!

The panic that spread quickly throughout Mina’s whole body made her immediately make the reckless decision of chasing this weird creature. It was what they were looking for after all - a foreign wolf! Probably the reason for all their current problems, probably the murderer of Mr. Lee. Mina had to capture this wolf, she had to confront it, she had–

This freaking white piece of hairball was running away from her! And… And making fun of her? Mina suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, observing as the white wolf playfully changed directions of this chase and jumped in a small rock, towering over her. Its tail was wagging, its body lowered on its paws in a mock gesture that screamed ‘Have fun with me! Come on! What are you waiting for?” The smell storming into Mina’s nostrils was clear as well, even for the usually dense girl, informing her that this wolf, unlike her, was relaxed and prepared for playing.

What kind of bizarre situation was it? Not only was this wolf trespassing on their grounds, but also making fun of Mina? The blood was already boiling inside Mina’s veins, urging her to finally end this ridiculous meeting. She threw her body forward immediately, her teeth bared, using all her strengths to catch up with her rival. Yet, she failed. The white wolf didn’t even seem bothered too much, when it jumped off the rock gracefully and then ran away. 

Mina was seeing red already, her temper calling her to win this, to catch that murderer and punish them for killing an innocent member of their society. She ran with all her might, the need to protect her people fueling her body to move faster, be more agile. Blinded by the overwhelming anger, Mina didn’t notice when the wolf turned somewhere, and soon, she realized that she wasn’t chasing it anymore. 

The forest was empty, just her fastened breath echoing loudly throughout the area. 

Mina’s teeth gritted with fury. 

(...)    

“Have you seen my documents? I swear they were here just moments ago.” 

…

“Momo!” Jeongyeon huffed with annoyance. 

“What?” Momo’s eyes snapped away from the screen of her smartphone and connected with Jeongyeon’s ones. The girl’s face lit up in a smile full of innocence. 

“I asked you about my documents. Have you seen them? It’s important.” Jeongyeon rolled her eyes, a bit impatient. She wanted to finish the paperwork already and be free from it for at least one more month, until another pile of bills would cover her desk. 

“Sorry, I haven’t.” Momo shrugged helplessly, not even trying hard to look around herself as her fingers came back to running all over her phone’s screen. Jeongyeon would appreciate it, if the girl at least tried to actually look apologetic for not being helpful. 

Scowling, she walked to the other side of the counter, successfully managing to ignore the sound of Momo’s fingernails hitting the glass screen. The tapping was rhythmic, drilling into her brain. Ugh…

Not finding the documents anywhere under the counter, she skipped to the back. She was nearly sure that she hadn’t left them there, but surprisingly, it turned out she was wrong. The documents lay patiently on a kitchen counter, waiting for her under Momo’s wallet. 

She knew it! It was unlike her to lose something unless Momo messed with her things. 

Sometimes Jeongyeon was really close to snapping at the girl. Yet, she always managed to keep her anger under control. 

Jeongyeon sighed deeply. Affection… It made people move mountains for their loved ones…

When Jeongyeon came back to the bar from the backroom almost half an hour later, finished with her responsibilities, she fully expected Momo to be busy with her phone once again, but surprisingly, the girl was just in the middle of preparing a drink for a woman around their age. And as far as Jeongyeon wanted to scold her co-owner for flirting with customers on duty, she couldn’t, because she wasn’t physically able to pull her eyes away from Momo’s skilled movements and precise measurements while the girl was fixing what appeared to be some fruit version of Margarita. It was surely a spectacle, and the client found herself in a similar state to Jeongyeon, following Momo’s moves with wide, interested eyes. But Jeongyeon couldn’t even pay attention to that woman, when Momo filled one hundred percent of her vision.

Damn, even after two months since opening the bar, Jeongyeon still failed to not be impressed every time Momo put her hands on the shaker.

Soon after, Momo served the drink to the beautiful woman and Jeongyeon had a first row view of the wide smile blossoming on the poor customer’s face. The woman didn’t know what hit her yet. And Jeongyeon didn’t plan to stand there long enough to see that fact change. Instead, with her heart full of weird sour feeling, she walked away to wash the dirty dishes in the sink.  

She was nearly done with it, when Momo swung by to that part of the bar, a sheepish grin on her face. 

“What time did you say that candidate for a bartender was supposed to come?” She asked, scratching her neck nervously. Before Jeongyeon could even turn to scowl at her, she immediately apologized. “Yeah, yeah. I know I promised to really focus on that today and we

were supposed to choose someone finally, but…” She hesitated.

“Let me guess. You have a date with that woman from earlier.” Jeongyeon rolled her eyes, not even bothering to actually look at her friend, and wiping dry the glass furiously. 

“Heh… ” Momo smiled even more nervously. “It just… Happened?”

Jeongyeon released a tired sigh. Yup. It has just been happening a lot lately. Every damn time Jeongyeon managed to find someone worth their attention and scheduled a meeting with them, Momo was accidentally having a date at the exact same time. The first two times, Jeongyeon tried re-scheduling in hopes her co-owner would finally find herself in the right mindset to actually take care of their business, but then she just gave up, taking the burden of those meetings on her own shoulders. 

She couldn’t help but overthink this issue in the rare moments when she wasn’t busy with anything else, going back to the first time they had met people who applied for the position of their bartender and each time ending with the conclusion that maybe something happened that day. Momo did seem a bit down back then, but it could as well be Jeongyeon’s imaginations adding something that wasn’t there at all. 

Now she was left with the lack of ability to answer Momo in any reasonable way. 

“Whatever.” She grumbled. “Have fun.”

“Oh, Jeongyeon-ah…” Momo whined. “Don’t be mad at me, please. You know I trust you completely with the bar, and I know you’ll make the best decision for us.” 

A pair of arms sneaked around Jeongyeon’s waist and she was slowly but firmly turned around. She couldn’t lie that her heart didn’t skip a beat or two when Momo’s face suddenly got so close to her own, but then she realized that her friend had a totally different plan than the one she would have wished for. Momo’s head landed delicately on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, and the girl whined, rubbing herself closer to Jeongyeon’s neck like a needy cat. 

“Don’t be mad…” Momo continued mumbling, her face surely adorned with a pout. 

Jeongyeon’s eyes traveled to the table area of the bar, where a few clients were currently busy with their dinner. No one was looking at them yet, but it wouldn’t be long before Momo’s behavior started to draw someone’s attention to them. So with a hint of disappointment, Jeongyeon pushed the girl off her.

“Don’t cause a scene.” She scolded. “I’m not mad, just… Eh, nevermind. Let’s just go back to work.”

Momo’s pout didn’t leave her face, but she obeyed and grabbed the dry cloth to help with the dishes. 

They didn’t discuss anything anymore that day, Jeongyeon hiding in the kitchen to do her usual job of cooking, and Momo staying behind the bar, charming the customers with her bartender skills. When Momo left for her date way later, exchanging with Mina on shift, Jeongyeon tried to convince herself that she was really happy for her friend, and that she really hoped that Momo was going to find that right girl someday. 

Keyword: Tried.

(...)

The police precinct in Moon Grove wasn’t a big place at all. It had only one big room to gather all the cubicles for the seven officers working there, an interrogation room, a tiny single cell and the Sheriff’s office. There was barely enough space there to fit a small bathroom, not even talking about any common room for the employees to make coffee or eat a sandwich. 

Everyone gathered in that small space together - the police officers, the suspects, the witnesses, the drunk old men sobering up behind the bars. And sometimes, when the circumstances were right, all those groups happened to meet at the exact same time, and then it got so crowded and so noisy, and so awkward, that one could barely hear their own thoughts. 

But Sana quite liked the place. It was cozy at least and definitely never boring. 

Last few days were too stressful though even for someone who really liked their job, like Sana, and the woman really wanted to already finish her shift, leave this place and go home. Especially that there was someone she loved waiting for her there. As far as Sana knew, Dahyun arrived two, or three hours earlier, and was currently catching up with her grandma and her mom in her family home. Later, after Sana’s work, they were about to finally meet, after what was a long month of exams, stress, sweat and blood for Dahyun, and absolute unhappiness for Sana.

Yet for now, minutes were dragging like hell. The old clock hanging on the wall seemed to mock Sana with its ticking, and the office was suddenly almost too quiet. Everyone seemed to be so focused on their work, reports were being written diligently, the computers hummed as they tried to do their best in order to help the poor officers discover a new clue.

Sana stared at the documents in front of her. And damn if she knew what was written there. Couldn’t those damn colleagues of hers write notes on their phones, if they weren’t even able to use a pen well enough for somebody else to read it later? This way, her job would be so much easier. 

The hours were dragging even more than minutes, and by the end of her shift Sana was absolutely exhausted. She welcomed the time of her departure like a lifeboat arriving to save her from a storm on the ocean.

“Minatozaki!” Sheriff caught her almost at the door. “Come to my office for a second.”

“Yes, sir!” Sana nodded obediently, screaming all kinds of profanities on him inside her head. She was so, sooo close to seeing Dahyun. And now she was turning around only to shuffle back to the place she wanted to run away from.

“Sit down.” Sheriff pointed at the chair standing in front of his desk. 

Sana obeyed, waiting patiently for him to finish whatever he was typing on his laptop and discreetly observing his moves. She had always admired him silently for his experience and wiseness, but only now, working under him as one of his subordinates, she could notice how much stress, sweat and blood it really took out of him to do his job day by day. Despite all of that, Sheriff Ok Taecyeon still loved serving the people of their area.

“Stupid piece of trash!” The man muttered, aggressively clicking something on the screen. 

Okay, maybe not now, but generally, he seriously loved his job.

Sana just hoped some IT issues weren’t the reason to prolong her separation with Dahyun. 

“I’m paying attention to you right away, Sana… Just… Shit! Do you know how to close this stupid thing that keeps popping up on my screen?”

Sana giggled, walking around the desk and taking over the mouse. Yeah, technology wasn’t one of his strengths, but she could forgive him that one after everything else he taught her to do. 

“You should click here, sir. Then you wait five seconds and the X sign appears.”
“Okay, thanks. You can’t even imagine how annoying it gets when all those things suddenly get so advanced that you can’t keep up with it anymore. Now, about what I wanted from you… Tell me, Sana-yah - how are you holding on? I’ve been meaning to ask you yesterday, but there was hardly any time.”

“Umm, good I guess.” Sana frowned. “Why?”

“Oh, you know, your first ever murder case and all…” The man smiled at her warmly. Then, probably seeing Sana’s lack of response, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s not only you that I’m worried about just because you’re the only woman in our squad. I’d asked this question to all of my officers, no matter how old they were while seeing their first real crime scene. All that experience in police school is fine, but being out there and seeing it all, feeling those smells… It changes you. So if you’re feeling that something isn’t right, please contact a psychologist about it, okay? Or you can always talk to me too. My door’s always open for you.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Sana nodded, sighing with relief. Okay, it wasn’t anything bad. 

Of course, she was a bit traumatized, and the images she had seen were still alive in her mind when she only tried closing her eyes. But she could suppose it wasn’t anything she wouldn’t deal with in the right time. And she still had her greatest support in the form of her wonderful girlfriend. One minute spent with Dahyun could heal thousands of Sana’s wounds. 

And she was well on her way to finally meet Dahyun, if the Sheriff hadn’t called her out of the blue!

“Next thing - the case. Is there any progress, news, updates? Anything I need to know?” Sheriff asked, looking at some of his papers. It seemed as if he wasn’t paying attention, but Sana knew better than to answer the question carelessly.

“Unfortunately, not much, sir. We still don’t have the coroner’s report because of some delays. We also already interviewed everyone that could possibly know anything, but everyone says that Mr. Lee really stuck to his schedule and it was almost impossible for him to be in the middle of the forest at night. However, no one knows where he used to go on the rare days when he didn’t come to the bar. Also, the video Jackson and Mark obtained leads us nowhere, because the black-haired guy that Mina mentioned doesn’t match with anyone in our databases. No one around here knows him, no one else’s seen him. We’re stuck.”

Sheriff hummed thoughtfully, taking a while to form his next words. 

“It still bothers me, why would the wolves attack a human being like that?” He admitted, stroking his jaw aggressively, as if it would help him focus. “I don’t think even the oldest of people from our town remember something like that happening. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen any wolves living in our forests in the last few years. You might not remember it, because you were probably a kid, but around twenty years ago, there were tons of them living in the area. And they were pretty friendly too; definitely didn’t attack any farm animals, not even talking about people. Then… They just kinda disappeared. I don’t know what happened to them, but it’s funny that I’m only realizing it now.” He snorted humorlessly. 

Sana wasn’t sure whether she was the right person to share her thoughts in that particular subject, but she had to react in some way.

“It seems wild to me too.” It was a pretty soulless statement, but she was really dying to move on from this issue already. The man seemed to notice her weird behavior. 

“Okay, okay, let’s end it here. You’re already off the clock, and I can see that you almost have ants in your pants. We can talk about it tomorrow. Go on, kid. There’s someone waiting for you outside.” He winked, sending Sana off with his hand. 

The girl didn’t wait anymore, finally getting the chance to escape this place. She threw a quick ‘Thank you, sir!’, jumping out of her seat happily and almost tripping on her way out of the precinct, accompanied by her colleagues teasing remarks. 

The air outside was definitely less stuffy and hot, than inside the old building, and Sana immediately felt relief washing over her. The next thing she knew, there was a familiar smell reaching her sensitive nostrils, and she didn’t have to lift her head anymore to know that the Sheriff was right. Someone was waiting for her. A huge smile immediately blossomed on Sana’s face.

She crossed the street in no time, and then… 

There she was. She stood there with a coy smile, her hands tucked in her pockets, leaning back on her car. Her hair was a bit longer than the last time Sana had seen her a month ago. There was one thing though that made Sana stop there, in the middle of the street, her mouth wide open. 

Dahyun’s smile turned even more smug. 

“Hey, babe. What do you think?”

“I- I-” 

Sana was at a loss of words. She had never actually seen Dahyun with bangs before. And it looked… different. As if Dahyun was a whole new person. Sana’s jaw dropped once again, right after she managed to pick it up from the asphalt. 

“I– I like it.” She finally stuttered out. “You look… so cute and adorable.”

Dahyun’s eyebrows scrunched.

“Seriously? Cute and adorable? That wasn’t what I was going for! How about sexy, huh?” There wasn’t any actual bite in her words, and it was clear she was fighting not to smile. Sana failed to react, her eyes still glued to her girlfriend’s new image. 

Luckily for her, Dahyun didn’t lose all of her brain cells (like Sana did suddenly), and she just shook her head with fondness, pushing herself off the car and crossing the remaining distance between them. Sana’s arms opened on their own to welcome Dahyun where she belonged, and she was thankful for having that reflex. Only when Dahyun’s familiar smell of love and affection reached her nose, she got her head out of her ass. 

“Hey to you too, sexy girl.” She muttered into the top of Dahyun’s head, careful to not destroy the aforementioned cute bangs while hugging the girl. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Dahyun reached to connect their lips in a brief but sweet kiss. “Now get into the car, officer Minatozaki. We have a case of your empty stomach to solve.”

Sana failed to not laugh, despite the cringeness of Dahyun’s joke. Oh, damn… Almost six years of their relationship, and she was only falling deeper and deeper. 

(...) 

Throughout the whole afternoon and evening, Sana and Dahyun kept catching up on everything that happened in their lives lately. Obviously, they were on the phone almost every day while the younger girl lived in the capital, but it was never the same as being able to talk face to face, seeing their partner’s reactions and emotions playing on their faces. 

After the dinner, and after the rest of Sana’s family had already dotted enough on Dahyun, the two of them decided to go on a walk to their favorite place in the forest. Unfortunately, Chan had a different opinion about that idea. 

“Take anyone else with you. I don’t care who that is, but let’s not risk being alone out there.” He said. 

“We won’t be alone. There’s literally two of us.” Sana narrowed her eyes, failing to notice where he got lost in this simple math. 

“You know what I mean…” His face got worried. “Please, do it for me and take someone with you.” 

Sana sighed, but complied. Luckily for them, Tzuyu was already home by that time, and Mina agreed for a short break in her coding too. Yeji also decided to join them, and soon, the whole group left the house. 

“Is it that bad?” Was Dahyun’s first question when they were left alone, with the three wolves ghosting them from between the trees. “Like… It’s sad that that old man died, but are you seriously worried that we might get attacked in the forest?”

There was a look of doubt on her face, as if she couldn’t believe that their once safe heaven could be ruined like that. Sana squeezed Dahyun’s hand tightly, knowing that feeling really well, but decided not to sugarcoat anything. As far as she didn’t want to worry Dahyun too much, she also needed to have someone who would listen to her worries no matter what she was struggling with. And Dahyun was an adult after all, so she needed to know where they stood. Even if only to avoid the danger.

“We don’t know, honey. That’s the case. That’s… That’s pretty out of my mind too to think about something like that happening. And… Well, I have to admit that I am a bit scared that things will change. I don’t know how yet, but that’s scary anyway. Maybe that’s what worries me even more than the potential attack.”

She knew that Dahyun would understand her. And she wasn’t wrong. The younger woman stopped and pulled her into her arms, allowing Sana to rest her head on her shoulder. The embrace was so familiar and so comforting, and it almost allowed Sana to forget about that weird anxiety sitting in the pit of her stomach for the last few days. 

Almost, but not entirely, and she knew better than to hope for that. At the end of the day, she was aware that she was never going to feel sure about the future. And the uncertainty was always going to be scary. 

“I’m so sorry that you had to see all of those terrible things.” Dahyun stroked her back calmingly. “I just know it didn’t help you feel less scared at all. You haven’t been sleeping well the last few days, right?”

Sana nodded her head, not even noticing that a few lonely tears escaped her eyes while she wasn’t paying attention. Dahyun’s presence always worked like that on her - her emotions couldn’t be hidden inside for long. But that was okay. She really valued this time when she could be vulnerable, even if just for a short moment.

“Let’s make this walk short then, okay? So you can go to sleep earlier tonight.” Dahyun offered when the silence started to prolong, and Sana realized not without surprise, that she indeed started to slowly doze off on her girlfriend’s shoulder. 

“Okay…” She hummed obediently. “But I want to go to our favorite spot first anyway. I’m relaxing when you’re by my side.”

Dahyun’s face lit up with a stupid smile and she clearly had to fight with herself to let Sana out of her arms so they could continue walking. Sana had a hard time with that too. It was going to take her a while to get used to the fact that Dahyun wasn’t leaving immediately in a few days. 

(...)

Somewhere barely a few kilometers away, Chaeyoung sat on her bed, restless and antsy. She had a hard time adapting back to her boring life in Moon Grove. It was pretty funny thing, because she had been living in the big city for only a year now, yet she had already grown so accustomed to it, especially to having all of her friends at the arm’s reach at any time she wanted, that being back in the countryside, as she tended to think about her hometown, was simply tiring. There was nothing to do here, no art classes, no galleries to visit, no museums and theaters. And now suddenly everyone was also panicking that it was dangerous in the forests around the town and they shouldn’t leave their homes when it wasn’t absolutely necessary. So what the heck was Chaeyoung supposed to do? Die out of boredom?

At least Dahyun was here too for the summer. That was the last thought keeping Chaeyoung alive for now. 

But the older girl was busy with her girlfriend temporarily, and even bored-out-of-her-mind Chaeyoung wasn’t cruel enough to bother them now, when it had been so long since Dahyun last met with Sana.

Screw that danger! Chaeyoung was going for a walk. If she was about to die, she preferred it to be interesting at least. Besides, the woods didn’t even look all that scary. It was even calmer there than usual. 

The girl hummed some kind of melody under her breath, trying to find out where she heard it and how could that song be titled, bravely walking along the path. It was a hardrock song for sure, that’s what she had been listening to lately, but it definitely didn’t sound like anything her favorite bands would release. Could it be something that Dahyun played in their apartment? Should she probably send the girl a voice message and ask her about the melody? Maybe Dahyun wasn’t as busy as Chaeyoung expected her to be? Maybe she too craved some entertainment? 

Chaeyoung cursed at herself silently, putting her phone back to her pocket. No! No, she shouldn’t. It was barely a day since they came back to Moon Grove. Chaeyoung could endure a bit more. Just a few days, and she would probably somehow settle into this slow life once again–

Wait, were those…? Chaeyoung’s curiosity sparked when suddenly a pair of girls appeared between the trees in the distance. They were holding hands and talking about something, but despite the silence around her, Chaeyoung wasn’t able to catch any words. Where were they heading? Should she follow them? Would they mind her company? 

They probably would. As she already reminded herself many times, they hadn’t seen each other for so long, so they probably craved a bit of privacy just for the two of them. Okay, Chaeyoung should let go. She could wait at least until the next day before contacting Dahyun again. She wasn’t so dependent and addicted as to not be able to spend a few hours alone, right?

Well, apparently not. The curiosity won in Chaeyoung, and she rolled her eyes, hiding behind the tree to create a bit of a bigger distance between the pair and herself. When she was sure that they wouldn’t spot her anymore, she followed them like a shadow. 

She didn’t have to sneak by like that for long. It took maybe ten minutes or so, and then suddenly a clearing was opening in front of Dahyun and Sana. Chaeyoung knew that if she followed them any longer, she would finally be spotted. Why were they heading there at all? Was there something interesting on this clearing? Oh damn, were they going to make out? Chaeyoung really didn’t want to be a witness to any naked skin. That was a bit too much for her. 

What she saw peeking from behind the tree wasn’t naked skin at all though. But Chaeyoung really had to wipe her eyes a few times to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming, because damn… It was even weirder. 

What– What the heck?

Was Dahyun sitting out there, surrounded by a group of wild wolves!? Why was Dahyun sitting out there, surrounded by a group of wild wolves!? 

What was going on?

Chaeyoung waited a few more minutes, observing the situation, but it didn’t change. The wolves mostly didn’t even flinch, one of them sitting by Dahyun’s side, one laying nearby and the two left curled together. And Dahyun, good old Dahyun, was just stroking the red wolf’s fur. Chaeyoung literally had no idea how to react. Dahyun didn’t seem to be in danger, but… Those were wolves! Wild animals! Someone should be panicking!

Chaeyoung’s head was starting to hurt from all the effort she was putting into analyzing this situation. Soon, she had to sit down on the ground, because the world around her was spinning. It took her two or three big breaths to regain control over her body. 

She didn’t think much time had passed by while she wasn’t feeling well, but when she glanced at the clearing once again, the place was suddenly completely empty. Not even the grass seemed to be crumpled where the girl and the animals sat before. And Chaeyoung wasn’t sure anymore whether her head was completely fine. 

Should she maybe invest in glasses? A session in a psychologist’s office? A bottle of strong alcohol?

(...)

It was around three in the morning, when Jeongyeon was stirred out of her sleep by some movements. There was a smell too, mostly familiar, reaching her nose, and it was gradually getting more and more intense. Then the bed sagged under the weight of someone. Jeongyeon wanted to groan in protest, because she absolutely hated that her precious rest was interrupted like that, but the body that dived under the comforter and snuggled to her turned out to be actually quite comfy. 

Jeongyeon’s first instinct was to get worried though.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” She mumbled with her voice still full of sleep, because it was so unlike Momo to come over on days when she had her dates. They usually hung out and cuddled to sleep either in her room, or in Momo’s when both of them had a free evening. 

Maybe something bad happened, since Momo’s date finished so early…

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Momo assured her immediately. Then she snorted to herself. “She got called to some emergency at work before I even got to kiss her. Such a shame, she was really nice.”

Jeongyeon only hummed in response. She was way too sleepy to trust herself to keep her voice calm and free of any emotions, if she was about to comment on Momo’s words. Apparently Momo had to sense that something wasn’t right though, because she immediately asked:

“Is that okay?” She was referring to the way she was hugging Jeongyeon now, interfering in one hundred percent of her personal space, but for a split second, Jeongyeon wondered how she would answer the question, if Momo asked whether she was fine with her dating other girls. 

“Yeah, it’s okay.” She finally said, deciding that there was no use in even speculating on such topics. 

How could Momo cuddling her not be okay? Jeongyeon was one of the few people who got to see the girl so vulnerable and soft like that. She would never give up on that. Especially since right after, Momo hummed happily and relaxed. She smelled like the forest - the most comforting smell for Jeongyeon. 

“How did the meeting with our potential bartender go?” Momo asked quickly, slurring the words a bit as she too was already falling asleep. Jeongyeon fought to keep her mind awake just for a few seconds longer.

“Hmmm? Good,” She said.

“Did you hire them?”

“Nah. She was too flirty with me. I didn’t like that.” It was really disappointing, because the girl was otherwise quite an experienced applicant. But Jeongyeon was really irked by her weird behavior during the interview, so she didn’t want to risk hiring someone who wouldn’t go well with their little team. Atmosphere in the workplace was a really important thing. 

Beside her, Momo stiffened for just a moment, before relaxing again. Or maybe it was Jeongyeon stiffening as her body was fighting with the sleepiness. Who knew? 

“Yup, totally unprofessional behavior.” Momo commented after a few bits of silence and Jeongyeon felt like pointing out that if there was someone who really flirted at work, it was Momo herself. But it wasn’t the right time for arguing. They were both drifting off to sleep. 

It could wait until the morning. Or never.

(...) 

The girl^TM came back. 

Not right away, more like three days later, but she still came back. 

Not that Mina was surprised. Judging by the way it was bringing her joy to tease Mina, she would be weird not to use a chance to do it again. But despite expecting the woman, Mina still got deeply annoyed seeing her face in the entrance to ‘Strategy’.

Annoyed, but also interested. But mostly annoyed. 

“Are you here to be a pain in the ass once again?” She grumbled when the girl got close enough to hear her. Obviously, the only effect it had on the newcomer was another teasing smirk.

“No ‘hello, how are you?’? Not even ‘what can I get you’? That’s how you treat your clients?” The woman snorted. “You’re such a bad girl, Mina.”

Mina’s teeth gritted when she felt those words going straight to her stomach and causing a mini earthquake happening there. Her cheeks covered in a light shade of pink immediately, as if cooperating with the girl against their owner. 

“What. Can. I. Get. You?” Mina asked, faking the biggest smile she could manage. The girl made a move as if she was calling Mina closer, unable to talk over all the bar’s noises. The problem was that it wasn’t loud there at all. Mina should’ve noticed it earlier. Yet, she didn’t, and then she suddenly found the woman’s face so close to her ear. 

“Half an hour with you in the backroom… Or a glass of red wine, please.” 

The hot breath hit her skin and immediately a wave of goosebumps was sent down Mina’s body. She huffed, pushing the girl away lightly. It was for nothing anyway. The sound of joyful, toothy laugh that followed worked on her just as much as the whisper. 

She busied herself with getting the glass of wine immediately, sparing herself additional embarrassment and refusing to even look the girl into the eyes. Only when she served the drink - holding it so that the woman wasn’t able to grab and drink it yet - her lips moved as if on their own. 

“You’re still refusing to let me know where we met?”  

“Hmmm, no. I guess not.” The girl put her hand on the glass too, and their skin touched suddenly. “But it won’t be that easy yet. I have an offer for you. Go on a date with me, and I’ll tell you everything. But–”

She silenced Mina, before the bartender could react.  

“That amazing offer stands only tonight. So choose wisely.” She winked.

And shit … Mina knew that wink. Where did she see it though? 

Okay, she had to admit - the offer was tempting. The woman was interesting and beautiful, no matter how Mina wanted to think otherwise. But her behavior was so annoying, that out of spite, the bartender felt like refusing the offer anyway. 

Did she even want to know where they met that much? Nah, she could live without that knowledge. 

Luckily, the girl wasn’t her only client that night, and Mina quickly found someone who needed her help in getting themselves drunk. She served a few beers, a couple shots of vodka, and whiskey. Then she polished all the glasses previously washed by Jeongyeon, and she already started to think that her sisters didn’t need her all that much at the bar, because she was suddenly jobless, when the girl found her once again. Her glass was already empty, and… a bit of disappointment could be visible in her expression?

“Look, I have to go. But I wanted to make it clear first that it wasn’t not my intention to make you uncomfortable, okay? I can stop, if that’s your wish.”

That… sounded pretty genuine. Mina could see that the girl wasn’t smirking anymore, and there was something in her eyes, like… Longing?

And… Actually… Ummm… Well…

“N- No… You didn’t do anything wrong.” Mina stuttered, blushing like a tomato that grew in Toskanian sun. “I- I kinda liked it, I guess.”

Why, why, why? Why did she say it? She could’ve stayed silent and ended this stupid thing going on between them, no matter what it was, but noooo… She had to obviously admit that despite the girl making her embarrassed all the time, Mina was too weak to fight this temptation. 

“Oh…” The girl stared at her, a bit dumbfounded, and maybe a bit red too. “Okay, in that case…” She stretched her neck, then sighed deeply. And then suddenly, as if someone flipped a switch, the old her was back, with the smirk and with confidence. Even Mina’s faulty wolf nose could recognize the interest oozing off of her.

“In that case, I’m glad. Like I said, the date is on the table, Miss Myoui. By the way, how’s the family? How’s your lovely mother? Still baking those wonderful apple pies? Oh my God, I would die to eat one of those… And Ray - that was his name, right? Your lovely puppy.”

Mina’s eyes widened suddenly. How could this stranger know all of that? Learning her name, even last name, was fairly easy, especially these days when everyone had a profile on social media. But damn, her dog? Mina got Ray when she was really a little girl, and he passed away a few years ago. No one, even Chan or Sana knew about him, because they had never actually had a reason to visit her family house. 

There was only one person who Mina knew and who could know about Ray.

“Na- Nayeon?” Mina’s jaw dropped when she came to this realization. “Im Nayeon? Is that you?”

There was something akin to pride in Nayeon’s eyes. As if she was really impressed with Mina’s detective skills (despite Mina’s previous density).

“I think that would be about right.” She sent Mina a happy smile. “Sooo… When are we going for that date? I think I’ve earned it now, right?”

Chapter Text

Despite everything happening in Moon Grove lately, Mina liked to consider her life pretty peaceful. It was mostly thanks to her routine, keeping her stuck in the endless loop between her work in ‘Strategy’, the chair in front of her computer where she could fix bugs in her code and the forests which she now visited mostly during the night. But even if she sometimes decided to make a little change in her schedule, it was never a modification big enough to be able to make an impact on her everyday life and take the monotony and slowness away from her. 

Seemingly adjusting to Mina’s style, the atmosphere in the bar tended to be a bit quiet as well lately, especially with all the patrons and the bartenders feeling the absence of someone who used to be there with them all the time. Even the nightly patrols of the neighborhood forest, which the wolves went on almost every night, weren’t as exciting and dangerous as Chan had painted them at first. They didn’t find anything strange, they saw no signs of any possible presence of foreign wolves. 

Mina strained her eyes every time, searching for the white wolf she had seen a few days earlier. She even thought she had seen a glimpse of shiny light fur once. In the end, though, she wasn’t sure it wasn’t just her eyes playing tricks on her. They were pretty tired, after all, from all that staring on her monitors. So she decided to push that issue into the back of her head for the time being, and focus on the present. 

Which had been, once again, calm. Up until Im Nayeon didn’t force her way back into Mina’s mind, at least. 

Mina obviously expected it, after all she agreed to the proposition of the date Nayeon earned on their second meeting. But then no exact day had been chosen, they didn’t specify any details as well. It was just out there, like an idea of a project, not implemented yet. So as far as Mina could expect the date to come, she couldn’t exactly guess when and where it would catch her. Would Nayeon take her to the movies? Would they just eat dinner? Was the woman planning some kind of interesting and entertaining activity, or was she rather choosing something calm, like a walk in the forest for example? All that information stayed in the dark.

Mina had to admit that she was intrigued. Learning the fact that the woman she’s been interested in for the last several days was in fact her childhood friend and neighbor put the whole case in a completely different perspective, making the initial annoyance evaporate immediately. Obviously, the physical attraction was still there (although she felt a bit conflicted about this feeling), but now Mina was mostly just curious. Why did Nayeon come back? Was she planning to settle in Moon Grove again, or was she just visiting? The fact that Mina couldn’t even exactly recall the moment Nayeon stopped living in their town was only adding more inquiry to the whole analysis she was making inside her head right now. 

Oh! Well…

She could guess she was about to find out tonight, because the door to the ‘Strategy’ was just opening. Nayeon was finally here.  

(...)

There was a smile blossoming on Nayeon’s face as she stepped closer and closer to the Moon Valley’s one and only bar. It had been a few days already since the last time she could see Mina’s adorable face, and she had to honestly admit to herself that she was excited as never before. 

She couldn’t lie - she was a bit hopeful about this - whatever was unfolding between the two of them. She wasn’t sure whether it was about to evolve into a romantic relationship, or just into a friendship, but she didn’t really care. She simply craved a special connection with someone, and somewhere deep under her skin, she could feel that she had a chance to create such with Mina. 

Don’t take her wrong, her wolves were all loyal and she cherished them a lot. But they were also a bit too young to treat her like an equal. She had tried previously to convince them to get rid of this whole ‘alpha and her pack’ hierarchy, and they even tried, but it didn’t seem to work out in the end. So Nayeon gave up and accepted what she had. Being forced to move a lot in the past, leaving all the relations she had managed to build behind, she didn’t have much of a choice.

Mina was what one could name ‘love at first sight’, with the word ‘love’ being a bit of exaggeration obviously, since Nayeon didn’t think she was in love yet. She was merely at the beginning of this road. But with the plan of staying in the area getting more and more feasible with every day, she couldn’t completely rule this possibility out. 

That’s why she had to do this properly. The last two times she had met with Mina, she might or might have not pissed the girl off a bit. Today was a day when she was going to fix it all and finally get back on the right track. 

Nayeon stopped in front of the entrance to ‘Strategy’, sighed deeply, ran her hand through her hair to tame it a bit from the blowing wind, and then pushed on the door. 

The inside of the bar was a bit darker than the drenched in the setting sun outside world, but it didn’t stop Nayeon from immediately spotting her target. Her sensitive wolf eyes were put to use, and they didn’t lie to her. There she was, standing behind the counter, shaker in her delicate hands and a wide smile on her face. Their eyes connected right on the spot, as if Mina sensed Nayeon’s presence. 

Maybe she did? Maybe her nose finally worked properly? Nayeon still had a hard time believing that during their previous encounters, Mina failed to recognize one of their own kind in her. At first, she even thought that she brought herself straight into some kind of trap. But no, Mina really seemed to be oblivious. Unusual, but Nayeon wasn’t one to complain. It only added to the whole fun.

Mina’s face got only more and more unreal as Nayeon walked between the tables towards the counter. A bit of tiredness could be spotted on it, and for a moment Nayeon considered cancelling her plan. However, there didn’t seem to ever be a better time lately - if Mina didn’t have a shift in ‘Strategy’, she was hard to spot anywhere else. This was Nayeon’s best chance. 

“Hi.” A sweet, shy voice welcomed her before she could even reach the empty chair right in front of Mina. Her fists tightened on their own inside the pockets of her jacket as the nervousness and excitement flushed down Nayeon’s body, the adrenaline taking their place right after.     

“Hi!” Nayeon answered, the wide grin making a comeback on her face almost against her will. She couldn’t help it now that she was granted a bit of Mina’s attention. 

Yup. This was it. Years of school and college, thousands of books read and papers written, and here Nayeon was, reduced to a single ‘Hi!’. Not very eloquent of her. 

“Can I get you something?” 

But Mina seemed to have a similar problem with the smile not being able to leave her face. Her eyes didn’t leave Nayeon’s face as well for a while, and even the usual scent of annoyance mixed with attraction, that Nayeon could usually smell from her, gave up the spot to a smoother, lighter, warmer scent of interest and joy. 

Meaning Nayeon was doing something right after all, wasn’t she?

Nayeon bit her tongue before she could answer ‘Your number, preferably ’. There was going to be time for that later. Not having Mina’s number was making it a whole lot harder when it came to discussing the details of the promised date, but for now it wasn’t as important. 

“Hmmm… A can of sprite, maybe.” She finally decided. “Or just water.”

“Nothing stronger this time?” Mina’s smile got a bit intrigued.

“No, I want to keep a sharp mind.” Nayeon answered truthfully. “As to not forget our first date. Also, I’m driving.”

The bartender froze for just a split second, hearing those words, before picking up the glass to fill it with the sprite. 

“Oh, so it’s today?” Mina raised her eyebrows. Her face didn’t reveal whether this was genuinely surprising to her or if she was just pretending out of politeness to prolong the discussion. However, Nayeon didn’t need to rely purely on Mina’s expressions. She could read smells pretty expertly by now. The girl clearly knew why Nayeon was there. 

“Yup. If you have time, obviously. And if you’re not too tired after your shift.” Nayeon assured. “I don’t want to force you to do anything against your will. I know I acted pretty sure of myself previously, but it’s not my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

“So you’ve said last time.” Mina tilted her head like a curious puppy, a bit amused by Nayeon’s overly safe approach. “You’re not making me uncomfortable though. As I’ve said - I like people who know what they want.”

“Awesome.” Nayeon grinned once more, picking up the glass to wet her throat, parched from nerves. She couldn’t help but feel relieved that Mina didn’t hold a grudge. “What time are you off work?”

“In an hour.” Mina glanced at her smartwatch. “But I’ll be happy if you wait here for me. Keep me company, please.” 

Nayeon didn’t need to be told twice.

Just like that, they spent the next hour hanging out together. When Mina wasn’t busy serving drinks to other customers, she gravitated towards Nayeon’s side of the counter, picking up the conversation where they left it before. 

It wasn’t anything heavy yet, they didn’t even try getting close to questions like ‘How have you been?’ or ‘Where have you been this whole time?’. The little chit-chat about everything and nothing, filled with discreet flirting, felt nice too though, once again proving to Nayeon that she was heading in the right direction. Mina was definitely worth her attention. 

Later, when the clock struck eight pm, Mina gestured towards the backroom of the bar. 

“Wait for me a few more minutes, okay? I’ll just tell my sister that I’m leaving and grab my things.”

Nayeon nodded wordlessly, walking Mina out with her eyes. Then she got a bit stuck in her thoughts, daydreaming about possible outcomes of this evening, and before she knew it, Mina was already back, with an entirely different outfit and her apron gone from her waist. Her hair was put down too, and Nayeon had to admit that although Mina looked crazy good like that, she was a bit disappointed that the girl’s long, pale neck wasn’t visible anymore. 

“Ready?” Mina asked, offering her hand. 

Wow, that was new. So far, from Nayeon’s constant observations, it could be concluded that Mina quite disliked being touched in general. Even if their hands brushed here or there, it was always purely accidental. 

Nayeon didn’t spare more time before accepting the offer and grabbing Mina’s hand. The skin - soft, but a bit on the cooler side - made her insides go wild. 

“So… You have a sister now?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking as soon as they left the building. 

It was almost dark outside now, and she had to put her eyes to a really good use just to be able to scan Mina’s expression. The weight of Mina’s hand in hers made her question her plan suddenly. If she followed it just as she wanted and led Mina straight to her car, she would have to let go of the grip. Maybe a short walk was the right way to go here… 

Mina didn’t seem to mind, when Nayeon’s steps turned towards the center of the small town.  

“More than one, actually.” She provided, smiling to herself and gracing Nayeon with the sweet smell of affection oozing out of her just at the thought of her family. “It’s complicated. They are not my biological sisters. But we don’t love each other any less because of it.”

“Hmmm… I think I understand.” Nayeon nodded. “I have a few friends that I could probably consider my family as well. They are younger than me and sometimes annoy me just as I imagine a sibling would do.” She giggled. 

“Oh…” Mina just said. She clearly wanted to say something more, though, so Nayeon patiently waited for her to find those words. Meanwhile, they reached a small fountain standing in the middle of Moon Valley, and Nayeon listened to the sound of water falling from it. It reminded her about a stream in the middle of wildness and a weird kind of craving to run towards the forest overcame her mind. She quickly nipped it in the bud, not wanting to accidentally make her own scent smell in any weird way that could make Mina think that she wasn’t enjoying their walk. 

Finally, after what seemed to be minutes, Mina’s face turned towards her with obvious curiosity painted on it. “Do those friends of yours… Are they from around here? Cause… You know, I haven’t seen you in Moon Grove for a while…”

The unspoken question was there. Mina was digging for information, which Nayeon unfortunately couldn’t yet provide. 

“No, they are not. But– I guess you could say it’s just as complicated as your situation.” Nayeon sent her a wink, not confirming, but also not denying anything, and still wondering how it could be possible that Mina failed to notice all the cues. Was Nayeon just so good at hiding? She had been obviously practicing how to control her scents for years, but she couldn’t be that good, right?

Mina’s only reactions to her words were an eye roll and a huff. She was back to feeling that slight irritation that Nayeon could remember from their first meeting, when she refused to let the girl know where they’d met before. 

“You’re back at it again, huh?” Mina said, fortunately for Nayeon filling her voice with a bit of amusement. “You’re gonna make me work for every bit of information about you?”

“But isn’t that what you did too, Miss Myoui?” Nayeon couldn’t help but embrace that flirtatious vibe that inevitably surrounded their every conversation. It was stronger than her at this point. “I literally know nothing about you too, and you’re not willing to spill any interesting trivia about yourself.” She pretended to whine, receiving another eye roll, this one followed by an amused snort because of her choice of vocabulary. 

The car, to which they were previously heading after circling the small main square of the town, was now appearing in front of their eyes. Nayeon led Mina to the passenger’s door, but instead of opening it, she just stepped closer, making the younger girl lean back on the vehicle. 

“Maybe if you weren’t so mysterious yourself, I’d feel more comfortable to share more about myself.” Mina shrugged. 

For just a split second, shock and even apprehension could be visible in her eyes at Nayeon’s close proximity, but then, just as quickly, both those feelings turned into a dare. 

“Guess we reached an impasse then.” Nayeon shrugged too, feeling how her blood rushed away from her head just at the sight of a pair of beautiful lips so close to her. 

‘Damn, no!’ She wanted to groan at herself. That wasn’t how this date was supposed to go. They were supposed to have a nice dinner, at the restaurant Nayeon had took so long to choose, with romantic vibes, not like this–

The dare in Mina’s eyes was getting more and more prominent as the girl raised her eyebrows, as if saying ‘So? How is it going to be? Are you brave enough to try?’ . Nayeon was brave, she was really brave. But she wasn’t sure it was a good trait to have in this particular moment. She wanted to have Mina like that, obviously, but not yet… If she waited a bit, if she was a bit more patient, it would all have so much more sense and she would show her respect towards Mina and–

Mina’s hands suddenly landed on her neck, and the girl pulled her closer. All of Nayeon’s thoughts evaporated. Their breaths were practically mingling, as they stood there, waiting for the other one to break the spell and make the last one step. The tension was growing with each passing second, their breathing sounding like a thunderstorm in the silence of the woods. Nayeon was getting more and more impatient. All the emotions buzzing in her were begging to be let outside, to be used in some good way. 

Then Mina’s tempting smell reached her nostrils, igniting something inside Nayeon’s brain. The decision was made for her. But when she already thought that she lost this battle, that she was the only one to not control her urges, Mina’s lips met her in the middle.  

(...)

Mina wasn’t sure what she was doing. It was all going pretty well, they were walking and talking, and the atmosphere was so calm. And then suddenly it wasn’t. 

Then, suddenly, she was feeling a weird kind of pull coming from Nayeon, forcing her to get closer and closer. She had totally no idea what made her so brave to offer her hand to Nayeon in the first place, when she had such a hard time accepting touch from anyone who wasn’t her family member. And then, when Nayeon almost pinned her to the car, and talked with this low tone of her voice… Mina really had no other choice than to let her imagination take over her head and decide for her.  

Just to be clear - she didn’t kiss people like that (except accepting kisses from Sana, but that was a different case). That was simply not in her character. So this sudden loss of mind surprised even her. And it clearly surprised Nayeon too, because she made that strangled noise when their lips met, almost making Mina melt down right there, in the middle of the parking lot. The older woman regained her footing quickly though, putting both her hands on Mina’s waist, while Mina struggled to follow even the movement of her lips.

There were a bit too many things happening at the same time and she didn’t know what to do with her hands, legs, and body. Before she could fully embrace that there was another pair of lips kissing hers, and before she could even decide whether it felt good or bad, and before she could remember that her hands were on Nayeon’s neck and she could use them for example to play with Nayeon’s hair, the situation was already changing. Nayeon’s lips traveled down, on her own neck, then behind her ear. 

Mina’s senses were really overloading. Oh… It felt good, it did, but– What was she supposed to do? Oh right - move her hands. 

But now Nayeon’s hands were suddenly travelling up her body, and under her shirt, and Mina was suddenly breathing faster, but not because of excitement. It was all happening way too fast for her, but her throat was too tight for her to open her mouth and say anything. Oh, damn…

Was it all heading where she thought it was heading? Because she really didn’t want them to just fuck like that, on the first date. It would make her feel so used, she knew that. But on the other hand, Nayeon was clearly enjoying this. What was she supposed to do? 

Suddenly feeling that one of Nayeon’s hands was travelling down once again, dangerously close to the waistband of her pants, Mina panicked. In the last effort of her brain, she was only able to finally move her hands from the girl’s neck and push on her body with all her might, almost sending Nayeon flying on the nearest car. 

Nayeon’s eyes were wide open when she looked at Mina in the next second. The woman was clearly shocked with the abrupt change of position, and she even glanced around herself, as if not believing that she was right there, kissing Mina just seconds earlier, and then she suddenly wasn’t…?

“Mina? Is everything right?” She stuttered. “Oh damn, I’m sorry. I– You– I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted so fast–”

Mina’s mind was already tuning out all the sounds. There was shame and dread filling it instead, as she realized how abrupt and weird her reaction was. Because she clearly started this whole thing. And then she didn’t even give Nayeon a chance to know that she wasn’t willing to participate in it anymore. She just pushed Nayeon away, almost hurting the woman on the way. What the heck, Mina!? 

Now the dread was changing into embarrassment. The rollercoaster of emotions made Mina want to flee the scene immediately, because she definitely wasn’t ready to deal with the consequences. Her cheeks were embracing the color of a tomato, and Nayeon didn’t even ask yet, why was she acting like that. 

In just a few moments, the woman was probably going to laugh at Mina’s inexperience with handling any romantic situations. Mina had to evacuate first. If she wasn’t able to see it, it would be as if it didn’t happen, right? Oh God, she could only hope that Nayeon wouldn’t talk about this with anyone else…

“Mina, what’s wrong? Talk to me–”

“I- I’m sorry.” Mina was able to stutter out, successfully avoiding being stopped by Nayeon’s hands. She dodged Nayeon’s attempt at catching her when she turned to the right. 

Thank God the forest was so close to the parking lot. 

(...) 

“Mina! Hey, Mina, wait up!” Nayeon had absolutely no idea what was going on. 

Here she was, enjoying the feeling of Mina’s delicate skin on her lips at one moment, and then suddenly flying away and hitting the nearby car with her elbows the next. 

Wow, the strength…

Okay, Mina clearly disliked what they were doing. That was obvious. Nayeon was ready to apologize for being too forward and make it up to the girl in some way. She didn’t have a problem stopping, after all making out with Mina on their first date wasn’t in her plan at all. 

But then Mina didn’t even let her do that. She just… ran away. 

Nayeon almost ran behind her, just to make sure that everything was alright, and that Mina wasn’t going to get hurt. But then something told her that she shouldn’t. Her gut was telling her that Mina wanted to be left alone. 

Anger - at herself, and at her poor execution of this situation - suddenly filled Nayeon.

“Fuck!” She kicked the tire of her car, the sight of the bouquet of flowers waiting on the backseat of the vehicle suddenly making her even more pissed. 

If she just could keep her hands to herself this one time!

(...)

It was definitely the smell of fresh coffee that had woken Sana up, coming into her bedroom together with the cold early morning breeze and quiet sound of humming. The melody wasn’t familiar to her, but it sounded like that feeling of longing, deeply hidden inside of her memory, and it pulled a string inside her heart that Sana didn’t think could ever be pulled again. 

The bed beside her was cold, so not without a pout, she crawled out of it, and not bothering with searching for any suitable clothes, she shuffled downstairs. 

The source of the humming stood in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and swaying slowly to the rhythm of the melody. She had Sana’s old T-shirt on, at least two sizes too big for her, and checkered pajama pants. Her shiny long hair was put up in a messy bun. She looked almost too happy for the ungodly early hour. 

“Good morning, Miss Kim.” Sana muttered, closing her arms around Dahyun’s waist and probably startling the girl a bit. Luckily, the knife lay temporarily on the counter, away from the pianist’s precious fingers. 

“Damn, babe!” Dahyun huffed, jumping a bit. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack someday with that sneaking of yours!” She scolded, pretending to wriggle out of Sana’s grip. 

The wolf girl knew better than to let her win. She would get a worse kind of scolding if she didn’t cuddle Dahyun enough, than if she cuddled her for too long (if such a case could even take place). 

“Sorry…” She mumbled into the skin of Dahyun’s neck, giggling silently, and leaving a ghost of a kiss there immediately. “But if you didn’t sneak out of the bed, I wouldn’t have to sneak up on you. Why would you do that anyway? I thought you’re on vacation now.”

Dahyun leaned back on her, turning her head enough so that she could catch Sana’s lips with her own in a quick welcome kiss. Her hands traveled onto Sana’s on her waist, intertwining their fingers together. 

“I wanted to make you breakfast before work.” 

Sana’s chest filled with warmth. Lots of warmth. Her arms tightened the embrace even more, squeezing Dahyun inside them and locking her out from the outside world. They were probably going to get really hot in just a few minutes standing like that in the summer morning, but Sana didn’t care. Her love had to find a way out and physical affection was the easiest solution. Words were good too, but Sana preferred to show other than just to tell. 

“Thank you, Dahyunnie.” She said a few minutes later, when her system already got rid of the redundant emotions. “That’s so lovely. Can I help you with something?”

“Nope, just sit down and wait. I was just finishing up.” The younger girl pointed at the bowl standing on the stove, filled with eggs and just waiting to be fried on the pan. 

“Okay.” Sana chirped with excitement. Still, she didn’t let go of Dahyun. The younger girl waited for a few seconds, but then she had to understand that Sana didn’t plan to actually do whatever she was asked to do, so she grabbed the pan and the eggs, turning on the stove. Cooking with a human-sized backpack attached to her body was hard, but it wasn’t Dahyun’s first rodeo.

They chatted about everything and nothing while eating and drinking their coffee. Soon, the other wolves started to slowly fill the kitchen, getting ready for their own workday. It reminded Sana that she had to leave for the precinct really soon, and spoiled her mood a bit. Luckily, she managed to convince Dahyun to accompany her to the bathroom, while she brushed her teeth and took a shower. Unluckily, they couldn’t occupy the place for too long, hurried with Momo’s complaints, but those few minutes were enough to energize Sana for the whole day. 

Putting on her shoes right before going out of the house, Sana heard the melody one more time. Dahyun was standing closer this time, and the sound was clearer, but even thinking hard about it, Sana couldn’t pinpoint where she had heard it before. 

“Babe? What’s the name of this song?” She asked, curious why it was taking so much of her thoughts.

“What? Which song?” Dahyun raised her eyebrows, her eyes slowly raising up from where she had them glued somewhere around Sana’s bottom. 

“The one you’re humming.” Sana was too focused on the issue to pay the ogling any attention. “It sounds familiar.”

Dahyun’s eyes sparked with joy, as always when she talked about music. 

“Oh, it’s just something my student played in one of the lessons. Something that his mother always sang to him. I don’t know the title though…” She shrugged. “I can ask him, if you want.”

“No, no. Don’t bother yourself.” Sana leaned to leave a goodbye kiss first on Dahyun’s cheek, and then on her lips. “It sounds nice though.”

“Yeah. That’s why it got stuck in my brain.” Dahyun agreed. “Have a nice day at work, baby. Come back safe to me, okay?”

“As always.” Sana turned around to open the door already, but then she couldn’t help herself and came back for just one, last kiss. Then she quickly ran away, scared that if she stayed there just one more second, she would be definitely fired for being late for work. 

The day in the precinct didn’t begin as slowly. Before she could even fully sit behind her desk and turn on her computer, there was already a pile of files landing in front of her nose with a big thud. 

“The coroner’s report, Minatozaki.” Jackson wasn’t overjoyed. “Read it carefully, because you’re gonna find out… Nothing!”

“What do you mean by ‘nothing’?” Sana opened the file immediately, as if at least some world-changing truth was written there, not believing even an ounce in what was leaving Jackson’s mouth. “There has to be something. Like… At least the way the guy died.”

“Well, yeah… That’s obvious. Duh?” Jackson rolled his eyes. “But there’s nothing helping us with the case. The wounds on his throat were the main reason of death. Made by the sharp teeth of a carnivorous animal, a wolf or a huge dog. Unless someone’s Labrador decided to go to the dark side of the Force, there’s really nothing to search for here.”

Sana’s eyes scanned the paper quickly.

“Oh… There’s something here.” She pointed out. “About a wound on his head?”

“It could happen before, or after his death. The coroner couldn't say for sure. Maybe when the victim was attacked by the animal, and fell down.” Jackson shrugged with his hands buried in his pockets. Then he put one of them out and gestured, as if with irritation, towards the report. “ Seriously, Sana. You won’t find anything there. The Sheriff's already closing the case. We have to bury the man, give the people time to mourn him, and then let go.”

“But… That’s mostly good, right?” Sana wondered. “I mean… Not that he’s dead, but, you know, that there are no signs of human’s involvement. Means that we don’t have to search for a killer. At least not a human one. It was simply an accident.”

Okay, it wasn’t good for Sana. It was actually really, really bad for Sana, because it got them back to square one, where she had to be worried about herself and the other wolves being put to blame for this death. But for the case, it meant a whole lot less work to do, if they counted Mr. Lee’s death as an incident no man could be blamed for. Why was Jackson so pissed off then?

“Still, it means we have aggressive, wild animals somewhere near the town. We can’t control them, and it makes protecting people from them so much worse.” As if reading Sana’s mind, Jackson pointed out. Sana had a hard time looking at him, scared that he would find in her eyes something that he shouldn’t know. 

“It’s probably a one time thing.” She chose to say, left with nothing else but wishful thinking that if she believed in her words enough, they would somehow become the reality. 

“Yeah. Let’s hope for that.” The man finally grabbed the file from her desk, and turned away. “You still have a report to write, Minatozaki. Don’t forget that!”

“Hey! It- It was supposed to be your report!” Sana’s mouth opened wide with shock. 

“Yeah, but guess what? It’s yours now.” Jackson snickered wickedly, sitting at his desk. “What are you gonna do with that?”

A big sigh left Sana’s lips. It seemed she was going to be forced to use her hands that day.

And to think just the previous day she thought it was the last time for her to fight with the boys…

(...)

The closet, in front of which Jeongyeon currently stood in just her underwear, wasn’t a big space. It couldn’t be, when she lived in this house with another ten (or more) people, from which everyone needed their own personal space, their own few square meters of floor and their own place to keep clothes. The building wasn’t made from rubber, it couldn’t stretch to accommodate everyone’s fashion taste. Jeongyeon didn’t mind this fact. Quite the opposite actually, because the lack of abundant space forced her to keep her collection of clothes in order and get rid of anything that she wasn’t able or didn’t want to wear anymore. 

Sometimes though, it became a problem. 

“I don’t know anymore, Jeongyeon.” Tzuyu’s face was already scrunched with mild irritation, signaling to the outside world that the girl didn’t have a lot of patience left in her. “Maybe if you had something else here except black T-shirts, black jackets and dark jeans, I would be able to actually help you. But even the most talented fashion designer wouldn’t be able to create something out of nothing. You have to go shopping.”

Only a low whine was able to leave Jeongyeon’s mouth, the girl’s stomach already filling with dread just at the thought. Damn, even hearing this word was making her feel exhausted and dejected. It’s not like she disliked buying new clothes, but the whole action of walking around the mall for hours was just so tiring… 

“Tzuyu’s right.” Dahyun, sitting on the nearby bed, clearly didn’t take the situation just as seriously. Her face was mostly relaxed, if not bored. “Why are you so determined to go there today, though? Where’s the sudden rush coming from, huh? As far as I remember, you hate going to crowded, loud places like clubs. Heck, I don’t think you’ve ever actually been to a club. So what changed now?”

Oh, that was actually a pretty good question. One that Jeongyeon absolutely couldn’t answer, because she would probably have to leave the country afterwards out of pure embarrassment. 

Because it’s not like she could reveal out of nowhere that she was feeling like such a loser because of her lack of any actual love life, that she decided to just go out there and search for literally anyone that would be willing to pay her a bit of attention. 

Okay, maybe not literally anyone . She had her standards. But if she didn’t start searching, she wouldn’t find whatever she was searching for, right? She had to start somewhere. 

And why now? She wasn’t sure. After all, she’d been living years as a happy, single, successful businesswoman, watching as her sisters and brothers kept finding partners for themselves, just staring from afar how happily in love they were. It’s not like something suddenly changed. 

It’s not like her stupid simping over Momo became a problem only yesterday.

It’s not like she suddenly decided to start a family. It’s not like she just now felt bad about her boring personal life. It’s not like she didn’t tell herself to get her head out of her ass and go out of her room to the outside world many times before. 

Yet, just that day, Jeongyeon woke up, got out of her bed, went to work, saw Momo flirting with one more girl– 

No, no. That’s not how it was. One more time: Jeongyeon woke up, got out of her bed, went to work, saw all the beautiful people living in their town, and decided that it was Time . Time to act. Time to do something. 

Time to get rid of the chain and ball that was her little innocent crush on someone whose name started with a letter M. 

Hence the idea to go to a club as the first step in her plan to revolutionize her life. That’s what her inexperienced-in-a-dating-reality brain was telling her to do. If that didn’t work and she didn’t find anyone interesting there, her next idea was to download a dating app. But that was a way more drastic thing to do. Jeongyeon didn’t feel that desperate yet. 

Screw her though, if going alone to a club, as someone who had never been to a club, wasn’t a scary and dramatic thing to do. Jeongyeon already had two mini panic attacks, and kept questioning this whole idea the whole afternoon. Like… How did one even do that? What people did in clubs? What if she was going to do something inappropriate or weird, or– Eh… If only she wasn’t so embarrassed about the whole crush thing and asked one of the girls to go there with her… Not that they were more experienced in partying than her, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

One hour ago, Jeongyeon came to the conclusion that she was a really admirable person for sticking to her plan despite so many obstacles and insecurities… And then it came to choosing her outfit. Easy to say that it wasn’t a pleasurable experience, despite Dahyun and Tzuyu’s overall helpfulness. 

So, to answer Dahyun’s question: it was complicated.

“It- It doesn’t matter, okay?” Jeongyeon just wiped her face with her hands and sat on the bed with hopelessness. “I just need to do that.” 

Before she could lose her courage and determination. Before that little voice in her head, whispering that Momo would be sad when she came back home from work and couldn’t cuddle with Jeongyeon, could get any louder.

She was thankful that the girls didn’t ask any more questions and trusted her that she knew what she wanted to do. 

“How about that one?” Tzuyu emerged from the deep back of the closet, pushing through all the black clothes in the front, her hair sticking in all possible directions because of the static electricity. A dress was visible in her hand, one that Jeongyeon couldn’t really recognize, black obviously, but not half as bad. 

Dahyun immediately perked up on the bed, her face losing the bored look in seconds. 

“Wow, that one might actually be good.”      

It was decided then. Jeongyeon was put into the dress and sat on the chair while Tzuyu and Dahyun worked on her make-up and hair, not at all convinced that Jeongyeon could do it herself, and (besides) she looked really well and confident with her face nearly bare. Then a pair of heels was chosen for her, and before she even knew that, she was already sitting in the car on her way to the city. The darkness outside the windows wasn’t bringing her the kind of comfort it usually did. 

“Shit, what was I thinking?” She spoke out loud to herself from time to time, dreading the moment she arrived at the club more and more with every single minute. “Who even goes to such places alone? What am I going to do there?”

There were other issues too that she had a lot of time to overthink about. One question kept orbiting Jeongyeon’s mind especially annoyingly the whole time - who was she actually looking for? Someone to love? Someone to feel good with? Someone for a relationship, or just someone for one night? 

Once again - what the heck was she doing!? Why was she doing it to herself!?

Arriving in the city, she was a ball of nerves. Luckily, the club she chose was one of those less known in that neighborhood, and there weren't that many people inside. The music wasn’t all that annoying either, and Jeongyeon even felt a bit confident while ordering herself a drink. Then… She felt stuck. 

She had absolutely no idea what to do next. Should she try to approach other people? Just wait for them to approach her? Should she go to the dance floor? But what with her drink then? She couldn’t just leave it unattended like that. 

Damn… Why did she come here?

The minutes were flying really slowly, as she sat at the table and busied herself with her phone. Finishing her drink didn’t take her even half an hour, during which she felt like the loneliest person on Earth. Maybe if she had someone with her, it would be easier despite the unknown and scary territory. Yeah, they would tease her endlessly about this whole situation and her stupid ideas, but she would feel safer.

She just knew coming here was a bad idea! 

But if she came here already, she might as well try dancing, right? It wouldn’t hurt to go and have fun for just one song. The DJ was playing something quite upbeat and she was feeling like moving her body. Also, the people dancing didn’t seem just as scary as those who were staring at her when she was sitting at her table. 

In the end, Jeongyeon danced to at least a few songs before she felt like catching some fresh air and maybe grabbing one more drink. The amount of alcohol in the first one wasn’t able to do much to her stronger wolf body, so why not try something else? Maybe a bit of whiskey. While dancing, she felt a tiny bit less out of place than anywhere else and it gave her the needed courage to prolong this visit for another hour or so. 

On her way back to the dancefloor though, Jeongyeon’s insecurities were back. The outside air managed to clear her senses, and she noticed the time displayed on her smartwatch. It was way past her bedtime, and she had to be at work the next day. Maybe she should already finish this party… 

She didn’t find anyone interesting, but no one said she would be able to do that on the first try, right?

Jeongyeon almost decided that she had enough for that day, that it was all she could achieve, when a body - shorter than her own - collided with her abruptly. Jeongyeon almost lost her balance, surprised and a bit spooked. The girl turned to face Jeongyeon immediately, with an apology already on her lips… But then their eyes connected. And the girl was suddenly smiling widely. 

“Hey there! You’re cute.” She hummed with content. “Wanna dance with me?”

Her voice was smooth, melodic and definitely deeper than Jeongyeon expected it to be. The words were a bit slurred, but the girl didn’t look like she was drunk enough not to know what she was doing yet. Something akin to curiosity sparked inside Jeongyeon’s stomach. 

The girl’s hand was in front of her, the silent offer standing there just for this one moment in the whole history of times.

Jeongyeon didn’t ponder much before taking it. 

‘See? ’ She wanted to tell herself from one hour earlier. ‘Not that hard at all. You just needed one little brave step. ’

Chapter Text

The following full moon brought another wave of scorching heat to Moon Grove, leaving all the wolves irritated and constantly on edge. They were fidgeting the whole day before, and when the night finally came, everyone could easily admit that they had an even harder time to focus on anything than ever. Their instincts were taking control over their bodies especially strongly that month, and the lack of a place where they could find relief from the high temperatures didn’t help at all. 

Mina tried to think about any year in the past, when it was as hot in that area as this summer, but she failed miserably every time. 

“Ugh… Can we already invest in air conditioning, please?” Would be definitely Momo’s words, if the girl wasn’t currently stuck in her thick wolf fur. 

“In the whole forest?” Jeongyeon would definitely follow with her usual scepticism. “Because I can’t see how air conditioning installed inside the house helps us now, when we’re outside.” 

Yeah, Mina could definitely picture this conversation happening. She imagined it quite clearly as their pack traversed through the deepest parts of the woods during the lightest hours of the night, as the moon shone brightly over their heads. Unfortunately - not helping at all cool down their tired minds. They all waited just for the sunrise, when they would be finally able to turn back into their human bodies and lay down on the cold, damp moss. 

Luckily for them, the night was mostly uneventful. Even the small animals and insects living in the forest seemed to understand their annoyance and quickly scurried away from their way, scared of the big, bad wolves. 

Honestly, it was really easy to let their guard down, when there was literally nothing happening around the town after Mr. Lee’s death. Even the residents of Moon Valley, living the closest to the place of murder, started to already forget about the possible danger, resuming their usual activities in the forest. 

In both Chan’s and Sana’s opinion, it was still too early to conclude that this incident was a one-time thing, and Mina knew better than to feel completely careless, but she couldn’t also stay in the permanent state of fear and apprehension. She decided to live her life normally then. 

That night wasn’t an exception. As she followed her family through the woods, the remnants of those coherent thoughts that weren’t taken away from her by the full moon, were mostly focused on a different problem: on Nayeon.  

It had been two days since their ‘date’. And Mina was still mortified out of her mind, and embarrassed about her own behavior. Those two feelings were actually multiplying their sizes in her head with every passing minute, and despite knowing that she should probably talk to Nayeon and explain why she did what she did, Mina was putting it off for later. 

And she was so mad at herself for that. Her own actions were completely ridiculous, because just one short conversation could solve this whole issue, and even if they didn’t go back to this nice flirting they had before, Mina would at least sleep peacefully at night. 

Even a short text message would be fine, with an apology for pushing Nayeon like that, or something… Yeah, an apology would be enough. She didn’t even have to say anything personal and admit that she didn’t feel like making out on the first date. Just a single ‘I’m sorry’ and they would move on from the issue, and hopefully forget it completely. For good. 

But no, Mina couldn’t bring herself even to do that. 

It was honestly such a shame that they didn’t work out. Nayeon was such a cutie during those short moments when they went on that walk and just chatted. And now it was all screwed up… Now the woman was probably aware that Mina was some kind of weirdo who lacked social skills and she didn’t feel like spending time with her anymore. Or worse, she was probably already on her way to announce to everyone she knew that Mina was a loser who had no life, because she was scared of getting intimate with people. 

Mina wasn’t even sure why it bothered her so much, as if other people’s opinion mattered to her at all. In her great anxiety, she wasn’t even aware of how badly she thought of Nayeon, as if the older woman were someone untrustworthy. 

Somehow, her head kept creating more and more scenarios in which Nayeon laughed at her because of her fears, up to the point where she started to wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares about being forced to kiss people against her will. Those nightmares usually ended with her partner mocking her in various ways for being bad at kissing, while Mina stood there, helpless and unable to protect herself. 

It didn’t take a genius to realize that her fears were starting to get the better of her. And Mina liked to take pride in being pretty smart. That’s why she came to the conclusion (maybe a bit ridiculous, but she was under a huge influence of stress after all) that she had to overcome those fears. The sooner, the better. Before they could get any more unhealthy.

It was about damn time she finally started to have an actual life. Everyone around her was getting paired up and living happily in love, and here Mina was, forever single, with a history of one sorry excuse of a relationship in high school. Her interest in Nayeon, and Nayeon’s apparent interest in her (there had to be something there, since Nayeon asked her out on a date, right?) was a great excuse to deal with her limitations and get out of her comfort zone. 

The plan was easy: she was going to go there and sleep with Nayeon. Just like that. No questions asked, no doubts, no feelings involved. People lived like that and most of them considered it an awesome life after all. 

There was some chance that Nayeon could forget about the previous situation that happened between them, and not ask about Mina’s reasons, right? And if Mina somehow convinced herself to accept the physical touch and if she survived the first few times, maybe she wouldn’t feel so bad about it anymore? Right? 

Ugh…  

Mina wiped her face furiously, staring at the bright screen of her computer. A list of SNS profiles of at least twenty Im Nayeons in the whole country stared right back at her, giving her an imaginary middle finger. 

Once again, why didn’t she think to take Nayeon’s number like a normal adult person would do? 

Ah… Because she was dumb, that’s the answer. That’s what thinking too much about feelings like love did with people. Mina shivered in fear just hearing the L-word, and now she was suddenly exposed to even worse things, like dates and kissing, and… Yeah, it could kill the strongest of nerds. She was excused.

Tired already, despite it being only nine in the morning, Mina begrudgingly clicked on the first profile on the list. Then she quickly went through the next few on the top, mostly because they had profile pictures that definitely didn’t contain Mina’s Nayeon. Then, as she worked, the list slowly but gradually shrank to the final two faceless profiles. There was nothing on them that could indicate the identity of the owners. No photos, no stupid posts written under the influence of alcohol that someone forgot to delete, no weird links shared by their friends. Mina could think as long as she wanted, but she wasn’t going to find any clue there for sure. But Nayeon had to have a profile on this site, right? Everyone over the age of ten had it. Even Mina’s grandmother and her friends from church. 

So which Nayeon was The Nayeon? Minutes went by, while Mina pondered.

Then, already irritated with herself and her inability to do things quickly, the girl cursed, opened both profiles and copied the short message she took so long to prepare before in word editor. She quickly clicked ‘send’ in both windows, before she could actually come to her right mind and start questioning things again. Then she shut the browser completely and stood up from her chair. 

She had to go for a calm-down walk after this.  

(...)

Neither of the Nayeons answered Mina’s message in the few following days. 

Mina was puzzled at first, after all she truly counted that one of them would be the right one. Realistically, the chances weren’t that low, since, as she mentioned, nearly everyone these days had a profile on this site. Well, apparently not exactly.

Then, all at once, both of those Nayeons texted her back almost at the same time, writing really similar texts about having absolutely no idea who Mina was and what she could want from them. Mina would be totally disappointed (and confused too), if not for the second of Nayeons, who offered to meet her and become ‘the right Nayeon’ in place of the Nayeon Mina couldn’t contact. The sentence ‘ You’re cute ’ went straight into Mina’s ego and she even considered this option for a moment, before she got reminded of her original mission. 

That moment coincided in time with some huge issue that came up in her job though, so Mina temporarily focused on her work life again, working hard to find and fix all the bugs in the application her team was working on. That problem was big enough to make her finally forget about her embarrassment and the need to talk to Nayeon. She was excused from her shifts in the bar for the same reason too, so it was easy to guess that Mina didn’t really leave her home at all during that time. 

The bug was fixed after three days of intensive googling, thinking, drinking coffee and searching through every possible thread on StackOverflow. In celebration of that, Mina allowed herself to rest a bit (right after jumping all around the room and dancing uncontrollably out of pure joy). Her whole body was in pain from sitting in the chair all the time, her eyes were drier than the Atacama desert, and she wasn’t sure anymore if under all those dirty cups in front of her there was still a desk after all. Also, she desperately needed a shower and a change of clothes. Desperately . 

Greeted with several ‘Oh, so she’s alive’ s and ‘ Vampires came out of their houses more often than you ’s, Mina wanted to go back to her room just out of spite, fussy like an offended teenager, but she didn’t need to look deep inside herself to know that her family was right - she could use some fresh air. The wolf inside her was basically begging to be let outside, to touch some fresh grass, to smell the forest. Only now she was realizing that it was this instinct that kept her so irritated and uncomfortable for the past day. 

Huh, interesting… Wonder how long she could spend inside before it finally became unbearable…

Soon, she found herself walking through the woods towards the town, equipped with the shopping list made by Sana and Dahyun, with the mission to take her sweet time outside and not come back too soon. Mina felt that the whole shopping thing was just an excuse for them to have an empty house, even if just for a bit, but she still found a weird kind of joy in the prospect of completing such an easily achievable task like buying groceries. 

Only that, in the end, she didn’t really reach the store. 

Halfway there, she met Nayeon. The right Nayeon, just to be clear.   

Nayeon didn’t notice her at first, staring at the screen of her phone. It gave Mina a lot of time to measure the woman with her eyes, admire her beauty thoroughly, and then guess what she could be thinking. Nothing good came out of that guessing though, Mina just got herself nervous. 

Before she could turn in any other direction and pretend that she was really busy with her responsibilities, Nayeon’s head raised and their eyes finally met. Mina couldn’t lie, she fully expected it to feel as if some kind of electric shock was going through her body. As if the tension from the last time was still there between them, as if they were ready to jump right into each other’s arms. Instead though, there was a mix of various emotions sparkling in Nayeon’s eyes, and consequently in Mina’s heart too. There was something similar to guilt there, a bit of fear and anxiety. There was also joy hidden somewhere between apprehension and disappointment. However, there were definitely no electric shocks going through Mina’s body. Maybe a sligh clench of her chest at best.   

“Oh, hi…” Nayeon waved her hand, her voice faint and definitely not having that confident and flirty tone as before. It was mostly dejected. Mina felt even more remorseful.

“Hi, Nayeon.” She stuttered out, then quickly straightened herself, before Nayeon could pass her and walk away wherever she’d been heading previously. “C- Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Nayeon nodded slightly, her gaze guarded. Mina gulped. She could already feel what was coming out of her mouth - a nervous rant - but there was no way to stop that from happening anymore.

“I- I wanted to say sorry for how I behaved last time. I actually wanted to say sorry right away but I didn’t have your number and I couldn’t find you on social media and I’m sorry for not saying sorry earlier and you probably felt like I ghosted you or something but I didn’t and it was not my intention and…” The air in her lungs ended at that moment. She could either die, or stop and breathe in. 

Well, she felt like dying at that moment, but come on, she wasn’t that dramatic. Nayeon’s hand landed on hers midway through the action of breathing in. Mina managed to raise her head and connect their eyes, actually discovering not without surprise that she wasn’t hating this kind of touch that much, before Nayeon clearly remembered about the touch issue and ended the connection. 

“Oh, sorry.” She quickly took away and brought the hand close to herself, as if Mina’s skin burned her. “I shouldn’t have touched you. Just… Breathe, please.”

“Okay.” Mina let out a nervous laugh. “Hmmm… That’s… That’s probably all I wanted to say - I’m sorry.”

Nayeon sighed deeply.

“It’s fine. If you’re okay and I didn’t hurt you in any way, then it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“But…”

“Mina, I said it’s fine.” Nayeon gathered all her strength and formed a not exactly convincing smile. “I’m sorry too. I got too confident in myself, and forgot that not everyone wants to jump right into sex on a first date.” 

Mina’s cheeks were a bit warm because of that word, but she pushed through her embarrassment. She had to remember that she had a job to do here, and she shouldn’t get distracted. Also, she should communicate her thoughts clearly, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.

“But… The case is… Ummm…” Push through, push through… “The case is that I want it. Ummm… The s-sex.”

Yeah, Mina. Good job. That’s how adult people talk. Oh damn, she sounded like a horny teenage boy. And Nayeon seemed to think similarly, because she snorted, covering her mouth and clearly trying to control her laughter. The atmosphere surrounding them got a bit more relaxed though, so maybe it wasn’t that bad yet. After all that’s what she intended to do, right? Sleep with Nayeon and prove to herself and to others that she could be casual about this.

“Not right now, obviously!” Mina tried to save the situation anyway. “But, you know, ummm… When you feel like it. I’m fully on board, just so you know.” 

Her cheeks were on fire at this point, but it didn’t matter. 

“Okay, copy that.” Nayeon saluted, and then she finally lost control over her amusement. Maniacal kind of laughter filled the air as Mina was granted a full view of the inside of Nayeon’s mouth. The older woman almost bent in half from how hard she was cackling. Mina could only stare at her with a not exactly happy expression. 

“S- Sorry…” Nayeon stuttered out after a good minute, a single tear escaping her eye from the remnants of laughter bubbling in her throat. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… No, nevermind. If you want to have fun, I’m all in.” 

“Good, good.” Mina scratched her neck. “So, maybe I’ll give you my number, huh? It’ll be easier like that.”

“Oh, yeah, totally.” Nayeon jumped right into searching for her phone in her pockets. “I meant to do it last time, but… You know. I don’t have any social media, so you wouldn’t find me there anyway.”

“Huh? What do you mean you don’t have social media?” Mina was so surprised that her fingers froze over the screen of the phone while she typed her number in. It was completely astonishing to hear something like that. Did such people even exist nowadays? What did Nayeon do in her free time, if she couldn’t mindlessly scroll through the depths of the Internet? 

“I just don’t.” Nayeon shrugged. “But don’t worry, I can fill you in on all of my life updates face-to-face. I can even show you photos of what I eat, if you want.” She grinned. 

Mina still found it odd and suspicious, but she ignored it in favor of saving her contact and giving Nayeon the phone back. That wasn’t her business after all.

“So, where were you heading?” The older woman asked after pocketing the device. “Maybe I could accompany you there?”

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to do grocery shopping for my family.” Mina fumbled with her fingers, suddenly nervous again. Nayeon’s eyes opened wider.

“Such a coincidence. Where do you shop? At Lee’s Market?”

“Yeah…”

“Awesome. I was just going there to grab a few things for dinner. Want to join me?”

(...)

Nayeon didn't have an easy day at work. She wasn’t sure whether it was the unusual for this area heatwave influencing people’s behavior, or maybe she just happened to attract this kind of patients, but everyone she met on her way that day, somehow was either really rude and insufferable, or came to the clinic with a problem she couldn’t solve herself without help from a more experienced doctor. Usually, when she was busy with helping people, the time at work went by so quickly that she couldn’t even notice, and she was already done for the day. Today though… It was better to just forget about it and move on. Tomorrow was a day as well, and maybe it could be nicer.

Leaving the work in the evening, she was absolutely exhausted. And she still had to do grocery shopping, then cook something for dinner, and then deal with her pack and their usual loudness in the shared space of their house. Phew…

However, on her way to the market, Nayeon suddenly met Mina. And her day changed from terrible to wonderful in barely minutes. Dinner and her pack forgotten, she was ready to fully immerse herself in the wonders of Myoui Mina’s universe.  

They had so much fun shopping together and she enjoyed Mina’s company so much that she didn’t want to part ways with her yet, and offered to drive Mina home. She had a great excuse, after all carrying bags full of groceries wasn’t easy, even for someone strong like a wolf. And experiencing all those seemingly mundane tasks, but with Mina by her side somehow hit different. She could find joy even in listening to Mina’s voice explaining to her why some brands of ketchup were better than others. 

But then something happened, so out of nowhere that Nayeon wasn’t even able to register the movement, and suddenly she was pinned against her car’s passenger door, with Mina’s lips attached to her own mouth, and Mina’s hands under her shirt. 

What the actual fu–? What did she miss? 

They were walking together, Nayeon was telling a joke she’s heard from one of her coworkers recently, and then her memories skipped to the part when Mina was kissing her fervently, their bodies glued from head to toe and Nayeon’s bags laying on the ground. How– What– Why?! 

Not that she was complaining, but damn, she didn’t expect that at all. She fully intended to just have a nice, calm evening with the girl she was really starting to like. They were supposed to talk, get to know each other finally. So what kind of demon possessed Mina to skip this part? Nayeon didn’t follow. 

“Mina… Wait a moment…” She tried to push the girl’s hands away from her waist delicately, avoiding meeting her lips with Mina’s again, but Mina was really stubborn and fast. 

“Please, Nayeon.” She gasped out, her hot breath hitting the sensitive skin of Nayeon’s neck. “I want to do that. Please, don’t make it harder.”

What? What was Mina talking about? Why would it be hard at all? 

“Nayeon…” Mina attacked her mouth once again, stopping once every few kisses to say something more. “Don’t… think… too much. Please…”

Okay, if the girl was begging like that, who was Nayeon to refuse anything to her. Especially when the kiss was almost literally melting her insides and bringing this nagging feeling to the pit of her stomach that told her to move, take and give everything she had. So she reciprocated the kiss just as energetically, finally allowing her hands to rest under Mina’s T-shirt.

This pace didn’t suit this hot summer evening though. Nayeon wanted it differently, so she didn’t hesitate to grab the back of Mina’s head, tangle her fingers into the woman’s long hair and steer her head so that they would kiss slower, with more purpose. Mina’s lips parted on their own, the mix of emotions bringing a quiet moan out of her, and Nayeon used this chance to deepen the connection. Soon, her teeth were grabbing Mina’s lower lip and biting it lightly, pulling it. Her hands weren’t jobless either, drawing delicate shapes on Mina’s torso. 

“Let’s get inside the car, huh?” She whispered, barely allowing herself to leave her partner unattended for seconds. “It’s getting darker, but I wouldn’t want anyone to see anything they aren’t supposed to.”

She was the only one allowed to see Mina now. No one else. No one.

Mina nodded, and they immediately crawled on the backseat of Nayeon’s vehicle. Instantly, Mina tried to take a lead again, almost jumping on the older woman. Thankfully, Nayeon was able to predict that, and she grabbed her mid movement. Her hand locked on Mina’s neck, putting just enough pressure to achieve what she wanted, but not hurt the girl. She hoped her fingers would leave marks though. It would look like a perfect collar for her little wolf.

“Good girl.” She praised, when Mina obediently backed away, breathing hard in the stuffy inside of the car. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown, and the sweet scent of arousal oozing off her made Nayeon almost high. She couldn’t help but dive closer to Mina’s neck and inhale it. Her eyes immediately closed, but she managed to restrain herself from moaning. 

Instead, she pushed Mina back, so that the girl was resting comfortably on the seat and Nayeon could tower over her. Her hands, temporarily free, traveled back onto Mina’s waist. 

She tugged on Mina’s T-shirt slowly, giving the girl time to object. That was the moment they had reached last time, and back then, Mina panicked. Now Nayeon could feel crumbs of fear mixing into Mina’s scent, so she wanted to make sure that they were still both on board with this. 

Mina solved her problem quickly, reaching herself and almost ripping the T-shirt off her body. Then her long fingers reached to the clasp of her bra, but Nayeon was quicker. 

“No, let me.” She commanded with a voice she usually used only on those of her wolves who had the most trouble with being obedient. It was strict, it was deep, it wasn’t leaving any place for objection. Mina listened immediately, her hands falling down onto her body. 

It looked a bit as if she was still conflicted whether she wanted to continue or cover her skin once again and run away. Nayeon searched her eyes for any hints.

“Please.” Mina’s strained voice didn’t give her any choice. 

She attacked the neck first, not leaving any spot untouched. Then she slowly but gradually ventured down, her kisses open and wet. She made sure not to touch in any spot where Mina would really want it though, finding pleasure in teasing the girl, up to the point when a frustrated huff escaped Mina’s lips. Nayeon snorted mercilessly, but finally reached behind her partner’s back and skillfully unclasped the bra. Her wolf eyes worked overtime not to cover anything from her in the darkness of the vehicle. She was almost sure they shined there like two lanterns, focused only on Mina’s body. 

She spared a moment though to lean down and put her lips to Mina’s ear.

“You’re pretty.” She whispered there, her breath causing the skin on the girl’s whole body to cover with chills. 

The road down, to Mina’s hips, was slow and almost tortuous. They were both covered in sweat at this point, and Nayeon was almost sure that the windows of the car were steamy too. If anyone caught them there, in this dimly lit parking lot, they wouldn’t be able to deny anything anymore. Especially that Nayeon’s hand was already working on unzipping Mina’s jeans. 

The moan that graced her ears when she managed to succeed and cover Mina’s center with her palm was the final nail to the coffin of Nayeon’s restraints. From then on, it wasn’t slow anymore. 

Nayeon died there, in this parking lot, in the backseat of her car. Luckily, she was soon about to be reborn with Mina’s sweet lips.   

(...)

“Where did you put that damn T-shirt?”

“Relax, Mina-yah. Where's the fire?”

“I can’t relax, because I can't find my damn T-shirt.” Mina huffed with annoyance. 

She wanted out of this car. Quickly. 

The feelings of disgust and regret were already sipping into her heart. Why did she decide to do this at all? Oh, yeah. Because she wanted to prove something to herself. 

And she did. Only that now it didn't feel as good as while the thing was happening. As when Nayeon's mouth was on her skin.

Now she felt used and dirty. And she just knew it was going to be like that. She just knew that she would enjoy the pleasure, but regret it so much later. Only that before, she could always back out of her plan. Now it was already done. Couldn't be undone. She couldn't un-sleep with Nayeon.

“Hey, Mina…” Nayeon's voice was calm and a bit rusty, probably from all that moaning. “Come here, let's cuddle for a moment. I know it's not exactly comfy here, but I can't take you home yet, you know. I just moved, and my living situation is complicated. Besides, my roommates are probably home now, so… But we can go to a nice place in the forest, how about that? I think I have a blanket in the trunk–”

“Sorry, but…” Mina desperately searched for an excuse. She couldn't stand looking at Nayeon right now. She was scared that the older woman would take one glance into her eyes to guess the whole truth about her. “I- I have to go. My- My family is waiting for me, I was supposed to bring them something to cook dinner. I'll see you soon, okay? Thanks for the fun. Umm… Bye.”

Her hand was already on the door handle. Luckily, her old sneakers were easy to slip on her feet, and then she was jumping out of the car, not sparing Nayeon even one glance and definitely not checking the woman's expression.

She knew what she would find on Nayeon's face - dejection and hurt. She just knew that. But despite feeling bad about leaving like that, she couldn't help it. 

Not without a reason they say that curiosity kills a cat. Who was the cat in the question here though? Mina, or Nayeon? 

It was probably better not to know.

(...)

Nayeon sighed, putting the keys on the shelf next to the door. She had little to no energy to bend and untie her shoelaces, but going inside with the shoes on was no option. Especially that, as she could see, one of her wolves had cleaned the house today. 

Barely shuffling into her bedroom, she shredded off her clothes and stumbled into bed. Her body definitely wasn’t clean after the whole day of working, sweating, and then… Other things. But she also didn't have enough energy to drag herself to the bathroom. Screw that, she could always change the sheets the next day.

She didn't know what to think of the last two hours of her life. They were awesome, obviously, and she didn't regret anything, maybe except the fact that once again, she failed to talk to Mina. Really talk, not just about the recipes for the best spaghetti, although this was nice too. It was part of the bonding, of building a relationship. But then it ended so abruptly once again. And once again, Mina ran away. 

Nayeon didn’t decide yet whether she was supposed to be hurt that the girl rejected her offer to hang out just like that. She had a mild urge to get mad, but then she also couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that Mina didn't really promise her family to come back home earlier. Although it sounded a bit weird, since she was a strong and wild wolf living as one with the forest, but… they could worry about her after all.

‘Ugh… Nevermind .’ Nayeon decided to tell herself. ‘ Tomorrow is a day as well.’ She could try to solve this issue after she got some essential rest.

A knock on the door echoed in the room when she was on the verge of falling asleep, bringing her back from the dreamland. 

“What?” She almost barked, irritated at whoever could still want something from her at this hour.

“Hey, Nayeon.” It was Changbin. At least she could be sure he wouldn't take much of her time. 

“Hmmm?”

“Are you asleep? It's barely ten.”

“Yeah. So what? Do you want something, or–?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just wanted you to know that we are going out. Me and Felix. We'll probably be back late, so don't worry about us.”

“Sure. Have fun.” Nayeon waved him off, giving the two her blessing. 

They deserved to go out for once. It was a hard time for all of them, not only her. Moving out of the place where they had been living their whole life couldn't not be stressful, especially for a pack of wolves that bonded with their territory just like they bonded with people. And also because here they had to hide for most of the time. 

“Don’t cause any troubles, though.” She reminded the boy before rolling on her side and getting cozy on the bed. 

“Copy that, ma’am.” Changbin saluted, grinning to the dark room. 

The door closed quietly behind him, but Nayeon was already too deep in her dreams to notice that.

(...)

Sana had a bad feeling about this whole thing. Dahyun going alone through the forest was dangerous itself, but on top of that at night? It was literally asking for trouble. 

But the girl insisted so much that she had to take some kind of important documents to her mother, and they had no car available, because Chan took one and Jeongyeon the other. And Sana was tied to her desk because of work. 

But this was totally asking themselves for trouble, she knew that the moment she was bending to Dahyun's will like the pathetic sucker that she was. If only she could learn how to say ‘no’ to Dahyun…

But now it was too late, and Dahyun was nowhere to be seen despite it being nearly two hours already since she’s left. The way to the girl's family house and back definitely didn’t take that long.

“Relax, she's probably stayed there to talk with her mom for a moment, or something. You don't have to automatically think the worst.” Momo tried to reason, but Sana didn't buy it.

“Well, forgive me for caring for my girl.” She huffed with irritation. Then she added quietly: “I know you’re not familiar with that feeling…”

“What was that?” Momo's eyebrow rode up her forehead.

“Nothing.” Sana waved her off. “I'm going to look for her. Maybe we'll meet somewhere halfway.”

“ Ugh… You're being difficult.” Momo groaned, aware that her living cushion was about to leave her alone. “Why can't we rest for five minutes? I've barely come back from work.” 

“You're gonna rest after death. Now move your ass.” Sana urged her to take her head away from her lap. 

Momo groaned once again, but obliged. 

“At least let's go together.” She said. 

“Fine, just move your ass. The faster we find her, the sooner I’ll stop panicking.”

They got out of the house, turned into wolves and set off like a well-oiled machine that they were together. Two dark red bodies were soon jumping from shadow to shadow between the trees, communicating soundlessly when they tried to pick up Dahyun's scent in the air.

The forest seemed to be almost too still. There was no wind, most of the birds were already asleep, all the small animals too. Weirdly, even insects didn’t feel like buzzing next to their ears. 

And then they heard the scream.

It was filled with so much fear, that Sana’s blood froze in her veins. She didn’t have any trouble with identifying the voice. She didn’t even have time to look at Momo and check whether the girl followed her. She just threw herself forward, running with speed that she normally wouldn’t reach no matter what. 

One thought filled her mind: Dahyun . 

Navigating through the forest while relying only on her hearing was never that hard, when suddenly the silence turned into constant noise, and all the sounds echoed between the trees, disorienting Sana. But she also worked on pure instinct now. The adrenaline that her heart was pumping into her veins provided her unlimited power and speed. She was one with the wilderness. 

And finally, there she was. She was sitting on the ground, protecting herself from a giant, black wolf that Sana had definitely never seen before. It has the same shade of coat as Tzuyu, and for a second, Sana’s brain experienced an error. But then she noticed the wolf’s eyes and she already knew that Tzuyu could never carry this kind of evil greed of death in herself.

Sana didn’t hesitate before jumping on the wolf. Her teeth bared as their bodies hit each other, and the growl she let out was made of pure madness. Together, they rolled away, curling on the ground into a ball of fur, teeth and claws.

This creature here wanted to hurt Dahyun? Huh… Interesting. Sana was going to show them why it was a bad idea. 

Only that right at that moment, another gasp of fear escaped Dahyun’s mouth, and Sana was put in front of great conflict. Luckily for her, Momo stayed right behind her, and she didn’t need a lot of time to realize what was going on upon arriving there. And then another two wolves showed up, appearing out of thin air. And then one more ran onto the clearing from between the trees, its ears on alert and body ready for attack. 

Knowing that she had backup now, Sana jumped to Dahyun right away, praying that even though paralyzed with fear, Dahyun would recognize her. She didn’t want to turn back to her human form, not when they were still in danger and her instincts were screaming at her to not turn her back on the black wolf. Even if Momo, Chan, Mina and Hyunjin surrounded their opponent and their effort was able to force the dangerous animal to back off, Sana couldn’t just let her guard down in this situation. The loud growls filling the air were making the fur on her back stand on its own.

Then a pair of arms surrounded her wolf body and a small face hidden in her fur. She could hear Dahyun’s quiet sobs, but what worried her the most was the strong, metallic smell of blood. She couldn’t think about that yet, nor was she able to really focus on that, while she had to fight her instincts not to try to escape Dahyun’s arms. 

She wasn’t supposed to stay tied, she was supposed to be free and able to attack. But the human side of her couldn’t allow Dahyun to stay without protection for too long. Sana wanted to offer the girl a bit of safety. 

Seeing that it was outnumbered, the black wolf quickly realized its mistake. Its pride was apparently too much to let go without causing them even a bit of trouble though and it threw itself on Hyunjin in the last attempt of asserting its dominance. Chan and Momo were on its throat in seconds though, and before Sana had a chance to blink, the black creature was scurrying away, its tail between its legs. 

Huffs of relief filled the air in exchange for the loud growls. Yet, they stayed alert, careful. Mina, the most observant out of all of them, scanned the area with her eyes. But it really seemed that they were left alone. 

“Oh my God, Dahyunie…” Were Sana’s first words after turning back. 

The younger girl’s arms were almost glued to her, but she was still able to move enough to notice the big wound on her terrified girlfriend’s ankle. Dahyun was still shaking a bit too, and trying hard to control her breathing, while her face was even paler than normally.

“Oh no, oh no…” Sana was panicking now just like Dahyun. “You’re bleeding. Oh my God, oh my–”

“Sana, breathe!” Chan’s hand on her shoulder brought Sana back to the Earth. “Let me see the wound.”

Not really keen on letting Dahyun out of her arms, Sana complied anyway and pried Dahyun’s hand off her neck, instead opting to hold them tightly in her own hands. The whole attack happened so fast that she wasn’t able to register any details, and only now she was realizing how cold Dahyun’s skin was suddenly. 

“Hey, Dahyun. Look at me.” Chan gently put his hand under the girl’s chin and lifted it with his fingers. The tears filling Dahyun’s eyes broke Sana’s heart. “He’s bitten you, right? Does it hurt a lot?”

“N- Not that much. I think I can walk.” Dahyun spoke with a faint, but steady voice. She was clearly slowly trying to control her emotions, although the pure terror reaching their noses in the form of Dahyun’s scent told them everything that they had to know: this attack shook Dahyun way more than every other encounter with wolves she’d had in the past years.

“Not a chance.” Sana was quick to step up into this conversation. “I’ll carry you. But… Shouldn’t we take her to the hospital?”

“No!” It was Dahyun’s turn to object, even before Chan could answer. “We can’t risk anyone knowing that an aggressive wolf lives in this forest. Did you all forget that you’re already in danger? It’ll create another excuse for the people to hunt you.”

“Then we have to at least take care of this wound. It could be infected.” Chan scratched his neck, clearly conflicted whether to protect the wolves and their safety, or Dahyun’s health.

“Let’s call Tzu.” Momo cut in. “She studies to be a doctor after all, right?”

“A veterinarian.” Sana scoffed. “A doctor for animals.”

“A doctor anyway.” Momo shrugged.

“Guys, let’s think about that somewhere safe, okay?” Mina hurried them, her eyes still alert and her body stiff from all the tension. “I feel weird vibes here.”

Sana gulped, and then nodded, when everyone else glanced at her in search of the final decision. They wouldn’t help Dahyun in the middle of the forest anyway. And she was feeling weird here too, as if she had someone’s eyes on her all the time. 

Suddenly in a rush, she picked up Dahyun from the ground bridal style, making sure to not touch the injured leg. 

“Let’s go.” She said. 

The wolves followed her in silence. 

(...) 

Unbeknownst to them, only a few kilometers away, a young woman was slowly traversing through the forest in search of a suitable place to spend the night. Her backpack, filled with clothes, food and her tent, was weighing heavily on her back. After the whole day of hiking, all she dreamed about was finally sitting down and catching a breath with a cup of hot chocolate and an instant soup cooked on her portable gas stove. There didn’t seem to be a place good for setting up a campsite anywhere though. 

The bushes around her were all so thick that she would have to sacrifice an hour of two to clear a spot big enough to fit her tent. The forest seemed to be alive too, making her anxious and on edge the whole time. There was almost no light from the moon on the narrow path, as if the trees built a cage around her, not eager to let her out. 

The woman jumped a bit when she heard a weird sound right next to her ear, as if someone was breathing right over her shoulder. When she turned around, there was no one there though. 

“Don’t be stupid.” She told herself, trying to humm a happy melody just to give herself some courage. 

A few steps further, the sound repeated. The woman stopped, her body already covered with chills.

“Hello? Anybody here?” She shouted, at this moment not realizing something that normally she would probably be well-aware of - that if somebody was really there, they probably wouldn’t want to show themselves to her. 

Indeed, only silence answered her, and she tried to take a few more steps, just to check something. 

Right… When she stood still, there was only silence around her. But when she started to walk again, the breathing started too. It was heavy now, and totally not similar to anything she’d heard before. It definitely wasn’t a sound her own equipment or feet could make. 

“Hello!?” She tried again, her voice wavering a bit. 

And then she heard laughing. Not a joyful one though. It was a maniacal kind of laughter one could hear only in movies, preferably from a clown that was about to terrorize a character in a horror. 

However, she didn’t have any more time for reaction. She almost started running. Almost. 

The body that collided with hers managed to knock her down on the ground instantly, leaving her without air in her lungs. The sharp teeth that cut through her skin were next, but she didn’t really feel them. The adrenaline made her immune to pain. 

Funny thing, there was warm blood flowing down her throat now. 

She wasn’t quick enough to scream, before her vocal cords were completely destroyed, sacrificed as a meal for her attacker. 

So she lay there, with her eyes wide open, waiting for life to run out of her body, searching for the moon in the sky. What was left for her to do anyway?

(...)

“What do you mean you want me to break into the clinic?” Tzuyu’s voice was exceptionally high-pitched.

It was weird to hear that. Tzuyu almost never spoke with a different tone of voice than calm and collected. 

“Exactly what you hear.” Sana was also using this kind of tone, but in her case it didn't sound just as unusual. It was the irritation and lack of patience here that made the difference from her usual behavior. Sana sometimes had unlimited amounts of patience for other people. Seeing her impatient now was definitely interesting. 

“I can’t do that! Why won’t we buy everything we need in a random pharmacy?” Tzuyu rolled her eyes.

“Because someone would ask questions why we need such things at such a late hour?” Sana answered, as if it was something obvious.

“Well, I don’t see a difference between me telling my boss tomorrow that my dog got hurt, and us telling the owner of the pharmacy today that my dog got hurt.” Tzuyu pointed out, clearly stopping herself in the last possible moment from rolling her eyes again.

Mina’s eyes traveled between the two girls standing in the middle of the room like two boxers during a weighing ceremony. The tension was high.

And now Sana clearly lacked a possible counterargument. 

“See?” Tzuyu scoffed. “You can’t deny that your idea is ridiculous anymore.”

The sigh escaping Sana’s mouth sounded tired. Mina could understand the girl. If it was her girlfriend that was injured, she would try to move heaven and Earth to fix everything. But in this case, even the rest of the wolves thought that it didn’t change anything whether they bought some supplies to dress the wound in a pharmacy, or borrowed them from Tzuyu’s workplace. 

Their biggest issue at this point was to make sure that the wound wouldn’t cause any infection, but Tzuyu was almost sure that the veterinarian who was her supervisor in the clinic wouldn’t allow her to take any antibiotics on her own without taking a look at the injury first, and stealing anything wasn’t an easy option. They would have to take care of the cameras, and someone would definitely notice that things were missing. The risk of Tzuyu getting blamed for that was too high. 

In the heavy silence of the room, Dahyun spoke up shyly. She managed to calm down already, and definitely stood her ground that they shouldn’t risk the wolves’ safety.

“Okay, I know it’s not wise, but we cleared the wound, right? Maybe it won’t cause any troubles without the antibiotics–” 

“No! No, we’re not doing that.” Tzuyu cut her words short. She sounded nervous now. “It’s too risky. I– I know someone. Let me… Let me try and contact them, okay?”

“Would they organize illegal meds for us?” Mina was a bit shocked and she could see that others shared a similar kind of surprise too.

“Maybe. We’ll see.” Tzuyu was already at the door, her phone in her hand. 

Mina found it suspicious as heck, but she had bigger problems on her mind. She was trying to find the right moment to say something, but somehow, every topic her family discussed seemed to be way more important than what she was about to announce. On the other hand, she was almost sure that when she was already going to say that, everyone would be mad at her for keeping it a secret for so long. 

In her defence though, she had a lot on her mind lately. And she was a bit… distracted. 

Right now, the room was filled with silence. Mina took a big breath.

“Guys…” She started, already feeling like her cheeks covered with blush under the looks of several people. “Ummm… I have to say something to you. A few days ago, maybe it was a week ago, or something, I’ve seen… Um… A white wolf in the forest. I forgot to say anything back then, and it didn’t really seem dangerous, but since, you know, today Dahyun’s been attacked, just like Mr. Lee lately…”

What she meant to say was that it wasn’t a one-time thing. Chan focused on something else though.

“A white wolf? But… They don’t exist?” 

“What?” Mina frowned. “But I’ve seen one. Are you trying to tell me that I see things? Or that I lie?”

“No, that’s not that.” The man quickly assured, surprised with how aggressive Mina’s tone got when she defended herself. Mina was surprised with that too. Why did she care so much? 

Also, that was what Chan was worried about? Not her safety while she ran through the forest alone after a dangerous creature?

“What then? I’ve clearly seen the wolf. I even chased it, but it was way too fast for me. It seemed bigger also, and stronger than us.” She recalled from her memory. “I’m telling you all of this, because that wolf might be connected to this whole weird case. Who knows, maybe it’s in one pack with this black one from today. Or maybe we’re dealing with two enemy packs right now. It doesn’t make things better.” Her voice was getting louder as she spoke, and even though it was generally quiet, it seemed to work on her family. Some of them nodded, others just looked at her with serious expressions.

“You’re right.” Sana agreed. “I believe you. We definitely have to watch out for anyone that tries to hurt us, no matter whether we think they exist or not.”

“What do you want us to do then? We’ve been patrolling the forest all this time and we found nothing.” Hyunjin pointed out, quite truthfully. There was hardly any time during the evening and night, when some of them weren’t in the forest, searching for smells and traces that any foreign wolves could be living in the area. “We would gladly scare them off, but there’s no one to be scared off.”

“We should’ve ran after that black wolf today.” Mina sighed with defeat. “We had it on the plate.”

“Yeah, but Dahyun was in danger.” Chan reminded her. “There was a concern that it was a trap, and if we left her only with Sana, other wolves might’ve come to finish the job. We did what we could in this situation.” 

It was true, but Mina felt disappointed with herself anyway. She was the one to see the white wolf, and she failed to catch it. Then she met the black one today and she failed once again. 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself for that.” Sana sat next to her, leaving Dahyun’s side for just a second. Mina appreciated the support. 

“I- I don’t, just…” She sighed. “I don’t feel good with this whole situation. We’re constantly living on edge, waiting for something to happen, for the other shoe to drop. I’m just pissed off so much.”

“We all are.” Momo embraced her from behind, standing previously behind the couch. “But sending everyone out there to search day and night is going to tire us all out to the point where we’re gonna be too weak to even defend ourselves anymore. We have to take turns, and two or three wolves aren’t able to be everywhere all the time. We’re bound to miss something.”

And once again, Momo was right too. Mina didn’t disregard her statement, she just felt so… useless. Defenceless. Vulnerable. 

What made her even angrier was that she wasn’t able to pick up on the white wolf’s scent. Maybe if she did, they would already know whether it belonged to the same pack as the black one from earlier. Yet, she failed even to do that. Just how annoying was it?

“Come on, guys. It’s late. We won’t come up with anything while exhausted and sleep-deprived.” Chan stood up as a sign that the discussion was finished for today. “For now, all we can do is keep searching and wait for more clues. Who’s on the patrol tonight?”

Yeji, Momo and Sana raised their hands. 

“Stay home with Dahyun, Sana,” The man decided. “See if Tzuyu’s able to organize those meds. I’ll replace you.” 

“Thanks.” Sana jumped on his neck and hugged him tightly. “Stay safe guys, please.”

“As always.” Momo saluted and sent her a flying kiss. Sana pretended to vomit.

Mina felt like she wasn’t supposed to be amused at this moment. Something bigger was coming at them, and she feared that they wouldn’t be able to overcome it so easily. 

But maybe it was just her anxieties talking again…

(...)

The room was completely dark when Sana came inside and closed the door. It was a huge change from the light corridor, and her eyes took a bit longer than she would have desired to adjust. She could guess one could never be completely satisfied with their body. 

The cup of hot tea in her hand was burning her skin, so she put it on the nightstand, and then sat on the bed, right next to Dahyun. 

“Are you asleep?” She asked, gently stroking the smooth skin of the girl’s cheek. 

“No, not yet.” Dahyun sighed. “I was waiting for you.”

“I wanted to bring you some comfort tea. It’s your favorite.”

“Oh, thank you, honey. But you didn’t have to. I’m fine already.” Dahyun assured her. “Just a bit tired.”

Sana nodded. She didn’t say anything more though, nor did she move from the bed to change her clothes and join Dahyun. The sudden silence from her side would worry even the most oblivious person, so it definitely worried Dahyun, who at this point, knew her like the back of her hand. 

It wasn’t anything strange than when the girl asked:

“What’s wrong?”

Sana expected this question. During the previous hour, when they took their turns in the bathroom, and then when she prepared the tea, she had been thinking constantly, so she had the answer ready. As expected from her, the answer was maybe a bit too ready .

“I think you need to leave Moon Grove.” She blurted out. “The sooner, the better, maybe even tomorrow. Before something happens to you.”

“What?” Dahyun frowned. “What the heck are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”

“You have to.” Sana insisted. “It’s for your safety.” 

She had a hard time saying those words out loud. Spending a single day away from Dahyun was a torture for her, so she didn’t even want to think about her near Dahyun-less future. But it had to be done like that. And it would be better if Dahyun didn’t fight her much, because Sana was weak, and she wasn’t going–

Oh, damn. She was already crying. Shit…

“You have to be fucking kidding me.” 

Aaaand Dahyun wasn’t cooperating. Obviously. She had to make it harder than it really was.

“No, I’m not.” Sana kept her voice steady. “I’m worried about you, and you should definitely stay away from us for now.”

There was some movement under the blankets and then Dahyun’s hand reached to switch on the small lamp on her nightstand. Sana turned her face away, protecting herself from the light. 

“Look at me.” Dahyun commanded with a voice that didn’t leave any place for objection. “Now.”

Sana did as she was asked. The tears in her eyes shined in the dim light.

“Right…” Dahyun nodded her head, her face definitely not amused. “Just how I thought.” 

Sana stood up from the bed, not able to handle Dahyun’s attention anymore. Her lips were almost bleeding from how hard she was biting them to stop herself from crying.

“That’s what you’ve been thinking so hard about for the last hour?” Dahyun called behind her. 

“Maybe.” Sana grumbled, shrugging. So what? She was only worried. She didn’t want anything bad for Dahyun.

“And that’s what you came up with?” There was disbelief in her girlfriend’s voice. “Do you seriously think so low about me? That after so many years of our relationship I would abandon you just like that because of minor inconvenience? That after everyone in this house basically accepted me into the family, I would turn my back on them? Wow, thanks…”

The smell of disappointment coming from Dahyun was making the room stuffy enough to almost make Sana open the window. She felt so stupid suddenly. So dumb.

The dam finally broke and the tears flooded her face.  

“No!” She cried out, running back to the bed to assure Dahyun that all she said absolutely wasn’t true. It was Sana’s fault, not Dahyun’s. It could never be Dahyun’s. 

“No, absolutely not. You’re the best person I know, you’re so selfless and loyal. I was just so scared and–”

“Then don’t ever think of saying something like that to me, if you don’t want to offend me so much once again.” Dahyun gritted out with anger. 

Her face quickly smoothened though, and she smiled slightly, reaching for a tissue to wipe the tears from Sana’s face. “Remember, we’re in this together, right? Me and you against the problem. I’m staying.”

“But–” Sana opened her mouth.

“No buts. If I was about to get scared because of any wolves, I would never even get close to you. Obviously, I was a bit spooked today, but Moon Grove is my home, and you’re my partner. I’m not leaving you. I trust you to keep me safe, and I promise to not do anything risky like today anymore, okay? That was irresponsible of me and for that I’m sorry.”

Well, even if Dahyun acted irresponsibly, in her defence, they all let their guards down a bit too much. Even the people in the town stopped worrying about the possible danger in the woods. They were fooled, and they learned it the hard way, but it already happened and couldn’t be undone. There was no use in being mad at anyone, especially if Dahyun was aware of her mistake. 

“Okay. It’s fine.” Sana only nodded weakly, already sensing the incoming headache she was about to get after this outburst of emotions. Luckily, Dahyun was already coming to fix it up with her lips. When they touched her temple, she couldn’t not relax immediately. 

“I love you.” It broke out of her mouth without her knowledge. As always, those words could only bring a sweet smile to Dahyun's pretty face.

“I love you too. And now come to bed, because I’m gonna pass out in a minute.” The girl urged her. 

Sana pouted. 

“No kisses then?”

“No.” Dahyun shook her head. 

Sana did her best puppy eyes.

“Okay, but just one.”

“Five.”

“Sana! One.”

“Three?”

“Deal. Come here already.”

(...)

A shadow emerged from behind the tree, soundlessly moving towards Tzuyu. The lights were out, no one could see them, but they both still had their faces obscured with hoodies. 

“Hey, thanks for coming so quickly.” Tzuyu’s voice was hushed. 

She didn’t expect any answer, so it surprised her a bit when she was suddenly embraced with strong arms. She quickly returned the hug.

“Do you have it? It’s kinda urgent, my friend is hurt and–”

A package was pushed into her hand. No questions asked, no words spoken. Then she was hugged once again. 

And then she was again standing there alone. 

Chapter Text

There was a heavy storm right before the sunrise. Despite all the noise, it didn’t clear the air, instead bringing them even more heat, stuffiness and tiredness. Sana didn't sleep well at night, tormented with nightmares about a white wolf, bigger than their entire house, who tried to kill their whole family. Sana had only her own claws and teeth to protect them, so it wasn't a surprise that she woke up right after losing everyone (and her own life too) to her opponent.

Real life brought her even more distress. She didn’t even manage to put both her feet into the precinct building, and Sheriff was already commanding everyone to put their sorry asses into the cars and drive him into the forest. As expected, what they saw there wasn’t nice. 

The woman was in her late twenties, and she had expensive hiking gear, and an expensive phone that sent SOS signals when her just as expensive smartwatch sensed an unnatural heartbeat.  

Luckily, the rain didn’t manage to get through the thick tree crowns and destroy much of the evidence, but the blood was everywhere anyway. 

“So much money, and it still didn’t save her.” Jackson sighed, putting rubber gloves on his hands to gather all of those possessions into plastic bags. 

“Seems like a wolf’s job once again.” The doctor, the same one who was sent to the previous murder case, had huge bags under his eyes. Apparently, he had been woken up in the middle of the night, and he had to drive really fast to reach the crime scene so high in the mountains. “You guys have a serious problem here, huh? I’ve never seen something like that, and I’ve been doing this job for decades. Wolves don’t really attack humans just like that. Are you sure you didn’t piss them off, or something?”

He cackled. 

Sana wasn’t amused. Looking at this woman, only a few years older than Sana herself, she couldn’t help but imagine that it could’ve been Dahyun. If Sana wasn’t fast enough, if she reached Dahyun a few seconds too late, Dahyun’s throat could be ripped just like that, up to the point where her face wouldn’t be recognizable anymore.  

Not that Sana wished this woman death, but… Yeah, she couldn’t help but feel relieved that it wasn’t Dahyun in her place.

“Let’s not make fun out of this tragedy, please, doctor.” Sheriff scolded him. It was clear this case was worrying him too, because his usual playful demeanor towards his old friend was nowhere to be seen. 

Honestly, everyone was pretty low-spirited. After all, it didn’t happen everyday that someone in Moon Grove was murdered. Not even talking about two murders. 

“Do we know who she was? Any IDs?” Sheriff asked later, when the doctor already took a look at the body, allowing the officers to do their part.

“Yeah.” Mark flashed them a piece of plastic taken out of a wallet. “Yang Kyunjin, twenty-nine years old. She’s definitely not from here, so we’re gonna check whether we can find the hotel in which she’d been staying. Her phone’s broken and it won’t turn on.”

“Give it to Jaebom, maybe he’ll find something there. Anyway, search for any family, they have to be informed. Anything else?”

“No visible signs of fighting, although the weather probably messed up with the crime scene a bit. She probably didn’t expect to be attacked and the wolf got her quickly. All her possessions are here too, nothing seems to be missing, there’s a lot of money in the wallet. It likely wasn’t any human sending their trained animals to attack her.” 

“I see.” The older man became lost in his thoughts. 

The sudden silence got interrupted by BamBam running towards them with quite a speed.

“Sir! Sir, I’ve got bad news.” His breathing was ragged. “We got another one.”

“What!?” The Sheriff’s eyes got wider. “Where?”

“In the north, near the White Bear’s Waterfalls.” BamBam provided with clear distress on his face. “Doctor’s already on his way, we managed to call him before he set off back to the city.”

Sana’s jaw almost dropped on the ground, hearing those words. White Bear’s Waterfalls? She used to go there on dates with Dahyun all the time during the past summers, before she got her job as a police officer. It was a wonderful spot, frequented by couples, tourists and the locals too. The other officers had to obviously know it too, because the shock on their faces was enormous. 

“For fuck’s sake! What’s going on here?” Sheriff grabbed his head, not believing what he heard. The anger on his face was mixing with confusion. He took a good fifteen seconds to calm down, before being able to talk again. Sana expected another curse, so his ability to suddenly calm down really impressed her. 

“Okay, lead the way.” He commanded firmly, although Sana could see the way his whole posture was still stiff and hunched. “Minatozaki, you’re going with me. Jackson, Mark… Stay and finish here. Just… Watch your backs, guys, okay?” He patted both of them on their shoulders. The worry in his eyes caused the hair on Sana's neck to stand, even though she knew that theoretically, she would be able to protect herself in case of any danger. Or… At least she would try to.

The drive to the White Bear’s Waterfalls passed in a deep silence. The Sheriff was clearly distressed and BamBam was focused on driving, because the road there, leading along a small cliff near the river, was muddy after the rain and presented the danger of their car slipping right into the water. Sana observed the river and its rushing current, and tried not to think about the moment of passing the information about two additional murders to the other wolves. She could already see their reaction with the eyes of her mind. And it wasn't happy. 

Maybe it was the right time to admit to herself that they were really screwed. Usually, Sana didn't like spreading negativity and she tried to avoid it at all cost. No matter what, no matter how bad it was, there was always a way out of every situation. What was the use of complaining, if it only dampened her mood, instead of really solving the problem?

But damn… This situation was really, really bad. People were dead. And those, who were still alive, lived with the awareness that they could be next.

They arrived under the White Bear's Waterfall twenty minutes later, and the coroner was already waiting for them there.

“The victims died almost at the same time,” He said. “I can't say for sure yet, but it can be a matter of minutes between those deaths. Considering the distance between this place, and the part of the forest where the woman died… It’s not possible it was the same one wolf. So… Double the trouble.”

No one dared to comment. They didn’t have a chance to see the body yet, but they were already aware it wouldn’t be a nice view. Then the doctor’s face suddenly wore a suspicious expression, as if he was hiding something. They didn’t have to wait long to find out what it was.

“Want to see something worse?” The man asked, as if being here, at the crime scene, was like playing in a TV show. The way he waved at them, the way his eyes were sparkling with interest - it all reminded Sana of an evil character in a horror movie for kids. He seemed a bit caricatural. 

Also, the question was unnecessary, because they had to see the body anyway. That was their job, even if at that moment, Sana hated it so much. 

“Oh my God…” She was only able to say that, before her stomach revolted and she absolutely had to turn around and walk a few steps away. With the last effort of her brain, she was able to remember that she couldn’t vomit at the crime scene, because it would probably destroy all the clues. 

Oh damn, why did she decide to eat breakfast that morning? What a bad day to have eyes it was…

“That’s… That’s…” Even the Sheriff was at a loss of words, his mouth and nose covered with his hand. And if he was horrified with this smell, what could Sana say!? Her nose was a few times more sensitive than an average human's. 

“Yeah, I was a bit disgusted too at first.” The doctor nodded with understanding. “But you get used to the smell after a while. The view isn’t shocking either, if you see enough dead bodies in your life.”

Well, if that was so, Sana hoped that she wasn’t ever going to get used to this smell and, most importantly, the view of two bodies of what appeared to be children, with their intestines thrown all over the place., with huge green flies buzzing in the air and feeding on the meat.  

“No, no... no...” BamBam followed right after Sana. He wasn’t all that much more experienced than her, and even if he had worked for a bit before somewhere outside of Moon Grove, he probably hadn’t seen many more human remains. 

Only Sheriff bravely stayed there to take a look at the crime scene. Sana deeply admired him for this sacrifice. Anyway, the man wasn't able to add anything constructive to the case. Because who would be, when there was someone so young who had lived among them for many years, now void of life. Maybe it wasn't very professional of them, but they were still only human after all.

“Do we know who they were?” Sheriff asked, after a minute of silence.

“No, sir.” BamBam's voice was uncharacteristically quiet and joyless. “They don’t have any IDs and no one’s recognized them yet.”

“We have to identify them and notify the parents. Find out why they were in the forest alone at night. Minatozaki, that’s your job. BamBam, you stay and finish here.”

Both his officers nodded, their heads down and faces gloomy. The man glanced once again at the two small bodies laying on the green grass. 

“And let’s go from here, before those damn flies eat us alive.”

(...)

Finding the children’s parents didn’t take Sana as long as she initially thought. All it took was coming back to the precinct, and the answer was already there, waiting for her in the form of a worried mother whose kids left to spend the night with their friends and never came back. 

Finishing the first part of Sheriff’s command was easy. The second part… Not so much. 

“Officer, you have to help me.” The poor woman had her eyes wide and full of pure fear. “My two daughters went to a sleepover yesterday, but I’ve just learned that they suddenly disappeared during the night. I- I don’t know what to do.”

Sana didn’t know either. During her police training, she had briefly learned about passing the tragic info to the family, but back then, it was pure theory. Abstract situation, in which Sana thought she could find herself without any trouble. She was always good at expressing her own emotions and understanding other people's, so she could always imagine how the family felt, and connect with them on that level.

Well… Not exactly. 

“Ma’am…I- We–” She stuttered at first. “I don’t have good news for you.”

From then on, it was hard to talk to the woman, who seemed to shut off from the whole world. Sana soon got a few pictures from BamBam, luckily portraying only the faces of the kids, and showed them to the poor mother, who broke down in front of the officer in response. Obviously, she recognized both victims. 

She didn’t know anything else. And Sana didn’t demand any more answers from her. Her next step was obviously to interview the friend in whose house both girls were supposed to stay, but, as Sana already expected, the girl was also too traumatized. She kept repeating over and over how she didn’t know anything, bawling her eyes out. Her parents were just as clueless. As they were stating, they went to bed soon after the children that were staying in their house had fallen asleep, and didn’t wake up until the morning, when it turned out that two of them disappeared. 

Sana was stuck. There was nowhere she could go from there. There were hardly any neighbors in that area, the house had no cameras installed, and the road from it to the White Bear’s Waterfalls led only through the woods. She tried to search for any traces in the garden, hoping that maybe the kids left them while escaping at night. She even used her wolf nose, thinking that some scents had to still linger in the air around the place, but the mix of heat and the storm mixed it all into a pointless mess. 

After checking the crime scene once again, she had to call a halt on her investigation. It was almost noon, and the other officers came back to the precinct, so everyone gathered in Sheriff’s office for a meeting.

“There’s something we’re missing here!” Sheriff kept walking around his desk, as if the action could help him with thinking. “Seriously, what’s wrong with those wolves? They obviously don’t attack for food, because none of those victims were actually… eaten.”

The officers’ faces weren’t displaying happiness hearing this term. The mix of disgust and fear scrunched them into something almost funny, if not for the seriousness of the situation. Sana could understand them really well, because she hated when someone treated her kind like some brainless killing machines. They didn’t eat humans. 

“The first two times, the victims had their throats ripped. The children were attacked near their stomachs.” Mark pointed out. “Was it intentional?”

“I don’t think the wolves think this way, officer Tuan.” Sheriff frowned. “Nevertheless, it’s interesting. Anyway, I hope we won’t have a chance to find out if they changed the method of killing. Otherwise– Hmmm… Well, let’s say I have an idea what to do.”

“You do, sir?” Broke out of Sana’s throat before she could stop herself. Sheriff didn’t seem to notice anything weird in her question though. He was suddenly focused, his eyes distant, as if his head was already somewhere else. 

“I guess. Give me a day or two, and then I’ll let you know. One thing for sure - we have to act fast. Before more people dies in those woods.” 

(...)

By the evening, another heavy storm could be already seen incoming from the south. Thanks to the dark shades of gray and blue visible on the sky, there was very little light still present in the forest, and it seemed as if sunset came two hours earlier than usual. Mina’s eyes didn’t have it easy when she moved between the trees, trying to spot literally anything strange. The strong wind, playing harshly with the tree crowns and depriving them of leaves which were later thrown around on the ground, didn’t help with this task.  

The weather conditions really resembled the chaos currently happening in Mina’s mind. She still didn’t fully recover from the shock of the attack on Dahyun, she still thought about Nayeon and also about everything Sana told them about the next three victims the police had found that morning. 

It was too much for Mina’s brain. It felt so… Uncomfortable. As if she couldn’t grasp all those troubles with her brain and put them on the right shelves inside her head so there would be at least some kind of order. If she managed to arrange everything, she could start dealing with it one problem at a time. But unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy. 

Ugh , why did it all have to be so messy?

“Do you think the police will really start to hunt us?” She asked Chan when they stopped for a moment by a stream to catch their breaths. 

“I mean… What else could Sheriff mean by those words?” The man was playing with rocks, throwing them into the water angrily. “Honestly, not that I disagree. If I was him, I would hunt the wolves too.”

“What?” Mina answered with an instant frown. “You can’t be serious. We can get hurt as well.”

“Nah, I trust Sana to keep an eye on those policemen, and warn us just in case. With all due respect to them, but they aren’t as fast and they don’t know the woods as well as we do. It won’t be hard to hide from them.”

He sounded confident, no one could take that from him, and it even managed to convince Mina a bit that they could really be alright. Still, she had a feeling they shouldn’t be too confident. It could bite them in the ass. 

Now she was glad that she had a moment alone with Chan though, because she was meaning to ask him a question. 

“What did you mean yesterday that the white wolves don’t exist? I mean… Why wouldn’t they? It’s just a color.”

Chan snorted, which made her feel a bit stupid for caring about this so much. Obviously, it was a meaningless thing in comparison to everything else. But she just wanted to know, curiosity wasn’t anything bad.

“Well, I might’ve expressed myself wrong.” Chan admitted. It gave Mina a bit of hope, although she wasn’t sure for what. But his next words took it from her immediately. “White wolves exist… in legends. Apparently, they are supposed to be stronger than any other wolf, like an alpha of the alphas. You know, wherever they show up, everyone immediately follows them and submits to them. But, as I said… Just a legend. No one’s ever heard of one really living out there.”

“So there’s absolutely no chance I’ve seen one in Moon Grove, right?” Mina has to be sure. 

In the corner of her eyes, something moved between the trees. She kept her focus on Chan, but still paid attention to her surroundings closely. 

After this question, Chan burst with laughter. Mina felt irritation sparkling in her heart at his reaction, because seriously? It wasn’t like she was an adult still believing in Santa Claus. She had seen the damn wolf. 

“No, not really.” Chan finally said. Mina’s eyes caught something moving between the trees once again, and she focused on it this time. Weird sense of satisfaction started filling her. 

“Yeah? So what’s that?” She pointed out on their right. Chan’s head snapped this way. 

And there, with its head a bit tilted, as if mocking them, stood the white wolf. It looked exactly the same as when Mina had seen it the first time, but now it had even more amusement in its eyes. It had to hear their conversation. 

Chan jumped to his feet. 

“Wh- What?” His voice was full of shock, eyes wary. “It’s fucking impossible.”

“Well, apparently not so much.” Mina was having the time of her life. She didn’t even feel in danger now, temporarily forgetting about her mission to catch the white wolf. Besides, the creature stood calmly in the distance, not eager to attack them.

Chan stood there frozen too. Normally, he would surely already be running, or at least he would say something, but now it was as if his voice was taken from him.

“I was surprised at first too.” Mina nodded, understanding his reaction. “But when I tried to catch this wolf, it was always too fast for me.”

Not that she would be able to do anything if she caught it. They weren’t murderers, they couldn’t get rid of anyone this way. But… Maybe she could at least get answers. Or maybe convince the stranger to leave and never come back.

“I- We-” Chan stuttered. “I don’t know what to say. That shouldn’t be true. Mina…” 

He grabbed Mina’s hand to get her attention fully on him. Mina had a hard time turning her gaze away from the white wolf, scared that it would disappear when she wasn’t looking. Chan gulped when their eyes finally met.

“Mina, there’s something really, really weird happening here lately. First those murders, now this. I- It was always so calm in Moon Grove…”

The amount of seriousness in his eyes scared Mina a lot. She felt this feeling deeply inside her stomach, as if something was changing around them. As if someone was messing up with the rules of the universe; moving around the figures on the God’s chess board without checking what would happen as the result of those actions. 

“Do you think this wolf is dangerous?” She whispered, quite accurately guessing that the wolf could hear them. “Do you think it’s the alpha of those who kill people?”

That was her first thought back then, and now, when she learned that white wolves could be potentially stronger than them… It all just made much more sense.

“I have no idea. I mean, it could definitely be.” Chan shrugged. “We have to be careful anyway.”

They both turned their heads once more in the direction of the wolf. As Mina expected, it wasn’t there anymore. She sighed, for some reason feeling a bit disappointed. This feeling wasn’t a welcomed one, she shouldn’t feel disappointed. The wolf was a strange opponent living on their territory. It was probably responsible for killing people. Yet, no one could take it from the wolf, that it was insanely beautiful, with its white fur shining brightly in the dark forest. 

“Let’s– Let’s go back to the house and tell everyone about this.” Chan pulled Mina’s hand, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. “I don’t know what to think about this. It’s so… so…”

“Yeah, I get it.” Mina sighed. “But we stood here for a while, and we weren’t attacked.”
“That’s exactly why it’s suspicious.” Chan seemed to be almost in a hurry now, when she urged Mina to quickly turn so they could run back home faster. “Hurry up, the storm’s really close now. We can talk about it back home.”

(...)  

Just as Mina expected, when they reached the house and shared their news with the rest of the family, no one was able to come up with anything smart or game-changing. Obviously, all the wolves were fairly shocked, not as much as Chan though. They didn’t know the legends, and they weren’t aware of the uniqueness of their new ‘neighbor’. 

Some of them pondered if the wolf they met could be a lone one, without a pack. Others reasoned that it was nearly impossible for a wolf to survive without a pack.

Everyone agreed with one thing - they couldn’t let their guard down, as long as they didn’t know the white wolf’s intentions. For some reason, the lack of trust didn’t sit well with Mina. She decided to nip that feeling in the bud though. Loyalty towards her family always came first.

“We have to cooperate with the police.” Chan finally decided, after an hour or two of a heated discussion. “Obviously, not officially.”

“What do you mean?” 

That was obviously the question that everyone wanted to ask. Sana just voiced out their thoughts out loud.

“When the officers hunt the wolves, they will probably scare them off a bit. And then, when the wolves are scared, vulnerable, in the search of a hideout in the unknown woods, we’re waiting for them. We can catch them, while they are running away in panic, and convince them to leave. There’s no other way to do it peacefully, without violence. As we were able to find out, we can’t find them ourselves, so…”

So the plan was accepted. 

(...)

The last storm of the series happened right before the next morning. It brought even more pouring rain, but fortunately (finally!) also some cool air. The temperature dropped to the nice twenty-five degrees Celsius, which itself was a pretty high value for the wolves, but definitely more manageable than the previous thirty five. 

On the bad side, the wind and the rainpour did a lot of damage to the gardens and possessions, and while driving to and from work, Sana could see a lot of people tidying up their yards. She had scheduled garden work as well, but not at her own house. It was at her soon-to-be mother-in-law's garden instead. 

As scary as it sounded, Sana was really happy. Dahyun’s mother was a lovely person and she loved Sana like her own child. So it was a business with mutual benefits - Dahyun’s mother got all the work around the house done, and Sana got a few hours of chatting about everything and nothing, especially about the embarrassing episodes from Dahyun’s childhood.

Dahyun wasn’t the happiest about it. Today she complained really hard, maybe because after the injury, she was banned from helping herself. As much as the girl insisted that she wasn’t in any pain anymore, and that she couldn’t sit on her ass forever, Sana knew better. It was all for Dahyun’s own good after all.

She had to listen to comments like: “Honey, I’ve told you, I can do that.” the whole afternoon anyway. 

“No, baby. You sit there, and rest. I’ll take care of those.” Sana wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at all the fallen branches she had to get rid of. “You could hurt yourself while doing that anyway.”

“When are you going to stop treating me like a child?” Dahyun’s eyes rolled. Sana could feel it with the eyes of her soul, because she had currently her back turned to her girlfriend.

“When you grow some muscles.” She answered mindlessly, forgetting that Dahyun could hear it. The gasp, coming from under the tree, where Dahyun was forced to rest her ankle on a comfy chair, sounded painfully like two days without cuddles and sleeping on the couch. Sana immediately corrected herself. “Your body is beautiful the way it is though, please don’t change it. I love it.”

Dahyun whined loudly, probably feeling defeated. Well, Sana could understand a bit of her frustrations. If she was forced to sit still against her will, she would probably combust after two minutes. But it was all because Sana wanted to take good care of Dahyun’s injury, allowing it to fully heal. She didn’t have bad intentions. That’s why she insisted on helping out in Dahyun’s mom’s garden herself - so they could get the job done, and still spend time with each other in the meantime. 

(The hours spent on a task that didn’t force her to use much brain, and the sight of her very much alive girlfriend, were also supposed to help Sana forget about all the images she had seen that morning, but she didn’t plan to discuss that matter with anyone yet - including herself. The sooner she buried those views under memories about Dahyun and happiness, the better for her mental health.)

And it worked. They chatted, they laughed, and Sana picked up branch after branch, cutting them in smaller pieces that could be later used in a fireplace. The time went by quickly, but even with the much more comfortable temperature, Sana still got herself all sweaty and dirty. Much to Dahyun’s appreciation (the smell of interest coming from Dahyun was distracting her the whole time), she had to change her T-shirt to a sleeveless top, but that too soon got all wet. 

She was nearing the end of the job, left with just a few things to do, when a car pulled up on the driveway. Sana didn’t recognize the brand of the vehicle, so it immediately sparked distrust in her, but the woman that got out of it looked pretty harmless (she looked pretty in general).

“Hey!” The newcomer greeted when Sana came closer to the gate, ready to check what kind of business was bringing the woman there. 

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Hi, I’m Hyunjin. I’m looking for help. Are you local, probably?” The smile on the woman’s face was bright. 

Sana didn’t sense any kind of danger from her, her scent was quite neutral too, so she smiled back.

“Yeah, I am. What can I do for you?”

“Oh, I’ve got a bit lost. I’m looking for a Red Snake’s road. Leading up to the mountains…”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Sana beamed, hearing the familiar name. “You’re definitely driving the right way, you just have to turn left in like, half a kilometer or so. It’s hard to miss the place, because there’s a sign right next to it.”

“Is there?” The woman sent her a blinding smile. Then she jokingly rolled her eyes at herself, pink covering her cheeks. “I have to admit that I’m terrible with directions and all that stuff. That’s why I stopped to ask someone. You just seemed to be experienced and nice enough so that you wouldn’t murder me, or anything. I’m not sure I’ll be able to find that though, if you maybe could show me–”

The woman’s words were suddenly cut short, when a loud moan full of pain reached their ears. Sana’s senses got put on standby right away. 

“Oh, Dahyun…” She widened her eyes, not sparing the newcomer another glance, before turning away to rush and check on her girlfriend. If she did look over her shoulder, she might’ve probably noticed the disappointed gaze sent behind her. But luckily, she was already too busy for that. 

She was at Dahyun’s side in seconds.

“What’s wrong, baby? Did you hurt yourself?” She asked. 

Dahyun’s face was unnaturally scrunched in pain. 

“I don’t know, it suddenly started to hurt so much.” She whined. “I haven’t moved, or anything…”

Sana was careful to not grab the bandages with her dirty hands, examining the rest of Dahyun’s leg instead.

“Does it hurt, when I move it like that?” She asked, concern arising in her chest. If they were too late, if Tzuyu brought them the medicine too late, if the wound had been already infected before–

“No, it doesn’t. Actually, it’s already getting better.” Dahyun shrugged. She looked way calmer now, as if Sana’s touch was magically able to heal her. In a span of… seconds? “It had to be some kind of temporary pain, maybe part of the healing process… Tell me, who was this woman and what did she want from you?”

The worry Sana was feeling almost managed to distract her from the totally smooth way the topic was changed. Almost. 

“Why?” She turned around just to check and find out that the car was already gone. Not that she cared, after all that woman got her directions. It was almost impossible to get lost where she was heading, the big-ass sign with the name of the road almost screaming at the passersby. 

“No reason.” Dahyun’s voice sounded suspiciously too unbothered. “I was just curious, you were talking with her for so long, and she was checking you out…” The girl’s eyes were glued somewhere behind Sana’s head, probably on some really interesting tree.

Wait, wait, wait… Sana smirked. 

“Is my Dahyunie jealous?” She teased, reaching to playfully pinch Dahyun’s cheek. Dahyun huffed with irritation and slapped her hand away, but the way she looked down on her hands and pouted told Sana everything she needed to know. 

Her ego experienced a sudden boost. Her heart swelled in her chest. Her face covered with a grin.

“You are jealous.” She burst with laughter. 

Oh, how the tables have turned. It was such a nice feeling to know that Dahyun was sometimes jealous of her too. 

Sana didn’t want to fuel those bad feelings though. So she quickly leaned to peck Dahyun’s lips.

“Don’t worry, she was just asking for a road.” She explained.

“Well, she had to really need those directions, if she decided to turn to this house. It’s not really visible from the main road.” Dahyun was still sulking, so Sana grabbed her hand gently, planted a kiss there, and then looked Dahyun in the eyes.

“I love you. My eyes are only on you, okay?” She said with as much confidence in her voice as she could muster. “Now, is your leg still in pain? I need to know, because if something bad is happening there, we have to–”

“It’s fine.” Dahyun rolled her eyes. “It doesn't hurt anymore. But… It would hurt even less if you kissed me properly this time.”

“Roger that, ma’am.” Sana saluted. “Anything for my princess.”

(...)

The door to Sana’s bedroom was open when Momo reached the corridor upstairs. It wasn’t a common occurrence lately, not with Dahyun living there now permanently, at least for the summer break. Momo found herself unable to resist the silent invite.

“Hey?” She called out anyway, knocking on the door for double protection. 

It wasn’t likely that Sana and Dahyun would do anything indecent with the door wide open, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Momo loved to make fun of the pair and tease Sana about stealing Dahyun from her, but it was one thing to make innocent jokes, and another to be blinded by an unwanted view of something that should stay hidden from the public. 

Fortunately, it was just Sana standing in the room now, looking for something in the closet.

“Hey!” She smiled at Momo gently. “What’s up?”  

“Ummm…” Momo hesitated. “Have you seen Jeongyeon recently?”

“Recently…” Sana hummed, her lips forming a pout when she dived deep into her thoughts. In the end, the pout didn’t change into a grin of success. Instead, Sana frowned. “Hmmm… Now that you’re asking, I have to admit I haven’t.”

A few seconds of silence followed, when they both stood there, mindlessly staring at the floor and processing the situation.

“Why?” Sana finally asked. “Is something wrong?”

“No! No, absolutely not.” Momo assured her right away. “Or… At least I don’t know. I was just wondering, because outside of the bar, I’ve rarely had a chance to see her at home.”

To be fair, recently even while they were both working, there was hardly a time when Jeongyeon would come up to Momo just to chat or ask about something, like she used to do all the time before. And Momo had to admit that… she felt a bit neglected. 

“Hmmm, I guess you’re right. She’s been pretty hard to catch here last week.” Sana nodded. Then, clearly not seeing anything bad in that fact, she shrugged. “Who knows, she’s probably busy with something.”

“Like… With what?” Momo frowned, then snorted, imagining this. 

Jeongyeon busy with something that didn’t include Momo, or at least anyone else from their family? Nah, that couldn’t happen…

Right?

Sana shrugged once again. 

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s planning to apply to college. Maybe she’s back to volunteering in that animal shelter? Or maybe she’s dealing drugs in her free time. Who cares? We’re still gonna love her the same.”

“Yeah, yeah, obviously, but–” Momo dismissed the thought about Jeongyeon dealing drugs or going to college. There was no way the woman would find the time for classes between her shifts in the bar. At least not this year, maybe when their finances would be more stable… Volunteering it had to be then.

“Oh, come on! Let her live a bit. She’s a big girl.” Sana grinned, and Momo sensed the incoming teasing. And here it was: “What? Can’t survive without your evening cuddles for a few days? Is my big, scary and independent Momoring getting soft suddenly?”

“What? No!” Momo felt the instant need to deny everything. She wasn’t getting soft, who would even think something ridiculous like that? She was simply used to a certain order of events in her life, and when it was changed, she might have felt a bit uncomfortable with it. So what? Many people liked when their lives were predictable.

Also, but she wouldn’t admit it out loud even while tortured, maybe she felt a bit disappointed that Jeongyeon didn’t trust her enough to share with her whatever had been happening in her life. Yeah, she wasn’t obligated to, but they had been friends for so damn long, right? And Momo had always trusted Jeongyeon with her whole life, ready to include the girl in every part of it. It didn’t feel nice now to know that it wasn’t mutual.

Also… How did Sana even know about her evening cuddles–

“Don’t try to deny anything, Momoring…” Sana singsonged, obviously having fun while seeing her friend a bit flustered. But then her face got gentle quickly. “You know, you can always cuddle with me instead.”

Momo’s head immediately snapped to look over her shoulder and check if they were still alone in the house. Yup, the coast was clear for now, but–

“There's no one here except me and you. And it’s gonna stay this way for at least another two hours.” Sana said with an amused expression. “Come on, don’t waste the time.”

“Where's Dahyun?” Momo raised her eyebrows. Was this a trap? Was Sana going to record this and play it on one of their Sunday family dinners, for Tzuyu to have fun?

“She stayed to hang out with her mom and grandma. I’m picking her up later.” Sana explained. “Seriously, there’s no one here.”

Momo sighed, then scratched her neck. Sana wasn’t Jeongyeon, obviously. Her cuddles were going to be different. But cuddles were cuddles, and Sana was her best friend, and Momo had been running on fumes for the past few days, with Jeongyeon’s obvious absence each evening. 

Seriously, where could this girl be?

“ Ugh… Fine.” Momo rolled her eyes, stepping into the room, and closing the door to make sure that no one was going to surprise them like that. Better safe than sorry, in this house even the walls seemed to have eyes and then report everything to Tzuyu.

“Awesome!” Sana jumped with pure joy, throwing away the police uniform she was holding before. The contrast between the girl’s cheerful character and her occupation always made Momo feel a bit lost. “It’s been so long since we last had a girl’s night! We’re gonna light up some candles, and gossip about girls, and–”

“Sana!” Momo stopped her friend’s enthusiasm, trying to stay serious herself. It was hard when Sana was grinning like that and already making herself comfortable on the bed, appearing more like a lazy cat than a scary wolf who on top of that worked as a police officer.

But who knew, maybe Sana needed that cuddle time too? With all the dead bodies she had to see recently, and all the stress…

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just excited.” Sana patted the spot next to herself, when she was already laying comfortably. Momo felt a sudden wave of love flooding her heart, seeing how adorably her sister looked. Yeah, it was probably a good idea to spend a bit of time with Sana. It’s been so long since they could hang out as just the two of them, and even if Momo was really happy for Sana to finally find the love of her life, sometimes she missed those years at the beginning, when their pack only started to form, and they had unlimited time for each other. Yeah, they had other troubles. Still, life seemed to be easier back then. 

She wordlessly took her jacket off and put it on the chair. Then she searched for a pair of Sana’s old sweatpants in the closet, not wanting to sit on the bed in her outside clothes. Sana welcomed her there with her arms wide open. Momo sighed, relaxing between them. 

“Comfy?” Sana asked.

“Yeah…” Momo mumbled right into the crook of her neck. 

Her eyes closed on their own. Despite wanting to fully relax and experience this time with Sana, her mind already began to drift off, and she was close to falling asleep, when Sana’s quiet voice brought her back to the present.

“No, but… If you really think there’s something wrong with Jeong, or if you’re worried about something… You know you can tell me, right? And I’ll treat it seriously.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Momo sighed, not opening her eyes, just making sure that her words would be inteligible enough for Sana to understand it. “We just keep missing each other with Jeong.”

Sana’s fingers were now playing gently with her hair, running through it and massaging her scalp. Momo appreciated the soothing gesture.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’ll come around soon.” The girl finally muttered. 

She smelled with calmness and confidence, so Momo didn’t have a hard time believing her. 

(...)

“One more beer over here, sweetie!”

“One more round for us too!”

“Oh, and a burger, please.”

Mina nodded three times, noting down the orders in her head, as she filled the glasses and mugs with different kinds of drinks. The night was busy, just as practically every other one after the police discovered more dead bodies in the forest. People were scared and enraged, and in the moment of weakness, they tended to gather together. ‘Strategy’ was just a place for that. 

Mina didn’t complain. More people meant more income for Momo and Jeong, and also a bit of money for her too, since the girls insisted on paying her a normal salary lately. But damn, if she wasn’t exhausted after a few hours of mixing and serving the drinks almost without any break. Her feet were screaming for help, and her back - used to sitting hunched in front of the computer - was already probably dead. But she just had to survive one more hour, and then she would be free for the whole two days. 

Now, in the moment of tiredness, she just craved a cool drink for herself. But non-alcoholic, please. And maybe for someone to help her relax a bit. 

Well, it was probably good that she knew just a person. 

Not that she was already completely fine with hanging out with Nayeon, her internal conflicts were still there, doing pretty good in poisoning Mina’s peace of mind. But during those few days since they had last seen each other, Mina thought she managed to deal with most of the worst feelings of disgust that she felt towards herself right after sleeping with Nayeon. She thought everything through and came to the conclusion that she wanted to try again, maybe this time when she was more aware of herself and her desires, and more prepared for the whole thing. 

And more relaxed. Choosing a partner that she didn’t know well for one of her first times wasn’t probably a good idea, now that she thought about it. It didn’t help her feel safe at that moment. 

“Mina-yah, the Pepperoni pizza’s ready, and the burger just needs a few more minutes.” Jeongyeon’s voice from the kitchen brought her back to the present from where her mind currently was: in the backseat of Nayeon’s car. 

Mina grabbed the food to deliver it to the right client, quickly allowing herself to be swallowed by her memories again. 

Yeah, the car probably wasn’t the best idea either. It didn’t help Mina to feel like they weren’t just giving in to their urges like a pair of primitive animals; that their pleasure had some deeper meaning. But Nayeon had her roommates in her apartment, and Mina didn’t feel like bringing Nayeon over yet. The wolves’ house was their sanctuary, and only the most trusted people were allowed to visit. Nayeon wasn’t in that category yet. 

Who knew, maybe Mina really approached the Nayeon case from the wrong side? They started off weirdly, with Nayeon mostly annoying Mina, but then the walk in the beginning of their date was really nice. Why did she have to screw everything off with her stupid desire to prove to herself that she could be intimate with someone without any feelings? Why did it matter to her at that moment so much? She couldn’t recall. 

“Hey, excuse me? Can we get four beers, please?” Someone shouted from the other end of the counter, and Mina’s eyes snapped from the bottle of martini. She smiled at them and grabbed a mug to fill it. 

Nayeon tried to talk to her, right? She tried to spend time with her after the sex. Mina had to be possessed to just reject that effort like that. Because of what? Because she was a bit embarrassed of her own reaction that time in the parking lot? 

Ugh… It was all so messed up. Her head was so messed up. Was there still a chance for her to fix it all up? 

“Mina!” Jeongyeon showed up in the door to the backroom, her face wearing a teasing grin. “Someone’s been texting you non stop for like half an hour. I can’t work, because your phone keeps buzzing.”

Mina’s eyes widened. She threw a quick glance at her smartwatch, connected to the device that she left in the kitchen and, indeed, there were a few new notifications displayed on the small screen. How could she miss the vibrations of incoming messages? Wow, she must have been really busy with her thoughts about Nayeon… 

“Thanks.” Her cheeks covered with blush as she grabbed the phone from Jeongyeon’s hands, the girl trying to keep the device from her as a joke. 

“No problem. Just don’t ignore the clients while texting your secret lover.” Jeongyeon winked. Then she disappeared back in the kitchen, probably having no idea at all how close to the truth she was. Mina sighed with relief, unlocking her phone.

Im Nayeon: Hey Mina

11.25 pm

Im Nayeon: What time do you get off work?

Im Nayeon: I can pick you up so you don’t walk alone

11.30 pm

Im Nayeon: Mina?

Im Nayeon: heh

11.37 pm

Im Nayeon: I guess it’s a no then?

11.47 pm

Im Nayeon: ok I’ll stop bothering you already

Im Nayeon: you’re probably busy

11.55 pm

Oh damn…. Jeongyeon was right. Nayeon managed to already have a whole conversation just with herself while Mina was busy daydreaming about her.

Mina bit her lip, wondering what to text back. Seeing Nayeon’s pretty face sounded quite tempting after the whole long shift. Also, now that Mina’s body unlocked the possibility of being on the receiving end of any physical affection and discovered that another human’s touch was indeed on the plate, the girl was suddenly craving to feel that pleasure again.

So maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try? She would see where it would take her from there. 

Mina-yah : Sorry, I didn’t hear my phone

11.58 pm

Mina-yah: I’m heading out of the bar at 1

Mina-yah: You can pick me up, if you want

12.01 am

A few heartbeats passed as Mina stared at the screen, the hustle and bustle of the bar surrounding her like a comforting blanket when she anxiously waited for an answer. For a moment, no one wanted beer, food, or anything else - as if they were all her loyal wingmen. Then Mina’s phone made a sound of an incoming message, and simultaneously her smartwatch buzzed on her wrist. The action was now hard to miss, syncing with the buzz of butterflies in Mina’s stomach. 

Im Nayeon: on my way 

12.04 am

Chapter Text

“AAAAAAA!!!” 

The scream echoed throughout the whole forest, making the leaves shiver on the trees and the birds jump into the flight straight from their nests. 

“Damn! Why are you screaming as if someone was murdering you?”

“What the fu– How did you get here!? I was alone literally two seconds ago.” Chaeyoung was panting. Her hand was glued to her chest, as she tried to calm down her racing heart.

She was seriously close to having a freaking heart attack! Why would a sane person sneak up on someone like that in the middle of the scary forest? How would anyone do that when every single sound in this silence sounded like a gunshot, and Chaeyoung heard literally nothing?!

“I was just passing by and decided to say ‘hi’.” Tzuyu shrugged, her expression just as bored and unbothered as Chaeyoung could remember it from all the years of middle school and high school. “If I knew you would scream bloody murder, I wouldn't try to approach you. Sorry.”

“N- No problem.” Chaeyoung stuttered, waving her off, too busy with breathing hard to hold a grudge. 

“Oh, I was saying sorry to all the animals around us. You surely gave them a heart attack with your screaming too.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, slapping Tzuyu's arm in protest. Seriously, why did she expect anything else from this strange girl? 

Not that she knew Tzuyu really well, but since the moment Dahyun and Sana got together, their younger friend had always been somewhere in their orbit, which also meant being in Chaeyoung’s orbit. They weren't friends by any means, Chaeyoung still had a lot of trust issues towards Sana's friends, but now it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were accustomed to each other, and could fairly well recognize the other's moods and behaviors. And Tzuyu's behavior has always been a bit… scary? Unhinged? Intimidating definitely.

“What are you doing here, by the way?” Tzuyu's voice carried this kind of suggestion that made Chaeyoung immediately suspect that she was doing something forbidden. She didn't let the girl scare her off. The forest was a public place and she was allowed to be there, even if the whole town would scold her endlessly for risking her life like that - if they found out, obviously.

Just to be clear - Chaeyoung wasn’t risking her life like that for nothing. She had her reason. Meaning: her amazing, absolutely wonderful, best friend in the whole world named Kim Dahyun. Lately, the girl had been acting really weird.

And Chaeyoung wasn’t even talking about the scene she had seen in the forest the last time, when Dahyun was sitting there like some kind of self-acclaimed queen of the wolves. Which… Might or might not have been Chaeyoung’s hallucination. She still wasn’t sure whether she had really seen it or not, so it was temporarily excluded from the collection of the proof of Dahyun’s weird behavior. 

But the history of messages and phone conversations between the two of them, in which Dahyun insisted that they absolutely couldn’t meet in the forest, was by all means real. And it totally didn’t align with those many times when Chaeyoung went to the woods by herself, despite the potential danger, and saw Dahyun there anyway. The older girl obviously wasn't aware of that, because Chaeyoung observed her only from a distance, and never mentioned this issue on their newly scheduled Friday game nights.    

Chaeyoung was sure of one thing - something in Dahyun’s behavior was really suspicious. And because she was bored out of her mind, Chaeyoung didn’t care if she lost a bit of time while running around the forest after her friend, even if in the end she would find nothing. 

But now Tzuyu was a pretty huge obstacle to Chaeyoung’s goal. 

“Oh, you know…” Chaeyoung said nonchalantly. “Just walking around, relaxing, using the fresh air to strengthen my physical health, looking for inspiration…” She pointed at the camera hanging on her shoulder, then shrugged. “Choose whatever you want.”

Tzuyu hummed thoughtfully, measuring the camera with her scrutinizing gaze and probably wondering how much truth there was in Chaeyoung’s words. But it was the truth - Chaeyoung really wanted to take some photos to fill up her portfolio. If Tzuyu wanted to pose for her, she was all in.

“Couldn’t you look for inspiration somewhere else? Somewhere safer?” The tall girl frowned instead.

“Oh, where else would I look in this wonderful, but still extremely tiny town? The forest’s the best place for that. Birds, flowers, landscapes.” Chaeyoung dramatically pointed around herself, as if all those aforementioned elements of nature just waited to be photographed by the future ace of photography at the best university in the country. In reality, there were mostly just really thick bushes and some boring oaks surrounding them, but Tzuyu could probably get the memo. 

The big, tired sigh that followed suggested that Tzuyu did, but she still wasn’t happy with the explanation. 

“Okay, how about that - I’ll accompany you while you’re taking your photos, and then you’ll go back to the safety of the town like the good girl that you are, so that Dahyun wouldn’t get worried about her friend. What do you think?” 

It was time for Chaeyoung to frown. Why was Tzuyu offering something like that? They weren’t that close. Why did she care?

“Ummm… Why?” She voiced her thoughts out loud. Tzuyu shrugged in response.

“Let’s just say I don’t want anyone else to be hurt.” 

“And why exactly are you here right now, since it’s so dangerous, huh?” The amount of suspicions in Chaeyoung was rising with each second. “What makes you different from me and allows you to roam around the wild freely?” Her eyes squinted when she measured Tzuyu from head to toe. 

Okay, she had to admit that Tzuyu’s physical characteristics probably allowed her to run a bit faster than Chaeyoung in case of any emergency, but if wolves were seriously killing people out there, did it really change anything? 

Tzuyu didn’t let herself be surprised by the question. 

“I live nearby. I know this place like the back of my hand.” 

“Oh, do you? Where?” Chaeyoung didn’t let it go.

“ Nearby .” Tzuyu’s smile was polite, but her eyes dared Chaeyoung to try and dig deeper - in case she wanted to risk her life obviously. 

“You know what? Whatever. I'm so bored that I don't mind.” Chaeyoung decided to just accept the offer. After all, Tzuyu didn't really come in the way of her plan. Chaeyoung would still get her photos, and she would still get to sniff around, just with company. It didn't really matter though, so she waved her hand at Tzuyu to follow her, and then set off along the same path she walked earlier. 

Surprisingly, Tzuyu obeyed and they walked in silence for a while, with Chaeyoung stopping to snap a photo or two once a few minutes. The camera served her not only for the photos though - through the lens, she could observe the area clearly, zooming in and out as much as she wanted, looking for any anomalies, like what she saw in the woods last time. She suspected that she wouldn't see anything like that with the other girl by her side, but it didn't hurt to check. 

They broke the silence soon, when Chaeyoung took a shot of an unsuspecting Tzuyu.

“Hey!” The tall girl protested. “Delete that!”

“Why? You look good. Here.” Chaeyoung presented her the camera screen. Then, quickly, to avert Tzuyu's attention from the photo, she asked:

“By the way, how’s Dahyun doing?”

Tzuyu turned to her with surprise.

“Why are you asking me that? Aren’t you in constant contact with her?” 

Chaeyoung wondered how much she could share with the tall woman. She had to admit that despite all the drama they had with Dahyun over her relationship with Sana back in high school, and the gradual way in which she was learning to trust her best friend’s girlfriend (and her friends) more and more… Tzuyu was still like a closed book written in Chinese for Chaeyoung. She knew nothing about the woman. And even if she did know something, she didn’t understand it.

But maybe if she shared a bit of her own thoughts, Tzuyu could offer up some useful info in exchange. 

“Well, technically. When we live together in the city, we basically talk all the time. But here, she kind of got claimed by Sana completely. And now you too suddenly seem to know what she would think about me going to the forest alone. So… you have to know something, right?”

“Okay, first of all…” Tzuyu started immediately, clearly catching herself on Chaeyoung’s hook. “She and Sana wanted to catch up, since they couldn't see each other during the school year. Second of all, I know nothing.”

“Hmmm… So you know something, but also don't know anything. Interesting.”

From the protective tone of Tzuyu's voice, Chaeyoung could guess that the girl could surely entertain her with some behind-the-scenes stories from the other side of the 'Dahyun + Sana = <3' equation. Chaeyoung couldn’t lie that she wasn’t eager to get to know Tzuyu’s point of view. She was especially curious, whether the girl knew why the heck someone as in love as Sana was with Dahyun, never visited their girlfriend while she was in college? It was always Dahyun who had to drive back to Moon Grove. Chaeyoung could understand a lot, but this thing was odd even for her, and it has been bugging her for a long time. And for some reason, she felt like asking Dahyun would make the girl uncomfortable or sad.

“Look, it’s not my business.” Tzuyu raised her hands to show that she meant no harm. “But I bet Dahyun would find more time for you, if only you asked her too.”

“I guess I will have to.” Chaeyoung decided to cut the topic. Seemed like Tzuyu didn’t want to share. Shame, but maybe it was for the best. 

Especially that, in some miraculous way that absolutely couldn’t be Tzuyu’s doing, they were just nearing the edge of the forest, where the trees were spread more and the main road could already be seen in the distance. The path here was wider too, and definitely more visited because the ground was clear of grass and rocks, and the dirt was more packed from the hundreds of feet stomping on it. 

“I think you’ve had enough photos of the forest already, right?” Tzuyu stopped there, giving Chaeyoung a sign that their walk together was coming to an end. “We’re pretty close to the town now, so you shouldn’t have trouble with getting there.”

Chaeyoung sighed, feeling like she was played after all. Here she was, talking with Tzuyu like with a friend, and the other woman used this opportunity to trick her into doing things her way. She wanted Chaeyoung gone from the forest, and she achieved that in the end.

“Fine, I guess.” Chaeyoung pretended to be tired. “I'll go home, if that makes you happy. My feet are dying anyway.”

“It would make me happy knowing that you're not trying to get yourself eaten by a wolf.” Tzuyu patted her back in response, as if she was praising a kid who scored a goal while playing football. “Also, those dramatic sighs don’t work for me. I can see from your face that you're dying to come back there. Please, don't. Seriously.”

The expression on Tzuyu's face was weirdly earnest - as if she really cared about Chaeyoung's safety. The small girl felt remorseful. 

“Fine, fine.” She sighed. “Then how about you posing for some photos somewhere else. I know a place near the town that would greatly compliment your type of beauty.”

Now that Chaeyoung thought about it, getting closer with Tzuyu sounded nice, even just for the sake of having another friend, not because she craved to obtain more information. 

Tzuyu didn't look convinced. 

“Come on, aren't you bored while Jihyo is still in the city?” Chaeyoung insisted. “It would be just a few hours, and if you don't like the effect, I'll delete everything.”

“Ugh… Okay.” Tzuyu rolled her eyes. “But just once.”

“Awesome.” Chaeyoung grinned, at the last moment stopping herself from reaching forward to hug the other woman. “I'll be going already then. I'll send you the details. See ya!”

She waved energetically. Tzuyu didn't reciprocate the gesture. Chaeyoung felt as if the woman's eyes were burning through her body; as if Tzuyu could read all her thoughts and guess when (because there was no ‘if’) she was going to break the promise of staying away from the woods.

At one point, the staring got so intense, that Chaeyoung felt the need to avert her eyes, focusing them on the tall trees around them and waiting for her heart to stop rushing. Apparently, the other woman could feel her nerves. 

“Chaeyoung?” Tzuyu waited for the girl to pay her full attention. “I’m once again strongly advising you against going on walks here alone. That’s not a threat, but a warning.”

A weird kind of shiver went down Chaeyoung’s spine under Tzuyu’s scrutinizing gaze. She gulped, observing as the tall woman’s eyes got darker and darker, both of them almost not winking at all in this silent battle. 

Then, as if nothing was said at all, Tzuyu raised her hand to wave Chaeyoung a silent goodbye and turned around without another word. She walked away along the path, gracious as always, and Chaeyoung felt tempted to follow her with her eyes for just a bit longer. It could appear quite odd though, so she quickly averted her eyes and turned around too. 

In the last moment, before she walked away, something told her to glance over her shoulder one more time. The path, and the forest on both sides of it too, was completely empty. There were no signs of anyone being there. And Tzuyu couldn’t walk fast enough to already disappear behind the next hill… Right? Weird. 

Then something black flashed between the trees. It was just a split second, and Chaeyoung’s sight wasn’t good enough for her to recognize whatever that was. Another shiver ran down her spine. 

Maybe she should really listen to Tzuyu’s advice? 

She has been walking for a good two hours after all. At least for today, it was enough of sports, and enough of investigation. 

Yup. She should head home already. She could always come back to the woods tomorrow, when she was rested and more energized. Maybe the break would clear her head of those stupid, irrational fears. 

(...)

Momo was in a particularly good mood that night. She didn't have any reason for that, she just felt temporarily free of any problems, even if just for the time of her shift behind the bar. The clients were eager to leave their money, the drinks were almost mixing themselves for her. This afternoon was good.

Jeongyeon stayed mostly in the kitchen, but when she needed to ask about something and her head showed up in the small window used to pass the food and dishes, there was a warm smile adoring her face, completely different from the cold expression that accompanied her the previous week. Momo welcomed this change with her own smile directed at her friend. 

Her mood got even better around seven, when the customer traffic got a bit less and she had a chance to beg a burger for dinner out of Jeongyeon. She was nearly finished with the food, when the door to the bar opened, letting the fresh outside air enter the conditioned building. A girl showed up in them, seemingly around Momo’s age, with long brown hair, round cheeks and big brown eyes. She didn’t come up to the counter though. Her steps stopped a good few meters from Momo.

“Hey, there!” The girl started before the bartender could even put the burger down. “Ummm… Is Mina here today?”

The smirk that slowly crawled on Momo’s face the next second looked probably a bit crazy, but she couldn’t help it. A girl, undeniably beautiful (one could even say sexy), was coming here to meet Momo’s little sister. That situation required Momo to do a little teasing. It was her sisterly responsibility. 

“Hmm… No, she’s not. Why?” She grinned at the girl. 

Being suspicious or worried didn’t even cross her mind. This girl smelled like nervousness, but a good kind one. She also smelled a bit like that disinfectant that Momo remembered from her visits in hospital when she was a little child, and like some kind of sweet candies. The mix was odd, but it somehow worked. And there was some kind of safety oozing off her that kept luring Momo in, telling her that this person over there was definitely trustworthy. 

“Oh, I was hoping I could catch her here.” The girl stepped from one foot to the other and kept playing with something she was holding in her hands. “But if she’s not here, then–”

“She should swing by in like two hours, when I’m off my own shift.” Momo felt like sharing, feeling like playing Mina’s wing woman for a bit. “You should definitely visit her then.” 

“Oh…” The girl hesitated. Then she smiled, showing an adorable case of bunny teeth. “Yeah. I’ll definitely come back later then.”

Momo hummed in response, her hand already halfway to her phone laying under the counter, ready to text whoever was currently available to learn about Mina’s new love interest. This evening was just getting more and more interesting…

On the other side of the half-open door leading to the backroom, Jeongyeon observed this situation with a frown. She could see the newcomer only partially, the girl standing too far away to notice the details, but she could definitely see Momo’s wide and happy grin. 

And she didn’t like it. 

Earlier, while working, she couldn't help but think how long it's been since the last time she really spent time with Momo. Not in the bar, not when passing each other in the bathroom on their way to work, just the real, quality time, which in their dictionary usually meant cuddling and talking about everything that had happened in their lives recently. The cuddling usually took place in different spots - in their house, in the forest, by the river - but it always meant that they left whatever could distract them away and truly focused on each other. 

This… This hadn't happened for a good while though. Jeongyeon was just considering whether it wasn't her fault (it probably was), and whether she should change the fact tonight because she was starting to miss her best friend, when she glanced through the door at Momo, and saw her talking to that undeniably pretty girl. 

Yup. Jeongyeon was quickly reminded of why exactly she stopped hanging out with Momo recently - because it hurt like hell to see her flirting with literally anyone else beside Jeongyeon herself. 

“... I'll definitely come back later.”

Oh… Yup. Momo probably had another date once again. No catching up for the two of them then. 

Sulking a bit that her plans were ruined so quickly, Jeongyeon reached for her smartphone. A new shiny message awaited for her there, delivered barely a minute earlier. The name of the contact caused Jeongyeon's pouted corners of lips to raise a bit. Chungha wasn't Momo, Jeongyeon wasn't in love with her yet. But she was a genuinely nice person, who also struggled with the difficulties of unrequited feelings. That night in the club, she was looking for someone who would distract her after a nasty break-up. Jeongyeon happily provided the necessary distraction, and since then the two of them have been meeting pretty regularly. 

The message from the girl informed her that tonight it could happen too. Jeongyeon just needed to agree and state the time when she would swing by Chungha's apartment. Disappointed with what she saw in the kitchen minutes earlier, Jeongyeon texted her back with a heavy sigh.

Momo's head showed up in the door to the backroom the next moment, surprising Jeongyeon. 

“Damn, warn a person! I almost got a heart attack.” Jeongyeon clutched her chest, quickly turning the screen of the phone away from her friend. Momo's eyes flicked with curiosity, but she ignored the issue when Jeongyeon blocked the device and put it away on the counter.

“Sorry. I was just meaning to ask whether you stay with Mina up to the closing time?”

“Why?” Jeongyeon raised her brows.

“Oh, I thought we could come back home together, if you're off earlier.” The bartender shrugged, her expression hopeful. 

Jeongyeon dismissed the urge to roll her eyes. Yeah, definitely . She was totally going to listen to Momo’s swooning about her date with the pretty girl while they walked home. No chance. She's been there, done that. It would end with another evening spent on patching up her broken heart.

“I'm busy tonight.” She said quickly. “Have to go somewhere.”

“Oh…” Momo seemed to be both surprised and not exactly surprised. Her face got a bit gloomy, but she managed to maintain her smile, despite it not reaching her eyes. “Sure. Have fun.”

“Thanks.” Jeongyeon sighed with relief when Momo returned behind the counter, where a customer was already awaiting her.

One problem less for her heart. 

(...)

The man stood in front of the room, towering over them all. All the officers, Sheriff included, crowded around him like a circle of believers in a church gathered around the figure of a saint. Every word leaving his mouth flew straight into their ears. Mr. Cho, also known as the Old Sheriff, was a man of a big experience, and despite his age, he couldn’t not be taken seriously. It’s been barely a few years since he retired from his position as the Sheriff of Moon Grove, and the free time on retirement hadn’t managed to dull his instincts yet. Everyone was aware that if anyone knew this land like the back of their hand, if anyone was able to go to the forest and stop the wolves from killing people, it was definitely Mr. Cho Seongsu. Nature was one of his passions right next to law. He was part of those woods, he lived like one with them. He knew everything about animals and plants residing around the mountains, he could notice the patterns of their lives, and he could find them even if they hid deeply from the eye of an inexperienced traveler. 

Jihyo’s grandfather was the cure to the disease that had been ravaging Moon Grove for weeks. Only that Sana wasn’t sure that while looking for the guilty, he wouldn’t accidentally hurt the innocent. 

“It kills me to say that, but unfortunately we have to hunt those wolves. That’s not something I would normally say, because we shouldn’t interfere with nature. But they are killing our people, they are hurting our families, so we can’t wait until it gets worse. Who knows, maybe next time it will be your wife, or your mother, or your little son. We have to act and show them that we are capable of protecting our land, before they come to the conclusion that they can do anything with us, and we’ll comply. Yes, those are wild animals - but those animals are smarter than you would think. So if we fight back, maybe they’ll get a bit more wary.” 

Those words sounded huge coming from his mouth. The officers were listening attentively, their minds sharp, their guns ready. 

“This night, and the next night…. And every night until we’re sure that we’re safe again, we’re going to hunt. You guys have to pair up, and we’ll find as many volunteers in the town as possible, and we’ll search this forest through from the north to the south, and from the west to the east. The wolves aren’t needles, they can’t hide under a leaf.”

“How do we know where to go?” Officer Wang spoke up the question that probably resided on everyone’s mind. “There are thousands of hectares of woods here. We won’t have that many people to be everywhere all the time.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Just as people, the wolves have their habits. They have the paths they like to cross, the spots in which they like to sleep, the streams where they drink. I’ve been living in this place since your parents weren’t even in plans. I know something here and there.”

Sana believed in his words. And most importantly, she believed in that big riffle he had hanging on his back. 

She couldn’t help but imagine if a bullet from it could someday be buried inside her body too. 

Hours later, when she finally left her job and reached her house, the reaction of the wolves was just as enthusiastic .

“What the fu–?!” Chan was especially worried.

“Why?” Dahyun wasn’t following. It made sense, she had moved to Moon Grove only a few years earlier and didn’t know the town’s whole history yet. “No offence to him and to Jihyo, but the man’s old and probably almost blind.”

“No, he’s not.” Chan kept pulling the hair out of his head, pacing around the living room. “He might be older than when he was still a Sheriff, but he’s smart and knows everything about Moon Grove. If he decides to hunt us, it’s over. Why, just why do we have to go through it all lately?!”

The desperate notes in his voice cause Sana’s stomach to churn again. She knew the feeling, she went through that phase of grief a few hours earlier already, but it didn’t mean she was fine with the situation now. 

Standing behind Sana’s armchair, Tzuyu crossed her arms.

“Maybe it won’t be that bad? He saved my life after all.” She spoke quietly, her voice still audible in the dead silence of the room. 

No one commented on her words. Sana wasn’t even sure that Tzuyu herself believed in them. Her left hand wordlessly searched for the younger woman’s one behind. When they connected, Sana squeezed both Tzuyu’s palm, and Dahyun’s, which she was holding in her right hand. On the other side, Dahyun grabbed Mina’s, and slowly, one by one, they formed a circle around the living room. 

Despite the worry in her heart, Sana felt a bit reassured that no matter what was going to happen, they would be somehow okay. Alive, at least.

“I need you guys to be super careful now, okay?” She made them promise. “I’ll do my best to mislead them and all, but I won’t be able to be everywhere.”

That thought was the worst: that no matter what she did, it wouldn’t be enough. 

(...)

That night, Mina didn’t enjoy her walk in the forest with Sana like usual. Despite already taking the whole morning shift, the older girl decided to join all the people and policemen in their night hunt, mostly to be able to inform her family in real time about the positions of the hunters and intervene if possible in case of emergency. Mina deeply appreciated the sacrifice, but she couldn’t help but feel sad that their little ritual was interrupted. 

Standing hidden in the darkness, behind a huge pine tree on a small hill, her eyes followed the gathering on the small main square of the town. When she tried to imagine such a thing earlier, a picture of an angry crowd from medieval times, with torches and forks, showed up in front of her eyes. What was happening here wasn’t all that different, despite the obvious development of technology. The men and women didn’t hold fire, but they used flashlights instead to light up the pitch blackness of the night. They also didn’t have forks, but long rifles able to kill in seconds. In the end though, they carried the same kind of fury and will to get their revenge. 

They just weren’t aware that while seeking a fight, they could accidentally hurt someone who wasn’t guilty of anything. 

Beside Mina, Tzuyu also had a similar worried gaze pointed at the armed crowd. They didn’t worry about tonight, at least not as much as about the night of the fool moon. Tonight, and every other usual night, their heads worked normally. They were able to outsmart the inexperienced people, who probably never walked deeper than a few kilometers inside the woods. 

During the full moon, all their senses would be mixed up. Their instincts would be focused on something completely different than avoiding the hunters. And most importantly, they wouldn’t be able to control their urge to attack in case some unsuspecting resident of Moon Grove crossed their paths with the wolves. In conclusion: a complete catastrophe. 

For now, there was no use in trying to predict what would happen though. The hunt was just beginning, with the people dividing into smaller groups and securing their weapons tightly in their hands. When the feet of the first hunter stepped between the trees, Mina and Tzuyu scurried away, into deeper bushes. Their eyes never left the group, glued to the murderous rifles and guns.

It was looking like a long night awaited them all - only the first of many. 

(...)

Mina couldn’t lie that before her next meeting with Nayeon, she didn’t fully expect the whole thing to go exactly like all their previous encounters - a quickie, most probably in Nayeon’s car, and then maybe a few words exchanged between them in an overall awkward atmosphere. 

Because that's how it still looked like, despite her honest desires to change the fact. She truly wanted to talk to Nayeon and explain everything, she was even ready to be a bit vulnerable in her honesty and reveal something about herself. Just that when it came to actually facing the girl, she didn't know how to start, so she chickened out and did exactly the same thing as always, letting herself fall into a temptation and feeling bad about it afterwards.

In conclusion, she wasn’t exactly proud of herself… but it wasn’t like this behavior was something new for her.

One way, or another, it surprised Mina deeply, when instead of the usual approach, after getting into Nayeon’s car, she was greeted with a quick but sweet kiss on the cheek. Then Nayeon simply put her hands back on the steering wheel, smiling slightly under her nose. No tension, no passion, just… Sweetness. Mina frowned, already suspicious.

“I would like to talk to you about something.” Nayeon started barely a few seconds later, out of nowhere, not even averting her eyes from the road. Totally unbothered. 

O-Oh… Mina’s heart instinctively picked up its pace. This… Didn’t sound really positive. The expression itself carried this stressful tone, even if Nayeon’s voice was generally calm. This combination of words usually brought to Mina’s life some changes that required her to go out of her safe bubble.

She didn’t like to go out of her safe bubble.

“O–key?” Mina muttered with a tiny voice. “About?”

“You’ll find out soon, okay?” Nayeon threw her one more sweet smile. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.”

“Easy to say.” Mina whispered under her breath. Her brain was already starting to create scenarios. The wonderful views of the forest passed on the other side of the window as they drove somewhere, and she was only able to focus on the slight tremble of her fingers. 

Apparently feeling the awkward atmosphere, Nayeon reached to turn up the volume of the music. Nostalgic tunes of an 80s song flooded Mina’s ears and suddenly a melancholic sadness was joining the nervousness already residing in her mind, because the sun was just setting, and the tops of the pines were lit up with this specific shade of yellow she could remember from her childhood. 

“Here, that’s a good spot. Right?” Nayeon asked suddenly, pulling up to the side of the road. They were pretty high up in the mountains at this point, almost on the pass connecting the road leading from one valley to the neighboring one. There was something akin to a small parking lot there, overlooking the whole area, probably made there for the purpose of stopping for a few quick photos, and Mina had to admit that the view was heart-stopping. The sunset colored the woods in warm shades, the peaks of the mountains looked mysterious hidden in its shadows… Okay, even if Nayeon was about to say that she had to murder Mina right at that moment, it was probably worth it to be there just to see that view. 

When Mina didn’t say anything for a while, just admiring the view, Nayeon stopped the engine and sighed with relief. 

“Pfff, that was a long day.” She said absentmindedly, probably not expecting any answer. Then her eyes turned to her passenger. “It’s been hard to catch you in the bar lately. I’ve checked a few days in a row…”

“Yeah, I’ve been kinda busy with my family.” Mina admitted, reluctantly averting her eyes from the sunset just to glance at Nayeon. “W- What did you want to talk about?”

A few seconds of silence followed this question, as Nayeon stared at the landscape. 

“You know…” She started then, her voice sounding not as confident as earlier. “I think we started out the wrong way. Not that there’s anything wrong with being friends with benefits, obviously, don’t get me wrong, I just– I think I would like something more, Mina. I understand, if you don’t want that, and if you’d like to end our situationship in this case, but… I don’t feel right with what we have now, I don’t feel like it’s right for me . I feel like I’m disrespecting you, and myself too.”

The way she was fidgeting with her fingers the whole time, and the way her voice was wavering - all of this was so not Nayeon-like. But when she finished with this monologue, allowing the whole car to sink into silence, it looked as if a huge weight was taken off her shoulders. She leaned back fully on the back of her seat, staring into the space. 

Mina’s mouth was wide open. In her imagination, obviously, because she wouldn’t let herself look stupid like that in real life. But inside her mind, it was laying on the floor, and Mina was stunned. 

Did she hear it right? Did Nayeon just say– Wait a minute… 

Her brain wasn’t cooperating. The prolonged silence made her feel like some kind of input on her side was expected, and Nayeon probably waited for Mina’s opinion, but Mina’s brain just didn’t follow.

“Ummm…” She hummed without realizing, trying to quickly come up with some words that would come together and create a coherent sentence.

When her eyes lifted to study Nayeon’s face, the woman was looking at her too, which didn’t help at all. But there was at least some kind of patience painted in her expression.

Mina suddenly felt utterly stupid. If she heard it right, all the things that she was so worried about before - being laughed at, not being brave enough with her body - they… They didn’t matter now? Because Nayeon wanted the exact same thing as Mina? And she felt the same from the beginning?

Really?

‘Dummy!’ Mina wanted to curse herself out. This whole relationship could’ve gone a whole differently, if they only talked about it before Mina made a fool out of herself. They could– They could’ve just started slowly, getting to know each other, feeling comfortable with each other first.

But no! Obviously, Mina had to assume the worst, like always. She had to paint Nayeon as the one who only wanted Mina for her body and for quick pleasure. ‘ Just… What the heck, Mina?’

A groan escaped her throat, and she bent suddenly, burying her face in her knees out of pure embarrassment. The movement, and the sound, had to scare Nayeon out, because she jumped on her seat. 

“You okay?” Her hand wandered on Mina’s back, making Mina jump too. “I- You– It’s not anything serious, if you don’t want to try any kind of relationship with me. Don’t worry, I’m not madly in love yet. You don’t have to be scared that I’ll stalk you or stand in front of your house, singing ballads out of misery. Although I have to admit objectively that my voice is quite okay, but that's not the case here–”

“It’s not that, Nayeon.” Mina interrupted the incoming word diarrhea. She sighed loudly. “My reaction wasn’t directed at you, more like at me. I– I think I would like to try that… that ‘more’ that you mentioned.” She draws the quotation marks with her fingers in the air.

“Oh, really?” Nayeon’s bunny teeth made their grand entrance, when the girl visibly perked up. “That’s… Okay, I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly, but I guess I’m happy about it.”

She sent a huge grin Mina’s way. Mina shyly reciprocated the smile, but then averted her eyes back to her knees. The atmosphere in the car went back to awkward, when both of them failed to come up with a way to comment on the topic. 

It wasn’t a bad kind of awkward though, like the one when Mina desperately wanted to escape and go back to her room. Quite the opposite, it was fairly comfortable, because Mina’s heart was beating faster now, and the butterflies in her stomach decided to have a party, and the inside of the car was nicely warm.

It was as if a weight was lifted from her own shoulders too. Curious, she looked - truly looked for the first time - at Nayeon, and what she saw there surprised her. The girl seemed to be relaxed now too, totally cozy behind the wheel, and totally not as intimidating as Mina perceived her before. She had this tired look on herself, but not in a bad way - in a good one, like after a whole day of living your life to the fullest. Her smile was gentle, but happy, with a solid potion of bunny teeth. The sun reflected in her eyes, creating sparkles of joy in her pupils.

“What?” Nayeon asked, catching Mina on staring at her. “Do I have something on my face?”

Mina’s cheeks flushed with pink. 

“N- No.” She quickly assured her. “You look nice, a-actually.”

“Aw, thank you.” Nayeon grinned smugly. “You look pretty yourself.” 

The pink on Mina’s cheeks darkened, and the girl bit her lower lip.

‘What do you do in such situations? What do you do in–’

“Do you want to go and try karting with me?” Nayeon suddenly fired out, completely out of nowhere, surprising Mina with the offer. “I got a gift card from one of my friends for a free hour on the track, and I immediately thought that you would like it.”

“Oh?” Mina got interested. Karting sounded quite fun. She loved racing in video games, so it should be even better in real life. Her shyness got immediately pushed to the back of her mind, and Mina’s eyes shined at Nayeon. The older woman giggled.

“I guess I was right in my guess. Awesome. I’ve heard the track is quite difficult, but we should be fine. I think I went there once to watch one of my friends driving when I was still living in the city…”

Oh…   Mina deflated instantly. In the city? She couldn’t do that. She couldn’t go there, she’s never been as far away from her pack.

Nayeon noticed her pout and her hand wandered on Mina’s to squeeze it reassuringly.

“I know the city’s not ideal, but… Don’t answer yet, ok? Give it a bit of time, maybe you’ll find it easier to decide in a few weeks, okay? I have to make a reservation and check all the details anyway.”

Mina pouted. Why would the time change anything? It’s not like she didn’t trust Nayeon or didn’t want to spend time with her now. A few weeks wouldn’t change anything when that wasn’t the real reason behind her hesitation. 

Damn, why did it all have to be so hard? Just when she was starting to have fun and actually live her life…

She nodded anyway. Busy with her sadness, she failed to see the double meaning in Nayeon’s words. And she failed to notice that the older woman could see quite well through her reasons. 

Nayeon was warm. Really warm, the exact same type as when one wakes up in the morning, laying in a comfy bed, fully rested and with rays of sun lighting up the room.

She didn’t expect Mina to agree so easily and effortlessly. The way the girl acted from the beginning made her really think that Mina was some kind of playgirl, or that there was a hidden camera somewhere near them every time they met, because why else would Mina be hot one moment and cold the next. And then the other way round. And then she would switch once again.

Obviously, there were cracks in Mina’s poker face. But what Nayeon saw in them wasn’t exactly enlightening. When Mina usually looked at her, there was a frown on her face, but also some kind of kindness in her eyes. Her scent was inviting, but also not - definitely not something Nayeon had encountered before, making it really hard to recognize its meaning. Ugh, complicated. 

But apparently Nayeon had a valid reason to act on her interests towards the girl after all. Good. Maybe finally the pieces of her life, that she couldn’t put in the right order earlier, were settling in the right places. She’s found a job that was both interesting and not too demanding. She’s had a nice place to live. There was one thing she still needed to take care of, but that was a problem for another day. It still needed more time and patience.

“Come on, let’s go for a walk here.” She offered, seeing that Mina was still busy with overthinking the karting thing. “There’s a nice route starting nearby, and the view there is even better.”

“Okay.”

Together, they got out of the car, and walked side by side to the place where the route turned inside the woods. Reluctantly, Nayeon reached for Mina’s hand, and she got positively surprised one more time, when the gesture was accepted. The skin of Mina’s palm was slightly cool, and caused a funny kind of tingling to dance inside Nayeon’s stomach. 

It didn’t surprise her that Mina didn’t have a problem with hiking up the demanding trail. After all, the girl’s been living in the mountains her whole life. Unfortunately, that caused their walk to be way shorter than Nayeon hoped it to be, and soon, they were back to the car. 

Nayeon really wanted to prolong their time together, and she could see that Mina didn’t exactly dislike it too. But they were both tired after the long day of work. And Nayeon had the morning shift tomorrow, so she had to be up really early.

So with disappointment, but hope for more someday, she decided to drive Mina back home.

“Where should I go?” She asked, realizing that she probably shouldn’t be aware of Mina’s home address. She didn’t obtain this information illegally, she just followed Mina’s scent through the woods until she found the place, but it still sounded pretty stalker-like to know where Mina lived without the girl ever talking about that.   

“Oh, just drop me near Strategy, I’ll be fine from there. I could get back with my sister, or something…” Mina waved her off. 

Okay, so they weren’t there yet. Fair enough, Nayeon couldn’t bring Mina to her own house too for now. As long as they were heading there slowly, Nayeon didn’t plan on pushing Mina to do something she was comfortable with. Besides, maybe Mina was pretty oblivious about Nayeon’s smell, but her family probably wasn’t. The risk was too high that she would be recognized too early, and it would end badly for one of the parties. 

As they drove down the mountain, the darkness slowly fell over the whole world. The radio switched to playing some soft jazz tunes, and Nayeon felt herself get too comfy. Beside her, Mina sat in complete silence, and Nayeon honestly thought that it was starting to get too quiet, until she turned her head for a moment and noticed that Mina simply drifted off. The girl’s neck was bent in a slightly weird way, her head leaned on the window, her mouth a bit open. 

Nayeon grinned at the adorable sight, and slowed down, paying more attention to the bumps on the asphalt, so that some sudden movement wouldn’t wake Mina up. She wasn’t in any rush, a few minutes wouldn’t change much in terms of her terrible sleeping schedule, and Mina looked so cute and soft beside her, trusting Nayeon to get her safely to their destination. 

However, all things have to come to an end at some point, and not even fifteen minutes later, they were pulling up to the parking lot next to ‘Strategy’. Mina stirred out of her sleep when the engine noise stopped reaching her ears, and the car was once again engulfed in deep silence. 

“Oh… I fell asleep.” She gasped quietly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it, it was just really warm, and–”

“Relax.” Nayeon giggled. “I don’t mind. You probably needed a few minutes of a nap, and I’m happy to provide.”

Mina’s cheeks were painted in a light blush. 

“Thanks. I should probably get going.” She reached to open the door. 

Nayeon really wanted to stop her, say that she didn’t mind Mina staying the whole night long, but they weren’t there yet. Quickly, she jumped out of the car and walked around it to hold the door for her passenger. The blush on Mina’s cheeks once again darkened. 

At this point, if Nayeon drank a shot each time Mina got shy and blushy, she would be long dead to this world. And that would be such a shame, because she could feel her life was only starting to get really good now.

“Ummm…” She scratched her neck, wanting to say something more to Mina, to make her more convinced that it was a good choice to choose her, but the mess inside her head didn’t allow her to focus. “I know that I said that I don’t feel right with rushing things and– and skipping straight to being only fuck buddies, but… Doing things slowly and from the beginning doesn’t mean that we have to completely withdraw the affection, right?”

The pout that showed up on Mina’s face when Nayeon was talking about doing things slowly, disappeared instantly, and Nayeon grinned. Then she opened her arms. 

“Come here.”

Mina obediently dived right between them, securing her arms around Nayeon’s waist. Nayeon felt herself getting hot, as Mina’s sweet scent reached her nostrils. It carried a good amount of shyness, a bit of awkwardness, but also a ton of joy and relief. And it lured Nayeon to bring her nose closer, and closer, and–

Mina pulled away, her cheeks pink once again. Then she quickly - almost so quickly that Nayeon would totally fail to notice it if not for the burning mark on her face - she leaned closer and pecked Nayeon’s left cheek. 

Before Nayeon managed to blink, there was no Mina standing in front of her anymore. She was alone in the parking lot.

Alone with her own cheeks in the color of beetroots, with her heart racing like a kart on a track, and with her hands trembling slightly out of excitement. 

(...)

The morning welcomed the wolves at the living room table, with a breakfast cooked by Dahyun awaiting them patiently. Still exhausted after the previous night’s hunting and a bit grumpy that she didn’t get to wake up next to her girlfriend, Sana still pressed a big kiss on Dahyun’s lips as a thank you for her work.

“Quit making out in front of my salad, it’s disgusting.” Momo rolled her eyes immediately, but she didn’t exactly avert her eyes, staring like a creep until Chan nudged her arm. 

Jeongyeon was nowhere to be seen, Mina looked like a zombie, smiling into space with her eyes in the shape of hearts, the kids were bickering about a piece of meat everyone wanted, and Tzuyu was playing with her phone, grinning like a mad woman. Sana sighed. Yup, that was home for her. 

“You know that you don’t have to be a personal cook for us, right?” She murmured to Dahyun, putting a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s your vacation, babe, and so far you’ve been waking up before dawn just to play a maid.”

“I wanted to do something nice for you, guys. Life’s been stressful for you all lately, so that’s the least I can do.” Dahyun smiled at her sadly. 

Sana knew that she too was stressed. And lately, the fear and nerves during the day were joined by lonely evenings spent on waiting for Sana to come back home from her hunting duty with Jihyo’s grandfather. 

So Dahyun didn’t have to do any work for them, but if she wanted to, Sana didn’t plan on saying anything anymore. As long as Dahyun didn’t feel obligated, making herself busy with mundane house chores was probably good for her mental health.  

“Thank you, hon.” Sana pressed one more kiss, this time on Dahyun’s cheek. 

“You’re welcome. Now sit down and eat, before it gets cold.” Dahyun scolded her. Sana obediently scurried away. 

Despite the general chaos and noise during the meal, the tension could be sensed in the air. Everyone could already feel the incoming full moon the following night, and they still didn’t come up with any solution for the possibility of meeting one of the hunters on their way during that vulnerable time. 

“What makes you so smiley, huh?” Sana asked towards the end of the meal, when Tzuyu failed to pay her even an ounce of attention during this whole time, still staring at her phone all the time. 

Tzuyu raised her head with excitement beaming from her eyes.

“Jihyo finally comes back home tomorrow. She’s done with her exams already.”

“She passed everything?” Sana hummed with admiration. She knew her friend was pretty smart, but damn, that was impressive. Tzuyu had to think exactly the same, because she grinned proudly. 

“Yup. Everything on the first attempt.” 

Sana patted her back with fondness. Happiness looked good on Tzuyu.

On the other side of the table, the mood wasn’t cheerful, mostly thanks to Momo’s huge scowl. Sana suspected what this was about - Jeongyeon not coming back home the previous night and still being absent - but this knowledge didn’t get her any closer to finding out a way to help her friend. The puppy eyes Momo was doing currently made Sana completely abandon her urge to tease the girl because of her obvious unresolved feelings towards Jeongyeon. Maybe Sana knew about them already, but Momo didn’t, and it was probably going to be better to wait a bit more and not spoil the girl the joy of finding out that she was developing a crush on her long-time friend. 

Also, the circumstances weren’t right for that. They had more urgent problems to tend to than some unresolved feelings. 

“Are you already in on the plans for tonight’s hunt?” Chan’s voice quickly brought her back to their a bit sad reality. “Which part of the forest do they plan to search up?”

Oh, Sana wished she knew. That would be so easy, because they would just be able to avoid that part of the woods. 

“No. They will probably decide later.” She sighed. “At least that’s how it has been for the past few days. The old Sheriff’s really strict about the element of unpredictability, as if he at least had some idea that he's not really fighting against animals.”

“Well, he does tend to treat animals like part of his family.” Tzuyu pointed out, more familiar with the man than any of them. “But I doubt he would believe in such a phenomenon like a wolf changing into a human. For the time I've been living with Parks and when I visited his house with Jihyo, he never realized that there's something more happening behind the scenes.”

“Good to know…” Chan scratched his chin, deep in his thoughts. Sana felt Dahyun reaching to squeeze her hand, but before she could squeeze back, there was a loud ringing echoing in the whole room. 

“Oh, sorry.” She excused herself from the table to grab her phone from where she left it in her jacket, prepared to be taken with her to work. "It's from my job.”

Ever attuned to her girlfriend, Dahyun followed Sana with her eyes, just to check that everything was okay. Sana sent her a quick wink, followed by a flying kiss. The voice she heard through the speaker didn't match the mood of this playful gesture. 

“ Get yourself ready, Minatozaki. I'm picking you up in fifteen, and we're going to the coroner's office.”

(...)

Sana knew that it was a bad idea the moment she heard the word “city” coming out of Sheriff's mouth. Because since the moment she joined, or maybe more like created together with Chan, their little family, she never stepped foot out of Moon Grove. Not even to visit Dahyun in college. She knew it was simply physically impossible for her to be as far away from the other wolves and her home. And it wasn’t even anything strange, because most of the wolves felt like that. There were obviously exceptions, like Tzuyu who was strong enough to spend months apart from her pack, but generally, the exceptions were really just that - an exception. Happened maybe one in a million. Sana didn't even aspire to leave so far away, especially on the day before the full moon, when she longed to stay with her pack even more.

The problem was that she had no choice. Telling ‘no’ would be an insubordination, and although in the case of justified reason, Sheriff would probably bend to her request to avoid that trip, because he wasn't cruel, Sana didn't exactly have any justified reason. It was just a few-hour trip. Saying that her imaginary dog got sick and she had to supervise it wasn't a good enough excuse, when Sheriff knew well that Sana's family was home. Saying that she was unable to drive to the city, because her whole body would start to hurt when she was far away from her pack didn't sound believable either.

So she entered the car obediently, and was currently trying to distract herself with the views outside, because it was just starting to get really hard. Her phone kept buzzing from time to time, Dahyun probably determined to keep her mind occupied with messages, but Sana felt nauseous even trying to look at the screen. 

“Why are we going there exactly?” She asked Sheriff, when the nagging feeling that was trying to force her to jump out of the car and run back to Moon Grove started to get unbearable. 

“Remember the two kids we found near the White Bear’s Waterfalls?” Sheriff answered with a question. When Sana nodded, he continued: “Well, apparently the coroner discovered that a human’s involvement could be possible in this case.”

“But we excluded it the first time, right?” Sana recalled. Her brain temporarily switched into detective mode, allowing her to dismiss her struggle. “There were no signs that anyone helped the animals with killing Mr. Lee.” 

“That’s right. And it was the same when it came to the second victim, that rich tourist. We got results today too.” Sheriff confirmed. “When it came to the kids though, there was something the coroner wanted to tell us in person. Either it’s connected to our case, or not - he’s not sure yet.”

The coroner repeated Sheriff’s words when they arrived at his office nearly two hours later. At this point, Sana could barely think and create coherent sentences. She tried her best to stand upright, but her head was literally spinning, as if she was dead drunk. The itching under her skin that she couldn’t really scratch was the worst though. It made her feel terrified without any real danger present at the moment. 

Even Sheriff noticed that something wasn’t right.

“You’re really pale, Minatozaki. Have you eaten some breakfast? Or maybe you’re sick?”

Sana just hummed in response, wishing that he would let go and that the meeting with the coroner wouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes. 

Well, unfortunately, in the last days, the coroner didn’t stop being Sheriff’s friend, and the men spent way too much time chatting about nonsense before skipping to the actual reason for the police officers’ visit there. Sana just tried not to throw up. 

“See these marks here?” The coroner pointed at the two bodies laying on the tables in the cold room. For once, the low temperature actually bothered Sana a bit. “The children have been yanked quite hard by their hands, and it definitely happened before their death. There are also some bruises on their legs, but there was a lot of dirt on the skin there, so it probably resulted from walking around in the forest. The marks on the hands though… Well, either their parents are a hell of abusers, or someone forced those kids to leave the house in which they were staying, because they didn’t want to go on their own.”

“The parents of the friend in which the kids were staying would probably notice if something was wrong. Or the friend would. But they said nothing. We can’t rule out the possibility of home abuse, but that’s definitely an interesting trace.” Sheriff agreed, looking at the bruises from every possible angle. 

Sana was breathing in and out. In and out… In… and… out…

“Sir, I’m gonna… step out for a minute, okay?” She mumbled seconds later, when a particularly strong wave of nausea hit her. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth. 

“Yeah, go on.” The man straightened, looking at her with worry in his eyes once again. “I’m gonna join you in a minute.” 

She barely reached outside and found some deserted alley before her stomach was already getting rid of its contents. Her skin was burning when she dropped down on her knees. 

Her fingers were barely able to squeeze around her phone, because she suddenly felt so weak.

“Dahyunnie?” She whispered into the phone when the first sound of the connection being accepted rang in her ear. “Please, come pick me up…”

Dahyun had to hear the pain in her voice, because she didn’t even ask anything.

“Yeah, sure. On my way.” She said with seriousness. “Don’t hang up, let me talk to you while I’m driving, okay?”

Sana nodded, not conscious enough to realize that Dahyun couldn’t see her. 

“Please, hurry up.” She begged. 

She didn’t even notice that soon, Sheriff found her, kneeling on the ground just to see what the heck was wrong with her. He talked to her, but she didn’t hear it. The time seemed to not go by at all while she waited for literally any help. 

Then, finally, Dahyun arrived. It didn’t help with the pain, it didn’t soothe the itch, but at least Dahyun’s scent was so comforting.

“I’ll take her with me, sir.” Dahyun spoked to the dead-worried Sheriff, with whom she already spoke earlier over the phone, right after he found Sana and heard the device with connection still active. “Thanks for taking care of Sana.”

“No problem, I really didn’t do anything.” The man sighed. “I would literally help her, if I knew how.”

“It’s fine, there was nothing you could do.”

“I’ll give her a few days off to get better. Just… Let me know when you two reach home, okay?” 

Dahyun smiled with gratefulness, moved by the man’s fatherly instincts. 

“Sure. She’s gonna be fine soon, don’t worry.”

Luckily, he didn’t ask more questions, more concerned about Sana’s well-being than the hidden meaning behind Dahyun’s reassurance. Sana felt herself being pushed into the car, and soon the belt was strapped over her body. 

“Hang on, baby.” Dahyun pecked her forehead. “I’ll take you home to the pack and you’ll be better in no time.”

Sana whimpered tiredly, feeling a cold sweat running down her back. She was never leaving Moon Grove again. Never.  

Chapter Text

Part 2 - First quarter

A gunshot cut the midnight air. A loud whimper followed. Then a wolf’s body fell to the ground. 

“I got it.” The man’s voice carried a triumph. “Damn, I got it!” He gritted his teeth in a satisfied smirk. 

Immediately, two younger men put their own rifles down, their eyes straining to see through the darkness. 

“It’s running away.” Jackson noticed. “Do we chase it, sir?” 

“No, it’s too dangerous. The ground’s tricky here, it’s easy to trip or fall into some hole, and then your leg’s already broken.” The old Sheriff tried to see anything in the darkness too, but the forest here descended abruptly, the hill transcending into a ravine. The wolf might have as well fallen into it with the way it scurried away in panic. “It’s unlikely for it to survive that shot anyway. We’ll come back here in the morning to find the body. Let’s go. There’s more of them.”

“Copy that.” BamBam nodded. His walkie-talkie buzzed with a voice.

“Bam, Jackson, report! I’ve heard a gunshot. ” Sheriff commanded.

“Mr. Cho shot one of them, sir!” BamBam said. “The rest is running away towards you. Over.”

“Okay, we’ll try to take ‘em over in our area. Over and out! ”

(...) 

Sana was trying hard to catch her breath. The air was thick with tension and the smell of blood was terrible, but it was fear and the pace of the run that squeezed her chest, preventing the air from coming into her lungs. 

At first, her brain didn’t recognize whose whimper followed the gunshot. The leaves rustled too loudly under their legs, the sounds of the other wolves around her distracting her from focusing fully. And there was also the Moon, messing with their mind relentlessly; usually comforting and bringing them together, this time making their escape as hard as possible.

It wasn’t supposed to be that bad. Yes, Sana expected that they would struggle with avoiding meeting the hunters. She had a terrible feeling about it the whole day, especially after her trip to the city with Sheriff, after which Dahyun was barely able to bring her back home alive. And she felt so guilty about not being able to go back to the precinct and get some info about this night’s hunting areas. 

But she couldn’t change that already, especially with her body so exhausted with the sickness running it the whole day. The need to have her whole pack physically in the house to be able to recover was honestly a bit embarrassing too. By the time she finally came to her right mind and dealt with all those symptoms of being away from the other wolves (that unfortunately didn’t disappear immediately when she reunited with her pack), it was already too late. The Moon showed up in the sky. And she knew they were pretty doomed.

But damn, it wasn’t supposed to be that bad. 

And then they noticed another wolf on their path. Big, black, similar to the one that attacked Dahyun. No one blamed Tzuyu for running after it. Even if she wasn’t fueled purely on the moonlight, her instincts would probably tell her to protect their pack and their territory anyway. 

Just seconds out of the shadows, out of the protection of the darkness, were enough to make an alive target for the hunters out of poor Tzuyu. The rest of the pack followed her, to support their sister, and to chase the enemy wolf themselves, but it was too fast for them. And the rifle belonging to one of the hunters already fired away. The pain-staked yelp made the blood in their veins freeze. 

Somehow, they didn’t stop. Tzuyu tripped and fell down, but by some miraculous force, maybe the influence of the Moon itself, she was able to get up and continue running with them. 

Away from the people, away from the danger. That was the only good thing in this whole horrible night. But then, barely on the next hill, Tzuyu started losing too much blood. The rest of the wolves noticed too and they slowed down, finally stopping completely, because the black wolf wasn’t running anymore. She was barely crawling. Despite the darkness of Tzuyu’s wolf coat, Sana could notice the area where her fur was wet, glued together, shining with blood. Panic filled her instantly.

Because the worst thing? 

They couldn’t do anything. There was literally nothing they could do. Even if they managed to come back home, they weren’t able to turn back to their human bodies as long as the Moon shone brightly on the night sky. And judging by Tzuyu’s shallow breath, by that time help wouldn’t be necessary anymore. As wolves, controlled by their instincts, they were useless. They couldn’t even communicate. They couldn’t even tell Tzuyu to lay down, so that they could cover the wound and prevent the wolf from losing more blood. 

It was a fucking disaster!

And Tzuyu was visibly weaker already. The panic in her eyes didn’t help at all. 

Sana had to do something. 

Her brain didn’t actually cooperate at that moment, but her first thought in the moment of fear was obviously Dahyun. 

Dahyun was at home now, most probably not asleep, because she was worried about their safety too. 

Dahyun was the only one able to help Tzuyu now, because unlike Sana, she had her hands free to do stuff.

Dahyun wasn’t a trained doctor, but her help was better than nothing, right?

A low, short bark escaped Sana’s throat when she mentally patted her own back, praising herself for the good idea. The rest of the wolves turned to her, and Sana prayed that they understood what she planned to do, because they needed to stay here with Tzuyu and protect her. 

Momo’s eyes were shining brightly in the darkness. If someone had the chance to understand Sana without words, it was that girl. They’ve always shared the same brain cells. Judging by the scent coming out of Momo’s body, the wolf was getting Sana’s idea. She barked out a short, confirming sound. 

Sana didn’t waste more time, throwing herself between the trees. Opposite to the hunters, for her the wilderness didn’t pose any threat. Her senses, sharpened to the maximum by the full moon, could detect every smell, every sound and every change in the terrain. Her body was filled with energy, programmed to chase, to kill, to survive. 

The only problem in this situation was Dahyun. Okay, maybe ‘problem’ was too dramatic a word, but it kind of was the problem for Sana, because despite being their desired savior, Dahyun was still a human being. Wolves during the full moon and humans didn’t cooperate well. Sana could already feel her wolf instincts going wild the closer she was to home. She wasn’t sure whether she would be able to stop herself from being aggressive in the presence of Dahyun. 

She had to try though. There was no other way, if she wanted to save Tzuyu. The poor girl wouldn’t survive until the morning. And Sana wouldn’t survive anyone’s death either. 

The house was already there. Sana felt the smell of fresh blood in the air, but she wasn’t sure whether it was the remnants of Tzuyu’s blood staying on her own fur, or maybe she could already smell Dahyun’s body despite the distance. Her head was mixing up everything now, making her tremble with the urge to go straight there and kill, and get her teeth stuck in something.

She reached the door swaying like an addict, barely seeing anything around her. When her paws hit the hardwood, the scratching noise of the claws almost made her bend in half and whine in pain. It was too loud, too raw, too abrupt. 

But she didn’t stop. She had to… She had to… Why was she here? The moon was calling here to go back to her pack. 

She needed her pack. 

But she also needed to find Dahyun… for some reason. So she scratched again, this time also whining. She wasn’t stupid enough to bark or howl. The moon could mess with her head, but it wouldn’t mess with her instincts to survive, and being quiet was essential for surviving now. 

Her body suddenly trembled when she felt a fresh wave of some delicious, luring smell. Would it be that bad if she actually attacked someone tonight? Just once. 

“Wh- Who’s there?” A faint voice reached her sensitive ears from the inside of the house and Sana immediately froze. 

Dahyun.

Dahyun .

Her teeth bared on their own and Sana growled, but stayed in place. 

The door cracked open.

“S- Sana? What are you doing here?” Dahyun stuttered out, fear oozing off her in waves, swirling with the smell of blood flowing in her veins. Sana felt like a dog on a leash, ready to jump on the prey. She was stopping herself with the last bits of will remaining in her. 

“What’s wrong, puppy?” Dahyun’s voice held urgency this time, but the sweet name soothed Sana a bit and reminded her once again that she wasn’t supposed to kill this person. She was loyal to this human. This… This human was good. 

“Sana, you shouldn’t be here.” 

Sana totally agreed. In response, her teeth bared even more and she wasn’t able to stop herself anymore. She jumped at Dahyun. Luckily, the girl was able to move away quickly enough, because Sana’s paws would be already on her chest, pinning her to the ground, ready to tear the skin. 

Instead, she landed on the floor inside the house. 

Focus! Focus! Tzuyu was in danger! 

The surprised and terrified scream that broke out of Dahyun’s throat was able to sober Sana up enough to allow her to remember why she came here at all. She scurried away, already remorseful just seeing the fear on her girlfriend’s face. Sana could just hope that Dahyun would forget it someday. 

“Sana! Did something happen?” Luckily, Dahyun was able to quickly collect herself and her voice was steady and firm. Maybe she wasn’t lying after all, that she wasn’t scared of the wolves anymore. “Show me, puppy.”

Oh, that was actually a good idea. Sana threw herself towards the door, at the last possible moment realizing that Dahyun wouldn’t understand this way. But–

Suddenly enlightened, Sana ran to the kitchen, jumping on the counter. There, hidden in one of the cupboards was a first-aid kit. Sana nosed at the door. 

“Do you want food?” Dahyun’s forehead was scrunched in confusion, but she opened the door anyway. Sana’s teeth shot forward the next moment, so fast that the girl wasn’t even able to get scared. Fortunately, Dahyun’s hand wasn’t the target. Sana grabbed the first-aid kit in her steel grip, instantly thankful that she had something to hold on. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stop herself from sinking her sharp fangs in some fresh meat.  

“Oh my G– Did someone get hurt?” Dahyun’s voice wasn’t steady anymore. Her already pale face got even paler. “Fine, fine. Lead the way. Wait, hold on! Is it far away? My keys– Do I need something? Fuck!”

Sana barked. One short, commanding sound. Reprimanding. They didn’t have time. Dahyun exhaled.

“Yes, you’re right.” She ran her hand through her hair. “Bark once, if it’s far away and I need to drive there.”

Sana rolled her eyes, but barked anyway. Dahyun nodded quickly and she was already on her way to get the keys. Before she could get into the car, Sana was already starting off, determined to run there, leading the car the whole way there. 

Damn, if she had to, she would lead Dahyun to the end of the world. Anything to save Tzuyu. Luckily, she had enough energy to run like that the whole night. 

(...)

Dahyun was straining her eyes, trying to follow the running wolf in front of the car. She couldn’t drive fast this way, but it was still faster than she would be able to move on her own legs. Especially since they were already quite far away from the house - Dahyun couldn’t imagine her nerd, weak ass running that far. 

To be honest, she just hoped not to meet the hunters. She could deal with anything else.

Well… As she was about to find out a few minutes later… Not exactly. 

She had to leave the car by the main road soon, because the path leading inside the forest was too narrow to fit the huge vehicle. But the place where Sana wanted to take her wasn’t far away. Dahyun was really glad, because she could barely see anything in the darkness, and the flashlight in her phone wasn’t really helping, especially since she tried to use it on the lowest setting so the light wouldn’t be spotted by anyone else remaining in the area. Honestly, the faint yellow light was making the whole situation quite creepy and Dahyun fought really hard not to think about the last time she was in the forest at night. It didn’t end well for her back then. At least now Sana was a few steps ahead, so she could be by Dahyun’s side in seconds in case of any emergency. Obviously, if she didn’t jump on Dahyun herself. 

Dahyun pushed this scenario to the back of her mind. If she was able to really think about it, their current dynamic - the fact that her girlfriend was using all her brain power not to eat Dahyun alive - would probably appear quite fucked up for someone observing it from outside, so she was glad there was no time for her to think at all. Besides, she trusted Sana, even if Sana didn’t trust herself. They were through a lot during the years of their relationship, one full moon wasn’t able to change much between them. 

She didn’t have similar trust in the other wolves yet, so she was really thankful that when her flashlight finally revealed the colorful pack standing in a small dean, they all quickly scurried away from her path. Maybe they understood, maybe all that was needed was a short growl from Sana - Dahyun wasn’t complaining either way.

“Oh, good. So it’s here–”

And then her eyes found the reason for Sana’s urgency. And her heart stopped beating. 

For the first few seconds, it seemed as if she lost the control over her legs, because they nearly gave up under her. Then, a single shallow breath escaped Tzuyu’s throat, and all the gears in Dahyun’s brain kicked into the right places. She moved instantly, dropping on her knees by the black wolf’s side. 

“Hang on, Tzu.” She whispered, her voice trembling. “What’s wrong with you, baby?”

It was hard to spot the wound at first. Tzuyu’s coat was thick, wet, covered in mud, blood and dirt. Besides, Dahyun wasn’t a doctor. And she had no tools to fix anything here. Logically, she knew why Sana’s first thought was to bring her here, because she was still able to do a bit more than the wolves. 

But it didn’t mean she suddenly magically knew how to take a bullet out of a body. Because she could guess that was what had happened. Their worst nightmares came true, and the hunters caught the pack in their ambush.  

Dahyun cursed quietly, grabbing her head in her hands. What could she do!?

The only thing coming to her mind right now was somehow securing the wound and taking Tzuyu back to the house. There she would have more time to think. As far as she could see, there was no blood coming out from under Tzuyu’s body, so the bullet had to be stuck inside. 

Dahyun sniffled, only now realizing that tears were covering her cheeks. She wiped it off furiously, probably smearing some dirt over her face.

“Okay, Tzu. I’ll carry you to the car, huh?” 

How? She wasn’t sure. The wolf was heavy. But she’s heard that in case of an emergency, adrenaline made people stronger. Maybe it could be like that in this situation. 

“Try to hang on until we reach home, okay? I’ll figure something out then. On three. One… Two…”

Gritting her teeth out of effort, Dahyun put her hands under Tzuyu’s body. The wolf whined silently in protest and Dahyun mentally apologized to her thousands of times. She felt the phone slipping off her thigh when she stood up, but she ignored it. She wouldn’t be able to carry it in order to light up the road anyway. She had to trust Sana to lead her back to the car somehow. 

She barely took a few steps and her arms and back were already crying in effort. Behind her, the leaves were rustling, and somewhere far away, she heard a man’s voice shouting something. It had to be the hunters. Her heart, already beating like crazy, picked up its pace even more. The sheer fear she was feeling at that moment alone allowed her to move forward, but she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to handle Tzuyu’s weight. Back then, when she had first met the wolves in high school, they were already big. Now, adults and with muscles, they weighed probably two times more than Dahyun herself.

But she couldn’t give up. 

Dahyun sniffled once again, gritted her teeth and took one more step forward. 

Then one more. 

More tears streamed down her face.

“Don’t worry, Tzu. You’re safe with me.”   

(...)

Mina observed intently the dark figure of the girl and the wolf walking up the narrow path, slowly but surely getting away from the pack. She wanted to trust Dahyun so badly. 

But she was also aware that Tzuyu’s chances were low. Only some miracle could help her, because even if Dahyun reached the house and evacuated Tzuyu away from the danger, what more could she do? She wasn’t by any means a doctor, so she had little to no knowledge how to take a bullet out of one’s body. An animal on top of that, whose anatomy was after all a bit different than a human’s one. 

There was nothing else they could do though. They were helpless. 

Mina’s head hung low, sad and lifeless… And maybe because of that, she was able to spot the lone white wolf standing on the neighboring hill, maybe a kilometer away from them. The fur on the back of Mina’s neck instantly stood up in attention. 

The last time she had met this intruder, while they were patrolling the neighborhood together with Chan, Mina learnt a few interesting things about the creature. And back then, it seemed to be peaceful after all. This time, it just stood there too, still but attentive. Its posture didn’t appear proud and powerful though, like the last time, but more like resigned and morose. 

And then the wolf raised its head and howled. 

Mina felt a weird kind of pull inside her body. The heads from all the other wolves from her pack turned towards the sound and she knew they felt it too. It was a foreign feeling, one she had never felt before and failed to recognize its meaning. 

There was another feeling there next to it though - betrayal. They were fairly safe in the darkness of the woods before. The hunters moved on from this area. Yet, the white wolf seemed to be persistent to bring them back. And now they weren’t safe anymore.

Mina growled with anger. 

Before she could do anything, before any of them could do anything, the white wolf - obviously - ran away. Once again. 

As if mocking them and their sadness. As if making fun of Tzuyu’s pain. As if playing with their pack, showing how weak and useless they were in protecting their territory. As if picking up a fight. 

Chan growled too, seeing how Mina wanted to immediately follow and take up the challenge. She submitted, because after all, his word was final. But deep down she knew that the next time she was going to see this stupid piece of wool, she was going to show them finally. She was done with those tricks. 

Now the safety of their pack was more important. Tzuyu’s health was most important. 

(...)

Dahyun’s hands were trembling. 

It was weird, because generally, she was extremely calm. She didn’t have any trouble with driving back home, and then she casually carried Tzuyu inside, predicting all the steps she needed to do before, so that bringing the injured wolf wouldn’t cause her any problems. She opened the door wider, securing it with a rock so it wouldn’t close. She put a fluffy blanket on the floor so that the wolf wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Then, after putting Tzuyu on the prepared spot, she went to gather all the things she could imagine were essential for a medical procedure like taking a bullet out of a body.  

She dreaded the moment she was about to do that, but well… There was no other way, right? 

Her brain was working perfectly well, she didn’t have trouble with focusing…

So why the heck were her hands trembling like that? She wasn’t even able to hold anything, let alone take a phone - Sana’s one, because hers was lost, so the device needed a code, and Dahyun wasn’t even able to push any buttons - and google how to take a bullet out of an animals’ body. 

“F- Fuck. Get a grip, stupid.” She scolded herself with her teeth chattering. Weird… She wasn’t cold, yet her body behaved as if she was. 

Trying with all her might to form a fist with her hand, she hit the floor a few times, out of frustration and in hopes of regaining control over the misbehaving limb. Then she reached for the phone once again.

“S- Siri!” She called out, not even waiting for the AI assistant to answer. “How do I take a bullet–”

The door stood open with a big noise. Dahyun’s head snapped up, her eyes wild and huge. Behind her, Siri started talking with her monotonous voice. 

Dahyun gulped. 

(...)

Nayeon walked inside the house, breathing hard like a horse after a race. She was angry. Furious even.

How the heck could that happen that Tzuyu out of everyone had to be injured? And Nayeon couldn’t do a damn thing about that. 

She just hoped she wasn’t too late. 

“Get out!” She snapped at the pale girl sitting on the floor next to the black wolf. “Before you kill her.”

She didn’t mean to talk harshly like that… she could guess. She had seen the girl carrying Tzuyu back to the house with her own bare hands, and had to admit that it was pretty impressive. But if the girl planned to hesitate longer and stood on Nayeon’s way to Tzuyu, Nayeon didn’t vouch for her own actions. 

“What?” The girl’s jaw dropped open. 

“Move! Let me work.” Nayeon barked. 

The clothes she had on were obscuring her moves, making her even more irritated. It was Mina’s clothes though, and they smelled like the girl, so she hoped it would neutralize and hide Nayeon’s own scent, enough to fool the wolves living in this house so they wouldn’t feel anything strange in the air later. She still wasn’t sure why it was so important for her to stay in the shadows, especially now that she managed to get on Mina’s good side, but it just seemed necessary for now. One way or another, despite Mina’s body being similar in size to Nayeon’s, the clothes didn’t fit that well. 

The house felt off and foreign too. She didn’t have much time to look around, so she wasn’t sure why. Probably because it was a full moon, and Nayeon left her own pack to show up on the enemy’s territory. All the scents were abusing her nostrils, screaming at her that she shouldn’t be there. Or maybe simply because she was here for the first time, and not because Mina invited her over. 

“Give me that.” Nayeon gestured at the knife the girl had laying next to her. The sooner she fixed everything, the better. “Do you have anything to sterilize it?” 

“Is alcohol okay?” 

“Yeah, it could be.” Nayeon nodded, already grabbing the scissors to cut the fur around the wound. It wasn’t ideal, but it had to be enough if they didn’t have anything else. Meanwhile, the girl was back with a bottle of vodka. 

Nayeon didn’t waste more time before splashing in on the knife and getting to work. 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her work was messy. Generally, Nayeon wasn’t a surgeon and she rarely performed any operations. Back in the city, right after she graduated from the med school and got hired in the hospital, she had thought about choosing that path of her career though, so she attended a few surgeries here and there during her residency, and had a chance to observe the greatest specialists in the country perform the operations. 

Also, she wasn’t by any means a veterinarian. Her only experience on the wolf’s anatomy was gained on her own body. However, like she mentioned - she had no other option but to risk it all and save Tzuyu. 

There! The bullet luckily didn’t reach far, and it managed to avoid all the main organs. Nayeon just needed to patch up everything with stitches, then say a quick prayer and keep her fingers crossed that it would be fine.

It had to be.

“Did I save your sorry ass just for you to bleed out here now? You better wake up soon, loser.” She gritted out quietly when she finished, leaning near Tzuyu’s ear so as to not be heard by the pale girl. Unsurprisingly, Tzuyu didn’t answer. She remained on the floor, breathing shallow breaths, sleeping. She lost a lot of blood, that was obvious, but in Nayeon’s opinion, she had a bigger chance now to recover than if the pale girl had tried to take the bullet out. Nayeon didn’t hurt any important organs, checked for inside bleedings, secured the wound. There was some hope.  

The three of them sat there in silence for a while. 

Then Nayeon realized that she had to hurry up. There wasn’t much time left before the moon was about to set and the owners of the house would come home. She had to escape and be far away before that happened. 

Throwing one last glance at Tzuyu, Nayeon stood up. Before she walked away though, she got reminded suddenly of one more thing. Passing by the pale girl, she stopped and quickly grabbed her throat, raising the girl’s head towards her own face.

“No one was here, understand? You patched her up on your own.” She said, waiting for the girl to nod. “You were alone all the time.”

Poor thing only hummed with a thin voice, and maybe Nayeon even felt a bit bad for her. She shouldn’t have used so much strength, that was obvious, but the full moon was taking its toll on her body and handling her current human form during that night was already hard itself, wasting a lot of her energy. Controlling her power was tricky in such moments.  

The girl abruptly inhaled the air inside her lungs when Nayeon let go, then started coughing. Nayeon didn’t have time to check on her, unfortunately. 

For a moment, she considered stealing Mina’s clothes and going home like that, but one quick look at the Moon told her exactly how little time she had before the daytime. She had to move fast, which meant no human legs. She sighed, taking the clothes off mid-movement and heading towards the place where she found them.

Such a shame, but maybe someday she was gonna obtain Mina’s T-shirt to wear in some more… legal way. 

She disappeared into the thin air right when the first rays of sun started appearing from behind the horizon, daring the silver coin of the moon to stay there any longer. Not a single piece of white fur was left behind. It was what one could call a clean job. 

When Mina entered the house barely two hours later, exhausted and hopeless, fully expecting Tzuyu to be on the brink of death, Dahyun was sitting next to the body of the black wolf, hunched, with her eyes empty, gently stroking the animal’s head. There was blood and black fur everywhere around, especially on Dahyun’s hands and throat.

But Tzuyu was still breathing.  

And it didn’t seem like she planned to stop soon.

(...)

Mina heard from the other wolves that there was something unusual in the house’s air that day, but she didn’t really have time to think about it. Her own nose - unsurprisingly - didn’t really catch any new scents. This time she was thankful though, because she could bet all that the atmosphere of fear and death had to be nauseating. 

By noon, Tzuyu was still sleeping. They didn’t move her from the living room, instead creating a comfy nest around her and trying to be as quiet as possible, so as not to disrupt her rest. They were all worried, but the fact that Tzuyu’s condition didn’t get worse was a positive thing in the end. It almost allowed them to feel hopeful.

During the whole time, Dahyun didn’t leave the black wolf’s side even for a second, which meant that Sana was there too. Also, Jeongyeon, Momo and Chan checked on her every five minutes, making the living room fairly crowded anyway. Mina felt like her presence there was redundant, so she reluctantly left to the safety of her own room. There, she definitely had too much time to think about a certain white wolf that seemed to have picked her up during the last weeks, following her around the forest. No one else - obviously except Chan - saw the creature before the previous night, which allowed Mina to come to one conclusion: for some reason, she was the chosen one. 

Why? That she absolutely couldn’t figure out, because she absolutely wanted to get rid of that burden. She was exhausted by it. She even thought about convincing her whole pack to go after the white wolf that morning, when it was probably still resting after the full moon, to seek revenge and answers. 

But, realistically, she knew they had no chance. The wolf didn’t let her come closer those previous times, so it wouldn’t now. 

Which was even more frustrating. Ugh, she hated being logical. If she allowed that anger to really fuel her, maybe she would be able to deal with it better. But no, she had to always make responsible choices in the end.

Well, in that case, she could guess it was best to just wait for the white wolf to come to her on their own. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to wait long.

(...)

Jihyo tightened her grip on the steering wheel when a particularly huge hole in the road shook her car. The Mercedes wasn’t probably the best choice to drive on a bumpy forest road. 

But she wanted to reach the house faster, so there was no time to stop by her parents’ place and switch cars. She couldn’t wait to finally see Tzuyu (and the other wolves maybe a bit too). Her face was stuck with a permanent grin just at the thought itself.

The last month was a hell for her, with all the exams, finishing her thesis and wrapping up everything that was necessary for her to graduate. She barely had time to eat and sleep, not even talking about anything else. And Tzuyu was patiently supporting her from the side all the time, writing her encouraging messages, reminding her that she was loved and that academic validation (or sometimes the lack of thereof) wasn’t the only thing important in the world. 

And now Jihyo was finally free. She could proudly call herself a Masters of Laws. And she was coming with another good news: about the job she’s found in the city barely one hour away from Moon Grove. 

Obviously, it was just for the probation period as for now, but she knew that she could prove her worth and get the real job in the end. Which meant that she was finally able to meet Tzuyu in the middle: they could find a place together that would allow Jihyo to stay fairly close to her workplace and Tzuyu to stay with her pack. Everyone was going to be content and they could live happily ever after. End credits, thank you for watching. 

Jihyo nearly wriggled her whole body on the seat in excitement, imagining the soft smile on Tzuyu’s face when she was going to hear the news, and the tight grip of her arms around Jihyo’s waist. She just wanted to be there already, jump out of the car and run all the way to the house and–

‘Relax…. take it easy… ’ Jihyo mentally scolded herself, sighing deeply to control her emotions. Abandoning the car in the middle of the forest probably wouldn’t get it stolen, because literally no one usually risked getting so deep into the wilderness without knowing where to actually head to, but she still preferred to have her vehicle safe and sound. It was a gift from her parents after all.

Just one more turn, that weird tree that always spooked her at night, and… Yes! The house was already there. Jihyo hit the brakes, stopped the engine and opened the door before the car was even able to start turning off all its systems.  

But the person who opened the front door wasn’t the same one she expected to see first. 

“O-oh, Jihyo?” Mina seemed to be genuinely surprised to see her here, as if Jihyo at least traveled to the Moon and wasn’t supposed to be physically anywhere near their house at that moment. “You’re here already?” 

“Hi, Mina! You seem to be almost… Sad to see me?” Jihyo giggled, but a weird kind of feeling was already sprouting in her chest. Why was Mina avoiding looking her in the eyes? “Didn’t Tzu tell you guys that I was coming back?”

“No! No… I mean, she told us, and I’m not sad.” Mina giggled too, but there was no amusement in her voice. Only nervousness. “It’s just that…” She sighed. Scratched the back of her neck. Then finally, she raised her eyes to Jihyo’s.

Immediately, as if some dam broke inside of her, Mina’s eyes filled with tears. 

Jihyo felt her chest constricting. Her eyes got wide for a moment, as dread filled her and she desperately tried to come up with some reason for this reaction. It took her a good twenty seconds to recover, but then she instantly reached for Mina to gather her inside her arms. She was confused and a bit terrified, but deep inside, something was telling her that whatever caused Mina’s sadness wasn’t really about the girl herself. It was something different. 

“Hey, hey… Shhh… What happened?” She whispered to Mina’s ear. The girl only shook her head, quickly escaping Jihyo’s embrace. The way she brushed Jihyo’s hands off her was concerning.

“I– We–” Mina stuttered. “I’m so scared.” She suddenly admitted. 

“Of what?” Jihyo frowned, trying to not feel bad with the way her offer of comfort was rejected. “Of who?”

Mina’s eyes closed as she breathed in and out. Then she grabbed Jihyo’s hand and pulled her inside. 

The second Jihyo’s eyes scanned over the whole living room and stopped on a certain wolf lying there, lifeless, she was running. She didn’t realize she made a weird, strangled noise. She didn’t remember to breathe, she didn’t see all the other people gathered there, she didn’t even notice that while stopping, she hit her knee on the wooden floor. Her hands were trembling when she reached to put one of them on Tzuyu’s head. 

What the fuck happened? Barely yesterday, she was texting Tzuyu and everything was alright. They were both so happy to see each other after so much time, Tzuyu even promised to bake Jihyo a batch of welcome cupcakes. And now? What the fuck!?

“Hyo, breathe with me.” A hand, soft and gentle, landed on her back. Sana’s soothing voice was right next to her ear. “You’re gonna pass out.”
“What– How– Is she…?” Jihyo could barely even talk. Something was suffocating her throat, preventing the air from reaching her lungs as it should. 

“She’s alive and stable.” Dahyun spoke, out of nowhere, her voice dull and tired. “She’s just sleeping.”

“She got shot yesterday, during the full moon.” Sana provided, the sigh escaping her throat just as resigned. “There was nothing that could be done to prevent this. It was just an accident. We didn’t know how to help her more, so we just let her rest.” She still held her hand on Jihyo’s back, steadying her and comforting. Jihyo would probably be grateful, if she wasn’t currently trying to control her panic. 

Her thoughts couldn’t help but instantly spiral back to the dark old days when Tzuyu left Moon Grove. It was enough to say that it was a bad time for Jihyo mentally. She couldn’t lose Tzuyu. She couldn’t stay alone. She couldn’t!

“We have to do something!” She suddenly pushed Sana off, standing up. “Why didn’t you try to help her?”

“How? We can’t take her to the hospital, because she’s a freaking wolf.” Sana tried to reason with her, but she was clearly just as bothered and nervous. “They hunt us here.”

“Then we can take her to my grandfather.” Jihyo came up with another idea, her thoughts rushing almost to the point when she wasn’t able to focus. “He’s experienced with animals, he would know what to do.”

That was her go-to person since she was a little kid. Her grandfather was reliable, he was the smartest man alive, he was her hero. Surely, he could save Tzuyu, he had already done it once.

The silence that fell over the room was heavy with something really uncomfortable. It made Jihyo raise her eyes and look at the wolves. She frowned, seeing that each one of them had their eyes glued to the floor. 

“What?” She snapped. She didn’t have the patience for any games now.  

“Ummm… Jihyo…” It was actually Mina that spoke now, the tears already dried on her cheeks. “We’re pretty sure it was actually your grandfather who hit Tzuyu.”

Jihyo blinked. Then she blinked once again.

Somehow, Mina’s words weren’t reaching her brain. 

Her grandfather? The wisest man alive, who was always so good to the animals? The same one who taught Jihyo everything about nature, how she should be respectful and kind? He was the one to hunt the wolves and hurt Tzuyu?

A weird mix of emotions was stirring inside Jihyo’s heart. Doubt and anger, confusion and mistrust, misbelief and disappointment. She didn’t know what to think about it. Did he betray her like that?

She stood up suddenly, her fists closing on their own. 

“Jihyo, don’t do anything stupid.” Mina put a hand on her shoulder. It didn’t calm her down, quite the opposite.

“Stupid? No… I’ll just talk to him.” She said through clenched teeth. She almost managed to turn around to head to the door, when Jeongyeon stood in her way.

“And say what exactly, huh?” She raised her eyebrows with a mocking, frustrated smile. “Are you planning to out us? Because I don’t see any other way to tell him that he shot your girlfriend.” 

Jihyo really felt like ignoring her words and leaving anyway. She really did. But then Mina tightened her grip on Jihyo’s shoulder. 

“Tzuyu needs you here. You should comfort her, be with her when she wakes up. You’re gonna help her more this way.” She said. And with that, Jihyo couldn’t fight anymore. Mina was right. They were all right. 

At that moment, for the first time Jihyo realized how frustrating the wolves’ situation was. 

(...)

Mina could see the range of emotions playing in Jihyo’s eyes. She couldn’t really say that she felt the same, because she always had troubles with those emotional matters, but she could definitely understand Jihyo’s stance from a logical level. She was all the more proud of her friend, when Jihyo, hesitantly, decided to let go of the revenge for now and agreed to just stay with them. With Tzuyu. 

Who was still sleeping. Mina wasn’t sure whether she was supposed to be worried that it lasted so long, or maybe glad that Tzuyu was resting. She could see that as the designated nerd of the family, everyone kind of counted on her to have the final say in such decisions. Jihyo was obviously smart too, but at that moment, she was too affected to really think and consider all their options. Dahyun on the other hand, seemed to temporarily shut down. Her expression didn’t change even when Sana tried to say something to her, so Mina didn’t really count on her input. 

None of them was a doctor though, so one way or another, they wouldn’t know for sure whether their decisions were right. 

Mina’s best guess was to just check on Tzuyu’s wound. They used the opportunity that the wolf needed to be moved in order to do that, and carried Tzuyu over to her own room. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any infection - the wound was dressed up pretty well. 

It made Mina feel curious and really impressed. She didn’t take Dahyun for someone so skilled in medical procedures, but since the girl was pretty unresponsive, Mina didn’t feel like bothering her with questions now.  

She finished with her work there quickly, securing the dressing back on Tzuyu’s body, and was just about to leave the room to let Jihyo and Tzuyu rest, when something behind the window caught her attention. A piece of something white flashed between the trees, almost unnoticeable for a human’s eye. Mina immediately walked over to the window, the irritation resurfacing inside her instantly. 

For a while, there was no movement there. The air was still. The birds were calm in their nests.

She was almost about to think that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, and finally leave the room, when it happened. It wasn’t just a flash this time. The movement was slow, precise, purposeful. 

The wolf emerged from between the trees looking right into the window where Mina stood. The girl almost dropped everything she was holding in her hands. A chill ran down her spine. 

“I- I’m gonna check something quickly.” She said absentmindedly, not directing her words at anyone in particular. “Try to calm Tzuyu down in case she wakes up.”

And then she left, almost running down the hall and almost jumping down the stairs. She didn’t want to be too late, she didn’t want to miss this opportunity. She pushed on the back door of the house hard. 

Unnecessarily. The wolf waited for her patiently. Its shining white fur contrasted heavily with the dark greens and browns of the forest. Its eyes were sad and resigned. 

Mina gasped. 

Chapter Text

There was little to no light coming into the room when Tzuyu’s eyes abruptly opened. She was immobilized. Hopeless. Vulnerable. 

She had no idea where she was.

The pain was unbearable. And she couldn’t move. 

Then a smell - familiar one, comforting and full of love. Tzuyu let the air leave her lungs with hesitation, still not ready to let her guard down. Slowly, she scanned the place with her eyes, then gave herself more time to gather information with her nose too. 

A voice interrupted her.

“... and imagine that she asked me that one question that I didn’t know the answer for.” A soft giggle, then a frustrated huff. “Out of all those things, she just had to choose the one I forgot to read about. Luckily, Mr. Cho was there, remember him? He told that stupid cow that she’s supposed to stay in line and not ask students too many questions. I mean, not using those words, obviously. But the meaning was similar.”

Tzuyu felt a hand on her head, right between her ears. She liked to be touched there. It felt nice. Nice enough to dull that annoying pain a bit. 

Only now it was finally sinking in: Jihyo was right next to her. Her Jihyo has finally come. Tzuyu wasn’t sure yet if it was a dream or not, but it was making her all warm inside anyway. 

“So in the end, I got an A.” Smile could be heard in Jihyo’s voice. “Are you proud of me, Tzu?” Suddenly the smile disappeared, and Jihyo’s voice cracked a bit on Tzuyu’s name. 

Tzuyu wanted to turn around and check on her. She wanted to see what caused Jihyo to be sad suddenly. After all, if she passed the exam, it was a good reason for celebration, not for crying, right? 

She couldn’t move though. Even if she tried her best to even lift her head, it seemed to weigh thousands of tons.      

Jihyo sighed tiredly. 

“I bet you are.” She whispered. “Please, wake up, baby.” 

But Tzuyu has woken up… Why wasn’t Jihyo seeing that? She was listening. And she was really, really proud and happy.  

The hand between her ears stroked her fur again, before Tzuyu could focus on the huge pain in her side once again. A soft kiss was pressed there. Then Tzuyu felt movement next to her, and suddenly Jihyo’s body was right next to hers, providing warmth and comfort. 

Tzuyu’s eyes were getting droopy again. Well, she could guess it was a good time to rest. Maybe the next time she woke up, Jihyo would talk to her again.

(...)

The wolf stood still where the trees smoothly passed into the bushes, not yet on the ground belonging to their house and not exactly in the forest too. Its white coat was immaculate, shining, spotless; nearly blinding Mina’s eyes. Its eyes were attentive, but opposite to the animal’s patient posture, there was urgency in its look. No aggression though.

Mina still decided to be careful.

She's never seen any wolf not belonging to their pack so close to their house. This creature had to be really brave to come there, especially alone. It had to have its own pack somewhere, right? From its eyes Mina could read the strength, not only physical, hidden behind the beauty. This wolf had to be part-human too. Mina could feel it. 

It was such a shame her nose couldn't work properly even once. It obviously caught a few smells, some of them even familiar. But she would have to really focus on the issue to be able to figure out some meaning behind them. And she didn't have time for that now. 

But since the smells were familiar, maybe Mina had met this person before? Since the wolf started to show up only this summer, it had to be someone who has only recently came to Moon Gr–

Oh.

Oh …

Mina gasped out loud.

Seriously? Was she that dense? 

Because she felt really stupid suddenly for not realizing earlier something so obvious. How could she even not feel anything before? Not even a bit of any suspicious smell?

She was really, really dumb. 

Or maybe too occupied with her troubles and stuck inside her head to even look at her surroundings. Because she could bet there were so many hints, she just didn't pay attention. 

Some day, it could be dangerous for her.

Now that she connected the dots, she wasn’t sure how to feel about this. She was still emotionally broken by Tzuyu's accident, she was still pissed off that someone - maybe this creature in front of her - kept killing their people and bringing more danger to all of them. She was exhausted after the previous night, she was mad at this wolf for attracting the hunters’ attention to their pack. She was just… annoyed.

On the other hand, she was starting to seriously like this someone for the first time in many years. And she didn’t want to let go of it entirely, because something was telling her that the person she was starting to like was a good one. 

It all just didn't add up in her head.

Confused, Mina made a step, almost expecting the wolf to run away, like it always had before. To her utmost surprise, the wolf sat there as if frozen. 

Why now? Why was it revealing to her now? Was there some trap waiting for Mina if she dared to step too close?

She had no idea, but she felt like she had to try. So she did. Soon, she stood face to face with the wolf, who still waited for her patiently, as if it was Mina who was an easily spooked wild animal in this situation. 

Amazed by the color of the wolf's fur, Mina slowly raised her hand. The wolf seemed to instantly flinch.

“I'm sorry.” Mina whispered. “Can I touch you?”

A second of hesitation, then a slight nod. The wolf tilted its head. Mina lifted her hand again, and this time she managed to successfully touch the wolf's fur. The softness of it shocked her up to the point that her jaw dropped. She's touched the fur of many wolves before, but it had never been so nice and fluffy. Apparently the color wasn't the only distinct characteristic the wolf could be proud of. 

Mina snorted under her breath, now confidently reaching to stroke the white fluff. When she noticed that it was suddenly shining and flashing, she guessed what was about to happen and quickly stepped away. 

Before she could blink, way faster than an average wolf could turn, Nayeon stood in front of her, an inscrutable look on her face, one big question in her eyes. There was also some kind of vulnerability in her posture, not at all connected to her nakedness. 

Mina expected to see this happening, she already guessed that it was Nayeon in the body of this white alpha (she had to be, right? It wasn’t often that one could see such a strength in someone), but it still made a huge impression on her. She was at a loss for words. 

(Also, she might have been having a tiny bit of a hard time with keeping her eyes above Nayeon's neck, but that was definitely going to stay a secret. The blush on her cheeks absolutely didn't reveal anything.)

Nayeon cleared her throat first, after nearly two minutes of just standing there and staring into Mina's eyes. 

“Before you say anything… Can you tell me how Tzuyu is? Please, I need to know.”

The worry that sipped from her voice surprised Mina. She expected flirting, confidence, maybe arrogance. Not this. 

“How do you know Tzuyu?” Was the first thing that came to her mind. Nayeon sighed, then winced, biting her lip with conflict in her eyes.

“We met… Some time ago. It's her story to tell, not mine. Please, tell me she's doing better.” It sounded nearly like begging.

Mina frowned. She felt really conflicted right now. Nayeon seemed like a good person, definitely not a killer. And she seemed to really care about Tzuyu for some reason. 

Yet, the one important question was still left without an answer. There still was someone who kept killing people around the Moon Grove's woods. If not Nayeon and her pack, then who else?

“You killed those people.” 

It wasn’t a question. Mina didn’t intend it to be, although she wasn’t completely sure that her words could be true. Maybe it was a test. Maybe something else. She didn’t know yet, but she said it anyway.

“That's not us.” Nayeon was quick to say, her voice not caring even an ounce of doubt. She didn’t even consider the option that Mina might not believe her. “My pack is staying away from Moon Grove, because we don't want to cross paths with yours. I’m the only one who ever ventured onto your territory, but I’m not the murderer. Actually, I’m looking for the killer too.”

“Prove it.” 

“I will. Just give me time, I'm really close to doing that.” 

Once again, no doubt. Nayeon said it as if she was saying a well-known fact. Those were words of someone strong and confident. Someone who knew clearly what they wanted and where they were heading with their life. 

For some reason, one that she had a hard time to comprehend, Mina felt like it was really the truth. She decided to trust her instinct for the time being, but still observe and assess the situation. She had one more question first.

“So why show up now?” 

Nayeon’s expression came back to that pleading one from earlier.

“Because I was really dying to know about Tzuyu.” She sighed. “I thought I was able to wait, but I’m too worried. I couldn’t even focus on anything today, I just had to know. Please, can I see her now?”

Mina bit her lip hesitating. 

Technically, it was bringing someone from outside to their home. If Nayeon had ill intentions, if she wanted to attack, she would have a great opportunity. But… It was Nayeon. Mina had known her since she was a child.  

“Fine.” She said finally. “But be prepared that others might not really welcome you warmly.”

“Sure, sure.” Nayeon nodded fervently. “Lead the way.”

Before, Nayeon had to obviously grab some clothes. Mina opened her eyes wider, when she spotted that they were hidden in the exact same place as her own that she used in case of emergency. 

“Aren’t you getting a bit too comfortable around here?” 

Nayeon blushed, but didn’t give any comment. When she was finally decent, Mina led her to the house. 

The change in atmosphere inside upon their arrival was instant. All the heads turned, the scents suddenly mixing and creating the kind of tension Mina had never seen before. There was an obvious question in everyone’s eyes, but they said nothing, waiting for her to speak first.

“Ummm… Guys… This is Nayeon. She is… She is my–” 

“I’m a doctor. I patched up Tzuyu.” Nayeon butted in, confidently. Mina wasn’t sure if it was just an act, or Nayeon really had the guts to be so bold in the presence of her rivals. “I’m back to check on her.”

Mina appreciated the fact that didn’t have to put any label on the thing between them now. Deep inside, she knew though, that it could bite her on the ass later.

“Ummm… We’re also… kinda seeing each other…” She stuttered out with a voice so quiet that probably only Nayeon was able to hear her.

“With good feelings?” Momo’s eyebrow raised. There was some kind of recognition in her eyes when she looked at Nayeon. The atmosphere in the room, tense like a stretched rubber band before, suddenly calmed. Someone snorted, someone else giggled. 

Mina shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously, her cheeks pink. 

It was clear that all the wolves could notice who Nayeon was - someone they had been chasing for a while. It was clear that they were surprised that Mina was bringing home someone like that. It was obvious that they were confused. 

“You’re a doctor? But… Dahyun….” Chan pointed at the girl, then glanced at Mina with a question in his eyes. Well, Mina wasn’t glad to admit that, but she knew just as much as everyone else in this room - nothing. She was just as shocked and had a hard time following everything that was happening.    

Nayeon smirked.

“I see that you didn't say anything after all.” She said, looking straight into Dahyun’s eyes. Mina frowned. How did the two know each other?  

“That’s correct.” Nayeon stepped forward when Dahyun didn’t react, offering her hand for Chan to shake as a welcome gesture. “I suppose you’re the alpha of this pack?”

“We’re not using this word, but… yes. I guess.” Chan measured her before shaking Nayeon's hand. Nayeon’s grip was firm and assertive.

“Nice to meet you. I’m indeed a doctor, and I helped to take the bullet out of Tzuyu’s body. She’s… a friend of mine. I couldn’t watch her suffer. Can I see her now, so that I can check that she’s in fact healing properly?” 

Mina could notice that this time, there was no pleading or begging in Nayeon’s voice. It was an alpha of a pack, a boss, a leader that stood in front of them. Mina couldn’t lie that it didn’t work on her a bit. 

Chan opened his mouth to answer. He wasn’t fast enough.

“Wait a second.” Sana got up from her spot next to Dahyun. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but… Since you helped Tzuyu, you probably came here at night, during the full moon. While we were away.”

Nayeon only nodded. Mina had an idea where Sana could be heading. She had this question too - how exactly was Nayeon able to stay in her human body during the night? It was impossible for them. There were so many shocking facts that Nayeon spilled one by one that Mina wasn’t even able to focus on only one thing, but this one… This one was big. 

Well, Sana had different problems. Barely contained fury sipped out of her mouth.

“And then, when I came back home in the morning, my girlfriend had bruises on her neck. And you were the only one who was here. Am I right?” Sana now stood right in front of Nayeon, eye to eye. 

The other wolves looked between them, then at Dahyun, who indeed had nasty marks on her skin. 

“Let me explain.” Nayeon raised her arms showing that she meant no harm. Sana huffed.

“You put your hands on my girlfriend. You’re gonna pay for that soo mu–”

Mina and Chan both jumped to catch Sana at the last possible moment, holding her tightly. Nayeon didn’t even flinch. 

“I’m sorry, okay?” She said calmly. “I didn’t mean to. It was hard to control my strength during the full moon, and I put all my focus into helping Tzuyu. Hurting Dahyun was an accident. Dahyun? I’m sorry for that.” 

Dahyun’s only reaction was a short nod. She was observing the whole situation without a single change in her expression. Mina could see that Sana wanted to say something more, maybe seek revenge right there, but the way Dahyun’s head hung low right after made her immediately brush Chan and Mina’s hands off herself and go to check on the girl. Dahyun’s reaction was a bit concerning, Mina had to admit. Everything was happening too fast though for her to really focus on that.

“Right… How were you even able to stay as a human during the night?” Finally! Chan voiced out loud everyone’s thoughts. “Is it connected to the color of your fur? Because you’re the white wolf that we’ve been seeing lately, right? You have to be.”

Suddenly, completely out of nowhere, a shit-eating grin blossomed on Nayeon’s face.

“It looks nice, right? My fur. The hair conditioner costs sooo much, so I’m glad it’s noticeable.” She shook her head, allowing her hair to move around, then ran her hand through it. Mina rolled her eyes, amused, but not letting herself be distracted.

“Seriously?” She asked. Nayeon winked at her. Chan cleared his throat.

“My question is serious.” He said, not amused, completely opposite to Mina. “I won’t let you further inside my house if I can’t trust you at least a bit.”

Nayeon rolled her eyes too.

“Fine, fine. The answer is: yes and no. I’m not able to explain it now, but your theory is somehow true.” She said. Sudden silence fell over the room while everyone processed her words. 

Mina’s brain was running in high gear. So Chan was right? Was her new kinda-girlfriend some kind of mystical creature coming out of legends? But she was just Im Nayeon, Mina’s neighbor from back in the days, a total freak and someone who was first to believe in fairy tales more than be one. How was that adding up? 

“But you are an alpha?” Momo made sure, breaking the silence out of nowhere. 

“I have a pack, yes.” Nayeon confirmed. In her mouth, it sounded nearly like being a queen of a mid-sized country somewhere in South-West Europe. 

Momo shook her head with a smirk.

“Seriously, Mina? Here I was, thinking that you were going to die alone, sitting in front of your computer. And you decided to go behind our backs and end your celibacy… for who? An enemy?”

Despite the word sounding pretty aggressive, there was no malice in Momo’s voice. It was pure teasing, and luckily, Nayeon seemed to understand that.

At first, Mina blinked a few times, not believing what she was hearing. Did Momo just–

“Momo!” She whined loudly. The rollercoaster of emotions happening in this room, going from fun to serious and back in seconds was honestly overloading her brain. 

Beside her, Nayeon was cackling. 

“Oh, wait. Did you end your celibacy just for me? I’m flattered.”

“We’re going to see Tzuyu now.” Mina grabbed the woman’s hand, pulling her out of the room, upstairs. She had to intervene quickly, before this conversation got out of her control and Momo was able to spill all the embarrassing facts about her to Nayeon. 

No one reacted at her, allowing Nayeon - someone from outside their pack - to enter further inside the safety of their place. They walked Mina and Nayeon out with their eyes, but their silence was a small approval on its own.

“Don’t be fooled, they are going to observe your every move.” Mina whispered to Nayeon when they were already upstairs, out of the reach of everyone’s ears. Their hands stayed connected, making her all warm inside. 

“If they didn’t, I would be very disappointed in them.” Nayeon answered, suddenly really serious. Her eyes carried something, a feeling Mina wasn’t able to understand yet but it was a bit similar to the one Sana’s eyes had when she looked at Dahyun, or Tzuyu had painted on her face while she was with Jihyo. Mina wasn’t sure how she felt about this, whether it made her happy or worried.

“Here we are.” She said instead, averting their attention to the closed door in front of them. She knocked quietly, then cracked the door open. 

Inside, the air was filled with this particular kind of sadness that even Mina was able to recognize. Upon their arrival, Jihyo immediately sat up, her attention at the stranger behind Mina.

“W- What’s going on?” She frowned. Before Mina could say anything, Nayeon stepped forward. She measured Jihyo from head to toe, not skipping the fact how the girl was protectively hiding Tzuyu behind herself.

“So you’re the friend .” She hummed with interest. “And I think you even managed to get promoted to a girlfriend. Interesting… And impressive. Nice to meet you, I’m Nayeon.”

“What?” Jihyo frowned, her eyes jumping from Nayeon to Mina and back. Her jaw was clenched. “What the heck are you talking about?”    

“Relax, relax. I’m not your enemy.” Nayeon snorted. “Actually, it was me who told Tzuyu to take her head out of her ass and go back to you. Guess it worked in the end.”

Jihyo’s expression didn’t change. It was alert and suspicious.

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? Interesting…”

“Tell me what?” 

Nayeon hummed.

“Sorry, it’s not my story to tell. May I check on Tzuyu now?” 

Mina and Jihyo’s eyes connected. All Nayeon was doing that day was refusing to tell them stuff. The secrets were starting to get annoying. 

Mina shrugged. She had just as much idea as Jihyo about what was going on here, how Nayeon knew Tzuyu and why she was so determined to take care of her. But the way Nayeon paid attention to not walk too loudly, as to not disturb Tzuyu’s rest, the way she gently ran her hand between Tzuyu’s ears…. It all made Mina both fond and slightly jealous. Apparently Jihyo wasn’t only slightly jealous, because even Mina’s oblivious nose could catch this feeling in the air.

“Hey, Tzuyu… I’ll check your wound now, okay?” Nayeon touched the bandages. 

Jihyo gritted her teeth. Mina sighed, grabbing the girl’s hand.

“Don’t worry. I trust her.” She said. Jihyo only squeezed back, but didn’t relax. 

The gentle smile on Nayeon’s face changed into a smirk.

“Thanks, babe.” 

“Okay, I change my mind.” Mina groaned. “Let’s worry a lot.”

(...)

“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure, what’s up?” 

The answer was so flat. Tone so uninterested. Momo frowned. Jeongyeon didn’t even bother to pry her eyes off her phone.

“Jeong, look at me.” Momo demanded. 

It was pissing her off. Each time she tried to just be in Jeongyeon’s presence for more than a few seconds - obviously except in the bar and the time during the full moon, when they were forced to be together by their instincts - and talk to her about anything more ambitious than ordering more supplies to the bar’s kitchen, somehow the universe always made Jeongyeon extremely busy. 

“I’m looking at you.” Jeongyeon’s eyes left the phone for exactly two seconds, enough to briefly glance at Momo. Then they returned to the device. “Just make it quick. I need to open the bar, since Mina’s busy with her girlfriend, and you still refuse to approve of anyone I’d like to hire.”

“They are all so… weird.” Momo mumbled. 

They were all too pretty. Not that she minded herself, but somehow they all seemed to make heart eyes at Jeongyeon. Boys and girls, it didn’t matter. Jeongyeon didn’t notice, but Momo didn’t want to pay someone to slack around and be distracted behind the bar. Her business had its standards. 

“Momo…” Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. They had this discussion one too many times. “Please, be quick. What do you want?”

Momo sighed. 

“Since you don’t have time now, maybe we could talk later? After closing?” She proposed. It wasn’t anything urgent per se. More like she just wanted to spend more than a few seconds with Jeongyeon, maybe ask her why she was so distant lately.

“I can’t. I have a date.” Jeongyeon was back to her phone once again. “Maybe tomorrow?”

Momo froze. A date?

Jeongyeon didn’t wait for any reaction.

“Look, it’s really late. The bar should’ve been open for an hour already. Enough that we have to close for the night of full moon, let’s not make our few patrons wait more. We aren’t exactly swimming in money.” 

With that, she patted Momo’s shoulder absentmindedly, slipping out of the house. Momo still stood frozen.

A date?

As… A romantic kind of date?

Noooo, it couldn’t be.

Or could it?

Nah, it surely was just a friendly gathering that Jeongyeon called a date for fun. Did someone call meetings with their friends ‘a date’? Surely someone did. Right?

Or maybe Momo was just too naive and Jeongyeon really found someone for herself? Well, it wasn’t like Jeongyeon was ugly, or something. She deserved to have someone to love her. Just… 

Momo gritted her teeth, and her fists tightened instinctively. For some reason, it didn’t sit right with her. Not only did it mean that she was going to share Jeongyeon’s time with someone else, but it could also potentially hurt their business if Jeongyeon got distracted with dates and for example forgot to order more whiskey, or more beer. Beer and whiskey were too essential. Right? 

Momo didn’t want her business to suffer because of Jeongyeon’s recklessness in choosing life partners. It was a serious thing, it required responsibility. Jeongyeon going on dates with someone who Momo wasn’t sure was fully trustworthy definitely didn’t count as being responsible. 

Yup. Momo needed to keep a watchful eye on the whole matter. It was her business to protect both her packmate and the bar. 

With that in mind, trying to suppress that uncomfortable feeling inside her chest, Momo grabbed her shoes and wallet. She was going to take this shift together with Jeongyeon and gather more information.

Who knows, maybe she could even meet this fucke– This person who dared taking Jeongyeon out on a date. 

(...)   

Dahyun didn’t let herself be torn away from Tzuyu all morning, until Jihyo finally arrived. She didn’t sleep, didn’t take a shower, and didn’t even eat anything. Sana couldn’t help but worry. During all those years they’ve been together, she’s seen Dahyun sad and happy, tired, angry, stressed out and scared. But she’s never seen the girl so disconnected from reality and shut down. It hurt Sana too to watch it, when she couldn’t exactly do anything, simply because Dahyun didn’t want her help. 

(She had to admit also that the wolf inside her was a bit territorial and jealous about her girlfriend. Luckily, she managed to let go of those feelings, because she was worried about her little sister too.) 

But when Jihyo was already there, Tzuyu seemed to be doing fairly well, and everyone focused on Nayeon and Mina, Sana decided to put an end to Dahyun’s misery.

“We’re going to take a shower. Then we’ll eat something and sleep.” She grabbed Dahyun’s hand and pulled her upstairs. “You’re either going on your own, or I’ll drag you there. It’s getting unhealthy.”

Dahyun didn’t fight her. She went almost too willingly. 

It made Sana wonder a lot, because the only emotion she could smell from Dahyun at that moment was fear. And Sana had a feeling what Dahyun could be scared of. Who Dahyun could be scared of.

She obviously felt terrible about the way she almost jumped on Dahyun the previous night, when she came to ask her for help. She felt like a monster. Like a murderer almost. But there was absolutely nothing that could change what had happened. Nothing could be done. No ‘sorry’ could reverse those events. 

On the other hand, Sana wasn’t fully herself at that moment. She was heavily influenced by the moonlight, and considering that, she did a fairly good job controlling her urges. 

One way or another, Dahyun was scared. And Sana felt really small with the way she couldn’t change it. She was supposed to be a partner for Dahyun, someone who made Dahyun’s life better, bearable. And here she was, not only not helping, but also making everything worse. Her enhanced senses, her super strength, her talents - it was all for nothing, it was never enough. 

Sana was never enough. 

They reached the bathroom almost on autopilot. Sana let Dahyun stay there and went to pick up some clean clothes for both of them. Obviously, she chose her own sweatshirt for Dahyun, the one Dahyun liked to wear the most, but she wasn’t sure if this time it would bring comfort. Maybe Dahyun would find the smell on it pretty frightening. 

Back in the bathroom, she found Dahyun in the exact same spot where she left her. Sana dreaded this moment a bit. Not because she didn’t want to help - because she didn’t want Dahyun to feel uncomfortable when Sana was helping her undress. 

Yet, Dahyun didn’t act differently. She didn’t flinch when Sana gently lifted her hands and then her T-shirt. She didn’t say anything when Sana removed her pants and then underwear. She just stared in the space, her eyes void.

Fortunately, the warm water seemed to finally bring some life back to her. Their eyes connected. There was no fear in them though, so Sana decided to risk it and join Dahyun under the shower. 

From the moment she came back home after the night, Sana’s focus was on something she now finally had a chance to take care of, so gently, as if she was touching a glass pendant, her fingers moved to Dahyun’s neck, to those terrible bruises that have just started to change color from aggressive pink to calmer brown. To the blood smeared there, not Dahyun’s, but still reminding them of all the pain. To the dirt visible on Dahyun’s skin from all the effort of carrying Tzuyu through the forest. 

“You were amazing out there.” Sana said quietly, not sure whether it was reaching the other girl. “WIth the way you carried Tzu. She’d die without you.”

She fully expected her words to stay without any answer. To her surprise, she was wrong.

“She’d die anyway if not for that girl that Mina brought.” Dahyun said flatly, her voice a bit hoarse, probably because of her hurt throat. It was a progress anyway. Sana was glad that she at least managed to get Dahyun to talk. 

“Doesn’t make your effort less helpful. Don’t deprecate yourself.” She lowered her head to kiss one of the bruises. Her lips stayed there for a moment longer, then moved to the next spot. The touch wasn’t erotic, it was healing. She was showing Dahyun that this body, although smaller and weaker than any of the wolves, was still able to move mountains. 

When she finished kissing all the dark bruises, she moved up to Dahyun’s face. She didn’t leave a spot untouched, marking her cheeks first, then her forehead, then finally connecting their lips. Dahyun responded to the slow kiss. 

Yet, her body remained still. She didn’t engage, she just complied. The smell of fear was still there, fighting with the sweet, fruity scent of the soap now covering their skin. 

“Dahyun?” Sana wasn’t able to help herself. Her mouth opened instinctively. She hated the lack of communication. 

“Hmm?”

“Are you scared of me?” 

The quick frown crossing Dahyun’s face was a bit relieving. At least now the girl was finally looking Sana in the eye. 

“What? No. I told you already that I’m not scared of you. I could never be.” 

“Then… Why do I feel it constantly in the air? The fear. What are you scared of?” Sana had a hard time believing that. Obviously, she didn’t think Dahyun was lying. Maybe her brain didn’t consider Sana a danger. But Sana knew what she felt. No one could fool their subconscious, and maybe Dahyun wasn’t fully aware of her own emotions.

Dahyun had to hear something in her voice that Sana didn’t mean to place there. Her hand finally raised, gently cupping Sana’s face. 

“Baby, I swear I’m not scared of you.” She whispered with the utmost love. Sana knew that those weren't tears on her face, just water, but she didn’t imagine the way Dahyun’s eyes got a bit glassy. 

Then the dam of words finally broke. 

“I was just so worried about Tzu. I still am. We were so close to losing her last night. She still hasn't woken up yet. It made me realize how fragile life is. One moment we’re standing here together and the next one something can happen. It doesn’t have to be a bullet in your body, but the hunting just made this prospect a bit more possible. I– I just think moments like that make us realize that we’re not invincible. We’re not forever young. We'll die someday. And then… nothing. It can’t be reversed. We can’t press ‘Respawn’ like Mina does in Minecraft. And people we love stay here broken.”

Sana didn’t have any answer for that. 

They stood under the water for a while, just being together, their foreheads pressed as they breathed in and out in a synced rhythm. 

When they left the shower, it felt like a little part of Dahyun’s fear was rinsed down the drain by the soap and water. She still wasn’t fully herself, but at least now Sana could understand her pain better. Now she knew that Dahyun needed time. 

Sana was still too influenced by the adrenaline and emotions to feel all of that, but she was sure it was going to hit her later too. But she knew Dahyun would be understanding for her. Dahyun was never anything but loving and understanding. 

Sana had to deal with many feelings that day. She felt bad about not being able to help Tzuyu, she felt bad about not being able to help Dahyun, she felt bad about the way Dahyun had to save her the previous day, because she was barely alive away from her pack, and she felt bad about the fact that the whole pack had to gather together at home, some of them getting snatched out of their own responsibilities, because Sana needed them to recover from her sickness. 

The remorse made her feel exhausted and vulnerable.

“Let’s go for a nap now, okay?” She yawned, grabbing Dahyun’s hand. “You haven’t slept the whole night, I haven't either. We can grab something to eat later.”

Dahyun complied, having caught the yawning virus from Sana. They went back to their bedroom together. 

Before Dahyun could slip under the blankets, Sana stopped her and made her sit on the bed.

“We have to take care of those, sweetheart.” She pointed at the bruises on Dahyun’s throat. “I let Mina’s girl off the hook today, because she literally saved Tzuyu’s life and everyone was too busy to focus on this. But I’m not letting it go like that. She’s gotta have her ass kicked.”

“Sana…” Dahyun whined. “Don’t pick up fights with people. It’s fine, I’m sure she really didn’t mean it.”

Sana only shook her head, already on her way to the living room. Luckily, the first-aid kit was still there, together with the ointment she was looking for. She went back upstairs, finding Dahyun in the exact same position, but with her back hunched from exhaustion. 

Sana took a bit of the ointment on her fingers, then gently applied it on Dahyun’s skin. It was probably a bit cold, so Dahyun hissed. Sana quickly leaned down to peck her lips and distract her from the uncomfortable feeling. 

“It should heal better now.” She said, finishing. Dahyun smiled.

“It will, because you kissed the pain away.”

Sana snorted, diving on the bed with a content sigh, pulling Dahyun to her side. 

“I can kiss other places too, you know…”

“Oh? Like?” Dahyun pretended to be curious. Sana hummed, wondering.

“Like… Your hand, ma’am.” She grabbed Dahyun’s arm, lifting it to her lips and leaving a loud peck there. Dahyun giggled. 

Suddenly, an idea popped up in Sana’s head.

“Hey!” She lifted them both to a sitting position. “You know what always helps me when I’m feeling down?”

Dahyun rolled her eyes, but there was a lopsided smile on her face.

“Let me guess… Belly rubs?” She guessed. Sana pouted, not happy that her idea wasn’t welcomed as enthusiastically as she expected. Dahyun snorted.

“Sana, I’m not a wolf. It won’t work for me.”  

Sana pouted harder. 

“It won’t hurt to try, right?” She did puppy eyes, knowing well that it always melted Dahyun on the spot. This time, it at least helped with the distraction factor. While Dahyun was busy making fun of the idea, Sana got to work.   

Maybe traditional belly rubs wouldn’t work. But…

Tingles counted too, right?

When she suddenly pushed Dahyun down and straddled her, Dahyun had no other choice but to give up. And then Sana attacked. 

She had to give it to Dahyun that she fought back hard. But she was still only human put against someone with more physical capabilities. Sana was able to pin both of Dahyun’s hands above her head with only one of her own hands. Then, Dahyun was practically helpless.

“Sa- Sana! Stop! Ahahahah.” Dahyun giggled despite herself, trying to somehow escape the trap. Tears were streaming down her whole face from laughing that hard. “Please, sto– hahaha– Sto–”

“Will you admit that belly rubs help?” Sana asked, mercilessly running her fingers up and down Dahyun’s sides, reaching all the most vulnerable spots. She didn’t even have to use much strength. 

“Yes! Ye–es!” Dahyun almost screamed. 

Instantly, Sana stopped. She didn’t leave her position though, staring at Dahyun under her, at the hair spread around her head like a halo, at the furious blush on her wet cheeks, at the wide grin. And she had to admit that she’s never seen anything more beautiful on this planet. 

They were both slowly steadying their breaths, staring into each other’s eyes. 

Sana gulped, when suddenly Dahyun’s eyes got all soft and shiny.

“I’m sorry I attacked you yesterday.” She started. Maybe Dahyun wasn’t scared of her, but she felt like those words were necessary anyway. 

“Not your fault.” Dahyun’s hands traveled on Sana’s waist, playing with the hem of her T-shirt. “No one’s fault actually. Except those bastards who attack people in the forest.”

The blood in Sana’s veins boiled just at the thought.

“Do you really think Mina’s new girl is innocent?” She asked. Nayeon might have looked all cute and funny, but she was still a strange wolf coming into their territory without invitation.

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to judge her after only a few hours.” Dahyun hummed with ponder. “But she looked pretty determined to help Tzuyu. Why would she do that, if she wanted to hurt us?”

“I don’t know, maybe she has some unfinished business with Tzu. Like… They are both in the mafia together and Tzuyu owes her money. Or maybe they deal drugs.”

This time, Dahyun actually burst with laughter.

“Yeah, for sure.” She nodded, her smile teasing. “I’m sure Tzuyu kidnaps and sells children on the black market in her free time. That’s why Jihyo decided to be a lawyer, to protect her girlfriend’s ass just in case. It’s good that Mina decided to be with Nayeon and bring her on our side, otherwise we could have a war between gangs in Moon Grove soon.”

“If you really think about it, Mina and Nayeon are like Romeo and Juliet. Forbidden love between people from two fighting families.” Sana said, trying her best to stay serious, but it was pretty hard with the way Dahyun was crackling. Soon she snorted, and it started another wave of laughing. 

Minutes later, when they finally settled under the blanket, fresh evening air coming into the room, facing each other with their limbs tangled so much that it was hard to tell where each of them started and ended, Dahyun reached to stroke Sana’s cheek.

“We’ve talked about how I feel already. But how are you doing after all that stuff that happened yesterday? Is your body still in pain?”

Sana took her time to think. Dahyun wasn’t asking just to ask; she really cared and genuinely wanted to know, since they had so little time to talk about it the previous day. 

“No, I think it’s fine already. Physically, obviously. I’m tired, but it’s nothing a good sleep won’t fix. Emotionally though…” She sighed. Then rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself. “Embarrassed a bit, I guess?”

“Oh? Why?” Dahyun fixed her position so that they could look each other into the eyes. She looked interested and curious, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“ Ugh , because everyone else had to waste time and go back home just for me? Don’t get me wrong, I love attention…” They both giggled here. Then Sana pouted again. “... but I felt like the biggest loser out there. As if I was a literal ball and chain attached to this house and to the pack.” 

“Babe, you’re not a ball and chain.” Dahyun scolded her instantly. “You didn’t know you’d react like that. And it wasn’t your choice. It just… happened.”

“Well, I knew I wouldn’t react well. Besides, Tzuyu managed to survive two years away from us, so I just… I don’t know. Thought that maybe it could be overcome?”

“It doesn’t matter now, because no one was mad at you. They were just worried and wanted to help you, I swear.” Dahyun pecked her nose once, then moved to leave a quick kiss on her lips too, trying to get rid of the pout. Sana sighed, but decided to believe it for the time being.

“Never mind. I’m just scared now what will happen when Sheriff asks me to leave Moon Grove again.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Dahyun said with so much confidence, that Sana almost believed her. It wasn’t hard to, when they were laying in the safety and comfort of their bed, cuddled together. 

Especially when she could feel Dahyun’s soft hands cradling her face, when they were so close that there was hardly any space between them, when warm lips found their way to hers, deciding to stay there for longer. In the slowly falling darkness of the summer evening, with cicadas and birds singing right behind the window, with cool air bringing them relief after a hot day; it wasn’t hard to let go and believe that everything was going to be alright.

(...)

According to Nayeon, Tzuyu’s wound was doing fairly well. There was nothing that could be done now except applying some herbal ointment and leaving Tzuyu to sleep and recover. 

“Ummm…” Mina played with her fingers nervously when the door to Tzuyu’s room closed behind them, and they were suddenly alone in the corridor. 

Jihyo could no longer see them, so there was no need for Nayeon to be overly-confident, and there could be nervousness visible on her face too. 

“Yeah…” She giggled. 

“Do you… maybe… want to go to my room for a bit?” Mina asked, suddenly so interested in that one stain on the wall that came into being last year, when Momo and Sana came back home drunk and tripped on the stairs. Somehow, no amount of chemicals was able to fully remove the blood from the wood. 

“Mina!” Nayeon playfully scolded her. “What are you suggesting? We were supposed to do it slowly, remember?”

“Not… to do that… ” Mina whined, blushing. “Just… to talk. I can show you my room.”

Nayeon giggled. 

“Sure. I’d gladly see it.” She nodded. Mina felt like she was still made fun of a bit.

The room looked exactly how Mina left it a few hours earlier, with the two monitors shut down and one lighting up the whole place, displaying the progress of some task she had started before. The window was half-open, allowing a bit of fresh air to come to the dark space. The bed was neatly made, but a few pieces of clothing lay on it. Fortunately, the shelves with her Lego were free of dust, thanks to Jeongyeon’s constant nagging to keep the house clean. 

A wave of laughter reached them suddenly, and Mina rolled her eyes.

“Perks of living with half of the town in one house.” She explained with irony, a bit embarrassed with her living situation. She could bet Nayeon had way more space just for herself, especially since she was an alpha. “Sometimes Sana’s room seems to be way closer than it really is.”

“Well, at least someone’s having fun.” Nayeon winked.

“Yup.” Mina said flatly. “I had to invest in soundproof headphones.”

Nayeon burst with laughter. 

“Should we try to out-fun their fun?” She wiggled her eyebrows. This time it was Mina who smacked her arm scoldingly.

“We’re going slowly.” She reminded. 

“Yes, we are.” Nayeon sighed, but kept giggling, showing that she didn’t really mean it as a complaint. Mina turned away to hide her blush, grabbing the stuff from the bed so that Nayeon could sit there. She was just about to find a place for herself on her gaming chair, when Nayeon caught her hand.

“Sit with me here.” She patted the bed with her other hand. 

There was no amusement anymore in the air, just mild-comfort mixed with a bit of awkwardness. Mina hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay near Nayeon, after all she invited the woman to her room out of her own will, but she still had a hard time comprehending everything that happened in the last two hours. And she couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed that Nayeon didn’t tell her earlier that she was a wolf too. Was she trying to mock Mina? Did she plan to hide this forever? 

Without any surprise, Nayeon sensed the turmoil going inside Mina’s head.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. Mina bit her lip, deciding to sit next to Nayeon after all. Not fully relaxed, just on the edge of the bed, ready to run away just in case. 

“Why– How were you able to hide this all for so long?” She made a vague gesture around Nayeon, hoping that the girl would understand what she meant. “I literally had no idea the whole time.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory. Not yet at least. 

“Hey, I was surprised too that you didn’t sense anything.” Nayeon defended herself. “I fully expected you to feel something the second I got closer. But you didn’t, so I– I guess I wanted to check what I can do, before you realize… I don’t know. I meant no harm and I was about to tell you soon. But then Tzuyu got hurt…”

There was this pleading look in her eyes - for forgiveness, for time, for a chance. Mina was conflicted. 

“I swear, Mina. I’ll tell you everything. I just need a bit more time. Trust me, please.” 

Mina closed her eyes. In her memory, there were all those situations that had happened between them since Nayeon’s arrival. Their first date, their hookups, their little trip in the mountains, during which Nayeon asked them to make something more meaningful out of their situationship. 

Would she do all of that, if she was about to play and fool Mina?

Yup, she would probably do. 

But… Mina wanted to believe her so badly, because somewhere deep inside her, she could feel a weird kind of connection between them. That one thing that just ‘clicked’ and made them understand each other better, have more fun together, be more interested in each other. Maybe it was partly physical attraction, after all Nayeon wasn’t lacking anything in that area, but maybe it was also something bigger than that. Something better. Something worth exploring. 

“O- Okay. I’ll trust you.” She nodded eventually. “But I expect a detailed explanation when you’re finally ready. Nothing will be left out.”

“Nothing.” Nayeon swore, putting her hand over her heart. 

“Wait. One more thing.” Mina suddenly got reminded about something. “Why did you howl last night? When Dahyun was taking Tzuyu to the car? You brought the hunters’ attention to us.” 

“No, it was actually the opposite.” Nayeon gasped at the accusation. “I made them focus on me. I could easily outrun them, so I wanted them to follow me. And they did.”

Mina squinted her eyes, trying to find an ounce of lie in this statement. She searched for nearly a minute, but found nothing. 

“Fine.” She finally said, putting a definite end to this discussion. “Then cuddle me.”

She didn’t know what came upon her to be this bold, but she was starting to feel tired and sleepy. Also, despite already having sex and kissing with Nayeon before, she’s never actually had a chance to be hugged - really, properly hugged - by the woman. It was a bit strange. 

Why she made it sound like a punishment for Nayeon, she had no idea. Nayeon just cackled at the request that didn’t leave her any place for objection. 

“Yes, ma’am.” She saluted, surprised a bit with Mina’s sudden firm stance. “How would you like me to cuddle you?”

Mina hesitated. Now that she reached this point, the bravado suddenly left her and she was shy again. 

“Ummm…” Her cheeks covered in blush. 

Nayeon patted her back.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Lay down on your side.” 

Mina did, observing how Nayeon followed, laying behind her and settling comfortably on the pillow. From then on, she wasn’t able to see anything, because she was facing the other way, but she felt it instead - how Nayeon’s body fitted perfectly behind her, how Nayeon’s hand embraced her waist and pulled her closer to the girl. It was definitely warm, and definitely a different feeling than Mina expected it to be. 

And she just knew that the moment she discovered this kind of cuddling, she was instantly addicted to it. 

Man, she was screwed… What if Nayeon left her and she was going to stay without those cudd–

“Shhh… Don’t think too much.” Nayeon whispered right next to her ear. “Now, tell me about your family. Who’s the one that I already managed to piss off?”

Chapter Text

The precinct was busy, despite it being so early in the morning. 

“Oh, Sana. You’re back already? I thought you were supposed to take a few days off to treat your condition.”

“I’m fine, sir.” Sana reported to Sheriff. “I’ve seen the doctor and he said that it was just a short flu that I caught due to exhaustion. I’m perfectly recovered now.”

That was obviously a huge lie. Sana hadn’t seen any doctor, and she probably wasn’t even able to catch a flu at all. But Sheriff couldn’t know that. 

“Oh, exhaustion?” The man glanced at her, genuinely worried. “Am I putting too much work on your shoulders? Shouldn’t you use your full break in this case?”

“We need all hands on deck, if we want to catch whoever keeps killing people, sir!” Sana answered with enthusiasm. She hoped it wasn’t visible that it was fake. 

“Well, that is true, actually. There’s a lot of work to do.” Sheriff sighed. “Fine, then. I won’t reject any help. Join the rest, please. We’ll have a meeting in a few minutes. But…”

Sana stilled. The man sighed again.

“If you feel bad once again, please tell me about it earlier. You really scared me there.”

“Copy that, sir!” Sana nodded, feeling really touched with his worry, and quickly walked away towards the middle of the small building, where her colleagues gathered. The old Sheriff, Jihyo’s grandfather, towered over them, throwing an ominous shade on the whole room with his impressive posture. 

Sana couldn’t help but see the man with a rifle in his hands, the end of the gun pointed at her. She wasn’t sure if she would be ever able to get this vision out of her head.

To be honest, he was the main reason for her early comeback. Sana needed to keep an eye on him - and on the rest of the hunters too - and on the officers’ plans. She needed to be in on the latest news, on the hunting areas, on everything. That was the least she could do after she failed to warn her pack on the night of the full moon, which resulted in Tzuyu nearly getting killed. Sana desperately needed to redeem herself. 

Her sanity needed her to redeem herself. 

“Alright, everyone!” Sheriff said a few minutes later, when all the police officers were already gathered there. “Quick briefing! Jackson, what have you got about the newest case?”

“Not much, sir! No one knows the victim, he didn't have any stuff with him, no IDs and his clothes didn't look as if he was prepared for a long walk. Probably local, maybe one of those who live high up in the mountains.” Jackson reported. “We went there, but those people don't know each other, because their cottages are too far apart. There's no actual way to find all of them either, the houses aren't really included on any maps, and we can't track them using a drone, because the forest there is too thick. We found a few empty places, some of them even look as if the owner left not so long ago, but it could be just that that person went for a longer trip.” 

“Thank you, Jackson. Good job.” Sheriff praised the officer, but his face showed only dejection. They've lost another life, and they were still so far behind with this case. Maybe this man had a family, and they couldn't be informed. 

Sana would totally understand his worries, but she was too busy being surprised about this case. How was it that no one was kind enough to let her in on the news while she was away? When could that happen? 

It couldn’t be the previous night, because Jackson had already managed to gather all that info. Which meant it was the night of the full moon. While the hunters were out there, looking for the wolves and chasing the wrong pack, someone else took another life. While Tzuyu was fighting to stay alive, they killed another man. 

Could it be Nayeon's pack? The woman said that they stayed away from Moon Grove, but could she really be trusted? Maybe while Nayeon was busy helping Tzuyu, her pack played a bit too bravely? Maybe Nayeon was there as a distraction, so as to avert their attention from the real problem?

Sana honestly felt a bit tired with those mysteries already. She just wanted to do her job, give people speeding tickets or maybe eventually help separate fighting drunk old men, then come back home at the end of the day, to her loving girlfriend and a pack ready to conquer the woods. Nothing more. 

She didn't need any fireworks in her life. It was fine, if it was boring. She could find other ways to make it interesting.

“Does anyone else have any urgent things? No? Okay, then let’s hear about today’s plan for the night. Mr. Cho? Sir?”

“Hmm?” The old Sheriff seemed to be deep in his thoughts before being called out by the current Sheriff. “Oh, yeah. I was just thinking once again how strange it is that the wolves behave like that lately. To be honest, I haven’t been able to notice their presence in the forest for many years, only in the last few there was a wolf here and there spotted in the woods. You might not remember it, because most of you were really young, but they had a big population in Moon Grove in the late 90s and we used to be in pretty good relations with them back then. Those are really smart animals, and they usually don’t intentionally attack people. But then, in the beginning of the next decade, they suddenly disappeared… and now they are back? It's not normal what’s happening right now. It’s not normal how quickly those changes in population happened. Even if the population got smaller because of natural causes, it wouldn’t rebuild so fast.”

“Maybe something bad happened to them to disappear.” Mark suggested. “I agree that it was hard to spot a single wolf in the forest when I was young, even my parents say that. So maybe they simply ran away from this area, and then came back.”

“Maybe…” Mr. Cho hummed. “Still, they’ve got weirdly brave. They should be scared the first moment I fired my gun. It's summer, they have tons of other food that's not hard to find. They don’t have to feed on people out of desperation.” 

“Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but what's the point in questioning their motives? They kill, so we have to fight back.” Yugyeom asked. Mr. Cho shook his head with disapproval.

“Let me tell you that, young man - there’s always a point in understanding your opponent. Even if they are animals driven by an instinct. This way you can outsmart them, instead of using violence, especially since it doesn’t seem to work.” 

“So we stop searching for them?” Sana asked, hoping that her voice was perfectly free of any tons that could suggest that she counted on that outcome. She wanted to solve this case peacefully. She didn’t need more hurt pack members.

“Not until we find another way to deal with this problem. We can’t show our weakness….”

The man kept speaking, listing the places they should search up the upcoming night. Sana internally sighed with disappointment. 

It looked like they were still so far away from going back to a peaceful and happy life. 

(...)   

The screen of Mina's computer displayed five minutes past midnight, when something broke her focus. She was almost done with that task, ready to head to her bed in a moment and rest her dry and tired eyes. Apparently life had another idea for her. 

The rest of the house was quiet, everyone either already deep in their sleep, or locked in their rooms. It was hard to miss this sound in the peace of the night. It wasn't rhythmic, and definitely didn't come from inside the house. 

It took Mina a good thirty seconds to recognize that someone was knocking on her window. Or maybe more like hitting it with small stones.

Mina had to admit that her eyes took a bit too long to adjust from the brightness of the screen to the darkness of the night.

“Again, seriously? Are you out of your mind?” Broke out of her mouth the moment she recognized the person standing in front of her window. There wasn't anger in her voice, just good-natured irritation about the unusual way this person always showed up in her life. 

Nayeon pouted anyway, even if Mina didn't mean any harm.

“May I come in?” She asked, her eyes huge and shining like a scolded puppy’s. “I'll be quiet and I won't interrupt your work, I swear.”

Mina sighed, nodding. She was completely sure that Nayeon would in fact disrupt her work, but she didn’t exactly feel like letting the other woman down. 

The first time Nayeon showed up like that, hanging on the window frame high above the ground, requesting to be let in, Mina almost had a heart attack. At least now the older girl waited safely on the ground until the window was opened and the way was cleared for her. 

The moment her feet softly hit the floor of Mina’s bedroom, the girl was opening her arms. Mina didn't wait for any encouragement and dived right between them, embracing Nayeon's waist. A wet kiss landed on her cheek. 

“Hi to you too.” She giggled, amused with the older girl’s enthusiasm. They've seen each other the previous day, there was seriously no way for Nayeon to miss Mina that much already. 

“Don’t laugh at me, I risk so much every time I show up here, and all of that just for you.” Nayeon pouted once again, fiddling with the hair on the back of Mina's neck. Her face was so adorable like this, that Mina couldn't help but giggle again.

“I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because of your silly actions.” She assured Nayeon. “Why won't you use the door next time? Everyone's already in their rooms, they won't even know that you’re here.”

“Where’s the fun in this?” Nayeon waved her off, then dragged both of them to the bed. 

Only now Mina could notice that under her leather jacket, the girl had an oversized pajama top and shorts. Nayeon surely had to think it through and adjust after the last time, when she came with her work clothes on and then fell asleep in them, waking up in the morning uncomfortable and stiff. 

Mina would have gladly offered her something, if she wanted to, but she could guess this worked too. 

“Remember what you said just five minutes ago?” She asked, trying to not pay attention to the way Nayeon was manhandling her. “About not interrupting my work? I still have something to do.”

Nayeon whined, her face buried in Mina’s hair. 

“You always have something to do. I just want to cuddle…”

“Yes, because that’s my work. We can cuddle later.”

“I’ll probably fall asleep by the time you finish, just like the last time.” The whining continued. 

Mina fixed herself on Nayeon’s lap to look the girl in the eyes and then cupped her cheek.

“And I still cuddled you in your sleep, didn’t I?”

Nayeon seemed to consider her further options. She could continue whining and complaining, or she could just accept her defeat and admit that Mina was right. In the end, she chose the third option - attack as a form of defence and avoidance. 

Mina wasn’t quick enough to stop the woman and her protests were muffled by Nayeon’s lips. Another one of the small steps in the progress of their relationship: they skipped to kissing. The last time, it was only a short, timid kiss, but this time it seemed that Nayeon had other plans. Mina’s breath was taken out of her lungs out of shock and intensity of the connection. 

They made out for a while, and Mina was really into it, enjoying herself, when... There it was again - this feeling of panic and dread. No! No, no, no...

Nayeon had to sense the change in her smell, because she stopped immediately. There was regret in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I go too far? I'm so sorry, we-"

"It's fine, Nayeon. We can continue." Mina stopped her. It was surely just temporary. She wanted this, she wanted to be intimate with Nayeon, she wanted to offer herself fully to the other woman. They weren’t just fooling around anymore, they were building something between the two of them - trust, affection, faith in each other.  It felt right in Mina’s mind to take this step together with Nayeon finally.

Somehow, her consciousness didn't seem to follow her brain.

"No, it's not fine, when you're not ready and not fully into this. We should wait." Nayeon was firm this time, her hands dropping from where she had them previously on Mina's back. They went down and rested on Mina's waist, but the touch was too brief, too gentle. Mina huffed.

"No, we really don't have to, it'll pass." She wanted to stand firmly on her ground too. She wanted this.

"Mina... Please, I can smell that you're uncomfortable." Nayeon stroked her hair gently, as if sedating a distrustful animal. "I could smell it back then when we were… only having fun. And I can smell it now. Back then though, I could accept it because you really insisted on continuing, but now we're doing everything seriously. We’re doing it the right way.. And I don't want to do anything that you're not fully comfortable with just because. We're gonna wait until you're one hundred percent sure. And until then, we can hug, we can hang out, we can kiss... in a more relaxed way."

She listed, each thing making Mina more and more giddy. 

"Okay." Mina reluctantly let it go. Nayeon was right - Mina was uncomfortable - but admitting it seemed to her like hurting Nayeon is some way. But if the girl insisted... "Let me finish my task then? And I'll come back to you in twenty minutes? We’ll cuddle then."

"Fine..." Nayeon grumbled, freeing Mina's body, but then quickly stealing just one, last short kiss. Mina giggled, allowing it to happen, then stealing one of her own.

Without surprises, Nayeon was deeply asleep when Mina finished her work and shut down the PC. Soundlessly, as to not wake up the girl, Mina went to brush her teeth. Back in the bedroom, she tucked Nayeon first under the covers, then slipped under it herself. Nayeon woke up briefly, not fully but just enough to sense that someone was beside her, and turned on her side, burying her face in Mina's neck and embracing her waist tightly. Her leg went over Mina's leg, and normally Mina would totally feel trapped if this happened in any other situation. For some reason though, when it was Nayeon, she was fine with this amount of touch. It honestly felt a bit like a weighted blanket, and she grew to love this position already.

Smiling to herself, when Nayeon muttered something in her sleep, Mina stroked the girl's head calmingly. The peaceful, steady movement brought heaviness to her previously exhausted body. Her eyes were staying closed longer, and longer, and it was harder to keep them open...

When she opened them next time, it was already morning and the birds were singing outside to welcome the new day. Nayeon was gone, probably back at her own house to prepare for work.

Mina swallowed down her disappointment, knowing well that she had no right to demand the woman to stay longer. 

In this case, she could give herself five more minutes under the covers. Just five more minu…

(...)

The car pulled up on the side of the road, the gravel crunching under the tires. Mina shifted on her feet, nervousness suddenly sparking inside her chest. She reached for the door handle before all the intrusive thoughts started attacking her self-confidence.

What greeted her inside was one extremely hot, melting smile and a wave of cold air coming from the ventilators. The car smelled differently than the last time she’d been inside it. The seat upholstery felt different under her skin too. 

She was already halfway into the welcome kiss, when she realized that Nayeon wasn’t ready to reciprocate it. The older woman’s head was turned forward, her grin a bit teasing. 

Mina blushed. Oh… Did she read the situation wrong?

“Hi,” Nayeon said instead. There was some kind of undertone in her words, and only now Mina noticed that her eyes were discreetly pointing at something on the backseat. Someone on the backseat? 

Oh, that’s what Nayeon’s eyes were trying to say - ‘ not now, later ’. Mina turned and glanced there curiously. Her eyebrows shot up instantly. A child?

“Are you trying to win me over using a child, Im?”

Nayeon cleared her throat.

“Mina, meet Lily. Lily, this is Mina.” She introduced, finally shifting into the first gear and driving back onto the asphalt. Her eyes were fixed on the road, so Mina felt lost. Was she supposed to extend her hand for a greeting? She’s rarely had a chance to interact with any child, she had no idea. 

This child wasn’t so young anymore, maybe around ten years old, but it was still a child. Children were scary, unpredictable and sometimes too bold.

The girl on the backseat solved the problem for Mina. 

“Hi.” She showed her the biggest smile. Then she looked back at Nayeon. “Is she your friend?”

Mina waited for an answer together with Lily, just as curious how Nayeon was going to label her. Nayeon thought for a while, before answering.

“Yeah… A special friend.”

It didn’t satisfy Lily’s interest. 

“Special? How?”

Nayeon exchanged glances with Mina, her cheeks suddenly adorably blushed. Why? Mina could find thousands of explanations that could be appropriate for the kid’s age and still express well the nature of their current relationship. So why did Nayeon seem to be thinking about something that made her blush? 

Before the older woman was able to answer, Lily was talking again.
“Is she special because she’s just like us?”

“Ummm… No, that’s not the reason. But she is indeed just like us.” Nayeon confirmed. Mina had a lot of fun observing how the woman was squirming under the weight of the questions.

“Oh? Is that why she smells weird?” Lily struck again. Mina wasn’t able to stop herself from snorting. 

“Lily!” Nayeon scolded, her face a bit red but amusement was sipping from her voice. “Mina smells like that, because she’s not from our pack, so your instincts reject her. But still, you can’t go around and tell people that they smell weird, even if they do. That’s rude.”

“Why?” 

No one had a reasonable answer for that question. Mina wondered, and she found out that it was actually pretty interesting how society evolved into a point, when commenting on someone else's appearance and smell was something impolite. When in the thousands of years of world’s history someone decided that it would be like that?

“That’s just how it is.” Nayeon ended the discussion, her tone final. Lily hummed and turned her head to the window, visibly disappointed. Sudden silence fell in the car and only the silent growl of the engine could be heard between them. Mina looked outside, and found out that they were really close to their destination already. It made a question arise in her head. 

“Is Lily going on a date with us?” She asked, glancing at the girl. Lily had a grumpy face.

Nayeon shook her head in response.

“No, I’m driving her to her friend, because there’s no one at home right now, and I can’t leave her there alone.”

Mina hummed with acknowledgement. Then there was silence again. The next set of questions Mina had on the end of her tongue had to be almost visible though, because barely a few seconds later, Nayeon’s eyes connected with Mina’s once again, her look amused. 

Apparently, it was quite obvious what she was curious about. 

“Lily.” Nayeon called out to get the girl’s attention. “Would you like to tell Mina how we met?”

“Sure.” Enthusiasm came back to Lily, making her perk up in her seat. “Nayeon found me behind a trash can.” 

“Oh? A trash can?” Mina’s eyes opened wide. She knew Tzuyu’s story was pretty bad , but a trash can? “That’s wild.”

“It is.” Nayeon sighed. “But it’s no one’s fault that young wolves get lost. I found most of my pack somewhere around the city. I found Tzuyu there too, but she already had a pack of her own. Otherwise, I would surely adopt her.”

“Hands away from Tzuyu.” Mina said protectively, but there was no bite in her tone. In pure theory, she’s never heard about a case when someone changed their pack, which meant that Tzuyu was tied to them whether she wanted it or not. But… one could never know for sure. As it kept turning out lately, they still lacked so much knowledge about their own species and the rules of their world. Only two months earlier, Mina had never seen a wolf with white fur, and now one was sitting beside her. 

Could it be that Nayeon’s whole pack was like that? Was Lily a white wolf too? 

Mina wasn’t going to find out that day anyway, because Nayeon was just taking a turn to a small house on the left side of the road.

“Have fun with Haewonie.” Nayeon called after Lily, who was already halfway out of the car. 

“Thanks, bye.” 

The door shut with a thud, making the whole car shake. Little feet ran away from the vehicle and only dust could be seen behind the girl.

“Okay, rude.” Nayeon frowned. “She didn’t even wish me to have fun with you.”

“Do you doubt that we’re gonna have fun?” Mina asked. 

Nayeon turned her way, connected their eyes, then leaned into a slow and precise kiss. The way she bit Mina’s lip lightly when they parted made Mina’s head spin a little.

“I don’t.” Nayeon grinned. “Not at all.”

The restaurant the older woman had chosen for their second official (first that they hoped would be successful) date was located not far from Moon Valley, near the main road, right next to the famous in the whole neighborhood and among the tourists Frozen Lake, called like that because of the coldness of its waters which didn’t warm up even during the hottest of the summers. The most wonderful of views spread out from the place, allowing the hungry travelers to admire all of the high peaks surrounding the valley, mirrored in the crystal clear surface. A few hiking trails that led around the lake started there, and that’s where Nayeon took their steps after a lovely dinner on the restaurant’s terrace.  

“The food was really good. How did you know to choose this place?” Mina praised instantly when they left the building, the view of the sun setting over the mountains taking their breath away. “I’ve never been here despite living in Moon Grove my whole life.”

“My parents used to take me here for Sunday dinners when I got a good note in school.” Nayeon smiled, her eyes a bit distant as she reminisced on those past moments. “It was shortly before I left Moon Grove.”

“Oh, really?” Mina tried to recall the moment when Nayeon’s family left, but somehow her memories of that time were really blurred. She could remember something about Nayeon’s father getting a job in the capital completely out of nowhere... The only thing she could say for sure that happened was her sadness after she lost her best friend. It lasted for a good few years, and Mina was never able to find a new friend until Chan came up to her in school and offered her to be in a pack together with him. 

“How are your parents, by the way? Have they moved back here too?” She felt like it was nice to ask. Apparently, she was wrong, because Nayeon’s eyes darkened immediately.

“They haven’t. They’re… not with us anymore.” She said quietly, her gaze fixed on the ground. 

Mina’s eyes widened. 

“I’m… so sorry, Nayeonnie.” She whispered, squeezing the girl’s hand a bit more tightly. “I had no idea, I wouldn’t ask otherwise. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t kill them, right?” Nayeon winced. Then, before Mina could dive into the topic, she quickly pointed at something over their heads. “Look! A kestrel. Did you know they live in this area? I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen them here before.”

“Well, I guess you were a bit too young to recognize one back then, right?” Mina accepted the change of the subject without any fight, relieved that the mood didn’t seem to be spoiled. “I’m not too much into nature. Jihyo’s the nerd responsible for the living creatures. I’m a specialist in tech stuff.”

Nayeon snorted, her grin wide and teasing. 

“Seriously? You’re part of this nature yourself. You spent so much time in the woods. How can you not notice some things?”

“Well, I just… don’t? Or maybe I notice them, but I don’t know what I notice?” Mina scratched the back of her neck with her free hand, the other being pulled by Nayeon as they went down the hill towards the shore of the lake. “Honestly, lately I just haven’t had much time to spend in the forest, especially with the hunting still being a danger for us at night, and with how much work I have. It used to be my favorite way to spend time just running around, with Sana and Tzuyu, but now it’s too risky, and they both are busy with their own jobs and girlfriends too, so we just kinda… stopped…”

She laughed to herself, completely without humor.

“Somehow, I failed to notice when we all grew up and life got so complicated.”

Nayeon’s face was sympathetic.

“They are really important for you, right? Your family.” 

“They are.” Mina sighed, confirming. “I know I sometimes lack in showing my emotions, but I really love them.”

She didn’t need to use her wolf nose to feel that Nayeon felt bad for not immediately having a good connection with her family. And she was a bit disappointed about it too, after all her pack didn’t have any trouble with accepting Jihyo or Dahyun when they first joined the family. It was a bit understandable, after all Nayeon was an alpha of a rival pack, but a lot of their issues didn’t revolve around that at all. 

But it was what it was, Nayeon couldn’t change her situation, her past or her rank, so there was no use in overthinking this issue. 

Mina was starting to seriously like Nayeon, so if they had trouble with that, well… They should suck it up, because she didn’t plan on letting go of something good, even if it meant a bit of fighting between her and the pack. She still hoped they would finally figure it out though, because she could guess being halfway between them and Nayeon - having to choose sides - could be a pain in the ass in the future. Not even talking about problems with having to hide Nayeon when she visited their house, Mina simply wanted to chat with Sana and Tzuyu about her love life, just like they did previously when her sisters were falling in love. If Sana despised Nayeon, gossiping about this would be out of the question. Having to always avoid mentioning Nayeon would be really painful. 

“What’s on your mind right now?” 

The question, voiced with the most gentle of tones, pulled her out of her thoughts and she realized they were both quiet for a while. Her brows were frowned too and Nayeon had to guess that she was thinking about something not exactly nice. 

“Oh… No, nothing.” She quickly brushed it off, not wanting to ruin her own mood this evening. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was going to stay with her throughout the whole date, she just knew that, after all, she wasn’t a serial overthinker and worrier for nothing. But she could always try to distract herself with other - good - emotions. “I was just thinking how wonderful tonight is. The view, the food, the company… It’s all perfect.”

The smile on Nayeon’s face got smug. 

“I see… You’re choosing flattery as your weapon today. In that case, I’ll have to play my best cards too.” The woman got closer, just enough for Mina to feel her breath on the skin of her neck.

Suddenly, the whole world stilled. There was no single wrinkle on the surface of the water. The birds stopped singing, even the sounds coming from the restaurant far away behind their back were muffled. The sun hung just a bit over the horizon, ready to run away from their eyes, but seemingly also waiting to find out what exactly Nayeon got up her sleeve. Mina got a full breath in, keeping the air inside her lungs in anticipation. She didn’t dare make any move either, curious about what Nayeon planned. Since she looked so mysterious, it had to be something really good. Was it gonna blow Mina off her legs? Was she going to say something? Kiss Mina’s neck, or maybe lips? The butterflies in Mina’s tummy were rushing almost as fast as the thoughts inside her head. 

Then… Nayeon moved higher, up to Mina’s ear. The hot air hit the spot, and Mina shivered, her eyes closing instinctively, knowing well that it was going to feel really good. She loved being kissed there. 

Only that Nayeon didn’t plan to kiss her. The woman got closer, but her lips never touched Mina’s skin. Instead she giggled, then lightly pushed Mina away. 

“I changed my mind.” She burst with a wave of laughter. “You should’ve seen your face, so focused.”

“You’re such a tease.” Mina scoffed, not exactly happy with the outcome. But she could guess Nayeon was doing exactly what she promised, right? They were supposed to wait until Mina was ready. 

And as worked up as she was right now, Mina had to admit to herself that she wasn’t ready yet.

“Come here.” Nayeon was now sitting on the grass right over the edge of the lake, an innocent but wide grin on her face, her legs spread in front of her. There was a lot of space between them which Nayeon was now patting, calling Mina to fill it up. “Don’t be sulky.” 

Mina pouted once again, just to be sure that the message was received. She didn’t waste more time right after though, waddling and dropping to the ground, settling in the prepared space and leaning her back to Nayeon’s front. A pair of arms embraced her, bringing her even closer and she let herself relax into them. Nayeon’s chin ended up on her shoulder, the warm air back to teasing the sensitive skin on her neck.

“Tonight is indeed wonderful.” Nayeon muttered. “Look at the sky, the stairs are almost visible already.”

Mina sighed with content, taking a full breath of the fresh and cool evening air. It smelled of freshly mowed grass and some kind of flowers she wasn’t able to recognize. Luckily, despite the humidity in the evening air, the cold water didn’t make a good environment for the mosquitoes to attack. 

“Thank you for this date.” 

“Thank you for coming here with me,” Nayeon said. “And… I guess thank you for trusting me also. You didn’t have to, yet you gave me a chance to prove my innocence to you.”

Weirdly, Mina had to admit that she didn’t have trouble with that. Opposite to what she used to think before about how interactions with wolves from other packs would look like, it wasn’t really anything huge or dramatic. Perhaps it was thanks to her faulty nose which didn’t allow her to recognize most of the different smells, because she knew from her pack members that they were in fact a bit put off by them while being near the white wolf. But even they didn’t make a big deal out of it - their wolf instincts were one thing, and their human ability to control emotions and actions the other, and while it wasn’t easy to use the brain while the full moon was in the sky, during the rest of the month they could tame their animal urges fairly easily. 

The evening was slowly turning into a dark night. The lights coming from the nearby building weren’t enough to reach them, but both girls didn’t need them, their eyesight way better than an average human’s.

“Wanna swim in the lake?” Nayeon suddenly said out of nowhere a while later, when Mina’s eyes were already droopy and she was definitely too cozy to move. “The water’s so nice here.”

“Nooo, don’t move.” Mina whined, feeling that the warm embrace was being taken away from her. “How would you even do that? You don’t have a swimming suit here, right? And there are people in the restaurant, they can see us–”

“It’s too dark, they won’t see anything.” Nayeon was already standing on the edge of the water. The way she reached to take off her shirt - slowly, so that anyone interested had a chance to follow the movement of her whole body - made Mina’s mind spiral into dangerous territories. The skirt followed on the ground, and Mina was fully expecting Nayeon to stop there and just jump into the water in her underwear. 

Not a chance. Mina’s cheeks heated up, but she wasn’t able to take her eyes off Nayeon’s well-sculpted back, long legs and silky hair. That’s where she put an end to the staring. Nayeon’s giggle pulled her attention back to the woman’s face.  

“See you in the water.” Nayeon sent her a wink over her shoulder. And she went inside, slowly, step by step, like a nymph - goddess of water, embodiment of nature. 

The fresh air, the one that Mina cherished so much barely minutes earlier, was taken out of her lungs. She couldn’t move, couldn’t react, paralyzed by the view. 

When the water reached Nayeon’s shoulders, the woman turned around, the moon making her face shine brightly. There was suddenly no smile on her face, no teasing and no amusement. It was as if she was a mermaid, luring Mina to come closer and try, try, try…

“Don’t be scared, it’s nice here.” She said, her voice unnaturally low. Mina gulped. She knew there was no way back if she touched the water. She was going to be tied forever to this memory, to this evening. No matter where she would go, what she would do, she would always remember this feeling of freedom and oppression, warmth and coldness, love and fear. 

She stood up anyway, as if in a trance, deprived of her own will. If she had a chance to listen to her heart, she would hear it singing for this ethereal creature, answering the call. Somehow, she didn’t feel embarrassed to be watched when she stood there, bare of her clothes, of the shield protecting her from the world. She took her time walking to the water. Nayeon welcomed her wordlessly, reaching for her hand and pulling her closer. 

Their lips connected instantly, but the kiss wasn’t rushed. Its passion came from the closeness of their bodies, from the intimacy of feeling like they were the only humans covered in the light of the Moon that night. Their legs intertwined, their hands brought them closer and closer.

Falling asleep in Nayeon’s arms a few hours later, laying under the same Moon, covered just in a thin blanket they were able to find in the car, Mina felt a deep nostalgia, knowing well that some moments were unrepeatable. 

(...)

It was still too early for the first wave of clients to come through ‘Strategy’'s door, when Jeongyeon heard the ring of the small bell that stood on the bar’s counter. She was right behind the door leading to the back, so just a quick glance was enough for her to know that someone really stood there, waiting to be served. The man was around her age, tall and handsome, with clothes definitely too fancy for drinking a beer on a Wednesday’s noon.  

Jeongyeon smiled anyway. She wasn’t there to judge the client’s life choices. 

“Hey, what can I get you?” She asked, letting herself be seen. Momo was somewhere too, but if the man didn’t want anything fancy, Jeongyeon could manage. 

“Oh, hi!” The man’s face lit up with a careful smile. “Oh, I- I’m actually here for the job interview. We talked through a phone yesterday, I’m Vernon Ch–”

“Obviously! I remember now.” Jeongyeon grinned, interrupting him and clapping her hands vigorously. “Silly me, sometimes I’m so busy that I forget to take my own head from home. Here, come to my office, we can talk there. My partner should be somewhere too, we need her opinion before I hire you, but from what I’ve seen in your CV, I don’t think we will have to convince her for too long.”

“It would be awesome, I really like the place.” Vernon smiled, moving a bit stiffly, but not shyly. He was probably just nervous.

“We love it too, that’s our baby, if you know what I mean. The people from the town come quite regularly already, so we really count on developing this business even more. So far, my sister has been helping, but I feel bad using her so much.” Jeongyeon blabbered as they walked through the building towards the tiny room where she had her tiny desk with a not so tiny pile of documents. “Here, have a seat. I’m gonna go search for Momo.” 

The man dropped to the chair that she pointed to, then led her out with his eyes. Jeongyeon rushed to the kitchen.

“Hey, Momo? Momo!?” 

Where the heck was this girl? She was literally there five minutes ago, unboxing the new stack of beers–

“Momo! I’ve been looking for you.” Jeongyeon immediately scolded, seeing the open door to the backyard, her friend standing in them. “What the heck are you doing? Is that a vape? Since when are you smoking?”

“Oh… N- No, I’m not.” Momo’s face was furiously red while she fumbled to hide the small object in the pocket of her jeans. Then she looked Jeongyeon straight in the eyes. “I’m not.”

“O-ookay?” Jeongyeon raised her eyebrows. That wasn’t suspicious at all . “Never mind, I don’t have time to deal with that. Come with me.”

“Why?” Momo protested at being pulled by her hand inside the bar. “Where’s the rush?”

“I have a good candidate for our new barman slash waiter. He’s young, good-looking so he can attract new clients, and he has a bit of experience. I’ve already studied his files, I’ve spoken to him briefly, and in my honest opinion, we can take him for a while to see what he can offer. You just need to agree and we can sign the documents–”

“What!?” Momo seemed to be genuinely weirded out. “Why? What’s wrong with our current barman?”

Jeongyeon sighed with tiredness.

“Mo, you know that we can’t ask Mina for help forever. She has her job, she has a new girlfriend now. And we don’t even pay her much. She’s a pushover, so she won’t say anything, but I feel bad using her.” 

Momo’s head was hung low, her forehead scrunched in thought. 

“Then… I don’t know, we can manage ourselves–”

“Why are you so against hiring someone!?” Jeongyeon squinted her eyes, anger already filling her. “You rejected them all, from the beginning. Are you sure there even is a human being out there that can live up to your fantasies of an ideal employee? Because soon, we’re gonna really be here alone, and the clients will notice that the tables aren’t being cleaned up, that they have to wait too long for a simple beer. It’s really not that hard to lose them. And we’re gonna be too fucking exhausted to even care. Do you really want that to happen to the bar?” 

The words were leaving her fast, her tone was cold as steel. She was fuming already. 

Momo was breathing hard too, her fists clenched. Her eyes were jumping between Jeongyeon and the room behind her back, where the man could be seen looking around, playing with the file of papers on his lap. 

“Did you even see how he looked at you?” A quiet hiss broke out of Momo’s lips, her face suddenly closer to Jeongyeon. “He’s a player, he looks as if he came here to fuck you, not to look for a job.”

Jeongyeon gulped down the embarrassment of suddenly being so close to Momo’s face. The anger helped her a lot, because…

“What the fuck, Momo!? Have you lost your mind today? You’re acting like a fucking child!” 

Momo’s fists tightened even more, her face - red from fury - came even closer to Jeongyeon’s. Her mouth opened, ready to let out even more cruel words. 

Then something came through her eyes in the last possible second, and suddenly she stumbled back, heaving. She pointed a finger at Jeongyeon’s face, closed her eyes, breathed in and out. When her eyes opened again, she was already running back towards the door. 

Jeongyeon was left astounded. 

What the heck had just happened? What the heck possessed Momo?

How– Why– Oh, what the fuck?

She sighed, running her hand through her hair a few times, almost pulling them out with how aggressive her moves were.

She could guess Vernon wasn’t signing the documents yet today. 

(...) 

Nayeon woke up from her dream hot, bothered, and mortified. She couldn't exactly remember what it had been about, but she knew one thing - Mina was in it, and there were ungodly things happening somewhere in public. She had no idea why, but for some reason each time some adult stuff was going on in her dreams, it was always connected with doing it out in the open. 

Nayeon really hoped she wasn't developing a kink.

The reason for her troubles was sleeping soundlessly beside her, half of her face covered in hair, chest raising with deep breaths. Nayeon grinned with fondness, giving herself a few minutes to be grounded back in reality by this adorable view. 

Then she slipped out from under the covers, grabbed her stuff and jacket, put her leg over the windowsill and slowly slid down the roof to the ground. Her legs bent automatically, breaking the jump. Nayeon straightened her clothes, glanced at her phone to fix her hair, silently thanking fate for not giving her a bedhead and then went straight to the front door of the house. 

She didn't use the bell, because half of the house was still asleep. Those who weren't, wouldn't have a problem with hearing the knocking. Truly, the door cracked open not much later. A grumpy face showed up from behind them. No words followed, just silence.

"Heeey!" Nayeon was the one to break it, a bit awkward already. "Nice to see you too, Sana. I'm glad you're not asleep anymore."

Okay, that was a blatant lie. Nayeon counted that Chan would be the one to open the door for her, since the man usually got up for work at a similar time as her. Chan liked her (for now), because he was interested in her somewhat unique color of fur. 

Unluckily, today Sana also started her work early.

Well, at least it wasn't Jihyo. Nayeon really thought it was ironically funny that the people who disliked her in this house had to be a lawyer and a police officer. Even if they murdered her and buried her body in the ground, no one would probably ever know, because they could have each other's backs in hiding this crime.

Not that she would let them. She would put up a big fight. Also, she counted that even in case she lost (which was pretty unlikely), Mina would probably care enough to avenge her death. 

"Why are you here, Nayeon?" Sana asked tiredly, keeping her guard of the door and not opening it even a bit wider yet. 

"Obviously, to check on my princess Tzuyu." Nayeon kept her grin wide, hoping that the muscles in her cheeks were strong enough to keep it believable long enough. 

Not that she didn't want to see Tzuyu. Also, she didn't dislike Sana and Jihyo - the hate here was purely one-sided. She didn't need to fake her smile because she was forced to be here or something. 

She smiled that wide, because it always pissed both Jihyo and Sana off. And getting under their skin was something Nayeon learned to enjoy those past days. 

Obviously, it could gain her the lack of access to this house. But deep down, both Sana and Nayeon knew that Tzuyu's well-being was too important for the former, to really not let the latter check on it. Hence why the door was finally opened for her and Nayeon was let in, although not without Sana's noises of dissatisfaction.

The atmosphere inside was lazy and slow. At the table, Chan was chewing on some breakfast, discussing something quietly with Jihyo. Dahyun was in the kitchen, together with Yeji and Minho. To Nayeon's joy, Tzuyu was already up and sitting on the couch, her watchful eyes immediately connecting with the newcomer. Everyone's attention followed, and suddenly Nayeon was welcomed with too many eyes on her, some happy, and some not so much. 

"Good morning, everyone!" Nayeon singsonged, not letting them sense that she felt a bit shy under their undivided attention. "How are we doing today?"

A few pairs of eyes blinked. No one bothered to answer. It was probably a bit too early for this kind of enthusiasm.

"Okay, noted." Nayeon hummed, getting serious. Without any additional comment, she went to Tzuyu, plopping on the couch by her side and immediately reaching to stroke the black fur between Tzuyu's ears. Tzuyu made a sound, something between a cat's purr and a growl, to greet her and to show her appreciation.

"How are you today, Tzu? Still in pain?" 

Tzuyu's head tilted. Meaning the answer wasn't yes or no - just in-between. Nayeon had been checking on her the past days, and the wound was healing really well, but still not well enough to get Tzuyu back into action. 

"Have you got the ointment applied today?" 

"She has." Another voice spoke from behind Nayeon's back. Jihyo was standing close, her arms crossed on her chest and her face stern. Definitely not at all looking at Nayeon's hands all the time.

Nayeon rolled her eyes.

"Why are you hovering? I'm literally just trying to check on her. No ill intentions here." Her hands raised in a sign of surrender. Jihyo clenched her teeth. Nayeon could notice that the woman kept doing that quite often. Now, Nayeon wasn't a stomatologist by any means, but even she could guess that this habit could potentially destroy Jihyo's tooth enamel.  

The younger woman was focused on different matters.

"No one can know with you..." She snarked. The words, and the tone too, didn't sit right with Nayeon. Here she was, trying to help and just visiting Tzuyu, not hurting anyone (Dahyun had already forgiven her for that one time), and Jihyo was determined to attack her, so early in the morning on top of everything. Nayeon didn't say anything until now, but today she felt like she had enough.

She knew what she planned to say was a low blow, and normally she wouldn't use it, because it was just not fair, but since Jihyo insisted on being a bitch to her... Well, Nayeon simply had to fight back.

"You know, it's not my grandpa who caused Tzuyu's current condition. Maybe we should be rather suspicious of you? Who knows, maybe you're the one here to finish the job, huh?"

A huge wave of hurt flashed through Jihyo's eyes, and she backed down immediately. Tzuyu made a noise, something akin to disapproval, but Jihyo's eyes didn't leave Nayeon's even hearing that, as she stared at the older woman, anger written all over her face. The staring contest lasted for nearly a minute, during which Tzuyu unsuccessfully tried to get their attention. Finally, Jihyo gave up. 

"Fair enough. This round is for you, Im." She shook her head with irritation and walked away, back to the table, where the rest of the wolves sat observing the little spectacle. Nayeon could smell the mix of feelings in the air. One was dominating: Sana's anger and protectiveness over her best friend. 

Well, Nayeon could guess that she was being buried in that ground after all. 

Tzuyu glanced at Nayeon with sadness, when the woman's eyes returned to her. Nayeon sighed. She didn't mean bad, but somehow, her history with both Sana and Jihyo seemed to be destined to fall. It started on the wrong foot, and then only kept getting worse. She had no idea how to change its course, because each time she tried to be friendly, the outcome turned out to be the opposite.

Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. She didn't need to be friends with everyone. 

Nayeon had half a mind to wait until Mina wakes up to give her a morning kiss, but she knew it wouldn't happen for a good hour or so, and she wasn't really welcomed to stay too long in this house. Dejected and disappointed in herself, she didn't feel like trying anymore. 

Who knew, maybe they were right not to trust her? Maybe she really was their enemy?

Chapter Text

“Hey, there you are! Finally! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Momo froze, the keg of beer she was carrying to the bar heavy in her hands. She cursed under her breath before putting it on the floor and quickly turning around. Jeognyeon stood there in her casual clothes, her hair slightly tousled by the strong wind, looking definitely way too good for Momo’s own good. Wait. What?

"What are you doing here? Where's Mina?" It came out of Momo’s mouth against her will. The tone turned out a bit too harsh for her liking, and the question wasn't exactly nice either. But Jeongyeon wasn't supposed to be here today. 

"I switched with her. Wanted to talk to you." Jeongyeon said, standing awkwardly in the door, looking as if she wasn't sure whether she was allowed to come into her own building. 

Momo rolled her eyes, turning away. Oh, so now Jeongyeon wanted to talk suddenly. Well, Momo didn't. She was still embarrassed about her outburst from the previous day and didn't feel like humiliating herself anymore. Additionally, she still had a hard time drawing any conclusion about her own weird behavior. 

What was going on in her heart? Where were all those feelings coming from? What did they mean? That remained a mystery. Momo knew one thing - she didn't want Jeongyeon to know about them. And if the woman kept pestering her, Momo wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut. She never was. 

"I'm busy now. I need to get the beer to the bar." She grumbled, grabbing the keg again and sighing theatrically to emphasize how much the work took out of her. The keg wasn't that heavy, but it never hurt to have an excuse. 

She forgot one thing - Jeongyeon was a damn gentlewoman. 

"I'll help you. Then we can talk." The woman grabbed the keg with one hand, leaving the other side for Momo. Momo had no other choice than to cooperate and lift the thing. 

She hoped that maybe some clients would come up to her to ask for some drinks and save her from her friend's wary eyes. No such luck, apparently. 

"Now, come with me to the back." Jeongyeon placed her hand on Momo's back, leading her gently. The contact was light, almost non-existent, but it did something to her anyway. Something stirred in her stomach, and she had to fight to not lean into the touch. 

Momo decided to ignore the issue for the time being and push it to the back of her mind. 

"What then?" She huffed, rolling her eyes once again. "It's not like I have a whole day."

Jeongyeon had a frown present on her face. She stood a bit too far away for Momo to consider that everything between them was fine. 

"That's my exact question for you: what the hell, Momo? What is going on, and what am I missing?" 

Momo shrugged, having no idea what Jeongyeon was talking about. 

"Hmm? I'm fine. Everything's fine." She insisted. 

It wasn't, but it couldn't also be expressed in one short sentence. She would have to write a whole essay with an introduction and conclusion to maybe try to have some solid discoveries. 

"It's clearly not. You've been acting weird lately. You avoid talking to me about anything except what we need to do in the bar, you stopped coming to my room at all, you have a permanent scowl on your face that scares away the patrons and you even started smoking. And then comes whatever was going on in your head when you accused that poor guy that I wanted to hire for wanting to only sleep with me. So forgive me for being an adult in this and wanting to resolve your problems through a real talk." Jeongyeon was having none of that. Momo had to admit that her arguments were solid, although she didn't have any proof in material form.

"There are no problems." She stood her ground, lying as if her life depended on it. It kinda did. "I just have a lot on my mind, I'm worried about our family, and the nightly hunting might or might have not made me a bit tired and grumpy. Forgive me for being scared that Tzuyu could die when she got shot. Or anyone else.”

That was true. Momo, despite being the least involved so far, was affected by the latest tension, too. It wasn't her girlfriend that was attacked by an alpha of the enemy's pack, like Sana's girlfriend, and it wasn't her that was shot, but she cared about her family just as much as anyone else. Maybe she liked to act like a tsundere sometimes or pretend that the only thing she worried about was having a new girl in her orbit to pay her attention, but at the end of the day, Momo hid a huge amount of emotions under her shell. 

Obviously, those things weren't the cause for her snapping at Jeongyeon. She wasn't oblivious enough not to notice that. But Jeongyeon could maybe believe it and let go.

She finished her monologue with a scoff:

“And forgive me for looking out for you when people objectify you."

“No one’s objectifying me–”

Momo crossed her arms, standing there in a defiant pose. Her eyebrows went up, asking ‘are you sure about that, young lady?’. She intended to look intimidating, threatening maybe. Jeongyeon wasn't moved, apparently. Frustration was oozing off her, filling the small space of the backroom and abusing Momo's nose. 

"Then why are you clearly mad at me for that? I’m not responsible for anyone else’s actions. I’m the victim here. So what did I do to deserve this treatment?"

Nothing. Or maybe everything. Momo wasn't sure.

She was just so utterly confused with what the heck was going on with them lately. It was right - maybe she stopped coming over to Jeongyeon's room at night. But also, Jeongyeon was the first one who stopped being there at all, suddenly really busy outside and not having time to even talk to Momo. Jeongyeon was the first one who started avoiding Momo and started behaving in a weird way. They were completely fine before, so forgive Momo for not having an idea of what had changed. 

Maybe now was the time to ask about it. Maybe now, since Jeongyeon was the one to start this conversation, Momo would get some answers.

"I don't know, Jeongyeonie. What did I do to deserve you avoiding me for the past weeks, huh? We stopped talking, we stopped hanging out - that's correct. But not because I didn't want it. I asked you to talk to me many times, I waited for you to come home and cuddle with me." Maybe the words came out a bit resentful, but that's how Momo felt. 

Jeongyeon had to pick up that emotion from her friend because her eyes widened visibly. 

"I- You-" She stuttered. Was it... fear that Momo could smell from her? Worry? 

"Exactly." She huffed. "So don't come over to ask me what's wrong, when it's clearly you who made it wrong and doesn't even know why." 

Jeongyeon sighed, running her hand through her hair with frustration. Clearly, they've reached an impasse. Both were a bit right, and both were also wrong. Both of them had a hard time expressing their true feelings sometimes, and their ability to pick up emotions from smells could help only very little. Those were just bits and pieces - the real essence was hidden deep in their hearts. That, and the fact that it was actually their first serious argument in the history of their friendship didn't make things easier. They were always chill about everything. Even if sometimes they tended to make fun or tease each other, even if sometimes Momo could sense that Jeongyeon wanted to tell her something but was too afraid to do that, they've always somehow pushed through it all. 

Momo felt an itch to reach for her vape. Her hands twitched, glued to her sides. She quickly hidden them in her back pockets. 

"Look." She sighed deeply to clear her head. "I agree, I kinda was mad at you lately. But I don't think I'm ready to tell you why yet. I'll try to deal with it though."

Jeongyeon sighed as well. Her face was inscrutable. 

"If you told me why, I could just fix it." 

"Are you ready to tell me why you avoided me?" Momo asked instead. The spooked look on Jeongyeon's face told her exactly what she already knew. 

"N- no? Why would I go first?"

Momo shook her head with resignation. 

"Nevermind. Am I at least going to find you in your room tonight? We can go back to our old schedule. I promise to come this time. Maybe if we fix that, we can fix the rest."

"I–" Jeongyeon hesitated. "Sorry... I already made plans with– I have to be somewhere else." 

There was a genuine apology in her voice, but it didn't change the fact that they were not going to start fixing things between them that night. It didn't also change the fact that Momo missed cuddling with Jeongyeon. 

"Fine." She shrugged, already turning to go back to the bar. Maybe at least her clients needed her. Maybe she would be at least useful to serve a beer. 

"Another night then?" Now Jeongyeon's smell carried something that felt almost like guilt. Momo huffed with irritation. 

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

She doubted though. Jeongyeon was just going to stand her up once again.

(...)

Their last talk weighed on Momo's heart a lot the next few days. 

Every time she stood behind the bar, or prepared orders for supplies, or cleaned up the building, or walked back home, or– Generally, she spent a lot of time thinking. She tried to understand her own feelings, she tried to somehow put all the things she knew about Joengyeon’s recent behavior in the right order. She had a dream, or two, in which there was Jeongyeon, and her, and they were doing various things together like buying a house, or laying in the bed together…. She also imagined a few scenarios she would never even consider before. There was a lot of consideration put into all of those ideas her brain tried to push through into reality. She felt bad about some of them, she felt confused about a lot of them, but she also felt giddy and hopeful, because despite being complicated, those feelings also felt good and brought a promise of happiness. 

On Wednesday, she was just sitting in the kitchen with her lunch, enjoying the five minutes of her free time, zoning out and overthinking, when suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her face, completely out of nowhere. 

Momo blinked furiously, shaking her head and trying to come back to reality.

“Oh, thank God, she’s alive.” Sana gasped theatrically. For some reason, she was standing way too close. “I already thought you died while sitting on this chair, and our house would be forever haunted by your ghost.”

“What?” Momo frowned. “Why would I haunt you guys?”

“Nevermind.” Sana rolled her eyes. “Not the point. Is there something wrong? Are you sick?” Now her tone changed to a bit more genuine. Momo could smell some worry in the air, but it didn’t come from her best friend. When she looked on the left, there stood Dahyun, with a half-peeled carrot in her hand and a really anxious expression. 

Momo looked back at Sana and frowned.

“No? Why would it be?” 

Why was everyone asking her this question lately?

“I don’t know, maybe… Dahyun passed you four times and you failed to flirt with her. Actually, you barely noticed. We basically made out in front of you, and you haven’t gagged and pretended to vomit even once.” Sana listed out. Why was she mad now? Usually, it was the other way around - Sana got furious when Momo flirted with her girlfriend, that’s why Momo did it. And she was irritated when Momo laughed at their affections, that’s why Momo did it. 

“Ummm… I’m not sure, actually.” Momo pondered. “Maybe we can re-do it. I’ll do better this tim–”

“Quit it, Momoring.” Sana scoffed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing?” Momo answered. “I feel okay.”

Before she was even able to realize, her chin was grabbed between Sana’s fingers, and her head was abruptly lifted up. Their eyes connected, albeit not with her consent.

“Talk.” Sana demanded. Momo gulped. 

There was something in Sana’s eyes that told her that the woman wasn’t going to let it go. Normally, Momo would probably spill it all right away. She could be all tough and rough outside, but inside, she liked to be babied by her friend. However, today Dahyun was also in the room with them. And the girl probably wasn’t aware of this side of Momo. 

Or maybe she was. Momo sighed, closing her eyes. Whatever, Dahyun was almost a family now too. Sooner or later, she was going to find out anyway, if Sana hadn’t told her yet. 

“I think I'm starting to feel attracted to Jeong...” I left her lips with a resigned huff. It wasn’t a supposition, she already knew. The real question was what to do with this discovery.  

Sana seemed to wait for the next part of the sentence to come.

“...and?” She asked when it didn’t come.

“She's my friend.” Momo reminded her. Why wasn’t Sana connecting the dots? She was a detective, she should do a better job working with clues. Feeling attracted to your friend was never a good idea.  

“So what?” Sana shrugged, as if dismissing the problem. “I've always thought that you guys had something going on, you know, with your walks in the forest at night, and you sleeping over in her room, and stuff... It surprises me more that you haven't fucked her yet, to be honest.”

Dahyun choked on her carrot. Momo gasped. 

“Sana! It's not like that! Jeongyeon is my friend and she should be treated with respect.”

How could Sana dare think something disgusting like that? Momo would never use Jeongyeon for her own pleasure. Just the thought… Ugh… Nope. 

“Then treat her like that. No one says that you have to sleep with her and then throw her away, like all your girls. Who would treat her with more respect than her best friend?” Sana was weirdly passionate about the whole thing, letting go of Momo’s chin finally and walking away to make circles around the room, her hands flying in all directions while she talked passionately. “Who would take care that she has everything she needs in life, if you're not there?”

Momo took a second to think about the idea. 

She had to admit that Sana made a good point. There was no one else beside her that she would trust to treat Jeongyeon like she deserved it. Because nothing could change the fact that Momo was incredibly and terribly jealous of her friend. She didn’t consider it weird - all the wolves were at least a bit territorial. 

“But... aren't you scared that something's gonna happen to the family, if something between us goes wrong?”

“Nah, I trust you. Besides, it’s long overdue. I bet half of the kids already have bets on who confesses first. Do it.” 

Momo glanced at Dahyun with helplessness. 

“Dahyun?” She asked. “What do you think?”

The girl took time to actually ponder. 

“I can’t tell you anything for sure, it’s your decision to make, but… I definitely see the vision. You guys are close, so even if Jeongyeon doesn’t reciprocate, you’ll at least try and find out and I bet she’s not gonna be weird about that. She could never hurt you on purpose.”

Momo hummed thoughtfully. 

“I’ll think about it.” She set on a vague answer. 

Not that she didn't think before, but… She just needed a bit more time. And a lot more courage. Because even if she let herself be convinced by her friend’s reasons, finding the guts to actually talk to Jeongyeon was a completely different case. 

One that almost made her sick in the stomach. She could guess it came with the concept of having a crush.  

(...)

That afternoon, the sky was covered with dark clouds. The air was thick with tension, despite the stillness of the forest. Its residents were quietly waiting for it to come. 

'It' meaning the storm, obviously. Mina counted on it to come too, because she loved watching the lightning and hearing the thunder from the safety of her cozy room. 'It' definitely shouldn't mean anything else. Definitely not a white wolf suddenly sitting under the trees, staring right at Mina's window. 

It looked like a phantom, pale against the explosion of greens and browns. It sat like a statue, unmoving, patient, gracious.

Mina got a bit spooked at first, not expecting its arrival. One second she was looking through the window, and the yard was empty, carrying only the echo of the incoming storm. Then, she looked away for a split second, and the next time her eyes jumped outside, Nayeon was there. 

What was she doing here like that? Was she trying to pick up a fight? Why wasn't she careful at all? Someone could notice her through the windows downstairs and interpret it in a wrong way. It was one thing when Nayeon showed up as a human, and the other when she was a wolf. It could be taken as an intrusion. 

Heck, Mina wasn't even sure her own body wasn't going to take it as an intrusion. She's never met any wolf not from her pack so up close, she couldn't be sure what her instincts would tell her to do. 

But the wolf sitting there was a fact she couldn't argue with. She could either go there and meet Nayeon herself, or wait for what could unfold. Mina guessed she preferred the first option after all. The thunder could be heard way closer than before as she stepped through the yard towards the white creature. 

"The storm's coming. Turn back and come inside." 

Nayeon didn't react. She only stared back. 

Mina huffed with irritation. They should definitely work on their communication skills, because with Nayeon in this form, she couldn't understand shit. What did the girl want? For Mina to sit there with her? To go somewhere? To tell Nayeon something? To hear (guess?) what Nayeon wanted to tell her? If Mina's nose at least recognized the smell, she could guess it this way, but unfortunately, life wasn't that easy for her. 

“Nayeonie…” She whined. “It’s gonna rain in a moment and I’ve just washed my hair. It’s gonna get all frizzy.” 

Nayeon’s head just tilted. She seemed to be amused though. 

Mina was glad that Nayeon found her funny, but it still didn’t answer any of her questions. 

“Okay, now.” She huffed. “What? You want us to stare at each other? Because we can. I’m patient…”

A short bark, sounding suspiciously like a giggle, broke out of Nayeon’s throat. She finally stood up and her tail started wagging. Mina knew that she often did that too, when she was in her wolf form, but she still found it a bit ridiculous. 

All those years of being a wolf and she still sometimes got embarrassed about her behaviors.

At least, she was finally getting a grasp on what Nayeon wanted - to play. Not like usual though. She literally wanted to play, like a bit too energetic dog after its owner’s homecoming. Mina felt a bit embarrassed that it took her so long to figure it out. 

Well, she really did not plan on getting all wet from the rain that evening, but if Nayeon insisted… She could guess…

There was one more issue though - she’s never before tried to turn and be close to Nayeon while the other woman was in her animal form too. The closest they’ve been was a dozen of meters, but now there won’t be that much. Wouldn’t their instinct clash in some way? Wouldn’t they feel the urge to fight?

But then, if she didn’t try, she wouldn’t find out, right? Mina shrugged, then took her clothes off and searched for that one trigger inside her mind that always made her body begin changing. Soon, she dropped on all fours, her hands, bare before, now covered with gray fur.

Nothing happened at first, obviously except the fact that now she wasn’t looking at Nayeon from above. Despite them being mostly the same height as humans, Nayeon was a lot bigger as a wolf. She seemed bigger even than Tzuyu and Chan, and those two were the biggest wolves Mina has probably ever met up close. 

So now their eyes were almost on the same level. And Nayeon was looking at her just as intently as before. Almost as if waiting for something to happen… Her head was tilted, ears standing at attention - Nayeon was definitely scared that something bad could happen too. If so, Mina could assure her that she was feeling fine. There were no bad feelings, the smells were maybe a bit more intense, but didn’t trigger any of her protective or aggressive instincts. She also didn’t feel as if Nayeon was intruding on their territory. It was fine. If she could, she would definitely grin and show Nayeon thumbs up. 

She couldn’t, but feeling a sudden wave of happiness, she jumped a bit and nuzzled her head on Nayeon’s neck. The white wolf reacted immediately, rubbing herself back on Mina. And it felt… almost like hugging. It wasn’t the exact same feeling, but Mina could guess it could serve as an equivalent. The way Nayeon was brushing her fur was definitely a form of affection. And the white hair on Nayeon’s body seemed to be so soft and delicate.

The previous happy energy got Mina almost buzzing. A bark escaped her throat, quite unusual for her quiet self. She wagged her tail and jokingly bit Nayeon’s side, urging the other girl to play. That’s what she came here for, after all, right?

Nayeon glanced at her with amusement, but obeyed. Suddenly, they were running through the forest and chasing each other between the trees, just as the growls of the incoming storm became louder and louder. Nayeon jumped on the rock, and Mina jumped right after her. She wasn’t fast enough, before her paws could even land there, Nayeon was already jumping off on the other side. When Mina was already back on the ground, Nayeon was running away, tricking her, escaping just by the end of her tail. Mina was right behind, but could never quite touch her. 

It reminded her a lot about that first time she met the white wolf in the woods, just that this time, this game actually made her full of excitement. Nayeon was teasing her, testing her abilities, but not with vicious intentions. It was more of like a chase between mates, when the thrill of the hunt fueled the desire. 

And then the rain started, coming together with a buzzing lighting that cut the sky in half, making the whole area light as day. The thunder followed right after, warning everyone that the storm was right there, breathing on the backs of their necks. Mina didn’t care. The rainpour was cooling off her overheated skin. 

And then she heard it. 

A sound she’s never heard before in her life. A sound so powerful that it made her immediately stand in attention, sending chills down her spine, vibrating inside her body and on her skin. 

Now, Mina knew an alpha’s call. Chan rarely used it on them, only in situations when it was absolutely necessary, like when someone was in danger or in need of immediate help from the pack. His call was never so full of power and so loud though. It never made her submit so easily, despite that she was actually part of his family. 

Nayeon wasn’t the alpha of Mina’s pack, but this howl… This howl did something to her. And the instant response - from somewhere far away, from somewhere between the trees - of an entire pack, told Mina that she wasn’t the only one feeling this effect. 

But they… They were her pack. Mina was not. 

And yet, here Nayeon was, standing so casually in the lights of the intense lightning, calling them all, and somehow Mina too. She didn’t even look bothered by the pure sound coming from her throat. She looked absolutely monumental - white on the black background of the night stormy sky.

Something… Something was happening with Mina’s body. It wasn’t right. She was feeling all hot, all… bothered. Blood was flowing fervently through her veins, making her all giddy, all ready… for what though? 

She didn’t even realize when she was back to her human form, with how intensely she was feeling everything right then. All those feelings just didn’t seem to fit into the wolf’s body, although the urges she was experiencing now were way too animalistic. 

Was she feeling the need to– 

Mina stepped back, breathing hard, not recognizing herself. It seemed gross to her what she was thinking of doing right now. Gross, and good too. But she’s never let herself be overtaken by her instincts so much. She’s never let the animal side of her to be in complete control, even during the full moons, when she seemed to not have much power over herself and her actions. That scared her a bit. But those actions she thought of doing didn’t scare her out just as much. For some reason, despite being so– so primal, they felt right. 

Maybe because of who she was here with. Maybe because of whose alpha call made her feel all of those things.

Nayeon was right in front of her now, the rain flooding down her beautiful face. Her long hair covered some of her body, but not enough to stop Mina’s eyes from dropping. The girl gulped.

“What are you doing to me?” She took one more step back. “H- How are you doing this?”

Nayeon was staring right into her eyes, her gaze so deep and intense that it fueled Mina’s thoughts even more. She didn’t answer. Mina wasn’t sure whether she didn’t hear the question, or maybe straight up ignored it, but one thing was clear: Nayeon didn’t care. 

When Mina’s lips were covered in an intense kiss, all the thoughts flew out of her mind, leaving it completely empty. Her hair was gripped tightly, and a hand landed on the naked skin of her waist, pulling her closer and closer, until there was no space between them anymore. 

Mina whimpered. 

The rain kept mercilessly beating up their bodies. 

When Mina woke up, it was already getting bright around her. The ground was still damp, although it was long after the storm had ended. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but Mina felt like taking a shower anyway. Maybe because of all that mud covering her skin. 

She was alone now, but she could still remember the words whispered to her ear when Nayeon was leaving her here. She could still feel the heat of Nayeon’s hands on her skin, after the woman carried her here at the crack of dawn, after she had fallen asleep in her arms somewhere deep in the woods. It couldn’t be so long then, since Nayeon brought her here. Maybe an hour or so. 

Mina wiped her face furiously. She got carried away a lot that night. 

Yet, she failed to break that one wall inside her own head. She wanted Nayeon so bad. She was in so much of a need. And yet, all of those things didn’t allow her to relax and let go of all the fears. Something was stopping her. 

And Nayeon was once again understanding. She kept kissing Mina and bringing as much pleasure to her as she could just with that, but Mina could feel that Nayeon was in need too. The woman was patient and caring with her, taking control of her own desires just so that Mina could be happy, just so that Mina could safely and comfortably fall asleep in her arms. 

Sometimes, Mina wondered how long this could go - how long was Nayeon going to endure this until her patience finally ended. And damn, if Mina didn’t want for that to last just a bit longer. Just a bit. Just long enough for her to finally catch up. 

(...)

Chaeyoung didn't know what came upon her to go to the forest again, on top of that in quite stormy weather. But Tzuyu stopped responding to her texts some time ago, and seemed to almost disappear from the Earth's surface, so the promise Chaeyoung gave to her to not wander around alone in the woods... kinda stopped being valid too. At least in Chaeyoung's opinion. It was a twisted way of thinking, and maybe it was like betraying her new friend's trust, but...

Look, she couldn't exactly explain it in any logical way, but something was telling her that she should go and sniff around again. So she did.

The only problem was that now she was lost. And screwed. And lost. 

And the storm was coming once again. She was already soaking wet from the previous downpour, which... well, she could've predicted that it could come. After the scorching hot first half of the summer, the second one really tried to compensate for it all to the residents of Moon Grove, bringing them a lot of cool temperatures and tons of rain. In pure theory, Chaeyoung knew how it worked, she's lived in this town her whole life. But somehow those few years in college managed to make a city girl out of her. She wasn't exactly proud of that.

Well, now she just had to find the path again. From there, maybe she could find the way back home. Avoiding getting caught by the sharp thorns of the bushes, Chaeyoung swore at her past self, who so obediently listened to her parents, when they told her that the forest is dangerous, and she shouldn't really venture too far inside it. If she was a bit braver back then, maybe now she would know how to navigate on those paths. 

The rain kept soaking through her thin shirt, causing shivers to take over her whole body. It was dark here and so gloomy. She didn’t like it anymore. And if that wasn’t enough, the wind has just started blowing, making her even colder. 

She was going to catch a cold, she could already picture it in her mind. And her mother was about to complain how irresponsible she was once again, and how she was already an adult, and adults should use their brains to think more often. Chaeyoung groaned tiredly, putting one foot in front of the other and brushing all the branches and leaves off her face. How did she managed to get into such a wild part of the woods–

Oh… 

There was a house standing there. 

It was a huge, wooden mansion, more on the older side but well-kept and definitely occupied. It had a dark roof and dark door, but the walls were freshly varnished, accenting the natural, brown color of the wood. The foundations were made of gray stone, nicely contrasting with the ground. The trees - tall pines and spruces - embraced the building tightly, peeking into some windows. One of the second floor windows was open, indicating that someone probably was home. 

Was the house real, or was she seeing things? Maybe it was a mirage?

Curious and suddenly full of energy once again, Chaeyoung pushed through the wall of thick trees and almost started running towards the house. She was right at the door, already admiring the mansion, when it struck her - it could’ve been a trap. The residents of the house could have bad intentions. They didn’t have to be friendly. The girl slowed down now, unsure what to do next. She could obviously still walk away, since no one inside noticed her yet. 

But then also this house offered warmth and safety. She could dry up her clothes, maybe find out how to come back to Moon Grove from here.

After a moment of consideration, Chaeyoung came to the conclusion that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. She knocked on the door. 

Nothing happened for a moment. Then, the door abruptly opened and a tall woman showed up in front of Chaeyoung, looking a bit wild. 

Chaeyoung was ready for an escape. She had already one foot turned towards the forest. But then the woman tilted her head curiously. 

“Chaeyoungie? What are you doing here?”

The voice sounded familiar. And it definitely wasn’t filled with anger or hostility. Chaeyoung risked looking, but this time really looking at the house owner. 

“Sana?!” It came out way more shocked that she intended it. 

Maybe because in just this second, Chaeyoung suddenly realized a few things: 1. She had no idea before where Sana lived, 2. Sana was Dahyun’s girlfriend, 3. Dahyun lived with Sana, 4. Somehow, Chaeyoung had no idea where Dahyun lived lately. 

It was a weird kind of discovery. She failed to realize how this fact could escape her attention. Dahyun was her best friend. Back in the city, they lived together and spent so much time attached at the hip. How could Chaeyoung miss that when they returned to Moon Grove, Dahyun didn’t exactly come back to her family house? 

Chaeyoung could guess that she could partially blame Dahyun for having less time for her the first few weeks of the summer, when the girl was fully committed to catching up with her girlfriend and the rest of her family. But lately, after Tzuyu’s intervention, Dahyun has been back to answering Chaeyoung’s texts regularly. They even decided to bring back their tradition from high school years, and started meeting in Chaeyoung’s place to play games on her console. 

So it couldn’t be exactly Dahyun’s fault. It was just that Chaeyoung never asked. 

Now that she realized it, she was feeling quite embarrassed. Obviously, it had to be her initial dislike towards Sana and her friends that made Chaeyoung prejudiced against Dahyun’s girlfriend. Despite all of Sana’s efforts to make them closer, Chaeyoung still fought against knowing anything more about Dahyun’s relationship that it was absolutely necessary. 

Maybe it was about time to change it. 

Sana was still waiting for her to say anything, her eyebrows raised a bit. 

“I mean… H- Hey, Sana!” She started shyly. “I had no idea that you live here. Can– Can I come in for a moment? I got caught in the rain, and I’m freezing right now.”

There was a split second, barely noticeable, when Sana hesitated. She scanned Chaeyoung’s whole body, as if looking for something. Then, she suddenly beamed like a sun in the middle of the summer. It was a change so fast and so big that Chaeyoung almost stepped back, blinded by Sana’s smile. 

She knew now what Dahyun’s girlfriend was like. She knew Sana was far from that cold, unbothered person she appeared like to people at school. But it was still a huge shock to experience it when Chaeyoung was face to face with the woman, apparently with no Dahyun in sight. 

“Obviously, obviously. Where are my manners? Come in, Chaeyoungie.” Sana chirped, opening the door even wider and stepping aside to make room for the guest to pass. “Make yourself feel at home. I’ll make you a cup of tea, how about that?”   

Chaeyoung nodded shyly, overwhelmed with the joyful attention. She stepped further inside, making sure to leave her muddy boots by the door. Then, she was distracted with the interior of the house. 

And… She had to admit that Dahyun chose well. Despite all of Chaeyoung’s previous reservations, Sana definitely didn’t skimp money on their living situation. It sounded a bit materialistic, but it was the truth - the house was huge, spacious, and had a stylishly-decorated interior. It sat a bit on the vintage side, but looked really comfortable and definitely cozy. Although the fireplace was currently not turned on, it surely added a lot to the whole experience during the cold winter times. 

How much money did it take to heat up the whole building? As far as Chaeyoung remembered, Sana was just a simple police officer. Maybe her family was loaded, or something? 

What did they need this whole space for? If it was just Dahyun and Sana living here, wouldn't it be a bit empty to have a place this big just for two people?

Chaeyoung had so many questions. It didn’t feel right to just fire them off on Sana all at once. Especially that she already felt a bit weird here about visiting the woman so suddenly after basically almost ignoring her for years. 

“Why are you standing there like that?” Sana glanced at her from the kitchen, amused. “Come closer, I don’t bite.” 

Chaeyoung hesitantly stepped further into the room. 

“Ummm… Is Dahyun home?” It came upon her to ask. She would feel better, if her friend was by her side. 

Sana raised her voice to be heard over the kettle.

“No, she went to get groceries. Should be back in a few.”

“Oh…” 

Sooo, that was all about having some backup. Chaeyoung was alone in this. Served her right for disobeying everyone’s orders and going into the forest. But since Dahyun and Sana lived here, weren’t they in danger all the time…

“Here, your tea.” Sana emerged from the kitchen with two steaming cups in her hands. She went to the living room part of the whole open space, putting them on the small coffee table. Sensing that that was where they were going to sit, Chaeyoung moved there, quickly noticing that, surprisingly, she wasn’t completely alone with Sana in this situation.

“Oh, you have a dog.” It broke out of her mouth immediately. 

She loved dogs. Her fingers itched to pet this one. 

It was a huge dog though. Looked a bit scary. On the second look, if Chaeyoung was honest, it looked almost as if it wasn’t domesticated at all…

Sana seemed to be confused for a moment. Then her eyes jumped on the black creature that lay on the couch, almost invisible and completely silent.

“Yeah, it– It’s– It’s my uncle’s.” Sana finally said. 

Then she sat on the couch, gesturing for Chaeyoung to choose a spot for herself. When Chaeyoung did, Sana passed her a blanket. “So that you’re not cold. It’s Dahyun’s, because she always gets cold. I like to have my space a bit on the colder side.” She explained. 

Chaeyoung focused on something else.

“You have an uncle? I had no idea.” She could guess she really let everything about Sana pass by her ears. Dahyun had to obviously mention something about a dog and an uncle, hadn’t she?

“Yeah, he’s living in the north… Really, really far away. Never visits me really.”

Silence, a bit uncomfortable, settled around them. Chaeyoung focused on the dog, who sat by her side. The dog’s gaze was really smart when it looked at her, almost reminding Chaeyoung of certain someone–

Then she noticed a white bandage on the dog’s side.

“It’s hurt?”

Sana’s eyes widened a bit. She scratched her neck nervously. 

“Yup. Got tangled in the bushes a few days ago. Thorns got stuck in her skin.”

“It’s a she? What’s her name?”

“Ummm… Yoda?”

“Are you asking me?”

“No?” Sana giggled nervously. 

“Poor baby.” Chaeyoung cooed, stroking the wolf’s head. “It seems to be on the bigger side, right?”

“Oh, yeah… It’s… A mix of a few breeds.” At this point, Sana seemed to be really nervous. The dog, as if understanding her words, glanced at the woman with an accusing gaze. Sana squirmed in her seat, looking literally anywhere but at the animal. “I don’t really know much about… Yoda. As I said, it’s my uncle’s dog. Just taking care of her for a few weeks.” 

Chaeyoung found this behavior really odd, but she didn’t really mean to make Sana uncomfortable. Especially that the woman was currently letting her warm up in her house, offering her drinks and company. 

She decided to change the topic. 

“Your house is really huge.” She observed. 

To her utter horror, this subject didn’t seem to lessen the tension in the air. If so, Sana got even more awkward, giggling like a mad woman.

“Huh, yeah… I need it for my family. It’s big, you know. My uncle, and his wife, and tons of his kids… Tons of them…. For when they visit me.”

“I thought your uncle never visits you.”

Sana scratched her neck. Suddenly, her face lit up, when she noticed something behind the window.

“Oh, look! It stopped raining!” She pointed out. 

Indeed, when Chaeyoung turned around, she could see through the big windows in the kitchen that the previous heavy rain had stopped almost completely. Well, now that the weather was getting better, there was no excuse for her to stay anymore. She was still lost though. 

Maybe Sana would be patient enough to at least give her some directions. Or maybe she would even call Dahyun and ask her to give Chaeyoung a lift to the center of Moon Grove. Chaeyoung had to try, despite all her insecurities and worries. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, but… I kinda got lost in the forest. Would you mind if I waited here for Dahyun, so she could drive me back to the town?”

Sana perked up on her seat. 

“Oh, absolutely. I didn’t mean it like I’m kicking you out. You’re always welcome in my house. I guess I just…” She hesitated, and wrapped her hands around her cup more tightly, playing with it. Her eyes dropped down, then lifted again to look straight into Chaeyoung’s. “You know, we’ve never really hung out alone. I got nervous, or something, I guess. I’m sorry for that. But… What were you even doing in the woods alone? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to do that these days? Especially when you don’t know your way around here.” 

Feeling like a scolded child, Chaeyoung blushed. 

“Yeah…” She scratched her neck. “I noticed. Lesson learned, I won’t do that again.”

There was no reason to reveal her reasons to Sana. At least until Chaeyoung actually discovered something serious. After all, that one time Chaeyoung saw those weird things in the forest, it was Sana who Chaeyoung spotted with Dahyun. The girl could be a victim to some… unusual forces operating in the woods, whatever those were. Or, worse, she could be an accomplice. Or the source. 

Now that Chaeyoung thought about it, the house looked pretty dark and creepy. It was huge, cold and mysterious. Chaeyoung read books. She knew what kind of creature liked to live in such conditions.

But this creature existed only in fairy tales. Unless… Unless it didn’t. 

Chaeyoung observed Sana intently, searching for any signs that she could be right. The woman didn’t seem to be terribly pale, she was more on the medium-tanned side. But on the other hand, Dahyun mentioned a few times that Sana loved to stay up late at night. 

If Chaeyoung was right though, it meant that now, after so many years of living with Sana, Dahyun could be like that too. Could she really be right? Was Dahyun… a vampire?

But… She didn’t have trouble going outside during the day. And she definitely ate normal human food (Chaeyoung would definitely know, with how often she found her leftovers being eaten by her friend in their shared apartment). It didn’t add up. 

Ugh, she just had to make further observations and gather more evidence. No assumptions could be made right now. 

And if she was already here and had lots of time to kill, why not try to really befriend Sana?

Just like that, they started talking. Really talking. Chaeyoung was surprised how well she could communicate with Sana. The woman was smart, funny and so comfortable to be around, when one only gave her a chance. 

Then… Then the real storm started. 

When Dahyun entered the house and learned (from an intimidated Chaeyoung and even more intimidated Sana) that her best friend had been walking around the forest alone, she was - for the lack of better word - a bit angry. Chaeyoung was actually glad that they were in the middle of nowhere and no one except wild animals could hear all the screams, because otherwise police would be surely called. Which would be weird, because Sana herself was a police officer, so she would be definitely the first one on the crime scene, but then she would have to arrest her own girlfriend. 

So as to not cause any more trouble, Chaeyoung obediently got into the car, led out of the house by the black dog’s satisfied gaze, and allowed herself to be driven back to the city. 

Easy to say, that trip to the woods couldn’t be counted as fruitful. But hey, she at least got a new friend.

(...)

A few days later, Mina, Sana and Tzuyu went on a walk in the forest, just like back in the old times. It’s been a while since they could do it together, because now their schedules rarely aligned. Mina had two jobs, Sana’s shifts weren’t regular, and Tzuyu often stayed longer in her veterinary clinic to take care of the animals. Not to mention that now all three of them had their own ‘other half’. But now that Tzuyu was still on her sick leave, and Mina didn’t have to help in ‘Strategy’ just as often, they finally found time. 

They walked slowly, watching out for Tzuyu's injury and making sure that she didn’t strain her muscles too much. The sun didn’t come back after the storm, heavy clouds still hanging low over the whole valley, but it didn’t spoil their moods. 

“Look how far we’ve reached since high school.” Sana sighed dreamily when they stopped for a while on a small clearing, turning back just to gossip a bit. “It seems like yesterday that I accidentally fell asleep under a tree and Dahyun found me there. And now we all have girlfriends.” She grabbed both Mina and Tzuyu’s hands, squeezing them and giggling with excitement. The younger girls glanced at each other, cringing a bit at the affection, but didn’t dare take their hands away. From the scent the oldest woman emitted from her whole body, it wasn’t hard to decipher that she was still stressed about all the latest events and she really needed that relaxing time with her friends. 

And that she really missed having the human version of Tzuyu by her side, and if someone was about to complain about her clinginess, she wouldn’t vouch for her own actions. Tzuyu understood Sana’s need to be assured that she was still physically there, alive and at an arm’s reach. 

Most of their family needed that the last few days, since she was finally cleared to change her form back to the human one. They stuck closer to her, touched her more often even just while passing by, and constantly asked her if she really felt alright. She didn't even want to think about Jihyo, who had to be almost tricked into leaving her side just to go to work.

Tzuyu still rolled her eyes, because she wouldn’t be herself, if she didn’t even out any form of affection with sarcasm and jokes.

“As far as I remember, barely yesterday you despised Nayeon with all of your heart.” She pointed out. Sana cleared her throat.

“I don’t absolutely despise her. I just think she needs to pay for what she did to Dahyunie. But if Mina really likes her and because she took care of you, I’m willing to forgive her… someday. Forgive, but not forget, obviously.” 

Now it was Mina’s time to roll her eyes. 

“Obviously.” She turned to Tzuyu. “What’s your deal with Nayeon, though? She won’t tell me, because she thinks you should. We’ve been dying to know, all of us. I was so shocked when she just came out of nowhere and asked about you, as if you knew her for years.”

Tzuyu looked down on her hand, connected to Sana’s. Her eyes didn’t go up when she talked.

“Remember the friend that I stayed with when I was away from home? Well, that’s Nayeon. She really did save my life. Twice, actually.” 

Both of the older women were quiet for a while, but Tzuyu could surely feel their eyes on her, because she finally lifted her head. Her sight crossed with Mina’s right away, and it told Mina so many things at once that she wasn’t even able to understand it all. Clearly, there was so much affection there, directed both at Nayeon and Mina. 

“I’m happy that you guys found each other,” She said. “Nayeon didn’t really mention that she knew you as a child, but she told me a lot about herself. And she was lonely for so long, I wished for her to find someone finally, who would treat her just like she deserves. So it’s nice that she has you now.”

Mina felt warmth spreading in her chest. Her cheeks were a bit warm, with Mina not being used to compliments like that.    

“T- thanks.” She stuttered. “It's nothing, actually… I guess it's more to my benefit too. I think I’m starting to be happy too.”

“Awww, Mitang.” Sana whistled from between them. She pinched Mina’s cheek playfully. “What the heck is that blush? Is our little Mina… in love?”

Mina shied away from the touch, trying to become smaller when the girls laughed at her. She giggled too, but mostly just wanted to hide somewhere far away. It was a nice kind of laugh though, even if at her cost. They all really needed it after those weeks of constant tension, fear and uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring. 

“Maybe a little.” She admitted, quietly. They were going to hear it anyway, their wolf ears used to picking up even the smallest sounds in the wilderness. 

More hollers and giggles followed. Sana grabbed her arms, shaking her whole form and nuzzling her nose on Mina’s cheek. Tzuyu laughed with her whole body, almost laying on the ground, which definitely didn’t do any good to her wound. 

It was great when it lasted. 

Then a scream followed, coming somewhere from the south. It was loud and so loaded with pure fear that Mina felt shivers on her skin. A woman’s voice. Definitely in distress. 

All three of them immediately stopped, their eyes wide and frightened. They didn’t need to communicate verbally to know what it could mean. They turned back to their wolf form instantly, jumping straight into the run in seconds. They didn’t have time to grieve their interrupted break and lost joy. 

The scream followed once again, helping them with choosing the right direction and calculating the distance. Mina’s brain worked on the highest gear - the scream came from a really close place, somewhere that was surely not more than a kilometer away. The leaves crushed under her paws as she sprinted right behind Tzuyu, Sana by her side, panting heavily. 

Her nose and mouth picked up a few scents, one of them the most prominent - the smell of fresh blood. She didn’t realize it yet that they really had a chance this time to catch the killer red-handed, otherwise she would be probably terrified. For now, she was just fueled by pure adrenaline. 

Then a second familiar scent joined the first one, and Mina failed to believe what it could mean in the first place. It could be just a coincidence, because after all, a lot of wolves lived now in those woods. She focused on the run instead, on avoiding the trees and the mud. At this point, her gray fur was already covered with it, but she didn’t care. 

Tzuyu was the first one to reach the spot. She jumped on the clearing, stopping dead in her tracks. Mina almost stumbled into her, managing to avoid her by centimeters. With her subconsciousness, she knew Sana was by her side too, but she was too shocked to really notice it now. 

Because as it turned out, her senses weren’t fooling her this time. 

This one time, when she wanted to be wrong, when she wanted her nose to fail, it didn’t. She recognized the scent correctly, but at what cost?

The white wolf’s eyes were unnaturally dilated when it lifted its head from over the dead woman’s body, the whole muzzle stained with crimson. Its teeth were bared. There was no ounce of recognition when its gaze crossed with Mina’s.

Mina felt only dread. The pounding of her heart inside her chest almost deafened her with its loudness. Why did it still work, when she clearly heard it breaking just now? 

Chapter Text

Four wolves stood on the clearing in complete silence. Not even a leaf falling from the tree dared to crunch while landing on the ground. The bees and mosquitos didn't buzz. The air was still, thick, coating them with a blanket of fog.

Mina couldn't believe what she was seeing. It just kind of couldn’t fit in her mind. 

That woman, some innocent, poor tourist who just came to their town to rest and spend her time with nature, was dead. Mina couldn't hear even faint sounds of heartbeat coming from her chest, not even a ghost of breath leaving her mouth. But the blood was fresh, not yet solid. It was splashed over her whole face, neck and chest, staining her clothes and the grass all around. The worst thing though was the fact that somehow it got on Nayeon's fur, near her mouth and sharp teeth. Mina failed yet to grasp how could that happen, except if–

Mina shuddered. No, no. She couldn't believe that. Nayeon wasn't the– Nayeon wasn't like that. Nayeon was good. She was patient, kind, warm and soft. She kissed Mina’s cheek with utmost affection and never even raised her voice at Mina. 

But despite all of that, now Nayeon stood over the dead woman’s body, with her gaze unclear, her white fur red and her smell bloody and aggressive. Her head was really close to the wound on the woman’s neck. The situation looked pretty obvious. At least if someone wasn’t blinded by emotions and feelings. Which wasn’t exactly Mina’s case. 

Mina’s fresh, tiny, blooming love towards Nayeon didn’t let her see things clearly. She was just confused. She needed more information, she needed to talk to Nayeon. Because surely, there was some explanation to what they were seeing. Mina’s mind was bombarding her with images: of Nayeon looking at her with that wild gaze, of Nayeon gently stroking her face under the stars, of Nayeon and Sana fighting over Dahyun’s bruised skin, of Nayeon agreeing to wait because Mina wasn’t yet ready to have sex with her. It was a lot to digest for her weak heart. 

Then, their eyes connected, and Nayeon’s gaze instantly cleared. In seconds, it went from foggy to focused and panicked. She, too, had to notice what the situation looked like. Okay, now they could talk. Nayeon was sober, so they could talk and explain everyth–

Before Mina could even blink, there was a body moving extremely fast by her side - Sana’s one - and jumping towards Nayeon with teeth bared and furious growl. It was obvious - Sana didn’t have similar thoughts to Mina. She interpreted the scene right away and acted on what she thought were correct assumptions. Mina understood. 

But even if Nayeon was the killer… Even if Nayeon was the one that they were looking for the whole summer, even if she was the one that made their life hell the past months, even if she betrayed Mina’s trust in the worst of ways and broke her heart… Despite everything, Mina couldn’t let Sana hurt her lover. Her instincts fueled her muscles before she was aware of it, and she jumped after Sana. In the periphery of her view, she could notice Tzuyu react too, but the girl was still weak after her injury. Mina was right on time. 

She landed in front of Nayeon, her paws hurting from the impact. Her body did its job though, covering Nayeon’s vulnerable spots and protecting her throat. Sana’s teeth clasped just millimeters from Mina’s skin, as the red wolf realized what happened and tried to avoid attacking her own packmate. 

“Stop!” Tzuyu’s voice echoed around the clearing, loud and high. “Everyone, stop!”

Sana jerked away, but her eyes didn’t leave Nayeon even for a second. Mina was panting, the fear pumping the blood to her veins faster and faster. Behind her, the presence suddenly disappeared and then Nayeon’s passionate voice broke the silence:

“It’s not as you think it is, I swear! She was already dead when I came here. I heard the scream when I was nearby and then just followed it to find her.” The girl pleaded. “I picked up the smell of another wolf though, I wanted to chase them.”

Mina was turning back before Nayeon could finish the sentence.
“Why was your fur covered in her blood then?” She asked with desperation in her voice. “I want to believe you, Nayeon, trust me. I want to. But this…” She pointed down at the dead body. “This doesn’t look good.”

“I know, I know.” Nayeon looked close to tears, her gaze focused only on Mina. Her posture was protective, hands reaching to grasp Mina’s fingers. 

Mina didn’t let her. 

“I’m telling the truth. Maybe the blood got on my fur when I got closer, because I wanted to pick up the scent of the killer.” Nayeon sniffed. “They have to be close, because when I got here, the blood was flooding out of her like a fucking fountain. We have to chase them, whoever they are. The faster, the better! Before they run away!” 

“Not so fast.” Sana was quick to stop her. “You’re not going anywhere. Tzu, go back to the house and get my phone, please. I’m calling the Sheriff–”

“Come on, Sana!” Nayeon interrupted her, as Tzuyu shifted awkwardly on her feet. She was clearly conflicted between her loyalty to the pack and to Nayeon. “Do you seriously believe I could do that? Why wouldn’t I hurt you guys then? Why would I risk my own life going to your house to fix Tzuyu’s wound? Mina, don’t you believe me?”

Mina winced. Sana shook her head disapprovingly. 

“I don’t know, Nayeon… What I can see here is pretty obvious.” 

“No, it’s not! I’m telling you what happened. Can’t you sense another scent on her body?” Nayeon gestured towards the woman. “Can’t you see that I would be covered in way more blood if I was the one to bite her? Look! I’m clean! See? I only got it on–”

“Little Nayeonie is telling the truth, surprisingly. Unfortunately, she was always no fun.” 

All of them froze. Instantly, four pairs of eyes snapped to the left, where the strange voice came from. A woman stood there, grinning evilly. 

“What?” She shrugged. “You seriously thought this wimp could go away with playing with the whole police of the Moon Grove area for so long? Don’t be funny. Nayeonie is such a good girl, right? Good girl, but a bit… naive.”

Nayeon had a look of confusion written on her face. 

“Who the heck are you?” She frowned. 

The strange woman burst with laughter. 

To her surprise, Mina found her strangely familiar. The more she watched the newcomer, the more images her brain processed, trying to find out where and when Mina could see her. Sana had to have a similar problem.

“Wait a minute…,” She said. “Isn’t this that bitch that hit on Dahyun back when we were in high school?”

Mina hummed thoughtfully. Now that Sana mentioned that one incident, Mina could vaguely recall it. Something that happened when Dahyun and Sana weren’t together yet, she could guess. But she couldn’t say for sure that it was the same woman. Back then, she didn’t even see her clearly, because she wasn’t as interested in the matter as Sana was.   

The woman was quick to dispel the doubts. 

“Oh, look who we have here…” She whistled with fake wonder. “Dear Sana. How is my Dahyunie doing? Bet she’s not as happy with you as she would be with me, huh? I wouldn’t allow her to be hurt by anyone...”

Sana’s fists clenched and both Mina and Tzuyu instinctively reached to hold their friend down. 

“Son of a bit–”

“Don’t get all worked up.” The woman, Mina still had no idea what her name was, rolled her eyes. “I’m not here to talk to you, as much as I would love to have a little more fun. I’m here to talk to Nayeonie here.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately jumped to Nayeon, who stood there confused. Mina could guess she knew just as much as everyone about this. Was this woman the real killer? Since she said that Nayeon was telling the truth, she surely had to know who murdered this poor tourist. 

“Once again… Who are you? ” Nayeon asked with a bit of irritation. “I have no idea what do you want from me, except maybe to wait with you for the police, because you surely know who murdered–”

“Lee Chaemin. Is this name telling you something?”

Nayeon blinked a few times, then seemed to suddenly realize something. Her cheeks paled. 

“How do–”

The woman interrupted Nayeon once again:

“Because I'm his daughter. Lee Sooyoung, at your service. Any bells ringing now?”

“What do you want?” Nayeon hissed.

“Isn't it obvious? To take control of the land that always rightfully belonged to me. First, I have to get rid of all the trash remaining in the house though. What's a better way to do that than to let it get eliminated on its own?”

Surprisingly, Nayeon was weirded out more than angry.

“Oh, you have to be out of your freaking mind to even imagine that this land had ever belonged to y–”

“Shhh… I bet the Sheriff will be here just in a few minutes to arrest those three for a murder of an innocent citizen of our country who just wanted to see a bit of our beautiful nature.” Sooyoung gestured towards Mina, Sana and Tzuyu, her voice dreamy. Then she turned to Nayeon, her face hardening. “You, though, will be my little treat to take care of.”

Shivers went down Mina's spine, even if the threats were meant mostly for Nayeon. Sana was quick to object. 

“What the fuc–”

“Enough.” The woman cut it short. “I didn't come here to chat.”

(That was bullshit and Mina rolled her eyes. Every time any one of them tried to open their mouth, Sooyoung was butting in with her own comments.) 

Just as the woman said it, Mina felt an unexpected presence behind her back and two pairs of strong hands grabbed her from both sides. She trashed to get away, but somehow, her capturers were stronger than her. They had to be wolves too, there was no other way for them to overpower her. Sana and Tzuyu fought just as hard, but it was for nothing. Mina had no idea how anyone managed to sneak up behind them without them hearing anything, it was borderline creepy. 

What was this woman's deal? She said she wanted to take over this land, but… why? How? The forest didn't belong to anyone in particular. It was public property. 

One thing was for sure, they were screwed. 

The weird woman had a lot of fun though, grinning like a mad person. Seeing Mina's distress, Nayeon tried to intervene, but she quickly found out that she had her own trouble to take care of, because when she made just a step, Sooyoung instantly turned into a big, black wolf. And then she attacked. 

Nayeon barely had a chance to react, and only her instincts allowed her to avoid getting her throat ripped in half. 

“Nayeon!” Mina wailed in despair, trying all the more to break out of the steel grip of the two men. She kicked, bit, screamed. Nothing worked. The sight of white wolf struggling, its soft fur that Mina loved so much now destroyed with dirt, mud and blood, it all fueled her to not give up. 

She couldn't, when Nayeon was clearly in danger. For now, she managed to avoid getting bitten anywhere near her head, but Mina knew it was only temporary. Nayeon already had a wound on her paw, causing her to lose blood and power. It didn't mean that Sooyoung wasn’t hurt either, but it wasn't enough. Especially when another five wolves emerged from the forest, their teeth bared, trapping Nayeon in a tight circle. Even if she tamed Sooyoung, there would be five more enemies to fight, and Mina feared that Nayeon wouldn’t be strong enough to do that. 

She could only observe in complete hopelessness as Sooyoung buried her teeth and claws in Nayeon's abdomen, breaking the skin mercilessly. The white wolf wailed loudly, the sound wild and powerful. Then, when Mina was already almost sure that it was the end, when tears already covered this horrible view from her eyes, when she tasted the salt on her tongue… 

Nayeon did it again. This weird howl. The alpha's call. And the whole world stopped.

(...)

Momo actually planned to talk to Jeongyeon. She didn't want to call it 'confessing', just... normal kind of talk. She would just say that something like that kept going on with her feelings, and then the ball would be in Jeongyeon's court. The woman could do with it whatever she wanted. Obviously, if she said that she liked Momo too, Momo would be glad. But it's not like she would be absolutely devastated if Jeongyeon didn't reciprocate. 

It was just a crush, Momo could move on. Friendship with Jeongyeon was enough for her.

Easy peasy…

Plans were one thing though, and reality was the other, because Jeongyeon was absent. After their last heated argument, Momo extended an olive branch and texted her co-owner that she could hire whoever she liked and that the last guy was fine too, so Vernon was now officially training to be their waiter/bartender. Which meant that with Mina occasionally helping too, there were now four of them, and their shifts could be scheduled so that two would be in the bar at the same time. 

Somehow, Momo still failed to grasp how she was paired only with Mina, while Jeongyeon was with Vernon. She didn't suspect Jeongyeon of having an affair with the man anymore (she never actually did), but still, since Jeongyeon seemed to also be unattainable at home, their ways never crossed. 

Until one particularly rainy and foggy afternoon, when Momo just started her shift, and somehow this time was accompanied by their new employee. Vernon was a good guy, worked hard and learned fast, so she didn't have any actual reason to complain. But he still needed help with a lot of things, so Momo had to be both in the kitchen and in the bar at the same time. Which meant a lot of walking, carrying different things between the two places and predicting the next orders so that she wouldn’t have to go fetch the needed ingredients each time. Momo had no idea if that was how Jeongyeon worked all the time these days, but she herself was absolutely exhausted. She had to step up her game and do more stuff with just muscle memory, so that it wouldn’t take just as much time as usual and so that the clients wouldn’t have to wait too long.  

She was just heading to the storage room to grab paper towels, when a sudden presence interrupted her movement, causing Momo to stumble right into a very warm, very inviting and very soft body. 

“Ugh.” The body groaned in pain. 

“Jeongyeon?” Momo stepped back, holding her head and massaging the spot where surely there was already a bruise forming. She had to hit it on Jeongyeon’s own head, because the woman mirrored her moves. “What are you doing here?” 

“Funny thing, you asked me the exact same question the last time we talked.” Jeongyeon snorted, even if the situation wasn’t funny at all. There was tension in the air Momo didn’t like. 

She absolutely hated arguing with her friends.

When Jeongyeon spotted the lack of any reaction on Momo’s side, her own smile died down. 

“Right.” She cleared her throat. “I’m here to help you with cooking.”

“Oh, I’m doing fine.” Momo waved her off. “I know you still think I need someone to take care of me like a child, but believe me, I can manage my own bar for five minutes.”

She said those words before realizing how they sounded. The slight annoyance coming from Jeongyeon’s scent made her instantly aware of it. She sighed tiredly. 

“Okay, sorry. That was unnecessary. I know you didn't mean it like that.” She assured. Jeongyeon sighed as well. 

“Yeah.” She shook her head. “Look at what we’ve become.”

“Like a pair of strangers…” 

Jeongyeon snorted. The smile on her face reminded Momo that after all, it was still her friend. She trusted Jeongyeon, she’s known her for a long time. They shouldn’t be awkward. Or maybe more like Momo didn't want them to be awkward.

“Hey…” She nudged Jeongyeon with her hand, clearing her throat a few times. “I have to tell you something.” 

“Shoot.” Jeongyeon encouraged, clearly not aware of the seriousness of Momo's incoming confession. “I'm all ears.” She said, but stayed where she was previously. 

Okay, maybe it was a bit sudden, and the moment wasn’t the best, but Momo wasn’t sure she would get a better chance. Lately, she started to doubt it. So now was the time, and it would be a nice, clean and quick job. Yup.

Usually, when they talked, really talked, it was at night, in one of their beds, while cuddling. This time, Jeongyeon didn’t get closer to hug Momo, or even hold her hand. It was like all this usual affection they had, small touches and absent-minded embraces, this was all erased from between them. It made Momo feel uncertain, but also all the more encouraged to go on, and try to bring it back. Maybe if she was brave, Jeongyeon would understand what she wanted - her usual portion of cuddling, with maybe a bit of kisses on the side. 

Okay, now was really the time to go. This time for real .

“You know… I was thinking a lot lately, and… You know… I came to the conclusion that… Ummm… You know, that’s not like I want to force it on you… And it’s not like you’re supposed to give me any answer, or even reciprocate anything. Like generally, it doesn’t oblige you to anything, that’s just my thoughts and my emotions I have to deal with, but in general I discovered lately, and you’re absolutely not required to do anything about this, but–”

“Momo!” Jeongyeon urged her, just as Momo finally reached the final conclusion: “I love you!”

Both of them froze. Then, slowly, a sweet smile spread on Jeongyeon’s lips.

“Momo… I know. I love you too. I’m so sorry that I’ve been neglecting you lately, but you’re always gonna be my best friend, you know. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Ehh… This was all going wrong. That was not how Momo wanted to say it. That was not what she meant.

“N- Not like that though…” She said, absolutely pale, her hands clasped tightly on where her apron was tied behind her back. “I love you like… Like I want to kiss you.” She blushed, her face going from paper-white to tomato-red. “Not friendly-like. That too! But… You know, also… Not like sisters. More like… Ugh… Romantically.”

Silence fell over the whole tiny hallway. The voices and sounds of the life going on in the bar reached their ears, louder than ever. Momo realized that she left Vernon alone out there to deal with the wildlife of Moon Valley. There was no way for her to run away now though. She was stuck here, under a pair of scrutinizing eyes behind which there was a whole research process going on.

“Oh…” Jeongyeon’s eyes suddenly widened, as if she was enlightened about something that she was supposed to find obvious for ages. “Oh… You do? Oh… Because, you know, I–”

She scratched her chin. Then winced.

The move, and the words, didn’t suggest that whatever was coming next would be what Momo wanted it to be. 

Okay, Momo couldn't, in fact, move on. That was the fact she realized just right now. She couldn’t move on. She was going to be so broken-hearted. So, so not fine at all. When Jeongyeon would open her mouth in the next second, Momo was going to be soo ruined, and not in the good way she would imagine being ruined by Jeongyeon. In the emotional way. She was going to be crushed, burnt, buried in the ground. She could already hear the sounds of the priest describing how she was a good person to the other citizens of Moon Grove at her funeral.

In the time Momo took to imagine all of that, Jeongyeon’s face morphed from shocked to sad. Momo had no strength left in her to wonder why Jeongyeon was sad.

“I’m sorry, Momo. I have a girlfriend already.”

That was it. The words that ended her. Why was she still standing, if the knife piercing her chest and her heart hurt so much?

And then they heard it - the sound. It was coming from somewhere distant, barely audible, but their sensitive wolf ears picked it up anyway. Momo felt it more than actually heard, but the outcome was the same, and she felt her body reacting instinctively. 

“Wait, wha– What’s going on?” Jeongyeon swayed on her feet, as fur started to grow on her hands and legs. 

Momo felt the switch inside her head, the one she always used while turning to her wolf form, switching on its own. She had no say in this, but her body was turning. 

“I have no idea, I can’t stop it!” She tried to grab Jeongyeon’s hand in panic, but it was too late and the other woman was already on all fours, her body half morphed into a red-furred animal. Obviously, Jeongyeon couldn’t answer her.

The call, whoever it came from, was guiding them to the forest. They had no way to fight it, they didn’t know how to fight it too. Surprised by something so powerful, they just obeyed and ran through the woods. Wherever the road would take them. 

(...)

The sound was so loud, long, high and piercing their ears that the whole forest immediately stopped. 

Mina recognized it now. She's heard it before once. But it still moved her to the bone, causing something to switch inside her body. 

It had to work similarly on the others, because both Sana and Tzuyu, and the men that were holding them instantly froze. Then, one by one, they started turning. Mina felt it too, that she wasn't in control of her own body anymore. It was making decisions for her, growing the fur on her skin and making her drop on her four paws. Soon, everyone on the clearing was already in their wolf form. And what was even weirder was the fact that no one seemed to be eager to attack Nayeon. 

Sooyoung stood shocked, confused. She still had her paws on Nayeon’s body, but it was as if she was turned into stone. 

It took them a while, but Sooyoung sidekicks finally woke up from their daze. By that time though, there were other wolves coming onto the clearing. Nayeon’s pack - Mina realized. There were not many of them, and they were definitely smaller and weaker than Sooyoung’s pack, but they made a difference. Now Nayeon wasn’t alone. Adding to that the fact that Mina, Sana and Tzuyu joined them in protecting Nayeon and scaring Sooyoung away, and the criminals were in minority. 

And then, to Mina’s surprise, their pack came too. One by one, Chan, Jeongyeon, Momo, Hyunjin, Minho and others showed up. They didn’t know what was going on, but they could see on what side their packmates were. 

It was even now. It didn’t mean that Sooyoung planned to stop though. In the periphery of her eye, Mina could see Nayeon scrambling up from the ground with pain. In front of them, a row of wolves was baring their teeth, ready to attack. The fight seemed inevitable. 

Mina’s heart picked up its pace. She wasn’t really prepared for a physical confrontation. She was a peaceful person by nature, also on the smaller side. Even if she sometimes playfully fought with her pack, it was never to show off her strength or technique. She seriously doubted she could win with anyone here. Especially with the growling giant in front of her. Where did Sooyoung even find a whole pack of such buffs? A whimper by her side told her that Sana definitely agreed and thought they were screwed. 

Before anyone could even attack, from their or the opposite side, rustling could be heard from between the trees. All the wolves perked up. 

The shots were fired immediately after. Then the entire place descended into chaos.

Suddenly, everyone was running away in all directions. The bullets were flying from all around them, so there was no good way out of the clearing. Mina was pushed around a few times, before she was able to get traction and start running too. Somewhere on her left, a whimper could be heard, as a wolf got shot. No one was stopping to help them, everyone was just fighting for their own life. 

In conclusion, the police called by Sooyoung finally arrived. 

To the woman’s misfortune, they were ready to catch anyone, from the good and from the bad side. 

Mina was just thankful that as of now, she couldn’t spot anyone from their family getting hurt. They were already running through the forest, dispersing so as to be harder to spot. However, someone was hurt there. And Sooyoung left one of her own to die out there. This alone made Mina understand a lot. 

The woman didn’t care about anything. What was her driving force though? How was this ‘taking over this land’ supposed to really work, if as of now, all the wolves were probably doomed to stay hiding in case a stray hunter would spot and shoot them? Mina felt like there were some gaps in the information she possessed. 

(...)

“They’ve run away.” Chan huffed, making sure to lock the door and checking twice that no one could get inside and surprise them as they were talking. “Motherf– It was so close, and they ran away again.”

“They’ll come back. Sooyoung is too set on killing me to let go of this.” Nayeon spoke from her place on the couch, where Tzuyu was taking care of the bite wound on her leg. Little bruises and scratches covered her whole body, but surprisingly, she was quite fine, despite losing a bit of blood from the sharp cut on her stomach. Mina sat by her side, letting Tzuyu work, but maintaining some contact the whole time. She still didn’t manage to calm down after Nayeon’s fight and the escape through the woods, but she pretended to be collected for Nayeon’s sake. The last thing the woman needed now was to worry about her. 

Inside though, Mina was shaking. If not for the whole family looking at them right now, she would surely throw up from the stress. Especially when Nayeon’s words caused everyone’s attention to go back to them. 

The wolves saw some things that happened on the clearing, they heard the alpha’s call and they answered it, so now it wasn’t weird that they wanted answers.

“You!” Chan pointed at her. “What was that? What happened there? How did you manage to–”

“Relax. I’ll explain everything.” Nayeon sighed. “But I should probably start from the beginning.”

The wolves were all focused, all eyes on Nayeon. The woman silently thanked Tzuyu for help and grabbed Mina’s hand for support. Then she started:

“My family had been living in Moon Grove for centuries before. There were both wolves and humans between us coexisting together. And in every generation, there was one special wolf child getting born, a girl, with white fur like mine. She was called the True Alpha. Or The alpha of the alphas. Whichever you prefer. My mother was like that, and her mother, and many before them. My family wasn’t the only pack in this area, but all the other packs were always subordinate to the True Alpha, who was like a leader to all of them. Hence the name. They could all live independently, but in the end, they had to submit to the True Alpha.” 

Mina blinked a few times, the dots connecting in her brain. Nayeon had to be like that too, that’s why she said that the color of her fur was the cause of her exceptional strength. Nayeon continued the story:

“They all lived in peace, until one day, one of the packs decided to disobey. Its leader, Lee Chaemin, wanted to have the power all to himself, wanted to rule all of the packs. He was jealous of my mother, her strength and the right my family had to this land. So he decided to kill her and the whole family. It didn’t happen overnight. Our packs fought for a long time, week by week, and most of them died in this battle. My father, who was a human and didn’t take part in it, managed to hide me and escape Moon Grove, right after my mother was murdered by Chaemin. He saved me, but at the cost of losing anyone else. I was just seven. We ran away to Sol Hills first, then to the capital. And because there was no one left here anymore, and I was still in danger, because I was the only heir to take over the land, I stayed there until recently. I had no idea whether the Lee family still wanted to kill me after all of these years, but I guessed they did. As it turned out today, I was right.”

Mina squeezed Nayeon’s hand tightly, tears gathering in her eyes just at the thought of young Nayeon, terrified and missing her mother, who had to leave everything behind and run away from her home. Now it was all fitting, how she was told that Nayeon’s dad found a new job in the city. They’ve had to spread this rumor just to prevent the neighbors and friends from looking for them.

Nayeon squeezed her hand back, briefly connecting their gazes, thankful for the support. The dead silence in the room was telling them exactly how everyone was engrossed in the story. Even the wolves from Nayeon's pack, who surely had to know all of that, sat quietly with their eyes focused on their alpha. 

“My father died when I was eighteen because of cancer.” Nayeon sighed and continued. “He was a good man, and he told me all of that, but not because he wanted me to go and get revenge on my family. He just wanted them and the family heritage to be alive in my memory. The idea to come here and regain what belonged to me was mine and it was sitting in my head for years. When Tzuyu visited me…” Nayeon’s and Tzuyu’s eyes connected, and smiles blossomed on their faces. “...when she lived with me, I had no idea where she came from. You don’t have to be mad at her, she had no idea that I planned to move back to Moon Grove. But… since I’m connected to this land, I figured I have a right to try to take over it again. Not forcefully, obviously.”

“How then?” Chan’s voice was a bit hoarse. Nayeon looked, really looked at him.

“You saw that. Actually, it already happened, while we were in the forest. You felt it, didn’t you?”

Chan gulped. 

“I suspected it, but…”

Sana, always the one to back him up, his right hand, took over when words failed him.

“What do you mean it already happened?” She frowned. Chan’s head was hanging low.

“The True Alpha’s call.” He said quietly. “It made us all submit, no matter where or who. Right?” 

“Exactly.” Nayeon’s gaze was a bit sympathetic, but mostly proud, when she looked at all of them. “You’re all part of my pack now. And they, Sooyoung’s wolves, are too, whether I want it or not..”

“What!?” Sana was quick to object, when Chan still failed to raise his gaze. “You can’t be serious. It doesn’t work like that, Chan is our alpha–”

“It does, Sana.” The man finally looked at her, his face resigned. “We can’t do anything about that, she’s just stronger than me and thus can do whatever she pleases. That’s what the legends said, and apparently, it’s true.”

“Why?” 

“What why?”

“Why can’t you fight her?”

“Hey!” Mina interjected. “No one’s fighting anyone!”

“Mina’s right.” Chan nodded. “No one’s fighting anyone in this house.”

Then he stood up and brushed off his pants. “And Sooyoung?” He asked, looking at Nayeon. “Why did she do that? Why did she murdered all those people?”

“You’ve heard her. She’s Chaemin’s daughter. She wanted to finish the job. She just knew she can’t overpower me, so she came up with the plan to make the people of Moon Grove hate the wolves by killing innocent people and make it look as if we were doing it. If the police started hunting us and killed us all, she would have a quick way to get the rule over the land.”

Chan nodded, as if it at least made sense to him. Then he huffed without amusement, shook his head and just walked out of the house. Before anyone was able to recover from the shock, the door shut loudly behind him. Sana shot up to go and chase him, but Dahyun was quick to calm her down. 

“Give him a moment,” She said. Sana wasn’t pleased, but she sat back down. There was pure anger on her face when she looked at Nayeon. 

“It has to be a fucking joke. I don't care about your family drama or anything. You can be even a queen of England if you wish, but Moon Grove is ours. We live here now , we have a house, jobs, lives. You have no right to take it from us.”

“I'm not taking it from you.” Nayeon sighed. “You can stay here, live as you have before.”

“Yet, you're forcing us to be in your pack.” Sana reminded her. 

“I'm not. You are free to leave Moon Grove whenever you want. That, or you're staying in my pack. The choice is yours though. I'm sorry to put it like that, but the damage is already done.”

Sana's eyes closed and for a moment Mina thought her sister was going to cry. Sana tightened her grip on Dahyun's hand, inhaled and exhaled. But nothing more left her mouth. She stood up just like Chan, and wordlessly went upstairs. Door shutting loudly could be heard the next moment. Dahyun smiled with apology and followed. Then, as if given permission, all the other wolves from their family did the same. Some, like Jeongyeon and Momo, went upstairs too. Some, like Minho and Han, left the house. 

Mina felt like her life wasn't entirely hers at that moment. It was as if her soul left her body, allowing her to observe the situation from afar and laugh at whatever misery that girl called Mina experienced. It looked pretty absurd.

She couldn't believe it all. What had happened was simply beyond her comprehension.

(...)

Nayeon sat in the living room of Mina's pack's house (well, her pack now), and watched as everyone, one by one, left her side. Her own friends - Changbin, Felix, Lia, Lily, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Jongin, Yuna - they stayed the longest, but in the end, they decided to go back to their own responsibilities too. After all, they were called out of nowhere by her alpha howl, probably in the middle of doing something important. Soon, Nayeon stayed alone there. 

Well, alone with Mina. 

From Mina's scent, it was hard to read anything. The girl was calm, but never once looked at Nayeon from the moment it was revealed that now Mina’s whole pack was Nayeon's. Technically, what Mina didn't know, she was pulled into Nayeon's pack even earlier, during that storm a few days back, but Nayeon didn't plan on telling her that. Enough was enough. 

Nayeon felt sorry for the girl. She was aware that the change couldn't be really welcomed, especially because it was kinda forced on Mina. But on the other hand, Nayeon could promise that the wolves in her pack had the best life possible. She always took the greatest care of them, treating them like her own children. Seriously, she didn't do it out of malice. 

Mina was clearly far from thinking about that. Halfway through the argument Nayeon had with Sana and Chan, the grip Mina had on Nayeon’s hand loosened. Now there was no touch between the two of them at all. Nayeon felt an unpleasant kind of squeeze in her chest.

She cleared her throat.

“Mina?” She risked asking. “Are you okay?”

Mina flinched visibly, as if woke up from a dream. Nayeon gulped. The girl didn’t answer for a while, almost making Nayeon lose all hope. Then Mina finally opened her mouth, and the voice that came out was quiet and cold:

“Why did you do that?” She hissed. When Nayeon glanced at her with a disoriented expression, she clarified: “Why did you make us your pack? You could at least ask us, or something. Give us a choice.”

There was surprisingly a lot of anger in her voice. Nayeon’s never seen her like that before. She knew Mina when she was scared, or frustrated, or embarrassed. But not this furious and resentful. 

Nayeon felt coldness spread in her stomach. It was a weird feeling, one she’s never quite experienced before, because normally, her body didn’t mind colder temperatures. 

“I– You know–”

She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, like a fish taken out of water, because she felt speechless at Mina’s attack. Not that it wasn’t justified, but she still didn’t like it. 

Then, she slowly gathered her thoughts. 

“I guess… Because I felt in danger and my instincts acted. I had to have everyone on my side, and the shock made them all refrain from attacking me. It was pure survival.” Nayeon frowned, her tone a bit defensive. “But also, I wanted you all in my pack even before today. Sorry for that, but that’s the truth.”

“Selfish, aren’t you?” Mina’s jaw was clenched. 

“Never said I wasn’t. But Mina, it was the moment and my instinct–”

The girl quickly put a hand between them, stopping Nayeon from trying to touch her. 

“Oh, God! Stop about that damn instinct. I don’t care!” She snapped. “Please, just leave me alone. I– I need time… To think about it all.”

Nayeon deflated on her seat. Obviously, she wouldn’t force herself on Mina, but… This rejection still hurt as hell. She didn’t mean wrong, it was actually an accident that it all happened at this moment.

“O- Okay.” She pouted. “Can we at least talk tomorrow?”

“I’ll see.” 

It was all that Nayeon could ask for - a chance. She could prove Mina that nothing was going to change, that she would protect their whole pack and provide them everything they needed. 

But she could guess that evening no one was in the mood to think about that. They had the right to be angry. 

“Stay safe, then. I’ll be one call away if you want to meet.” She said, heading towards the door. She didn’t get an answer for a while, and Mina was turned away from her, so with disappointment, she got outside. The door was closing behind her already, when she heard a faint:

“Yeah, you too.” 

Chapter Text

Part 3 - Full Moon

The whole Moon Grove and the neighboring villages were all pretty ecstatic after it turned out that a dead wolf - shot by the police and the hunters - was found in the woods. Everyone praised both the current Sheriff and Mr. Cho, together with all the officers, for their skills and for the sacrifice in keeping their town safe. Relief could be almost felt on the streets.

Sana felt a bit bizarre, when on her way to the grocery store, some old lady stopped her to thank her and the whole police for their service. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss that she didn’t really do anything, so she just nodded and thanked the woman. It weirded her out that someone even recognized her, since she really did her best the last few years to stay in the back and not attract any attention. 

This situation wasn’t a one-time thing. People wanted to talk to her, they patted her back and promised to have a beer for her. In the end, Sana decided to refrain from going to any public spaces if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Firstly, she felt embarrassed to be praised for something she hadn’t done, and secondly, she still preferred if no one really knew her. If they started to recognize more of her face, they would get curious, and curiosity wasn’t something their pack needed these days.

Luckily, despite the general atmosphere of relaxation spreading throughout Moon Grove, people still preferred to stay out of the dark parts of the woods. It stayed as it should - wild, uncovered, undiscovered. Only few knew their way around those paths, where the sun couldn’t reach. 

There, buried between old spruces, beeches and ferns, on the soft blanket of mosses, adorned by rowan trees and elderberries, stood a beaten trailer. Its windows were dark after years of no one touching it, the previously white color of its walls got this particular, odious shade of yellow, and its tires were completely flat. Sana knew the door still creaked terribly, just like it did when she lived in this trailer as a kid. The insides still reeked of mold, and the air inside couldn’t get warmer than a few degrees Celsius. 

Not that it bothered her - she loved this trailer. In her head, it was associated with her first ever memories of feeling safe. 

Not many were aware that the trailer stood there. Not many were able to reach this place. Not many were brave enough to stay there for more than a few seconds and not take a look over their shoulder, sensing that something was observing them.

Because someone did. Sana sighed with nostalgia remembering how they spent days with Chan hanging all the dirty bed sheets on the trees and painting scary faces on them. She had no idea now what was the purpose of all that work, if literally no one was ever able to find this place. But they wanted to be sure of that back then. It was better to be safe than sorry.  

She could still remember all the places where their ‘ghosts’ and ‘monsters’ were hanged, she realized as she walked along the narrow path, pointing out in her head the hidden marks and clues. A sign drawn on the tree branch here, a knife cut on the trunk there… Funny how they thought they were so smart. 

Well, maybe they were after all, if no one was ever able to find the trailer. Not even Tzuyu and the kids knew about it. Some time ago, Sana briefly thought about taking Dahyun here to see it all, but it had to come with the story first, so that Dahyun could understand. And Sana wasn’t yet ready for the story to see the light of day. 

Her feet didn’t make a single sound as Sana stepped over the fallen birch and avoided a low-hanging, whippy twig. It could easily serve as a guillotine, if she thought about it now. Thank God she wasn’t in a rush to get through the bushes, otherwise she might have got her neck tangled in it. It wouldn’t be a nice and quick death, with no one around to help her. 

The door of the trailer seemed untouched on the first sight, dirty and dusty despite the rainy season. Sana frowned. Was she wrong after all? It was the first place she was checking, but her gut was telling her that what she was looking for was here from the beginning. Without hesitancy, she raised her hand and knocked twice, then waited two seconds and knocked once more. Their usual code. 

Easy, but hey - they were only a pair of kids.

Silence answered her. Sana looked around. Then, on the edge of her vision, she caught a movement. The curtain covering one of the small windows moved only slightly. 

“I know you’re there!” She called out, not too loudly, but enough to be heard inside. “It’s me! Open up.”

The handle moved and the door creaked. Sana was only fast enough to jump back before it smashed her nose.

“Ouch.” She massaged it anyway, even if the pain was only phantomable.

“Sorry.” Chan grumbled. “It still gets stuck. I forgot to fix it.”

“Better not. It has its charm only when it makes so much noise to let the people three kilometers away know that it’s opening.” 

One of the edges of Chan’s mouth twitched slightly as the man tried to react to the joke. Sana took it as a good sign.

“How do you feel?” She asked. 

“How do you think I feel?” He rolled his eyes, grumbling like an old man. “I got kicked out of my own house.”

“That’s not true at all. You left on your own.” Sana corrected immediately. “Everyone waits for you to come back. Nayeon doesn’t stay with us at all. Actually, she hasn’t visited even once since last Friday.” 

“Oh, so she’s not such a good alpha to her new pack, as she stated she is?” Chan mocked. “Interesting.”

It was Sana’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Come on, she’s not that bad after all.” She defended. 

She had no reason to, she was mad at Nayeon too, but surprisingly and objectively the woman really tried to be nice to them all. She texted Sana (Sana had no idea where she had the number from) everyday to check if they were safe or needed something, she asked how Mina was doing, and she seemed to read the room well enough to know that she wasn’t really welcomed in their house at the moment and should stay away. Sana was amazed at herself, but she found out that she didn’t despise Nayeon just as much as she wanted to. Was she… growing a soft spot for the woman? Was she getting old and weak? She preferred to not look for answers for those questions.

Chan obviously couldn’t know about all of Nayeon’s little gestures, as he stayed in the trailer for the past few days.

“So you're on her side now, huh? Nice to know.” He scoffed. 

Sana didn’t let herself feel guilty, she knew him well enough to guess that he simply felt abandoned and needed just a bit of reassurance that the family still needed him, despite them never saying otherwise. 

Obviously, he was demoted from his position as the alpha of a pack. He was now just a regular wolf, as any of them, part of Nayeon’s bigger family. It was probably a huge blow to his ego. But it wasn’t like he was completely rejected by them. The family still had huge respect for him, he just didn’t have his leading position. His life didn’t end and the show could go on - at least in Sana’s opinion.

She could accept a few days of sulking in solitude but enough was enough. 

“I'm not. I'm trying to convince you to come back to your pack.”

“It's not my pack anymore. What, isn't the new flashy perfect big alpha of the alphas enough?” He challenged, crossing his arms on his chest. 

“Why are you mad at me?” Sana was starting to get irritated. It was honestly a miracle she managed to stay calm so long with the self-pity party Chan had here. “I didn't make her our alpha. I'm just as confused and mad as you, so spare me those grumpy faces. Besides, you know well that nobody's perfect. Did you forget already?”

That was a little of a low blow, to be honest.

Chan hung his head.

“No, I didn't. Sorry.”

Sana was already feeling bad, right after it left her lips.

“Already forgiven, a long time ago.” She sighed. Then opened her arms for him to come and get a hug, which he gladly did with an expression of a kicked puppy. Sana embraced him tightly, stroked his head, then patted his back.

“Come on, now. Come back to the house with me. Nayeon wanted to talk about something with us.”

“So you are on her side after all?” He asked, but this time, there was a slight undertone in his voice, indicating that he was just kidding. Sana answered seriously anyway:

“I'm on the pack's side. We have bigger troubles now than civil wars. Sooyoung and her sidekicks are still out there, and now that we know about them, I bet they won't stop just like that. It's dangerous for us to be fighting against each other, when she can come and kill any one of us at any moment. We have to stay together and we have to use all hands available to find her before she finds us.”

Chan seemed to realize suddenly how right she was, and his face got serious.

“You're right.” The man wiped his eyes tiredly. “We have to finish it finally, it's been poisoning our life for way too long already.”

“So you're coming with me, right?” Sana made sure.

“I'll think about it.”

That was enough for her.

“Good.” She nudged his shoulder. “Sooo… It’s been a while since I last visited this place. Kinda amazing that it’s still standing.”

“Don’t even start.” Chan snorted. “I thought the door was locked or something with how tough it was to open it…”

(...)

The dream started a little before dawn. She was running around the forest in it, completely lost, bleeding and not able to find anyone. However, the worst was definitely the feeling of not being in control of her own body. She knew that one well. She could still remember the times when it was her reality basically everyday. 

Even if now it was only in the past, and she made sure for it to stay like that, it was still something that haunted her thoughts. And now that Nayeon got so close to them and became the alpha of their pack - which honestly Tzuyu didn’t mind at all - the possibility of anyone (Jihyo in particular) finding out about it was higher than ever. Because that’s what Tzuyu was scared about - them learning about her past mistakes. Not that she thought Nayeon would spill all her secrets just like that, and not that she believed her family could really judge her. But the idea of her weakness coming to the light was embarrassing on its own. And if Nayeon was around, it could come up with a conversation, or it could slip off Nayeon's tongue, or anything else. The risk was becoming real after all those years during which she had successfully hidden this fact about herself. 

She’s had those dreams for the past few nights, in which she was drunk again, unable to control her own body and find her family, after they’ve learnt about it all, and explain that she wasn’t that person anymore. Wasn’t she though? 

She kept waking up every time with cold sweat covering her forehead. She really counted on Jihyo not noticing anything. She didn’t have such luck.

“Tzu?” Jihyo sounded confused when she searched for her on the bed, her voice full of sleep. “Where are you going? It’s still dark outside.”

“I’ll just grab a glass of water. Be right back.” Tzuyu assured her, leaving a kiss on Jihyo’s forehead, as she stood up from the bed. A hum followed and Tzuyu was almost sure Jihyo was already falling back asleep. But when she tiptoed back into the room after quenching her thirst, Jihyo was laying on her back, one hand under her head, with eyes wide open. Her head turned towards the door right after she heard it opening. 

Jihyo didn’t say anything at first. She waited patiently, until Tzuyu reached the bed, dropped on it and settled as comfortably as she could. Then Jihyo turned to face her. 

“Tzu… Be honest with me.” She gently cupped Tzuyu’s face. “Are you alright? Are you still in pain?”

“N- No. Why?”

“You’ve been waking up at the same time for the past few nights. Don’t pretend it’s not true.”

Jihyo’s intense gaze pinned Tzuyu enough so that the physical grip on her body wasn’t necessary anymore. Tzuyu squirmed under that scrutinizing look, almost ready to avoid giving any real answer once again. But it was Jihyo. They were partners. Jihyo deserved to know. 

“I’ve been, I guess.” Tzuyu admitted, sighing. The hand on her face was now stroking her cheek calmingly, making her instantly relax. “I have a lot on my mind.”

Jihyo’s scent turned even more worried.

“Is it the alpha thing? Do you miss Chan so much? But I thought you said that you didn’t mind Nayeon being the one to do the job?” The waterfall of questions followed. Tzuyu snorted, hearing the last one.

“First of all, it’s not a job . It’s about hierarchy, protecting everyone, being the head of the family, guiding us and making sure we have everything we need.” She explained. “And I don’t mind neither Nayeon, nor Bang Chan. They are both fine and I respect them both, so it’s really between the two of them to resolve.”

“What is it then?” Jihyo frowned, clearly confused. Tzuyu could guess that she would be, after all, if Tzuyu wasn’t in pain because of her injury anymore, and she wasn’t worried about the pack and its leader… Everything else was pretty much fine in their lives. Obviously, they still had a murderer to catch, and maybe a house to find and buy in the future, but they both had jobs they liked, they weren’t fighting or anything, so… Should be all good, right?

Well… 

Tzuyu sighed deeply. Jihyo scooted closer and put a leg over hers, glueing herself to Tzuyu’s side like a teddy bear. It was her way of saying ‘I’m here, ready to listen and understand’. Tzuyu closed her eyes.

“I know you're not exactly Nayeon’s biggest fan…” She started, Jihyo stopping herself from snorting while hearing this statement. “Even with me telling you repeatedly that she saved my life. But… she really did. And I think you deserve to finally know the whole story.”

Jihyo was looking at her with so much affection. The calming sound of trees dancing in the wind and the rain hitting the glass was coming from behind the window. Tzuyu had no other choice than to begin talking. Once she opened her mouth, the words spilled. 

Not even once Jihyo interrupted her. Tzuyu made sure to be quick, to not dive too much into the details and just present the necessary facts about the period of her life when she struggled with the addiction, but it was still something the older woman probably never expected to hear from her girlfriend. When Tzuyu reached the part where she was offered the drugs for the first and final time, Jihyo held her hand tighter. Luckily, from then on it was mostly getting better. 

Mostly. But Jihyo didn’t need to hear everything. Just enough to understand why Tzuyu owed Nayeon her life and why they should trust their new alpha.

“Tzu…” Jihyo had tears in her eyes when the story ended. “Why didn’t you tell me all of that earlier? I would understand, I do understand now. And you wouldn’t have to stress out that much. I can only imagine how it must have weighed on your shoulders.”

Tzuyu’s heart was still beating fast from all the emotions, and she wasn’t able to find any logical answer. She was just scared, that’s all, and now this fear reached the point when she didn’t want to deal with it anymore. 

Without another word, she turned on her side, facing Jihyo. There was this weird urge inside her to make sure that Jihyo still loved and accepted her, to check whether Jihyo was or wasn’t disgusted by her behavior. 

The kiss she leaned into turned out a bit urgent and aggressive, but Jihyo didn’t protest, maybe except a quick, surprised whine that escaped her throat. Then her lips responded with just as much passion. She had to understand Tzuyu’s need to be grounded in the present with affection and physical intimacy, because she went all in, despite being sleepy just moments before. Tzuyu didn’t need more encouragement, she pushed Jihyo on her back right away, straddling her hips. Immediately, her hands wandered under Jihyo’s T-shirt, finding the bare skin there. Their lips connected again, and Tzuyu could hear - not without satisfaction - how Jihyo’s heart skipped a few beats here and there when they tasted the love from each other’s mouths. 

She smirked, depriving herself from the pleasure of having Jihyo’s sweet lips on hers in favor of skipping a bit down. There, right under the jaw, there was the spot where the most intense scent gathered. Tzuyu didn’t hesitate before inhaling it with both her nose and open mouth. When it reached her brain, it was as if some kind of drug was injected into her veins. She shivered, feeling the tension culminating in the lower parts of her belly. 

Jihyo almost moaned, forgetting that it was actually the middle of the night and all the other inhabitants of the house had enhanced hearing. Tzuyu’s hand stopped her the last possible moment, muting her loud voice. 

“Shhh…” Tzuyu mouthed against the soft skin of Jihyo’s neck, leaving one open-mouthed kiss there after the other. The taste, the scent, it was all so addictive that she was almost not ready to stop. But then Jihyo squirmed under her, her hips seeking some friction, and Tzuyu realized she had something to prove herself. 

Because if Jihyo could want her so much, if she was ready to offer herself completely to Tzuyu, if she was ready to be on Tzuyu’s mercy, that could only mean that she still trusted her girlfriend. 

Half an hour later, when she was leaving a few more lazy kisses on Jihyo’s cheeks as the other woman was slowly coming down from her high, the dam finally broke. Tzuyu managed to bury her face in Jihyo’s neck first though, hiding the tears. She was always a bit of a crybaby, and Jihyo knew it well, so she wasn’t hiding because she was ashamed in front of her girlfriend. 

No, the tears were the remnants of the embarrassment still living inside of her after all those years. She was ashamed in front of herself.

Because no matter how many years would pass, her moments of weakness, her stupid decisions and mistakes wouldn’t disappear. And she had to deal with it staying inside of her forever. It couldn’t be wiped. 

It could be at least shared, so that the pain wouldn’t blackmail her with the thoughts of Jihyo getting disgusted with her. 

Jihyo had to understand, because she didn’t say anything, just embraced Tzuyu tightly and stroked her head in a calming way. Tzuyu wasn’t sure how much time passed while they lay like that. Definitely too much considering they both needed to get up early for work the next morning. 

Before she could let the sleepiness overcome her though, she had to share one more thing that has been living in her mind for the past few days.  

“I think we should tell your grandfather.” She said, moving away and wiping the tears off her face. ”We need his help to stop this bitch.” 

The profanity sounded especially sharp in the darkness and silence of the night. Jihyo focused on something else tough.

“Tzu… He hurt you.” She whispered. “I don’t really want to face him right now. You don’t know how much stress it cost me to watch you recover from that injury. I’m sure at least a few gray hairs grew on my head and I drank hectoliters of Dahyun’s calming tea.”

Involuntarily, Tzuyu snorted just remembering the drink. Contrary to what Jihyo said, she could smell all that stress and bad emotions, so it wasn’t like she didn’t agree with the woman, but on the other hand, during her recovery time, she had a lot of time to think about everything that happened and she came to one conclusion:

“He didn’t do it on purpose. Well, he did, but… He just didn’t understand why and what he was doing. He did it because he thought he was protecting the town and also you from the danger. We can help him understand that we are not one, and I bet he won’t be eager to hurt any of us anymore. Actually, I’m pretty sure it hurt him too to cause any harm to an animal. You know he loves the woods and everything that lives in it so much.”

Jihyo didn’t look convinced. Her eyes screamed worry and fear.

“We have to.” Tzuyu insisted. “We’re not doing well ourselves. We haven’t caught anyone for weeks, we wouldn’t even know it’s Sooyoung if she hadn’t attacked Nayeon. We’re pretty much a bunch of kids, and he’s a professional and experienced officer. I’m not saying we have to reveal everything. Just enough so that he can grasp the idea and help us. And we have to end this thing finally. It’s been going on for way too long anyway.”

Jihyo mused on the idea for a bit.

“Fine.” She finally sighed. “But it’s your job to convince everyone.”

“I’m sure you’ll be by my side, supporting me, right?” Tzuyu asked with a hint of a joke in her voice, but there was a lot of her own insecurities hidden behind that tone too. If Jihyo hesitated now, if her face showed that she wasn’t ready to have Tzuyu’s back… That wound would probably hurt Tzuyu more than the physical one she barely healed from. That one would go deeper. It would ruin a lot of Tzuyu’s confidence and trust. 

Luckily, Jihyo was too much of a dependable person to do a thing like that. 

“Yeah, baby. Always.” She said with so much confidence, then left a kiss on Tzuyu’s lips. 

A small smile lit up Tzuyu’s face. She lay there, smiling at Jihyo, and slowly letting her eyes stay closer for longer and longer. When the darkness finally settled behind her eyes, her rest was calm and dreamless.

(...)

As always when it came to making any big decision, they gathered in the living room. Momo prepared the food, and although some of them were missing because of work, the remaining rest felt more united than ever. Opposite of them, on a couch, Nayeon sat with a determined expression that screamed that she didn’t regret anything. On both her sides were two of her packmates - two boys who appeared when a brown and a black wolf changed their form into a human one. 

Mina felt uncomfortable, despite sitting between Sana and Momo. She felt divided and didn’t know what to do with her hands. Her eyes connected with Nayeon only once, when the woman arrived, and the look she got was almost too warm for what she deserved. But then Nayeon got back to her alpha leader mode and her face got serious and professional again. She didn’t steal even one glance at Mina. She was here for business. 

Mina wasn’t sure whether she wanted Nayeon to insist on talking. A few days ago, she was pretty much pissed off by Nayeon’s actions and definitely didn’t want to have her anywhere around. Back then, her brain was overwhelmed with the amount of things happening, she was running on the highest gear trying to comprehend the situation and react. She needed time to understand everything. 

Now, when her head managed to calm down, and she had even too much time for thinking, she kind of longed to exchange her arguments with Nayeon. But… She also didn’t feel like being the one reaching out. Maybe it was petty, but she was still annoyed that the choice was made for her and she had no say in it. She had the full right to sulk as long as she wanted. 

On the other hand, guilt started to fill her, when she thought about the way she treated Nayeon, and how her girlfriend also had to deal with a lot of stuff, and was left alone with it… Mina couldn’t lie even to herself - she was a pretty shitty partner. So maybe it was the right moment to finally swallow her pride.

In the meantime, while Mina was busy having a conversation with herself inside her head, life had to go on though, and their packs had to communicate. Sooyoung and her sidekicks weren’t going to wait for Mina to learn how to approach her relationship in a mature way. 

“I assume you reached the consensus that it would be best for us to cooperate in order to eliminate the threat.” Nayeon started, when the silence got a bit too tense.

Sana, who took over the position of a spokesperson during Chan’s absence, cleared her throat.

“Yes.” She confirmed. “We decided that it’s better to be on one side than to compete.”

Mosquitos outside could be heard with the lack of any other sound in the house. The people on one side of the room stared at the people on the other and vice versa. The air was so tense it could be cut by a knife.

“Good.” Nayeon nodded after a while. “Then I think you deserve to know about my team’s actions the past weeks. Changbin and Felix both, and a few more wolves, were tracking Sooyoung’s pack’s movements and they managed to gather a bit of material. They didn’t catch anyone red-handed, but we have enough evidence to allow police to try to arrest them. The question is: how to pass it to the Sheriff without telling him that his whole life he somehow missed the fact that people can turn into animals. It would be the easiest to just force their pack to leave this land, but this way, they don’t pay for their crimes.”

“And we want them to pay for their crimes.” The man on the left of Nayeon, with long blond hair and delicate face spoke, surprising everyone with his deep voice.   

For that question, no one seemed to have an answer. Silence fell over the room again, as every single wolf got deep into their thoughts. Mina had a few scenarios running through her mind. She considered all the tools available legally and illegally, she thought about sending the info anonymously via the Internet or being more traditional and preparing a letter, or maybe…

“Maybe… we can just tell Mr. Cho?” Tzuyu spoke up with her voice pretty weak, clearing her throat and blushing a bit when all the eyes rested on her. Before a literal storm could break out, with all the wolves providing the arguments why it wasn’t a good idea, Jihyo stood up and put her hands in front of her, as if saying ‘relax, we got it covered’. The gesture had enough power to silence everyone.

“Before you criticize this idea, let’s listen to Tzuyu, please.” Jihyo asked politely. At this point, Tzuyu was pretty much red from the embarrassment. 

“Thank you.” She said anyway. Then gathered herself and started. Despite her quiet way of speaking, everyone was focused on her. Deep inside, Mina felt pride just at the thought of how smart and well-spoken her sister was now. 

She had to admit that Tzuyu’s arguments were valid. They needed the help of someone more experienced, who used to represent the police forces but wasn’t exactly active in it currently. And they wanted Sooyoung’s wolves to pay too, but they weren’t ready to cause them any harm. No one believed the enemy pack would leave Moon Grove on their own. So putting them to jail was the best option.

“And do you think he would believe you? He’s known you for years and hadn’t noticed anything.” Nayeon asked immediately when Tzuyu finished. There was a soft look on her face too, when she observed the younger woman. Mina felt a slight pang of jealousy in her chest, before she managed to control herself.

“Well, I’ll show him.” Tzuyu sounded confident. “ We can show him, if anyone wants to join. And Jihyo will be there to mediate just in case.”

“Yup. I’ll bring him somewhere secluded, so we can do it without a risk of someone else noticing.” Jihyo confirmed. The two of them glanced at each other and smiled. “I know you guys don’t see him as a good man now, but I swear he’s been a good grandfather to me my whole life. He’s the most loyal and he won’t purposefully put you guys in danger.”

Instinctively, Mina’s eyes travelled to Sana, who usually made the decisions when Chan wasn’t around. She quickly realized her mistake when she noticed Sana observing Nayeon intensely. All the wolves from their pack followed. 

“Well, what do you think, alpha?” Sana clearly had a hard time swallowing this pill, but she had to give it up to the more powerful one in the room. “It’s your pack now, and your decision.”

Nayeon wasn’t looking at anyone in particular. Her eyes were glued to the floor, her expression focused and thoughtful. Then, she slowly nodded.

“I trust Tzuyu. Let’s do it.”

(...)

The words that Nayeon said, despite sounding important and final, didn’t have any immediate impact on their life. Jihyo promised to talk to her grandfather and invite him to the woods for a walk, Tzuyu promised to be the one showing him everything, and then everyone just walked away to their own things. Mina stayed sitting on the couch, and Momo could see that Nayeon wasn’t moving from her own spot too, but no one felt like interfering with the awkward tension between the two. The wolves scurried away before they could be stopped and used in any argument.

Momo didn’t feel like interfering either, especially when she noticed her own problems approaching, in the form of one and only Yoo Jeongyeon. She wasn’t fast enough to evacuate. Her smile became awkward and forced, almost too wide considering that once again, despite all those promises that they wouldn’t avoid each other… They avoided each other. Momo, in particular, avoided Jeongyeon after her accidental confession followed by Jeongyeon’s immediate rejection.  

“Got a minute?” Jeongyeon seemed like she carried a world’s weight on her shoulders. Instant guilt filled Momo, when she realized that in all her efforts to avoid her friend and further embarrassment, she failed to notice this. Maybe Jeongyeon was sick? Maybe she didn’t deal with the change of an alpha as well as Momo did? And here Momo was, only thinking about her own pride.

“Okay…Let’s talk.” She agreed with a doubtful sigh and a shrug, because it felt like a thousandth time she was agreeing to this lately, and each time they tried to talk, they failed to actually communicate. 

Jeongyeon pointed outside with a questioning expression. It was a good idea, the silence and peace of the woods would serve them better than the tense inside of the house. They chose the path almost instinctively and Momo didn’t even notice at first that it was their usual, favorite path that they used to walk along together. Used to, because lately, except full moons, they stopped doing it completely. Wow, they really screwed up their whole friendship during the last months. 

Somehow, Momo failed to grasp how this downfall began. 

Jeongyeon started talking when they were almost two kilometers away from home.

“Look, I wanted to tell you that earlier, but you avoided me once again… Back then, when you said that you… umm… you know, the L word…” She blushed. Momo looked away. “When you said it, I didn’t get to finish, because we… Well, we got turned. And…”

She turned slightly as they walked, so as to look Momo in the eyes. There was determination in her gaze, and way more bravery than Momo could imagine herself ever possessing.

“And I wanted to explain that yes, I do have a girlfriend. Still. Technically. But I plan to break up with her. Because I love you too.” She said, ending it with a sigh. “And I think you deserve an explanation about what happened in the last months.” 

“Wait…” Momo frowned, stopping because at that moment, her brain was too busy processing Jeongyeon’s words to still control all the muscles in her body. “What do you mean that you love me too?”

“I do.” Jeongyeon’s gaze was glued to the rotten leaves under their feet. “Romantically, as you defined it. I didn't discover it yesterday, or anything. I’ve known about it for a while, years maybe. But you never gave me any hints that you might be interested in me too, so I’ve decided to move on lately. Avoiding you was the first step in my plan, obviously only until I stopped having those feelings. And meeting Chungha was the other step. I didn’t plan to be in a relationship with her at the beginning, we decided to try it out later.”

“Did it work?” Momo wasn’t sure why she was asking. Maybe to find out if she could use this method. Her own feelings were still pretty much in development, but they were there, and knowing that Jeongyeon had someone made her instantly jealous anyway. Perhaps those were her wolf instincts acting, but she couldn’t help but be territorial. From multiple conversations with both Sana and Tzuyu, she learnt that it was only natural and couldn’t be helped. 

“Not exactly.” Jeongyeon said. “Not yet, at least. But now that you said that you’re… that you have feelings for me– Look, maybe it’s selfish but I couldn’t help but hope that we could still try… something. It’s weird, because we’ve been friends for years.” She snorted humorlessly. “But Jihyo and Tzuyu were friends too, and they made it work, so maybe we could too?”

Momo felt a bit trapped with the way Jeongyeon was observing her now in search of any reaction.  Because she had no idea how to react. She didn’t expect such a situation to ever occur in her life. 

The fact that her feelings were reciprocated was nice, obviously. The fact that Jeongyeon was apparently taken wasn’t. On the other hand, after those weeks of Jeongyeon avoiding her, then Momo avoiding Jeongyeon, then the other way around, and then once again– She was just glad that they were getting somewhere with this conversation. Because despite the pain and everything, she mostly just wanted to get Jeongyeon back and be able to cuddle with her sometimes, share her thoughts with the woman and go on their usual walks. The rest… The rest could wait. 

She was surprised with herself, because usually, in the past, the physical side of a relationship was so important for her. Even if she tried, she was rarely able to form any emotional connection with any of her girlfriends and flings. So she learned to be content with pleasure only, while her higher needs - love, belonging, safety, support - were satisfied by her friends and family. 

Now, for some reason, the physical attraction she felt when she was looking at Jeongyeon could be put aside. It was somewhere there, but it wasn’t the most important thing for Momo. That itself shocked her so much that she wasn’t able to even fully understand this feeling yet. If any other girl or man stood in front of her, instead of Jeongyeon, she would probably push aside this feeling and play her usual cards, seducing them and allowing them to take her into their bed. Jeongyeon didn’t deserve such a treatment. Jeongyeon probably didn't want such a treatment. Jeongyeon was worth more than that. 

Jeongyeon was worth Momo actually figuring out what was going on in her head. 

But first, Jeongyeon should probably figure out her own situation, because no matter how much Momo wanted to be with her, she couldn’t, if Jeongyeon still had a girlfriend.   

“Jeongyeonie, I– I don’t know what to say. You’re in a relationship.” She finally said. Jeongyeon didn’t even wait for her to finish talking and she was already butting in, grabbing Momo’s hands to keep her in place. 

“I– I’m going to break up with her, and then we can try…”

“No! That’s not– That’s not how it works..” Momo huffed, a bit irritated with the rush in which Jeongyeon was acting. “You can’t say that you love me, if you are still in a relationship with someone else. Aren’t you in love with her at all? Even a bit? You had to see something in her if you agreed to date her in the first place.” 

Momo wasn’t sure if it was possible to love two people at the same time. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to engage into something that could possibly blow up in her face lately, especially with her friend. 

Jeongyeon swayed on her legs, sticking her hands into her pockets nervously.

“I– Not really, to be honest… I felt attracted to her physically. And she’s a nice person. But I did it mostly because I tried to move on, and distract myself. I- I know it’s selfish, but… I really did my best to forget about those feelings. Involving Chungha in it wasn’t the best idea, but it already happened. It didn’t work though. I still love you.”

Momo suddenly felt like she needed to move after all, so she picked up the walk, not even checking if Jeongyeon was going to follow. This conversation was starting to be a bit too much for her. The situation wasn’t easy at all. 

Momo was called a lot of names in the past, but she was never one to mess with people in relationships. This was simply a no. And even if Jeongyeon broke up with her girlfriend right now, how could Momo think her friend’s feelings were real, if the woman changed girlfriends more often than socks? She could sense lust, or attraction, or even love, in Jeongyeon’s scent. But it never guaranteed that those feelings would last. 

One more thought came to her mind.

“Tell me… If I didn’t confess first, would you still be with her?”

Jeongyeon scratched her neck, wincing. 

“I– I’m not sure. Probably.” 

That’s what Momo feared. Her heart sank, as she slowly realized that it wasn’t going to work. Not like that. 

Sadness and hurt filled her instantly. Jeongyeon sensed the change in her mood immediately.

“But I’m serious about you.” She insisted, grabbing Momo’s hand once again to stop her in place. “I’m telling you, I was in love with you for years. Just ask anyone! Sana, Dahyun, Tzuyu. They all know.”

“Then you should’ve told me too!” Momo gritted her teeth. “Instead of just gossiping about it with literally any other resident of the whole area.” 

“I was scared!” Jeongyeon was clearly getting irritated too, with the way her scent turned bitter. “We are friends, we live in the same house. There’s so much that could go wrong. Also, you had your girls, you weren’t doing relationships… Forgive me for not seeing myself changing your way of living.”

Okay, now Momo was getting seriously pissed off. Anyone else could call her slurs, but she didn’t expect it from her best friend. It was so disappointing to know that that’s what Jeongyeon thought about her.

“I would consider it for you.” She said with sadness. “I would be ready to give it all up, if you only asked.”

Jeongyeon’s eyes were a bit teary when she looked up.

“Yeah, I– My bad. Sorry.” She sniffed. A few beats passed before she got courage to say her next question. “Is there a chance for us to still try? As I said, I’m going to end everything with Chungha, explain it all to her and say sorry, and–”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Momo said, then shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check. But I think you should give yourself time first. Yourself and her. A month, or two at least, even if just out of respect.” 

It was visible on Jeongyeon’s face that it wasn’t the answer she expected. Momo didn’t expect herself to give it too. Old her would always jump into every opportunity that showed up in front of her. 

But it was necessary for both of them. They could have more time to think, to understand their feelings. If after those months Jeongyeon was still up to this - heck, if Momo was still up to this - they still had their whole lives to explore it.

(...)

The moment the wolves started to leave the living room, Nayeon felt her shoulders visibly relaxing. Felix and Changbin patted her back, announcing that they were going back to their own responsibilities. Tzuyu smiled at her encouragingly while passing by on her way upstairs. Even Jihyo sent her a shy nod and a thumbs-up. Mina’s face was inscrutable though.   

A few days passed since their fight. A few days since all the wolves were officially Nayeon’s to take care of. She felt both happy and a bit burdened by this fact. If only Mina could stand by her side, she would surely find herself stronger and more confident to take up on this new challenge. Their relationship was still pretty much fresh, and Mina tended to act shy and unsure in many situations, but Nayeon was this type of person who fell really quickly. She was already neck-deep into this and in this position, it felt like she needed Mina’s presence to make her day worth living.

But Mina was just sitting across the room, her face stone-cold, slightly unfocused. How could Nayeon start this conversation? How could she approach…?

Suddenly, Mina stood up. Okay, there it was. She was gonna leave again, because she didn’t forgive Nayeon for what she did. 

Only that Mina didn’t leave. Instead, she came closer and wordlessly offered her hand to Nayeon, who - even if a bit dumbfounded - accepted it immediately. Then she let Mina tug her upstairs. When the door to Mina’s room closed behind them, Nayeon was almost sick with nerves. She had no clue what could wait for her there. The insides of her stomach made a backflip, causing the muscles to cramp uncomfortably. 

Why was she so stressed? It wasn’t like she hadn't been dumped before, it wasn’t even that Mina was that badly mad at her. The girl was just looking at her now, her scent full of many small emotions that didn’t allow to guess what she really was feeling. 

“Mina, I–”

Mina abruptly stepped forward. Before Nayeon was able to react, she was jailed in a tight cage made of Mina’s arms. The air was taken out of her lungs with how much strength the girl put into the hug. Was she trying to kill Nayeon as revenge?

But it would be such a sweet death though… Nayeon felt so much warmth and affection crushing her in the form of Mina’s hands, that it almost overwhelmed her and almost made her tear up. Also, the relief and hope was groundbreaking; did Mina’s behavior mean that she had forgiven Nayeon?

“What the–”

“I’m so sorry.” Mina whimpered in a cute, high voice. Nayeon could only try to exhale with amusement, because she had very little chance to breathe. 

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s me who was at fault there.”

“I know.” The pout was adorable when Mina lifted her head from Nayeon’s shoulder to glance at her shyly. “But I got mad at you. And I hate arguing with people.”

“Baby…” Nayeon wanted to lift her hand and touch Mina’s hair, pet her gently. There was no way, Mina seemed determined to keep her in place, as if scared that Nayeon would run away if allowed. “It’s fine. You had the right to be mad, I did things without asking first. It was a disagreement, so we can talk and resolve it.”

“You did things without asking, that’s right.” Mina went back to having her head laid on her shoulder, her tone still upset. “I felt so betrayed. When you said that you came here to take what’s yours, I thought that you only got interested in me so as to befriend my pack.”

“What?” Nayeon frowned. “That’s absurd. Mina-yah, I liked you from the moment I noticed you in ‘Strategy’, even before I could sense that you’re a wolf too. I got more interested when I realized you were, but it wasn’t the thing that made me so invested in you.”

Mina’s scent turned curious. The girl shifted slightly, her grip getting lighter. 

“What was?” She asked.

Nayeon hummed thoughtfully, thinking about the days when she got to observe Mina while working and in the woods. Before she was able to realize that Mina was her childhood friend. Before they got closer. 

“I don’t know, to be honest.” She admitted, a bit worried about the reaction. She didn’t want to lie though. “There’s just something in you that makes me both weak and strong. And for some reason, I feel comfortable around you, which… Didn’t happen often in the past. Only my pack could make me feel like myself, without hiding anything. And before that, there was one girl that was able to do that too, but in a different way than you. More… sisterly one. But she had to leave.”

“Tzuyu?”

“Mhm… I’m so happy I have her back in my life. I’m happy I could take you all guys into my pack. And I would be so, so happy if I could have you by my side.” 

Mina fell silent for a moment, indicating that she was thinking hard about all of this. Nayeon took this moment to slowly take in the thought that they were fine. She didn’t screw it all up after all. The relief was great. 

Mina steered the conversation on a different track without even realizing how much distress was just taken off Nayeon’s chest.

“How is it to be an alpha like that? Is it hard?” She asked. 

“Not exactly hard.” Nayeon shrugged. “It’s not like I personally scare off all the predators from the door of my house. Most of the time I don’t even notice anything different. Just, you know, during the full moons… The feeling of being united with your pack, of having them by my side, it’s… one in a million, I would say.”

Mina hummed with only a bit of understanding. She could guess each wolf perceived it a bit differently, because she could remember not liking the feeling of animal urges controlling her body during that time, especially during the first year of growing into her wolf skin. Now she was slowly learning how to accept it. On the other hand, she loved being with her pack on all the nights except full moons. Playing with her heightened senses, moving soundlessly through the wilderness, being able to switch from an animal to human form in seconds - that all were definitely perks of the wolf life. 

And now they were both in the same pack. And despite the mixed feelings everyone in the house had about it, the air in Mina’s room was now filled with the scent of curiosity and interest. When silence fell between them for a moment, Nayeon used the opportunity that her arms were now free to move and led them both to the bed. Mina didn’t oppose when she was seated on the top of it, just curled her legs to her chest and scooted closer to the wall to be able to lean on it. Nayeon joined her there, mirroring her position. She was half into relaxing, when Mina suddenly huffed with irritation and lifted her body from the bed again. Nayeon observed with surprise how the girl landed between her legs, wiggling and struggling to fit herself there comfortably. Mina wasn’t even shy to reach for Nayeon’s hands and bring it around her waist, fully leaning her back on Nayeon’s front.

What? Where did the usual shy Mina suddenly go? Why was she so affectionate?

Not that Nayeon minded, of course. In this position, she could freely put her chin on Mina’s shoulder. And there, she had unrestricted access to inhaling Mina’s sweet scent, now mixed with both pleasure and a tiny bit of insecurity and embarrassment.   

Despite it being a few days already since Mina was added into her pack, Nayeon didn’t yet have a chance to adjust to the change in Mina’s scent. Before, it was a bit different, a bit uncomfortable and unfit, because of their clashing instincts. Now it just smelled deliriously good. Nayeon could just close her eyes, breathe it in and reach the highest peaks of pleasure. 

The funniest thing was that Mina seemed to not notice Nayeon’s scent at all. Those months ago, when they first met, it was understandable - for some wolves, it wasn’t that easy to pick up scents from a distance. Nayeon knew that at least Ryujin and Changbin had similar issues with their noses. But those two seemed to do much better in close distance to the source, when they could analyze the smells better. Mina failed to do it even like that. Or maybe she didn’t try at all. 

“Wanna build a Lego set with me?” The girl asked with a bit of uncertainty. Her voice was even softer and quieter than usual. “I have a new one.”

“Hmmm… What kind of set?” Nayeon grinned teasingly. Nerdy Mina coming to see the light of the day meant that the girl was really starting to get comfortable in her presence. It made Nayeon both proud and special in a way. She was aware not many could experience this type of intimacy with an introverted person like Mina. 

“A spaceship from Guardians of the Galaxy.” Mina said. “Here, let me show you.”

She made a move to stand up, but Nayeon suddenly felt like not letting her. She was too comfortable like that, with her arms holding Mina like a teddy bear. Mina fit there perfectly, all cuddly and squishy. 

“I don’t think so.” Nayeon mumbled into the skin of her neck. “You can show me here, but I can’t let you get up.”

“Nayeonie!” Mina scolded. “I can’t reach it, you have to let me go.” She wiggled, but there was no use in her struggle. Nayeon only tightened her grip, like a human equivalent of a Venus Flytrap after catching a fly, surrounding Mina with her legs too. Mina was strong, but Nayeon was stronger. The younger woman could only huff with irritation and hopelessness. 

“Does it mean I’m staying here forever?” She raised her eyebrows with clear annoyance.

Nayeon burst with her usual, crazy kind of laughter.

“Only until one of us has to use the bathroom.” 

“You know, I do kinda have to–” Mina tried. Nayeon quickly changed her expression into a pout, making her eyes look especially big and sad. 

This was too much to handle. Mina rolled her eyes and settled back against her chest. The smirk of satisfaction crawled slowly on Nayeon’s back behind her face.

“Now, tell me about this Lego set. Maybe I’ll reconsider my decision.”

(...)

The weather continued to haunt Moon Grove with constant thunderstorms and rain. Despite it being only August, that year’s summer looked more like autumn. And as far as Sana enjoyed the pleasant chill temperature and being able to run around the forest in her wolf form without sweating all over her fur, all the advantages of it were overpowered by her pure dislike of storms. It was ridiculous, she knew, to be a woman in her twenties and still be afraid of the sound of thunder. It was ridiculous, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She was just afraid, period. 

Dahyun’s presence helped a lot. If Dahyun was by her side, Sana could survive any storm just fine. Maybe a bit anxious, but generally calm.

When Dahyun was away during a nasty storm like that right now, Sana had to admit to herself that she couldn’t control the shaking of her hands. This weird feeling of something squeezing her chest wasn’t nice either. 

She could obviously blame the stress, because lately she’s had enough of it. The murders, Dahyun’s injuries, work, the pressure she put on herself because she wasn’t even able to leave Moon Grove for even a few hours… And then the switch of the alphas, as if she wasn’t yet at her limit. Out of all the wolves Sana was probably the one who was the closest to Chan and always wanted to be on his side, so it wasn’t anything strange she didn’t accept the change easily. All of this was true and valid. 

But what she was going through now wasn’t caused by the stress. She was just absolutely terrified of the loud thunder and blinding lightning splitting the night sky in half. The rain pouring on the windshield of her car wasn’t helping. The wipers could barely deal with it, and Sana drove almost blindly, trusting her instincts and muscle memory to remember where the turns and curves were. 

If only she didn’t agree so easily to take over the late shift. But after the incident when she got sick in the city, she felt completely obliged to compensate her insufficiency to the Sheriff. She wanted to prove that she could be a good and useful officer.

“Shit.” Sana cursed, when a huge trunk, broken by the strong wind, appeared in front of her car. She turned the steering wheel too abruptly, almost causing the car to steer off the road. The vehicle avoided driving over one of the hard branches by centimeters. 

She should probably stop and wait for the storm to end. It was so irresponsible to drive when she could see nothing. She could as well hit something, or worse, someone–

The lightness of human skin flashed in the light of the car’s reflectors, as the wipers scooped the majority of the water on the right side of the shield. 

Shit . Shit. Shit.

Sana’s heart stopped, and she gasped, instantly pushing on the brake pedal. The tires screeched loudly on the wet asphalt, and with her foot she felt the ABS system working hard to keep the car from skidding. 

What the actual fu–? Who was stupid enough to stand in the middle of the road during such a heavy storm?

Sana felt the abrupt pain when the seatbelt cut into the flesh of her body, keeping her in place as all the forces pushed her forward. The car finally came to a stop, but this person didn’t move. It was a woman, she could now notice. 

A woman, with long, dark, wet hair surrounding her face. A woman Sana recognized. Lee Sooyoung. 

“Are you nuts!?” Sana called out while jumping out of the vehicle, the adrenaline allowing her to forget about her fear for a moment. “I could’ve hit you!” 

Not that she would really mind. Maybe she wouldn’t like to kill a human being (or a wolf one), because living with the weight of being a murderer was something Sana didn’t look forward to (despite knowing that in her job there might come a day when she would have to do that). But Sooyoung needed to be captured. 

Now was a moment like any other to do that. Sana already had her gun in her hand and raised her with a warning.

“Don’t move!” She called loudly. 

So far, Sooyoung only grinned at her wickedly. Now, when Sana stepped forward, the woman moved back.

“Hi, Sana-yah! How’s it going? How do you like living with the thought that you’re not enough for Dahyun, huh?” She asked, the wide smile not coming off her face. “Enjoying being the disappointment?”

Sana’s teeth gritted, but she didn’t stop. Whatever kind of confrontation it was, she wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Son of a bit–” She cursed. Sooyoung didn’t seem to be intimidated by the gun. Actually, the woman appeared to be finding pleasure to be on the wrong side of it, laughing straight at Sana’s face. 

“Do you ever wonder what Dahyun is doing while you’re staying long hours at work? Maybe someone’s taking care of her just right now…” 

Something heavy settled in Sana’s chest. What the hell? Was she bluffing, or was it a real threat?

“Don’t fucking move!” She shouted. 

Water streamed down both their faces, and the eyeliner under Sooyoung’s eyes made her look diabolical. Then, another thunder. It was sudden and so, so loud. Sana jumped in fear, an involuntary scream breaking out of her mouth. The lighting came right after - the storm was right over them. It blinded Sana, and just one second was enough. When she could see again, Sooyoung wasn’t there anymore. 

Sana jumped to action, running into the forest in the direction where she could suspect the woman might have run away. She pushed through the bushes, not caring that it ripped her clothes and cut her skin. Her breathing was fast, shallow, her whole body shaking. 

Nothing. There was nothing there. The rain hitting the leaves was so loud and overwhelming that Sana felt panic rising in her throat. No, no, no…

She barely reached the car. Luckily, it still stood there, although the water got inside, wetting the seat and the steering wheel, making it hard to hold and operate. Sana’s legs were shaking when she tried to step on the pedals, her knees weak and aching. 

God, she just hoped that Dahyun was safe at home. She trusted her family to protect her there, but if the girl got the idea to leave somewhere… Sana didn’t even want to think about it.

Sooyoung was right. She was a disappointment. Not only didn’t she allow her girlfriend to have the life she deserved, but she couldn’t even keep her safe. 

How could her senses be so dulled that she didn’t recognize the evil in Sooyoung earlier? They’ve met before, they’ve talked before, and each time Sana was too deep into her head, too blinded by stupid puppy love to read Sooyoung’s scents and emotions. What kind of girlfriend was she? What kind of police officer? What kind of wolf?

She was a fucking failure in every possible aspect of her life.

When Sana reached the house, the lights in her room were on. Dahyun shot up from the bed, when she stumbled into the room, her clothes and hair dripping with rain water and her face teary. 

“Sana! What happened?” Dahyun gasped with worry. “Are you hurt, baby?” 

“Don’t.” Sana gripped her arm before Dahyun was able to touch her face. 

Dahyun’s scent filled with hurt and she retreated her hand. Her eyes were shocked, probably because it was the first time she’s seen Sana so pissed off at her. 

“What?” Dahyun shook her head, confused. “Sana, talk to me. What happened? Wait! Where are you going?”

Sana ignored the questions. She felt the immediate need to flee. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away, hide and lick her wounded ego in peace. She definitely didn’t feel like talking right now. She was embarrassed, angry at herself and resentful that fate had to make her someone like that. It wasn’t even like she could change it. No, she was always going to be like that. She couldn’t just erase her wolf side. It was always going to be her burden. 

“Sana?” Dahyun wasn’t giving up. “Seriously, where are you going? Sana! At least tell me when you will come back!” 

“I– I don’t know!” Sana felt the urge to tug her hair out of her head. She didn’t want to say anything malicious, so she needed to finish this conversation quickly. “Maybe never. 

I– I think I can’t be with you anymore.”

“What!?” At this point, Dahyun stopped caring about not touching Sana without her consent and grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. “Why? Wh– What made you think like that? Sana! You can’t just leave me like that! Talk to me!”

Dahyun was yelling, chasing Sana through the house, but Sana was obviously faster. She left her jacket on the way, knowing well she wouldn’t need it. The storm outside still scared her, but she was in too big of emotions to care anymore. She even pushed away Tzuyu, who came out of her room to check what caused the whole ruckus. 

Before anyone else could stop her, she slammed the door shut and ran. 

It didn’t matter where. Running just made her release all those pent up emotions. 

Maybe Chan had a good idea about leaving the pack? Maybe Sana should follow his steps?        

Chapter Text

Loud banging on the door woke her up an hour before dawn. Sana could barely open her eyes because of how heavy her eyelids were. Her head seemed just as heavy, or maybe even heavier. Additionally, the world spinned around her, making her arms shaky, when she tried to lift her body from the narrow couch. 

“Shit.” She cursed under her breath. She felt like puking. 

Maybe getting herself completely wasted the previous night wasn’t that good of an idea. 

Why did she even drink that much? She wasn’t normally a big drinker, so– 

Oh. 

Yeah.

A wave of memories flooded her brain. And she felt like puking once again, this time for real. She barely reached the tiny bathroom with an even tinier toilet. There was little to no place there to sit on the floor, so she had to throw up while standing. Fuck her life, honestly… She couldn’t even hug the toilet in peace while puking. 

The banging on the door repeated and she realized that maybe before the alcohol hit her the previous evening, she managed to lock the door. Otherwise, it would surely already be open. 

Damn… How much did she have to drink to reach that state of drunkenness? Her kind usually digested alcohol well, so it was really hard for them to get that wasted . The row of empty vodka bottles, accompanied by a carton of cheap juice, on the table told her everything she had to know. 

It’s been a rough night. 

It’s been a rough few nights.

“Open up, I know you’re there! I’ve heard you!” Came from outside.

Sana groaned internally and closed her eyes. Bless her soul when she meets with Chan. At least her strong wolf body was dealing with the hangover pretty well. 

The pain in her heart was a different thing. She had no mental capacity to touch it so early in the morning, especially after she applied the treatment last night. Now, she had to survive Chan’s fury. The rest could wait. One thing at a time. 

She unlocked the door wordlessly, dropping on the couch immediately after. The sudden movement caused her stomach to protest once again, but she breathed in and out to control the nausea. 

Just as she expected, Chan opened the door abruptly.

“I’m so, so mad at you!” He pointed a finger at her accusingly first thing. “What the hell did you think!? Disappearing for a fucking week!? Everyone was terrified! They wanted to search for you, even when it was freaking dangerous because they could get attacked! And I’m not even talking about Da–”

Sana didn’t let him finish. She couldn’t bear to hear this now.

“I’ve asked Jackson to tell Jeongyeonnie that I’m staying at the precinct. Did he not?” She grumbled, holding her head tightly to keep it from falling off her neck. (Was it that impossible? She felt like it could happen any moment.)

Chan stood in the door with his face a bit disgusted. The trailer had to reek with alcohol and vomit. He was probably wondering how in just a few days, she could change the place from old but tidy into… This mess.

“He did,” Chan said. “That’s the only thing stopping me from kicking your ass out of Moon Grove and probably the country. Because if the kids went to the forest and Sooyoung hurt them in some way, I wouldn’t–”

“I know.” Sana stopped him. “I know. Sorry.”

Chan looked at her for a moment. Then he huffed out with a fake amusement:

“What were you thinking, huh? Why are you sitting here instead of coming home? It was bold of you to scold me for sulking, when you’re literally doing the same. Worst even, because I wasn’t drinking.”

Sana wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“I don’t fucking know.” She grumbled, lowering her head between her knees again when the next wave of nausea hit her. “I couldn’t even run away with a bit of dignity, because this hurt like hell.” She pointed at her chest accusingly.

Chan frowned, probably trying to figure out if she meant her broken heart or maybe her instinct to stay with the pack. Sana had no idea either, honestly. Probably both. Her broken heart didn’t let her sleep at night, while her body didn’t allow her to leave the area unless she wanted to be slowly killed with panic attacks and nasty flu. In conclusion: life sucked.

Chan sighed tiredly, finally coming inside the trailer and closing the door behind him. He dropped on the couch beside Sana, putting a reassuring hand on her hunched back and rubbing the place calmingly. 

“Look…” He started what Sana knew was going to be an annoying but actually helpful monologue. “I know a lot has happened in your life lately. I know you’re stressed. I know Sooyoung’s trying to mess with us all. It’s all understandable. You have the right to be emotional, you have the right to get away from us for a few days. But what you’re doing while disappearing so suddenly and scarring us isn’t helping anyone, despite what you might think. They are stressed out by your absence. Dahyun is stressed out, if I should even use this word to describe her current state. The family is divided and that’s what Sooyoung counts on. That gives her the opportunity to strike where we’re weak. I don’t know what happened to you, but please consider coming back.”

“I’m a failure. It won’t change anything if I come back.” Sana mumbled in answer. She was ashamed to voice out some of her deepest thoughts like that, but he had to understand. 

“What?” Chan reacted with an even bigger frown. “No, you’re not. You’re just tired. Everyone’s having a worse period in their life sometimes. It’s normal. We just have to learn from it, re-group and come back stronger.”

“You don’t get it…” Sana sighed. “I– I’m really a disappointment. I can’t keep Dahyun safe, I can’t give her the life she deserves, I can’t protect the family, I can’t–”

“You can, I promise. It’s not easy, but you can. And all of this can be fixed, Sooyoung can get arrested and punished, and everything can go back to normal, your relationship too. But Dahyun deserves an apology now, and she deserves to get a proper explanation from you. A real conversation. That’s what she deserves, after so many years of you guys being by each other’s sides. The rest… I can assure you that she doesn’t care about the rest.”

“Who says that?” Sana was not having it. She was bitter, she was mad. She was ready to curse out fate for being so cruel to her.

“She says, actually. She told me this: that she just wants you back. Nothing more.”

“What? When did she say that?” Sana could bet that the hope could be picked up from her scent even if she tried to hide it. She was pathetic… But she couldn’t stop caring. 

And after the gentle scolding, Chan decided to bring out the big guns:

“After the whole week of crying?” He answered sarcastically. “What did you think, that she would just move on from your weird decision like that?”

Sana’s heart stopped beating. Her chest squeezed with pain. Air was taken out of her lungs. 

Obviously. Dahyun, despite everything, loved her. She wouldn’t give up instantly. Sana wouldn’t, if she were in her place. If Dahyun was the one to announce that she was leaving, Sana would simply say ‘no’. And if Dahyun insisted, she would demand answers, conversation, fights, second chances. Anything.

Sana felt her resolve get weaker with every second. That was the only thing she needed - an image of Dahyun crying painted in her head. 

Not that she didn’t know it could happen before, but… Well, she had to admit that she was a bit bitter and resentful the past few days, which made her focus too much on herself. Selfish, but she couldn’t change that now.  

Chan observed the emotions painted on Sana’s face. At some point, he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly.

“Hey, I know I wasn't her biggest fan in the beginning, for what I already said that I’m sorry.” He said with clear remorse. “But now I got to know her, and I really think she’s good for you. She’s the one. And I have totally no idea why you’re still waiting.”

Sana frowned, not following. What he said made a lot of sense, Dahyun was definitely the one, but the last part…

“What?” She asked. Chan snorted. 

“Come on, Sana. I’ve spent time here too. I know about this flashy ring hidden in the cupboard. It’s only you and I who come to this trailer. The ring’s not mine, so…” Suddenly he smiled teasingly. Sana’s eyes got wide. She jumped on the couch, facing him. 

“Don’t tell her.” She pleaded, her red, tired eyes changing into two giant circles and her lips forming a pout. It caused Chan to burst into laughter. He shook his head, pretending to stand up and reach into said cupboard. Sana forcefully made him stay on the couch, clinging to his side. Finally, Chan gave up.

“Okay, I won’t.” He stroked under her chin with affection, as he would do to a kitten. “But I would advise you to hurry up, before she finds out what kind of loser she agreed to date. Actually, I came with an offer for you.”

Sana glanced at him with curiosity she couldn’t hide. Chan continued:

“My parents have a small cabin in the forest, a bit to the north from our house. It stood empty for many years and now they want to sell it. But I can ask them to keep it for you. It can be a loan of a kind, and you’re gonna pay it back when you can. The house needs a bit of a renovation, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with. It’s pretty much ready to move in, as soon as you guys say the vows.” 

Silence fell between the two of them, until Sana catched up with what he just said.

“What?” She blushed. Then she took her time to process everything else except the part about the vows. “Chan… I– I can’t. It’s too much, I don’t know if I will ever able–”

“It doesn’t matter. I kept the place for you, because I know you don’t have parents to help you. Both you and Tzuyu, but she has Jihyo and her loaded family. You’re kind of my sister, even more than the rest of the pack. So I want to make it easier for you to start your own family. Please, take the offer. I want to see you happy.”

While he was talking, Sana’s eyes slowly filled with tears. She clinged to his side even more, tightening the grip she had on his T-shirt. Chan sniffed too, but then he cleared his throat:

“Okay, enough of that. I’m going back to the house. Every minute I spend far away from the pack, they start to like Nayeon even more.” He said, but Sana read from his voice that he wasn’t serious while being mad about it. “Are you finally ready to meet and reconcile with your girl?” 

“You can’t even imagine.” Sana snorted through the tears, wiping them from her face.

She was so stupid for thinking she could even seriously leave Dahyun. So stupid. That’s probably why she needed Chan to make her realize all of that.

“Pff… It went easier than I expected.” Chan snorted too. “Then… Guess who waits for you outside, on our old swing by the side of the stream…”

(...) 

When Sana heard the sound of steps on the short stairs leading into the trailer, a weird kind of feeling engulfed her. It was both anxiety and complete peace of her heart. The mix was unusual and made the insides of her stomach flip a lot. 

Dahyun's face showed up in the door the next second and Sana jumped up. 

“Hey, I–” She started. And was immediately silenced, because Dahyun was angry. Really angry. Pissed off even. 

But her scent was telling Sana different things. There was relief in it, joy, love, worry, even a bit of pity. Sana was speechless. She had no idea what to do with herself - stand or sit, go and hug Dahyun, beg her for forgiveness, vanish into thin air, run away? There were a lot of options to choose from. 

Sana chose to cry. Or maybe she didn’t stop crying at all? Her eyes were red and puffed anyway, so there was no difference before and after. Now additionally tears were streaming down her face faster than she was able to wipe them with the sleeve of her hoodie. 

Dahyun sighed deeply, before stepping forward and bringing Sana between her arms. Immediately, Sana clung to her body like a lifeline, grabbing her jacket. A loud sob broke out of her throat, when Dahyun’s familiar, sweet scent reached her nose and she inhaled it like air after choking. Her brain still failed to take in that she had Dahyun close once again, but her body operated on instincts. The relief was huge, as if every problem in this world suddenly disappeared, and everything was back to good, even if Dahyun still didn’t agree to forgive her.

“Shhh…” Dahyun stroked her back. “It’s fine.”

“Will… Will you take me… ba– back?” Sana hiccuped. “I– I don’t know what came upon me–”

“Shh… I’ve never let you go, baby…” 

Sana only tightened her grip on the girl, still scared that Dahyun could stop hugging her and leave. The previous week of not seeing her was a pure torture for Sana, worse even than when Dahyun was in college, because now Sana couldn’t just call or text her at any time of the day and see the girl’s beautiful face. So she just cried, slowly lulled back to calm by her girlfriend’s gentle touch.

“Come on, let’s sit.” Dahyun encouraged her after a moment, when she calmed down a bit. Sana looked around the place, noticing how dirty it was. She wanted to groan. Dahyun couldn’t sit there. 

“Maybe better outside.” She sighed, wiping her face to force herself to gather her ass and start living like a human being again. “I– I had no chance to clean up.”

Dahyun glanced at her with amusement, but didn’t say anything. The wound that Sana got them both the past week still didn’t heal. She followed Sana outside wordlessly. There, Sana found them two old folded chairs they used with Chan a long time ago. 

“What’s up with this place?” Dahyun asked, when she was settled, Sana once again by her side, leaning her head on Dahyun’s shoulder. Their hands were clasped tightly, the touch necessary for both of them, even though Sana needed it probably more to keep her wolf instincts at bay. “Chan said no one knows about it except you two.”

Sana took in the sight of the trailer, with the thick and dark forest around it. 

“I– It’s a long story.” Melancholy filled her just at the thought. “Let me start from the beginning.”

(...)

Fourteen years earlier

The boy was sitting with his legs on the bench, hugging his knees and hiding his face behind them, when Sana ran into the park, jumping between the bushes in the last possible moment before the owner of the shop passed by the entrance, screaming his lungs out. She was lucky once again.

The noise and the ruckus didn’t make him raise his head. Sana took a moment to calm her fastened breath before coming over to the bench and plopping down on it.

“Hey.” She started, nudging him with her elbow. From her pocket, she dug out a piece of candy, borrowed (although she didn’t plan to return it) from the aforementioned owner of the shop.  

No reaction from the boy. Sana heard a sniff.

“Hey, you.” She tried once again. Many things could be said about eleven-years-old Minatozaki Sana, but no one could accuse her of being heartless and indifferent.

“What?” A grumble could be heard from somewhere inside the ball the boy made himself shrink into. 

“Do you want candies?” Sana extended a hand as if she was approaching a wild dog and planned to lure it with a treat.

The boy’s head slowly raised. A red, tear-stained face welcomed her. His hair was a bit on the longer side, his features childish and innocent. He was probably younger than Sana, although it was hard to tell, because Sana definitely didn’t look her age. The few meals skipped here and there, and the constant need to escape her brothers’ cruel teasing made her thinner and smaller. But on the other hand, she knew that boys usually matured later than girls. So he could be around… Eleven probably. Or maybe ten.

He sniffed once again, slowly wiping the tears off his cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie. Then he accepted the offer, although not without a distrustful glance sent Sana’s way. He looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should already be running away or not.   

“Thanks.” He said anyway, putting the sweet treat into his mouth.

“You’re welcome.” Sana chirped. “I’m Sana.”

No, the streets didn’t teach her to be careful. 

“I’m Christopher Bang.” The boy said with just as little carefulness. “But my friends call me Chan.”

“Okay. I’m gonna call you Chan too, because you’re my friend already. Everyone that eats my candy is my friend.” Sana grinned. Then she reflected on her words and her smile vanished. “Okay, maybe except my brothers. They are awful and I hate them.”

Chan hummed, as if what she said was the most normal thing to say for a teenager. Because… It probably was. Everyone fought with their siblings.

“How many of them do you have?” The boy asked. 

“Six.” 

“Six!?” 

Sana just giggled, chewing on the hard candy. It was sour and sweet, just the taste she loved.

“But they’re not my real brothers. I’m in foster care.” She explained.

“Oh…” Chan deflected. “I’m sorry.” He added after a bit.

Sana shrugged with indifference.

“Yeah, whatever. It’s not my first day.”

They kept chewing for a while, before Chan changed his position on the bench. It was clear he was curious.

“You don’t have parents then?” He asked straight away. Sana liked this. She preferred this way than whatever her teachers at school kept doing, trying to be understanding and gentle, but then pitying her behind her back after all. 

“No, I have them. Orr… I had. I’m not sure. I got lost a few years ago, and then I couldn’t find them anymore. So the police put me in my foster parent’s house…. Well, my first foster parents. I’ve run away from that place. Then there were the second ones, and the third. It’s my fourth house now.”

“What? Why?” It was obvious that Sana had Chan’s interest with the way he sat straighter, turning to face her. 

“They were just shitty.” Sana shrugged. “They couldn’t understand me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sana didn’t know how to answer this question. The boy probably couldn’t understand her either. So she stayed silent. Instead, her mind turned in a different direction.

“Why are you sitting here and crying?”

“What!?” Chan immediately frowned. “I’m not crying! You’re lying.”

“I know what I saw.” Sana shrugged, pretending to not notice his struggle to explain what he was doing and focusing instead on her candy.

“Hey!” The boy got even more agitated. “I wasn’t crying!”

Sana hid her smile.

“Sure. Fine. Then why were you sulking here?”

Chan crossed his arms on his chest. He didn’t manage to stay stubborn like that for long. 

“Ehh… I got in a fight with my parents and I ran away.” He complained, pouting. “They want me to fix my grades.”

Sana hummed thoughtfully.

“I dropped out of the school.” She admitted. “My second parents didn’t even notice. Now that I'm back, I can’t even keep up. Maybe your parents are a bit right. You should study to be able to take care of yourself in the future.”

Chan hummed too. Suddenly the atmosphere changed from playful and light to tense. Sana bit her lip, not knowing what to say. 

She did it again; she scared off another potential candidate for a friend. Damn… Her caretaker from the orphanage was right after all, she was indeed pretty much unlikable. 

But she needed to share with someone. The problem was that they never understood. 

Dread and embarrassment filled her suddenly, and Sana felt the need to escape. There it was again, this weird tug that told her that she needed to run away from here and hide somewhere secluded, most preferably somewhere where it was silent and no people.

Chan didn’t need her to cheer him up anymore. 

So Sana just got up and ran. 

(...)

When Sana finally returned to her foster parents’ house, all the lights were already out. She found it weird, because she didn’t think she'd spent much time in the woods. She just ran around a bit, burning off her energy and dealing with her emotions. It helped much, by now she was pretty much calm. 

But when her feet touched the floor by the window in her room (which she had to share with three of her brothers), she understood that she was wrong. It wasn’t just ‘a bit’ late. It was way past midnight. 

And she was fucked.

“Where did you think you were going, huh?” She heard right behind her ear. 

Sana jumped into the air, because despite living in this house for almost a year already, she’s never got used to her foster father’s harsh voice. It sent chills down her spine. When she felt a huge, cold hand grabbing her thin arm and tightening on it, something heavy settled on her chest. 

“Answer me!” The man whisper-shouted. Somewhere in the room, on one of the beds, the sheets rustled as one of the boys moved in his sleep.

Sana just whimpered. She had no answer for him. She tried to tell him that she was just walking around in the woods, but he didn’t believe it the first few times, and he wouldn’t believe her now. He knew better what she was doing. 

“You were fucking around once again, weren’t you?” He pulled her arm strongly, and she was too weak to resist. Her back hit his chest and his giant arms embraced her. One of them landed on her stomach, then travelled up. Sana felt a grip on her barely-developed breast. The other hand was on her mouth, keeping her quiet.

“You give yourself to anyone else but your dear dad.” The warm air from his mouth felt weird on her ear. Surprisingly, his breath didn’t stank. No, it always smelled of that mint toothpaste they all used in this house. Because he was a man of good style and good presence. He always wore good, clean clothes and he was so far one of the most handsome men Sana has ever seen. 

Such a shame his soul wasn’t as nice as his face.

“You’re lucky your mother is willing to give it to me tonight.” He finally said, after a bit of silence during which Sana could already picture herself on the bed, struggling to escape his grip. It had yet to go so far. But Sana knew better than to expect mercy from him. 

His hands slowly fell off her body. She was ready to go. Before she was free though, Sana felt one of them slipping between her legs. 

“Not so fast.” He stopped her. “Your punishment first, don’t you remember?” 

Obediently, Sana turned around gulping. The slap landed hard on her cheek. 

“That’s what little sluts like you should get for their behavior. Now, go away.” 

Sana was running before a heartbeat. She jumped under her bed and hid as close to the wall as she could. Luckily, she still fit there. Soon, she was probably going to be too big. 

Her heart thumped in her chest as he walked through the room, checking on the boys. Finally, he was gone as the door shut quietly. Sana closed her eyes, fighting off the tears. 

There was no reason to cry yet. Today went fairly well. It could’ve been worse. He could hit harder. 

Still, it was better for her to stay out of his sight for the next few days.

(...)

She was munching on the cereal in her bowl the next morning, when her foster mother came into the kitchen. The woman still had a nightgown on, and her hair was sticking in all directions.

“Morning.” She grumbled to no one in particular, turning on the kettle and preparing a cup with instant coffee.

Sana didn’t expect her to say anything more for at least the next few hours. They - the kids - would go to school, and she would prepare for work. All in fair silence. Then, when they all came back in the afternoon, maybe Sana would be graced with a few questions about her progress in school, or maybe she would be sent to do the grocery shopping. 

The woman had never really talked with her about anything else. Sana was almost sure that she knew about what her husband did to his foster daughter, and sometimes to the boys too. How could she not, when they all lived under the same roof for almost a year already? But anything except school and house duties was usually a taboo topic for Sana’s foster mom. She probably chose to ignore the issues. 

Out of sight, out of mind.

For some weird reason, this morning was different. When Sana stood up to wash up the dishes and put them into their places before going to school, the woman sighed deeply. A bit alarmed, Sana turned around.

The look on her foster mother’s face was a bit sad. Sana complied, when the woman gestured at her to come closer. Their eyes connected and the sight Sana saw in her mother’s made her gulp with uncertainty and worry. 

Then the woman delicately grabbed Sana’s face into her hand, stroking her cheek.

“My little Sana.” She said with nostalgia, looking for something on Sana’s face. For something that was probably never there. “Such a beauty. You’re gonna be a heart-breaker someday, aren’t you? Such a shame you’re so hard to love. If you only tried a bit harder to be good for your father and me. We’re doing our best to make your future better.”

Sana didn’t know if she was supposed to answer. The words made her chest squeeze and tears gather in her eyes. She swallowed them quickly, before the woman could notice the weakness.

“Now, go to school.” Her mother nudged her. “And please, for the love of God, come back at a normal time tonight. You and I both know what can happen otherwise.”

(...)

“Oh, you’re back.” Sana noticed not without surprise. 

The boy was there, on the same bench again. This time, he wasn’t crying. 

“Do you want a lollipop?” Sana asked, offering the candy she obtained today. 

Chan accepted. 

He accepted the offer the next day, and then a few times in the next week. Each time Sana saw him sitting on that bench, her day got a bit better. He asked finally where she took the sweets from, but Sana only smiled in answer. Chan told her to stop stealing anyway. Sana didn’t stop. It made her feel the thrill of risk and danger. If she got caught, the punishment would be terrible, but she chose it anyway. 

That’s how the next half a year passed. Sana still had trouble at school, she still came back home late and received punishment. Her foster parents still didn’t care about anything else than themselves. 

Chan was a wonderful exception to the grey shades of Sana’s life. And in the end, he was her only way out. 

That day started well. The weather was good, her brothers were out by the moment she woke up. She reached the school alright. That’s when it all went down.

“How can you be so stupid, Sana?” Her home teacher, Mr. Shin, sighed that particular kind of sigh that expressed that he managed to already run out of all the possible ideas to somehow reach Sana’s brain and put some knowledge in there. “You’re a year behind, you skip classes, you fall asleep all the time, and you fight with all of your classmates. I’ve never seen someone as incompetent and ignorant as you.”

Sana could just sit there, between two girls from her class - both younger - and stare at the floor in shame, fighting off the tears. This time, it wasn’t her fault. They started mocking her without her input. She had only the right to fight back. 

Sometimes, she started, that was correct. But today she was a good girl. 

“Now, what should I do with all of you?” The man wondered. After just a second, he quickly pointed at the girls by her sides. “Jinny, Kelly, you’re both dismissed. Go back to your class. When it comes to you, Sana… I think I’ve already seen you here enough. Staying after classes doesn’t work for you anymore. I guess I have to suspend you, I’m sorry.”

Sana didn’t react. Was there any difference? 

Okay, maybe there was. Because when her father was going to find out about it…

Okay, she was fucked. 

Completely fucked. 

When she left the teacher’s office, she had no place to go. Her heart was beating fast and she was all red and flushed from embarrassment. Her hands were still shaking and she didn’t even try to control this reaction. What was the point, if anyone could see that her face was covered in tears?

She felt bittersweet while leaving the school’s building behind and turning to the nearby forest. She wanted to be a good student, she wanted to learn, but it all seemed to be like behind a glass wall - visible to her eyes, but unobtainable. 

The forest made her calmer, as it always did. That was the only place that truly felt like home. Sana sat under a tree and hugged her knees. The fresh smell of pine needles, cranberries and moss filled her nose. It was able to soothe her nerves a bit, but the tears continued to fall from her eyes, as she replayed her teacher’s words in her head. Maybe he was right, maybe she was too stupid to go there. Maybe her foster mother was right too, maybe Sana wasn’t a person who could be loved. 

Hours flew one by one, and soon the morning changed into the afternoon. The sun changed its position in the sky, now slipping between the leaves and warming up her side. Sana wondered when someone at home would notice that she didn’t come back after classes. If Mr. Shin didn’t call anyone, she could probably survive a few days. Otherwise… Well, she was about to find out. Right at that moment, the leaves rustled, signaling that some was incoming. 

Unfortunately, the scent was too familiar for her to not recognize it. This person smelled like the mix of her foster father’s mint toothpaste, the kind of cheap pizza they always got for dinner, cigarettes and old sweat. Undoubtedly, one of her brothers.

Sana prayed it was Shotaro. He was the only decent one among them. But she should know better than to expect that her prayers would be answered.  

“Look what we have here.” It was Minato. The eldest and the leader of the whole gang. He was followed by Kenji and Fuji, the twins. Sana wasn’t sure which one of them was more evil. They were truly their father’s children, even though only Minato was a biological son of the pair. Observing them all through the years, Sana had no doubt that one’s character was mostly influenced by the upbringing. 

She feared that one day, she could turn the same.

“A little bird told us that you’re in trouble.” Kenji snickered. The three of them stopped in front of Sana, surrounding her and flanking each of her sides. If she wanted to leave now, she would be unable to. Sana felt trapped and her heart immediately started beating faster, especially when she felt two kicks on her leg. Her instinct screamed at her to run away, and worse, to attack.

Reacting was the best way to trigger them though. But not reacting wasn’t good either. Sana chose to curl into herself and hide her face. She was rewarded with more evil laughter. 

“Come on, don’t hide. Aren’t you proud of yourself? You caused it after all.” Fuji teased. 

When they didn’t manage to provoke her, Minato cleared his throat. Immediately, both younger boys stopped giggling. 

“Father told us to search for you.” The eldest said. If Sana didn’t know him well, she would almost think that he’s trying to warn or protect her. But she knew him well. And he quickly proved her right: “But I don’t think his punishments are still working for you. I guess as the eldest, I should take over raising you the right way.”

Sana curled into herself even more. It was as if his voice was coming from somewhere far away, as if it was only her body there and not her mind. She knew she had no chance. She could fight against one, maybe she could escape two. But three almost adult boys was too much even for her acquired enhanced strength. 

The kick that landed on her legs was not that strong yet, so she clenched her fists, swallowing down a whimper. Showing vulnerability wouldn’t get her anywhere. That’s what they hated the most, and that’s what they wanted to train her for. In their twisted way, maybe they really wanted to prepare her for the harshness of the world. In their twisted way, maybe they were just normal brothers. 

She was prepared for the next few kicks and pushes, and she took them well. But soon, one of the twins grabbed her by the collar of her T-shirt and yanked up. Her head hit the tree hard and now she wasn’t ready to stop herself from groaning with pain. The next would be a punch in the guts, she was sure. It would hurt as hell, but they wouldn’t break anything. 

Well, she hoped so. 

But the punch never came. Sana felt so confused, that her head almost spinned.

Instead there was a voice from the left.

“Hey! Leave her alone!”

Sana didn’t recognize it at first. She was too dazed, in pain and she didn’t expect to hear this voice here. The forest was, after all, located too far away from their usual spot. But there he was. 

Chan was sprinting, his thin, child legs carrying him with all their might on the three bigger, heavier and older opponents. Was it stupid? Definitely. Did Sana fall a bit in love with him at that moment? Duh.  

Chan didn’t know it yet, but for this reckless and stupid move, he was securing himself a spot in Sana’s dreams as her future husband for the next year at least. Later, she would find out that it was only a child’s admiration, and that she didn’t even exactly want to have a husband, but at that moment, Chan was her knight in shining armor. 

The boy found out that it was a mistake too late, when he already bounced back on Minato’s elbow and landed on his ass. It didn’t stop him though, as it should. Sana recognized why, because she knew the smell of fury pretty well. And Chan reeked of anger. 

She opened her lips to call out to him and warn him about the danger. What stopped her was shock, because right in front of her, Chan’s body was suddenly morphing, changing and shrinking. It took a bit longer than she expected, because Chan was probably still an inexperienced wolf, a month, maybe two after his transition. Sana didn’t realize it yet though, because she was too busy being in shock. 

Her brothers had to be pretty shocked too, because they indeed left Sana alone. Chan, or more like the gray wolf puppy that stood in his previous place, bared his teeth at the three boys anyway. Four people and an animal stared at each other for a while, contemplating their current predicament. 

Then, Sana’s brain rebooted and she realized what happened. 

“Shit.” She cursed. Chan shouldn’t reveal himself to just anyone like that. It was dangerous. 

Using the distraction in the form of shapeshifter, she quickly ducked down and slipped between Minato and Kenji.

“Channie, run after me!” She glanced over her shoulder, not even stopping. 

The wolf had a harder task, because he was tangled in his clothes, but luckily, he reacted immediately. Realization showed in his eyes, then fear took its place. Sana had no time to explain that she wasn’t going to out him, because she was just like him. 

Instead, she showed him. Transforming took her way shorter, because she was already used to it. She’s been doing it every day for the last three years at least, since the moment she turned for the first time while still living with her real parents and she got lost so badly, that she’s never found her way back. Being in her wolf form was like a portal to her old life for her now - she kept hopelessly dreaming that maybe if she used her enhanced senses, she could someday find her way back home. 

Now her agility and experience came in handy, because she too had a hard time untangling herself from her clothes. And while as a wolf, she could maneuver faster between the trees than any human being, she was still only a pup. 

Luckily, her brothers weren’t in the best shape, and they gave up after a few hundred meters of avoiding low-hanging branches and twigs. They shouted a few profanities, they threatened to find and punish Sana, but they didn’t chase the two wolves anymore. Sana breathed with relief, turning on a path leading to a secluded place. 

When they reached there, she turned back to a human in a second.

“You! You… You fool.” She scolded Chan, who was just in the middle of getting back his human body. “Why would you do that? They could’ve hurt you.”

Obviously, she wasn’t really angry. But damn, they were really fucked. If her brothers knew about her secret now, there was no chance she could go back home tonight. Or ever.

“Fuck.” She cursed again, breathing faster and faster. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Sana, relax.” Chan’s hand landed on her bare back and she suddenly realized they were both naked. All the more reasons to hyperventilate and panic. “Sana!”

“Fuck! I can’t– You shouldn’t– Ugh!” She stuttered. “Why didn’t you just leave me alone?”

“What? What the heck are you talking about? They could’ve killed you.”

“No, they wouldn’t. They would leave me alone eventually. But now I can’t even go back home, because they know, and– and–” She grabbed her head in her hands, unable to think anymore. There was too much happening, too much was falling on her shoulders at the same time. Her heart was beating so fast that it almost broke out from her chest. 

“Sana!” Chan kept whisper-shouting, crouching next to her so that they wouldn’t be spotted, because suddenly there were steps not so far from their hide-out. The leaves rustled under someone’s feet.  

Sana worked hard to control her breathing. It obviously sounded louder to her, because her ears were way more sensitive, but if someone came close enough, they would hear it anyway. Luckily, her brothers looked way smarter from the outside than they actually were, and soon silence once again fell over the whole forest. Sana and Chan waited way longer just in case. 

“That’s it. You’re going with me.” Chan said when they were sure that they were really alone and could go back to pick up their clothes.

“Where?” Sana wasn’t enthusiastic per se. Her life wasn’t good before, but she at least had a roof over her head, and now she’s lost that too. Forgive her for being a little sulky.

Chan shrugged, and for a moment she thought that he just gave up. But then he perked up suddenly. 

“I know a place!”

And well… Sana had really no choice.

(...)    

The trip took them a long time. Sana couldn’t really tell how much minutes, or hours it was, but they’ve started in the late afternoon, walked at the sun set behind the horizon, walked as the moon crawled up the sky, walked as the cicadas sang on the meadows and the fireflies lit up the road. The woods got darker and thicker, and the wide roads turned into narrow paths, and then the path disappeared completely. 

Finally, Chan turned around with his eyes shining with the moonlight.

“Here we are…”

The trailer didn’t look good. In Sana’s state of mind, it looked terrible. To be honest, she wanted to cry. 

“Hey, hey, no…” Chan opposed when a sudden sob broke out of her throat. “None of that. It’s gonna be okay, I swear. Here, look. It’s safe here, no one knows this place, those guys can’t find you here.”

Sana just kept crying. At this point, there was nothing and no one that could help. The tiredness, the pain and the deep darkness of the night just worked like that on her that she was more vulnerable and more sensitive. Crying was her way of dealing with the overwhelming emotions: fear, uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness and heartbreak. Those feelings weren’t only the outcome of the past day. No, they’ve been piling up inside her for years. Now they filled her to the brim and when there was no space left, they broke outside. 

Chan led her inside the trailer anyway, and surprisingly, the interior turned out to be weirdly cozy. Old, obviously, but mostly clean, dry and warm. He gave Sana a fluffy blanket that completely didn’t fit with the vibe of the wilderness, and then he plopped down next to her on the couch.

“You can stay here as long as you want. Only I know about this place, and three other girls. They are part of my pack," he said.

“A pack?” That got Sana interested. She’s never seen one, but it sounded fitting. Wolves tended to be in packs, right? Maybe she could be in one too someday. 

“Yeah. When I got turned into a wolf for the first time, two weeks ago, my grandfather told me that wolves should form packs. My grandma was like this too, but she got killed by an enemy wolf a long time ago. He knew her well though, and observed her being a wolf, so he could help me a lot. So I checked out everyone in my school and there were three girls just like us. We are a pack now.”

Sana nodded, listening intently to his story. She was right then, he was a way younger wolf. In comparison to his two weeks, her three years felt like eternity. 

“Could…” She sniffed, wiping the tears off her face. “Could I maybe join too?”

“I was just about to ask.” Chan grinned. “You’re in. Welcome to my pack.” He extended a hand. 

Instead of accepting, Sana shot forward, catching him into a bear hug. It wasn’t exactly a conscious decision to do so, it was just something her instinct told her to do. So close to the boy, Sana was able to feel all the scents surrounding him. Inhaling them was a weird experience, as if something settled deep inside her chest, but not in a wrong way. It felt as if a piece was missing inside her, and now it was suddenly put in place, forming a complete jigsaw puzzle. Chan had to feel similarly, because he didn’t push her away, despite the shock. He only kept her close, breathing calmly in and out and stroking her back. 

The moment was raw, making their souls instantly bare and vulnerable. They couldn’t know yet if they could trust each other fully, but for some illogical reason, Sana felt like it was only fitting to tell him about everything now - about her first time as a wolf, how she got lost after the first transition and never found the way back, about the police and how they did nothing to help her, and how she was treated by all of her foster parents. She unloaded three years of pain on Chan, and the boy sat patiently through it all. He never got disgusted by her, he never got bored or impatient. 

In the end, he had tears in his eyes too. 

“Sana, you’re not unlovable.” He whispered. “No one is.”

Sana said nothing to that, because what could she say? He knew her for a few months, he still had no idea what kind of person she was. Because if she wasn’t unlovable, why would all of those foster families get rid of her so fast? Why would they treat her like someone useless and unwanted?

She didn’t know him either. Maybe he wasn’t a good person at all. Maybe she would soon regret the decision to be in his pack? Maybe she would have to run away from him too. Would it even be possible? She had no idea.

However, that night, she fell asleep under the fluffy blanket, in a place far away from her foster father and the threat of his punishments. So even if Chan would finally get rid of her, even just those few days of peace and safety could be worth it, right?

(...) 

In the next three weeks, Chan didn’t get rid of Sana, so it was a progress. He visited her every day after school and left shortly before night fell over the whole land of an area she could learn was called Moon Grove. 

If she was honest, she was relieved that he turned out to be dependable, because this whole ‘being in his pack’ turned out to be pretty much permanent, so leaving wasn’t an option anymore. When she was alone during the days and nights, Sana experienced a weird case of separation anxiety, and weirdly, Chan himself wasn’t a complete solution to her problem. When he was around, she felt better, but not good enough yet. And because she didn’t go to school temporarily, she spent whole days just roaming around the forest, and the boredom didn’t allow to keep her thoughts away from this. 

When she finally got over her embarrassment and shared this feeling with him, Chan made a face of enlightenment. 

“I think I know what’s going on. Gonna be right back.” He said excitedly right before fleeing away. Sana’s eyebrows shot up, but she had no time to protest. 

Chan was back an hour later, and he wasn’t alone. Three girls accompanied him. When they got closer to the trailer, in front of which Sana sat on a chair, the uncomfortable knot in the pit of Sana’s stomach untangled.

“Those are Momo, Mina and Jeongyeon.” Chan introduced them. Then, before Sana could panic, he quickly explained: “They are in my pack too. Your body makes you want to be close to all members of your pack, that’s why you missed them, even before you met them. They feel it too.”

“We wanted to meet you sooner.” The tallest girl nodded immediately. “But Chan said we have to wait until you get settled.”    

“I didn’t want to spook or stress you.” Chan scratched his neck, a bit embarrassed. By the girls’ curious looks, Sana could tell that he didn’t tell them where she came from. 

“It’s fine. The more, the merrier.” She assured him. It was the truth, she only felt excitement filling her at the thought of meeting with those girls. They seemed like good people. 

Just like that, Momo, Mina and Jeongyeon entered Sana’s life and became regular guests in the trailer. They too had school, so they couldn’t keep her company at night, when she needed it the most, but they were a necessary support during the day.

Jeongyeon was the most reliable when it came to giving Sana a shoulder to cry on. She was taller than Sana, way taller than Chan too, making her an ideal person for cuddling. As she shared, her parents needed her to help around in their store, otherwise she would gladly stay longer, even at night.

Next was Mina. She was younger than Sana, but a smart one. Sana didn’t want to burden her with her troubles, but it turned out that it wasn’t even necessary to say anything. Just Mina’s presence was calming, so Sana gladly went on long walks in the forest with her, when Mina only asked. 

Momo was the last one, and for some reason, Sana felt the most connected with her. Momo just had something in her that made Sana instantly compliant. And what’s most important, her parents sometimes allowed her to stay. During one of those nights, Sana shared her whole story with Momo too. 

That night, the clouds piled up in the sky, promising the storm of the century. And indeed, before the clock struck midnight, the pouring started and the skies were split by lightning. The thunder was deafening for Sana’s ears because of the trailer’s thin walls. It felt like sleeping outside. 

She tried to sleep anyway, and it even worked out for a moment. With Momo’s calm breathing and occasional snores by her side, she fell into a light slumber. She was woken up barely half an hour later by frantic pulling of her shoulder.

“Sana! Sana! Wake up.” Momo whisper-shouted, her face pale in the darkness. 

Sana didn’t realize what was going on at first. Why was Momo waking her up like tha–

And then it hit her. The memories of the nightmare came back to her and she realized that she was shaking. Her hands and feet were freezing-cold too, and she was covered in sweat.

“Shhh…” Momo grabbed her hand, when she found out that Sana was already awake. “He’s not here. You’re safe. He’s not gonna hurt you.”

Sana had no idea how Momo knew who she dreamed about. She surely had said something in her sleep. It didn’t matter right now. What mattered was the loud sound of thunder and how she couldn’t stop the shaking. 

Momo’s arms embraced her tightly right after, pulling Sana as close as possible. Sana clung to her like a lifeline, sobbing into her shoulder. She knew that he was far away, and she knew that there was little to no chance that anyone would look for her here, but knowing was one thing and convincing her subconsciousness was another. 

The nightmares happened every other night, and they were going to happen for a long time. Usually, Sana was alone to deal with them. Having Momo by her side, soothing her and keeping her grounded helped a lot. Still, it took Sana two more hours, until the storm didn’t calm down completely, to relax and fall asleep. 

Fortunately, the next day was a Saturday and Momo could stay with her longer. When Chan entered the trailer, he found them still asleep in each other’s arms. The boy smiled just watching the two of them tangled so cutely. 

But then Sana stirred. And before she was even able to open her eyes, she felt someone’s presence in the room. Still half in her dream, her brain messed up something and made her think that she was still in her old room, with her brothers sleeping on the neighboring beds. And since someone was hugging her…

Sana shrieked, jumping to a sitting position and immediately bending to avoid the incoming fist. If her father saw her next to anyone, her brother or anyone else, he wasn’t going to spare her. Sleeping around was strictly forbidden in this house, and he wasn’t going to check whether any sexual activities happened or not. 

Her eyes opened immediately after, when she didn’t sense any pain and didn’t hear any screams. Something had to be wrong, if he wasn’t furious yet. 

Then it reached her that she wasn’t in her old room anymore. Whoever stood in front of her wasn’t her foster father either. Confusion mixed with relief, preventing her from remembering right away where and with whom she was. 

“Hey, relax, it’s just me.” A calm voice reached her ears. “Sana, what’s wrong? I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Sana knew she could trust him. Chan wasn’t like her father. And sleeping in one bed with Momo wasn’t going to get her beaten anymore. 

But those were things she only knew when she was conscious and sober. There was a long way before she could convince her nightmares that they weren’t necessary anymore. Because at night, she had no one to protect her from all the demons inside her head.    

(...)

Present

“And that’s how it was from then on.” Sana finished the story with a thoughtful sigh. “It took me a while to believe that they were good for me and wouldn’t hurt me. I mostly stayed in this trailer during this time, that’s why it’s such an important place for me now. I lived here, I studied to catch up enough to go back to school, I played with Chan and slowly healed. When Tzuyu joined us, we moved to the town for a while, because the trailer was too small for us all to live in. But people hated us there, and they chased us away, so everyone else went back to their houses and I came back here, until Chan got us this house in which we live now. The girls probably think that the trailer doesn’t exist anymore, that’s why they didn’t even think to look for me here.” She snorted humorlessly.  

Dahyun’s head moved, when she looked around the place, probably contemplating something. Throughout the whole story, she mostly sat like that, staring in space. Now, when Sana stopped talking, her head slowly turned around, and their eyes finally connected. 

Sana feared what she was gonna see there. She wasn’t sure whether she would hate it more, if Dahyun pitied her, or if she was disgusted. 

But Dahyun, sweet Dahyun, had her eyes red and puffy. The tears already dried on her cheeks, and she only sniffed once, before reaching to grab Sana’s hand. In this moment, Sana discovered that she hated making Dahyun hurt even more than being in pain herself. 

Dahyun didn’t say anything for a while, just staring into Sana’s eyes. Then, finally, after a long moment, she sighed deeply. 

“The thought that you’re stupid or unable to learn never crossed my mind, baby. For me, you’re the smartest girl, even if you graduated a year later.” She put her hand on Sana’s face, caressing it gently. “So if you’re not stupid at all… Why did you think that I could just let you break up with me like that, huh?”

Sana had no answer for that, so she just blushed with embarrassment. Yup, once again, that was pretty stupid on her side. 

Dahyun continued:

“But in the end, I have to probably say a huge ‘thank you’ to Chan, Momo, Jeongyeon and Mina. Because you’re such a loving person right now, if they didn’t encourage and welcome it, you probably wouldn’t turn out like this.”

Sana nodded and hummed. That was probably right. Back then when she used to live in foster homes, she rarely had a chance to even smile at anyone. Having the wolves by her side did wonders to her discovering her true self.

“So…” Dahyun sighed once again. “What happened now, baby? Why did you suddenly want to break up with me?”

Okay, so they’ve finally reached the clue of the discussion, but Sana still had no idea how to approach this topic. Despite the years they’ve spent in this relationship, some things were still embarrassing to admit to her girlfriend. Like her shortcomings and complexes. 

“I– I just felt like I wasn’t enough.” She managed to stutter out. “I can’t leave Moon Grove, I can’t visit you in the city, I can’t even support you financially. And you have so much potential to grow, to be a wonderful pianist, to teach children. I– I didn’t want to stand on your way to success. And then… Then I couldn’t even protect you against Sooyoung, and… There was just something that snapped inside me, when I realized that.”

Dahyun listened patiently when she talked. Unsurprisingly, there was understanding on her face, with just a bit of surprise mixed in. But Sana didn’t want understanding, she wanted Dahyun to admit that she was right. That she wasn’t enough. 

What Dahyun said surprised her instead:

“To be honest, I’m a bit mad at myself, because I should’ve seen it sooner. I knew you were sad about not visiting me, and I knew you were putting so much pressure on yourself, but there was just never enough time to talk about it, because of my school, and your job… But baby… I can’t guess your feelings like you can guess mine. And even if I had that, I wouldn’t be able to tell what had upset you. So please, talk to me next time, okay? If you had done that, I would have told you right away that your worries were for nothing.”

And there it was. Dahyun was going to tell her that she was stupid for thinking like that, she was going to tell her how their love could overcome anything, blah blah blah. Sana was fed up with thinking like that. She thought like that before too, but reality was something different. In reality, people in long term relationships often got mad at their partners for not being able to pursue their careers because of family responsibilities, they often regretted not going after their dreams later in life. Sana didn’t want that. She didn’t want to wake up one day and hear that Dahyun should’ve chosen her passion and job instead of staying in a small, shitty town somewhere in the end of the world. 

Before she could open her mouth and say that though, Dahyun waved her finger.

“No, no, no,” She said. “Let me finish, baby.” 

Albeit reluctantly, Sana plopped back down to her chair, sighing and shutting her mouth. Dahyun took this as her sign to speak. And speak she did.

“Sana, I’ve thought about that.” She admitted truthfully, looking Sana straight into the eyes. She nodded, when Sana made a shocked expression. “Yes, while I was in the city, I thought about that a lot, and I even talked about it with Chaeng. And… I came to the conclusion that obviously, all of this - my career, my dreams, my ambitions - it’s all important. But it doesn’t matter at all, if I can’t share the joy of doing this with you at the end of the day. Because believe me, every day I’m there without you, I long to come back here, tell you about my day and hear your thoughts about it. And yes, we can do it over the phone. But not forever. Such a life wouldn’t make sense for me, when I miss you so much. And I can be a pianist here too, and I can teach children here in Moon Grove too, while I’m next to you and can hug you when I come back home from work. That’s enough for me. A big career wasn’t ever in my plans. I had never dreamed of being famous, or living in a big city. But I always dreamed of having a real partner, with whom life would be worth living. Baby, please believe me that I love you too much to let go. And it’s a conscious decision, my decision to make.”

Sana melted more and more with every word that fell between them. Her heart tried to break out of her chest more and more eagerly with every sound of Dahyun’s sweet voice. She was literally burning with love. Still, there was this little objection left in her in the end to make her open her mouth. But Dahyun didn’t let her have even that. She made pleading eyes.

“Please, let me prove it to you.”

That was the last nail to Sana’s coffin. She couldn’t go against Dahyun’s pleading. That just wasn’t possible.

“Okay.” She whispered. Dahyun smiled sweetly, reaching for her hand and squeezing when she got it, right before lifting it to her lips.

“We good?” She asked.

“Good.” Sana confirmed. After so many years and some more disagreements, going back to ‘good’ was easier than she expected. 

Not much more was necessary. Time maybe. Dahyun needed time to digest everything Sana told her about her past. Sana needed time to digest her insecurities. And then they were probably going to talk about it again, not once and not even twice, but many times. Each day would bring new insights on the topic and more strength to deal with it. In the meantime, they would ‘talk’ physically, and that too would bring something to the table. 

“Awsome, honey.” Dahyun grinned, then pouted. “I bet you had it hard during all those storms the past week. Was my puppy scared here alone?”

Sana pouted too, making her eyes appear big and innocent.

“So scared.”

Dahyun cooed, patting Sana’s head, which Sana obediently brought closer. In her human form, scratching behind her ear didn’t have the same effect as when she was a wolf, but the affection itself was really welcomed. For scratches and belly rubs, she could pretend to be even more scared than she usually actually was. 

Truthfully, she was scared though. Storms in this old trailer were even worse than back at home, when she not only had thicker walls to protect her from the weather, but also Dahyun’s comforting scent and her pack’s consistent presence. So she let herself sulk and pout, as Dahyun felt sorry for her. In her attempt to get closer, she even got off her chair and sat on the ground, resting her head on Dahyun’s lap like a dog would. It was so relaxing and so comforting after the whole week of being in constant pain, that she got too much into her head and didn’t even hear the bushes rustling before someone hadn’t cleared their throat right behind her back.

Sana jumped away from Dahyun, blushing from embarrassment and immediately wearing back her serious, adult expression. Luckily, it was only Chan. 

The man seemed to be quite amused by what he came onto.

“Everything fine?” He asked, trying to stop himself from snorting. When Sana nodded quickly, he got serious. “Then pack your bags. We’re meeting Jihyo’s grandfather in an hour.”

Chapter Text

Jihyo chose her favorite clearing for the meeting with her grandfather for exactly three reasons. 

The first one was that it was fairly close to her parent’s house and far away from the wolves’ place. The second one was that her grandfather knew well where to come and it wasn’t suspicious that Jihyo was inviting him for a meeting there. He was the one to show her the spot and they’ve met there hundreds of times, so he was probably thinking she wanted to hang out as always. Even if lately she avoided him because of what he did to Tzuyu, they still had good relations and the man couldn’t really know that Jihyo was mad. 

The third reason was that that place had a calming effect on Jihyo, and right now she needed it a lot, because she was freaking out… a lot. 

“Relax.” Tzuyu told her the nth time. But the truth was that she was nervous too. Jihyo didn’t have a wolf nose to sense it, but she knew her girlfriend. Tzuyu talked even less than usual and was visibly tense. 

They both sat in the middle of the clearing, on a blanket. Being put in such a spot, with nothing to cover her, Jihyo could feel the eyes of all the bushes around them. Bushes, or maybe more like the wolves hidden in them. She had no idea how many came, but definitely there were at least five hidden on their left and three on the right.  

If she were honest, it didn’t matter how many there were, because Tzuyu was going to be the only one to reveal her identity. Just in case, if something didn’t work out according to their plan. That was Tzuyu’s idea, which Jihyo didn’t exactly like, but she had no choice than to cooperate. Her girlfriend seemed to be determined to do it despite everything, so if Jihyo agreed to help, she could at least be there during the meeting and have a bit of control over things. 

One way, or another, she was nervous, up to the point where the physical touch didn’t help anymore. Restless, Jihyo let go of Tzuyu’s hand, and grabbed her phone, ready to check her inbox once again. Maybe there was a new message from her grandpa in it, maybe he was calling off the whole thing, maybe–

“Hey.” Tzuyu grabbed her both wrists, calling Jihyo’s attention. When Jihyo raised her eyes and looked at the girl, there was a sly smile on Tzuyu’s face.

“You know what always relaxes me?” Tzuyu asked. Before Jihyo searched in her memory and came up with anything, Tzuyu gently took the phone away from her and put it on the blanket. Then she scooted closer.

“Kissing.” She answered her own question, not giving Jihyo time to do it. She didn’t also give Jihyo time to protest before leaning closer and sealing their lips. The kiss wasn’t particularly passionate, but it wasn’t just a short peck too. Jihyo broke it as soon as she could.

“Are you crazy?” She playfully slapped Tzuyu’s knee, scolding her girlfriend. “Everybody’s watching.”

“So what?” Tzuyu shrugged, unbothered and clearly proud of herself. 

“So what?” Jihyo parroted. “So they all can see. It’s like– Like– You know. Almost like doing it publicly.”

Tzuyu grinned and waved it off.

“Nah, don’t be dramatic. We’re not naked, or anything. I’m just kissing my girlfriend. If we want to ever get married, we would have to kiss in front of everyone too.”

That definitely distracted Jihyo’s thoughts from the stress. She blushed just at the thought. 

“M- Married?” She repeated after Tzuyu once again, at this point probably sounding like a broken CD.

She wasn’t gonna lie, she thought about it before, because almost every woman and girl out there thought about her wedding from time to time. But the last time Jihyo really had a chance to dream like that was as a child. Back then Jihyo imagined what kind of dress she would like to have, she imagined where she would like the ceremony to be and who she would invite. But she couldn’t imagine the groom or the bride. Her imagination just didn’t come up with a face. 

After she got together with Tzuyu, the bride in Jihyo’s dreams could already have a face, but Jihyo had no time to dream at all. Now that she thought about it, it was weird. The topic of weddings wasn’t exactly forbidden in their house, with the running bets about when Sana would finally propose to Dahyun. So why didn't Jihyo think about herself getting married?

She wasn’t getting younger after all. Obviously, she had time, she wasn’t a dinosaur yet, but on the other hand, if Tzuyu started the topic first, maybe she was ready? Maybe she had been waiting for Jihyo to catch up for a long time? Maybe she was getting impatient? After all, they've been together for quite a few years already. Maybe Tzuyu thought that if Jihyo didn’t propose soon, she would break up with her and find someone ready to settle down? Maybe Tzuyu–

“Hey!” Tzuyu giggled. “The topic of marriage wasn’t a good choice too, right? You’re stressing out again.” 

“Sorry.” Jihyo winced. “It’s not like I don’t want to, I just never thought and I didn’t know if you wanted to and–”

“Jihyo, relax.” Tzuyu stroked both her hands she was keeping in her delicate grip. “It was just a thought. We don’t have to talk about anything yet. We don’t have to talk about it at all, if you don’t want to. I’m fine with anything, as long as you’re happy.”

Oh.   

Jihyo melted. Oh…

Her eyes dropped involuntarily, because she wasn’t strong enough to handle Tzuyu’s gentle gaze. 

She blushed like a tomato, and that was exactly what her grandfather saw when he entered the clearing just seconds later. 

“Hello.” He greeted them. “Did I interrupt something?”

And obviously, Jihyo blushed even harder, because it didn’t matter that her family knew she had a girlfriend, and it didn’t matter that she was an adult. Even holding her hands with Tzuyu while her family was around still made her feel a bit embarrassed, as if she was a child announcing that she had a crush in kindergarten. Funny, but also a bit annoying. 

Tzuyu was right. If they ever wanted to get married, Jihyo had to work on this issue. Otherwise, she would probably have a heart attack while kissing her newlywed wife in front of good, old aunt Theresa who used to change her diapers twenty years earlier.

“No, grandpa.” She sighed. “Not at all. We were just talking.”

That's when the stress kicked in again. Her face got tense. Because this man, despite being the best grandfather one could have, was responsible for almost killing Tzuyu.

“Anything wrong?” The older man asked. Jihyo just patted the blanket next to her, putting a bit of distance between herself and Tzuyu. Mr. Cho plopped down where she asked him to, albeit a bit stiffly. It was clear the cute blanket wasn't his type of setting and he felt awkward with his long legs not having enough space to fit there. 

“Granpa…” Jihyo started, when he settled. “I wanted to tell you about something. Before I do it, you have to know that I'm doing it because I need you to help me, so please, treat it seriously, don't laugh at me. And… I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone about it, except maybe mom and dad, because they already know.”

The older man was clearly weirded out by the overly serious info, but the interest was written all over his face. He nodded eagerly, lifting his pinky. 

“I promise.” He said. Jihyo crossed her own pinky with his, and the gesture that they shared just between the two of them since she was a little child brought her a bit of peace. He was still the same man, he wasn't some brute who just hurt animals for his own pleasure. He wouldn't hurt Tzuyu, if he knew it was her, and he wouldn't hurt any wolf, if he wasn't absolutely forced to do that because of the situation. 

“Okay.” Jihyo clapped her thighs, sighed deeply and glanced briefly around the forest. “Tzu. Do your job.”

Tzuyu sighed too.

“Sooo… It’s not exactly wolves that are killing the people all around Moon Grove. Or at least not the wolves that come from here. I have proof. And we know who is responsible for that, but we need your help catching her.”

“What?” The man frowned, now way more serious than before. It wasn’t just Jihyo’s grandfather sitting in front of them anymore, it was the old Sheriff, a guardian of peace and law. “Her? But I thought it was confirmed that animals killed those people.” 

“Yes…” Tzuyu sighed again. “Let me start from the beginning… There’s this kind, or maybe you could call it a race, of people with a mutation that allows them to transform into wolves. And coincidentally they leave here, in Moon Grove. But! They are not the ones killing those people. They are in danger because of that though, because of the hunters. There are others, bad wolves too, that try to make us get killed, because they want to live here. And they are killing those people.” She kept explaining. She didn’t notice one thing. Mr. Cho did.

“Us?” He immediately catched. “Excuse me, Tzuyu, with all the respect, but… If you’re making fun of me, let me tell you that it’s not a nice way of treating elders.”

“No! Absolutely not!” Tzuyu desperately denied. “I’m not trying to disrespect you. Just…” 

Jihyo connected her eyes with her girlfriend, and nodded. It was Tzuyu’s decision, but just in case, Jihyo was still giving her a choice. 

Tzuyu shrugged. Then… Nothing. 

And then finally her body was changing. It wasn’t Jihyo’s first time seeing this process, but she was still fascinated like a child seeing something new for the first time. It took Tzuyu way shorter time these days than when she was a teenager, and before they blinked, a black wolf was sitting in front of them, tangled a bit in her clothes. Wordlessly, before anything else could happen, Jihyo reached to help Tzuyu free herself from the T-shirt and jeans.

At that moment, it seemed to kick in. Mr. Cho struggled a bit to lift himself from the blanket, probably because of the shock, but when he finally scrambled up, his eyes were wide and his mouth open, and he was ready for anything. His hand immediately travelled to his belt, where, as Jihyo failed to notice earlier, he had a gun. He grabbed the weapon in seconds, as any trained officer would. 

“W- What the heck?” He whispered. Then glanced at his granddaughter. “Jihyo, hide behind me.” 

At the same time, a lot of things happened. A bit shocked by the raised gun, Tzuyu whimpered and backed away, her tail tucked between her legs. Alarmed by the situation, the wolves emerged from the forest, surrounding them from all sides, growling at the gun and the man. Mr. Cho, noticing the danger coming from behind his back, got even more stiff, pointing the gun at every animal around them, one by one. Jihyo wanted to cry.

“No!” She protested. “Don’t hurt them! Couldn’t you see it’s just Tzuyu? You’ve already hurt her once, and she trusted that you wouldn’t hurt her again. You promised! Can’t you remember?”

“Jihyo, that’s a wild animal. It can attack us.” The man warned. 

Jihyo was scared more of his gun than of anything else. Still, she couldn’t let something unexpected happen, so just in case, she put herself between her grandfather and Tzuyu. 

“She’s not ‘it’. And I won’t forgive you, if you hurt her again.” She insisted. 

“Jihyo…” 

“No. Stop. Put the gun down.”

Jihyo felt so frustrated. The situation was obviously tense, and definitely not under her control. And she hated to not have things under control. 

Behind her, Tzuyu was already turning back, but all the remaining wolves stood their ground, surrounding them. Mr. Cho looked around, but he had to see that the animals were calm and didn’t make a move to attack anyone. Tzuyu hid behind Jihyo, who quickly reached to pass her the clothes. The girl was silent though. 

Finally, the man put the gun down, pointing it at the ground. Jihyo exhaled with relief only when it was secured back in its case. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Do you believe us now that Tzuyu is telling the truth?” 

Mr. Cho kept looking at her for a long while. Then his eyes skipped to Tzuyu, whose face remained tense.

“I think I have no choice than to believe you.” He admitted slowly, reluctantly, as if he wasn’t sure. His face expressed the struggle to understand what was going on in front of him. Jihyo could work with that. She could understand that something like people turning into animals was probably a thing one could usually see only in movies and books. She could remember that her mind was blown too, when she found out that it could really happen, and that Tzuyu wasn’t just a regular, big black puppy.

Then the man looked around, at all the gathered wolves. 

“Are those too…?”

“Yes.” Tzuyu finally spoke. “They are my pack.”

The man hummed. 

“Do I know them? Do they live in Moon Grove?”

Jihyo cut in before Tzuyu could answer. He shouldn’t know more than necessary.

“You know some of them. They are my friends too. So please, don’t hurt them anymore.”

Mr. Cho suddenly paled. Recognition filled his face at those words, as if he suddenly remembered something. 

“The wolf I shot back then…” He started. “I couldn’t see well, because it was dark, but–”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Tzuyu interrupted. “As long as you help us catch the real killer, we’re gonna be fine.”

“Tzu–” Jihyo wanted to object, but Tzuyu was faster, catching and squeezing her hand. The gesture said loudly that Tzuyu didn’t need another conversation about her injury. Jihyo wasn’t fine with that, she wanted to demand an apology at least, but it wasn’t like she could babble out Tzuyu’s business.

“I– I’m sorry anyway, if it was any of you.” The man scratched his neck awkwardly. “Obviously, if you show me the proof that it’s someone else killing those innocent people, I’m ready to cooperate. Keeping this town safe was always my only priority.”

Another person chose that moment to barge onto the clearing.

“I have a lot of proof!” Nayeon announced, instantly focusing all the attention on herself (as she probably intended). The only problem was that after turning back, she forgot to put her clothes on. When everyone’s eyes rested on her, she blushed a bit. “Oh, sorry. Give me a second.” 

And she disappeared back behind a tree.

Mr. Cho just blinked with confusion. Nayeon was back before he could ask any questions.

“Sorry, sir. I believe we don’t know each other yet. I’m Im Nayeon, the alpha of this pack.”

The man accepted the extended hand, then frowned. 

“I think I know you. You’re the new doctor in Moon Grove’s clinic, right? On an internship?”

“That’s correct, sir!” Nayeon grinned, saluting weirdly. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Im? Did your father come from here?”

“He did, sir.” That got her a bit sadder. “We had to move away, unfortunately.”

“I understand.” The man nodded. “Well, if you really have some important information, as you said, let’s not waste time. The sooner we solve this case, the better.”

(...)   

Nayeon was precise in explaining all her observations. She presented photos of all the evidence her wolves managed to gather during the past weeks - of men who she explained were in Sooyoung’s pack. They were able to quickly familiarize Mr. Cho with everything they’ve managed to learn so far. The man wasn’t optimistic though.

“We’ve all heard this woman confess to killing people.” Nayeon looked at all the wolves in search of confirmation. If Mr. Cho didn’t yet believe that those animals were actually just transformed people, now he had the best proof, because the wolves collectively grumbled in agreement and nodded their heads. Nayeon smiled.

“So I have photos of them talking to her, and then I have a few of them turning to wolves, which we know were responsible for the actual act of murder. It’s clear it’s them.”

Jihyo’s grandfather shook his head with doubt.

“I think it’s not enough to get those men arrested, especially since you can’t show the Sheriff or the judge those photos of them changing their bodies. Don’t you have any of them doing anything actually connected to the murder?” 

“Unfortunately, no.” Nayeon was disappointed. Jihyo noticed the gray wolf that she knew was Mina getting closer to her just to nudge her side.

Mr. Cho hummed thoughtfully and scratched his beard in consideration.

“Maybe… If you caught any of them, and we managed to get some info from them, or even make them confess about Sooyoung, we could actually press charges.”

This made Nayeon perk up again.

“Oh, I think my wolves have seen them somewhere. I could definitely work on that.”

So it was decided. Jihyo’s grandfather was supposed to help them, and they made a plan. Jihyo squeezed Tzuyu’s hand, connecting their eyes. Maybe, hopefully, they were finally on the right way to fix this whole situation and save more people from getting hurt or killed.

(...)

By Mr. Cho's indisputable decision, Sana, together with Jackson, was chosen to check the spot where Nayeon had hinted Sooyoung’s men might be hiding. Mr. Cho said he wanted to accompany them too, but so far, he was nowhere to be seen. They were waiting anyway, despite the night slowly falling over the woods, because a man so experienced was a priceless support during a mission like this.

From their previous conversation, Sana could sense that Mr. Cho suspected she was one of the wolves he met on the clearing. She didn’t mind, as long as Tzuyu and Jihyo trusted the man. Sana just needed to act, to finally end this nightmare, to fix everything. She needed to redeem herself in her own eyes, to prove herself that she was useful.

The operation wasn’t marked as dangerous. Yet, while sneaking through the bushes to the house where - at least according to Nayeon’s wolves - the men from Sooyoung’s gang were hiding, Sana felt unsure. She wasn’t particularly nervous, no. 

Just… She couldn’t exactly describe this feeling, but it told her that they were still far away from actually solving this case. 

Jackson, on the other hand, was pretty optimistic. Sana could sense it from him, despite not yet knowing the man that well. 

That - the smells - were definitely their disadvantage. Sana could smell everything better and had the other senses enhanced too, but Sooyoung’s wolves also had this ability. And what was worse, she couldn’t just tell Jackson about it, because she would have to either come up with a really believable lie, or tell him something that would possibly make him think that Sana wasn’t completely mentally stable. Generally, it was better, if he believed that Sana was mentally stable, especially when there were guns involved.

Speaking about guns, Sana just took hers out and checked that it could be unlocked without any issues. Behind her, she heard movement. She took a moment to sniff all the new scents, identifying each one. That’s why when Mr. Cho crouched beside her and touched her arm, she didn’t even flinch. 

“Did you do a reconnaissance?” He asked. Sana shook her head. 

“Jackson’s on his way to the other side. We’ll come closer at the same time. The house looks pretty much abandoned.”

“Do you pick up any strange smells?” 

Sana glanced at the man with raised eyebrows. Like… seriously?

“I’m not a hunting dog.” She rolled her eyes, hoping he would let the expression slip and not take it as a disrespect towards an older officer. 

Whether he knew she was one of Nayeon’s wolves, or was just asking how he would ask any other human being, Sana couldn’t give him the answer he wanted. She could pick up tons of interesting, new smells from the whole forest around them, she could even sense that there were people somewhere around (probably the criminals they were looking for), but there was no way for her to draw any conclusions just from that. The smells weren’t ‘strange’, they were just smells. Each one unique and interesting, some pleasant and some not, each one leading to its owner, but they weren’t unusual per se. 

“Chill, just asking.” The older man whispered. “I have no idea how this whole thing works.”

Ok, so he knew. 

Sana had no idea how to feel about the fact that now she was certain that he knew. He was a dangerous man and he could definitely hurt her now, if he pleased. Maybe he wouldn't be able to kill her, but it didn't make it any better if she ended up with a hole in her body. 

On the other hand, he already knew anyway. And it wasn't like he would just shoot her down here, with Jackson barely fifty meters away and a bunch of people in the nearby house.

Sana shook her head, trying to get rid of all those dramatic images in her head. 

“Let's just… Check out the house and get inside.” She cut, reaching for the walkie-talkie to contact her current partner. Jackson answered immediately. 

They went in quickly, moving like a well-oiled machine, despite never working together before. Jackson took the back door, Sana and Mr. Cho stormed the front one. The whole time, Sana felt adrenaline making her breath fast and heavy. It was her first operation like this. So far, she's only caught drunk old-men and fined drivers for speeding in the town. But after all, she was made for this. Moving soundlessly wasn't any problem for her, her strength and agility were definitely assets in this job - Sana was a born officer. Her training and skills made her a deathly creature.

Yet, when she kicked the door out of its hinges and jumped into the room with the gun pointed at whoever might want to fight her, and saw two kids sitting there with their eyes wide from fear, Sana's chest squeezed with shock and horror. The kids were tied with a cheap kind of thin rope, placed with their backs to each other on the cold and dirty floor. 

Immediately, before Sana could make any conscious decisions, her mind was bombarded with images, and she froze. She was such a kid once too, with little to no knowledge about what exactly was going on with her body, and who she could go to in order to receive some support. She was also thinner than she should be, like those boys. She was lost and terrified. She had the same look in her young eyes. 

That exact look in their eyes made Sana see herself in them. And she was transported back in time. Cold sweat covered her back. 

“Shit.” Behind Sana’s back, Mr. Cho put his gun down. “They are just kids.”

Sana nodded wordlessly. Somewhere in the house, Jackson called out “Clear!” to let them know that there was no one else inside beside them. Them, and the kids, who were looking at Sana as if she was about to personally put the bullet through their chests. 

Sana turned around, closing her eyes and stopping herself from cursing. The info was fake. Maybe Sooyoung purposefully put up a trap for the police, or maybe it was just a coincidence that no one adult was home at that moment. One way, or another, those kids were clearly part of the pack and they could know something. On the other hand, they didn’t look like the happiest children on the Earth's planet and weren’t probably cared for well. They looked barely ten. Younger than Sana was when she left her foster home. They were only kids, not secret weapons.  

Unless…

But no, she couldn't think like that. She had to take them out of this situation. Even if they truly were part of the enemy pack, they likely had no say in that. Once you were accepted into a pack, there was no way out, no other thing than to be loyal to your alpha. 

Only a powerful alpha like Nayeon could change that and save someone from the fate of criminal life.

“Sir, we have to take ‘em with us.” Sana whispered to Mr. Cho. “I- I can’t explain, but we can’t tell anyone that we’ve found them, we have to take them with us.”

The old man frowned, glancing at the two kids shaking on the floor.

“Officer Minatozaki, with all due respect, but what do you want to do with those–”

“Nothing!” Sana whisper-shouted. “But I also can’t let them stay with this murderer.” 

She grabbed Mr. Cho’s sleeve, leading him out of the room. 

“Those kids–” She sighed, rolling her eyes and trying to convince herself that he wasn’t someone who would hurt her. “They are like us. ”

“Like us?” The man took a bit to process her words. “Ooh, like us. Like you.” Recognition flashed his eyes. “But officer, this doesn't change anything. They are kids, they need to be put in special care because there are rules that have to be followed. Maybe their parents are looking for them, maybe they've been kidnapped…”

“Okay, but–” Sana was getting worked up, but she had no idea how to explain to him without revealing anything, that putting those kids into foster care won't do them any good. That they were special kids, that they wouldn't behave how typical kids behave. That they needed someone who would understand them. 

“Sir, please…” She decided to resort to begging. “I'll tell you why, just…”

Finally, Mr. Cho's eyes softened a bit. Maybe he has been thinking about this issue lately, maybe he connected the dots and remembered a certain black puppy he had found together with his granddaughter years earlier. 

“Fine. I'll give you one chance to justify why we shouldn't involve the Sheriff in this. Now, get them out before Jackson sees anything.” 

Sana exhaled with relief, nodded fervently and quickly got back into the room to talk to the kids. Mr. Cho just sighed, shook his head with disapproval and went to distract the other officer. 

(...)

Despite the operation finishing without success, Sana wasn’t disappointed. Her priorities changed.

The kids were taking her whole attention. They didn't cause any trouble when she told them that they had to quickly leave the house. Actually, they didn't say a word. The boys just paled at the sight of Sana's gun and both nodded. No assurance that Sana wasn't going to use the gun, and she carried it only for protection, worked on the kids. They were terrified. 

Sana was honestly a bit surprised with how obedient the two boys were. She fully expected them to try to escape, or at least throw a fit, or something. But no, the boys just didn't say a word and stared at her. 

At first, Sana and Mr. Cho had no idea where to take and hide the children. The precinct was obviously out of the question, and honestly the wolf's house wasn't a good idea either, just in case Sooyoung managed to bribe the kids on her side to serve as her spies. Yes, they were only kids, but for that exact reason it would be great to use the kids, since they were never suspected. 

In a time of crisis, Sana decided to call Nayeon. She didn't even notice how her first thought wasn't Chan, as it would usually be before. But Nayeon was a doctor, so she could check the children's well-being by the way. That was the reason, Sana kept telling herself, not the fact that Nayeon seemed to be quite reliable as their alpha. 

Nayeon, albeit a bit surprised, didn't say anything, just sent them the address. When Sana arrived there, the place turned out to be a house. 

“Is it your place?” Sana whispered to the woman, slightly amused that it was her first time seeing the place. Normally, the wolves lived with their alpha, but now most of their pack didn't even have an idea where to look for Nayeon just in case. 

Nayeon shrugged. 

“It's temporary, until I find something better. I don't care if someone knows about this place. I'm able to take care of myself and my pack.”

Sana rolled her eyes, taken aback by the offensive tone. Whatever. Who was she to judge? 

“Fine. So here they are.” She pointed at the car, where Mr. Cho sat with the children. “What do we do with them?”

Nayeon only sighed, rubbing her forehead. 

Nayeon's place turned out to be quite a cozy cottage, small but tidy and warm. Its windows overcame the whole valley, as it stood on the verge of a fairly high cliff. Sana would be absolutely awestruck, if she wasn’t currently busy overthinking the situation.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Nayeon tried to ask the boys right after they entered and sat on the small couch in the living room. 

Only now Sana could truly look at the young wolves and notice that they indeed desperately needed more nutrients. Earlier, in the rush of events and in the darkness of the abandoned house, she vaguely saw how their dirty clothes hung loosely on their bodies, but now, in the good light, it turned out to be even worse than she expected. 

“Were they part of their pack, or just prisoners?” She whispered to Mr. Cho, as Nayeon tried to converse with her guests. The man had a similarly worried expression. Was Sooyoung so cruel to treat one of her own like that? Did her pack suffer from a general lack of supplies? 

The boys ignored Nayeon’s every question. They didn’t stop staring though, now curiously, at both Sana and Nayeon. Despite his impressive height and overwhelming posture, Mr. Cho seemed to be completely invisible to them. Sana could imagine that he didn’t smell like a wolf, so the boys didn’t recognize a threat in him. 

A bit disappointed with the lack of reaction, Nayeon decided to just go and prepare something to eat. It didn’t take a genius to find out that kids their age were always hungry, especially in such a condition. Sana busied herself with observing them. 

The boys appeared to truly be no more than ten years old. It made sense, because usually at that age the kids went through the transition and started to wear their wolf skin. Their hair was stuck in thick, dirty strands. Their eyes were huge and full of fear. Their arms were thinner than a stick Sana could find in the forest. Long story short: it wasn’t good. 

“Damn.” She cursed, turning around so that they wouldn’t hear her. “We have to find out who did it and why, and we have to do it fast.” She blinked, because tears were already gathering in her eyes. She hated looking at people who were mistreated. She hated the fact that she couldn’t immediately make their situation better.  

Mr. Cho just gritted his teeth.

“We will.” He promised. “For now, we have to talk. Since the operation ended with a huge failure, we need a new plan. I think I have an idea.”

(...)

The gatherings were slowly starting to become a permanent thing. 

Although now they didn’t meet in the wolves house, and not everyone was present because obviously they didn’t want to reveal the identities of all the wolves to Mr. Cho, it looked almost the same as the previous few times they discussed their life. Meaning there was a lot of tension and awkwardness in the air, everyone looked sad and contemplative, and Momo made food. 

Nayeon learned to appreciate Momo’s food a lot. It was warm, comforting, and it helped to ease the atmosphere a bit. Before they started to eat, Nayeon packed a portion and passed it to Felix.

“Give it to the kids. They look like they’ve been starved for months.”

Truthfully, when she prepared them a meal earlier, they almost fought to be allowed to eat it. They still hadn’t said a word, but the reaction on the food gave Nayeon hope that she could maybe break into their shells. It broke her heart, knowing they were that hungry, but it also made her start wondering about their role in this whole situation. Would Sooyoung seriously treat them poorly just because, if they could still be useful in the future? It just didn’t make any sense. Even if not because of basic human decency, Sooyoung’s pack might keep the boys safe and sound to use them in action. Starved and imprisoned, they were just a ball and chain for the criminals.  

For now, luckily, they stayed safely in Nayeon’s house, while the rest of the pack gathered in Mr. Cho’s place. His wife, Jihyo’s grandma, was more than surprised to see so many young people on her doorstep so suddenly. After the initial shock passed, she welcomed everyone with open arms, immediately bonding with Momo over a recipe for a stew. 

Mr. Cho was too much in his own head to notice that his living room was full of who probably were other wolves. He walked circles around the place, humming. 

“They have to hide somewhere, and I don’t think it’s anywhere near the town.” He mussed, not talking to anyone in particular but still having everyone focused. ”Jackson searched the house, and it seemed like they somehow found out about us coming and fleeted the place, leaving the kids behind. The house was mostly cleared off anything that could point at them being responsible for the crime. But the building was definitely inhabited for a long time, and since they’ve lost it, it’s either they hide somewhere in the forest, or they’ve run away.”

“Sooyoung didn’t seem interested in giving up the last time I saw her.” Sana felt the need to butt in. “Quite the opposite, actually. She was really set on making my life a living hell.”

“Exactly what I thought.” The man nodded. Nayeon brought up another issue, one she was thinking about for quite a time:

“Why couldn’t they find another place to move in? From what I’ve heard, Sooyoung has been living in Moon Grove for quite a while. She knows her way around here, she knows people. They can rent a place, they can buy something…” 

From the faces of the other wolves, she could see that her concern was valid. Moon Grove was, after all, a pretty big area. It contained a few smaller villages like Moon Valley and Red River, it was surrounded by thousands of hectares of forests, cut by chains of mountains, hills, streams and creeks. And they didn’t even start with the small cottages spread around the woods, inhabited by people who didn’t want any contact with the outside world, or uninhabited at all. Searching for anyone here, even when one was a strong and fast wolf, was a task for a year maybe. They didn’t have that much time. 

“Yup, I thought about it.” Jihyo’s grandfather didn’t seem to be worried though. “But I have a feeling they didn’t.”

That got everyone interested. Tzuyu perked up on her seat, Jihyo sat straighter. Changbin, who was previously busy typing something on his phone, put the device away.

“Do share, honey.” Even Jihyo’s grandma came over from the kitchen, standing in the door with an impatient expression on her face. Her husband glanced over from the other side of the room, his eyes softening. 

“Remember the spring one year in the late nineties, when I kept telling you that suddenly all wolves disappeared from the forest, and it was really hard to spot one, even if before I met them frequently?” He asked her. The woman hummed and thought for a while, finally shook her head with disappointment. She wasn’t one to keep up with the forest business so much. As far as she supported her hubby’s interests, the wilderness was still a bit intimidating for her.

Mr. Cho wasn’t bothered.

“Well, I’m not going to lie, what Tzuyu revealed to me made me think a lot about things that happened here in the past. Maybe I’m not any kind of scientist and nature was just my passion, but I wasn’t the worst detective back in the day. I can still connect a few dots…” 

He chuckled to himself, as if he just told them the best joke. Nobody laughed, so his face went back to serious.

“Obviously something must have happened back then for all the wolves to suddenly disappear like that. I bet you guys knew what that was. And now I can remember that quite a few people from the town suddenly disappeared too. But those years ago, we couldn’t exactly explain why. Older people kept saying that the ghosts of the woods took them as a sacrifice, but no one knew why the sacrifice was needed. The myths of the creatures living in those woods were still alive among us, unlike now, when young people call them just funny fairy tales, so many of the men were too scared to go deeper inside the wilderness. At the same time, people started to speculate that there was a gang of drug dealers hiding in the woods, and they were the one to kill those missing people. A few locals saw something near the old bunkers, by the side of Silver Creek. I was a young Sheriff back then, and I admit I wasn’t too eager to go there and search for myself, especially when there were no real crime reports and no dead bodies. I valued my life more than gossip. Whether I could achieve anything by going there, or not… We’ll never know. But I start to think that all the way, it was the wolves standing behind all of this, right?”

Tzuyu was quick to jump in.

“We’ve never attacked a human bein–” 

“I know. That’s not what I’m saying. I mean it as since now there is a pack that wants to hurt people, maybe back then there was one too. And if I were a police officer doing an investigation, I would definitely search around those bunkers.”

Sana, who the whole time seemed to not listen at all, now sighed and nodded. 

“Where are they located? I have to admit I’ve never seen them either.”

Mr. Cho sheepishly stroked his chin.

“That’s the problem - no one of us knows for sure. They were built here during the second world war to protect the Eastern Front while the enemy armies tried to break to the West. Fifteen bunkers in total, they are spread along the line of Silver Creek. We know the vague location of three. The rest are either hidden underground, in ruins, or covered in bushes so wild that no one is able to get inside. The plans of the area were probably lost in the chaos of the war, the knowledge died with the soldiers and the elderly.”

“Perfect place to hide, if one knows how to reach any of them…” Sana concluded.

“Perfect.” Mr. Cho agreed.  

Nayeon could hear Mina groan by her side. A new goal was set silently: to find those bunkers.

But maybe tomorrow. The night was already ending anyway.

(...)

“Nayeon!”

Nayeon stopped reluctantly, pulled additionally in place by Mina’s hand. Before she was able to turn around, Sana was already by her side.

“Are they going to stay with you?” 

Nayeon didn’t need to ask who Sana was talking about. 

“They can, if they want. We can’t imprison them though, just like Sooyoung did.”

Sana nodded. Her eyes were a bit distant, glued in the wall behind Nayeon. Her thoughts were clearly somewhere far away, her scent was mixed with worry. Nayeon could understand. When she kept finding her wolves, it hurt her each time she was learning about their stories. But it was also why she could never get tired of taking care of her pack. Their safety was her happiness. 

She could guess that Sana felt similarly now. She was the one to rescue the boys.

“Hey...” Nayeon nudged her. “Come with us. You can try to talk to the kids one more time. Maybe this time it will work.”

Her hand, the one that was currently in Mina’s grip, was squeezed. Nayeon felt a weird sense of pride that she could make her girlfriend satisfied. Sana seemed to perk up too. A flash of light came into her eyes when they connected with Nayeon’s. 

“O- Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Nayeon shrugged. She was never Sana’s enemy. She always wanted to have her on her side.

They got together into her car in silence, but there was no tension in the air. Just a family coming back home at the end of the day. It was late, nearly dawn, and really peaceful. Birds were yet to wake up and announce the new day to the whole world. The sun was barely hinting that it might come up the sky sometime lately. The horizon had this particular shade of dark orange that made Nayeon feel weirdly nostalgic and think about those summers when she was a little kid and her parents took her on trips around the whole country. They had to wake up really early then, to be able to use the day to the brim, and Nayeon always complained about being tired and sleepy. Oh, what would she give now to have those days back… 

Only when they were nearly arriving at her place, Mina hummed quietly and voiced a question Nayeon kept asking herself the whole night. 

“Why did they leave the kids behind? If you guys didn’t come there after all, the boys would die there alone.”

No one had an answer for that. Sana had her head turned to the window, probably so they couldn’t see her eyes. Nayeon just gritted her teeth. Mina kept talking: 

“I don't think they are part of her pack. They seem to react to your presence, Nayeonnie. They were probably around when you did the alpha call and it affected them too. Makes sense they would leave them behind, because they present no worth to Sooyoung anymore. She can't take them back, because she can't compete with your power, and a pair of kids is always hard to maintain.”

Nayeon wasn’t going to lie that it didn’t make her ego grow to hear things like that. Obviously, Sooyoung couldn’t compete with her power. Duh.

When they came inside the house, the view they found there was definitely special. On the couch, the boys lay cuddled together, each one holding one of Felix’s hands. The eldest wolf sat on the floor, in front of the couch, his arms weirdly twisted to keep the connection between him and the kids. Everyone was deeply asleep.

“Shhh…” Nayeon immediately turned around to warn Mina and Sana. At this point, Sana gave up on hiding her tears, gluing herself to Mina’s side.  

“Let’s let them rest. They need it.” Mina whispered, patting Sana’s back reassuringly. “We’ll find you some place to sleep too, come on.”

Nayeon didn’t object when her girlfriend led Sana inside, then to the main bedroom. It was weird, because a few hours earlier Sana had no idea where Nayeon even lived, and now they were suddenly about to sleep in the same bed… Huh…

Before they disappeared there though, suddenly one of the boys’ eyes cracked open. Fear danced in them for a moment, but then they landed on Sana. 

And he smiled. 

The three women froze. 

Then the boy’s lips mouthed something. Before Nayeon was able to stop Sana, the woman was already moving.

“What? What did you say?” She almost jumped to the couch. Mina and Nayeon grabbed both her hands.

“Shhh… You’re gonna scare him–”

“He said something.” Sana’s eyes were blown out. “In– In another language. I– I know this language. He– He said… ‘mom’?”

Chapter Text

The whole room was in chaos.

The boy muttered something again, deaf to Sana’s (a bit too loud) shocked comments. Nayeon shook her arm to get her attention. Both her and Mina almost jumped out of their skin to get to know what the whole drama was about.

“What did he say now?”

“That… I look like mom?” Sana had a dumb expression painted on her face.

“His mom?” Mina asked just to be sure.

Sana made an even more confused face.

“I guess…” 

“Well…” Nayeon raised her eyebrows. “Are you…?”

Immediately, Sana’s face went from shocked to slightly irritated.

“Seriously?” She glanced at Nayeon as if the woman wasn’t completely in her right mind. “I think I would remember giving birth to a child.”

Nayeon didn’t let herself be intimidated.

“I don’t know, bro. I have known you for exactly three weeks. What then? Why is he saying that?”

Sana shrugged, her eyes jumping from the boy to Nayeon and back. 

“No idea…”

The boy was now reaching with his other hand for Sana. Utterly stunned, the woman just let him grab her hand. Having no other choice, she dropped on the floor, by Felix’s side. Before she was even settled, the kid was falling back asleep.

Nayeon and Mina observed the whole thing with no less shock. The silence was louder than a storm. If they were in a sitcom, cicadas would probably be played as a background audio, and then the scene would be cut, teleporting the audience to the next, even funnier part of the episode. Unfortunately for Nayeon, they weren’t in a sitcom.

“Ooookay…” She said awkwardly. “What now?”

Mina just sighed tiredly. 

“Let’s find Sana some pillows.” She glanced at her sister. “I’ll pray for your back, honey. And just in case, Nayeon’s a doctor. She can get you sick leave in case you’re not able to stand up from this floor tomorrow.”

“Yup, exactly that.” Nayeon shot the woman with finger guns, while the two of them were backing up to the bedroom. “We’ll pray for your back while sleeping on my super comfy queen size bed. See ya!”

They were able to notice Sana’s irritated scoff before the door to the bedroom silently closed behind them. Despite the previous light atmosphere and Mina’s attempts at a joke, Nayeon immediately felt the realization about what happened. The images of the boys’ malnutritioned little bodies showed in front of her eyes. Earlier, after they ate, she was able to vaguely check their basic vitals, and it wasn’t good. Luckily, they had no serious injuries, meaning that no one was really cruel to them. But the bones sticking out under thin skin… Nayeon shivered.

Immediately, she felt Mina’s arms circling her waist. Behind the window, the sun was slowly getting out from under the soft blankets of pines and spruces. 

“We need to rest. It’s been quite a day.” Mina whispered. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Well… Today. But you know what I mean.”

Nayeon nodded. Then she kissed her on the nose. 

Yes, they needed to rest. 

(...) 

When Sana woke up to someone touching her face, it was already a bright day. Giant windows in front of her provided even too much light for her exhausted, sleep-deprived eyes. 

For a moment, she had a hard time locating herself. They definitely didn't have such windows in their house… Then her brain slowly started to reboot its operating system and the memory device was once again connected to her internal computer. 

“Hey…” The gentle voice from above, paired with a cool hand touching her cheek, helped her ground herself in reality. Dahyun was there, so she was safe. Where were they though?

Ah, Nayeon's house… Why?

Sana frowned while her brain went through the previous day, connecting one event to the next. Then her eyes opened wide. 

“Shh… It's fine.” Dahyun assured her. 

Sana turned her head slowly. Felix, who previously slept on the floor next to her, was already nowhere to be seen. Somewhere in the background, Mina conversed animatedly with Nayeon. A girl, around twelve years old, sat at the kitchen table, glancing curiously towards Sana. 

Towards Sana, or maybe more like towards the two boys sleeping on the couch. Only now Sana was realizing that her hand was still held by one of them. The grip was loose, but it was still there. Sana glanced at Dahyun, then gently slipped her hand out of the boy’s one and used it to smoothen her hair. 

“What–” Her throat was completely parched. “What time is it?”

“Half past nine.” Dahyun said. “But don’t worry. Mr. Cho covered for you at work. 

Sana exhaled tiredly. Her body felt as if she wasn’t sleeping for months. Her back hurt, her head seemed to be filled with tennis balls bouncing on her skull from the inside, and she could feel sand under her eyelids. Slowly, she wiped her face from the remnants of sleep. 

At least Dahyun was here. Suddenly, Sana felt an urge to hide inside the woman’s arms. Luckily, nothing was stopping her from doing this, so Sana dived forward. Even if Dahyun was a bit surprised, she reacted quite quickly, catching Sana in the middle. Two hands grabbed Sana’s head, gently stroking the hair. 

“I’ve heard everything already.” Dahyun admitted. Sana just nodded, glad that she didn’t need to recall everything once again. 

She felt movement behind her, so she instinctively turned around, her protective grip on Dahyun tightening. Her eyes probably had the same wild look as the boy’s ones. Only that seeing Sana’s face, the kid’s quickly softened. Sana’s stayed wary. 

Why did this child trust her so easily? 

“...mommy…” There was this language once again. And a sweet smile. The other boy was still peacefully asleep. 

Sana felt Dahyun’s sweet scent getting that curious note that indicated incoming questions. However, she was too focused on the young wolves to pay attention to anything else.

Words were slipping on her tongue, familiar and foreign at once. She could mostly understand what he said, but answering was another thing. It’s been years since Sana last used this language. Years during which her life completely changed. Knowing how to use those words seemed to be like behind a wall. 

“What… what you say?” She stuttered out after a minute of real struggle. “Me is…eh… I am your mom?”

Shit, she probably made like a ton of grammatical and pronunciation mistakes. Was it even understandable? By her side, Dahyun was making huge eyes. Her jaw was on the floor.

“You… Do you speak Japanese?” She asked. 

“Japanese?” Sana frowned. Oh, so that was what those words in her mind were all along. Not her own language. It was something that actually existed. Huh…

“Yeah. You answered him in Japanese? Is it where he is from? Is it where you are from? Sana, that’s so exciting.” Dahyun didn't catch on to her struggle, too busy making shocked faces.

And Sana’s world was spinning around her as memories mixed inside her head, past getting tangled with the present. The boy shut his mouth. He was looking at her intently, gripping his friend’s (or maybe brother’s) hand tightly, but he said nothing. 

Apparently he trusted her enough to sleep beside her, but not enough for a conversation. It was odd, but Sana could understand. Sometimes touch was way simpler than words. 

Nayeon chose that moment to enter the living room with two bowls of steaming soup.

“Breakfast.” She announced. “The boys have to eat urgently. Later we can try to find out more about them, so maybe we can start searching for their parents. Mina already said that she can look around here and there on the Internet, you can check in police databases, or something…”

Sana drowned out the rest of Nayeon’s babbling. Right, the parents. The boys could have parents. They didn’t have to be like her. She– She shouldn’t get attached. There was still hope for the kids. 

They weren’t the same. She shouldn’t assume anything. Finding the parents should be their priority, so that the kids wouldn’t end up like her. Her own misfortune didn’t mean the boys couldn’t still be saved.

(...)

When Mina left her cave (what everyone tended to call her room) after eight long hours of trying to implement one small feature the client suddenly desired to have in their app, the house was pretty much empty. It wasn't really weird, since it was a work day, so almost everyone had to commute back to the house first, even if they finished at the same time as her. On the other hand, in a house resided by over ten people, it was strange to not find anyone there. Such situations happened once in a blue moon. At least Dahyun, who had vacation, or Tzuyu, who was still on a sick leave, should be there. Instead, echo answered her when she tried to call their names. 

In front of the building, one additional car stood though. Mina's heart grew warmer immediately… before she realized that the car was there, but the owner wasn't. Intrigued, she closed the door behind herself and walked closer to the vehicle. 

At this point in their relationship, she could recognize Nayeon’s scent pretty well. Maybe it was the alpha thing making it so prominent in the air, or maybe Nayeon was here not so long ago, but the scent was pretty much easy to pick up from all the others. Mina catched it, inhaled and felt her body getting calmer. Then, she turned her steps to the backyard, where it was leading her. 

Easy. Her target was there. Nayeon crouched on the ground, focused on petting a huge, white bunny. 

“Look who finally came out.” The woman muttered under her breath, seemingly directing her words to the bunny. Then she patted the animal one more time and stood up. Her face instantly lit up in a wide smile. 

“Hey.” Mina greeted, reaching to grab the hands Nayeon extended her way. “Did you come a long time ago?”

Nayeon shook her head, pulling Mina closer, for a kiss and a hug. 

“No, it's fine. I know you have your work to do.” 

“How are the kids?” 

“Better. Pretty much still silent, but better. Chaeryeong keeps an eye on them while Sana's at work, searching for anything in the databases.” 

Mina hummed. So far, she didn't have time to search for anything herself, but she needed a break from sitting in front of her computer before she could do that. Nayeon seemed to read her mind.

“I've been meaning to go on a little trip in the meantime. Check something. Wanna go with me?”

Mina perked up. Normally, she would say no, because come on… Going outside, where people were? In her free time? 

But going out with Nayeon was different. It was like going on a walk with Sana and Tzuyu to the forest. She could be herself, she didn't need to pretend, or to watch out so that she wouldn’t behave in any wrong way. Sana and Tzuyu understood. Nayeon understood too. 

“Sure. Where to?” 

Nayeon glanced somewhere far away, between the trees.

“You'll see.” She winked. 

The place Nayeon hid so well from her the whole way there, turned out to be quite close. 

“Seriously?” Mina frowned. “My parents’ house?”

“Not your parents house.” Nayeon burst with giggles. “Although we can visit them too, if you want. I'm all in for meeting them once again.” 

The teasing note in her voice made Mina blush. Right… Nayeon wouldn't just meet them as people who she knew as a child. She would meet them as the parents of her girlfriend. They were girlfriends now. Meaning she would have to stand in front of the two of them and introduce someone as her girlfriend. Girlfriend.

Mina didn't believe the word could leave her mouth in front of them. For some reason, it sounded really embarrassing. She was their little girl. And then, when she admitted to being in a relationship, they would know she liked someone… And kissed someone… And possibly did other things, like se– 

Mina shivered. 

“They are on vacation now.” Luckily. “In Hungary.” 

“Such a shame.” Nayeon pouted. “But we're not here to meet them. Remember I used to be your neighbor?”

Now, the lightbulb went on in Mina's head. Obviously. They were neighbors. Nayeon's old house was opposite Mina’s, a bit hidden behind the trees. The gate to the garden, one Mina used to open so many times, was still there, although a bit rusty. 

Nayeon headed straight there after getting out of the car. The gate creaked like a murdered squirrel, when she pushed on the handle and opened it. 

Mina winced and looked around. Not that there were many other neighbors in the area, but…

“Does your family– I mean, do you still own the house?” She asked, just in case. Jihyo was a lawyer and Sana represented the local police forces, but still… Mina didn't like the idea of becoming a criminal in her early twenties. Maybe later, in her fifties, or something, it could pass, because she would have the better half of her life behind, so even if she got put into jail for burglary, it wouldn't be so tragic, but right now she still had a few things to do in life and she still needed to–

“Relax.” Nayeon rolled her eyes. “We're not breaking in. It's not mine, but it's for sale and I got the keys from the current owner.” She jiggled the few keys right in front of Mina's face. 

Mina felt embarrassed for panicking. It could be probably picked up from the air by anyone, wolf or not. 

“Sure. Let's go.” She pouted. Nayeon grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly and pulling her behind herself towards the building, which presented itself to them right behind the next set of trees. 

Despite the years, it looked almost the same, kept in good condition by the owners, or preserved from the weather by the nature surrounding it. The windows were clean, the roof had new tiles, even the path leading to the front door was swept. Only the wooden walls, made from spruce and pine, were now painted a bit darker shade of brown. The rest was almost the same.

Nayeon seemed to be unbothered while walking to unlock the door, but Mina knew better. She wasn't a professional in recognizing which scent meant what, but the slight tremor going through Nayeon's body was an obvious sign of nervousness. But when the door stood open in front of them, the woman’s voice was steady. 

“Welcome back, friend. Wanna play?” She winked. 

Mina smiled at the double meaning, not knowing what was funnier - the thought of two adult them playing with dolls, or the thought of two adult them ‘playing’ adult games in Nayeon's childhood house. Before she could get too much into her head and start wondering about the issue, Nayeon smacked her arm. 

“I didn't mean that!” She giggled. “However, if you want…”

It was Mina's turn to smack Nayeon's arm. In the general atmosphere of laughter, they got inside. Which… Changed a bit. But not much. 

It was like stepping through a portal to a day almost twenty years back, when Mina was innocent and young, without troubles and worries. She could almost see Nayeon's mom standing in the kitchen, preparing them a warm soup. She could almost hear Nayeon's dad’s voice from the living room, talking over the phone with one of his clients. She could almost feel this urge to run upstairs and race with Nayeon to her bedroom to get the best toys. 

Then she felt a squeeze on her hand. Nayeon was suddenly quiet. When she turned her head, the woman stood there frozen, tears shining on her cheeks like pearls.

Nayeon noticed Mina watching her only after a few seconds. 

“What?” She sniffed and wiped the tears. “It’s a hot summer. My eyes got sweaty.”

Mina shrugged in response, smiling warmly. Then she got closer, pulling Nayeon by her hand. Nayeon's head fell on her shoulder. They stood like that for a moment. 

Then, aftet a good few minutes of silence and contemplation, Nayeon cleared her throat. 

“After we stayed alone with my dad, I didn't fully understand what happened yet.” She started. “I was still before my transition to a wolf, and my dad didn't tell me about the details of being one. He was mourning too, so I didn’t hold it against him, but… After I changed, and found out that I'm like that, that I'm permanently an alpha, I hated it so much. This thing, being an alpha… It took my mom from me, it took my family, our happiness. It took my friend from me too.” She glanced at Mina, who listened patiently. 

“So I refused to know anything besides the fact that my mom was killed by bad people. I rejected everything my dad tried to tell me. But I remember one thing he said: that my mom used to write a journal. A diary, you might call it.” 

She made a pause after this, looking around the house and soaking in the sight of it. Mina didn't try to say anything, she just gave the girl time to express whatever she wanted to. 

Nayeon picked up the topic after a sigh. 

“I've never seen those journals. He didn't have it either. So I thought it might be hidden somewhere here. In the basement, or maybe in some old, forgotten box in the attic. You know, just… There's an ounce of chance. Maybe there's nothing there. Maybe they don't exist. But I think I have to try. Perhaps there’s some information in those journals that could help us.”

“Let's find out.” Mina said when she was sure Nayeon had nothing more to add. She didn't question anything. If Nayeon had a feeling they could find something, she was ready to help. 

This whole trip barely started, and it was already a rollercoaster of emotions. Going through all the rooms, and finally turning their steps upstairs, to Nayeon’s old room and her parents bedroom, turned out to be even harder. They were mostly silent the whole time, just taking in all the memories. Nayeon’s scent indicated a lot of nervous tension, and a lot of grief, but Mina could pick up one more note from it. She wasn’t sure though, what it could be, until Nayeon didn’t stop by the window overlooking the whole backyard with a small patio, and the small lake that spread its waters further away between the trees. 

“As I said earlier, the house is for sale.” She stated. Then turned to Mina. “I plan to buy it. My current place is too small for me and my pack. I’ll leave the cottage to them, and I’ll move here.”

That information was quite a shock for Mina. She opened her eyes wide, her eyebrows riding up. 

“Oh?” She only managed to let out.

Nayeon shrugged, her voice not louder than a murmur. 

“Well, maybe someday you could join me. If you want.” 

It was said with an unbothered, cool tone. Mina’s heart stopped for a second, when the meaning reached her brain. Oh…

“I– You– I– Ugh…” She stuttered, not sure what to say. 

“You don’t have to agree now.” Nayeon assured her, looking Mina straight in the eyes. “It’s just an offer. For whenever you want to take it. I  get it that we’re not there.”

Mina just hummed, blushing slightly. She glanced outside, on the patio, where garden chairs stood, ready for someone to sit and rest after a long day of work. That was a new addition, made by one of the latest owners. It tempted, easily making Mina see herself there with a book, or her laptop, with Nayeon by her side. Maybe if she was lucky, Nayeon would wear those glasses she always used while reading something important. 

“Yup. But someday…” She whispered to herself. It made her smile under her breath. 

Suddenly, the mood was giddy. Nayeon turned around abruptly, new energy vibrating through her. 

“I’m ready to search now. Let’s go.”

And Mina had no other choice but to follow. Like a moth to a flame. 

(...)

Despite the energy initially filling their bodies, the task wasn’t easy. They didn’t know where to look, they didn’t know what exactly they were looking for, and they weren’t even sure that it really existed. They got tired pretty quickly, and soon going through one box in the attic felt more like torture than an exciting mission it seemed to be in the beginning. 

In the end, they decided to just take a few big boxes with themselves back home.

“My dad said he left most of the things here when we had to run away.” Nayeon justified. “It’s probably our stuff, but if it’s not, I’m gonna return it soon. Nobody’s gonna know.”

Mina didn’t object. She was tired after the whole day and just wanted to sleep. Literally fall on the bed, close her eyes and fly away to the dreamland. And she did try to do that when they were finally back from their trip.

Nayeon had other plans. She snuggled up to Mina’s side, and at first it seemed like she was going to fall asleep too. 

Soft, wet touches and warm breath on Mina’s neck revealed Nayeon’s true intentions.

“It tickles.” Mina tried to appear frustrated. Tried, because despite her general tiredness, the feeling of closeness and the affection was nice. Not enough to work her up yet, but not unwelcomed. 

Nayeon giggled. Instead of stopping, her proposed solution was just changing the nose bops to kisses. That… 

That was something else. Mina shivered. 

“Nayeonie…” She whined, turning around to face the girl. Then she glanced at the door. “Literally everyone else possible is behind this wall. We would have to be really quiet, and we both know it's not possible for you.”

In the darkness, Nayeon’s slick grin shined brightly. 

“Wait… Does that mean you're open to suggestions?” There was a hint of disbelief in her voice.

Despite the vagueness of the question, Mina knew what it was really about. ‘Are you ready?’, or ‘If we start, will you still stop me?’

Mina kept wondering about this question since earlier. Nayeon has been waiting for a long time, ready since the beginning. It was Mina who they were adjusting too. And it's not like it would be their first time even. But… 

“Mina-yah?” Nayeon petted her hand. I meant what I said. I'm patient, and I don't want to force you to anything, so–”

“No.” Mina said. “I– I want to. I do. I think I've made you wait long enough.” 

“There's no too long or too short. We're going at our own pace. Which means that if you want to wait, we're waiting.”

“But…” Mina shut her eyes, swallowing the embarrassment of letting all of her feelings out. “I do want to. Really. I'm dreaming of doing this with you, it's just– I’m scared. Because…”

It was hard to let someone into her heart like that. Really hard. But Nayeon opened her own heart to her earlier.

“Because my whole life, I hated my body. I– I thought it was ugly. I still think it is a bit. So I was scared of being like that with anyone, because I imagined they would be as grossed out as I was. And they would stop in the middle and say I'm too stiff, or… Or something.” 

She swallowed the tears down. No, she wasn't going to cry. Nayeon was looking at her straight in the eyes, focused on her completely. Luckily, she didn't try to interrupt, because if she did, Mina wouldn't be able to start again. 

“Back then, with you… It was my first time, actually. Well, first time going all the way, not just making out. And I did it to prove to myself that I can do it, which I’m sorry for. You didn't deserve it, because I barely even enjoyed it. Later, I– I hated myself so much for this. It was so empty, without any feelings. And I think sex should have feelings. If anyone else thinks differently, it's fine for them, but in my eyes, sex should be because you love someone, so… So I'm scared.”

During her whole speech, the air in the room changed from light to tense and loaded. Nayeon's eyes expressed clear shock. 

“You… You thought you were ugly?” She asked, just to make things precise. Mina hesitated. 

“Y- Yes? In my eyes, I was.” 

“Well, in mine you're the most attractive person to ever exist.” Nayeon spoke with so much power and conviction. The fact that she didn’t add anything about her own beauty said everything about her seriousness. “You just have to sense how affected I am because of your body, and your mind, and… and all.”

Mina didn't. Or maybe she did, but she had no idea about it. But she could see it in Nayeon's eyes right now - the feelings. So she believed. 

“Okay…” She nodded reluctantly. “I'm sorry for using you like that, just to prove something to myself. It wasn't right.” 

Nayeon sighed.

“I'm not gonna lie that it doesn't hurt. But it's in the past, we can't change that. If you feel like that in the future, let's talk about it first, okay?” 

Mina hummed with remorse. When she didn't raise her eyes from the spot they were glued to somewhere over Nayeon’s shoulder, the woman nudged her. 

“Hey, Mina-yah. How about that - we're starting over. Back then, it wasn't your real first time. Now, if you want someday, we're gonna make it happen. And I'll show you how it should look, okay?” 

Mina nodded once again. Finally, her eyes connected with Nayeon's, and what she saw made her shiver. The passion and love was too intense for her to look longer. She bit her lip with a blush. 

“What… if I really wanted it now?” She managed to whisper.

Ever attentive, Nayeon grinned. 

“I'll see what I can do.” She sounded excited, and it gave Mina a small bust of confidence. If Nayeon was really so eager to have sex with her, it had to mean she enjoyed it before. And back then, she didn’t stop, or make any grossed out faces. So she probably accepted Mina’s body.

In that case, Mina could try to. Actually, now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn’t like she didn’t enjoy their previous times at all. And if Nayeon could make her feel like that once again…

Mina let herself be pushed on her back, and when she felt Nayeon’s wet lips on her collarbone, she nearly released a loud gasp. Ooops… 

“We were supposed to be silent.” Nayeon reminded her with a snort. Mina, suddenly frustrated that they were already stopping, when they’ve barely started, rolled her eyes. 

“Kiss me then.” She demanded angrily. “You’re all bark and no bite.”

That made Nayeon laugh out loud. 

“Fierce. I like it.” She pinned Mina down, just to show her that she could. “Maybe next time I’ll show you why you shouldn’t disobey your alpha.” 

Then she finally attacked Mina’s lips, sending wave after wave of shivers down Mina’s spine as her hands wandered down, on Mina’s waist and then under her T-shirt. The way she skilfully maneuvered her knee between Mina’s legs screamed confidence and experience.

Okay. Maybe Mina really shouldn’t disobey her alpha. 

The kissing was getting more and more intense. Her body was both relaxed and really tense. There was something, like a fire, building up in her stomach. She wiggled under Nayeon, and somehow, she ended up having the woman’s legs right where it felt the best. 

“Oh…” Left her lips involuntarily. Quiet and deep.

“Do you like it?” Nayeon asked, barely letting go of her lips. “Do you want more?”

Mina nodded fervently. Before she knew it, her hips were already moving on their own. 

And they didn’t even take off their clothes. She was not going to survive the rest. Heck, she was already all hot and bothered. 

“Slow down a bit, honey.” Nayeon scolded her playfully. “We’re doing it slowly this time, remember? I want to show you how beautiful your body is.”

Mina growled. Actually growled. 

The action made her immediately slap a hand over her lips. 

“Wow.” Nayeon gasped, the hair surrounding her face like a halo and falling down on the pillow, creating something like a curtain between them and the room. From under her, Mina wanted to bury herself in the ground. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came upon me, I don’t usually do–”

“Are you kidding me?” Nayeon snorted. “I love the enthusiasm. Be yourself, okay? If that means literally biting me, then… Well, I don’t mind.”

Mina whined from embarrassment. Nayeon laughed for a moment longer, then shushed them both.

“Now, less talking and more kissing. We’re gonna do a review later.”

Mina’s eyes opened wide. A what?  

(...) 

Later that night, when Mina slept peacefully under the covers right beside Nayeon - her breath steady and calm, her hair disheveled and her face relaxed - Nayeon reached for a thin book laying on the bedside table. She had to be careful as to not wake her girlfriend up, and she dwelled a lot on giving up and trying to fall asleep, but something was telling her that she wouldn’t be able to. Their previous activities, plus the emotions of the whole day, were buzzing inside her head like a bunch of wasps. When she only closed her eyes, they were coming out of the nest to bombard her with thousands of ‘what if’s and ‘maybe’s. What if there was something important in her mother’s journals all along and she didn’t find it because of her own fears? What if Mina didn’t feel as much pleasure and love as Nayeon promised to give her? What if she regretted it and decided to leave Nayeon? What if they failed to arrest Sooyoung on time and she managed to hurt any of them seriously?

There was a lot on Nayeon’s mind. Sleep wasn’t an option for her that night, even if cuddling with Mina appeared so tempting.

Restless, she buried herself in the book.  

It was one she found in one of the boxes taken from her childhood house, her dad’s probably, because it had dog-eared pages just like he tended to do. It wasn’t anything special, just a collection of poetry from some small artist probably no one knew about. The poems were good, but not extraordinary. Still, they had something in them that lured Nayeon. Maybe it was the topic - loss and loneliness - or maybe it was because apparently, the artist was someone her dad knew personally. There was a dedication on the first page that stated ‘For a good friend’. Without any signature, but who else could gift such a book to a reader if not the author themselves? It was too indie to be distributed to a larger group of people. 

Boneless and tired, Nayeon lay in the bed, silently leafing through the pages of the book. One by one, it contained the pieces, sometimes small notes written with a blue pen, sometimes small drabbles. Nayeon could recognize her father’s handwriting, even if she mostly had a chance to see it later in life, when it got messier. 

Halfway through the book, there was a piece of paper tucked between the pages. With her eyes half-closed, Nayeon took it and unfolded. She glanced at the paper without much interest, expecting more text and more blue pen. She stared at it, stared, stared…

And then her eyes opened wide. 

(...)

The living room was quiet when Nayeon silently slipped out of her bedroom. She shut the door without making any sound, leaving her adorably sleeping girlfriend safe on the other side of it. Then she glanced around the house. 

Locating Sana wasn’t a hard task. The woman was sleeping between Dahyun and one of the boys, all three stacked like a domino on the couch. The other boy - they still had no idea what the kids’ names were - lay on the floor, covered with a blanket, with a pillow under his head. The scene would look cute, if Nayeon didn’t know the context. 

From under the door to Felix and Changbin’s room, she could see the light still sipping into the living room, meaning that one of them had to be up. The other room - the girls' one - seemed to be completely dark. 

Nayeon muttered a silent ‘I’m so sorry for that’, before coming over to the couch and gently shaking Sana’s arm. The woman’s tired, bloodshot eyes opened up immediately. 

“Shhh…” Nayeon calmed her down before Sana could make any noise. “It’s fine. I just need to talk to you.”

With resignation, Sana nodded and began to carefully untangle herself from the pile of arms, legs and heads laying on her lap. She shuffled behind Nayeon to the kitchen with her eyes still half-closed. Nayeon double-checked that no one beside them was awake nearby, before pulling the piece of paper out of her pocket and showing it to Sana. 

In the dim light of the kitchen’s wall lamps, Sana frowned, trying to decipher what the heck was written on the paper. She gave up after a few seconds.

“What am I looking at?” She asked, confused and disoriented after being woken up so abruptly. 

Nayeon’s eagerness had a distinct scent.

“A map.” The woman said, a bit excited and a bit nervous. “Of what I think is Moon Grove.”

Sana nodded. Then she took a bit to process the map. Finally, she frowned again.

“...and?” 

Nayeon was close to shaking her shoulders just to wake the woman up. 

“And look over here.” She rolled her eyes with impatience, pointing at one spot on the map. “See what’s written here?” 

Sana squinted her eyes, getting closer to the paper. Indeed, there was something written there, with a different ink than was used to create the rest of the map.

“Bunker… number five. Do they… hide here?” She read, deciphering the handwriting with a struggle. Nayeon waited for her to finally finish.

“So?” She urged. “What do you think?”

Sana yawned.

“I think it’s worth checking. I’ll call Mr. Cho in the morning, we can take Jackson or someone, and go ther–”

“Well, I’m not waiting.” Nayeon crossed her arms on her chest. “There’s no time to waste, we have to act quickly. Either you’re going with me, or I’m going alone.”

“What, now?” Sana finally opened her eyes wider. “Are you crazy? It’s three in the morning. We need to sleep, we need to–”

“Did you switch your brain with a seventy-year-old, or something!?” Nayeon scoffed. “Where’s the spirit? Barely a few days ago, you seemed pretty determined to catch that fucker who threatened to hurt your girlfriend, and now you’re suddenly too tired and too scared?”

In a split second, she was eye to eye with Sana. The woman’s hands would definitely be already up her throat, if Sana didn’t have respect for Nayeon as her alpha.

“Don’t you dare call me scared or old.” The woman barked. “Pack your damn bags, we’re going there right now.”

Nayeon grinned triumphantly. “That’s what I thought.”

(...)

Despite both of them being predators perfectly designed to move around the woods in the darkness, Sana and Nayeon actually got lost a few times that night. The map, if it was even real, wasn’t really precise. It had no scale, it seemed to be literally drawn by someone, and it was on top of it pretty worn out. So they had just the general direction where to go, and not much more. 

The terrain was difficult for walking. The ground was slippery because of the latest frequent downpours, the fallen leaves made various traps for their feet, and on top of that, there were suddenly tons of mosquitos attacking them from all around. Sana dreamed of turning to her wolf form, but she feared that reading the map when she got only her paws to use would be even more complicated. 

“Shit.” She cursed, when her shoe once again got stuck in the deep mud. “That’s why I don’t usually go to the southern parts of the woods. It’s like a damn jungle.”

“Makes sense to build the bunkers here.” Nayeon was panting while they went up the hill. She was in perfect shape, so it made no sense for her to struggle like that. Yet, here she was. “Harder to find in case someone really wants to survive an apocalypse.”

“You won’t survive, if you won’t even reach the bunker…” Sana huffed with irritation. 

Despite her annoyance, it was actually pretty nice to have Nayeon by her side in this situation. After their rough start, she was beginning to really appreciate the older woman’s strength and protective nature. 

Suddenly, Sana heard a loud splash, and she felt herself losing her balance. Instantly, Nayeon grabbed her hand.

“Whoa, whoa…” 

“Damn…” Sana raised her eyes to look around when she felt steady again. “There’s so much water here. I think the whole pit is underwater and it seems deep. How are we gonna pass it?”

She was already feeling the disgusting, dirty water cooling down her foot. She walked straight into it. 

“Well…” Nayeon hummed. “Aren’t we close already? Maybe there’s some way to walk around, or something, we can’t give up now–”

At that moment, Sana decided to help them a bit and turned on the flashlight. Their eyes were blinded for a moment, but when they got used to the brightness, what appeared in front of them made them both speechless.

“Oh…” Sana gasped.

“Yup.” Nayeon confirmed. 

The entrance to the bunker was right in front of them. The door even stood open. Only that it was half drowned in black, muddy liquid that only resembled water. 

“It’s not really wise to go there.” Sana made a valid observation. “There can be anything in this, from bacteria, through sharp objects, to dead bodies.” 

Nayeon only shrugged.

“Thank God we’re both not really wise. You’re going in first, officer, or are you too chicken?” 

“Me? Chicken?” Sana’s eyebrows shot up at the insult. “I think you’re mistaking your own feelings for mine.” 

Having said that, she bravely stepped into the water. 

Her first few moves were a bit unsure, because she had no idea how deep the water could be. But then, when she finally felt the ground and came to terms with destroying her pants and shoes, it was actually pretty fine. Luckily, the cold didn’t bother her, and she also hoped her wolf immunity would protect her from getting infected with any nasty stuff. 

Unfortunately, each one of her moves made a splash. It was unavoidable, and even if it wasn’t that loud, Sana had a permanent wince on her face. Behind her, Nayeon kept close, almost being right on her back. At first, Sana felt irritated by that, but when she finally went inside through the open door and realized how dark it was there without the moonlight present outside, she suddenly got thankful.

“Shit.” She whispered. “On second thought, I don’t think I’m all that brave.” 

Nayeon didn’t answer. When Sana glanced over her shoulder to find out why, the woman’s pupils were blown out almost to the point where there were no irises visible. Sana would totally laugh, but her own fear didn’t let her. Instead, she reached to grab Nayeon’s hand. It was cold and clammy. 

Nayeon gulped, then nodded. If they reached that far, they couldn’t give up now. 

“Maybe we can use the flashlight.” She pointed out. “If there’s so much water, I don’t think there are people living here.”

Right. The water was still, dirty and definitely didn’t gather here over the last few days. Unless there were stairs somewhere, leading to the part of the bunker located higher. Since it was built-in the hill, it wasn’t unlikely. 

“No. Not yet.” Sana shook her head. Then she sighed deeply, gathering her courage. For the case, for Dahyun, for their safety. She could do that. 

They moved forward. Step by step. There were doors on both sides of the narrow corridor, but they led only to empty rooms. The walls of the bunker were concrete, here and there the reinforcing rods were sticking out of the ceiling. At one point, the wall on their left side had a huge crack in it. From the colder and fresher air in this part of the building, Sana could assume the bunker was destroyed somewhere nearby, possibly during the last war, and there was no roof at all over that part of it. 

Finally, after a good ten minutes of slow walking in the water, they reached another open door. The threshold was a bit over the level of the floor, and as Sana could see, the ground here went up, so it seemed that behind that door, there would be no water anymore. 

“Thank God. I’ve destroyed my Converse.” Nayeon groaned. “That bitch Sooyoung is paying me for my damn shoes.” 

Sana didn’t laugh, because she was busy overthinking what might be hidden behind the door. It could be nothing. Or, someone could wait for them there. 

Her heart almost jumped out of her chest, as she pushed the door open. For a second, it seemed like it was all clear, but then–

“AAA!” It broke out of Nayeon’t throat. Sana just shut her eyes, the panic making her freeze on the spot. 

She could fight. 

She was strong. She was fast. But for what, if she panicked in such a moment?

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then she felt Nayeon patting her arm.

“Bro…” Nayeon whispered. “It’s just a costume.”

Sana’s eyes snapped open. Indeed, on second look, what appeared in front of them wasn’t a II world war soldier dressed in a creepy uniform and anti-gas mask. It was just clothes hanging there, as if to dry. Sana knew better that it was probably hung there to scare them off. It was a good sign though, because if someone bothered to make traps, there had to be something in the bunker worth protecting. Something, or someone. Sana absentmindedly patted her side to make sure that her gun was still there. She exhaled. Then made a step forward, over the threshold.

And then it all went down. 

When her foot touched the floor, something made a weird, crunching noise over their heads. And then, before Sana was even able to raise her eyes, something fell from the ceiling, aiming at her head.

“Watch out!” Nayeon gasped loudly, immediately pulling Sana back. 

She was fast enough to protect her from the two knives suddenly swinging from the left and right. Unfortunately, the constructors of the trap were smarter than that, and it turned out there was a third knife, this time aiming straight for Sana’s face. 

Sana only heard a whistle as it cut the air. Then she saw darkness and heard a groan - her own or not, she wasn't sure. Something warm and wet - blood, judging by the smell - fell on her chest. 

But she didn't feel any pain. Or she was in too big of a shock to feel it. 

Or maybe, the blood wasn't hers at all?

On her waist, she could still sense Nayeon's arm, embracing her tightly. The woman's other hand… Was on her face?

Nayeon groaned painfully. Immediately, Sana moved. 

“No!” Nayeon stopped her. “Don't move. The knife… it's stuck in my hand. If you move, it's gonna tore my hand in half. You have to back away. Just don't activate any more traps!” She warned. 

Sana winced, doing what she was told and carefully stepping away on what she hoped was a safe part of the floor. When she turned on the flashlight, the view that showed up to her eyes was pretty nasty. Indeed, the knife - that Sana was only now realizing was supposed to end up stuck between her eyes - ended up cutting into Nayeon's flesh. The wound was pretty big, and the fresh blood was flowing out of it with every beat of Nayeon's heart. For a moment, Sana panicked. 

It looked bad. They were alone, without any way to call for help, because there was no phone signal in those damn mountains. And the cut was deep. Shit, shit, shit. Nayeon was going to die. She was going to bleed out, and it would be Sana’s fault, because she was stupid and careless, and Nayeon would be a hero, because she died saving Sana’s life–

“Sana!” Nayeon woke her up from the haze. “Tear my T-shirt. I’m gonna take the knife out, and you have to react fast and tie the material around the wound. It’s gonna have to be cleaned and sewed up, but for the time being, we have to move. Damn it, it fucking hurts!”

Nayeon was right. It was dangerous to stand there any longer. Sana decided to sacrifice her own shirt. If Nayeon saved her from being beheaded, she might as well do everything she could to make the situation better. She winced, when the knife left the flesh with a weird sound, but this time, she didn’t panic. Nayeon gritted her teeth from the pain, a low whine leaving her throat, but luckily, they managed to secure the dressing before they were covered in blood from head to toe. 

“Does it hurt much? Are you feeling dizzy?” Sana asked, even if Nayeon was a doctor between the two of them. 

“I’m fine.” Nayeon said, even if she clearly wasn’t. Her eyes were distant. Her face was scrunched in pain. Sana gulped. Now wasn’t the best time, but…

“Thanks… You know, for doing this. Without you, I probably wouldn’t come back home tonight.” 

Nayeon was ready to wave her off, but Sana was serious. Maybe it was a bit too affectionate on her side, but she dived forward and embraced Nayeon tightly. Just for a second. Not enough to consider it a real hug. 

When she stepped back, Nayeon cleared her throat awkwardly. 

“I was about to say that it’s nothing. But… You’re welcome, I guess. Now, let’s go. We have to check this place before I bleed out. I have a feeling we’re close to something. Just… Let’s be more careful.”

Sana nodded fervently. Then she stepped over the threshold, making sure to avoid the spot that activated the falling knives. Then they slowly passed by the hanging uniform, looking all around them the whole time. 

“It smells weird.” Sana scrunched her nose. “Chemically weird.”

“Yup.” Nayeon nodded. “I sense it too.” 

Fortunately, the rest of the corridor was free of any traps. Once again, there were doors on the left, and on the right, but they all led to empty, cold rooms. In the end, the corridor took a turn to the left. Sana and Nayeon exchanged glances. Wordlessly, Sana took her gun. They couldn’t hear any sound, but you could never be sure…

“On three…,” She said. “One, two…”

She took a big breath, whispered ‘Three’ and went in, her gun raised and prepared to fire away. The light from the flashlight allowed her to scan the room, and she did it quickly, checking all the corners. 

Nothing. Or maybe like no one. 

Because the room definitely wasn’t empty. 

“That fucker.” Nayeon cursed loudly, because now they had the whole bunker checked and knew they were alone there. “They were here, surely. And they might come back. We better evacuate before someone attacks us from behind.”

“Look.” Sana was already searching through the stuff, gloves she always carried in her back pocket finally put to use. “What do you think it is?”

Under their feet, there were a few sleeping bags scattered around. There was also a whole lot of personal stuff laying everywhere. But what attracted Sana’s attention was meds laying on the table here and there - white circular pills, without any box or packaging. It was definitely suspicious with how no one cared that dirt was getting on them.

Nayeon nudged one and got a bit closer to get a better look. 

“Do you have any bags to pack it for me? I’d like to check it in the laboratory, but… I have a feeling what it might be.”

“Drugs?” Sana raised her eyebrows. “Seriously?”

Nayeon shrugged. 

“It would totally explain why her wolves serve her so obediently and kill people without any remorse.”

“That fucker.” Sana repeated like an echo the words Nayeon said barely a minute earlier. “I didn’t think she could get any worse, but look, here we are… We have to put officers somewhere around to observe the bunker. It seems like they can come back here.”

Nayeon nodded in agreement.

“Okay, let’s go.” She shivered, looking around the place once again with pure disgust. “We have what we came here for, partner.”